When I read the heart of the never-smiling princess, for some reason she had already fallen head over heels in love for me. - v1 Chapter 2: It was supposed to be my first-time meeting with the princess.

Chapter 2: It was supposed to be my first-time meeting with the princess.

I gripped the door handle and took a deep breath.

The appointed time given by Katsuragi Minami had arrived. Beyond this door with no nameplate—within the student council room—she was probably waiting for me.

(Ahh, Damn it… how did this happen?)

Because the unexpected and incomprehensible events that continued since morning, I had been in a state of confusion. It also took considerable amount of courage for me to come here.

It’s one thing to be invited to join as the student council secretary (even though that’s not okay at all) but the fact of the matter was that she invited me because she harbored feelings for me—which in itself was a development a kin to teenage fantasy.

Such a thing has never happened in my sixteen years of life, it’s my first time experiencing this. And considering that the person in question is the student council president and the school’s most beautiful, staying calm was just impossible.

If I had merely overheard it by chance, I might have had some room for doubt. But unfortunately—or fortunately—because I discovered it through my ability, I could assert with absolute authority that it was her true feelings.

My hand, gripping the handle, was sweaty. I hesitated. Delaying still.

Wohoo! The school’s most famous beauty has got a crush on me! If only I were a simpleton who could just accept that and be overjoyed, I wouldn’t have to go through such trouble. But apparently, I’m a rather complex individual, so all I got here were doubts.

Why would she start having a crush on someone like me?

Feelings of affection aren’t like eggs laid by chickens that appear suddenly one morning with a pop. There has to be a reason behind all that.

But I can’t remember of any contact I had with her. Yeap, zero. Nothing.

Even if I rummaged through the boxes of my memories, I wouldn’t find anything about a girl named Katsuragi Minami.

Perhaps she was the girl, the childhood friend who had moved away or a girl I met on a trip whose name I never knew. But, unfortunately, I don’t have any sparkling memories like that. Instead, I feel like dying from the side effects of dredging up my dull memories.

But conversely, it’s also possible that there’s some connection made with her that I’m just unaware of.

For example, there is a possibilty that I did something to pull her attention towards me, or something like that.

Perhaps she saw me picking up an abandoned puppy in the rain and saying, “Are you alone too?” with a lonely smile, and the sight made her heart flutter *Kyun, or something like that.

Go ahead and laugh, Be**ta.

Setting aside my pathetic imagination, if it happened while I was unaware, then of course, I wouldn’t remember it.

Therefore, there’s only one way to confirm. I need to ask her directly.

With my ability, even if she remains silent, I can know the truth.

It can’t be helped. This is an emergency. It’s too unnatural for Katsuragi Minami to fall for an outcast loner like me. Even I can’t believe it.

I must confirm the reason first. Whether I can accept it or not is another matter, but without knowing, I can’t decide what to do next.

Steeling myself, I opened the sliding door.

The room bathed in a crimson hue, containing a steel table and several folding chairs, including a computer rack, and a whiteboard.

Sitting in one of the chairs was Katsuragi Minami.

While she was engrossed in a paperback book, she looked up upon sensing my presence.

Her large, clear eyes locked onto me, her lips pressed into a thin line.

The lack of emotion on her face gave her an inscrutable aura which made my heart skip a beat.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“…Thank you.”

“Then, please have a seat over there.”

Katsuragi Minami closed her book with a *patan and gestured to a chair near the entrance.

The place where she sat was at the back of the room by the window. From this distance, I can’t read her thoughts. I needed to find a reason to get closer.

As I thought that, I noticed a piece of paper laying on the table, even though the paper was pure white, I could see the text showing through from the other side. It seemed to be turned upside down.

Katsuragi Minami pointed to it.

“This might sound a bit hasty, but can you sign that piece of paper.”

“Eh? What about our conversation?”

“That comes afterwards.”

Not understanding, I flipped the paper over.

[Consent form for being recruited as the part of the student council.] was written as its title.

“As if I would sign this!”

“Excuse me.”

Katsuragi Minami rolled a ballpoint pen toward me.

“That’s not what I meant!”

I rolled back the pen back at her.

Receiving it, she slightly furrowed her brows.

“Why not?”

“Order of things! I would hear the explanation first and then I will decide to join once convinced by it. That’s how these things work.”

“Since you will be joining in anyway, I thought it would be better to do this first.”

“Your consideration is going in the wrong direction!”

Katsuragi Minami’s mouth drew into a firm line. Was she offended or just surprised, I don’t understand which one was it.

When she first spoke to me it was the same, her reputation seemed vastly different from how her actual demeanor is in real. Is she really as capable as they say?

“Anyways, I haven’t decided to join in yet. I need to hear the explanation first, making sure I understand it well, and then, if I see worth in it, then I might consider on joining as per your request.”

That’s quite a valid argument you make. It really seems something like you would say.”

She spoke as if she knew me. As expected, have we met somewhere before? I never knew that not remembering something like this can be so unsettling.

“Then let me explain. At Oumine North High School, the student council executive members elects the president and vice president via by election, and the other officers and staff are appointed by the president, such is the system going on. Those positions that can be appointed are treasurer, secretary, and manager, these three. I want you to be in charge of the secretary position.”

“You mentioned that this morning as well. But Why me?”

“What do you think are the necessary skills for a secretary, Saiga-kun?”

I pondered as she asked a question in retrospect.

“Good handwriting, or being good at summarizing?”

“The former is not essential, but the latter is correct. Another critical skill is listening comprehension. A secretary needs to record conversations and summarize them in minutes, accurately. As you might have guessed, there’s no one else in our grade more suitable than you for this job.”

Katsuragi Minami declared confidently. I instinctively tilted my head.

“I don’t get it. When did I ever demonstrate that I’m good at that?”

“You scored highest in our grade on the typing practice program in our typing information class. Since our records are to be kept on a PC, familiarity with its operation is beneficial.”

“Oh, just that. Sure, I’m used to using a computer, but I’m not the only one who can—”

“And you have experience in transcription and data entry work. Which is again quite suitable for the secretary’s role.”

A soft gasp escaped my throat.

What did she just say right now, transcription and data entry?

(How does she know about those…?)

It’s true that, being worried about my future, I took up jobs to learn about transcription and data entry at one point, seeking to develop skills which I can even use from home.

“And I hear you’re currently learning programming as well. That’s really commendable.”

This time, I was left utterly speechless.

I’ve never explained my part-time job details to anyone. Even my family isn’t aware of the specifics of that.

So how on earth does Katsuragi Minami know about those and in such detail?