“Kuze, I challenge you to a debate.”
“What?”
A clamoring crowd gathered and watched from a distance after Sayaka made her declaration, and Masachika knew exactly how they felt.
“In regard to what we will debate… ‘Should we include teacher evaluations when accepting new members into the student council?’ How does that sound?”
“Hold on! Are you being serious?”
“Do you honestly believe I would joke about this? People like you do not belong in the race…or the student council, for that matter. Of course, you aren’t going to run away from a debate, right? You are a member of the student council for the time being, after all.”
Masachika was puzzled and could not process the sudden turn of events, but her eyes made it clear that she was serious about crushing him at the debate, and he knew if he wanted to do anything about it, he was going to have to beat her.
“All right. But first, I need details on—”
“Not so fast,” Alisa interrupted sharply. “The debate is for presidential candidates to argue their issues, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t make decisions without me.”
She shot Sayaka a piercing glare, but Sayaka herself didn’t even glance in Alisa’s direction as she dismissively replied:
“Stay out of this. I am not interested in candidates whose grades are their only redeeming feature.”
“Excuse me?! Look at me when you talk to me!”
Alisa forced herself in between Sayaka and Masachika, then got right in Sayaka’s face.
“We are a team. If you plan on defeating Kuze, then you are going to have to get through me first!” Alisa snapped. Sayaka stared back at her, clearly annoyed, and quietly sputtered:
“I was simply offering you a chance to run away so you could keep your dignity…”
She then lifted her chin with scorn and continued in a deep, cold tone:
“Very well. I will crush both of you at the debate. People like you two do not deserve to run.”
The surrounding students were buzzing with confusion and excitement as rumors of this year’s debate spread like wildfire throughout the school before the day was out.
“Sigh… I was sure there wasn’t even going to be a debate this semester.”
After school in the student council room, Touya was looking uneasily at an application from Sayaka in hand.
“I’m sorry. It’s right before exam week, too…,” Masachika said apologetically.
“It’s not your fault she challenged you… Sorry. I was just complaining to myself. I wasn’t trying to blame you.”
Touya waved his hand at Masachika while lowering his gaze once more at the application.
“Hmm… We really can’t refuse to debate with all the rumors going around, but this topic is…”
“Yeah, she obviously chose it because of me.”
“Right… I guess so…”
It was the topic Sayaka had brought up during lunch: Should we include teacher evaluations when accepting new members into the student council? In other words, Should we make teacher recommendations mandatory for joining the student council?
Touya drew his eyebrows together, since her real reason for choosing this topic was evident. Masachika, on the other hand, simply shrugged and casually remarked:
“I doubt many teachers know who I am, and if they do, they don’t have a good impression of me, so if this bill passes, I’m going to have to quit the student council.”
“Not necessarily. Even if everyone votes to adopt the bill, that doesn’t mean the school itself will use it… Are you really going to do this debate, though? Because I honestly don’t see how it would benefit you at all.”
“It would benefit us,” Alisa clearly stated. Touya turned to her with a look of deep interest, but the burning flames of battle in her eyes made him shrink back. “Defeating her would improve my chances of becoming the next student council president. In fact, if I run away now, then I will have no chance of defeating her during the race.”
“O-oh… You really think so?”
“Plus, she insulted both Kuze and me, so I am not going to be satisfied until she takes back what she said and apologizes to us.”
Masachika, who was quietly burning with rage, forced a smile and added:
“Anyway, it’s not all bad. The debate gives us a little exposure before the closing ceremony and provides a chance to appeal to the students while declaring our candidacy.”
“Well, as long as you two are okay with this…”
Touya half-heartedly nodded at Masachika while checking the schedule.
“Hmm… It is too close to exam week… I know it’s a little sudden, but how about having the debate this Friday after school?”
“I’m fine with that.”
“Me too.”
“Perfect. All right, how about we make the announcement today?”
“President, allow me to make the flyer.”
“Suou, are you sure?”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Yuki agreeably smiled and nodded from the office table, then shifted in her seat so she was facing Masachika and Alisa.
“Masachika, Alya, good luck.”
“…Thanks.”
“Thank you very much.”
“How does everyone feel about exempting them from their tasks until after the debate? They are going to be extremely busy preparing for it, after all,” Yuki suggested as she looked around the room at the other members. Everyone immediately agreed.
“Sure. ♪ Why not?”
“I’m fine with that, too.”
“As you wish, Lady Yuki.”
“Yeah, good idea. Kuze, Little Kujou, you two focus on the debate. We’ll take care of things here.”
“What? We can’t just leave you guys with all this work. You’re already busy enough.”
“And things will be a lot busier for me if this bill passes, which is why I need you two to prevent that. There’s nothing to feel guilty about,” Touya said humorously. Masachika and Alisa lowered their heads, grateful for his generosity.
“All right. Thanks a lot. Really.”
“Thank you very much. We won’t let you down.”
Masachika and Alisa retired from the student council room after expressing their appreciation.
“All right, then. Want to head back to our classroom and discuss strategy?”
“Yes.”
“…Anyway, that’s probably how Sayaka’s going to argue, judging by her past performances.”
“All right…”
“So how would you counter her if this was her argument?”
Masachika and Alisa faced each other across the desk in an empty room after school and discussed strategy.
“…And I think that’s what I’d base my counterargument around.”
“Yeah, that sounds good to me. Very persuasive. We should still probably sort out and summarize the main points, though.”
They were using a copy of the application submitted to Touya to predict and prepare for Sayaka’s argument. The practice even helped Alisa gradually cool off, since she’d still been pretty irritated by what Sayaka had said earlier, and eventually, she was able to calmly analyze Sayaka’s behavior.
“Hey, Kuze.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you and Taniyama…on bad terms?”
“Not really. I mean, I don’t think we are… We worked reasonably well together and treated each other with respect when we were in the student council in middle school, at the very least.”
“Oh…”
“She usually doesn’t talk like that, just so you know. Like, honestly…I’ve never seen her be so rude before.”
He drooped and gave a slightly resigned shrug, causing Alisa’s heart to skip a beat. This was the first time she had seen Masachika, who usually goofed around all the time without a worry in the world, show weakness. Unlike Alisa, Masachika had been insulted by someone he knew. There was no way it wouldn’t hurt his feelings, regardless of how unreasonable Sayaka was being.
“Kuze…”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, uh…”
Alisa wanted to say something to her seemingly worn-out classmate, but she didn’t know what. She had never tried to cheer someone up before, and she didn’t know what Masachika and Sayaka’s relationship was like, so she felt that whatever she said would sound shallow.
“…Why did Taniyama do that, I wonder?”
A completely different question ended up coming out of her mouth in the end, and she despised herself for not being able to think of a single thing to say to make her partner feel better. Oblivious to her struggles, however, Masachika placed a hand on his chin and looked up.
“Hmm… I was wondering about it for a while, but maybe she’s under the impression that I’m only doing this because I get off on the idea of messing with the election or something…”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I’m only guessing, of course. But after you told me everything she said, she made it sound like she thought we weren’t serious about the election.”
“Why would she think that in the first place, though?”
“Yeah… She even said your good grades were your only redeeming feature, too… But, well, I guess if you looked at this objectively, you’re still kind of new here and don’t have any major accomplishments in the student council. Plus, you don’t have the connections that Sayaka has, either…”
Alisa watched Masachika mumbling quickly, and she confidently grunted.
“I can’t deny that, but what about you, Mr. Goes Straight Home After School?”
“Yeah, and that’s also why she probably thought we weren’t serious about running for the student council presidency. Because she takes it very seriously.”
“You really think that’s all?”
Because Sayaka’s anger was not normal for someone who was only mad at people for not taking a student council election seriously. Alisa grimaced as she recalled the insults hurled at her, but Masachika immediately spoke up to calm her.
“I know. I get why you’re annoyed, but relax.”
“I don’t see how you can be so calm after what she said.”
“I guess…it’s because I know how she normally is, so I know I must have done something really bad for her to get that angry.”
His eyebrows drooped over his frail smile.
“Let’s pretend that you did do something. That still isn’t enough reason to insult someone like she did. You might be a slacker who doesn’t take school seriously enough, but you don’t deserve to be treated that way,” she protested in a low voice and furrowed her brow.
That was when Masachika finally realized she was getting mad on his behalf, and he started to blush slightly. Nevertheless, he didn’t want her to get any angrier than she already was, so he smiled and tried to smooth things out.
“Yeah… I used to be Yuki’s partner, so Sayaka probably can’t fathom why I would run with someone else, since Yuki is heavily favored to win. So I don’t blame her for thinking I’m just messing around.”
“But that’s still—”
Ridiculous was what Alisa was going to say before she suddenly realized that this had all happened because she decided to run with Masachika. She also realized that this was not going to be the only clapback to them running together, either.
It was obvious when she actually thought about it. His original partner was Yuki, and she and Ayano were his childhood friends. Even though Masachika hadn’t mentioned anything, something must have happened between them. Unlike Alisa, who was always alone, Masachika had probably made countless sacrifices so he could run with her.
“I…”
And once she realized this, Alisa became very frightened. Masachika had taken her hand as an equal, but the price he’d paid was far from equal. What could she give him? How could she repay him? What in the world could she do when she couldn’t even stand on her own two feet without his support?
“Alya? What’s wrong?” Masachika asked, worried as to why Alisa had suddenly fallen silent. Her breathing seemed shallow, and her face had turned pale. “Are you okay? If you’re feeling sick, then…”
“I’m fine. I’m not feeling sick, okay?”
“If you say so…”
Still, she didn’t look too good. Nevertheless, they had already come up with a basic strategy, so Masachika decided to call it a day…when Alisa suddenly spoke up with a somewhat troubled look on her face.
“Kuze… Is there anything you want me to do?”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?”
“…”
He tilted his head quizzically at her sudden proposal, but Alisa didn’t say another word. She only quietly gazed at him.
“Hmm… Something I want you to do, huh?”
Sensing that she didn’t want him to ask any more questions, Masachika scratched his head while racking his brain for a few moments.
“Oh, how about you make a funny face?”
“Be serious.”
“…Okay.”
But Masachika wasn’t the kind of person who could act serious when the mood was as heavy as this. It was also in his nature to say something absurd to lighten the mood when the person he was talking to had such a grave look on their face.
“Uh… Okay. How about you hold me gently, whisper words of love into my ear, and smother me with your overflowing womanly affections?” Masachika said with a flirty smirk. Alisa’s eyebrows jumped up, so he braced himself for the incoming slap because he was sure she’d be at her wit’s end.
“…Okay.”
“Huh?”
And that was why he was taken aback by how she actually responded. He sat in mute amazement while Alisa got out of her chair with a rattle and walked around the desk before stopping by his side.
“Wait, wait, wait. Mmmnnng.”
As she gazed down at him with those deep blue eyes, he grunted meaningless noises and scooted his chair away from her.
“Wait, wait, wait. I was kidding, okay?”
He raised both hands over his shoulders as if to surrender and tried to stop Alisa, who was actually holding her arms out wide. She then frowned slightly before lowering them. But Masachika’s relief was fleeting…because she briskly slipped behind him, throwing her arms around his shoulder before he could so much as blink.
“Eep?!”
The feeling of skin as smooth as silk brushed against his neck. The sensation of something soft pressed against his back. Masachika immediately jumped and squealed, but Alisa didn’t seem to care in the least. She raised her left hand and awkwardly yet ever so gently caressed his cheek.
“A-A-A-A-Alya?!”
He was so nervous that he screamed in falsetto, but he was worried about what would happen if he ran away, so there was nothing he could do. Nevertheless, that still didn’t mean he could simply surrender himself to Alisa’s embrace, and he began to nervously tremble in place. She gently rubbed her cheek against his while whispering into his ear:
“<I’m sorry. Thank you.>”
But he had no idea why he was being apologized to or what he was being thanked for. Along with those words, Alisa’s right arm, wrapped around his shoulder and chest, suddenly tightened. Masachika’s eyes were wide in disbelief.
“Alya…?”
“…”
She didn’t reply, but he felt almost as if she was relying on him—as if she was clinging on to him for support. Masachika let his body go limp in her arms. Alisa slid her left hand down his neck and wrapped her left arm around his shoulders before crossing her right arm over it.
“<Don’t leave me…!>”
There was a wistful note in her whisper, and Masachika felt like someone had just grabbed his heart. His chest painfully tightened as the burning emotions swelled inside. He was moved enough to wrap one hand around hers while his other gently stroked her head.
“Alya. We’re going to win. Not even Sayaka can get in our way. I will not let anyone interfere with the promise I made to you,” he clearly declared to Alisa while facing forward, as if he were engraving his determination into his own soul. Silence followed for a few moments until Alisa suddenly albeit faintly moved.
“…Kuze. You’re hurting me.”
“Oh. S-sorry.”
He let go of her in a panic, realizing that he had unconsciously tightened his arms. Alisa slowly moved away from him as well before speaking in a slightly teasing manner.
“If this was all it took to motivate you, then I should have done it sooner.”
He turned his head up at Alisa to find her smugly looking down at him, acting like her usual princess-like self. Masachika was relieved, and his lips curled into a devilish smirk.
“Who wouldn’t feel pumped up after being embraced by the famous Princess Alya?”
“Don’t call me ‘princess.’”
Masachika was met with a limp karate chop to the head, and his teasing smile grew. He stood and moved his desk back to its original position.
“Anyway, it’s late. How about we call it a day?”
“Okay.”
They began to casually walk down the hallway side by side after leaving the classroom as if nothing had happened.
You’re going down, Sayaka…even if that means hurting you again. I am going to keep my promise to Alya.
To this day, he could still bitterly remember seeing Sayaka cry after he and Yuki had defeated her in the middle school election, despite not being that serious about it. And yet, even if this meant he would be responsible for making her cry again, he wasn’t going to hesitate. He was going to go at her with everything he had. And he was going to prove how serious he was—how serious they were—with the hope that he could save her heart, a prisoner of her anger, even if only a little.
Anyway…I did something quite embarrassing again, huh?
He recalled his actions from a few moments ago and bitterly smirked. This is one of those things you remember later in the shower and cringe, he thought. But he had no choice. He’d reacted impulsively, just like when he had extended a hand to Alisa that day.
All of a sudden, a certain realization flashed in the back of Masachika’s mind.
Oh… So that’s why I chose Alya…
He suddenly thought back to Ayano’s question the other day and stopped at the top of the staircase. He’d said he didn’t know why he chose Alisa, and he honestly still wasn’t 100 percent sure now. But that sensation that drove him to want to do something—that was why he chose Alisa. That feeling, similar to a strong desire to protect, was surely…
Yeah… It’s not love. Just as I thought.
But if it wasn’t love…then…
“Kuze?”
Alisa, who seemed to be thinking about something herself, stopped halfway down the staircase and looked back up at Masachika. She creased her eyes as the setting sun peeked in through the window from behind him. Masachika smiled wistfully but still affectionately at her, then softly whispered:
I won’t leave
“Янеуйду.”
He would be there for her until the day he fulfilled his promise.
“Huh?” Alisa gave a skeptical grunt, holding her left hand over her eyes like a visor.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Masachika walked down the stairs until he was by her side again, but by that time, his smile from a moment ago was already tucked away, only in his memories.
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