Chapter 7

It also felt like she was killing him with kindness. "I see. I really wish you would just give me a quick death instead of muttering things about burials that make me feel as embarrassed as I do right now." Sakayanagi Arisu ignored the barbs in Yuan Yuyuan's words, teasing him as if nothing were amiss. "Are you feeling shy? Yuyuan-kun, you really are cute." "Indeed, I have long since passed the age where I would feel excited by saying things like that." "It seems my arrival has made you uncomfortable. How rude of me." "Although I would like to politely deny that, it is hard to get the words out." Sakayanagi Arisu did not mind Yuan Yuyuan's unconventional attitude, still looking at him with a formulaic smile. "After the orientation ends, would you do me the honor of joining me for a coffee?" Yuan Yuyuan glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu's heart (._.), wondering how someone like her could enjoy drinking coffee—what a form of self-harm. "I don't mind, but after all these years, you are still just as childish as ever." "Then I shall take my leave. This is a very important matter, so please, Yuyuan-kun, make sure you keep your promise." "...I understand, but at least don't ignore what others are saying."

First Semester: Chapter 8 - The Tsundere Prime Minister-sama

Not long after, a cute girl with purple hair tied in a bun walked onto the stage holding a microphone. "Students, thank you for waiting. We will now begin the club orientation session, starting with the club representatives. I am Akane Tachibana, the secretary of the Student Council, and I will be your moderator for this session. It is a pleasure to meet you all." "I invite the representatives to begin the club orientation." After her greeting, Akane Tachibana stepped down. At the same time, a group of people swarmed out from backstage and lined up on the gymnasium stage. After glancing at the pretty upperclassmen, Yuan Yuyuan's gaze locked onto a meticulous-looking senior with glasses. He noticed that the man's aura was different from the others; just standing near him made the other upperclassmen look uncomfortable. Yet, the man cast a cold, indifferent glance toward Class D. Was it because Class D had so many beautiful girls? He was actually a cold-faced tsundere; that was quite nauseating.

The orientation for all the clubs was essentially cut from the same cloth: flowery praise about how they warmly welcomed both beginners and veterans, when in reality, it was just to meet quotas, only to ignore the freshmen once they joined as substitutes. Those who finished their presentations had to step down and sit in the prepared chairs, waiting for the orientation to end before accepting applications. Until only the last person remained—the very tsundere senior Yuan Yuyuan had noticed earlier. He simply stood in front of the microphone, looking calmly at the students below without saying a word. "Did he forget his lines?" "Do your best, Senior!" "Hahahahahaha!" Various voices rang out. Yet he remained motionless, standing just as he had before. It was as if the mockery and encouragement could not reach his ears. The laughter reached its peak, then the gymnasium suddenly went cold, and all the idle chatter lost its source.

"What on earth is this guy doing?" Seeing that the senior on stage still had no intention of speaking, the students below began to look bewildered, and the gymnasium became noisy once again. Even so, he remained unmoved. He was clearly just a high school student, yet he carried such an air of authority; if this guy chose to go into politics in the future, he would surely be the greatest disaster in history. Yuan Yuyuan muttered to himself. At that moment, the person on stage spoke. "I am the Student Council President of this school, Manabu Horikita." "Huh? So he isn't the Prime Minister-sama?" The students had already been intimidated by the title of President, but no one expected someone to openly tease Manabu Horikita at a time like this. For a moment, most people couldn't keep a straight face. Manabu Horikita didn't seem to care; he just gave Yuan Yuyuan a meaningful look before continuing his explanation.

"Following the graduation of the upperclassmen, the Student Council will be recruiting candidates from the freshmen. There are no special requirements for candidates, but if anyone is considering running for the Student Council, please refrain from joining other clubs. Those who wish to join both the Student Council and other clubs will, in principle, not be accepted." "Furthermore, our Student Council does not want anyone who holds naive ideas about running. Such people would likely leave a stain on the school. Our school's Student Council is highly anticipated precisely because we are entrusted by the school with the power and mission to change regulations. We only welcome those who can understand this." After speaking, Manabu Horikita walked off the stage and headed straight out of the gymnasium. The power and mission to change regulations, huh? The authority of this school's Student Council is surprisingly large. I'll go check it out when I have time. Yuan Yuyuan pondered Manabu Horikita's words, though he didn't rush to apply for the Student Council, especially since he had retorted after Manabu Horikita's very first sentence.

"Thank you all for your hard work; the orientation ends here. We will now begin accepting club applications. Additionally, since the application process will continue until the end of April, students who wish to apply later should take their application forms directly to the club they wish to join." At this point, Akane Tachibana, the moderator, stepped forward, dispelling the pressure brought by Manabu Horikita, and glared at Yuan Yuyuan before leaving. "Is the secretary angry? It was just a casual remark; she's so protective—could it be an office romance? Forget it, I'd better head to the cafe." After Yuan Yuyuan arrived at the cafe, Sakayanagi Arisu was already sitting there waiting for him, with a cup of steaming coffee placed across from her. "I'm late. A certain poker-faced Prime Minister wouldn't stop talking, so I was held up for a long time." "What kind of nonsense is a junior like you spouting? President Horikita is nothing like that."

Just as Yuan Yuyuan was explaining to Sakayanagi Arisu why he was late, he didn't expect someone behind him to stand up and rebuke him. It was Akane Tachibana, the moderator from the orientation, and sitting opposite her was the "poker-faced Prime Minister" he had mentioned. "So it's the Prime Minister-sama and his assistant. Workplace sexual harassment is illegal, you know." "You arrogant junior..." "Tachibana." Manabu Horikita stopped Akane Tachibana and turned to ask Yuan Yuyuan, "Shall we talk after you finish your conversation?" "It would be my honor." Yuan Yuyuan hadn't expected Manabu Horikita to stop Akane Tachibana because of him, so he put on a look of overwhelming gratitude. After speaking, he turned to Sakayanagi Arisu. "Alright, the comedian's performance is over. Arisu, what did you want to see me about?" "I saw it just now." "Huh? What are you talking about, out of the blue?"

"Yuyuan-kun, you must have noticed, right? Just now, the Student Council President glanced in the direction of Class D. I was just thinking he was different from the others, but when I followed his gaze, I saw that hypocritical genius from back then. It really is fate. I only went to the orientation because I heard Yuyuan-kun was enrolling, but I didn't expect to see him. What surprised me even more was that he managed to escape from that place. It seems even the heavens want me to bury him with my own hands." Yuan Yuyuan heard that term—which made him physically uncomfortable—once again, and couldn't help but shiver. "Are you talking about that man who haunts your dreams? Seriously, are you a yandere who crawled out of an anime? It's been so long, and you're still obsessed with him?"