Chapter 9: Student Council’s First Meeting

I looked at the plate and sighed.

‘Ah, curry was a completely wrong choice…’

Curry seemed like the most unproblematic option on the menu.

It was definitely delicious when I put it in my mouth, even though I had no appetite.

But the problem is, Takamari Academy, as a prestigious academy, pursues luxury even in such small details.

‘No, what kind of spices did they put in the curry…?’

Eventually, my stomach was protesting fiercely.

But I couldn’t help it.

I was having a meal with the two most beautiful girls in the academy and even the black-haired nobleman who was said to be the most handsome man in the academy.

In such a situation, if I, a ‘transfer student’, didn’t at least pretend to eat a little, it was obvious that questions would be pouring in towards me.

As a result… I ate it all without even knowing if I was full.

Yeah, indigestion is confirmed.

‘I should have just bought a convenience store lunch box…’

Looking at the plate, a sigh escaped from my mouth without me realizing it.

“Rina, didn’t you eat too much? You don’t look well.”

“That’s right. Was the curry not good?”

At the worried voices coming from the side, I hurriedly shook my head and mumbled.

“Ah, no. It’s just… I think it’s because it’s a little unfamiliar.”

Mizuki said with a playful smile.

“Ah~ I guess that could be the case. But Rina, don’t be too sensitive. You’ll get used to this school cafeteria too.”

Hearing those words, I sighed once again internally.

‘What do you mean get used to it… My digestive system is already on the verge of striking.’

“Still, Rina, it was nice to see you try to eat hard. It’s a little unfamiliar at first, but you’ll get used to it soon.”

Aya’s soft smile was perfection itself.

Moreover, Aya’s smile seemed to say, ‘Cheer up, anyone would have a hard time at first.’ So, saying ‘No, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.’ in front of her was absolutely impossible.

After finishing our meal, we got up to return the trays.

Mizuki naturally spoke to Hiiragi-senpai.

“Hiiragi-senpai, don’t you have a student council meeting after lunch?”

“Yeah. As I told you in advance, we need to have a meeting about the club activity guidance for transfer students and the new student council members.”

‘New student council member?’

My mind reacted instantly to that word.

Ah, in the novel, there was a vacant seat in the student council, so the protagonist helped out and then joined.

‘But the story of a vacancy comes out this early?’

I thought while listening to Hiiragi-senpai and Mizuki’s conversation.

In the original work, Aya and the protagonist don’t get close this quickly.

Because Aya, who radiates an aura of ‘I will never be your girlfriend’, was consistently rushed by the protagonist.

So, the first student council meeting, which wasn’t fully formed yet, was simply mentioned as ‘having happened’, and there was no feeling that the protagonist was involved…

“Rina, do you want to go together?”

At Mizuki’s suggestion, my eyes widened.

“M, me? I’m not in the student council…”

“Wouldn’t it be okay? Since it’s guidance for transfer students, it would be good to look at it from the perspective of a transfer student.”

How does Aya really think of me?

I hesitated and answered.

“Ah, I’m just… just, um… I’d rather go back to the classroom first…”

It was then.

A soft male voice was heard from behind.

The black-haired nobleman, Hiiragi-senpai.

“I think it would be okay for Kurosawa-san to come to the student council meeting for a while?”

When I turned around, he was sending me his calm smile and gaze.

Ah, that alpha male’s gaze… Like a lion in the savanna, it contained something that made it impossible to refuse.

“Don’t worry, it’s up to the vice president to invite you.”

I was even more flustered by those words and mumbled.

“Ah, no, but shouldn’t it be only for student council members…?”

Haruto said with a relaxed smile.

“It’s okay. Since Kurosawa-san is a transfer student, it wouldn’t be bad to experience what these student council activities are like.”

At those words, I was momentarily stunned.

‘Transfer student… transfer student, that word again.’

Transfer student. A special case.

At this school, that one word meant so much.

‘So, it’s the perfect existence to get attention.’

The protagonist in the novel was constantly noticed and caught up in incidents just because he was a transfer student. And now I realized that the settings for the protagonist were being applied to me as well.

‘This… wasn’t just the protagonist’s story.’

“So, well, do you want to go together, Rina? Don’t feel pressured.”

And Aya’s smile, that perfect smile, tied me up so I couldn’t move.

In the end, I had no choice but to nod.

Honestly, I was curious about that place that looked like a noble’s office.

***

The student council room was as grand as the office of some Western nobleman.

Antique furniture and wall decorations, and a delicately engraved student council logo in the center of the large table caught the eye.

Aya and Mizuki, who were from the middle school, and the second-year seniors naturally found their seats.

I carefully sat down in the remaining seat at the end of the table.

‘This school is really… unbelievably amazing.’

I couldn’t help but admire it internally.

That such a magnificent space like a museum is actually a space that is used…

The fact that I was here still felt unbelievable.

And at the same time, a thought came to mind.

‘The student council is a no-no.’

In the novel, the student council is the center of the incident.

There are 4 student council members for each grade, and they are an elite group of students who are perfect in all aspects, such as appearance, academics, and physical strength. On the surface, it is operated by a recommendation system, but it is famous as a place where only children of prestigious families or students with outstanding abilities can enter.

I also remembered the operating structure of the student council.

The president is a symbolic leader who takes charge of important announcements and external activities, and the other 3 third-year students in the student council are busy with graduation preparations and studies, so there is almost no chance for them to actually appear.

Eventually, 4 students from the first and second years each were the mainstay of the student council activities and led the system.

At the center of this magnificent conference room table sat the second-year vice president, Hiiragi Haruto.

A perfect appearance called a black-haired nobleman and a calm attitude.

He, who exudes an overwhelming presence just by existing, lightly placed his finger on the table and started the meeting.

“Everyone’s here, right? First, let’s talk about the club activity briefing for the transfer students.”

And the person sitting next to him is probably… the 2nd-year secretary, Shiraizuka Yurika.

She had a very typical young lady style appearance with blonde rolled-up hair and continued speaking softly.

“Students who came up from middle school are already doing club activities, so there’s no big problem, but it’s essential for transfer students. It will be an opportunity to introduce Takamari Academy’s activities and culture.”

Yurika-senpai’s voice was a typical young lady with a sense of formality.

I feel like it would suit her to open a fan and laugh ‘Ohoho’.

Unfortunately, like a romantic comedy, she feels affection for the protagonist, but this novel is a 1:1 romantic comedy, so she was just a sub-heroine.

The person sitting on the opposite side of Shiraizuka-senpai is probably the 2nd-year treasurer, Tachibana Kaho.

With a cool and intellectual atmosphere, her neatly tied black hair and thin glasses stood out.

In the novel, she is described as having blue hair, but now she has neat black hair.

Perhaps the blue hair is missing because it’s not realistic?

Come to think of it, I think Mizuki was also pink in the novel.

Tachibana-senpai, who was reviewing the materials placed on the table, held up her notes and quietly opened her mouth.

“Since the budget is not generous, we need to organize and submit proposals that can be done within the limited scope.”

She was a systematic and logical person, just like in the novel.

As expected, like a romantic comedy, she feels affection for the protagonist, but she is also just a losing heroine, as befits the classic blue hair.

Next to her sat the 2nd-year in charge of public relations and planning, a ‘male senior’.

Honestly, I don’t remember the names of men who don’t have much presence in romantic comedy novels.

As if revealing his bright and cheerful personality, his slightly disheveled trendy hairstyle and lively expression were characteristic.

Perhaps because the Korean style is popular in Japan, I couldn’t erase the image of ‘K-idol’.

That male senior said with a light smile.

“Okay, let’s not be too strict and go easy. After all, if we overdo it to the transfer students, it will only burden them.”

His cheerful attitude naturally eased the atmosphere of the meeting.

But his eyes were surprisingly serious, showing that he was a person who met the high standards of this student council.

It was then.

The door opened quietly, and a student rushed in.

“I’m sorry.”

‘What was his name?’

Anyway, the boy with glasses had a somewhat clumsy atmosphere, but his neatly ironed uniform and tidy posture were noticeable.

He had a shaggy hairstyle that covered his eyebrows, giving him a slightly otaku-like impression, but in fact, he was an honor student who always ranked in the top 3-4 in the grade.

Of course.

Because the 1st and 2nd places belong to Aya and Mizuki.

He scratched his head and continued.

“I’m a little late. It took time to prepare the materials.”

He quickly found a seat and sat down, placing the materials he had brought on the table.

Hiiragi-senpai smiled at him and said lightly.

“It’s unlike you to be late, Fujimoto.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll come faster next time.”

He nodded calmly, organizing the materials at his seat.

I glanced at him and thought.

‘Ah, Fujimoto… That’s right. He was a first-year boy whose name only appeared in the novel.’

But it was that very moment.

Fujimoto’s gaze fixed on me.

When our eyes met, an unreadable emotion appeared on his face.

“Ah, you’re Kurosawa Rina.”

At the unexpected direct greeting, I flinched and looked at him.

Fujimoto looked at me and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“This year’s entrance grade ranking, I was 4th… and you were 3rd, right?”

‘What…?’

I was momentarily speechless.

Aya and Mizuki always took 1st and 2nd place, and I naturally thought that Fujimoto was 3rd.

Whether it was in the novel or what I learned while living here, entrance rankings are not publicly disclosed within the information I know.

So… this, Fujimoto mentioned it on purpose, right?

‘Uh… uh, huh?’

My mind was complicated, and I felt like the puzzle pieces were fitting together one by one.

So, I wasn’t just a simple mob character, but… a very special mob character, right?

Fujimoto seemed to enjoy my silence and let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, 3rd in the grade ranking. Amazing for a transfer student, isn’t it?”

I was dumbfounded by Fujimoto’s appearance, which fueled his competitive spirit.