Chapter 179: Abstract Collision
Faced with Kaguya Shinomiya's sudden words, Asagiri merely smiled and replied,
"This is beyond trust. At this point, it's more like superstition, isn't it? You haven't secretly taken pictures of me, put them up at home, and started burning three sticks of incense to them every day, have you?"
"Huh?"
Kaguya Shinomiya looked blank for a moment. A few seconds later, she finally understood and said with a speechless expression,
"…Are you treating yourself like some kind of god? How boring."
"Your so-called trust in me has no basis at all."
Asagiri shook his head and spoke in a flat tone.
"After all, even if I go on stage and give the speech, that does not guarantee victory. And even if I do manage to win in the end, the students of Shuchiin will only remember me, the Vice President, not you, the one who successfully became President. Can someone as proud as you really accept that?"
"I…"
Before Kaguya Shinomiya could answer, Asagiri raised a hand to stop her and continued on his own.
"And besides, you, who had never interacted with any boys before, suddenly pulled me into the election and then handed the speech segment over to me in the end. It is easy to imagine the school coming up with all sorts of pointless rumors and speculation about our relationship. Can you, as the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Family, really accept something that would damage your image?"
Kaguya Shinomiya frowned and immediately retorted,
"Even if such rumors appeared, it wouldn't be enough to damage my image, would it? You aren't some delinquent with a horrible reputation."
"That's not what I meant."
Asagiri shook his head with a smile.
"If I were talking about that, then it would be you damaging my image."
"Tch…"
Kaguya Shinomiya knew perfectly well that she could not win an argument against him, so she simply ignored that part and said thoughtfully,
"…That is true. Those are all issues worth considering. But…"
She let out a quiet sigh.
"I have a reason why I must win. Compared to the importance of this victory, neither my so-called pride nor whatever effect it has on my image matters."
"Is that so?"
Asagiri nodded noncommittally before saying faintly,
"In that case, call Fujiwara and Asuna over during lunch break. The four of us can discuss it together."
…
After the morning classes ended, during lunch break, in a secluded corner of Shuchiin Academy,
"A guaranteed victory, huh…"
Yuuki Asuna murmured as she thought seriously.
"Our opponents are the former Student Council. It's already difficult enough that we have only a slight lead over them right now. To guarantee victory one hundred percent… that's impossible…"
"Isn't it possible?"
Before Yuuki Asuna could finish, Fujiwara Chika suddenly cut in, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"All we have to do is find a way to stop the former Vice President and President from attending the speech segment next Monday. Wouldn't that make our victory guaranteed?"
"Huh?"
Yuuki Asuna hesitated, then asked tentatively,
"Chika… you're not suggesting that we…"
"That's right."
Fujiwara Chika nodded confidently.
"With our abilities, it shouldn't be hard to create some sort of accident that prevents them from appearing at the campaign speech, right?"
"Isn't that just cheating?"
"NONONO~"
Fujiwara Chika held up her fair right index finger and waved it in front of Yuuki Asuna. She wore an innocent, sweet smile, but the words she spoke were perfectly rational.
"An election is the same as love. Both are cruel wars. In a war, no matter how despicable or outrageous the means are, as long as you win in the end and no one finds out, it can't be called cheating."
After saying that, Fujiwara Chika turned to Asagiri with a smile.
"Utsunomiya must agree with me too, right?"
Unexpectedly, the one she thought would most readily support such a plan, Asagiri, who could be just as unscrupulous as she was, rejected it immediately.
"No. That plan won't work."
Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, her cute face full of confusion.
"Why?"
"Because even if both outcomes are victory, a victory earned by crushing the former Student Council head-on and a victory gained through luck are not the same thing in the eyes of the school."
Asagiri said that first, then looked at the thoughtful Kaguya Shinomiya and continued calmly.
"The most important thing after you successfully become President, and the reason you participated in this election in the first place, is to turn the Student Council room into your private space. But in the end, when you enter a Dungeon, you still have to close that room, and if you want to come to school on weekends, you still need the school's approval."
"In other words, if you cannot obtain special privileges from the school itself, then you cannot truly use the Student Council room as your base. In that case, all the work we have done for this election will have been for nothing."
"Because of that, what we need is not a lucky victory, but a victory that utterly defeats the former Student Council and convinces all the teachers and students. Only then can Ashikaga sensei bring up the proposal at the board meeting to grant our current Student Council unprecedented privileges, and only then can she persuade the other board members to support it even under Chairman Oko Shinomiya's opposition."
As Fujiwara Chika and Kaguya Shinomiya listened to Asagiri, they both fell silent in thought.
They really had not considered whether they would be able to obtain special privileges from the school after winning.
Kaguya Shinomiya knew a thing or two about Oko Shinomiya. After all, he was her nominal older brother. Whether they shared the same blood or not, he was an extremely patriarchal man. Setting aside his dislike for her, an illegitimate younger sister, the fact that a girl would become President of Shuchiin Academy's Student Council would definitely displease him.
And within the board, the only person who could openly stand against Chairman Oko Shinomiya was Ashikaga Miwa, who came from a samurai noble family and held absolute authority in many fields of the business world.
So if they wanted Ashikaga Miwa's proposal to truly pass, then a victory that looked like nothing more than a lucky fluke would never be enough leverage.
"But…"
Kaguya Shinomiya looked troubled and muttered,
"If we really have to defeat them head-on, then… how can we possibly ensure victory?"
"I'll handle the speech."
Asagiri answered calmly.
"In that segment, I will definitely win. And I have a reason why I absolutely cannot lose, and that reason is…"
At that point, Asagiri looked at Yuuki Asuna, who was standing beside him, and smiled.
"I made a promise to your mother, so for my adorable girlfriend Asuna's sake, I absolutely will not lose."
Yuuki Asuna was struck head-on by that sudden declaration and immediately looked touched. Then, blushing shyly, she lowered her head and said,
"Shinomiya and Chika are still here… save the mushy stuff for when we get home…"
Seeing that scene and hearing those words, Kaguya Shinomiya suddenly felt a sour tightness in her chest, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
If only he were saying that to me…
Just as Kaguya Shinomiya's thoughts had only reached halfway, Fujiwara Chika suddenly spoke in an envious tone.
"Oh dear, I wish I were Utsunomiya's girlfriend too."
Kaguya Shinomiya's pupils widened in shock.
What!?
Had Fujiwara Chika somehow seen through her fantasy just now?
But then she saw Fujiwara Chika's silly expression and the aunty-like smile on her face, and only then did she realize that Chika was simply blurting out whatever came into her mind and had not exposed her at all.
Kaguya Shinomiya quietly let out a breath of relief. Yet at the same time, a small trace of jealousy rose in her heart.
Not jealousy toward Yuuki Asuna, who really was Asagiri's girlfriend.
No, what she envied was Fujiwara Chika.
This absentminded, naturally silly person… really could just say whatever she was thinking.
If only I could be like that too…
And upon hearing Fujiwara Chika's words, Yuuki Asuna became slightly annoyed. She stepped in front of Asagiri, stared at the smiling Fujiwara Chika, and issued a stern warning.
"I do not allow it."
"Really? Then forget it~"
Fujiwara Chika clearly understood the principle of settling for the next best thing, so she instantly changed direction and smiled.
"Then can you ask Utsunomiya to remove me from his blacklist?"
Asagiri answered calmly,
"I already removed you a long time ago."
"You're lying. I tried emailing you this morning and saw it myself…"
"Oh, so you try emailing me every day."
"Huh…"
Only then did Fujiwara Chika realize she had been tricked. A faint blush appeared on her face, and she said in slight irritation,
"Utsunomiya, you deliberately tricked me! That's despicable! That's cheating!"
"Heh heh. Didn't you say it yourself?"
Asagiri shook his head, looked down at Fujiwara Chika, and declared with overwhelming momentum,
"As long as you achieve victory, it does not matter what kind of cheating methods you use."
"Fujiwara Chika, this time… it's your defeat!"
"What…"
Fujiwara Chika staggered back two steps, her cute face full of unwillingness and frustration, looking as though her spirit had left her body.
"I actually made such a fatal mistake… Damn you, Utsunomiya. Next time, I'll definitely win it back!"
"Hey, hey, you two, can you stop acting out a stage play here?"
Seeing this entire scene, Yuuki Asuna could not help but let out a heavy sigh.
Just as she had expected, when it came to being abstract…
Asagiri and Fujiwara Chika really were kindred spirits who got along far too well.
.....
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