After leaving the girls' dormitory, Kanade Natsukawa headed straight to the temporary student council room. It wasn't much more than a makeshift setup in a small classroom, but it served its purpose.
All they needed was a desk for paperwork; everything else required physical legwork.
"President, some students are complaining about the pairing system. They say assigning partners by student ID might result in too many same-gender pairs, which would ruin their chances of pairing with girls."
"Tell them, 'If you care about the process, focus on studying harder so you can earn partner selection privileges in your third year. If you care about the outcome, just ask the girl you like yourself. The school isn't Cupid; we're not here to matchmake.'"
"Understood. But… several of the complaints come from club captains and vice-captains from the sports department."
"Then inform them that next month's club budget is tight, and we may not be able to meet every club's needs."
"Yes, sir!"
"President, there's a document requiring your review."
Kanade glanced at the paper handed to him. "A procurement list?" His brows furrowed. He distinctly remembered delegating the purchase of costumes and props for the ghost-themed event on the first day of the forest school trip. Why was there another list now?
"Who submitted this?"
"Secretary Fujiwara. She specifically asked that it be delivered to you directly."
"And where is she?"
"She said she went to inspect the equipment along the route to ensure there won't be any malfunctions during the event."
"…"
Yeah, right. Kanade couldn't recall a time when Chika Fujiwara was this diligent. Most likely, she wasn't inspecting anything but rather adding her own mischief to the event.
Still, it didn't matter. Compared to their usual workload, managing the courage test was a breeze. Whether or not Chika contributed, things would proceed smoothly.
Kanade cast a quick glance at Kaguya Shinomiya, seated nearby and meticulously handling paperwork that didn't require his direct approval.
"Alright, leave it here."
The procurement list wasn't a big deal. Considering Chika had helped him earlier, he decided to humor her antics this time. However, he was careful to slip the paper to the bottom of the "completed" pile so Kaguya wouldn't notice.
The last thing he needed was another lecture from her.
But the girl who delivered the message lingered, looking as if she had more to say.
"Is there something else?" Kanade asked.
"Uh… Secretary Fujiwara also told me to say, 'Hmph! Dumb President, hanging up on me! This is your punishment! Oh, and I've already bought the stuff, so it's too late to stop me!'"
The girl mimicked Chika's tone so perfectly, complete with a sassy hand gesture, that for a moment, it felt like Chika herself was there.
"…"
Fine, Kanade thought, we'll charge this to the game club's budget. And I'll make sure to note it as 'voluntarily accepted by Fujiwara Chika.'
Sensing his growing irritation, the girl quickly excused herself. Kanade let her go without issue—he knew who the real culprit was.
After spending the better part of the afternoon completing the necessary tasks, including finalizing the participant lists, Kanade instructed his team to post the assignments on the classroom doors.
For students with selection privileges, the council had taken their preferences into account and would notify them of their entry times later. The arrangements were kept confidential to maintain privacy and prevent any issues.
Since Kaguya had agreed to participate in the event under the guise of inspecting the equipment, Kanade scheduled their entry first. When he informed her, she thought it was a brilliant idea—but not for the reasons Kanade imagined.
To Kaguya, this was the perfect opportunity to showcase their compatibility.
Just like Ai said—appearing together in front of others will naturally make them see us as a destined pair!
Her mind raced with plans: walking together at the opening ceremony, tackling the challenges hand-in-hand, earning medals, and finally being crowned Best Partners at the award ceremony.
Maybe he'll even confess to me in front of everyone… guhihi…
Lost in her daydreams, a radiant smile spread across her face.
Kanade, noticing her unusually cheerful demeanor, reconsidered interrupting her.
He had intended to invite her to dinner—eating together before heading to the event would have been efficient. But seeing her so genuinely happy, he decided against it.
After all, Kaguya's rare, heartfelt smiles were far more captivating than her usual professional ones. The last time he'd seen her like this was when he'd invited her to continue as his vice president under the big tree on the sports field.
I shouldn't interrupt her, Kanade decided, standing quietly and gathering his belongings.
He wasn't so fragile that eating alone would leave him wallowing in loneliness.
Closing the door gently behind him, Kanade left Kaguya with her thoughts.
I really am too thoughtful sometimes.
Not long after Kanade left, Kaguya snapped out of her reverie.
Her mind worked quickly, mapping out every detail of their evening plans. She was ready to set the first step in motion: dinner together.
"Alright, President, how about we—"
Her words trailed off as she glanced around the empty room.
"…Where is he?"
Kaguya froze, staring at the vacant space where Kanade had been sitting.
Her carefully laid plans… her chance to shine… all gone in the blink of an eye.
What do you mean he's not here?!