“Aco. From now on, you’re joining the Student Council.”
“…Huh? Head, what do you mean by that?”
Aco blinked in surprise at the sudden command directed at her.
“Well, I know you’re sensitive about the Student Council’s reputation. A Student Council without a president is nothing… right?”
“Phuh?! Wait a minute. I thought you weren’t interested in that kind of stuff, Head…!”
Hina casually mentioning a Student Council without her made Aco panic. It’s true that Hina cares a lot about that kind of reputation, but…
“Why are we even talking about this?”
“That’s… you probably already know, but I thought you guys weren’t reliable.”
“Y-Yeah…?”
“And looking back at Mika from before, she’s always running around busier than anyone else, trying to take everything on her shoulders. It’s only natural that I hope she would trust those around her a bit more.”
Although Aco found this a bit embarrassing, her sharp mind grasped what Hina was trying to convey.
“So, you’re saying you felt that way about Mika…?”
“Right. It’s more accurate to call it self-reflection.”
Mika, dealing with a group composed of half her own lover, and her friends at Trinity.
Hina looked firmly at Aco, continuing her words.
“I thought I could trust you as my aide, but I reached the conclusion that maybe that wasn’t the case.”
“…”
“Can a Student Council without a president truly operate? In my absence, can my aide fill the void left by the president…?”
“That’s impossible, isn’t it? You are the Student Council itself, Head…”
“Right. I know it’s impossible. If a Student Council goes to pieces when I’m absent, it’s only natural to consider me unqualified as a leader.”
Hina’s piercing gaze bore down on Aco. Under that gaze, Aco felt herself shrinking.
Is this a reprimand?
Even though her feelings for Hina had cooled, her desire to help her remained strong, making that gaze hard to bear.
Then Hina’s small hand rested on Aco’s shoulder.
“But Aco, you are one of the most outstanding talents among the students I know. You’d be the best aide sitting in this position.”
“Head?! This sudden change in mood is a bit much…”
Aco’s eyes, which were trying to glance at Mika, shook wildly as she realized that Mika had disappeared.
“I was just—”
“Heueng… what are you two talking about?”
“…!”
*
“Heueng… what are you two talking about?”
I sneaked up behind Aco and asked.
Seeing her flinch at my voice, I rested my chin on her shoulder and glanced at Hina.
The moment Hina’s gaze met mine, her expression melted, giving me a strange sense of satisfaction.
Naturally, I wrapped one arm around Aco’s waist and pulled her close, lifting Hina’s hand from Aco’s shoulder and bringing it to my cheek.
Leaning against Hina’s small hand, I noticed that Aco, who had nestled in my embrace, had finally relaxed. Aco let out a little sigh as she put her hand on my arm wrapped around her waist and leaned her head against me…
“W-Wait a minute! What are you doing in front of people?!”
She started tapping my arm with her hand, silently pleading for me to let her go.
“…Aco, you do realize your words and expression are completely mismatched, right?”
Listening to Hina’s strangely amused words, Aco’s actions seemed quite distant from her true feelings.
“So what were you really talking about?”
“I was chatting about sending Aco to the Student Council. I think it’s the best place for my aide’s abilities to shine.”
“Aha… I see.”
It seemed like Aco figured it would be better to attach her to the Student Council than to send her out as a field commander…
“With our Hina-chan, the strongest Student Council President in Gehenna’s history, stepping in, and collaborating with Trinity… it does indeed seem better for Aco-chan to come this way~.”
“Um, what about my opinion? I would of course follow the Head’s orders, but I can’t help but feel it’s strange to hear I’m unnecessary for the Student Council…?!”
“But you know that’s not true, Aco-chan, right? That should be enough, don’t you think?”
“I honestly think it’s better to bring that perverted secretary of yours! Why does he constantly say he’s more capable than me?!”
After poking Aco’s side with my finger, I casually opened my mouth, leaving her flinching beside me.
“A jealous Aco-chan is cute☆.”
“It’s not jealousy!”
“Ahaha. Let’s go with that then. By the way, bringing Hanako-chan to the Student Council is a bit hard right now. After all, me becoming the Student Council President wasn’t something we discussed beforehand.”
“So you’re saying your boss is too busy cleaning up the mess she made?”
“Ahaha…”
Feeling sympathy in Aco’s voice, I let out an awkward laugh.
“Alright… if you two say so…”
Good. Thanks to Hina, I accidentally secured a competent slave.
“Okay then, first get me a cup of coffee!”
“…Huh?”
“I really like the coffee Aco-chan makes.”
“…Hmm. If that’s the case, I guess I can’t refuse.”
She truly is an easy girl, Aco-chan.
While I was thinking that, I felt Hina remove her hand from my cheek.
“Oh, Hina-chan. Are you leaving right now?”
“We have a lot to do. Didn’t Nagisa leave for that reason too?”
“That’s true, but alright. Hina-chan, good luck!”
“…Yeah.”
Hina, who replied calmly, turned her back. Many emotions were reflected in her eyes as she left.
Among them, one of the most prominent was her desire and passion to receive praise from me.
“Aco-chan… don’t you think Hina-chan is just the cutest?”
“…Yeah, well. It’s a fact that the Head is the cutest and coolest person in the world.”
“Right, right.”
As I was enamored with Hina’s charms, watching her impressive figure depart, I checked the time and frowned. The next meeting was just around the corner.
“Aco-chan, I’ll ask for my favorite☆.”
“Yeah, yeah… you mean Cafe Mocha… wait a minute.”
“Huh?”
“When are you planning to let go of this hand?”
Come to think of it, I was still clutching her tightly. I vaguely noticed the Student Council people whispering while looking at us.
You know… the rumors about the host of Trinity’s T-party being a notorious womanizer… yeah, those kinds of stories.
Honestly, I had no desire to let Aco go, but for various reasons, I had to discreetly release her from my embrace.
“Just a moment.”
Thus, Aco, who left me, immediately grabbed the Student Council members and asked about the break room, and before long, she brought back a Cafe Mocha that completely satisfied me.
…Aco-chan, you’re the best.
*
The meeting continued. After dealing with some minor academy alliances and feeling exhausted, I was greeted by a familiar face.
“I’m so happy to see your face after so long. No matter how often we exchange news, nothing compares to seeing each other in person.”
“Ahaha, well… Hmm. I honestly didn’t expect you, Kisaki-chan, to come. That’s probably why I was really touched when I heard the news for the first time!”
“Hmm. That’s a bit disappointing to hear. Do you think I would ignore the call of a dear friend?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“Ahem!”
As I was exchanging greetings with Kisaki, someone cleared their throat, interrupting our conversation. Just as a sour feeling started creeping in, the sight of the person involved instantly turned that sourness into disgust.
“…Ah.”
“Nyahaha, to see you look so displeased the moment you see me… even I, with my thick skin, would be hurt.”
“Ugh. Whatever.”
Amachi Nya, the head of the Onmyoubu, practically the Student Council of the Hakgwiyaeng.
And the type of girl that just doesn’t click with me on a biological level.
Facing her bright smile, I genuinely thought, ‘This girl is annoying…’.
However, despite my thoughts, the meeting proceeded smoothly under strict professional boundaries.
“Hmm. You already know, but Sanghaegyeong currently has a position that makes it quite difficult to get involved in external matters. Hyunryongmun has indeed become more open than before, but still, Rumi and Hyeonmusanghoe might think a bit differently.”
“Nyahaha. The situation isn’t any different for Hakgwiyaeng, either~. Still, if something comes up that we can help with, there are clubs ready to step in, so keeping that in mind could be beneficial…?”
Both Kisaki and Nya prominently raised their stances of ‘our autonomous district comes first.’
However, they hinted that there was a possibility that Hyeonmusanghoe and Hakgwiyaeng would jump in to help when needed.
I fully understood that stance. Of course, prioritizing their autonomous district is something that applies to any academy.
After all, in a place like Kivotos where each academy functions like a small country, it’s only natural that people wouldn’t actively engage in external matters.
“However, Molchinamang, I can’t disregard the help I received from you.”
“…Huh?”
“There are situations where Sanghaegyeong will have no choice but to step in. When that situation arises, I assure you here that I’ll make it perfectly clear that I’m intervening, even if it risks shaking your standing.”
“…Wow. That’s quite touching. Thank you, Kisaki-chan.”
Sanghaegyeong truly felt like a higher mountain among academies.
“I’m not aiming that high, though~. But if the Student Council President here agrees to fulfill my later request—”
“Ah, let’s skip that part.”
“Is that a straight answer…?!”
I’m not an idiot, so I wouldn’t be handing out blank checks for that kind of thing.
After all, the Inbeob Research Club would immediately step in if the teacher requested help. Outside of that, I thought it’d be a bit unreasonable to expect significant aid from Hakgwiyaeng.
…Looking at it this way, without Wakamo, Hakgwiyaeng seems completely useless, right?
