The Phone Prankster

The sudden ring of a phone sounded especially grating in the silent gymnasium, making the atmosphere of Horikita Manabu's speech rather awkward.

"Whose phone is that?"

He had stood motionless onstage for several minutes to take command of the entire gymnasium, creating a silence that made it seem as though he controlled the whole place and had everyone's attention.

According to the usual script, he would have completely taken command of the gymnasium by now. All he needed to do was announce the Student Council's recruitment drive, say a few brief words, and then leave quickly.

But who could have expected a phone to ring right then, putting a crack in his carefully maintained authority?

Some students below looked at Horikita Manabu onstage, waiting to see what would happen; others covered their mouths with both hands, trying not to laugh and looking like they were about to lose it.

Everyone glanced around, searching for the source of the sound.

Just then, a girl with long, deep-purple hair raised her hand with an expressionless face. "Sorry, that was my phone."

It was Masumi Kamuro.

The students beside her looked at her with barely concealed glee, as if to say, You've angered the Student Council President. You're in for it now.

She wasn't the only one in an awkward position. To anyone watching, Horikita Manabu onstage should have been even more embarrassed.

But Horikita Manabu's expression didn't change. "I hope the new students will learn from this and remember to silence their phones during important occasions."

Then, as though nothing had happened, he continued. "I'm Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President. Welcome to the Student Council. We'll carefully review everyone's applications. I'd also like to remind you that students who participate in other club activities aren't allowed to join the Student Council. That's all."

He stepped down from the stage. There had been a minor interruption, but Horikita Manabu's speech had carried such an air of authority that he'd made the Student Council seem like some kind of crime syndicate.

After he left, a short-haired girl with a purple bun came up onstage. Her cheerful, lively presence did a great deal to ease the oppressive atmosphere Horikita Manabu had created.

Still, in the instant Kamuro's phone had shattered the carefully cultivated silence, perhaps the sense of authority he inspired had already diminished considerably.

"Everyone~ If you'd like to join the Student Council, come over here to pick up an application form~" The purple-haired girl onstage introduced herself as Akane Tachibana. She was holding a thick stack of forms.

Wasn't that a little too many? Did she really think so many people would want to join the Student Council?

Perhaps this offered a glimpse into what Akane Tachibana was like.

"Hey, I did what you asked." Once the atmosphere in the gymnasium had returned to normal, Masumi Kamuro immediately came over, sounding annoyed.

Sakayanagi had just emailed her, telling her to turn her phone's ringer all the way up.

Kamuro had thought Sakayanagi wanted to stay in touch with her. Who could have guessed she'd be made to embarrass herself in front of the entire school?

So Kamuro was in no mood to be nice to Sakayanagi.

"Just a little entertainment. Did you enjoy it, Yuto-kun?" Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile, completely ignoring Kamuro.

So Sakayanagi really had been behind Kamuro's phone ringing.

"I thought you'd have her stroll in through the gym's main doors and ask everyone in the silent room, 'What are you doing?'"

Yuto glanced at Kamuro's wrist and noticed a little red mark on it.

"Oh my, that would have been nice too. It might even have worked better. I have to say, Yuto-kun, you can be quite mean~" Sakayanagi paused, then let out a laugh. "But you seem to have missed something. The gym doors were closed while the Student Council President was speaking, so she couldn't have come in from outside."

"I see. I just hadn't noticed Kamuro, so I assumed she'd come in from outside. I didn't realize she'd been in the gym the whole time."

The two of them chatted away, completely ignoring Masumi Kamuro beside them.

"Hey, are you treating me like I'm invisible? And you two are awfully close... Did you know each other before?" Kamuro crossed her arms, displeased.

"That's right~ Yuto-kun and I are childhood friends."

"Wow, that's quite a revelation. I can't wait to get back to class and share it with everyone." Though Kamuro's words sounded enthusiastic, her tone didn't rise at all. She sounded like a robot reading from a script.

Masumi Kamuro and Horikita Suzune were both cool beauties with sharp tongues. But when Horikita Suzune spoke, she always sounded haughty and overbearing, while Kamuro sounded world-weary and annoyed.

They both looked at people as if they were bugs, so why wasn't Kamuro as irritating as Horikita?

In fact, to Yuto, Kamuro coming over to report back to Sakayanagi felt like a puppy returning to its owner after finishing a task, eager for praise.

Even her world-weary, scornful way of speaking was a little like a tsundere trying to get her owner's attention.

Thinking about it that way, she was actually pretty cute.

"By the way, I didn't expect you to be interested in painting, Kamuro," Yuto said suddenly.

Kamuro paused. "Huh? How did you know?"

"We just saw you painting over by the Art Club, didn't we? You looked really cool when you were concentrating, Kamuro," Sakayanagi said, taking over for Yuto as she gazed at Kamuro warmly.

"W-What are you talking about...?" Kamuro pursed her lips and turned away, refusing to meet their eyes. "I do like sketching, though. I'm leaving!"

With that, she turned and hurried off like the wind.

"Did you really see her painting over there, Sakayanagi?" Yuto asked.

"No, I was just guessing. She hadn't washed her hands properly, so there was a little paint left on her wrist."

"She was obviously embarrassed just now. You're pretty mean, Sakayanagi."

"Likewise. I already consider Kamuro a useful piece on my board... I mean, assistant, for the next three years~ Naturally, I have to win her over."

It had to be said, Sakayanagi's way of winning people over was effective. First, she made it clear that she had something on them, forcing them to do as she wished. Once they did, she treated them well and was exceptionally gentle.

That contrast could create a sort of Stockholm syndrome, leaving the person she'd threatened hopelessly caught up in her.

But hadn't she almost called Kamuro a "piece" just now?

"So now there's another club you can choose from. Question: Does Yuto-kun want to join the Student Council?"

"I'm a little interested."

"Hm?" Apparently surprised by that answer, Sakayanagi's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't expect you to be interested in Student Council affairs, Yuto-kun."

"I heard the Student Council at this school has a lot of power, so I'm a little curious."

"Then are you going to apply now, Yuto-kun?"

"No, not yet. I'll wait until they notice me. There's no rush."

"Hehe, I imagine they're all focused on Kamuro right now. After all, she was the one who disrupted the Student Council President's speech~"

No, they wouldn't be focused on Kamuro for long.

It was obvious that the person who'd made the phone ring was the one they'd be looking for. So they'd naturally wonder who Kamuro would go to first to demand an explanation once she was free. That person would be the real prankster.

In other words, if they had any sense, they should already have noticed Sakayanagi and me.