48

I was to deliver the names of the students with the clubs they were in to the student council. Each member of the class wrote in the information, and when it came time to deliver it, Iinchou offered, "Want me to take it there by myself?"

"Why is that?"

"Uh, because, you know, it's said that the Pivoine and the student council don't get along… and you're sort of the Pivoine…"

What do you mean by sort of? How insulting.

"I'll be fine. Besides, part of the reason for this is to let the student council know who the class representatives are, so I'll go. All we have to do is hand these in."

"If you say so."

"Then let's go. We can go home after this." I prod Iinchou by waving the form around and headed to the student council chamber.

I came here for the first time. The first graders don't have student council members, so I'm unfamiliar. I knock on the door and get permission to enter after declaring why we were there.

"Excuse us."

Inside the student council chamber, aside from each having a clerical desk, bookshelf, and locker, there was a sofa and table in the center. It was a simple setup compared to the Pivoine's Salon. Well, compared to the Pivoine, most anything would look mundane. I get the sense of the meritocracy in the student council chamber. Even so, it's Zuiran, so the furnishings are nice.

Iinchou and I reintroduce ourselves, and repeat why we're here.

"The club listings? Put it in that box."

I place it there as directed and I'm done. Over. I was about to take my leave when the door opened forcefully.

"Hey! I got some food from the cafeteria, so let's eat! Really, I was going to grab some from the Pivoine!" My heart skipped.

"Hey, Prez! She's Pivoine!"

"Huh?" He looked at me. A strong, piecing gaze, a provocative smile, a presence like the sun. The moment I saw him, a magnificent orchestra began to play in my mind. The powerful and exciting music like O Fortuna by Orff! "Why's the Pivoine here?" What do I do? I can't look away. My heart's racing. What do I do? My heart's racing! "Hey." Oh, no! I'm in love!

After that, I managed to compose myself and left. Fortunately, the senpai in the student council attributed my confusion to the president's statement about getting food from the Pivoine. The president muttered that he was in trouble as asked, "Keep that a secret from the Pivoine," with a radiant smile. I swore to tell if it killed me.

The man who dramatically entered to 'O Fortuna' was the student council president in his third year in the junior high, Tomoe Senju senpai. That's all the information I have on him. But that's enough. Ever since then, my head is filled with senpai's image with the orchestra playing majestically. It's endless. Oh, my heart's about to burst just remembering his face. That smile was so cool… "Keep that a secret from the Pivoine," OOOH! I rolled around on my bed. When I got up, I was a little dizzy.

What should I do, now? He's in a different grade. I'm not in the student council, so I have almost no connection to him. And he's part of the student council that has a longstanding antagonistic relationship with the Pivoine. I won't get many opportunities to get close to him. If only he weren't the president!

Huh? …Isn't this like Romeo and Juliet!? OOOH! If Tomoe-senpai's Romeo, I'm Juliet! Refuse thy name!

…Calm down… I'm part of the Pivoine, so I can't be in the student council. Besides, by the time I did, he'd graduate. There's no point… Senpai graduating. Romeo-senpai's graduating! Romeo-senpai!

…Calm down, me… First, I need to have him remember my face and name. Oh, he went to get food from the cafeteria, so maybe he's hungry by the time school ends. What if I take him homemade cookies?

"They're delicious. Juliet, you're a good cook."

"Oh, Romeo-senpai."

What if he said that to me!? I'll do it!

Then…I take out a bland new eraser from a drawer. This was the craze for a while during junior high in my past life. Write the name of the person you like on an eraser, and if you finish using it without having anybody else touch it, he'll reciprocate your feelings. I didn't believe in it, but as long as I know it, I might as well try. I take it out of the case and write in small script with a red pen, "Tomoe Senju." I put it back in the case and I pray to the eraser-sama. Please, god! Give me a chance!

I was hungry after using my head. It's almost dinner. Onii-sama has been coming home early recently. He's back for dinner again tonight. Meals are better when the entire family's here. Oh, but I might not be able to eat, being so full of feelings… Love torments ? Beef cooked in red wine is one of my favorites.

When my eyes meet Onii-sama's he smiles kindly. Hmm… If Romeo-senpai is 'O Fortuna', then Onii-sama is 'Bolero' by Ravel, maybe. Aira-sama is 'La Campanella' by Liszt, Yurie-sama is 'Ave Maria' by Schubert, Enjou is 'Gnossiennes' by Satie, and what is Imari-sama? 'In a Persian Market', I guess.

And Kaburagi is Mussorgsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain.'

A few days later, In a Persian Market's Imari-sama came over, so I asked him.

"Huh!? Reika-chan has someone you like!?"

"Keep this a secret from Onii-sama."

"…Uh, sure."

I didn't tell him who it was, but I asked how to close our distance. Unfortunately, Imari-sama couldn't give me much advice. He did stop me from making homemade cookies, since it felt strange getting them from someone they didn't know well. I'll do as he says.

As he says, at Zuiran homemade chocolates aren't appreciated on Valentines, so cookies may be the same. But I practiced… Humph.

Oh, but every day's a joy when I'm in love!