The Otaku Class President

The weekend kind of just went by in a flash. I spent my days just sleeping and reading in my room, all the while eating some stuff that I bought last Friday on the convenience store. Then, I spend the last hour of my Sunday to complete homework. I should've been incredibly freshen up by now, but my body felt really heavy that I couldn't even go to school.

Unfortunately, I couldn't give the homework that I needed to hand out this Monday, so unless my little cold dissipates before tomorrow, I couldn't hand them out.

And that's not all. There was going to be handouts this Monday, but since Kentarou said he was now in the literature club, he probably couldn't come to my house to give it to me because his schedule now included his club meetings. Senpai-san doesn't know where I live, either, and same can be said for Shimamura-san.

However, despite those problems, I could still expect someone to come and bring the handouts. They should be coming just about now.

The intercom rang. Since I was pretty beaten up from all that homework I did, I couldn't even muster up the courage to even stand.

"Yuu-nii," my sister, Yuumi, spoke to me on the other side of the door. "Miku-chan-senpai is here to see you again."

Contrary to my expectations, the person I was waiting for actually came. I raised my voice a little.

"Yeah, you can let her in."

The door opened, and what appeared on the other side of my room was none other than my classmate, Miku Akiyama.

She had a natural blue hair with her eyes the same color, same height as me, and her body was just like your natural diligent high school girl; someone who's dedicated her life to just studying. But it was just a mask that hid her true colors.

We met each other back when I started senior high, which was a month and three days ago. We both accidentally bumped into each other when she was descending down the stairs in school. From then on, she suddenly became the class president of our class. While all that wasn't entirely enough to make a suitable relationship for us to be visiting each other's houses whenever we were sick, what happened afterward was the start of this.

"Seems like you're down again," she said as she placed her bag on my desk and sitting in my bed. "Completely like last time."

"Yeah… Well, I guess that's just how my body is built…," I replied in a hoarse voice, affected by my slight cold.

The same thing happened back two weeks ago. I was down bad in bed like this. But I had Kentarou, so what was wrong?

Well, that was the thing; I hadn't met Kentarou back then. I was still in my usual empty loner life. But my sickness back then was way worse than what I had now. So bad that I was in bed for a week straight.

So, having my homeroom and English teacher George Tachibana worried, he requested Miku to come see me, considering she was the class president and all.

That was when she saw my bookshelves packed with tons of books. And not just any books, but manga and light novels at that, too. Miku Akiyama, who came out as a diligent girl in school, was actually a huge otaku, pretty much like Kentarou. She comes in my house to hang around every other day when she first came here. Of course, to just read my books and all. She sometimes hang around in Yuumi.

But this time, her reason for visiting was different.

She dropped her body, hitting her weight in my chest.

"Some of the cold from the rainy season still lingers, so having a sick person who's sweating really warms me up."

"Please consider how the individual feels before doing that."

"Then how do you feel about me, Yuuji?"

"Well, mostly nothing."

"That actually sounds kind of rude."

Despite what she said, but her tone remained unchanged.

For one reason or another, we haven't said anything about us in school. Unlike me, Miku had some friends, but she hasn't told them anything. If she was the talkative type, she'd have more friends and probably let it accidentally slip out of her mouth. I could say it to Kentarou, but explaining it to him would probably be such a drag, so I didn't.

The door opened, and my sister Yuumi went inside with a tray of cookies in a bowl and a pitcher of what I'd assume is cold juice. Hey, I'm sick, give me some warm tea instead. But wait, it came from my sister, so I guess it can't be helped.

"Seems like you didn't visit yesterday, Miku-chan-senpai," said Yuumi as she placed it on my desk and taking a seat in my bed. Why didn't I have folding chairs in this room?

"Well, stuff happened back in school. I really looked forward to that manga you said I could borrow, but being class president and all sure is tough for an otaku."

"I can definitely agree that you don't have much time because you're a class president, but seeing I have never been one, I don't know how you feel."

"Well, not everyone has this curse. Just enjoy your life on being an otaku while you're still in your youth, Yuumi-chan. Adult life is pretty much exhausting, after all."

"I don't recall you being an adult, Miku," I butted in their conversation. "By the way, you're really heavy. Could you just sit?"

"You shouldn't say that to a girl, Yuu-nii."

"I'd rather say that before getting crushed."

I had all these books, but really, they were just the books that my sister had already finished reading. Back then, those were just piles that could be placed just about anywhere, fitting in Yuumi's messy room. But after the passing years, we needed to order bookshelves. But that still wasn't enough, and now I had five bookshelves in my room, pretty much occupying every single space of my comfort zone. These were all just leftover books that Yuumi had already done reading. For some reason, she didn't want to throw them out, so I just kept some in my room.

Because of these, Yuumi was the most knowledgeable person in this household. Not even Miku, and probably me, could beat her when it came to written tests.

"Wow, nothing beats your cookies, Yuumi-chan. You're also good when it comes to cooking other dishes. Maybe I'll have you cook for me everyday?"

"While that offer may be tempting, I couldn't. After all, I've already got a handful of a brother to take care of everyday, so I shall decline your proposal."

Miku clicked her tongue an glared at me like I just stole her most prize possession. Hey, that's my sister. I shan't give her to the likes of you!

Jokes aside, though, these cookies did taste wonderful. She's knowledgeable not just in the intellectual stuff, but even in everyday life. I'm not envying her, I'm proud of her.

***

The afternoon came and gone, and I was now feeling a little bit better. Actually, I felt so much better that I could go for a jog. It's getting dark now though, and as Miku had just said, the cold of the rainy season still lingers just in the air, and the night would definitely freeze me, giving me another cold.

It was dinner now, Yuumi suggested to Miku that she could eat with us, and we were now pretty much full. Night now rolled in, and the dim street lights were now on. Kindly enough, Yuumi said that she'd do the dishes, and just when I thought I could sleep, she suddenly hit me with the "Walk Miku-chan-senpai home" look, so I had no choice but to comply.

I donned the very warm jacket and scarf I could find, headed out the door and started walking together with Miku.

"I bet none of our classmates would believe us if we ever said to them that we hang out," I said as I stared at the endless night sky, glistening with the iridescent beauty of the astronomy, also known as stars.

"How many days has it been ever since I met you? To be honest, I've been having lots of fun hanging out with Yuumi-chan that I even lost track of time."

"A month and three days. Some days weren't fun, so I kept track."

"So you're saying the days you spent with me weren't fun at all?" she pouted, staring directly at my face. Stop that, you look cute, especially while being radiated by the dim street lights. The night sky is enhancing it more.

"I didn't particularly mention anything about you not being fun. I just said some days. Sometimes, you just feel so down, you don't even realize it."

"Ah, I get that feeling sometimes. When you just get so depressed for no reason, not wanting to get out of bed and feeling really weak. To be honest, I don't remember the things I did whenever that happened."

"Likewise."

We kept walking the empty street roads. Miku's home was surprisingly near ours, just five streets away. There wasn't any need for me to walk her home, but Yuumi still insisted, saying that she once saw a creepy old uncle trying to talk to a JK, just three streets away from ours. I still didn't want to walk Miku, but after hearing that, I was now kind of worried, so I gave in.

But then again, Miku is so athletic that she'd probably be able to handle it just fine. I'm not implying that she'd do well fighting other people, though. If she were to fight me, I'd go down in a flash, but if it were Ryuuji… Whatever.

Ten minutes of walking is silence really calmed me down. My body felt lighter, my mood is kind of cheerful, and I could practically skip if I wanted to.

"Hey," Miku started speaking. "I just heard this from Rin, but have you been meeting up with one of the Deadly Beauties in school?"

My mood completely vanished after I heard her spout those words.

Rin Satou was Miku's friend back in junior high, and their classes were separated when she started senior. They were practically glued to each other, but ever since Miku became class president, they spent their time hanging out low now. The reason why Miku could spend time at my house was because we were street neighbors, but Satou lives further away from us.

"Well, I guess you heard right," I flatly replied while averting my eyes to the sky. Yep, it's still beautiful despite my tone.

"I see…"

We started walking quietly yet again. I feel like an absolute idiot, so please speak.

"…Are you really that famous?"

"Nope, not in a million years, definetely not," I replied, basically rejecting the entire premise of her question. I spoke so fast that I wasn't sure if she caught on to that.

"N-No need to be paranoid about it, geez…"

The silence yet again persisted. I just can't seem to think about anything to talk to when it comes to my previous encounters. I could go on and on, rambling about Senpai-san, but that would be if we never met, or the person I'm talking to about her knows her themselves. However, I can't make myself to speak about other people when it comes to people not involved.

The silence was now ringing in my ears, which made me feel calm, but after hearing Miku's voice again, my body tensed up.

"Is it Ayane Matsumoto?"

"Don't ask if you already know who it is…"

"B-But, I genuinely didn't know who it was."

"But you probably heard from Satou-san, didn't you?"

"W-Well…"

Silence, silence, silence. The ringing in my ears felt strangely and extremely good, but I couldn't take it anymore.

I slowed down just enough so that Miku couldn't notice, went behind her, and messed up her beautiful blue hair. Ah, this is the life I needed to stop that silence~

"H-Hey, Yuuji! What are you doing?!"

"I shan't stop until thou hairstyle has vanished!" I spoke in a rather weird way. Actually, I did that intentionally so I could clear up the weird air. In other words, I'm trying to be funny, which I hope would work.

"S-Stop! You're messing it up!"

After that, she did a quick maneuver and switched places with me, messing up my head. Wow, she's really athletic.

"Here! Take this, and that!"

We kept our long shenanigans going for about five minutes, and we did so without hesitation. We should be really thinking about our actions, but seeing that there weren't any signs of souls around, we could just keep going until our heart's content.

Due to exhaustion, we eventually stopped. We sat by a wall near a house's gate, and kept catching our breaths.

I haven't had that much fun in months. Normally, I wouldn't be able to spend this much time with my sister back at home, but when Miku's around, the atmosphere just changes into a happy one. Just goes to show how she really is an otaku; she knows the way of cheering people up.

"Wow… That really tired me out…," she said as she leaned her head on the wall and wrapping her hands around her legs. "But you really shouldn't do that to a girl, Yuuji. You're lucky it was me you did that to."

"Eh, does it really matter?"

"Of course it is! I don't mind it one bit because I just let my hair flow out. If someone tied up their hair in the most stylish way possible, and a hard one at that, and you just messed it up, how would they feel?"

"Hmm… They'd definitely feel pissed."

"Exactly."

"…"

Wait, maybe that's why Shimamura-san felt embarrassed? Because she has to walk around school with a stupid style of hair whenever I pat her head? Maybe I should refrain from patting her head too roughly from now on.

"Well, we should get you home now, Miku."

"Good idea. Let's mess around some other time," she said as she flashed me a smile.

Just when we were about to stand up, the gate beside us suddenly opened, and came out a person. To be more exact, a girl. It was kind of dark, but I could make out her figure.

She had a face like that looks just like a child, and her short figure gave an impression of a junior high school student, which I found strangely familiar. Her hair was tied up from the back, and it seemed like she was wearing clothes that suited home: a white blouse with some shorts.

…Actually, after getting a good look on her face, I realized she wasn't just any stranger that lived in my neighborhood.

I silently looked at the name plate beside her mailbox, and saw something I was not expecting.

"C-Can I help you two…?" she asked meekly. So meekly that I wouldn't believe it if they told me they were both the same person.

The girl talking to us right now…is Ayase Shimamura.