Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

So, either it was their own decision, or they did not inform his siblings.

Still, just to confirm one more thing, Chihiro sent a voice from his mind not to Chisato but to another person.

『Um, Hazuki-senpai. Did you know there's a new candidate for the student council?』

『Yes. We were talking about keeping Izumi kun in the dark because it sounds interesting』

I knew it.

The mastermind is now self-evident without even asking.

Chihiro sighs and ends the conversation by thanking Marika in his mind.

Then, he looks back at Maisaka and the others standing by.

「Well, Maisaka. Can I ask you to make a speech in support of me?」

「Yes. I knew you would. Yuse is also a candidate, and Shiramine seems to be talking about fairness first」

They were looking at the list of candidates for the public morals committee and arguing with each other.

...Somehow, the number of speeches to support the candidates has decreased a lot.

* * *

「I'm sorry, Chihiro-sama. It was just this morning, and I didn't have time to tell you」

「Okay. That sounds like something Lucille-senpai would do」

In the living room when he got home.

Maria told him that, as expected, Lucille was the mastermind.

This morning, when she was with Hana, they ran into each other by chance, and after chatting for a few minutes, Lucille decided on her candidacy.

It was more of a recommendation than a candidacy.

「That's fine. It won't be a problem for Izumi-kun」

Hana, dressed in long-sleeved clothes, said from the side.

She has been staying in the apartment for a while now, and has moved some clothes from her residence to her. It has become a common sight to see her in the living room.

「Yes, that's right. I think it would be very helpful for Nii-san if the two of you would join the student council」

The one, who said this, is Chisato in a dress.

She is sitting on Suzu's chair, who has not come home yet, with illusion.

「...Well, yeah. Chisato is right. It's good to have someone you know」

Although there has been no attack so far from [Absolute] led by Maria's brother, Kaito, Chihiro's surroundings have been somewhat noisy.

So, if he has a friend who knows him well, it is easier to cope with various situations.

Maria, who has a lot of patience and is an M, is the secretary, and Hana, who has a lot of patience and is a bit of a nag, is the accountant.

It is also a coincidence that both of them were members of the committee of the school festival.

Then, a giggling voice comes from behind.

「Ah. I think Master might be able to rule the student council of our school」

According to what is known, Shibatsuru Academy in Sapporo is under Kaito's control.

In a sense, it makes sense to do something similar at Shibahou Academy as a countermeasure.

「But I'm not so optimistic about that either」

Chihiro looks back with a wry smile.

Riko, dressed in a maid's uniform and a choker, is standing diagonally behind Chihiro.

Riko herself was acting in a strange way, as she had been insisting that a maid should not sit down without a reason.

She had been spending more and more time standing in her daily life, claiming that it was a training to act like a maid.

Apparently she meant it as a joke, Riko smiled at him.

「When everyone is busy, it seems like I'm the only one who is left out. Maybe I should run for office too?」

「It's not a done deal yet」

Maria shook her head calmly.

「Besides, I'm asking you to take care of the housework, aren't I?」

Since the other members have been busy with the school festival, Riko has been doing most of the housework recently. The number of people in the group has been increasing, so the workload must be quite heavy.

Riko nodded.

「I see. Well, I like cooking and stuff, so it's okay」

From there, they moved on to the topic of support speeches.

If Maria and Hana were candidates, at least three people, including Chihiro, would be needed.

Although it is not prohibited by the rules to have one person support more than one candidate, it is better not to do so, considering the impression of the students who will vote for the candidates.

「Suzu-san can't do it, can she? So, what are you going to do, Nii-san?」

「Hmm... I guess so. I can't ask Yotsuba either」

She is supposed to support Lucille.

With the backing of the former president, and having been vice-president herself, Lucille is almost certain to win.

Riko nods her head after thinking about it.

「Shall I support Maria? Maybe Aika can support Master」

「Takatsuki-san, am I not being taken into consideration?」

「You see, Mishuku-san has friends in A class, don't you?」

Hana was astonished and answered "Yes, I do".

「*Sigh* I'm sorry, I wish I could help you」

「No, it's good enough for me to hear you say so」

Chisato's shoulders drop apologetically, and she hurriedly smiles.

「What, this difference in treatment?」

Riko muttered something, but to be honest, the feeling was mutual.

So Riko supports Maria, and Hana supports her classmates in Class A.

After finishing helping in the infirmary, Chihiro talked to Aika again,

「Yeah, it's fine, Chihiro-kun」

She gave her approval with surprising ease.

Although Chihiro felt bad for asking Aika to do it, she shook her head and said, "It's not that big of a deal".

After that, she turned a slightly stoic gaze on Chihiro.

「If anything, I'm not happy that you asked someone other than me first, Chihiro-kun」

「Ugh, sorry」

Just in case, she didn't go as far as to ask for it, but that's good.

And so, the announcement period for the election of student council officers ended in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps it was because most of the candidates were existing members of the student council, or perhaps it was because many students were not busy. In the end, there were no other candidates for any of the positions, and the election was decided to be a vote of confidence.

To tell the truth, Chihiro was relieved to know that he did not have to fight against other candidates.

Of course, the vote is not so easy - it must be approved by two thirds of the students in the school.

「Don't worry. Anyone who would vote for you must think you are a strong candidate. Besides, if you have a problem with it, why don't you run for office yourself?」

Suzu, an alumnus who has experienced an election before, was nonchalant as she said so.

Thankful for her encouragement, Chihiro worked with Aika, Maria, and the others to prepare a draft of his speech.

Finally, the day of the election arrived.