Chapter 21: What a hassle!

Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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I swung open the door to the student council room. To my surprise, all the council members were gathered there, their uncomfortable gazes fixated on me. Only Midou, the sole familiar face in the crowd, rushed toward me with a smile.

“Saki-chan, Akito-kun, welcome! It’s been a bit!” She welcomed us both with warmth.

“Nice seeing you again,” Yuki nodded.

“Th-thank you.”

Midou then guided me to the guest seat of the council room, and Saki followed suit, sitting down with her shoulder glued to mine.

“Saki-chan, don’t you have your own seat?”

“Well, I was planning to sit there, but… Akito was just so insistent on staying close to me, so I reluctantly decided to sit here. Isn’t that right?”

Though I never mentioned anything like that, I can only nod in response to her giddy smile. Then, the door swung open once more.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

“Yuya-kun, welcome~!”

Matsuyama also arrived a bit late. As the guest seats were already taken by Saki and I, he plopped down across from me. His expression alone was a tell that he really wasn’t pleased about what happened earlier. The fact she snuggled close to me didn’t help either.

After confirming Matsuyama’s arrival, Midou took her seat.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s introduce ourselves and have some fun!” She declared with a swing. “Although Saki-chan, Akito-kun, and Yuya-kun already know each other, so it’s not necessary, right?”

She looked at me, seeking my opinion, and I lightly nodded. Observing my response, Midou shifted her gaze to the other student council members.

“In that case, Yuki-chan, you go first!”

She called out to a girl that scrolled through her phone absentmindedly. Though as soon as she was called, she nodded and spoke up.

“Umm, I’m a third year, Yuki Kurita… And the secretary… That’s it.”

Whoa, simple.

Kurita said just that and started fiddling with her phone again.

“C’mon, Yuki-chan! Introduce yourself properly!”

“Can’t. Talking tires me out. I don’t wanna say what isn’t necessary…”

“Can’t be helped, I guess,” Midou shrugged. “Okay, next is Karen-chan!”

“Yes, yes~,” She said. Raising her hand with gusto, she continued, “I’m Misaki Karen, a third-year. I’m in charge of public relations! Nice to meet you all!” She winked and made a peace sign in front of us.

“Yes, nice to meet you!”

“P-please, take care of us,” My voice stuttered under her energetic influence. To me, she seemed like the embodiment of a cheerful, outgoing person, and it was almost blinding for someone like me.

“Alright, lastly, it’s Rin-chan’s turn! Go ahead,” Midou gestured with her hand.

“Yes, yes,” the last person waved dismissively. Then, she turned to look our way. “I’m Kishida Rin, a third-year. I’m the vice president of this bunch of idiots. Nice to meet you.”

“What! Calling us idiots is rude!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Even so, I’m the top of our grade.”

Midou pouted and protested against Kishida’s remark. There was a strange comfort between them, indicating that they were on good terms at the very least. In fact, they seemed like close friends.

After their self-introductions, Midou and Misaki were the only ones who reacted kindly to us, and I started feeling uneasy.

“Well, for now, I think we’ve got everyone’s faces and names memorized. So, let’s reintroduce ourselves properly. I’m Ayaka Midou, the council president,” the girl in question raised her hand.

“I’m Saki Mizumoto, in charge of finances,” Saki followed by raising hers.

“With the five of us, we are the current student council members!” The president concluded.

“Hooray!” And Misaki cheered, boosting the excitement with pure energy.

“So, Ayaka, I heard the general affairs seat was finally filled. But why are there two people?”

Amidst the excitement, Kishida asked Midou.

“I didn’t hear anything about having two people! Right, Yuki?”

“I don’t care. I was just dragged here by Ayaka forcibly,” the girl with the phone didn’t bother looking away.

Each person had a different reaction, but Midou wasn’t late to answer.

“At first, I only intended to bring Akito-kun with me. But then, Yuya-kun, who overheard our conversation, said he wanted to join the student council. So, I thought I’d leave it up to Yuki-chan, Karen-chan, and Rin-chan to decide who is more suitable.”

Upon hearing their esteemed president’s saying, the three of them—

“Ugh, what a hassle!”

The three were quite blunt, but nothing seemed amiss to the president herself. Without showing much agitation, she invoked her authority by saying, “No way. This is an order from the president, so you must obey.”

Amidst the grumbling, Saki raised her hand. “Wait a moment! Why am I not included?”

It was obvious why. Even with a half-smile, Midou replied, “Because it wouldn’t be fair to include you, right? We’ve already decided who will be participating before the actual evaluation.”

“Guh…”

Of course, that’d be the case.

She looked genuinely frustrated. I was surprised to find out she thought she was in a position to judge us.

“Sorry, Saki. I’m sure you wanted to vouch for me,” Matsuyama chimed in.

Where the hell does all his confidence come from…?

Seeing Saki’s death glare, it would be a fool’s demise to even think she’d vote for him.

“Well, I also scouted Akito-kun, so I’ll leave the decision to the three of you,” the president concluded.

“It’s such a hassle…”

“I wonder if they’ll be of any use…”

“Mmm, they seem pretty useless!”

They started chipping away at our mental state right away. Misaki, in particular, seemed amiable but was the one throwing out the most poison. Throughout the process, they scrutinized Matsuyama and me.

“Oh, and by the way, if neither of them is useful, you can drop both of them.”

Midou added. It seemed she wanted the more capable person, either Matsuyama or me. I felt like I was being told that they didn’t need anyone who wasn’t an immediate asset. I swallowed nervously. Midou turned towards the only two guys in the room.

“Then, Yuu-kun and Akito-kun, you’ll spend one day each with the three of them. Based on that, they’ll decide which one is more useful for the student council. Depending on the result, we’ll decide on the general affairs seat. So, work hard, okay? As you can see, our current members have absolutely no motivation, so don’t expect any special treatment.”

She gave us words of encouragement mixed with threats. We both nodded in response. Matsuyama then turned to me and extended his hand.

“Let’s do our best, right, Iwaki?”

He looked relaxed and confident. I gave him a handshake in response. Seeing us shake hands, the president moved to end the meeting, “Alright, alright. That’s enough for today’s introductions. Dismissed!”

With the introductions over, I pumped myself up mentally, renewing my determination for the coming battle.

I’ll do my best!

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