Hey there everyone, I know it's been a long time but lets leave the details for after you've read this.

As the name would suggest, it's an omake.

(Ryuuchi Hikigaya PoV)

I crashed onto my bed as I relaxed before retiring for the night. Breathing slowly I re-winded the conversation I just had with my old man. I had to remember the key points he has told me, his advice had always helped me achieve great results, and I wished to reap the full benefit of his experience.

'Bzzz'

Picking up my phone I looked at the person who would dare disturb my peace.

'Hey Ryu, made up your mind yet?'

Oh, it's just Masaharu.

'I'm gonna go for it, my dad gave me few tips too.'

'Bzzz'

'That's cool man! I mean with him backing you, there's no way that b*tch has a chance. See ya tomorrow, we'll discuss the details then.'

I chuckled slightly as I left the phone on my desk. The constant referencing to my dad would irritate me earlier, but I've learnt to live with it now. He's quite famous given the public positions he holds, so introducing myself is bound to draw comparisons.

It is only now that I've learnt to actually use it to my advantage, instead of simply letting my old man always overshadow me, I use the shade to protect me from the harsh rays. The reputation he carries, while it does draw comparisons, also works to my advantage in many situations; and while it does sometimes burden me with expectations, I've never truly felt any pressure.

Well, guess it's time to retire for the night.

[Next Day]

"Onii-chan!"

"5 more minutes Natsumi…"

"You said that 20 minutes ago, c'mon we've got to have breakfast."

"2 more minutes…"

"Geez, you're as lazy as dad. Okay then…"

OUCH!

I woke up barely suppressing a scream as my sister stood before my bed, grinning ear to ear at my peril.

You just had to tug it, huh?

"I saw mom do that to dad once, can't believe it works on you too." She giggled off as I planned my revenge. Silently getting up from my bed I pretended to be my usual lethargic self until Natsumi's head was within arm's reach. Just as she leaned over a bit to laugh at my face I simply emulated the stunt she had pulled earlier.

"OUCH! Stupid gomii-chan."

Hehe, even if you did not inherit the cursed eyes my sister, you still got the ahoge.

"Don't go borrowing pages from auntie Komachi's book," I spoke, "where's your originality girl?"

My response only draws a pout and a teary-eyed glare as I make my way to the bathroom. The 'ahoge-tuck' devised by my mother is formidable weapon indeed.

Switching to autopilot I go through the mundane tasks for the morning, brush your teeth, go to the washroom, shower, dress and then go down. Moving inside the kitchen I fetch myself a packet of cereal, Natsumi pulls out two bowls as I fill them to the brim with cereal and pour milk over them.

You always go cereal first, always.

I add a little bit of sweetner to the bowl, I get it that mom has put a total ban on sugar so that dad doesn't put on any weight, but why do we kids have to lay off the divine sweetness?

"Here onii-chan," Natsumi sprinkles a generous dose of dry-fruits over the cereal as we begin our meal. We eat in relative silence before another figure enters the dining area.

"Good morning mom."

"Mo-nin' mom."

"Good morning, and don't talk with your mouth full Ryuuchi." She speaks as she opens the fridge and turns on the stove, soon enough she's frying something that smells quite delicious.

"Is that a new recipe mom?" My sensitive nose perks up at the different taste, as the inheritor of mom's homemaking abilities, I've always had an interest in cooking.

"Something along those lines," she speaks as she fries the next batch, "I actually mixed the leftovers from last night's curry with overcooked rice, vegetables and miso."

"And the binding?"

"Flour, along with 2 eggs. There's some cheese mixed in as well so you kids should like it." Mom's housewife skills are indeed on the next level, to pull off such a dish with mere leftovers from the fridge, she's truly something else.

Once you look through the scary exterior that is.

"Nice idea, it could work with any leftover ingredient, right mom?"

"Try some," she gave us each a slightly cooled down piece. It was delicious, just like everything else she made.

"Tastes great mom," Natsumi beamed as she savored her piece, I think I can take one more…

"No more," my errant hand is swatted away from the plate, "Ya can have more at school, this is yer lunch for today." She lets her slightly gruff accent take over as she turns off the gas, dad enters the kitchen and receives pretty much the same treatment.

"Brush yer teeth first Hachi."

"Already did that," hey, how is he allowed to have one off the plate and I'm not? I call bias.

"Thought about your campaign Ryuuchi?" He speaks between bites as Natsumi fetches him the newspaper.

"Not much yet dad, but I'm going to affirm my nomination today."

"Good, don't hesitate to ask me if you encounter any hurdles. Though remember, I'm not going to spoonfeed you, your first election must be by your own effort. Otherwise no matter how many battles you win, you will never find your own style and end up losing the war."

"Yes sir." To be honest, I don't really want to rely on anybody either.

"Good, now it's not my place to say, but aren't you guys getting late?"

What are you saying…

OH SHIT!

I ran to the counter and picked up my bento, Natsumi did the same as we bolted through the front door, barely able to say our goodbyes.

Running for our dear lives we made it to the nearest monorail station in under 7 minutes, quite grateful that we inherited this ridiculous stamina from our parents. Thankfully we are able to board a late train and reach school well in time for us, or rather me, to not be at the receiving end of a scolding. Reaching through the intimidating gates of the establishment we finally enter Kaisei Academy, climbing up the stairs in the main school building we say part ways and head to our respective classrooms.

I enter the classroom approximately 5 seconds before the bell rings.

Now that's a save!

Moving quickly to my seat I put down my bag just as our class-teacher starts the roll call.

…

"Hikigaya."

"Here sir!"

…

"Oi Ryu!" a faint voice calls for me as I turn ever so slightly.

"Yo, Masaharu." I call out to one of the few people I consider friends in this institution. Koshikei Masaharu is probably one of the few people with whom I actually bother holding a meaningless conversation.

"You've got to work on your greeting man," he rubs his temples as if scolding a child, "You're never gonna get elected with a lame attitude like that. Not when you're against her."

"Well, then I'll think of something." I turned back towards the front as the roll call ended, now to wait a bit patiently. Soon enough class begins as the teacher starts writing equations on the board. Just great, beginning your day with a healthy dose of calculus.

Mercifully the first class ends, and the rest of the classes aren't as bothersome. I appreciate the scientific wonders of the modern world, but I'd much rather be a student of humanities next year. Lunchtime begins as the social cliques become more active, I sink my head in my arms in an attempt to drown out the useless prattle around me.

"You look like a tired old man." Masaharu says as he taps on my desk.

"Well, I'm tired alright." I speak as I retrieve my bento, "I wish we could head somewhere quieter."

An unpredicted spell of rain has blocked the access to my favorite lunch spot at the rooftop, so I have no choice but to stay and eat in class. Opening my bento I inhale the pleasant scent of my lunch before fetching my disposable chopsticks and eating.

"Man this tastes good, your mom's really a great cook." Masaharu speaks as he takes a bite from my lunch; I don't really like sharing food but I let that slide for some people.

"Yeah, I hope one day I'll inherit all her skills."

"You still going on about that househusband stuff? Didn't you get enough of a scolding last time Ryu?"

"It was just a prank, and I tell you it was my dad's old career recommendation that I copied."

"I still don't believe your dad wrote stuff like that."

"I have proof today," I claim proudly as I hand over my phone with a picture of dad's old career survey form from when he was in high school. Couple of weeks ago my grandparents were cleaning up their storage space and sent over a ton of dad's old stuff; while I saw pretty cool things like vintage gaming consoles and even a few old collectibles from classic animes; nothing compared to a few of his early musings in his essays on youth and this career survey form.

"Seriously?" Masharu goes wide eyed as he inspects the authenticity of my evidence. Dad was quite an enigma in his younger years, and I've yet to even see most of the stuff as mom confiscated everything before I could even look at it; she said something along the lines of the 'past is best buried' or something.

"Yup, he put in 'househusband' as a career option and even put his own home as the preferred place of work." But that was a really hilarious prank, I thought about repeating it but it seems that my homeroom teacher doesn't have a sense of humor.

No wonder she's still single.

"He's sure got some guts to pull a stunt like that, didn't your grandparents say anything to him?"

"Well, dad said that his teacher put him through enough trouble over it, and his parents didn't bother him until he kept up his grades." Still, dad really had some guts to pull a prank like that in the first place, I wonder what else he pulled back when he was in high school.

"Anyways, you told him about that Ryuu?"

"Well…he does know I'm fighting, but I'm in this myself."

"But we barely have any time now man, the voting's next Monday." Masaharu's eyes widened a bit at my revelation, clearly he expected dad to take more interest in the beginning of my political career.

"Well then," I closed my lunchbox and drummed my fingers on the desk, "We'd better make the most of it."

Masaharu followed me silently as we made our way to the washroom. I gave some thought to the words of my friend. In essence he was right, I was starting late and would need quite a bit of help; but if I really wanted to do this then I had to overcome hurdles like that.

"Meet me at the clubroom later, I'll be a bit late but we'll chalk out our plan." With that we moved back to the classroom, the bell soon rung indicating the end of our short freedom as another teacher strolled in, fully intent on hitting us with more knowledge. He started speaking the moment everyone was seated, but my mind was elsewhere.

Just before last class began I pulled up my bag and left, while the rules were pretty strict about skipping classes, the rankers received certain unwritten privileges; one of the main reasons for which I always kept up my grades. En route to my destination I made a quick stop near the vending machines and got myself a drink…and a poster I took off the wall.

Opening the door of my hideout, which also happens to be my clubroom, I slid in and began to think. It was not like I was totally helpless, but this would require some effort. Time to use the 'life 108' that dad keeps telling me about.

'First thing Ryuuchi, always know your opponent. Be it the test you want a good grade at, or even someone you have to defeat in order to attain victory, the first step is to know what, or whom you are going to face.'

So, first I take a look at my opponent.

Taking the poster I picked up, I took a long time looking through the contents that outlined the campaign promises of the only other candidate for the Student Council President at this moment.

Natsukawa Kiyoshi, class 2-A, age 16, current head of the disciplinary committee and the topper of the entrance exam for our batch. Fetching a rough notebook I started outlining what I could make out of her and her campaign based on my current knowledge.

Batch Valedictorian and Scholar.

Studious and thorough.

Known to be efficient.

A favorite among teachers.

...

Rather cute.

Okay, maybe I have no need for the last point, but still it's not like anybody else will see this. Now all these are her strengths which go against me, now to find what I can use to take her down.

Known to be strict and rather harsh during her stint in the disciplinary committee, so unpopular among quite a few students.

Not well liked among other girls…as far as the gossip against her goes.

Often called a 'b*tch' due to her ice-cold humiliating rejections of smitten lovelorn guys.

…

Making a list I could finally recognize a few patterns that I was taught about, now let's observe.

'People are ignorant, but not as ignorant as you think.'

Despite not being well liked and popular, there was a huge likelihood that Natsukawa could end up netting a lot of votes. Even if the student populace did not like her, they would rather vote for someone whom they knew would be able to take the pressures of the office and work efficiently, and almost every person with rational thinking could deduce Natsukawa's ability to do that.

But an election isn't really about putting the capable person in office, is it?

There are dozens of other within the student populace of this school who possess the same level of intelligence and sincerity, so why not choose anyone of them?

Normally people just go with the flow, hence anything out of ordinary is generally resented at first, though it may later be accepted. Hence never let the initial hesitation stop you.

Stability.

Human beings are essentially social animals, the modern society that we live in today is by and large an evolution of the first herd that our ancestors created. The first large group of ancient cavemen that decided to live together in some sort of an arrangement with shared resources went forward to lay the foundation stone of modern society, a sort of mechanism that gave everyone a certain notion of stability, a status quo if one must say. This stability gave humans the factor of safety,that things would not get as bad if they chose to live in large numbers.

Even after years of evolution and progress, this instinct still seems to stick with us. Everything from a child's marksheet to his career choices is measured against the essence of stability. Getting good marks in school, completing your education from a good college, getting a job placement and then subsequently settling down by getting married is the norm these days that everyone seems to want to adhere to. Hence even something like contesting for an election in High School, even taking such a small risk turns off the larger part of the common folk who simply wish to lead their lives in peace.

They resent change, and yet still advocate it as the law of nature.

Ironic.

Hence, even ones capable enough to contest are shying away, not that the 'Ice Queen's' reputation is helping. Those brave enough to even overcome the initial hesitation are frozen on their tracks by her sight and her vicious campaign, she would have gone uncontested if I wasn't in the damn race.

But since I'm already in, I guess I will try and give it my best shot. In order to do this I must strategize, so-

"Hey Ryuu, what's up with you skipping class? Shunichi-sensei isn't gonna like it if he finds out."

"I was thinking Masaharu," I spoke as I got up and stretched a bit, it was now time to start acting.

"About the election right? You gotta-"

"I sent a mail to sensei already," I got up and walked to the door, "Wait for me here, I'll be right back."

With that I was out, the solace of the clubroom had served me well and allowed me to collect my thoughts, now it was time to take some action.

Remember that spoken conversation accounts only for 30% of all human communication. The rest of the message is conveyed by non-vocal gestures such as speech tone and body movements…anything you can think of that can't be put in words. A simple 'Ok' can be interpreted differently depending on the way it is spoken by a person, the single word can have so many different connotations when put in different scenarios that you may even begin to question the accepted meaning of the word itself.

Like it is often said, words are hollow by themselves but gain their meaning when put in context. The meaning that the word is used to express comes to be associated with it due to its wide usage, but this does not, in any manner, hide the hidden undertones of what a person actually means to say.

While it may appear to be rosy on the surface, it is always on top of a stem ridden with thorns.

Natsukawa was generally said to be well liked by the student populace on the surface level, a model student who set an example for others to follow.

But that could be no farther from the truth.

There was a substantial portion of the student populace that did hate Natsukakwa for these reasons alone. Students who could not achieve what she had, and as a result were jealous of her achievements and the promise she held. Her strong personality just made it harder to ignore her, thus gathering this undercurrent of silently contemptuous individuals.

This baseless contempt, though morally wrong, would have to be used to cultivate my primary vote bank. No matter what kind, every non-suspended student had a right to vote in the election, which meant that every vote counted, and thus garnering these votes was as crucial as it would be easy.

Now to get on to the difficult part.

Even with an identified vote bank, it would be tough to consolidate them. All the 'Anti-Natsukawa' forces needed to be bought together and converted into votes, votes which could be counted in my favor. Mere dormant contempt within their hearts was not enough, I had to stoke it to a level and manipulate them in a manner so that they could turn up on election day and vote for me.

Politics, makes us realize how people actually think and believe.

In order to achieve this I needed a campaign, a campaign that could stoke that dormant contempt into a fire strong enough to move them, and convince them that by voting for me they could exact some form of 'revenge' on the one they hated.

For what? Don't ask me.

It was only after I had garnered these votes that I could proceed to number-crunching and take on the most difficult task of all.

Tackling fence-sitters.

In every decision with multiple options, there is this general group of non-aligned people who prefer to just sit on the edge and watch the show. These are people that would generally use the extra-recess given for voting to check on their cellphones or just loiter around the campus, anything except participating in this small exercise of democracy that the school wanted to promote.

The most difficult task of all was to get these buffoons to actually get into the voting area and convincing them to cast a vote in my favor, a task that would require herculean effort and systematic execution in order to succeed.

The easiest way to ship them in was to create what dad had described as a 'flow,' I had to first consolidate my major vote bank, the guys Natsukawa has rejected, the others she's plain pissed off etc. I had to use the vote of these people to net the extra vote that they could bring in by convincing their friends and acquaintances. Once the flow had been created, I could net in other people, make them believe that I was heading for a win by showing the support of these people, and hence convince them to just go with it by either voting for me or atleast abstaining from going against the flow by voting for Natsukawa.

People wouldn't want any 'change' in who's leading afterall.

But to pull this off I needed a team, sharp-minded individuals I could trust and who could get this done for me. Did I know somebody like that…well a few names do pop into mind.

Selecting a few names from the contact list I sent a message to meet up after the mandatory club-time ended, I would need people of varied talents to pull this off, but that just made it all the more excitable.

Now for the main thing.

I doubt anybody at school knew much of me, I blame my parents genes for that.

(8man PoV)

'ACHOO'

"Hachi, you okay?" I heard the concerned voice of my wife from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah honey," I wiped my nose "I'm just getting a strong urge to just slog our son right now."

(Ryuuchi PoV)

In essence, Natsukawa, while being both famous and infamous, is quite the public figure at the school given her responsibilities and her rather strong personality. Me on the other hand, not so much. While my nomination would prove otherwise, I tended to generally lay low and did not garner much attention.

A mistake in politics, but one that could be mended quite easily. If it weren't, I doubt my dad would have a job.

(8man PoV)

'ACHOO'

"I'm seriously getting the urge to just call the brat and cut his allowance."

(Ryuuchi PoV)

So what I needed at this moment was attention, to assume the centre-stage and announce that Natsukawa Kiyoshi had some competition. That there was actually a race.

So, I needed a touch of glamour to my would-be campaign, so

Pausing my thoughts for a moment I recorded the fact that I had reached the destination that I had set out for.

The Kaisei Academy tea club.

As it appeared, it was a club for promoting our rich Japanese culture into the increasingly westernized youth that seemed to be moving too far from it. On the inside it was generally just a place where the richer kids tended to gather and gossip in an air-conditioned space without anybody to interfere or asking them to pay. I had joined in earlier during my freshman year but then quit because of the amount of noise that these cliques tended to cause sometimes, the silence of the literary club seemed better.

I moved my hand to open the door but stopped, it would be better to be prepared first.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I momentarily retreated to the nearest washroom and looked at myself in the mirror, I could definitely look better.

Okay, wash my face, straighten my blazer, adjust my tie, clean my glasses, make my hair more presentable and use a small dash of the pocket cologne I received on my birthday, got to thank mom for that set.

Appearances aren't everything, but doesn't mean that they account for nothing at all.

Feeling a bit more confident after the 5 minute makeover I turned to the destination with renewed vigor. Having a shoddy appearance would only serve to decrease my 'points' in the scale, ones which I would have to recover before actually starting with the task at hand. With a slightly better look, things became easier.

Knocking on the door twice I entered the spacious clubroom as a few sets of eyes turned to take in the new visitor, entry was generally restricted to members and a few guests they could bring in, but I got some slack for being the son of a major-league politician.

Privileges of being a spoilt brat I guess.

"Heya Hikigaya! Rare to see you out of your den man!" Ah, that loud greeting could only come from one person.

"Hello Hiragori, I just felt the need for some fresh air." I'm surprised by the fact that this guy even hangs out here. I mean seriously, this place is generally for 'loaded' people, an average salaryman's son constantly being here does come as a surprise.

"Ah Hikigaya-san, pleasure to see you here." Phew, finally someone with a normal volume.

"The pleasure is mine, Suzumiya-san." I remember meeting him a few times in the events I went to with dad, Suzumiya Asuraki is quite a known figure for being the nephew of a sitting minister and the current vice-president of the tea club.

The very person I am seeking, in a chain to reach someone else that is.

"Is there something I can do for you Hikiagaya-san?"

"As a matter of fact there is, can we talk Suzumiya-san?" I hope he catches the wind of what I am saying.

"Ah certainly," Asuraki moved his hand slightly, "Hiragori-kun, could you get our guest a cup of earl grey from the pantry please, and get me one too would you."

"Uh, sure man, I'll be right back!" So errand boy huh, you're seriously not being a good investment for the money your parents are pumping in here for you Hiragori, but that's none of my concern.

"You expanded the pantry I see," I spoke as I took a seat opposite to Asuraki, small conversation was always a good way to get things started.

"Indeed, but we only have permission to use 2 electric stoves, which is sometimes inadequate." I can see your gaze man, don't worry, cutting deals is what I'm here for.

"I would guess so," I spoke in a low tone before continuing, "I need something from you, Suzumiya."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm planning to run for student council president, and needless to say I need a few hands on deck to take down Natsukawa's campaign."

I see his eyes widen a bit in surprise before he dons a poker face.

"So, what's in it for me? I hardly believe the vice-president of a small club can hold the key to your victory."

"I'm sure the cultural festival committee will need a good chairman this year," I look him in the eye, "don't you Suzumiya-san?"

The position of the festival committee chairman, wherein the StuCo president has nearly dictatorial power. The tea club would appreciate a member being in that position as it would give them extra privileges during the cultural fest, not to mention the one bringing in these privileges has the best shot to becoming the club head when the current one steps down soon.

"Yes," his eyes meet mine, "Yes, it does. It seems that as uncle said, the Hikigaya bloodline does have its share of intelligent men." He leaned back on his chair with a smile, "You have my support, and I will rally who I can from the club and in my circle. Anything else you may need?"

"As a matter of fact there is, I want you to introduce me to Nakiri Sakuya." His eyes widen much more this time, though I guess this is rather unexpected of me.

"Though it is not my place to say this Hikigaya," his eyes narrowed a bit, "I'd advise you against pursuing a romantic interest in her, she is-"

"My only intention is to use her for this election, I have no other interest in her other than this." I waved my hand to be absolutely clear.

"Well then," I guess he doesn't believe me, "when would you like to meet her?"

"Right now if possible, is she in the school or out already?" From what I've heard, she's quite a busy girl.

"Well," he scratches his head, a bit hesitant, "I saw her a few moments ago, she should be at the indoor gym if you would like to meet her right now."

It took me a lot of time to get over my own hesitation, don't let that happen to you. Apply the test of rationality and ask this, how likely is the worst case scenario likely to occur if you do go ahead with the plan? Unless you are just doing something incredibly stupid, the answer would generally tend to be close to zero.

"Sure, let's hit the road." There's no need to delay a meeting when I have a tight schedule and have to fit everything in.

"Ok then," Suzumiya got up, "I'll introduce you, I have to relay a message to her anyway."

"Ah, here's your tea man!"

Ah, we almost forgot about this guy.

…

A cup of tea later I'm walking towards the indoor gymnasium with Suzumiya by my side, mercifully enough Hiragori went to bother somebody else and has let me have these cherished moments of silence. Walking along I try to pay closer attention to all the students that I come by, the most important part in my campaign is going to be the promises that I have to make, the 'change' that will be brought forth if the student populace so chooses to elect me. while there's a whole bunch of stuff I can just easily throw in a word file to call it a manifesto, I have to remember what I have been taught.

Promises have to be made by observing your average voter, what you seek to do has to be compartmentalized and fixed into what the voters want 'for the season.'

"Here we are," Suzumiya speaks as we near the indoor gymnasium, it is time to recruit the 'glamour' for my campaign now.

Opening the door we walk in to see a few members from the athletics club going on with their stretching exercises, a few eyes turn towards us as we waltz in but nobody bothers too much. Walking along we come to halt before a particular group of girls huddled around near the centre forming a semi-circle around the star of the school, amateur model Sakura Sakuya. From what I gather she is doing quite a difficult stretch at the moment, one of the many parts of the workout which she supposedly spreads throughout the day, or atleast I have been told so.

"Hey Sakuya," Suzumiya broke through the small army of people assembled to meet her, "How are you doing?"

"Very fine Asuraki," she broke her form in order to stand, she's quite tall as compared to the other girls. Standing at her full height she manages to talk eye to eye with any guy in the school, give her 3-inch heels and she'd probably tower above them. Observing her casually I cannot help but appreciate her form, she's quite beautiful and fit, perquisites for being in her profession. Aside from that I've heard that she's quite well-behaved and sociable, a ideal girl..atleast on the surface.

"…ah and this is my friend Hikigaya Ryuuchi," Suzumiya finally steers the conversation in my direction, "You haven't met him before, have you?"

"No I haven't Sado," I can detect the faintest trace of annoyance sep into her voice, "Pleasure to meet you Hikiagaya-kun." I guess her image does require her to maintain this plastic smile, but could you please drop it?

"The pleasure is mine Nakiri-san," I spoke as I shook her hand, "Would you happen to have some free time today, I would like to talk to you if possible."

Her smile almost falters, but she's good at hiding her annoyance. The real reaction comes from all her 'girlfriends' who've started gossiping amongst themselves the moment I've given voice to my thoughts.

"Pardon me Hikigaya-kun, but I do have quite a busy schedule and-" An outright rejection at the first step, not something unanticipated.

"Well, I assure you that I won't take too much of your time Nakiri-san," I spoke in a cheerful tone, "I wouldn't be bothering you if it wasn't important in the first place."

The gossiping intensifies as more eyes turn to us, with the view to maintaining her image she can't just refuse me now.

"W-well, if you insist then I have some time when my workout ends." She's being a bit hesitant in her conduct, if her future conduct continues to be this predictable, then her status as my future ally is confirmed.

"Excellent, I'll be waiting outside then."

…

(About 15 minutes later)

"Thank you for waiting Hikigaya-kun"

"No problem Nakiri-san, shall we talk on the roof, the rain has since subsided and it should be alright to go now"

"S-sure."

(O the roof)

"H-hikigaya-kun, I must tell you that as of now I am quite busy and-"

"Relax," I leaned against a wall as I spoke, "I'm not going to confess or anything"

Her facial features realign themselves into an expression that denotes confusion

"So, you're not going to ask me to go out with you or profess your undying love?"

"Why would I? No offence Nakiri-san but I hardly know much about you except for your name."

'Phew'

Looks like she really was expecting a confession, I remember hearing that almost every guy in school has tried to ask her out and has been politely shot down. However statistically impossible that might sound

"Then why call me up here to the roof Hikigaya-kun," her eyes narrowed slightly, "My friends do know that I'm up here to meet you."

"I assure you that this has nothing to do with reproductive instinct Nakiri-san," I spoke I a dismissive tone, although my words seem to have invoked a reaction of disgust.

"The reason I called you here," I look her in the eye, "Is because I have a proposal for you."

"What kind of proposal exactly?" Her interest is piqued, now to go for the kill.

"I'm sure you know of Natsukawa Kiyoshi, haven't you?" Her face darkens at the mention of her name, and I do know why. Few months ago Nakiri had headed an informal 'fahion show' on the campus showcasing a few designs from local designers in order to do a small promotional to get her amateur's license for modeling.

From what I've learnt that while organizing the event, a few perquisite permissions were not taken and hence the school authorities were mulling action. Normally with events like these the school eventually let's them happen fi it isn't too scandalous, and considering the amount of effort a student has put in they are later let-off with a slap on the wrist and warned of stringent action if they fail to get everything cleared first the next time they do something like that. This is generally the standard position.

Or atleast it was.

You see the event had already begun when the disciplinary committee members came by and asked the organizing members to show all the requisite school NOCs, since the guys didn't have everything on them they just asked the committee to let this slide just once and that they would reimburse the management for any loss and write a formal apology. The StuCo president listened and was willing to let it slide, but somebody wasn't.

Take a guess as to who.

Natsukawa Kiyoshi unleashed all her fury as she furiously went about, adamant on shutting down this show while it was ongoing . The 'yuki-onna' ultimately had the janitor turn off the electricity supply when her normal effort was unsuccessful.

Needless to say, a casual fun event became a disaster. It was reported in the school paper and I don't really think it helped Nakiri-san here at all in obtaining her licence, maybe that contributed to delaying it even.

The enemy of my enemy might not necessarily be a friend, but that doesn't stop him or her from being useful.

"What about her?" Okay, distaste as calculated.

"Well, she's running for StuCo president when Makisa-senpai steps down."

"Hmph, I know that," she speaks, "I can hardly imagine the school having a cultural fest this year if she wins. I mean one stall exceeds the allocated space by an inch," she makes a sweeping motion with her hands, "She'll raze it to the ground for not complying with the regulations as given by the school."

I stifle back a laugh as I listen to her, what's funny is the fact that what she says could actually happen and isn't a mere exaggeration.

"Well, say what if she doesn't win?"

She raises an eyebrow at my question, time to reel the fish in.

"At this moment, me and Natsukawa Kiyoshi are the only 2 candidates in the race for the position of the StuCo president."

"You're actually going up against her?"

"Yeah, that is actually the reason I called you up here." I stood up straight as uttered the next words in the most serious tone I could muster up, "As it stands, she'll beat me and what you fear may just become reality, what I propose is for you to provide me with your help to widen my reach among the students and give me a fighting chance."

"So you want me to go around asking for votes for you? Is that it?"

"In essence, that is the main thing for any political campaign, I do have something for you in mind, but for me to disclose it all I need to know that you'll support me against Natsukawa."

Silence descends for a few moments as Nakiri contemplates my words but I think I know what her answer is going to be.

"Fine, I can help. But I'm not going to go from student to student and ask them to vote for you."

"You won't need to. With your beauty and charisma it's the voters that'll be drawn to you, all you need to do is send them my way."

She smiles slightly at my words.

"You have quite a way with words Hikigaya-kun. Fine I'll help you the best I can if it means keeping Natsukawa from the chair."

"Thank you Nakiri-sa, may I refer to you as Nakiri instead? I'm not really a fan of honorifics."

"Sure, if you're okay with me calling you Hikigaya."

"Good," I hand her my phone, "Give me your number, I'll call you with the details when I've got everything worked out."

She takes my phone and types away, few moments pass before she speaks again, her eyes glued to the screen, "By the way, what do you expect me to tell my friends downstairs? The way it is now they're just going to assume you got shot down, and I don't really think the gossip with respect to a rejection is going to help you in this race."

"Ah, just tell them I offered you an assignment, and you took it."

"An assignment?"

"You're a buyer of brand Saki-Saki aren't you?" I point towards her scrunchie, "I'll ask my mom to fit you in something neat for next month's fashion exhibition, you'll even get paid for the stint."

"You know someone from Saki-Saki that holds enough sway? I've heard that the owner is quite strict in managing her brand."

"The strict owner just happens to be my mother, so no worries, I'll manage it." It brings a smile to her face as she hands me my phone, our alliance is cemented and I can finally see a small team forming that could win me this election.

"You're quite full of surprises Hikigaya, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya Nakiri." With that I'm alone on the rooftop.

'Gah!'

I clench my chest as I feel my heart beat loud enough for me to hear. This was tough goddammit! Being social isn't really my forte, but I guess I stringed it along quite well.

Loosening my tie I take one last look at the poster announcing the candidacy of my rival for this election`.

Nothing personal here Natsukawa, but if I have to win then you're going to have to go down.

So, I've been off the circuit recently.

Well, truth to be told it's been because of a combination of various factors, the least of which is a writer's block. Since I'm now getting into my final year of law school, the pressure has been piling a bit which leaves me little time, add to it the fact that I was recently involved in a bike accident that burnt my right hand pretty bad, so there's a LOT of stuff which had to be shelved.

But on this note, I haven't stopped writing and I never will. This piece was written in my free time way earlier and doesn't really fit in the story, but I just wrote it anyway.

Sp. note for Pewdepew, okagetheShadowKing and 989.

PS

GreedyGuy69: glad you like it.

shiroyuu01: no one's been elected yet, be patient.

Hachi8man: all your wishes will be fulfilled in due time.

andy132: really happy to learn that you like it.

shiro: I will.

hikigaya: kinda cruel, I admit.

bronze v lee sin: I will keep that in mind.

Zeranvor: thank you.

Dnt: thanks.

david: Bien, intentaré mi mejor nivel

HarimaHige: I will try, and thanks a lot.

NPwall: thanks.

narutoDkurosaki: we can't have everything we want.

wildarms13: you will soon find out.

fieryfoxpaws: glad you liked it.

myfavoritestories: all in due time, my friend.

BlackPsych: Thanks! I willtry my level best to not keep anyone waiting more.

Dread Grim Reaper: thanks!

Legs Hunter: well, I've become a night owl these days.

Hope to see you guys soon.