"Pass the ball, Maki! I'm open!" shouted a player on Toshigawa Academy's soccer team.
"Here you go, upperclassman," said Maki as he sent the ball curving toward the goal. His teammate jumped up and headed the ball into the net, scoring a goal.
"Not bad. Nice pass, rookie," said the soccer player with a grin.
In Class 1T…
The classroom was in complete disorder, with students engaged in different conversations, causing enough noise to disrupt the class next door.
"Good morning, everyone," said Hayami-sensei in a serious but disappointed tone.
"Good morning, Sensei," the students responded respectfully, sensing the strictness in her voice and the sharp glare she gave them.
"I don't have time to give you all a lecture on your behavior, but just to jog your memories—you are the top of your grade. You should represent your class better than this," she stated firmly.
"Now then, for this homeroom session, I would like you to select your class representatives. You can vote for whoever you deem worthy—just write their name on a piece of paper and place it in this box. After that, I will count the votes. The person with the highest number of votes will become the class representative, and they will choose their assistant. Get started on the voting," said Hayami-sensei.
One by one, the students anonymously submitted their votes.
"Okay, now that all of you have voted, I will check to see who has received the most votes," said Hayami-sensei.
After counting, she looked up and announced, "It seems that Rie Morioka has received six votes, which is the highest. So, she will be your class representative."
"Th-Thank you, everyone, for voting for me," said Rie, stuttering due to her shyness and nervousness.
"Okay, Miss Morioka, choose who you would like to assist you in your duties," Hayami-sensei instructed.
Rie glanced around the room, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, until her eyes landed on Shino, who was staring into space.
"I would like to be assisted by Katsuragi. Is that alright, Teacher?" asked Rie.
"Huh? N-N-No, why me?! I can't do that kind of work—speaking up for my class, making suggestions to the school board—I just can't!" protested Shino.
"I see. Perfect choice, Rie," said Hayami-sensei, ignoring his protests.
"But, Hayami-sensei, I don't want to—" Shino started, but he was cut off.
"Huh? What was that? Speak up, I couldn't hear you," Hayami-sensei said in a serious and cold tone.
Shino gulped. "W-What I said was… I'm happy to become her assistant!" he said quickly.
"That's what I thought," Hayami-sensei replied.
"She's so scary…" Shino thought to himself.
"School isn't just about getting good grades and aiming for your goals. It's also about character development, confidence, the ability to stand up for yourself, and applying the knowledge you gain from experience. Being Rie's assistant will help you grow as a person in the long run, so stop complaining," said Hayami-sensei.
"Yes, Sensei… I understand," Shino muttered.
"Alright then. Rie Morioka, assisted by Shino Katsuragi, will be your class representatives this year. Any objections?" Hayami-sensei asked.
The class responded with a unanimous, "No."
"Good. You two should take some time to get to know each other so that you feel comfortable working together—it's going to be a long year," she added.
"I finally got the chance to be near Katsuragi. I can finally thank him for what he did that day. I'll be able to be friends with him… and eventually, he'll notice me—wait, what am I saying?!" Rie thought to herself as she started blushing.
"How am I going to manage all this and training? I won't have any free time at all…" Shino thought, sulking.
Just as Hayami-sensei was about to start the lesson, an announcement interrupted her.
Over the intercom…
"Good afternoon, everyone. Sachiko Takahashi and Tetsuo Kawaguchi, please report to the student council room. I repeat, Sachiko Takahashi and Tetsuo Kawaguchi, please report to the student council room," announced Hitomi.
"That girl… couldn't she have waited until the school bell rang?" Hayami-sensei thought to herself, irritated.
"You both have my permission to leave the class and go to the student council room. You scored the highest points on the entrance exam, so I expect that you won't loiter or skip homeroom after you're done," she stated.
"Yes, Teacher. You have our word. Let's go, Kawaguchi," said Sachiko.
In the Student Council Room…
"I'm glad you came, Tetsuo Kawaguchi. Please, both of you, sit down," said Hitomi as she poured them tea.
"What do you want with me?" asked Tetsuo bluntly.
"Straight to the point, I see. I like that about you. Well then, let me enlighten you," said Hitomi.
"I explained to your classmates that the former student council members have graduated, and—"
"I wasn't listening," Tetsuo interrupted.
"Huh? Excuse me?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow.
"The information you gave had nothing to do with me, so I ignored it. It didn't apply to me anyway," Tetsuo said indifferently.
Hitomi, momentarily surprised by his bluntness, cleared her throat and got to the point.
"Anyway, the reason I called you here is to ask you to join the student council as our secretary. If you join, you'll receive several benefits. The school heads will extend your scholarship, covering your education for both your second and third year. So, what do you say?" asked Hitomi.
"Sorry, but I won't join the student council," Tetsuo replied without hesitation.
"I see… May I ask why?" Hitomi inquired.
"Firstly, even though you're the student council president, you're quite a conniving person. Using the fact that I'm on a scholarship to try and manipulate me into accepting your proposal… it might have worked on someone else, but not me. This was the norm where I was from," Tetsuo said coldly.
"Secondly, my sister gave me a calling. It would be rude of me to abandon her wishes. That's all," he added.
"It's about time for me to take my leave. I don't want to keep my teacher waiting. See you," said Tetsuo as he left, closing the door behind him.
Hitomi smirked slightly. "That boy is a strange one… but I can't say I'm not intrigued by his opinion of me," she mused.
"I already told you he was going to reject your proposal," Sachiko said matter-of-factly.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on recruiting him. We still have time before the council members are set in stone, and we need someone like him on our board," said Hitomi.