Student Council

Sunday.

Student Council.

Kitagawa Kai had specially groomed his hair into a mature style and donned a formal suit, looking quite the dapper gentleman.

He knocked lightly on the door.

"Please, come in."

A familiar voice drifted from within.

Kitagawa Kai pushed the door open and stepped inside.

At this moment, only one man and one woman were in the office. Horikita President sat at the president's desk, meticulously processing documents with a focus that brooked no interruption.

Tachibana Akane, dressed in her school uniform, stood quietly a step behind him and to his side, her hands folded before her.

Compared to being the Student Council Secretary, she looked more like Horikita President's personal assistant at this moment.

"Is Horikita President so busy even on a weekend?"

Kitagawa Kai's voice shattered the silence of the room. Horikita President's fountain pen did not stop; he had already identified the newcomer by his voice.

"Student Council work does not have a strict concept of weekends." Horikita President lifted his head, his gaze behind his lenses sweeping calmly over Kitagawa Kai. "Since you have chosen this place, you should have come with that resolve."

As he spoke, he turned his head slightly.

"Tachibana, take the new secretary to familiarize himself with the basic affairs."

"Yes."

Tachibana Akane realized what was happening and looked toward Kitagawa Kai. "Welcome! I am Tachibana Akane, a third-year, and I am a secretary just like you. In that sense, I suppose I am your senior!"

Kitagawa Kai walked up to Tachibana Akane, a small, elegant paper bag appearing in his hand at some point.

"Senior Tachibana, please look after me from now on."

He handed over the paper bag, his tone natural.

"A small token of greeting. I heard that you often assist the President with work until very late. These are honey lemon drops from the convenience store; they are very effective for relieving fatigue."

Tachibana Akane was visibly stunned, her gaze darting between Kitagawa Kai's smiling face and the paper bag for a brief moment.

"I trust the President won't mind."

"Kitagawa-kun, please mind your language." A faint blush spread rapidly across Tachibana Akane's face, and she instinctively glanced at Horikita President first.

"I believe you have misunderstood." Horikita President finally stopped his pen, his tone devoid of any emotion. "Tachibana Akane is the secretary of the Student Council; we are merely friends."

Tachibana Akane's eyes dimmed slightly. She lowered her head to compose herself, then immediately put on a lively smile again.

"...Thank you."

"Well then," Kitagawa Kai shifted the topic at the right moment, "Senior Tachibana, I shall leave it to you from here."

They walked out of the President's Office one after the other, and Tachibana Akane gently pulled the door shut behind them.

Tachibana Akane stood with her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly to glare at Kitagawa Kai, who was a head taller than her.

"What is wrong with you, junior? Saying such rude things the very first time we meet."

Her voice was kept low, tinged with a hint of barely perceptible panic.

Despite the reprimand, her slightly puffed-out cheeks made the words lack any real conviction.

Kitagawa Kai looked at the adorable senior before him and smiled slightly.

"I thought you and the President were a couple."

"I told you, we aren't!" Tachibana Akane's voice rose involuntarily, but she immediately realized something, looked back nervously at the closed door of the President's Office, then turned back and tapped her toe against the floor with a soft thud.

"Things like that... don't say them so carelessly. It will trouble the President."

She cleared her throat, feigning seriousness. "Enough, stop saying such nonsense. Follow me; I will explain the specific duties of a secretary to you."

"Hai."

Kitagawa Kai responded and followed Tachibana Akane toward the adjacent Secretary Office.

The hallway was so quiet that they could hear each other's footsteps. Tachibana Akane held her back straight, but the slight redness on her ears betrayed the emotions she had yet to fully settle.

Inside the Secretary Office, Tachibana Akane quickly entered work mode. She took several thick folders from the cabinet, lined them up on the table, and pointed to the covers one by one.

"These are the archived meeting minutes from the past three years..."

As she spoke, she noticed that the other party was staring at her. The hint of a smile in those eyes made her heartbeat, which had only just calmed down, skip a beat once more.

"Ki, Kitagawa-kun?" She instinctively clutched the manual to her chest like a small shield.

"I just think that when you are explaining things, Senior Tachibana, your expression is very serious and very cute."

"?!!" Tachibana Akane's entire face turned bright red at a visible speed. She stumbled back half a step, her heel hitting the table leg with a dull thud.

"You, you person..."

"I was just stating the truth. The way you look when you work is truly focused and very cute."

"Cu, cute or whatever...!"

Tachibana Akane's voice caught in her throat; she parted her lips, but in the end, she could only bite her lower lip and glare at him.

"You hateful underclassman, you have no respect for your upperclassman at all." She finally squeezed out these words, her voice muffled.

"In any case, use titles while on duty."

Kitagawa Kai looked at the beautiful face she was trying to keep stern, which failed to hide her embarrassment, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

"I understand, Senior Tachibana." His voice returned to its normal tone. "I will study diligently and will not let you down."

"President Horikita, I heard a young newcomer has joined the Student Council~"

Nanumo Miyabi pushed open the door to the Student Council President's Office. She didn't walk in immediately, instead leaning against the doorframe, her gaze carrying undisguised scrutiny.

Horikita Manabu didn't even lift his head. "Nanumo, this is working time."

Kitagawa Kai stood diagonally across from Tachibana Akane, the Student Council bylaws document she had just handed him still in his hand.

"I know it's working time, President." Nanumo Miyabi walked in with a smile, naturally closing the door behind her as if she were the master of the room.

"It's just that I heard a newcomer joined, and as the Vice President, I simply had to come by to greet you and show some concern."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Kitagawa Kai, and her smile deepened. "You must be Kitagawa Kai, right? Being scouted by President Horikita as a first-year to serve directly as secretary in the Student Council—that's quite impressive. I'm Nanumo Miyabi from the second year, currently serving as Vice President. I look forward to working with you."

"Hello, Senior Nanumo. I am Kitagawa Kai. I look forward to your guidance."

"I heard that Senior Nanumo and the President had a little prank with the narrator earlier; you truly are full of energy."

Kitagawa Kai's voice was not loud, carrying the slightly admiring curiosity of an underclassman toward an upperclassman.

As the words fell, the Student Council President's Office went silent for a moment.

The smile on Nanumo Miyabi's face didn't change in the slightest, but her fingers, tucked into her pockets, curled almost imperceptibly.

Whenever the narrator incident was mentioned, an inexplicable fire ignited in her heart.

It wasn't her doing. She had indeed wanted to cause a little trouble for Horikita Manabu, but she had truly been the one left holding the bag for yesterday's events.

"Oh? A prank I pulled? Student Kitagawa, from whom... did you hear such interesting rumors?"

Nanumo Miyabi spoke while slowly pacing, circling Kitagawa Kai, her gaze scanning him as if inspecting a curious object.

"The narrator in the Gymnasium... it was certainly interesting. It gave us all quite a scare, right, President?" He smiled at Horikita Manabu, tossing the topic over to him.

Horikita Manabu watched Nanumo Miyabi quietly and spoke slowly. "Baseless speculation is meaningless. The Disciplinary Committee will handle this matter."

"Since the President says so, I have no objections. However, Student Kitagawa, you seem to be quite well-informed."

Kitagawa Kai met Nanumo Miyabi's gaze, wearing an expression of the slight naivety and politeness typical of an underclassman.

"I wouldn't say I'm particularly informed; it's just that at the venue that day, I heard many students whispering, saying..."

"That such a bold, creative idea sounded very much like Senior Nanumo's style. If I have caused you any trouble, gomen nasai."

He bowed slightly, his attitude sincere.

Nanumo Miyabi stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter and reached out to pat Kitagawa Kai's shoulder firmly.

"Trouble? How could it! To be 'expected' of in such a way by my underclassmen, I couldn't be happier!"

"Well, the greetings have been made and my concern has been delivered." Nanumo Miyabi turned to Horikita Manabu, her smile unchanging.

"I won't disturb the President as he guides the newcomer any further. President, I'll come find you later to discuss those new ideas I mentioned; I guarantee I'll make this entire school much more lively."