68th Student Council

After tidying up the student council room and ensuring that no belongings or traces of the "68th Student Council" were left behind, the six of them turned off the lights and walked out the door.

"Wait, has that place been checked?" Shinichi suddenly stopped.

Everyone turned to look.

"Where?"

"It's the same as the secret room..." Before he finished speaking, Ishigami realized his answer.

"Ah, is it the training room for junior students?"

The entire place fell silent.

"..."

Kaguya looked at Ishigami with a friendly smile.

"Ah, Ishigami-kun, is that what you call that room? Quite an interesting way to put it."

Ishigami's face turned pale, his hands and feet trembled, and his lips quivered.

"I-I didn't..."

Kaguya apologized to the others with an apologetic tone.

"Excuse me, could you wait for me for five minutes? I want to check that room, and there might be something left behind."

No one dared to refuse at all; even Shirogane stepped back two steps with a shy expression.

"I beg your pardon."

Kaguya nodded gently, then grabbed Ishigami's collar and took steps towards the "Student Guidance Room."

"Let's go, Ishigami-kun."

Ishigami began to struggle, crying in sadness and gesturing for help from others.

"No, I don't want to, forgive me... Asada! Asada, you've been there too! You've been in that room with Shinomiya Senpai! Come on, let's clean the place where we made memories together! Hurry up!"

Shinichi sighed sadly.

"Forgive me, Ishigami. The only thing that needs thorough cleaning is your reckless heart..."

Ishigami was furious and turned to Chika.

"You traitor! Fujiwara Senpai, do you know that Asada is outside—"

Kaguya used some skills, and Ishigami's neck tensed; the words in his mouth stopped, and he lost the ability to resist.

"Okay, Ishigami-kun. Don't talk too much. Go in and clean together."

Dragging footsteps extended from the student council room into the small dark room, and the door was tightly closed.

Then, screams of agony and fright were heard loudly, and within a few seconds of passing through the door panel, the sound suddenly disappeared and returned to silence.

Five minutes passed.

Kaguya had a refreshed smile on her face, and Ishigami, whose eyes were dull and walked like a zombie, walked out and returned to the student council lineup.

"So, are you sure nothing is missing anymore?"

Shirogane was about to wipe his hands; the process was clearly similar to last year, so why were there casualties this year?

Was it because the number of members was larger than before? Or was it just Ishigami's unchanged death-seeking character?

Shirogane dared not think further. After getting positive answers from the other members, he took out the key and locked the door.

It seemed that everything from the past was locked, and the atmosphere began to weigh again.

The six of them stood in front of the door, looking at the student council room that had been with them for a long time.

Some spent their youth here, and some woke up to youth here.

But now, there was youth that would soon end here.

Whether they left or stayed, behind that door were the memories of the six members.

In other words, their youth.

[Shuchiin Academy High School, 68th Student Council—

All official activities are finished.]

△

"A lot has happened in the last six months..."

Shinichi lowered his gaze.

"Is it over?"

His voice was very soft, echoing in the silence.

Iino stared blankly at the door in front of her, her lips slightly open and closed.

Suddenly, tears flowed from her eyes, and two teardrops fell quickly.

"Hmm..."

Next to her, Ishigami raised his chin, his hair covering half of his eyes, showing only a thin smile.

"Yeah, it's over."

"Ugh..." Unable to hold back her overflowing emotions, Iino covered her mouth and lowered her head, crying softly.

Ishigami lent her his shoulder, his eyes gentle, and he gently stroked her hair.

"There will always be an end, whether it's the student council or high school life... Save your tears until graduation and cry it all out again, Iino."

"So noisy, stupid Ishigami..."

"Yeah yeah yeah..."

Shirogane and Kaguya exchanged glances.

"Thank you, everyone."

"Yes. All this time... I really appreciate your help."

Looking around at the people around him, Shinichi uttered words one by one.

"I too..."

"It was so much fun being a part of the student council."

"I'm really glad to have gotten to know everyone, played weird games with you, went to the beach together and had fun, and made so many beautiful memories!"

He suddenly turned around and faced everyone.

And bowed deeply.

Shinichi never forgot that he used to follow Shirogane and Kaguya, intentionally stepping back two steps and keeping a distance from them.

As usual, he knew that he was an outsider.

They didn't have the deep bonds that they had gathered for more than a year, and they didn't have the friendly personalities to get along well with everyone.

He could only stand on his own, admiring the harmony of the group and enjoying the loneliness of wanting to be alone.

That's why, with thoughts like that, he truly felt like a boring person...

Until now.

This idea has changed, and he even wanted to ask himself.

(Hey, I should be more interesting now, right?)

Shinichi couldn't hold back his laughter.

It was clearly a sentimental moment of farewell with memories, but he had the urge to laugh out loud.

(Yes)

If it's not fun, he wouldn't be so happy now.

Shinichi looked at them, smiling very happily.

"Shirogane Senpai, Shinomiya Senpai, Fujiwara Senpai, Ishigami, Iino-san...

"After I leave here, I still need your advice!"

He stood right in front of them.

"Please give me advice."

Shinichi took a step forward, rejoining the student council lineup.

Shortly after, the six of them left the student council room and walked towards the school gate while chatting.

△

Release the pure golden ribbon on his collar, carefully put it into the box, and close it.

"The responsibility of two years officially ends here."

After sealing the symbol of the student council president's identity, Shirogane took a cup in his hand, raised his hand, and shouted.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers~"

The atmosphere became livelier.

In a certain family restaurant, the six former student council members raised their cups and clinked them together.

"Haha! The last time we also held a celebration banquet here. Indeed, the history is similar, isn't it?"

Shirogane put down the Coke in his hand and wiped his mouth, with a relaxed expression on his face as he finally released his burden.

"This sense of freedom hasn't changed; it makes people feel like they've been given a new lease on life~"

"It feels like I just crawled out of hell... Asada, no, the next student council president."

Ishigami saw the dark circles on Shirogane's face and turned to Shinichi with a teasing smile.

"Are you ready to become a panda?"

"Not too serious, right?"

Shirogane didn't care at all that Ishigami was teasing himself. After commenting, he also raised his eyebrows towards Shinichi.

"But being the president is really exhausting. Asada, are you sure your schedule is okay? I remember you not only have to teach others to study but also find a part-time job that's not easy. Can you handle it?"

"Don't worry," Shinichi sipped his lemon black tea and smiled calmly.

"If I don't push myself to the limit, I'll never know what I can do... I can goof off a bit, so being the student council president is not a big issue."

Hearing what he said, Shirogane and Ishigami exchanged glances.

"Is there a connection between being the student council president and goofing off?"

"Who knows. President... no, Shirogane Senpai, can you do it?"

"That might not be possible..."

"So, is he implying that you, President, are not up to par?"

Shirogane looked at Shinichi suspiciously. "Is that true?"

"There's nothing like that; what I said earlier was just a joke." Shinichi put down his drink, looked at Ishigami who made a random guess, and then spoke honestly.

"Actually, I don't know what to expect, whether this is the first time I'm participating in such an election campaign, or the various issues I'll face after successfully becoming the president."

"I have confidence to handle it, but I'm afraid I won't be able to reach the level expected by everyone."

Even before the food was served, the others were already interested in the topic and began discussing it enthusiastically.

Moreover, the five former student council members here were all part of his "campaign team" as the next president candidate.