Year 2 Cla.s.s B – Sugisaki Ken
–
I, Sugisaki Ken, am a maniac of beautiful girls. These love interests naturally include the beautiful girls of my school, the girls from neighboring schools that I gained information on, and even reach into the two dimensional realm. Lately, I even find “moe” in general novels that don’t have ill.u.s.trations, let alone the two dimensional realm. No, even more than that, just the words “beautiful girl” alone are enough to – Ahem.
Anyhow, I see various beautiful girls, but within the statistics I picked out, this was there:
“Beautiful girls aside, to ask for a beautiful woman character from a high school student is a fairly difficult thing.”
That is what I found.
In this day and age, cute girls are fairly numerous. I don’t know if it’s because their eating habits have improved, or if fashion and make up have evolved, but well, the difference between actresses and normal people nowadays has become very small. I see regular people around who are cuter than singer-actresses, and even pampered idols are on a lower level than my cla.s.smates……
Now then. That was me blabbering about “cute girls.”
When I narrowed my current scope of affection down to “high school girls,” I would see a lot of cuties and think “she’s so pretty,” “she’s so mature,” or “she’s giving off pheromones,” …… If I were to request the thing in this world known as the “beautiful woman type,” their numbers would decrease at that moment.
Ah, I should give you this warning first!
My definition of a “beautiful woman” is strict! If you think you can call someone a beautiful woman just because they’re a bit s.e.xy, then you’re sorely mistaken! Seriously…… There are too many of those kinds of ignorant guys. That’s inexcusable!
Listen up! A “beautiful woman” is completely different from a “woman who looks older!” It’s not a gaudy “woman who gives off pheromones!” The charm of a true beautiful woman isn’t anything like that! It’s completely absurd to rely on exposure!
Yes, that is exactly why I think this: “There are few beautiful women among high school girls.”
I admit, there is an abundance of cute girls. I also happen to love that. As for loli beautiful girls such as the president, I love, love, love that!
However! If we talk about pure rarity, a “beautiful woman character” like Chizuru-san is second to none!
By the way, I added “character” because I want to give the nuance that it’s a character trait as well.
If a woman simply looks a little bit like an adult then she’s not a “beautiful woman character!”
If her interior matches her exterior only then is she not only a “beautiful woman character,” but also a “true beautiful woman!”
I admit, high school girls have lately been looking cute. In reality however, their personalities have barely even begun to reach the stage of a mature, beautiful woman! When limited to the high school period, refining their personalities to that extent in this year is an impossible task!
It is for that reason that I, Sugisaki Ken, declare this here:
I know no one else that has charm to the extent of the “beautiful high school woman” Akaba Chizuru.
–
“That is all. Sugisaki Ken, over and out.”
“Huh?”
As I ended my pondering with a breath, Mintasu, who seemed to have heard my mutterings from next to me, tilted her head.
Hmm. Minatsu herself was the highly rare high school girl “true boyish” type…… but that’s something to talk about for next time.
I gave Minatsu a refreshing smile.
“No, never mind. Don’t worry about it. I’m just playing around with the usual student council…… with my harem in my head.”
“I will worry about that! Your perverted impulses aren’t kept in check by me being silent!”
“Because I am a sixteen year old!”
“Don’t lump all the sixteen year old people together with you!”
“Well, we all agree that my vigor is three times that of normal guys.”
“How can you be so proud of that?!”
“Never fear, Minatsu. Someday, you will certainly benefit from my vigor as well.”
“I believe I’ll want to refuse those so-called benefits from the start.”
“Now Minatsu, you’re not being honest. Isn’t it better to say things clearly? ‘I want you, Ken.’”
“‘I want you, Ken.’”
“Hm.”
Since I was tired, it surprised me that she actually said it.
Seeing that I was shaken, Mintasu grinned broadly.
“As this school’s banchou, by all means go ahead……” (3)
“Give that up already! Are you still trying for that?!”
Minatsu was still aspiring to reform (?) me as a banchou…… Come to think of it, since then Mafuyu-chan has also been trying to trap me into her boy’s love…… Somehow, it seems like the Shiina sisters have very persistent personalities.
Minatsu keeps bringing up her “Keyboard Alliance” (4) idea no matter how much I dislike it, and I’ve finally given up on trying to dissuade her.
At that point, with excellent timing, Chizuru-san raised her head. It seemed like the president’s proposal (figuring out the student council’s new activity) had reached a conclusion.
“First of all, I want you to understand at least this just in case, Aka-chan.”
Chizuru-san cut to the chase. The president cutely tilted her head.
“What is it~?”
“In this world, the phrase ‘according to the manual’ tends to have a bad connotation. A manual is essentially, something a predecessor…… no, to use a more familiar term, a senior’s personally acc.u.mulated and organized experience, making it a truly valuable gem of knowledge.
“Therefore, accomplishing something according to a manual is by no means a bad thing, and people who succeed through ad lib and risk aren’t the only ones considered superior, right? Do you understand?”
“Ah…… y, yeah. That’s…… right.”
At Chizuru-san’s words, the president’s “Getting-Worked-Up-Over-Just-Ideas Energy” weakened and she nodded her head. As we watched over the scene, the Shiina sisters and I stared in admiration.
(……Chizuru-san…… As usual, her handling of the president is amazingly skillful. It’s as if she were a mother kindly guiding her child.)
To be able to gently guide the president on the right path instead of denying everything, Chizuru-san is amazing. (5) What do they call that? Motherhood? In addition to being a beautiful woman, Chizuru-san has something like that.
Despite that, she occasionally sows her s.a.d.i.s.tic queen trait, and when she declares her super-possessiveness of her smitten target, she targets them point by point. Her husband would probably be successful no matter how much of an idiot he was.
As I sent hot glances (twenty percent of it being comprised of pa.s.sion), Chizuru-san smiled at the president once again.
“With that in mind, let’s think about it, Aka-chan. A new activity.”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Yes, yes, just like that, we should begin with some brainstorming.”
“Br, brei……”
The president stumbled over the word.
My attuned senses picked up the “moe point.”
“Oh, Prez. Don’t tell me you don’t know what brainstorming is. (6) Even though you’re the student council president?”
“Ooh……”
At my words, the president flinched for a second. I followed up with a final blow.
“You know even the first-year Mafuyu-chan knows what brainstorming is, right?”
I brought the absent-minded Mafuyu-chan into the conversation. Probably because it was sudden, in her confusion Mafuyu-chan responded with a “Huh?” Due to seeing Mafuyu-chan’s reaction, the president regained her composure and with a bitter smile, started saying, “Sugisaki. Of course no one would normally kno-” before being interrupted my Mafuyu-chan.
“Ah, right, brainstorming. That’s where everyone gives out their own ideas and come up with an idea from there…… with quant.i.ty over quality, you can give out any ideas that sound good… it’s that kind of thing, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Well done Mafuyu-chan. You’re not in the student council for nothing.”
“Ehehe, that’s not true…”
While Mafuyu-chan was being all bashful…… I stole a glance at the president.
“…………”
She was dripping with sweat. Noticing the situation, Minatsu cracked a broad smile.
“Oh~? Prez-san, you mean to say you didn’t actually know……”
In a dizzied response to Minatsu, the loli president stuck out her chest.
“O, of course that’s not true! I know what it is! Brei……. Brei……”
“Brei?”
“Brei…… min……g.”
The president muttered it as if she were trying to trick us…… She didn’t know. She absolutely didn’t know. Actually, I wonder if she hadn’t even heard of the word until just now. Well in reality, it’s not all that odd for a high school student to not know the word…… But for now, that was irrelevant. More importantly, she has to deal with the truth that the four of us know and she’s the only one who doesn’t.
As I watched the president back herself into a corner, I saw in front of me Chizuru-san, wearing a pleased face. Seeing as this time she wasn’t planning on sending any help, she truly was a pro at “playing with the president.”
As we all comfortably observed her, the president finally became serious and shouted.
“Anyway! Let’s forget about the method and start the meeting! There’s nothing as pointless as wasting time thinking of a way to get ideas!”
She ran. She totally ran away from it. It was so easy to tell that she wanted to just quickly move on to the topic she liked. However, since we all knew that it would come to this, we didn’t bother to keep going. Gently cornering her bit by bit, but not enough to cry was the right way to enjoy this. We mustn’t go too far. Outright bullying her wasn’t cool, but light sadism is fine. Those were the rules of the student council. That was an adult’s manners.
The president recomposed herself with a cough.
“Now then, starting with one from me. The student council’s new activity.
She took a breath and gave her proposal.
“For example, how about something like this?”
“What is it?”
When I asked, the president declared with full confidence,
“We get cooperation from the broadcasting club, and every day during lunch break we air a video clip of “Today’s Prez” and –”
“Rejected.”
“What happened to not criticizing me?!”
I wasn’t the only one who put out my denial. Every single member of the student council gave looks that voiced their disapproval. So, the president pursed her lips, backed off, and sat down in frustration.
“Then I’ll ask, but do you happen to have a good idea, Sugisaki?”
“I’m glad you asked.”
In response to the president’s behavior, I stood up. Surrounded by everyone’s gazes, I stuck out my chest and opened my mouth.
–
“First of all, I propose we hold a meeting for a student council sponsored ‘First Beautiful Girl Swimsuit Contest!’”
–
“That’s rejected! That’s undeniably something that should be more fiercely rejected than my suggestion!”
The president noisily made a fuss. I looked around at the other members, and they all gave me looks of disgust…… Hm, well fine then. I had already prepared for this reaction.
I waved my finger in front of the president with a, “Tsk tsk tsk.”
“How naive Prez. I think you’re being too hasty with your rejection.”
“What did you say?”
“Prez…… no, to all you student council members, I’m saying that lightly rejecting this plan would be your loss.”
“What do you mean?”
The president tilted her head, and the other members also looked blankly at me. I brought an evil smile to my face and began explaining to them.
“Alright now. It will be a contest in name only, and the winner will receive a reward and prize money.”
“…… Well, yeah.”
“What is important is the fact that it is ‘student council sponsored.’ Furthermore, recall that the student council is a gathering of beautiful girls.”
“…… Ah! But that means…!”
The president threw her head back. The Shiina sisters looked each other in the eyes, and Chizuru-san also realized, muttering “Hmph…… so that’s what you meant.” They all wore similarly evil smiles.
I declared loudly to them.
–
“For this contest, the chances of the student council members to win are extremely high! Plus, we get to decide the reward and prize money! If it comes to that……”
–
“W, we can get anything we want!”
Mafuyu-chan excitedly shouted without reserve. Each of the other members also had fires burning in their eyes. Heh…… Now I’ve got them!
“So what do you think, Prez? Isn’t the swimsuit contest a good idea?”
“Ooh…… B, but, but, that’s just working for self interest……”
“What are you talking about Prez? It’s a well-deserved reward.”
“Well…… deserved?”
“After all, the beautiful girls are exposing themselves in swimsuits aren’t they? There’s no way we can let them do that without compensation. If it’s a group of beautiful girls and the student council, then the students would gladly pay fortunes to attend…… or rather, it’s their privilege to be able to pay for it!”
“Ooh…… Sugisaki is strangely fired up today. He’s so hot blooded that he could become the pilot of a combining robot at any moment……” (7)
But of course. I wasn’t a beautiful girl myself, so my goal here was not the reward. In essence, my goal was the immodest figures of the beautiful girls. Yes. That was…… what my true objective was.
Student council sponsored. This merit of having the freedom to choose the reward and prize money, it’s fake. My true aim is…… to be frank, secret photos.
Whoa there, don’t go thinking that I’ll do anything illegal. I’m only talking about a swimsuit photo shoot. I’m not planning a photo shoot while they’re changing too.
However, it’s true that I wouldn’t have their permission. If the president actually allows swimsuits, a photo shoot would most likely be denied.
That’s why it’ll be student council sponsored. I can take control of setting up the event grounds…… I’ll set up the best place to take secret photos, station the newspaper club president Toudou Lilicia there, and let her take pictures of the beautiful girls in swimsuits as much as she wants. Then at home I can take my time with the pictures…… Hehehe…
I wonder how quickly I can get Toudou Lilicia’s cooperation. She’d only agree if I said this:
“I authorize the sale of the ‘Hekiyou Academy Beautiful Girl Gravure Collection’ created with the photos you take.”
That would be the only way for our interests to line up.
It’s perfect.
It’s too perfect.
Yes……
–
“Yeah, if only you didn’t commit the cla.s.sic failure of actually saying everything you were thinking out aloud.”
–
“Wh, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”
Minatsu painfully pointed this out.
And so ends The Ambition of Sugisaki Ken. Please look forward to Sugisaki-sensei’s next work. (8)
“Well, as expected, Key-kun’s proposal ended up rejected……”
While I broke down crying, Chizuru-san swiftly moved the conversation along.
Swimsuits…… this plain story of only endlessly chatting in the student council room… that swimsuit event that I worked so hard for…… Who’s the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who chose the student council room as the main stage? What the h.e.l.l were you thinking? At this rate, we’re not even going to get them in casual clothes, let alone swimsuits! It might be fine for one volume, but after two or three volumes you’re just causing trouble for the artist, and readers would get bored d.a.m.n it!
“Swimsuits…… school swimsuits…… pareus…… bikinis…… leotards…… nudist beaches……”
“Now then, Key-kun may be soiling his brain with perversion as usual, but n.o.body pay him any attention.” (9)
“Okay~”
For some reason, I could hear Chizuru-san’s order and the lovely girls’ voices. But…… even with that, I still couldn’t muster up the willpower to bring myself back up.
“Shrine maiden uniforms…… bunny girls…… gla.s.ses…… biker suits…… other school’s uniforms…… nurse uniforms…… flight attendants…… spats…… bloomers…… If this is a light novel, then bring them out…… Even if it’s pushing it, these things, just give them to meeeeeee…” (10)
“Now now, everyone, eyes away from Key-kun. It may feel like he has a pitiful atmosphere, but if you rea~lly think about it, you’ll realize that someone who can’t tell the difference between reality and fiction is just a simple deviant.”
“Okay~”
Once again, I could hear beautifully harmonized voices.
Seeing as the conversation was going to continue with or without me, I had no choice but to revive myself. With this student council, if you don’t pipe up every so often, your character will fade away. As expected, it isn’t right for a protagonist to be just the narrator. I need to properly join the discussion.
By the time my recovery finished, Mafuyu-chan was raising her hand and calling for attention. Influenced by the president, she timidly laid out her proposal.
“Mafuyu wants the student council to do a ‘Cooking Cla.s.sroom.’”
“…………”
Mafuyu-chan…… she wore such a bright and pleasant smile, but the other members were unfortunately silent. Honestly, even though I was perfectly revived, I also didn’t know how to react. It was a thin line to walk, and we couldn’t tell if she was playing dumb.
…… This confirms that these student council members here are really weak to when someone says something that isn’t clearly stated as either serious or a joke. She must have picked up on that “extremely delicate atmosphere,” because Mafuyu-chan quickly became fl.u.s.tered. With that, she withdrew her proposal.
“A, a, actually, never mind! U, um, Mafuyu…… um, well, wants to do a ‘Video Game Tournament’ maybe……?”
“…………”
Things became very delicate again. It was really hard to outright deny her. Usually only the president and I were the ones who said stupid things, so this was a bit hard for us to deal with…… What the h.e.l.l. Is this some new way to kill off a character?
I looked about for eye contact with one of the other members.
(Ma, Mafuyu-chan is…… pretty difficult, isn’t she?)
(We reacted strongly against Aka-chan and Key-kun’s ideas because they were so extreme. We’re supposed to be brainstorming right now, so you really need to get past a certain level of stupidity to beget an insult.)
(Mafuyu…… she’s a natural airhead, so it’s not like she meant to say something silly, so the situation got weird like this…)
(Hey now, someone should help Mafuyu-chan. She looks like she’s about to cry.)
(Sugisaki will help her. Aren’t you the vice president?)
(Aren’t you the PRESIDENT?!)
(Then it’s a presidential order.)
(Wow, d.a.m.n cheap move!)
And so, I turned to help her. Mafuyu-chan’s eyes were already starting to overflow…… Ooh… d.a.m.n this is an unpleasant job…
“Umm…… Mafuyu-chan.”
“…… eh? …… Um…… then, what about a “Manga Swap Promotion Week” or something?”
“…………”
Forgive me Mafuyu-chan. Honestly, I don’t think so. If you’re serious, then it’s no good, and if you’re joking, then it’s weak. You’re really digging yourself into a hole today, Mafuyu-chan.
…… But! My help will set you free from there! With the “Transcendent Persuasion Technique” that I’ve been developing since last year, I’ll make Mafuyu-chan smile in one shot!
Now, take this! My heated pa.s.sionate speech!
–
~ Three Minutes Later~
–
“Mafuyu should never have been born then…… All of mankind, forgive me. Forgive me for lowering the standards. Forgive me. Forgive me.”
Mafuyu-chan’s expression was so dark that her looks started to change, and her hair hung limp as she muttered…… H, huh? Isn’t that odd? Was there something wrong with my “encouragement speech……?”
“Ken…… I figured out another reason why your flirting never succeeds……”
Next to me, Minatsu sighed. Even Chizuru-san had a shocked expression.
“In a way, that could be a talent you know…… If you tried, you really could kill someone with words. You could probably fight on equal ground with Yagami-san’s kid.” (11)
I wasn’t sure if I should be proud of the a.s.sessment that Chizuru-san gave me.
Now then, Mafuyu-chan is out of commission and past the point of encouragement. Due to that, we’ve calmed down, come to the conclusion that we don’t need to worry about her, and decided to reopen the discussion.
This makes the student council look really terrible, but Mafuyu-chan was beyond our reach. If we make noise having fun, then there’s a chance…… that she’ll warm up and recover, the same way a ping pong ball fixes itself with a pop when you put it in boiling water.
“So, next is my turn!”
With that, Minatsu cut to the chase…… Since they’re sisters, this was probably intended to make up for Mafuyu-chan…… No, maybe not. Minatsu isn’t that kind of subtle person. As proof of that……
“I propose we, the student council sponsor an ‘Earth’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament!’”
Minatsu gave a completely self-serving proposal. On top of it being completely unrelated to Mafuyu-chan, she probably forgot all about her. Minatsu was all giddy.
“Now’s the time to gather students from every school in a mixed battle tournament and decide who’s the strongest!”
“What will you do when it’s decided……?”
As the president muttered, Minatsu suddenly let out a howl.
“You there! That kind of talk is forbidden!”
“Eh?”
“You can’t just question what it means to be the strongest! If you do that, then the stories for most of the world’s fighting manga would disappear!”
“Ooh…… that’s probably true…”
“Besides, having strong people clash head to head is enough entertainment in itself! Let us enjoy the battle of boiling blood and dancing flesh!”
“Just what do you want to do to the school, Minatsu?!”
“Ahh, I can’t wait… Since it’s this school, I wonder if everyone will use ‘Ki,’ or ‘Nen,’ or ‘ESP’ from the first round…” (12)
“There aren’t any such abnormal students in this school!”
The president denied it with full force. But…… I actually was secretly very much aware of the truth that Minatsu’s speech held. After all, in the past school-wide a.s.sembly, I took a hit from a lightning attack…… Unexpectedly, this school seems to have not just beautiful girls, but also a lot of shounen manga-style characters. (13) But since they’re scary, I won’t look into them. I absolutely do not want to get caught up in their side’s stories.
As I thought that, I brought up a question to Minatsu saying, “That reminds me…”
“Minatsu, you ALWAYS seem to looking for a fight. Do you have high battle prowess yourself? You have good reflexes, but martial arts are an entirely different story, you know?”
“Hm, I guess so. I think I’m pretty strong in comparison.”
“How much so?”
“Power level nine trillion eighty thousand.”
“What kind of scale are you basing that absurd calculation on?”
“The one that has you with a power level of one, Ken. If I shifted the scale a bit, you would register as dead.”
“I’m so weak! That’s S*lunker-level weak! (14) And then Minatsu’s so strong! Her power is off the charts!”
“When I get serious, I have to make sure that every living thing within a 30,000 light year radius of me has evacuated first……”
“You, get away from Earth ASAP!”
“Though of course, all of that was a joke……”
“Well of course it was……”
“In truth, all living things within a 50,000 light year radius should take refuge……”
“You increased it!”
“Well, even though that’s how strong I am, in this school I might not even be able to make it into the top eight.”
“Just how far does this school’s underworld go?!”
Are there really mythology-cla.s.s people idling around in this school…… What kind of school is this?
Well, leaving that aside, in reality, something like a martial arts tournament might not be such a bad idea.
All the students here would get fired up if they were given something to compete over. In the first place, the student council itself was basically a popularity contest, so even the students would like this kind of event.
It didn’t seem like I was the only one who thought so, as the president crossed her arms in front of her small chest and let out a, “Hmm…”
“At the very least it’s more wholesome than a swimsuit contest.”
“I know, right?”
Minatsu happily nodded.
“Then for now we’ll put it on hold. But if we actually use this we’ll have another mountain of problems……. First and foremost, the point of this meeting is to come up with a lot of ideas.”
“Awright!”
Minatsu struck a guts pose. (15)…… How rare. Minatsu’s idea actually pa.s.sed. Some parts of it were silly to the point of being laughable, yet it was a better idea……
If that were the case, then the one I had to watch out for was……
I glanced over at Mafuyu-chan.
“ …………guuuuuuuuuh…”
“Uh…”
She sunk. Since her sister actually gave out a good idea, she sunk even deeper into depression.
“Mafuyu……. Mafuyu is probably a more detestable existence than K*ng Bonbi, isnt she?” (15)
“Th, that’s not it Mafuyu-chan. There’s no way that’s…… I mean look, you’re cute! Cute is justice you know! (16) At the very least, I love you!”
“…… Hehe. Cute, you say? That’s only my first form!”
“You have a second form?!”
“No.”
“So you actually don’t!”
“That’s why Mafuyu is an excessively good-for-nothing girl…… In the Shiina clan, Mafuyu is the only child who hasn’t been able to attain a second form…… Nowadays even K*ing Bonbi has multiple forms that he can transform into.”
“So you’re saying Minatsu can transform?”
“A power level of nine trillion eighty thousand isn’t just for show…… Mafuyu…… Mafuyu’s power level would probably be about negative thirty seven……”
“What do you mean it’s negative?!”
“Mafuyu is defeated by Mafuyu’s opponent easily without them having to do anything. And then Mafuyu is nursed back to health by them.”
“That definitely makes it negative!”
“Ooh…… Mafuyu really is a useless girl. If Mafuyu were a character in an RPG, Mafuyu would be used with the few starter party members, but would be immediately put in the reserves when Onee-chan joins the party. Mafuyu would be the only one left at a low level.
“Since Mafuyu also can’t use healing magic, Mafuyu also can’t be used on the menu screen, making Mafuyu a genuinely useless character…… Mafuyu would be the typical weakest character who is the target of bets like ‘I cleared the game using only Mafuyu!’”
“Ah, Mafuyu is feeling more and more abused!”
In contrast to Chizruru-san, Mafuyu-chan seemed to have a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic side to her. Actually, misfortune fit her too well.
“Ooh…… If Mafuyu…… If Mafuyu would just end up paling in comparison to a new heroine, it would be better if Mafuyu just suddenly faded out of existence!”
“How heroic! For a light novel character, that would be the most heroic resolve! Since it’s not death, it’s a True h.e.l.l of not being in the spotlight!”
“From the beginning, Mafuyu was never fit to be a student council member…… For Mafuyu, the role of the first unnatural death in an episode of The X-F*les would be fitting!” (17)
“Somehow, that feels kinda rude to the actors who have actually played those roles!”
“Please, just leave Mafuyu alone already…… please allow Mafuyu to refrain from appearing on stage like an underage idol caught smoking or drinking alcohol……”
As Mafuyu-chan spoke, she stood from her seat with a clatter, wondered where she would go, then sat facing a corner of the room, hugging her knees and sniffling.
The president and Chizuru’s eyes met Minatsu’ eyes…… Everyone let out a sigh and decided to leave Mafuyu-chan for the time being. In hindsight…… that was a careless move, as she had already sunk so far in depression. We had no choice but to let her rise back up on her own. We had done everything that we could do.
“Now then, how about we hear out my idea?”
In an attempt to regroup, Chizuru-san started speaking. Did she wait for the right moment to jump in and appear as the hero?
After a moment of silence, Chizuru-san fearlessly smiled.
–
“I feel that the student council as it is now is an adventure within itself. Therefore, things are fine as they are.”
–
“Eh?”
The president looked surprised. I, Minatsu, and even Mafuyu-chan who had been down in the corner raised our heads and looked at Chizuru-san.
Chizuru-san gently smiled.
“Searching for a new activity is a splendid thing to do, and I also believe it is the right thing to do. That is why this is my personal opinion…… not as the secretary, but as the individual, Akaba Chizuru.
“If we actually did a ‘new activity,’ then the student council would become very busy, and our current state would be destroyed…… So in my personal selfishness, things are fine as they are. I believe that this student council…… is already plenty appealing.”
“Chizuru…”
The president gave her a complicated look. Naturally, Chizuru-san smiled in response.
“Of course, Aka-chan’s idea was also very splendid. If it’s for the sake of the students, then the student council truly should work at its hardest even more.
“But you know, I…… I feel like saying this probably makes me sound irresponsible, but the student council activities feel more like club activities. It’s a place where we can enjoy ourselves to the fullest with our close friends.
“So for now let’s leave thinking of activity ideas to a student leader a.s.sembly. If I were to say why…… it’s because I don’t feel that the large amount of ‘students’ that can be considerate from simply good will are capable humans at all.”
“…………”
Everyone fell silent at Chizuru’s words. That was because what Chizuru-san said applied to us as well. However, it was surprising that not even the president objected. Normally she’d probably make a righteous argument that “The students come first! That’s what it means to be the student council!” Now she just sat with a meek look and listened to Chizuru-san’s lecture.
Chizuru-san continued.
“I believe that as the student council, the duties that we should handle…… the ones that have been written in the manual, are the ones that we shouldn’t even need to think about. And so, as Aka-chan said, it might be good to make something new for us to do.
“But…… I don’t really think that stressing ourselves over a new activity is something that we need to push ourselves to do. Pushing ourselves…… is something that would destroy our laidback style.”
“But…… being laidback, wouldn’t that just be irresponsible…?”
The president finally objected. However, Chizuru still smiled.
“Yes. It would be irresponsible. Gossiping in the student council room…… is probably something that we shouldn’t do.
“But, the student council now…… and even the school’s atmosphere, I love it. It’s fun. Even with no one around, the school has the feeling of a very tender atmosphere.
“Last year…… this time last year, I never would have believed that things would turn out this way. Of course, I believe that last year’s student council was much better. This year things are definitely different.”
Chizuru-san nostalgically looked out the window.
That’s right… Chizuru-san, the president, and Minatsu were all student council members last year. At that time, Chizuru-san and the president were the vice presidents, and Minatsu was the treasurer. It also consisted of Himetsubaki Ririn-san as the president and the secretary Momozukisa Yoko.
That reminds me…… President Himetsubaki gave off the air of an efficient and serious person. I wasn’t in the student council back then, so I never really spoke to her directly. Of course, she was a good person, but I get the impression that she would indifferently handle a student council-lead event without issue.
In her case, it the students might have felt less worried about things…… There definitely wasn’t an abnormal school atmosphere like there is now. It was…… more strict back then. Everything was. It’s not that one or the other is right, but during President Himetsubaki’s time, it might have felt like this truly was “school!”
But now……
“But now, this school is very…… warm, I suppose. As if it were a large home.”
Chizuru-san continued.
“It’s not like I’m rejecting last year. But…… I personally like this atmosphere. This…… student council that stands at the top and takes it easy, but pa.s.ses on this atmosphere to the students as ‘lenient’ rather than disarrayed…… that’s the situation.”
“…… right.”
The president smiled gently. Chizuru-san wore a smile in response.
“That’s why I think things are fine as they are, Aka-chan. Strangely…… isn’t it fine if we don’t strain ourselves to think up something new? No, I don’t mean that making something would be wrong. It’s just……”
“…… it isn’t the time for that now, right…… Chizuru? That’s right…… sorry. I guess I was a bit impatient.”
The president unexpectedly and obediently withdrew. Seeing that, Chizuru-san gently smiled. Minatsu, I, and even Mafuyu-chan smiled with a shrug.
Minatsu let out a huge sigh.
“What the h.e.l.l… So today’s meeting and my suggestions were all pointless.”
“Don’t complain, onee-chan. That would…… make Mafuyu’s existence pointless……”
“Uh. Mafuyu, are you still being dragged down by that……?”
The Shiina sisters’ exchange left the president and Chizuru-san giggling.
I called out to the girls.
“But Prez, Chizuru-san…”
“Hm? What, Sugisaki?”
“What is it, Key-kun?”
“Someday, if we can afford to, let’s do a new activity. Something…… that we would do, something relaxed.”
The two of them smiled at my words. Then, as they normally would, they responded with the words, “Of course,” and “Sounds good, Key-kun,” respectively.
The president hopped to her feet with a grunt that was unfitting for her loli appearance and began erasing the whiteboard. (18) As I watched over her, I grinned at Chizuru-san.
“Chizuru-san.”
“What is it?”
“I thought that you were at heart a true beautiful high school woman…… but I think I may have been a bit mistaken.”
“Oh? Were you disillusioned because I spoke about childish ideals?”
“No, that’s not it. Actually, I like you more now.”
“Why is that?”
“Well…… it’s like this. You’re a beautiful woman and you’re mature, but at the same time, I think you’re also a ‘regular cute girl.’”
“A regular cute girl, you say……?”
Chizuru-san was unexpectedly a bit fl.u.s.tered…… She may have been used to being called a beautiful woman, but she might have been surprisingly weak against being treated as a “regular girl” of her age.
She averted her eyes in embarra.s.sment. I tried a bit of a follow up attack. I wanted to try my hand at playing Chizuru-san.
“‘I looove this warm atmosphere♪ It’s fine if everything is aaaalways fun♪ Heehee!”
“…!”
“You don’t have to be so shy…… Chi-zu-ru-chan.”
Chizuru-san’s cheeks reddened instantly. But that…… wasn’t due to being embarra.s.sed……
“………… Hehe. Hehehehehe. Key-kun…… how about you quit acting high and mighty now?”
“Eek?!”
There was an unsettling gleam in Chizuru-san’s eyes.
“Alright. A servant insulting his queen, just who do you think you are……? How about I carve a warning onto your body for all the students to see?”
“Eh? Chizuru…… san?”
Chizuru-san rummaged through the shelves of student council room equipment and began pulling out something…… some items that my heart’s defense system decided to censor despite reality.
Before I realized it, Chizuru-san must have made eye contact with them, because the president, Minatsu, and Mafuyu-chan all captured me…… Eh?
“Wai…… wha, eh, Chizuru-san?”
“Ehehe. Key-kun. You said ‘Someday, if we can afford to, let’s do a new activity,’ didn’t you?”
“Ye, yes I did, but……”
“Hehehe…… Today is that day, Key-kun. I’ll thoroughly carve that example on you!”
“Eh, what’s that whirring, dangerous looking machine…… huh, wai, sto, no, impossible, no way, that’s, too much – AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-”
– The development of today’s meeting results: The student council’s new activity.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
(1) One Piece.
(3) Like in the last volume, there’s no easy equivalent for “a leader of a gang of delinquents,” so I left it as is.
(5) The term used here is “kidoushuusei,” meaning “orbital adjustment.”
(7) This could refer to a number of series with combining robots, ranging from Getter Robo to Gurren Lagann, just to name two.
(9) The original part of the line was “pinku nounai tarenagashi,” where “tarenagashi” means “soiling oneself” and “pinku nounai” translates directly to “pink brain.” Basically, a pink brain means a mind filled with perversion, but that’s not a term we have in English.
(11) The kid she’s referring to would be a certain Yagami Light.
(13) He’s talking about how there seem to be lots of super powered and odd people like the ninja from last volume… but he could also be including himself as a harem lead.
(15) King Bonbi is a villain from the popular j.a.panese game Momotarou Dentetsu. The game plays similarly to monopoly or Mario Party, and Bonbi is the poverty G.o.d who messes with your progress. King Bonbi form is the worst. Also, “ボンビー(bonbi-)” is just “ビンボー(binbo- meaning poverty)” written backwards.
(17) A rather surprising reference to The X-Files.
(18) What Kurimu actually said was “yokkorase,” which is just a meaningless phrase/grunt for jumping to your feet from sitting down.