Chapter 32: The Third Trinity

The next day, we headed to the student council room after lunch. Partly because of the social media promotion plan, partly because I’d become accustomed to following Aya and Mizuki everywhere, and partly because the student council room felt strangely comforting now.

It was surreal to think that I, who had initially tried so hard to blend in, was now part of the central group. But… being with them felt right. Being without them felt strange now.

As we walked down the hallway, I could hear snippets of conversation.

“Look, it’s the Trinity.”

“Ah… they’re so pretty.”

“Three perfect beauties.”

Aya and Mizuki, as usual, seemed unfazed by the whispers. I was probably the only one self-conscious about the attention.

We arrived at the student council room. Inside, a second-year blond male senpai was lounging on the sofa, eating a sandwich. He had a cheerful yet refined air, an aristocratic aura… what was his name again?

‘Was it… Ren?’ I couldn’t quite recall. And his last name…?

“Oh, hey guys~” he greeted us, waving his hand.

“Hello, Kamisaka-senpai,” Mizuki replied, and Aya and I bowed our heads slightly. Ah, Kamisaka. That was his last name.

“I heard from Tachibana yesterday. You’re creating a social media account for promotion, right?”

“Yes, that’s the plan,” Mizuki replied, and the blond senpai nodded, smiling. “So, the public relations team will be in charge of that, right?”

‘Oh, right. He’s the public relations officer…’

Then, his expression turned thoughtful. “Well, since I’ve been unexpectedly assigned this task, I have a proposal.”

“Yes?”

“How about… featuring the Trinity, you three, in the promotional materials?”

“…Huh?” The three of us exchanged surprised glances.

I’d overheard whispers about the “Trinity,” but I hadn’t realized people were actually using that term for us. I knew about the legendary Trinity from the rumors circulating around the school, a concept that hadn’t appeared in the novel.

But hearing it addressed directly to us… was unexpected.

“But… Trinity? That’s too much~ ahaha…” Mizuki said, waving her hand dismissively.

The blond senpai chuckled. “You three are incredibly popular, you know?”

The whispers, the stares in the hallways, our constant presence as a group… were we really that popular?

“N-No way… but it’s not… official, is it?”

“Is the ‘Takamari Four Beauties’ title official?”

“Well…” It wasn’t official, but it had become a common term. But making “Trinity” an official title seemed… strange. And I wasn’t even one of the Four Beauties.

“But I’m not… that beautiful,” I said quietly, looking at the senpai.

“No, no, Kurosawa-san, you’re plenty cute. More than enough,” he replied with a cheerful smile.

“But there’s Yukikawa-senpai…” I started to argue, then stopped myself.

‘Oh… right.’ Aya’s expression had darkened slightly. She didn’t like being compared to her sister.

The blond senpai, mistaking my hesitation for modesty, shrugged. “It’s fine. We’ll call you the Five Beauties, then.”

“Is that… how flexible that title is?” I asked, dumbfounded. He was so smooth, so typically a cheerful blond.

“Well, someone made up the ‘Four Beauties’ title anyway. But seriously, could you three go stand by the window for a moment?”

“…Okay.” Aya bit her lip, then quietly walked towards the window.

I felt bad for upsetting her with my careless comment. Mizuki followed, and I reluctantly joined them, trying my best to smile this time.

And then, click. The sound of a smartphone camera.

“See? This is perfect,” the senpai said, showing us the picture.

“Uh… no,” I said, waving my hands in protest.

But Mizuki, taking the phone from him, looked at the picture thoughtfully. “Hmm… it’s not bad, actually.”

“Mizuki, don’t agree with him…!” I said, flustered.

But even Aya, after looking at the picture, nodded. “Anything to make the Spring Festival a success.”

With Aya’s approval, I couldn’t argue.

“Oh, as expected of the planning committee head,” the senpai said, grinning.

I still couldn’t believe this was happening. I’d tried to avoid the spotlight, yet I was now being promoted as one of the school’s beauties? I was already mortified. What would I do next?

“B-But, there’s no way I can be part of the Trinity…”

“Even if you’re not officially part of the Trinity, having beautiful girls in promotional materials is a given. And you three are naturally cute, so there’s no need for much editing,” he said casually, taking his phone back.

I just groaned. Was I the only one who thought this was a bad idea? With Mizuki and this senpai in charge of public relations, I felt like I was being swept along by their decisions.

Just then, the student council room door opened, and Hiiragi-senpai entered, his expression indifferent. The “black-haired prince,” as he was known, looked around the room. “What were you talking about?”

“The Trinity,” the blond senpai replied casually.

“Ah, the Trinity.” Hiiragi-senpai seemed to understand immediately and nodded.

“Why?”

“We were thinking of using them for the Spring Festival promotion. They came up with the social media plan. Take a look.”

Hiiragi-senpai took the phone, looked at the picture, and then said, “Not bad.”

‘…What’s not bad?!’ I glared at him, but he ignored me, his gaze fixed on the picture.

Aya, who had been quietly contemplating, spoke. “How about creating a mysterious ‘Trinity’ account?”

“Ugh, wouldn’t that be too self-promotional?” I protested, and Mizuki, shaking her head, agreed.

“Aya-ring, that’s a bit much, don’t you think? Posting pictures of us on the official festival account should be enough.”

“Hmm… you’re right.” Aya rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

I honestly didn’t want to think about this any further. Hiiragi-senpai was still staring at the picture, muttering, “Hmm…” and the blond senpai kept saying, “It’s a good idea, trust me.”

Just then, the door opened, and Tachibana-senpai entered.

“Is everyone here?”

“Ah, Aya, give her that.”

“Okay.” Aya stood up and handed Tachibana-senpai the social media proposal she’d prepared last night.

Tachibana-senpai took the documents and began reading, a brief silence settling over the room. And then…

“Hmm, not bad,” she said, her expression neutral. “I think we can proceed with this.”

“What? Tachibana approved?” The blond senpai’s eyes widened, and he lunged for the documents. Hiiragi-senpai followed, reading over his shoulder.

“Hmm…”

They scanned the proposal, then nodded in agreement. And then, Tachibana-senpai made a decisive declaration.

“Let’s create the SNS account. Now.”

“Indeed,” Hiiragi-senpai added calmly. “I, as the vice-president, approve.”

I was stunned. ‘They’re deciding this… this quickly?!’

But before I could protest, the blond senpai was already on his phone, creating the account, his fingers moving with practiced ease. He was good at this… Come to think of it, he was also on the list of influential students we’d compiled.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. I need to meet with some people,” Mizuki announced, standing up.

“Then, Asakura-san, you can handle the middle school students, and I’ll meet with the high school students?”

“Okay.” The blond senpai stood up, stretched casually, and followed Mizuki out of the room.

Four of us remained.

“If Shirazuka-san were here, we could have a relaxing cup of tea—” Hiiragi-senpai started to say, then, as if summoned by his words, she entered.

“Oh my, what’s going on? I thought I heard someone calling my name.”

As Shirazuka Yurika made her elegant entrance, Hiiragi-senpai chuckled. “It’s just… remarkable how you always appear when we mention your name.”

Yurika-senpai smiled faintly. “You shouldn’t tease a lady, Vice-President.”

Their easy banter suggested a long-standing familiarity. I watched them quietly, realizing how close-knit the student council members were.

“So, Yukikawa-san, I assume the Spring Festival isn’t just about social media promotion. What else have you been planning?” Hiiragi-senpai suddenly asked, turning his attention to Aya.

Aya nodded calmly. “Of course, there’s one more thing. I’m planning to revive the night market.”

…Ah.

Perhaps this was the inevitable pull of the novel’s plot. Just like in the original story, Aya had brought up the night market. And the night market… was the reason for Aya’s collapse in the novel.