Vol 2 Chapter 38 – The Student Council

A few days have passed since the picnic.

That picnic produced some excellent results.

Of course, it became a wonderful memory of our youth, but it also seems that Kajiwara-kun has awakened to the joy of sketching.

During club activities, we all enjoy pleasant conversation and sometimes play games, but…

other than that, we’re writing for the next doujinshi convention.

At the same time, Kajiwara-kun is still understandably hesitant to have his illustrations published, but, well, it looks like he’s trying his hand at drawing using the old LCD pen tablet that Chihiro gave him.

The day his illustrations appear in our “Modern Culture Research Society’s” doujinshi might not be far off.

That’s all well and good.

That’s all well and good, but.

“So, it’s time.”

“Looks like it’s time.”

After school.

The two of us stand in front of the Student Council room, located on the top floor of the school building.

It was me and Chihiro.

We haven’t explained anything to Segawa, Emma, or of course, Kajiwara-kun.

We don’t want to make them worry unnecessarily.

We’re all friends here.

We probably have a duty to explain.

We do, but it can wait until after everything is resolved.

The two of us can just bear the responsibility.

“Heeeey!”

I announce our presence, shortening the formal “Please announce us” like a dojo challenger.

I slid open the rattling door.

The Student Council room is small.

It wasn’t designed for meetings in the first place.

It’s a room meant purely for the Student Council officers to carry out their duties.

The number of Student Council officers is small.

Student Council President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and General Affairs.

Only those five members.

This time, however—

“Ah, glad you could make it.”

“Hello.”

The Student Council President, Tsuboka Kazumi.

And the Vice President, Iwatsutsumi Honoka.

Only those two were seated.

They both stood from their seats and gestured toward us.

“Well, please, have a seat. This looks like it’s going to be a long talk.”

So says the Student Council President.

“We’re not planning on this taking long, though.”

Chihiro replies coldly.

But, we can’t just go kicking over chairs here.

The two of us sat in the chairs before us.

The two from the Student Council watched us before politely sitting back down themselves.

“Now then, we’ve already sent the notice. Takahashi Chihiro-san, regarding the ‘Modern Culture Research Society,’ with you as its president. About the matter of its promotion from a society to an official club—”

“We refuse. There’s nothing in it for us.”

Chihiro bluntly refuses.

Well, of course.

“…Takahashi-kun, just listen. There are benefits. First, a society doesn’t get a budget, but if you become a club, you’ll get one. As you know, the Student Council has the final say on club budgets. It’s a different story if a club’s alumni donate directly to them, of course.”

The Student Council President glanced to the side.

The Vice President began to explain.

Not that I have any intention of listening.

“A club budget is fundamentally composed of three things. First, the fees collected from each club member. Second, donations from sponsors like club alumni with a specified purpose. The Student Council has nothing to do with these. However, when it comes to the activity funds distributed to each club from the Student Council fees, well, the Student Council has the authority to decide.”

“And?”

“On top of this being your first year of activity, we understand that the ‘Modern Culture Research Society’s’ activities—applying for official awards, participating in tournaments, and the like—include nothing you can really be proud of.”

Is this girl trying to pick a fight?

It’s true, our activities are just about getting together to write doujinshi.

On top of that, it’s a place for fellow otaku to interact.

It’s not the kind of thing we can proudly announce on a public stage, saying, “These are our activities,” but…

I don’t need you to rub it in my face like that!

“But, we’ll make an exception. A special exception. It’s fine if you don’t have a record of achievements. We’ll approve your promotion to a club.”

My response to the Vice President is this.

I point a finger at her face and declare.

“I’ll kill you.”

Don’t you screw with me.

If you’re going to pick a fight so openly, then I’ll give you one.

That’s the resolve I came here with today.

I try to stand, but the petite Chihiro stops me, pulling on my sleeve.

“Calm down, Hatsune.”

“How can I be calm about this!”

The Vice President’s expression remains unruffled, but…

the Student Council President hastily interjects.

“Please calm down, Toudou-san. Our Vice President was rude just now! Please forgive her!!”

He apologizes immediately.

…For now, I sat back down in my seat.

“Iwatsutsumi-kun! Apologize. No matter how you look at it, what you just said was one-sided and incredibly disrespectful!!”

“…I have spoken disrespectfully.”

Called out by the Student Council President.

Though clearly reluctant, she bows her head all the same.

I’m indignant, but I can’t just refuse to accept her apology.

“…”

I don’t want to say anything, but for the time being, I bow my head as well.

It was a gesture to show that I had, for all intents and purposes, accepted.

And that should be enough.

In the first place, I’m just backup. The one actually negotiating with the Student Council is—

“Now then, Student Council President. May I call you Tsuboka-san?”

“I don’t mind, Takahashi-kun.”

Chihiro.

For now, I’ll leave it to her.

The possibility that all the Student Council members would gather, maybe even the presidents of other clubs, all chirping away and blaming Chihiro.

That’s what I was afraid of.

Since that’s not the case, leaving it to Chihiro means there’s little chance of failure.

“I’ll repeat myself. As the Vice President—Iwatsutsumi-san—stated earlier, our society is, in the end, just a gathering of pitiful otaku. We don’t have any particular achievements to boast about, nor do we have any plans to work towards some prize we can brag about.”

Chihiro speaks, twisting the Vice President’s words back at her.

We’re not doing anything worth bragging about, so there’s no need for us to become a club.

We don’t need a budget, either.

“The teachers are busy, and I’m sure it won’t be easy to find an advisor. And those who are serious about their own club activities would surely hate to have their budget taken by us. Your concern is unnecessary.”

“…”

That Vice President, Iwatsutsumi or whatever her name is, is staring intently at Chihiro.

What’s with this girl?

Is she seriously trying to pick a fight?

I was displeased.

“…Actually, we already have a candidate for a faculty advisor. Well, they won’t actively interfere in club activities, but we’ve prepared a nominal advisor. The presidents of the other clubs… they’re not opposed, either. We’ve already gotten their permission.”

“Huh?”

Why are things already moving forward?

We haven’t agreed to a single thing yet.

“To put it simply, this is already a settled matter on our end. We need the ‘Modern Culture Research Society’ to be promoted from a society to a club. It puts us in a bind if you don’t.”

“—”

Here, Chihiro fell silent.

Iwatsutsumi, as ever, was staring at Chihiro.

I, too, fell silent and thought about the situation.

Why?

Why are they trying to force us to become a club so aggressively?

—About the reason for that.

“Is Kajiwara-kun the reason?”

There was only one thing that came to our minds.

Kajiwara-kun.

It could only be him.

“Please don’t misunderstand. It’s simply that you’ve reached the five members required for promotion to a club, so we, as the Student Council—”

The Vice President started to make some sort of excuse like that, when…

“Let’s stop, Iwatsutsumi-kun. Any more of this will be unsightly. It’s painful for me to keep making you lie.”

The Student Council President stopped her.

That was the right thing to do.

No matter what kind of pointless excuse she’d prattled on about, we wouldn’t have accepted it anyway.

“Your assessment is correct, Takahashi-kun. In short, there’s no problem with the ‘Modern Culture Research Society’ itself. It’s a group of like-minded comrades who gather to deepen their shared hobby. A society that doesn’t even receive a budget. We don’t want to harass you for that. Please don’t misunderstand that point. We don’t have any prejudice against your otaku activities, either.”

You’re already harassing us, though!

I’d like to say that, but…

as long as Chihiro is silent, I will be too.

“It’s, uh, you see. A boy joined. Kajiwara-kun. You understand, right? He’s the reason.”

“What do you mean? Kajiwara-kun joined our society of his own free will, you know?”

Chihiro objects.

Kajiwara-kun was happy to join us, and they have no right to say anything about it.

“…”

The Student Council President, Tsuboka, covers his face with one hand.

The Vice President stops looking at Chihiro and watches the President with a pitying expression.

“It’s, uh, you see. We’re not the Student Council from some manga or light novel you guys like. We don’t have any special powers. We’re just student representatives, that’s all. We only have enough authority to adjust the allocation of the budget we’re given. You get it?”

“Well, I suppose so.”

That’s true.

Chihiro nods in response to that, but.

“In other words, we’re not on equal footing with the faculty or the alumni who fund the school. And we don’t have the absolute authority to reject petitions from a large number of students.”

The Student Council President just closes his eyes.

And, as if to say I really don’t want to say something this embarrassing, he began to confess the whole story.