A Chat with Sakayanagi

Matching Sakayanagi's pace, I walked slowly out of the club building step by step.

"Sakayanagi, I have something I want to ask you."

Thinking about how Sakayanagi wasn't truly the leader of Class A yet, Hoshino felt an inexplicable urge to laugh, and at this moment, he couldn't quite hide the smile on his face.

"..." There was no sound; Sakayanagi was currently pretending not to hear him.

"...I'm talking to you, Sakayanagi. Do you have to be so childish?" Hoshino turned his head to glance at the girl who was "focusing" on the path ahead, teasing her.

"...I probably know what you're going to ask. It's only a matter of time."

"...You're quite confident! Are you that certain Katsuragi won't be able to hold onto his position?"

Looking at Sakayanagi's calm expression, Hoshino didn't know where she got such confidence.

After all, no matter where he heard the rumors, Katsuragi was considered a model student in every sense—diligent, humble, and possessing strong leadership. From any perspective, it didn't seem like he would step down so easily.

"Hehe, Hoshino-kun, I admit that Katsuragi-kun is indeed excellent, but that doesn't mean he is without weaknesses, you know!"

Sakayanagi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Hoshino.

"...Eh? What is his weakness?" Caught off guard, Hoshino also stopped, suddenly feeling curious.

"It's a secret!" Sakayanagi feigned mystery, her eyes filled with triumph. "Hoshino-kun, probing for intelligence always requires paying a price, doesn't it?"

"...Alright, you saw right through me... Besides, the Katsuragi from the rumors is indeed excellent, so it's only natural to be a little curious." Hoshino scratched his head, feeling slightly awkward.

"Rumors are just rumors! Hoshino-kun, you just need to wait and see."

"..." What was this? Suddenly being told to watch a show?

"Let's go."

"...Yeah..."

Hearing Sakayanagi's request, Hoshino nodded blankly, walking with a stiff body as her left hand rested on his arm.

"Right! Speaking of which, what about Kamuro? Shouldn't she be with you?"

He hadn't seen Kamuro since earlier, and feeling a bit curious, Hoshino asked.

"Masumi-san went to participate in her club activities! What, could it be that Hoshino-kun is interested in Masumi-san..." Sakayanagi suddenly wore a joyful smile.

"...That's not it, it's just that every time I've met you, Kamuro has been by your side, and this time..." Hoshino was covered in black lines; what was all this?

After all, Sakayanagi had some physical limitations. While she was fine with daily life, it was still quite dangerous for her to be alone when moving around.

"After all, Masumi-san can't be by my side forever! She has her own things to do, too," Sakayanagi said nonchalantly.

"..."

Why did things suddenly feel so sentimental?

"Hoshino-kun, how have you been lately? Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other in a long time."

"...Yeah, lately... I've been alright." Sakayanagi's sudden question caught Hoshino off guard. What exactly did she mean?

"What do you think of this school?" Sakayanagi looked up, her mood seeming a bit heavy.

Why did everyone love asking questions like this? Hoshino was speechless. Could it be that Sakayanagi also had some connection to President Horikita?

"...It's alright... pretty good?" Not knowing how to answer, Hoshino felt uncertain.

"I, on the other hand, find this school a bit boring. There's no one who can play a proper game of chess with me..." The first half was fine, but Hoshino almost couldn't keep a straight face at the second half. Was that even something a human would say?

Sure enough, Sakayanagi seemed unable to hold it in either and let out a soft laugh.

"...You must have been winning too much lately! Has your confidence inflated?"

Although he was one of Sakayanagi's "defeated opponents," that didn't stop Hoshino from roasting her.

"Oh my, did you notice?"

A "little devil" smile appeared on Sakayanagi's face, though it faded almost immediately. "I actually quite hope someone can defeat me. After all, winning all the time isn't very interesting."

"..."

That much was true. Hoshino agreed to some extent; having played a few games himself, he naturally understood that feeling. The process of competing against an evenly matched opponent was the most enjoyable part.

Grinding away, working desperately, only to be pushed down the moment you relaxed—you had to grind more while others weren't looking! At the very least, that was how Hoshino had gotten by, and that time had indeed been the most enjoyable.

Speaking of which, a strange thought suddenly popped into Hoshino's mind: If it were Ayanokoji, he might actually be able to beat Sakayanagi!

Although he had never played chess against Ayanokoji, Hoshino had a gut feeling about it.

"Hoshino-kun, would you like to play another game sometime?"

"Forget it, forget it. I don't have that many points to spare." Looking at the confident smile beside him, Hoshino shook his head hurriedly, looking wary.

Just kidding! Trying to "leech" points off him? Don't even think about it! This woman was truly wicked!

After dropping Sakayanagi off, Hoshino hurried back to the club building. After briefly visiting the remaining clubs, he returned to the Student Council room.

"Here is a portion of the club survey forms. As for the rest, since the club presidents were absent, I couldn't get the specific details. I have entrusted someone to collect them on my behalf, and they will be retrieved tomorrow." Hoshino stood before President Horikita's desk, feeling nervous.

Doing this kind of work for the first time, this was the only solution Hoshino could think of. It was impossible to force himself to find every single absent club president; that would be too ridiculous.

"Hmm... no problems here." President Horikita nodded, took the form Hoshino handed over, and began to flip through it.

Hearing President Horikita's words, Hoshino finally let out a long sigh of relief and returned to his seat.

Come to think of it, this "split" in Class A is actually an opportunity; it would be best to keep Class A in this state for as long as possible!...

"By the way, urge the teachers as well; have them finish the verification and return the forms as soon as possible."

"...Oh, oh... alright!" Hoshino, lost in thought, was startled by the sudden instruction.

"...By the way, President, may I take a look at Katsuragi's file?" Hoshino asked cautiously.

President Horikita looked up, glancing at Hoshino with some surprise: "Why? Has something happened?"

"...No, nothing, I just wanted to understand my opponent a bit better. After all... he is also running for the Student Council, isn't he?" Hoshino racked his brains, searching for an excuse.

"...I can tell you a few things, but I cannot hand over the file for you to review!" After staring into Hoshino's eyes for a moment, President Horikita spoke slowly, "For their class to have had so many points in the first month, Katsuragi can be considered the biggest contributor. He is able to keep both himself and his classmates in check; he is a very serious person, his grades are excellent, and he possesses some leadership talent as well..."

How should I put it, he's a bit too serious, isn't he? Perhaps even a bit... "stiff"?

"Thank you, President!"

After hearing President Horikita's words, that was the only feeling Hoshino had.

Out in the real world, he would be a model student, but here, it feels a bit "difficult," doesn't it? At the very least, Hoshino felt that Katsuragi's chances of winning against Sakayanagi were indeed slim.