.
[-Continuation-]
.
[-Hachiman's POV-]
'Finally, a moment of peace.'
After making all the necessary apologies, I felt the coolness of the coffee tin in one hand.
My other hand finds its way to my forehead, desperately trying to massage some life back into my tired mind.
I sat on a long wooden bench, one that was attached directly to the wall of the conference room.
The meeting had finally wrapped up, and now there was this brief moment of calm apart from the gentle hum of post-meeting chatter filling the air.
As I stared at the condensation forming on the coffee, a stray thought wandered into my mind.
If I remember correctly, wasn't she supposed to show up?
That girl from the summer camp - Rumi, wasn't it?
Hmm, I think according to the plot, she was here when our two school representatives opened the event to neighboring schools.
Surely, the meeting for today was over.
But I am not sure anyone has brought up the idea yet.
Or maybe I missed it.
You know what I mean?
"Seniors, did you get a good idea of what's going on here?" Isshiki's voice cuts through my thoughts, her words practically dripping with optimism as she surveys our small group.
In front of me stood Yukino, Yuigahama, Isshiki... and Asano, the vice president of the student council.
We are conducting our own post-meeting review session before we all head our separate ways.
"A disaster, maybe?" I said bluntly, unable to filter the first thought that came to mind.
"Senior!" Isshiki pouted, throwing her arms up. "Would it kill you to sugarcoat things once in a while?"
"Yes." I answered immediately.
My deadpan response draws a musical giggle from Yuigahama.
Beside her, Yukino releases one of her signature sighs - crosses her arms as she begins to assess the situation with a critical eye.
"The disorganization was... expected. But the lack of clear direction could be problematic. We should focus on streamlining the process before it derails further."
Asano, who was listening intently, nodded slowly, his hands tucked into his blazer pockets.
"Agreed." His gaze shifted towards the other school representative. "Though at minimum, we need to refine communication between us and Kaihin Sogo High's representative, Tamanawa."
Ture.
Yukino's sharp gaze turned toward Isshiki. "First of all, Isshiki, how did you manage until now?"
"Oh, that was super easy!" Isshiki chirps, waving her hand as if swatting away a fly. "I just kept saying things like 'amaaaazing!' and 'I better try my beeest too!' They totally bought it! Then it's just answering emails here and there."
Yukino couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose at that. "Nevermind."
"Haa, I don't really get what the big deal is." Isshiki sighs, her shoulders drooping like a wilted flower.
"Well, you at least didn't agree to do all the paperwork by yourself, so it's fine." I noted relief coloring my voice more than intended.
"Yes, President. You did well." Asano chimed in, his voice tinged with exhaustion, though his smile remained polite.
It didn't take a genius to see that Asano and this team were beyond done with all the paperwork he had been saddled with in recent days. His tired eyes were enough to tell me that story.
Isshiki, oblivious or just choosing to ignore the strain, perked up at the praise. "That's all thanks to senior Yukino! She warned me to be ready for that. Otherwise, I probably would have agreed to everything they threw at me."
What do you mean - 'would have'?
According to Asano's earlier complaints, our group has been shouldering most of the paperwork burden ever since our less than stellar performance during that mind-numbing brainstorming session.
At least today, Yukino managed to prevent another paperwork avalanche.
I leaned back on the bench, letting the cool coffee tin press against my forehead once more.
"Alright." I mutter, straightening my uniform. "Are we done here?"
"I suppose it's almost time for us to head home." Yukino said, glancing around the room, and I could tell she was just as ready to leave as the rest of us.
As I joined the scanning of the room, I saw the students from Kaihin Sogo High slowly gathering their things, preparing to leave one by one.
"I guess so. Why don't we get going too?" Isshiki's suggestion flows naturally toward Asano, who gives a brief nod in response before quietly directing the others to start cleaning up.
It was almost surprising how quickly the room shifted into motion, everyone starting to clean up after the meeting.
I can't help but raise an eyebrow as Isshiki turns back to us, her next words carrying unexpected weight.
"I will be eating with the other student council members and going home after that. Seniors, you can head home first."
Something's different about her today. More... presidential.
Yuigahama turned to us with her usual cheerful tone. "Okay, we will be heading out then!"
I nodded back, glancing at the student council trio still tidying up the room, and then continued toward the door.
…but just like a persistent echo, Isshiki's voice catches us just before we escape.
"Ah, right. Tomorrow's meeting will start around this time too…. and I look forward to tomorrow as well."
Yukino responded without missing a beat. "Understood."
With that, the three of us, Yukino, Yuigahama, and I, finally stepped out of the conference room, the door clicked shut behind us.
The time was probably designated at a specific time since they anticipated it would take some time for the Kaihin Sogo High students to get here.
And I am sure this will continue for the coming few weeks.
For once, I actually felt a little bad for the student council members, having to deal with the chaotic mess left behind.
Nevertheless, they really seem to get along decently. I mean, they are definitely on the right path.
I conformed seeing Ishikki get along with other student council members.
Actually, it won't be a lie to say our student council is slightly disoriented when compared to Kaihin Sogo High, as no matter what there is a feeling of distance between Isshiki and the other members.
A president who was in her first year can be unsurprisingly bothersome.
It was only a one year discrepancy, but to us high school students, that was rather big. They would act tactfully around each other, but that tactfulness and consideration were things that obstructed their interactions.
In the end, it wasn't about whether we could do something about it, but it was a problem with Isshiki and the others.
…
.
Soon we hit the spot where Yuigahama usually splits off from me and Yukino.
"Phew, another meeting tomorrow! But hey, I'm kinda pumped!" Yuigahama stooped, who had been trailing behind me and Yukino.
"Let's hope it's more productive this time." Yukino said, her tone serious, but there was a slight softness to it, like she wasn't entirely dreading it either.
Yuigahama waved at us as she reached the street corner. "Alright! See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, see you." I gave her a quick nod, and she disappeared down the road, her cheerful figure fading as she walked away.
That left just the two of us, Yukino and I, walking together in the quiet and we still had a bit of a walk ahead of us.
With just the two of us left, I glanced at Yukino again.
"You seem pretty spaced out today." I pointed out, noticing the unusualness since we came out of the community center.
She takes her time answering, like she is tasting her words before letting them out.
Finally, there's this tiny sigh. "Just thinking... about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" I ask, though I am pretty sure we're not thinking about the same tomorrow.
"Yes, tomorrow's meeting will probably drag on forever." She says it like she's reading from a script.
My mouth twitches.
Yeah, that's definitely not the tomorrow either of us is really thinking about.
She catches my eye, and there's this ghost of a smile playing on her lips - you never quite know if she's messing with you or not.
"Though I suppose I should be grateful you didn't start snoring. That would have been... challenging to explain away."
I kept my eyes on her, the words stuck somewhere between my mind and mouth. The silence was thick, hanging in the air like it had weight.
Finally, I broke it. "Let me drop you off at your apartment today?"
Yukino's gaze shifted toward me, her expression unreadable at first. The pause felt longer than it was, like she was carefully weighing her response.
Then, after what seemed like forever, she gave a small nod. "I don't mind."
Her voice was calm, like always, but this time it had a gentleness, a softness I hadn't expected.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
[Author Reminder : +3chapters advance in Patreon]
-->patreon.com/WrightBrothers