Episode 9 – Swinging gondolas and committee decisions
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818093093871195961
The inside of the narrow gondola, which turned slowly, was filled with the red of the slanting sun.
The time was already past 5:30.
From above, it was easy to see that the number of visitors was gradually decreasing, probably because tomorrow was a weekday.
“We had fun today, didn’t we?”
Hisui looked out the window with a sigh of contentment.
Her hair was absorbing the sunset and scattering a loose red light all around, and it was so beautiful and ephemeral that it left me at a loss for words.
“Hmm, senpai?”
“….I’m sorry, I was admiring.”
“Me? Or out the window?”
“Both.”
I told her honestly. Because there was no reason to deceive.
“H-Heee. Senpai sometimes says something cool, doesn’t he?”
After a moment of shocked look, Shiramine wrapped her bangs around her fingers and looked away.
“I just feel that way. For some reason.”
It’s been a while since I felt like playing with someone. No, no. I was able to play as just me, not me acting as friend A.
“Did you have a good time, senpai?”
Shiramine asked with a slightly anxious look in her eyes.
“Yes, of course.”
That’s right, we had played too much, had too much fun, and I was a little tired.
If I close my eyes, I feel like I’ll fall asleep.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Anyway, thank you for today. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as fun if I had been alone.”
Even though I was only saying thank you, Shiramine’s face quickly turned redder. It was just like the sky outside the window.
“!! … D-Do you know the sunset is red, senpai?”
“Hmm? That’s sudden. I think it was Rayleigh scattering. The sunlight takes longer to pass through the atmosphere than it does during the day, so the other pigments are lost and the red color remains.”
“H-hmmm. You know a lot about it, don’t you?”
“Fufu, I have confidence in my miscellaneous knowledge.”
It was worth it for me to watch some random trivia videos on Y-utube before going to bed. That really is a time stealer, isn’t it?
“—The flow of the river never stops, and yet the water is never the same. That’s a phrase I like.”
“Eg?”
Shiramine said quietly.
To be honest, I did not understand the true meaning of the words.
No, I understood the meaning of the word itself. What I didn’t understand was how she was feeling when she said it.
“It’s almost the end of the Ferris wheel, isn’t it? I might be a little sad to see it go.”
“I’ll go out with you again. If it’s okay with me”
“Hee, very thoughtful. Senpai.”
The gondola stopped. We went outside.
It was getting a little dark and the street lights were starting to come on. The faces of people passing by on the street all looked satisfied, which made me feel a little at home.
“I’m going to go home. We have school tomorrow.”
“I guess so. …… is that?”
Just before I was about to leave, I finally remembered what I should have done today.
“What’s wrong? Senpai”
“I forgot to watch over …… Aota and the others after all.”
I was so disappointed that my shoulders slumped.
After the weekend, the regular curriculum finally began on Monday.
In the second period homeroom, the officers of the various committees were to be decided.
“Well, first we’ll choose the class representative. Are there any candidates?”
Aoi-sensei, standing in front of the teacher’s table, asked this question, and the classroom fell silent. Of course, I didn’t raise my hand either. Not because I’m a shy boy. It’s because I have only one goal in mind.
“Hey, Ren.”
With a word, he poked me in the back with a pen or something. I immediately turned around.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Are you still going to be on the P.E. committee like last year?”
“Oh, yeah, of course.”
Because, as a member of the P.E. committee, you will be in charge of organizing two events.
One is the ball game tournament the month after next. The second one is the athletic festival in the fall.
The most troublesome of the two is the ball game tournament.
The ball game tournament at our high school is a bit special, and each grade is divided into four groups.
Red, White, Blue, and Green.
The classes are then divided by color, with the red group consisting of third-year students and the red group consisting of second-year students, and the teams are formed to compete in a tournament.
“Last year we were in the same group, weren’t we?”
“Yes, the same white team.”
And I’m in charge of sorting the teams. That’s one of the jobs of the athletics committee.
…..Kukuku I’m going to be able to play around with it this year, too.
“Yes, there. Don’t talk. …… anyone want to do it? Then is there anyone who was on the class committee last year?”
Aoi-sensei seemed to have lost her patience and was going to force a decision.
“Y-Yes. I did it last year.”
In the front row by the window. It was Kazekawa who raised her hand hesitantly, looking unsure of herself. It was true that she had worked hard as a class representative last year.
“Kazekawa, you’re all alone. Sorry, can you help me?”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
“Okay, the chairperson has been decided. The rest is the vice-chairman. ……Mmm, Kazekawa. As a member of the same committee, you can choose who you want to use and destroy, okay? I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl.”
That’s a scary thing to say. I know that class committee members are quite busy, but to use them up?
“Umm, let’s see… ……, then.”
Flick, flick. I don’t know why, but my eyes are constantly meeting with Kazakawa’s. Ah, I see. You want to work with Aota?
Hmmm. She’s a bit shy, but I guess it’s a different story when it involves someone she likes.
I give her a thumbs-up. I can make it happen, right?
Then, Kazekawa lightly bailed a little apologetically.
What’s that? This much. I nodded without saying a word.
“Hey, Aota?”
I understood completely the flow of the conversation and called out to Aota in a small voice. However, just before Aota opened his mouth to say something, I heard Kazekawa’s voice.
“—I’d like to ask you for a favor, if it’s ok with you, Hayami kun.”
Oh, no! How did that happen?!
“Good for you, Hayami. A cute girl asked for you. Good luck.”
Aoi-sensei smirks. Oh, this one is serious. She really wants to use me up.
“……Ugh”
What should I do? If I can’t become a member of the sports committee, I won’t be able to manipulate the class as I please
“Hey, this is a request from a cute girl, you know?”
I can feel the stares from Kazekawa, and I can feel the pressure from my classmates around me saying, “Whatever, just do it.”
“Hahaha, you’re right. I understand.”
Well, anyway, I’m sure Kazekawa had her own reasons, so I’ll ask her about it later.
The last member of the public morals committee had just been decided when the chime rang.
“I’m sorry, Hayami kun. I decided without your permission.”
At the end of the second period, during the 15-minute break, many students left the classroom, probably to go to the store or the restroom. In the middle of this, Kazekawa spoke to me.
“It’s fine, nothing special.”
Or perhaps she had no choice but to nominate me. Certainly, from Kazekawa’s point of view, I was the only one she could choose without making any waves. Perhaps that’s all there was to it.
“However, I don’t understand the job of a class representative, so please teach me.”
“I’ll do my best, too, of course.”
“Ren and Kazekawa are the class representatives. That’s a relief.”
Aota, who was sitting behind me, said nonchalantly. Aota, too, was running for sports committee member.
Tch, What the hell is he trying to do?
“Oh, that’s right. Kazekawa, Hayami. Can you stay a bit after school?”
Aoi-sensei, who had finished gathering all the documents and teaching materials at the teacher’s desk, asked me this.
“Well, I’m …….”
“Hayami seems to be all right. What about Kazekawa?”
Hey, hey, hey, you’re being awfully harsh, aren’t you?
“I’m fine too.”
“I’m sorry, Kazakawa. Then, come to the student council office after school.”
Hmm? I thought for sure I’d be made to carry luggage or something, but it seems that’s not the case. …Or rather, it doesn’t seem like this person thinks I’ve done anything wrong.
“What could she want…?”
“A-Anyway, I’ll see you after school, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you after school.”
The time passed in the blink of an eye from third to fourth, fifth to sixth periods, and soon it was after school.
“Well well…….”
I wonder what I’ll be asked to do, but I pick up my school bag from the hook on my desk.
“Good luck, class representative.”
“Aota, club?”
What Aota lifted up was not a school bag but a big enamel bag. He looked like an athlete.
“Oh, well, goodbye. Ren.”
Aota waved his hand bluntly and left the classroom. He was probably headed for the club building next to the school ground.
“Hayami kun. Shall we go, too?”
Kazekawa, who had finished getting ready to leave
“I guess so. But first,…….”
I took out my phone and decided to send a message to Shiramine.
This is because Shiramine often wait for me in front of the school gates after school.
“Here we go.”
I didn’t get an immediate read, but I’m sure she’ll notice eventually.
Our school’s student council office is in the corner of the first floor of the east wing. I’ve never been inside, but I’ve seen it before because it’s used as an office during the school festival.
“Excuse me.”
“Excuse me.”
Kazekawa and I both entered the room together.
The student council room. There are shelves with small windows on both walls, and a large desk in the center.
“I see that there are quite a lot of people here.”
I nodded at Kazekawa’s words. There were already several students inside.
“Oh, is that senpai?”
“It’s Hayamin-senpai and Tsuki-senpai.”
The sliding door at the back of the school opened and Shiromine and Koganei called out to me as soon as we walked in.
“Mihoshi chan,……, did you become a class committee member by any chance?”
Kazekawa asked with a puzzled look in her eyes.
“That’s right!”
Mihoshi rushed towards Kazekawa like a cat that had found its owner, and gave her a soft hug.
“I’ve also ended up becoming a class representative… although it’s mostly because of this girl, I was forced to do it.”
It seems that she ended up becoming the class representative because she was dragged into it by Koganei. In a way, just like me.
“–Sorry I’m late. Hii, Fuu, Mii…yeah. It looks like everyone’s here.”
The door slid open. A girl walked in wearing a mysterious sash with “Student Council President” written on it and toy glasses with a nose and a moustache.
“I’m Sanada Tsubaki, the Student Council President. I look forward to working with you, everyone.”
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