by Tsutomu Sato
This wasn’t really a conversation, but nobody seemed to care. Maybe that meant that this was what usually happened.
“And then the secretary, Azusa Nakajou, also known as Ah-chan.”
“President… Please, stop calling me Ah-chan in front of underclassmen. I have a position to think of, too, you know.”
She was even smaller than Mayumi and had a baby face. Even if she didn’t intend for her upturned eyes to look pouty, she still looked like a child about to cry.
I see. That must be “Ah-chan,” thought Tatsuya. That’s unfortunate.
“These members, with the addition of the vice president Hanzou, are the student council members this year.”
“Except me, anyway.”
“Right. Mari isn’t with us. Oh, looks like it’s finished!”
The panel on the dining server opened, and the meals came out on trays. The food lacked individuality, but they were all served correctly. There were five in total.
One’s missing…, thought Tatsuya. It wasn’t his place to speak, so as he wondered what to do, he saw Mari patiently take out a bento box.
Miyuki, seeing Azusa stand, also left her seat. The automatic waiting machine had, as its name implied, a function to automatically serve people, but if you didn’t have a table specifically for it, it was faster to use human hands.
Azusa placed hers on the table first, then took Mayumi’s and Suzune’s in her hands. Then Miyuki carried hers and Tatsuya’s to their seats, and the strange meal together began.
They started off with a harmless topic.
Although, among Tatsuya and Miyuki and the rest of them, there were basically no common topics. The conversation naturally drifted to the food they were currently eating.
There was no helping the fact that they were ready-made meals, since they were automatically cooked, but recent processed food was not all that inferior to normal cooking, though that was compared to average cooking. They couldn’t deny that it was missing something.
“Did you make that bento yourself, Watanabe?” Miyuki’s intent behind that question was simply to facilitate conversation; she didn’t mean anything in particular by it.
“Yeah,” nodded Mari. “…Is that strange?” She responded with her own hard-to-answer question in a voice that sounded a little deliberately mean. She wasn’t saying it with any actual nastiness—she was only teasing her underclassman, since she appeared to be such a proper person.
“No, not at all,” objected Tatsuya without skipping a beat before she could make Miyuki confused.
“…I see.”
Tatsuya’s eyes were on Mari’s hands—more precisely, her fingers. Did she use a machine? Did she make it herself? How good was she at cooking? How bad was she…? Mari felt like he was seeing through all of it, and she was embarrassed.
“Perhaps we shall pack our own lunches beginning tomorrow as well.”
Tatsuya naturally averted his gaze at Miyuki’s casual remark. “Any bento you would make would be a very attractive prospect, but we don’t have a place to eat…”
“Ah, that’s right… We need to figure that out first…”
Their conversation—not the words being exchanged themselves, but rather the air between them as they spoke—seemed a little too friendly for family members of their age of opposite sex.
“…It’s like a conversation between lovers.”
Suzune dropped that bombshell without smiling an inch.
“Is that so? I would consider being her lover were we not blood related, but…” But Tatsuya replied in jest, and the bombshell failed to explode.
Or perhaps the bombshell was dropped on someone else—Azusa’s face was flushed red in seriousness. “…I’m joking, of course,” he declared flatly, without smiling an inch. There was no trace of panic in his words.
“You’re not much fun, you know,” evaluated Mari cheerlessly.
“I’m aware of that,” responded Tatsuya in monotone.
“All right, all right, let’s stop, Mari. I understand it’s frustrating, but it seems that normal methods won’t work on Tatsuya,” interrupted Mayumi with a wry smile, having seen that there would be no end to it if she didn’t.
“…You’re right. I take back what I said. You’re pretty interesting, Tatsuya.”
She grinned—it was a handsome grin, despite her being a pretty female student—and overturned her appraisal. First the president, and now the disciplinary committee chairman.
It seemed he would get used to being called by his first name whether he liked it or not.
“Let’s get to what we’re here for, shall we?”
It felt a little sudden, but it wasn’t as though high school lunch break was very long. They were already finished eating, too. Tatsuya and Miyuki both nodded at Mayumi’s words, which had returned to their formal tone.
“Our school believes that student autonomy is important, and the student council is given broad authority within school. This is a general trend among public high schools, not only this school.”
Tatsuya nodded to let her know he was listening. Control and autonomy were like waves breaking on the shore and retreating—their size differences tended to change in accordance with each other. After the complete victory at the Battle of Okinawa three years ago and the elevation of Japan’s voice in the international arena, the nation saw a recoil away from the excessive importance placed on central control. It reflected unrest in internal affairs, stemming from the fact that the country’s diplomatic environment had always been inferior. Society then swayed to place heavy emphasis on autonomy. And as backlash for that, certain private schools that still had strict management systems were gathering popularity from parents. The world couldn’t be measured so simply.
“The student council here—traditionally, rights are collected on the student council president. You could call it a heavy concentration of power on that person.”
Feeling uneasy at that statement was probably rude to Mayumi. Tatsuya drew back the reins on his mind.
“The student council president is chosen by election, but the president chooses the other student council members. Relieving members from their posts is also something entrusted only to the student council president. In all other committees, save for a few, the chairman has the right to appoint and dismiss members.”
“The disciplinary committee I lead is one of those exceptions. The student council, the club committee, and the teachers’ association elect three disciplinary committee members at a time through mutual election.”
“So Mari, in a sense, has the same level of authority as me. Now, under this system, there is a limit to the term of office of the student council president but not for the other members. The president’s term in office is from the first of October to the thirtieth of September of the following year. During this time, the president can freely appoint and dismiss members.”
He was starting to figure out where this was going, but he didn’t interrupt. Instead, he nodded again to show his understanding.
“The usual custom is to make the freshman representative of the new students a member of the student council. The goal is to train a successor. Not all freshmen who become officers this way are chosen by the student council president, but that is how it has been for the past five years.”
“So you were the head of the students when you enrolled, too? I should have known.”
“Ah, well, that’s right!” she stammered, her eyes wandering and her cheeks flushing ever so slightly,
Tatsuya’s question had been a sort of flattery. He knew the answer when he asked it, but despite likely being used to hearing it, Mayumi looked honestly bashful. The fact that she was blushing for real, perhaps, meant that she wasn’t that sophisticated…and she looked, at best, like someone the same age as him. —But maybe coming off as seriously embarrassed at just this was in itself an act.
“Ahem… Miyuki, I hereby request that you join the student council.”
“Joining the student coun
cil,” in this case, of course meant becoming a student council officer.
“Will you accept?”
There was a short pause as Miyuki’s gaze lowered to her hands. She turned around to Tatsuya and silently asked him. Tatsuya gave her a small nod, full of encouragement. She looked down again, but when her head came back up, her eyes were worried for some reason.
“President, are you aware of my brother’s grades?”
“—?” Tatsuya very nearly cried out at the entirely unexpected development. What is she thinking, bringing that up so suddenly?
“Yes, I am indeed. They are incredible… Frankly speaking, when a teacher showed me his answers in private, I lost a little confidence in myself.”
“If you’re going to let in high-achieving, efficient individuals, then I believe my brother would be a better choice than me.”
“Hey, Mi—”
“If it’s just desk work, then I don’t think practical skill grades have anything to do with it. In fact, knowledge and judgment should be more important.”
Miyuki almost never refuted something another person was saying with her own remarks. And she had done so even less with Tatsuya.
“I am greatly honored by your wish that I join the student council. I would very much like to be part of it, but is there no way my brother could come with me?”
Tatsuya covered his face. He wanted to look up and groan. Had he had such a negative influence on his sister? She must have known that taking a nepotistic attitude like this would only invite unease, so why?
Her action was not merely blind—it was a premeditated crime.
“Unfortunately, we cannot do that.”
The answer came not from the president but from the seat next to her.
“The student council officers are selected from among the Course 1 students. This isn’t an unwritten rule—it’s an official regulation. It is the sole restriction placed upon the appointing and dismissing powers given to the president. This regulation was decided upon when the student council system became how it is now, and to overturn it we would need to have every student agree on a revision to the limitations of the student council. Two-thirds of the student body need to vote in agreement for it to go through, so with the Course 1 and Course 2 students being essentially equivalent in number, modifying the system is realistically impossible,” declared Suzune dispassionately—or, if anything, remorsefully.
It was easy to understand from her tone that she, too, held a negative attitude toward the current system that discriminated between the Course 1 and Course 2 students as Blooms and Weeds.
“…I apologize. Please forgive my speaking out of place.”
That was probably why Miyuki was able to apologize honestly, as well. Nobody was about to reproach her as she stood and bowed her head.
“Umm, well then, will you accept a position as secretary for this year’s student council, Miyuki?”
“Yes, I will work my hardest. I look forward to working with you all.”
Miyuki bowed again, though in a slightly more reserved manner this time, and Mayumi nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Please go ahead and ask Ah-chan about what your job actually entails.”
“President, I said…to stop calling me Ah-chan—”
“If you have nothing else to do, would you be able to begin coming starting today after school?”
Not even paying attention to her baleful protest, Mayumi continued the conversation at her own pace.
“Miyuki.” His sister had glanced back at him, but before she could say anything, Tatsuya said this short word with a slightly strong emphasis, recommending that she assent.
Miyuki’s eyes showed agreement, and she turned back to face Mayumi. “I understand. I should come here after school, then, correct?”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting for you, Miyuki.”
“Excuse me… How come you call me Ah-chan, and just call her Miyuki…?”
It was a natural question, but again, she was ignored.
…Tatsuya started to feel sorry for Azusa.
“…There’s a little longer until lunch break is over. Can I have a moment?”
Of course, it was also the fault of Mari stealing everyone’s attention by raising her hand abruptly, though not in a bullying or teasing way to her.
“The student council’s nomination for the disciplinary committee still hasn’t been decided for the last empty spot created by last year’s graduates.”
“Didn’t I say I was still in the process of selecting one? Not even a week has passed since the current year started. Don’t rush me, Mari!” Mayumi discontentedly chided Mari on her impatience, but Mari didn’t respond to it.
“If I’m correct, the stipulation for selecting student council officers said that, aside from the student council president, you must appoint Course 1 students.”
“That’s right.” Unfortunate though it may be, said her face as she nodded.
“The Course 1 restriction is only for the vice president, secretary, and accountant, correct?”
“Yes. The officers that make up the student council are the president, vice president, secretary, and accountant, after all.”
“So that means if the student council’s appointee for the disciplinary committee was a student from Course 2, it wouldn’t be against regulation.”
“Mari, you…” Mayumi’s eyes opened wide, and Suzune and Azusa made dumbfounded faces as well.
This proposition seemed to be just as tremendous as Miyuki’s earlier remarks. This Mari Watanabe seems to enjoy practical jokes a whole lot, thought Tatsuya.
—However.
“Nice!”
“Huh?” Mayumi’s unexpected cheer caused a stupid groan to escape him.
“That’s right! There’s no problem if it’s the disciplinary committee, is there? Mari, the student council names Tatsuya Shiba to the disciplinary committee.”
And all of a sudden, the situation had changed into something totally different.
“Wait a moment, please! What about my thoughts on this? I haven’t even gotten a clear explanation of what a disciplinary committee member does.” Tatsuya raised his voice in protest, more out of his danger sense going off than based on logical thought processes.
“Your sister hasn’t received a concrete explanation of her job in the student council yet either, has she?” Suzune suddenly took the wind out of that sail, though.
“…Well, that’s true, but…”
“Now, now, Rin, it’s all right. Tatsuya, a disciplinary committee member is a person who maintains discipline in school.”
“……”
“……”
“…Is that all?”
“That may not sound like very much, but it’s a pretty tough…er, I mean, rewarding job!”
For now, he ignored the part Mayumi smiled past and rephrased. There was a more fundamental discrepancy in their mutual understanding.
“That isn’t what I meant…”
“What?”
Mayumi didn’t seem to be playing dumb. Tatsuya slid his gaze to the right.
Suzune’s eyes were sympathetic. But she wasn’t about to throw him a lifeboat.
Next to her—Mari looked amused.
Next to her—when their eyes met, panic entered Azusa’s face.
He stared. He peered into her eyes, which were bouncing and wandering left and right.
“Umm, our disciplinary committee is an organization that manages people who violate school regulations.”
—She was as timid as her appearance suggested.
“It’s called the disciplinary committee, but things like dress code violations and being late are handled by a weekly autonomous committee.”
This student council having “personality” was an understatement—would she really be able to survive in a place like this? Self-induced though it was, Tatsuya began to worry.
“…Umm, did you have a question?”
“No, please continue.”
“Um, yes. The disciplinary committee’s main responsibility is to expose those who violate school regulations by using magic, and to control disturbances where magic is used.
“The head of the disciplinary committee gets the final say in the offender’s punishment, and along with the student council president, who acts as representative of the student body, attends the disciplinary meeting and can offer her own opinions. In other words, it’s a combination between the police and the prosecutor.”
“But that’s amazing, Tatsuya!” said Miyuki.
“Come on, Miyuki… Wait a moment before giving me those ‘it’s decided!’ eyes… I just want to make sure of something.” Instead of turning to Azusa, who had been explaining, he turned to Mari.
“What?”
“By that explanation, the disciplinary committee members need to stop fights by force if they happen, right?”
“That’s about right. Even if magic isn’t being used, that’s our duty.”
“And when magic is used, we need to stop it.”
“Before it’s used at all, ideally.”
“Excuse me! I’m a Course 2 student because my practical skill grades were poor!” Tatsuya finally raised his voice. It sounded like you needed enough power to hold down an opponent with magic to do this job. However he thought about it, it wasn’t a role they should be giving to a Course 2 student with inferior magical abilities.
However, the reprimanded Mari readily gave a too-simple answer with a cool face. “That’s okay.”
“What is?!”
“If it’s a contest of strength, then we have me… Whoops, looks like lunch is just about over. I’d like to continue this after school—would you mind?”
Lunch break was certainly almost over, and the conversation was certainly not one to be left at vagaries.
“…All right.”
Agreeing to show up here a second time made him feel like this situation was inevitable, like his outer moat and inner moat had already been breached, but Tatsuya didn’t have any other options.
“Okay, then come here later.”
Tatsuya stifled his feeling of how unreasonable this was and nodded. Miyuki, while still considerate of her brother’s feelings, couldn’t hide her own happiness.