Megumi had a bad habit. It was something she always told herself she'd fix, but she never did. Sure enough, it always came back to bite her in the behind. Megumi always counted her chickens before they hatched.
Today was no different.
Coming into class uncharacteristically later than she usually did, Megumi was too focused on making it on time to notice the strange feeling in the air. Sitting down as quickly as possible, she took out her books and breathed a sigh of relief. Her science teacher, Mr. Ugo, hadn't arrived yet.
But what was up with this strange atmosphere? Megumi dismissed the thought. Even if she thought about it, she had no way of knowing. Class started, and she largely forgot. Big mistake.
Halfway into class, Mr. Ugo, an elderly man, gasped as if he remembered something.
"That's right, that's right! I forgot to mention," he started, "You students will need to pick this year's class presidents. I will need a representative of the girls and one from the boys."
An awkward silence stretched.
"Come on, now. Being class president is a remarkable thing! You get to learn about the inside workings of school in a whole new way!"
They averted their eyes.
"And, you get to work together with a classmate, learn compromise, and show off the school in the best manner possible..."
Somebody coughed. Ugo-sensei seemed to get angry, before sighing.
"...Alright, I give up. Whoever you decide amongst yourselves will be our representatives. Children these days, I tell you."
Ugo-sensei didn't know the effect of his words. Suddenly, everyone's voices rose in volume as they each tried their best to avoid the role.
"I have football practice, so!" said Ichinose Takumi.
"Well, I have swimming meets to attend," replied Aoba Rie.
"I have to watch my grades," said someone else.
Takumi was on the football team, but he was a reserve member. Aoba wasn't on the swim team, she was a member of the announcements club. These excuses were largely lies. This was the extent everyone was willing to go towards to avoid class rep responsibility. Megumi wondered why. It couldn't be that bad, could it? Still. She was always invisible in social settings, and never before had she been so grateful for her skill. Yay!
Unfortunately for Megumi, her super-powered days were numbered.
Now Megumi could never have known, but it was a fact that Maeda Haruki was looking at her.
Or, more specifically staring at her.
He hadn't been obvious. As he kept looking, he suddenly felt that he could no longer ignore her anymore. It was harder than he thought.
Ever since Friday, he kept thinking about her. All sorts of strange thoughts came to the forefront. Like, when did she even transfer into his class? Was she always just there, and no one noticed? That made him feel better about forgetting her name, but it wasn't enough. He wanted her to feel the same kind of humiliating horror that he felt. Standing in front of your long-time crush and making a fool out of yourself, that shouldn't just be brushed off, it should be capital punishment! Only reserved for criminals. Even now he was suffering from despair.
So how come she could get out of it scot-free?
It irked him. In a perfect world, she shouldn't be.
So he did something unusual. He took a step forward towards his revenge!
"Sensei, I think Kanazawa-san is a good choice for Class President."
And the bickering voices went silent. A good thing too, because Ugo-sensei looked like he was nursing a headache. Maybe this way, he'll be remembered well.
"Kanazawa-san? Who's that?" whispered one voice.
"There was someone named that here?" said another.
Megumi was jolted out of her mind as dozens of heads reared towards her, looking at her as if it was the first time.
'You idiots, I've been your classmate since last spring! How do you forget someone you've seen for 6 months?!'
She didn't understand. Why was this happening to her?!
Seeing her flustered state, Maeda's lip curled in a smirk. It was too easy.
Ugo-sensei looked pensive. "I didn't realize you two were on friendly terms. Then, why do you believe she is a good choice for the position, Maeda?"
Unlike Megumi, Maeda had an excuse ready. "I think the position is meant for someone careful, cautious, and serious. I thought Kanazawa-san fit the bill perfectly. Honestly... I just thought it was a waste if somebody unqualified got it instead."
This guy was totally insulting her! He was, wasn't he?!
Was she dreaming?? This was just too strange. This was not happening. What happened to being invisible~?
And by the way, she did NOT believe his reasoning for one second! He was Maeda Haruki, a certified piece of crap. Why was he talking about her? They had never had a single conversation! He didn't even know her! A single thought appeared inside her mind, but she ignored it. Surely he wasn't so petty that he was doing this just to get back at her, right? Right?!
Yet it didn't matter. Because Maeda's seemingly humble praise made everyone support him.
"That's so nice!" someone exclaimed.
"As expected of Haruki-kun!" squealed a few girls.
And before she could object, she was made to stand in front of the class, just as Ugo-sensei handed her a badge.
Eh? Isn't this progressing a little too quickly?!
She stood there in shock as Ugo-sensei said, "Then we're all agreed. Kanazawa will be the Class Rep representing the girls."
The class clapped, and that was that. 'Is it over?? What about my answer??'
She thought about rejecting the offer, but Maeda's words made refusing the position tough. Logically speaking, it only made sense to accept and move on. Yet, Megumi didn't want to. It was like that feeling from Friday had returned; back when she overheard Maeda's cruelty and second-guessed herself. Before it could get too bad, she steeled herself. Then, she uttered these words.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Sensei. I promise to do my best."
And then she turned to face the class and smiled a small, shy smile. Now, on the inside, Megumi was dying of embarrassment. But she figured that if Maeda intended to smear her, then she should accept and make this into an opportunity to benefit herself. Why should that hateful guy win?!
Unluckily for Megumi, everything was far from over. Maeda was seething in his seat, angry that his plan to make Megumi uncomfortable hadn't worked. Sitting next to him, the class' rising star Suzuki Shun raised his hand.
"Sensei, I nominate..."
Everyone gasped.
"Sorry, I coughed. Anyway, I nominate Haruki as the boys representative."
Everyone was shocked.
"Suzuki-kun! You guys are friends?" asked Hitose Chie, a girl in class.
Suzuki, under the scrutiny of everyone, blushed and said: "Ah, well...he's been very kind to a transfer student like me. Even though I'm just a transfer student who knows nothing..." he trailed off and smiled sweetly. The girls went into shock.
"He's so kind!"
"How dependable!"
"Suzuki, you should just be our Rep instead!" screamed one girl.
"Eh..." he said. "Then, I guess I could..."
Again, the class (mostly the girls) was at the mercy of Suzuki, getting controlled left and right. Megumi was shocked. Did he even understand how much power he had? Suddenly, he sneaked a glance towards Megumi, whose eyes widened in shock before turning away quickly.
Meanwhile, Maeda was suffering an unforeseen loss. He didn't want to do something as meaningless as this! He was bigger than this! Why did Suzuki nominate him?! Then, he remembered one thing, and suddenly the urge to reject the nomination vanished. He accepted and thanked the class (and Suzuki) for nominating him.
'Huh', thought Megumi. She genuinely thought he'd get angry and let his ugly personality slip, but he didn't! Either he was better at this than she thought, or...
Either way, it didn't matter. Haruki made his way to the front of the class to receive his badge. He kept that refreshing kind smile thing up in front of the class, but he couldn't fool Megumi!
That was until he turned to her and said: "Kanazawa-san, let's do our best! I know we don't really know each other well...but I really admire you! Let's aim to become a great help for this class."
Hah?
Excuse you?? Um??? He wanted to become a great help? He admired her?? Really?!
That guy?!
All she could do was agree and nod. If it had been a week ago...Megumi shivered. Fortunately, he had no idea she heard his real opinion of her. Unfortunately for her, she now had to act like she didn't despise him.
This guy...she had completely underestimated him.
Maeda Haruki... he was crazier than she thought!