Going through the shame of looking like someone incapable of being a good candidate, no one signed for the same position on the Reds wing.
They were all very unmotivated, that defeat of all the years was being visualized again despite the fact that there was still a week left before the real elections began.
Professor Tadashi sat next to Juro, who was already the final candidate, and Ringo, who would be his campaign commissioner.
-Okay guys… we may not have created the best first impression for our militants, but that's no reason to be discouraged, is it?
-Damn it, my name will be on Losers' Wall. –Juro cried, who had his face hidden in his arms. He remained crouched, staring at the table where he sat.
"The wall of losers" was a wall where, precisely, the names of the Reds candidates who had lost the committee elections for twenty-four years were put, practically those that Professor Tadashi had. It was as if when Tadashi was born, the Reds were instantly doomed to lose forever.
-Don't you dare say that, boy! Where is your samurai pride?! Tadashi questioned, taking Juro's shoulders.
-I think it stayed home, professor. -Juro say.
-I won't let my name get written down for the third time on that fucking wall of shit, so you! - Tadashi pointed his finger at Ringo. -You better give me some good idea or I'll take you to the extraordinary right now!
-Hey, you're taking this matter too seriously, Professor Tadashi, give me a few minutes to think!
-Then you have ten minutes to think, son of Trotsky, or fail the remainder of the year!
Now Ringo was in trouble ... no matter how much he thought, he had no good ideas. He was going through the underlined policy books from years past for ideas. Tadashi was counting on the hands of the clock for the remaining time, and Juro… he kept wailing instead.
-You have thirty seconds! –Tadashi took his pencil and uncapped it to put it in Ringo's name.
-This is ridiculous, it is not my fault that you are frustrated with the elections because you always lose!
-Now you have ten seconds!
-Oh Lord! Why have you abandoned me?!
-Ten, nine, eight, seven...!
-Pro-propaganda! -Ringo yelled. -Propaganda will do!
-Well thought… you're a genius. All right. Juro, you better get up, you have a speech to give today.
-I don't want ... I feel useless.
-You already are, so don't complain about it.
The person who made the speeches was Yurisa, due to her good writing skills. She had written what she considered the best Reds speech in the twenty-four years that they had been founded.
Tadashi read it with some anxiety. Towards some faces of acceptance, others of disgust and some of surprise for the worse.
In the end, he returned the speech to Yurisa, but with modifications of more than eighty percent of the content. Many parts were bad.
-Very good Yurisa, it is not terrible, but you repeat a lot that being from the Reds is the best, that we are the best option, that is something that is already known, okay? You must destroy your enemy in nine out of ten pages of speech. You're a woman so you can make up rumors that conservative candidates are… unfit for the job.
-I understand ... I think I can do something for it. You leave everything to me. -Yurisa winked, stuck out her tongue and thumbed up.
It so happened that the strongest conservative candidate was Eiji, who was in first place in the pre-elections on the conservative wing. Behind him was Kazumi relaxed, who had a lot of lip service, besides being pretty.
-And that is why I, as a faithful candidate for The Conservatives, promise to end the Reds, maintaining peace and tranquility in our sacred institution! –Declared Eiji as the applause sounded in the courtyard of the academy, where the speeches were held.
He had many followers, since he was quite handsome and had a lot of strength in his promises. He assured that after their victory, the Reds would no longer have the courage to run again, so they would dissolve instantly.
After several days of the pre-elections, Yumei stopped talking to him due to his exacerbated conservative considerations, which were bordering on the ridiculous limits.
-Don't you remember that I'm your girlfriend?! You were the one who started with us! - Yumei sputtered, again, arguing with Eiji.
-That doesn't mean that it doesn't cost you any work to go to The Conservatives, and I also don't want you to be part of the humiliation that their defeat will bring!
-Cretin! –Yumei slammed the door in Eiji's face.
-Those two have been fighting all week. Really, they're starting to piss me off. –Ringo mentioned, who as usual was sprawled in his place.
-Sigh, politics divides everyone, it's like a football classic.
The Conservatives and Reds had so much competition that they even broke into groups in the cafeteria.
To the right gathered The Conservatives, and to the left The Reds. A row of tables was formed where no one sat, being known as "The Iron Curtain."
It only remained for some to put on Russian hats and paint their benches red, while the rest put on bowler hats and paint their benches blue. It was thus something like a cold war.
Aimi and Tadashi guarded their respective places on the iron curtain, each representing their faction with a sash on their right arm. One of turquoise blue and red, respectively representing the color of each committee.
-This is starting to fill me up, I used to sit where The Conservatives are. -Ringo complained.
-Shh! –They all shut it up.
-Tch, pure nonsense. -Whisper.
Professor Tadashi organized an interim meeting at recess, everyone stood in a circle and argued very quietly so that The Conservatives could not hear them.
-Very good guys, Juro's speech will be after recess, so I want to avoid any plot of those bastards, is that clear? -Tadashi asked.
-Yes, teacher. - They all answered.
-Teacher, we have a problem. –It interrupted one of the students. - A conservative candidate will also give a speech after recess.
-Shit, those bastards thought the same as us. Anyway your speech will be constructive, we will tear you to pieces with the speech that Juro will give!
-Uraa!!!
Every time the breaks ended, the iron curtain was parted again. They all left the same door with incredible suspicion, making sure that no one passed a piece of paper between their hands, or that a backpack did not pass from one hand to another.
-I passed you teacher Aimi, war can be war, but that does not prevent me from being gentlemanly. –Ringo mentioned when he met her at the exit of the cafeteria.
-Thank you very much, student. You are better than all of us. –Aimi stroked Ringo's hair and then smiled at him.
Two boys came up behind him and took him by the arms the instant Aimi had left.
-Very good but what do we have here, fraternizing with the enemy?
-Are you a spy for the Conservatives?
-No, I'm the campaign commissioner and vice president of the the Reds committee!
-Another dog with that bone! ... today you have to take ... a shower.
-Oh no…
The "shower" was practically being stripped naked and thrown into male showers to be doused with cold water straight from the hose until the treason crimes were confessed. It was a very creepy technique, but used by both sides when lynching a spy.
And that was precisely what awaited Ringo, if it weren't for the fact that he was lucky enough to have an interview with the president of the the Reds committee first.
-That accusation is false. I know because our vice president gets acquainted with the head of the Conservatives, they can release him. –Juro ordered.
-You were lucky this time. –The two gorillas released Ringo.
-Thank you old man, I saw close.
-Don't thank me… I understand that you like teacher Aimi, but you should avoid all contact with the Conservatives, just like Yumei does.
-Merde, I thought this was not going to affect me too.
-We all get the time sooner or later. Now I want my campaign manager to be by my side while I give my speech.
They were all gathered in the courtyard, Conservatives and Reds, half together ... the iron curtain was a separation of two meters from each platform.
While waiting for the conservative candidate, Juro was already preparing the sheets to begin his speech, next to him were Ringo and Yurisa. Yumei was hidden, watching Eiji, in a guilty way.
-I'd say start before it rains. –Advised Yurisa.
-Sigh, I understand.
The silence was total, you could barely hear the wind blowing. Tadashi was waiting for the speech. Juro adjusted his tie, clearing his throat to begin with.
-Comrades, here I am humbly standing in front of you. Aim for those present. -They all began to murmur at the comment. - We are gathered here to make the appeal of the masses to end once and for all with the conservative regime, being they who have made the academy a prison! He points to Los Conservdores, who will surely be next door.
-Idiot, what is in parentheses is not read! -Ringo muttered in Juro's ear.
-Ah, forgive me! -Heh heh heh. –Juro put his hand behind his neck… all The Reds, including Tadashi, hit their foreheads because they started… starting badly.
-Just finish reading! You want?!
-Yes, sorry. As I was saying, those conservatives are ultra-reactionary dictators, people who refuse freedom of decision, rejecting any positive change that may exist, The Conservatives are...! –Aimi ran to the playground, taking the hand of Kazumi, who was well combed, well groomed and well made up. -They are beautiful ... with long eyelashes, blond hair and blue eyes as deep as the sea."
The Reds immediately began to hear the taunts of The Conservatives. They were finished since Juro only looked at Kazumi with love eyes, expelling many little hearts from his head.
Not that Aimi had planned to take Juro out of the game by putting makeup on Kazumi, it had been pure chance.
-Very well, our candidate is a bit unwell, our comrade communications secretary will be the one to make the speech! –Ringo laughed nervously, leaving Yurisa on the stage.
-Hem… hi, how are you today? –She asked, uncomfortable.
At the end of the day, the Conservatives gained three percent more voters, while the Reds lost an overwhelming twenty percent of militants. Seventeen percent were in the non-aligned zone.
-Juro... you are the worst candidate that I have represented, the worst! Did you hear me?! The worst! -Tadashi yelled.
-It's just that she is beautiful. –Juro sighed, who was still pulling hearts out of his head.
-Do we have any countermeasures?
-We just hired Yumei as the propaganda minister. –Yurisa regretted.
-Do you know how to advertise, girl? Tadashi questioned.
-I can take photos, does that count?
-NO!!! Third consecutive loss in committee elections! If you need me, I'll be writing my suicide letter. –Tadashi fell to the ground, being illuminated by a searchlight.
-Come on professor, don't be dramatic. You said we needed a rumor that could destroy the reputation of the Conservatives candidates? I have a perfect idea. –Said Ringo.
The next day, Eiji walked to his locker as was the custom of every day. Every time he passed through the corridors, people applauded him, shook his hand or wished him the best to get the candidate position… now things were different.
Everywhere Eiji passed, people murmured, watching him guiltily, judging him with their gaze.
But "The New Face of Conservatism" did not count on the Reds' dirty war tactics.
There was a successful rumor (and partly reality) that Eiji was the boyfriend of the Reds' propaganda minister.
-Hey, Mr. Candidate, can we talk for a second? –Asked one of his relatives.
-Of course, is it about the elections for the candidacy?
-That's right Eiji, that's right ...
Upon entering an empty room, he was handcuffed by several rival conservatives, a cinnamon tape over his mouth and a cloth bag over his head, leading him to the showers.
When the cloth bag was removed from his head, he was almost naked except for the white boxer shorts he was wearing.
-With that passing information to the Reds, isn't it, traitor? -They Asked.
-Hum, huh, huh!
-Take off the tape! –When I removed the cinnamon tape, all traces of facial hair went with her.
-Ouhg!!! What the hell are they talking about, you slimy trio! I am one hundred percent conservative!
-Oh yeah? –Yumei asked, who appeared behind the three kidnappers.
-Oh no…
-She told us everything ... and you know what happens to spies, you damn bastard.
-Those white boxers… they're going to end up brown because you're going to shit, Eiji!
-No, don't wait, please, this is a conspiracy by the Reds to weaken the Conservatives! –The four jets of ice water hit Eiji's body, who did not stop pleading during the minute that the "purge" session lasted.
The entire conservative wing was shocked, even Eiji's own rivals did not believe it.
The strongest candidate, who painted as president of the student committee ... had been discovered as a red spy. In addition to the humiliation, even if it was private, nothing and no one took it away.
His honor was not on the ground, he was buried three meters underground.
Juro and his cabinet celebrated the event: The Conservatives lost ten percent of their voters and members. Five percent had been added to the the Reds wing.
Aimi was aware that this hard blow could not be a coincidence. She knew that everything was orchestrated by the Reds in a master plan to leave them without a strong candidate.
Eiji had forty percent of the Conservatives' pre-candidate votes, Kazumi was second with thirty percent, the other eight remaining candidates ranged from five to a maximum of ten percent.
The Conservatives were in extreme danger ... as was Aimi's two months' pay.
She was in a crisis thinking what she could do to overcome that tremendous blow to her ranks. Kazumi was their "protected", but there were still many problems to face if they wanted to win the election.
The entire conservative wing was reduced to an internal conflict: arguments between the candidates, indecision for which of the remaining nine candidates was the best one to vote for.
Juro had been very lucky in his case, since he was already the candidate of the Reds.
Someone knocked on the door to the living room where she was stressed, watching as her money was going to get out of hand while Tadashi taunted her.
-Can it happen? -Ringo asked from the other side of the door.
-Yes, come in ... -She answered.
-You may be upset now with everything that happens in your committee ... so I brought you a small gift. -Ringo offered Aimi a small box wrapped in gift wrap.
-Thanks, but I don't know if I could be… -As she ripped out the wrapping paper, Aimi realized that the gift was a plastic tupperware with grapes inside. –Humor… to receive a gift.
-What's up? –At the question, Aimi's stomach gave a loud roar, which did not look like the stomach of a human ... if not that of a lioness.
-Bless you, I haven't eaten anything all day and I'm starving! -Despite the regret that her stomach sounded like that of a hungry animal, Aimi began to gulp down the grapes, carelessly.
-Wait, wait, you can…!
Aimi widened her eyes in surprise, her face began to blush little by little. Then she started coughing wildly.
Ringo gave a cry of horror as she put both hands to her throat, still coughing.
-Oh no, she's drowning, I just have to give her CPR and everything will be perfect! ... oh yes, that's the erotic desire of any man, I'll be able to touch the teacher's body under the pretext of saving her! But if I do it wrong, I can kill her and I don't want to do that! I have to call someone, the fire department, the ambulance, the self-defense forces, no, I know, I'll call Oprah!
Aimi stopped coughing, spitting out the grape that had stuck in her throat. After breathing heavily for a few seconds, she sat up, trembling, but still flushed with anger and shame, covering her breasts with both hands.
-Your!
-I?-He pointed to himself.
-I may have been drowning, but I perfectly heard the stupidity you said about me!
-Merde ...
-As supreme leader of The Conservatives, I have impressive power and influence. -Aimi snapped her fingers. -Like the ability to send you to hell.
-Miss Aimi, I don't… feel good, I don't want to go, I don't want to go, I don't want to go!
-Not that kind of ability to send you to hell, you idiot! Take it away, guys.
Four boys took Ringo's arms and body, leaving him completely immobilized. They didn't tie him up, but they did put cinnamon tape over his mouth and the cloth bag over his face, so that when he took it off, he would appear on the couch where he found Aimi asleep once.
He was covered with a yellow blanket, which completely prevented him from moving.
-Since the coup occurred in the Conservatives, we have redoubled the methods to detect spies ... with new tactics to interrogate them. –Aimi stuffed a bar of soap into a sock. -Have you seen Full Metal Jacket?
Ringo blinked twice as a sign that he hadn't seen her.
-There is a certain scene from which I took a little inspiration. Being hit by a bar of soap in a sock is like being hit by a stone, although I told the boys not to hit you on your… -Aimi threw a loose bar of soap into Ringo's crotch, eliciting a groan of pain , since he could not scream. -Have fun.
-So trying to get past the leader of the Conservatives?
-Today we are going to teach you how to be a true Red: a humiliated one.
Between five boys with bars of soap in a sock they beat the unprotected and defenseless Ringo, on whom all Aimi's fury and frustration was discharged on that day of horror for her.
They tried to get information from him about Juro's campaign strategies and who had planned the coup against Eiji. Being the vice president of the Reds and the campaign commissioner, he must have had extremely juicy information.
Even so, even if they burned his feet, he was not going to say a word about what the Reds were planning.
When his kidnappers got tired of torturing him, they set him free, kicking Ringo out of the teachers' lounge, lying on the floor.
It took a while for Yurisa to see him lying on the ground, to help him immediately.
Again in the infirmary, again with a pain in the body that was beyond what was bearable. The blows from the soap had left some serious bruises on his body, even moving a finger was torture.
A female voice sang a lullaby for him, wrapping him in all danger. For some reason, Ringo remembered his sister, who used to take care of him when he fell ill.
When he opened his eyes, since they didn't hurt, he saw Yumei and teacher Aimi sitting next to him. Aimi was taking him by the hand, looking very concerned. Yumei stopped singing.
-Please continue. -Ringo asked, bitterly releasing Aimi's hand.
He would have removed it in a fit of annoyance, but he didn't have the strength to do so, so he did it slowly.
Aimi tried to take his hand again, but he put it on her chest so she couldn't.
-Leave me alone with Yumei ... at the end of the day we are from different committees, we must not mix between enemies.
-Ringo ... -Yumei leaned closer to teacher Aimi's shoulder so she could whisper to her:
-Leave me with him, I'll fix what happened, okay?
-If it's not too much to ask.
Aimi left the infirmary pondering what had happened. She didn't want the boys hanging around with him, just one hit each to get back at what he said about touching her.
However, Ringo counted each and every one of the blows, being almost seventy in total, so he was extremely angry with her.