“Am I the Seii Taishogun!? ~The JK Shogun and the Nine Handsome Men~” Episode 3 [Creative Award 2024, Manga Original Work Category Entry]

The next morning, Aoi frowned.
“My name is Shugoro Kuroku, a transfer student. Nice to meet you...”
“Hey, isn't he cool?”
“He’s so mysterious~”
The girls sitting in the row next to Aoi whispered excitedly. Aoi also stared at Shugoro’s face. Last night, she was too furious to really take it in, but he had neat, short black hair, cool features, and a tall, slender build. Indeed, he was quite a handsome guy. He might even be one of the top two in this class.
“Now, about your seat, Kuroku-kun... Kuroku-kun?”
The homeroom teacher pointed to a seat, but Shugoro ignored it and headed to the very back seat by the window, calling out to the boy sitting there.
“Hey, it’s hard to see the blackboard and hear the teacher from this seat, isn't it? My seat is further up. Let’s trade.”
“Huh? No way.”
The boy refused. Naturally, no one would give up a prime seat like the one at the very back by the window. Then, Shugoro leaned down and whispered something to the boy. The boy looked shocked.
“W-w-wait, how do you know that!?”
“You’ll trade with me, right?”
“A-ah! Let’s trade! Teacher! I’m switching with him!”
“Oh... well, Kuroku-kun, you can sit there. Let’s continue homeroom...”
“...That’s better.”
Shugoro muttered as he sat down. Aoi, sitting next to him, thought it was not better at all.

“Sorry, Sawa-cchi, for having you show me around.”
“It is no trouble.”
During lunch break, Aoi was heading to a certain place with Sawa.
“...So, who are you?”
Aoi cast a suspicious glance at Shugoro, who was walking behind them.
“I am here to protect the Shogun... n-no, I wanted to explain what happened in the bedroom last night...”
“The bedroom last night?”
Sawa looked back and forth between Aoi and Shugoro.
“Stop saying things that cause misunderstandings! ...I have no intention of talking to a stalker!”
“That is not very impressive, Kuroku-kun...”
Sawa gave Shugoro a cold look.
“It’s a misunderstanding! I am not a stalker, I am the Shogun’s...”
“The Shogun’s?”
“N-no, nothing...”
“Ah, we have arrived, Aoi-sama. This is the student council room.”
“So this is it...”
Sawa called out through the door.
“Second-year Class To, Vice Class Representative Jin Date. I... I have brought the Shogun.”
“Ah, please come in.”
A voice came from inside the room. It was the same one she had heard yesterday, Manjome’s. Urged by Sawa, Aoi tried to enter the room with a slightly nervous expression, but she turned back and told Shugoro:
“You don’t need to come in!”
And then, the heavy door of the student council room was closed in front of Shugoro. As Aoi and Sawa entered the room, Manjome stood up to welcome them.
“I have been waiting for you, Shogun. Please, have a seat here.”
Saying that, Manjome stood up and pointed to the seat he had been occupying. In front of it was a tidy, large desk and a comfortable-looking chair, and further in front of the desk was a black triangular prism nameplate with “Student Council President” written in white letters. Aoi felt intimidated.
“No, no! That is the President’s seat!”
“Is that so? Then, excuse me...”
Manjome sat back down. The two stood in front of the desk. Manjome rested both elbows on the table, clasped his hands in front of his face, and began to speak.
“After what happened yesterday, I wanted to properly greet you, Waka-Shimono-san, but circumstances have changed.”
“Circumstances?”
“Yes... to put it clearly, due to proposals from those dissatisfied with your tenure as Shogun, Waka-Shimono-san, it has been decided that at the student general meeting before summer vacation, we will ask all students who is truly fit to be Shogun.”
““!?””
“The students will observe everyone’s behavior and work over the next three months and then vote. The results will serve as an expression of the public will, and will also be good material for the adults over there to make their decisions.”
Manjome explained his intention while pointing to Oedo Castle, which could be seen outside the window.
“Work...?”
“For example, leading the ‘Summer Cultural Festival’ to a great success... Unlike the winter festival, it is customary for the second-year executive committee members to take the lead in making the summer festival exciting.”
Manjome answered Aoi’s question.
“President! That is disadvantageous to Aoi-sama! In our generation, Class To has almost no say in executive committees! Our opinions are rarely adopted! How are we supposed to show our presence in such a state!? Even if the selection process was a bit unclear, Aoi-sama is the legitimate Seii Taishogun!”
Manjome took a sip of tea and turned his body toward Sawa.
“However, the thoughts of certain people cannot be ignored either...”
Manjome stared into Sawa’s eyes.
“...Found it, this is it.”
Reacting to Aoi’s voice, Sawa and the others turned toward her. Aoi was flipping through her student handbook, which she had taken out of her chest pocket.
“Aoi-sama, is something wrong?”
While calming down the slightly irritated Sawa, Aoi spoke to Manjome.
“President, I have something else to discuss. May I bother you again after school?”
“That is fine.”
“Thank you! Then, Sawa-cchi, let’s go back to the classroom.”
“...Understood. Excuse us, President.”

On the way back to the classroom, Sawa spoke up, looking dissatisfied.
“Aoi-sama, did you think of something? You have to tell me.”
“This!”
Aoi showed Sawa the page she had been looking at earlier. After confirming the wording, Sawa regained her calm expression.
“...I see. Shall we ask those two and... Kuroku-kun to be the members? That will make up the numbers.”
“What should I do?”
“...Please think of a name. I will handle the details.”

After school, five students lined up in front of Student Council President Manjome’s desk.
“To have the class representative, vice class representative, and secretary of Class To all here... what is this about?”
“I will speak. We would like to request approval for the establishment of this club... We want to start a club with Waka-Shimono-san as the president.”
“You need at least five people, right?”
“Besides Waka-Shimono-san, the four of us here will be members.”
“What did you say!?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of this!?”
Kogiri and Keigen exclaimed in surprise.
“It seems you haven’t reached a consensus...”
Manjome looked confused.
“We will reach a consensus from here on. Kuroku-kun, the thing.”
“Yes.”
Urged by Sawa, Shugoro distributed a certain paper to everyone present.
“School newspaper...?”
“And an extra edition... Sawa-cchi, this content!?”
Sawa nodded at the surprised Aoi.
“That’s right, it’s a scoop.”
“A school election!? Deciding who is fit to be Shogun based on our work over the next few months!? What does this mean, President!”
“Is the election really going to happen!?”
“Yes, I was the one who proposed it.”
Pressed by Keigen and Kogiri, Manjome nodded.
“It is a fact that there are a considerable number of forces within this academy who are not happy with Aoi-sama’s tenure as Shogun. Ignoring it as just a student election game is not a good strategy. Therefore, I thought we should also take countermeasures.”
“And part of those countermeasures is establishing a club?”
Sawa nodded at Manjome’s question.
“That’s right! Aoi-sama!”
“Yes! President! Although it is an election within the academy, I will definitely win!”
“Your enthusiasm is fine, but how does that connect to a club...?”
“I intend to use my position as Shogun to carry out activities that will make everyone’s school life better! Please approve the establishment of the club!!”
“What is the name of the club?”
In response to Manjome’s question, Aoi puffed out her chest and loudly declared the name of the club.
“It is the ‘Club for the Shogun and Her Merry Friends to Liven Up School Life’!”
“That’s long!?”
“It’s okay, I’ve thought of an abbreviation too! Shugoro!”
“Yes!”
Shugoro suddenly unfolded the Japanese paper he was holding. On it was written in brush, ‘Shoyukai’.”
“No, is that where you abbreviate it!?”
“...What kind of specific activities will you be doing?”
“If there is a student in the east who is happy, we will rejoice with them; if there is a student in the west who is angry, we will calm their anger; if there is a student in the south who is sad, we will gently stand by them; and if there is a student in the north who is having fun, we will share in that joy... that is the nature of our activities!”
“I, I see...”
Manjome sought help from Sawa. Sawa answered immediately.
“We are thinking of installing ‘suggestion boxes’ in several places around the school. We want to solve the various consultations and worries brought to us by the students one by one.”
“You are undertaking troubleshooting within the academy? Hmm... the three of you are fine, but what about those two?”“Of course we will do it! If the club’s reputation rises, the Shogun’s stock will also rise. We should be able to win the school election... We can also shut up the people who have been mocking her for being the daughter of a tozama daimyo... There is no way we can miss such an opportunity!”
“What about you, Oomori-kun?”
“...I think making school life better is a good thing. I will join too.”
“...Understood. I approve the establishment of the ‘Club for the Shogun and Her Merry Friends to Liven Up School Life’, commonly known as ‘Shoyukai’.”
“Thank you! We will do our best! Excuse us!”
Aoi and the others left the room.
“I was pressured by their momentum and approved it, but... well, I wonder what will happen...”
Manjome, left behind, muttered that while taking a sip of tea.