Episode 221: A Request to the Student Council

As usual, the afternoon classes made me sleepy. I’m pretty sure it’s a combo of having a full stomach and the perfect weather; not too hot and not too cold. It’s not like I was slacking off or anything, probably.

Hanako-san, sitting next to me, didn’t seem to have any problems. She even had the energy to poke me in the side whenever I looked like I was about to nod off.

Poke, poke…

「Come on, open your eyes ♪」

I don’t know why, but she seemed to be enjoying herself a little.

Thanks to Hanako-san’s cover fire (?), I managed to fight off the drowsiness and keep taking notes until the chime rang. Looks like I survived fifth period today.

Once I got this far, the next period was fine. Plus, today’s sixth period wasn’t a normal class but a special HR for the school festival. The topic was, of course, the festival stalls.

The chime rang to start the period, and just as I thought the discussion was about to begin, our homeroom teacher’s eyes were locked right on me. Everything should’ve been fine, though?

「Since we have a Student Council officer right here, it might be better if Takanashi-kun leads the way. I’m counting on you, okay?」

Under that unwelcome advice, I was forced into a penalty game where I had to stand at the podium and run the meeting. I reluctantly walked to the front, and the teacher gave the signal:「Applause~」

Clap clap clap clap.

Stop it!

Scanning the room while receiving that pity-applause, I saw Hanako-san, Yamakawa, and the other guys I was relatively close with all laughing at me. I made a mental note to call on them first if I needed opinions during the meeting…

Shaking it off, I decided to start by telling them what had been decided at the last Student Council meeting.

「Uh, first off, our class stall passed the screening. So, it’s officially confirmed as a Maid & Butler Cafe as planned.」

「…Alright!」

「…We did it!!」

「…I can’t wait~」

「…Man, I’m getting hyped~」

The classroom erupted in excitement, with cheers coming from all over. I intended to wait until they settled down, but it was getting so rowdy that I was debating whether to scold them when a few voices started to hush the others.

「Everyone, Takanashi-kun is struggling, so let’s quiet down!」

It was those two who spoke up first, of course. Using that as a cue, the buzz gradually died down. Having classmates who actually cooperate is a huge relief for me.

By the way, the final blow was Hanako-san murmuring,「…Sigh, such children.」The way the guys went dead silent after hearing that made me realize her influence in this class has reached a legendary level without me noticing.

………

Since the class finally settled down, I decided to resume the talk.

「Just so you know, there are two other cafes besides ours, so the customers might be split. Just keep that in mind.」

「…Ah, well, that can’t be helped.」

「…True, cafes are the staple of a school festival, after all.」

「…We can’t lose to them.」

「…Right, let’s think of ways to attract customers!」

「…I want to prepare some cute costumes.」

It seemed they were more focused on winning against the other shops rather than thinking negatively. That part shouldn’t be an issue then.

「Question! What are we doing about the food?」

The topic finally reached the part I thought was most important.

I should probably confirm this now.

「Is there anyone here who can cook?」

I asked directly while looking around the room. A few people looked like they were about to raise their hands, but they didn’t do it confidently. Maybe they lacked confidence or just didn’t have much experience.

「By the way, is there anyone who can cook well enough to teach someone else?」

At those words, unfortunately, every single hand went down. Looks like nobody is at that level.

「Hey, Takanashi-kun, can we use the home ec room after school? Then we could all practice together!」

I see, practice sounds like a good idea.

The Student Council should be able to move on that, so I’ll ask about it after school today.

「I’ll check on that. The Student Council is supposed to follow up on things like that if we can.」

「Oh! Then could you look for a teacher who can teach us how to cook?」

The girl who asked about the food earlier spoke up again.

Yeah, it might be a good idea to ask about that too.

「Oh, right!! I heard from a senpai that Satsukawa-senpai’s cooking is professional grade!! If the Student Council is providing support, she’s the Vice President, so maybe she could teach us!?」

A classmate shouted out their idea as if it were a brilliant discovery.

It’s true that for Sara-san, that would be so easy it’d make her yawn…

「Here we goooo!!」

「Wait!? That’s such a nice idea!!」

「Oh man, a god-tier plan has arrived!!」

「Whoa, a cooking class from the Goddess? That’s too insane…」

「T-T-T-Takanashi-kun!! Can you somehow ask Satsukawa-senpai!?」

「Thinking about it, having a Student Council officer in our class is way too lucky!!」

Even though nothing was decided, the talk started inflating on its own, and it became an even bigger uproar than before. Seeing them get this hyped made me realize all over again just how popular Sara-san really is.

I haven’t said a single word about accepting, but if Sara-san actually takes the job, I can’t even imagine how crazy things will get.

That being said, to be honest, I didn’t want to accept it.

It wasn’t that they wanted to learn cooking; their ulterior motives to get close to Sara-san were crystal clear. If they approached her with those feelings, there was a good chance Sara-san would snap, but mostly, I just didn’t like it.

However, the request for a cooking class was for the whole class, and the girls seemed relatively serious about it. If that was the case, as a Student Council officer who needs to be fair, I wondered if it was right to just crush it based on my personal feelings.

「Got it. I’ll at least consult with her. But if she refuses even a little bit, this plan is off. We’ll look for someone else, so keep that in mind.」

If Sara-san shows even the slightest sign of dislike, I’ll decide to act like this conversation never happened. I won’t let anyone complain.

「I guess that’s fair.」

「I don’t want to push it and make Satsukawa-senpai angry.」

「We’ll give up if that happens, so just do your best for now!!」

「Please, seriously, please!!」

They were more reasonable than I expected, which helped.

Now it just depends on what Sara-san says…

When my role was finally over and I went back to my seat, Hanako-san spoke to me as if she’d been waiting.

「Are you really sure?」

「If Sara-san hates the idea even a bit, I’ll stop it.」

「No, I didn’t mean it that way…」

「?」

「(If his wife comes to this class, it’s definitely going to be a massive uproar… well, if the two of them don’t mind, I guess it’s fine.)」

Anyway, I’ll bring it up at the Student Council today. I feel a bit awkward like I’m favoring my own class, but I’ll just think of it as a formal request to the council.

Today’s Student Council was mostly about checking announcements, so it wasn’t a big deal. Since they asked if there were any reports, I decided to tell them about the talk in my class.

「Sorry, this might not be the best thing to ask, but my class has a request…」

I started a bit tentatively because of my guilt, but the President gestured for me to continue as if it wasn’t a problem.

「It’s about the food menu for our stall. Almost nobody can cook, so they were asking if they could use the home ec room for practice.」

「Ah, that’s not a problem at all. We’ve had applications like that before, and quite a few classes have actually used it for practice.」

Looks like that part is fine. However, the next part was the real issue.

「Wait, if nobody can cook, how are they going to practice?」

That point was pointed out before I could even say it.

It’s an obvious realization if you think about it for even a second.

「I was asked to see if there was anyone who could act as a cooking teacher…」

「Hmm… the home ec teachers are part-time. We’d have to see if the timing works out…」

「Um, I would be happy to accept if you’ll have me?」

…As I thought, Sara-san volunteered. I knew she’d be the first to offer if it was a consultation from me. But no matter how many times I thought about it, I wasn’t into it.

「True, for Satsukawa-san, that would be easy.」

「Man, I’m jealous of Takanashi-kun’s class. Other classes might get salty about this.」

「Ah, that might happen. They’ll probably start asking her to come to their classes next.」

Now that they mentioned it, there was definitely a chance of that. If that’s the case, I’m even less into the idea…

「Hmm, looks like Takanashi-kun isn’t very excited about this?」

「Kazunari-san, am I not good enough to help?」

The President noticed my reaction and asked. Sara-san’s expression clouded over slightly, so she must have noticed too.

「It’s not that. My classmates would be thrilled if it were you, Sara-san. Actually, I was specifically asked to request it from you.」

「In that case, let me…」

Even with her saying that, the reason I couldn’t just ask her straight was obviously jealousy and possessiveness. I know in my head that Sara-san would brush them off even if they approached her. But I just couldn’t feel good about it.

Sara-san seemed to feel anxious because I wouldn’t just ask her. Seeing her expression cloud over even more, I decided to tell her exactly what was bothering me.

「…I know I might sound like a small man for saying this, but the truth is, there are plenty of guys who just want to get close to you, Sara-san, and they don’t actually care about learning to cook. So, I don’t want those guys near you… I don’t want them approaching you… but… mgh!?」

I was so conscious of how pathetic I sounded that my gaze had dropped, and I didn’t notice Sara-san approaching at all. While I was still sitting, she pulled my head into her chest with all her might.

「Kazunari-san…」

Being held like that while she stroked my head made all the strength leave my body.

「It’s okay. I have no intention of dealing with other men. More than that, I want to be of use to you. So please, leave this to me.」

Sara-san’s voice was incredibly gentle, and it felt like she was the one persuading me. She didn’t just accept my pathetic side; she went this far for me. If that was the case, I couldn’t keep showing such a weak side of myself.

「Sorry. I said something pathetic. Sara-san, I’m counting on you.」

「Yes! Leave it to me!」

Sara-san accepted my formal request with total enthusiasm.

「…Hey, how long are those two going to keep hugging?」

「I’ll bet they’ll keep going forever unless we say something.」

「…Yeah, me too.」

「…Sigh, I already knew this, but at least let me be a little jealous…」

「…We’re going to have to watch this in every Student Council meeting from now on, aren’t we? It’s rough.」