Episode 127 – Once You Suspect Something, Everything Else Will Look Suspicious

Deep in my heart, I, Shinkai Sakura, have been lamenting over my unreasonable situation.

I’m a very busy person because I hold various positions such as student council president and class president. Moreover, I’m still not used to the job of student council president, even though I have been watching Haruka senpai for a long time. In the midst of all this, events that would further increase my tasks came one after another. I’m still sitting at my desk in the student council office looking over the budget proposals for each department.

“……Even though Hashimoto san is missing.”

Hashimoto Michiko is a first-year girl who has been unilaterally suspended from school. I have sent several messages to her in hopes of contacting her, but she never responds. I had placed my trust in her and entrusted her with several tasks, and if there is a hole there, the entire student council will become too busy.

“And in the midst of all this, they still push me to do my work……”

The other day, a young man who managed to repair a relationship that had grown apart, Tachibana…..no, Shiina Kanata. Just the other day, he contacted me through Yukihana san.

[Look into Miura.]

To be honest, just hearing those words made my head hurt.

Miura senpai is a former vice student council president and someone I’ve had to deal with on several occasions. That’s why I don’t want to doubt him, and Kanata should be the one to investigate him in the first place. But he changed his mind and said he would leave it to me.

“Prez, is something wrong?”

“!? No, nothing.”

It seems I was talking to myself. The members of the new student council were looking at me suspiciously as I mumbled to myself. They too, though not as much as me, seem to want to concentrate on some of the duties that need to be done today.

(……Well, their opinion is reasonable in a way.)

According to what I heard, Kanata was apparently having some exchanges with Miura senpai. I was surprised to hear that Miura senpai had such a side to him, but at the same time, many questions came to my mind. I’m sure it was the same for Kanata.

Who is Miura Haruto?

I have heard that he is the ace of the soccer club, former student council vice president, and holds many other titles, I heard that in the third grade, he is a person who is on par with Haruka senpai. In fact, he is the epitome of both a literary and a military man, and has earned the trust of many students, both male and female.

I was certainly the right person to approach such a person, as we were both members of the student council. It’s much easier to extract information than someone with a half-baked relationship like with Kanata. After all, he would only recognize me as a schoolgirl.

(…..But I just can’t believe that Miura senpai is a bad person.)

I have been in the same student council office for about a year, and I have never had a bad impression of him. He took the initiative in doing the work of the student council, and along with that, he also worked hard every day practicing with the soccer club and so on. I don’t even want to imagine that such a serious person has an evil heart.

(It’s times like this when I wish I could ask Haruka senpai directly.)

Haruka senpai, who is in the same grade as him and the former student council president, would know more about him than I do. But Kanata said he didn’t want to involve Haruka senpai any further. That’s why we had to find out information about Miura senpai on our own.

“Let’s call it a day, shall we? There are a few clubs that have yet to submit their reports.”

Saying this, I left the student council meeting. I myself had been worrying about Miura senpai, and my work efficiency had dropped. I’m sure that I will not be able to make progress if I continue to work in agony. Then, it would be better to change the order of priorities.

As the student council members left the student council room one after another, I remained until the end, leaning my cheeks on my desk and muttering to myself.

“…..At times like this, Kanata should be more suitable to do the job.”

He maintains a perfect psychological distance from people. That’s the field that Kanata excels at the most, and the technique that I’m the least good at. I can do more than I used to and I’ve become more cheerful, but I’m still a shy person at heart. I just can’t get into these things.

“In the first place, you should know that I’m busy, but you’re entrusting me with so many things……that’s too much.”

We’re supposed to have made up with each other, but I wonder why I’m being used like this. After all, the matter of Yukihana san has still not been resolved. No, before that, I have to do something about Hashimoto san…..

“Aaaaaaah ! There’s too much to do !”

I was lamenting the amount of work I’ve had to do, while I was exposing myself in an ugly manner that would surely draw the attention of anyone who saw me roar and yell.

“…..I’m going to check out Miura senpai first.”

Maybe there are some clues left in the student council room. There are a lot of things to investigate, such as the materials Miura senpai created and what kind of work I was doing before joining the student council. Getting everyone home early paid off here.

“When this is over, let’s gather something for Kanata and Yukihana san.”

While involving Yukihana san, I would do what only I could do.

※※※

And as for me, having pushed Sakura to do her work, I was about to do something completely different from her. The moment it was after school, I left the classroom and went to a secluded place.

“Because, given Sakura’s personality, the first thing she would probably look into would be Miura.”

I would leave the mystery of who Miura was completely up to Sakura. I, on my part, will try to cut into it from a different angle. Yes, the ultimate goal is to drive Shinya and the others to ruin.

“Anyway, the first person I’m going to contact is the girl who was suspended from school.”

Her name is Hashimoto Michiko. I have no information about her except that she is a first-year girl and belongs to the student council. That’s why I thought I should find out why she was expelled and how it happened.

“I was thinking of asking Sakura for her contact information, but it’s not very good.”

I think Sakura might be able to give me her contact information, but she might not be willing to do so because of the risk of personal information. And if she were to be asked where the information was leaked from, Sakura might be put in a compromising position. If that happens, I’m out as well.

“So I had no choice but to contact her in my own way.”

There are many ways to proceed without relying on Sakura. I would rather have her concentrate on Miura. I’m already involved with Miura in such a distorted way that it’s a little difficult for me to get information and feelings out of him.

So I made sure no one was watching and stepped into the equipment room. I often use it as an oasis during lunch, but I also find it useful for secret meetings. It’s a little dusty, but that’s a minor problem.

“Well, I guess it’s about time……”

I check the time on my phone and confirm that the meeting time is approaching. I think this might be the first time since I started high school that I’ve called someone like this. I’ve been involved in both good and bad things.

Less than a minute after I entered the room, the door to the equipment room was opened again. And in walked a girl with blonde hair that didn’t seem to fit the occasion.

“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting, Senpai !”

It was Nanase, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.