Kaoru had been very busy these past few days.
The Student Council general election was approaching.
If they waited until Spring Break, students would no longer care about Student Council affairs.
Even with the school's endorsement, everyone was more concerned about upcoming exams.
Horikita Manabu had informed him that the third-years' conflict would be settled the day before the graduation ceremony.
Though unspoken, Horikita likely harbored some doubts about Kaoru's actions—launching an offensive against Nagumo during this period wasn't the most opportune timing.
In reality, apart from the encouraging feedback on the first day, few students had shown interest in Student Council matters since.
The progress made so far was largely due to the scandals surrounding Kaoru himself.
People loved drama, so topics involving him consistently trended.
However, this wasn't entirely beneficial.
The long-anticipated showdown everyone had been waiting for still hadn't materialized, leaving students bored and deeply disappointed.
Even so, Kaoru had to take the initiative.
Because Nagumo was equally tied up—on one hand, he was purging Kiryama and others, while on the other, he suspected a traitor in his class and was busy fighting imaginary battles.
Under the guise of canvassing for votes, Kaoru had been steadily draining Nagumo's energy and time.
Both sides were now competing to see who held greater influence.
Kaoru had the support of Horikita Manabu, Satou Keisaku, and others.
The remaining classes were also sending him suggestive signals, hinting they could be bought—if he could meet their price.
Yes, even small nations could sell their votes to major powers in the United Nations.
These lower-ranking classes were no different—they could certainly sell their support.
The reason they didn't dare do so openly was because it was dishonorable.
Both Kaoru and Nagumo were trying to catch the other in a misstep.
Nagumo was growing anxious.
He desperately wanted to buy votes, but with Kaoru watching closely, he forcibly restrained himself.
Even if he did attempt to buy support, Kaoru had deeper pockets, so there was no urgency at all.
After waiting for a long time, Nagumo finally lost his patience and tried to win back the second-year students by making various grand promises—like allowing class transfers without using points, and assuring them that as long as he remained Student Council President, they would receive plenty of benefits.
At the same time, he harshly suppressed Class 2-A.
Before Kaoru could even make a move, Mizowaki had already dropped out.
For a moment, Kaoru didn't know what to say, only that Nagumo could be ruthless to anyone.
It wasn't just Mizowaki's expulsion—Nagumo once again clamped down on Class 2-B.
Kiriyama was now behaving obediently and every time he saw Kaoru, he would approach him to express his support for Kaoru's bid to become Student Council President.
Occasionally, he would intentionally or unintentionally reveal the whereabouts of Kiryuin Fuka from his class.
Kaoru was indeed somewhat interested, but he simply didn't have the time to chat with Kiryuin Fuka right now.
…
Thursday afternoon, Student Council office.
"Nagumo-senpai is currently in second place, and Kaoru is in first."
Ichinose Honami tallied the votes and showed a faint smile. "The vote ratio is 55:86. That's great."
Because this election was sudden and unexpected, many procedures were simplified as much as possible.
Normally, students would cast their valuable votes in a general election, with the earlier stages serving only as campaigning and canvassing.
However, the problem was that exams were underway, and the school simply wasn't providing the time or venue to hold a general election.
The so-called general election now actually referred to the March 20th deadline—the final day for voting.
The results would be announced on that day, and regardless of how many students voted, the candidate in first place would become President.
"Tomorrow is the final result. Nagumo will probably make a desperate last stand."
Kaoru thought to himself that only a little over a hundred students had voted so far, with more than half still remaining silent.
These silent voters either didn't care or were waiting to see how things unfolded.
"Hehe, I can get everyone to vote for you."
Ichinose Honami was a bit embarrassed.
Actually, some students in her class had wanted to vote for her, but she had persuaded them to vote for her boyfriend instead.
Kaoru found it amusing and gently tapped her nose.
"When I helped you before, you were so reluctant. Why has it turned around now?"
"Not at all! This way, you'll owe me a favor, and next time I can really pressure you."
Ichinose Honami put on a stern face—she had already prepared her excuse.
"Hmph, we'll see who ends up at a disadvantage then."
Just as Kaoru was about to say something, she added with a fierce threat.
"If I don't get them to vote for you, should they vote for Nagumo-senpai instead? Do you want to see him come to our class tomorrow to campaign for votes?"
"He wouldn't stoop that low, would he?"
Kaoru hadn't considered that possibility.
Nagumo usually acted so proud and arrogant—would he really come to the first-year classes to beg for votes?
"Who knows." Ichinose Honami said, "Even you went to his territory. He could come to our first-year classes too."
At that moment, Katsuragi Kohei, who was nearby, spoke up.
"He's very likely to collaborate with Ryuuen-kun."
Using Personal points to buy votes could easily backfire, raising doubts about the candidate's capabilities and damaging the Student Council's image.
But if he used something other than points, the situation would be different.
"Also, I think it's about time we told the class who to vote for." Katsuragi said, "Right now everyone is confused about who to vote for, opinions are in disarray."
Some wanted to vote for Ichinose Honami, while others naturally leaned toward Katsuragi himself, since only three first-year students served in the Student Council.
Additionally, there were scattered votes intended for other students.
Katsuragi felt it was necessary to step forward and consolidate everyone's opinions, otherwise tomorrow's voting would descend into chaos.
Kaoru thought for a moment before responding, "That's possible, but Honami, you shouldn't get involved. It would make people think you're just a puppet I manipulate. At the very least, I should be the one to propose cooperation with you."
Ichinose Honami pouted, but she knew he was right, so she didn't press the issue.
Instead, she asked, "Will it be a problem without our votes?"
"Even if he buys votes from Ryuen, it's just a skeleton in the tomb."
Kaoru knew this was the opponent's final card, but he hadn't yet played all his own.
Indeed, Kaoru hadn't yet deployed his reserves.
He had only mobilized the vote banks of Satou Keisaku and Horikita Manabu, leaving others untouched—such as Ichinose Honami's class and his own.
Furthermore, people had been approaching Kaoru continuously, like Class 2-D and Class 3-D, wanting to sell their votes.
Originally, they had intended to sell to Nagumo, since he was currently at a disadvantage and more desperate for votes, hoping to fetch a higher price.
However, they also had their eyes on Kaoru's side, attempting to drive up the price by playing both sides to see who would offer more.
Kaoru didn't fall for it but inadvertently uncovered Nagumo's situation—he was running out of funds.
Nagumo was simultaneously suppressing the second years while refusing to give up on the Student Council, causing his Personal points to deplete rapidly.
It was estimated they had dropped below ten million.
Because of this, Nagumo didn't want to be taken for a fool either, driving the prices for the two classes so low that they had no choice but to turn back and curry favor with Kaoru.
Kaoru had no immediate plans to buy their votes.
By pulling Kiryama Ikua to his side and persuading the wavering Class 2-C, he would soon secure two additional vote banks.
Especially the latter—their relationship with Nagumo was awkward, and without contractual ties, Nagumo would find it difficult to turn the situation around.
If absolutely necessary, Kaoru could buy votes from Class 1-B and Class 1-D, benefiting his allies, and only then consider Class 2-D and Class 3-D.
The Student Council was overseeing this election, and he was part of it.
From his position, he controlled the overall situation, ready to deploy his full reserves at any sign of change.
Meanwhile, Nagumo, to break through the first line of defense, had already exhausted all his means.
The forces Nagumo could truly mobilize were likely limited to Ryuen and Class 3-B, amounting to at most eighty additional votes.
Even if Class 2-D and Class 3-D sold all their votes to Nagumo, it would only total a little over two hundred.
In contrast, if Kaoru secured the first-year votes, he would gain one hundred and twenty votes in one move.
Moreover, he still had Class 2-B and Class 2-C.
The most crucial point, however, was that Kaoru knew the second-year students disliked Nagumo more than they disliked him.
As long as he had that advantage, it was enough.
'In this battle, the forces were eight hundred thousand against six hundred thousand—the advantage was mine.'