“Looking at it this way, I really do seem like a suspicious character...”
I muttered the complaint under my breath.
While most of the students were busy cleaning up after the Cultural Festival, the third floor of the North Building was silent, as almost no one was using it right now. Under the circumstances, sneaking in alone and looking around while clicking open the Student Council Room door with a key would make me look like nothing but a trespasser. I might be a Kouetsu student, but I technically had nothing to do with the Student Council.
“It’s a bit of a mess in here... Nee-chan's desk, Nee-chan's desk...”
The seat diagonally to the right and in front of the head seat, which belonged to Yuuki-senpai. That was Nee-chan's spot. To its right was Kai-senpai's desk, directly in front was Todoroki-senpai's, and diagonally to the right and in front was Hanawa-senpai's.
On top of the high-quality white desk—which felt too fancy to even be called a desk—sat a laptop, closed and still plugged in, along with several files propped up in a bookstand.
Just as I was about to sit down, I spotted something on the shelf behind me.
“A coffee maker...?”
That wasn't all. Next to it sat a small refrigerator, about the size of a shipping box like the ones you’d see in a hotel. On top of it was a coffee mill and a jar containing ground beans. There was even a packet of cocoa powder like the kind they sell at supermarkets. Next to that sat an electric kettle and paper cups! Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is weird! I only helped with the Cultural Festival preparations the other day, didn't I? This wasn't here back then... When did they set up this drink corner?!
“I’ll help myself then...” I whispered.
I dumped some cocoa powder into a paper cup and poured hot water until it was halfway full. As expected, there was milk in the refrigerator. I wasn't in the mood for coffee today. The Student Council’s wardrobe change probably wouldn't finish that quickly, so I figured they wouldn't complain if I treated myself to a little something.
“Now then—”
I opened Nee-chan's laptop and turned it on. I had borrowed it before, and it wasn't like it was her personal smartphone, so there shouldn't be any problem with me looking at it. Besides, she wasn't the type of person to leave anything sensitive in a place like this.
“Where was it, now...”
I moved the mouse around, looking for the specified folder. While there was nothing scandalous on the desktop, the screen was incredibly cluttered. I wondered if Nee-chan's room at home was this messy too... I hadn't seen the inside of it in years.
“...?”
As I continued working in the silence, I suddenly heard the soft shhh of the Student Council Room’s sliding door opening. It was moving awfully slowly... There was no knock, so was it someone from the Student Council?
Puzzled, I peeked out from behind the shadow of the files in the bookstand to my right. At the same time, I heard the door slide shut. I leaned back a bit and was finally able to see the skirt of a female student's uniform. Is that... Nee-chan? Isn't she way too early?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the feet I saw came walking steadily toward me.
“Oh? Young Lady...”
“Eh—”
It was only when she got right next to me that her identity became clear. Her wavy blonde hair danced lightly at the tips, and a scent like expensive cosmetics wafted through the quiet room.
The person with such an elegant appearance was Shinonome Claudine Marika, but she had completely returned to her school uniform. The professional radiance she’d displayed during the Fashion Show had vanished. Nevertheless, looking at her closely again, her features were incredibly refined. It made sense that she had won first place without yielding an inch to the older students. I was genuinely impressed enough to give her some honest praise.
“Man, that Fashion Show was amazing. It really made the most of your charms... I actually ended up envying you, regardless of gender. With looks like that, I bet anything would look good on you.”
I wondered if I could have been a handsome half-Japanese guy if one of my parents had been born in Western Europe... I probably would have lived with even more confidence than I did back in early spring. If that were the case, I’d probably still be chasing after Natsukawa even now. No, maybe it would have been someone else—
“Come to think of it, didn't you say before that you were aiming to become a Student Council Officer? Your face and name got a lot of exposure today, so it’s not exactly like you can’t aim for it, right?”
“......”
“When you do run for office, why not give your speech in the same outfit you wore for the Fashion Show? Just kidding... Young Lady?”
What happened to her usual arrogant and upbeat attitude? Realizing something was wrong, I stopped moving the mouse and turned back toward her. I saw the Young Lady standing there with a look of pure shock, her eyes wide and her pupils trembling.
“? By the way, why are you here... eh—”
I was about to ask her why she was there, but I noticed something terrifying halfway through. Specifically, that a large, heavy-looking silver object with a sharp point was gripped in her right hand.
“......”
“......”
...Uh.
This is bad, right? This is the "very bad" kind of bad, right? This is the kind of situation where I won't get away unscathed if I make one wrong move. It was definitely the kind of situation where it was better not to make a scene.
The gears in my head accelerated instantly. A high-pitched alarm bell rang out loudly in my mind. I couldn't move a muscle. I felt like my body, which had been light only a moment ago, had suddenly turned to lead.
“A-Ah... um...”
Think, Wataru. Failure is not an option. The Young Lady might be a frail girl, but those fabric scissors in her hand were definitely a deadly weapon. There was no guarantee I'd come out unharmed if I tried to take them by force. I had to proceed with absolute caution.
“...Want some... cocoa?”
“...!”
I stood up with a faint, forced smile, holding the paper cup in one hand. But that was a mistake. If a man taller than her suddenly stood up in a tense situation, she was bound to be startled. Her frightened expression in that moment made it look as if I were the one doing something terrible to her.
“A-Ah...!”
“Young Lady!”
Clutching the weapon tightly, the Young Lady stumbled back. In her instinctive panic, she bumped into the chair at Kai-senpai's desk. The pen stand on the edge of the desk fell to the floor, its contents scattering everywhere with a loud clatter.
She tried to regain her balance but failed. Thump—her back slammed hard against the entrance door.
“Hey, wait—ugh!”
“...Why?”
I tried to rush toward her as she collapsed onto the floor and then scrambled back up, but the tip of the fabric scissors in her left hand remained pointed straight at me. She seemed to be supporting her trembling left wrist with her right hand. I couldn't get close; all I could do was watch her from two large steps away.
The paper cup of cocoa had fallen to the floor, and I had failed to settle the situation peacefully. The circumstances were, in a word, catastrophic.
“Why... are you... here...”
“W-What do you mean, why...”
The Young Lady looked up at me as if she were in a daze. Judging from her tone, she seemed utterly unable to believe that I was in this room.
She stared at me with that shocked expression, but the light gradually vanished from her eyes. As she lowered her gaze, the hand holding the scissors slumped down to her side.
“What on earth is...”
What on earth is going on? Just as I was about to say that, the truth hit me like a physical blow.
Nee-chan being called out alone, the deserted Student Council Room, the way she had headed toward Nee-chan's seat without hesitation. Her absolute shock the moment she realized it was me—
“Don’t tell me... were you after... Nee-chan?”
I was just as distraught as she was. If I thought about it for a second, I knew exactly where the Young Lady's hostility was usually directed.
I knew she was the fiancée of the Student Council President, Yuuki-senpai. Despite that, Yuuki-senpai’s attention was always directed toward Nee-chan, not her. I had personally seen the Young Lady be ignored by him and then scolded by Nee-chan. It wasn't strange for her to harbor a deep hatred.
“...!”
The realization that someone close to me—my own sister—might have been harmed made my skin crawl. An indescribable sense of dread made the top of my head feel strangely cold.
“—Ane...?”
“Eh? Ah...”
The Young Lady looked at me with wide eyes. A beat later, I realized my own mistake.
I hadn't revealed to her that I was that woman's brother or that my surname was Sajou because I hadn't wanted to get involved in any drama. It was a coincidence, but if I had told her, she probably wouldn't have asked me to vote for her in the Fashion Show.
I couldn't cover it up now. Her gaze was fixed on my chest—on the name tag I happened to be wearing today.
“...So, that's how it is.”
“T-This is...”
The tip of the fabric scissors rose again. Is it my turn to be the target?—I panicked for a split second, but the Young Lady simply dropped them. They hit the floor with a heavy clatter and rolled to my feet. I stared at them blankly before looking up to see she had grabbed something else.
“Hehe... everyone... everyone makes a fool of me...!”
“Y-Young Lady...!”
“You're probably just like them...!”
“No...!?”
Click, click, click—the sound of a blade extending. She even carefully engaged the stopper. Staring at her new weapon—a utility knife—she gripped it tightly with both hands. It was something from the pen stand on Kai-senpai's desk.
“—I’ve had... enough.”
The blade pointed straight up, shaking violently with her hands. She stared at it with hollow eyes, caught between resolve and terror. If she knew I was Sajou Kaede's brother and intended to attack me, the knife wouldn't be pointed toward herself.
I could see what was about to happen seconds before it did.
Her hands were trembling, but she was steadily bringing the utility knife toward her own neck. As it reached its target, the fear in her eyes turned into a sharp, brittle intensity. She no longer looked sane.
“...!”
This is bad—it’s bad, bad, bad, bad!!
I couldn't just keep standing there.
This was no time to be dazed. I had to stop her. Should I tackle her? If I did, would she just get more desperate? Then what? Try to talk her down? But what could I possibly say?
“...!”
While the paths to the future branched out in my mind, the fabric scissors at my feet caught my eye. In that instant—whatever possessed me—I snatched them up from the floor.
A multitude of branches were blown away, and the paths merged into one. There was no firm footing on the uncertain road of fate, and I couldn't see the ending.
I only remembered that the option to turn back existed after I had already reached the path's end.