Episode 276: Student Council Work

The group assignments finished without a hitch, and we set out on our patrol once again.

The areas our group is responsible for today are mainly a few cultural club rooms and a handful of second-year classrooms. By the way, even though I said second-year classrooms, Sara-san’s room isn’t on the schedule. Apparently, they finished that one on the day we were doing the cooking class.

So I’m secretly relieved…

I caused quite a scene the other day, so showing my face in Sara-san’s classroom is a little bit awkward. Plus, if I’m being honest, I’m a bit bad with Yuri-san.

「♪…」

Todo-san was humming a tune happily… that’s right, in the end, it wasn’t the three of us, but the four of us including Todo-san who ended up doing the patrol.

It was already decided that the three of us would go together, but then Todo-san said,

「I… I want to go with you too!」

She said it with such a sad expression.

If a guy had said it, I would’ve ignored him, but no one can say no when the angelic Todo-san asks like that.

And it seems Sara-san felt the same way, because she invited her with a warm smile, saying,

「Then, shall the four of us go together?」

And that’s how we ended up as a group of four.

I’m just guessing, but maybe Todo-san felt a bit left out being the only one not included in this combination.

Of course, we had no intention of doing that, it just happened that way in the flow of the conversation.

「Marina… are you having that much fun?」

Watching Todo-san’s behavior, Hanako-san spoke to her with a slight, wry smile. Todo-san is clearly in high spirits… but I find that side of her innocent and cute, too.

…Wait?

By the way, did Hanako-san just call Todo-san「Marina」?

When did that happen… was it always like that? Did I just not notice?

「Eh!? H-How did you know!?」

「Well… what do you mean how…」

Hanako-san wore a subtle expression and looked my way as if she wanted to say something.

No, no, Todo-san isn’t being airheaded or waiting for a retort, you know?

So I think Hanako-san shouldn’t say anything unnecessary.

「Fufu… touring the school with friends you can be yourself around might be quite fresh and fun, don’t you think?」

Oh, as expected of Sara-san, that’s a nice follow-up.

I’m sure Todo-san feels that way too, and I understand that feeling well.

Besides, the fact that Sara-san thinks of Hanako-san and Todo-san like that makes me happy in my own way…

「Y-Yes, that’s exactly it! And, it’s a bit embarrassing to say… I have a group I’m friendly with in my class, but you all are truly special to me. It’s like I feel at peace, like this is where I belong. Ah, that’s just something I’m thinking on my own, though!」

Blushing a little from embarrassment, Todo-san shared her feelings with us.

I don’t have another close group to compare it to, but I can still say with confidence that everyone here is absolutely special to me.

The sense of solidarity from overcoming various crises together, a connection where I feel something special… to be blunt, I consider everyone here a best friend.

Of course, my beloved Sara-san is in a special category as my lover and fiancée.

「You don’t need to be shy. I think the same thing, so I understand that feeling well.」

「Mm, thank you, Hanako-san.」

「Indeed, I understand that feeling too. Until now, Natsumi and Eri were the only ones I could call friends, but now I think of Todo-san, Hanako-san, and even Yokogawa-san and the others who aren’t here, as friends in the same way… no, as best friends.」

「Ehehe, I’m so happy to hear you say that, Satsukawa-senpai!」

I was a bit surprised by that. To think Sara-san would go that far…

But seeing Todo-san look so happy, you naturally want to be honest and make her even happier. That’s probably why Sara-san shared her feelings.

「Um… what about Takanashi-kun?」

Ugh… Todo-san is looking at me with a very expectant gaze.

I’ve felt that everyone was special for a long time now, and I feel like we’re best friends… or even「true friends.」It’s embarrassing to say it to their faces, but I don’t really have the option to be the only one not to say anything here… I guess.

「Well, I’ve also thought for a long time that Todo-san, and everyone else, are precious best friends…」

Just saying it normally is pretty embarrassing, but more than that, Todo-san is looking at me so happily… to be blunt, she’s staring at me so intently that it’s just hard to say…

「Yes! I think of you, Takanashi-kun, and everyone else as best friends, too.」

S-So bright!? It’s like she has a halo…

Well, jokes aside, to be able to say that so honestly despite such an embarrassing exchange, that’s Todo-san for you, the one who represents the purity of the「Double Angels.」

「I, I see. I’m… well, happy to hear it.」

「Ah, is Takanashi-kun blushing too?」

「Fufu… Kazunari-san is a shy person, after all. He’s cute♪」

「Yeah. Kazunari is cute.」

「Aaaaagh, l-let’s go already!! We’re going to run out of time!!」

What is this? We were talking about Todo-san, so why did this turn into a humiliation play for me!?

We’re really leaving now!!

So everyone, stop looking at me with those gentle eyes!?

The start was a bit eventful, but the patrol itself proceeded smoothly, and from here we were headed toward the second-year classrooms.

As expected, people made a fuss everywhere we stopped, but overall there were no problems… I think.

「I always think this, but going to the upperclassmen’s classrooms is nerve-wracking. I feel at ease today since Satsukawa-senpai is with us, though.」

「If you just view it as part of the job, you will be fine. Besides, even if they are fellow second-years, in the end, most of them are people I do not know.」

「Wife likely has many people she doesn’t remember even in her own class. Especially the boys.」

「I will not deny that. But isn’t the same true for you, Hanako-san?」

「I have boys who are at least friends… or barely acquaintances… maybe? I have a few like that.」

Um, she’s talking about Yamakawa and the others, right?

I mean, Yamakawa… well, I feel bad for him, but I guess it can’t be helped. I don’t plan on following up on that, either.

But if he thinks his treatment is a bit different compared to the other guys, then I suppose you could say that’s a lot better… maybe.

「To be honest, I’m a tiny bit bad with the boys in my class. I’m happy that they talk to me often and try to be friendly, but they ask things like if I want to go out sometime… and they even get into fights over who invited me first. Even though I haven’t said a single word about going.」

Aaaah… that’s…

It’s so easy to understand, and actually a story I hear pretty often nearby.

I can’t really talk, but Hayato’s got it rough, too.

「So honestly, I don’t really want to go out if the boys are going to be there. It’s kind of scary… Oh! But it’s fine if it’s you, Takanashi-kun?」

「Huh? I, I see. Yeah, thanks.」

I’m happy she’s giving me special treatment there, but being told that out of nowhere makes it a bit hard to respond.

I know Todo-san has no ulterior motives and just normally thinks that way, of course.

「Yeah. Besides, Mio-chan said she wants to see her Big brother, too. So I want you to play with her when you have time, okay?」

「Ah, things have been a bit busy lately with one thing or another, but they’ve finally settled down. I want to see Mio-chan after a while, too. How about you, Sara-san?」

「Yes, please let me join you. I wish to see Mio-chan too.」

Sara-san really dotes on Mio-chan, after all.

Come to think of it, Sara-san said she loved children enough to originally want to be a nursery school teacher, and when I remember the way she actually interacts with Mio-chan, I think being a nursery school teacher might really be her true calling…

「Kazunari-san, it is just as I told you before. While it is true that I love interacting and playing with children, I can do that even if it is not my job, you know? I wish to support you and walk the same path as you, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san easily read exactly what I was casually thinking. I’ve already moved past being surprised by this point, but seriously…

「…Hey, Hanako-san, Takanashi-kun didn’t say anything, did he?」

「…Wife can read Kazunari’s mind, and only his.」

「…Eh!?」

「…Well, saying that is an exaggeration. For the record, I can read it to some extent, too. But I didn’t understand that just now… I’m a bit frustrated.」

「…Eh? Eeeeeh??」

But she’s right. Sara-san decided on the same path because she treasures being with me more than anything. It’s rude of me to keep worrying about it, and it’s bad for Sara-san.

So the only thing I can do for Sara-san is to prove that her choice wasn’t wrong. In other words, I have to make Sara-san that happy!

For now, I’ll just accept Sara-san’s feelings with gratitude.

「…You’re right, I understand. Then let’s all play with Mio-chan together sometime soon.」

「Yes. I believe the last time we met was when we went to report things about you to my Grandmother, Kazunari-san. I am truly looking forward to it.」

Exactly as she said, Sara-san wore a truly happy smile.

Right, I haven’t even been able to see Mio-chan in the mornings lately. In that case, has it really been since summer break? We haven’t seen her in quite a while, after all…

「…Well, it’s possible Wife is saying that with the future in mind, too.」

「…Hanako-san, that’s…」

「…Even Marina should understand the meaning…」

「…Uuu, Hanako-san, you meanie!!」

?

Were Hanako-san and the others saying something to each other?

But we were just talking about playing with Mio-chan after a long time, so there’s no way we’re the cause, right?

Well, they don’t seem like they’re fighting, and if anything, it looks more like they’re just playing around. I guess it’s fine.

It’s peaceful, and that’s what matters.

Knock, knock…

Rattle, rattle…

「Excuse me.」

I gave a polite knock before opening the door, checking the room’s atmosphere before entering. This isn’t my class, and it’s a room I’ve never entered before.

It seemed they were in the middle of making something large, as various things like signboards were spread out all over the floor. I think this class’s exhibit was… what was it?

「…Hmm? Isn’t that the Vice President?」

「…You’re right. Oh, it’s the student council patrol.」

「…Oh yeah, I heard they were going around everywhere.」

The second-years… the seniors who were working looked our way and gave casual greetings with gestures. Looks like the first impression went over fine for now.

「Kazunari, you shouldn’t stop at the entrance.」

「Ah, sorry.」

Prompted by Hanako-san from behind, I hurried into the room. Following me, Hanako-san and Todo-san entered the classroom while offering their own greetings.

Seeing them, the seniors slowly began to buzz.

「…Oh… lucky us.」

「…Whoa, the Angels are here in force!」

「…Seeing them up close, they’re really…」

「…S-So cute.」

「…Heh, they really are cute.」

「…That smaller one looks like some kind of mascot character.」

As expected, the reaction from the boys was bigger than from the girls, and actually, we’d repeated this same scene many times before getting here. They draw attention wherever they go, and I guess Hanako-san and Todo-san are unexpectedly famous.

But the commotion that followed was on another level…

「Excuse me.」

「「「!!!!!!!!!!」」」

The last one to enter the classroom, with a slightly blunt greeting, was Sara-san.

The gazes that had been mainly on Hanako-san and Todo-san shifted instantly and focused solely on Sara-san with looks of shock. So… yeah, Sara-san looks a bit displeased.

「Whoaaaa, S-Satsukawa-san is here!?」

「F-For real!?」

「I’m glad I didn’t ditch!!」

「It’s been forever since I saw her this close!!」

Seriously… the reaction is the same everywhere we go.

It’s no wonder Sara-san gets tired of it. And to be honest, hearing it makes me feel bad, too. But since I knew it would be like this from the start, I’d steeled myself for it to some extent. Originally, if it had just been the two of us, I planned to do the work inside the room alone. Of course Sara-san wouldn’t have accepted that, but I planned to persuade her.

But since we ended up going as a group of four this time, trying to leave Sara-san behind would’ve just made her feel excluded. In that sense, this situation was unexpected for me, too.

「…We’re from the student council. Are there any troubles or problems you’re facing?」

Before I could ask, Hanako-san moved the conversation forward.

Still… her tone is so deadpan it almost makes me give a wry smile.Todo-san looks at Hanako-san a bit worriedly, but I guess it’s only natural she’d have a faint, wry smile, too.

「Anyone got anything?」

「Hmm, not really, I guess.」

「We’re fine~」

「Same here~」

Maybe it’s because Sara-san and the others are here, or maybe it’s just how they normally are, but everywhere we go, they’re generally cooperative like this. We appreciate that, but I wonder if they would’ve been this smooth if I’d come alone… there’s no point in thinking about it, but it just crossed my mind.

「Th-Thank you very much. Then, please let us confirm the details of your exhibit.」

Taking over from Hanako-san, Todo-san began checking the exhibit details as planned.

If there aren’t any issues here, then this class is done and we can wrap up smoothly. Since nothing has ever happened at this stage before, it’ll probably be fine this time, too.

「…Hey, did you hear that rumor?」

「…Yeah, but I wonder.」

「…I can’t believe it, obviously.」

「…I don’t see any signs of that right now, though.」

「Alright, everything looks good. Thank you for your cooperation.」

Without any particular issues, the check for this class was finished.

Naturally, no one is going to talk to Sara-san in this situation, and the patrol is going more smoothly than I expected so far.

To be precise, there are people who look like they want to talk to her, but mostly they can’t withstand the glares from me and Hanako-san and end up turning tail and leaving. So it’s fine.

Then there’s that group over there looking at us strangely… maybe they’re the ones?

「Well then, excuse us for the intr…」

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

「Haa… sorry to keep you waiting. I’m back n… ow?」

Just as I reached for the door, it opened as if it were automatic. Of course, it was just being opened from the hallway side.

And on the other side was a girl… wait, is this the woman from before!?

「My, Vice President, we meet again. Good work today. Is this student council work?」

This woman spoke to me as if the morning never happened, without even a fake smile. I felt a bit of an anti-climax, but I haven’t forgotten the sarcasm she directed at Hanako-san.

I knew she was an upperclassman, but I didn’t realize she was a second-year…