Inside the dormitory room.
Ichinose Honami, Himeno Yuki, Sakura Airi, Sakayanagi Arisu, Kamuro Masumi, Karuizawa Kei, Hasebe Haruka.
Nanase Tsubasa, Tsubaki Sakurako were sitting in various corners of the room.
Making the spacious room appear a bit crowded.
"There are so many people..."
Sitting at the low table with Ichinose, Tsubaki Sakurako twirled the hair by her ear and glanced at Hikigaya sitting at the desk.
Although it wasn't stated explicitly.
Hikigaya felt he was being looked down upon.
That's also true.
Looking at the scene before him, it wouldn't be normal if he wasn't looked down upon.
Rubbing his aching temples, Hikigaya also had a bit of a headache.
It wasn't that he had any problem with Tsubaki Sakurako and Nanase Tsubasa.
Rather.
It was Karuizawa and Hasebe Haruka.
What exactly were these two thinking?
Although he didn't view Horikita Suzune as an opponent, right now the two classes are competing for the Student Council President, huh.
Are these two clear about that?
Although Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi were also present, the two of them had a sense of propriety and kept class competition and personal feelings very separate.
Whereas Karuizawa and Hasebe Haruka clearly lacked that sense of propriety.
"The juice is here; let me through."
"Thank you."
Hasebe Haruka held the tray and distributed the juice to everyone.
"Kei."
Himeno Yuki asked with curiosity: "Did Horikita ask you guys to vote for her?"
"No."
Hasebe Haruka sat down beside Sakura Airi and explained nonchalantly:
"That person is still the same as before, rarely communicating with us; however, she seems to want to improve her relationship with Kushida, and appears to be a bit unable to stand Kushida's current state."
Although she was attending classes and taking exams properly, Kushida was also not communicating with anyone, completely in a state of "giving up."
Whether Kushida's state had caused an impact on Class D.
It certainly had.
At least, there was no longer anyone to comfort them or listen to their complaints.
"However."
Karuizawa rested her chin on her hand and murmured: "Hirata did tell us to try and cast all our votes for Horikita, though."
"There should be people who refuse, right?"
Sakura Airi also tilted her little head and spoke her own view.
She understood Class D quite well.
"That's for sure."
Karuizawa said somewhat indifferently: "Onodera and the others seem to have a big problem with Horikita; I don't know if they will cast their votes for Horikita."
Class D was not as united as Class B.
If there's something they hate, they will express it directly, but whether they would ultimately go against their inner will for the sake of the class to cast their votes for Horikita.
That wasn't clear.
That was how it was—even if Hikigaya didn't want to listen, he would occasionally hear intelligence about Class D.
They chatted simply for a few sentences.
"Then."
Nanase Tsubasa sat formally on the floor, her pretty face becoming serious:
"Did Senior Ichinose look for us also because of the Student Council election?"
"Phew..."
Ichinose took a deep breath, her expression becoming solemn:
"Nanase-san, Tsubaki-san, I absolutely must become the Student Council President; could I trouble you to cast the votes of Class D and Class C for me?"
"Huh?"
Nanase Tsubasa said with some confusion: "Even if Senior Ichinose didn't say it, Class D would certainly cast their votes for Senior Ichinose, oh."
"Well, I'll try speaking with the people in the class."
Tsubaki Sakurako said nonchalantly.
During the last cross-grade selection exam, Ichinose helped many first-years with weaker academic grades without seeking anything in return, which was widely praised by the first-years.
Regarding her influence among the first-years.
Ichinose was also not inferior to Yagami Takuya; unintentional acts of kindness from the past would eventually blossom and bear fruit.
Many first-years owed Ichinose a favor.
Under the premise that there were no conflicts of interest, she believed most first-years would still cast their votes for Ichinose.
Once a favor is spoken out loud, it becomes a transaction.
It was just that Ichinose's frank request was not at all disliked.
...
Inside the room.
The girls were chattering and noisy without end, it was just that because Nanase Tsubasa and Tsubaki Sakurako were there, they couldn't be "lewd."
Hikigaya had already gotten used to it; he buried his head in organizing the questionnaires that Himeno Yuki brought back.
" Hikigaya-senpai..."
Nanase Tsubasa placed her small hands behind her and poked half of her head out:
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, organizing questionnaires; someone should have looked for you today as well, right?"
"Yes, I filled out the third option."
It was just an investigation.
Most people were still willing to accept it, or they would just say an option and let Himeno Yuki and the others fill it out on their behalf.
"Hikigaya-senpai, is there any use in doing these?"
Looking at Hikigaya separating the different types of questionnaires, Nanase Tsubasa asked with curiosity.
"Um..."
Hikigaya explained nonchalantly:
"Although most student elections are just about appearance and fame, as long as a gap can be opened up in the speech, I believe most people will still cast their votes for someone more beneficial to themselves."
"I have a little idea of my own; this can roughly judge their degree of acceptance of this idea."
Hikigaya separated the questionnaires one by one.
Although there were certainly people who filled them out randomly, it could still serve as a kind of reference.
"I see, Hikigaya-senpai is really amazing."
Nanase Tsubasa nodded in understanding and suggested with a smile: "I'll help too, shall I?"
"Oh, is that okay? Thank you very much."
Hikigaya naturally had no objection.
Separating over four hundred questionnaires by himself was indeed a waste of time; unfortunately, Ichinose and the others who would help were currently cooking.
Only Sakayanagi Arisu was watching the scene before her eyes with a thoughtful look.
Soon.
Hikigaya and Nanase Tsubasa finished the classification of the questionnaires.
Simply put, they were divided into three categories.
The first category: must rise to Class A; this group accounted for roughly twenty percent.
The second category: it would be best to graduate from Class A; this group accounted for roughly forty percent...
The third category.
Doesn't matter if I graduate from Class A.
This category would likely only be chosen by people with extremely good family conditions like Koenji, Kiryuin, or Sakayanagi Arisu.
Yet it accounted for roughly forty percent.
The traces of someone deliberately causing trouble were too obvious; it was likely Nagumo Miyabi, Ryuen, and those people.
Regardless of what Hikigaya wanted to do.
Anyway, just causing trouble was the right move.
But correspondingly.
There were not many people who felt they absolutely had to graduate from Class A; most likely, only those like Horikita Suzune, Yukimura, Kiriyama, or people with definitive dreams would cast such a vote.
Clearly.
The vast majority of people.
Simply held the attitude that rising to Class A would be for the best.
People like Ike Kanji, whose class points were zeroed out at the start of school without showing any progress, were clearly somewhat indifferent.
They played, ate, and drank as they pleased.
Only upon seeing the class points gradually increase did the thought slowly emerge that they might as well give it a try.
Simply put.
Most people had no actual goal.
They were just influenced by the school and the surrounding atmosphere, drifting along with the desire to rise to Class A.
Slowly, they began to learn, progress, and grow.
Becoming increasingly outstanding, more excellent, and also more egoistic, as the influence of private points ran deeper and deeper.
This was a subtle, silent transformation.
It was exactly the purpose of such a school.
Hikigaya admitted.
In today's society.
Those with a deeper obsession with money and greater selfishness would indeed find it easier to succeed than the average person.
However.
The vast majority of people.
Did not possess high-level methods of being selfish without being repulsive, no matter how strong their abilities were.
Just as Horikita Suzune was indeed excellent in all aspects of paper-thin strength.
But her calculating nature was so obvious it was like the beads of an abacus hitting one in the face.
Yet she still felt she was very clever.
Such a manner only made people feel disgusted.
Without the corresponding strength, it was better to walk the righteous path.
Soon.
Everyone gathered for a dinner together before each returned to their respective dormitories.
Using the excuse of wanting to sleep with Ichinose, Sakura Airi, and Himeno Yuki tonight, Hikigaya sent away Karuizawa Kei, Hasebe Haruka, and the others.
Sigh.
What were those two meddling for...
The two of them might not care.
But if it were discovered that the two of them leaked class intelligence.
Karuizawa and Hasebe would only suffer a fatal blow from Class D; Hikigaya could not ignore that risk.
"Honami."
Hikigaya handed a speech draft to Ichinose.
"I'll leave tomorrow's Student Council election to you all."
"No problem."
Ichinose took a few simple glances, then took a deep breath and nodded.
Whether it was Hikigaya or Kanzaki and the others, they clearly could not gain the support of the majority; Ichinose's importance was self-evident.
As long as the school's claim of respecting student autonomy was true.
And they didn't make things difficult for him.
Hikigaya had one hundred percent confidence that the vast majority of people would choose Ichinose.
He had been unhappy with this school.
For a long time.