My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 290

However, if you underestimate me, you'll regret it later.

"...No, you've got it wrong. What you'll get in return is—'Even though being student council president in your first year is really tough, I still went to club activities full of energy!'"

I tried my best to imitate Isshiki's cute tone. Isshiki, witnessing this, exclaimed inwardly, "Oh my god..." Hmm, so long titles really don't work?

I cleared my throat and continued. This time, Isshiki did react.

"In terms of ability, there isn't much difference between first-year and second-year students. However, failure in the first year is forgivable."

She realized something and abruptly turned her face. I looked her into my eyes and then applied a little more pressure.

"Also, if you juggle clubs and student council duties, it means that when you can't stand the work in the student council, you can use the clubs as an excuse to escape, and the same goes for when you don't want to go to the clubs... This is an advantage that only you have."

"But no matter what... it still feels really tough~"

Iroha shifted her shoulders nervously. This was the most positive reaction she had shown so far.

As Isshiki previously stated, if elected student council president under the current circumstances, she would only become a puppet, or even worse. With her own strength, Isshiki couldn't accomplish anything. However, from another perspective, this could also explain why she is suitable for the position. She needs the help and protection of others, and the support of the students, led by Hayama, is her greatest advantage and benefit. To put it simply, it would be something like this:

"If you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to ask Hayama for help. He'll stay by your side for a whole year. If you go out for a meal together after club activities end and discuss your problems with him, you'll even get a bonus of escorting you home as a bonus. Limited time offer, so buy now!"

I rattled off this long string of words in one breath, and Isshiki blinked repeatedly as he listened.

"...Senior, you must be incredibly smart, right?"

"What do you think?"

It's a pity that his personality and heart are both terrible.

Isshiki sighed softly, revealing a bitter smile.

"Alright... since so many people support it, I guess I'll have to agree! The senior's suggestion is also very appealing... besides, I don't like being laughed at behind my back by my classmates..."

As she said this, her expression shifted to a clearly malicious smile, and she said:

"Just consider it as being fooled by my senior this once."

Strangely enough, I actually find this kind of smile much cuter.

× × ×

I strolled slowly down the corridor of the special building. It had only been a few days since I last saw it, but the scene already made me nostalgic.

The hustle and bustle after school, the students' chatter, the sounds of club activities and brass bands coming from outside... all resembled familiar faces that hadn't been seen in a long time.

I went to the service society office and put my hand on the doorknob. The door wasn't locked; they were probably already inside. I let out a soft breath and entered the office.

A faint aroma of black tea wafted through the room.

Yukinoshita and Yuihama each sat in their assigned seats, but they did not speak to each other.

Yukinoshita, who usually reads paperbacks, sat quietly in her seat today; Yuihama wasn't playing on her phone either, but just glanced at Yukinoshita awkwardly.

There is no way around it.

After all, the news that they were running for student council president had already spread. I also saw some people talking about it when I was monitoring Twitter.

It's impossible that Yukinoshita was unaware of Yui's decision to run for office. Yui must have been feeling very anxious, worried about what Yukinoshita might say to her.

However, it's all about to come to an end.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

I gave a brief greeting and went to my assigned seat.

Looking at Zhou Lai under the snow, she maintained a serious expression and opened her tightly pursed lips.

"It's really rare that you would go out of your way to ask us to come."

"Because I want to reach a conclusion we both agree on."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita was slightly surprised, then lowered her gaze and ruminated on the words she had heard.

"Our...conclusion?"

"right."

I looked at Yuihama, who was also silently watching, waiting for my next words.

"Even if we have different approaches, the entire club should still reach a common conclusion. This is especially true for a one-time delegation like the student council election."

The student council election only happens once, and the opportunity is fleeting; we cannot afford to repeatedly try and make mistakes. Therefore, reaching a consensus is the best course of action.

"Are you still sticking to your own methods?"

Even though I knew exactly how they would answer, I decided to confirm it one last time.

Her gaze, fixed on me from beneath the snow, showed no sign of softening. Without hesitation, she answered in a firm tone:

"I will not change my approach. This is the best course of action."

These words were like sharp icicles, piercing my body deeply.

Faced with her unwavering determination, I was speechless for a moment. A hush fell over the office.

Another voice, though small, was full of penetrating power.

"...And I will not change."

Yuihama stared at the table, refusing to look at us no matter what. Yukinoshita sensed her seriousness and bit her lip tightly.

"Yuihama-san, you don't need to run for office..."

"I will run for office, and I must win."

Yuihama was equally determined not to back down. Her face remained lowered, preventing me from seeing her expression. Yukinoshita looked at Yuihama's profile and asked in a hoarse, soft voice. Her sorrowful expression couldn't hide the pain in her heart, and her narrowed eyes also showed sadness.

"Why, even you did this..."

"...Because if you, Yukino, aren't here, this place will definitely disappear...I don't want it to be like this."

Yuihama's voice trembled. Yukinoshita slowly uttered words to comfort her.

"Didn't I say before that this place wouldn't disappear? So, there's no need for you to run for office too."

"But--"

Yuihama raised her head to retort, but the words died in her throat when she saw Yukinoshita's face.

So, I'll continue.

"In fact, you don't need to run for office... and neither does Yukinoshita."

"...What does that mean?"

Yukinoshita squinted her eyes and looked over sharply.

"I should have already rejected your approach."

That's right. My previous suggestion was completely criticized by her. Thinking that I could always solve the problem on my own was a huge overestimation of my abilities. Hayama also reminded me that no matter what I think or how others perceive me, they shouldn't impose their opinions on me—although at the same time, some people have made me realize that perhaps that's not the case.

"...That's right. I didn't mean to bring that up...I've given up on doing that."

This time, the approach was different from the past. I put in a lot more effort to avoid risks and to meet the required conditions.

"..."

Yukino didn't quite understand what I meant and didn't say anything. She seemed surprised by my abrupt withdrawal of the proposal.

"Then...why don't we need to run for office?"

Yui asked hesitantly, looking afraid of the answer. However, my answer was very ordinary, nothing to be afraid of.

"Isshiki has finally agreed to become the student council president, so the original request no longer exists."

Both of them were so surprised that they couldn't speak. It was Yukino who spoke first.

"Why all of a sudden..."

"Things didn't change suddenly. We got the premise wrong from the start."

We all chose the wrong approach to solving the problem.

Creating a way out for someone who is unwilling to accept the situation, allowing them to gracefully step down, is one approach.

In fact, there is another way—to make those who have no will have will. In this way, the problem itself disappears.

"It's not that Isshiki doesn't want to be student council president, but she's worried about not getting a vote of confidence. She doesn't like participating in elections where she's guaranteed to be elected, as it would make her lose face as student council president."

Some people don't listen to others' opinions and choose to create their own successful experiences. Moreover, they can't feel at ease if they don't follow their own script.

Similarly, some people do create their own roles and strive to maintain them.

Isshiki simply doesn't want to lower her own value, so as long as you exclude the disadvantages of being the student council president and clearly tell her what her advantages are, that's enough.

"Once this condition is met, Isshiki will naturally be willing to become the student council president."

Yuihama still had doubts after hearing this.

"But if we don't run, won't it just become a vote of confidence again?"

"Yes, it will become a vote of confidence. However, as long as the vote of confidence has its value, there is no problem. If it does not damage the Isshiki brand image, then the matter is another matter."

They still didn't quite understand and looked at me, demanding an explanation.

At times like this, it's more effective to give concrete examples than to waste time arguing. I picked up my bag and took out a folder.

"So, I made her understand her own value."

The file in the folder contained the paper that Ishiki had shown earlier. It listed the users who had retweeted the fan club's tweets.

"What's this?"

Yuihama pulled out one of the papers and asked.

"I found Isshiki's fan club account on Twitter. But it seems that other people besides Isshiki also have fan clubs."

I created all the fan club accounts, and I'm even starting to admire myself for being able to say this without batting an eye. However, not a single word I said is a lie.

Yukino looked at the documents and muttered in confusion.

"They're actually collecting signatures online..."

"That's not all. Among the tweets from the support groups of many candidates, Isshiki's tweets were retweeted the most."

"In other words, this is like a preliminary battle before the formal vote..."

I nodded in agreement with her statement.

The fact that a virtual online platform is not a barrier can still become a source of negative gossip for others. Even if others intend to run, they might be influenced by this information, which is tantamount to a preliminary battle before the official election, and thus abandon the idea. It doesn't matter if that goal isn't achieved; as long as Isshiki gains self-esteem and motivation from this, that's more than enough.

Yukino quickly glanced through the documents one after another, then let out a long sigh.

"So this kind of thing exists online... No wonder people weren't very enthusiastic when it came to petitions."

The people she contacted were unlikely to be those who had just retweeted the article online. However, the string of Twitter accounts that signed the petition did give them something to think about.

When there are more than one option to choose from, hesitation will naturally arise.

While each person's hesitation may be brief, once this atmosphere spreads, the accumulated lost time can be considerable. Traffic jams occur because of a car's brief braking. The two are based on the same principle.

Pash—

Yukino brought the documents closer, pointed to the contents, and asked me:

"...Did you do this?"

She crumpled the paper in her hands.

"It's probably a group of ambitious people. As for who they are, I don't know."

"...Is that so?"

Yukino did not pursue the matter further.

She probably realized that asking any further wouldn't get any answers. I couldn't admit it willingly, and even if we were to investigate, the account information in the file wouldn't be enough to identify who it was.

"So many people have signed the petition."

Yuihama murmured in a daze.

"Yes, quite a lot. There are about four hundred people."

I also looked at the list of retweets from the Isshiki Iroha fan club.

Over the past few days, accounts from Hayama, Miura, Ebina, Isshiki, Totsuka, Sagami, Tobe, and the later-added Hayama Second Fan Club account have been regularly posting tweets. These eight accounts have accumulated over four hundred retweets, with the Hayama Fan Club's retweets accounting for an overwhelming majority. If all the retweets were averaged out, each tweet would likely have less than twenty retweets. This number was only accumulated through the simultaneous operation of multiple accounts.

That's right, "400" is the total number of retweets from these eight accounts combined, not the number achieved by any single account in the Isshiki fan club.