The Student Council Office.
There weren't many people in the office at the moment. Akane Tachibana and Miyabi Nagumo were the only ones handling the documents the school had just sent over.
Creak~
The door opened. The two looked over at the sound and saw Horikita Manabu carrying someone by one hand, dragging him into the office like a dead dog.
"President, this is..."
"I just took him for a little exercise," Horikita Manabu said flatly, but the person he was dragging couldn't take it anymore.
"You call that a little exercise?!" An Xiao found some mysterious reserve of strength, stood up, and wrenched his wrist free from Horikita Manabu's grasp. His wet hair clung to his forehead as he roared.
"Five kilometers to warm up, then a whole series of jumping jacks, cycling, dumbbells, squats..."
"By the time I finished the five kilometers, I thought my lungs were going to explode."
"The janitor wouldn't even need to add water when mopping. She could just use my sweat."
"President, if you want to kill me, can't you just get it over with? Don't torture me like this!"
"Not everyone has your stamina."
An Xiao was utterly devastated. For no apparent reason, President Horikita had summoned him to the Gym today, then inexplicably put him through a workout. He hadn't even been able to escape.
An Xiao could barely stand now. His legs were trembling like butterfly wings.
"You can still shout that loudly, so you've got some strength left." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses and ignored An Xiao, heading for his desk. "Next time, I'll increase the workload."
"President, President, you're my beloved president, all right?" An Xiao had wanted to go grab Horikita Manabu, but his aching thighs made him stumble and collapse into a chair. Still unwilling to give up, he pointed at Miyabi Nagumo, who was watching the show nearby. "President, if you need a workout partner, Senior Nagumo could do it too."
Before Horikita Manabu could answer, Miyabi Nagumo waved a hand and said with a smile, "Don't let appearances fool you, junior. I'm actually in great shape. Besides, I have a date to go to. Where would I find the time?"
"But..." Miyabi Nagumo glanced at Horikita Manabu, who had sat down and begun handling the paperwork. His tone turned inscrutable. "Looks like our president values this junior even more than I thought."
Ignoring Miyabi Nagumo, Horikita Manabu said to Akane Tachibana, "Tachibana, give him the documents we prepared earlier."
"Yes!"
"Documents? What documents?" An Xiao pointed at himself, trembling. Looking at Horikita Manabu, who remained expressionless as if he hadn't just said anything, An Xiao asked in disbelief, "You mean I have to handle paperwork in this state?"
"Why else do you think I brought you to the Student Council?"
"Can I still quit?"
Horikita Manabu looked at An Xiao but said nothing.
"All right, junior, stop complaining. The president means well," Akane Tachibana said reassuringly as she handed a stack of documents to An Xiao.
"I stopped falling for that line years ago," An Xiao grumbled, but obediently began looking through the documents.
Inspection report for surveillance cameras in remote areas of the school.
Assessment of vendors and products in the campus mall.
An Xiao looked further and found a list of the cameras around the school that needed inspection, along with the locations of the mall's vendors.
"Does the Student Council have to take care of this too?" An Xiao couldn't help complaining.
The Student Council really did feel like the school's handpicked workhorses.
"Get it done as soon as possible. And..." Horikita Manabu paused. "This will do you some good."
"You can't stay in the office processing documents forever."
"Sure, sure," An Xiao replied perfunctorily a few times. He gathered the documents and dragged himself out of the office.
The office fell quiet again.
Akane Tachibana went over to Horikita Manabu and looked at the now-closed door. With a smile, she said, "Even though that junior complains, he still gets right to it. President, you've always had such a good eye..."
Before Akane Tachibana could finish, An Xiao—who had just left—came back. He poked his head through the doorway and looked at Horikita Manabu. "Oh, right, President. Is there a budget for this assignment? If so, can you give it to me now?"
"..." Horikita Manabu.
"..." Akane Tachibana.
"Tachibana, close the door."
"Of course, President."
"Come on, it was just a joke. Was that really necessary?" An Xiao gritted his teeth and rubbed his nose, which had been hit by the door. Then he looked at the map in his hand.
"But this school really does have a lot of cameras. There are already so many on this inspection list."
"Where should I go first?"
"Whatever. I'll just see where I end up."
"I'll start with the nearest building."
Muttering to himself, An Xiao looked at the Special Building beside him and stepped inside.
"Wow, what a waste. So many classrooms are sitting empty." Swinging the master key he'd gotten from the Student Council, An Xiao began checking the cameras in each classroom to make sure they were working properly.
It was already getting late, so An Xiao was practically the only person in the building. That did make it easier to check each one.
"Better finish early. Then I can think of a way to make the president give up on that terrifying idea."
Muttering to himself, An Xiao opened another locked classroom.
"W-wait! Please don't come in yet!"
As An Xiao opened the door, a girl's flustered cry came from inside.
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