I-it’s a cultural difference…

"Yes! Nngh…"

Masachika stretched his arms out wide, feeling accomplished after finishing the first

week of exams. When he looked around the room, most of the class was already enjoying

their freedom and discussing what they were going to do after school, despite still having

homeroom after this. Masachika, on the other hand, wasn't planning on hanging out with his

friends once school ended. Instead he would watch all the anime he'd recorded—or at least,

that was the plan. But there was one thing he couldn't get off his mind…

"Hey, Alya."

"Hey."

It was the fact that Alisa seemed somewhat, truly only a little bit, distant—kind of cold.

Ever since Monday, it had felt like something was off, but it was exam week and it could

have all been in his head, so Masachika decided to let it go. But he wasn't comfortable going

into the weekend without figuring out what this strange, unsettling feeling was.

"Alya, uh… What are you doing after school today?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Oh. Then do you want to walk home together? I want to talk about the closing ceremony

if that's okay."

"…Sure."

"Great. Then let's head out together after homeroom."

"Okay."

The conversation itself was extremely normal, and Alisa's behavior didn't seem much

different from normal, either, but…something still felt off.

She hasn't been whispering anything sweet in Russian… I don't know why, but…

It had been five days, and he hadn't heard a word of Russian from Alisa. Of course, from

Masachika's point of view, that was a good thing. The sudden whispers weren't good for his

heart, and the muscles in his face got to relax for a change, since she would usually glance

in his direction after whispering in Russian, which made his face tense. So not hearing any

of her whispers had its upsides, but…he couldn't help feeling concerned. And the more he

thought about it, he realized Alisa had been a bit withdrawn from him this week.

Hmm… I'm sure it's all in my head, but…

Next Saturday was the closing ceremony, which was a huge event in regard to the

election because they had to give speeches and greet the student body. That was why they

needed to remove whatever was causing the friction between them before then. But, well…

Did I do anything to make her hate me?

He was a sensitive man, frustrated and unbelievably curious as he wondered what he

possibly could have done.

After homeroom, Masachika and Alisa left the classroom together as planned, but they

felt as though more people were staring at them now than ever as they walked side by side.

Alisa's otherworldly beauty had always caught everyone's attention, but eyes were also on

Masachika. It seemed as though many students were already recognizing them as candidates

and running matesfor the student council presidency and vice presidency thanksto the debate

last week.

"…So? You wanted to talk to me about our speech at the closing ceremony?"

"Yeah, about that…"

Alisa was as cool as a cucumber despite their onlookers, but Masachika hesitated for a

few moments before asking her directly:

"Before we talk about that, I need to ask you something, Alya. Is everything all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I feel like you've been acting a bit off since Monday."

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, then turned to look at him in amazement.

"Judging from how you're looking at me…I'm guessing something did happen?"

commented Masachika with a forced grin.

Alisa, however, stayed silent, turned about-face, and began to walk away.

"…It's just your imagination," she replied with her best poker face.

"Come on. Do you seriously think you can fool me like that?"

"…"

Knowing how stubborn she could be, Masachika made a conscious effort to continue

looking forward as he went on:

"Did I do something? Because if I did, I want you to tell me."

"…I don't want to tell you."

"Mmm… All right, then…"

"Sigh… I'll make sure to work on my behavior. Besides, I'm sure I'll be back to normal

by the time Monday comes around. Isn't that enough?" asked Alisa, glancing up through

her eyelashes at him after letting out a brief sigh. Her somewhat uneasy, childish expression

would make anyone want to rub her head and dote on her while saying, "That's more than

enough." Nevertheless, Masachika managed to get rid of the unholy thought with a shake of

his head, and he looked at her seriously.

"Hmm… I don't know… It has already been five days, and you're still in a bad mood.

I mean, I guess it would be okay if you really were back to normal next week, but…"

"Was I that obvious?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh… I really was trying my best to hide it."

And, well, it really was difficult to tell anything was wrong just by her facial expressions,

but the lack of her occasional Russian whispers betrayed her. She didn't seem to notice,

though.

"Actually, you did a good job of hiding it, so I think you are very self-aware. In a good

way, of course. I still noticed, though." Masachika shrugged.

"O-oh? You did, huh?"

Alisa arched an eyebrow while fidgeting with her hair.

"In other words, you were really concerned? You couldn't get me out of your mind, even

though it was exam week?" she asked a bit provocatively.

"Of course I'm worried. You're my partner, and I care about you," he replied with a

dead serious look on his face.

"O-oh… Huh."

"And I care about you. And I care about you. And I care about you…" Those words of

his echoed in Alisa's mind, and her fidgeting increased. The ends of her hair were going to

get tangled at this rate…but her fingers suddenly froze, and her eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Then why…?"

"Hmm?"

"…"

Alisa looked away from his confused expression and pouted. Masachika changed out of

his school slippers and put on his shoes, wondering about her sudden change in mood. Then

they began to walk toward the school gate, and Alisa eventually muttered:

"…Your birthday."

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you invite me to your birthday party?" complained Alisa, still avoiding his

eyes…but Masachika had no idea what she was talking about.

"Birthday party? What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Your…"

Thinking he was playing dumb, she glared at him, but that still didn't help Masachika

understand what she was going on about.

"Uh…? A birthday party? Me?"

"…Yes, you."

"…This is the first I'm hearing about it. Who told you I had a birthday party?"

"What do you mean this is the first you're hearing of this? Don't be ridiculous."

"Wh-what the…? I'm telling the truth! I have no idea what you're talking about! And

why would I even have a birthday party anyway? What am I, a first grader?!"

"Huh…?"

That was when Alisa realized something wasn't adding up, and she looked at him

quizzically, her brow knitted. At the same time, Masachika came to a sudden realization.

"O-oh, wait. Hold on. Do teenagers in Russia usually have birthday parties?"

"Y-yeah. Are things different in Japan?"

"You usually stop having birthday parties in Japan once you hit middle school… Wait.

I take that back. There are probably a good number of students at our school who still throw

birthday parties. Some kids apparently even throw huge parties at their house. At any rate, I,

personally, haven't had a birthday party since middle school."

"Oh…"

"How are you only realizing this n—? …Oh. Sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Oh, uh. Nothing."

She never had any friends to celebrate birthdays with. That was why. It wasn't like he

could say that, though, which was why he decided to hold his tongue, but his lips curled a

bit as he looked at her slyly.

"…What?" she asked grumpily.

"Don't worry about it. I just had no idea you wanted to celebrate my birthday with me

that much."

"…!"

Alisa scowled and immediately looked away, but she wasn't fast enough to prevent

Masachika from seeing her snow-white cheeks flush pink.

"…Not telling someone your birthday in Russia is no different than saying you don't

want to be friends with them."

"Ohhh?"

"What?"

"If you say so, Alya. Wink, wink."

"Tsk…!"

He could almost see a vein bulging from her forehead, so he decided he should stop

teasing her and make her feel better instead.

"So… Wanna go do something for my birthday? We're three months late, but…"

"Huh?"

"Of course, I still want to be friends and hang out more. How about we go somewhere

for lunch next Monday, since it's a half day? We can talk about the closing ceremony and

whatnot then, too… Or is it bad luck to wish someone a belated happy birthday in Russia?"

After pondering it for a moment, she shook her head.

"It's not good to wish someone happy birthday early, but late…should be fine."

"All right, then. Let's do it. Ahem. While I know it is late, it would be an honor if you

would grace me with your presence at my birthday party, which I will be holding next week,"

announced Masachika with an unnecessarily grave expression.

"Are you okay in the head?" Alisa scoffed, but Masachika was relieved to see that she

appeared to be in a better mood. That look of relief on his face made Alisa stare at him with

suspicion once more. Perhaps she realized he was trying to humor her to make up for teasing

her, like an adult rattling a toy for a baby. Alisa glared at him out of the corner of her eye

with a look of disgust…until they reached a fork in the road, and he faced her.

"Well, I'm going this way. Anyway, see you Monday. Have—…?"

Alisa's eyes suddenly began wandering, darting around in every direction.

Is she looking for something?

It was easy to imagine a question mark hovering over Masachika's head, and he began

looking around as well until he suddenly realized Alisa was grinning at him. This set off

alarm bells in his head.

Ack! Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?

He instinctively took a step back, but Alisa took a step forward before he could

effectively make his escape. They were so close that they could almost feel each other's

breath. Alisa placed a hand on his shoulder as he stood frozen, then placed her cheek against

his and whispered into his ear:

"<I can't wait. ♡>"

But in the blink of an eye, she stepped back and glared at him.

"There. We're friends again. See you Monday," she spluttered before instantly spinning

on her heel and walking off.

"Yeah…"

Masachika watched her leave in mute amazement, then walked awkwardly in the

opposite direction on autopilot. But the moment he turned the corner, he grabbed a nearby

fence as his legs gave out.

Ha-ha-ha… The first thing she has said in Russian to me in four days… Shouldn't have

let my guard down.

"I'm pretty confident I could actually cough up blood right now if I wanted to," said

Masachika tensely, clutching at his chest.

I feel like the bar has been raised twice as high now…

He thought he could get away with taking her to some cheap chain restaurant in the

neighborhood, but not after she said that. It was going to have to be somewhere more highend and proper now.

I'm going to have to look for a nice restaurant over the weekend…

This is going to be a pretty difficult mission for someone ignorant about these kinds of

things, thought Masachika bitterly with a tight smile, but at least he now knew what had been

bothering Alisa, so he decided to call it a win. However, there was something he understood

even more than that, for he had discovered…

Having her whisper into my ear like that…could actually kill me.

The following Monday had arrived. The week after exams was essentially for going over

the tests in the mornings, and in the afternoons, they discussed summer homework while

others attended parent-teacher conferences. The conferences went by student number, which

meant Alisa's and Masachika's were the following day.

"So? How'd you do on the tests?"

"I did okay, I guess. My grades were higher than the class average in every subject,

at least," replied Masachika, who was working out a crick in his neck on their way out the

school gate. That morning, the students were given a brief transcript of what they'd scored

on the exams along with the class average. While they went over the tests in class, students

would sometimes find mistakes the teachers had made while grading, which was why the

official class rank would be posted on Saturday. So they would be using tentative report

cards during the parent-teacher meetings. It so happened that they had a half day of school

every other Saturday, and this coming Saturday was the closing ceremony, where they would

receive their finalized grades for the semester.

"Anyway, I don't know whether I achieved my goal, but I did a lot better than last time."

"Oh? Congratulations."

"Right? Feel free to shower me with praise now."

"Wowww. Good job," replied Alisa robotically.

"…Gee. Thanks."

Masachika shot her a piercing glare, but she completely ignored him and feigned

innocence.

"Sniffle. You're so mean, Alya."

"If you're trying to act like Masha, please stop. It's grossing me out."

"Yes, ma'am."

The fact that not even her eyes were laughing wiped the goofy look right off his face.

His eyes wandered for a few moments until he suddenly changed the subject without even

trying to be subtle about it.

"So… Pretty hot to be walking around in the middle of the day. Doesn't help that it is so

bright out, either…," commented Masachika, tugging at his collar and fanning himself while

frowning down at his clothes. "Why do our school uniforms have to be so hot? It's summer,

and we're still wearing long sleeves."

"Oh, this isn't normal in Japan, is it?"

"Not even close. Most schools pass out short-sleeved shirts for the summer. Even

businesspeople get to wear short-sleeved button-downs nowadays."

The shirts they were wearing were made of a thinner material than the winter uniforms,

but the long sleeves retained too much heat. But why was the school so set on keeping the

uniforms this way, even in this day and age? For the same reason their schoolbags hadn't

changed in years. Because it was tradition. Seiren Academy's school uniform was rather

well-known. People would instantly recognize it around town if they saw it. In a way, the

uniform itself was a famous brand of clothing, and the students of Seiren Academy were

proud to wear it. However, it also kept the students in-line so they would act proper even

outside of school because they were always being watched. Masachika, on the other hand,

thought differently.

"They're really downplaying the effects of global warming, aren't they? At least let me

take this blazer off."

"Wasn't the student council president trying to do something about the uniforms,

though?"

"That was one of his campaign pledges… It sounds like he's having a tough time. Even

if he does get the rule changed, I'm guessing we won't be seeing it implemented until the

next school year."

Touya, who was on the same page as Masachika when it came to the school uniform,

was apparently working toward updating the uniform requirements, but it was a difficult

task, especially since a decent portion of the student population didn't care how hot it was,

as long as they looked good. The alumni association, which consisted of past student council

presidents and vice presidents, was strongly against changing the summer uniform as well,

which made the situation even more difficult. Meanwhile, Masachika couldn't help but

wonder if they were only being stubborn because they had to wear these uncomfortably hot

uniforms back in the day, so they wanted everyone else to suffer as well.

"Anyway, I hope the president gets it done, especially for the sake of middle-class

students like us who have to walk home, since we don't have our own personal chauffeurs."

"Are you sure you don't just want to see girls scantily dressed?"

"So you're saying I'm still gonna feel hot and heavy even if we change the summer

uniform? Heh! I like the way you think!"

"…"

"Because the thought honestly never crossed my mind. I mean, the first day of summer

uniforms is supposedly a pretty important event in a nerd's life, but I've gone to this school

basically my entire life, so it really hasn't occurred to me."

Alisa glared coldly as he explained his twisted thinking, but she suddenly smirked

provocatively, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and flirtatiously glanced at him out of the

corner of her eye.

"So you don't want to see me in a short-sleeved shirt?"

"I mean, if I had to choose, then yes. I do."

"Heh. Oh, you do, huh?"

And if he were being a little more honest, he would tell her what he was really interested

in seeing: the fabled see-through white shirt with that ever so incredibly faint glimpse of the

bra. He was a teenage boy, after all.

But that's something you want to see when the girl's sitting in front of you in class…and

Hikaru sits in front of me, which is something I'm definitely not interested in seeing.

"Ahem. Are you thinking about something you shouldn't be?"

"Huh? No way. I was just thinking about how unpleasantly sweaty the president would

look in a short-sleeved shirt."

"That's… Yes…" Alisa nodded, her eyes wandering. Within seconds, her smug grin

had transformed into a criticizing glare before changing once again at Masachika's innocent

response. It was unfortunate that Touya had to be defamed by such an "innocent" comment.

"I bet Chisaki would take everyone by surprise as well. Her biceps and shoulders must

be huge. She doesn't really stand out usually, but she apparently has a really athletic build."

"I could see that," agreed Alisa, checking out Masachika from head to toe and grinning

almost mockingly.

"You in a short-sleeved shirt would probably leave much to be desired, though, hmm?"

"What the…? Why are you dissing me like that all of a sudden? I have a decent amount

of muscle, just to let you know."

"Oh, you do?"

"Don't underestimate a homebody. Don't make me show you this sexy, toned bod."

Masachika immediately imagined himself in a beach lounge chair in a short-sleeved

collared shirt (unbuttoned, of course) with his pecs and abs showing…and he instinctively

covered his mouth.

"…? What's wrong?"

"Oh… I just imagined something really disgusting. Being ripped only works if you're

good-looking, too, huh?" he contemplated with a heavy heart, and erased the narcissistic

image from his mind. She looked up slightly, then began to fidget with her hair as if she had

an idea of what he'd imagined.

"<I don't think it's disgusting at all.>"

"What was that?"

"I said, 'Great. Now I imagined it, too, thanks to you.'"

"Uh-huh… You didn't have to actually tell me the truth, you know."

"You shouldn't have asked, then," Alisa scoffed, flicking back her hair. After rolling his

eyes at her, Masachika stared into the distance.

How does Alya see me?

"<Besides, you are good-looking.>"

Gwah! S-seriously, what do I look like from her point of view?

He desperately tried to keep a straight face while a cyclone of emotions tore through

his heart. Fortunately (?), they were approaching their destination, so he was able to focus

on that instead, and before long they arrived at a large clothing store by the station that was

geared toward teenagers. Why were they stepping inside a clothing store before they went

out to lunch? Well, the answer was simple: to change. Masachika was fine with wearing

what they had on, but Alisa didn't seem keen on the idea of wearing a school uniform to a

restaurant during this time of day, so they decided to change. That said, they weren't going

to do any shopping. This store actually had a changing room Seiren Academy students could

use for free. Masachika had been impressed when he'd first heard about it. Of course, Seiren

Academy students were still human. They were young. They wanted to hang out after school

before going home, but it was against school rules to fool around in the uniform. While you

could probably get away with eating at a restaurant, going to the arcade or karaoke was a

definite no-no.

One of the worst things about having a well-known uniform wasthe fact that a local could

easily call their school and report them if they were breaking any rules, and they wouldn't be

able to avoid punishment if that happened. Therefore, they had no choice but to change out

of their uniform when hanging out after school. Nevertheless, Seiren Academy had quite a

number of privileged students who would be disgusted by the thought of changing in a public

restroom, which was why this clothing store opened their changing room to them. Students

from wealthy families made the best customers, so if letting them use the changing room was

all it took to get them inside, then it was an easy trade-off.

I still feel like we're kind of taking advantage of them, though.

Masachika sneered at the twenty orso small changing rooms at the back of the store. Just

how many customers did they expect to get at once? Did tourist groupsstop by the place from

time to time? No… They probably just didn't want to let a single Seiren Academy student

escape their clutches.

"All right. I'm going to get changed in here, okay?"

"Oh, all right."

Masachika admired how commercially minded the store was as he stepped into a

changing booth a short distance from Alisa's and began undressing.

"Phew… I thought I was going to melt outside in this thing."

He quickly wiped the sweat from his body, enjoying the sense of freedom he now had,

and pulled his everyday clothes out of his gym bag. After placing his uniform in the bag, he

tossed it along with his school shoes into a large tote. Transformation complete.

"The cool air feels so good."

While he waited, he realized just how grateful he was for short-sleeved shirts and air

conditioners. Alisa eventually came out of the changing room as well.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I-it's fine…"

When Alisa came out, she was wearing the pure-white dress that she had tried on when

they went shopping not too long ago. Was there a specific reason for her to be wearing that

dress now, though? Regardless, Masachika wouldn't be a self-proclaimed gentleman if he

didn't compliment her.

"You really do look good in that dress."

"Heh. Is that so? Thanks."

Alisa proudly brushed back her hair with evidentsatisfaction. Even her light-blue sandals

matched her dress, which seemed very dignified. And was she striking a pose, or was it

merely Masachika's imagination?

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, let's."

After bowing and thanking the store employee, they left the clothing shop.

Is it just me, or is this really starting to feel like a date?

This was likely the first time they'd ever hung out alone together in the middle of the

day while not wearing their school uniforms.

This is insane… They're all doing double takes.

Each and every person who passed by looked back at Alisa as if their soul had left their

body. It was an incredible sight. People stared hard at Yuki when she walked by, too, but

nobody ever blatantly turned their head and stared like this.

I guess it's no surprise when you look like Alya, though.

Her silver hair glittered in the summer sunlight, and her snow-white skin radiantly

glowed as if every tiny hair on her body was emitting light. That was enough to catch the

attention of others, but when you combined that with her extraordinary looks and body, how

could you take your eyes off her?

"…What?" she asked.

"Everyone's staring at you."

"Worrying about that will solve nothing. This is just how life is when you're beautiful,"

Alisa said casually, and what she was saying was true, so Masachika didn't have a response.

Looking around and seeing everyone staring was more than enough proof.

"You'll probably be fine, since I'm with you, but what about when you're alone? Surely

a lot of guys try to hit on you."

"Yes, I do have people trying to talk to me almost every weekend."

"Figured. But what do you do when that happens?"

"I ramble in Russian until they leave me alone."

"…Interesting."

From Masachika's point of view, Alisa looked slightly different than your average

Russian. She had a decent amount of Japanese features. But most people definitely would

give up if she started speaking fluent Russian.

Anyway, I'm just glad it's not worse. I was worried she'd be using violence or at least

a tongue-lashing.

"You're thinking something very rude right now, aren't you?"

"What? Not at all. I'm just glad you haven't been tricked by a bad person trying to pick

you up," responded Masachika with an air of innocence, causing Alisa to raise an eyebrow

and smirk provocatively.

"Oh? Is that because you want me all to yourself? You're acting like you're my

boyfriend."

"My bad. But I've got to act like your boyfriend when we're in the middle of a date,

at the very least."

"…?! Ah, right… A date… Yes…"

Masachika's counterattack immediately wiped the smug look off her face. After blinking

for a few seconds, she bashfully fidgeted with her hair before suddenly glancing up at him

and whispering:

"<This is the first time…>"

"The first time we've ever gone on a date," right? That's what you were going to say,

right?

Alisa suddenly struck with a powerful attack that can be uttered only a few times in

every girl's life: "First Time!" But Masachika softened the blow, using his special move

"Convenient Interpretation!" Think of it like this: If the special move "Hard of Hearing" was

like, "Hmm? What was that?" then "Convenient Interpretation!" would be like, "Oh, she

must have meant something else." It was the ultimate special move for defense!

HA-HA-HA. Because there is no way this is the first time a beautiful girl like Alya has

ever gone on a date.

Masachika desperately tried to persuade himself of that in order to stay calm, for he

did not have the courage to carry the weight of something this big—the pressure of taking

this perfect, beautiful woman on her first date. If you want to call me a chicken, then knock

yourself out, he thought.

Besides, I didn't mean "date" as in a date-date. Alya knows I wasn't being serious,

right? …Right?

He timidly glanced in Alisa's direction, and their eyes suddenly met, making Alisa

quickly turn her head the other way and whisper in the tiniest of voices:

"<M-maybe we could…hold hands, then?>"

A faint blush stained her cheeks as she glanced back at him.

Okay, then… She definitely took what I said seriously.

Masachika stared into the distance. He felt as if he had an itch he couldn't scratch—

an itch that ran down his spine. He shivered. But fortunately, he could see the restaurant up

ahead, so he used his special move "Save for Later" and managed to change his mindset.

It was like saying, "I'll deal with this later," which he obviously wasn't going to do. More

accurately, it was, "Let's ignore my problems until they blow up in my face later."

"Oh, hey. There's the restaurant."

"…The place with the meat on display?"

"Yep."

Masachika had brought Alisa to a restaurant a good distance from the station that

specialized in dry aged meats. It was a rather expensive restaurant, with the average price of

dinner being five thousand yen and up, which would usually be far too much money for a

student (except for a handful of students at Seiren Academy), but you could actually enjoy

a nice lunch of aged beef there for a little more than one thousand yen per person. This

was the fruit of Masachika's labor after he'd spent hours on the internet and explored the

neighborhood over the weekend to find the best restaurant for someone who was new to

dating.

Boom! I did a pretty good job if you ask me! Tasteful, right? Alya likes meat from what

I can tell, too. I didn't take the easy way out and go with ramen or curry or cheap barbecue

meat! I was a real man today!

While visualizing himself with his arms raised high as though he had won a boxing

match, Masachika checked to see how Alisa was reacting…which was when he realized he'd

made his first mistake: Alisa was new to dating as well. She was inexperienced, which was

why she could honestly say:

"Oh, this place is really good, isn't it? I came here once with my family a while back."

Alisa's heart was in the right place, but it felt like a kick to the groin to Masachika,

and the champion Masachika in his mind, who'd been raising his hands in the air in victory,

turned to stone.

Okay, then… Uh… I guess that's better than her telling me she has been here before,

and it sucked…

He had managed to make himself feel better before he came crumpling down…when

Alisa innocently swung a bardiche (it's like a Russian halberd) through his body.

"I vaguely remember the venison being really good."

"Petrify" × "Heavy Weapon" = "Break."

Masachika was mentally broken at that point. Despite being so proud of himself a few

seconds before, there was not even a fragment of that confidence left. On the contrary, he

almost wanted to run away, especially since…

"Sorry… They don't serve venison during lunch hours…"

"Oh… Okay."

Alisa suddenly seemed to notice Masachika's disappointment and, panicking, tried to

make him feel better.

"But all the other types of meat were really good, too. I'm really happy you took me

here. Come on, let's go inside."

"…All right."

Masachika stepped inside the restaurant, wondering why she wasthe one taking the lead.

After they were escorted to their table and they ordered their lunch and drinks, he decided to

bring up the closing ceremony right off the bat in order to clear his mind.

"So, uh… About the closing ceremony…"

"O-oh, right."

"I'm sure Touya will explain things in detail to us the day before the ceremony as the

student council preparesfor it, but let me give you a brief rundown of what's going to happen.

Normally, the president takesthe lead during the ceremony and summons each member of the

student council to the stage. When your name is called, you walk up to the mic and introduce

yourself. The order goes like this…"

He raised his right hand into the air and lowered one finger per person as he explained.

"Student council presidential candidate, their running mate, another candidate, their

running mate…et cetera. Everyone is called to the stage in pairs, regardless of their position

in the student council. There, they will introduce themselves and talk about how they're

running for student council president. Then their running mate will talk about why they're

running with said candidate and why they're the best candidate."

"Okay…"

"Now, this next part is important. While there isn't any real voting, the audience is

essentially casting a ballot."

"What?"

Alisa's eyes widened in surprise.

"The audience will only clap for the candidate they want to win. After you give your

speech, they either clap for you in support or they don't. There aren't any rules saying you

can only clap and cheer for one pair, but it's kind of an unwritten rule. An invisible vote,

if you will."

"So that… That means…"

Alisa gulped before timidly continuing:

"There's a chance nobody will clap, and the room stays completely silent?"

"Of course. Something like that supposedly happened once a long time ago, and the

unfortunate pair apparently never showed their faces around the student council again."

"Errr…"

She grimaced at the terrifying story, and Masachika nodded and scratched his head as

though he knew how she felt.

"These elimination rounds are one of the downsides of being a student council member.

Purposely not becoming a member of the student council and then running for president is

actually a decent strategy when you have a lot of talented candidates like this year… A little

late for that in our case, though."

He shook his head, realizing information like that wasn't going to help her now, and

he continued:

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is we need to avoid a situation where everyone cheers

for Yuki and Ayano while our speeches are followed by silence."

"Yeah… It would probably hurt us in the long run if they got way more applause than

us."

"We humans sure are interesting creatures, aren't we? Even if we like someone and want

to support them, we won't if those around us aren't. Of course, this goes both ways."

"Yeah, I've heard that many people like what they like mainly because the people around

them liked it first."

"Exactly. Peer pressure at itsfinest." Masachika nodded, then became a bit more serious.

"To be honest, though, I highly doubt we're going to get as much applause as Yuki. But

don't get me wrong. We don't want absolute silence, either, because if we mess up this time,

then it's going to be really hard to get support later on."

"I figured as much… How hard do you think it'll be?"

"Very. She already has plenty ofsupporters. I know thisisn't the most encouraging thing

to say right now, but our goal should be maintaining what we have. We don't need to win.

We just need to avoid being the obvious losers."

"You're being rather pessimistic today."

Alisa looked upset, but Masachika shrugged calmly.

"I'm just rationally analyzing our current situation. The first semester closing ceremony

is nothing more than a prologue to the presidential race, so we should be able to turn things

around as long as we don't get crushed."

"…Yeah, you're right," agreed Alisa, swallowing her dissatisfaction after realizing his

judgment waslogical and farsighted. She then looked up asifshe'd just thought ofsomething.

"By the way, is Yuki going to be doing her speech before or after us?"

"That's what we need to find out. We played rock-paper-scissors in middle school to

decide the order, but who knows what we'll do this time."

"Huh. So your position within the student council doesn't matter here, either."

Masachika waved his right hand dismissively before shrugging.

"Not at all. Besides the student council president and vice president, everyone is equally

ranked. It's not like being the secretary makes you better than a general member. We used

to not even have a publicist, so it would have been a nightmare trying to re-rank everyone

if we did."

"Wait. Really?"

"I didn't tell you?"

He pointed at himself, blinking in surprise.

"I was actually the one who created the position of 'publicist.'"

"What?!"

"Honestly, I only made it to make Yuki even more popular back in middle school…

You know how she uses the PA system to make announcements about the student council

every other week?"

"Y-yeah, I'm aware."

"Well, that's also something I thought up."

"Really?!"

Once every two weeks, Yuki would make an announcement on the school radio during

lunch regarding the student council's recent activities and results in addition to discussing

student opinions from the suggestion box. It ended up being extremely popular among the

students, and while Yuki was an exceptional speaker who usually maintained her perfect

ladylike demeanor, the "real" Yuki would occasionally slip out in the middle of her

announcements, which was another reason they were so popular. Word on the street was

that they were even more popular than what the broadcasting club aired during lunch, which

obviously didn't exactly win the students over.

"Yuki was originally a general member of the club like me, which is why I came up with

the idea. I wanted to get her name out there and make her more popular. Before long, it ended

up becoming its own thing, so Yuki decided she would continue doing it along with making

newsletters and whatnot, and that's how we ended up creating the position of publicist for

her."

"In other words, what she was doing was officially recognized as a brand-new position

by the student council."

"Yeah, that's basically what happened… I know I have no right to say this, but it's

kind of unfair, isn't it? The students have the chance to get to know Yuki biweekly. Not

even the student council president gets that many chances to talk to the student body. So it's

no surprise that more people know and like her, which will give her the advantage during

the upcoming election," Masachika informed her with a forced smile before he altered his

expression and continued.

"Anyway, there's nothing we can do about that, so back on topic… I know I already

told you this, but you can talk about whatever you want when you give your speech at the

ceremony. If you're having trouble coming up with something to talk about, I'll chime in

and help."

"All right, I'm counting on you."

"You've got it… Oh, right. If you want to go for a draw, you need to make the first strike

during your speech. One of the benefits of attacking first means you set an example for the

others. So it doesn't matter if they do a better job at striking back because you were the one

who set the standard, which gives them an unfair advantage, and everybody realizes that."

"Hmm…"

Masachika smiled awkwardly in response to her obvious aggravation.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. There are plenty of other ways we could go about

this if you wanted to play dirty."

"For example?"

"Uh… Like we could try a psychological attack to throw them off their game? But that

would go against your beliefs, right? Because I know you like to fight fair."

Merely listening to the suggestion made Alisa grimace.

"Yeah…"

"Right?" Masachika shrugged. "Of course, if they try to do something like that to us

first, then it's on, but I doubt they'd try something like that, especially since this isn't even

a debate."

"…Would they try something like that if it were a debate?"

"If they needed to," he replied, as extreme as it sounded. He then looked over at Alisa

to assess how determined she was.

"Would you think less of them if that happened? Or of me?"

"…I wouldn't. It would be hard for me personally to do something like that, but those

kinds of tricks are also necessary skills if you want to be a member of the student council.

So no, I wouldn't think less of anybody if they resorted to something like that."

"I'm glad to hear that." Masachika nodded with a little smirk. "Anyway, I'm not going

to do anything cheap like that. It's not like I'm Nonoa."

"…? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Huh? Oh, uh… Hey, look. Our food's here."

He cut the conversation short the moment the food arrived. He didn't have it in him to

tell her that Nonoa brainwashed a few students in the past, so he grabbed his drink to avoid

Alisa's suspicious gaze and proposed a toast, raising his glass slightly.

"So, uh… Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me today. Cheers."

"…Cheers."

Seeming self-conscious, they lightly clinked their glasses together before each taking a

sip and moving on to their meals. On their plates were sautéed vegetables and two slices each

of various cuts of meat with three types of salts to go with them. Masachika started his meal

with a slice of beef (although he forgot to ask the brand and what part of the cow it came

from), which he dipped in the red wine salt.

"Wow. This is good."

"It is, isn't it?"

The taste went beyond what he'd imagined, and he enjoyed trying each flavor profile,

helping him forget what they'd been talking about.

This salt's really good, too. I wonder where I can get some of this to use at home.

While he was thinking about the new and unique flavors, Alisa suddenly muttered:

"Those rumors about Miyamae… Was that you?"

"Hmm?"

He wondered what she was talking about for a split second before almost immediately

realizing what she meant, and he shrugged with a slight grimace.

"Oh, that? No. Nonoa made up and spread that rumor herself. I did go talk to her to see

what we could do about you-know-what, but I had no idea she was going to do that."

"Oh…"

The rumor Nonoa had created spread like wildfire across campus during exams. By the

end of the week, opinions were mainly split down the middle. Half the students believed

Sayaka and Nonoa lost due to being disqualified, and the other half were unsure how the

debate would have ended if it had continued.

"Anyway, on one hand, it helped squash all the terrible rumors about Sayaka. On the

other hand, it made our victory at the debate less credible."

"…"

Alisa lowered her gaze until she was staring hard at her plate without saying a word.

Perhaps something unrelated was bothering her…and Masachika had a good idea what that

was. There were a few people around school criticizing Nonoa for using plants at the debate.

"Oh, you goofball" and an eye roll were the most common responses among the students,

since Nonoa had admitted it herself, and it aligned with their image of what kind of person

she was, but there were some students who were definitely not happy about what she did.

"If you are worried about Nonoa, you don't need to be. Seriously. She decided to do this

herself, and she's mentally as strong as an ox, so she doesn't care what anyone says about

her at all," Masachika explained to his concerned-looking partner. He then paused for a few

moments to think before quietly adding:

"I'm sorry. There was probably another way I could have done this."

"…!"

"I left the whole thing to Nonoa, which is why it turned out like this. I should have asked

her what she was planning to do. Then we could have actually—"

"No, it's fine," blurted Alisa, shaking her head and cutting him off. "I couldn't do

anything to help. No. I didn't do anything to help, which means I don't have any right to

complain about what happened," she stated with a note of sorrow in her voice, but eventually

her expression brightened, and she smiled.

"So…thank you, Kuze. Thank you for doing all that for me."

Masachika felt uncomfortable before her somehow fragile smile.

"Oh… Don't mention it."

Those were the only words he managed to stammer out before he lowered his gaze

toward his plate and started eating again.

"Oh my. What's wrong? Are you blushing?" said Alisa with a smug grin.

"…Tsk. Shut up."

He was far too flustered to say anything smart or sensible, but her smile only creased

even more at his childish response.

"You're so cute."

Hold up! Now she's saying stuff like that in Japanese?!

Alisa's eyes narrowed like those of a cat who had found a new toy to play with, and she

grinned, reaching for her chopsticks. After picking up a slice of meat, she dipped it in the

rock salt and brought it toward Masachika's lips.

"Here, I want to pay you back for everything you've done for me. Open your mouth."

She was feeding him again, but unlike when they were at that chain restaurant last time,

there wasn't a partition around the table for privacy, so it was really obvious when other

customers started staring. Alisa, however, continued to hold the meat out as if it didn't bother

her at all.

Getting cocky now, huh? She's going straight for the kill because she thinks she caught

me off guard. Did she forget about the spoon incident already?

He recalled that she hadn't been able to use her spoon anymore after doing this the last

time they went out to eat together, and he slowly narrowed his eyes. That was when he made

up his mind to show her who was boss…and sunk his teeth into the meat like a wild animal,

wrapping hisjaws around not only the meat but her chopsticks as well. He didn't even hesitate

as he looked her straight in the eyes before swallowing and leering a bit.

"Thanks. That was delicious."

"Good."

But Alisa smiled back, calm as could be…and she even started using her chopsticks

again.

Wh-what?! She didn't even blink!

She seemed to be faintly blushing, but her smile didn't waver. If anyone was flustered,

it was Masachika the moment he saw the chopsticks touch her lips again.

…?! Th-this… This is… No. I don't know what's going on, but I feel like she just turned

the tables on me.

He shifted his gaze to his plate to take his mind off it, but he hardly had any food left.

After only a few more bites, he was done and already back to facing Alisa, who finished

almost immediately after him.

"That was delicious."

"…Yeah, it was."

"I got you a little something."

"…?"

Only when she pulled a gift-wrapped box out of her bag with a smile did Masachika

finally remember this was technically his birthday party.

"Here."

"Really? You even got me a birthday present? …Thanks."

After accepting the gift, he unwrapped it at Alisa's insistence, revealing a white ceramic

mug with an elegant round design and a blue plant painted on the side.

"Oh, wow. This is a very classy mug…"

"Giggle. Right?"

Both the design and the slick surface of the cup were impressively luxurious. He wasn't

just trying to be nice. He honestly liked the mug.

"Thank you. I'll put it to good use."

"You're very welcome," Alisa replied with a cheerful nod.

A mug… Something I can use every day… I thought most people would prefer to give

consumable goods to someone on their birthday…

Masachika thought that to himself while he put the cup back inside the box. A mug, of

all things… Maybe giving people cups or plates was customary in Russia? When he shot

Alisa a look with that thought in mind, her expression filled with curiosity.

"…? What?"

"Oh… I thought only couples bought each other matching cups or plates. That's all,"

replied Masachika, trying to get back at her, but Alisa simply smiled without showing even

a hint of shock.

"Oh my… You're good. I actually did buy matching mugs. In fact, I've already been

using mine at home."

"Seriously?!"

"…What if I told you I was being serious?" she asked, grinning cheekily from ear to ear.

This sent Masachika into full panic mode, unable to say another word or make eye contact.

He had lost all hope of beating her today.

"By the way, Kuze…"

"…Yeah?"

He briefly glanced at Alisa and saw that she was still smiling.

"In Russia, the birthday boy or girl is usually the one who foots the bill… Can I expect

the same from you?"

"O-of course."

After all, he had originally planned on paying anyway. He only stuttered a bit because

he was flustered.

I can handle this. It should be around 2,500 yen per person with drinks included… Yeah,

I have more than enough.

After doing the math in his head once more, he nodded at Alisa…and she suddenly

grabbed the bill before he even had a chance.

"I'm kidding. This is my treat."

"Oh… Wait. No. I'm serious. I can pay."

"Don't worry about it. In return, you can pay next time, okay?"

She then grabbed her bag, stood up, and went straight to the register. Masachika hastily

put his gift in his bag and went after her, but it was too late. She had already paid.

"Thank you for coming. Please come again."

The worker at the register saw them out the door. It was like Alisa was always one step

ahead of him.

Man, I just can't win against her today.

He gazed into the sky, dancing in the palm of her hand.

"…Are you that bothered that I paid?" asked Alisa, looking concerned with his behavior.

"Huh? …Oh, uh. I guess?"

"Oh…"

Alisa turned around and shot him a radiant smile so wonderful that it reflexively made

him want to smile back…until a chill ran down his spine.

"By the way, it wouldn't be a birthday without cake, right?"

"Hmm? Oh… I guess?" agreed Masachika, although he was avoiding eye contact. As

Alisa's grin deepened, he suddenly recalled what she'd said only a few minutes before.

"In return, you can pay next time, okay?" The bad feeling in Masachika's gut evolved

into a conviction…then became a reality.

"Kuze, there's a bakery nearby with the most amazing cakes."

She got me!

He clenched histeeth after realizing he'd been had, but whining and complaining weren't

gentlemanly, so he proudly puffed out his chest and put on his most magnificent smile.

"Want to go? My treat."

"Really? I can't wait."

They smiled once more but for a different reason than before, then set out for the

bakery… As it happened, Alisa ate five pieces of cake all by herself, and her half of the bill

alone totaled a little over three thousand yen with drinks included.