Chapter 491: Stealing Someone Right in Front of Me
The meeting ended, and Hachiman and the others sat in their chairs in silence.
What exactly had they gotten out of this entire meeting?
The answer was simple: nothing. From start to finish, all they heard were empty formalities, with Tamanawa and his group leading the charge. There was no substantial progress made regarding the Christmas event at all.
No wonder Iroha had said she was at a loss—dealing with teammates like these, who wouldn't be?
"I have to ask, did you understand anything they were saying?" Hachiman turned to Iroha.
The little devil still had a polite smile plastered on her face, not fully out of her role yet. "Not at all. But all I really need to do is say things like, 'That's amazing!' or 'I'll do my best too!'"
"After all, I'm younger than them, so they seem to like it when I say those kinds of things. If they send emails afterward, I just need to keep agreeing with whatever they say."
Hearing this, Yukino shook her head.
"This won't do. The entire meeting had no substantial progress. At this rate, the efficiency is too low, and Christmas is just around the corner."
"Plus, this is your first event as the student council president. Do you really want it to fail?"
"Of course not!" Iroha responded defensively.
"Then we need to pick up the pace. We can't afford to keep dragging this out," Yukino said calmly.
Hearing this, Iroha hesitated no longer and quickly ran over to where Tamanawa was.
However, Hachiman shook his head. "I don't think we can rely on that student council president from Kaihin High."
"Eh? Why do you say that, Hikki? Didn't Iroha-chan go to discuss it with them?" Yui asked, puzzled.
"Did you even listen to what they were saying during the meeting?" Hachiman sighed. "It was all meaningless formalities. Sure, it might sound reasonable at first, but it's too vague. They never actually explained what needs to be done or how to do it."
"In the end, it seems like they just want to sit back and reap the benefits. Since they're not interested in coming up with ideas, we might as well plan the event ourselves. They can just follow our lead."
Yui hesitated. "But, isn't that a bit... rude? After all, they're the hosts, aren't they?"
"It doesn't matter," Hachiman said with a shrug and a smile. "Our goal is to make sure the event is a success. If they can't be relied on, then we'll just have to take matters into our own hands."
The meeting room was clearly divided into two camps.
On one side was Tamanawa's group from Kaihin High, who mostly just spouted formalities. On the other side was the current student council of Sobu High, led by Iroha. The few practical suggestions during the meeting had come from them, and even after the meeting ended, they were still diligently taking notes.
Meanwhile, the Kaihin High group, after their initial round of empty talk, hadn't done anything productive. Instead, they just chatted among themselves, while the Sobu High group continued with their work.
At that moment, Iroha came back, looking a bit dejected. Yui immediately asked, "How did it go, Iroha-chan?"
"Not well at all. President Tamanawa said that we should all brainstorm and discuss the event more in the next meeting," Iroha pouted, clearly frustrated. "And then he handed me this, asking us to keep track of the meeting minutes."
As she spoke, she distributed the documents she had been given to her student council members.
Just then, a male student stood up and handed some organized materials to Iroha.
"President, is this okay?"
"Ah, yes, I'll check it over in a bit," Iroha replied, taking the papers, though her expression seemed a bit off.
The boy who handed over the materials also looked a bit stiff, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"President, if this keeps up..."
"Huh?"
Iroha looked confused.
"Never mind, forget it..."
The boy, seemingly realizing that saying more wouldn't help, swallowed the rest of his words and sat back down to continue organizing his materials.
Iroha felt a pang of helplessness. She knew that, in truth, the student council members didn't have much faith in her as their president.
And it was understandable. With the Kaihin High student council slacking off, most of the work in the past few days had fallen on Sobu High's shoulders. Of course, people would start feeling resentful. After all, this was supposed to be a collaborative effort, but the other side seemed content to sit back and reap the rewards, while their own president seemed more like a figurehead who couldn't get anything done.
Just as Iroha sighed inwardly, she heard Hachiman's voice.
"Seems like you're having a tough time too."
Hearing this, Iroha pouted, clearly not pleased.
"That's right, and it's all because of you, Senpai. So you have to help me."
"If I weren't going to help, I wouldn't be here," Hachiman shrugged.
Tch, it's just because I paid you that you agreed to help me, Iroha grumbled to herself.
As she mulled over her thoughts, Hachiman's voice interrupted again.
"That guy earlier, he's the vice president, Makito Honmuko, right? I think I remember him."
"Yes, that's Makito-senpai," Iroha nodded, a hint of resignation crossing her face.
"But I get the feeling he doesn't really like me. Maybe it's just because we're still new to working together. I'm sure it'll get better over time."
"I think Makito seems to have it pretty tough, dealing with you as the president," Hachiman said with a slight smirk.
"What's wrong with me?!"
Iroha frowned, clearly annoyed by his comment.
"Well, maybe it's because you, as president, aren't really stepping up. You just accept whatever tasks are handed to you," Hachiman said, his tone more serious now.
"Remember, this event is a joint effort between two schools. If we end up doing all the work, what's the other side doing—just sitting back and taking the credit?"
"You're the one who's supposed to manage this coordination as the president. Do you think you've done that well?"
This left Iroha speechless, as she couldn't find a valid argument to counter him.
In desperation, she resorted to a classic tactic—playing the innocent girl.
Iroha clung to Hachiman's arm, whining pitifully.
"I don't care, this is all your fault, Senpai! If you hadn't pushed me into this position, none of this would have happened. I'm still young, and I don't know anything. So, you have to help me!"
At this point, Yukino and Yui couldn't stand it any longer.
It was a good thing they were here today. If Iroha was willing to cling to Hachiman like this right in front of them, who knows what she'd try when they weren't around.
Yukino, naturally, wouldn't say anything as direct as asking someone to leave, but the chill in her demeanor intensified. Yui, on the other hand, was much more proactive.
The airheaded Yui quickly pulled Iroha away, reassuring her, "Iroha-chan, don't get worked up. Since Hikki has agreed to help, he'll definitely do his best."
After being pulled away by Yui, Iroha hesitated to cling back on. She had only acted impulsively a moment ago, but if she kept it up, she was sure Yukino would eventually snap.
This little devil was good at reading the room.
So, now that she'd been pulled away, she could only put on a pitiful expression, her lips quivering slightly. "Then... I'll be counting on you, Hikigaya-senpai."
"Don't worry, leave everything to me," Hachiman replied with a smile and then shifted his gaze toward the other side of the room, where Tamaki and his group were still chatting idly.
...
The next day, another meeting was held.
As expected, Tamanawa, as the host, was leading the meeting. "Alright, let's continue our discussion about the Christmas event. I encourage everyone to brainstorm and share their ideas."
I have to wonder, how did this guy even become president? Always relying on brainstorming—can't he take the lead for once?
But before Tamanawa could launch into his usual spiel, Hachiman spoke up. "If no one has any suggestions at the moment, how about hearing out my proposal first?"
The group, used to their president's empty talk, was caught off guard by Hachiman's interruption, and a bit of dissatisfaction brewed among them.
Still, Tamanawa, as the student council president, responded with a smile. "Since our fellow student has a proposal, let's hear it out. If anyone has feedback, feel free to share."
"Of course," Hachiman replied with a slight smile and then turned to Iroha. "Iroha, can you distribute the event plans to everyone?"
Surprised that Hachiman was directing her, the little devil pouted slightly, but she still stood up and handed out the printed materials to everyone in the room.
As she returned to her seat, Iroha stuck out her tongue at Hachiman in a playful, secretive gesture.
Seeing this, Hachiman shook his head in amusement before turning his attention back to the Kaihin High group across from him.
"I've already drafted a general plan for the event. The event will take place on Christmas Day from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. This timing should allow everyone to attend without interfering with any other plans they might have for the day."
Upon hearing this, Kaori Orimoto's eyes lit up. "That works for me! I've got other plans on Christmas, so this solves my problem."
However, Tamanawa, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly. "This plan sounds good, but I still think brainstorming together would be better. After all, one person's ideas are limited, but by pooling everyone's thoughts, we can make this event even more lively."
He continued, "I think we should consider expanding the scope of the event. What does everyone think?"
Unfortunately for Tamanawa, as soon as he finished speaking, Hachiman's voice cut in. "I don't think that's a good idea."
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