Chapter 32 - Marimo and Tears
Today is the club activity budget meeting.
Although there were various troubles, this is the first major task for the student council.
It’s also a major spring event where representatives from over 50 clubs and the heads of each committee gather, so we, the organizers, are also putting in a lot of effort.
The venue is the largest room on campus, the first conference room.
“Kirishima-senpai, please check the monitor!”
“Got it. Hmm, maybe we should increase the brightness a bit.”
“Understood. How about this?”
“Oh, that’s good! Onigawara-kun, nice job!”
Onigawara-kun is in charge of displaying tables and graphs. There’s probably no one more suited for the role.
“I’ve finished distributing all the materials to each seat! But there were fewer leftovers than I expected, so should I go make some extra copies?”
“Yeah, just in case. Good thinking, Karin, you’re a lifesaver!”
“Hehe. Alright, I’ll head to the print room!”
“Thanks! Be careful!”
Karin is in charge of managing the materials and taking minutes. There’s no concern there either.
“Well, I can leave the rest to those two without any problems. Hey, Marimo!”
My job is to oversee the proceedings and provide additional support. Well, it’s just like usual.
Unlike the morning assembly, I don’t have to sneak onto the podium, which is a relief. Besides, I’m on crutches, so standing is actually the most comfortable position.
“Hey, Marimo! Are you getting all this?”
“Ah, yeah, I’m fine!”
I double-checked, but honestly, I wasn’t too worried. Because lately, Marimo has been on top of her game. She’s become someone who doesn’t even show any weaknesses in front of me. No matter how big the scale of the task, this level of work wouldn’t be a problem for someone as talented as Marimo.
She’s grown so much without me even noticing. It’s both a joy and a sorrow. Is this what it’s like to watch your daughter become independent?
The meeting is about to start. Students are beginning to gather in the venue.
“Alright, let’s get this over with! After we’re done, let’s celebrate at the cafeteria!”
“Yeah, that sounds good!”
Why didn’t I take her changes more seriously at that moment? It’s a mistake I’ll regret for the rest of my life.
The meeting begins with the student council announcing this year’s budget, starting with the club leaders on the left side of the hall. After that, if there are any complaints or objections, Marimo, as the student council president, will respond.
It sounds simple, but apparently, it doesn’t go as smoothly as it should. After all, from the club leaders’ perspective, they want to secure as much funding as possible, and for many, this is their first big event since becoming leaders, so they’re highly motivated.
As expected, about one in four club leaders stands up.
“Next is the Computer Club. Here is your budget.”
“Yes, I have an objection. Our club’s computers are severely outdated. Could we increase the budget to replace at least three of them?”
The Computer Club’s budget is the same as last year. Since the number of members has decreased, we initially considered reducing the budget, but decided to maintain it due to the aging equipment. However, it’s not my role to explain that.
“Student Council President, please.”
It’s my job to pass the baton to Marimo in moments like this.
“Alright! I know the Computer Club is struggling because the number of members has decreased, but that’s the same for other clubs too. However, if you can achieve tangible results, like winning a competition, we’ll consider increasing your budget as a special exception!”
Did you hear that negotiation skill? If she had simply said, “Your membership is down, so don’t complain,” they would’ve surely pushed back. But by adding, “If you achieve results, we’ll increase your budget, so do your best,” it’s like magic.
She’s able to empathize with their feelings while making them understand that further negotiations are pointless. And she does it without leaving any resentment. Things don’t usually go this smoothly. As expected from a genius. She’s on a different level than an ordinary person like me.
The meeting continued without any major issues, and there were only five clubs left.
“Next is the Girls’ Tennis Club. We plan to update our uniforms this year. Could you consider increasing our budget for that?”
We’ve already researched this. I nodded and passed it to Marimo with a “Please.”
“Hmm, the budget is staying the same… Oh, I know!”
I thought, “That’s odd.” The Girls’ Tennis Club’s budget is set to stay the same. There wasn’t supposed to be any further discussion.
Marimo continued, “If your uniforms are getting old, why not just play the matches without them?”
—The sound of the room freezing over was audible, followed by complete silence.
I was one step ahead of the others in understanding what had happened. When a genius is pushed to their limits, the switch in their brain becomes extremely unstable. That’s when everything clicked for me.
Marimo wasn’t avoiding showing weakness in front of me—No, that’s wrong.
I had misunderstood from the beginning. She had been forcing herself to not show any weaknesses in front of me.
Though I didn’t know why, the tension she’d been holding onto finally snapped.
“Huh? What did I… what?”
I grabbed Marimo’s microphone.
“Ha, no, uh… Haha! That was just a little joke I threw in! Didn’t quite land, huh? Actually, from here on, I’ll be taking over, so let’s get serious!”
Fortunately, some people in the room understood the situation. Karin quickly escorted Marimo out of the room, and Hino-san, who was sitting at the committee chair’s seat, stood up.
“Honestly, what a lame joke! Kirishima Kouhei! You should be the one to strip as an apology! Oh, but no one would want to see that. You’re so scrawny!”
A few laughs echoed through the room.
“It was a joke, huh?” “Man, that scared me.”
“Yeah, that was awkward.” “Just a bit, yeah.”
I clapped my hands loudly and bowed deeply.
“No, really, I apologize! From here on, I’ll be serious! Absolutely!”
“That’s right! Save the jokes for your face!! Come on, wasn’t it the Girls’ Tennis Club up next!?”
Laughter erupted again, and the discussion resumed.
Thanks to Hino-san’s quick thinking, we managed to finish the meeting.
I left the cleanup to Onigawara-kun and Karin, and ran to the student council room.
“Marimo!!”
When I opened the door, there she was.
“Oh, Kou-chan… Haha, I messed up.”
Her smile was lifeless.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, haven’t you? Why… Why did you do that?”
“………………”
Marimo didn’t answer.
Why? Why wouldn’t she say anything? Why wouldn’t she cry out? Why would she make that face?
“Hey, what happened? Why won’t you rely on me like you always do?”
I grabbed Marimo’s shoulders without thinking.
“I can’t rely on you!!”
She shook off my hands.
“Because, because… if you keep taking care of me, Kou-chan…!!”
“Kou-chan… won’t be able to be happy!!”
Leaving those words behind, Marimo ran out. With my sprained foot, I couldn’t chase after her, and I was left standing there.
—That was the second time I had seen her cry.
—And the first time I had made her cry.