Kirisu Mafuyu’s Past

After those words were spoken, Mafuyu had a look of clear astonishment on her face.

"Discuss life?"

"Yes, about things like dreams you just mentioned in the student council room..." Itsuki spoke slowly, pondering the words in her mind, "I have my own dreams, and I think I can endure. But even so, I realize I'm still shaken by new aspirations, and I don't know how to make choices."

"So I want to ask you, if it were you, would you choose to change or not..."

"What do you mean..." Mafuyu wanted to continue asking, but some scenes and tears suddenly flashed in her mind, making her unable to speak further.

[Stop saying those comforting words! The more you say this, the more pathetic I look—!]

The unforgettable past, after the celebration banquet, completely filled her mind.

Itsuki's hopeful expression like a source of fear made Mafuyu unconsciously step back.

"Kirisu-sensei? What's wrong with you?"

Mafuyu suddenly snapped out of it and quickly avoided Itsuki's gaze to prevent her from seeing what was odd about her.

"Sorry, ask that person about this question. He should be able to give a satisfying answer." She pursed her dry lips.

"That person? Asada-kun?" Itsuki looked at her turning away, confused, "But, just because it's difficult to tell Asada-kun about this issue, I wanted to talk to you now... "

Mafuyu turned away so she could only hear her calm voice.

"Foolish behavior. It's pointless to talk to me. You should know what happened to Furuhashi-san and Ogata-san. That's what I learned from the past. I only asked about your future goals out of curiosity, and I didn't mean to interfere or give any advice."

"No benefit?"

With a pouty face, Itsuki stepped closer and tried to look directly into Mafuyu's eyes, speaking with a serious tone.

"I apologize for being a little rough, but Kirisu-sensei, I haven't even disclosed my issue yet, why do you think that way? Regardless of the difference between my question and Fumino's question, I just hope Kirisu-sensei sees it from her own perspective—"

As she looked at Mafuyu's expression clearly, Itsuki stopped talking, freezing in place.

Mixed with depression, loneliness, and discomfort, very complex emotions were revealed from the usually cold face.

Mafuyu didn't look at her, her eyes only fixed on the ground weakly, trapped in memories.

"In fact. People without talent might be able to overcome everything through hard work... But I, who have always denied and fled, cannot be liked by 'miracles' like you and them."

Her voice was very soft and lacked the admiration as usual.

"Nothing is left, everything is meaningless, and in the end, only regret remains."

"Itsuki-san, unless you also want to regret it, don't let me give any advice about your future and dreams."

A few words from a teacher can have a great impact on a student's future. Mafuyu understood this sentence very well and understood one thing deeply.

Whether she supported or opposed, what she could bring to the other party always ended in pain.

Therefore, she didn't even want to hear what Itsuki was concerned about. She was afraid she couldn't restrain herself from saying something and letting Itsuki follow the path of her regret.

Taking a short breath, Mafuyu hid her expression behind the shadows of her hair.

"Not all educators are qualified to give answers to students."

"Sorry, ask someone else."

After saying that, she quickly walked to the end of the corridor, and soon disappeared around the corner.

Her fingers moved slightly to the side, but Itsuki didn't reach out her hand at all, she just watched her run back from a distance.

"Kirisu-sensei..."

After they expressed their thanks at the barbecue celebration banquet in the talent exchange meeting, Mafuyu also showed a similar expression.

Just like now, she reacted like a fugitive.

"What happened in the past?"

After standing silently in the corridor for a moment, Itsuki turned around and walked towards the student council room.

△

Shinichi put aside the documents he had corrected, sighed, put down his pen, and rubbed his eyebrows.

"I have to go to the Academic Affairs Office later..."

This information couldn't be seen by Itsuki and the others, he had to do it himself, making the already heavy duties of the president even more tiring.

If he didn't manage his time well, he would be so busy that he would get dizzy, thus increasing the likelihood of making mistakes.

"I have to be careful. It took a lot of effort to get the layout to this point... I must not fail." Reminding himself quietly, Shinichi carefully classified two types of documents and prepared to drink tea and eat some snacks to rest.

Taking the teapot, he realized that the tea inside was already cold. He looked for Itsuki, but she wasn't in sight.

"Does it take such a long time to deliver official documents? Is she lost?"

That's impossible. Moreover, as the vice president, Itsuki had visited every department in the school, and it could even be said that she was familiar with the way, usually able to go back and forth within five minutes.

It's been more than ten minutes, why hasn't she returned?

Thinking about Itsuki's strange look when she left, Shinichi felt worried.

Just as he was thinking about whether to make a call, the door of the student council room opened, and the person who entered happened to be Itsuki.

Her expression was completely different from before. She seemed to be thinking, facing a difficult problem and struggling to overcome it.

Shinichi took the teapot and walked to Itsuki's side, asking hesitantly, "What's wrong with you? Are you thinking about the Lópida Law formula?"

Itsuki slowly raised her head, his big eyes filled with confusion: "L what?"

"The Lópida Law is something you may never encounter in your lifetime." Shinichi placed the teapot in Itsuki's hand, patting her shoulder gently, and said casually, "Is there something wrong with the official documents? Or is there something wrong with the school?"

"No." After coming to her senses as if she woke up from a dream, Itsuki shook her head and replied. When it came to business matters, her attitude was as serious as usual.

"Even if there are new tasks, the school will hand them over to the School Festival Executive Committee. Now we just have to work on the existing tasks."

Of course Shinichi understood this, he just asked intentionally.

"Then what are you still worried about? Can't you lose weight?"

Itsuki placed the teapot on the shelf to avoid the temptation to hit her head while talking to him.

"Asada-kun, I just met Kirisu-sensei in the corridor..."

At this point, she hesitated to speak, not knowing whether she should continue.

Shinichi touched his chin and asked hesitantly, "Did Kirisu-sensei just shout 'Mafuyu-chan, great victory!' in the corridor earlier?"

"It's impossible!" Itsuki reflexively complained, trying to protect Mafuyu's reputation. "Even though I don't know what you're talking about, a serious person like Kirisu-sensei would never do something like that. Such a thing would tarnish your image!"

Was her room looking like it had just been through a war, consistent with her image? A standard persona that appears pure in front of others but dirty behind their backs?

Shinichi didn't complain like that, he just nodded nonchalantly.

"That's right, so what happened to her?"

"She..." Not realizing that Shinichi was trying to deceive her, Itsuki hesitated whether to tell him what had just happened.

Moreover, perhaps Mafuyu didn't want her to meddle in other people's affairs...

Thinking about this, the expression Mafuyu showed at that moment suddenly flashed in her mind.

Regret, helplessness, despair, sadness, self-reproach... completely different from her usual self.

Itsuki clenched her fists, suppressing her guilt, and a certain determination in her heart grew stronger.

She raised her eyes to look at Shinichi and uttered every word:

"Asada-kun, let's video call tonight!"