Meeting Room.
The class-elected executive committee members were already gathered, chattering noisily. During the short time before the meeting officially began, acquaintances naturally formed groups. But almost every group was talking about the same thing.
Why was Horikita Suzune here?
But there wasn't much time to speculate. As the meeting time approached, the student council president seated at the head of the table began roll call.
"Class 2-1, Executive Committee Member, Kushida Kikyo." "Present." "Class 2-2, Executive Committee Member, Horikita Suzune." "...Present." "Alright. Next, Class 2-3..."
The process of becoming an executive committee member had gone more smoothly than Horikita Suzune expected. Even the girls in her class who usually treated her coldly had voted in favor. The homeroom teacher also seemed to have a lot of faith in her capabilities. It wasn't until she was seated in the meeting room that Horikita finally felt a bit more at ease.
"Everyone is here. Let's begin our first meeting. Please be ready to take notes," the student council president said, tapping the table. He then began distributing tasks and explaining the agenda based on the school's official memo.
Horikita quickly focused her attention. The first task for executive committee members was to convey the cultural festival information clearly to their respective classes. In truth, summarizing and transmitting several hours' worth of meeting content accurately was a difficult task, requiring the ability to extract and condense key points.
However...
Standing up with slightly shaky legs and looking at her notebook, which was filled to the brim, Horikita felt mentally and physically exhausted despite her recent weeks of special training.
She now understood why so many students in her class hadn't competed with her for this position.
Even though the student council president, acting as the festival's general director, was efficient and concise in his explanations, the meeting still dragged on for two full hours.
In other words, the truth was—
"Why is a mere junior high school cultural festival this complicated? Why are there so many tasks?" one of the executive members from another class groaned.
"Probably because the festival will be open to the public. Elementary school graduates will come to decide whether they want to apply here, so of course the school cares," another student explained sympathetically.
Horikita glanced over. It seemed to be a girl from a neighboring class, probably named Kushida Kikyo.
Noticing Horikita's gaze, Kushida smiled and waved before walking over to greet her.
"You're Horikita-san, right? I'm happy to work with you on the committee."
If the girl had started off with something like "Why are you here, Horikita-san?", Horikita might have turned and left without a word. But since Kushida was being friendly, she begrudgingly responded, "Yes."
Like Horikita, Kushida had also filled her notebook with detailed meeting notes. She seemed to have already stepped into her role, tapping her pencil against her nose as she read through her notes.
"Since the second-years are planning this festival as a whole, should we subdivide responsibilities?"
Before Horikita could even react, the other class representatives had already agreed. It seemed Kushida held more sway among the second-years than Horikita expected.
Thinking about it, this was Horikita's first time attending such a group meeting.
She was briefly dazed, and by the time she came back to her senses, Kushida was already smiling and assigning tasks to her—or rather, to her class.
"Horikita-san can handle the grade-level publicity work. That includes creating posters, websites, banners, and so on."
She had been completely overwhelmed.
For the first time, Horikita felt the pressure of public opinion. When Kushida spoke, all the other class representatives turned their attention to her.
"If it's too difficult, you can choose a different task, but then everyone's responsibilities will need to be reshuffled."
Kushida was masterfully manipulating the atmosphere.
If it had been the old Horikita, she probably would have snapped back and been ostracized, eventually losing her committee position under pressure.
But now, Horikita simply nodded and accepted.
She recalled what Kitagawa Ryo had said to her the night before. She wouldn't lose to Horikita Manabu—at least not in such a pathetic way.
"Well then, I'll leave the rest to all of you," Kushida said cheerfully, clapping her hands.
Horikita watched her every move closely.
She didn't like this type of personality and didn't want to become like her. But just as Kitagawa Ryo had said, at the very least, she needed to learn to understand people like Kushida—whether to absorb or oppose them.
According to Kitagawa, this was a necessary step to surpass Horikita Manabu.
So, let's give it a try.
-------------------------------------
However, Horikita Suzune's mental collapse came even faster than expected.
"So, that's the situation. For our class's promotional posters and banner slogans, any students with ideas can submit them anonymously to my email or talk to me directly. If you'd like to volunteer, please sign up with me as well. According to the plan, we are responsible for the area to the right of the main school building, so please pay attention to cleanliness. We may need to assign more people for daily duties during this time..."
"Also, if anyone in class has a background in drawing or writing, your help will be needed for the cultural festival."
"That's all."
Following her carefully organized meeting notes, Horikita Suzune wrote on the board as she spoke. It took her a full thirty minutes to finish explaining all the tasks.
Yet the class fell silent. Not a single person responded. They stared at her like audience members watching a one-person play, their eyes holding a faint, cold detachment.
"Everyone, please cooperate with the class committee member's work."
The homeroom teacher, noticing the awkward atmosphere, tried to ease the tension.
He seemed ready to say more, but Suzune stepped down from the podium before he could continue, cutting him off.
He could only sigh in resignation.
Suzune's first task was to collect promotional poster designs from each class in the grade.
So, for the first time, she didn't go straight home after school. She headed to Class 3's door. Class 1, where Kushida Kikyo belonged, had already turned in their designs early. Though Suzune recognized this as part of Kushida's tactics, she still found some comfort in it.
She was beginning to understand how Kushida maintained such a vast network of connections.
Whatever Kushida's intentions, Suzune had to admit that interacting with her was pleasant. The girl seemed to instinctively know everyone's emotional pressure points.
Maybe that, too, was a kind of talent.
As Suzune mused, the representative from Class 3 approached her.
"You're here for the poster suggestions, right?"
Suzune nodded. The student flipped through several slips of paper and began reading them aloud:
"First, it has to be cool."
"Cool."
Suzune, stone-faced, wrote the word in her notebook.
"Next, the lines should be soft. Also, use warm tones for the lighting. Important!"
She paused. That seemed contradictory to the previous suggestion, but she wrote it down anyway.
"And, try to subtly include the phrase 'Class 2-3' in the design. Not too obvious, but not too hidden either. People should immediately recognize the class name. No abstract art, please."
"Anything else?"
Suzune nearly snapped her pencil from pressing too hard.
"That's it. Thanks! I'm off."
The student turned and left without hesitation.
Suzune, suppressing her irritation, moved on to the next class.
"Hmm... nothing in particular. Just go with what you think is best."
The Class 4 representative, a girl picking at her nails, seemed completely uninterested.
"Go with what I think? There should be a theme at least."
Suzune was beginning to appreciate the diversity of human behavior.
"A theme? Hmm, how about... happiness?"
"Shouldn't you be deciding this with your class?"
"Ah, whatever. Just do whatever you want. I'm in a rush to get home. Bye!"
As the girl jogged off, Suzune sighed.
Interacting with people was truly exhausting.
"Poster design, right? Our class has already discussed it. Make it big. Yes, big."
"Also, here's our play entry. These are the actor photos. Design cartoon versions of them. Not chibi. No two-heads-tall characters. Just normal proportions, lined up with 'Class 2-5' boldly printed above. Standard font, bold and thick! And use a hot-blooded background. Add an outer glow effect, you know? The one with the glowing edge..."
"If you already have such a detailed idea, why not make it yourselves?"
Suzune couldn't help the annoyance in her tone.
"Huh? Isn't that your job? You're Horikita Suzune, right? I heard you're really smart. We believe in your ability. This stuff's too complicated for our class."
So now good grades equaled great capability?
...Wait, wasn't that what she used to believe too?
Suzune sighed, her voice weakening:
"That's all, right?"
"Yep, thanks again."
Clutching a notebook full of messy and conflicting ideas, Suzune left the school gates feeling oddly relieved. At least now that she was the class's representative, she had something to report at home.
It was getting dark, as winter approached and the days grew shorter.
But the good news was, she didn't need to cook dinner herself.
Thinking about Kitagawa Ryo's cooking awaiting her at home, Suzune's steps quickened.
As much as she hated to admit it, Ryo could probably make a living off his cooking skills alone—not just his looks.
"Ryo, the committee rep—"
Suzune burst into the apartment, breathless. She had barely opened the door when the sound of piano music drifted from inside. It was the piece Ryo had taught her the night before: "Für Elise."
This classic Beethoven piece, a short single-movement composition, only lasted a few minutes. Even Suzune had managed to play a rough version after one night.
But hearing Ryo perform it live for the first time made her understand the true allure of the piano.
Usually, he only tapped a few keys behind her with a hint of impatience. This was the first time she saw him sit and perform the full piece.
His cool silhouette stretched across the white walls like a frosty branch under moonlight.
His pale, agile fingers, trimmed nails glowing under the lamp, danced effortlessly on the black and white keys. It was as if his hands were born to play.
When the final note faded, Suzune finally returned to her senses. She opened her mouth, intending to compliment him:
"Ryo, that Für—"
But someone beat her to it.
A soft clap echoed from the corner of the room. Suzune only now noticed another girl was there.
Judging by her uniform, she appeared to be Suzune's peer. Yet her arms, visible from the sleeves, and the slender legs beneath her pleated skirt, looked so fragile it was almost worrisome.
Though girls matured earlier than boys, this one showed no signs of adolescence. Her small frame looked more like an elementary schooler's. Her doll-like pale skin, deep violet eyes, and surreal silver hair gave her an almost otherworldly presence.
"Suzune, you're back?"
Ryo didn't look the least bit flustered about bringing another girl into their shared home.
"This is Sakayanagi Arisu."
Sakayanagi Arisu.
Suzune immediately caught the nuance.
"Arisu" sounded almost exactly like "Alice."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sakayanagi Arisu."
She smiled sweetly and reached out her hand. The ethereal glow of her expression made Suzune wonder if she'd chase a talking rabbit with a pocket watch and jump into the rabbit hole at any second.
[Für Elise.]
For Elise.
Suzune felt her heart clench sharply.
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