With the new Student Council members finalized, our activities were set to officially begin the following day.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around why Tanaka had been assigned a post like "Chief of Digital Whatever," but according to Rui, she was going to be worked like a pack mule, so I decided not to sweat it.
I tightened my tie with a renewed sense of purpose, straightened my posture, and headed for the school. Between the Student Council duties and upcoming events like the school trip, the sports festival, and even a Christmas party, the second semester was shaping up to be a lot of fun.
I felt a refreshing sense of excitement—the kind of feeling that would have been unimaginable for me just six months ago. Back then, I never would have thought I’d actually look forward to school events.
"Ryouta-senpai, good morning!"
"Oh, Himesaki."
As I was walking, Himesaki called out to me from behind.
Nozomi Himesaki was a returnee who gave off a sweet fragrance reminiscent of expensive foreign shampoo, her bright red hair swaying in a half-up style as she moved. As usual, she had absolutely zero knowledge of what it meant to be a perverted scoundrel, making her a handful of a junior who required my personal tutelage.
"Morning, Himesaki. I’m counting on you in the Student Council starting today, alright?"
"Yes! As the Secretary General representing the first-years, I’ll do my best to support you and Rui-senpai, Ryouta-senpai!"
The way she casually left Tanaka out was a bit pitiful, but I knew Himesaki didn't do it on purpose, so I hoped Tanaka could find it in her heart to forgive her. If anything, the real problem was Tanaka’s complete lack of presence.
"Come to think of it, the teacher starting today is going to be the advisor for the new Student Council, right?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
According to Rui, a new teacher was joining the school to fill in for someone on maternity leave, and they were slated to take over our Student Council.
"I wonder what they’ll be like," Himesaki mused.
"Who knows."
"Oh? Ryouta-senpai, aren't you excited? You usually get worked up over women indiscriminately, don't you?"
"Hey, what do you mean 'indiscriminately'?! You're making me sound like some kind of total deviant!"
The painful part was that, based on my track record, she wasn't entirely wrong.
"It's just... I've spent so much time looking at Yuria’s thick thighs, Airi’s massive chest, and Rui’s perfect physique that I haven’t really been able to get excited about other women lately."
"Wow. You’re trying to frame that as 'pure love,' but it’s actually just plain impure."
"Your retorts are really cutting deep today, so give it a rest."
Himesaki, words are like knives, you know (The Pervert Detective).
"But I still don't really understand the definition of what you call a 'perverted scoundrel.' I want you to teach me all about it, just like you do for everyone else. Please, turn me into someone whose body gets excited, too!"
"Don't—! Don't just fire off problematic statements like that, Himesaki! If Rui heard you just now..."
"It’s fine! I’ve already properly explained my relationship with you to Rui-senpai."
"Huh? Your relationship... with me?"
Himesaki cleared her throat lightly and continued.
"Ahem. Actually, before Rui-senpai chose me as Secretary General, she interrogated me about my relationship with you."
"That shouldn't have been any of her business."
"Well, I told her, 'Ryouta-senpai and I are simply friends who teach each other how to be perverted scoundrels,' and then I was able to become the Secretary General."
"Why would that work?!"
Her answer was outrageous enough, but I couldn't believe Rui had actually accepted "pervert-teaching friends" as a valid excuse.
"Rui-senpai seems strict toward girls who get close to you, but I wonder if it’s just jealousy? Hehe, how cute of her."
"No, there’s no way. Rui doesn't look at me like that."
"I suppose so. Even just talking like this, I feel like you and I have much better chemistry anyway, Ryouta-senpai."
"What's that supposed to mean?! H-Hey, don't tease your senior too much, Hime—"
"I don't think that's the case at all."
As we were walking and talking side-by-side, Rui cut between us, forcibly tearing us apart.
"R-Rui-senpai...!"
"Good day, Himesaki-san."
The Student Council President had manifested out of thin air. Seriously, where had she come from? Appearing in the space between us as abruptly as Bucciarati emerging from a zipper, Rui narrowed her eyes and glared at Himesaki.
"Himesaki-san, you seem to be maintaining this relationship with Ryouta-kun by babbling about being 'perverted scoundrels' as usual, but don't you actually know exactly what that means by now?"
"I-I don't! Really!"
"Is that so? Yet while playing that 'pure character' of yours, you've been gradually closing the distance between you and Ryouta-kun for a while now... and before I knew it, you were close enough that your hands could have touched at any moment, right?"
"T-That was just a coincidence, I swear!"
Faced with Rui's incredibly minute observations, Himesaki's face clouded with bewilderment. I mean, where was Rui even watching us from?! She couldn't have known that unless she was right behind me! Apparently, she wasn't Bucciarati; she was Retsu Kaioh.
"And Ryouta-kun, you're just as bad. Joining the Student Council was a promise to swear your loyalty to me, wasn't it? And yet, here you are, fawning over your junior... Do you think it's okay to treat our promise so lightly?"
"I-I'm sorry, Rui! I won't fawn over her anymore! But if I may be so bold, please scold me even more harshly, Madam President!"
"R-Ryouta-senpai?! Ah, so I see... this is what it means to be a perverted scoundrel!"
The scene had devolved into a nightmare where no one was left to play the straight man.