Since things had come to this, there was no helping it. For now, I just had to figure out how to get through this... or more accurately, I couldn't afford to start a scene here. A fight was out of the question.
We were here representing the Student Council. If we caused a ruckus, there was no telling what kind of rumors would fly. My priority was to end this encounter as smoothly as possible and make a quick exit.
With that in mind, I decided to calm down and analyze the situation. First, I needed to keep an eye on Hanako-san. To be more precise, Hanako-san herself didn't seem particularly bothered—even if I was annoyed on her behalf—so the real issue was the other side. I still had no idea why she was acting so superior toward Hanako-san when they’d only just met.
As long as I managed things correctly, Sara-san and Hanako-san would probably just ignore her as long as she didn't come for me. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary drama. Besides, she didn't have her usual entourage with her right now. It was best to just give her a perfunctory response and get out.
"Hello, Senpai," I said.
The classroom suddenly went quiet, then buzzed with hushed whispers. Had I said something weird? It was just a normal greeting. I decided to ignore it for now.
"Well, hello," the girl replied. "Hehe. I thought our meeting this morning might have been a fluke, but I see you really are different. How interesting."
I still didn't quite grasp what this woman was getting at. She didn't sound like she was mocking me, but her tone was incredibly suggestive.
"...This morning?" Sara-san murmured softly.
Darn it. That was one more thing I’d have to apologize for later. I didn't think keeping the morning encounter a secret was a mistake, but I had technically broken my promise to have no secrets between us. I really resented this woman for putting me in this position.
"Hard at work for the Student Council, I see. And you're all alone tod—as if that would ever happen."
The Stuck-up Woman’s voice shifted the moment she looked past me. Her expression became a strained, artificial smile. Her eyes weren't on me, though—they were fixed on the girls behind me.
"My, my, my. If it isn't Satsukawa-san? Still wearing that same sour look, I see. If you're always scowling like that, don't you worry about making everyone around you uncomfortable?"
Wait, I thought she was going after Hanako-san, but she turned her claws on Sara-san!?
The Stuck-up Woman brushed past me and entered the room, stopping right in front of Sara-san. Her smile turned into a smug, mocking smirk. She was blatantly trying to provoke her.
"...It doesn't matter how I look. I don't see how that is any of your business," Sara-san replied coldly.
"I suppose not. I'm not looking for an argument, after all. I was simply making an objective observation."
Despite Sara-san's dismissal, the Stuck-up Woman showed no intention of backing down. Who was this girl? She was snapping at Hanako-san and now Sara-san—she was acting like a rabid stray dog.
"Wife, do you know this woman?" Hanako-san asked.
"No, not particularly."
"Wife? As for 'knowing' each other, Satsukawa-san and I were both in last year's Miss Contest—"
"I wasn't asking you," Hanako-san cut her off.
The girl flinched under Hanako-san's icy stare. Despite her big talk, she seemed surprisingly fragile when someone actually pushed back.
The classroom whispers grew louder. "The atmosphere is getting heavy..." "Rena-san is at it again." "Well, purely on looks, she's actually a decent match for her." "Wait, did the Vice President and the Smaller Angel just talk to Kusuhara-san like she's a stranger?" "They're first-years; they probably don't know the hierarchy." "I'm team Satsukawa-san all the way." "Same. They're complete opposites." "That look from the Angel... man, I love it!"
"My, you certainly have a bellicose little Angel with you," the Stuck-up Woman sneered, recovering her composure. "But that doesn't matter. More importantly, Satsukawa-san, I heard you're actually participating in the Miss Contest this year?"
"Yes. It's a massive bother, but it's part of my duties," Sara-san said.
"I see. The reason doesn't matter as long as you're on that stage. Finally, we can settle things between us."
The picture was becoming clearer. This girl viewed Sara-san as her rival. But since Sara-san didn't care in the slightest, she was just a "self-proclaimed" rival. Calling yourself Sara-san's rival was infinitely premature in my book.
"However, if you're not confident, you could always run aw—no, never mind. Either way, it's already decided that I'll be winning my second year in a row."
She was clearly baiting her. This woman had a truly rotten personality. Her condescending tone was grating on my nerves.
"To be honest, I would have preferred to skip it again," Sara-san said. "I have no desire to be a crowd-puller in some gimmick contest. The mere thought of pandering to a crowd makes me feel ill."
"......Excuse me?"
"But perhaps it's a good opportunity for someone who enjoys pandering to men," Sara-san continued. "I'm sure if you put on a facade and smile suggestively, you'll win. You are quite beautiful, after all. I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck; I'm rooting for you."
Sara-san was being sincere from her own perspective, but because this girl tied her entire identity to last year's win, Sara-san’s words were accidentally cutting her to ribbons.
"D-don't talk such nonsense... Ahem. Hmph. I see. This is just a preemptive excuse for when you lose, isn't it? Fine. I suppose you need a way to protect your pride when you're defeated."
"Pride? I don't really follow, but I don't feel the need to correct you. This is all trivial to me. Just do your best. If I can avoid the spotlight because of you, it would be a dream come true."
Sara-san was visibly done with the conversation. I was also getting tired of listening to this woman. She was a nuisance to both my eyes and ears. I was just about to step in and end this when—
"Hey, Mr. Vice President. What do you think?" she asked.
"...Huh?" I let out a dumb sound. She’d caught me completely off guard.
"You're the Vice President, so you're always by Satsukawa-san's side, aren't you? Surely you have a firm grasp of what kind of person she really is?"
What was she even talking about? Did she think I knew some dark secret about Sara-san?
"You seem like a man with a strong sense of self. You aren't the type to be swept up in preconceptions or the crowd's excitement, are you? Someone who riles up people's fantasies, plays the role of the 'Goddess' for men's convenience, and gets high on the attention... surely she doesn't compare to me? You already know which of us is truly worthy of winning the Miss Contest, don't you—"
"Just shut up already."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I was officially seeing red. Insulting Sara-san right in front of me was the final straw. Sorry, everyone, but I was done being polite. My patience had evaporated. First that encounter this morning, and now this nonsense?
Sara-san riling up the crowd? Getting high on being called a Goddess? Even if she didn't know the real Sara-san, I couldn't let those insults stand.
"H-Hanako-san, Takanashi-kun is...!" Todo-san whispered in a panic.
"It's too late. I can't stop him now," Hanako-san replied.
"Kazunari-san..." Sara-san murmured.
"V-Vice President? Is something wrong?" the girl asked, blinking.
"You're right that the 'Goddess' everyone sees isn't the real Sara-san. That's just an idolized image the crowd projected onto her because they wanted a perfect fantasy to believe in."
"Yes! Exactly! You finally—wait, 'Sara-san'?"
"But you're just like them," I growled.
"What?"
"Everything you've said is just a convenient delusion you've cooked up. You've created your own version of Sara-san based entirely on your own prejudices because you want her to be a certain way. You're just like those other idiots, just with a different fantasy."
The fans pushed the Goddess image on her. This girl was pushing a wicked woman image because it made her feel better about herself. It was just a selfish projection.
"K-Kazunari-san, please, I can handle this—" Sara-san tried to interject.
"Sara, be quiet for a second."
"Y-yes."
I didn't like being blunt with her, but I couldn't hold back. As her lover, as her fiancé, and as the one person who truly knew her, I couldn't let this go.
"What do you know about Sara? You look at her surface, project your own insecurities, and treat her like a target. Do you have any idea how much trouble you people cause her? Don't talk like you know her when you don't understand a single thing!!"
The room was dead silent. "Whoa, the Vice President is scary..." "This is getting bad." "Should we stop them?" "No way, I don't want Kusuhara-san coming after me." "Wait... the names!" "What about the names?" "I caught it too! Satsukawa-san and the Vice President just called each other by their first names!"
"I-it seems there's been a misunderstanding!" the Stuck-up Woman stammered, visibly shaken by my intensity. "I don't know why you're so angry. I was just asking who is the woman more worthy of winning..."
"Listen... who's worthy of winning a Miss Contest isn't for me to decide. That's up to the judges."
"No, I was asking for your personal opinion—"
"My opinion? It's Sara-san, obviously. I don't even know who you are, so you aren't even a comparison."
"............Huh?"
The Stuck-up Woman froze. She stared at me, mouth hanging open like she’d just witnessed the impossible. The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Now that you mention it, I don't know who she is either," Hanako-san added.
"...Neither do I, honestly," Sara-san admitted.
What was all that drama for if none of us even knew who she was?
"You... you're joking, right? That's a very cruel joke. I-it's a joke, isn't it?"
Sara-san and Hanako-san both shook their heads in perfect synchronization.
"Surely you at least know my name?"
They both shook their heads again, looking almost adorable in their confusion.
I shook my head too.
The Stuck-up Woman’s eyes bugged out. I felt a little bad, but it wasn't our fault. It was pretty arrogant to assume strangers would automatically know who you were. Talk about self-conceit.
"Pfft... what a punchline." "Seriously, that's brutal." "How embarrassing for her." "Shh, she'll hear you!" "But not knowing Kusuhara-san at this school is kind of a feat." "Just goes to show they didn't care at all."
I really didn't know her, but was she that famous? I’d have to ask the other Student Council members later.
"This... this is impossible... I am..." the girl whispered, her shoulders trembling as she looked at the floor.
This was going nowhere fast. We had better things to do.
"Sorry for the interruption. We'll be going now."
I gave a polite, slightly pointed bow. Sara-san and the others followed suit. But as I walked past the Stuck-up Woman, she hissed something under her breath.
"Takanashi... don't think you'll get away with humiliating me like this."
She spoke so softly only we could hear. I was fine with being her new target if it meant she’d leave Sara-san alone. But Sara-san didn't agree.
"What did you just say?" Sara-san asked, spinning around. Her voice was no longer cold—it was heavy with a dangerous weight.
"Answer me. What did you just say?"
Sara-san walked toward her. The girl scrambled backward, stumbling away in terror.
"Whoa, whoa!" "That's terrifying!" "I've never seen Satsukawa-san like that..." "I've seen her mad, but this is on another level."
"I didn't care what you said about me," Sara-san said, her voice quiet and razor-sharp. "But I will not tolerate a single word against Kazunari-san. If you are planning something foolish..."
She stopped just inches from the girl’s face.
"I will crush you with everything I have."
"Hiee!"
"Remember that."
Sara-san turned on her heel and walked back to us, her face returning to its usual composed mask. The classroom was stunned into absolute silence.
"Sara-san..." I started.
"Let's go. We're finished here."
"Wait. I have something to say too," Hanako-san said.
Todo-san tried to hold her back, but Hanako-san stepped up to the girl.
"An owner is responsible for their dog’s messes. Tell your idiotic lackeys that."
With that icy warning, she rejoined us.
"Sorry for the wait. Let's move on," Hanako-san said.
"Right. The next room," Sara-san agreed.
I led the way out of the classroom. My last glimpse of the room was of the Stuck-up Woman trembling on the floor, while the other seniors watched her with a mix of pity and awkwardness.