Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Iconic Student Council Presidents flashed through Zhao Youyue’s mind. Most of them had been females. Look at Student Council Presidents like Katsura Hinagiku [1], Misaki Usui [2], Tomoyo Sakagami [3], and Medaka Kurokami. [4] They were all super popular and adored. At the same time, their abilities were terrifying, almost to the point of reality-altering.

She recalled one male Student Council President in particular from ‘Classroom of the Elite’ [5]. He was a big-shot character as well.

Well, there was no need for a Student Council President character card for now. After all, if she wanted to be a Student Council President, she had to use some special tricks, or be a junior student first. Who knows, she might be kicked out just after one term. It could not be helped, too many people were after this position, as it actually possessed actual power!

A term of the Student Council’s President position spanned over only half a semester. Those who could participate in the elections would need to be a department head in the Student Council. If they wanted to be successful in the election, then no doubt, they would have to create their own election campaign team. If not, they would stand alone, even after being elected. Wouldn’t this be like a one-man army?

Zhao Youyue intently studied the organizational structure of Jiangnan University’s Student Council after she got back home. She was even prepared to collect the resumes of the past Student Council Presidents. She had set her heart on using her evil will to influence the Student Council. The more she discovered about Jiangnan University’s Student Council, the more she understood how much power it actually had!

The Student Council President could stay past curfew?

That was not a problem at all! The Student Council President would have to deal with all kinds of problem every day, and would even have to fight and scheme against those evil adults at night. Staying out at night was proof of the Student Council President’s greatness!

However, Zhao Youyue wanted to ridicule the system. Why not change the Student Council President’s election into something like a Presidential election? Furthermore, wasn’t one term too short, if it was only half a semester? It’s as if you’ve just finished your song on stage, and someone else is already waiting for his turn[6]. Are there even any handover processes?

As Zhao Youyue studied the resumes of past Student Council Presidents, she discovered that one had actually held power for 3 terms straight. Being the President for half a semester would be a sorry state. They could not even be the Student Council President for an entire school year. What meaning was there in this title? You might as well go back home and rear pigs!

Zhao Youyue liked doing the impossible. The euphoric success and triumph that followed would be intoxicating.

Something told her that the Student Council President’s throne was already hers. This way, she could raise… No, that’s not right. She could exercise her authority over others. She could show them the way. This was what a responsible ruler did with power!

Zhao Youyue even considered becoming a corrupt official. It was just like how she witnessed her own father playing Zhuge Liang in the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII.’ He had even come up with ideas like ‘one-person Northern Expeditions.’

First, Zhao Youyue’s father had Zhuge Liang resign from his position as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shu. Then, he became a merchant in the villages. After he earned quite some money, he would seek refuge in the Kingdom of Wei. He would later get promoted to high-ranking positions in the Kingdom of Wei and control the treasury. Then, he would embezzle money meant for the military of the Kingdom of Zhao, and even transfer the troops to the border. Finally, he would align himself with Sima Yi and turn him to his side. He would then recommend Sima Yi to the Kingdom of Shu. Just like that, he would remove all of the high-ranking officials and generals from the Kingdom of Wei, and finally revive the Han Dynasty!

Zhao Youyue had laughed hysterically throughout the playthrough. Her father was truly something! Unfortunately, that was just a game. If not, it would have been impossible to be successful in a ‘one-man Northern Expedition.’

Nevertheless, a doting daughter had learned much from her father. She was self-taught in concepts like the ‘Thick Black Theory’ [7].

Becoming a Student Council President might even help expand her company. She could even learn about how money and power got involved in transactions within officialdoms!

As long as she could perform her duties until the entire university was satisfied, she could retain her position indefinitely. However, she now had a big question to solve. How was she going to get elected quickly?

She had gone through the resumes of all past Presidents of the Student Council and discovered that one of the earliest Presidents got successfully elected when he was a sophomore. However, the sad part was, he was kicked out just after one term in the position. The reason was simple. Those experienced seniors in the Student Council never once obeyed him. At the same time, he did not have his own grassroots. In the end, he accomplished nothing in his term. Not only was the school unsatisfied, the entire student body was dissatisfied.

How did he even get elected? Well, he was somewhat lucky. He was rather popular online and became viral from creating game walkthrough videos. Coincidentally, he somehow became the Assistant Department Head of the Student Council Publicity Department. He then had a bright idea about using his identity to run for elections. Originally, he only wanted to try things out casually. After campaigning with his game walkthrough videos, he did not expect to find so many of his fans in the university…

At the same time, few had expected a sophomore to contest in the election for the Student Council President. Since he would not win anyway, there’s no harm throwing a few votes his way, right? His campaign slogan was to develop the e-sports community in the university and allow everyone to game happily. This struck the G-spot of some guys. Therefore, otakus who were normally too lazy to vote actually went out in droves and blew up the ballot boxes.

Therefore, the ‘election story’ happened just like that. Unfortunately, this miracle only lasted for half a semester.

Even so, Zhao Youyue was greatly inspired by the chain of events!

The first thing to be made clear was that the Student Council President would be the core leader of the Student Council. There would be a Vice President to aid him. There were also several administrative departments in the Student Council. It would typically be comprised of the Office of the Secretary (the Secretariat), the Class Relations Department (Class Member Relations Department), Publicity Department, Organizations Department, Learning Department, Social Practice Department, Sports Department, Arts Department, Student Life Department, Disciplinary Department (Disciplinary Inspection Department), Dormitory Supervisor Department (Male Department of Internal Affairs and Female Administrative Department), Public Relations Department (Publicity Department), Clubs and Associations Department, and the Technology Department. Each department would be led by a Department Head, two Assistant Department Heads, one Department Secretary, and several Officers.

Students who were eligible to run for the Student Council President election would have at least be an Assistant Department Head.

In reality, other than that lucky guy, no Assistant Department Head would dare run for the Student Council President election. There was simply no meaning in it.

A majority of those who would seriously run for elections were Department Heads. They would usually be Department Heads of powerful departments like the Public Relations Department or the Clubs and Associations Department. Department Heads of those small departments would not even dare to think about running. Other departments even had a lack of funding and would sometimes be treated as if they were invisible.

Zhao Youyue saw her point of entry!

After all, side characters easily rose to renown in peace and silence, blindsiding the big dogs. Assembling the members of the department could be done in silence as well, there would be little to no voluntary applications…

Translation note:

[1] “Katsura Hinagiku” (桂雏菊) is a character in the Anime ‘Hayate no Gotoku!’. She is an all-rounder student and the current student council president of Hakuo Academy.

[2] “Misaki Usui” (鲇泽美咲) is a character in the Anime ‘Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama!’. She was known as the “Demon President” as the former Student Council President of Seika High School.

[3] “Tomoyo Sakagami” (坂上智代) is a character in the Anime ‘Clannad.’ She is the Student Council President of Hikarizaka Private High School.

[4] “Medaka Kurokami” (黑神目泷) is the female protagonist of the series Medaka Box. A freshman of Class 13, she was the 98th and later 99th Student Council president of Hakoniwa Academy.

[5] “Classroom of the Elite” (欢迎来到实力至上主义教室) is an Anime series.

[6] “It is as if you have just finished singing and I am already on the stage waiting for my turn” (你方唱罢我方登场) is an idiom generally used to describe constant power changes.

[7] “Thick Black Theory” (厚黑) is a philosophical treatise written by Li Zongwu (李宗吾), a disgruntled politician and scholar born at the end of Qing dynasty. The ‘Thick Black Theory’ describes the ruthless and hypocritical means men use to obtain and hold power.