Yakushiji-senpai smiled and looked back and forth between me and Riran.
“Hmm. Sanada Akito-kun and Kuonji Riran-san. I see, looking at you up close, you really are a well-matched couple.”
“Wha— You even know about me!?”
“Yes. There isn't a student who wouldn't know of you, someone who achieves excellent grades and possesses such unparalleled beauty.”
“~~~~~!!”
“Ow, ow, ow! Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, stop hitting me!”
I get that you're happy. Also, it hurts like hell!
I grabbed Riran's hands to calm her down. Wait, she's only this strong at times like these...!
“Ya— Yakushiji-senpai! I'm a fan of yours... ah, please shake my hand!”
“Thank you. I'm glad to hear that from you.”
Yakushiji-senpai gripped Riran's hand practicedly, her smile never wavering.
There must be a lot of people like Riran. Being popular is tough.
“S-So, Yakushiji-senpai, what business do you have with Akito?”
“About that... Sanada-kun, Kuonji-san. Could you both come to the Student Council Room for a moment?”
The Student Council Room... does that mean we're being summoned?
“Eh, what? Did Riran mess something up?”
“In this case, you're the more suspicious one.”
“No, no, at my level, I wouldn't do something like rebel against the school. Though I don't contribute either.”
“Why are you saying that so proudly!?”
Even if you say that... I just don't have much interest in school.
I won't say that because Riran will get mad and the President is right in front of me, though.
But seriously, I have no idea why we're being called. What could it be?
“Haha. You don't have to be so on guard. I simply want to talk for a bit.”
“Talk... well, if that's it.”
“Yes! With pleasure!”
Riran looks so happy.
I'm not particularly happy; rather, I'm worried sick about what she might say.
Well, I guess I have no choice but to go since I was called.
I put away my lunch box and stood up from my seat.
Then, Yakushiji-senpai stopped and turned back, saying, “Ah, that's right.”
The smile was gone from her face.
With sharply slanted eyes, she glared at Ryūya and Neika.
The pressure when a beautiful person gets intimidating is no joke...
“Hey, you two brats. You had a lot of nerve calling me an ogre, an idiot, and a moron earlier.”
“Gulp. Y-You heard that...?”
“E-Ehehe... please forgive me~♪”
“Hmph!”
*Whack! Whack!*
““Hogeh!?””
“I'll let you off with just that for today. Also, don't fool around too much inside the school. Got it?”
““Y-Yes...””
Oh, those two actually listened.
Wait, what did those two do? I'm curious.
I left the classroom carrying my lunch wrap.
Just Akito and Riran being together was enough to stand out, but walking ahead of us was Yakushiji-senpai, famous as the Student Council President. We stood out. We stood out immensely.
Feeling weary, I walked for a while. We finally entered the Student Council Room.
Plush carpets.
Expensive-looking sofas.
Documents and school newspapers lined up on bookshelves.
There was even a refrigerator.
They probably made it a comfortable space to handle student council work efficiently, but... this is amazing.
“Now, please take a seat.”
“E-Excuse us.”
“...Excuse us.”
As we sat on the sofa, she took plastic bottles of tea from the fridge.
“Sorry, is tea alright?”
“Yes, of course!”
Hmm...
“I want to go home.”
“H-Hey!”
“Ahaha! I understand, Sanada-kun. If I were in your position, I'd probably want to go home right now too.”
“Then please let me go home.”
“Now, now, it's fine, isn't it?”
Yakushiji-senpai sat in front of us and bowed her head.
“I'm sorry, you two. Please forgive me.”
“Ya— Yakushiji-senpai, what are you doing!? Please raise your head!”
“What is this about, exactly...?”
“...It's about the team divisions for the Sports Festival.”
Ah, now that I think about it, Rio did say that Yakushiji-senpai was involved in this year's team divisions.
So this is an apology for that...?
“Truthfully, I didn't want to do something like this. However, if those connected by a Red Thread are on the same team, unfairness inevitably arises.”
“...Did something happen in the past?”
“You're quick to catch on, Sanada-kun. Exactly. It was over a decade ago, but there were classmates connected by a Red Thread in the same way. As a result...”
“A-As a result...?”
*Gulp.*
“Incidents of food poisoning, sprains, and heatstroke occurred in other teams, leaving more than half the students unable to participate. The Sports Festival itself turned out to be a disaster. It seems that except for the team with the Red Thread couple, every other team only scored 10 or 20 points.”
That's way worse than I expected!?
“A rule was established that if there's a couple connected by a Red Thread in the same class in the future, the teams must be split.”
“And we happen to fall under that this year?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“But this time it was a coincidence that the whole school found out about us. What would you have done otherwise? If it's that serious, wouldn't it be better to take a survey on the Day of Destiny to see if anyone is connected within the school?”
That way you could split the teams in advance and proceed with preparations; it feels more efficient.
However, Yakushiji-senpai showed a wry smile.
“Regarding your first question, a couple connected by a Red Thread will definitely slip up once summer vacation starts. So there's no need for a survey.”
Ah... so they let their guard down during summer break and get caught by the school.
I guess there really were people like us and Ryūya in the past too.
“As for the second point. Indeed, there was such an opinion at first. However, it concerns the students' privacy. It faced backlash from almost all students and parents, so that idea was rejected.”
So there was a history like that...
True, that would be incredibly unfair.
Moreover, Riran and I have a Dark Scarlet Thread. No telling what could happen.
“...I understand. If that's the case, I'm convinced.”
“I-I am too.”
“...I'm sorry. As an apology of sorts, I won't report your cohabitation to the school.”
Wha— How did she know—!?
“You have a face that says 'how does she know?'. Haha, I wonder why?”
Yakushiji-senpai laughed lightheartedly and gave a wink.
It looked natural and cool on her... but that actually makes me feel how scary this person is.
Yakushiji Miori... she's a terrifying person.