CH 143

Late afternoon on a weekday.

It’s free time for the students who have summer vacation, but that’s not the case for the people around me right now.

Even now, I can see working people busily walking outside my window.

I was sipping coffee while watching them, a moment that only the students are allowed to have.

My current location is a coffee shop in front of the station.

I was waiting alone at the place where I had made a promise to Shiraishi, though one-sidedly.

Inside the store, there were a few young college students who also seemed to be out on their summer vacation, and a office worker who had come to have a late lunch.

They all already left, as I continued waiting in the quiet café while gazing outside the window.

In this situation, if I had an English newspaper or a laptop with an apple logo, wouldn’t I look like a sophisticated person?

It’s too expensive, though, and there’s a high probability that it catch many eyes.

I often see them at Starbucks, and it is a mystery to me those people like to work at those places.

I wonder if it’s because I’m not a sophisticated person that I don’t understand or it’s just because I think that the stares and noise from the surrounding would disrupt my concentration and would make me less efficient.

But I guess this is also prejudice.

It’s just a prejudiced thinking, and according to them it should be efficient.

I wonder when I started to think this way.

In fact, I think that this could be a topic for the independent research.　

But I’m also sure that Shizuku and the others will reject it again…　

We’ve strayed too far off the topic, so let’s get back where we left.

After parting with Shiraishi, Shizuku and Kirasaka complained harshly to me, and I was made to do my summer homework until the next day…or rather till morning today, as originally planned.

The summer vacation homework was going well, with just the independent research remaining.

I can say that it was a rather good accomplishment.

Never before have I been able to complete so much work so early in the summer vacation.

It would have been so much easier if I could have said that all I had to do now was enjoy my summer vacation.

The reality is different.

The problems are piling up.

The same goes for the student council. Shizuku, Kirasaka, and Koizumi.

And then there is this issue of Momiji Shiraishi, which is going on right now.

The only thing left to do is to finish this task.

Now that I’ve reached a point where I can’t back down, all I can hope for is that it won’t cause me any more trouble in the future.

The first cup of coffee was finished, and as I turned my gaze back to the counter to order a second cup, the bell rang to signal the arrival of a customer.

I heard the shopkeeper’s bored voice and the sound of footsteps approaching.

The footsteps were approaching towards me without hesitation.

“S-sorry to keep you waiting …senpai.”

“Nah, you’re earlier than time.”

Ten minutes earlier than the appointment, Momiji Shiraishi came to the café earlier than I expected.

After ordering Shiraishi’s portion along with the second cup, the conversation began.

Without a word from either side, we both eventually started to converse.

“I’m sorry about yesterday …May I continue the rest of the story?”

“No, …I didn’t expect them two to be there either…The rest of the story is the reason you ran for the president, right?”

“Yes…”

The conversation was interrupted when she finished telling why she joined the yearbook committee and was about to speak about her reason for being the student body president.

The moment Shiraishi brought her mouth close to mine, we were interrupted by Shizuku’s and Kirasaka’s ‘swords’.

If she didn’t ask this, the conversation would neither move forward nor backwards.

I sat deep on my chair and waited for Shiraishi’s words, when she began to speak in a low voice volume.

“I-I’ve been …longing to spend my high school life in my ideal student council.”

“Longing and ideal, huh…”

The conversation just ended with ‘ideal’.

…Just a simple word.

In order to do that, she has to take advantage of what she can. …After thinking about it, she should have arrived at the answer to make Shizuku, Kirasaka and the others join the student council.

In other words, the perfect student council that she is looking for is the one that she wants to create and organize.

“Is that all?”

If that’s the case, then president just bought it.

She was overestimated and not just by the president, but everyone, including me.

Her words were big, but when the truth was revealed, it was just a common reason i.e. self-satisfaction.

That’s all there is to it.

But that wasn’t the only reason why Akane Hiiragi was paying attention to Momiji Shiraishi.

As far as I know, president’s insight has never been wrong.

That’s why I’m also curious about this student named Shiraishi.

“C-can you really listen to me without laughing?”

Shiraishi blushed and asked me the same question as yesterday.

Naturally, the reply was the same.

“I told you yesterday that I can’t say without hearing the details first.”

“W-well, yes…”

Then she cleared her throat and looked at me.

You can see the seriousness in her eyes.

My gaze automatically became focused, and I felt a little nervous.

“Isn’t it great to have a student council with beautiful girls and boys?”

“……………………”

She earnestly, honestly, seriously said that.

We’ve known each other for less than two days, but she said that with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen.

I was speechless, that’s all I could say.

I must probably have the most dumbest expression in my life on my face right now.

But I couldn’t deny the fact that I was so shocked by Shiraishi’s words that my mind completely stopped thinking.