Chapter 9: The Revealed Truth
Two weeks had passed since the general student assembly.
At the regular board of directors meeting, the revision of the scholarship system had been officially decided, and the new system was slated to go into effect starting the second half of this year. I was honestly surprised by how quickly things were moving.
I was currently hearing that report from President Kurumizawa in the student council room during our lunch break.
Ashiya was nowhere to be seen today. ...Well, to be perfectly honest, his absence wasn't exactly a hindrance.
The President smiled as she continued.
"My father was quite pleased as well. The board of directors approved it unanimously, and they'll be gradually transitioning to the next step."
"The next step, meaning?"
"Your other proposal, Sawa-kun. The scholarship repayment exemption system. It requires some coordination with the academy, so the earliest it can be implemented is next academic year, but they are adjusting things so it will be ready in time for the open campus events starting this summer vacation."
"I see..."
A sense of accomplishment slowly bloomed in my chest.
I really hadn't expected the board of directors to go that far for us.
"Also, I offered an apology to Miyake-san on my own behalf."
"What did Miyake say?"
"Regarding Miyake-san, she said—
"...Well, honestly I was totally pissed off, but I feel way better now. The scholarship system is a serious lifesaver, and it's all thanks to the Disciplinary Committee. Plus, mad props to the President and her pops!"
—That is what she said."
...How should I put it? That sounded exactly like Miyake.
A smile naturally formed on my lips.
According to what Mio had told me, Miyake had dropped her part-time job shifts down to about twice a week and was currently dedicating all her energy to her studies. In her own words, she was "aiming to be a highly educated Gyaru!"
For the time being, I supposed this meant a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
"So, what are you going to do now, President?"
"Excuse me?"
"You wanted to pass that school rule banning romance, right?"
The President lowered her eyes slightly.
"That was my intention, but I feel like this incident taught me a lesson. I need to do more things that actually benefit the students..."
Then, a faint smile graced her lips.
"Disciplinary Committee President... no, Sawa-kun. Could we talk for just a little bit longer?"
"Sure, but what about?"
"About the reason why I became an anti-romance advocate..."
Looking at her heavy expression, I got the feeling there were some very deep circumstances behind this.
I listened intently to the President's words.
"I have an older sister who is four years my senior. She is an alumna of Seigyo Academy and served as the student council president, just like me."
"Oh, your sister too..."
"Yes. During my sister's term as student council president, this school transitioned to being co-ed. As for the reason, it was just a rumor back then, but I heard from my father that it was indeed due to the declining birth rate."
...So that rumor was true.
"And from here on out, this becomes a very personal story of mine."
"It's okay. I won't tell anyone."
"Yes, I trust you—Truthfully, a man appeared who began making advances on my sister. Unlike me, my sister was incredibly smart and exceptionally beautiful, so..."
...Wait, hold on, you're quite the beauty yourself, President?
As I thought that to myself, the President's expression gradually began to cloud over.
"My sister had always gone to all-girls schools, so she was rather indifferent when it came to romance. She wasn't the type to easily flirt or pander to someone just because they hit on her. Better yet, she actively tried to distance herself from any men who approached her just because she was the student council president."
"So your sister wasn't exactly anti-romance... she was just practicing self-restraint?"
"Yes. However, after a certain day, my sister completely changed."
She awakened to romance... is that it?
"Saying she had gotten a boyfriend, she started wearing makeup, her style of clothing completely changed, she tanned her skin at a tanning salon, dyed her hair blonde, got piercings in her ears and tongue, and started wearing tattoo seals—"
"W-Wait, please stop for a second...!"
"? ...Is something wrong?"
"Halfway through that, my brain stopped processing the information... A tongue piercing and tattoo seals?"
...Huh~? That's, uh, a little different from the 'awakening' I was picturing.
"Does that mean she matched her style to the person she liked?"
"It seems so."
"Um... if you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what kind of boyfriend he was?"
The President quietly looked down.
"He was the captain of the soccer team, with blonde hair and tanned skin... He was tall and quite muscular. Oh, right, there was a day my sister suddenly brought her boyfriend over to our house—
"...Oh? Yui's here."
"Is she your little sister!? Oho! Damn~, she's super cute!"
"C'mon~, don't put the moves on my little sister~?"
"Just imagining a sister sandwich is making my crotch act up! You wanna study with us, Yui-chan? It's Health and Phys-Ed only, though!"
"I told you to stop it! Yui! You go outside for a bit~!"
—He was a person who spoke in words I couldn't quite understand."
No, I understood them perfectly.
...I see. So that's how it is. It's that kind of storyaaaaah...
Before, some buff, blonde, tanned bastard had a delusion about "correcting" the President, but it seemed it had actually happened in reality. ...Except to her sister, that is.
"Ever since she started dating that person, my sister stopped studying, failed to get into her college of choice, and now she apparently lives with that boyfriend. Occasionally she asks our parents for money, and both my parents and I are very worried..."
"Well, you could say she fell as far as she could..."
"? ...Fell?"
"No, it's nothing..."
For the sake of the innocent President Kurumizawa, I was going to pretend I never heard any of that.
"Because of that incident, I became terrified of romance."
"With all due respect, President... that isn't romance. Probably..."
"Excuse me? Then what is it?"
"Your sister was probably 'corrected.'"
"'Corrected'...?"
I seriously doubted the guy even recognized her as his "girlfriend" in the first place.
"I don't really understand, but it's a fact that I became an anti-romance advocate because of that incident. Romance can sometimes drive people mad. In order to avoid ending up like my sister, I began to brace myself even more."
...Which ironically makes you the exact type of girl who gets 'corrected,' but whatever.
"But, you and your sister are different, aren't you, President?"
"Eh?"
"It just so happened that your sister ended up that way... Furthermore, it was just a matter of her dating the wrong guy. You and your sister have nothing to do with each other."
"Is that so..."
The President dropped her gaze.
"But I'm anxious. I worry that if I fall in love with someone, I might end up like my sister. That anxiety is likely what led to the school rule banning romance. While I used the pretense of wanting to protect the students of this academy, the truth is, I was probably just anxious myself..."
I could understand her anxiety, but there was one thing I could say for sure.
"But, romance is a good thing, you know?"
When I told her that with a smile, the President lifted her head.
"I always ask myself, 'What even is a Decent Romance?' Well, things might not always go smoothly, but including all of that, it's a good experience... Don't you think people grow as human beings because they fall in love?"
The President fell silent for a moment, then softly opened her mouth.
"That might be true... It really might be exactly as you say, Sawa-kun."
With a smile on her face, the President quietly stood up and gently stepped in front of me.
"In that case, I have one favor to ask of you."
"? What is it?"
The President spoke as if she had made a firm resolve.
"Would you... teach me what that 'Decent Romance' is?"
...
......
.........Say what?
"Um, what... do you mean by that?"
"I am proposing that you practice... um, dating a man with me..."
"No, I don't care if you're proposing it!?"
...Dating practice?
Ultimately, wouldn't that just be the exact same thing as normally dating!?
"I don't have any experience with such things, so it would be a great help if you could teach me."
"No, no, that's something you should do with someone you've fallen in love with!"
Despite what I said, the President, her face bright red, began to search for words in frustration.
"T-That might be true, but... watching you be so reliable as the Disciplinary Committee President, Sawa-kun, it makes me feel this, well, this tight, squeezing sensation deep in my chest..."
...Crap, crap, crap! What the hell are you getting all fluttery for, President!?
I didn't know what was happening, but I was absolutely certain it was extremely bad.
Admittedly, President Kurumizawa was an exceptionally gorgeous woman. If she was just going to be handed over to some blonde tanned bastard, I wanted to do something to help her.
However, at that moment—
"...Ryo-chan?"
"Eep!?"
A sudden chill ran down my spine, and I whipped around.
Mio was... —not there.
It seemed I had experienced some sort of hallucination.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but then—Right, I have Mio! I realized.
"President!"
I grabbed President Kurumizawa by the shoulders.
"W-What is it...?"
"I'm sure you'll find a wonderful partner, President! Anyway, not someone like your sister's boyfriend, but a respectable, wonderful partner who will give you a proper, Decent Romance is bound to appear!"
"Eh...?"
"So, I'm rooting for you! Do your best with both the student council and romance! Well then—"
I let go of the President, spun on my heel, and practically fled from the student council room.
Right then, I happened to pass by Ashiya—but I only learned what happened next later on.
"—What the hell is with that guy... he comes to the student council room way too much...!"
Ashiya entered the student council room in a foul mood.
When he did, he apparently found President Kurumizawa slumped on the floor.
"Eh... President!? What happened!? Did that man do something to you!?"
"No, that's not it... that's not it at all..."
The dazed President shakily got to her feet.
Her cheeks were completely flushed and feverish, or so he claimed.
"He... desperately tried to persuade me... for my sake..."
"Persuade!? About what!?"
The President squeezed her hands into fists over her chest.
"To find a wonderful partner who would give me a Decent Romance... But—"
Saying that, she stared intently at the door I had left through—
"I think... I might have already found him... To think he was such a stoic and earnest person..."
—That is what she said.
In that instant, Ashiya apparently realized exactly who that partner was.
"Damn it! Sawa Ryogooooooooooooooooooo!"
—Hey, look, I didn't know anything about that...
Because of all that, it goes without saying that I didn't go anywhere near the student council room for a while.
The weekend after that incident.
Since Saturday morning, I had been fidgeting restlessly.
Just past noon, while I was messing around on my phone in the living room, the intercom rang.
"Hello, Ryo-chan!"
The person who had come to my house was Mio.
—Actually, Mio had told me after school yesterday that she wanted to come over and hang out.
Lately, it felt like I had been so caught up with Disciplinary Committee stuff that I hadn't spent much time with Mio, so despite feeling a little awkward, I had agreed.
Even so, it was sudden. We hung out occasionally, and I was sometimes invited to Mio's house, but it had been a long time since she came to visit my place like this.
"Hehehe~, I haven't come over to play in forever~"
Mio happily entered my room and, perhaps enjoying the nostalgic feeling, looked around the room restlessly.
Glance, glance, glance, rustle, rustle... —
...Wait, wasn't she looking around a little too much?
The thoroughness with which she checked under the bed and around the pillows definitely didn't match the vibe of "I haven't come over to play in forever~".
"...Good. The only hair that's fallen here belongs to Ryo-chan."
Yup, it was a security check.
I had passed for now, but I felt like the hair follicles on the top of my head had died just a little bit.
"Mio... there's really nothing going on. Give me a break and believe me already, will you?"
"I'd love to, but I just can't help feeling anxious..."
Mio stuck her tongue out with a teehee, and while it was cute, it was still a little terrifying.
—Lately, rather than trying to return Mio to her old self, I was starting to get used to the current Mio.
But, if you thought about it, that was a horrifying prospect. Without realizing it, I was stepping into a danger zone. If I stepped on even slightly the wrong spot, I'd be blown to smithereens.
...Well, it's my own fault, though.
In order to win back Mio's trust, I had to prove that I was an upstanding, pure man.
Therefore, I will be a gentleman today as well—or so I was thinking, when before I knew it, Mio had flopped down onto my futon and spread her arms wide.
"Well then, Ryo-chan. —Wanna have sex?"
"Wha...!?"
My comprehension couldn't keep up, and I nearly lost my words.
But right after saying that, Mio suddenly wrapped herself up in the futon and began to fidget.
"Today, you know... I came here with that intention..."
"Eh!?"
"Because... Ryo-chan, haven't you been holding back this whole time recently? —It's okay, you know? When it's just the two of us, you don't have to hold back..."
Mio's eyes were moist.
She was serious. She seriously wanted to have sex with me.
"No, but..."
"You don't want to? I even wore cute underwear that I thought you'd like, Ryo-chan..."
"Eh?"
"Wanna see? Just a little?"
Saying that, Mio showed me her bra through the cleavage of her clothes.
In that instant, something inside me snapped—
"Ryo-chan!? Wait... so suddenly!?"
Unable to hold myself back, I dove at Mio.
Where is the man who could refuse when invited so aggressively?
"W-Wait...! At least close the curtains! It's embarrassing~..."
A voice mixed with shame and sweetness.
When I closed the curtains, Mio slowly began to take off her clothes until she was in her underwear.
A matching pink set. It had white frills, and rather than looking childish, the design had a slightly mature cuteness to it. ...It was irresistible.
"Hehehe... Ryo-chan, do you like this kind of underwear?"
"Yeah..."
"But, it'd be a waste to take it off, so maybe we should leave it on...?"
"But, it'll get dirty..."
"Oh... yeah, you're right... Then, I'll take it off, okay?"
Saying that, she turned around and unhooked her bra with a snap. Holding her chest shyly, Mio turned back around and slowly lowered her arms. Then, she spoke awkwardly.
"Ryo-chan... are my boobs too big and weird?"
"No... they're very, beautiful."
"Hehehe, thanks..."
After that, I kissed Mio over and over, gently pushing her down onto the bed as I touched her shoulders.
"Ah... Ryo-chan, right there... ♡ It feels... good... ♡"
Confirming the soft sensation of her breasts and Mio's reactions, I felt her body heat against my hands.
And then, at that moment—
"...!"
Mio's hand touched my crotch.
"...Mio?"
"Hehehe... I actually studied a little bit, you know? I want to make you feel good too, Ryo-chan..."
Mio, smiling while blushing furiously, was simply adorable and incredibly precious.
Like that, after we awkwardly touched each other's bodies—
"Haa... haa... Ryo-chan, it's about time..."
"Yeah... Then, I'll get a cond—"
As I tried to stand up, Mio gently grabbed my arm.
"You know, today is a safe day, so you can just leave it like that..."
"Eh? B-But..."
"Please. For my first time, I want to feel all of Ryo-chan..."
"Mio... I understand. Then..."
"Yeah. Come here, Ryo-chan—"
—Hey, wait a minute!
Before I knew it, my thoughts had completely tripped into another worldline. And a highly erotic one, at that...
Calm down, I need to accurately assess Mio's current state. Which one is the current Mio?
"...Mio, did you bring that?"
"Of course! Ryo-chan's Chastity Belt is right here in my bag—"
"Alright, you're out! No sex today!"
"Eeeh!? Why!?"
...Well yeah, if the physical Chastity Belt comes out of the bag, you're completely out.
That was close, too close. It really was this Mio.
I have no interest in strapping that thing on and enjoying some abnormal activity.
"The old Mio wouldn't walk around carrying something like that, right!? Also, it lacked a certain... agonizing atmosphere, I guess... You were so close! It was good right up until the middle!"
"What are you talking about!?"
No, of course I'm happy Mio invited me. If anything, I have the urge to dive into bed right this second. But if we do it—I'll be stuck in the swamp forever and never be able to get out.
"Anyway, I want to value my relationship with you, Mio, so no sex. ...Even though I really want to."
When I said that, Mio sat up from the bed,
"Ryo-chan, you really are so earnest! I love that about you too!"
She hugged me as she said it.
Naturally, the moment the sensation of Mio's boobs directly transmitted to me, my resolve began to waver massively.
...Crap! Hold on, my rationality!! Rationality!Rationality!
Caught between instinct and rationality, a tent had already pitched in my pants.
So Mio wouldn't notice, I subtly hunched forward.
Some time passed.
"So, what are we going to do today?"
"Um... well, bask in nostalgia, maybe?"
"Like an old married couple."
"Shut up... Oh, right, I have my photo albums."
I pulled out an old album from the bookshelf.
"Whoa! So nostalgic~!"
Flipping through our elementary school album, Mio smiled brightly.
"We were so tiny, weren't we? I definitely can't fit into these clothes anymore~"
—Looking back, Mio had been a beautiful girl even back then.
Rumor had it that there was even talk of Mio entering the entertainment industry, but she was still right here by my side. The fact that I felt happy about that meant that, yeah, I really do like Mio.
"I have one more older album, too."
Saying that, I pulled out my kindergarten album and opened it up.
We spent a while looking at the photos and feeling nostalgic together, when suddenly Mio opened her mouth.
"Ryo-chan, do you remember? Around this time... I asked you to marry me—"
"When we get bigger, let's get Mawwiage, okay? It's a Prowmise!"
"Yeah. Of course I remember. We made a promise and locked pinkies too, right?"
"You absolutely have to keep it, okay? It's a promise, after all."
"That's suddenly terrifying... What's with that lightning-fast counter?"
That being said, I was happy Mio remembered that promise. And the fact that it was still alive even now.
As we flipped through the album, my eyes suddenly stopped on one photo.
"...Huh?"
"What's wrong, Ryo-chan?"
"It's this photo..."
In it, Mio and I were pictured, along with one other girl.
At the time, Mio had long hair, but this girl's hair was quite short. The girl with the pixie cut was in the photo with us, smiling brightly.
"Who is... this girl?"
"Um... huh? Really, who was it...?"
We both tried to remember, but neither of us could recall who this girl was.
"I think... Ni, Ni... —Was it 'Niina-chan'?"
The moment I heard that name from Mio's mouth, my chest suddenly tightened with unease.
—Niina-chan?
It had a somewhat nostalgic ring to it, but I couldn't clearly remember her face or her voice.
However, if the girl in this photo really was 'Niina-chan'—.
"...Fuyutsuki's first name is Niina too, right?"
At the sound of my quiet murmur, Mio froze completely.
"Ryo-chan... could it be...!"
Mio and I looked at each other and frantically flipped through the album.
Nothing, nothing, nothing—there were no other photos with Niina-chan in them.
She wasn't at the entrance ceremony, the field trip, or the graduation ceremony. It wouldn't be strange for her to be in the group photos, but for some reason, she was only in that single photo with Mio and me.
And then, at that moment—
"Remember quickly."
Fuyutsuki's voice echoed in the back of my ears, and my hand naturally sped up as I flipped the pages.
But out of the three children smiling in the old photo, only one—as if she hadn't existed in this world from the very beginning—had vanished, leaving only a shadow behind.
Mio pulled out her phone and started calling her mother.
"—Ah, Mom? Sorry, do you have a minute? It's about when I was in kindergarten, do you remember a 'Niina-chan'?"
Mio nodded, her expression grim.
"...I see. You don't remember... Then, was there a kid who transferred in halfway through the year?"
That wasn't impossible. There might have been a kid who transferred in for some reason.
—Then.
Mio's expression stiffened.
"Eh... is that, true...?"
At the voice of her mother coming through the receiver, Mio slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were trembling slightly as she stared intently at me.
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