𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

"I have a favor to ask you. I want you to beat Iino Miko in today's election by a landslide." Ishigami-kun demanded.

"Why are you so serious?" Shirogane-san questioned.

"Polling shows we've got almost 90% of the vote locked down, so I don't think there's any need to worry." Chika-san pointed out.

"Do they have some kind of ace up their sleeve?" Kaguya-san asked.

"No, they don't. I'm sure we'll win today's election. But even so, we should be able to make it a decisive win." Ishigami-kun answered.

"Is there something between you and Iino-chan?" I inquired. How strange...that actually...hurt.

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"Please get ready!"

I took a deep breath and stood up from my seat, where I had been waiting. We walked by Iino-chan's group.

I can already tell how threatened she feels by our presence, I wish I could help her in some way. Oh, I know!

"Iino-chan! Osaragi-chan!" I called out, approaching the two of them.

"L/n-san? Shouldn't you be with the others?" Iino-chan asked.

"Well yeah I should, but the two of you look so nervous. Would you like me to show you a trick?" I asked.

"A trick?" Osaragi-chan repeated, she seems to be confused by what I meant.

"Yep! Just think of the scariest experience you've ever had." I explained the first step. They pondered about it for a while.

"And then?" Iino-chan asked. They seem to be done thinking about it, and not mention they're shivering at the thought of their scariest experience.

"And then compare it to the one you're gonna face. It's not so scary now, isn't it?" I giggled.

"You're right...thank you L/n-san!" Iino-chan thanked me.

"I appreciate the help, but why? We're competing, aren't we? Why are you helping us?" Osaragi-chan inquired.

"Hmm...who knows? Anyways, good luck out there!" I waved before leaving the two of them.

"You..." I heard. I quickly turned around and saw Ishigami-kun leaning against a wall. Was he listening to us this whole time?

"Ishigami-kun? You were standing there the whole time?" I got flustered. He heard me say such embarrassing things?!

"You truly are an amazing person. You're...you really are a goddess!" Ishigami-kun cried.

"Not again! Come one, Ishigami-kun, don't cry here." I wiped away his tears.

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"Iino Miko is a very honest girl. She's a girl who is sensitive, pure, and more just than anyone I know. I think many of you know how earnest she is through her work as a member of the Public Morals Committee." Osaragi-chan said.

"There's no hesitation. She must have practiced a lot." Shirogane-san stated.

"But...people here aren't paying attention. Maybe half of the students here are actually listening." Ishigami-kun pointed out.

"How annoying..." I muttered. Someone built up the courage to speak in front of a huge amount of people, at least have the decency to listen.

"She was a member of that committee all through middle school, working hard for the sake of the academy and her fellow students. At the same time, she was devoted to her studies and was the highest-ranked student. So, please vote for Iino Miko." Osaragi-chan finished.

"And now, let's hear from a supporter for Mr. Shirogane, Ms. Shinomiya." they announced.

Kaguya-san gives her presentation; flashy, relatively short, to the point, with lots of visual aids which seemed to appeal to the students.

That promotional video is full of shameless baloney. You have outdone yourself, Ishigami-kun.

"They're eating it up." Shirogane-san mentioned.

"We're just presenting an approximation of your accomplishments, President. The important thing is having a list of things and how they're presented." Ishigami-kun explained.

"Still, I'm surprised you put so much effort into this, Ishigami-kun." I mumbled.

"It's like I said. I want to beat Iino Miko in a landslide." Ishigami-kun repeated.

The presentation has gained all of their attention and at last, they give a round of applause for the well-given speech.

The presentation was certainly powerful. Kaguya-san exudes unshakeable strength.

"Next, let's hear from the candidate, Iino Miko." they announced.

Iino-chan, by contrast, stumbles over her words and is almost immediately paralyzed by the crowd.

"What'd she say?"

"Mic trouble?"

"We can't hear you!"

"Is something wrong?"

"I-I'm Iino Miko..." Iino-chan stammered.

"Is she nervous?"

The audience silently snicker amongst themselves about Iino-chan's nervousness, mocking her.

"This is the usual pattern. This is the reason Iino Miko doesn't win. She was never good in front of a crowd, but every time she loses an election, it gets worse. It's laughable." Ishigami-kun mentioned.

"Top of the class, by the book, serious to a fault. Normally, she's a self-important authoritarian pain in the butt, so it's all the more potent when she exposes herself to ridicule like this. You can't expect people who are annoyed by her on the daily not to laugh." he declared.

"I have plenty of reasons to resent her myself. But it annoys me when someone who's trying so hard gets laughed at." Ishigami-kun scoffed.

"Leave it to me. You want us to win in a way that won't make Iino-chan a laughingstock, right?" I turned to him and gave him my camera. He grabbed it and stared at me, dumbfounded.

"You always call me all sorts of things like 'goddess', 'amazing', and 'kind'. But don't forget...I think of you as the same thing." I gave him a small smile before making my way up the stage with a microphone in hand.

Iino-chan is a very serious person. She always comes to class early in the morning to feed the fish and change the water for the flowers.

She always does what the teacher says and always has the highest grade. Iino-chan loves doing what's right.

In middle school, she joined the Public Morals Committee with Osaragi-chan. Iino-chan won't hesitate to crack down on upper-class men even if they're intimidating or popular.

A lot of people didn't appreciate that. Some of them were malicious. Iino-chan didn't care. She didn't even look disappointed, but I'm sure it hurts her too.

I know that much...I have been her classmate since middle school. I know that much about her.

Iino-chan was just serious. She wasn't strong, but no one got that. Iino-chan just wants to do the right thing, but why do they give her those looks?

Anybody would be scared if people stared at them like that. Anybody would be terrified if they get judged.

I know that feeling very well. The feeling of being stared at. The fear of getting judged. I know that feeling very well.

I picked up the piece of paper that Iino-chan dropped by accident due to her quivering hands.

"L-L/n-san!" Iino-chan gasped. I gave her a reassuring look and handed her paper back to her.

I know that feeling very well. I'm afraid of crowds, people staring at me, and judging me, but as long as you're looking at one person, you'll forget about everything around you.

Thanks to Ishigami-kun, I learned that as long as you're focused on one person, you'll forget everything and focus on that person alone.

"You know what annoys me the most? It's when people are giving it their all and no one has the decency to pay attention. People like them get on my nerves, don't you think so too, Iino-chan?" I turned to her.

"Y-Yeah! Someone is really trying their best out there and you're just gonna focus on something else, it's so annoying!" Iino-chan agreed.

"Give me a reason as to why you should be the president. Look me in the eye and tell me straight out." I demanded.

"I-I...what I'm trying to say is..." her body trembled in fear as she stared at the ground. It's time to take a different approach.

"Hold your head high Iino-chan, because there are people that are waiting for you to fall. Go ahead, you can do it." I gave her a very tiny smile which seemed to give her confidence.

"Are you listening? This is a survey of the brand images of well-known High schools! The strength of Shuchiin's brand has been declining with each passing year." Iino-chan presented a chart.

"I see your point, but have you already pinpointed the cause of this?" I asked, placing a hand on my hip.

Forget about the audience, don't turn to them, pretend they're not there...focus on Iino-chan. Remember, you're doing this for Iino-chan and Ishigami-kun's sake.

I can feel them staring at me. I can already hear their whispers. Don't chicken out now!

"There are several reasons, the people have a strong impression that the students here have loose morals! The general public sees up as 'spoiled brats with good grades'! That's what they think of us!" she showed me the piece of paper in her hand.

She has a point there. There are barely any students here who still have respect for others.

"And not only that, lately, we haven't been able to get cooperation from any community organizations for our events!" she added.

"Cooperation from community organizations? What do you mean by that?" I repeated.

"For example, the campfire at the school festival! After four students made a nuisance of themselves by staying out late and littering, the neighborhood stopped granting permission for nighttime activities! That's one problem cause by lax morals!" she answered.

"Our local bad reputation corresponds with this period of relaxed school regulations. Rules give rise to morals!" she said. I understand where you're coming from but...

"But making all the boys shave their heads? Isn't that going a bit too far?" I questioned. I'm pretty sure that's the main reason that people don't want to vote for Iino-chan.

"Shaved heads are cool! That uniformity is stylish! Big round head make my heart beat fast!" she retorted.

"You're adding that rule in just because of your fetish?!" I sweatdropped.

"In this information society, you never know what trivial problem will ruin a brand! In order to preserve Shuchiin's brand even after we become members of society, we need to reform the school's image into a 'Moral Shuchiin'!" she shouted to the audience.

Her body was facing towards the audience, but she had her eyes on me. I gave her a thumbs up.

We continued our short...well, I wouldn't call it short since it kept going for more than an hour now...

In the end, she lost the election, but...it wasn't in vain.

"L/n-san!" I heard. I turned around and saw Iino-chan making her way towards me.

"Iino-chan? What's is it?" I inquired, turning to her.

"I...I can't thank you enough! I know you're afraid of crowds and talking in public, but you still..." she looked so guilty.

"I hate to admit it, but I was scared. I was so scared that I felt like fainting, but as long as you're looking at one person, you'll forget about everything around you." I sheepishly rubbed my nape.

"Even if you lost, it was better than the last ones, right?" I asked. She hesitantly nodded.

"That's great. I hope we see each other soon, but not in front of an audience." I turned around, getting ready to leave.

"Wait, L/n-san! What do you mean by 'not in front of an audience'?" Iino-chan questioned.

"I hope we see each other in the Student Council room. I have to get going now, see you soon." I waved, finally leaving.

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"Well, that aside, would you two be interested in joining the student council?" the President offered.

"If you still plan to run for president, it would be a good idea to get hands-on-experience. So if that's the care, then-" he got cut off.

"Not for me. To be honest, I'm not interested in the student council. I just wanted to support Miko." Osaragi-chan informed. Oh...that's too bad, I wanted to get to know her more.

But even if Iino-chan joins...hold on...taht depends if the President even wants me to be his Historian. That's the reason I came to ask him.

"Of course, I won't insist or anything." the President said.

"How about you, Miko?" Osaragi-chan asked.

"Nobody has ever invited me to join the student council before. Please give me a little time to think about it." Iino-chan mumbled.

"Okay. If you decide to do it, come to the student council room tomorrow. You'll be welcomed there." the President said, Iino-chan nodded.

"By the way, you've got three people fidgeting behind you." Osaragi-chan pointed out. We've been caught!

"Oh, is something wrong?" the President asked. Uhhh...what do we say? What do we do?

"N-No. Um...I-we were uhm..." Chika-san pressed her two index fingers together.

"We were...uhm...w-wondering about the other...uhhh...p-positions. I mean...uh..." my cheeks heated up. I gave up and hid behind Ishigami-kun's tall figure which as tall enough to hide my small figure.

"We're nervous that you won't choose us again. Since we all have dysfunctional personalities. Except for L/n because she is a true goddess who has blessed me-" Ishigami-kun got cut off by Chika-san's hand that covered his mouth to prevent him from talking any weird things again.

"Y-Yeah! I agree!" Chika-san shouted.

"What on Earth are you talking about, Secretary Fujiwara? Historian L/n, why are you hiding behind Treasurer Ishigami? Our first job as the new student council is putting away the chairs in the gym." he smirked.

"Right!"

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