Kaoru Miki: Good to see you again, Shinohara-san!
Shinohara Wakaba: You too, Kaoru-san. How have things been since the last time I was here?
KM: Oh, same old, same old. Although one of my students made me the cutest thank-you card for two years of lessons.
SW: Right, you don't just work here; you teach piano too!
KM: That's right. It was Nanami's idea too—Kiryuu-san. Once the restaurant was stable, she kept telling me I'd never be happy without doing something connected to music. She even got my sister in on it.
SW: Kozue-san, right?
KM: Yeah.
SW: You two are twins, right? How is she doing?
KM: (laughs) No idea! She left Japan two years ago.
SW: Really?
KM: Yep! Last we heard from her she had some tiny apartment in Paris. But she makes sure to write home for all the holidays, and I know she knows she can call if there's ever any trouble.
SW: Wow, I…that's quite a life.
KM: It certainly sounds like it! Not for me, though. I'm happy where I am. …But I don't think you came here to talk about my sister.
SW: No, I suppose not. Although she did go to Ohtori too, right? So she'd always be welcome to contribute to the project.
KM: Oh, it's a "project" now, huh?
SW: Hey, don't make fun of me, Kaoru-san!
KM: Sorry, sorry. How's it coming along, anyway?
SW: Not bad, but there are still some pretty big holes in the story. But I just recently met with Tsuwabuki-san, and—
KM: Tsuwabuki-san! How is he?
SW: He seemed to be doing well! And it sounded like he'd be happy to see you and Kiryuu-san again, and perhaps Arisugawa-san as well. It was pretty clear he looked up to all of you quite a bit in school.
KM: I should send him a message.
SW: You should. Anyway, based on that I wanted to ask more about the student council meetings, especially the years before Tsuwabuki-san joined.
KM: …All right.
SW: Like I said ahead of time, we can stop at any time. You don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable with.
KM: Right. Thank you, Shinohara-san.
SW: You're welcome. So…
KM: Yes. Well, you already know I joined in seventh grade. I assume it was Arisugawa-senpai who recommended me, since she knew me from the fencing club. With Tsuchiya Ruka-san having left the year before there was an opening, and so I came on as secretary. Back then Kiryuu-san's brother was president, Saionji-san was vice president, and Arisugawa-san was the treasurer. Oh, sorry, you must know this already.
SW: No worries. It's all getting recorded anyway.
KM: Right. Anyway, our meetings were held in the central tower, on a balcony overlooking the PE field. Since the council was only a handful of students, there wasn't a regular schedule or anything; when something came up it was easy enough for the president to summon everyone together. There was this formal chant we had to start each meeting, which I'm afraid I've forgotten.
SW: I've always wondered, wasn't it windy up there?
KM: (laughs) It was, but it wasn't that bad! But I do remember getting so much rain at one point that the balcony actually flooded. There was this massive puddle that wouldn't drain. We all just kind of stared at each other and then finally Arisugawa-senpai said something like, "Well I'm not going to stand out in that. The rest of you can do as you wish."
SW: (laughs)
KM: Anyway, that was most of it. It really wasn't so exciting—we were just involved with the school administration and with putting on social events for the students.
SW: I think you're underestimating how big an impact that had on the rest of us!
KM: …Maybe I am. It's always different in the other person's shoes, isn't it? …Anyway, that's what seemed to be different about Ohtori, compared to other schools. The student council is always pretty important, but they're not usually involved in the actual running of the school like we were.
SW: That sounds like what I've heard as well. I mean, the student council was an actual part of the academy charter, and there's that whole section of the school code about it.
KM: You've either done your research, or you have a way better memory than I do!
SW: Oh, no, it's nothing really. I still had some of my student handbooks in a box, and was looking up things like this. Did you know there were rules about uniforms, and special rules for student council uniforms, but no rule that said a girl had to actually wear a girl's uniform and not a boy's? Or vice versa.
KM: Really? What an…odd bit of trivia.
SW: Well, I guess for most of your time at school you were in the student council uniform anyway, and that was the same for both boys and girls.
KM: Except for Kiryuu-san, who just had to be different (laughs) Don't tell her I said that!
Kiryuu Nanami: Too late! Hey, Shinohara-san.
SW: Good to see you, Kiryuu-san.
KN: Mickey, I hate to cut your meeting short, but we have those two big groups coming in tonight.
KM: Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes.
KN: Shinohara-san, I'm sorry I can't stay and talk with you tonight…
SW: No, I understand, it's no problem. Hope you're doing well.
KN: Thanks, you too. Keep coming back, you hear? You're getting to be one of our best customers.
SW: Ooh, you think I can get a frequent diner discount, Kaoru-san?
KM: I, uh, I'm not sure if we do those. I can ask Kiryuu-san later…
SW: Oh, don't worry, it was just a joke.
KM: O-oh. Right.
SW: Anyway, I do have more things I'd like to ask you, but I don't want to keep you here much longer.
KM: Maybe one last question?
SW: Thank you, Kaoru-san. Well, in that case…this is going to sound weird, but did anything strange happen during the student council meetings?
KM: "Strange"?
SW: I don't want to bias your answer by explaining, but, well…
KM: "Strange"… Huh. I mean, there were all sorts of distractions up on that balcony, but…huh.
SW: What is it, Kaoru-san?
KM: No, it's nothing. The wind and the air played tricks on us sometimes, but in the end it was just the five of us sitting at a table.
SW: The five of you?
KM: Yes, the fi—
SW: …
KM: The four of us, of course. I don't know why I said five.
SW: …Right.
KM: Shinohara-san?
SW: …Sorry, I must be getting tired. I'll let you go now.
KM: Thank you. Maybe you should take it easy tonight, huh?
SW: Thank you, Kaoru-san. Yes, perhaps I'll head home.
