Chapter Forty-Eight: [Extra 1] Aina-chan’s Heart (Part I)

There was a time when I was suffering from a hopeless sense of inferiority.

No matter how hard I tried.

No matter how good the performance I act out is.

I was in despair before his unrivaled existence.

If he had at least looked down on me, then I might still have been saved. At least then, my heart could have believed that I was still better on the inside.

But he didn’t even acknowledge my existence. No, it wasn’t just me; he wasn’t interested in anyone. He couldn’t see anyone in his eyes. That made me even more miserable.

…Yes, of course, I was aware of his unhappy situation. In terms of familial love, I was more blessed than anyone else, but that fact was no consolation to me at all at the time. Even though he was miserable, I was jealous of the strength of his unyielding resilience.

I didn’t like myself thinking that way. I didn’t want to admit my ugliness.

That’s why I jumped at the idea of studying overseas and spent three years at the middle school there.

Even after returning to Japan, I tried to distance myself from him by choosing a specialized department different from his.

And it was a success. At least I finally had a peaceful school life that I haven’t had since I was in elementary school.

–This was it.

“–Vice-President, Aina Sainohara.”

I listened to those words in despair.

…Why do they keep me close to him?

“Vice” means pushing me into a position that clearly indicates that I am inferior to him.

I don’t want to get close to him…!

I don’t want to feel inferior again…!

No matter how much I rallied against it in my heart, the election result is absolute. I was not allowed to decline.

I went to the Student Council room in despair that day.

…It’s strange, though.

From him… I feel more peaceful now that I’m a lot closer to him than in middle school, where I kept running away from the President.

“–I hope you’re not doing anything strange!”

Whenever I brought a gift, I always said that as a greeting.

…I mean, I wasn’t suspicious of them one bit. I was just ashamed of saying that I’ve brought my gifts with me. Isn’t there any way of saying it without sounding unnatural?

–However, today, it was an unusual sight that came into my vision.

“Wow, it’s Aina-chan! What do you have there? Cheesecake?”

“I’ll apologize on her behalf, Sainohara.”

“…No need. What are you two doing? It’s strange, no matter how you look at it.”

Is… Is there something wrong with my… gut feeling?

No, I don’t think so!

“Why are you two sitting in one chair! What’s with the short distance between you two!”

…It was like seeing a ghost.

I don’t feel nor see any sexual nuances with Hououin Ayaka typing out materials on her laptop while in the President’s arms, who is signing documents, but it’s obviously inappropriate and an unusual thing to do in the Student Council room.

“…It can’t be helped. This is more efficient because I can see Ayaka’s mistake faster… Ayaka, that’s not a mathematical formula.”

“Oops! Thank you, Kaname. I couldn’t think about it very well since I’m doing two things at once.”

“This much is normal, isn’t it?”

…No, it’s not normal to all. Where are you looking at, President?

I mean, they almost had me convinced for a moment, but wouldn’t it be better for the President to check it out later? I think it would be inefficient to keep working like that.

…But unfortunately, I couldn’t put it into words.

“…Really. You can’t be without me.”

The President rests his chin on Hououin Ayaka’s head and declares that… It’s a bit greasy.

The relaxed face of the President who has the most diligent features in the school, may appeal to women to the point that it would color their cheeks red, but for me, who is of the same sex and knows his past… I’m sorry. In all honesty, I found it a bit disgusting.

After clearing my throat, I decided to act as an honorable Vice-President.

“…it’s good to adjust for efficiency, but please be mindful of the eyes of ordinary students. If the President of the Student Council does this, it would be unbecoming.”

“When we started working in this position, a bunch of regular students actually came here, but all of them just took pictures with their smartphones and went home smiling. For some reason, they also encouraged me.”

“…”

…I was too late…!

I can’t believe other witnesses have already seen this… At least be proper when there are visitors. Apart from the foolish oddities of Hououin Ayaka, the President ought to be fundamentally a man of common sense. Why doesn’t he know that this is strange?

“…Well, this is all the result of how much I endured over our fight the other day.”

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

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