Even after Tatsuya and the others had departed, Azusa remained in the Student Council room, alone, until the school's closing bells were nearly ready to chime. The conclusion of an entrance ceremony marks the beginning of a mountain of paperwork for the new academic year; it was hardly surprising to find the President still at her desk. If anything was unusual, it was that she had sent the rest of the Council members home ahead of her.
However, Azusa wasn't exactly powering through the work of five people. For the past hour, she had done little more than stare blankly at the monthly schedule. Every few minutes, she would let out a heavy sigh, shake her head to clear the cobwebs, and glare at her terminal with renewed determination—only to sink back into a daze seconds later. It was a repetitive cycle of productive intent and listless distraction.
Just as she let out her fortieth sigh of the afternoon, the silence was finally broken. An electronic chime echoed through the room, followed by a notification on her display. She toggled the camera feed; Hattori was standing outside.
"Am I interrupting, Nakajou? ...Oh, are you in here by yourself?"
"Ah, yeah. I just... I wanted some time to think."
Despite her casual words, Azusa stood up with her usual politeness and gestured for Hattori to take a seat. He thanked her with equal formality before sitting down.
"You know, Hattori-kun, with your ID, you don't have to wait for me to unlock the door. You can just come in."
She spoke with a relaxed, informal tone as she moved to prepare some tea, but Hattori stopped her with a sharp wave of his hand.
"I'm no longer a member of the Student Council," he stated firmly. "It's a matter of professional boundaries. One must observe the proper decorum."
"That's so like you," Azusa said with a small smile.
It was a rare comfort; Hattori was one of the few male students with whom Azusa could speak naturally, without the armor of honorifics or the stuttering of nerves.
"So, what brings you by?"
"It's about this year's freshman representative."
"You mean... Shippou-kun?"
Azusa tried to force a smile, but it was so transparently strained that Hattori immediately thought, 'I shouldn't have brought it up.' Unfortunately, it was too late to retreat. Besides, Hattori's personal code didn't allow for leaving a conversation unfinished.
"Yes. I heard he declined the invitation to join the Council."
"He did. He said he wanted to focus on his training through club activities."
"I see. Well, that's actually why I came to talk to you. I wanted to give you a heads-up."
Azusa was well aware of Hattori's rigid, almost excessive earnestness. Hattori, for his part, felt that sugarcoating things would be an insult to her position, so he didn't mince words. In their own way, the two were a remarkably well-matched pair.
"A heads-up about what?"
"Starting this year, the Extracurricular Activities Federation is following the Council's lead. We've decided to start scouting and grooming executive candidates from the freshman class. After taking over for Juumonji-senpai, I realized just how necessary it is."
"Well, Juumonji-senpai is an exception among exceptions," Azusa noted. "But I think you're doing a great job, Hattori-kun."
"I'm painfully aware that he was a singular force of nature," Hattori replied. "And that's exactly why we need to start developing leaders early. We can't rely on miracles."
By this point, Azusa had connected the dots. "So, you're going to recruit Shippou-kun as a Federation executive candidate?"
"Precisely. It feels a bit like we're snatching him away from the Council, though..."
"Oh, don't worry about that. He already turned us down, so it's not like you're 'stealing' him. Honestly, it's a relief to know he'll be put to good use."
"I appreciate that. It's a weight off my mind."
"Don't give it another thought. I had a feeling he'd say no from the start... Actually! Since you're here, could I get your opinion on something?"
"My opinion? On what?"
Instead of answering immediately, Azusa transferred the data from her terminal to the large monitor on the wall.
"Freshman records?" Hattori asked.
"Shippou-kun might have slipped through our fingers, but I still think it would be a mistake not to have any freshmen on the Council this year."
"So you've been agonizing over who to recruit instead?"
"Exactly. It's just... they all seem so talented, I don't know where to start."
Azusa looked genuinely lost, but Hattori cut through her indecision with his usual pragmatism.
"There's no need to overcomplicate it. If the top-ranked student declines, you move to the runner-up. This year's second place is..."
Hattori sorted the list by entrance exam scores, but as the names appeared, his face physically twitched. He trailed off, his expression souring.
"I guess it has to be one of Saegusa-senpai's sisters, doesn't it?" Azusa said, noticing his reaction. "Hattori-kun? You look a little pale."
"No, it's nothing. You're right. That is the most logical choice."
"I was thinking of asking Miyuki-san and the others to come with me when I approach them..."
"Nakajou," Hattori interrupted with a wry, tired smile. "You're the President. Don't you think you're leaning a bit too hard on your juniors?"
"But... I don't think I can handle them alone! Besides, it felt like Izumi-san was very interested in Miyuki-san, and Kasumi-san seemed... focused on Shiba-kun."
"Is that so?"
"I think so. I didn't see it myself, but I heard they were all chatting quite animatedly after the ceremony."
"I see..." Hattori took a moment to reflect, then gave a firm nod of approval. "In that case, having them help with the recruitment is probably a wise tactical move."
"Okay! Then I'll call the Saegusa twins in soon and see if I can't talk them into joining."
"A sound plan. Well, I should be heading back."
"Right. ...Wait, are you sure you're okay? You really did look a bit sick there for a second."
"I... It's fine. Not a major issue."
"If you say so. Well, I'm about finished here too. Shall we walk out together?"
Azusa's offer was simple and devoid of hidden meaning; she just wanted to chat with a classmate—and a fellow student leader—on the way to the gate. Hattori viewed their relationship in the same light: a purely professional and platonic bond between the President and the Federation Head. Seeing no reason to refuse, he joined her, and the two left the Student Council room side-by-side.
"You know, Shippou-kun has a bit of a... difficult personality, doesn't he?" Azusa mused as they walked down the hall.
"So I've heard. Apparently, he caused quite a scene during the initial introductions."
"Oh? Who told you that?"
"I caught the tail end of some gossip from Chiyoda."
"Ah, right. He apparently gave Shiba-kun this look of total contempt. It made Miyuki-san and Mitsui-san absolutely furious."
"I see. That explains a lot."
Hattori hadn't known the specifics, but the explanation made perfect sense. He knew better than anyone just how many girls in that circle were fiercely protective of Tatsuya.
"Well, this is my turn," Hattori said as they reached the junction.
"Yeah. See you later, Hattori-kun."
"Until next time."
Azusa waved him off and headed for the lockers.
The next day, when a group of underclassmen asked if the Student Council President and the Federation Head were dating, both Azusa and Hattori would turn bright red and vehemently deny it. Naturally, their synchronized, flustered reactions only served to make the rumors ten times worse.
(They really do make a surprisingly good pair, don't they? It's a dynamic I've wanted to explore for a long time.)
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