After school, Hikigaya went to the student council office for his usual duties. As soon as he walked in, he saw Tachibana Akane talking with a male student.
Hikigaya recognized him. He was also a third-year student and a member of the student council.
It looked like Tachibana and the senior were discussing something, but whatever it was had already been settled. When the senior saw Hikigaya enter, he gave him a polite nod before leaving with a document in hand.
"Huh? Hikigaya, you and Handa seem pretty familiar with each other?"
Tachibana was a little surprised by what she had just seen.
Hikigaya nodded. "Handa-senpai sometimes needs to handle matters between students and clubs, so over time, we got to know each other."
"I see. But Handa tends to keep to himself. Even among the second-years, not many people talk to him. Yet, you—a first-year—are close to him? That's unexpected."
Tachibana sounded surprised.
"Uh… maybe we just have similar personalities."
Hikigaya scratched his head. "Or maybe he's more willing to talk to me because I'm from Class D."
Tachibana nodded. "That makes sense. Handa was originally from Class D before moving up to Class C, so that could be part of it."
Handa Seishuu, a third-year student from Class C and a student council member. His main job was handling and coordinating club affairs.
"Now that I think about it, our student council has really few members."
Hearing this, Tachibana gave a wry smile. "It can't be helped. Our school's student council isn't like the ones in regular schools. Having more members would just make things complicated. So, a lot of the work has to be done personally. First-years like you especially have it tough."
At ANHS, the student council had an unusually small number of members. There was one president, two vice presidents, a secretary and deputy secretary, and then four additional members—including Hikigaya and Haruno—who all had different responsibilities. That meant the entire student council only had nine people.
Even though Hikigaya often complained about Haruno skipping her shifts and dumping work on him, he knew Haruno was in charge of handling communication between the student council and the school. As for Handa, he was mainly responsible for club-related affairs.
Then there was a second-year girl who, like Hikigaya, handled miscellaneous tasks and never turned down work. The only difference was that she was responsible for second-year students, while Hikigaya covered first-years. Basically, they were like bricks for the student council—moved wherever they were needed.
So... how was this any different from the random errands he used to run under Iroha?
Right now, the deputy secretary position was still vacant. According to Tachibana, it originally belonged to a third-year student from Class B, but they had resigned for some reason, leaving the council with only eight members.
After spending over a month in the student council, Hikigaya had gotten used to how things worked. But at the same time, he was starting to notice that something about the student council felt... off.
Third-year students: President Horikita Manabu and Secretary Tachibana Akane hold the main decision-making power in the student council.
Second-year students: Vice Presidents Nagumo Miyabi and Kiriyama are supposedly in charge of second-year affairs, but Hikigaya rarely sees these two "big shots." Even in the student council office, Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane barely mention them, making them almost nonexistent.
First-year students: Haruno and "errand boy" Hikigaya. Most of the student council's basic tasks fall on Hikigaya. Of course, his "direct supervisor," Tachibana Akane, helps out, but in terms of execution, Hikigaya handles most of the work.
At first glance, this setup seems reasonable, but on closer inspection, there's something odd—the second-years barely have any presence, almost as if they're "self-governing."
The two vice presidents handle nearly all second-year affairs, and Horikita Manabu rarely intervenes. In contrast, he takes a strong interest in first-year affairs.
Looking even deeper, another suspicious point emerges—why are both vice presidents second-years? If the goal was to balance representation, that would make sense. But what truly puzzles Hikigaya is the lack of third-year representation. From a power structure perspective, at least one vice president should ideally be a third-year student.
A simple calculation reveals something interesting: when Horikita Manabu and his generation step down, the presidency will likely be contested between Nagumo and Kiriyama. Even if one loses, they'll still retain a vice president position. So…
"Tachibana-senpai, I have a question. Originally, how many vice presidents were there in the student council?"
Hikigaya asked curiously.
Tachibana Akane froze, her pen stopping mid-air. She looked at Hikigaya in surprise. "Why… why would you ask that?"
Seeing her reaction, Hikigaya had a vague guess. He hesitated before probing further. "Three? Or has it always been just two?"
Tachibana Akane's expression grew complicated as she glanced at her junior. For a moment, she seemed unsure how to respond. After a brief silence, she finally spoke. "Hikigaya, you've figured something out, haven't you?"
"I'm just a little curious."
"If you check the past student council records, you'll find out… It's on the third shelf, seventh book from the left."
She gave Hikigaya a strange look. "The president told me to tell you this if you ever asked that question."
"Huh?"
Hikigaya was momentarily stunned before nodding, a strange expression on his face. Internally, he let out a sigh. This school really is full of hidden agendas. Even the student council isn't free from power struggles.
…
Night had fallen. After spending two and a half hours on student council duties, Hikigaya grabbed dinner at the school cafeteria before returning to his dorm. Just as he opened the door, a sudden force pushed him forward. He stumbled inside, followed by the loud slam of the door shutting behind him.
Turning around in shock, he saw a girl gripping the door handle tightly. Her usually neat, golden hair was slightly disheveled, and her normally bright, glass-like eyes were now bloodshot. It was as if she was surrounded by an ominous, dark aura.
"K-Kushida?!"
The girl who had "attacked" him from behind and barged into his dorm was none other than Kushida Kikyo, who had clearly been waiting for him.
"Heh… Hikigaya, I've finally caught you!"
Kushida flashed a sinister grin, her voice eerily unsettling.
Damn. Where's the "sweet angel" act? This is straight-up demonic!
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