Final Chapter: Behind the Happy Ending
A few weeks had passed since the inauguration of the new student council.
February was drawing to a close. Kazemiya had been running around restlessly, balancing her studies, club activities, and student council duties.
Though her appearances at the alliance had decreased slightly, she seemed fulfilled.
I had become a starter for my club, too, and we had made it to the third round in our most recent tournament.
Considering we used to be regulars for first-round eliminations, you could say we had definitely grown.
Racking up some wins seemed to have boosted the motivation of the other members as well.
Just like Kazemiya, I was changing. I was moving forward. At least, that's what I felt right now.
Club activities used to be nothing more than a way to kill time, but now I found them enjoyable. Well, they still couldn't hold a candle to our alliance activities, though.
"Got a minute?"
It was after school. Someone called out to me in the hallway as I headed to my club.
Turning around, I saw President Kusunoki standing there.
"...President? What is it?"
I currently had no idea why she would be talking to me.
"There was just something on my mind."
"...Something on your mind...?"
"What exactly is your relationship with Kanon?"
It seemed they had grown close enough for her to call her by her first name before I'd even noticed.
...President Kusunoki had figured out that there was a connection between me and Kazemiya.
Playing dumb wouldn't do me any good. Still, I couldn't quite grasp the intent behind her question.
"...What do you mean? We're just friends."
"She cited a precious friend becoming a place for her to belong as the reason she was able to change."
President Kusunoki was likely referring to Kazemiya's speech.
"Was she talking about you?"
President Kusunoki stared intently at me.
I felt as if she could see right through my very soul.
Denying it probably wouldn't work. She wouldn't ask something like this unless she was certain.
"...And what if she was?"
"So it was you, after all," President Kusunoki said with a soft chuckle.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. I simply found it strange, seeing as Kanon denied having any involvement with you."
...Had I been careless?
I knew she had caught onto my connection with Kazemiya.
However, Kazemiya wasn't aware of this. After all, I hadn't told her.
I'd assumed it wouldn't become a major issue, so there was no need to go out of my way to tell her.
"...We're keeping it a secret from everyone at school."
"So it would seem, but for what purpose?"
"...Do I have a reason to tell you that, President?"
When I threw the question back at her, President Kusunoki smiled wryly and shrugged.
"You have a point. I overstepped into your privacy just now."
"...Why are you so concerned about this in the first place?"
"Well, I merely wanted to convey my gratitude. Thanks to you, an exceptional officer has joined our ranks."
"...Is that so? Kazemiya just worked hard to change herself on her own."
"But during the speech assembly, you were the one who found Kanon when she disappeared, were you not?"
...Did she hear about that from Kashima-san?
No, my slipping out in the middle of the speech assembly had stood out to begin with.
I thought no one had cared, but it wouldn't be surprising if President Kusunoki remembered.
"Oops, I have no intention of reprimanding you for slipping out, you know?"
Seeing me fall silent, President Kusunoki waved her hand in front of her.
"Rather, I hope you'll continue to look after Kanon. After all, she can be a little fragile."
They had only known each other for a few weeks at most, so just how much of Kazemiya had she figured out?
"...You have no right to say something like that to me."
"Whoops, sorry about that. I've always had a bad habit of worrying too much about my peers. You know, like who they hang out with. If they're mixed up with the wrong crowd, it's my duty as a peer to put a stop to it, you see."
Her tone was gentle, but the words themselves were incredibly forceful.
A duty to put a stop to it? A normal peer wouldn't have that kind of obligation.
"...So, what you're saying is that you called out to me just to size me up?" I asked.
"Well, there is that... but the truth is, I've had my eye on you for a while now," President Kusunoki replied.
"...Huh? On me?"
Perhaps I had been mistaken about something.
I had pegged President Kusunoki as someone with an absurdly sharp eye for detail and a photographic memory.
And frankly, I wasn't wrong. President Kusunoki was exceptionally capable.
Even so, keeping track of the social life of a first-year as completely invisible as me was a stretch, even for her.
—Assuming, of course, that she treated me exactly the same as every other first-year.
But what if she had been paying special attention to me from the very beginning?
『—Are you two friends?』
If that was the case, it made perfect sense why she had asked me that earlier.
After all, my social circle consisted of occasionally exchanging a few words with Kuroki in class, and that was about it.
"You went to Yoshizawa Middle School, didn't you? Where that incident..."
—This person knew about my past.
The moment that realization hit me, a sudden wave of nausea washed over me.
"You always seemed to be alone, so I was worried about you, but..."
Despite looking slightly apologetic for bringing it up, President Kusunoki let out a relieved sigh.
"...I'm glad. It seems you've found a place to belong at this school, too."
She was probably referring to Kazemiya.
I was sure President Kusunoki was a good person at heart. She was genuinely worried about me.
But... if I wanted the alliance to survive, she was the person I needed to be the most wary of.
"Still, if anything happens, don't hesitate to rely on the student council. That's what Kanon wants, too."
President Kusunoki lightly patted me on the shoulder and walked away.
I gave it my all at club practice again today, and the night gradually deepened.
Checking the 『IKD』 group chat on my phone, I headed toward our secret base.
It looked like Tsukimi-senpai, Kazemiya, and Akazawa were all taking the night off. For once, it was probably just going to be me and Ogino.
...Just me and Ogino, huh? Sounded like it was going to be a relaxing night.
I could already picture her dozing off peacefully.
I walked all the way to the far edge of the sprawling school grounds, eventually arriving in front of the Old PE Warehouse.
The door was already unlocked, and a faint light spilled out from inside. It seemed Ogino was already here.
When I opened the door, the first thing that caught my eye was a horribly mangled guitar.
"...What?"
Ogino was leaning against the wall, her head hanging low.
Her hands were covered in blood. Crimson drops were dripping onto the carpet.
"H-Hey! Are you okay!?"
I rushed over to her in a panic, but Ogino just stared at the floor with a hollow, empty expression.
The wounds on her hands were likely from scraping them when the guitar was smashed.
There was no one else inside the secret base. The only explanation was that Ogino had broken the guitar herself.
She had smashed the guitar she cherished so much, with her own two hands.
"What happened, Ogino!?"
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently, and she finally looked up at me.
Then, she offered me a smile so fragile it looked like she might break at any moment.
"Shuuto... let's run away. Let's go somewhere far away from here. Somewhere far, far away..."
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