Chapter 23: You are overthinking, Kaichou!
The number of chestnuts in the backpack that Kanon brought back from the field trip is quite large, even though it's strange how they fit perfectly in her small backpack without weighing it down. Kanon poured out the chestnuts into a large bowl, still warm and fragrant, which delighted Mrs. Hanazaki.
"Dear, I've never seen such big and delicious chestnuts before. If you come across them again, let's buy some. I'll make Nutella, jam, and fillings for cakes."
Kanon just nodded without daring to promise, even though she loved the food her mother made. Who knew if she would ever encounter such a divine treat again to ask for more. Currently, the urgent task was to bring the seedling back to its hometown, but the difficulty was that Kanon didn't know where the ancestral tree's hometown was. She couldn't be blamed for this, as the forest spirit didn't mentioned anything and just sent her straight out. Well, it was time to go to sleep. Tomorrow, she would ask Kaichou, who seemed to know everything. After all, that forest was within the Imonoyama family's jurisdiction.
But Kanon didn't need to worry. That night, she dreamed about the ancestral tree's hometown, a dream that continued from the previous dreams she had in the primeval forest. Wandering in her dream, Kanon saw that place changing with each passing moment, finally stopping at... what was it? Clamp School?
The dream came to a halt as the morning broke. Kanon woke up to the sound of her alarm clock, sitting dazed on her bed, everything now was back to Clamp School. Kanon felt a bit frustrated. Was it because the anime setting was only within Clamp School that she couldn't go anywhere far?
When Kanon arrived at the school, the first thing she did was go to the student council room because she needed to give them gifts. Her mother accidentally made a bunch of pastries from the chestnuts she brought back, and Kanon carried a large box of chestnut-filled cakes, chestnut cookies, and whole chestnuts that somehow still remained warm and fragrant. Inside the box were several small gift bags tied with ribbons to give to her modern literature club members and her two bodyguards.
Before Kanon reached the school gate, she had no idea that the student council room was bustling with excitement currently. The elementary student council's handsome trio and the two adorable girls, Utako and Nagisa, were eagerly waiting for her to arrive to tell her about that day's incident and express their gratitude. Why? Who wouldn't be excited about a miraculous incident like that? The only person sitting quietly, playing his fan, looking restless and fidgety, was the handsome and eccentric student council president, Imonoyama Nokoru.
Although Akira had already heard Utako's story about that day's incident and Kanon's miraculous amulets, he was still enthusiastic to hear it again. Suoh, on the other hand, was more composed. Apart from blushing while looking at Miss Nagisa, he also glanced at the unusual behavior of his Kaichou, and just as he was about to ask, the council room door opened.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Upon hearing this familiar and eagerly awaited voice, the entire room stood up joyfully, except for one person who jumped and even dropped his fan.
As Kanon stepped in, she thought she had entered the wrong room or that there was a closed meeting in the council room that she was unaware of. The room was filled with all three handsome elementary school boys and the two lovely kindergarten girls. Meeting a beauty early in the morning must be a lucky day, especially when all the beauties were smiling warmly at her.
Utako and Nagisa excitedly ran out to greet her first:
"Kanon-oneesan, good morning! We've been waiting for you."
Oh my, they were absolutely adorable! When Kanon looked at their graceful and elegant demeanor as they pulled up their skirts and curtsied, all she wanted to do was adopt those little girls, but she still had to maintain her calm and gentle manner.
"Hello, everyone. What's going on? Is there a meeting that I'm not aware of?" She asked.
Just then, Suoh and Akira also approached, helping her carry a heavy food box. Nokoru smiled gently and explained with a hint of reluctance,
"Yes, Kanon-chan, there was a closed meeting, and it was about you."
"Me?" She pointed to herself. What did she do? Why didn't she know?
The entire room looked at her and continued to smile gently, followed by a storytelling competition between the two little girls.
"Kanon-oneesan, you have no idea how amazing you are," Utako spoke up.
"Yes, you were incredibly powerful!" Nagisa added.
"I only heard about it this morning, and it was truly magical," Akira chimed in.
Huh? Huh? Huh? Could someone please explain more clearly? Or was it because she had eaten too many chestnuts over the weekend and her mind was all jumbled up?
The handsome and dashing student council president still held the fan to cover his mouth, conveniently hiding his facial expression, so no one knew how he reacted. Then Suoh had to speak up and explain to dispel the enthusiastic praise. He handed Kanon a torn amulet, which startled her.
"This is…"
Suoh smiled, calmly told her everything, and then stood up very seriously, bowing deeply. This was the second time he bowed before Kanon, the first time being for Nokoru, but this time it was for himself:
"If it weren't for your amulet, we would all have been injured. Thank you, Hanazaki, for your kindness and attentiveness. Thank you so much."
Akira, Utako, and Nagisa also stood up and bowed. Kanon noticed that even Nokoru stood up, and the thought of this group of eccentric geniuses bowing made her shudder involuntarily. She quickly stopped them:
"Please don't do that! It's enough that everyone is safe."
Then she looked at the amulet placed on the table and sighed:
"I didn't expect it to be so magical... to this extent. But it's strange, everything was well warned before I left, so how did this happen?"
Suddenly, everyone heard a rustling sound, as Nokoru set aside his fan and leaned forward, sniffing the box of snacks that Kanon had brought:
"I smell something delicious in here. Akira said that everyone went to town for the last day, only you and Ichikawa-san went to the forest and managed to find these amazing chestnuts. It must be this."
Kanon looked at Nokoru cautiously. Since when did he become so obsessed with food that he interrupted her like this? She just wanted to tell him that 'Kaichou, the guilty look in your eyes is so obvious, you better hide it.'
But finally, Kanon didn't say anything, as this wasn't the main issue. She reached out and removed the cloth covering the three-tiered box on the tea table, then opened it and arranged the boxes one by one. First, there were chestnut-filled cakes, followed by chestnut-flavored cookies, and finally, freshly fragrant whole chestnuts. Seeing everyone's eyes light up, she finally smiled and said:
"My mother made these delicious snacks from chestnuts, and this is my gift to you."
"Oh, they look so delicious! Kanon-oneesan, I've never seen chestnuts this big before."
"That's right, I heard everyone talking about these chestnuts. Hanazaki is really lucky, instead of going to town, she went back to the forest and bought this rare delicacy."
Akira had prepared tea in advance and looked at the tray of chestnuts and the pastries made by Mrs. Hanazaki as if they were precious treasures, feeling a sense of regret.
Utako's eyes sparkled as she looked at a table full of pastries. Even though she had already eaten breakfast, the aroma of the chestnuts made her mouth water.
"Please feel free to eat, I brought a lot."
"Of course. Just by looking at them, I can tell they must be delicious."
Nokoru took the lead and picked up a peeled chestnut that was still warm and fragrant. He took a bite, and his eyes lit up:
"It's really delicios, Kanon-chan. The flavor is truly unique."
Everyone heard this and tried the chestnuts. They all had expressions of pure delight and happiness.
"The flavor is indeed very special."
Suoh finished one and immediately took another.
"It feels like..."
Akira pondered while eating, and reached for a third chestnut.
"A sincere thank you."
Nokoru continued, laughing and eating.
"That's exactly feeling. When you eat them, you feel happy as if you've done something really good and received a heartfelt thank you. It's incredibly fulfilling."
Utako also nodded in agreement with Akira.
"That's right, Kanon-oneesan. Who did you help?" Nagisa chuckled, she was just joking but it turned out to be true.
Kanon was taken aback, amazed at how accurate her guess was because this was a thank-you gift from the entire forest.
As the party ended and everyone returned to their classes, Kanon hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask Nokoru for the exact location where the ancient tree seed wanted to return to.
"Um, Kaichou, I want to talk to you for a moment," Kanon said.
She thought Nokoru would playfully tease her as usual, with his sparkling eyes responding immediately. But instead, his face suddenly changed, showing clear hesitation, and he quickly walked out of the student council room, not forgetting to turn back and say to her:
"A ha ha, Kanon-chan, I'm sorry, but I have a test in the first period today, so I have to go to class early to review. I can't stay any longer, let's talk later. See you!"
And he hurriedly disappeared, leaving Kanon standing in the student council room, not understanding what was happening. What strange thing was happening? Could it be that he was gone crazy from eating too many peanuts?? He didn't even return the favor properly, and now he was avoiding her. And who would believe his silly excuse about studying for a test? Everyone in the school knew he only came to school to play. But no matter how frustrated she felt, he was already gone. Should she chase after him?
But then Kanon realized that she hadn't seen Nokoru for the entire day. Suoh was also going crazy, with piles of paperwork and the Student Council President missing. Who could help him now? It wasn't unusual for Nokoru to skip work sometimes, but disappearing completely like this was too much. Kanon found it strange but didn't think much about it. Her own matters weren't urgent, so she decided to ask him tomorrow and went back to the club to give gifts to everyone.
While sitting in the library, Kanon bowed her head as she presented a gift to Seiji, who was helped her:
- Thank you, senpai, for helping everyone that day.
Seiji didn't want to accept this gratitude, You felt that she was too polite and formal with him but he also didn't stop her, knowing it was something she wanted to do.
"Lady, there's no need for courtesy. If it weren't for the charm you gave, everyone could have been hurt. I'm the one who should be thankful."
Exchanging thanks back and forth was becoming tiresome, so Kanon changed the subject:
"But I didn't think the charm would be so miraculous. The shrine is truly sacred. This year, I will go and ask for charms for everyone again."
Seiji didn't say anything, just smiled and buried his head back into preparing documents for his lady. 'Lady, do you know how strong one's magical power needs to be in order to create such miracles?'
Kanon didn't rush to ask Nokoru, as it had been three days since she last saw him. Suddenly, the non-urgent matter became urgent, and the seedling needed to be quickly planted. It's not that she didn't plant it at home, but every night she was plagued by dreams of it, as if urging her to quickly take it away. Eating chestnuts without paying back wouldn't leave her in peace. Kanon was extremely tired, having to wake up early in the morning to go to the council room and spy on the missing president.
"Good morning, everyone. Have you seen Kaichou today?"
Kanon opened the door and only saw Suoh and Akira there, but instead of going crazy like every other day when they couldn't find their leader, Suoh appeared confused, while Akira seemed a bit troubled as he looked at her. Kanon furrowed her brows:
"Is there something wrong?"
"Um, about Kaichou, he..."
Suoh spoke up first but didn't know how to continue.
"Has he been avoiding me?"
Kanon spoke without hesitation.
"No, it was just that Kaichou was very busy with the upcoming meeting of the Student Councils, as you knew, Hanazaki. It was very important, and Kaichou was the one in charge."
Kanon squinted her eyes, staring intently, making Akira so scared that he forgot to breathe. 'Akira, next time, remember to lie more professionally, like when you stole those things.' But Kanon didn't intend to expose him. She sat down at the table and quietly handled the paperwork.
Suoh and Akira looked at each other, feeling guilty but not knowing how to approach Kanon about this. It was truly embarrassing. They thought about it and silently blamed their own Student Council President, who not only caused trouble but also involved everyone else.
"Hanazaki, about this... actually..."
Suoh wanted to smooth things over, but Kanon realized their difficulty and spoke up first:
"Senpai, you don't need to explain anything. I understand."
Seeing her calm down the situation, Suoh and Akira were not satisfied. They wanted to say something to comfort her, but Kanon slammed her hands on the table and stood up, her eyes emitting a threatening aura:
"I knew it was Kaichou causing trouble. Don't think I'll let it go. If I can't catch him, I swear I won't carry the Hanazaki name."
Oh, girl, you didn't actually carry this surname.
Suoh and Akira were startled by Kanon's fierce action, and in their hearts, they silently prayed for their Kaichou's peace, or rather, for his safety.
Then came the performance of the chase between the main character and the supporting character. Kanon didn't know Nokoru's schedule well, but she received quite a bit of covert assistance. Suoh felt that it was a good lesson for his president and secretly leaked his daily schedule and the places he often visited to Kanon while Utako, and Nagisa felt happy to help and mobilized the entire kindergarten to search for Nokoru. Akira, although wanting to remain neutral, reluctantly bowed down to the influence of his girlfriend.
Seiji and Setsu didn't need to be mentioned, as they simply followed his lady's orders. Even Mako, out of nowhere, jumped into the battle, determined not to let her idol suffer. Thus, the entire first-grade class was in a frenzy searching for the elementary school president. Kanon added a final touch by publishing a search notice for Nokoru, with a reward of a detective novel containing both old and new unpublished cases.
The whole school was in chaos, and even the fangirls betrayed their idols. If the president was found, he would remain intact, but as for the detective novel, there was only one copy. Who knew if Kanon-sensei would be interested in reprinting it later, this could not be compared.
Yet, no one could find Nokoru. Kanon gritted her teeth and silently cursed under her breath.
Nokoru didn't have many places to go, just wandering between the classroom and the student council room, occasionally visiting the library, the astronomy club that he managed, the technology and engineering club room, and the cafeteria. He hardly had time for other areas. Apart from those areas, Kanon had no choice but gave up. This whole school belongs to Kaichou, after all. Who can possibly win against him in a game of hide and seek?
But there was a nagging feeling that drove Kanon. She knew that Nokoru always lingered around the school center, so whenever she had free time, she would go to Nokoru's class to check on him. If anyone didn't know, they would think Kanon secretly admired Kaichou. But Kanon felt at ease and comfortable because everyone in the school knew about her feelings.
On the third day of searching, Kanon went to Nokoru's class during the lunch break, but couldn't find him. However, she persisted because her intuition told her that he was inside the classroom. At the end of that day's class, her instincts urged Kanon to go to Nokoru's class. Since her class ended later, when she arrived, there was no one left except a girl sitting at her computer, deeply focused. It was Kyogoku Midoriko, Kanon politely greeted her from outside the classroom:
"Hello, Kyogoku-senpai. I apologize for bothering you again."
Midoriko was actually very approachable, just a bit too serious. She looked up from her computer and smiled warmly at Kanon:
"No problem at all. I'm almost done here. Are you here to find Imonoyama Kaichou again? I'm sorry, but he left right after school."
Kanon didn't rush to respond to Midoriko. She looked around the classroom and exclaimed in admiration. This class was the only one that couldn't be bribed by her novel. The spirit of unity here was quite remarkable. Then, she bowed politely to Midoriko and left.
Midoriko watched Kanon's figure gradually disappear through the classroom windows, the sound of footsteps fading away. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, dropping her composed and serious expression, replaced by a slightly worried and flustered look. She spoke up:
"Hanazaki-san has left, you can come out now."
After that, the sound of the storage room door opening in the classroom could be heard. Nokoru struggled to push out the brooms, mops, and buckets used for cleaning, his tired face exhaling a sigh. He hunched over and walked to his desk, then collapsed onto it, looking far from the elegant posture of a gentleman in front of a lady. He didn't expect Kanon to be so tough.
Midoriko, seeing Nokoru in this state for the first time, felt that it was more genuine than his usual charming demeanor. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle teasingly:
"I never thought I'd see the day when our great Student Council President had to struggle in a cramped storage room like this."
Nokoru, still slouched on the desk, turned his head to look at Midoriko without any signs of embarrassment and replied:
"Miss Kyogoku, you're enjoying mocking me, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not mocking you. I just find it amusing," Midoriko said, her fingers gracefully gliding over the beautiful white keyboard as she continued typing.
"Amusing?"
As Nokoru waited for her explanation, Midoriko turned back to gracefully glide her beautiful, slender fingers over the keyboard, busy typing as she spoke:
"Until now, you've always maintained a gentle and refined attitude towards all girls. Even when faced with something unpleasant like my incident, you never backed down. You remained extremely polite and courteous. I thought that was your style. But this time, whatever urgent matter made you run away from a cute little girl like that? It's truly amusing!"
Nokoru sat up straight, pondered for a moment, and then spoke seriously:
"I never thought you were unpleasant person, Miss Kyogoku."
Midoriko burst into laughter:
"I know, but you see, that's what makes your style so unique. Really, I'm very curious to know what happened that made you have to avoid Hanazaki like that. What did she do?"
Nokoru knew he couldn't escape without explaining clearly, so he bowed his head for a while before finally speaking up:
"It wasn't Kanon's fault, it was me. I didn't keep my promise to her, and I feel truly ashamed."
Meanwhile, Kanon had even prepared protective amulets for them, so how could he not feel ashamed?
Midoriko, living up to her reputation as the top student in Class Z, with geniuses like Nokoru, quickly guessed:
"Are you referring to the incident at the Kindergarten's cultural fair?"
Nokoru remained silent, accepting it.
And then there was a long moment of silence. Outside, the sun had set, casting a reddish glow in the orange sky, with the last rays of weak sunlight reflecting the figures of the two inside the classroom. Midoriko broke the silence:
"I think you have a special connection with that girl."
Nokoru pondered for a while. Special? In what way? His behavior and attitude towards her were no different from Suoh and Akira.
Wait a minute, were you treating her like a boy?
Seeing Nokoru's contemplative expression, Midoriko smiled, finished her work, turned off her computer, and picked up her bag:
"I have to go now. See you tomorrow."
As for Nokoru's matter, he had to figure it out himself. And Miss Midoriko flipped her golden hair arrogantly as she walked out of the classroom. Left alone, Nokoru turned to the window frames, watching the fading sunlight, feeling a slight relief in his heart. It seemed good to speak up. He stood up determinedly:
"Now go find Kanon-chan and apologize."
Just then, he heard a familiar voice from behind, his recently formed determination almost fade away like the sunlight outside.
"Found... you... Kaichouuuuu?"
"Ehhhh, Kanon-chan, ha ha ha, it's you? I was just about to go look for you."
Nokoru immediately changed his expression to a reconciling one, smiling warmly at Kanon.
"Really? I've been looking for you for quite a while now."
Facing Kanon's cold and stern face, Nokoru bowed his head.
"I'm sorry, Kanon-chan, it's all because of my carelessness that the incident happened that day. I promised that everything would be fine, but..."
"Hmm, actually, I wanted that incident to happen, so you don't have to feel sorry."
Kanon calmly spoke such a shocking statement that it choked back all of Nokoru's apologies and explanations.
"What did you say?"
Why couldn't I hear you clearly?
"Well, you know, without a little excitement, how could serious Takamura-senpai and shy Nagisa overcome their personalities and come together in such an intense way? If they met under normal circumstances, they would probably just exchange glances and that would be the end of it. So, why do you think I left thoes amulets behind?"
Kanon cheerfully lied without blinking, giving Nokoru a way to escape.
"But on that day, in the council room, you were in a hurry to talk to you, wasn't it because of this?"
Was your IQ offline, Kaichou?
"Well, yeah, these past few days I've been looking for you because I wanted to ask you something, but you've been overthinking it. I just wanted to ask for directions."
Nokoru felt like there was a flock of white birds, no, black crows flying chaotically through his mind. Looking at the bright and composed face in front of him, he felt dizzy. So, what was the meaning of hiding and sneaking around these past few days?
The answer was: "It was totally meaningless."
