Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

August 29th, 9:00 AM.

I lazily knocked on the Student Council Office's door.

"Welcome," Secretary Tachibana greeted me with a stern expression.

The student council room looked a bit different from last time, but the changes didn't feel like an idea that someone like Horikita Manabu would come up with.

"Have a seat." His words interrupted my train of thought. 

Well, whatever. It's about time I got to know what he was talking about.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I wouldn't want to waste your time coming here, so I'll get straight to the point. Simply put, you should expect that the school would be changing soon, or at least, some of the systems around how things work inside it."

"Soon, huh? The second semester will be starting soon, and around that time will be the election for the new student council president."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," he nodded, fixing glasses.

"Well, your words are making things obvious to me."

"You wanted to avoid a lengthy discussion, so I'm willing to fulfill that request. I just wanted to warn you about the future student council and the changes that they will exact towards the school and its students," he said.

"So you won't give me any more details?"

"Do you want me to?"

Secretary Tachibana silently served us some tea.

"I've got a lot of time to spare. Some information shouldn't hurt," I shrugged.

"Then I should tell you about the student council first," he replied. "As you know, I am the current president with Tachibana Akane as my secretary. While the other members aren't around right now, you can take a look at this list."

President: 

1. Horikita Manabu (Class 3-A)

Vice President:

1. Nagumo Miyabi (Class 2-A)

2. ???

Secretary:

1. Tachibana Akane (Class 3-A)

Assistant Secretary:

2. Kiriyama Ikuto (Class 2-B)

3. Mizowaki Tooru (Class 2-B)

Treasurer:

1. Ayase Shun (Class 3-A)

General Affairs Manager:

1. Ichinose Honami (Class 1-C)

He gave me a text-only list of the student council members. This is certainly some useful information, but practically unusable if I can't match these names to the right faces.

"If you want to see them or meet them in person, you'll certainly get that chance if you join the student council," he continued.

What a stingy bastard.

"No thanks. I'll try to do something on my own."

"Alright. For now, I'll explain some things about the student council as an organization. Of course, these are all information that any student could acquire. Though unfortunately, only a few are interested in knowing them."

Well, the student council is generally just a group of students that have more work than others. They are still part of the educational system, much like any other after-school club. Unlike what's seen in anime or manga, they don't really hold that much power in real life as an independent organization. They're really not revered as these super students who could do everything. They just need to be competent and diligent kids who are at least decent in academics. However, it doesn't seem to be the case in this school.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School isn't the type of school that would waste such a label on ordinary students. It was evident seeing how admired Horikita Manabu was in his class. They wouldn't have been able to stay in Class A for three straight years if it weren't for his leadership, and he did so while being the Student Council President. 

That said, I'm sure that position held its advantages considering that this school's student council is a lot more powerful than your average ones.

"You've invited me to become a Vice President before, right? The position still seems to be vacant."

"Oh, are you interested?"

"No, I'm not." I dismissed him instantly before making another comment. "So Ichinose became a member of the student council, huh?"

"The final decision wasn't mine. I initially rejected her applications," he replied.

"Then whose decision was it?" I asked.

"Nagumo Miyabi, the Vice President."

"How does that work?"

"I could've vetoed his decision with my own judgment, but I chose to let Nagumo's injunction be," sighed Horikita.

Ichinose seemed like a worthy member of the student council, though. But that's just my personal opinion.

"Is there anything else that I should know?" After memorizing the names on the list, I gently returned the paper back to his table.

"What do you want to know?"

"Their faces, their personalities, their affiliations, their abilities— all that stuff. Who should I look out for? Why would this be detrimental to my high school life? Those kinds of questions, as well. I'm sure you know that already, but I don't think you'll give such information out for free."

"How sharp. You are right on the mark. But even if you refrain from pushing your inquisitiveness, I'm sure you have your own methods to get them."

What a pain, but it's expected for Kikyou to be on his radar, as well.

"If you can't give me anything else, then at least answer my main question. Why would the new student council disrupt my peace?" I slowly stood up and prepared to leave.

"Things will change in the future. Those who don't have the abilities will fall, and those with talent will be forced to play." Horikita Manabu answered me with an enigmatic tone.

"So that's the case... I guess I can understand why you're trying to warn me."

Are you worried about your sister? I wanted to ask that question, but I didn't need to implore his feelings about her right now.

"Are you going?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure to return the favor, and I'll be back to negotiate a certain matter in the future."

"I see. Then for now, why don't you give an item back to its owner?" He looked at Secretary Tachibana with a nod.

"Yes," she replied before approaching me with something in hand. "This belongs to Iida Aoi-san of Class 3-A. Please return it to her as you go."

I received a shark-designed keychain. It had golden-colored chains and the shark had... arms? I thought it was pretty cute. Its design certainly fits her personality.

"Iida-senpai? Did she drop it here or something?" I asked.

"So you know her? Well, no matter. To answer your question— Since the captain of the volleyball team fell ill, Iida has been the one tending to their matters. She did indeed drop that keychain on our previous temporary office yesterday, but Tachibana and I were too busy to return it," he explained.

"We've already contacted her about this. Since Iida-san has some matters to go through with the faculty, I believe she's already inside the school building." Secretary Tachibana's words were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. "I just received her reply. She's currently on standby inside Class 3-A's classroom with Konishi-san."

"Alright, I'll go give this back to her."

"Thank you," she nodded.

I gave Horikita Manabu a quick glance and saw him looking through some papers without a care in the world. And with that, I exited the Student Council Office.

————————————————————————

It wasn't long before I reached the room labeled "3-A". I grabbed the door's latch and slid it open.

"Ah, it's Ayanokouji-kun~!" Iida-senpai noticed me and raised her voice.

"Good morning to you~." Konishi-senpai followed with a greeting.

I grabbed the keychain from my pocket and tossed it to Iida-senpai as soon as I got near.

"The student council asked me to return this back to you," I said.

"Oh-! Nice throw~!" Iida-senpai swiftly attached the keychain back to her bag. "I knew they sent a first-year student, but I didn't expect it to be you, of all people."

"What a nice coincidence!" commented Konishi-senpai.

If I remember correctly, it's been around ten days since I've last seen them. Iida-senpai's short and dark hair which complemented her sporty and energetic personality was still evident. The same goes for Konishi-senpai's beautiful blond hair along with her gentle yet jolly personality.

This time, however, they were wearing their school uniforms.

"Did you have any business with the student council, Ayanokouji-kun?" Iida-senpai asked.

"Well, the president talked to me about some stuff."

"Did Horikita-kun invite you to become a member of the student council?" This time, Konishi-senpai was the one who asked me a question.

"Huh? No, well, he did but, how could you tell?"

"Just a hunch. You're an honor student like Kikyou-chan, right? It wouldn't be weird for Horikita-kun to want exceptional freshmen on his side."

"I guess so..." I replied, putting my hands inside my pockets. "What about you then, Senpai? I already know that Iida-senpai had some matters regarding the volleyball club."

"Oh, I was already in the building since way earlier. A number of things still needed to be moved from the Tea Ceremony Clubroom to the Student Council Office, and as the president, I was there to oversee the process in some way," Konishi-senpai answered with a smile.

"So that's the case. Well then, I've done what's been asked of me, so it's about time I go now." I turned around and started walking away.

"Bye-bye, Ayanokouji-kun! Thanks for this!"

"See you next time!"

I could only respond with a nod. These two were really carefree. They seem to be enjoying their high school lives to the fullest. At that moment, I remembered Horikita Manabu's words.

"You're not the first person I've associated with who just wants to live a normal high school life in this school. I suppose I can understand where you're coming from."

I wonder if he was talking about them.