He Who Stands Beside Me

"He Who Stands Beside Me" (隣に立つ彼は) is a short story from Melon Books' store privilege for volume 2 of 2nd Year arc of You-Zitsu light novel series, together with other three short stories.

Summary
Wanting to join the Student Council, Horikita had asked Nagumo about it, but he looked surprised and said he didn't want to permit it but being someone who didn't refuse anyone from entering as long as there were empty places, he would insist on the condition that he would only accept her after hearing her reason to join the student council. Knowing some stupid lie wouldn't work on him and also she couldn't mention it was because of Ayanokōji, she answered that her relationship with her brother had strained and as long as her brother was there she couldn't show him her growth and spent a whole year without even having a proper talk with him until the very last moments.

Then she thought that if she wouldn't be able to enter the council, Ayanokōji would surely be disappointed and she wanted to avoid that. Realizing how she didn't want to make Ayanokōji disappointed, she was interested in knowing how he saw her then. She wanted him, who she valued highly and knew was not a regular student, to acknowledge her.

Hearing her answer, Nagumo accepted her into the student council and held his hand out to her. Sharing the handshake, she thought she would grow besides Nagumo, who had stood beside her brother. And seeing her growth, Ayanokōji would come to acknowledge her and by that time they would have come close to reaching Class A. It was a premonition she couldn't shake away.