38. The stars are so bright and beautiful

Extra in The Student Council

38. The stars are so bright and beautiful

"It's a moon festival! Woohooo!! We're going to go moongazing!" Miyuki shouted with tension in the student council's room.

"Mhm? What do you mean, Chika? Oh, sorry, what do you mean, President?" Shuu replied.

"Hey! Shuu!" Chika instantly refuted, "What do you mean by that just now!? Is that how you see me?" She grabbed Shuu's uniform and casually entered his personal space.

"Calm down, Chika." Shuu grabbed her hands. "I didn't say that. But you know... sometimes the truth is always harsh." He turned her head to the blue sky outside the window. If you look carefully, there's a drop of tears on the side of his eyes.

"It's the same thing!" Shuu let himself be shaken by Chika.

Meanwhile, the others had already gotten used to them and just ignored it altogether till they finished. Their conversation continued without interruption.

"The autumn moon is tonight!" Furuhashi replied to Shuu's question before, and other than Miyuki, the student council's usual volunteer also had the same overflowing energy as Miyuki.

"Hoo~" Miyuki was impressed. He didn't expect that kind of answer. "You sure do know something, Furuhashi-san."

"That's right! and tonight's skies are clear and perfect for stargazing! I've already got permission to use the rooftop and the necessary preparation. So go call your parents and tell them you'll be late." Miyuki continued to appeal to others.

"!?" Furuhashi was shocked and excited when she heard that. Like a diligent student, she threw her hand up in an instant to get Miyuki's attention. "President, can we go too?" she asked.

"Mm??" Rizu was quite bewildered because Fumino included herself just like that. She tried to protest but was easily silenced by Fumino's excitement.

"Of course, the more, the better." Miyuki got even more excited to have a kin nearby.

"Chika and I don't mind," Shuu and Chika voiced their opinion. They suddenly re-entered the conversation as if nothing just happened, and the student council members who didn't even flinch by their actions seriously have come a long way together.

"Still, isn't it a little too sudden?" Chika added. Miyuki didn't inform them beforehand and just dropped the event today.

"Yeah, sure, you can count me in," Yuu intruded, gathering others' attention to himself. "The student council's going to be dissolved soon. If we all want to do fun stuff together… this might be our last chance," he said sincerely, which made it the final nail in the coffin.

***

"Waaaah~" Chika voiced their reactions to the night sky full of stars. "The stars are so bright and beautiful," she said with a happy step. The bunny ear on her head also swayed along with her head, strengthening and spreading her delighted atmosphere to others.

"This spot's pretty good, too," Miyuki acknowledged. He said it coolly, doing his best to hide his excitement. Then, along with Shuu and Yuu, they prepared a place where they could sit or even lie down, gazing at the beautiful stars.

On the other hand, Kaguya didn't find any enjoyment in looking at the moon and night sky. However, she had a special agenda for this event. Then, without wasting any time, she made her move.

Kaguya went and found Chika preparing mochi for everyone. She didn't understand why it's mochi instead of dango, but it's Fujiwara Chika. She quickly decided it wasn't worth wondering about.

After Kaguya succeeded in getting rid of Chika, unexpectedly, Yuu also followed Chika without her needing to do anything. "My father brought us Udon when I told him about this event. I'll prepare it for everyone." Rizu also followed Chika and Yuu.

(Now, what should I do to get rid of him?) Kaguya thought. She prepared herself like a player standing in front of the final boss's room entrance.

However... Kaguya saw Shuu walking toward Fumino, who had been at the entrance since the beginning when they arrived on the rooftop.

(....how anticlimactic) Kaguya felt like a balloon, with the inside air slowly leaking out and deflating. She made her way toward Miyuki.

Shuu stood beside Fumino and looked up at the night sky. "Do you like the moon?" Shuu asked. After he asked, something suddenly crossed his mind.

(This is unlike me to approach her like this.) Shuu just realized what he had done. When he asked himself why he did that, (The way she just suddenly became enchanted by the night sky somehow attracted my attention.) Shuu thought that's the only explanation he could give. As for why...

(I don't understand.) He thought (Whether it's day or night, only this view feels nostalgic.) Unconsciously, Shuu was also entranced by the beautiful night sky. At the end, they both stood side by side, admiring the sky.

"MOU!!" A shout awakened Shuu and Fumino. "I told you to stop it! It's embarrassing!!"

"I can't take it anymore!!!" Kaguya yelled and escaped.

(I wonder how she even failed at this.) Shuu let out a wry smile while watching the show.

"Woah!!" Fumino shrieked as she just realized Shuu's presence beside her. "I'm sorry, did you say something, Katsuragi-san? I wasn't listening just now," she quickly apologized. Fumino's words just returned Shuu to his state when he's approaching her.

"Ahh, it's just... Do you like the moon?" Shuu replied, but unlike usual, he hesitates and stutters.

Fumino slightly shook her head. "Actually, I've always loved the star, ever since I was little. When the stars are beautiful on a night like this, I find myself looking for a specific star..."

"A specific star? What kind of star?" Shuu didn't expect this kind of answer from Fumino.

Fumino turned her attention to the countless stars in the sky. "My late mother's star," she replied.

"Huh?" Shuu was bewildered. 

"Ah" Fumino became agitated when she realized she said something stupid. "Sorry!" She quickly apologized again. "That sounded really dumb, didn't it? But... this is where my dream came from." It was as if she shifted her gear. "I want my life to have a connection to the stars. I know what I'm good and bad at. Still, no matter what others say, I will conquer my weakness and seriously study astronomy!" She stared straight into Shuu's eyes.

Shuu was shocked by her clear, strong, and unbendable gaze. It was as if she just unveiled and bypassed every layer of his defense and struck his fragile core. Somehow, he felt her light just outshined everything around them.

"You're strong, Furuhashi-san" Shuu muttered, "Very strong."

"Eh??" Fumino was surprised to hear Shuu's praise and also became embarrassed by what she said.

(Wait, what….Did I just say?) Shuu thought.

"I'm weak," Shuu continued.

(Huh? What am I doing?)

"Maybe if only I had just a fraction of that strength."

(Why I'm telling her... STOP!) Shuu felt the disconnection between his body and mind. He can't control himself.

"Just maybe… They won't suffer because of me. I wouldn't become a burden..."

"I–"

"Everyone~! The udon and red bean soup are ready. Chika's voice echoed, cutting Shuu's words.

"Sorry, forget what I said," Shuu said, and he immediately left without waiting for a reply from Fumino.

Meanwhile, Fumino was dazed. She was dumbstruck. It's the very first time she felt she saw the real Katsuragi Shuu that wasn't a void.