Chương 25: The Official Student Council Interview
Hikigaya didn't care much about what his classmates thought of him, but if possible, he preferred to avoid drawing too much attention to himself.
As a lone wolf, the key to surviving the world was all about maintaining his independence.
Whether alone or with no one by his side, as long as he moved forward without caring about the opinions of others, no trouble would come his way.
On the contrary, the moment he stepped into the spotlight of others' gazes, countless problems would inevitably follow, leading to endless suffering.
Oh, sorry, that was a bit too poetic.
To summarize: Hikigaya simply hated trouble, so he didn't want others to focus on him or make him the topic of conversation.
That's why, when he heard the students in Class D begin talking about applying to the student council, his expression tensed. He worried that somehow, without realizing it, he had become a laughingstock.
Yes, Hikigaya had already imagined himself in such a scenario. He didn't think he had even the slightest chance of getting into the student council…
"Huh? Someone from our class is applying to the student council? Why am I even surprised?"
"Most people in our class don't seem interested in that kind of thing."
"Yeah, looks like everyone's pretty indifferent about it."
"Could it be Hirata? He's probably the most likely to join the student council."
As murmurs swirled around him, Yosuke Hirata, who had been excluded from the conversation until then, quickly answered, "No, I haven't signed up for the student council."
"You didn't sign up? Then who did?" The students who spoke looked thoroughly confused as if they couldn't imagine anyone wanting to voluntarily apply for the student council.
"Who spread this news anyway?"
Ken Sudou, ever the hothead, was quick to accuse anyone he could think of.
"It was from other classes," Ike, startled by Sudou's outburst, quickly responded. "I overheard people from other classes saying that someone from Class D signed up for the student council, which is super rare."
"Wow, is everyone in our class that uninterested?"
Kushida Kikyo, listening in on the conversation, couldn't help but chime in.
"Maybe it's just that nobody likes the idea of taking on a leadership role," Hirata offered reassuringly. "But we do have a lot of students who've joined regular clubs. Didn't Sudou join the basketball club?"
"True enough," Sudou grinned as if he was ready to show off. "Just wait—once I become an official player, I'll bring home a trophy!"
The topic quickly veered away from the student council to club activities.
Most of Class D seemed to have a laid-back attitude, showing little interest in student council matters and even less in discussing them further.
This was a relief for Hikigaya, who realized he had narrowly dodged a bullet.
"Too bad no one's going to laugh at you now, huh?"
Suddenly, Horikita Suzune's voice came from behind him.
"If the others knew it was you applying for the student council, you'd instantly become the class clown."
"…"
Her words sent a cold sweat trickling down Hikigaya's forehead. He could already picture the scenario—and the social death that would follow.
He absolutely could not let anyone know he had applied for the student council.
It was finally noon and time for the official student council interview. Hikigaya had applied to the student council before but had never passed an interview. Today, he showed up with the mindset of someone merely going through the motions.
The person in charge of the interview was still Akane Tachibana, the student council secretary, just as she had been during the registration process.
However, unlike last time, she was the only one present today. The student council president, Horikita Manabu, was noticeably absent.
This gave the situation a strange feeling as if the earlier registration phase had been more important than today's official interview.
Hikigaya had arrived fairly early, but even so, most of the other applicants were already gathered, waiting for the interviews to begin.
To his surprise, one of the strongest candidates in his eyes, Honami Ichinose, was nowhere to be seen.
Had something come up?
Puzzled, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure with pink hair appearing in front of him. But Ichinose didn't look like her usual self—she seemed downright exhausted.
"You look…tired?"
Hikigaya couldn't help but comment.
Ichinose's fatigue was apparent to the naked eye. Her usually composed and cute expression was now clouded with exhaustion, and her large, doe-like eyes blinked slowly as if they were on the verge of closing.
"Oh, it's you, Hikigaya," Ichinose forced a smile. "The start of the new term has been busy with class matters. It's been taking up a lot of time, and with preparing for the student council interview in the evenings… I accidentally ended up pulling an all-nighter."
"This…"
Hikigaya hadn't expected Ichinose to be so burdened with her class responsibilities, and yet, despite the heavy load, she still longed for a position on the student council.
The gap between people, he thought, was far greater than that between humans and pigs.
The "pigs" of Class D—himself included—couldn't even hope to catch up to someone like Ichinose.
As Hikigaya sighed inwardly, indulging in his usual self-deprecation, he noticed that Akane Tachibana, a senior from the student council, had already stepped inside the empty room.
"Everyone, please wait outside. When your name is called, come in for the interview."
At her words, the first-year students immediately tensed up, their faces showing their nervousness as they tried to relax, preparing for the upcoming interviews.
In this somewhat stifling atmosphere, Hikigaya remained indifferent. After all, he hadn't seriously considered becoming a full member of the student council in the first place.
His thoughts were less on the interview and more on the student council president, Horikita Manabu.
The fact that the president hadn't shown up today left Hikigaya's original plans in ruins. It seemed he wouldn't have the chance to meet him this time. He'd need to come up with another way to probe him, especially to confirm the exact nature of his relationship with Horikita Suzune.
As Hikigaya mulled over this, he suddenly noticed that something was off with Honami Ichinose, the Class B representative standing nearby.
She appeared to be struggling to breathe, taking deep, labored breaths, her forehead glistening with visible beads of sweat. She looked exhausted.
"This…"
Seeing her like that, Hikigaya felt a flicker of concern, but since they weren't exactly close, he hesitated to say anything.
However, as time passed, her condition only worsened. Her expression grew increasingly pale and strained, clearly showing she wasn't doing well at all.
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