42: Refusing Empty Talk Without Action
"That... what are these?" the student council president asked with an awkward laugh.
"Oh, these? They're plans based on the proposals you gave us yesterday and the ideas you mentioned before. I've sorted through them, made some choices, and created workable plans according to the budget. Please take a look and decide which one to go with." Shirou replied with a smile.
"Hahaha, well, there might still be more ideas later, so let's not rush. Let's all brainstorm and come up with something together." The student council president waved his hands as he spoke.
"No. Even if there are new ideas, the budget has already run out. So please review these proposals first, then give new suggestions after." Yukinoshita said firmly, refusing to budge.
"The budget is something we can all figure out together, right? That's the whole point of having this meeting," the student council president repeated his worn-out catchphrase.
At that moment, Shirou turned to one of the student council members from the business high school and praised him, "Oh right, you! I remember you brought up jazz yesterday. The way you spoke about jazz showed a real understanding. It was really impressive."
"Ahaha, thanks." The guy scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
He vaguely remembered saying something like that—maybe he just mentioned jazz offhandedly because he thought it sounded cool. Still, he happily accepted the compliment.
"No, wasn't it rock that was mentioned? If anything, I think I made a comment when we were talking about rock music," said another male student beside him.
"I don't really remember. But if we're talking about the K-On! band, I know a lot about that!" added another guy.
"Ah, now that you mention it, the comments I heard were about rock and K-On!, not jazz. Looks like I got it mixed up. Sorry about that—there have just been so many suggestions, it's hard to keep track. Maybe it's about time we started narrowing things down, don't you think?" Shirou said, still smiling.
"Ah... yeah, you're right," the guy who had mentioned jazz responded awkwardly.
"Same here. Honestly, I can't keep track of all the ideas either," said the rock-music guy. He, too, was getting tired of this never-ending meeting game.
Everyone was well aware that things couldn't go on like this.
But back when they started, everything had seemed so harmonious—no one objected, and ideas were flying freely. Now, no one wanted to be the first to go against the flow or reject a suggestion.
At that moment, Yukinoshita cast a glance at the student council president from their own school.
Caught by her sharp gaze, Iroha immediately stood up and said, "Yes! I agree that this is the better approach!"
"Our side suggests trimming things down. The proposal documents already include this. For example, if we're hiring a band, then we'll have to cut the symphony orchestra. If we keep the symphony orchestra, we'll need to eliminate other musical events. Let's manage the budget reasonably," Iroha continued.
"Well, since everyone is saying that, let's do it this way," Shirou said to the other student council president.
"Pick the proposal that works best for you, and then we can talk about adding or removing things as needed. Any objections?" Yukinoshita asked.
"Uh... no, I understand," the student council president replied, nodding under their friendly but firm stares.
For some reason, he felt completely outmatched by the two.
Everything they said made sense, and he had no way to argue back.
After all, everyone had agreed. He was just playing the role of the meeting's host—collecting suggestions and summarizing.
The current mess had happened because no one took charge. Everyone gave their ideas, and everyone just agreed.
At first, it felt like any problem could be solved through unity and cooperation. But by the time they realized the problem, it was too late.
Even though he was hosting, he wasn't the one making decisions. If the event failed, it would be everyone's fault. But if someone had to stand up and say that, they'd become the one person going against everyone else. And no one wanted to do that.
So it ended up like trying to plan a cute pet exhibition and ending up with a full-blown zoo. Maybe this outcome was the best they could hope for...
After reaching an agreement with the business high school, the meeting finally got back on track.
Some members from the opposing student council, still unsatisfied with just elementary schoolers, tried suggesting adding kindergartens too—but that idea was decisively shut down by Shirou and Yukinoshita working together.
"Senpai and Yukinoshita-senpai are amazing!" Iroha said in awe.
The student council president from the business high school, whom she didn't know how to deal with at all, now seemed like a kid parroting adult phrases in front of those two.
"I don't really understand what Shirou and Yukino were saying, but as long as we leave it to them, everything will be fine," Yuigahama said with a proud smile, responding to Iroha's comment.
"Hmph…" Iroha looked over the boy and girl pair. But seeing how well they worked together, she couldn't help feeling a little frustrated.
She silently watched the boy eloquently talk down the opposing president, forcing him to retreat step by step until he had to compromise.
Unbeknownst to them, Shirou was cheating a little—he used his magic eye, which could even analyze divine artifacts, to break down the meeting dynamics.
Analyzing this kind of situation was trivial for him.
'Ugh… In Shirou-senpai's eyes, do I really look like a little kid getting scolded by her parents?' Iroha thought to herself, feeling disheartened.
But she quickly shook off the gloom and lifted her head.
Iroha made up her mind to fight back. Even if she was the junior here, she was still the student council president. Just because she got to know Shirou later than the others didn't mean she had to back down!
Iroha longed for change.
She wanted to use her own strength to defeat her strict 'father figure'—no! To gain recognition from Yukinoshita-senpai! But deep down, yeah, she still wanted to beat her!
Yes! Even if Yukinoshita-senpai was a flawless beauty, only the student council president is the strongest!!!
Yes! Just like how Old Man Munenori's perfect swordsmanship was ultimately surpassed by the pursuit of "zero" in the Niten Ichi-ryu style!!!
Without knowing it, her resolve resonated with a certain Heroic Spirit.
Her FGO app flickered—one of the silver-pink-haired female Heroic Spirit cards in the dull list lit up with a golden frame.
Nearby, Da-chan seemed to sense something and sneaked into Iroha's phone, spotting the Heroic Spirit whose soul resonated with hers.
Though the resonance rate was still only 10%, given time, it would surely shine brightly. Perhaps this was a symbol of hope.
"I found a new partner, Shirou…" Da-chan whispered joyfully, eager to tell the others.
Just then, a dull thud sounded outside the meeting room.
Shirou turned his head toward the source. He felt the air thicken, his breathing grow heavier.
It was as if the world had been torn open—a dangerous presence was emerging from beyond.
This time, it was different.
This time, the feeling from the alternate dimension was more sinister than ever before.