#289

---

In the aftermath, after parting ways with me, the President apparently successfully completed the recommendation entrance exam.

She assured me that there was no need to worry about the content, expressing her gratitude with words like ‘thanks to you’. Still, I decided to graciously accept only half of the appreciation.

I generally don’t refuse what’s offered, yes.

Excessive humility can sometimes come off as sarcastic, and, from Minato-kun’s perspective, graciously accepting gratitude wouldn’t hurt. With this, concerns in the immediate surroundings seemed to have been temporarily resolved.

However, life is such a troublesome and complicated thing.

Returning to the classroom after a brief weekend holiday, I encountered two formidable foes.

The usually gentle girl, who wore a soft smile, now harboured a sharp gaze in her eyes. The other girl, who normally possessed piercing and cold eyes, directed a gaze as cold as a blizzard, stealing warmth from the surroundings.

Stepping into the classroom, in a moment of realization, I understood the change in their demeanour and the reason behind it.

And I pondered where the information leaked from?

…Ah, it’s Kaede, isn’t it? I inwardly reached the conclusion that my sister had been secretly leaking information to the two, causing a wry smile to escape me.

What should I do? Unable to take a step forward from the entrance of the classroom, hesitating whether to turn on my heel and avoid them, the two annoyingly approached me.

“Minato-kun… come over here.”

“Come this way.”

With Shizuku holding my left arm and Kirasaka holding my right, I was dragged away from the front of the classroom.

The last sight I saw was Yuuto, grinning and seemingly enjoying the situation, at the back of the classroom.

“You really… have a good personality.”

Even as I glared at him with resentment, it would be as ineffective as glaring at a student who had tattled when scolded by a teacher.

Even though I knew that, I couldn’t help but infuse my gaze with a sense of anger.

Dragged along, we ended up on the rooftop of the second building.

Naturally, there were no students in sight, only the voices of students engaged in morning club activities on the grounds reached our ears.

Finally released from their grip, I rotated my arms lightly to relieve the tension and then turned my gaze toward the two.

“Did you enjoy your weekend?”

Shizuku said as our eyes met.

It wasn’t so much about enjoyment… it was more like encouragement. I hadn’t done anything particularly enjoyable.

“I wasn’t having fun; it was just my duty as a junior.”

“Well, it seems the other party didn’t see it that way.”

Kirasaka immediately interjected.

On the screen of the phone she pulled out, there was a displayed exchange of messages between the student council president and Kirasaka.

[Spent some time with Minato at a cafe over the weekend.]

[His encouragement lightened and warmed my heart.]

[It’s been a short time, but I’m glad to have such a good junior.]

…That’s quite a high rating. It’s like giving a review for a product you haven’t even bought on an online store and getting paid for it.

Even Minato-kun, normally not prone to self-doubt, began to question his high evaluation.

But from her perspective, this message probably generated various anxieties and speculations. If it was just encouragement, they should have gone together, but I didn’t even contact them in the first place.

In the messages from the student council president, the ambiguous wording might have been one of the factors that upset them.

“I am innocent.”

“That’s usually the first thing the criminal says.”

Flatly denying the words, Kirasaka put her hand on her hip and sighed. She brushed aside her bangs irritably and brought her face close.

At a distance where the tip of her nose seemed to graze, a slightly nervous heartbeat was induced by the floral fragrance carried by the wind, and she said:

“Minato, be aware of who you belong to and act accordingly.”

“Minato is definitely mine. Or rather, I am Minato.”

Asserting ownership as if it were a matter of course is a bit much. I don’t consider myself someone’s possession, and I have no intention of changing my existence to fit into someone else’s framework, whether it’s dating, marriage, or nurturing friendship.

“Well… it was wrong of me to go for President’s encouragement without saying anything to you two. But it was at President’s strong request.”

“That can’t be helped, but… Minato, are you really not doing anything strange with President?”

Shizuku, with a worried expression, inadvertently let out a wry smile.

Not to boast, but I pride myself on being relatively good at risk management compared to others of the same age. The mere thought of making a move on the student council president, especially with Koizumi in the mix, sends shivers down my spine.

As I nodded slightly, reassuring them that everything was fine, both of them showed a slightly relieved expression. With this, the conversation should be over. I exhaled the breath I had been holding in my chest; it had been a tiring time since the morning.

Today, I’ll have to spend the remaining time in energy-saving mode, or I might end up dozing off from exhaustion. As I turned towards the entrance to go back to the classroom, someone other than us turned the doorknob of the rooftop entrance.

With a clicking sound, the door opened, revealing the central figure of the discussion, Hiiragi Akane.

“Oh! There you are, Shinra.”

“Good morning… Is there something you needed?”

Regarding the words President had mentioned about looking for me, I tried to recall if there was any particular urgent task. I hadn’t made any promises, and nothing specific came to mind.

Tilting my head, I asked President, who continued with a smile.

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you say I could call you out whenever I wanted from now on? Anyway, a bakery I was interested in opened in the next town, let’s go together this weekend.”

“…”

Turning my brain at full speed, I recalled the conversation from the other day. I did mention to President that in the future, if she ever felt lonely in a distant place, she could call me to distract herself. The words were honest, but there seemed to be a slight discrepancy in perception.

“Well, that was more like, ‘If you ever feel lonely at university, feel free to call me,’ you know…”

“This is also student council work and you are my assistant, right?”

Facing President’s smirking, confident remark, I fell silent involuntarily. This has become troublesome…

Everyone here knows that President is not the type to be easily brushed off with casual words. I feel the cold gazes from the two behind me, but I can’t think of anything to say that would make the president back down.

Perhaps taking my silence as agreement, President with a smug expression, started to leave the rooftop that she just came to.

Turning around for the last time, she left an unnecessary remark.

“I’ll be counting on you from now on, Shinra.”

With a click, the heavy door closed, and the next thing that came was silence on the rooftop. The two piercing gazes still felt like they were stabbing into my back with the intention to kill.

It’s scary to turn around…

Slowly, but certainly, I turned my body to face them. Correcting Shizuku’s earlier words, I spoke.

“My apologies… I said something weird.”

At that time, I was desperately squeezing out words to convey my intentions to President, so I hadn’t considered the potential meaning behind those words.

I’ve… If possible, I’d like to make a proper plan and go back in time.

Kirasaka expressed her disbelief and sighed, placing her hand on her forehead. Meanwhile, Shizuku lowered her head, and her body trembled slightly.

“…Mou! Minato-kun is mine!!”

From her trembling figure, Shizuku looked up at the sky as if she had squeezed out her voice. To the voice filled with a mix of anxiety and anger, I quietly thought to myself.

…But, Minato-kun is my Minato-kun.

I’m beginning to lose track of what I’m saying, but anyway, that’s what it is.

---

: I managed 1 chapter today, yay! T\_T ---