Chapter Thirteen: Election Month
Tatsumi slowly opened his eyes to find his room in near darkness. Several posters, with Mine's face, were all stapled to his walls; several on the floor and some blocking his window. The sun, trying to peek into his room, could only managed to force it's light in between the cracks left between the posters.
Tatsumi slowly sat himself up, a poster coming off the wall and landing on his lap. He carefully picked it up and read the bottom portion of the poster.
Mine needs your vote to defeat Esdeath!
Tatsumi sighed as he jumped out of bed and immediately went straight for push-ups.
The past several weeks, while in rehab, Tatsumi knew he missed out a lot on Bulat's training and wanted to try and make up for the lost time by getting stronger and working harder. Luckily, he was able to do his homework after being able to hold his pencil and write with it for several minutes.
"I need to eat something real quick and then it's to the training grounds!" Tatsumi said with energy as he bolted out of his room, only to run into more posters.
The force of the paper was enough to hold him back for a bit until he managed to rip through them, running straight into the wall.
Next to him, Sheele looked at him confused. She then took a look at his door, leading into his bedroom and suddenly realized that she had accidentally plastered his door with the posters.
"I'm sorry Tatsumi!" She bowed, dropping the remaining posters in her hands. "I didn't realize your door was there."
"How can you not even see it?" Tatsumi asked himself as he stayed lying on the ground.
"Hey, why can't I get out?!" Lubbock yelled from his room. "Leone! Chelsea! Did one of you two do this?!"
"Pipe down moss head." Mine sighed as she leaned against the wall. "There are some people still trying to sleep here." She said before seeing Tatsumi on the ground, covered in posters.
Her face immediately lit up as she grabbed several posters, on the floor, and raced over towards him.
"Tatsumi! You're awake!" She cheered. "Here! I want you to head over to the school and begin putting these up with Akame and Leone."
"Huh?" Tatsumi questioned as he unknowingly accepted the posters and Mine kicked him out of the dorm.
Tatsumi landed on the ground, losing some posters, but still having a tight grip around the others. As he looked at the posters and wondered what was going on, a hand reached out in front of him, offering to help him up.
"You okay, Tatsumi?" Akame asked as she offered to help him up.
"Yeah." Tatsumi replied, accepting Akame's help. "What's going on? Can you tell me?"
"Of course we can!" Leone cheered. "It's that time of the month that Mine loses….I'm mean tries to become the student council president!"
"Student council president?" Tatsumi questioned before remembering back to the beginning of the new semester how everyone was discussing 'that something'. "You mean what you guys talked about on the first day back was this?" He asked, seemingly surprised.
"Yep!" Leone danced.
"What's wrong with her?" Tatsumi asked.
"She's drunk." Akame bluntly put it. "Mine slipped something in her coffee and now she's like this."
"And she'll just listen to anything anyone says?!" Tatsumi asked horrified.
Akame nodded her head before Tatsumi made a small, evil grin on his face.
"Hey Leone." Tatsumi said, getting the drunk lioness' attention. "You still owe me the money you 'borrowed' from me last time." He said, rubbing his hands together. "Finally I can get back all the money she's-"
"No can do!" Leone sang. "I've spent it all on more booooooooooooozes!" She said before collapsing on the ground and falling asleep.
Tatsumi irritatingly looked as Leone peacefully slept on the ground, the smell of boozes lingering around the air. Only Akame shrugged her shoulders before headed off towards the school with the posters Mine gave her.
"Yo! Tatsumi!" Wave shouted as Tatsumi was hanging up the last of the posters in his hands.
"Hey Wave!" Tatsumi smiled, fist bumping with him. "How are you doing?"
Wave smiled as he flexed his arms. "Better! All thanks to Esdeath….well, to be honest, it was more of thanks to Kurome." Wave disappointingly looked down. "Esdeath's rehab was like if hell had a soul. Do you even know what that looks like?" He looked at Tatsumi for some sympathy.
"Y-Yeah, I think I can." Tatsumi said, calling back to the times in Esdeath's gym class how she tricked Lubbock and locked him in some random room before chasing after Tatsumi around the school until the bell rang. "Anyway, where is Kurome? She's normally with you, isn't she?"
"She's helping Esdeath with putting up posters for the student council elections." Wave replied. "It seems Mine's going at it again? This has got to be her fifth try already."
"Fifth try?" Tatsumi asked.
Wave nodded his head. "You're aware of Esdeath's Five Grand Policy's, right?" Wave asked, holding up five fingers before listing each policy. "Number One: The acting student council president, Esdeath, has a final say in anything. Number Two: Event's such as Spring Break Brawl are permitted in order for students and rival dorms to let loose some steam. Number Three: Students who gain an acceptable score, higher than a B, are allowed to graduate from the school. Number Four: Any active dorm is allowed to declare war on another dorm. However, if this policy is done, both dorms may face penalties for fighting not during a school event. Number Five:" Wave listed last.
"The separation of race." Tatsumi said, remembering the last one that clearly affected Mine.
"So you understand why she's running again?" Wave asked.
"Yeah, I do." Tatsumi said, clenching his fists. "Mine wants to become the student council president to ban the fifth policy and if possible, the other four. Am I right?"
Wave simply nodded his head before continuing. "The way elections are run here, after Esdeath won by popular demand when she first joined the school is real simple. All candidates are to give a speech of any length stating their goals and what they will accomplish. After which, the students, vote for the two candidates they wish to see race. At that point comes the final stage between the two runner ups."
"What's that?" Tatsumi asked.
"The Colosseum." Wave said, causing Tatsumi's eyes to go wide. "It's a large arena, big enough to fit the entire school and any citizens. Both candidates for the student council president must fight with their champions."
"Champions?" Tatsumi repeated, recalling that Mine had said he was to be her champion in the beginning. "But, then that means I have to fight for Mine?"
"I guess she's made you her champion then? Not surprised, but let me tell you one thing that will be helpful." Wave said as he leaned into whisper. "Never let anyone find out you're her champion. Nearly every semester, Mine's champions end up hurt or out with the flu or something that lets Esdeath win."
"You're telling me...Esdeath will sabotage me like the rest?" Tatsumi asked horrified.
"She won't as long as you're not known as Mine's champion. Understood?" Wave asked with Tatsumi aggressively shaking his head. "Back to what I was saying before," Wave continued. "Both champions will fight until one falls and the standing champion will have won the election for the candidate. It's that simple." Wave said.
"What if both champions are knocked out?" Tatsumi asked.
Wave looked at him confused. "Did you not hear me earlier, Esdeath takes out her opponents champions. So if the actual fight ended in a draw, no one would know what to do."
"I see…" Tatsumi said, becoming concerned with Mine's well being if she were to lose again.
"But hey, cheer up!" Wave smiled. "The elections haven't even started yet."
"R-Right." Tatsumi responded.
"Well, I've got to go. I think Kurome should be finishing up soon and she'll get grumpy if she doesn't get her snacks." Wave said as he started running. "See ya!"
"Later!" Tatsumi waved at him. "If what he said is true, then I'll have to train even more." Tatsumi thought to himself. "Sorry Mine, but you'll have to do the first part without me. I have to get stronger."
Hiding behind a corner, observing Tatsumi from behind; Esdeath's face blushed red as she watched Tatsumi drop the posters of Mine and dash towards the doors to leave the school. She soon pulled out a small book and opened it to a page with her and Tatsumi drawn in it.
"Sorry Tatsumi, but this is one thing I won't let you win." She whispered to herself, holding the book close to her chest.
Well, elections at Empire High are starting up and now we know how they operate. With Tatsumi going off to train, it's only a question of how Mine will be running and what Esdeath plans to do to try and win again. Will she sabotage Tatsumi like the previous champions?
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