CSCP – Vol 1 Chapter 4 Part 1- The Clumsy Student Council President is Weak in the PE Storage Room

“Hah… I’m so done.” (Takaki)

The day after I unexpectedly encountered Togami in the student council room at night.

The sixth period ended, and it was now after school. Amidst the noise of my classmates echoing through the classroom, I sighed alone.

Why, you ask? Of course, because I was recalling yesterday’s events.

“Haaaaaaa~~~” (Takaki)

I sighed even deeper and rubbed my temples firmly.

I must have appeared quite displeased, as my classmates, who had been chatting nearby, looked at me and grimaced.

“Eek!? S-sorry!” (Classmate)

“Sorry, Gujou… I mean, Gujou-san!” (Classmate)

“L-Let’s get out of here.” (Classmate)

“Ah, Gujou-san, you can have this place!” (Classmate)

“Feel free to use it!” (Classmate)

“Sorry for the noise!” (Classmate)

“Huh? No, I’m not angry or anything…” (Takaki)

Without even hearing my words, they hastily gathered their things and left the classroom.

No, that’s not it! I wasn’t complaining about you guys!

…But there wasn’t even a chance for me to explain myself.

Students observing from a distance whispered amongst themselves.

“Scary…” (Classmate)

“He’s glaring at us…” (Classmate)

“Definitely a delinquent, his territory must be nearby…” (Classmate)

Nonono, I’m not glaring at anyone and I’m not a delinquent!

And what do they mean by ‘territory’? Images of late-night Don Quijote¹ stores or underpasses come to mind, but unfortunately, I have no connection to either.

Not being able to explain myself at times like this only deepens the misunderstanding. But right now, even just talking to them scares them. Am I doomed either way?

Well, what’s done is done.

For now, I should focus on the student council’s issues.

Well, rather than a student council issue, it’s more about the president herself.

Togami Nadeshiko.

She’s academically excellent, good at sports, and comes from a good family—truly a flawless being.

This was the image of Togami held by the students of this school, and until recently, by me as well.

However, the sight I saw last night.

She made mistakes even with relatively simple document tasks, tried to hide them by staying alone in the student council room, and brewed coffee only to fall asleep at the table.

When I found her, she panicked, bumped her foot twice, muttered something negative, and kept digging herself deeper into a hole.

If that side of Togami was her true self, it could become quite complicated.

I have no complaints about someone having a different side to them. Everyone has part of themselves they’d prefer to keep hidden, and I can genuinely admire the effort people put into maintaining appearances.

However, when that person is the president of the student council I belong to, it’s a different story.

I assumed that having someone as perfect as Togami as the president would make the work easy.

But if things like what happened yesterday keep occurring, that won’t be the case.

Thinking about the future, I almost sighed again. But then I remembered I was still in the classroom and held back. I don’t need the situation to get any worse than it already is.

I wanted to head to the student council room quickly, but moving hastily might cause more misunderstandings, and I didn’t want rumors spreading while I wasn’t around. In the end, I pretended to sleep at my desk until all my classmates had left.

On my way to the student council room, I ran into Sasaki-sensei in the hallway.

“Oh my, Gujou-kun, you look tired.” (Sashiki)

“Oh, hey.” (Takaki)

“How’s everything going with the student council? Sensei would be happy if things were going smoothly.” (Sashiki)

“About that…” (Takaki)

“Oh, is there some sort of problem?” (Sashiki)

Since it was a topic I didn’t want others overhearing, we moved into a nearby vacant classroom.

There, I briefly explained the events that unfolded between Togami and me last night.

Throughout my explanation, Sashiki-sensei maintained a pleasant smile, as if she had anticipated everything.

“Oh my, you’ve already found out. Gujou-kun, you’re really perceptive~” (Sashiki)

After listening to my story, Sashiki-sensei casually made a remark.

She’s quite laid-back about this.

“Perceptive? It was more like Togami’s own carelessness.” (Takaki)

“Hehe, that might be true.” (Sashiki)

“Sashiki-sensei was already aware of it, right? That Togami can be quite absent-minded.” (Takaki)

It was difficult to outright call her clumsy in front of a teacher.

“Of course, as the student council advisor, I’ve been closely observing Togami-san ever since she ran for the position.” (Sashiki)

“In that case, shouldn’t you have stopped her from running for president? You could have suggested she start as vice president or something to get used to it. Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if this comes back and bites us in the future.” (Takaki)

“I think her being a bit absent-minded makes her more approachable.” (Sashiki)

“There’s a limit to that.” (Takaki)

I’ve heard that some candidates withdrew their candidacy upon learning that Togami was running. If she wasn’t a candidate, a more competent person might have taken the position of president.

That would likely facilitate smoother operations of the student council.

“I personally think Togami-san is perfect for the role of student council president.” (Sashiki)

“Are you serious?” (Takaki)

“I am. Of course, competence in handling tasks is important, but there are other qualities just as crucial for being president.” (Sashiki)

“Like what?” (Takaki)

“If you’re in the student council, Gujou-kun, you’ll come to understand someday.” (Sashiki)

It didn’t feel like she was evading the question.

It seemed like Sashiki-sensei had an answer within herself, but she didn’t seem inclined to articulate it verbally. That’s the impression I got.

“But realistically, it would be problematic if she can’t handle the work.” (Takaki)

I changed the topic.

In response, Sashiki-sensei covered her mouth with her hand and cutely pondered, “Hmm.”

“Indeed, it seems Gujou-kun had quite a hard time yesterday.” (Sashiki)

“It was definitely something.” (Takaki)

“To be alone with a cute girl in the student council room after school hours.” (Sashiki)

“Please stop making it sound unnecessarily suggestive.” (Takaki)

Certainly, if you take the situation at face value, it could seem that way…

Yesterday, I wasn’t really thinking that deeply about it.

“But you did support her when she needed it, right?” (Sashiki)

“Well, yes, I did.” (Takaki)

“You could have ignored her. So why did you choose to help?” (Sashiki)

“Well, I’m not so inhuman to the point where I just abandon someone in that situation.” (Takaki)

“Hehe, Gujou-kun, you really do have the personality I expected.” (Sashiki)

“Are you mocking me?” (Takaki)

“I’m complimenting you. It’s not often that someone can confidently lend a hand in a situation where it’s natural. There aren’t as many people like that as you might think.” (Sashiki)

“Is that so…” (Takaki)

I understand what she’s getting at, but it feels like she’s exaggerating a bit. I don’t think what I did was that exceptional.

“What would you have done if my personality wasn’t what you expected?” (Takaki)

“I’m sure it’s fine. I have confidence in my judgment of people.” (Sashiki)

“You know, I’m someone who couldn’t keep up with my studies, got frustrated, and gave up trying. On top of that, people around me think I’m a delinquent.” (Takaki)

“Hmm. Well, it’s true that your grades aren’t great, most teachers don’t like you, and you don’t have friends at school besides your childhood friend, Yura-san.” (Sashiki)

“I know I brought this up but isn’t that too much?!” (Takaki)

“Really? I was phrasing it delicately.” (Sashiki)

If she hadn’t phrased it delicately, I might really stop coming to school.

Ignoring my retort, Sashiki-sensei continued talking with a smile on her face.

“Gujou-kun, you were late on the day of the student council election speech, weren’t you?” (Sashiki)

“Yeah, that’s right.” (Takaki)

“I heard that on that day when Yura-san was misunderstood by Matsumoto-sensei, you stepped in.” (Sashiki)

“Oh… yeah, that did happen.” (Takaki)

Indeed, Arisu, who came to wake me up, was unfairly scolded, and I remember correcting the teacher, although I didn’t know the teacher’s name.

“Because you instinctively take such actions, sensei trusts you.” (Sashiki)

“That’s because the other person was my childhood friend, Arisu.” (Takaki)

“No. Even if it had been Togami-san, I’m sure you would have acted the same way, right?” (Sashiki)

Once again, I found myself without a response.

Given that I had helped Togami last night, Sashiki-sensei seemed confident in her own conclusion. It doesn’t look like there’s any way to convince her.

“But I don’t trust myself as much as you do, Sashiki-sensei.” (Takaki)

Even so, I muttered in a somewhat defeated tone.

This reminds me of when Arisu teased me about being in my rebellious phase and I just couldn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with sensei, so Gujou-kun, feel free to act as you please. There’s no need to worry about repeating a year.” (Sashiki)

“…Sensei. You’re joking about me actually repeating a year, right?” (Takaki)

True, my grades and behavior were in shambles, but I could have covered it with makeup classes or assignments even without joining the student council. In fact, that would have been the natural course.

Was Sashiki-sensei’s planning to bring me into the student council from the start?

“Hehe, what do you think?” (Sashiki)

With her index finger under her chin, Sashiki-sensei wore a mysterious smile.

Honestly, I can’t compete with her.

I nodded politely, then turned and left the vacant classroom.

Sashiki-sensei probably watched me go with her usual smile. I was confident of that and made sure not to look back.

When I arrived at the student council room after school, Hourai-senpai and Arisu were already there.

I was quite late, but Togami wasn’t here yet.

“You made it, Gujou. You’re a little late today.” (Misuzu)

“What were you up to? Most of today’s work is already done.” (Arisu)

“Sorry about that. Had some mundane stuff to take care of.” (Takaki)

I placed my backpack on the long desk.

Looks like the two of them had been handling administrative tasks, as various documents and binders were scattered across the desk.

Upon closer looker, Togami’s school bag was placed on one of the chairs.

So, she must have dropped by the student council room at some point.

“Where’s Togami?” (Takaki)

“She went to the PE storage room because there are some equipment items that need checking.” (Misuzu)

“The PE storage room?” (Takaki)

“Yeah. Apparently, there was a discussion in the staff meeting about replacing equipment used in the sports festival. They requested the student council to inspect it. It’s not the one near the club building where the sports teams store their stuff, but the second PE storage room in the corner of the schoolyard.” (Misuzu)

Come to think of it, besides the PE storage room near the club building, there was another older storage room tucked away in a corner of the school grounds.

The second PE storage room housed equipment that was used only during sports festivals and school events, taking up space despite being rarely used.

“I offered to accompany her, but Togami insisted she was fine alone. She left about twenty minutes ago.” (Misuzu)

The student council room, situated in a corner of the school building, was a bit of a distance from the PE storage room in the schoolyard. It’s not unusual for her not to have returned yet.

However, Togami going alone to the PE storage room did leave me somewhat concerned.

“…No way.” (Takaki)

“What is it? What’s wrong, Takaki?” (Arisu)

Arisu looked at me with a puzzled expression at my muttering.

It seemed like too cliché of a thought. But remembering Togami from yesterday, I couldn’t afford to be complacent.

“Well, showing up late and not doing any work isn’t great either. Just to be sure, I’ll head over to the PE storage room to check up on her. There might be something left unfinished.” (Takaki)

“Heh~ you’re saying something so commendable. I wonder if it’s going to snow tomorrow?” (Arisu)

“My motto is diligence and integrity.” (Takaki)

“I’ve never heard that in the seven years we’ve been together, and someone with that motto wouldn’t be at risk of being held back a year” (Arisu)

“Well, um…” (Misuzu)

As Arisu and I argued quietly back and forth, Hourai paused her work and looked over at us.

“Gujou, should I accompany you? We’ve almost finished our tasks here…” (Misuzu)

“No, it’s fine! I can handle it on my own!” (Takaki)

“I see… Well, if you say so.” (Misuzu)

I hastily interrupted, causing Hourai-senpai to look puzzled.

Though I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, in the unlikely event that something happened and someone else was there, it could lead to various problems.

Reishuu High School’s schoolyard was located at a slightly lower level about twenty steps below the main buildings and courtyard.

On the same level as the schoolyard were facilities like tennis courts, gymnasiums, and martial arts arenas, connected to the main buildings by stairs and covered walkways.

The rumored second gym storage was situated at the edge of the schoolyard, with a slope behind it covered in trees. It was somewhat distant from where the club rooms of the sports teams were lined up, and there were usually no students hanging around that area.

As I approached the door, I noticed the padlock had been removed from the entrance.

“Hey, is anyone there?” (Takaki)

I called out as I slid the heavy metal door open.

*Clang*

It seemed like something was stuck in the door, but it wasn’t locked.

With a creaking sound, I slowly opened the door. Inside the dusty warehouse, the lights were on, and I could see old ropes, gym mats, and wooden flooring slats lined up against the walls.

“Kyaaa!? Wh-Who’s there…?” (Nadeshiko)

“Togami, are you there?” (Takaki)

At first glance, there was no one in sight, but I heard Togami’s voice coming from inside the storage room. Though it was slightly muffled, there was no doubt she was inside.

Where? Where are you?

I looked around the storage room but still couldn’t see her.

“Gujou-san? Over here, here!” (Nadeshiko)

Togami’s voice was somewhat muffled, perhaps afraid of being overheard. Guided by her voice, I looked up to a rather high window.

…

……

Half a body was sticking out of the window.

*Clang*

I closed the door of the storage room.

First, let’s calm down and sort out the situation.

First thing: Humans cannot survive with just their lower body. Therefore, if there’s a lower body, typically the upper body is attached as well.

Second thing: Human lower bodies do not sprout from windows. Therefore, if the lower body is visible from the window, the upper body must be on the other side.

Third thing: Togami is inside the storage room. And Togami is super clumsy.

The conclusion drawn was obvious, but I was filled with the desire to ignore it, turn around, and go home.

I wanted to abandon everything and live quietly like one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove². I didn’t want to keep cleaning up after an unbelievable klutz…

“Gujou-san!? I’m inside, at the window!” (Nadeshiko)

“…Haa.” (Takaki)

Hearing her voice from inside again, I resigned myself to the situation and sighed.

Listening closely, I could hear her voice coming from the opposite side of the storage room, even with the door closed. Her upper body must be outside the wall.

Putting strength into the arm holding the handle, I slid the door open again, to let her voice in.

Inside the dimly lit storage room, her lower body protruding from the window was faintly illuminated by the light coming in through the entrance and the window.

It was like a surrealist painting… but maybe I should apologize to surrealism for making that comparison.

Her legs stood on a stack of gym mats, and her thighs were at my eye level.

To put it bluntly, Togami was in a predicament with her lower half stuck in the wall.

…Is there a more pathetic situation to report?

“Uh, these legs… are they yours, Togami?” (Takaki)

“They are mine.” (Nadeshiko)

“You’re stuck in the window frame and can’t get out, right?” (Takaki)

“As you can see.” (Nadeshiko)

A somewhat soft response came from the other side of the window.

In this situation, should I be talking to the legs, or to the face that should be outside the wall? Which is the right approach here…?

I’ll go with a compromise and speak to the part of the body that’s barely visible, aiming for the stomach area at the border between the window and the inside.

“Can I ask you a few questions?” (Takaki)

“Yes, go ahead.” (Nadeshiko)

“How can you sound so unfazed while being just a pair of legs?” (Takaki)

The voice that answered was incredibly dignified, something you wouldn’t expect from a person stuck in a window frame, and I couldn’t help but comment.

“That’s rude. I have an upper half too.” (Nadeshiko)

It doesn’t feel that way when I can’t see it from here.

I’d like to interrogate her about this matter for about an hour, but it’s a waste of time to give up.

“First question, is it possible that you’re stuck in the window frame because this is some sort of peculiar hobby of yours?” (Takaki)

“Huh? Do you really think there’s a hobby in this world where people shove their bodies into gym storage windows?” (Nadeshiko)

“I know there isn’t, but I wanted to take a chance on the possibility!” (Takaki)

“Sorry, but let’s stop wasting time with unnecessary talk.” (Nadeshiko)

“It’s really annoying to hear something that sounds rational coming from a lower half…!” (Takaki)

“And Gujou-san, you’ve been calling me ‘lower half’ this whole time, but I do have an upper half too.” (Nadeshiko)

“…If you’re fine like this, I could just leave.” (Takaki)

“I’m sorry, Gujou-san, please help me.” (Nadeshiko)

When lightly threatened, Togami became quite compliant.

After briefly listening to her story, it turned out that Togami had finished her work in the sports equipment room and tried to leave, but the door wouldn’t open. So she attempted to escape through the window but got stuck, which brings us to the current situation.

By the way, when I entered, I felt like something was blocking the door.

Returning to the door and searching around, I noticed that the wooden slat placed beside the door had shifted.

“Togami, did you touch this wooden slat?” (Takaki)

“The slat? It was in the way during my work, so I remember moving it a bit.” (Nadeshiko)

“I see.” (Nadeshiko)

It seems that this slat obstructed the sliding door’s path, causing it to get stuck.

At least I know that she wasn’t intentionally locked in by someone else.

However, anxiety grew about Togami’s clumsiness which led to her accidentally getting stuck in the window frame. In some ways, it might have been easier if someone had actually locked her in, as at least then we could have taken action to resolve it.

Looking at Togami (or rather, his lower half) again, all I could see from this side were her skirt and legs, creating a ridiculously awkward scene.

Plus, in her struggle to get free, her skirt had ridden up a bit, which was concerning. I couldn’t just touch and fix it, and it’s not good for my heart…

I sighed heavily as I confirmed Togami’s pitiful situation once more, holding my head in my hands.

“Ugh… how did it come to this…” (Takaki)

“Gujou-san, now is not the time to be down. Let’s think about how to escape without anyone noticing.” (Nadeshiko)

“Why are you able to stay so composed in this wall-butt situation?” (Takaki)

“Wall-butt… What’s that?” (Nadeshiko)

Oops. I accidentally said “wall-butt” out loud, which might have been a bit too sensitive of a term.

Well, really, it’s not like I wanted to know about such a thing in the first place. In this day and age, if you browse the internet, you can’t avoid passively picking up that kind of knowledge.