Chapter 32
Before the class president election, in a noisy classroom one morning.
When Vita entered the classroom, it apparently fell silent for a moment, as if under a spell.
“Wow…”
“Amazing.”
An exclamation like a sigh.
For some reason, Vita was immediately surrounded by excited classmates.
“You changed your hairstyle?”
“How cute. Bianca!”
Her deskmate Shasha, who had come over, spoke from beside Vita.
“Is that all? You probably don't know this, but…”
No, surely not?!
Sensing danger, Vita immediately clapped a hand over Shasha's mouth.
“Really pretty underwear… Mmph—mmph!”
As expected, that had been an excellent choice.
“Haha, no.”
“Underwear? What about it?”
“It's really nothing!”
Vita broke into a cold sweat and immediately changed the subject.
“Ah, more importantly! I know a delicious café downtown.”
“Huh, really?”
“Where is it?”
They had gone to a café together after shopping yesterday, after all.
Vita remembered everything, including how Emily had unfortunately asked an awkward question there.
-So, Bianca. Who's the person you said you liked, other than Carlisle?
A sparkling gaze that seemed unable to contain its curiosity.
-Huh, really?!
On top of that, Shasha, her deskmate, had made a huge fuss upon hearing it.
Vita had struggled quite a bit to make something up.
-I can't tell you who it is, but they're kind.
-Ooh… amazing.
-…They're incredibly considerate, too, and just looking at them makes me feel better because of their sunny presence.
At Vita's words, the two girls gave small nods.
-It's definitely not Carlisle.
-I see you in a whole new light, Bianca. Now that I think about it, you're a total fox, aren't you?
-Huh? Eek?!
Since it had been such a dizzying conversation, Vita didn't remember the taste of the dessert they'd eaten very well.
It was the first time Vita had brought up a subject like that, after all. The conversation quickly shifted in that direction.
Delicious café desserts, the people of the opposite sex they'd met at the café, and, somehow, eventually, a conversation about makeup, too.
“Come to think of it, Bianca, you don't wear any makeup at all, do you?”
“And yet you're saying she's pretty.”
At Shasha's words, the girls burst into giggles.
“I'm totally jealous.”
“I'm kind of envious.”
Of course, this sort of girls' talk was quite difficult for Vita, who had originally been a man.
Thanks to it, Vita felt a little closer to the girls before today's election.
And today, the class president election was finally being held.
“All right, then. I've explained everything sufficiently, haven't I?”
The roughly thirty students focused on the teacher's words.
“Who would like to run for class president?”
Vita immediately volunteered.
“I will, teacher!”
I couldn't let a position like class president slip away. For one thing, it counted as bonus points toward my overall grades, and every little thing like that was connected to rankings.
Fortunately, the atmosphere around Vita was generally positive.
“Oh, teach! I think Bianca would make a great class president!”
Led by her lively deskmate Shasha's words, many of their classmates seemed to agree.
“Yeah, that's right.”
“Bianca would do a great job.”
In a class of around thirty students, ‘Bianca Shamal’ had a fairly good reputation.
The boys were generally favorably disposed toward her, but that wasn't anything unusual.
‘Well, obviously. My looks are at least kind of pretty right now, aren't they?’
Vita's honest inner thoughts.
It wasn't baseless.
Vita knew quite well how he appeared to the boys.
Of course, that didn't mean Vita particularly liked it.
Ahem, anyway.
If Vita had transformed into a girl anyway, having a pretty appearance was obviously better than not looking pretty.
And after chatting with the girls that morning, Vita felt a little closer to them, too.
‘So isn't the position of class president practically guaranteed?’
Just as Vita was thinking this, having been the first to put his name forward,
“Then, me too.”
Suddenly, what was this?!
Carlisle Schultz had also put himself forward as a candidate.
Vita was momentarily flustered, but soon regained his composure.
‘Is he getting in my way even here…?’
Why was that guy so desperate to get in Vita's way?
But Carlisle Schultz had one unfortunate flaw.
This time, Vita was truly confident.
‘I got closer to the girls, and most of the boys, too…’
would vote for him.
Would they really vote for a gloomy guy like you?
If it bothers you, turn into a woman like me for once.
And finally, at this very moment,
the teacher announced the voting results with a smile-
They were not what Vita expected.
***
“Our class president has been decided—it will be Carlisle. Congratulations, Carlisle! Bianca will be vice president.”
No, again?
I'd lost yet again?
Applause rang out.
“Congratulations, Bianca! You're vice president, at least.”
Shasha tried to comfort him, but Vita couldn't control his expression.
After all, he'd lost yet again.
No, to begin with.
There had only been two candidates…
Becoming class president held great significance.
For one thing, it earned bonus points.
The class president received five bonus points, and the vice president received three.
Those bonus points had a considerable effect because, at the very top, they determined the rankings.
Besides subject grades, there were extracurricular activities, too.
That was why Vita had volunteered several times before to be class president, an admissions guide, and even a member of the discipline committee. It was all for the bonus points.
The shrewd Carlisle had balanced things out by serving as a student council officer and a work-study student. Neither role suited him, though.
In any case, even after becoming a woman, Vita's goal hadn't changed.
Vita Shamal's goal was to come in first.
To begin with, since he had become a woman, the standards for the other practical skill assessments differed from those for boys. Fortunately, that actually gave him a somewhat dubiously favorable advantage.
‘Coming in first among the male students was originally impossible…’
Because Carlisle Schultz was there.
[Wow, he's good!]
Vita Shamal's athletic ability was fairly exceptional. Vita was simply outdone by someone who soared above him.
[A new record?!]
[Carlisle's amazing!]
He had suffered a bitter defeat in the practical assessment last semester as well. It had probably been the high jump.
‘But Carlisle.’
This time would be different.
Vita firmly believed he would come in first among the girls, at least!
So he was burning with the desire to challenge him and reclaim first place once more.
‘I've been too complacent lately.’
Honestly, Vita thought it was because of Carlisle Schultz.
He had also neglected his studies a little by spending time with his deskmate Shasha and Emily.
So starting today, using the class president election as a turning point, he intended to steel his resolve.
“I want to run!”
And he'd been spectacularly crushed.
By his rival, of all people—Carlisle Schultz.
Vita gritted his teeth.
‘Why, always…!’
It was a fact he'd forgotten until now.
Why did that guy always stay ahead of him?
His insides churned. There was no way they couldn't.
At the very least, he had never once failed to become class president before. His pride was utterly crushed.
Since this was his first time in the same class as Carlisle Schultz, it felt as though Vita had only become class president in all the previous elections because Carlisle Schultz hadn't been there.
Even if that was paranoia, he had nothing particular to say in his defense.
Vita had been absolutely certain he would be elected, and considering how certain he'd been, the margin was fairly large too.
[Bianca Shamal – 8 votes, Carlisle Schultz – 20 votes.]
Honestly, it was humiliating.
He felt like hiding in a mouse hole.
He didn't even want to think about why he'd lost.
“Congratulations on becoming vice president, Bianca.”
“Oh, yeah…”
Even as he heard the congratulations, he felt terrible.
Vita's competitive nature was so extreme that, every now and then, even he felt it was excessive.
Ever since he was young, he had absolutely hated losing even at something as trivial as rock-paper-scissors.
When it came to his academy grades, he had originally been in first place, only to keep losing, so he had a grudge about it.
Of course, he acknowledged that Carlisle Schultz, his true rival,
was a considerably better guy than the prejudices he had once held suggested.
Surprisingly, Carlisle was genuinely solid, with a clear set of standards of his own.
To be honest, Vita had almost been shaken a little.
If Emily hadn't been there, he might have ended up confused about his sexual identity.
‘But that's one thing.’
This was clearly something else.
He had lost the bed battle too, but this was different from that as well.
He didn't know why they were different, but that was how he felt, anyway.
Suddenly, Vita felt as if he'd been doused in cold water.
Losing this election had put first place out of reach once again.
Squeeze-
Vita clenched his fist tightly. Even so, his mood didn't improve at all.
***
After the class president election ended, lunchtime arrived.
Vita wasn't in a good mood, but he was still having lunch with Emily.
Kind, pretty, feminine, and elegant.
A true girl in every sense of the word.
Being with Emily healed his mood a little.
“It's omurice today?”
“Yeah, want some?”
Emily's lunchboxes were always so dainty. Naturally, Vita began to salivate.
Emily really was amazing.
He was fairly confident in his own cooking, too, but he could never make something like this the way Emily did.
“…It's almost too pretty to eat.”
“Oh, you're flattering me.”
The distance between them had clearly narrowed since they went shopping together yesterday. They had even made a group chat last night.
Carlisle Schultz seemed strangely quiet.
‘Well, if I were that guy…’
He probably wouldn't be interested in two girls talking. Vita didn't pay Carlisle much attention.
More than anything, he didn't want to pay attention to him right now.
“Oh, this is delicious.”
“Have some more, Bianca. Carlisle, would you like to try some too?”
“No, I'm fine.”
What a strange situation.
Emily Swan was conscious of Carlisle Schultz, while Carlisle had been inwardly worrying since that morning about what he might have done wrong in response to Bianca Shamal's reaction.
Of the three of them, Vita alone had no interest in the subtle atmosphere.
So Emily cautiously opened her mouth, watching their reactions.
“By the way, you two… is something going on?”
“No?”
“Not particularly.”
They answered at the same time,
‘There definitely seems to be something going on…’
Emily thought for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth as an idea suddenly occurred to her.
A slightly underhanded impulse.
But somehow, she had a feeling that if she didn't ask now, it would feel awkward to pose this question later.
Since she liked Carlisle, there was something she wanted to confirm, too.
“You two, you know.”
After taking a deep breath,
Emily Swan asked,
“What are you going to do after the agreed period ends?”
She deliberately asked it lightly, as if it were a meaningless question.
After all, they had said they would eat together as the result of a bet.
In fact, Emily was a little nervous as she asked.
Although Bianca thankfully liked someone else, Carlisle's feelings were plainly visible to her.
The unexpected question.
Vita was dazed for a moment.
‘What do you mean, what am I going to do…?’
He had never thought about it.
But probably, yes.
Judging from how he felt right now, he thought he wouldn't eat with Carlisle Schultz anymore after that point.
Yes, probably. Without even needing to think about it.
Even without Carlisle Schultz, he had his deskmate Shasha, and there were plenty of people to eat with.
If anything, he thought it would be strange to keep eating together after the bet ended.
And so Vita answered.
***
“We'll probably eat separately then.”
“We should keep eating together then.”
Their answers diverged.
Only then did Vita, who had come up to the rooftop without looking at Carlisle, face him for the first time.
“Who says you get to decide that…”
“Why, do you hate it?”
Of course, the usual Vita might have hesitated. Perhaps he might instead have been flustered by those words.
But the Vita of now wasn't like usual; he was a little twisted up inside.
He wanted to pick a fight with Carlisle Schultz for no reason.
To begin with, he couldn't understand why Carlisle kept making decisions about him on his own.
“Yeah, I hate it.”
And so, in the end, Vita said it—clearly unlike his usual response.
Vita himself knew that, after uttering those words, he had become even more immersed in it, as if he were adding justification to them. As if he were acting.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't the other person's fault. But Vita was simply irritated. More precisely, he was most irritated with himself, but he still couldn't help resenting Carlisle for no reason.
He ended up speaking in a somewhat chilly, seemingly sincere voice.
“Why do you assume I'll like it just because you want me to?”
Emily, who had asked the question, and Carlisle, who had seemed so relaxed, both stiffened for a moment.
The atmosphere turned cold.
“Ah…”
Vita did too.
Suddenly feeling as if he were being terribly ugly, he swallowed the rest of his words.
‘…What am I doing?’
He clenched his fist tightly. His old affliction had reared its head.
At times, his competitive nature was so excessive that it was difficult to control.
He had made mistakes like this several times before, even with close friends and family.
He had let his competitiveness get ahead of him and made a mistake.
But now it felt too late to take it back.
“Uh… hmm…”
Emily's expression was restless,
Carlisle's face was, how should he put it, expressionless. Perhaps the unexpected reaction had upset him a little?
“Yeah, sorry. I misjudged.”
Thus, the three of them ended their lunch on a somewhat awkward note, and a cold war descended between Vita and Carlisle afterward.