-13- A stir among upperclassmen

The broadcast about the club orientation meeting repeated several times before fading away.

Many students in Class D were intrigued by this.

"Clubs, huh..."

"Should we join in?"

"It probably won't be too demanding, right?"

"Don't worry; if classes are this relaxed, club activities at this school should be easy too."

"True."

"Let's check it out."

"Agreed."

"I won't go; I have no interest in clubs."

In the classroom, students made various decisions, some leaving with laughter to continue their planned entertainment, while others started moving toward the first gymnasium, evidently ready to see what was happening.

However, Hori, Horikita Suzune, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had contrasting reactions.

"An invitation from the Track and Field Club?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was somewhat surprised and exclaimed to himself, "Can they really do such things in the school's broadcast?"

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka seemed quite concerned about this.

On the other hand, Horikita Suzune had a reaction to something else.

"A tie with the Student Council President...?"

Horikita Suzune sat frozen in her seat, her usually sharp and indifferent eyes revealing an unprecedented sense of confusion, surprise, and even disbelief.

Hori, however, paid no attention to the reactions of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune.

Hori maintained his posture of packing his bag, looked in the direction of the broadcast, and in his mind, the morning race scene unfolded.

"The Student Council President..."

Hori squinted his eyes.

Remembering the student he encountered in the morning who claimed to be Horikita Manabu, Hori seemed to understand something.

Unfortunately, Hori's muttering was heard by others.

"Is Nanaya interested in the Student Council President?" Kushida Kikyou, who somehow approached, leaned in beside Hori, a sweet smile on her cute face.

Then, Kushida Kikyou said, as if preparing to play a prank, with a slightly mischievous tone, "If you're interested, Nanaya, I can tell you a piece of gossip I heard."

All eyes, including Hori's, shifted to Kushida Kikyou.

Hori turned his gaze to the girl who leaned in beside him.

"Piece of gossip?" Hori inquired, "Can you please tell me?"

"No problem!" Kushida Kikyou readily agreed and immediately explained, "Actually, I heard about it from a friend in another class."

A friend in another class?

They had only started school for less than two days, and this girl had already made friends in other classes?

Her sociability was exceptionally high, wasn't it?

Undeterred by the thoughts of others, Kushida Kikyou continued her explanation.

"I heard that this morning, the Student Council President had a race with a student. Many upperclassmen involved in club activities witnessed it. Apparently, those two didn't determine a winner, causing quite a stir among the upperclassmen."

This was the origin of the event.

It was said that because the scene of the race between those two was so awe-inspiring, even members of the Track and Field Club had to admit defeat. Therefore, the Track and Field Club members were highly interested in this student who could tie with the Student Council President, and they spent the morning searching for information, intending to recruit this student into the club.

Unfortunately, in just one day, with classes starting again, the members of the Track and Field Club didn't manage to gather much information and were unaware of the student's identity.

"If it were a second or third-year student, the upperclassmen who witnessed the morning race wouldn't fail to recognize them," Kushida Kikyou suggested.

"That's correct," Hori acknowledged. Being a freshman, Hori went unnoticed during the morning race.

However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka questioned, "It was just a race. Why would it cause such a commotion among the upperclassmen? Even if the Track and Field Club desires talent, it shouldn't involve the entire upperclass."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had a point. A simple race shouldn't create such a stir among upperclass students.

"The reason is..." Kushida Kikyou began explaining but was interrupted by another person present.

"The reason is probably because the student who raced against the new student is the Student Council President, right?" Horikita Suzune suddenly spoke. "The commotion is likely due to the fact that someone could match the Student Council President."

Her abrupt statement caught everyone off guard.

Kushida Kikyou nodded in agreement with Horikita Suzune's insight. "Indeed, Horikita is quite perceptive. I heard that the Student Council President is a highly renowned figure. He ranks first in the third year, excels in sports even compared to specialized club members, and there are rumors that he has martial arts training, possessing exceptional physical abilities. Despite the school having many talented students, he's reputed to be the most outstanding Student Council President since the school's establishment."

This was the first reason.

"In addition, this school's Student Council is different from others. It holds significant power," Kushida Kikyou warned, "Although I heard it from someone else, they say the Student Council has the authority to modify school rules, determine exam content, and those who enter the Student Council are exceptional individuals in the same grade. Even after graduation, having this experience seems highly beneficial in society."

Horikita Manabu, as the current Student Council President, was hailed as the most exceptional Student Council President since the school's founding. In terms of talent, he was more than capable of standing at the pinnacle of all students in the school, and in terms of power, he could influence the school's policies.

Therefore, even if it was just a race, the commotion was understandable.

"By the way, by the way." As if recalling something, Kushida Kikyou subconsciously said, "That Student Council President's name seems to be..."

Before Kushida Kikyou could finish, her words were abruptly cut off.

However, it wasn't Horikita Suzune who interrupted her this time.

"Nay, Ayanokouji," Hori suddenly said to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, "Weren't you looking for someone to accompany you?"

"Huh?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka paused for a moment, then, once he understood, he uncertainly said, "Could it be..."

Facing Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's surprised tone, Hori suddenly smiled.

"Let's go check it out!"