(Ishida Shiki's POV)

As I rose from my bed on a dreary morning, the sound of rain tapping against the windowpane filled the room. The thought of snuggling back under the covers was tempting, but I couldn't let myself give in. I had responsibilities to uphold, and school was one of them.

With a heavy heart, I forced myself out of bed and sluggishly prepared for the day ahead. The hot water of the shower cascaded down my body, soothing my muscles and momentarily easing my weariness. I took my time, scrubbing and washing every inch of my body before finally stepping out, a towel draped around my waist.

I made my way to my room, mindlessly changing into my school uniform. My eyes were droopy, and my movements were slow, but I knew I had to keep moving forward.

In the kitchen, I realized there were no eggs left in the fridge. I frowned, adding it to the grocery list in my mind along with tofu, udon noodles, and mayonnaise. Despite the lack of eggs, I managed to whip up a traditional Japanese breakfast of miso soup, rice, and salmon. I had a penchant for alternating between Western and Japanese breakfasts depending on my mood, but on most days, I preferred the latter.

Once my breakfast was finished, I quickly cleaned my dishes and prepared a bento box for myself. I then brushed my teeth, ensuring that my hygiene was in order before stepping out of the apartment and locking the door behind me.

****

"...Now that the general announcements are out of the way, it's time for the most important one. A Class Rep."

As soon as she finished her sentence, murmurs arose within the classroom as numerous students began to pay attention to this piece of news. A class representative is a sought after position in high school as it was something that looked good on a CV. In addition, becoming a Class Rep meant it would be easier to join the Student Council which only certain outstanding students could join.

Glancing around the classroom, I hummed.

In my opinion, Shinji would probably be the best fit for Class Rep. He's got the charm and leadership skills to be one. Plus, he's friendly to everyone and is easy to get along with. If he is nominated, my vote will go to him.

"I'll give you five minutes to think about it and write your nominations on the board," Fuji-sensei said.

The class became noisy with discussions and chairs screeching as students got up to write their nominations on the board. While the position of Class Rep was highly desired, not everyone actually had the confidence to do the job so they tended to nominate their friend. As for others, they felt it was too embarrassing and shameless to nominate themselves so they stayed seated and silently hoped someone would put their name down for the position.

I and my deskmate, Esumi (Studious-san), both stayed seated. I knew someone would most likely write down Shinji's name since he was popular so there was no need for me to go up to the front. As for wanting the position for myself, that was a no.

Becoming Class Rep was too troublesome and it required extra work which I honestly didn't want.

That's why, when I saw my name on the board amidst the many others, I couldn't help but frown unhappily. Who the hell put my name there?

"I'm rooting for you, Ishida-kun!" I heard someone say from the side.

Turning my head, I noticed Shinji waving at me with a bright smile looking like a big puppy.

"..."

Why...

I nearly facepalmed.

I heard a snort and I swerved my head to see Esumi covering her mouth looking away. Was she laughing at me?

But perhaps it was merely an illusion because her face became neutral once more when Fuji-sensei returned to the board.

"Our Class Reps must consist of one boy and one girl. Starting with the boy, will begin the votes," said Fuji-sensei. And then she began listing off the names and noting down the number of hands that went up for each name.

As expected, Shinji got the highest number of 14 votes. Surprisingly though, the number of votes for me wasn't too far behind at 10. He beat me just by 4 votes and I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief for that. Considering he voted for me though, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason why others also voted for me. After all, I paled in popularity when compared to him.

"Then Shinji-kun will be our first Class Rep," Fuji-sensei jotted his name down on her clipboard. "Now for the female Class Rep, who all for Suzuki-san?"

Instantly, almost all the boys in the class except for a select few put their hands high in the air. The girls grinded their teeths in envy as they observed the enthusiasm for Suzuki Fuyumi to be Class Rep.

As for the girl in question, she held her face bashfully.

Fuji-sensei raised an eyebrow at the boys but otherwise her face remained passive. She counted the number of hands and wrote on the board.

19 votes.

Only four girls put their hands up for her and they were all part of her friend group.

Fuji-sensei called out the rest of the names on the list but none them got as many votes as Suzuki did leading her to become the second Class Rep much to the displeasure of several girls. I had voted for another girl in class who wore glasses, Kondo Yuki. She was pretty active in class and she often put her hand up when teachers asked questions so I thought she would make a good Class Rep. Plus, she was the younger sister of the senior I met on the first day of school and like her, Kondo Yuki was friendly and charming.

But as high school boys were, they naturally preferred looks over everything else.

I too was once like that until I matured.

"Well, there you have it. Congratulations Shinji-kun and Suzuki-san, you are now the Class Reps for Class 1-B. I hope you'll lead this class well," Fuji-sensei said. Stepping away from the board, she motioned for them to come up saying, "And your first order of business is the Sports day next month. It'll be your job to organize the students and choose which events to take part in. The class that wins the most medals wins a trip to Kyoto at the end of the second semester."

Hearing that, the class burst into gasps and excited murmurs.

'A trip to Kyoto huh...'

It sounded interesting.