It’s been a few days since I joined the student council.
Since it had been announced on the school bulletin board, it was already well-known that Arisu and I had joined the student council.
I had been labeled as a delinquent, so I thought that becoming part of the student council would change people’s perceptions of me even a little bit, but…
“Why am I still being treated like a delinquent…?” (Takaki)
After school, I was sitting on the sofa in the student council room with a disheartened expression.
Arisu, who was sitting next to me, responded with a sigh.
“Well, it’s probably because of all the accumulated impression people have for you until now.” (Arisu)
“I have barely talked to these people.” (Takaki)
“It can’t be helped. It’s more about the atmosphere and your image.” (Arisu)
“Hah…” (Takaki)
My sigh echoed emptily in the student council room.
Unfortunately, my isolated high school life continued as it was. Students were still keeping their distance from me.
Furthermore, I felt like there were even more people whispering and gossiping about me. If anything, my situation had slightly worsened.
To those who admired Togami, they probably wondered, “Why is that guy in the student council?”
“About that… it seems that Sashiki-sensei is involved in making the rumors.” (Nadeshiko)
“Huh, sensei?” (Takaki)
Togami, who had been listening to our conversation, broached the subject with an awkward expression.
Sashiki-sensei… What on earth are you doing?
“Hey, what do you mean by that?” (Takaki)
“Well, rumors are circulating that ‘The first year, Gujou, joined the student council to turn over a new leaf under the guidance of the student council president.’.” (Nadeshiko)
Togami confessed reluctantly.
So that means…
“So, basically, the widespread belief is that I joined the student council as a delinquent trying to be reformed under Togami’s guidance?” (Takaki)
“Well, Takaki joined to avoid repeating a year, so it’s not entirely wrong.” (Arisu)
Arisu muttered with a troubled expression.
“I don’t think it’s explicitly stated, but it seems that she has been hinting at it to the other teachers she’s close to. Over time, the rumor has somehow managed to reach the students.” (Nadeshiko)
“No wonder they’re still gossiping about me…” (Takaki)
I slumped onto the table.
Damn, I had hoped that joining the student council would somewhat alleviate my isolation in the class…
At this rate, improvement seemed like a distant prospect.
“But isn’t that awful? Takaki is still a legitimate member.” (Arisu)
“I think so too, but Sashiki-sensei must have her reasons… probably.” (Nadeshiko)
Then, Hourai-senpai, who had been organizing the contents of the cabinet, turned around.
“That’s right. Sashiki-sensei has her own circumstances. Apparently, there have been complaints from the board about the delayed formation of this year’s student council and the composition of the members.” (Misuzu)
“Complaints?” (Takaki)
Hourai-senpai nodded with a conflicted expression.
“Yeah. Things like ‘The president’s leadership might be lacking’ or ‘Is it really okay to have two scholarship students as members?’ It’s just petty complaints. They probably used Gujou’s situation as an easy excuse to complain.” (Misuzu)
“I understand the delayed establishment of the student council, but what’s this about two scholarship students…?” (Takaki)
Hourai-senpai looked surprised at my question.
“Oh, I hadn’t mentioned that before, had I? Like you, Gujou, I’m also attending Reishuu on a scholarship. My family isn’t particularly wealthy.” (Misuzu)
“Is that so? This is the first I’ve heard of it.” (Nadeshiko)
Togami’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I wasn’t hiding it, but it’s not something I go out of my way to tell everyone.” (Misuzu)
“I don’t get why there’d be complaints about that.” (Arisu)
To Arisu, who asked a natural question, Hourai-senpai responded with a wry smile.
“Even though scholarships are an official part of the school system, over ninety percent of the students are non-scholars, meaning they have to pay the fees in full. The fact that the minority makes up half of the student council members probably doesn’t sit well with them. Like I said before, it’s just petty complaints.” (Misuzu)
“I see. So that’s why she said that it was for the sake of my reformation.” (Takaki)
“That’s about the gist of it. Well, if she didn’t have a reason to, I doubt sensei would have mentioned it.” (Misuzu)
That day, the student council meeting ended right before the end of school hours.
While Arisu and I hadn’t been assigned specific tasks yet, we were busy studying the handover materials to learn about our duties.
Togami and Hourai-senpai, on the other hand, were already deep into practical tasks such as educating us on responsibilities, confirming club activity budgets, and preparing reports notifying other nearby schools about us.
Even though Togami had only been in the student council for less than two weeks, she was quite the diligent student council president.
It’s good that we have such capable leaders.
On my way home, since there was a book I wanted to buy, I parted ways with Arisu at the station and headed alone to the bookstore in the station building.
I found the book I was looking for in the new release corner. However, another book on a nearby ‘recommended’ display caught my eye.
Curious about it, I grabbed the book and skimmed through it from the beginning. The rhythm of the writing was engaging, with just enough hints of what was to come to keep me interested. I got so absorbed in reading that before I knew it, several tens of minutes had passed.
I hurriedly picked up the book I came for and the book I had been reading and stood in line at the checkout.
As I waited in line, I tried to take out my wallet from my backpack, but couldn’t find it anywhere.
“Huh?” (Takaki)
With people starting to line up behind me, I temporarily stepped out of line and opened my backpack.
However, I still couldn’t find my wallet inside the backpack. It wasn’t mixed up with textbooks or the rental tablets either.
Did I drop it at school?
“Oh.” (Takaki)
Come to think of it, I had slipped away during student council activities to buy juice from a vending machine. I remember returning to the student council room and placing my wallet on the desk, but I don’t recall putting it back into my backpack.
I must have left my wallet behind in the student council room.
My IC card is inside my phone case, so I can still get home if I decide to leave now.
But not having my wallet on hand makes me feel uneasy.
“I guess I’ll go and get it…” (Takaki)
I returned the books I got back to the shelf and left the store reluctantly.
I made my way back to school through the now-darkened city. The faint coolness of the evening breeze brushed against me.
Reishuu High School, being a prestigious private school, boasted an unusually large campus area.
Surrounded by lush trees, the luxurious main gate stood out. Beyond the central avenue lined up with trees stood the school buildings with their stylish, almost hotel-like exteriors.
Although official school hours had passed, there were still scattered lights that could be seen. With proper authorization related to committees, club activities, or school events, entering and exiting the school grounds was permissible.
I showed my student ID to the security guard and said, “I’m sorry, I left something in the student council room.”
After that, I just needed to tap my student ID at the gate.
I changed my shoes at the entrance and walked down the quiet corridor illuminated only by emergency lights, making a faint tapping sound with each step.
The school building at night felt much larger than during the day, and the corridors seemed to stretch two or three times longer. As I walked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t getting any closer to the student council room. I found myself unintentionally quickening my pace. Honestly, it was a bit scary.
Finally, I reached the corridor in front of the student council room.
“Huh?” (Takaki)
Light could be seen leaking out from under the door of the student council room.
For a moment, the phrase “Seven Mysteries of the School1” crossed my mind.
I wasn’t sure if this particular school had such things.
However, all the student council members had left the room together and should have gone straight home.
I don’t think we forgot to turn off the lights either.
Conscious of my pounding heartbeat, I gently opened the door.
Inside the brightly lit student council room, there was no one.
Seriously, why are you trying to scare me… No, it didn’t scare me. Even though I walked alone through the school building at night, it wasn’t like I was thinking about ghosts or anything.
I quickly made up a weird excuse in my mind and headed towards the desks. However, there was nothing there.
Feeling puzzled, I glanced around.
Then, I noticed an abnormal object on the reception sofa and low table.
“What the…!” (Takaki)
I involuntarily shouted aloud, but I couldn’t help it.
The object turned out to be a person—specifically, a female student from our school.
She was sitting on the sofa, leaning forward over the table, with her long black hair spread out like a pool of blood.
Upon closer look, she seemed to be using her arms as a pillow.
I approached her cautiously. She didn’t seem like a ghost, but I was still a bit scared.
“Mmn…?” (?)
She let out a somewhat cute voice. Looks like my shouting had woke her up.
Through the gaps in her long hair, I could see several documents.
Beside her was an open laptop with a mouse and a half-empty coffee mug.
When I moved the mouse slilghtly, the laptop screen lit up.
On the screen was the Word document app with what seemed like a fresh new document. On Windows Explorer, several folders were open.
After moving the mouse for a while, the girl suddenly jolted up with great force.
“Eh?! Was I asleep!?” (?)
At the same time, there was a loud bang as something hit against the low table and caused it to shake.
“Nnnnn! Ouch… that hurts…” (?)
The girl groaned in pain, clutching her leg. Apparently, she had accidentally hit her leg when waking up.
By that time, I had indeed figured out who this girl was.
“…Togami. Good morning.” (Takaki)
“Eh? Huh? Where am I…?!” (Nadeshiko)
Still confused, Togami suddenly noticed me and jerked her body in surprise.
Her eyes were still half-closed, so she was probably deeply asleep.
Trying to calm the tension, she reached for the coffee mug.
However, in her groggy state, she misjudged the distance and accidentally knocked against the handle with force.
With a dull thud, the mug toppled over, spilling coffee across the table.
“Hiyaaaa!” (Nadeshiko)
Togami let out an unexpectedly cute scream and quickly pushed the documents away. I hurriedly grabbed the laptop and moved it to a safe area.
“Hey, Togami! Tissues! We need some tissues!” (Takaki)
“Oh, um, right!” (Nadeshiko)
After all the commotion, Togami seemed to have fully woken up, as she now spoke with a refreshed expression.
“Good morning, Gujou-san.” (Nadeshiko)
“It’s almost impressive how you can keep a straight face in this situation…” (Takaki)
“What a coincidence to meet you here. Do you have business in the student council room at this hour?” (Nadeshiko)
“Are you just going to act like nothing happened from five minutes ago?!” (Takaki)
Togami continued to push her usual attitude. It seemed a bit excessive to pretend like nothing had happened.
“Well, let’s set aside the coffee incident for now.” (Nadeshiko)
“So we’re avoiding it after all?” (Takaki)
Nevertheless, there was something I wanted to address first.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to get to the point.
“So, Togami, what are you doing here in the student council room at this hour? It’s well past the official closing time, and we just left together not long ago.” (Takaki)
“W-Well, you see…” (Nadeshiko)
Togami stuttered, glancing nervously at the documents and the laptop we had moved.
I already had a good idea of what these were.
“This is the document for the report to the nearby high schools, right?” (Takaki)
“…” (Nadeshiko)
“I remember it being already finished when I left, and it was supposed to be submitted by tomorrow.” (Takaki)
“…” (Nadeshiko)
Togami unnaturally tilted her head and continued avoiding my gaze stubbornly.
Well, even without her saying anything, I could pretty much guess what was going on.
—The student council room was still lit up after school hours.
—Togami was staying back alone.
—Scattered documents and active laptop.
—The contents of the Word document were nearly blank except for the title.
—The presence of coffee.
—Togami, who had fallen asleep face-down on the desk.
—Togami, who got flustered and bumped her leg when I called out to her.
—Togami, who is terrible at covering things up.
From all this, one conclusion could be drawn.
“Could it be that… the report hadn’t been finished yet?” (Takaki)
After a full ten seconds of silence, Togami finally responded in a flustered voice.
“…N-No, t-t-that’s not what happened!” (Nadeshiko)
“That sounds exactly like something someone guilty would say.” (Takaki)
“Gujou-san, you shouldn’t accuse someone without evidence.” (Nadeshiko)
“There’s overwhelming evidence! Just let me look at the laptop and it’ll be obvious.” (Takaki)
“Ah! Wait, please! Don’t look at it!” (Nadeshiko)
As I stood up, Togami hurriedly stood up as well.
But then, with another dull thud sound, the coffee table shook again.
“Oww!” (Nadeshiko)
Togami, who had bumped her foot, collapsed on the spot…. again.
“Are you okay?” (Takaki)
“Ugh… hitting the same spot twice… I’m definitely getting a bruise…” (Nadeshiko)
It seemed she had hit the same spot earlier when she woke up.
Although I feel sorry for Togami, who had tears in her eyes, I took advantage of this opportunity to check the laptop on the desk.
The document on display was almost completely blank.
The template was there, but aside from that, it’s almost untouched.
Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Togami. She seemed to have resigned herself to the situation, sitting there looking dejected.
Her usually slender figure now seemed somewhat shrunken.
Maybe Togami was more of a klutz than I thought.
“…Haa.” (Takaki)
I let out a sigh.
I thought student council activities were going smoothly as expected.
Then suddenly, a dark cloud loomed over from nowhere.
Togami and I sat facing each other on the sofa, deciding to sort out the situation for now.
On the coffee table were documents, a laptop, and a mouse lined up—like evidence in a case.
Togami wore a disheartened expression, showing no intention of starting the conversation herself.
I turned the laptop screen towards Togami, showing her the nearly blank document file.
“This report needs to be submitted by tomorrow, right?” (Takaki)
“That’s the plan.” (Nadeshiko)
“But it’s not done.” (Takaki)
“No, it’s not.” (Nadeshiko)
“Don’t just calmly agree like that. Are you malfunctioning?” (Takaki)
“But I was taught to respond firmly.” (Nadeshiko)
“Responding firmly without actually understanding anything is useless, you know.” (Takaki)
She looks like the type to say “Got it!” without actually getting it at all.
With a skeptical look, I listened as Togami started quickly explaining herself.
“I had it completed when I left today! I just needed Hourai-senpai to give it a final check.” (Nadeshiko)
“Oh?” (Takaki)
“However, on my way home, I remembered a mistake and returned to the student council room to fix it before the end of today. While I was working on that… inexplicably, the document disappeared.” (Nadeshiko)
“Huh?” (Takaki)
“It wasn’t due to a mistake or anything; I hadn’t done anything, yet the file vanished!” (Nadeshiko)
“Did you seriously not do anything?” (Takaki)
“I swear! I just made a little typing mistake, had multiple tabs open, and was hitting some keys when suddenly—” (Nadeshiko)
“Isn’t that the cause right there!” (Takaki)
Listening to her was giving me a headache.
Was our student council president really this clumsy at her work?
“So, I started redoing it, but then I accidentally used last year’s format halfway through, and my brain just blanked out on what to do.” (Nadeshiko)
“Don’t say ‘blanked out on what to do’. You made a careless mistake and fell asleep.” (Takaki)
“Well, you could put it that way too.” (Nadeshiko)
Togami must have realized that she was in a disadvantageous position so she pursed her lips and fell silent.
I straightened up on the sofa’s backrest and started the conversation a bit more brightly.
“Well, for now, it’s clear that Togami is very clumsy.” (Takaki)
“W-What do you mean by clumsy!” (Nadeshiko)
Togami responded with discontent.
“You accidentally deleted documents, made mistakes in the template, brewed coffee and even fell asleep. Plus, you’ve bumped into the desk multiple times already.” (Takaki)
“Ugh…” (Nadeshiko)
Togami pressed her hands against her chest and bent over. I wondered what she was doing, but then I saw her whispering something into her phone.
“Hey Siri, help me…” (Nadeshiko)
“Siri might be smart, but she’s not much use in situations like this.” (Takaki)
“W-Well, what else can I do?! I don’t have any other friends I can rely on!” (Nadeshiko)
“I unexpectedly learned something sad…” (Takaki)
Well, being respected by others and having reliable friends are two different matters. There’s a saying about keeping respect at a distance, after all.
“Or rather, Gujou-san, aren’t you also seen as an outsider at school?” (Nadeshiko)
“Well, saying that to my face…” (Takaki)
“Heh, I can’t afford to worry about such things. Are you really in a position to say that about me, Gujou-san?” (Nadeshiko)
“But, I have Arisu.” (Takaki)
“She’s more like a childhood friend than just a friend, right?” (Nadeshiko)
“Well, yeah…” (Takaki)
“Do you have any guy friends?” (Nadeshiko)
“Then I’ll ask you, do you have childhood friends?” (Takaki)
“Isn’t that unfair?” (Nadeshiko)
“…” (Takaki)
“…” (Nadeshiko)
“…Shouldn’t we stop this conversation? It’s just going to hurt both of us.” (Takaki)
“…Yeah.” (Nadeshiko)
An awkward silence filled the air, and we both fell silent.
Soon, Togami buried her head in her hands and collapsed onto the table.
“Haa… It’s over… My career as the student council president ends here.” (Nadeshiko)
“Career? You’ve only just started.” (Takaki)
It hadn’t even been a week since the new student council was established.
“Gujou-san, with this as evidence, you’re going to expose me as a useless klutz who acts all high and mighty as president and ruin my reputation, aren’t you?” (Nadeshiko)
“I’m not going to do anything like that!” (Takaki)
“Haha, well, congratulations… The student council presidency position is all yours now.” (Nadeshiko)
“I’m not particularly interested in being the student council president.” (Takaki)
Most people wouldn’t be. Frankly, being the student council president seems like a hassle.
Nevertheless, Togami’s negative mindset persisted.
“I’ll be expelled from the student council, branded as ‘the incompetent former student council president’ for the rest of my life…” (Nadeshiko)
“Even if that happens, it’ll all be over once we graduate high school.” (Takaki)
“Heh, you seem so confident, future student council president…” (Nadeshiko)
“I told you, I’m not going to be one.” (Takaki)
“Please, scatter my ashes on a hill overlooking the sea…” (Nadeshiko)
“Don’t turn into ashes! And I won’t scatter anything!” (Takaki)
Seeing Togami’s worn-out expression, I sighed.
I couldn’t just leave her like this.
I pulled the laptop closer and glanced at the nearby documents.
Indeed, there were many blank sections, but the template was already prepared. Given the amount left, we could finish it in an hour.
“We’re going to finish this now.” (Takaki)
“Huh?” (Nadeshiko)
“The document. With two people, we can get it done quicker. Not finishing it now would be inefficient.” (Takaki)
When I said this, Togami’s eyes widened in surprise.
But she quickly recovered and sat up straight on the sofa.
“Y-Yes… you’re right. Then, I’ll handle the typing. I have some confidence in my typing speed.” (Nadeshiko)
“Got it. I’ll leave that to you.” (Takaki)
After that, we proceeded to work on the document together.
Togami’s claim about her typing speed turned out to be true. As long as I gave her precise instructions, the work progressed smoothly. Although, occasionally, she would make a mistake..
Her basic capabilities were indeed high. Well, if they were too low, there wouldn’t be much that could be done to fix things.
Once we focused on the task at hand, everything was a straightforward process. In less than an hour, the document was completed.
By then, it was already past 8 PM.
I’m usually in charge of cooking at home, but today I’ll settle for some frozen food or discounted supermarket bento.
“Togami. Did you tell your family you’d be late?” (Takaki)
I asked, suddenly feeling curious.
Knowing Togami, there’s a good chance she completely forgot.
As expected, Togami shook her head, but she didn’t seem particularly concerned.
“It’s fine. No one there worries about me anyways.” (Nadeshiko)
Her words seem to have a hint of something, but our relationship isn’t close enough for me to pry into it.
“Well, as long as you’re okay, Togami, there’s no problem.” (Takaki)
With a daughter as beautiful as her, you’d think her parents might be a bit overprotective. But it’s not my place to comment on someone’s family situation.
After locking up the student council room, Togami and I walked together towards the school gate.
Just as we were about to reach the gate, Togami, who had seemed like she wanted to say something, finally spoke up.
“Um, Gujou-san, about today…” (Nadeshiko)
“Do you think it’s better if I don’t tell the other student council members?” (Takaki)
When I anticipated what she was going to ask, she immediately bowed her head.
“Please. I’m begging you.” (Nadeshiko)
“Hey, you don’t have to say it like that. Come on, lift your head.” (Takaki)
I glanced around involuntarily, but there was no one else in the school at this hour.
Togami’s long hair blended into the darkness, and her pale skin stood out. Her faintly glowing face wore a serious expression.
“Today was just a coincidence, so please don’t worry about it. I’ll be more careful to prevent such things from happening in the future.” (Nadeshiko)
“If something troubles you next time, let me know sooner. We’re teammates in the student council after all.” (Takaki)
“No. From now on, I won’t make any such mistakes, so there’s no need to worry. I am the student council president, after all.” (Nadeshiko)
“Well, as long as it doesn’t affect our work, it’s fine.” (Takaki)
“Thank you very much for today. I’ll be going this way now. Bye.” (Nadeshiko)
Togami briskly walked past the security office and headed in the direction of the station. Without looking back, she continued on her way.
Watching her retreating figure, I muttered to myself.
“Actually, I’m going the same way.” (Takaki)
As expected, Togami still had her moments of being a klutz.
Illustration of Togami spilling the coffee
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Oof, that couple one is unfortunate. If the student council had more people and more cliques, then they could simply not interact with each other.
Suggestion box is like one of the classic student council things. My school also implemented such a thing and although I wasn’t the one managing it (yes, I was in student council), I heard some of the suggestions given were “Buy and keep fishes in a tank in the student lounge area”, “Have a sandwich-making machine for when stalls are closed after club activities”, “Put more games in the student lounge area”, and “Extend recess time”. These are the only ones I remember.
Apparently, the school announced they were going to do the sandwich-making one, but I graduated before I could see it be implemented so idk if it worked.