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  The pleasant aroma of food permeated the eatery. Only a few customers, including myself and my guest, were present inside as a storm outside drowned out the noise and turned the evening sky into a dark, atmospheric canvas. The steady drumming of rain against the windows provided a rhythmic backdrop to our meal.

  I took another bite of the smothered pork chops and a sip of water to help digest it easily. The sound of silverware being placed on a plate drew my attention to my guest as she finished eating her meal.

  “Thanks for the meal,” she said, her tone a mix of genuine appreciation and residual frustration.

  “It is no problem,” I replied, smiling.

  “So, did you call me out today just to gloat?” She asked, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  “Oh, why do you think I would do that? We get lunch together a few times every week,” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

  “I’m very aware of that, and I do appreciate it each time, but today is a special case,” she replied, her gaze piercing.

  I couldn't hold back my laughter and let out a small giggle, which clearly irritated her as she scrunched her face in frustration.

  “Alright, I admit I wanted to see your face after hearing things didn’t go your way,” I admitted, still chuckling.

  “Scumbag,” she muttered, grabbing my fork and stabbing a piece of pork chop before popping it into her mouth.

  “So now you resort to food stealing? Seems you are really pissed,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.

  “Of course I am. I really wanted Tomiko to win,” she said, her voice laced with disappointment.

  “That is obviously your bias talking,” I said as I took back the fork and ate the remaining pieces of food on my plate.

  “Ugh. What if I say it isn’t, and I actually do agree with her goals out of everyone the most?” she said, crossing her arms.

  “I will call bullshit on that,” I responded, leaning back in my chair.

  “See. You already have a predetermined assumption of me, so I’m not even going to try and change that notion,” she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

  “That’s a bad habit though,” I added.

  “Is it? I don’t see it that way. It is simply not giving a fuck,” she said, leaning back into her seat, her posture relaxed yet defiant.

  “But you really did want Tomiko to win, didn’t you? I heard you did some behind-the-scenes work to help artificially increase her vote,” I said, watching her reaction closely. She immediately scoffed.

  “Kassidy told you, didn’t he? Fucking snitch,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Hey, I didn’t mention any names. You were the one that came to that conclusion yourself,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

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  “I’m not dumb, Hotaka. Anyways, are you going to lecture me that what I did was wrong?” She asked, her tone challenging.

  “Do you want me to?” I asked, matching her gaze.

  “I’d rather not hear it,” she remarked, rolling her eyes.

  “Good. I wasn’t going to do it either. By the way, Shayna, it seems my second guest has arrived,” I said, watching him enter the restaurant with an umbrella in hand. He dropped it by the rack and made his way towards us.

  Shayna turned around and spotted him as well, her expression stiffening. She rolled her eyes again.

  “I am leaving,” Shayna said, packing up her things and standing up abruptly.

  “I don’t understand the hostility. You should get to know him a little,” I said, genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

  “I’ll pass,” she said, turning around and walking past Marcus without a word. He glanced at her briefly before taking her seat across from me, shaking off the raindrops from his jacket.

  “Haku-senpai,” he said, addressing me.

  “You can call me by my first name, Hotaka. I don’t mind,” I said to him. “Congratulations, student council president. How about some drinks to celebrate?” I offered, leaning back and gesturing to the waiter.

  “I’ll pass on the offer, thanks,” he said quickly, waving off the waiter. His tone was polite but firm.

  “So, I assume you wanted to see me because of something important? Is this related to the election?” I asked, deciding not to waste any time.

  “Exactly. I have some questions,” he said, his expression unchanging.

  “Alright, what is it?” I asked, leaning forward slightly; my interest piqued.

  Marcus sighed and shifted in his seat, clearly gathering his thoughts. “Cohen. His plan was brilliant and would have worked, but there were some flaws. The same person who came up with such a plan came to the debate completely unprepared and made a fool of himself. This makes me believe those were never his plans; in fact, I do believe that he was never meant to be the class representative.”

  “Is that so? So, how did he win the in-class voting? Do you think he brute-forced his way or was planted there by someone else?” I asked, watching Marcus closely.

  “That, I am not sure of yet. It does make me wonder who is behind all this,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he tried to piece it together.

  “What exactly is your question, then?” I asked. I had an idea of what he was about to say but needed confirmation.

  “Do you have a hand in this?” Marcus asked, his eyes locking onto mine with unwavering intensity.

  “Why would you think I have something to do with this?” I asked, curious about his reasoning.

  “First, I know you have been interested in me since the time I came to the school. In fact, I am 100% confident that you are aware of how I got into the school now, and you did all this to test my abilities, am I right?” He said.

  I remained silent, choosing not to answer. He sighed in response, then relaxed back into his seat.

  “If you choose not to answer, don’t worry; I won’t press you any further. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get to the bottom of this,” he replied, rising from his seat. “And as for our deal?”

  “Yes, I still remember. I will uphold my end of the deal. Meet me at the Ichiro Mall on the 23rd, which happens to be next Saturday. I’ll tell you everything I know there,” I stated. He nodded and prepared to leave, but I had something else to say.

  “Before you leave, Marcus, a bit of advice as the former student council president.” Marcus stopped to listen. “Apart from the council dinner next week, the cultural festival is the first big event your team will manage. I say you should focus on that before anything else.”

  “Any reason why I should give it special attention?” He questioned, turning back to face me fully.

  “It’s simple. The ranking system,” I said, watching his interest pique. “This is insider information, but I am sure you would learn about it soon now that you are student council president. That system will be implemented from the beginning of the next term, and it seems the cultural festival will be a turning point for many.”

  “A turning point, you say?” Marcus replied, his tone thoughtful.

  “Exactly. So focus on that. You have a month until the system is implemented and two until the cultural festival arrives,” I said.

  “I appreciate the heads-up,” he remarked as he proceeded to the entrance, grabbed his umbrella, and opened it, stepping out into the heavy rain, which showed no signs of letting up.

  I sighed, then decided to finally open a bottle of drink I had on the table and pour some into a cup. I took a quick sip, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t any colder, but I didn’t mind.

  “At least I can relax all I want now,” I told myself, reclining back and watching the rain pour down outside.