Shiromeguri Meguri looked around with some concern. Even if it was a thankless job, someone still had to take it.
She had already served as the executive chair last year, so by convention, it should be someone from the second or first years this time.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted toward Sato's direction, and her eyes lit up.
Of course, she wasn't looking at Sato, but at Yukinoshita Yukino sitting in front of him.
"Um… you're Yukinoshita Yukino, right?" she asked tentatively.
In an instant, all eyes in the meeting room turned toward the composed and upright Yukinoshita Yukino.
As one of the most famous beauties in the private high school, almost no one among students or teachers didn't recognize her.
"Yes."
Yukinoshita Yukino responded softly. Her voice was calm and emotionless, carrying a cold, distant tone.
"What do you think, Yukinoshita?"
"You're Haruno-senpai's younger sister, right? Back when Haruno-senpai was here, she also served as executive chair. I still remember that year's school festival was widely praised and left a remarkable mark in the school's history."
"Since you're Haruno-senpai's—"
"I will fulfill my duties as an executive committee member."
Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly interrupted, her voice turning noticeably colder.
She said she would fulfill the duties of a committee member, which was essentially a polite refusal of the position. Though, in truth, there was nothing particularly polite about her tone.
The room fell silent.
Shiromeguri Meguri froze for a moment, then forced a smile. "I see…"
...
"Hmm."
Sitting in the back row, Sato rested his chin on his hand, watching Yukinoshita Yukino's aloof back and the aura that kept others at a distance. His brows lifted slightly as he fell into thought.
Something felt off about her today.
Normally, if Shiromeguri had said all that, Yukinoshita would likely have accepted. But her reaction now was clearly unusual.
And then there was what Shiromeguri had mentioned earlier.
Yukinoshita Yukino had an older sister?
He had never known that before. And from the sound of it, her sister was no less remarkable than she was.
Since she was Shiromeguri's senior, her age shouldn't be much higher, probably just starting university.
The meeting room stayed awkwardly quiet for quite a while.
Shiromeguri Meguri tried repeatedly to liven things up, but with little success, leaving her visibly helpless.
If it were a student council election, people might be interested. But for this troublesome executive chair position, no one wanted it.
"Um…"
At last, a girl sitting not far from Hikigaya Hachiman stood up.
She looked extremely nervous, stumbling over her words. She had ear piercings, giving off the vibe of a popular girl, though with a slightly flashy edge.
Sato didn't pay much attention after that. With only her volunteering, the position naturally fell to her.
At least in name, she now held authority over the school for the next few days.
...
After the meeting~
"Go on ahead."
Walking out of the meeting room, Sato glanced at the figure ahead, then turned to Isshiki Iroha beside him.
"What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yukinoshita seems off. I'm going to check on her."
Sato spoke thoughtfully, curious about the reason behind her change in mood.
From what he observed, her shift had started right after Shiromeguri began speaking.
"Are you her dad or something, worrying about her so much!"
Isshiki pouted, shot him an annoyed look, and walked off on her own.
Sato watched her retreating figure, puzzled, then took a few steps toward Yukinoshita Yukino.
Suddenly, he paused and turned back to look at Isshiki again, his expression growing strange.
Wait… could that have been jealousy?
Tsk. Troublesome.
After thinking it over, he took a deep breath and shook his head, deciding to set it aside for now.
What if it was just one of those classic misunderstandings?
Maybe Isshiki just had her period or something.
Yeah, not impossible.
But after a few steps, another thought crossed his mind.
If it was real… then wasn't his behavior kind of scummy?
He stopped.
He fell into deep thought.
He suddenly looked up.
A realization flashed in his eyes.
Wait… he was single, right?
Oh. Then it's fine.
...
"Yukinoshita!"
In the end, Sato still caught up and called out to her.
"What is it?"
Yukinoshita Yukino turned around. Seeing it was him, her expression softened slightly, though her voice remained cold.
"You seem off today."
Sato narrowed his eyes, studying her before speaking carefully.
She fell silent for a moment, but didn't deny it.
Finally, she said, "Sorry."
Sato felt a bit helpless at that.
Honestly, even after more than a decade, he still wasn't used to how Japanese people apologized for everything.
Some might call it politeness or humility.
But often, it felt more like a way to gloss things over. For example, when major incidents happen, officials bow, apologize, then disappear, and nothing really changes.
It had become a habit.
Like now, when Yukinoshita didn't know what to say.
Even apologies started to feel cheap.
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."
Sato let out a quiet sigh.