Episode 63: The President’s Scheme

「Ah, that’s a problem. It’s fine, you can rest in the room next door until we’re finished. I assume everyone else is fine with that too?」

Satsukawa-senpai scanned the room.

She didn’t actually say anything, but there was an air about her that felt like she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

「I-it’s fine…」

「If you’re feeling unwell, please get some rest.」

「Right, we rarely ever use the break room anyway.」

「Take your time~」

As if pressured by the atmosphere, the members spoke up one by one with words of acceptance.

I wonder if it’s really okay, though.

「Takanashi-kun, seriously, don’t worry about it. Besides, while you’re here, there was actually something I wanted to consult with you about.」

「President, if you have something to discuss, I can listen in his place?」

It felt like a bit of déjà vu, or rather, like we’d had this exact exchange before.

No, the Student Council President said it was a consultation, so I should be the one to hear it.

「Sara-senpai, I’ll listen properly.」

「Yes, if that is what you wish, Takanashi-san.」

!!!!

「…Satsukawa-senpai agreed without a second thought!?」

「…What, who is that guy!?」

「…They aren’t dating, right!? Right!?」

「…Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.」

「…You’re the one who needs to calm down.」

「…So that’s the Takanashi-san person from the other day…」

?

What has been going on for a while now?

I feel like they strangely know who I am.

It feels like they’ve been whispering about me this whole time.

「I thought as much… well, please make yourself comfortable.」

The President made a gesture as if he had confirmed something.

「Sorry, please excuse me for a bit then…」

「Takanashi-san, this way to the room, please.」

Senpai opened the door inside the Student Council room for me.

When I stepped in and looked around, one wall was lined with shelves full of files that were likely student council documents. It was quite a lot.

However, besides that, there was a table and a fairly large sofa.

I could definitely lie down on this.

「Takanashi-san, please rest on this sofa. It shouldn’t take too long… I’m sorry for being so selfish.」

「Senpai, you’re doing this for my sake…」

「Fufu… that’s right, I’ll be careful.」

It seemed like she understood what I meant without me having to say everything.

It was a conversation where I felt like we truly understood each other.

Senpai opened her bag and took out a large towel.

「I brought this thinking there might be a chance to use it for something, and it seems I was right.」

Holding the towel, she folded it a few times and then rolled it up to create a certain amount of thickness before handing it to me.

「Please use this as a pillow. Ideally, I would like to give you a lap pillow, but since I have a meeting starting now… well, please lie down and get some rest.」

Since the door remained open, I could hear the exchanges even if it was just their voices.

「Eavesdropping」makes it sound bad, but I couldn’t help being curious.

「She said lap pillow… she said it, didn’t she…」

「Pull yourself together. There was never a chance for us anyway, never.」

「If Satsukawa-san became a wife, would she be that kind? I’m so jealous… so jealous…」

「…Hey, hey, are those two already a thing? Are they lovers?」

「Nah, they’re still in that “more than friends, less than lovers” stage.」

「Satsukawa-san is so different from usual, she’s like a different person…」

Some were filled with curiosity, while others were in shock…

Well, if you knew the usual Satsukawa-san, her treatment of Takanashi-kun was clearly different.

It would be obvious to anyone how she felt about him.

However, since they themselves claim to be just friends…

Well, as long as they’ve become that intimate, it would be easy for them to become conscious of it with just one trigger.

More importantly, this is the perfect opportunity.

I definitely want Takanashi-kun to join the Student Council, after all.

I was remembering the consultation I had with Natsumi over the phone the other day.

「Hah? Takanashi-kun in the Student Council?」

「Yeah, I definitely want him to help out.」

It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since I saw them the other day.

「…Daichi, what are you plotting? Takanashi-kun is my friend, you know?」

「Of course I know that. I wouldn’t do anything strange to Natsumi’s friend… I’m not ready to die yet, after all.」

「It’s not me you should worry about, it’s Sara. If you get Takanashi-kun mixed up in something weird… there’s no telling what she’ll do. That girl won’t show any mercy if anything happens to Takanashi-kun, you know? I probably couldn’t even stop her myself.」

「I shall keep that in mind…」

Hearing that made me feel a bit of fear, but since Satsukawa-san is usually the way she is, the fact is that I can’t imagine what would happen if she got angry over Takanashi-kun.

「Knowing that, what exactly are you plotting?」

「I’m not exactly plotting anything. I saw Satsukawa-san when she was with him the other day, and she was so honest, or rather, it was the first time I’ve ever seen her so kind and approachable.」

「That’s because Sara likes Takanashi-kun, so it’s only natural. Well, I found out by seeing her with Takanashi-kun too, but it seems Sara had that side to her. The difference between that and her treatment of everyone else is massive, though.」

「Yeah. That’s why I thought I’d have Takanashi-kun join the Student Council to act as an assistant to Satsukawa-san.」

「…You aren’t planning to use Takanashi-kun as a buffer, are you?」

With just the word「assistant,」Natsumi accurately pointed out my aim.

Sharp as ever.

「As expected of Natsumi. If we go through Takanashi-kun, it’ll be easier for other Student Council members to make requests or confirmations with Satsukawa-san, and having him around might improve her mood or reduce her worries. When she’s worried about something, it’s usually about Takanashi-kun, so having him with her would solve that.」

I gave many official reasons, but the truth is, he would be a buffer.

In addition to her own strictness, Satsukawa-san has a wall between her and others that I’ve heard a bit about from Natsumi, so she isn’t exactly approachable.

In fact, she’s harsh, so even the Student Council members who have gotten used to her to some extent still find themselves shrinking back. If we put him in the middle…

「Hmm… I don’t like the idea of utilizing Takanashi-kun to manage Sara… but Sara would be happy, wouldn’t she? It’s not like she’s the Vice President by choice anyway…」

「What do you think?」

Based on this, it seemed I could get Natsumi’s own approval.

「Ask Takanashi-kun directly. If he says it’s okay, I won’t complain. But if you don’t want to touch Sara’s raw nerve, don’t do anything unnecessary.」

For now, I’ll wait for an opportunity while we have our meeting…