Published at 25th of March 2019 9:59 pm

Volume 5 Chapter 3 - Tally of Votes Part 1

Passing through the promised week, the end of his days of monitoring Karin, or it could possibly be likened to accustoming a wild animal to eat food given by humans. Anyway, when the end of those days came, Kazuki returned to his usual normal days once more.

And then in the school days that he had missed for quite a long while―it was also the same day for the voting of the Chief Student Council President after the election battle.

“Well then, after the distribution of the blank voting paper, write the name of the candidate that you support.”

After Liz Liza-sensei said so, she distributed the voting paper to the students in the classroom.

The paper also reached to Kazuki, who was sitting in his missed chair that he hadn’t sat in for a week.

From his surroundings, he began to hear the rhythmical sounds of pen tips dancing around on the voting papers.

…Should I vote for myself? In front of the voting paper, Kazuki felt lost.

But after he became a candidate, it might be irresponsible if he couldn’t puff out his chest and claim that [I am without a doubt fit to be the Chief Student Council President]. Finally, Kazuki wrote down his own name with a what-do-I-care attitude.

* chon chon *, Kazuki’s back was poked. Behind Kazuki was the seat of Koyuki.

“…In the period while Kazuki took a break, the academy has gone through a serious situation you know?”

“Serious situation?” Kazuki replied without turning his head.

“Because of the Takasugi brothers, they conducted an extensive election campaign…”

After the battle election tournament ended, it wasn’t like the candidates couldn’t do any appeals anymore. Public addresses, pamphlet distributions…in this one week, there were many things that could be done.

“Every time it was break time, the Takasugi brothers kept repeating speeches with unpleasant content. Those days were tedious periods.”

“Ah, I can imagine it. …Though I left my election campaign to Mio and the others, did it go well I wonder?”

Kazuki entrusted the election campaign to his teammates Mio and Kohaku as his representatives.

The advocacy that Kazuki wanted to convey―[The Magic Division and the Sword Division’s equality and friendship]

[Research of tactics unbound by the Heaven and Earth Formation and the class to incorporate it]

[Flexibility of the treatment and application toward illegal summoning of Diva outside Solomon's 72 Pillars]

[Commencement of Sacred Treasures' experimental use continuously and tactical research to make use of them] ―those matters.

Sure enough, could the students agree with those advocacies? Including the matter of how he didn’t show his face at all in front of the students in this one week, there was no doubt that it was disadvantageous for Kazuki.

“It’s fine. Amasaki-san did it properly. She also made a poster.”

Koyuki handed him some kind of paper from behind.

When he opened the folded up poster, there was a printing of Kazuki’s illustration inside that was drawn in an awfully shoujo manga chick pattern. Painting of anime tone. Eyes that were twinkling brightly. Nose and jaw that tapered angularly. Tall and thin body proportion that looked like a walking stick…

Beside the illustration, it was accompanied with a speech balloon that said [Follow me!]. The background was the universe for some reason.

“…It became like this while I was resting? I…”

Beside Kazuki who was trembling all over, the girls who were in the neighboring seats were chuckling. “We're going to follow you until the end of space you know, Chief Student Council President!”

The girls in the other neighboring seat were also looking this way. “Even more than Hayashizaki-kun’s advocacy, it was an election campaign that conveyed more of the fact that Amasaki-san likes Hayashizaki-kun so very much, right?”

“Well, it got you a favorable reputation.” Koyuki said. “It has more than just formality, there is also intimacy in it.”

Intimacy… He had quite a feeling that to have the intimacy in it was the most important thing compared to anything else.

Noticing this side’s conversation, Mio who sat in the front row of the classroom looked back and waved her hand.

“Kazuki! That poster, I was the one that drew it you know! How is it!?”

“Shut your mouth you trash! Don’t talk of unrelated matters!! Don’t do any discussion either!!”

Having Liz Liza-sensei’s scolding resound, Mio shrunk her shoulders in a fluster and fixed her gaze back to the front.

Before long the voting paper was folded until the content couldn’t be seen and it was collected.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

And then in the afternoon of that day, the student general meeting was conducted. Finally, the voting results would be announced.

In the seats of the auditorium, all the students except the third years lined up. The third years of the Knight Academy were going through practical training in the form of rotation to the Knight Order of the whole country. Their appearance also couldn’t be seen in this day. It became that their votes didn’t get counted in the total tally.

The sixteen candidates, including Kazuki, were sitting in a row on top of the stage that overlooked the students.

Headmaster Amasaki and Board Chairman Takasugi appeared at the center of the stage in turn. They each made the greeting for their own inauguration.

And then it became the time in the program for the voting results announcement.

The auditorium returned to deadly silence. However, the presenter Headmaster Amasaki who was standing in front of the mic didn’t open his mouth.

Before long Liz Liza-sensei came running from the wing of the stage. She informed everyone of the lateness of the vote’s tally.

The students were noisy. For some reason, it seemed that the announcement of the voting results would still take some time.

Kazuki who was on top of the stage, was also feeling his own nervousness rise.

Nervousness―Kazuki was someone that was recommended by Headmaster Amasaki rather than stepping forward by his own will. Kazuki himself naturally also had a feeling like [I, who just enrolled this academy for around two months, am…].

But if there were people saying to him that he was fit to become the Chief Student Council President, a feeling that he wanted to answer those expectations also became stronger day by day when he went through the battle election.

Kazuki took a glance at the rivalscandidates that were sitting in a row beside him.

He wouldn’t mind if he lost to Kaguya-senpai or Hikaru-senpai.

But the other thirteen candidates were mixed with enemies that he had doubts about.

The first was, of course, Takasugi Shūsui who he didn’t want to get elected.

And then those other seniors from the Sword Division―Mino Tamiya, Shiraha Sekairi, Oguma Tokaku, and Mikogami Daizen too were also dangerous characters who had a high possibility of being intimate with the new Board Chairman Takasugi.

It seemed that they were doing [Anti Magic Division] speeches during the period of the election campaign.

The candidates from his own Magic Division, Miyamoto Reina, Kiritani Natsuo, Yumeno Shiori, and Tsukimiya Shion, these four people were alright. Those girls were included in the group that assaulted him in the middle of his date with Hikaru-senpai.

In short, they were candidates that were brainwashed by Hayashi Shizuka. They were already released from that brainwashing.

The next was the group of delinquent students from the Magic Division. …They weren't even brainwashed, having said that it was unclear what they even wanted to do if they got elected as student council president. Probably they didn’t even have any purpose when becoming a candidate, a doubtful group of students.

That Mibu Akira was [wanting to show her good side in the battle election], but the other candidates, Iwatami Reiko, Akihita Hibari, and Karino Mika were not limited to that kind of reason. They might be pawn candidates that were encouraged or bribed by Board Chairman Takasugi.

Saying it broadly, Hayashizaki Kazuki - Otonashi Kaguya - Hoshikaze Hikaru - Miyamoto Reina - Kiritani Natsuo - Yumeno Shiori - Tsukimiya Shion - Mibu Akira, these eight people were characters that were not related with Board Chairman Takasugi’s scheme for certain.

And then the remaining eight people, some were included in the grey zone, but they were Kazuki’s [political opponents] so to speak.

If he thought of it properly, Kazuki was the champion of the tournament, the second place was Mibu-senpai, third place and fourth place were Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai, so he had no need to worry. However, this battle election was shadowed by suspicious happenings from the start to the end. Owing to that, even now, Kazuki couldn’t wipe his uneasiness yet.

…Was there still some kind of plot remaining that would make a complete reversal of this situation…

“The tally is over!” A voice colored with exhaustion could be heard, Liz Liza-sensei came running from the wing of the stage. Headmaster Amasaki received the paper of the tally’s result and informed “Then I will conduct the announcement”. The inside of the auditorium returned to silence. Kazuki too felt dryness inside his mouth, he gulped his saliva audibly.

“I will only announce the five top names in the number of votes obtained.”

What was important was only first place. Even if the lower rank’s vote tally were announced it was nothing more than a public humiliation.

“Fifth place, Takasugi Shūsui. Number of votes obtained, 23 votes.

Fourth place, Yumeno Shiori. Number of votes obtained, 25 votes.

Third place, Hoshikaze Hikaru. Number of votes obtained, 76 votes.

Second place, Otonashi Kaguya. Number of votes obtained, 112 votes.

First place, Hayashizaki Kazuki. Number of votes obtained, 263 votes.

That’s all. Possessing the majority of the votes, Hayashizaki Kazuki is elected as the Chief Student Council President.”

After a moment of silence, the auditorium was enveloped with loud cheers. Even on top of the stage…Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai and Yumeno-san, the other candidates gave a round of applause to Kazuki.

Kazuki was dazed and listened to the loud cheers and applause for a while. After that, the self-awareness of the fact that he was being elected came late. He was being elected properly without any incident…

…Then the matter this time, could he say that he had finally reached a checkpoint where he could pause with this? Everything was over…?

“Chief Student Council President, the general policy speech.”

He was urged by Headmaster Amasaki. Kazuki brazenly walked to the center of the stage and stood in front of the microphone.

He faced the applause that reverberated through the auditorium. Already, he couldn’t act overly humble or servile anymore.

There were people that thought of him. Answering that and making great effort, gave birth to bonds―

Right now, he was standing right here.

“I receive this appointment to become the Chief Student Council President because of the support from everyone.”

Even in the case that they were not elected, all the candidates were told to think of the content of their speeches beforehand. Kazuki read out loud the script inside his head from memory.

“I have enrolled in this academy for less than two months. Honestly, there are still many things that I don’t have any idea about. I am likely going to rely on many things from both the student council presidents of the Magic Division and the Sword Division. Even so, I intend to understand the things that I should do by myself and the things that I want to do.

In the fifteen years since magic was born in this world, along with the cooperation of Solomon's 72 Pillars, this academy was established. The time has come where we should stop being in the age where we are just wielding about this new principle of the world without any idea of what we are doing. Magica Stigma have to stop being haughty of their own power. The swordsmen have to have pride in their own training. Both sides joining hands together. The strong power to cut through this [new era of swords and magic] has to be grasped within the two hands joining together.

I think it is the professional duties of this Knight Academy’s Chief Student Council President to be the keystone of that turning point.

To cause a change that had never been seen until now by our own hand is going to be accompanied with the feeling of walking inside the darkness groping about blindly. However, even inside the darkness, as long as you advance without letting go of the hands of your comrades, you should be able to discover the light without fail. The Chief Student Council President, as the existence that connects the Magic Division and the Sword Division, the one who stands as the vanguard inside this darkness, right here I will declare my resolve to face this challenge.”

Even while choosing decorated words, Kazuki intended to insert his own will inside this speech.

“…For the last, to those people that reached out their warm hands, accepted, and supported this me who is of a different nature when seen on various surfaces as far as this academy is concerned, once again I express my gratitude. With all my heart, thank you very much.”

With a lowering of his head with a bob, the applause that had stopped in the middle of the speech returned with the vigor of heavy thunder.

{Leme is going to become troubled if you don’t live up even more to Leme’s expectations okay? Shine, O future Harem King!}

Inside Kazuki’s head, Leme’s encouraging voice also rang out.

Share