"Wait. We’re missing the crucial Budget Estimate Table. I can’t sign off on the approval without it."
"Hmm, let’s see..."
At my sister's prompting, the Student Council Room suddenly sprang into action. Todoroki-senpai, who usually looked like he didn't have a care in the world, sat up straight in his chair. Hanawa-senpai peeked at his laptop and searched the nearby stacks, but the Budget Estimate Table was nowhere to be found.
"Hmm... It seems it hasn’t been sent up yet. Is it still with the Cultural Festival Executive Committee?"
"Now that you mention it, they haven't been coming by to report as often as they did last year."
"That’s odd... I don't think that part of the job should be stalling like this."
"...Haa."
The discussion centered around Yuuki-senpai—the Student Council President—and Hanawa-senpai, the Secretary. My sister, listening from the side, let out a heavy sigh that clearly signaled her annoyance. Seeing her actually doing real work like this made her look remarkably mature.
"Wataru. Here, go fetch it."
"Huh?"
What was that? Did she just toss a bone? I reflexively looked in the direction she’d pointed with her chin. Does she want me to retrieve it with my teeth? I'm not a dog, woman. What is this sister of mine thinking? Has she finally lost it? Has her brain been completely hijacked by meat buns?
"Don't give me that surprised-chicken face. Go to the Cultural Festival Executive Committee and get the unsubmitted data. Especially the one I just mentioned."
"Oh, right."
"Here, take the armband. If you barge in without it, you'll just look like a suspicious intruder."
"I'm not an intruder. I'm a student."
Being treated like dirt was just part of my daily life. I couldn't really complain about doing chores in the middle of serious work, either. In fact, seeing my sister—who was usually so lazy at home I worried she’d stop moving entirely—acting so sharp and professional made a weird, tsundere-like feeling of "Fine, I guess I'll go do it!" well up inside me. Even if that hadn't been the case, I was undoubtedly being threatened into it.
I wondered if I was being subconsciously brainwashed.
With the Student Council armband secured, I headed toward the Cultural Festival Executive Committee’s headquarters. There was a high probability someone would ask, "Was there a guy like this in the Student Council?" right to my face, but I figured I could handle it if I just told them I was the Vice President’s errand boy.
But, well... Natsukawa and Sasaki were both on the committee. I didn't exactly relish the idea of going there. It felt like the dynamic between a debt collector and a debtor, didn't it? Well, hopefully it wouldn't escalate into anything that dramatic...
"Phew... Excuse me."
The plaque on the door read 'Cultural Festival Executive Committee.' I knocked and slid the door open. It was an acrylic sliding door that didn't make much noise, which was a small mercy. Even so, I immediately drew a lot of attention.
"Eh... Wa-Wataru?"
"Sajou...?"
My name was called within seconds of entering. It was Natsukawa and Sasaki. Both of them stared at me as if questioning my very existence. ...Wait, what? Why on earth did they have such massive piles of files and documents stacked up? Do first-years usually get saddled with that much work? Something felt wrong... It didn't look this bad when I’d caught a glimpse during Summer Vacation.
Despite it being after school, the committee was in full swing today, with no empty seats in sight. It was actually kind of nice to see others working as hard as I was. Though, I was being paid in high-quality food! Sorry, everyone! Hahaha!
"Um... excuse me?"
"Ah, hello. My name is Sajou, and I've come as a proxy for the Student Council. Am I right in assuming Hasegawa-senpai is the Executive Committee President?"
"Y-yes. I'm the Executive Committee President... Wait, 'Sajou'... are you perhaps—"
"Ah, yes. Sajou Kaede, the Vice President, is my sister."
"...I see. And what can I do for you?"
"Uh... could we step out into the hallway for a moment?"
In short, the Student Council’s message was: "You guys are slow, so we came to get it ourselves." Hasegawa-senpai seemed to have an inkling of that; she tensed up the moment I mentioned my sister's name. I didn't want to say this in front of the entire committee. Natsukawa would hate me for it. It might be too late for that, but still. Eh, Sasaki? Who's that?
Feeling the bewildered gazes of Natsukawa and Sasaki on my back, I stepped out into the hallway. I walked a short distance before turning to face Hasegawa-senpai.
Her black bangs were neatly swept to the side, and a thick, rope-like braid hung down her back. Her silver-rimmed glasses glittered. It was a hairstyle that managed to look both serious and stylish. I’d never seen my sister wear a braid... Actually, forget it. It probably wouldn't suit her.
"I'm here about the data that needs to be sent to the Student Council Room. Sorry to give you a list of bullet points, but there are a few things we need as soon as humanly possible. It sounds like the Student Council's work is stalling because they're missing these. Can you handle it?"
"..."
I handed her the memo Yuuki-senpai had written. Hasegawa-senpai stared at it in silence, a deep furrow forming between her brows. Oh... I had a really bad feeling about this.
"...Wait just a moment."
Hasegawa-senpai hurried back into the classroom. I could hear her calling out to everyone in a raised voice. It sounded like they were frantically scrambling to gather materials.
Nearly ten minutes passed. Just as I was starting to think I’d been kept waiting quite a while, she emerged.
"I’m sorry... this is all we have for now..."
"Hah... wait, what?"
The words escaped me the moment I saw the bundle of documents she politely handed over. They had sticky notes attached so it was clear which document was which, but that wasn't the problem...
"Um... wait. Are these all handwritten?"
"..."
Hasegawa-senpai awkwardly averted her eyes. Again, she looked like a serious, responsible person. She didn't look like someone who was incompetent.
And yet, looking down at the documents, every single one was handwritten. And I don't just mean the data entries; the frameworks, the tables, the category boxes—it looked like the entire forms had been drawn by hand and then photocopied.
The strange feeling I’d had earlier came rushing back. Natsukawa and Sasaki had been buried under stacks of files. The other members were the same. The only sound in that room was the scratching of pens. I felt like I'd seen only a few seniors in the back actually using computers. No, wait a minute.
"Um, Senpai? If I may ask a random question... are you basically doing all your documents by hand?"
The doubt was overwhelming. I had experience helping the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee, and while handwritten notes existed for small things, everything else was organized as digital data. For the Cultural Festival Executive Committee... I think I heard that documents related to external sponsors were required to be handwritten. But could it really be this much work?
"..."
"Uh..."
Hasegawa-senpai’s silence was as good as a confession. Wait, what does this mean? Do they not have any students who can use computers? Or do they not have computers? No, this school is loaded. Is there some other reason...? Huh...?
...Well, whatever. It’s fine; I’m just an errand boy.
"Anyway, I’ll take what you’ve given me back for now, okay?"
"Ah, w-wait!"
"Yes!?"
She grabbed my arm with a grip so strong it startled me. I nearly dropped the documents.
"...You're going to tell her, aren't you?"
"Well... I have to. The fact is, you're behind schedule."
"...I see..."
I felt bad, but I had to be firm. When I told her that, Hasegawa-senpai released my arm, looking frustrated. I had no idea why she was making that face. It made me feel like a debt collector with a team of repo men behind me, so I really wished she’d stop. I didn't think the mood would actually get this heavy...
"..."
...Just in case, I’d better take another look inside the classroom.
"Something is definitely wrong." That was my gut feeling. If this really was a systemic problem, I'd probably be sentenced to meat bun punishment by my sister if I didn't confirm the details before going back. What even is a meat bun punishment?
I explained the situation to Hasegawa-senpai and stepped back into the room. While scanning the area, I did a quick, quiet interview with the two people I knew. A female upperclassman nearby glared at me as if I were a nuisance, but I ignored her.
"Hey, Sasaki, Natsukawa."
"Sajou, you... when did you join the Student Council?"
"You know that gorilla in the Vice President's seat? I'm her errand boy."
"G-Gorilla?"
"She's his sister, Sasaki-kun... You, do you always talk about your sister like that elsewhere?"
"Ah, no... yeah, Nee-chan. I'm just helping Nee-chan out."
"O-oh..."
The moment I called my sister a gorilla, the atmosphere around Natsukawa shifted. The awkwardness from yesterday vanished, replaced by a purely judgmental gaze. She usually loves hearing stories about my sister messing with me, but apparently, derogatory nicknames are off-limits. Damn my sister for winning Natsukawa over to her side...
"By the way, can I see the documents you’re working on?"
"Well, I’m not supposed to show these to outsiders—"
"I told you I'm a Student Council proxy. I'm an authorized party."
"Ah..."
I picked up the documents the two of them were holding. One was the 'Class Theme List.' Apparently, they were compiling a list of activities collected from every class. The other was a summary of this year's external contacts. It was painfully obvious that every single line item was handwritten.
"...Say, was there never a plan to do this on a computer?"
"Computer? I just had the impression these things were always done by hand."
"..."
Straight from the source. If Sasaki felt that way, then it meant the entire process had been manual from the start. But why go out of the way to do that? The third-years in charge of the general direction seemed capable of using computers, and I couldn't imagine a whole committee reverting to manual labor just because one or two people couldn't type. If this were a middle school, I might understand... but this is Kouetsu, an elite prep school.
"...Wataru...?"
"...No, it’s nothing."
For now, the best move was to get these documents back to the Student Council Room immediately.