Chapter 249: I Used to Be a Member of the Disciplinary Committee

"You… want to do the support speech?"

Iino thought she'd misheard.

To her, this election was already full of difficulties. And now, on the day before the final campaign, Rinji suddenly told her he wanted to replace Osaragi for the support speech? That would be like scrapping the entire original plan.

"I know this must be difficult for you," Rinji said, "but I've done my research. Iino, you've been running for student council president since middle school, right? Starting from first year, and for three consecutive terms. You should know how it turned out."

Recalling those defeats, Iino silently nodded.

She had never once won. In fact, her results were always at the very bottom of the vote count.

Her strict attitude toward school rules had earned her the resentment of many students, and as a result, she had practically no supporters.

Worse still, students would mock her—mock her for overestimating herself, for dreaming of becoming president after offending so many people.

There were even coordinated efforts to disrupt her speeches. During her turn at the podium, students who disliked her would start booing or jeering. That's why she now had such a fear of public speaking—she couldn't perform in front of a crowd.

Every time she stood before a full audience, she felt the weight of those hostile, mocking stares—even if the people watching her didn't actually harbor such intentions.

"At your current state, if you run, you'll just repeat the past. That said… I really do admire your perseverance—how you keep going despite repeated failure. People shouldn't lose their will just because they've failed a few times. But," Rinji added, "you haven't learned anything from your losses."

As he spoke, he pulled out the support speech Osaragi had prepared.

"Osaragi-san, not to mention that you were nervous even just reading this draft—during the actual speech, you might freeze up. "

"And the entire draft is basically just talking about how amazing Iino-san is."

"Is... is there something wrong with that?"

"The problem is, just saying these things doesn't actually make the students feel it." Rinji looked at Osaragi through the thick lenses of her glasses. "This isn't your first time doing a support speech for Iino, right? Think back—what were the students doing during your speeches?"

"...They were... whispering to each other."

In other words, they weren't listening at all.

The speaker on stage was nervously reciting their lines, while the students in the audience did whatever they wanted—zoning out, chatting, completely ignoring it.

This was normal in high school settings, just like when a crowded auditorium listened to a principal's speech. No one really paid attention; they were all thinking, "Please finish so we can go back to class."

"A support speech is just as important as the candidate's own speech. If the message is delivered properly and accepted by the students, it can even turn the tide of the election."

"Well... that may be true, but..."

Iino Miko looked hesitant.

"Replacing Kobachi... she's been preparing for this support speech for a long time. Having her back out now is just..."

"I'll step down," said Osaragi, raising her hand.

"Eh!?"

Iino stared at her wide-eyed, stunned by how suddenly she had given up.

"How long I've been preparing doesn't matter. What's important is you, Miko. We're doing this student council election because we want to do the right thing, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"Then logically, there's no issue."

Osaragi pushed up her glasses, and in the reflection, Rinji's face gleamed in the lenses.

"Normally, this election would end the same way as all the previous ones—with failure. So we might as well place our bet on Takamine-kun. Even if things go badly, the worst that could happen is another loss."

"It's great that you see it that way, Osaragi-san," Rinji said with a smile. "Then I'll go revise the speech draft and apply to the teacher to have the support speaker changed—"

"Wait."

Just as Rinji turned to leave, Iino suddenly stood up and called out.

"Is there something else?"

"Why are you helping me?" she asked.

"...What?"

"I guess you're on former President Shirogane's side, right? Then why did you suddenly decide to help me?" Iino stared directly into Rinji's eyes. "This question is really important to me."

She wasn't doubting Rinji's intentions—it's just that after enduring so much hostility from her classmates over the years, she couldn't bring herself to trust others easily.

Looking into Iino's serious gaze, Rinji turned around.

"You're right. I do stand with the President. No matter the outcome, I still believe Shirogane Miyuki is the rightful president of Shuchiin Academy."

"Then why…?"

"Because your goal in becoming president is to restore school discipline," Rinji replied, glancing back at her with a faint smile. "And since I was once a disciplinary committee member too, isn't that reason enough?"

"…Yes. That's more than enough reason."

Rinji walked out of the classroom, leaving the two girls behind.

Iino sat back down and looked toward the door where he had left. "I knew it. Rinji does agree with my ideals after all… I'm really glad I met him."

"Is that so? I feel like Rinji is hiding something," Osaragi said as she adjusted her glasses.

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"At the start of this election, he clearly said he didn't think you were fit to be president. Now, all of a sudden, he's on our side. That's not normal."

"Eh? Then… you mean Rinji's actually not helping us? That can't be!"

"Calm down. I'm not saying that. On the contrary, I do think he genuinely wants to help us. If he didn't, he could've just ignored us. But instead, he's done all this—talking with me, helping train you, offering to do the support speech…"

"Then that proves Rinji is a good person," Iino said with a relieved smile.

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about his purpose. I don't think he's doing all this just because he believes in your ideals. The change in his attitude is too drastic."

After thinking for a moment, Osaragi said, "I think someone asked him to help."

"Someone asked him? Who?"

"I don't know… it's just a guess."

Even she couldn't fully understand what Rinji was up to.

Iino looked curious. "So, what kind of person do you think Rinji is?"

"Hmm… From how he used to work as a disciplinary committee member, it's pretty clear—he's someone who's more willing than anyone to solve problems using extreme methods."