“...That should just about cover the adjustments and alignment. I appreciate Hanawa-senpai’s team going to all this trouble for us.”
『Don’t worry about it. This is my responsibility too, after all.』
“Come to think of it... I heard something to that effect from Yuuki-senpai.”
It was honestly a mystery whether Hanawa-senpai was in any position to claim it "wasn't a big deal." I mean, could he even hold his head high over on that team? To begin with, the only thing he’d actually done was have the Executive Committee President, Hasegawa-senpai, fall for him. What even was "responsibility for being fallen for"? It was pretty incredible that he could move unrelated adults just because of that. The gentleman-type handsome guy of K4 really was on a different level.
If I recalled correctly, the company was called "Hanawa System Solutions." It felt a bit wrong to have their personnel working as a separate student unit. Then again, if the job they were getting paid for was just assisting students, I suppose it was an easy paycheck. Though... were they actually getting paid? Since it was an internal matter for Hanawa-senpai’s family business, I didn't know the details. If they were being told to do it for free, I’d be the first one to boycott.
『Well then, I’ll leave things on that end to you, Sajou-kun.』
“I’m just the bridge. The one actually moving this team is mostly Gou-senpai here, so it should be fine. Besides, we have the President, Hasegawa-senpai, on our side too.”
“Technically, I believe Renji-san should be here as well,” Gou-senpai added. “Since we can hold meetings like this with screen sharing via chat, I don't see the necessity of you being over there.”
『Hahaha... You've got me there. But honestly, as someone who found out about President Hasegawa’s inner feelings one-sidedly, I can’t exactly meet her with a straight face.』
“Wait, what?”
Did Hasegawa-senpai not know her feelings had been exposed? And the fact that it was explicitly cited as a cause for the current mess meant there was someone who’d forced her to admit, "Actually, I like Hanawa-senpai." That sounded pretty grim. It would be chilling if a friend had been the one to snitch. Come to think of it, that wasn't mentioned once during today’s explanation. Of course it wasn't; having that made public would be the ultimate disgrace.
『Anyway, I’ll leave the rest to you. If Hayato is still there, give him my regards. As for Kaede... it seems she hasn't found out about President Hasegawa’s situation yet, so be careful.』
“I’ll tell Hayato-san myself. I’m heading to his house later anyway.”
“And Nee-chan probably won't go out of her way to pry into this with me,” I added.
With those mutual warnings, the meeting concluded. Once Hanawa-senpai’s icon vanished from the chat group, Gou-senpai and I both disconnected and leaned back into our chairs.
“...Man, I was tense. Even if he’s related to Hanawa-senpai, I never thought the day would come where I’d be conferencing with actual professionals. I think I would've been less nervous talking to them in person.”
“As for me, Renji-san is essentially a superior,” Gou-senpai replied. “If I incur his displeasure, word will inevitably reach Hayato-san as well.”
“...I haven't asked much about it, but I think I’ve finally grasped your position today, Gou-senpai.”
I didn't know the specifics, but it wasn't just a simple senior-junior dynamic. It seemed he’d ended up in something of a servant-like position due to family ties. From the sound of it, there were likely other students in similar situations throughout the school. Like whoever it was that extracted that information from Hasegawa-senpai, for instance.
“From here on, this will be your role. You’ll have class preparations to deal with soon, so I don't intend to dump everything on you, but... I’m counting on you, Wataru.”
“Sure thing. I have experience watching something similar from the sidelines, so I think I’ll be fine.”
“If you can absorb it just by watching and make it your own like this, I suppose you could call that past 'experience'... Well, if you say so. We’re done for today.”
The Cultural Festival Executive Committee work had wrapped up, and the members seemed to have already headed home. Not a single sound drifted in from the classroom next door. It might have really been just us and the Student Council left in the school. It was almost time for the final dismissal, after all.
Returning to the committee room to pack up my laptop, I saw Gou-senpai quickly gathering his things.
“Sorry, but I still have 'today’s work' left to finish. Can I trust you to lock up here?”
“Ugh, seriously? What is this, a daily mission? You’re basically working like a salaryman.”
“It’s not so much me as it is Hayato-san. I’m just his assistant.”
Wealthy families. Important people. Yuuki-senpai and Hanawa-senpai, who occupied that troublesome echelon, lived in a world someone like me couldn't fully comprehend. In that sense, my old man was definitely one of the ones who’d navigated things smartly. Until recently, I hadn't understood why he would turn down promotions or recommendations, but I got it now. Once you enter society, the amount of trouble you deal with is usually proportional to your salary. And he already worked way too much overtime as it was. Wait, what was I doing? I was supposed to be talking about high schoolers.
“See you.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
With a brief parting word, Gou-senpai left in a hurry. Once silence reclaimed the room, my work mode switch flipped off. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. I was in the middle of packing, but I decided to take a short breather.
Even though it was early autumn, it was still too early for the world to go dark. Outside, it was peak evening, and the light streaming into the classroom was an incredibly vibrant orange. Or maybe "vermilion" would be more poetic? No, let’s go with sunset-colored. That sounded the coolest.
Looking out from the third floor, the twilight sky was beautiful, but the cityscape beyond the school grounds wasn't anything to write home about. If anything, the classroom itself, viewed from the corner of the window in the evening light, felt more atmospheric. You couldn't see something like this unless you stayed late.
Counting primary and middle school, this was my tenth year as a student. Yet, this quintessentially "youthful" scenery felt like something I was seeing for the very first time. Well, of course it did. I was a member of the Going-home Club. Normally, I’d never stay late at school. I wondered if I’d be used to this if I’d joined a sports club or something?
“......”
Come to think of it, back in middle school... I’d started to learn that I shouldn't just blurt out every single thought that crossed my mind. The guys I hung out with back then all happened to be in the Going-home Club, so I just followed their lead. Thanks to that, while everyone else was sacrificing their time to clubs and struggling after school, we spent as much time as we wanted on games, manga, and in my case, part-time jobs.
What if the guys I hung out with then had joined a club?
What if I hadn't met Natsukawa?
I surely would have followed the crowd and joined whatever they did, developed a decent interest in it, and continued it into high school. My athletic reflexes would probably be better than they are now, and the chance to even meet Natsukawa might never have happened. I wouldn't have any part-time job experience, of course, and I might have been more childish when it came to talking to adults. Naturally, I wouldn't be at a preparatory school like this; I’d be somewhere with a lower deviation score, and I might even have a girlfriend by now.
I probably wouldn't have been involved in Student Council work, either. I was self-aware enough to know I was easily influenced by my surroundings, and depending on the circumstances, my personality might have been completely different. It would probably be interesting to meet a version of myself from a different world line. Though there was no point in dwelling on it.
“......”
I reached for my smartphone, then stopped. It wouldn't be bad to capture this view and post it on social media. But even if I shared it with everyone, I didn't think I’d get more satisfaction than I was feeling right now.
“...Time to go home.”
Staying here alone would only make me overthink things. It wasn't that time yet. My role had only just begun. I could think about the "what ifs" later. I couldn't afford to let this motivation be overwritten by sentimentality.
However, once "that time" finally comes... it might not be so bad to come back here and wallow in my adolescent angst again.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the hallway window moving more sluggishly than I’d intended. It looked so uncool I couldn't help but laugh.
Self in the mirror ≠ Self in a selfie.