Rising Against Fate

"But you must be aware that disapproving clubs for a reason like that is against the policy."

Kenji was right here. It was the student council's job to assess the need and usefulness of the proposed club. But it wasn't their job to judge what number of clubs are suitable. If what she said was to be made a reason, every new club, no matter how excellent of an idea it may be, wouldn't be approved. It would be like forcing students to choose one of the clubs and ignoring their difference in opinion.

"It is? I thought we were allowed to give our opinions freely in these cases."

"Yes, but I suggest you keep your role into consideration while giving your opinion."

"Fine. In that case, I will refrain from making comments here."

"If that is your standing in this case then"—Kenji turned towards the stage—"the student council approves the club. We will send a recommendation to the school administration. You may already know the minimum club requirements, so I won't be explaining that part. One thing… Are you the one who is going to be the club president?"

It wasn't really a necessary question since the club was yet to be formed. But it wasn't something completely irrelevant to the student council either.

"No. unfortunately, my knowledge about the subject is fairly limited. But it happens to be the specialty of my friend Kat here. The role will suit him more."

Everyone was surprised as most were expecting Razak to be the president based on the presentation. But the most surprised man in the hall was standing next to the screen behind Razak.

Even though Kat was surprised, he wasn't showing any loud reaction. Neither was any noticeable change in facial expressions observed. He was by nature slow at showing immediate reactions to these sorts of circ.u.mstances.

"Okay. Then this concludes today's meeting. Everyone, please continue your club activities or anything else that you were doing before this. Student council members please head to the student council room. I will be joining you shortly."

After this announcement from Kenji, the audience slowly moved towards the exit. The gossip was still going on and most of them weren't yet satisfied. But since this was the decision majority of the council came up with, no one objected directly.

After the audience and student council members left, Razak and Kat walked out of the hall. There was a moment of silence until they reached the passage, and when they did, Kat broke the silence.

"Man, you really screwed me up, didn't you?"

"No, I will still take care of management for you. We need someone skillful for the job, and considering your background, you were the better choice."

"Well, whatever. Just tell me before doing anything like that next time."

Razak didn't respond because an 'okay' here would be disadvantageous. He knew that Kat would never have agreed if he had told him that beforehand. And considering Kat's nature, he might need to use this trick frequently.

Right as they were walking, Razak received a notification on his watch. His eyes widened when he saw the notification, but he didn't show any loud reaction.

"Kat, something came up. I will see you tomorrow morning."

"Okay. But take some time off dude. You will never get a girlfriend if you are always that busy."

"Ha-ha! I will have plenty of time for that after the rankings. Anyways, need to go. See you."

After saying that, Razak walked towards the main building while Kat went towards the general lab building. At this time of the day, the general lab building was the best spot to slack off.

When Razak entered the first floor of the Main building, on the corner, there was someone waiting for him.

"I didn't expect you to come here yourself and... so soon."

"Well, you did surprise me quite a bit with your presentation. Now, why don't we sit somewhere and talk."

After Kenji said that, both of them walked towards the elevator. Most of the students at this time of the day were busy at the club activities, so the hallway was empty.

Nobody said anything until they reached the cafeteria on the second floor. And after they sat on a table, Kenji started the conversation.

"I liked your presentation, and in that, I saw your potential. By any chance, are you willing to be a student council member?"

It was a sudden offer that took Razak by surprise. In fact, this meeting itself came off as a surprise to him. And it was for this surprise that Kenji arranged this meeting so soon after the presentation. Kenji already knew what Razak would say next, but before he could, he continued.

"Akane does a good job of handling the backlashes from the club, but there are times when she goes overboard. We need someone to handle these cases swiftly."

This was a logical proposition considering how frequently the clubs used to have internal and external arguments. But there was one thing that he missed, or maybe intentionally ignored.

"But school rules prevent student council members from joining any other clubs."

This was done to prevent the council's decision from being biased towards any other clubs. Despite the transparency, this risk was something that couldn't be ignored. And this was exactly why the student council itself was regarded as a club with limited membership.

"Ha-ha! You really are amusing. I thought you would be more interested in joining the council than the club."

There was a moment of silence after that since Razak didn't say anything in response. Normally people would feel offended when this happens, but Kenji was just amused by how normally Razak was acting.

"So, how about this. We appoint 3 advisors yearly who participate in the meetings. I think this role will suit you well."

It was not a bad deal since advisors could access the information that only student council members had access to. But not too big of a deal either since Kat too could access that information.

"Can I take some time to think about it? I would also need to arrange my schedule."

"Yes, that's alright. I need to head towards the council room. I hope I will hear back from you soon."

With that, Kenji stood from his chair and walked towards the elevator while Razak, who was busy during the lunch break earlier, walked to the self-service.