"So allow me to repeat what I just heard."
Judging by the look on Kaguya's face, Ishigami figured that it would be for the best if he were to keep quiet.
"First, Iino suspends all student council activities for the duration."
Ishigami nodded.
"Next, she says, and I quote: 'You know, I've been having some trouble with English lately, so maybe we should-', right?"
"Hey, I was busy talking to you, so I didn't-"
"I believe that I am the one who will be doing the talking here. Is that understood?"
It was no small wonder that with how much more apt Kaguya had become at showing her affections and kindness, she had not lost a single ounce of her ability to terrify. At least, not according to Ishigami.
"G-gotcha."
"So, let me get this straight. Once she asked that to you, what, exactly did you do?"
How could a girl only one year older than him send such a deep feeling of dread into his stomach? Ishigami could only stare at his feet, glued to the spot, unable to say a word.
"You have permission to speak."
More like, 'Explain yourself or I'll rip out your gallbladder on the spot'. Out of options, Ishigami simply muttered out:
"I-I wasn't even sure if I'd heard her right, and by the time I'd processed what happened, she was already gone-"
*SMACK!*
He knew that it was coming, but did she really need to use her left hand for that?
"This wasn't even reading between the lines. She threw the pages right at you, and you all but ripped them to shreds without even glancing at them."
Still not meeting Kaguya's gaze, Ishigami's voice stayed at a mumble as he spoke.
"It's not like that. I get what she's saying, but…"
"But what?"
The tension had largely dissipated, but just as soon as it was clear that Ishigami wasn't going to continue, Kaguya decided to fill in the silence.
"In any case, why don't we talk about something else? The finals are coming up, so what are you aiming for this time around?"
Suspicious at the sudden change, Ishigami decided that it would be safer to simply go along with it rather than resist.
"U-uh, nothing big. Just trying to keep my place in the top 10 is all-"
"Is that really all you're satisfied with?"
Ishigami stopped, raising an eyebrow at the calculating smile on Kaguya's face before sighing, curling his knees up to his mouth.
"Well, I'd obviously like to score higher, but I feel like I can't see the point. After all, I don't have any grand aspirations, so why bother?"
Another pause. Kaguya looked at the roof, a thoughtful tone in her gaze as she did before looking back at Ishigami and asking:
"Did I ever tell you how I started taking note of Miyuki?"
Slightly bewildered, Ishigami shook his head.
"No, though I got the impression that it was less of a moment and more of a thing that happened as you got to know him better?"
Kaguya blinked twice, pinching her forehead.
"Honestly, how are you so observant yet so obstinate at the same time… In any case, however, that was not what I was referring to. I have not told you when I first started taking note of Miyuki Shirogane, have I?"
"No, you haven't."
A reminiscent look washed over Kaguya's face along with a nostalgic smile as she leaned back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling as she talked.
"The first time we really talked was when he challenged my position as the top student at this school."
"Oh, yeah. That was pretty big news. 'Charity case overshadows Shinomiya heiress: Suspected foul play?' or something like that. But why are you bringing this up, exactly?"
But when Kaguya simply gave him that same cold grin he'd gotten used to during these sessions, a pit started to form in his stomach along with waves of denial, his head almost automatically shaking.
"No, no way. You don't mean…"
"What do you think Iino would do if you beat her?"
"That's…"
The air in the room stood still, time itself seeming to slow down as Kaguya's words hung into the air until…
"You know that that's impossible, right?"
"Maybe, but what do you have to lose? Last year, there was some fierce competition at the top between myself, Miyuki, Maki-chan, and even Ai-san towards the end of the year."
"Maki-chan?"
"Shut up. But between the current second-years, the only person with that level of dominance is Iino herself. Surely, you can't say that the position of standing next to her is entirely unattainable, correct?"
Ishigami had closed his eyes now, head hunched over, but even as he tried to block out the world, Kaguya's mere presence demanded a response.
"Sure, I'd love to be able to get that, but what if I put in all the effort and someone else just puts in more and steals it away from me? Or What if I put in all that effort and I still end up falling even further? What if I get up there and start slacking off and fall back down again? Or what if…"
Dammit. His voice was starting to break, threatening to crack at any moment. Was he crying? Pathetic.
"Or what if… What if I get up there and she just doesn't care?"
The image of a certain Shuchi'in alum flashed through Kaguya's mind, prompting a more sympathetic smile as she placed a hand on Ishigami's shoulder.
"Oi. Even if it won't get her attention, achieving more academically still opens up more options for your future. People with higher grades are statistically paid more, having the option of going abroad is a nice plus, and even if you don't end up scoring higher, it is still important to build up positive studying habits in order to ensure your success for your exams next year."
"Got anything to back yourself up on that?"
Slightly annoyed, Kaguya begrudgingly nodded.
"Well, there's common sense and a myriad of government sources, but in addition, you need look no further than your previous president."
His eyes had opened a little and though he was still looking at the floor, he felt his voice getting a touch higher as he asked:
"Do you… really think that I can be as good as him?"
"Oh, not a chance in hell."
Sighing, Ishigami was about to curl back into a ball until…
"But I believe that you have every bit as much value as he does."
His eyes shooting open, Ishigami's gaze shot towards Kaguya as his mouth went wide.
"Hah?! You serious?"
Wholly serious and unsmiling, Kaguya nodded.
"Yes. I believe that you have just as much to contribute to the world as Miyuki or myself."
Was he seriously crying over this?
"You… you really think so? E-even with all the crazy plans he has to change the world and save you from the Shinomiya family and shit?"
"I said I was being serious, was I not? I believe that you have contributed and still have much to contribute to the people around you. While your impact on the world may not be as all-encompassing as mine or Miyuki's, that does not mean that your worth as an individual is any less. Though, of course, Miyuki will always be the one who I hold dearest to me."
"Ouch. Really breaking my heart there, Senpai."
Well, that at least elicited a giggle. Returning to her notebook, Kaguya asked:
"So, tell me, will you give it a shot?"
"Give what a shot?"
"A shot at giving yourself the opportunity to stand next to Iino not just as her vice president, but also as her equal."
And as Kaguya stared straight through him, her eyes almost glowing in the sunset, Ishigami knew that there was only one thing to say.
"I'll do my best."
###
I said all that, but my first priority should probably be…
Iino's notebook was still safely tucked away in Ishigami's binder as he scoured the school for any hint of her.
Am I seriously gonna have to go all the way to her house just to return this? Why'd she practically run to the washroom whenever I brought it up…
But alas, Iino's unusually active bladder had only subsided after she'd already exited the classroom at the end of the day.
And she just had to go the second the bell rang. Well, before running all the way to her house, maybe I oughta check somewhere else? Maybe she's studying in the library, or an empty classroom, or…
Ah. There was one other place to consider.
###
"You know, student council duties are suspended, right?"
Not even blinking as Ishigami entered the room, Iino responded:
"Of course I do. I was the one who suspended them."
"Then what, exactly, are you doing here?"
And that's when a smile began to grow on Iino's face. A smile that definitely wasn't the 'I'm happy' kind of smile.
"Oh, you of all people should know that the student council room is quite a nice place to study."
A chill ran down Ishigami's spine as a single thought resounded throughout his mind:
Yep. She's definitely angry.
"So how about you? Coming here with Kaguya-senpai, or Hayasaka-senpai? Or what about Koromo? Or maybe…"
Before Ishigami could deny the above, Iino slipped in:
"You were looking for me?"
Unconsciously nodding, Ishigami said:
"What else would I be doing-"
In a flash, blood spurted from Ishigami's mouth as his teeth clamped down on his tongue in the nick of time before managing to finish:
"What else would I be doing but studying?"
That was way too close!
Iino put down on her thumbnail, her eyes narrowing as she returned to her laptop.
Allow me to explain what just happened! After noticing that her notes were gone, Iino was at first devastated at the prospect of losing an entire night's study! However, the greatest strength that a warrior can have is turning a momentary loss into a resounding victory! As such, the time that really should have been spent catching up on sleep was instead fully dedicated to a plan for fishing out a confession from Ishigami once and for all! Forcing ishigami into a position where he had to deliver the notebook had gone by without a hitch and now, they were alone in the student council room together. Sure, that little Hail Mary maneuver might not have worked, but the main part of the plan had yet to put into practice.
Taking the notebook out of his binder, Ishigami walked up to Iino, placing it down on the desk with a light 'tap'.
"Here. You forgot this yesterday."
"Ah, right. I was wondering where that was."
Now!
Exactly 5 seconds after Ishigami sat down, Iino stood, taking her notebook and bags before plopping herself on the couch.
Right next to Ishigami.
"Eh? What are you-"
"I think there's a problem with your balanced chemical equation."
Excellent move. By pointing out a problem in his work, Iino naturally transitions to the spot next to him while setting up an explanation as to why she moved in the first place.
"Hm? What's wrong with it?"
"You wrote out 'KCl + NaNO3 → KNO3 + NaCl', but since both of them are soluble in water, there'd just be no reaction. If you'd remembered to write your states, you wouldn't have had that problem."
"And here I thought that Kanagae was the auditor."
Looking down at Iino's workbook, however, Ishigami couldn't help but feel a smile starting to spread across his face as he noticed:
"You know, 'weird' is spelt with the 'e' before the 'i'."
Iino raised an eyebrow, looking between Ishigami and the page, giving him a skeptical look.
"I thought it was 'I before E except after C'…"
"Welcome to the wonderful world of the English language."
Sighing, she erased the word and rewrote it.
"To think that you'd be correcting my work. If this was a year ago, I wouldn't even believe you."
"A year ago, you wouldn't have sat next to me in the first place."
"I suppose that that's true."
As she said that, however, Iino's attention was quickly diverted when she noticed Ishigami taking out his phone.
"Hey, shouldn't you be focusing on-"
And then she stopped. And then she read the message.
Tsubame-senpai: "Wondering if you had time to hang this weekend?"
A cold pit opened up inside Iino's stomach and her eyes went dark as she narrowed them at Ishigami. But Ishigami wasn't wearing that look of fear that he'd grown accustomed to with Kaguya.
No, Yu Ishigami was smiling.
"You have a problem with me communicating with my senpai?"
With a huff, Iino turned away, crossing her arms.
"Hmph. I just think that you shouldn't let Tsubame-senpai distract you from studying."
"When did I mention Tsubame-senpai?"
And that moment, when Iino saw the chilling grin on Ishigami's face, she knew:
She'd fallen for his trick, hook, line, and sinker.
If she had taken a closer look at his phone, she would have seen that Ishigami had received that message several hours earlier. Indeed, while Iino was usually the aggressor, there was nothing preventing Ishigami from dictating the pace of this battle himself! Indeed, it was rare for Iino to find herself on the defense, but now, she had found herself entirely on the back foot!
"W-wait, I mean-"
"There wasn't any reason for you to assume that I was texting her, especially since even when I came here, you brought up Kaguya-senpai and Hayasaka-senpai. So, if that's the case, then there must be some other reason your mind would jump to Tsubame-senpai, right?"
Good lord, he's covering ground! By this point, Iino had already gone the colour of a stop sign, covering her face with her hands as she tried to preserve whatever dignity she had!
But Ishigami had practically been handed an opportunity on a silver platter and he wasn't about to give it up!
"I-I saw her name on your phone, so-"
"Is there any reason for you to be looking at my phone?"
"I-I just happened to catch her name, so-"
"My phone's text is pretty small, so you'd have to be looking pretty close to be able to read names. Either you were staring at my phone, or maybe…"
Ishigami leaned closer, snapping away at Iino's resolve as he said:
"Or maybe there's a specific reason in particular as to why Tsubame-senpai's name would stand out to you? But then, the question is 'why'. It's ok, Iino, I swear I won't make fun of you no matter what you say."
The way he's phrasing that, it's almost like…
It's almost like he's trying to get you to confess your love!
But what if I'm just imagining things? Or what if he's teasing me? Or what if…
A pit of dread welled up in Iino as she wondered:
What if he's gotten tired of waiting for me?
But that hopelessness quickly evaporated, immediately replaced by a burning indignation at the mere possibility of that being true.
Gritting, her teeth and grabbing the collar of a now quite shocked Ishigami, a single thought played itself loud and clear through Iino's head:
Well if that's the case, then all I have to do is win him right back.
Despite the previous hiccup, there wasn't a single roadblock Ishigami had put in the way of Iino's plan. If anything, he had just cleared the way for her to get out of her own head and simply ask:
"Say, how about we study here together tomorrow?"
And in that moment, any offense that Ishigami had built up to that point completely fell apart.
"Wha- I- Why?"
And as she watched his cheeks grow red, a smile formed on Iino's face, quickly falling back into pre-prepared territory.
"Well, as your president, I think that it would be beneficial if I could keep an eye on your studies. Plus, you pointed out one of my mistakes earlier, didn't you? So really, it'll be helpful for the both of us, won't it?"
Still, even as Ishigami looked at her, that calculating grin had disappeared, replaced with a slightly uneasy smile as her cheeks were stained pink. After all, no amount of preparation could fully prepare anyone for the real thing.
And in that moment, the games, the pieces, all of the deceit fell away and all that remained was two high school students simply trying to do their best on the finals.
And at a moment like that, who was Ishigami to refuse her?
"Sounds like a plan."
Outside the door, a certain red-ribboned girl smiled to herself as she played witness.
I was planning on lending them a helping hand, but…
She peered inside, laughing a little as she watched Ishigami hastily erasing at his paper, finishing:
It looks like they'll be fine on their own.
Today's result: Iino's unquestionable victory.
