As they walked out of the casino, the three girls each had different expressions.
Kaguya appeared deep in thought, still reflecting on what had happened inside.
As the current head of the Shinomiya financial conglomerate, Kaguya still had many shortcomings.
Handling the darker aspects of society was one such area where she lacked experience.
It wasn't about gambling techniques, just from how the situation was handled, Kaguya realized she had much to learn.
Miko, on the other hand, seemed dazed.
Her father was a judge in Japan's Supreme Court, while her mother was a member of an international humanitarian aid organization.
Growing up in such a household, Miko had developed a strong sense of justice and responsibility.
But today's events made her realize that the world she had known was incomplete.
Justice didn't seem as powerful as she had once believed.
As for our dear secretary, Fujiwara Chika…
"This felt just like a yakuza manga! That was incredible! Haruto, can you do that thing again when we get back…?"
Chika clung to Haruto, chattering excitedly.
Even Haruto himself felt a little numb at this point.
A normal girl wouldn't still be this thrilled after experiencing something like that!
But then again, this was Fujiwara Chika.
The same Fujiwara Chika whom online voters had once jokingly elected as the Prime Minister of Japan.
Regardless, the Student Council of Shuchi'in Academy had undoubtedly achieved something remarkable today.
They had successfully rescued a student of Shuchi'in from the clutches of an underground criminal group. Compared to their usual days of lazing around, playing cards, and approving budget requests, this was certainly an achievement worth boasting about.
And most of the credit, of course, belonged to Haruto.
Kaguya had already made up her mind; once they returned to Shuchi'in, she would make sure this event was well-documented. Not only would she use it to boost Haruto's reputation, but she would also tie him even more firmly to the Student Council.
Once the exchange program ended, she would make sure Haruto stayed at Shuchi'in permanently.
Kaguya's calculations were as precise as ever.
When the four of them finally returned to the Student Council room, they saw a boy hunched over a computer, hard at work.
Upon seeing Kaguya enter, the boy immediately started venting his frustrations.
"President Kaguya, shouldn't we hire two or three more accountants? The amount of financial transactions in Shuchi'in is insane, the workload is too much!"
Kaguya, maintaining her usual expressionless demeanor, immediately shot him down.
"The Shuchi'in Student Council has a strict organizational structure. Hiring new members requires multiple rounds of screening. I ask that you continue working hard, Ishigami."
From behind Kaguya, Haruto leaned forward and looked at the boy.
Ishigami Yuu.
Like Iino Miko, he was a first-year student—a junior to both Kaguya and Haruto.
However, unlike Iino, Ishigami Yuu did not come from a wealthy background.
(T/N: AU.)
He was one of the rare students admitted to Shuchiin through academic excellence and personal ability.
Ishigami was a computer genius, particularly skilled in data processing.
Recognizing his talent, Kaguya had recruited him into the student council as an accountant.
Managing finances was actually the most demanding task of the student council.
As a prestigious academy, Shuchiin received massive amounts of funding every year, every semester, even every month.
Student facilities, club budgets, and various expenses were all managed by the student council.
This was why the student council at Shuchiin wielded an extraordinary amount of power. Naturally, managing these funds meant dealing with countless financial records...
And all of that responsibility had been dumped onto Ishigami.
Truly a miserable fate.
When Ishigami noticed Haruto, his eyes widened in shock.
"Takatsuki Izumi-sensei?!"
Haruto's lips twitched at the name.
Right—he had forgotten that Ishigami was an otaku, a hardcore anime and manga fan.
So it wasn't too surprising that he recognized him.
"This is Takamine Haruto. From now on, he will be the vice president of the student council."
Kaguya introduced him.
Ishigami's eyes widened even further.
The excitement of meeting his idol disappeared instantly, replaced by the deep resentment of an overworked employee.
Well, it was understandable.
Just moments ago, Kaguya had insisted that recruiting new members was extremely difficult. And now, she had suddenly brought in a vice president, someone completely new.
As the others busied themselves, Haruto took a seat.
Iino went off to handle the aftermath of the gambling incident.
Chika was still pestering Haruto, trying to get him to demonstrate his card skills again.
Kaguya shot Fujiwara a sharp glare before taking out a few teacups.
"Tea... Oh, I'll go get some."
She checked the student council's storage and realized that her usual high-grade tea had run out.
There were still other brands available, but Kaguya refused to serve Haruto anything less than the finest.
With that, she turned and left the room.
Ishigami watched Kaguya walk away, then glanced at the neatly arranged tea boxes in the corner of the room.
If he wasn't mistaken, each of those tea canisters cost over a million yen...
And yet, they weren't good enough to serve?
More importantly...
The great Shinomiya Kaguya had personally gone to fetch tea?!
Ishigami felt his worldview shatter.
At that moment, Chika also dashed out of the room. She was off to find a mahjong set.
Haruto rubbed his temples helplessly.
With just the two of them left in the room, a silence settled between Haruto and Ishigami.
Ishigami quietly resumed his work.
He didn't want to take student council tasks home every day. Haruto glanced at the screen and sighed in admiration.
Truly a genius.
Many B-rank data analysts in the Foundation probably weren't as skilled as Ishigami.
"Ishigami, have you thought about what you'll do after graduation?"
The question caught Ishigami off guard.
He was only a first-year, wasn't it too early to be thinking about that?
Yet, an uneasy feeling crept up his spine.
The instincts of a wage slave.
This was the same feeling he had when he got tricked into joining the student council.
"I guess I'll go to university. Three years of working in the student council should help me save up quite a bit..."
Ishigami replied.
The student council paid its members well, enough to cover his university expenses.
Haruto nodded and slid a business card toward him.
"If you ever need a part-time job after leaving Shuchiin, consider this place."
He was trying to recruit Ishigami into the Foundation.
Ishigami didn't find it strange.
At Shuchiin, many students had personal companies and were constantly networking.
Despite being new to the academy, his position as the student council's accountant had already drawn multiple job offers. Accepting the card, he saw it as a recognition of his abilities and started feeling less awkward around Haruto.
"So, how did you end up in the student council, Haruto-senpai?"
He asked, genuinely curious.
Haruto shrugged.
"I got an exchange invitation from Shuchiin, and when I arrived, I met Kaguya. She invited me to join the student council and pushed me into the vice president role."
Hearing this, Ishigami's expression twisted in frustration.
The gap between people was just too unfair!
Jealousy made him feel physically ill.
He glanced at Haruto's face.
Why was this guy so ridiculously talented, admired by Kaguya, and even incredibly handsome?!
Wasn't there a saying that when one door opens, another closes?
What door had ever been closed for this man?!
"Kaguya must've recruited you just for your looks! The student council has crazy strict requirements, how else would you have gotten in?! Damn you, beauty bias!"
Ishigami ranted.
He had never been good at holding back his thoughts.
Haruto's mouth twitched.
His gaze shifted slightly, to the doorway.
Standing there, holding a tea tray, was Shinomiya Kaguya. And she was glaring at Ishigami with eyes colder than death itself.
"Ishigami, Kaguya values ability. Look at you and Iino, you're both highly capable."
Haruto tried to smooth things over.
But Ishigami remained oblivious.
"Well, yeah. Kaguya's smart. There's a saying—'big chests, small brains.'"
"Fujiwara-senpai is proof of that. She's always so scatterbrained."
"All that weight must've stunted her brain growth. She's just that type of person!"
As he spoke, he even made a very suggestive hand gesture.
Haruto: …!
"Ishigami, what are you doing?"
"Oh, I have a friend who runs a funeral parlor. I'm booking you a full-service package."