Wangzai Dumplings

"But what, Secretary?"

"There are strict standards for selecting class committee members. I can't use the authority our classmates gave me to satisfy your personal ambitions."

"You don't qualify yet, Yamauchi."

"Huh?"

Yamauchi Haruki's face fell. He hadn't expected Tatsuya Sakuya to turn him down so bluntly.

"That's right."

Tatsuya Sakuya patted him on the shoulder and said with feigned sincerity,

"I told the class before: if you make an outstanding contribution, you won't need to come to me. I'll nominate you myself."

"Take your gifts back. I won't take so much as a needle or thread from a classmate. Not now, not ever."

With that, Tatsuya Sakuya gave him no chance to keep pestering him. He slammed the dorm room door shut with a bang.

"Hey, Secretary Shiba! Hey..."

Yamauchi Haruki knocked dejectedly from outside. After calling out a few times, he heard what sounded like footsteps passing through the corridor. Only then did he give up and trudge away with his bag.

Tatsuya Sakuya rubbed his temples and let out a long breath.

Dealing with someone like that was exhausting.

He could have sent Yamauchi away at once, but as the class committee secretary, he had tried to be polite.

He returned to his bed, planning to close his eyes for a while and give his mind a proper rest.

But then—

He had been lying there for less than five minutes when hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor again, followed by a rhythmic knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

It was even louder than the knocking before.

Tatsuya Sakuya's temper flared.

Was Yamauchi Haruki ever going to stop?

Did Yamauchi think a few polite words meant he could walk all over him?

Tatsuya Sakuya shot upright and flung off his blanket, his brows drawn tight and his irritation plain on his face.

He didn't even put his slippers on properly. He strode to the entrance, too angry to bother with the peephole, yanked open the door, and barked at whoever stood outside:

"Wangzai dumplings (I'm sleeping)! Don't you understand a word I'm saying? Get the hell—"

The last word caught in Tatsuya Sakuya's throat.

It wasn't Yamauchi Haruki standing outside with his Six Walnuts.

It was a small group of girls led by Karuizawa Kei.

Karuizawa Kei stood at the front, with Maya Sato and Matsushita Chiaki behind her.

The girls, usually so full of themselves in class, had clearly been startled by Tatsuya Sakuya's "Wangzai dumplings."

Maya Sato had nearly dropped the milk tea in her hand.

Silence fell. Not a sound could be heard.

Standing in the doorway, Tatsuya Sakuya met the girls' stunned stares and felt a headache coming on.

Black Room's Greatest Masterpiece, you've really done me no favors.

"Shiba..."

Matsushita Chiaki, at the back, was the first to recover. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Um... sorry we interrupted your sleep?"

Karuizawa Kei came to her senses too.

Being yelled at by Tatsuya Sakuya in front of her friends was more than anyone could take.

She had just told her friends how well she got along with the secretary. After this, how was she supposed to save face?

Her face flushed bright red. She stepped toward him and demanded,

"Huh? Who were you telling to get lost? Is this how the new class committee secretary treats his own classmates? Who'd respect you if word got out?"

Seeing Karuizawa Kei grow more worked up by the second, Tatsuya Sakuya had no choice but to smooth things over. He had been in the wrong, after all, though he complained inwardly once more.

Black Room's Greatest Masterpiece, you've really done me no favors.

"You misheard me. I said 'Wangzai dumplings.' I was saying I wanted dumplings."

Karuizawa Kei glared at him. She clearly wasn't buying it.

"Do you think we're stupid?"

"Ahem... come in. We can talk properly inside."

Tatsuya Sakuya stepped aside to let them through.

The other two exchanged a glance and hid their giggles behind their hands as they followed Karuizawa Kei into Room 217.

As soon as they entered, the girls began looking around Tatsuya Sakuya's room with curiosity.

"Wow, Shiba, your room is so clean. It doesn't feel messy at all."

Maya Sato couldn't help exclaiming.

Karuizawa Kei marched straight over and sat on the bed, looking ready to demand an explanation.

"Well? What was that about? We want an explanation."

Tatsuya Sakuya closed the door behind them and sighed helplessly.

"Yamauchi Haruki came bearing gifts and insisted I make him a class committee member. I'd only just sent him away, so I thought he'd come back."

"But let me say this first: if you're here for the same reason, I'll turn you down too. Not that there are any spots left for girls."

The girls stared for a moment at the absurd idea of Yamauchi Haruki bringing gifts to curry favor, then burst out laughing.

"Pfft, hahaha! Yamauchi actually tried that?"

"He always seemed like such a weirdo. Who knew he could come up with a scheme like that? I'm dying."

"Then it's just your bad luck. But since you didn't mean it, I suppose I'll forgive you this once."

Karuizawa Kei took a strawberry crepe from her bag and held it out to Tatsuya Sakuya. Her gaze drifted toward the window.

"Here. It's an apology for before."

"All right, I won't turn down a kind offer. So what did you come to see me about?"

Tatsuya Sakuya accepted the crepe and asked.

"We came to ask you to help us study. Didn't you tutor Karuizawa last time?"

Maya Sato was the first to explain why they were there.

"Right, right. Even though we have past midterm papers, I still don't feel entirely at ease."

"After all, we'll only feel confident going into the midterms if we've really learned the material."

Matsushita Chiaki picked up where Maya Sato left off.

"Our class committee secretary wouldn't refuse, would he?"

There was nothing wrong with Matsushita Chiaki saying that, but something about it struck Tatsuya Sakuya as odd.

Something isn't right. I just can't put my finger on it.

Maya Sato chimed in, following Matsushita Chiaki's lead.

"Exactly! You even went to Karuizawa's place to tutor her before."

"Now that we're here, you can't just send us away, can you?"