Chapter 104: Student council party (2)

I’d read online that there were no wolves in Japan. Or rather, there used to be, but they’d been extinct for a long time. The scene in the novel where a wolf attacked the student council retreat made no sense.

I decided to give up on trying to understand. Part of the reason was… I was currently preoccupied with a being far more terrifying than a fictional wolf.

Nishizono Shizue.

Since the academy had a history of over 100 years, an alumna who’d graduated only a few years ago was practically a newbie. But Nishizono-senpai’s presence was as formidable as her background.

She was from a noble family like the Asakuras, a family with a long and prestigious history. A family that, in modern times, had gained even more power through wealth and influence.

As usual, I sat next to Aya, and Mizuki was sprawled out comfortably in the seat next to us.
Just as Mizuki started to doze off, Nishizono-senpai approached, her heels clicking elegantly, and sat down next to her.

She ended up sitting directly across the aisle from me.
I tensed up, and Aya looked subtly uncomfortable.
Nishizono-senpai smiled thinly, like a cat, and looked straight at me.

“Kurosawa-san.”
“Y-Yes…!”
“The Trinity at the festival. That was quite an interesting project.”
“Ah… Yes, thank you.”

I replied cautiously. But senpai’s smile widened slightly, and her words carried an underlying meaning.

“How did it feel? Suddenly becoming one of Takamari Academy’s Four Beauties?”

This wasn’t a compliment.
I could sense the hidden meaning behind her smile. The unspoken tension of a power struggle between women, something a man would never understand.

Territorialism.

Despite not having the right background (family connections) to be in the student council, I was attracting a lot of attention. Considering the requirements for joining Takamari Academy’s student council, I was an anomaly, a speck of dust in their pristine world, and that was what she wanted to point out.

And she was doing it so subtly, with such a gentle smile.

“I, I was just… participating in the project…”

Time had taught me that my father’s position was, in the end, just a title.
Our family’s situation was much better than in my past life, but we were still nowhere near the level of these prestigious families.

Nishizono-senpai chuckled softly, as if amused by my reaction.

“Oh, so all your student council activities were just for the project?”
“Th-That’s not true…”
“Hehe, I’m just kidding. You don’t have to be so nervous.”

Nishizono-senpai smiled and slowly looked me over. Her gaze felt like a sticky web, trapping me in place. Aya, sitting next to me, gently took my hand, but Nishizono-senpai’s smile only deepened.

“Why are you so tense? We’re going on a fun retreat, aren’t we?”
“N-No… I’m fine.”
“That’s good to hear. I have high expectations for you.”

Leaving behind an elegant smile, Nishizono-senpai disappeared again, as if our conversation had never happened.

I let out a small sigh and relaxed my tense shoulders.
Aya, who had been watching, silently squeezed my hand. I glanced at her, trying to decipher the look in her eyes.

It was a look of comfort.
Aya had only suggested I join the student council once and never brought it up again.
In the end… joining the student council, and participating in this retreat, were my own choices. I didn’t regret them.

****

As time passed, most of the students on the bus fell asleep.
But I couldn’t sleep, perhaps because the seat was uncomfortable.

The protagonist in the novel, being male, had handled Nishizono-senpai’s territorialism differently.

…With a confession.

But I was undeniably heterosexual, and confessing to Nishizono-senpai, who came from a conservative family, would probably get me expelled from not only the student council but the entire academy.

‘Then how can I make her uncomfortable?’

Or, even if I couldn’t make her uncomfortable, how could I at least make sure she didn’t underestimate me?

Lost in thought, the bus arrived at our destination, a mountain lodge.
As the bus came to a stop, we heard the student council president’s voice.

“Alright, everyone, wake up. We’ve arrived at the lodge. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark.”

The student council members, awakened from their slumber, started to stretch and get up. I looked at Aya, who was sleeping peacefully beside me. Unlike usual, her lips were slightly parted, making her look even more adorable.

I hesitated for a moment before gently nudging her shoulder.

“Aya, we’re here. Wake up.”
“Hmm…?”

Aya blinked sleepily and looked at me. She looked so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Are we here already?”
“Yes, everyone is getting off the bus.”
“Ah… I fell asleep.”

Aya blushed slightly and sat up.

We gathered our things and got off the bus. A large lodge, surrounded by lush forest, came into view.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“It is. And the air is so fresh.”

As we took in our surroundings, the student council president clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, everyone, please carry your luggage into the lodge. We’ll assign rooms and then you can unpack.”
“Okay!”

Everyone started moving quickly, following the president’s instructions. Aya and I pulled our suitcases and entered the lodge. The interior was just as well-maintained as the exterior, with elegant wooden furniture and a clean, polished atmosphere.

‘This looks like a place Conan or Shinichi Kudo would like…’

I immediately dismissed the thought, remembering that there was no one with that name or personality in the student council.

I looked around, waiting for the room assignments, and briefly made eye contact with Nishizono-senpai.

“…”

Ugh, seriously… She looked like a predator, ready to pounce.
Aya, sensing my discomfort, squeezed my hand.

Just then, we heard the sound of someone running towards us.
It was Mizuki, holding the room assignment list.

“Rina-tan, Aya-ring~! Are we sharing a room?”
“Huh? Probably?”
“Hehe, that’s good. I might not be able to sleep if I had to share a room with another senpai~”

Mizuki, who had woken up a little later than the others, was as energetic as ever.
Nishizono-senpai flinched slightly and took a step back when she saw Mizuki. It was a stark contrast to her usual composed and haughty demeanor.

Ah…?
Right.
No matter how powerful the Nishizono family was… they were still below the Asakuras, who owned Takamari Academy. And Mizuki was an Asakura.

Nishizono-senpai, after glancing at us for a moment, turned around and walked away without a word.

Mizuki tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“Huh? That was Nishizono-senpai, wasn’t it? What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Aya took Mizuki’s bag and led her away. Mizuki obediently followed, and I trailed behind them.

Once we were inside our assigned room, Aya closed the door and spoke quietly.

“Mizuki.”
“Yes? What is it, Aya-ring?”
“Nishizono-senpai… I think she’s targeting Rina.”
“…Nishizono-senpai is?”

Mizuki’s expression shifted rapidly.
Then… she seemed to understand what was going on.

“I see. Rina-tan, should we stick together today?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“I’m sorry, Rina. If I’d known this would happen, I would have told you to stay home.”
“No…! It’s okay. I was expecting something like this.”

It wasn’t like I was completely oblivious.
Besides, I wanted to prevent my friends from experiencing the wolf incident from the novel.
And… we were going on a treasure hunt after lunch, and I wanted to help with that too.

“No, I should have… helped you sooner. I’m so sorry, I wasn’t being very considerate.”
“Mizuki… Aya, you don’t have to apologize…”

Their worried expressions made me feel embarrassed.

“Rina, would you rather stay here and rest?”
“No, I don’t want to run away.”
“You want to face her head-on?”
“Yeah, that’s better, isn’t it?”

I forced a bright smile. They both looked worried, but honestly, I’d been expecting this kind of territorial behavior ever since I joined the student council. I just hadn’t expected Nishizono-senpai to be so openly hostile.

****

After lunch, we gathered in front of the lodge.

The student council president smiled brightly and explained,

“Alright, we’ll now divide into groups of four for a treasure hunt! Each group must have at least one alumnus.”

Alumni… This was making me nervous.
As expected, Nishizono-senpai was walking towards me.

Just then,

Mizuki quickly looked around and suddenly grabbed the arm of another alumnus who was standing nearby, pulling them towards our group.

“Eh…?”

The surprised alumnus blinked in confusion.

She seemed like a kind person. Petite, with a slightly shy expression… She almost reminded me of myself. At least, she seemed much more approachable than Nishizono-senpai.

“Um… Asakura-san…?”
“Takase-senpai! You’ll join our group, right?”

At Mizuki’s bright smile, the senpai nodded awkwardly.
“Uh, yeah… Sure.”