"So, let me get this straight. You're asking me to join your Student Council."
Rin Kuga stood in the center of the lavishly appointed Student Council office, his gaze level as he looked toward the desk at the head of the room. Seated there was a young man with disheveled blonde hair and a pair of sharp, tired "dead-fish" eyes that spoke of endless nights fueled by caffeine and ambition.
Miyuki Shirogane leaned forward, his bare fingers interlaced beneath his chin as he studied the transfer student. His hands were calloused—the marks of a man who worked multiple part-time jobs and spent his nights gripping a pen until dawn. He watched Rin with a piercing tension that felt like a physical weight in the room.
"That's exactly right, Rin-kun," Shirogane replied, his voice steady. "We've reviewed your entrance exams and monitored your performance over the last few days." He paused, his expression hardening into one of profound seriousness. "Your individual aptitude and capabilities are... exceptional. You are precisely the kind of talent the Shuchiin Student Council requires."
The moment the President finished his pitch, Chika Fujiwara let out a delighted chirp. She skipped over to Rin's side, a playful, high-energy radiance following her every move.
"Getting the President's personal seal of approval is no small feat!" she said with a giggle, leaning into Rin's peripheral vision. "You should be honored, Rin-kun! He doesn't personally invite just anyone!"
Rin remained unimpressed. The praise of these teenagers held no weight in the bigger scales. To him, Shirogane's self-assured posture and the weight of his invitation felt less like a recruitment and more like a child playing king of the hill. He found the President's perceived superiority—that subtle, unearned authority—utterly grating.
Rin tilted his head slightly, his eyes cold as they met Shirogane's weary gaze. The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Boring," Rin said flatly.
Before the word had even finished echoing against the high ceilings, Rin turned on his heel. He didn't wait for a rebuttal. He didn't look back at their stunned faces. He simply walked to the massive double doors, pushed them open, and exited.
THUD.
The door slammed shut with a heavy, final resonance, leaving Shirogane staring at the empty doorway in a state of absolute shock. In his mind, a position on the Student Council was the pinnacle of achievement—a dream every student at Shuchiin coveted. For someone to discard it with a single, dismissive word was a variable he had never accounted for.
In the corner of the room, Kaguya Shinomiya, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, watched the door with a lingering curiosity. She didn't share Shirogane's shock; instead, a faint smile touched her lips as she bit her thumb.
"My, my," she murmured softly. "That one certainly has some teeth, doesn't he? How interesting."
Classes ended with the usual hum of late-afternoon activity. Rin walked toward the school gates alone, his bag slung carelessly over his right shoulder. Throughout the walk, several girls had approached him, their invitations for a shared walk home wrapped in shy smiles and hopeful glances.
Rin had dismissed them all with a cold, polite efficiency. His standards were calibrated to a different frequency now. In a world where a woman like Mai Sakurajima existed—a perfect blend of fire, grace, and hidden vulnerability—it was difficult for the mundane to catch his eye.
"Hey! Rin!"
He was just crossing the threshold of the main gate when a familiar voice commanded him to stop. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The cadence of her footsteps and the specific sharp edge to her tone were already etched into his memory.
"And what can I do for you now, Bunny Girl Senpai?" he asked, not missing a beat.
Mai didn't bother with a witty retort. She marched up to him, her cheeks slightly flushed, and—without a word of warning—brought her heel down hard on the bridge of his foot.
"I heard a rumor today," she said, her voice dropping into a "kind" but utterly terrifying register. She leaned in, her face inches from his, her expression a mask of murderous sweetness. "Word has it that you were seen leaving your classroom in the company of two very beautiful girls this afternoon. Care to comment, Kuga-kun?"
She increased the pressure on his foot, her eyes narrowing as she studied his reaction. Rin looked at her—at the way her lip curled and the subtle, adorable puff of her cheeks—and realized she was a far cry from the composed idol the world knew.
Someone's knocked over the vinegar jar, he thought, a genuine spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. She's absolutely jealous.
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