In the student council office, with just the two of them alone, Ichinose Honami slowly told everything.
"My family is a single-parent household. I live with my mom and my younger sister, who's two years younger than me. Even though we're not well-off, I still feel like we're happy."
"Because we didn't have money for high school, I studied as hard as I could, hoping to get a full scholarship. I even became the top student in my grade in my third year of middle school... But then, my mom collapsed from overwork."
"At that time, my sister birthday was coming up. She never asked me or Mom for any birthday presents. Even when she was in her first year of middle school, when she could've acted spoiled, she always held back."
"But finally, for the first time, there was something she wanted—a hair clip that was popular last year... I can still remember how Mom apologized from her hospital bed, and the way my sister cried and screamed. I just couldn't blame her for any of it."
As she spoke, her expression twisted in pain.
"So, after school on her birthday, I went to the store... There are plenty of people in this world doing bad things anyway, and a hair clip that costs over ten thousand yen isn't that big of a deal... We've been holding back for so long, we shouldn't have to be blamed for this... "
Nagumo Miyabi curled his lips into a smirk. What an easy woman to fool. But that actually made things even better.
"So, you shoplifted it?"
"Yeah, I stole the hair clip my little sister wanted."
Ichinose Honami gave a self-mocking smile.
"No matter what justification I had, a crime is still a crime. No amount of repentance will ever erase that sin."
Nagumo Miyabi almost burst out laughing, but had to force himself to hold it in.
"I see, that is something worth considering carefully."
Ichinose Honami lowered her eyes. To her, those words sounded like a death sentence.
"It's a reason that would be hard for Horikita-senpai to accept, but for me, it's not really a big deal,"
Nagumo Miyabi said quietly.
"As a reward for your honesty, I'll let you join the student council."
"Someone like me, is that really okay?"
Ichinose Honami could hardly believe it. After all, she was just a sinner.
"Of course it's fine. You're an excellent student to begin with."
Nagumo Miyabi unconsciously licked his lips. A flower vase with such aesthetic value naturally had to be kept close, to be cherished at any time.
"Thank you, Nagumo-senpai!"
Ichinose Honami stood up and bowed deeply to him, almost moved to tears. Everyone at this school really was so kind. Nagumo Miyabi eyes sparkled. How should he use this girl next?
According to the information gathered so far, Ichinose Honami was ranked first in the entrance exam and possessed outstanding academic ability. And without a doubt, she was the central figure of Class 1-B, the class president who was welcomed by her classmates from the very first day of school. Whether it was her social skills or her own talents, Ichinose Honami was an outstanding student.
But to Nagumo Miyabi, none of that mattered. What mattered was that Ichinose Honami was a beautiful trophy. Maybe he should collect a little interest first and make her his girlfriend?
Unfortunately, before he could think any further, the office door was pushed open again.
"Tch, so the student council lets people in through the back door now?"
The moment he heard the voice, Nagumo Miyabi expression changed. He suddenly looked toward the door. A boy appeared in front of him, his face calm, holding something in his hand.
"What's your name? Don't you know this is the student council office? How dare you barge in here without my permission?"
"Class 1-A, Kaoru Mitoma."
Faced with Nagumo Miyabi questioning, Kaoru Mitoma simply stated his name. At the same time, his gaze swept over Ichinose Honami, and a flood of wishes bubbled up from the girl as well.
"I want to threaten Ichinose, you don't want everyone to know you're a criminal, do you?"
"Get Ichinose Honami to give me a lap pillow,"
"Destroy Ichinose Class B,"
"Expel a Class B student right in front of her,"
"Roughly lick Ichinose Honami delicate feet,"
"Get kisses and hugs from Ichinose's mom"
But when his eyes landed on Nagumo Miyabi, the wishes immediately took on a different tone. "Steal his girl,"
"Take away Nagumo Miyabi childhood friend,"
"Expel Nagumo Miyabi"
"Drag Nagumo Miyabi Class A down to the bottom,"
"Lick his childhood friend feet right in front of him"
While Kaoru Mitoma was already numb to these desires, on the other side, Nagumo Miyabi was also wondering where this guy had suddenly popped up from.
"So you're a first-year, huh? Are you here to apply for the student council too?"
Nagumo Miyabi expression was indifferent. However, Kaoru Mitoma just smiled a little.
"According to what you just said, senpai, I'm an A-Class student, so I should be even more qualified to join the student council than the others, right?"
Ichinose Honami expression froze.
"Heh, you were eavesdropping on our conversation. Aren't you afraid I'll warn you for invading our privacy?"
Nagumo Miyabi kept up a cheerful face, but inside he was full of suspicion. This was the student council office, and the soundproofing was excellent. No one should have been able to overhear anything through the door.
"Before that, I think you should listen to this, senpai."
Kaoru Mitoma opened his palm, revealing a bugging device he'd been holding all along—a prize he'd won in a lottery once. Not only could it pick up sounds through walls, but it could also connect to a phone for recording. It was basically a mysterious piece of high-tech gear.
"In this school, only A-Class students are truly the best... "
The conversation from earlier played again in the office. Nagumo Miyabi face grew darker and darker, while Ichinose Honami still had no idea what was going on. However, Nagumo Miyabi still kept his cool.
"Is there a problem with this? As the vice president of the student council, am I not allowed to know the basic information of the applicants?"
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, senpai. I never said there was a problem with any of this."
Kaoru Mitoma gave a playful smile.
"On the contrary, I was actually planning to go back and tell the class about all this, and share this recording with everyone in the first year."
Nagumo Miyabi almost lost his composure—this guy clearly knew what it would mean if he did that.
"Wait, why would you make it public?"
Ichinose Honami was even more anxious than Nagumo Miyabi. After all, the recording included her own confession of a crime. If everyone found out about this, she wouldn't even dare to show her face anymore.
Looking at this naive girl, Kaoru Mitoma couldn't help but feel speechless. If you know this kind of thing can't be made public, then why did you say it in the first place?
"If I don't make it public, how can I show the justice and fairness of the student council? Especially your good deeds, senpai. I think the student council president would be very pleased."
A cold glint flashed in Nagumi Miyabi eyes. He knew very well that this recording couldn't be shown to everyone, because it would ruin his image in the eyes of the first-year students and damage the reputation of the student council. More importantly, Kaoru Mitoma had mentioned Horikita Miyabi."
"Mitoma, are you threatening me?"
Nagumo Miyabi said coldly.
"Even if you bring up Horikita-senpai name, I don't think you can actually do anything to me."
Kaoru Mitoma seemed to fall into thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Maybe that's true. But what if I spice things up a bit? Like, say, the vice president of the student council finds out about a junior dark past and plans to force her into some shady deal, making her pose in eighteen different positions. In that case, senpai, what would you do?"
Nagumo Miyabi face turned ashen.
"You're making things up. How many people would actually believe a rumor like that?"
"The problem isn't whether it's a rumor. It's that this vice president already has a ton of gossip about him, always flirting with different girls, and his reputation isn't exactly great. I think people will make the right judgment, don't you, senpai?"
By the end, Kaoru Mitoma face was completely calm. Even if Nagumo Miyabi didn't care about his own reputation, he still had to think about the student council. Because the real issue was that the vice president of the student council was trying to force himself on a junior, and the student council couldn't afford any negative press.
That would only damage its authority and credibility. If that happened, it wouldn't just be the students—even the school would start to see the student council in a bad light.