I Was Reincarnated as a Mob in a Completed School Rom-Com Manga, and When I Tried My Best to Cheer Up the Broken Losing Heroines, I Realized I Had Surpassed the Original Story - 17

Chapter 17: Student Council President Election Part 4

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“If you want to quit, I won’t stop you, okay?”

When I said something that sounded like pushing her away, Chadani-san looked surprised. She dropped her gaze, and fidgeted as her words trailed off.

“I-I’m sorry… After you did so much for me, for me to complain like this… I’m the worst, aren’t I…?”

“Chadani-san, why did you want to become the student council president?”

She hesitantly raised her eyes again and answered with her brows drawn together.

“You won’t laugh no matter what I say…?”

“I’ll try not to, but if I do, I’m sorry.”

“Then I’m not saying it…”

“No no! I won’t laugh!”

After letting out a deep breath, she began to speak.

“I… I wanted to make this school a better place, so much that no one would ever feel like they wanted to leave it…”

“That’s…”

“Yes… It’s about Shiratori-kun and Momoi-san, who were in the same class as us. I do think they had their own reasons for leaving, so I understand why it happened, but… I want this school to become such a wonderful place that friends who get along won’t ever have to be separated like that. Maybe it’s not convincing for someone like me to say this, someone who doesn’t even have friends, but I want everyone who meets here, everyone who spends their time here, to treasure this place…”

“I see… But I’m kind of disappointed…”

“I’m sorry, for having such a shallow reason…”

“No no! That’s not it. It’s just… I honestly thought Chadani-san and I were already friends. So realizing that was just my own wishful thinking is what’s disappointing. As for your motivation, I think it’s wonderful!”

Chadani-san blinked in surprise, her eyes widening, and then she suddenly smiled.

“Kurosaki-kun, you’re really a softie…”

“R-Really…?”

“Is it really okay if I think of you as a friend…? I’m not very straightforward, and I’ve regretted that in the past, so you might end up thinking I’m a troublesome girl…”

“Hmm… I have several people around me who are way more troublesome, so I think it’s fine?”

“Fufu… That might be true…”

Chadani-san’s translucent smile was as dazzling as the morning sun peeking through a gap in the curtains. Suddenly, a voice came from behind us.

“Hey, I’m not one of those ‘troublesome people,’ right?”

Startled, I turned around to see a girl giving me a damp, accusatory stare.

“K-Konnno-san!? Since when were you there!?”

“Just now. So? What’s the answer?”

“O-Of course not…”

“Suspicious…”

Konno-san shook her head from right to left, glaring at me from every angle.

“A-Anyway, come on, we still have flyers to hand out!”

＊＊＊

The election period, long yet short, came to an end, and at the moment, the whole-school assembly was being held in the gym.

“Alright, next, we’ll hear the policy speech from the new student council president.”

“Yes!”

Responding briskly to the teacher acting as MC, the one who jumped to her feet was our very own Suzu Chadani. Thanks to the full effort of the Manga Research Club’s election campaign, Chadani-san was successfully elected as student council president. Her dignified posture as she stepped up onto the stage to give her greeting was exactly the image of the charming heroine I had read in the manga, and a wave of emotion welled up inside me.

“—And lastly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the members of the Manga Research Club who supported me throughout this election.”

Chadani-san bowed deeply before continuing.

“Until now, I was never someone who had many friends. And even the few friends I did have left me behind and went far away. Honestly, I even became afraid of opening my heart to someone again. But the people who taught me once more how important and precious it is to believe in someone… I can never thank them enough.”

The microphone picked up a faint sniffle.

“…And now, I intend to return that gratitude to all of the students in this school. I may still be inexperienced, but for the sake of those who believed in someone like me, I will do my very best. Please, I ask for your support for the next year.”

When she bowed her head deeply once more, the gym filled with thunderous applause that seemed it would never end, and the student council election came to a successful close. After school that day, just as I was about to head home, Chadani-san stopped me. Once the classroom was empty and only the two of us remained, it hit me that our days leading up to this were now over.

“About the thing we talked about… Did you think about it…?”

Skipping over any small talk, Chadani-san suddenly dove straight into the main topic.

“I did think about it, but… I still think being vice president would be too much for me. Besides, you’ll be fine without someone like me, Chadani-san.”

“I see…”

I felt bad seeing the obvious sadness on her face, but there wasn’t much more I could do.

“Why not ask one of the other candidates who didn’t win?”

“I’ve never really demanded anything from my parents, even when I was little… So in times like this, I don’t know how to say what I feel but… I still want you to be the vice president…”

Pressing a hand against her chest, her anxious expression made it impossible to believe she was the same student council president who had stood so confidently on stage just earlier.

“Eh…? But…”

“Please… I want to know more about you…!”

“Sorry, but I also have club activities to think about…”

“Of course I’ll make sure that it won’t interfere with the Manga Research Club! If you don’t want to be vice president, then secretary or treasurer—any position is fine, I’ll leave it up to you… So please…”

No matter how many times I turned her down, for some reason Chadani-san wouldn’t give up.

“Why are you trying so hard…?”

“You won’t laugh…?”

She gave me a sidelong glance that looked strangely familiar.

“…Yeah.”

“The truth is, it doesn’t have to be the student council. It’s just… The thought that these days I spent with you are going to end soon makes me lonely…”

Seeing her say that while blushing adorably created such a huge gap from her usual demeanor that I couldn’t hold it in—I burst out laughing.

“Pff… Ahahahahaha…”

“H-Hey! You said you wouldn’t laugh!”

Her face flushed red as she got angry, and it was surprisingly refreshing.

“S-Sorry, sorry! I just didn’t expect Chadani-san to say something so childish…”

“Sorry for being childish!”

With a little “hmph,” she turned away in a sulky huff.

“Then how about this? Join the Manga Research Club. You can just drop by when the student council isn’t busy. I’m sure everyone will be happy to have you.”

At that suggestion, her grumpy expression melted away as if it had never existed.

“I-Is that really okay…?”

“Of course. It’s not just my decision anyway. I already talked about it with Kirari before, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Then… I’ll take you up on that…”

“Got it, I’ll let them know.”

“A-And you can come visit the student council room anytime you want too…!”

In the end, she was smiling in full bloom. She hadn’t even been this expressive or emotional in the original story, so as a fan of Amakoi, getting to see this unknown side of her felt like the greatest reward of all. And so, not only did our Manga Research Club secure its clubroom, but we also welcomed a new member and resumed our activities once more.

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