(Ishida Shiki's POV)

"Ah, Ishida-kun. Are you busy right now?"

Yoshida-sensei, the mathematics teacher, called out to me from the staff lounge as I was walking past. He motioned me to come closer and said, "If not, could you help me deliver this box to the Student Council room?"

"Sure sensei," I replied. He handed me a box full of papers and files while saying, "You know where the room is right? It's downstairs in our underground hallway. You'll find the room at the end."

Nodding at him, I glanced at the box in my hands out of curiosity and realized that these papers were reports for the school budget. It was the Student Council's duty to organize and allocate funds to each of the clubs so naturally, they were in charge of the budget. Holding the box of reports in my hands, I resisted the urge to take a closer peek and began walking towards the staircase which led to the floor beneath the school building. 

Stepping into the hallway, I looked around in mild amazement. Although I had already seen pictures of it in the manga, it was so much more interesting in real life.

The underground hallway was filled with numerous club rooms all separated by walls. Each room had its own door and sign that was decorated to suit the identity of the club. For instance, the music club room had posters of famous artists and bands on the door along with hand-drawn images of music notes and notations. The art club had paint splattered all over its door in an abstract sort of manner. The sports clubs all had various drawings and paintings of their equipment on the surface of their doors along with posters of famous athletes. 

All in all, it was a very interesting place. 

At an unhurried pace, I strolled towards the end of the hallway where a single undecorated door was situated. Above the door, there was a flashy sign that read:

[Student Council]

I balanced the box against my body and reached out a free hand to knock on the door. A beat later, a voice from inside was heard. 

"Come in."

Using the same hand, I slid open the door and muttered, "Excuse my intrusion."

"You are..."

There were five people altogether in the room, each sitting at a desk with papers and a laptop in front of them. I recognized them as the same student council members for the manga. When I walked inside, their attention was torn away from whatever they were doing and landed on me. 

"Oh? I haven't seen you before. New student?" asked one of the members. It was a boy that was around my height. He had brown hair and a charming face radiating friendliness. 

"Freshman, actually, " I replied politely. Slowly, I turned to look at the head of the student council sitting at the largest desk in the room. The Student Council President and the main love rival of the male lead in the story. As it was portrayed and described in the manga, the President was extremely handsome and gifted. He was popular amongst both students and teachers and he was intelligent. In the plot, the President fell for the female lead after she bumped into him at the mall and when she asked him for help. The President falls for her like a fool and tries to win her love but ultimately loses to the male lead. 

It was truly a wonder why the female lead constantly pined after the male lead when the President, who had everything from looks to achievements, did his best to woo her. 

Looking at him in person, I would've immediately fallen in love with him at first sight, had I swung that way or had been a girl. 

He had blond hair that shone in the sunlight, ocean blue irises that were as clear and sharp, and features that were on another level of handsome. Though I wasn't someone bad-looking, if I stood next to him, I'd be mistaken as a squid. 

"Can I help you?" 

The President opened his mouth and spoke. His words were polite and clear. 

"Yes, senpai. Yoshida-sensei asked me to deliver this box to you," I said. 

The President stood up from his seat and walked over to me before taking the box out of my hands. He smiled radiantly and replied, "Ah, yes. Thank you for delivering it."

The smile almost blinded me. I had to squint to see. 

Turning away, I said, "Then I'll get going now."

"Ah, just a minute!" 

I paused in my footsteps and turned to see the President placing the box down on his desk. He then opened the top drawer and pulled out...candy?

"Here, take some. As a thank you," he said handing it to me. 

I was a little confused but instead of wondering, I politely refused, "Thanks senpai but I don't like sweets."

Sudden gasps erupted from behind me. Startled, I turned around to see the student council members staring at me in shock. I was a little scared but mainly bemused. What's wrong with them? Did I do something...?

All of a sudden, someone dragged me away and threw an arm around my shoulder before hissing lowly. It was the same guy that greeted me when I first came in. 

"Dude, you never refuse the President's snack offering! Never! That is something sacred and not many people have the honor of being in a position to receive some!"

What the hell was this guy talking about?

And all I did was deliver a box. I highly doubt that's worth being in a 'position' to receive the honor of any sort. 

"It's just candy though," I whispered back with confusion. 

"IT'S NOT!!" the guy suddenly yelled. Shocked, I smacked his arm away and stepped back. In doing so, I got a clear view of the President who was still standing in front of his desk, holding the candy in his hand. He was looking at me with a close-eyed smile. 

A shiver went down my spine and suddenly, I had a bad feeling in my gut.

Why did that smile seem so ominous...