Chapter 216: Husband and Wife Harmony

The moment Asagiri said those words, the surrounding students were stunned.

Really?

Was that for real?

That sounded... loaded with meaning.

Only willing to be Kaguya Shinomiya’s vice president, and the emphasis was on Kaguya Shinomiya...

Could Utsunomiya and Shinomiya actually be that kind of relationship?

"Are you two dating?"

Hearing the Student Council President’s question, Asagiri answered blandly, "No."

"Do you like Shinomiya?"

"Not in that way, for now."

"Then why..."

"You ask too many questions. Are you some kind of curious baby?"

Asagiri cut off the Student Council President’s string of questions with obvious impatience, then changed the subject.

"The speaking order next Monday, we go first, and then you, right?"

"Hmm? Do you think that’s unfair?"

In the speech segment, the order of appearance mattered greatly. The last speaker had an overwhelming advantage. For example, they could find flaws in the other side’s speech and attack or refute them during their own. On top of that, formal voting began immediately after the speeches ended. Under the lingering influence of the final speech, it was much easier to win a large number of votes.

That was the absolute advantage of speaking last.

The Student Council President showed a faint smile and replied casually, "As the winner of the previous election, if I participate again, it is only natural that I retain this advantage..."

"Don’t misunderstand."

Asagiri interrupted him again and said softly, "What I mean is, your luck is terrible. Once our speech is over, no one will care what you say anymore. Just imagining you standing onstage, talking your heart out while no one below listens, it already feels both pitiful and tragic."

"You think your speech can completely win over everyone present and crush me beyond recovery?"

The Student Council President raised a hand and pressed down on the brim of his Hat, looking straight into Asagiri’s eyes. The smile on his face slowly faded as he spoke in a flat tone.

"Whether that confidence comes from strength, or from ignorance, we will find out next Monday."

Asagiri ignored him and simply turned to Kaguya Shinomiya.

"Shinomiya, where do you think that gold chain would look best? Hanging from the collar feels a bit gaudy, and you probably do not want something that guy wore, right? Better to have the school issue a new one. I think a pure gold brooch would be better. What do you think?"

Kaguya Shinomiya replied indifferently, "A brooch... that feels too flashy. How about turning it into cufflinks? I usually wear long sleeved dresses anyway, so wearing them at the cuffs would be more suitable."

Watching Asagiri and Kaguya Shinomiya completely ignore him while calmly discussing what accessory should replace his Student Council insignia, the Student Council President said nothing more. He only shook his head, then turned and left.

As the tension eased, the students watching from the hallway finally began whispering among themselves.

"As expected of Utsunomiya... even facing the Student Council President, he did not show a trace of stage fright."

"Yeah, and Shinomiya didn’t look nervous either. She really is the daughter of the Shinomiya Family."

"He came here to declare war in person. It seems even the Student Council President feels pressure. He even tried to get Utsunomiya to switch sides, but Utsunomiya is clearly on Shinomiya’s side..."

"Shh, don’t say weird things."

At the same time, the students inside Class A were also discussing what had just happened, but their opinions were completely different.

"As expected of the former Student Council President. Facing Utsunomiya, he didn’t show any stage fright at all."

"Yeah. Other than Shinomiya from our class, he’s probably the only one who can face Utsunomiya head on. He really does deserve his reputation."

"But in the end, it was still Utsunomiya and Shinomiya’s victory, right?"

"Of course. Didn’t you see it? The Student Council President practically fled in defeat."

The students in Class A and the students in the corridor had reached completely opposite conclusions.

Utsunomiya Asagiri not showing stage fright?

Wasn’t that only natural?

The shocking part was the Student Council President managing not to lose his nerve while facing Utsunomiya.

After all, the last person who had openly confronted Utsunomiya was Kaguya Shinomiya from their own class.

As for the final outcome...

It was an absolute crushing victory for Utsunomiya Asagiri.

"Let’s go~"

Just then, Iwanaga Kotoko suddenly ran over and wrapped herself around Asagiri’s arm. She looked at Kaguya Shinomiya with open vigilance and puffed her cheeks.

"My dear boyfriend and I still have a date, so we don’t have time to chat with you~"

Shuchiin Academy’s number one jealousy machine, Iwanaga Kotoko, had entered the battlefield.

"Utsunomiya."

Kaguya Shinomiya glanced at Iwanaga Kotoko clinging to Asagiri’s arm. Looking at her cute face filled with wariness and jealousy, Kaguya could not help curling her lips slightly.

"Is this... your pet? It’s rather cute."

"You flat chested hag, who are you calling a pet!?"

"You..."

Kaguya Shinomiya had clearly not expected Iwanaga Kotoko to throw out such a shocking line so suddenly. For a moment, she did not even know how to respond.

"Hehe, got under your skin, didn’t I?"

Iwanaga Kotoko smugly lifted her chin, then grabbed Asagiri’s arm and dragged him away from Class A.

Today’s match was a clean victory for the perky loli, and a miserable defeat for Kaguya Shinomiya.

At the same time, inside the conference room of Private Shuchiin Academy.

"What did you just say!?"

Ashikaga Miwa slammed her hand against the table and glared furiously at Oko Shinomiya.

"What do you mean, starting today, the Student Council’s activities will be supervised by specially assigned instructors? Since Shuchiin Academy was founded, there has never been such a rule!"

"Ashikaga-sensei, please calm down. It is unbecoming for a descendant of a samurai noble house to get so agitated."

Oko Shinomiya wore an infuriatingly fake smile as he spoke slowly.

"Well, there is such a rule now. The Student Council was given far too much power before. They are only high school students, after all. Keeping them under a little more control is better."

"You bastard... this is obviously targeted, isn’t it!?"

"Targeted at whom? Ashikaga-sensei, you don’t think I’m targeting Utsunomiya, do you?"

Oko Shinomiya shook his head, his tone openly mocking.

"Although I do not understand why you are so angry, as chairman of Shuchiin Academy, I do have the authority to establish such a regulation, do I not? And such a minor matter does not require a board vote. I am only here to inform you."

He paused slightly, then continued.

"Of course, there is another solution. Aren’t you one of the organizers of combat tournaments? Then let us settle our disagreement through a combat match. If I win, the Shuchiin Academy Student Council will be supervised by specially assigned instructors from now on. If you win, I will no longer interfere in Student Council matters."

A short while later, in Ashikaga Miwa’s office.

The people present today were different from usual. Iwanaga Kotoko and Yuuki Asuna had already left school to meet up with Kato Megumi, and after packing their luggage, they would head straight for the station. Since the matter concerned Oko Shinomiya, not only Asagiri but even Kaguya Shinomiya had come to Ashikaga Miwa’s office for the first time.

"Oko Shinomiya wants to have a combat match with you?"

After hearing Ashikaga Miwa’s explanation, Asagiri reacted indifferently and looked toward Kaguya Shinomiya, who was sitting opposite him.

"As far as I know, the Shinomiya Family is not exactly enthusiastic about combat tournaments, right?"

"Mm."

Kaguya Shinomiya nodded and replied, "Although the Shinomiya Family occasionally takes part in combat competitions, my father, the current head of the family, dislikes them. So they have never been one of the family’s main fields of development. At most, they participate occasionally to show outsiders the Shinomiya Family’s influence."

"Then this is very strange."

Asagiri turned to Ashikaga Miwa behind the desk and asked calmly, "The fighter under your command should be among the top of the first tier, right?"

"Not the very top. Roughly one level below the Fang of Metsudo from Nippon Bank. But they can at least make the quarterfinals in every Kengan Tournament."

"What about the Shinomiya Group?"

"The Shinomiya Group has never participated in the Kengan Tournament. They have only taken part in temporary combat matches organized between private parties."

Hearing that, Kaguya Shinomiya suddenly spoke.

"My older brother Oko values face above all else. With such a clear difference in strength, the fact that he still openly challenged Ashikaga-sensei to a combat match in front of so many board members is extremely suspicious."

"Heh, then his real goal probably isn’t the match itself."

Asagiri smiled faintly, then looked at Ashikaga Miwa.

"Oko Shinomiya’s real objective is probably a combat match against you. The Student Council supervision issue is merely a tool to provoke you by targeting me. Since he challenged you, that means he has no intention of losing. As for the reason... on one hand, he may want to weaken your position on the board. On the other, he may want to use you, a major organizer of combat tournaments with considerable prestige in the fighting world, as a stepping stone to raise his own status in that same world. But Kaguya just said that her father, Shinomiya Gan’an, not only lacks enthusiasm for combat competitions, he actively dislikes them. So..."

At that point, Asagiri paused, then looked at Kaguya Shinomiya and asked softly,

"When was the last time your father appeared in public?"

"About a month and a half ago..."

As Kaguya Shinomiya answered, she immediately understood what Asagiri was implying. Her expression changed at once.

"You mean... something is wrong with my father’s health?"

.....

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