Nice Prank, By The Way

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[-Continuation-]

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[-Hachiman's POV-]

"Hey… Yukino, take care of things here. I will be over in the corner."

Yukino gave a quick nod.

With that, I left the rest to the girls, sat in a seat further away, and watched Yukino and the others.

As I sat down, I noticed that there were already three other students sitting in the same row.

They wore the same school uniform as me.

Members of the student council.

Most likely.

And, judging by their appearances, they were probably around my year too.

A nagging sense of familiarity tugs at my mind as I study them, unable to pinpoint exactly where I've seen them before.

There were two guys and one girl.

The guy on the far left sports light brown hair, while the one in the middle has a mop of reddish-brown locks. The girl, seated on the right, catches my attention with her dark purple hair and large eyes peering out from behind glasses.

I recalled something - wasn't the student council vice president supposed to be male?

My gaze flicks between the two guys, wondering which one it might be.

"Hey… Hikigaya, right?" The light brown-haired guy beside me spoke up, his tone hesitant, as if unsure whether he really wanted to start a conversation.

I turn to face him, noting the uncertainty in his posture.

"Yeah, that's me." I responded, deciding to engage despite my usual inclination to avoid small talk.

He gave a quick nod, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

He gives a quick nod, visibly gathering his thoughts before continuing.

"We were part of the Cultural Festival committee last year. All three of us, actually." He gestures towards his companions.

Cultural Festival…. hum?

Ah, I had to agree, I had some 'fun' at that time.

Anyway, that's where I remembered them from.

I hadn't paid much attention back then, but the familiarity was starting to click into place.

"Good to see you guys again." I said, surprising myself with my casual tone.

I scoot over to an empty seat closer to them, sensing there's more to this conversation.

My approach seems to catch them off guard. The light brown-haired guy's eyes widen slightly, and his friends exchange quick glances. It's almost as if they expected me to brush them off entirely.

"So… you three are in the student council now?" I asked, breaking the silence.

My question snaps him back to attention.

"Oh, yeah! I am actually the vice president." He says, straightening up a bit. "Name's Asano."

He then gestured toward the reddish-brown-haired guy. "This is Sakamoto."

Finally, he pointed to the girl with the glasses. "And this is our secretary, Fujikura."

I nod politely, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more to this interaction.

They seemed like decent people, though I wondered how they ended up in the student council.

But the way they are looking at me is... different.

It was as if they already had some preconceived notions about me, as if someone had given them the lowdown before this little meeting.

Maybe they had heard something about me from someone - something surprisingly positive, judging by the way they were looking at me.

It's not the usual wary 'oh, it's that guy' glance I am accustomed to receiving.

It almost felt like there was some level of …respect and ….admiration?

But nah! ...I must be imagining things.

Before I can dwell on it further, Sakamoto speaks up. "Actually, we have been meaning to talk to you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The three of them exchanged quick glances, a silent nod passing between them like they had agreed on this beforehand.

What the...?

Are they planning something?

Maybe a prank?

I subtly braced myself, fully prepared for whatever nonsense they were about to pull.

And then, without warning, they speak in unison:

"Thanks for making the Cultural Festival and Sports Festival a huge success."

"Thank you very much."

"Yes, we are really grateful."

Their synchronized gratitude hits me like an unexpected wave, leaving me momentarily stunned.

Shit…! That startled me.

While their individual voices weren't particularly loud, the combined effect draws more attention than I am comfortable with.

A few heads turned in our direction, and, of course, among those few were Yukino, Yuigahama, and Isshiki.

So, basically, everyone who mattered.

"Haa…" I let out a quiet sigh, my lips curving into a light, awkward smile.

It's my futile attempt to downplay the situation, but I can feel the eyes of everyone in the room on us.

Meanwhile, the three culprits, realizing the scene they caused, stood up and hurriedly apologized.

Gradually, the small incident was swept away by the flow of conversation, and the room returned to its usual rhythm.

Asano, the vice president, cleared his throat softly. "Sorry about that." He said, his voice tinged with genuine remorse.

"Yeah, no problem." I reply, aiming for nonchalance. But I can feel a muscle in my cheek twitch, betraying my discomfort.

"Nice prank, by the way." I add, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm from creeping into my voice.

"We are not pranking you. It was the truth."

Fujikura, the secretary who's been quiet until now, speaks up. Her voice is soft but carries a surprising weight.

I glance at the others, searching their faces for any hint of deception.

Asano added, almost serious. "We meant it."

There isn't a trace of sarcasm in their expressions, just genuine earnesty.

Great. Sincerity. My old nemesis. I can feel it wrapping around me like an unwelcome embrace.

"Actually…" Asano continues, his expression growing even more earnest, if that's possible. "We really admire your leadership during the Cultur–"

Okay, by now, I can tell, they are being genuine. Or at least, that's how it feels. But for some reason, this conversation seems to be veering in a direction I am not comfortable with.

I raise my hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Hold it." I interject, my voice firm. "I am not the one leading things here. You still remember that, right?"

They seem genuinely admiring, and while that's flattering in a way I am not used to, they need to get one thing straight - I am not in charge.

I have no intention of being anyone's leader.

They needed to get this fact through their heads.

Forget about this 'collaboration event' and anything else. The whole student council could end up a big mess if this continues.

In the future, if a problem arises, they shouldn't be looking at me.

Hmm, that might sound too self centric even for me. Yeah, they shouldn't be looking at Service Club for solutions.

More importantly, the real leader here was Isshiki, and that's who they should be relying on.

Asano, to his credit, gave a confident nod, clearly understanding my point.

"Don't worry, we know that much already." He said, his tone cool and reassuring.

I had to admit, the guy had a certain calm composure about him.

….and his name is also bad ass.

"Yeah, we get it." Sakamoto chimed in, flashing a casual grin.

Fujikura, the girl with dark purple hair, simply nodded, her large eyes focused on me but not in an intimidating way, more like she was just quietly absorbing everything.

So this is the trio.

Asano, the calm and collected one.

Sakamoto, the laid-back type

And Fujikura, the quiet observer.

Alright, maybe I was worried for nothing. At least they had their heads on straight.

"Good to know." I replied with a nod of my own, feeling a little more at ease.

At least they understood who the real leader was.

Asano's lips curl into a grin. "In fact, that was the first thing the previous president, Senior Meguri, told us when she left the council in Isshiki's hands."

"Senior Meguri, huh?" I echoed, trying to picture what exactly she had told them.

I guess she did a good job of setting things straight before she left. The transfer of power, however little influence it might have, needed to be done properly.

"Anyway, don't expect anything from me today. I don't lik–!"

I started to speak, but was abruptly cut off by Asano again. "You don't like burdensome tasks."

Sakamoto and Fujikura chuckle in unison, the sound mingling in the air between us.

Fujikura's small smile is accompanied by her soft voice. "Senior Meguri mentioned the same thing. She told us not to disturb you and the Service Club unless it was really important."

Senior Meguri... What exactly did you say to these guys?

Wait. Is that why this trio thinks so highly of me?

"No, you're wrong." I said, my voice deadpan. "It's not just important. Only very, very, very important."

Yeah, I wasn't joking about that.

But it seems like the trio felt like laughing.

Anyway, after that, I let them do their work, and they also didn't disturb me any further and continued with some files.

Just as I was about to do my work - beginning to zone out, I noticed someone looking my way, a familiar face wearing a perplexed expression amidst the throng of people.

The moment our eyes met, her surprise was palpable.

Then she stood up and made her way over to me.

"Oh, Hikigaya?" She said, her voice carrying a mix of surprise and recognition.

"…Oh."

That girl's Kaihin Sogo High uniform was slightly crumpled, and she was combing through her black perm with her fingers.

It was none other than Orimoto Kaori.

.

….

[To be continued…]

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