The matter of the next Student Council President reached a tentative resolution with Sara-san agreeing to take the position.
And that was that!
…Except, it wasn't.
Now that I had regained my composure and looked around, I saw everyone in the room staring at us with varying degrees of shock. My emotions had flared up so much that I only now realized we had caused another scene, but by then, the damage was already done.
I briefly considered how to fix the situation, but Sara-san was still clinging to me. We had already been through so much in this Student Council room that I wondered if it would be too bold to simply stop caring and embrace the chaos.
"Sara-san…"
I gave her back a couple of gentle pats. She seemed to calm down, slowly lifting her head to look at me.
"Ah… yes. My apologies."
She appeared to understand the situation, and though she looked reluctant to let go, she slowly pulled away. However, her fingers remained pinched firmly on my sleeve—a silent act of rebellion.
This was dangerous. She was so cute I wasn't sure I could keep myself in check.
"Ah… right. Well, I'm just glad the next President and Vice President have been decided without further issue. Can we… move the discussion along?"
The President cleared his throat, attempting to reset the atmosphere and resume the meeting.
"Yes. From now on, I will do my absolute best alongside Kazunari-san."
Sara-san’s hesitation had vanished, replaced by a sudden surge of motivation. The firm, serious expression on her face was truly dignified, reminding me of the Aloof Goddess I had once seen standing on the assembly stage.
"…She said 'the two of them,' right? Have we just been erased from the equation?"
"…Are those two really going to be okay? They won't pull something like this on the stage, will they?"
"…I'm starting to feel anxious for an entirely different reason."
"…Same here."
"…More importantly, what was that about being together at home?"
The discussion then moved to the future operations of the Student Council.
First was the Presidential Election. Since there were no opposing candidates, it was confirmed that the process would proceed as expected. There would only be a formal announcement of the result, with the actual inaugural greetings reserved for the Student General Meeting.
Following that, the Student Council officers would be officially approved during the general meeting. Once that passed, I would formally become the Vice President. To be honest, I still didn't have a clear grasp of my duties, but since Sara-san had been splitting the workload with the President, I figured I would be doing something similar.
Essentially, as long as I focused on supporting Sara-san and reducing her burden, I should be fine.
"As promised, I’ll continue to help out as much as possible until graduation. I’ve already secured my recommendation for university, so I don't intend to let exam study stress me out."
The President’s confident remark was the kind of thing that could turn every other exam-taker into a bitter enemy. Still, having him stick around to help was a huge relief. It would be a lifesaver, especially until I got the hang of things.
"However, the remaining issue is recruiting new officers. Whether through scouting or public applications, we need at least two… preferably three more people."
"……"
Everyone fell silent.
"?"
Sensing the weight of the collective stare, Sara-san tilted her head in confusion.
But this topic was inseparable from Sara-san’s personality. I knew exactly what everyone was thinking; it was a critical hurdle.
Namely, Sara-san’s greatest weakness: her approachability.
I had heard about this in confidence before, but Sara-san was incredibly strict with both herself and others. Consequently, her tone tended to get sharp whenever she was pointing out errors or giving warnings. She was never wrong, so people who were naturally compliant were fine, but apparently, past officers had quit because they couldn't handle the pressure. Things had improved significantly since I joined, but…
(Even though having Takanashi-kun here has made things much better, I should probably see if we can recruit people who already understand Satsukawa-san. I asked Natsumi before, but she turned me down because her tennis club schedule was too busy…)
"President? Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that I hope we find some good replacement staff soon."
"I agree. Should we open the public applications early?"
The President had been staring at me while lost in thought, so he was likely contemplating the same thing I was. To solve the problem effectively, we needed to surround her with members who already understood Sara-san and wouldn't have a knee-jerk negative reaction to her intensity.
In that case, the prime candidates were Natsumi-senpai, Hanako-san, Todo-san, and Hayato. If we could get two or three of them to help…
"Now, let's check the submitted applications. If there are clear violations, discard them. Otherwise, sort them by genre so we can identify any overlaps. After that, we'll need to send out the lottery notifications quickly."
Under Sara-san's direction, we all divided up the work, checking the applications for the School Festival. It wasn't a particularly time-consuming task, but even in the stack I was reviewing, I found several entries that looked like they would trigger a lottery.
Once the sorting was done and the overlaps were gathered, it turned out that our class's Butler & Maid Cafe was clashing with another class's Cosplay Cafe and a Youkai Cafe (?).
"Hmm, well, the themes are distinct enough… A shop limited to butlers and maids, one for youkai, and then a general cosplay cafe. I think they can all coexist."
The person who had handled that specific sort gave their opinion, and since no one objected, all three were approved. However, we decided to send a notice that we would accept theme changes if the classes wanted to avoid the overlap early on.
At least this meant our class could start moving forward with preparations. I felt a bit guilty that I might not be able to help much due to my Student Council duties.
"Kazunari-san, your class is doing a cafe, correct?"
"Yeah. A Butler & Maid Cafe, to be precise."
"Will you be working in the shop in a butler costume, Kazunari-san?"
"I'm not sure yet. It hasn't been decided who's doing what… and I'll probably be too busy here to spend much time there anyway."
"Please let me know if it is decided. Regardless, I will definitely be visiting."
Sara-san coming to our shop… I had a premonition that it was going to cause absolute chaos.
"…That’s going to cause an uproar for all the wrong reasons."
"…If Takanashi-kun actually dresses as a butler, won't Satsukawa-san lose her mind?"
"By the way, Sara-san, your class is doing the Local History Exhibition, right?"
Most of the second-year classes had submitted playful applications like haunted houses or a 'Ring Toss Special' (?), but Sara-san’s class had gone with a very stiff, academic exhibit. It certainly stood out from the rest.
"Yes. However, I've already told them that I won't be able to help much because of my work here."
"I figured…"
This applied to all the Student Council officers; our duties took precedence, so we could only participate in our own class attractions for a fraction of the time. It was a bit of a shame that we wouldn't be able to make many memories with our classmates during the festival.
"Last year’s School Festival was honestly just boring. I couldn't participate in my class's attraction, and the workload here was quite heavy."
"…I suspected as much, but she really did find it dull."
"…Satsukawa-san spent the whole time doing patrols by herself, after all."
"…I tried to offer to go with her, but she shot me down instantly."
"…Probably because your ulterior motives were as clear as day."
Now that they mentioned it, she had told me before that she’d ignored the Miss-con and spent the whole time on patrol alone last year.
"However, this year I’ll be with Kazunari-san. So… if you wouldn't mind, perhaps the two of us could…"
I knew exactly what Sara-san was trying to say while she was fidgeting. In fact, I had been the one wanting to ask her. I worried it might be seen as mixing public and private business, but we were assigned to patrol in pairs anyway, so there shouldn't be a problem. Right?
"Sara-san, let's do the patrols together. You know… as a School Festival Date."
"Yes! I would love to! Hehe, having a date with Kazunari-san at the School Festival feels like a dream…"
She had clearly been waiting for me to say it, and she beamed with an immediate reply. Seeing her look so genuinely happy made me feel the same way.
"…Satsukawa-san has finally reached a point where she’s mixing business with pleasure with zero shame."
"…Look at that smile. She’s completely smitten."
"…Does she plan to flirt her way across the entire school and turn the campus into a living hell for the rest of us?"
"…I can already hear the screams following them wherever they go."
"Right, Satsukawa-san, this is a bit awkward to bring up… but the request for the Miss-con has come in."
The President, who had been watching the scene from a distance, spoke up as if he’d just remembered. He looked a bit guilty, which made sense since he knew Sara-san would hate the idea.
"I see… Honestly, I have no desire to participate."
"Sara-san, like I said before, if you really hate it, I can—"
"Kazunari-san, thank you so much for worrying about me. I'm not thrilled about it, but since I’m the President-elect, I feel I should fulfill my obligations, even if only for the sake of the title. Last year, I ignored it without even a formal cancellation, which caused trouble for the seniors… Besides, as I said before, if it livens up the School Festival even a little, I believe it will be a lovely addition to our memories together."
…When she put it that way, that it was for our memories, I couldn't help but feel a little happy.
But to be honest, I still hated the idea of Sara-san standing on that stage. It was pure possessiveness, I knew, but the thought of Sara-san being put on display for all those guys made me…
Suddenly…
Before I realized she had moved, I found myself enveloped in Sara-san’s embrace.
"！！！？？？"
"…Please don't worry. I am only participating in the minimum sense. I have absolutely zero interest in anyone’s evaluation but Kazunari-san’s… I don't intend to show a single smile on that day."
She hugged me as if to soothe my possessiveness, and her kindness made me feel a bit pathetic. If Sara-san had made her decision, wasn't it my job to support her with a smile?
I realized once again how much I was still leaning on her kindness.
"…Actually, being cold is very much like Satsukawa-san, so the audience will probably love it."
"…Yeah, most people think that’s her true personality anyway, so it’s fine."
"…Are we just going to ignore the shocking scene right in front of us?"
"…This is going to be the new normal for the Student Council, isn't it? We just have to get used to it… God, I’m so jealous…"
Side: Sara
"I am truly sorry… I wanted to at least make you a meal tonight…"
When we reached the Station Front, we unfortunately had to part ways for the day.
Preparing meals for Kazunari-san is one of the most important duties in my life. Being unable to do so was the height of frustration.
"No, if it's important family business, it can't be helped."
Kazunari-san smiled as he saw me off, but he looked like he was forcing it slightly. Knowing that I was the cause of that look filled me with indignation.
If this turns out to be some trivial matter, I won't speak to Father for a while…
Mother had contacted me saying that Father had something "important" to discuss, and that I was to come straight home. As far as I was concerned, nothing could be more important than my time with Kazunari-san.
"Sara-san, will you be okay tomorrow?"
"I was only told it was a discussion, so I believe it will be fine."
"I see…"
Kazunari-san seemed to be pondering something. I wondered what was on his mind.
"No, if you're okay tomorrow, then that's all that matters. Please put your family first today!"
"…Yes, thank you. Well, I apologize for cutting things short, but I'll be going now."
His behavior was bothering me; I would have to make sure we talked properly tomorrow. Of all the times for this to happen… honestly…
Click…
"I'm home."
Huh? Mother didn't come to greet me.
If there was an important talk scheduled, was she busy preparing? I checked the entryway and saw Father's shoes; he was already home.
I changed into my slippers and headed toward the living room, but stopped when I heard a rare, loud outburst from Mother. It was extremely unusual for my normally mild-mannered mother to raise her voice like that—
"I absolutely refuse to let Sara have an arranged marriage!"
An arranged marriage?
Wait… me?