Kazehara Tetsu looked into Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes. "Arisu, you find it hard to accept losing for some bizarre reason that has nothing to do with ability, when you clearly have what it takes, and then not even getting a chance to prove yourself. That kind of defeat hurts you the most, doesn't it? So... why not try again?"
"Suzune controls the door to the Student Council now. She's different from her brother. She's eager to find talented people, and she needs a truly capable second-year. If you walk through that door now, you'll be reclaiming the chance that should have been yours back then, the one bad timing took away from you."
Silence settled over the Tree-lined Path for a moment.
Leaning on her cane, Sakayanagi Arisu stood in the dappled light and looked at Kazehara Tetsu.
He was right.
She did hate losing.
"I do hate losing."
After a while, she slowly admitted it. "That feeling of having calculated everything perfectly, only to have it all fall apart because of factors outside my control, is especially unpleasant. But... I do accept it."
"Hmm?"
"After all, I've lost to a certain someone quite a few times."
Sakayanagi Arisu gave him a pointed look. "From the moment we enrolled to everything that happened afterward, I don't seem to have ever gotten the better of you. Lose enough times, and you get used to it. We all have to learn to live with defeat."
Her tone was airy, almost as though she were conceding, but there wasn't a trace of genuine discouragement in her eyes. Instead, they held an amused glint that said, I'll remember this.
Kazehara Tetsu smiled and let it pass.
"As for joining the Student Council..."
Sakayanagi Arisu shifted the subject again, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You've said so