I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"Um...it's actually...about the student council president election..."

"Oh...I see. But, Isshiki, although I don't want to discourage you, I still advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible."

"Huh?! How could this happen?!"

"Well, that's true. I can take you to the Service Club, no problem. The problem is, one of the members of the Service Club is the current student council president. He will definitely participate in this election. To be a little rude, do you think you have a chance of winning?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka gently rubbed her temples with her fingers. Although she couldn't do anything about Himekoji, she had to admit that he was absolutely impeccable when it came to his work. Although he seemed to be slacking off a bit lately, his subordinates still completed their work perfectly.

In other words, he has an extremely efficient and inclusive team, and as the center of this team, he also has absolute command authority, which is very rare.

As a teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka didn't want anyone other than Himekoji to be elected student council president, since having a student council to do the work would save the teachers a lot of trouble.

"Huh?! That student council president Himekoji is a member of the Service Club? Why does he always bicker with the club president, Yukinoshita, during general meetings...?"

"That's because neither of them wants to admit defeat, although I know that Yukino is always the one who loses."

"Ah—after what you said, I feel like I've almost lost all motivation..."

Isshiki's shoulders slumped, and his expression turned gloomy.

"Right? So people should know when to back down..."

"But I still want to do it!"

Isshiki mustered her courage again, clenched her little fist, and looked determined to win, which surprised Hiratsuka Shizuka quite a bit. She then nodded and said, "Alright, come with me."

"Hmm... By the way, Hiratsuka-sensei, is President Himekoji in the clubroom at this time?"

"He's probably working right now, so if you need help from the Service Department, now's the best time."

Hiratsuka Shizuka led the way out, and Isshiki quickly followed. The two of them arrived at the special building together. When they reached the sixth floor, she intended to push the door open directly, but then clenched her outstretched hand into a fist and knocked on the door a few times.

Author's Note:

P.S.: Iroha has virtually no screen time in this story.

Chapter 241 I'm sorry, [Yukino Yukinoshita] chooses to refuse.

"Please come in."

Hikigaya's voice came from inside.

"Sorry to bother you."

Hiratsuka Shizuka then pushed open the door and went in. After explaining the situation, Isshiki followed her in.

"Then, I'll leave her to you. I still have work to do."

Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand and walked out on her own. She hadn't finished grading the essays yet, so she came out for some fresh air. She would continue now.

"Ah, little Iroha!"

After Yuihama spoke, Isshiki tilted his head slightly and answered easily.

"Hello, Yui-senpai."

"Yah hello"

Both of them raised their hands slightly in front of their chests and waved gently.

"So, Isshiki-kun, what brings you to the Service Club?"

Yukino's legs were still not very mobile. Her cane was placed on the table. She was wearing a loose shoe on her left foot that didn't match her right foot, and her ankle was bandaged. Although this part of her perfect image was slightly ruined, it probably didn't affect her beauty too much.

"Yukinoshita-senpai, um... I want to ask you for a favor."

"A request? Well, please have a seat."

Yukinoshita stretched out her hand to the side, inviting Isshiki to sit down. After she sat down, Isshiki immediately put on a well-behaved cat-like appearance, squinting at Yukinoshita and smiling.

"Um, Isshiki-kun, what is your request—?"

"I... um... I, everyone knows about the student council elections coming up, right?"

"Oh, that's already been announced, so everyone knows about it."

She gently stroked her hair under the snow and answered naturally.

"Ah, as expected of Yukino, I had no idea!"

"Yuigahama-san just doesn't pay any attention to these things..."

"Ahem, so... um... I took a look, and the candidate list seems to be basically the same as this year's candidates... except for the change in the secretary."

The current secretary is Kasumigaoka Utaha, who is already a third-year student. She should retire in this election. In fact, after being busy with the sports festival and the cultural festival, Himekoji should have let her retire. So this time, the list of candidates was changed.

The candidates for secretary are Kato Megumi and Sawamura Spencer Eriri. Choosing one of them is almost a certainty, but it would be really not good if there were only one candidate.

"Hmm, I know that, so what?"

"Actually...actually wanted to...actually wanted to run for student council president."

"So, you want us to help you run for the student council president, and that's what you're planning to ask us to do, right?"

Yukinoshita's tone suddenly turned cold, and her words became more curt.

"Eh...yes...that's right, but Yukinoshita-senpai's tone is suddenly so scary."

Isshiki hugged his arms tightly, pretending to tremble.

"Phew—," Yukinoshita glanced at Yuihama and Hikigaya and found that they were both staring at her, waiting for her to decide whether to accept the request. She gently rubbed her temples, raised her head and said seriously, "Isshiki-san, we cannot accept this request."

"Huh...? But why...?"

"Simply put, you don't have the necessary qualities. Even if we could help you achieve your goal, you would still be far from being able to make the Soubu High School Student Council operate as efficiently as it does now."

Her left ankle was still throbbing intermittently. In fact, Yukinoshita wasn't quite sure why she had suddenly said those words. After saying them, she began to regret it a little, and the surprised looks from Yui and Hikigaya also made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Yukino... this is the first time I've directly refused a request like this..."

"To be honest, I never expected you to refuse so directly..."

Hachiman muttered a couple of things under his breath.

"There's nothing we can do about it; after all, we're not Santa Claus delivering presents in a reindeer sleigh..."

What am I even saying...?

"Ah, I feel like I've heard that before..."

Yuihama pointed to the corner of her lips and entered a thinking mode, while Hikigaya instantly remembered that during the summer service club activities in August, Himekoji had made such a declaration regarding Tsurumi Rumi.

"But she doesn't make me feel worth doing that. Don't treat me like Santa Claus delivering free presents in a reindeer sleigh." — Himekoji's words.

But when did Yukinoshita start saying such things? She shouldn't be like this. Unconsciously, no, during the time I deliberately ignored, she was greatly influenced by Himekoji.

"How could this happen... Yukinoshita-senpai is going too far..."

Isshiki covered her face with her hands and began to sob, but it was unclear whether she was really crying or faking it.

“I’m sorry… but I still want you to understand something,” Yukinoshita continued, involuntarily uttering some strange words, “There are limits to being human. Please don’t do things that you will never succeed at.”

—Why am I saying this... When did the meaning of the Service Club change... or rather, the Service Club has never changed, and the one who changed is me.

The image of the person who always managed to resolve her troubles cleanly and efficiently flashed through her mind. Yukinoshita shook her head, trying to shake that face out of her head.

"Yukino...is that enough? Iroha's already crying..."

Yui gently patted Isshiki's shoulder to comfort him, while at that moment, Hikigaya noticed that tears were indeed flowing from under Isshiki's hand as he covered his face.

"Are you serious...?"

Hachiman muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to have such a low tolerance for stress. It seems you're really not suited for that position. As far as I know, even Himekoji Haruto experiences immense pressure every day, so..."

"Under the Snow!"

Hikigaya called her name softly, and Yukinoshita stopped talking abruptly. She lowered her head and began to flip through her books, but she was so upset that she couldn't concentrate on anything.

Yui saw Isshiki off at the door and didn't return for quite some time.

"Yukinoshita, what on earth are you doing this for...?"

"Hachiman, could you... please have a moment to calm down?"

Yukinoshita raised her head, her eyes filled with an indescribable sorrow, and Hikigaya's pupils dilated instantly.

Himekoji had just finished his work. Today was Thursday, Yukinoshita's first day back at school after taking leave, and also the day he and Kasumigaoka had agreed to go to karaoke and have fun.

Chapter 242 is too strong, [Kasumigaoka Utaha]'s panties are all wet.

"Ah, finally done."

He sat in his seat, stretching. Everyone in the conference room said, "Thank you for your hard work," and then some packed up their things and others left. A few minutes later, only Himekoji and Kasumigaoka remained.

Before this, Himekoji had told Kazusa that he was going to karaoke with Kasumigaoka that afternoon and wouldn't be able to play the piano with her, which Kazusa understood perfectly.

Himekoji remembers the plot: it was because Haruno interfered with Yukino that Yukino had to grit her teeth and run for student council president. In order to prevent Yukino from becoming student council president, Hachiman used strange methods to help Isshiki. However, even if Haruno insisted on making Yukino run for student council president, Himekoji had a way to prevent Hachiman from helping Isshiki.

It's very simple. As long as the goal is achieved—to prevent Yukinoshita from winning the student council election—this problem can be solved whether Himekoji becomes the student council president or Isshiki becomes the student council president. Himekoji is confident that Hachiman will not interfere with Isshiki's affairs. However, in reality, even if he puts Isshiki and Yukinoshita out of the picture, he still cannot be elected. This is the only thing that is certain.

Although she was nominated, it was maliciously done as a joke, leaving her in a difficult and embarrassing situation.

By the way, to run for student council president, you need at least 30 nominations, and for officers, you need 20.

"Finally, it's just the two of us left, Haruto-kun."

Kasumigaoka walked to the door and locked the student council meeting room door. He then leaned against the door, put a finger to his lips, and stared at Himekoji with a look of anticipation.

"Ha...didn't we say we were going to karaoke? Shiyu, why did you lock the door?"

"Of course, it's about doing things that I can't do with Haruto-kun in front of everyone."

"No...that's not good, is it? Besides, I'm not your boyfriend, Shiyu."

"Oh dear, is it Japanese or Italian law that says couples can't do intimate things together?"

"...I am speechless!"

"So, Haruhito-kun, you..." Kasumigaoka said, her face turning a terrifying, flushed expression. She lunged at Himekoji with her hands twitching wildly, shouting as she did so, "Prepare yourself! Today is the day we fight to the death!"

Himekoji, while dodging, shouted, "I'm male, you're female, is there even a need to decide this?!"