On a brisk spring morning, the air was tinged with a chill, but the scene under the cherry blossoms was nothing short of beautiful. Two figures stood by the side of the brick road, Yor bowing her head deeply again and again in Minoru's direction.
"I... I'm sorry, Yanagi-san! Did you get hurt somewhere?"
Yor's voice quivered with concern, haunted by what had transpired earlier. She couldn't shake the guilt for almost slapping him senseless.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it."
Minoru assured her, feeling a tinge of guilt himself. Yor had been waiting for him for quite some time, but he had been dealing with his wife, and as a result, his schedule had slipped through his fingers.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Yor nodded.
"I'm alright!"
Minoru couldn't help but notice a long snot sticking out as she spoke confidently. His mind commented on it, but he wisely refrained from mentioning it. He'd learned from history and had no desire to avoid another slap.
"As an apology, I'll treat you to a drink."
"Don't worry! It was my mistake, Yanagi-san!"
"Mistake? About what? I also wanted to invite the student council to Izakaya after this event is over."
"What!? I guess that's a great idea!"
Suddenly, Yor's face lit up. Minoru seemed to suspect that she might be a rather heavy drinker, or maybe not. Minoru nodded, though he felt the weight of people's gazes upon him as he was sensitive to the scrutiny.
'Man, they're still testing me...'
Today marked as his first test if he wanted to continue holding the vital school affairs position, an essential part of his mission. It wouldn't be an easy endeavor.
'I felt someone's gaze.'
Yor, too, couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched by someone.
"Briar-san..."
Minoru looked at her as he captured Yor's attention.
"I just wanted to remind you that the CEO and others are still closely monitoring our performance as the School Affairs. Well..."
He paused and sighed, "It's not that I personally want this position permanently, but I'm not the kind of person to do a job half-heartedly either. Therefore, as we're in the same boat, I hope you can lend me your hand for a month."
Haaa... he was lying, but his demeanor convinced Yor and igniting a fire in her eyes.
'W-What should I do? He trusts me this much even though...'
She clenched her fist with determination.
"Of course! I'll assist with everything I can, Yanagi-san!"
Yor's enthusiasm brought a smile to Minoru's face.
"I appreciate that, thank you. Shall we go now?"
She released her spirited fist and smiled warmly.
"Yeah..."
The new teachers began to walk side by side.
However, their actions didn't go unnoticed by the onlookers who had been observing them for a while.
"Hmm..."
The high school building sat atop a hill, affording Henry a clear view through his office window as he observed the two figures below using his classic golden binoculars. He was genuinely impressed by their bond.
"It seems like they already have excellent chemistry as a team."
Henry nodded as his secretary diligently wrote his words as he spoke.
"We're quite fortunate to have such elegant new teachers this year, don't you think so... Chabashira-sensei?"
Henry turned his attention to Sae.
"Yes, we are indeed fortunate, sir..."
She replied, maintaining her flawless composure, though inwardly she seethed.
'Dammit! That man again, and again!'
In recent days, Minoru had become the school's shining star, consistently excelling in his duties and even solving the Ishigami Yu case in record time. Sae found it increasingly challenging to secure the principal position if Minoru continued to outshine her.
"But, sir... we still need to assess his consistency and how he deals with students."
Sae added, voicing her concerns. Henry appeared to appreciate her perspective, though he was already aware of it.
"As the CEO reminded us, it's our duty to evaluate Yanagi-sensei. The responsibility doesn't rest solely with me. Chabashira-sensei will also play a part as the vice principal."
Henry pointed out. Sumuragi Rikka had tasked him with testing Minoru's suitability for the role.
"I understand."
Since Minoru had rejected her offer, she had no qualms about making his path here easier.
'Let's see...'
In her role as vice principal, Sae was well-acquainted with Henry's personality. All she needed to do was wait for him to make a wrong move. More importantly, she needed Minoru to provoke Henry first.
'Well, since you've rejected me. No hard feelings, but I'll make sure you're out.'
Sae made her intent clear to crush him, in response to what had happened, signifying that they were both establishing themselves as not being friendly.
On the other hand, Henry shifted his focus back to Minoru and Yor again.
As they walked, Minoru abruptly halted in front of the grand water fountain, creating some distance between them and the statue of the school's founder atop his horse. In his customary fashion, Minoru paid his respects to the founder, and Yor followed suit, showing her reverence for General Sumiragi.
Internally, Minoru couldn't help but smirk, as he was aware that they had been watching him.
"Hahhh~ Hmmnn~"
Minoru glanced at Yor, who was blushing as she gazed at the general's sword. Her mind wandered to the countless battles he might have fought and the amount of blood on that sword.
Meanwhile, Henry...
"E-Elegant...!"
Henry gasped, sweat forming on his face as if he hadn't anticipated their actions.
"Incredibly elegant!!!"
"S-Sir, what's happening?"
His secretary was taken aback by Henry's sudden enthusiasm, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"D-Did Yanagi-sensei and Briar-sensei always pay tribute to the school's founder like this?"
Henry turned back, his expression eliciting bewildered looks from his secretary and Sae as if he had gone mad.
The secretary clears her throat.
"Ahem! According to our security camera footage..."
A large screen suddenly lit up, displaying video clips from when Minoru had come for the interview and during his subsequent days working as a teacher. He consistently showed his respect to the school's founder.
"What dedication! I see... Briar-sensei must be influenced by Yanagi-sensei's elegance. How cunning you are, Yanagi-sensei—"
Henry stopped himself, and cleared his throat, as he noticed Sae and his secretary looking at him as if saying, "You all right?"
"Chabashira-sensei..."
"Yes, sir?"
Henry turned his gaze to Sae, his tone now serious.
"Let's subject our newly appointed Head of School Affairs to a little test."
Minoru had successfully provoked Henry's sense of elegance, and nothing could deter him now, as he was eager to witness Minoru's grace in solving problems with elegance.
"Understood."
Internally, Sae was pleased with this. She welcomed the chance to tarnish Minoru's otherwise impeccable record.
---
08:39 AM.
Inside the teachers' room, Minoru sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop. He wasn't alone in the room.
"Yanagi, why don't you try to relax like everyone else today? I'm starting to wonder if you've lost touch with your humanity."
Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a shiver, clearly in awe, though bordering on being scared. Even though Shizuka was used to meeting Minoru on the school rooftop where he smoked, she had never seen Minoru let his guard down. Right now, she could see that his sharp eyes looked somewhat tired, but it somehow made him even more attractive.
"Senpai... I think it's a bit harsh to say that Yanagi-sensei isn't human."
Nasa's remark managed to raise Shizuka's brow.
"I didn't say he's not human. I just mean that sometimes we all need a break, ya know?" She sighed. "Well, I understand that... it's because of that guy."
"Ah, everyone, I'm sorry..."
Nasa said, feeling responsible for Minoru's seemingly endless workload.
"I know I'm not able to help much because of the government subsidy. But it seems my expectations keep getting shattered by Yanagi-sensei's outstanding work..." He laughed lightly. "I suppose it's what you'd expect from an Oxford graduate."
Shizuka took his words personally.
"Ah, I see, I see... what a humble way to show off, huh? Yuzaki, how dare you flaunt your married life in front of me, huh!?"
It was clear that Shizuka was seething, and Yuzaki turned pale in the face of her anger.
"Ah, you flatter me, Yuzaki-san. And thank you for your concern, Hiratsuka-san. Well, I just thought it's a good way to fill my time until the students arrive here."
But the truth was, Minoru had already completed 60% of his work. The remaining 40% involved addressing individual student issues that could only be resolved through one-on-one meetings.
"Students?" Shizuka and Nasa exchanged perplexed glances, trying to figure out who he was referring to. On the right side of Minoru, Yor's eyes lit up with understanding. She knew exactly what he meant.
"Oh! You must be talking about Shuchi'in Middle School's Student Council."
Yor chimed in with enthusiasm. Minoru nodded, closing all the apps on his laptop before shutting it down. In front of Yor's desk, Shizuka was eager to understand what all the fuss was about.
"Uh, what's going on with them?"
"Nothing's wrong," Minoru reassured her. "I just thought it would be a great idea for them to collaborate with us. I realized that our student council might struggle with a large number of guests."
Shizuka and Nasa nodded in agreement, seeing the logic in Minoru's suggestion.
"And with this approach..." Yor added, "They will gain valuable experience in managing events with a large number of participants."
The two of them chimed in with an understanding "Oooh."
"That's a fantastic idea! Honestly, why didn't the school think of this sooner?"
Minoru looked at Shizuka, recognizing her curiosity.
"It seems to be related to Lady Sumiragi, the academy owner, and her family's rules. Like... they've maintained this rule of only the Shuchi'in High Student Council being responsible for the welcome ceremony. I guess they've never changed it to preserve tradition."
Minoru explained his theory, leaving Shizuka and Nasa pondering and a bit concerned, except for Yor, who maintained her smile.
"Doesn't that put you in a risky situation?"
Minoru's eyes squinted as he gave Shizuka a devilish grin, making her blush.
"Don't worry about it. They'll be a great asset to Shirogane and the others. I'm also relieved that the Middle School faculty and their student council are happy with the idea. The CEO has given us the green light, as the rules remain, in fact... unchanged."
What he meant was that the "helpers" were essentially "free labor", but he phrased it more diplomatically.
As the teachers continued their discussion, there was a knock on the teacher's room door, which soon slid open to reveal three female students.
In the center stood a slim girl with long, dark hair adorned with a white hairband, braided in the back and extending past her shoulders. To her left, there was a girl with waist-length white hair, bangs swept to the left side, a pearly hairband, blue eyes, and an ashen complexion. On her right was a girl with a sunny smile, she had short pink hair, tied up into twin pigtails at the top of her neck.
"Ahem~! Please excuse us!"
The girl in the center appeared to have a social and confident-carefree personality, or at least that's how Minoru perceived her as she walked in, moving her hand as if this place were Okinawa.
'Student Council President, Amanai Riko...'
Minoru briefly contemplated whether he should flick her head out of her nonchalant manner.
In any case, these were none other than Shuchi'in Middle School's Student Council.
---
A/N:
Hahaha, don't bully me.
And ah... just wanna say there's no magic and stuff.