{I see. It all makes sense now. This is one of Yashoku's conspiracies!}
{On the surface, she plays it off like there are no suitable candidates while taking jabs at me, but in reality, she's already made her choice and is just waiting for me to trip. The moment I speak up, I walk right into her snare...}
{And even if I don't take the bait and choose to stay silent, I'm still indirectly falling into her trap...}
{Brilliant. Truly brilliant, Shinomiya Yashoku! Without so much as a twitch in your expression, you've set a pincer maneuver that leaves me no room to breathe!}
{If I just blunder in there like an idiot, it's game over. Yashoku will definitely use that horrifying phrase—'President, you really are quite cute'—to dismantle my masculine pride all over again!}
Izuru's back was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat, yet he maintained his poker face. He stole a sidelong glance at Kaguya's flawlessly beautiful features. Though she wore a mask of icy indifference that made her thoughts impossible to read, Izuru was different...
He was a seasoned victim of her schemes. How could he possibly remain calm facing a woman who looked like an angel on the outside but harbored a labyrinth of cunning within?
{No matter how 'cute' you pretend to be on the outside, it won't change that adorable yet obsidian heart of yours, Shinomiya Yashoku!}
{I, Izuru Kamukura, will not be underestimated! It's my turn now!}
"This tutoring business requires careful deliberation..." Izuru said, his voice smooth and calm, a faint, triumphant smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Let's set this matter aside for now. We should examine the other documents that require immediate processing..."
"Hmm, fair enough." Kaguya nodded. Her face remained a blank slate, devoid of any emotional shift, but...
{Victory is mine!}
Izuru's grin widened with sheer satisfaction.
{Shinomiya Yashoku... oh, Shinomiya Yashoku. Your little ploy is useless now, isn't it? You didn't expect me to use a conversational pivot like this. Right now, you must be seething with frustration on the inside, which is exactly why you're acting so stoic on the outside...}
{Score: One-Zero, favor of Izuru!}
Riding high on his perceived win, Izuru felt as light as a feather. His speed in flipping through the documents surged, leaving Kaguya watching him with a hint of bewilderment as he hummed and smirked his way through the paperwork.
"An increase in club operating budgets?" Izuru's brow furrowed as he read the next file, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face.
The truth was, these budget approval documents were—well, the readers know the drill—usually just a collection of bored club presidents trying their hardest to squeeze more money out of the school. They'd write pages of "logical" reasons that were actually total nonsense, all to secure extra funding for their niche interests...
The problem was, if every club wanted more, where was the money supposed to come from? The annual budget provided by the school was fixed. If everyone got a raise, the math simply wouldn't add up.
Generally, since the total pot was limited, adding to one club meant gutting another. These decisions were based on a club's performance each semester. Cruel, but that was reality.
But who would willingly accept a budget cut? Naturally, every club president used the same tactic: praising their club's virtues to high heaven, polishing even the most useless activities until they shone like gold.
This was the ultimate headache for whoever had to process the paperwork. It was nearly impossible to gauge a club's actual value, and the moment the Student Council President adjusted an allotment, he'd likely offend half the student body...
Thinking about this, Izuru's headache returned. This was exactly why he didn't want to be President. The perks were minimal, but the busywork was soul-crushing!
However, as Izuru skimmed the reports submitted by the various chairpersons, his mood shifted...
{It can't be helped; this is the President's burden. I have to clean house. Besides, there are some clubs whose budgets absolutely deserve to be axed, even if I have to step on a few toes!}
For instance: The Fried Chicken Club, The Hand Club (Beef? Sx?), and the FFF Inquisition... do these even make sense? If he didn't cut their funding, whose would he cut? Oh, wait—that last one doesn't need a cut; it needs a massive subsidy!
As for those trashy "couples' dens" masquerading as clubs? They needed to be pruned to the bone! Actually, maybe a total wipeout was too much. He'd just cut them by half!
{I, the Student Council President, am a card-carrying member of the forever-alone squad, oppressed by Yashoku until I can't even breathe. And you people have the gall to enjoy a sweet, romantic life? As a loyal member of the FFF, there is no way I'm letting you damned couples live in peace!}
It was a blessing Kaguya couldn't read minds. If she could, she'd surely be looking at him with pitying eyes, thinking, "President, are you actually a demon?"
"Hmm?" As he neared the end of the reports, Izuru noticed something odd. He shuffled the stack again and found one club report that was uniquely, suspiciously brief...
"The Service Club?"
The name was a bit... suggestive. At the very least, when Izuru saw it, the first thing that flashed through his mind was an Akihabara specialty where cute maids called you "Master" while providing "sweet service."
Of course, if you're actually thinking that, prepare for disappointment. Under strict school censorship, a club like that wouldn't even clear registration before being disbanded—unless this was some forbidden R-rated novel.
That meant the club was likely just a simple volunteer organization that helped people for free. Except...
"Current membership: One. The President... Yukino Yukinoshita?"
Normally, a club required at least three members to exist. The Service Club was an anomaly, consisting of a single president. It was clearly an "unofficial" or "illegal" club, which, in itself, was the most suspicious part.
The fact that it could stand as a club with only one member—even if its current status was technically unauthorized—was enough to trigger a thousand theories. Such a blatant exception usually implied a deep connection or a very specific reason regarding its President, Yukino Yukinoshita...
And Izuru happened to know exactly why.
{Yukinoshita Yukino... huh?}
*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!*
Just as Izuru was about to spiral into another monologue, a sharp rapping at the door interrupted him.
Someone was here.
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