#303

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The morning after, a heavy atmosphere hung in the air in the early morning student council room, different from the usual. Koizumi and I both sighed unconsciously at the same time as we sat in our seats.

Noticing this, we exchanged glances, and a wry smile naturally formed on both of our faces. We were both troubled by the same thing.

“I never expected that not a single student would show up…”

“Did we have a decent enough people last year?”

As I asked Koizumi with a candid tone, he put his hand on his chin, showing a gesture of recollection.

In the end, although we had waited in the classroom for a while yesterday, not a single student showed up.

Effectively, there are only two students participating in the farewell committee: Koizumi and me. While the student council will assist us, it’s not a full-fledged participation. Furthermore, with other obligations such as the upcoming graduation ceremony, where Koizumi is the main focus, there’s hardly any spare capacity to allocate to other tasks.

Even Koizumi’s assistance is minimal. If anything, I’m the only one truly volunteering for this.

“I was just providing minor assistance last year, but there were around ten participants…”

“…While we’re called the committee, it’s different from the committees for the sports festival or cultural festival. We’re just complete volunteers, and the important people might handle things within their club activities or personal connections.”

As Koizumi answers, recalling memories, it seems that there’s no need for many students to actively participate in troublesome school events. It’s not surprising that many students would think that way.

However, even with the two of us pondering, we can’t seem to reach a conclusion. We need to discuss future plans and other measures, but we’re lacking both the brainpower and time.

The sense of urgency differs significantly with a clear deadline. With a vague deadline, one can be optimistic, thinking things will somehow work out. But with only two weeks left, anxiety arises…

To outsiders, the sight of the two of us pondering in silence in the quiet student council room in the early morning might seem like the silence between two people who recently fought. We both go through the faces of potential candidates in our minds, giving up on asking them for various reasons… repeating this process.

Well, for me, I ran out of potential candidates after about the third person, so it seemed like Koizumi was the one spending a long time pondering.

The biggest problem right now is the lack of people. This needs to be addressed, or it’ll become quite troublesome.

Increasing the number of people not only improves efficiency but also brings more brainstorming ideas. While too large an organization can be hard to control, a small group shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

That’s why resolving this issue is of utmost importance…

I need help, but relying on them would be pointless.

As I mentally eliminate unreliable options, I wonder what names were used last year to attract participants…

If Koizumi, who participated last year as well, knows, this problem might be solved quickly…

“Just out of curiosity, how did you gather people last year?”

“Well, we didn’t do anything special, just the usual announcements in each class, I suppose.”

“In that case, there’s nothing we can do.”

With his expected response, a mixture of understanding and disappointment swirled within me.

A school is a kind of living entity—a collective consciousness of students. If everyone else is doing it, I’ll do it too; if not, then I won’t bother. The important protagonists and heroines who create opportunities are always among the students.

Last year, undoubtedly, President played a central role in participating. And since she’s now on the receiving end, it’s natural that she wouldn’t participate. Hence, many students participated.

Whether out of goodwill, curiosity, or interest, it doesn’t matter what the reason was.

If, hypothetically, President hadn’t participated last year, there might have been no students willing to participate last year, just like now. Thinking that way, I strangely found myself able to accept the situation.

As much as I need manpower, I absolutely don’t want to rely on them to attract people like a panda at the zoo. So, it’s within my scope to pull someone in.

As we were contemplating various ideas, freshly brewed tea was quietly placed on our desks. Even without seeing his face, I easily recognized him by his trademark red hair.

“Ah, Hino-kun?”

“What’s up? There’s no morning activity today, though.”

Both of us were so deep in thought that we didn’t even notice him entering the student council room…

And his improvement in serving skills, without even being asked, was quite impressive given his appearance.

“I forgot to bring the assignments I need to submit for class, so I came to get them. I did say something when I entered, though…”

“Oh, sorry… We were lost in thought and didn’t notice.”

“No worries at all.”

Saying so, Hino-kun took out a few printouts from his desk drawer and put them in his bag. It seemed like he had achieved his goal, but whether he felt awkward about leaving due to our atmosphere or not, his gaze was wandering.

…Hino-kun may look a certain way, but he’s surprisingly kind.

But from a communication standpoint, he seems to be aware of his tendency to stay behind the scenes, and he doesn’t seem to mind much. Surely, even in organizing the farewell party, he’ll interact with many unfamiliar people, but he never approached anyone…

“Koizumi, do we need Hino-kun for the graduation ceremony?”

“On the actual day and the day before, there’s going to be a lot of heavy lifting, so I’d like him to help out with that… But before that stage, he might have some free time?”

…Hmm.

He’s the physically a monster, not suited for detailed meetings or budget calculations, so it seems fine to borrow him for our purposes. But how do I go about inviting him…?

No, it’s too much trouble, so let’s go with a forceful approach.

“Well, Hino-kun, from today onwards, you’re a member of the Shinra Company.”

“Huh…? What’s that all of a sudden?”

“As a prelude to the grand stage where you’ll receive great favours from your seniors… I shall bestow upon you the moniker of Powerwork Man.”

“If you mean heavy lifting, no matter how cool you try to make it sound, I still don’t like it!”

Hino-kun retorts loudly.

Then, turning his gaze to Koizumi, he pleads with him.

“Koizumi-senpai, could you please say something too? I’m busy with student council work, so I can’t.”

“It’s okay.”

“See, did you hear that, Shinra-senpai? It’s okay—eh?”

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

Koizumi repeats the same words with a smile on his face, unchanged expression.

Approaching behind Hino-kun, who was surprised and looking back at the president’s seat, I casually place my hand on his shoulder.

His large back shudders.

Surely, my mouth is twisted into a grin.

Kirasaka might be surprised too.

“You’re not getting away, my handyman…!”

“Senpai, your true feelings are showing!”

Stepping into the early morning student council room, where they were desperately short of manpower, was Hino-kun’s unfortunate fate.

I hope he resigns himself and lends his efforts for the sake of his seniors.

And behind Koizumi’s seemingly gentle smile, I can see the sentiment of not letting Hino-kun escape. Being in the same situation, I understand.

“No way!! Right now, there’s an important task of developing Goddess Kaede-san’s cultural festival photos!”

If I were in his shoes, I would have definitely said the same thing, absolutely hated it.

It sucks, you know, I get it.

…But there’s no helping it.

I didn’t want to resort to this tactic, but…

“This phone has a picture of my sister in her new pajamas…”

“Please, let me help, Onii-sama! I also want to express my gratitude to the seniors!”

Just a moment ago, he was expressing his dislike with his whole body, but despite that, when I took out my phone and uttered the magic words, it was like a miracle.

He got down on one foot, as if a knight standing before a monarch.

…This guy is too easy.

Despite the sudden change, Koizumi also smiled wryly as he watched.

Indeed, Hino-kun is a preferable junior.

His character is very pure, and that’s why even someone like me doesn’t have to read into his feelings or speculate.

Feeling a bit guilty about forcing him into this… well, it’s okay because it’s Hino-kun.

Anyway, now that we’ve secured one valuable person, let’s consider it a win.

By the way, I didn’t say a word about giving him photos of Kaede… Nope, not happening.

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: Dunno how long I can do it daily, but here you go! --- --- ### Archived Comments **Mirilu** *(on 2024-02-20 01:51:03)*: > >

Dude, I can finally relate to you! I picked up a new novel and the chapters are so damn long! Slightly larger than this one I'd say. (Word says this is about 1.5k words, the one I'm doing is 3k.

> >

Just halfway through but I don't want to release half chapters so will probably pull through. Good thing is, it was dropped two years ago, so no one expects anything and I can translate it at my pace.

> >

> **Mirilu** *(on 2024-02-20 04:02:40)*: > >

*Edit:

> >

I actually did the rest in one sitting. It's 4k words, will do some corrections and then uploud it. I hate my life. My semester just started as well, such a shit timing...

> **BrutalBotX** *(on 2024-02-20 09:59:20)*: > Ikr, longer chapters are a pain but releasing split chapters just doesn't sit right. > Just think of it as assignments Xd