The Student Council office was quiet.
Remarkably quiet.
The only sounds were the turning of pages.
Kenji Tanaka sat there quietly questioning every life decision that had led him to this room.
Rin stood at the front of the conference table.
Several charts had been pinned to a nearby board.
Yurika calmly sipped her afternoon tea.
“Report. What’s your status, Rin?”
Rin nodded once.
“We have begun Operation Scarlet Ribbon.”
She clicked a remote.
A chart appeared onto a projector screen.
The screen read:
Average Daily Interaction Time
Last Week: 27 minutes.
Current Week: 17 minutes.
Kenji stared in disgust.
“You’re measuring interaction time?”
“Correct,” Rin replied in her typical dry tone.
“Why?”
Rin adjusted her glasses.
“It is relevant.”
“How?”
“It has decreased by thirty-seven percent.”
“THAT WASN’T MY QUESTION.”
Nobody acknowledged him.
Rin flipped to the next slide.
The screen read:
Private Conversations
Last Week: 8
Current Week: 3
“Private conversations have decreased by sixty-two percent.”
Yurika nodded.
“As expected.”
Kenji slowly raised a hand.
“How are you defining a private conversation?”
Rin didn’t even look up from her notes.
“Two individuals speaking without third party interference for longer than thirty seconds.”
“Wait? You timed them?!”
“Correct.”
“Why?”
“It is relevant.”
“STOP SAYING THAT.”
One of the council secretaries quietly leaned toward another.
“I think it’s fascinating.”
Her friend nodded.
“I didn’t realize romance could have spreadsheets. It’s like super scientific.”
The other secretaries nodded in agreement.
Kenji looked at the ceiling.
“I miss budget meetings.”
Rin continued.
The next slide read:
Joint Walks Home
Previous Week: 3
Current Week: 0
“Success rate: one hundred percent.”
Yurika set down her teacup.
“And Tachibana’s response?”
Rin flipped another page.
“Subject displays increasing frustration.”
A photograph appeared.
Hikari.
Standing alone outside the gym.
Arms crossed.
Clearly waiting.
Kenji squinted.
“Is… is that a surveillance image?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“A photograph.”
“That’s the same thing! How did you even get it? Are you stalking this poor girl?!”
Rin adjusted her glasses.
“I have my methods…”
“THAT DOESN’T ANSWER ANYTHING!”
Rin ignored him.
“Subject remained outside the gymnasium for nineteen minutes.”
“Why exactly nineteen?” Kenji questioned in an exasperated tone.
“Because Mr. Sakamori’s conversation with the President concluded in nine minutes and forty-three seconds.”
“…”
“…”
Kenji slowly rubbed his temples.
“I’m begging someone…”
He looked around the room.
“…Anyone…”
He continued to try to find someone else in the room with a shocked face.
All he saw were eager teenage girls awaiting more status reports.
“…Please tell me this is weird.”
The room was silent.
Finally, one of the secretaries spoke.
“I think it’s kind of romantic.”
Another nodded enthusiastically.
“I wish someone would put this much effort into me.”
Kenji looked genuinely horrified.
“…No.”
He pointed toward the board.
“This is stalking. WITH STUDENT COUNCIL RESOURCES, NO LESS.”
Rin calmly made another note.
“Mr. Tanaka continues to exaggerate.”
“I’M THE ONLY PERSON HERE THAT’S NOT EXAGGERATING!”
Yurika finally spoke.
“Conclusion, Madam Vice President?”
Rin turned to the final slide.
It read:
Operation Scarlet Ribbon
Phase One: Complete
Current Objective:
Reduce spontaneous interaction.
Progress:
Ahead of schedule.
Yurika smiled.
Kenji blinked.
“Ahead of schedule?”
“Correct,” Rin replied coldly.
“I didn’t know there was a schedule!”
“There are several.”
Rin reached beneath the table.
Then calmly placed a binder in front of Yurika.
The label read:
Operation Scarlet Ribbon: Phase Two
Kenji stared.
“There’s another binder?!”
“There are four.”
Kenji looked dumbfounded.
“…Four?!”
“One for each phase.”
“…”
“How many phases are there?”
Rin glanced down at her notes.
“Currently?”
She turned another page.
“Four. Up to a maximum of seven.”
Kenji’s soul briefly left his body.
“…I need a vacation.”
Friday finally arrived.
I had eagerly been awaiting the weekend.
This week was exhausting and the cultural festival was rapidly approaching.
I looked around the classroom and everyone looked just as eager to leave and get on with their weekend.
In fact, I’d say they looked far more eager than usual.
I couldn’t blame them.
Hikari stretched as the final bell rang.
“Finally.”
She packed her bag.
Around her, classmates began filtering out of the room.
I was only a few desks away.
For a brief moment… our eyes met.
“…”
“…”
Neither of us spoke.
Ever since…
That stupid one-on-one game…
Things had felt…
Awkward.
I gave her a small nod.
I wanted things back to normal but I didn’t know where she stood.
So I felt a small gesture would be the least likely to get my head torn off.
“See you Monday,” I said with a dumb grin adorning my face.
“Y-Yeah.” Hikari could barely look me in the eye as she spoke.
“Have a good weekend.”
“You too.”
I smiled.
Then left the classroom.
Hikari stared after me.
“…Idiot.”
She looked away.
“…It’s not like I wanted to talk to him anyway.”
She slung her basketball bag over her shoulder.
“Besides…”
She started heading out the door.
“We talked all week.”
Technically, that was true.
Math class.
History.
Japanese.
Homeroom.
Completely normal conversations.
About homework.
Teachers.
Festival assignments.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing personal.
Nothing…
Like before.
She frowned.
Then a more pensive look decorated her face.
Before school…
He’d been meeting with the Student Council.
Lunch…
Festival committee.
After practice…
Cleanup duties.
Walking home by themselves…
Every day…
Something had kept them apart.
“…Tch.”
She kicked a pebble across the walkway.
“I don’t even care. Why should I?”
The pebble bounced off a bench.
“It’s actually kinda nice.”
Another kick.
“He’s less annoying this way.”
She folded her arms.
“Stupid Kaito.”
She sighed.
“Why does it feel like I haven’t talked to him all week?”
That thought stopped her.
No.
That wasn’t right.
They had talked.
Every day.
Just…
Not outside class.
Not naturally.
Not…
The way they always had.
She slowly looked toward the gymnasium.
Then toward the Student Council building.
More and more thoughts seeped into Hikari’s head.
The committee.
The meetings.
The schedule changes.
One after another.
Every interruption…
Had started…
After the Student Council inspection.
Hikari frowned.
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Don’t be stupid.”
President Amakawa had been nothing but polite.
Helpful.
Professional.
Everything she’d done made sense.
The festival was coming.
Of course schedules were changing.
But what about all the rumors about her?
How scary she was.
She knew first hand how her memory seemed to be perfect.
Scarily perfect.
But was she just imagining things?
Being paranoid because she had once again made things awkward with Kaito.
As she crossed the courtyard, she noticed a familiar blonde figure speaking with one of the teachers.
Yurika Amakawa.
Elegant as always.
Clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
Their eyes met.
Yurika smiled warmly and waved.
“Have a wonderful weekend, Tachibana.”
Normally…
Hikari would have waved back.
Instead…
She simply nodded.
“…You too.”
Hikari continued walking.
She didn’t look back.
Unsettling thoughts were permeating her mind and she didn’t like them one bit.
Yurika watched until Hikari disappeared through the school gate.
Only then did she finally turn away.
Rin quietly stepped beside her.
“Madam President…”
“Yes?”
“You’ve worked nineteen consecutive days.”
Yurika smiled softly.
“That is acceptable.”
Rin adjusted her glasses.
“Your workload now exceeds recommended health guidelines.”
“I am aware of that.”
“You have averaged five hours and twelve minutes of sleep.”
“I am well aware of that too.”
“You have skipped lunch three times this week.”
“Your point, Rin?”
“Your efficiency has decreased by approximately 1.8%.”
Yurika stopped walking.
“Enough.”
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t angry.
But the firmness in her voice caused even Rin to straighten slightly.
“I will not discuss this issue any further.”
Rin nodded.
“Understood.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Yurika spoke again.
“Now…”
Her calm smile returned.
“…Can we return to the matter at hand?”
Rin opened her notebook.
“Subject Hikari has begun recognizing the pattern.”
“That was to be expected.”
“She currently lacks sufficient evidence.”
“As planned.”
“Probability of direct confrontation remains below eleven percent.”
“Excellent.”
Rin flipped to the next page.
“Recommend immediate implementation of Contingency Plan Delta.”
Yurika looked back toward the school gate where Hikari had disappeared only moments earlier.
A gentle breeze stirred her hair.
Her smile never changed.
“Approved.”
Rin made a neat checkmark beside the entry.
Contingency Plan Delta
Status: Authorized
The notebook snapped shut.
Neither girl noticed Kenji walking past them.
He glanced toward them.
Toward the notebook.
Toward the words “Contingency Plan Delta.”
He slowly closed his eyes.
“I’m… going to pretend I didn’t see that.”
Then he continued walking.
University couldn’t come soon enough.
Rin turned to Yurika.
“Are you concerned with this latest development, Madam President?”
Yurika shook her head.
“No.”
“Then we proceed as scheduled?”
Yurika nodded.
She looked toward the gym once more.
“Childhood friends don’t lose because someone steals their place..”
A quiet breeze stirred her hair.
“They lose because they believe…”
Her smile deepened.
“…there will always be a tomorrow.”
She reached for her teacup.
“Genuine affection…”
She took one slow sip.
“…is never won in a single move.”
The cup settled softly onto its saucer.
“Let’s continue.”