Arthur POV
The points got tallied one by one. When it was all said and done. I was confused, confused beyond measure.
Arthur Pendragon, 4 votes.
Momo Yaoyorozu, 3 votes.
Izuku Midoriya, 3 votes.
Who voted for me?! I didn't want this!
"You've got to be shitting me!" Bakugo yelled, his voice echoing through the classroom as his fists slammed against his desk, small explosions crackling from his palms.
I looked at the names with 0 votes spread across the board. It was almost more surprising who hadn't gotten any votes than who had.
Ochaco Uraraka, 0 votes
Toru Hagakure, 0 votes.
Ejiro Kirishima, 0 votes.
Denki Kaminari, 0 votes.
Tenya Iida, 0 votes
Shoto Todoroki, 0 votes
And the last one.
Mezo Shoji, 0 points.
The sight of Iida's name with zero votes particularly stung. He'd been the one to suggest the democratic process in the first place, speaking so passionately about the sacred nature of leadership. Yet here he was, having received not a single vote from his classmates.
"Who voted for that shithead, Deku!" Bakugo continued his tirade, whirling around to glare at various classmates.
I couldn't stop myself.
"Language."
The word came out before I could think about it. The entire class fell silent, turning to stare at me with expressions ranging from amused to bewildered.
"Language?" Kaminari asked, a smile spreading across his face as he tried to suppress a laugh.
Heat crept up my neck as I realized how that must have sounded. "I know, I know, it just came out." I scratched the back of my head, feeling oddly embarrassed. Thankfully my embarassment passed, as someone made a commotion.
"Zero points," Iida said, his voice carrying a note of dejection as his arms trembled at his sides. "I see how it is, of course since I insisted on the sacredness of the role." His usually robotic demeanor had cracked, it honestly looked like he was about to cry, it made me feel bad.
"You voted for somebody else," Yaoyorozu observed, her tone somewhat sympathetic. "Even though you wanted the job so badly.. what are you doing Iida?"
"Wait," Mina said, raising her hand with her characteristic enthusiasm. "So Arthur's gonna be class president, but who's gonna be vice president? Both Midoriya and Yaoyorozu got three points."
I could feel their gazes, nineteen total, they all wanted me to choose. At least that was what it felt like. This was already more responsibility than I'd bargained for, and we hadn't even started classes properly yet.
"Ask your new president, it's his responsibility now," Aizawa said, his voice muffled as he crawled back into his yellow sleeping bag like a hermit crab settling itself in a new shell. The dismissive way he said it made it clear he wanted nothing to do with our class politics, or maybe he had wanted nothing to do with our class in general, honestly I couldn't tell yet.
"So who are you gonna make vice president?" Yaoyorozu asked, her posture straight and professional as always.
"Y-yeah," Midoriya stuttered, his hands fidgeting with the corner of his notebook. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he waited for my answer.
I looked at both of them, their obvious desire for the position. They both clearly wanted this more than I did. The logical part of me immediately thought of Yaoyorozu. I had voted for her, after all.
But as I looked at Midoriya, sweating bullets and trying to hide how much he wanted this opportunity, I thought of All Might. This was his protege, at least, I was fairly certain he was.
All Might had spoken about choosing someone who embodied what it meant to be a true hero. Maybe this could be valuable experience for Midoriya.
Then again, was it fair to make such an important decision based on speculation? What if I was wrong about the connection between All Might and Midoriya? And even if I wasn't? Wasn't it wrong to take the opportunity from Yaoyorozu just because she wasn't All Might's student?
I could just abdicate, couldn't I? I looked at the points on the chalkboard again, my eyes lingering on the people with zeros. Iida's disappointed face, Kirishima's understanding nod. They had cast their votes, placed their trust in the democratic process. Four people had specifically chosen me for this role. Could I really just throw that trust aside?
But if I stayed as president, could I really choose between these two? Both had merit. Both deserved consideration.
Wait.
An idea formed in my mind. I didn't have to make this choice alone. In fact, wasn't that the whole point of democracy that Iida had been talking about?
"I have decided," I announced, standing up from my seat. The classroom fell silent again, everyone leaning forward slightly to hear my verdict. "This will be decided by vote. This time just between Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, no one else. No one can put in a blank vote."
Murmurs were heard across the classroom. I heard all of them.
"That is fine by me," Yaoyorozu said, her tone professional as always. If she was disappointed not to be chosen outright, she hid it well.
"S-same here," Midoriya managed, though his stutter betrayed his nervousness.
From within his sleeping bag cocoon, Aizawa's muffled voice emerged. "I'm not picking up the bowl this time."
Of course he wouldn't. I sighed and stood up, grabbing the glass bowl from his desk. "I will be the only one not putting a vote this time." It seemed fair, as the person making the decision, I should remain neutral in the final vote.
I walked around the classroom, collecting votes one by one. Some of my classmates had clearly already made up their minds, dropping their folded papers in quickly. Others hesitated, weighing their options carefully before casting their ballots.
Kaminari flashed me a thumbs up as I passed his desk. Kirishima gave me what I was beginning to recognize as his signature sharp-toothed grin. Toru waved enthusiastically, even though only I could see that since she was wearing her U.A. uniform which didn't have gloves.
When I reached Bakugo's desk, he practically threw his paper into the bowl with more force than necessary, muttering something under his breath that I chose not to pursue.
Finally, I had collected all nineteen votes. Standing at the front of the classroom, I began unfolding papers and tallying the results on the board next to the original vote counts.
"Izuku Midoriya," I called out, making a mark. Then another. "Momo Yaoyorozu." More marks appeared as I worked through the pile.
I could hear someone, probably Midoriya, breathing heavily behind me. When I finished counting, I stepped back to reveal the final tally.
Izuku Midoriya, 8 votes.
Momo Yaoyorozu, 11 votes.
"Well then, I guess it's decided," Aizawa said, finally emerging from his sleeping bag like some kind of tired butterfly emerging from a yellow cocoon. "Your class president will be Arthur Pendragon and your vice president shall be Momo Yaoyorozu."
I turned to face the class, seeing a mix of reactions. Yaoyorozu looked pleased if a little disappointed, maybe from the fact she hadn't got to be president. Midoriya looked even more disappointed and was trying to hide it well, which wasn't all that well.
"Thank you for your trust," I said, bowing slightly to the class. "I'll do my best to live up to your expectations."
The class period ended after that, and we transitioned into our other subjects. Arts with Midnight was... an experience. The R-rated hero's teaching style was as flamboyant as her hero persona, and I found myself trying not to blush at some of her more colorful explanations of artistic expression.
Mathematics with Ectoplasm was more straightforward, though his multiple clones made the lesson feel surreal. Having the same teacher repeated six times around the classroom took some getting used to.
Finally, it was time for lunch. As I rose to follow my usual group, I felt a presence beside my desk.
"We need to start planning this year's activities," Yaoyorozu said without preamble, her posture as straight and professional as always. "We also need to form the entire student council and establish communication with Class 1-B's president and vice-president."
The way she said it made it sound like we had months of work ahead of us, all needing to be completed immediately. I could already feel the weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders like a heavy cape.
"Uh huh," I said, nodding along while feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of duties. "Can we do that after lunch though?"
"Are you that hungry?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as if the concept of prioritizing food over student government was foreign to her.
"Not really, no, but..." I trailed off, glancing toward where Kaminari, Kirishima, and the others were waiting by the door. They were my anchor to normal teenage life, to the friendships Nezu had encouraged me to build. "I promised to eat with my friends."
She followed my gaze and seemed to understand. Her expression softened slightly. "Fine, we will reconvene after lunch."
I smiled at that concession, grateful that she was willing to accommodate what probably seemed like a trivial social commitment to someone as driven as her.
Following my group out the door, I jumped onto Kaminari's shoulders with perhaps more enthusiasm than the situation warranted. "To lunch!" I declared, pointing dramatically toward the cafeteria.
"Hey Arthur, I've noticed these last few days, but you're a bit of a foodie, aren't you? Ribbit," Tsuyu said, direct as always.
"Foodie?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"It means you enjoy food much more than the usual person," she explained patiently.
"Prince Foodie, another nickname for you," Mina said, snapping her fingers with satisfaction at her linguistic creativity.
We all looked at her with expressions that probably said everything about the quality of that particular nickname.
"Not great, huh?" she said, deflating slightly.
"Not really, no," we all replied in unison, which only made her laugh.
"Also, you guys were the ones who voted for me, right?" I asked as we walked toward the cafeteria, genuinely curious about who had put their faith in me.
"Yep," Kaminari said, his voice slightly muffled since I was still perched on his shoulders. "It was a tough choice, but I figured I shouldn't vote for myself."
"Yep, I mean I thought your vigilante experience would be good for being president of the hero course," Kirishima added, his reasoning echoing Kaminari's. "Plus, you've got that natural protective instinct that would be good for looking out for the class."
"Yeah, I just thought you were the best choice," Toru said. "You always seem to know what to do in difficult situations."
"No, sorry, I just don't know you well enough yet," Tsuyu said with her characteristic honesty. "I voted for myself."
"Nah, sorry fam, but I wanted to be class president so I just voted for myself," Mina added with a sheepish grin. "Can't blame a girl for having ambitions!"
"Well, thanks," I said, feeling a warmth in my chest at their explanations. "I'll try to live up to your expectations."
"May I repeat, I didn't vote for you, so I have no expectations, but I wish you luck anyway," Tsuyu said in her straightforward manner, which somehow made her well-wishes feel more genuine.
We entered the lunch room, and I immediately felt my enhanced senses pick up the incredible array of smells wafting from the kitchen. Without hesitation, I dashed to the line, my friends calling out behind me as I loaded my tray with what probably constituted enough food for three normal people, although then again what counted as normal in this quirk populated society.
Finding a free table, I quickly claimed our seats before diving into the meal. "God, this is so good," I said between bites, my appreciation for U.A.'s culinary program growing with each meal.
The rest of the group settled around the table, and we fell into conversation.
It was during these moments that I truly understood what Nezu had been trying to teach me about balance. This, sitting with friends, sharing a meal, laughing at ridiculous stories, this was what normal teenage life looked like. This was what I'd been missing during my years as a vigilante.
As lunch was winding down, I noticed Yaoyorozu approaching our table.
"We'll need to start talking about the schedule this evening," she said without preamble.
"Sure, you tell me the time and the place," I replied, wiping my mouth with a napkin.
"Just stay in class after the last class."
I raised a thumbs up in acknowledgment. "Understood."
A/N: Yeah Arthur is gonna have a hard time with this president shit, he isn't built for it, at least not fully, he's charismatic just kind of awkward, you know since he was alone for seven years of his life were socializing was the most important part lol.
Also this is the bonus chapter from the top 5, two down, just two more to go. Woohoo!!!!
Also this is taking longer than I thought it would so that 250 number is actually looking more like 300 lol. Either way see you guys and gals tomorrow. I normally lurk in Bleap's server, here is the link ( I kind of forgot to add it in the last few author notes lol).
https://discord.gg/DxmWbuZn
Thx for reading. Author out.