Chapter 465: Sports Festival
"President Sona..."Setting aside his curiosity about why everyone was waiting for him, Haruto tentatively said: "That's correct." Does the student council disagree?"
All club activities required student council approval. While club president appointments were typically internal matters, they still needed to be reported to the student council for approval.
In most cases, the student council would approve whatever was reported.
After all, who served as president was the club's internal affair, and the student council shouldn't interfere.
But given the relationship between Rias and Sona, there was a possibility of deliberate opposition.
"Of course not."
Sona's response was quick and firm, making Haruto sigh with relief.
He had thought that given Sona's personality, she wouldn't be that childish.
But the next moment, his headache intensified.
If it wasn't about who would be president, then it must be about that matter...
What Sona said next matched exactly what Haruto had anticipated - she wanted him to take on the student council president position as well, leading Sona's remaining Familiars who hadn't graduated to continue operating the student council.
The Occult Research Club alone was already enough to give Haruto headaches. Now adding the even more complicated student council responsibilities made him feel completely overwhelmed.
But he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Since he was already taking over as president of the Occult Research Club, if he refused the student council position now, he could easily imagine what sarcastic remarks Sona would make.
"Alright, I can take it on."
Haruto looked at Tsubaki, suddenly getting an idea.
"But I have one condition."
"What condition?"
"I need to supplement the student council members and recruit more people."
Besides Sona and Tsubaki, there were several other third-year seniors in the student council who would graduate with Sona in early March and move on to university.
Unlike clubs where losing a few members just meant having fewer participants,
every member lost from the student council meant missing personnel for related work.
Haruto's condition was reasonable. Although reluctant to have unrelated people in the student council, Sona eventually agreed.
"You're planning to be a hands-off manager, aren't you."
Sona pushed up the red-framed glasses on her delicate nose, seeing through Haruto's plan immediately.
Haruto smiled awkwardly, about to make some vague excuse when Sona added: "Since I'm entrusting the student council to you, manage it however you want. I only have one requirement."
"What requirement?" Haruto asked curiously.
"To keep the student council running smoothly, we need to maintain balance between the hidden academy and ordinary students."
"Don't worry, President Sona."
Haruto understood clearly - Sona Sitri's dream seemed to be creating an environment of 'equality for all beings'.
Her acceptance of Rias's invitation to come to Kuoh Academy and serve as student council president was laying the foundation for this in advance, or perhaps testing the waters.
"I don't really understand management, nor do I want to manage things, but since I've taken this on, I'll do it well in my own way."
Actually, it was mainly the latter - given Haruto's current abilities, if he was willing to put in the effort, there was almost nothing he couldn't accomplish.
Among the numerous talents and skills he had acquired through replication, there were no shortage of management-related ones.
But just like life skills such as sketching, Haruto had always kept them folded away and hidden, especially after his talent skill panel underwent changes.
What, you say he can't give birth?
Though he couldn't bear children himself, Haruto could certainly have others bear them for him.
"Mmm, I believe in you."
Sona Sitri smiled slightly, her beautiful and dignified face lighting up with an expression that made Haruto momentarily captivated.
Seeing the usually serious Sona suddenly break into a smile was quite a different experience.
Seeming to sense Haruto's thoughts, a faint blush spread across Sona's snow-white cheeks.
But she quickly suppressed it, simultaneously putting away her smile.
"Haruto, I'll have Tsubaki handle the handover with you from here."
Sona turned around, leaving behind a slender and graceful silhouette. "With school just starting, the student council has plenty to deal with. Do your best~"
"Eh?" Haruto was somewhat bewildered.
There were still two months until graduation. While time was limited, was there really such a hurry?
He hadn't even sorted out matters with the Occult Research Club yet...
Tsubaki Shinra paid no mind to his hesitation, directly producing a stack of documents piled mountain-high and thumping them down in front of Haruto.
"I've already sorted them in chronological order for you."
Seeing Haruto's dumbfounded expression, Tsubaki barely managed to suppress her laughter as she explained seriously.
"All you need to do is complete them one by one in order. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Reya."
Haruto turned to look at the cute, chesty beauty with chestnut-colored long hair.
Kusaka Reya, whose class was Bishop, specialized mainly in enemy detection and intelligence gathering.
When Mio and Maria had broken into Kuoh Academy before, she had assisted in locating them.
"Reya, I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."
"Not at all, Red Dragon Emperor-sama. If anything, I should be the one asking for your favor."
"Just call me by my name - either Uesugi or Haruto is fine. 'Red Dragon Emperor' sounds too strange."
Reya's beautiful tea-colored eyes narrowed into happy crescents as she cheerfully replied: "Then I'll take you up on that offer, Haruto-kun."
Tsubaki shot Haruto a sidelong glance, sighing inwardly.
It seemed the student council room would soon follow the Occult Research Club's activity room in becoming Haruto's second harem venue.
Although Haruto had mastered control over his charm ability, as his power grew, so did his reputation. Combined with his increasingly handsome, sunny looks and tall, well-built physique, his appeal to women only continued to increase.
Within the student council, everyone was part of Sona Sitri's Familiars.
Since Haruto rarely involved himself in student council affairs, aside from the absence of Saji Genshirou, the other members remained unchanged.
Thus, similar to the Occult Research Club, it was currently composed entirely of female members, though with significantly fewer people.
Through his conversation with Kusaka Reya, Haruto realized his previous assumptions had been mistaken.
Currently, Sona's Familiars totaled only seven members.
They were: Queen Tsubaki, Castle Yura Tsubasa, Knight Meguri Tomoe, Knight Bennia, Bishop Kusaka Reya, Bishop Kake Momo, and the recently recruited first-year soldier Nimura Ruruko.
Among them, Bennia rarely made appearances, as matters involved the lineage of Shinigami from the Underworld adjacent to the Underworld.
She appeared to be a hybrid of Shinigami and human, the daughter of the highest-class Shinigami Erebus.
Having defected due to her inability to accept Hades' methods, she became Sona's Familiar.
Bennia had a face like a middle school girl, often appearing drowsy.
With deep purple long hair and golden eyes, she enjoyed wearing cute-style skull masks, making her quite a distinctive youthful beauty.
Bennia's weapon was the symbol of a Shinigami—a scythe.
The skull decorations on it were also in a cute style.
Haruto had limited relevant information in his memory; he hadn't even finished watching the anime, let alone the extensive plot and characters from the original novels that followed.
However, Bennia was rather distinctive, and being a hybrid of Shinigami and human made her more memorable to him.
The Shinigami here differed from those in common perception.
Like demons, Shinigami also had upper, middle, and lower ranks, and the one leading them was Hades.
Simply put, it somewhat resembled the celestial realm of the Ten Great Gods, except the Shinigami lineage didn't split off from demons.
Haruto had never been clear about the subsequent worldview of this DxD universe, and now with the incorporation of The Testament of Sister New Devil's world, everything had become utterly chaotic.
Fortunately, he had long stopped dwelling on this and barely paid attention to the so-called main storyline anymore.
Even if Haruto hadn't flapped his wings like a butterfly, in this chaotic world, nothing could have unfolded exactly according to the original plot.
Aside from Bennia, the student council consisted of five members in total.
Adding Haruto made it six.
In theory, six people were more than enough for a student council.
In a typical high school, student councils usually had only four or five members.
There were four main positions: president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
The president, as the absolute core leader of the student council, wielded significant authority.
The vice president, as the president's assistant, helped manage the council's daily affairs.
The secretary was responsible for record-keeping, document management, and coordinating the work of council members.
The treasurer handled financial matters, including the council's budget and financial reports.
The total number of positions typically ranged from four to five.
Specific personnel arrangements might vary depending on the school and the council's needs—there could be two vice presidents, two secretaries, or two treasurers.
So even if Sona and Tsubaki were to graduate and step down, the student council could still function normally.
The sudden recruitment of Haruto likely had something to do with Sona's rivalry with Rias.
Haruto wasn't even interested in clubs, let alone the student council.
He had only vaguely known the term "student council" and, even as a nominal member, had no idea about its structure.
It was only after Reya Kusaka's detailed explanation that he finally gained a general understanding.
"In that case, recruiting more people really wouldn't be appropriate..."
The number of members was already sufficient—even excessive.
Bringing in newcomers, aside from the question of whether they could integrate into Sona's collective, would likely make it difficult for them to manage Reya and the others.
Given this, it would be better to simply hold internal selections.
Haruto scanned the student council room and made a decision.
The original secretary and treasurer would remain in their positions, while those who had been slacking off...
would be directly promoted to vice presidents, with all responsibilities handed over to them.
As for Haruto himself, he would serve as the public face of the president and take full charge of any matters requiring force.
Naturally, this decision brought mixed reactions—some were delighted, while others were dismayed.
Those who had been serving as treasurer and secretary were pleased, while those who had been slacking off for so long now had headaches.
They naturally objected, but their protests were in vain.
Amid the lively commotion, the new student council was officially established.
As for whether the slackers could properly fulfill their duties as vice presidents or handle affairs effectively...
Well, Tsubaki hadn't graduated yet, and having been in the student council for so long, they had picked up a thing or two through observation.
Of course, there would be some chaos at first, but things would settle down eventually.
The smooth transition in the student council gave Haruto new ideas for solving the Occult Research Club's issues.
Compared to the student council, the Occult Research Club had more members, making it easier to find a couple of managerial talents.
Moreover, managing a club was actually much simpler than running a student council.
Especially now that the Occult Research Club no longer needed to take on commissions and could enhance their power by absorbing human emotions—their workload had been reduced by more than half.
The final selection of personnel was quite straightforward - the blonde little nun Asia would manage things together with Ravel.
Asia had a gentle personality while Ravel was more assertive, making them perfect complements to each other.
In Haruto's memories, Ravel would later serve as a managerial talent.
The busy week before school started passed just like that, finally allowing a return to the previous routine of dual cultivation to improve strength when there were matters to handle, and dual cultivation to improve strength when there were none.
Haruto had only enjoyed this comfort for a few days when Kuoh Academy's annual sports festival began.
Japanese high school sports festivals, essentially athletic meets, are typically held during the second semester, possibly in October or November, depending on each school's activity schedule.
However, Kuoh Academy had delayed it to the third semester because it had just transitioned from an all-girls school to a coeducational institution a year ago, plus both the surface academy and hidden academy were holding their sports festivals simultaneously, making some matters quite complicated.
In fact, during the previous year when Kuoh Academy had just undergone reform, the sports festival hadn't been held at all.
Haruto didn't need to put much thought into the sports festival arrangements, but as the new student council president, he had to make an appearance during the event and stay all day at the broadcasting station serving as a mascot.
As for the outside dissatisfaction about the new president being appointed internally rather than elected, it was simply ignored.
The most vocal protesters among them were even invited to the student council for a proper "chat."
Simply put, Kuoh Academy's nature determined that some things would be different from ordinary schools.
Sona hadn't been elected either back in her day.
If elections were held and an ordinary person became president, matters of the hidden academy would be impossible to handle.
In mid-January, the weather was still somewhat chilly. For the students' health, many competitions were held indoors.
Kuoh Academy's gymnasium was large enough, so the sports meet proceeded relatively smoothly.
Large team competitions that couldn't possibly be held indoors were scheduled for noon when it was warmest.
Just as Haruto was bored out of his mind serving as a mascot, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure.
Tachibana Nanao, one of the female protagonists of "The New Sister Satan," a mixed-blood vampire with True Ancestor bloodline.
At this point in time, Nanao hadn't decided on their gender yet.
During their last meeting, Haruto's strength hadn't been sufficient to see through their true nature, but now he could completely confirm that this blonde "beautiful youth" before him was in a genderless state.
Like Gasper, Nanao also possessed mystic eyes.
However, while Gasper's mystic eyes came from Sacred Gear abilities, theirs were a bloodline talent.
Conversely, precisely because vampires in this world were prone to developing mystic eyes, Gasper had been chosen by the "Forbidden Balor View."
Sacred Gears choose their own masters, generally prioritizing those with some compatibility rather than completely random selection.
Additionally, like Gasper, Nanao carried emotional burdens in their heart.
Gasper suffered because as a mixed-blood, he wasn't accepted by anyone until he met Rias.
Nanao, because of the True Ancestor bloodline within them, had been constantly pursued and hunted.
Their refusal to decide on a gender was also because changing genders at any time helped them better evade pursuit.
Watching that cute blonde shota desperately trying to blend in like an ordinary person while clumsily participating in various competitions, Haruto found it exceptionally amusing.
"Speaking of which, can all vampires decide their gender later in life?"
Haruto suddenly murmured to himself, "If that's really the case, then why would Gasper—who's even cuter than Tachibana Nanao—choose to be male? It's such a waste."
Beside him, Yura Tsubasa, who was working with him, blinked her pale blue eyes and tilted her small head curiously, watching Haruto suddenly become serious.
Yura Tsubasa was skilled in martial arts, liked wild boys, had an excellent figure, and sported sky-blue shoulder-length hair.
She had been one of those slacking off before but was now one of the vice presidents, so she and Haruto were here serving as mascots.
Yura Tsubasa overheard Haruto's soft muttering, but she didn't know much about such matters.
"Qing Qiu-kun, if you want to know, you could just ask him directly~"
She shook her sky-blue head, wearing a regretful expression.
"Speaking of which, Kiba-kun turning into a girl is really disappointing for us."
It seemed every girl had a bit of a "fujoshi" tendency, and many were shipping the Haruto x Kiba pairing.
"Yuki didn't turn into a girl—she originally was..."
Haruto rolled his eyes and said irritably, "She just returned to her true form! What are you all thinking?"
"Tehehe, though it's a bit of a shame, this is fine too."
Yura Tsubasa said with a smile, "If Kiba-kun were really a boy, I'd just have to watch from the sidelines. After all, no matter what, I couldn't accept my partner being with another boy."
Many people were like this—they talked about liking it, but if it actually happened to them, they couldn't handle it at all.
They could enjoy boy-on-boy pairings, but if their own boyfriend got involved with another man, the fujoshi themselves would be the first to reject it.
It was a case of "Lord Ye's love of dragons"...
Haruto couldn't be bothered to argue with Yura Tsubasa. After these people got familiar with the student council's beauties, he often got teased by them.
But whenever he actually tried to take things further, none of them dared.
They were all talk and no action.
Of course, if Haruto really made a move, he could probably succeed.
He just didn't feel like wasting the time anymore. Once he won over Sona, none of them would escape.
However, Yura Tsubasa was right about one thing—if he wanted to know, he should just ask the person directly.
"Stay here and keep watch for a bit; I'll be right back."
With that, Haruto didn't give Yura Tsubasa a chance to refuse and simply stood up to leave.
Although Gasper's emotional issues had been resolved, without undergoing personality correction, he was still somewhat socially anxious.
Under normal circumstances, he was fine, but for events like the sports festival where crowds gathered, he definitely wouldn't participate.
As expected, Gasper was hiding somewhere playing his game console.