Chapter 248: Are You the Villian?

"So... you guys want to help Iino Miko?"

"Yeah."

In a clubroom, Shirogane looked puzzled at the Rinji and Ishigami duo in front of him.

When they came to him and said they wanted to help one of his rivals, he froze for a moment.

"That's about the size of it," Rinji said. "But Iino's level is way too low—I don't think she can make it to the point where she can compete with you properly."

Rinji himself didn't fully agree with the plan.

After all, this was essentially shifting votes that should've gone to Shirogane over to Iino. Even if she had no real chance of winning, Rinji didn't like making things unnecessarily complicated.

"Why are you doing this?"

Rinji: "So that Iino Miko can lose with dignity."

Ishigami: "Simply put, we just want her to go down with pride."

"I understand."

After a short silence, Shirogane asked, "So what do you want me to do?"

"Our original plan was to have the president and Iino both give speeches on their platforms and then debate... but Iino can barely get a word out in front of an audience."

Her speech skills were a disaster.

Faced with a room full of students, she could barely read her script in a whisper, stumbling all the way through.

Shirogane and even Kaguya, who did the support speech, could speak fluently without notes in a full auditorium.

The difference was obvious, even without hearing their platforms.

"To be honest, I'm not really in favor of this plan, President. Not sabotaging a rival is already the biggest concession I'm willing to make. Helping her actively just weakens your side," Rinji said. "But since Ishigami asked, I figured I'd consult with you."

"You don't need to ask."

Shirogane smiled.

"I approve. Do your best to help a fellow student."

Whether or not they were rivals, if a fellow student needed help, Shirogane would lend a hand.

"I knew you'd say that."

Rinji let out a relieved smile.

"Guess I'm just not cut out to be president after all."

"So, do you have a method in mind?"

"Iino's case is special. I'd never do anything to harm you in the name of helping a student, so I have to rule out most of my usual tactics. That said, there is still one method I can try. But it needs field testing."

"Then go for it—just don't cause too much chaos."

Remembering Rinji's stunt with a flashbang not long ago, Shirogane warned him lightly.

"Don't worry. But maybe you should worry more about yourself," Rinji said with a grin. "If I really get serious, your votes might just end up in Iino's pocket."

"With you guys backing me, I'm not worried."

Rinji and Shirogane exchanged a grin.

"It's kind of refreshing, isn't it? Our first time standing on opposite sides."

"Yeah. Definitely something new."

---

The day before the official speeches, Rinji shifted from Shirogane's supporter to Iino's.

He didn't intend to help her win—just to get her ideals across to the school. And that wasn't hard for him; he already had a plan.

He and Ishigami left the clubroom, not saying a word on the way out. Only when they reached a quiet hallway did Ishigami step in front of Rinji to stop him.

"Rinji, there's something I've been wondering for a while."

"What?"

"Ever since you said that 'to create a hero, you need a villian,' something felt off."

"And?"

"You're the villian, aren't you?"

"..."

Rinji met Ishigami's serious gaze, then nodded.

"Yeah. That's me."

"You bastard... you're gonna use that kind of tactic again, aren't you?"

Ishigami remembered how Rinji once put himself at odds with the whole class to help him.

"Any problem with that?"

"A huge problem!!"

Bam!

For some reason, Ishigami seemed emotional. He slammed a palm against the wall behind Rinji.

Looking him in the eye, his voice rose in frustration.

"You went against the whole class for me before—now you're gonna go against the whole school!? Why do you insist on being the villain!?"

"Because right now, it's the only method I can think of."

"...That's my fault. I never should've asked you. Let's pretend this whole thing never happened."

Ishigami bowed his head.

He absolutely didn't want a repeat of last semester. He didn't want to see Rinji scorned by the entire school again, especially not because of something he'd asked him to do.

"Ishigami, you know me well enough. I'm not a good person. For someone like me, being rejected by everyone is normal."

"You..."

"A villain like me getting rejected by society? That just means the world is still sane. That should be comforting."

"...I'll never understand how your brain works."

"Trust me. I can handle this."

---

"Takamine-kun, was there something you needed from us today?"

After school, Rinji found Iino Miko and Osaragi Kobachi, who were still preparing for the upcoming speech.

"Yeah. There's something I'd like to discuss."

"If you're here to talk me into quitting, then please leave. I really appreciate what you've done for me, but I won't back down on this."

Rinji sat down across from them and said, "Iino-san, have you considered this? A lot of your classmates hate you right now. Even if you don't become president, their hostility means they won't listen to your disciplinary efforts. Some may even act out just to spite you. That's called a rebellion response. So whether you win or not, it's not helping school order."

"..."

Iino took Rinji's words seriously.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Rinji didn't look at her. His gaze turned to Osaragi.

"If you trust me, let me do the support speech instead."