"Argh, honestly!"
Amid Azusa Nakajo's complaints, Yunyi and the other two took their seats.
Looking at the trays set before Mayumi Saegusa and the others, Yunyi asked in puzzlement, "Um, could I ask what you called us here for? Surely it wasn't just to watch you eat?"
"Really, Liu Yunyi," Mayumi Saegusa said, sounding a little put out. "Why would we do that? There's a meal dispenser here, so just say whatever you'd like to eat."
Yunyi exclaimed, "Why is there something like a meal dispenser in a high school Student Council room?!"
But no sooner had he said it than he noticed the slightly awkward look on Mayumi Saegusa's face and understood.
"I see, I see. Looks like the head of the Saegusa Family got it because he was afraid his precious daughter would suffer, huh? Impressive, impressive!"
"Hey! I'm still right here!" Mayumi Saegusa raised a little fist in protest.
That little joke got things off to a lively start, and the atmosphere in the office loosened up.
Once everyone had finished eating, Mayumi Saegusa explained why she had called Yunyi and the other two there.
"Well, the reason I called everyone here today is simple. We'd like to invite the first-year freshman representative, Miyuki Shiba, to join our Student Council. Come to think of it, isn't this a tradition at First High School?"
"Join the Student Council?" Miyuki Shiba repeated quietly.
Tatsuya Shiba offered no opinion, but Yunyi interjected, "Why are you asking that as a question?!"
Mayumi Saegusa pointedly ignored Yunyi, turned to Miyuki Shiba, and extended the invitation again.
"That's right, Miyuki. I'd like you to join us. Would you be willing?"
Miyuki Shiba didn't answer directly, however. Instead, she first glanced at her brother. After Tatsuya Shiba nodded his approval, she turned back to Mayumi Saegusa as though she had remembered something.
"President Saegusa, do you know my brother's entrance exam results?"
Everyone present was somewhat surprised and puzzled by Miyuki Shiba's question. Yunyi, sitting below Mayumi Saegusa, muttered in a very low voice, "Here we go, here we go!"
Mayumi Saegusa blinked blankly. Just as she was about to ask Yunyi what was starting, Miyuki Shiba, having misunderstood, continued.
"If the Student Council is looking to recruit talented people, I personally believe my brother would be a better choice than me. I'm deeply honored that you invited me to join the Student Council, but please..."
Before she could finish, however, Tatsuya Shiba interrupted her.
"Hey, Miyuki, stop right there!"
At her brother's stern words, Miyuki Shiba stopped as though someone had pressed a pause button. A moment later, she apologized to everyone, downcast. "I'm very sorry, everyone. I was out of line."
Mayumi Saegusa and the others exchanged glances, unsure what to do. Yunyi, however, smiled and said, "It's all right, Shiba. For siblings as close as you two, I don't think there's anything rude about trying to secure an opportunity for a family member at a time like this. I don't think President Saegusa and the others mind either, right?"
Yunyi directed that last question at Mayumi Saegusa, and just as he had expected, she immediately said she didn't mind.
"However, I'm sorry, Miyuki. Only Course 1 Students can be members of the Student Council. That's a rule listed in the school regulations, not some unwritten rule people follow in private. To overturn it, we'd need a vote at the general student assembly to change the rule. So, unfortunately..."
After Mayumi Saegusa, Suzune Ichihara, who had barely spoken until then, gave a clear explanation of the situation.
After hearing her explanation, Miyuki Shiba felt even more ashamed and immediately thanked Suzune Ichihara.
Now that things had reached this point, Miyuki Shiba no longer insisted on having Tatsuya Shiba join the Student Council with her. At his urging, she rose and bowed slightly. "I'm honored to accept your invitation, President Saegusa. I agree to join the Student Council."
"OK~ Then welcome aboard, Miyuki," Mayumi Saegusa said with a smile.
With Miyuki Shiba's acceptance, the Student Council members all breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Tatsuya Shiba thought the matter had come to an end and everyone could leave, Mari Watanabe, chair of the Public Morals Committee, suddenly spoke up. "Now that the Student Council's business is settled, it's my turn, right?"
She looked at Yunyi. "Liu Yunyi, as chair of the Public Morals Committee, I'd like to invite you to join us. Would you be willing?"
This time it was Yunyi's turn to be stunned. He blankly raised a hand and pointed at himself. "Me? Join the Public Morals Committee?"
"That's right, you. After what happened yesterday, we know what kind of magic you specialize in. Based on our analysis, that magic should be remarkably effective against people. With magic like yours, you'd surely excel at the work of a Public Morals Committee member," Mari Watanabe said.
"Ha~ Haha~"
After hearing her explanation, however, Yunyi suddenly laughed.
"Honestly, what were you all watching yesterday? Besides, you really don't know the first thing about Kotodama Magic!"
"What do you mean?"
Mari Watanabe frowned, and even Mayumi Saegusa and the others looked somewhat surprised.
"There are many types of Kotodama Magic formulae. The kind I used yesterday was a very basic one. But the way it manifested was ultimately just a deterrent! To intimidate an opponent, I have to change the air I project. When I use Kotodama Magic, my personality..."
At that point, Yunyi raised a hand and tapped his head.
"My mind is affected by intense emotions, and it's very easy for me to lose control."
"What?!"
"So that's how it is!"
Mari Watanabe and Mayumi Saegusa were both somewhat taken aback. They hadn't expected Kotodama Magic to have such a side effect.
Yunyi laughed inwardly, but on the surface, he still put on a helpless expression.
"President Saegusa, as Student Council president and a daughter of the Saegusa Family, you should know something about me, shouldn't you? You should also be well aware of the state the family I come from is in now. The people in my family aren't willing to accept it. So they've pinned their hopes on me since I was little. Even though my grades weren't what they wanted, they still went to great lengths to send me to First High School, all so I could solve those problems." Yunyi spoke lightly, but everyone could hear a sense of aversion in his tone.