With the school sports festival over and a chill in the air, mid-October brought the general election to decide the next student council. The new and old councils were already having their handover ceremony, a major event that brought the entire student body into the gymnasium. For most of the first-year students, however, it was a tedious time. While looking sleepy, they held their breaths to avoid being singled out by the teachers and upperclassmen.
"And now, we'd like to invite Student Council President Horikita to deliver his final address."
At the emcee's words, Manabu Horikita slowly walked toward the microphone on the stage. He was a person whose relationship with me had changed dramatically in recent weeks. Staring blankly at Horikita-nii standing on stage, my mind drifted back to last month…
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"Wha—what do you mean?! Why, why is Tsugumi-kun…!"
Horikita, who returned to her senses a little faster than me, questioned her brother, who was holding several documents. Her reaction was a messy mix of anxiety and confusion, unlike her usual calm demeanor. For my part, my thoughts were also just going in circles. In response to our reactions, Horikita-nii calmly laid out the documents toward us.
"Specifically, these are the forms required for withdrawal and the dates we have available for a meeting with his guardian. This is something that should be handled by the homeroom teacher, but it seems it won't be that simple."
I understood that much. Chabashira-sensei, who even threatened me to get me to cooperate with the exam, wouldn't easily approve of the withdrawal of Tsugumi, who was arguably the D-Class's greatest asset. Even if we told another teacher, the information would surely get back to her. That's why Tsugumi had probably turned to the Student Council President, Horikita-nii.
"…Did Tsugumi say why? The reason for his withdrawal."
"No, I heard nothing. He just said he would return to his family and attend a different high school after withdrawing."
Horikita-nii answered my question dispassionately. From his manner, it seemed he wasn't lying.
"Why…?"
Horikita covered her face with both hands and looked down, her voice trembling. She probably couldn't accept that Tsugumi, who had contributed the most to their success, was withdrawing just as they were about to be promoted to C-Class next month and were aiming for the A-Class spot with their new, solid foundation.
"This is all I can tell you for now. For a voluntary withdrawal, you need the forms I've laid out, and the approval of the guardian, the homeroom teacher, and the chairman."
"…It's impossible. Chabashira-sensei would never approve his withdrawal."
"Even with approval, if the student themselves wishes to withdraw, the homeroom teacher can't unilaterally cancel it. At most, they can hold a meeting to try and persuade them, but with a will as firm as his… it would probably be pointless."
Horikita-nii mercilessly cut off Horikita's faint glimmer of hope. However, the fact that he went out of his way to tell us this meant he had his own objective. I had to know what it was.
"What is your purpose in telling us this? Do you want us to persuade him to stop the withdrawal?"
"Yes. That's right, Ayanokōji."
"Why? You're not close with Tsugumi, are you?"
If a rumor spread that he so easily divulged a private promise, it would be the worst possible situation for Horikita-nii. He could have just given us the documents and the schedule. It should have been that simple.
"It may seem surprising to you, but I am grateful to Saitō. He is the person who helped my inept sister grow this much. He's probably carrying a burden that he can't talk about with anyone… I haven't become so cold-hearted as to let a benefactor like that withdraw in such a state."
"…I see."
From what he said, I had thought Horikita-nii disliked his sister, but it seemed that wasn't the case. If I thought about it, the fact that he wanted her to take over the student council presidency had already given me a hint. Despite his stern appearance, he was probably a sis-con.
"He spoke highly of you. He also said, 'If possible, I would have liked to see what you would become'."
Horikita-nii's tone was much softer than before. Hearing that, Horikita, who was still looking down and trembling, looked like she was on the verge of tears. Seeing her like that, I felt a certain emotion welling up within me.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
"…Ayano…kōji-kun?"
I think my voice came out more emotionally charged than I expected. Horikita actually looked at me with anxious eyes. But I didn't feel like I could suppress this new emotion.
"What do you mean, 'I would have liked to see what you would become'? If he was planning to withdraw from the beginning, then why would he be so kind to everyone around him…!"
Was he just going to fatten us up and then throw us away when things got inconvenient? There was a chance we would never see each other again for the rest of our lives after graduation. Knowing that, why would Tsugumi even consider doing such a thing? Did he think I wouldn't be sad? I clenched my fist and spoke, remembering the face of my foolish best friend.
"I won't let it end like this!… At the very least, I'll find out the real reason."
"…I'll do it too. I won't be satisfied until I get at least one punch in."
Following me, Horikita also spoke clearly, her fists trembling on her lap.
"I see. Then that's all from me. If Saitō contacts me, I will notify you immediately. Just to be clear, only consult those you can trust with this matter. If it gets out, it will be unmanageable."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
With that, we left the student council office. As we walked back to the classroom, we saw Tsugumi among the few remaining students.
"Oh, where did you two go? The student council office, maybe?"
Tsugumi asked, grinning like a mischievous child. Although I knew my emotions were a mess, I put on a calm facade.
"So you were the one who recommended me!… Good grief."
"Hehe. So, how did it go? Did you accept?"
"I declined. It's too much of a burden for me, and Horikita said she'd rather get the position with her own strength than with a recommendation. Right?"
"…Yes, that's right."
Horikita had been looking around nervously the whole time. She probably wouldn't be able to act normally for a while. As I answered for her, Tsugumi looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong, Suzune-chan? You've been like this for a while."
"She made up with her brother. She's been like this ever since he told her she's grown. It would be funny if she became an airhead because of it."
I tapped Horikita's head, but she didn't react. …I guess she really can't handle it. I'd have to take her somewhere before she started crying.
"Haha!… I see. That's good, Suzune-chan."
After laughing happily, Tsugumi looked at Horikita with loving eyes. …This isn't good. Horikita's back was trembling.
"Speaking of which, when I passed Sakayanagi in the hallway earlier, she asked me to call you over. Do you have a promise with her?"
"Really?… Eh, seriously. Did something happen?"
I'd ask Sakayanagi to play along. I operated my phone so Tsugumi couldn't see and sent her a chat message. I could explain the situation to her… maybe tonight.
"Sorry, I've got to go! Thanks, Kiyotaka-kun!"
Tsugumi said, running out of the classroom. The other students had already disappeared, and with the sunset illuminating the dust motes, I was left alone with Horikita. The situation seemed to have made her lose her composure, and her small tremors became bigger as I heard a sniffing sound.
"Ugh… hic, why…"
I had no idea what to say to a sobbing Horikita.
"…For now, I'll contact Sakayanagi. We'll definitely stop him."
"…Okay."
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"…iyotaka-kun? Kiyotaka-kun!"
My shoulder was shaken, pulling me out of my thoughts and back to reality. Tsugumi was in front of me, looking at me with concern.
"That's good. The ceremony's over and it's time to go home, you know? We should go back, too."
Looking around, students were already leaving in order of their class.
"Oh. Thanks, Tsugumi."
"You okay? You seem tired from the sports festival. If you are, I have some great bath salts I can recommend…"
Tsugumi spoke to me with concern… Had I been so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed my surroundings? I thought it was just Horikita, but it seemed I was also a mess. The masterpiece from that facility. This me, who was considered eerie and emotionless by the researchers, was so distraught by the withdrawal of a single student.
"This is going to cost you, Tsugumi…"
"Hmm? Did you say something?"
"No, it's nothing."
I'd make sure he paid me back for this later.
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