CH 165

<TL> : A bit late, nonetheless its here. I may not be able to do the usual number of chapters while being here, I’ll try to aim for 2 chapters a week or so.

This chapter marks the end of the chapter on student council issues.

The second term arc will follow.

Dear Father.

How are you spending this damn hot summer?

In Japan, the sun is still shining as usual, the hot asphalt in the distant horizon is flickering like that a mirage.

Why are Japanese summers so hot?

I have no answer to this question.

Thus, I am fine.

Kaede is fine too.

In this digital age, I don’t know why he ordered me to contact him using with letters.

Did he want to make it a topic of conversation at the company that he and his son are exchanging letters?

I don’t think I have anything special to write, so I hope this letter is sufficient.

Last but not least, please raise the amount of my monthly allowance not only of your daughter’s, but also of your beloved son’s.

P.S.

Recently, I could see that the defensive power of the back of your head has been declining, so I recommend an upgrade in your equipment i.e. a change of shampoo.

Shinra Minato.

“Is this how it’s supposed to be…?

I mumbled as I stopped writing.

Appropriate phrases were listed on the thinly patterned paper prepared by Kaede.

But it’s not because it’s a hassle to begin it from scratch.

Definitely not…

A week has passed since the President’s bold declaration.

In the meantime, I have finished digesting my summer vacation assignments and am finally ready to enjoy my summer vacation to the fullest, but my personal problems don’t seem to decrease.

It is becoming unclear whether I will be able to finish my summer vacation easily and enjoyably, or not.

In the end, two things have changed.

The first is that the president has started to contact me on a regular basis.

The line of communication between me and president, which until now had only served as the basis of administrative reports, has evolved a few notches.

Well, the contents are very similar to ordinary daily conversations…

It was the best way to get used to keeping in touch with someone of the opposite sex.

For the first time, there was nothing for me to talk, so I only answered “That’s right”, “Wow”, and “Understood”.

I never thought that my lack of communication skills would be exposed in a situation like this. …you failed me, Minato-kun.

And the second change is the change in Shinra family’s circumstances.

It is the same two siblings as before, and although the parents are still absent, the liveliness has increased …a little too much.

“…Checkmate.”

While I was writing a letter to my father, Kirasaka, who was the only one with a higher and colder gaze than the other visitors, declared this as she placed the piece she had picked up from the board.

On the tabletop were spread out a shogi board and a chess board, wherever she had taken them out from.

Yuuto was playing Shogi and Shizuku was playing Chess.

Against the two, Kirasaka declared her victory with ease, as if it were a matter of course.

“…One more game.”

“Damn, that’s Kirasaka-san for you.”

I will not question these three being in my house anymore.

But there’s a person who is out of the ordinary.

The first-year student from Sakuragaoka Academy, Momiji Shiraishi, was present here.

She was not playing Shogi or Chess, but was standing still with both her hands and knees on the floor, like a horse.

Her arms were shaking and her legs felt unstable.

It was no wonder.

She has Kirasaka Rei sitting on her …back.

“She’s no match for her …and the board there is all black, too.”

“…Why am I the only one being punished…?”

“We can’t allow the losers to complain …this world is a place where the weak have no say.”

Kirasaka looked down at Go (*Othello, whatever you call it), which is placed in front of Shiraishi, as if looking down at her.

There, the black colors are neatly lined up.

In this type of board game, if the ignorant people are going at each other seriously, the element of luck does not intervene.

Winning or losing depends entirely on individual skill.

Who was Kirasaka who was able to play against the top students of her grade by herself and win a crushing victory against them all?

Riding on the back of Shiraishi, she was indeed a queen.

What has happened in the week since then?

And why are we in the situation we are in now?

After returning home from the incident with the president, I was told by Kaede in a dissatisfied tone as soon as I returned home.

“Nii-san, a female kouhai came to visit you.”

“Kouhai…?”

The only person who comes to my mind, who fitted this description, is Shiraishi.

“Ah, …do what did she say?’

She pulls out a bottle of cold mineral water from the refrigerator and pours it down her throat in one gulp.

Kaede, with a frustrated expression that never seemed to clear up, just shook her head and said nothing.

Unusual…

Kaede is one to inform me of the visitor’s requirements, even if they are a little vague.

The fact that she doesn’t, means that either it was really only for a moment, or she has a reason for not talking.

Considering Shiraishi’s personality and words and deeds, the latter is more likely.

It can’t be helped that we all have good and bad chemistry.

If it had not been Shiraishi who visited me, I would have asked one or two more questions, but with her, there was no need.

In all probability, it would have been about the student council.

Just to be sure, I checked my phone to see if Yuuto had contacted me, but there was no notification.

She must have come to my house without consulting Yuuto.

I sat down on the sofa and let out a deep sigh containing various emotions.

For now, just for today, I would like to refrain from thinking further.

I am already over capacity.

I catch out of the corner of my eye Kaede sitting next to me, looking hesitant and in agony.

I’m sure my sister would like to ask me about today’s events, not about the visitors, but she seems to be hesitating whenever she sees me.

“I know you want to ask me about today’s …matters, and I’ll tell you as much as I can answer.”

“O-Oh, I see. …then—“

The other party was the student body president, Akane Hiiragi, and the president is not in love with me.

To put it simply, the word “match of conditions” is appropriate.

Kaede breathed a sigh of relief when she heard these words.

“Then, what about today’s juniors?”

“That’s the matter of the student council election …and since I left the negotiations to Yuuto, she must have come to me for a response to that.”

I’ll call Yuuto later.

After answering Kaede’s question shortly, I left the living room with a heavy heart.

In my quiet room, I lay on my bed and let my thoughts run wild.

“…I can’t concentrate on my personal problems unless I solve the ones from the Student Council first.”

I didn’t say these words to anyone.

It was just for myself.

The room was supposed to be empty and silent.

“Well, …I also think that the student council’s problem is the first problem to be solved, since the deadline is fast approaching.”

Yes, a similarly melancholy voice echoed in the corner of the room.

I turned my head, probably the fastest turn of my entire life.

I turned it so hard that my neck joints even made a cracking sound.

The force of the motion caused a dull pain on my nape, but I was so startled that I didn’t care.

“Ah, sorry for interrupting you, Minato-kun.”

“…Why are you in the room before me?”

It was Shizuku who was there.

The same outfit as before, Shizuku, who should have returned from the hotel earlier, was sitting on a chair in my room, not at her home.

I was caught completely off guard and when I asked her about the situation, she announced with her ample bosom.

“It’s a strategy meeting!”

“I hate it.”

The first strategy meeting at Shinra Minato’s house was held half-heartedly that didn’t even take the room owner’s thoughts into account.