Once the class's core structure had been settled, there was nothing urgent left to deal with. The remaining details would be formally announced at the class meeting after Sakayanagi and Katsuragi had discussed them in private—that was already an unspoken rule.
The crowd dispersed quickly, and the scraping of chairs and desks against the floor gradually died away. A few people remained in the classroom, gathering in small groups to discuss what had just happened.
"Uesugi Hara, I never knew you were so capable." Morishita Ran's voice held a light note of surprise.
"Sakayanagi and the others did a lot of the prep work beforehand. I just happened to lend a hand at the end." Uesugi Hara lightly brushed his fingertips against the hem of his clothes. His tone sounded calm, but the end of his sentence softened despite himself. Being praised so directly by Morishita still made him a little uncomfortable.
Looking at the girl before him, who seemed somewhat detached from the mundane world, with her butterfly-wing lashes lowered gently and even the way she held her pen revealing a neat, cool composure, Uesugi Hara suddenly felt like teasing her.
"Um, Morishita," he said, deliberately drawing out his words. When she looked up at him, he continued unhurriedly, "You see, Sakayanagi has Kamuro, her little maid, following her around, and Hashimoto's lackey is always there fawning over him. Katsuragi has his underling Totsuka at his beck and call. People even fight to hand him documents. And me..." He spread his hands, deliberately putting on a "poor, lonely soul" act. "I'm all alone. So, would you be interested in... being my secretary?"
Morishita Ran's hand paused around her pen. Her clear eyes blinked as if she were carefully working through the logic of his question. A few seconds later, she looked up at him and asked in an even tone, "What duties would the secretary have? Would I need to serve tea like Kamuro, or take notes like Totsuka?"
Uesugi Hara was stumped by her overly serious question and nearly burst out laughing. He had expected her to frown and refuse, or look offended, but he hadn't expected her to give serious thought to the "job description."
He cleared his throat and went along with it. "Nothing that complicated. For example, right now, you could hand me that report on the desk. That would be your first task as my secretary."
Morishita Ran glanced at the document within easy reach of his hand, then looked at him. Suddenly, she gave a soft "Oh."
She didn't touch the document. Instead, she pushed the notes she had just organized toward him. "If that's a secretary's job, then you can be my 'temporary secretary' for now. Mark the key points on this page for me while I go get some water."
Uesugi Hara watched her walk toward the water dispenser. His fingertips paused on the notes she had left behind, and he suddenly felt that he was the one who'd been outmaneuvered.
Sunlight fell through the window onto the ends of her hair, softening even her cool air. He chuckled under his breath, and when he picked up the pen, he couldn't suppress the curve of his lips.
When Morishita Ran returned with her water, she saw Uesugi Hara bent over her notes, marking them up. The pen made a faint scratching sound against the paper.
She set her cup beside him and leaned over to look. The sentences he had circled in red were exactly the ones she had hesitated over, unsure whether to mark as important.
"Looks like you're doing a pretty good job as a 'temporary secretary.'" She tapped one of the spots with her finger. "I always feel like the logic here is a bit convoluted. Did you mark it because you think there's a problem?"
Uesugi Hara tapped the page with his pen. "It's not a problem. It could just be more concise. For example, if you switch the order of these two sentences comparing the data, you can cut at least three lines of explanation." As he spoke, he casually wrote a simplified version in the margin.
Morishita Ran stared at the few lines for two seconds, then blinked. "In that case, instead of having me be your secretary, why don't you consider becoming my 'logic consultant'?"
Uesugi Hara paused with his water cup halfway to his lips. "What kind of new job is that?"
"Someone who helps me untangle these convoluted sentences." She handed him her pen. "In exchange, the next time you need a 'secretary' to hand you a report, I'll deign to answer."
Outside, the wind rustled through the leaves. Uesugi Hara looked at the pen she had offered him, still warm from her fingertips. As he took it, his fingers inadvertently brushed hers. He paused, then quickly looked away.
"Deal." He drew a small check mark at the end of her notes. "But let's get one thing straight: your consultant's fee has to be paid in milk tea."
Morishita Ran gave a quiet "Mm," and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, like a cloud warmed by the sun.
The dorm at night was usually filled with game sound effects or the soft rustle of turning pages—this was Uesugi Hara's unshakable "private time."
But tonight was different. He was slouched at his desk, with Katsuragi and Sakayanagi's faces displayed side by side on his Terminal screen. The three of them had been discussing a list of class affairs for nearly half an hour.
He clicked his tongue at the microphone, his fingers tapping restlessly on the desk. "Didn't we agree? Don't come to me with anything too troublesome. And hadn't we agreed that I'd only have to step in as the 'neutral judge' when you and Katsuragi argued so badly that neither of you would give in?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's laughter immediately came through the Terminal, clear and warm, with a knowing hint of mischief, like a feather brushing lightly against his ear. "Uesugi, that sort of thing might fool other people, but surely you don't believe it yourself?"
Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, about to retort, but she continued, "If you really didn't want to get involved, you wouldn't have just suggested collecting points for class expenses every month. After all, someone who 'hates trouble' wouldn't analyze things so carefully."
His fingers paused. He glanced at the figures he had just circled, and suddenly had no argument left. Beside her, Katsuragi chuckled and, unusually, chimed in. "Besides, you were asking about study group assignments just five minutes ago. That doesn't sound like someone who only wants to be a 'judge.'"
Uesugi Hara leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes at the screen, but didn't complain again.
Moonlight spilled in through the window, falling on the Terminal screen and making the two virtual images look especially clear. He suddenly felt that this wasn't all that different from playing games alone.
"All right, most of it's organized now." Sakayanagi Arisu tapped the Terminal lightly, and a finished document synced to both their screens. "We can discuss the remaining little odds and ends together at tomorrow's class meeting. Let's call it a night."
As she spoke, her hair swayed lightly with her movements. Her gaze swept across the screen and finally settled on Uesugi Hara, carrying a faint smile. "You worked hard tonight, Uesugi. Would you like me to come over and comfort you?"
"No thanks. I just want to lie flat." Uesugi Hara immediately waved her off, his finger already tapping the "Leave Meeting" button. "You two get some rest too. Katsuragi, don't stay up until the middle of the night poring over the plan."
Katsuragi's tone remained steady. "Got it. See you tomorrow."
The moment the Terminal screen went dark, the dorm finally fell quiet again.
Uesugi Hara stretched, his joints cracking in a series of little pops. He was just turning to "flop" into his soft bed when his Terminal suddenly chimed with a notification.
He casually picked it up and opened the message. It was from Sakayanagi, and contained just one line: "I can lend you Kamuro tomorrow to run errands. She can pick up documents or carry things."
His fingers flew across the screen as he typed. "No, no. Just thinking about something like that is enough." After a pause, he added, "I couldn't handle the actual thing. If I really made her run errands, she'd glare a hole through my back."
A reply popped up on the Terminal, just two words: "Fair enough." There was a nonchalant full stop afterward, but somehow it made it seem as if she'd found his reaction amusing.
And so, the first day of May came to an end.