The Student Council's workload wasn't particularly heavy.
As the General Affairs Officer, Sakurai Saki's responsibilities were mostly odd jobs. Even then, most of them ended up being handled by Shirogane Miyuki, the ever-diligent President.
This left Sakurai feeling a bit guilty. Not that it stopped him from slacking.
A week before spring break ended—and just before the opening ceremony—the Student Council resumed operations for the new school year.
Its lineup:
Shirogane Miyuki, President
Shinomiya Kaguya, Vice President
Fujiwara Chika, Secretary
Ishigami Yu, Treasurer
Sakurai Saki, General Affairs
A complete picture... almost. Technically, there was also a third-year student in charge of accounting audits, but she was so rarely seen that her existence felt more like an urban legend. Functionally invisible.
"I'm not convinced! I demand a rematch!" Fujiwara Chika huffed, still frustrated from her earlier loss.
"I'm busy chatting," Sakurai replied bluntly, eyes on his phone. "I don't have time to entertain you."
"Liar! Cheater! Two-timer!" Chika exploded.
From somewhere (no one knew where), she produced a newspaper and a roll of tape. In under a minute, she'd crafted a massive paper fan.
She crept up behind Sakurai, raised the fan...
WHACK!
Sakurai's head dipped slightly from the blow.
Not that it actually hurt.
He let it slide this time.
"Eh?" Chika's voice suddenly turned shrill. "Is that the LINE app?"
Standing behind him with the paper fan still in hand, she peeked over his shoulder suspiciously.
"Yes," Sakurai replied. "Ishigami and I have a game planned with a friend tonight."
"What?! A game?!" Chika's entire demeanor changed. She looked like an alien who had finally received a signal from her home planet.
Sakurai turned to glance at the oversized bow on her head.
Fujiwara Chika: a hopeless case. Terrible at games. Addicted anyway.
She could lose a hundred times and still ask for one more round. It was a glimpse into the terrifying resilience of her psyche.
"Sakurai-kun, can I join too?" she asked, eyes shining.
No.
"Fujiwara-senpai is too weak," Ishigami Yu replied without even looking up from his keyboard. "Dragging you along would be like doing weighted training. We don't want the handicap."
"I second that," Sakurai added. "No way."
Both of them were hardcore competitive gamers. Winning mattered. Fun was secondary. Even the friend Sakurai was chatting with—Hayasaka Ai—was known for her ruthless kill-streaks and borderline inhuman aim.
She was the type who'd never miss a headshot.The type people accused of cheating.The type who might actually have real-world weapons training.
Also, as luck would have it, she'd been assigned the desk next to Sakurai this semester.
Shuchiin Academy reshuffled classes every year, and seating assignments changed each semester. This was the start of spring term. Sakurai found himself in a different class than President Shirogane—who, unfortunately, was a calming presence he appreciated.
Kaguya Shinomiya, however, was now in his class.
Fujiwara Chika had been his classmate last year, but not anymore.
Just when he thought their fated (and exhausting) connection would end, Shirogane had pulled him into the Student Council… again.
Unexpectedly, Kaguya joined too—bringing her "best friend," Fujiwara, along.
As for Ishigami? Shirogane had dragged him in by the collar.Literally.He was a reclusive school refuser until Shirogane personally convinced him to come back.
And then conscripted him into the Council before he could escape.
"Kaguya-san! They're bullying me!" Chika whined, plopping down beside Kaguya with tears in her eyes.
Kaguya gave a helpless sigh as Chika recounted their "atrocities" with high drama and low accuracy.
"Ishigami," Sakurai said, putting away his phone, "you know the phrase 'creating something from nothing'?"
He tilted his head slightly.
Ishigami nodded. "Fujiwara-senpai."
"BOO-HOO-HOO! You're both so mean!" Chika bawled and bolted out of the Student Council Room.
Once she was gone—
"Is bullying her that enjoyable, Sakurai-kun?" Kaguya asked.
Her usually porcelain expression was a little colder now.Voice flat.Emotionless.
Sakurai nodded without hesitation.
"One of my few joys in life, Shinomiya-san. Please don't take it from me."
Last year, they hadn't spoken much. What little interaction they had in the Council was purely formal. Now, with class together and Council work, things were getting… inconvenient.
He missed the presence of Shirogane Miyuki already. That guy made things easier. Warmer.
After all, he was the reason Sakurai was here in the first place.
"Fujiwara-senpai clearly lost," Ishigami added, backing up Sakurai. "She should take it like a grown-up instead of latching onto people."
"Shut up." Kaguya said without looking at him.
Silence fell over the room.
And for a brief moment, the only sound was Ishigami typing—more carefully now.
"Yes!"Ishigami Yu flinched and instantly backed off.
He shot a look of silent apology to Sakurai, then lowered his head and returned to work, hoping not to draw further attention.
"Is bullying others fun, Shinomiya-san?" Sakurai asked flatly, not even glancing up from his phone.
"This is one of my few pleasures, Sakurai-kun," Kaguya shot back with the same deadpan tone, throwing his own words right back at him.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
"Then by all means, bully him," Sakurai said, gesturing vaguely at Ishigami. "That way, I won't feel so bad about tormenting Fujiwara-kun. Honestly, I've started to feel a little guilty lately."
Lie.Bullying Fujiwara Chika never once brought him guilt.
A moment of silence followed.
Sakurai stood, walked away from the sofa and coffee table, and settled at his workstation. He opened a folder of documents to review, though he wasn't truly focused. His thoughts wandered.
Ishigami Yu, meanwhile, was suffocating in the oppressive atmosphere.He could joke around with Fujiwara-senpai all day, sure.But Shinomiya Kaguya?
No way.Messing with her was suicide.
She exuded pressure like a queen surveying her chessboard—cold, composed, and fully capable of removing pawns without blinking.
Kaguya calmly took a sip of tea.
The Student Council was boring.
The members were boring.
She had initially thought the boy Fujiwara Chika often mentioned would be someone more engaging—someone eccentric or interesting, perhaps. But in reality?
He was dull.
Yes, his third-place class ranking was commendable. But not enough to warrant her attention. He didn't belong to any sports or cultural clubs. "Go-Home Club" members typically offered no utility.
Still, his ability to maintain a calm smile in any situation—an almost irritatingly serene demeanor—was somewhat admirable.
Fujiwara Chika was one of Kaguya's few genuine friends outside of her ever-present attendant, Hayasaka Ai. She valued her. Cherished her, even.
Which made it difficult to like Sakurai Saki.
He bullied Fujiwara daily.
And yet…Fujiwara Chika, for some unfathomable reason, kept going back.
She would laugh, cry, and complain—but come back all the same.
Kaguya turned her gaze toward Sakurai, seated at the table, flipping through papers in silence.
What was he thinking about all the time?
"…Perhaps," Sakurai thought idly, eyes unmoving from the documents, "I should make Shinomiya-san disappear from this world."