Chapter 6 - Karin and the Student Council
A week had passed since the entrance ceremony, and the cherry blossoms had completely fallen.
However, if one looks around the school, they would see the hopeful new students blooming like flowers.
Our job as the student council is to support them so that these flowers do not wither, and we cannot afford to be nostalgic about the cherry blossoms that have already passed.
We must always look forward.
And if we are still being pulled back, we should at least give in to that much.
However, our esteemed student council president is currently out on a visit to the staff room.
The task left to me is to finish up the mundane office work.
But doing office work alone is tasteless.
I wonder if there's someone to talk to, but since there are only two of us in the student council, it's unlikely.
I don't know if my wish reached the gods, but there was a knock on the student council room door.
"Come in, it's open,"
Expecting it to be a request for directions from a new first-year student.
The previous visitor and the one before that were just that.
As it turned out, the person knocking was indeed a first-year student.
That much I got right.
"Excuse me!"
The person was a girl with a dignified presence, a clear voice, and a straight posture.
And she was a beauty.
I could categorize Marimo as a beauty too, but while she's fluffy, this girl is sharp.
The most striking thing was her chest, emphasized by her good posture, which is quite present for a first-year student.
Wait, wait, where am I looking!
"Ahem!"
"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."
I tried to dispel the worldly thoughts that had come to my mind.
And I succeeded in that, but I also succeeded in surprising the first-year girl.
Am I an idiot?
"Ah, my apologies... Wait, you're Saeki-san, right? The representative of the new students... aren't you? Yes, that's right, no mistake."
"Ah! Yes, that's right!! I'm Saeki Karin, a first-year! I'm so honored that you know my name!!"
"Well, of course, I know. You were the top of the entrance exams, weren't you? That's amazing."
"Being first in the entrance exams or whatever doesn't matter! I'm much happier that you, Kirishima-senpai, know me!!"
She seems to have an unusual set of values.
"Oh! That's right, today was the day for Saeki-san to come!"
I looked at the calendar on the wall, and it clearly said "New officers arriving!"
I apologized again and invited her to sit on the sofa.
"Ah, yes! Excuse me!"
Now, it's time for tea.
There's some black tea I bought in advance.
And some sweets.
There are some monaka wafers I bought in advance.
I had some doubts about the compatibility of black tea and monaka, but I couldn't blame the person who bought them.
Because that person was me.
Monaka is delicious, isn't it?
"You're making tea for me...! I'm honored!! Ah, it smells good... This must be really good black tea, right? You shouldn't have, not for someone like me!"
It became difficult to say that I bought it for just over 200 yen at a supermarket's time sale.
"Oh, yeah. Well, don't be so nervous. It's just me, after all."
"What are you saying! Kirishima-senpai, you're a really good person, and I respect you! And the tea you made is delicious. You're well-versed in tea too!!"
Somehow, I'm being praised a lot.
I can't quite grasp why she's so certain I'm a good person, but being praised by such a cute junior doesn't feel bad at all.
"Go ahead and have some monaka too," I suggest.
"Sorry, Marimo is out for a bit... Oh, the student council president. You've probably seen her at the entrance ceremony."
"No, I'm totally fine being alone with Kirishima-senpai! Rather, I'm happy... ehehe."
"Oh, really? But I don't have many interesting stories to tell, you know?"
"No, no, just having you sitting there is more than enough for me!"
Somehow, I'm being revered a lot.
I've never received such inexplicable respect from girls since I entered school.
Have I become a living Buddha without knowing it?
...Maybe I should prepare another serving of monaka.
And I should also bring out a special story from my heart's drawer.
Since she's so excited, I'm convinced that it's my duty as a man and as a senior to entertain her with a special story.
Hehehe, I can already see her happy face. It's a special one, hehehe.
About 30 minutes later, Marimo came back.
"Ah! Karin-chan, you're already here! Sorry for making you wait, even though you came all this way. Kou-chan, did you keep Karin-chan company?"
Hah, what a silly question.
"Don't underestimate me. We were just getting excited talking about how only male platypuses have venomous claws. By the way, female claws disappear as they grow, and you came back right in the middle of that story. It was just getting good."
"Uh... sorry, Karin-chan? I didn't mean to leave you with such strange trivia while I was dawdling!"
"No, no, don't worry about it. It was a very fun story!"
"That's good then."
"Yes. I definitely want to hear more stories from Kirishima-senpai!"
Marimo, that girl, calling my story trivial nonsense.
Look at her.
That satisfied face. You lack such honesty.
"Next time, let's talk about the ecology of giant salamanders, Saeki-san!"
"Yes! ...But next time, I'd also like to hear more personal stories. Maybe about your favorite food or what kind of music you listen to! Oh, it's not that I dislike platypuses or giant salamanders. It's just that it was a field I had never even thought about before. Ah..."
...Let no one say anything. Not even you, God.
I'm equipped with the organs to sense the atmosphere, after all.
"Well then, Karin-chan! Here, the secretary's badge and armband! With this, you're officially appointed! Since you're still new to school life, let's do our best without overdoing it!"
"Yes! I humbly accept!"
Marimo and I clapped our hands.
"Welcome to Hanamatsuri Academy's Student Council. Nice to meet you, Saeki-san."
"Yes! Oh, may I ask for one thing?"
"Sure. If it's something I can do, just ask. I hope I can be of help."
With a bright smile, she said,
"Please call me by my first name without any honorifics! And I'd be happy if you could call me Karin, just like you call Kamino-senpai!!"
"That's a very good idea! After all, student council officers should be friends. You can call me Marimo too, Karin-chan."
"Thank you, I look forward to working with you, Marimo-senpai! Kirishima-senpai!!"
"Yeah, let's do our best, Karin."
"Ehehe... Yes!!"
And so, Karin became a member of the student council.