When Yuji opened the door, we saw three people sitting at folding tables inside the Student Council Room, focused on their paperwork. The secretary who had acted as a messenger the other day was creating a document on a laptop, while a male upperclassman—the Student Council Vice President—checked printed sheets before stapling them together.
The third person, the Student Council President, stopped sorting her documents and offered us a welcoming smile. She stood to introduce herself.
"Welcome to the Student Council Room. I'm sure the second-years already know who I am, but I’ll introduce myself just in case. I’m Yayoi Hisamatsu from Class 3-4, the current Student Council President. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"Yes, likewise. Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I’m Daiki Kokonoe, a second-year."
"Yuji Hirose."
"My name is Yukino Hiiragi."
"I see. Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun, and Hiiragi-san."
Yayoi Hisamatsu. With her medium-length black hair and poised demeanor, she looked every bit the 'literary girl' archetype. She had run for office in last year’s election and assumed the presidency following a vote of confidence.
After acknowledging our introductions, Hisamatsu-senpai introduced the rest of the team.
"The one at the computer is Satsuki Minashiro, our second-year secretary. She delivered that message to you on Saturday, so I expect you recognize her."
"Yes, we do."
Satsuki Minashiro was a girl with a gentle aura, her hair pulled into a single long braid that reached halfway down her back. When Hisamatsu-senpai introduced her, she looked up from the screen just long enough to give us a polite nod before returning to her work. She seemed to be in the middle of something pressing.
"And over here, handling the stapling, is our Vice President, third-year Kota Jojima-kun."
"Hey. So, you guys are the ones starting the new club? I imagine your first year will be a bit of a struggle, but hang in there."
"““Yes, we will.””"
"Good."
Kota Jojima was one year our senior. My first impression was of a refreshing, dependable young man who suited his bright smile. I hadn't heard any negative rumors about him since he took office, so he was likely as kind as he appeared. Of course, it was probably premature to judge him solely on reputation.
"We also have a general affairs officer and a treasurer, but they’re out on errands at the moment."
"I see..."
"I’ll introduce the two of them if we have the chance later."
With the introductions finished, we sat on the available folding chairs as Hisamatsu-senpai went over the specifics of our club’s formation. She explained that our group would initially be established as a circle. According to the Student Council Regulations, a group with no track record couldn't be recognized as a full club immediately. Consequently, while our application to use school facilities as a clubroom was approved, we wouldn't receive a budget from the Student Council treasury.
This was exactly what I had expected.
"As for achieving results... well, if you manage something like winning an award in a public competition, we can promote you to a full club. Once that happens, we can provide you with a budget from the treasury. I hope you’ll be active in your pursuits."
"We will."
"All right, then. Here it is: your Club Formation Permit. With this, your new organization is officially recognized and registered under the Student Council. Congratulations."
Hisamatsu-senpai pulled a certificate with a phoenix-patterned border from a folder and handed it to us. It stated that the formation of the club was officially permitted and bore the signatures and seals of both the Student Council President and the Principal.
"““Thank you very much.””"
"That concludes the official procedures. What are your plans for the rest of the day?"
"We’re going to report the approval to the teacher acting as our advisor and have a brief meeting. We'll start our activities in earnest tomorrow."
Doing anything more today would be a stretch. It was better to report the permit to Hashimoto-sensei and coordinate our schedule first.
"I see. In that case, there’s one thing I’d like to ask before you head out."
"What is it?"
"It’s about the sports festival at the end of the month. You know that the inter-club relay is one of the events, right?"
"Yes, we’re aware."
Actually, we had hurried the formation process specifically so we could participate in it.
"If you already know, then this is simple. Every organization under the Student Council—whether athletic or cultural—is required to participate in the relay. However, since you’ve only just formed, I thought we could exempt you from the event this year. What would you prefer?"
Hisamatsu-senpai was giving us a choice out of consideration for our circumstances.
However...
"Hisamatsu-senpai, thank you for the offer. We appreciate the thought, but we’d like to participate in the relay."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes. We’ve discussed it, and we think the relay is a great chance to appeal to potential new members."
Yuji and Hiiragi-san nodded in agreement beside me.
"I see... Very well. I’ll make the necessary arrangements for your club to join the relay."
"Thank you. We look forward to it."
With that, our official participation in the inter-club relay was set. It was a golden opportunity for publicity, so I’d have to make sure we did well—without standing out too much.
After saying our goodbyes to the three council members, we left the room and headed for the faculty office, where Hashimoto-sensei was likely to be. On the way, I held up the certificate and sighed.
"Man, it took forever just to get this one piece of paper."
"Yeah, no kidding. But we had midterm exams in the middle of it all. Paperwork just takes time."
"I suppose," Hiiragi-san added. "But for a club formation, I think this was actually quite fast. Hashimoto-sensei was very proactive about securing the room and handling the faculty meetings, so the Student Council's approval went through smoothly."
"That's probably true..."
She was right. Hashimoto-sensei’s efforts had kept things from stalling. Usually, you have to get Student Council approval first, then clear it with the faculty, and finally get the Principal’s permission. While clubs fall under the Student Council, the school administration has the final say. No matter what the students want, a club can't exist unless the school signs off on it.
In our case, we had basically secured the school’s approval before the Student Council’s, which effectively forced the council to follow suit. Considering that, Hisamatsu-senpai’s response had been incredibly gracious. She hadn't been annoyed that we jumped the gun; instead, she had been kind enough to worry about our involvement in the sports festival.
"Oops, almost walked right past it."
We had arrived at the faculty office while we were talking. We cut the conversation short, knocked, and opened the door.
"Excuse me. Is Hashimoto-sensei here?"
"...Hm? Hashimoto-sensei?"
The teacher seated near the entrance asked around the office for her. Unfortunately, she wasn't in.
"She was back here for a bit, but she’s probably over at the gym supervising her club right now."
"I see..."
"Do you know which club she advises?"
"Yes, we do."
She was the assistant advisor for the Volleyball Club, so she was almost certainly in the gymnasium.
"All right. If she comes back before you find her, I’ll tell her you were looking for her."
"Thank you very much. Excuse us."
"Yeah, good luck out there."
We gave a polite bow and left the office.
"Too bad. She wasn't there."
"Well, teachers aren't always at their desks."
"True," Hiiragi-san said. "And even as an assistant, she’s still an advisor. If the head advisor is out, she has to take over."
"Right. Shall we head to the gym, then?"
"Let's go."
"Okay."
We shifted gears and headed for the gymnasium. It was a bit of a trek; we had to take the connecting corridor to the other side of the sports grounds. Cutting across the grounds in our outdoor shoes would have been faster, but the shoe lockers were on the opposite side of the building from where we were. Doubling back would take longer than just using the corridor.
Five minutes later, we reached the gym. The building was a multi-purpose structure: the first floor housed the martial arts hall and a multi-purpose room, while the second floor was the large main hall. As we climbed the external stairs, the energetic shouts of students reached our ears. Practice was clearly in full swing.
Peeking inside, I saw the Basketball Club and the Volleyball Club each using half the floor. Hashimoto-sensei was standing by the referee’s stand near the nets, overseeing a practice match.
"...What do you think? Should we go talk to her now?"
"Maybe not yet..."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "Let’s wait for the match to end. Looking at the score, it won't be long."
She pointed to the scoreboard: 17 to 22. Volleyball matches usually went to 25 points, so it was almost over. As we watched, another point was scored: 17 to 23.
"At this rate, I don't think it'll hurt to go in."
"Yeah... let's do it."
"Right... Oh, another point. Let's go."
The score hit 17 to 24 in less than five minutes. We stepped into the gym and approached her. Once the match concluded, I called out.
"Hashimoto-sensei."
"Hm? Oh, Kokonoe-kun! Hirose-kun and Hiiragi-san are here too? What are you all doing here?"
"We just got this from the Student Council Room."
I handed her the Club Formation Permit.
"Ah, they finally issued it!"
"Yes. Technically, we can start our activities as a club starting today."
"I see. I'm sorry, though. As you can see, I'm tied up with the Volleyball Club. The head advisor is on a business trip, so I have to supervise today and tomorrow."
"Oh, really?"
Hashimoto-sensei looked apologetic as she explained she wouldn't be able to join our activities until the day after tomorrow.
"I’m so sorry. It was a sudden trip, and there wasn't anyone else to cover. Even if I’m moving to a new club, I’m still the assistant advisor here until everything is official..."
"That makes sense. It can't be helped."
"I really am sorry. But the clubroom you applied for is available, so you can use the room starting tomorrow. As long as you don't do anything dangerous, you’re free to handle things yourselves... What do you want to do?"
The three of us looked at each other. While we could certainly manage on our own, it felt wrong to start the very first day of our new club without our advisor.
"You'll be able to join us the day after tomorrow, right?"
"Yes. The other advisor will be back by then, so I’ll be free."
"Then we’ll wait and start our activities the day after tomorrow. It's our first day as an official club, so we should all start together. We'll use the time until then to get all the equipment we need ready."
"I see... Thank you for being so thoughtful."
Hashimoto-sensei gave us a warm, grateful smile. We had a quick meeting to discuss the supplies we’d need. Most of it was stuff we had already planned for, but we added a few new items to the list.
"All right, I’ll put in the request for the club computer. You kids get the paperwork ready."
"Will do. Thank you."
With everything settled, we bowed to Hashimoto-sensei and left the gym quickly so as not to disrupt the Volleyball Club any further.
Phew. Finally, all the red tape was behind us. Now we just had to make sure we gave it our all starting the day after tomorrow.
With the procedures complete, the Repeating Student Countermeasures would finally begin in earnest.