Chapter 9

There’s still time before the election. Right now, they’re recruiting candidates.

In our school, the election is run by a president–vice president pair, so the candidacy period is longer than usual. During that time, we just have to raise our name recognition so that the votes will gather for Yuina.

After school.

Once classes ended, Yuina and I met up in the classroom. The homeroom teacher had told us that if we were going to run, we’d need to make a poster of the two of us, and that we should take a photo for it. We were told to ask the photography club to take the picture. So the two of us headed to the photography club’s room.

“The lunchtime broadcast was well-received. I feel like more people have been talking to me lately.”

“Yeah. Seemed to go over well in our class, too.”

While I wasn’t around, Ikki kept me updated on what was happening in class. According to him, the guys were especially happy about Yuina’s appearance on the broadcast. Apparently, some even thought about consulting her with their problems, so there might be more of those requests going forward.

When we reached the photography clubroom, Yuina gave a light knock. A voice called “Come in,” so she slid the door open.

Inside, there were a few people taking photos against a green screen backdrop.

“Um, we came to ask if you could take some photos for our election poster.”

“Ah, right, right. Just wait a moment.”

A girl who seemed to be a club member greeted us and brought over chairs, which we sat in without hesitation.

“What are you doing right now?” Yuina asked the girl.

“Same as you — taking photos for an election poster.”

“I see. So those people are running too.”

“Well, he’s the current president’s younger brother.”

At those words, I looked over at the boy and girl who were posing for the camera.

The boy had a straight posture and a dignified air about him — he had presence, a certain charisma.

The girl beside him had short hair and glasses, giving off a very serious impression.

These two must be the Kuze–Madame pair.

Kuze Sousuke — younger brother of the current student council president and the top candidate to succeed him. The way he smiled at the camera radiated confidence.

The other, Madame Asuka, seemed a little stiff. Maybe she wasn’t good at smiling; she faced the camera with a straight face.

Once they finished, Kuze and Madame exhaled, then noticed us sitting there.

“Hey, you two running for the election as well?” Kuze asked with a smile.

Yuina returned the smile and replied without hesitation.

“Yep! I’m running for president, and Anjou-kun is running for vice president.”

“Anjou… you’re the top student in the year, right?”

Kuze quickly reacted to my name, eyes widening as he looked at me.

“Ah, pardon me. I’m Kuze Sousuke.

I’m confident in my academics too, but I’ve been stuck at second place since entering the school. So you’re the one.”

“That’s me.”

“Looks like you’ve got a reliable partner. Let’s make it a good election.”

He extended his hand to Yuina, and she gladly shook it. Madame watched the handshake silently.

“Thanks, everyone in the photography club. I think we’ll get a great poster thanks to you.”

With that, Kuze and Madame left. The fact that he took the time to properly thank the club at the end showed he had manners too. Still, I hadn’t expected to run into them here. Meeting him in person confirmed it: he really did have charisma. Yuina probably had the edge in popularity in idol appeal, but Kuze seemed like someone born to lead people. Being the president’s brother was also an advantage. Honestly, I felt he had more charisma than the current president. A formidable opponent.

“Alright, thanks for waiting. Shall we take your photo now?”

The club member’s call got me to my feet.

“Wait,” Yuina said, stopping me. She touched my hair.

“Go fix your hair.”

“…What?”

“We’re taking a picture together, so I want it with a cool-looking Anjou-kun.”

What a pain. I thought my hair was fine, but the club member agreed it’d look better styled. Reluctantly, I went to the washroom. I took out some wax, styled my hair, and checked the mirror. When I came back, Yuina was chatting with the club member.

“I listened to the lunchtime broadcast — it was super funny.”

“Thanks! I’ll do my best in the election, so please support me.”

“Sure, good luck.”

They’d apparently become friends in that short time. Impressive communication skills.

“Ooh, nice,” Yuina said when she saw me, nodding in satisfaction.

The club member gave the okay, so we moved on to the shoot.

I wasn’t used to this kind of thing, but Yuina already had a pose ready. I tried to keep a low profile and smile naturally.

“Taking it now,” the club member signaled, pressing the shutter.

We repeated that a few times and wrapped up the shoot.

Yuina checked the photos with the club member, nodding in satisfaction.

“Thanks. These came out great.”

Yuina left happily, and the club member saw us off with a smile.

With the photos done, all that was left was to wait for the official campaign period to start, when the posters would be put up. According to Ikki, it was likely only Kuze’s pair and ours would be running. Many students were apparently giving up because Kuze was running, and the mood was that the Kuze–Madame pair was a sure win. Figuring out how to overturn that would be the key.

“Yuina, what did you think of Kuze?”

Yuina put a finger to her chin, thinking.

“Hmm, he’s got an incredible aura.”

“Right?”

“I kinda got this weird feeling of assurance, you know, like, ‘ah, so he’s gonna be president.’”

“So, are you giving up?”

She shook her head and pointed at me.

“If the opponent’s strong, it just fires me up! I want to be president and add those two to my team.”

It was true that the student council often chose members from among the candidates, but Yuina already seemed to see nothing but victory ahead.

“Then we’ve got a lot to do. Winning popularity through the lunchtime radio is a must.”

“I know.”

She looked more than motivated enough. I didn’t need to worry.

“What now? Going home together?”

“Nah, if someone follows us, it’ll be bad. I’m stopping by the bookstore.”

“You worry too much. Well, I’ll head home first then.”

I sent Yuina ahead. Letting people know we were siblings was nothing but a risk — best to keep it hidden. I saw her off, then went out to the school grounds. The baseball club was doing post-practice field maintenance. I watched them for a bit until they went back to their clubhouse.

A little later, Ikki, having changed clothes, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Yo, been waiting long?”

“Not at all.”

I had been waiting for him, knowing today’s practice would end early.

“Let’s talk on the way home,” he said.

We headed off together. As childhood friends, our routes home were the same.

Once outside the school, Ikki pulled out his phone and spoke while looking at the screen.

“About that thing you asked, a lot of the baseball guys think Kuze’s gonna be president.”

I’d asked Ikki to gauge how many of the team planned to vote for Kuze’s pair.

“But they don’t know Izumi-san’s running yet. Once they do, a lot will probably change their minds.”

“And your basis for that?”

“Plenty of our guys are fans of Izumi-san. Some might even be seriously aiming for her. I think most of the boys would vote for her.”

“It’s not that simple.”

I showed him last year’s data.

“This survey says over 70% of students take the election seriously. That’s high. It means most of our school won’t just pick based on popularity.”

If that’s the case, Yuina’s current lack of academic ability would count against her. We’d need to clearly show she had the qualities of a president.

“True enough. If I had to pick now, I’d go with Kuze’s pair too.”

“Exactly. It’s not easy.”

“Still, I rate you highly. If you were running for president, I’d vote for you.”

My childhood friend’s sudden compliment made me scratch my head.

“If I ran, I wouldn’t win. I can say that with certainty.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

I was plain, for better or worse. No charisma like Kuze, no notoriety like Yuina. I was someone meant to work in the shadows.

“But there’s a weakness. One of Kuze’s campaign promises is a ban on romance. That’ll put off a lot of students.”

“Definitely. A romance ban would suck. High school’s supposed to be about romance.”

High schoolers naturally want relationships. If Kuze’s side tried to forbid it, some students would hesitate to vote for them. The plan was for Yuina to swoop in and take those votes.

“Word will spread fast. The baseball guys have wide circles and love to talk.”

“If the rumor spreads that Kuze’s going to ban romance, his approval will drop.”

Before their official pledges were announced, we needed that rumor out. Right now, everyone thought only Kuze’s pair would run. If they heard about the romance ban, they’d be discouraged and then, upon learning there was another candidate, romance-minded students would throw their full support behind Yuina.

“No telling how effective it’ll be, though.”

“These kinds of under-the-radar jobs are my specialty. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Alright, do your best. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help.”

Ikki patted me on the back, and his dependable words spurred me on.