On the day of the student council president election, First High buzzed with an excited undercurrent from the morning. With Azusa as the sole candidate, the election was a formality—a vote of confidence—but most students were more focused on the general assembly preceding it.
"Everyone's awfully hyped up, aren't they?" Mori remarked, scanning the lively halls.
"Says the one who's practically bouncing," Leo shot back. "Didn't you just trip on the stairs?"
"Pervert! Why were you watching me?!" Erika snapped.
"You were right in front of me!" Leo retorted.
"Hey, Erika-chan! Leo-kun!" Azusa interjected, trying to calm the storm.
The usual chaos of Class 1-E unfolded before Tatsuya, but he paid it no mind. As a disciplinary committee member, he had security duties to attend to, so Erika and Leo's bickering was the least of his concerns.
"Alright, Mikihiko, I'm leaving the rest to you," Tatsuya said.
"Tatsuya, I'm gonna hold this against you…" Mikihiko groaned.
"It's been decided for a while that I'd step out for this," Tatsuya replied coolly. "And Erika and Leo's squabbling isn't my fault."
"I know, but…" Mikihiko muttered, clutching his stomach as if in pain.
Tatsuya could tell Mikihiko doubted his ability to rein in the two alone, but to Tatsuya, it was already someone else's problem. He headed to the auditorium, where Mori was giving orders, and found himself zoning out. Even if someone wanted to sabotage Mayumi's proposal, he doubted they'd resort to drastic measures like those seen in April.
"Main entrance: me and Chiyoda. Side entrance: Tatsumi and Morisaki…" Mori directed, her tone unusually formal.
(She's really fired up today. She's even saying "watashi" instead of "atashi"…) Tatsuya thought, noting the shift but keeping it to himself, as it was irrelevant to the task at hand.
"Upper stage: Sawaki. Lower stage: Siba. That's all—dismissed."
At Mori's signal, the disciplinary committee members dispersed to their posts. Tatsuya gave a curt bow and moved to pass her, but—
"Hey, Siba, hold up a sec," Mori called.
Tatsuya stopped and turned to face her. Her voice had carried, drawing curious glances from the other committee members, but Mori's intimidating glare sent them scurrying to their stations.
"So, how'd yesterday go?" Mori asked.
"We were almost attacked a few times," Tatsuya said casually.
"What?!" Mori exclaimed.
"By 'we,' I mean me," Tatsuya clarified with a wry smile.
Mori blinked, confused. "What?"
Seeing her puzzled expression, Tatsuya explained. "Probably members of the president's fan club, I'd guess."
"So, they were jealous and got the wrong idea?" Mori said, piecing it together.
"With Miyuki there too, you'd think they wouldn't misunderstand, but…" Tatsuya shrugged.
"I see… Well, thanks," Mori said, her tone softening. "I wouldn't have noticed that myself. Asking you was the right call."
"I don't think escorting her was necessary," Tatsuya countered. "With all those eyes on her, anyone trying to attack the president would've been swarmed in seconds."
Tatsuya gave a wry chuckle as he wrapped up his report and moved to his post. Mori, however, lingered, lost in thought.
(Tatsuya wouldn't look out of place next to her. He's used to standing beside that sister of his, after all… If he came from a Ten Master Clan, an Assistant House, or even one of the Hundred Families, there might've been talk of him as a potential fiancé for her.)
Mori had a boyfriend, so her concern was for her dear friend Mayumi. She wanted Mayumi to find love and happiness soon. Before Tatsuya enrolled, Mori had only considered Juumonji or Hattori as potential matches for Mayumi. But Hattori, in her view, wasn't up to the task—he'd likely just be toyed with and discarded. Mayumi herself probably wouldn't settle for him either.
As for Juumonji, their rivalry since enrollment made a romantic connection unlikely, despite their history.
(Hattori's not even from the Hundred Families,) Mori thought, pitying him. (Your love was doomed from the start. Better give up now.)
"Mori-san? How long are you gonna stand there? It's about to start," Kanon's voice broke through, brimming with unfiltered curiosity.
Mori sighed, rubbing her temple before advancing on Kanon and delivering a swift knock to her head.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Kanon yelped.
"If you've got time to snoop, get to your post!" Mori barked. "I won't forgive anyone slacking off in front of me!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" Kanon stammered, fleeing to her station.
Watching Kanon retreat, Mori let out a quiet sigh. She was starting to second-guess whether Kanon was fit to take over her role. (Could I just… ask Tatsuya? But that guy wouldn't agree so easily. Subtle tactics won't work on him either.)
Mori knew Tatsuya could be surprisingly age-appropriate at times, but he was immune to manipulation. And trying anything sneaky would likely provoke a certain terrifying first-year—Miyuki—to freeze her in retaliation.
(Kanon will probably be fine. Worst case, Isori can help her out.)
If Azusa became president, Isori was likely to take on the treasurer role. Since the student council and disciplinary committee offices were connected, Mori figured she could dump Kanon's oversight on Isori if needed. A mischievous smirk played on her lips as she entertained the thought.
"Mori? Why're you grinning to yourself?" Mayumi's voice cut in.
"Nothing," Mori said, snapping out of it. "You look a bit off, though. You okay?"
"Yeah… I just soaked in the bath too long yesterday," Mayumi replied. "But I'm fine."
"You'd better be," Mori said sternly. "This is your last big job as president, right?"
"Of course!" Mayumi declared, her eyes gleaming. "I'm going to make this proposal happen, no matter what!"
They exchanged sly grins, but a question nagged at Mori, and she decided to voice it. "So, what were you doing in the bath? Even for a long soak, that's a bit much."
"Just… thinking," Mayumi said evasively. "It's no big deal. I'm fine now."
"If you say so," Mori replied, skeptical. "Was it about Tatsuya-kun?"
"What?!" Mayumi's voice shot up. "Why would you bring up Tatsuya-kun?!"
Mori had meant it as a joke, but Mayumi's overreaction caught her off guard. "I was just kidding… Wait, is it actually about Tatsuya-kun?"
"No way!" Mayumi protested, flustered. "I was just thinking about something, and I lost track of time in the bath. That's all!"
"Sure, let's go with that," Mori said, already regretting her teasing.
Deciding to drop the matter, Mori parted ways with Mayumi and headed to the main entrance to stand guard. She hadn't expected her offhand comment to hit so close to the mark.
They'd make a good pair, but it'd be a stomach-churning life… Caught between a wife, a mother-in-law, and a sister-in-law…
--------------------
🚀 Want to read the latest chapters early and get exclusive content?
Support me on Patreon to unlock advanced chapters and join me on this creative journey!
👉 [patreon.com/DaoistRoeoNQ]