Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

More than halfway through October has passed.

Shibahou Academy, which is preparing for the school festival at the beginning of November, is now in the mid-term examination period, and the atmosphere is changed to a new one.

Each class is now working hard to prepare for their performances.

However, due to the schedule, the school festival will be held right after the exam results are announced. It is youthful to devote oneself to the festival without worrying about one exam, but is it possible to play with the heart right after the drop in grades?

Many students are working hard on their studies to keep their eyes on the road ahead, but the student council is going about its business as usual.

「Rejected. Please go back」

Monday, the first day of exams, after school.

The head of the school festival committee, accompanied by one of the third-year female students, is being baptized by the student council's famous "Demon Vice President".

She is Lucille Orwell, a beautiful girl with naturally blonde hair.

She rebuffed the paperwork of the head of the committee, and the head of the committee shrugged his shoulders and said, "It is true".

And the girl who came with him raised her voice in frustration.

「Wait, don't give up just because I rejected it once. You're the head of the executive committee, right?」

「Y-Yeah. Well... But I'd like to know why it's not working」

「That's easy」

With the two upperclassmen standing in front of her, Lucille, who was sitting cross-legged in a chair across the table from the entrance, sniffed.

「I don't see the necessity. The budget you have right now is enough to cover it, right?」

The Head of the Executive committee wanted to request an additional budget.

And during the school festival, the budget distributed to each class and club is decided by the executive committee. The student council is the main source of the budget given to the committee.

And the student council decides the "budget for the school festival" from the annual operating costs.

In other words, if the Executive Committee's budget is insufficient due to distribution or other reasons, it is possible to negotiate with the student council for additional money, but without successful negotiation, it is impossible.

「I figured you'd say that, so I brought you this」

The Head of the Executive Committee presented the committee's financial documents.

On it, all the expenses up to now are summarized.

「Heh~, you're well prepared」

「Yeah. Izumi advised me to be well prepared if I go」

「Phew... I see」

Lucille's mouth twists up in a smile, and she glances at Chihiro.

「...Haha」

Chihiro laughed, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, despite the fact that he didn't think The Head of Executive Committe was sending him salt.

But it only took a moment for the vice president to look at him.

After all, she immediately looked down at the accounting documents and started flipping through them. As she did so, Chihiro could see the wrinkles gradually creasing on her scowl.

「See? You should understand that the budget of the committee is not enough, right?」

A third-year female student, the accountant of the executive committee, made a proud face.

Apparently, she doesn't realize that her comment is a minefield.

「Yeah. It sure looks like there aren't many left」

「Then」

「Then it's your own fault」

And with that.

After randomly throwing away the documents, Lucille reached over to the plate of sweets she had pulled near her, grabbed a few at a time, and popped them into her mouth.

「What? Why!?」

「Chihiro, haven't you checked this out?」

Lucille asks Chihiro without looking at the screaming accountant.

「I've seen it several times, but... I can't do more than that when I'm not asked to」

Chihiro is a member of the student council. Checking the accounting every time money is moved or interfering with the way the Executive Committee operates would be an excessive act of authority.

...Even if he had a suggestion, he couldn't point it out unless he was asked to do so.

「OK. That's good. You don't want to get into unnecessary trouble」

「Y-Yes」

It was great to hear her praise him so happily, but the look on the accountant's face scared him. Chihiro was thought so.

Anyway, it was Lucille she was staring at.

「Hey, why are you complaining? Didn't you look at the documents properly?」

「Yes, I did. And I'm saying there's too much waste」

She tried to protest further, but was met with a cold reply.

「But it's no use looking at the budget directly under the Executive Committee. You see, the number of purchases and the amount of money are too large for the application. Drawing paper, paper tape, origami, what is it? Did you buy them at a convenience store? Or did you waste money thinking that you can just buy more when you run out?」

Chihiro thought the same. After all, buying things in bulk at inexpensive stores is not the best thing to do, moreover, if a person keeps writing things off and disposing of usable things, it is obvious that he will spend a lot.

Such expenses are, in a word, "wasteful".

Each of them may be small, but together they can amount to a large sum. 

「That's just a quibble...」

「What quibble? It just means that you can't do anything within the budget you've been given and you've been crying out for help」

「Wha... you...」

The accountant, knowing that she couldn't reach the table, tried to lean over it, and the Head of the Executive Committee and Chihiro rushed to stop her.

Clap!

The sound of clapping hands brought everyone's attention to a single point.

Next to Lucille, the girl seated in the middle of the table, the student council president, Kurohane Yotsuba, with short hair and an amber headband, smiled calmly.

「Let's stop there. ...Izumi-kun, in your opinion, do you think it will be difficult to run the school festival with the remaining budget?」

「...No. I think it can be managed if we rethink our approach even now」

「Yes」

Yotsuba nodded and turned her gaze to the two members, who hadn't interrupted the conversation, Ayase Aoi and Hazuki Marika.

「Aoi-san, Marika-san」

「I've gathered up some leftover construction paper and other things here. Hazuki-senpai said she can spare up to 5,000 yen from the budget set aside for the student council's performance」

『That's it, just barely』

Ayase quickly replied, handing the bag in "her" hands to the executive committee accountant.

「Thank you. ...Well, that's all the student council can do for you. Please take care of the rest on your own」

Yotsuba smiled like a holy mother at them.

Using her staff well, she makes concessions to the extent possible, interceding with the strict statements of the vice president.

Even the accountant, who had been racking her brains, was taken aback by this, and could only thank her honestly.

「T-Thank you very much」

「Don't worry. I know it will be hard for both of you, but let's work together and do your best」

This is how the current student council of Shibahou Academy usually runs.