A game of love behind the cards

XXXIV. Elections

Kirari: Students of the Hyakkaou Academy, it is with great pleasure that I announce my resignation as president.

The cafeteria inmediatly fell into a stunned silence. A heartbeat later, it erupted into a cacophony of whispers and exclamations. Shock and disbelief rippled through the crowd, "how could the President just leave her seat?" was the most repeated question in the students minds. Y/n stood in the middle of the crowd, next to Yumeko, Mary and Ryota, who, like the rest of the people, were very surprised by such an announcement. Mary turned to her friends, her eyes wide with shock.

Mary: Did she really just say she's resigning?

Y/n nodded, his gaze fixed on Kirari, curious about the choices she had in mind.

Y/n: Yes, it seems so.

Y/n looked around the crowd, observing the reactions. Some students seemed curious, wondering about the reasoning behind such a decision. Pets, eager to shed their lowly status, watched with hopeful eyes. The Academy's best players smiled with glee, eager for the chance to seize the power of the now-vacant seat of Kirari. Meanwhile, Sayaka stood beside and behind Kirari, her loyalty unwavering despite the fact that her duties as secretary were probably no longer required. One of the students in the crowd shouted, "Who will be president now? What will happen to that seat?" Kirari, ever the planner, smiled slightly. Her usual calm tone carried over the murmur of the crowd.

Kirari: I am glad you asked that question. Although I have resigned my seat, I will be the acting president until the next one is elected. The Academy will hold elections, and since it cannot be otherwise, they will be done throught gambling. The winner will be the new President.

Kirari paused, savouring the varied reactions of the crowd. The fear in the eyes of the pets was particularly pleasing to her, while the ambitious gleam in the eyes of the best players intrigued her. She enjoyed the wave of emotions she had stirred up, but most of all she wondered if her darling would play and fight for her place, if he would gamble against her, if he would face her.

Kirari: The election will last 30 days. During this time, players won't use normal money chips, but voting chips. Each student will receive one vote chip at the beginning. The only way to win votes is by playing. Therefore, every student is a potential candidate. Whoever has the most votes at the end of the time period wins and becomes the new president. If a student runs out of votes to bet, they can use tokens. If they lose a token, it represents 24 hours of their life during which they must obey the former student council.

The crowd buzzed with whispers, some already strategising, others clearly worried about the competition ahead.

Kirari: The entire election will be supervised and managed by the Election Committee. Runa Yomozuki will be the head of this committee, and everyone under her will be election observers. If there's a game where votes are cast, an observer must be present, otherwise it's not valid. With that said, good luck to everyone.

Kirari turned on her heel and walked away, Sayaka behind her, leaving the cafeteria as if she had not just dropped a bomb that would ignite a frenzy of power struggles among the students. The room erupted into chaos as students rushed to the small booth where Runa Yomozuki was stationed, eager to claim her single voting chip. Next to Y/n, Yumeko's eyes sparkled with excitement as she clung to his arm. Mary seemed to be fascinated by the upcoming elections as well, but not in the same crazy way as Yumeko. Ryota on the other hand looked anxious and overwhelmed as usual.

Yumeko: This is going to be so much fun, don't you think, babe?

Y/n turned to Yumeko and gave her a warm smile.

Y/n: Maybe it will be.

Mary rolled her eyes playfully and crossed her arms.

Mary: Hey, lovebirds, we should get our vote chips like everyone else.