We, the Council
Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:53 pm
Done in honor of Shizune's birthday on 5/6/12
Based on this thread:
"If this entire board is Yamaku High..."
and inspired by this thread:
"Shizune's Birthday!!!!"
Story takes place in a *slightly* altered universe.
*DISCLAIMER* Mokou Kohei doesn't belong to me. This is themocow's 'author avatar'
We, The Council
“Button that shirt up!”
“Fix your collar!”
“Don’t run with toast in your mouth!”
Yamaku High, a school recognized by many across the country as a private institution for its challenging curriculum and its astounding graduates. Ever since its first establishment in 2007, Yamaku has made a name of itself from its student graduates, persistent programs, curriculum, beautiful campus and dormitories, as well as its famous twenty-four hour nursing staff that is available throughout the entire campus. Unlike any other new school, Yamaku High shines amongst the rest as a private institution which encourages students to embrace an ‘Open Culture’ policy that echoes towards its students and faculties; for many outside, it is regarded as a ‘dream school’ that fit only for the ‘prestigious’ or the ‘diligent’. Ironically, what made Yamaku High famous is far from what many had heard for the first time; it isn’t its student graduates, its persistent programs, curriculum, beautiful campus and dormitories, or its recognition as a private school.
Yamaku High is recognized as a school for the disabled.
Since its first establishment in 2007, the school—despite its achievements and recognition in such a short period—met many criticisms from outside and within Japan’s education board. It is both hailed as a ‘daring and ambitious’ project, with some belligerent suggesting segregation of its student—a “foster home” of sorts for the disabled. Others sees it as an opportunity, a ‘light of hope’ for those considered to be ‘incapable’ and hailed the school as a ‘saving grace’. There are, however, those who see the establishment of Yamaku High as an insult to those who were unfortunate to be regarded as ‘crippled’—often, these claims are backed with the fact that the school has an active twenty-four hour nursing staff.
None of these claims, however, are true. With its ‘Open Culture’ policy, Yamaku High opens its gates to both worlds, appealing to the disabled and the regulars as equals.
“You’re not allowed to wear that to school!”
“M-my apologies…!”
“Where’s your tie?”
“I-I’m sorry! It’s in the laundry currently and I only have one at the moment so…”
“You’re supposed to have a spare tie ready~! We’ll let you off this time, so don’t forget it next time kay’~!”
“Y-yes, I’m sorry…”
The pink-haired girl sighs as she watches the young male—probably two years younger than her—dashes away from her sight. She can’t help but pity the boy a little, just a bit after that early morning scold due to a violation of Yamaku’s dress code; then again, she can’t entirely blame herself for throwing a ‘fit’ at the boy’s sloppy attire—after all, she is the voice of the Student Council. Just by her shoulder her dear friend stands at attention at the torrent of students walking to and fro pass the main gate, her chest raised high as if signifying her status and position as well as a hint of pride she secretly keep to herself. She notices the attention of the pink-haired girl and smiles in return before tugging her sleeve once more, again to remind another student about ‘what it is to be a Yamaku student’.
“Hey~! Don’t ‘drift’ with the wheelchair! It’s dangerous~!”
Despite her strict and stern personality, the pink-haired girl knew deep inside that she couldn’t have asked for a better friend.
This is Shizune Hakamichi and Shiina ‘Misha’ Mikado, the President and the Secretary of Yamaku High’s Student Council.
And life in Yamaku High is nothing short of ‘ordinary’.
-------------
“[Nee~, Shii-chan,]” Misha said bubbly, not to forget to use her hands to sign to her friend. “[I know we’re trying to keep an image of the school, but shouldn’t we be a bit more…relaxed?]”
She continues, “[I mean it’s not wrong, it’s just how we end up scaring a number of students and end up leaving a bad impression to the student council.]”
The President takes a long look at her, raising her eyebrow in question seemingly oblivious to what is happening around her. True to her ‘words’, Misha acts as the voice and ears of Shizune Hakamichi, Yamaku High’s current Student Council President. As a designated Secretary, it is her duty to translate the words of her President as well as doing the translation of others for her, a deaf-mute. Shizune is almost like living in another world, separated from the norm of this planet due to her inability to perceive the ‘sounds’ or the ‘voice’ that keeps it spinning for the past thousands of years; like a child lost in a world she is never meant to understand. To her, Misha proves invaluable as her ears, her voice, and her beacon in this strange world. More than that, she is her closest friend.
[Is there something wrong about being disciplined?]
“[Well, not exactly but…]”
Indeed, Misha is Shizune’s voice and ears, and it is her duty to translate to her the things that are happening all around them. There are, of course, ‘things’ she would never want to translate.
“Ah, it’s that Student President again…”
“There she goes, bossing around others. What I wear is my problem...doesn’t concern her or school; f**k them.”
“Hey, I heard she manipulated one guy from class 3-3 to join the council; the class that was under Satou.”
“Really…? That’s terrible…”
To Misha, these are ‘sounds’ that she will never translate to her friend. She always feel a slight pang of guilt each time she mentally refuses to translate these voices; a habit she has grown accustomed to paired with her own selfishness of not wanting to hurt her friend—live and let live, they say. She knows Shizune’s bound to figure it out sooner or later; maybe she already have and is waiting for Misha to tell her about it. But nonetheless, whether Shizune know or don’t know about it is left to the heavens to sort out; but when the time comes, she’ll be ready to tell her all about it.
“[I mean, don’t you want more people to help you? Scaring them off isn’t going to help us…]”
Shizune smiles and chuckles—or as close as Misha can tell that she is chuckling. She sighs lightly and relaxes as her index finger adjusts her glasses.
[Thank you, Misha,] She replies with a swift hand motion. [But it isn’t about the number of people you have, but how valuable one can be.]
[And for now,] she continues. [I have all that I could have asked for. Asking for more is selfish of me; I am content.]
She puffs her chest proudly, ready to face the new day. With a smile and her distinctive laughter, Misha stands next to her with her orange armband firmly pinned to her uniform in a similar fashion to Shizune. In it, it is written in kanji ‘Student Council – Secretary’.
[Besides, who will enforce the school’s policy if no one stands up for it but us?]
-------------
As the school bell echo across the campus, the number of students outside began to dwindle as class is now in session. As usual, members of the Student Council are regularly dismissed as necessary from the fifteen minute homeroom period. With their attendance in check and the traditional ‘greeting’ taken care of, members of the Student Council proceed to rendezvous at the council room for their regular daily meetings; this is a practice that has been imprinted into the mentality of each member and to the faculty staff. The serenity of the hallway greeted the three from class 3-2 as they made their way to the Student Council Office. They have small, short discussions in sign along the way as they thread as lightly as possible so as not to make a commotion in hallway at this time—homeroom can be pretty serious for some faculty members.
Finally, the door to the Student Council Office stands before them, a barrier that separates the ‘students’ from the ‘council’. She reaches for the depressed handle and slides the door open.
“Good morning, ms. President!”
“President! Good morning!”
“Ah, here she is! Good morning!”
For Shizune Hakamichi, nothing starts a day better than a motivated Student Council and a cup of coffee.
This is the Student Council of Yamaku High which is comprised of unique individuals from each class that spans from junior to senior high. They are small in numbers, often overshadowed by the more popular literature club but nonetheless prove to be as capable as having fifty people. Their creativity is second to those of the art club, while their determination and spirit are almost as comparable to the track team. What they lack in numbers, they make up in intelligence, tenacity, determination, and spirit that brought the council to be as it is today; before then, the Student Council used to have twice the number until those unable to bear the pressure of the President began to leave in droves. Those who stayed numbers as many as ten students; for Shizune, this is more than enough.
“Everyone good morning~…!” Greet Misha with her usual, bubbly manner. It is simple deduction for the members that she also the voices the President.
“You guys are determined as always despite meeting up this early.”
“Ah, good morning to you too vice-president…! Do you still have the ‘heart’ to work with us?”
“As long as it doesn’t stop beating due to your antiques, Miyazaki, I’ll be fine.”
Ever since he enrolled in Yamaku High, Hisao has been under a constant state of depression and self-pity due to his unfortunate situation which led him here. He was diagnosed with arrhythmia, a condition that affects the heart which causes it to lose its tempo once in awhile due to exertion. More often than not, this condition could lead to unexpected number of heart attacks of which—if no help is nearby—could lead to death. It was back then before Yamaku’s ‘End of Spring’ festival did he became acquainted with Shizune, Misha, and eventually the members of the Student Council before he finally decided to join; albeit with a little persuasion by the council members and—to some degree—Hisao’s own growing interest towards Shizune herself. Immediately, Shizune assigns Hisao to the last vacant position available in the council ever since the ‘dispersion’—the vice-president.
[…]
“To your seats~…!”
This is how the Student Council starts their day. With a swift hand motion and the voice of her secretary, the council immediately takes their seats in the row of tables adjacent to one another. At the end of the row are two tables, one of each represents the President and the Vice-President; the Secretary is given a separate seat next to the whiteboard—although most of the time, she is required to use the board or pass handouts to all the members. As the members take their seats, so does the President, Vice-President, and Secretary as they prepare to start their daily meeting. With her swift hand movements, Shizune announce that the meeting has begun, followed soon after with Misha’s translated version. It is currently April 30th, one month before their graduation. On June, they all will walk on their separate ways.
With their senior years closing in fast, the Student Council decides to pull one last festival dedicated to the seniors before their graduation ceremony that takes place around mid-May. It is a final agreement between the board members, a consensus that she originally suggested that quickly gain approval from the council members; a farewell gift for the graduates, so to say. It is initially brought up in a discussion between the President, her Secretary, Vice-President, and the Treasurer concerning what to do with the ‘extra’ budget. It is in this discussion that Shizune, with a sigh and a hint of satisfaction over their achievement throughout the year, mentions how she’d love to hold at least ‘one more festival’—this idea soon spread like wildfire throughout the board members after Hisao, the Vice President, unintentionally blurted the idea to the ‘Events Committee’ on one of their separate meetings. After the President caught wind of the idea, she confronted the faculties and promotes it class by class. It soon gained enough approval and popular support for it to be green-lit. With a smile and a victorious smirk the members could never forget, Shizune once again leads the Student Council one last time to brave the storm.
[…]
“Would the Treasurer report on our current budget for this project?”
The designated Treasurer sits unfazed; his eyes glued to the printout before him reading and calculating the ‘approximate’ fund necessary to pull-off this last event. He is assertive, calm, often sharp on his intuition and calculation; if it isn’t because of his disability—partial deafness—Mokou Kohei wouldn’t be remembered as the Council’s ‘daydreamer’.
“Oi, Kohei!”
“W-what…?’
“Budget report…?”
Mokou pauses, blinks in confusion at his friend, turn to the President who grows impatient by the second, then to her Secretary. For better or worse, Misha’s easy going attitude and her grin could easily defuse the growing thick atmosphere that is beginning to surround the Treasurer. He fixes his collar, clear his throat, and opens his notebook.
“Our budget at this moment is currently at…”
He speaks out in a clear, loud voice—albeit louder than necessary; nonetheless, it is a better alternative than speaking in a barely audible tone. After finishing his notes, Mokou often proceeds to voice his own concern and suggestion over the budget and what he believes to be the best approach concerning any budget-issue; most of these suggestions, however, are left to the decision of Shizune. After his brief speech, Mokou clears his through and fixes his collar in a similar fashion to how he started them.
“…and that’s all for the budget.”
[…]
“Ok! ‘Counseling Committee’, any concerns or issues?”
“None,” he replies as blunt as possible. “The box is empty.”
“Of course it’s empty if the officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ looks like a yakuza.”
“Haaahn…? Is that a concern?” he replies mockingly to one of the members. “If it is, then you should’ve slipped one into the box; maybe I’ll even consider beating the crap out of you if you ask for it!”
“Ooh, tough guy! Bring it on!”
[…!]
“Pipe down!”
The officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ chuckles, grinning cheekily at Misha’s intervention—or Shizune’s most likely. When people say to never judge a book by its cover, the case holds true to Ryou Miyazaki. He is recognized as the Council’s ‘class clown’ only to be masked by his slightly intimidating tone, height, and the eye patch he commonly wear over his dysfunctional left eye—his cold facial expression doesn’t help it either. A member of class 3-3, his carefree personality is often overshadowed by his cautious attitude towards others, and the fact that he is the one responsible on completing last year festival’s budget report, registered as ‘sick’ on the day and during the festival caused his class to develop a certain animosity towards him. When he decided to join the Student Council three days after the festival—and after a minor argument with the class representative—rumors began to fly about his possible ‘manipulation’ by the current President much to his chagrin. He can’t blame his class, nor does he wish to; ‘let them think what they think,’ he said, ‘they don’t know me, and that will never change me’.
[…]
“Uhh…you sure there’s nothing?”
“Nothing,” he nods silently, but confidently. “There’s nothing to worry about. Aside from the regular plea by Ikezawa from class 3-2 concerning her suspicion on the ‘Literature Club’, all the faculty members agreed to the idea and the students have no complaints either; there is nothing to worry about.”
[…]
“There’s really nothing you’re hiding…?”
Shizune’s stare can be deep and piercing sometimes, almost as if she is capable of reading through your mind. As the pressure slowly builds up around him, his finger reacts instinctively to scratch his cheek while he avoids eye contact; often, it is his dead-giveaway.
[…!]
“If there is something of concern, spill it out!”
“Well there is something new, but it is irrelevant and…!”
As fast as he tries to reply, Shizune’s swift hand motions are faster—Misha’s translation is evenly unmatched.
[…!]
“I—Shii-chan will decide if it is relevant or not!”
Sighing in defeat, Miyazaki resigns to his fate. “Fine, I’ll spill it.”
He clears his throat and continues, “It’s nothing major, more or less a ghost story about…”
[…]
“Irrelevant.”
“WHAT…!? But you said…”
[…]
“It’s irrelevant. As you said it, it is not related to anything.”
Feeling slightly dumbstruck, the ‘Counseling Committee’ officer sighs dejectedly to his seat. “I feel like a sub-character for a moment there…”
Shizune slightly giggle, appreciating these short precious moments.
[…]
“Is there anything from the ‘Disciplinary Committee?”
“Ah, yes,” The Officer of the ‘Disciplinary Committee’ opens his notebook. “Aside from the regular issue with the uniform, and the over-the-top action of the un'official Lilly’s Fanclub’…”
The meeting continues for the entire homeroom period until the echo of the bell signals the end of the morning. Again, they will have to repeat this process later in the afternoon, or—optionally—at lunchtime. Most of the time, Shizune give the committee members freedom to arrange their own meeting at their convenience as long as the deadline for certain assignments are met on time. With the first period bell signaling the end of the meeting, the President signs skillfully followed with the announcement by her secretary that ‘meeting is adjourned’. With that, all members proceed to file out of the office and return to their classes, resuming their daily life.
“Hey, Miyazaki…”
“Need something Vice-President?”
The Vice-President stands up from his seat and closes the distance between him and the Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’. Clearing his throat, he begins to voice his curiosity. “Can we talk a little as we walk back?”
“Uh…I thought you prefer to walk with the President and her Secretary,” Ryou chuckles and elbows Hisao. “I don’t know what you have for breakfast, but you have to share that! Being close with two cuties like that is like a dream!”
Hisao replies with a chuckle and shows him the door in the process; an invitation to walk back to class together. “Believe me, they think pretty highly of you guys.”
“Shut up, we’re not as fortunate as you; you’re dating the President, am I right?”
He returns with a nervous laughter. “Guess you’ve found out…”
“Not just me, but I think the whole Council knew,” Ryou sighs lightly. “Anyway, need anything?”
“Oh yeah, I’m a little curious about that concern—if I heard it right, you mentioned it was something about a ‘ghost story’…?”
“Oh that? Yeah, it is.”
“Who sent it?”
The Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ clicks his tongue as he tries to remember. “It was someone from class 2-4, can’t remember her name—was it Ayano? Aya…? Aki…? I don’t know, but it’s someone along that line…”
“What was it about?”
“I don’t really believe in this stuff, but she reported that there was some sort of ‘haunting’ in the tool shed near the track club; she said she heard moans and painful cries one late evening but never checked it since she was too scared to do so.”
Ryou sighs, stopping a moment in front of Hisao’s class; not far behind them, Shizune and Misha are conversing mutely. “Whatever it is, that’s something worth investigating.”
“Creepy.”
“You can say that again—but really, what’s next? Rattles from a supposedly empty Student Council office…? It happened once, you know!”
Miyazaki chuckles lightly as he leaves for his classroom. Upon taking his seat, Shizune takes no time to ask Hisao what they have been talking about and why his face is all flustered.
-------------
As the lunchtime bell echoes across the entire campus, Shizune, Misha, and Hisao are always the first to return to the Student Council Office, taking their seats in the pre-arranged tables. It is never a mandatory duty for members of the Student Council to be present in the Office room, but is often encouraged by Shizune herself incase urgent tasks or reports are at hand. But for Hisao, Shizune, and Misha, spending their lunch in the Student Council office has become a habit, a way to escape from work and stress. Despite having it littered with tables and chairs, the room is empty and spacious—almost too big for just the three of them when they think about the number of individuals who work here during the busy period. There is the partially-deaf Treasurer who keeps pacing in the corner when he’s swamped with work, the happy-go-lucky Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee with his three-man team who joke and laugh endlessly at the other corner while emptying their ‘box of reason’, the Officer of the ‘Events Committee’ who sleeps at his designated table during free periods, and the Officer of the ‘Morals Committee’ who always storms in outraged about the cafeteria and its sub-par food.
And of course, there’s the three of them.
[We’ve come a long way,] signs Hisao as he takes his seat, sighs, and remembers the ‘ghostly’ sight of the rest of the Council members. [I can’t believe that we’re a month off from graduation.]
[You’re getting sentimental now?]
[Is it wrong of me?]
Shizune smiles as her thumb pushes the rim of her glasses. [Look at how far Hisao has matured.]
[Way different from the Hii-chan that first came to Yamaku!] Misha signs gleefully, not forgetting her signature laughter. [Shii-chan was actually pretty skeptical about you.]
[And I’m glad I was wrong about it.] She smiles softly towards Hisao. [Your introduction, although simple, left quite an impression considering your situation at the time.]
[I like it.]
Hisao is left speechless, charmed by the rather childish smile of the President as she signs the last remark. His head start to wander and his heart begins to thump faster and faster as blood rushes through his cheeks which, fortunately, Misha notices pretty quickly. She grins cheekily and whispers ‘lover boy’ without signing, making sure Shizune is kept in the dark considering this little prank of hers—just this once. Ever since their breakup and reunification back in fall last year, Misha has been secretly taking the jobs of both Shizune and Hisao as her way of thanking them. She may not exactly be the hardworking taskmaster as Shizune or the understanding and considerate Hisao, but if she can at least lighten their load and support them for as long as she can then that is enough for her. She loves Shizune more than what she can imagine, and even if she can’t reply to those feelings she knows that Misha is an important friend to her. And thus she—Misha—promises herself never to let her down again.
[I tried making bento for all of us today,] Shizune signs as she positions three neatly stacked boxes on her table. [And so here it is!]
[Hey, that’s a surprise Shii-chan!] Misha laughs as she picks the one with her name written on it. [There’s no kitchen in our dormitory, so how did you do it?]
[It’s a secret]
She puffs her chest proudly and grins confidently as she unpacks the assortment of food that she presented to Misha and Hisao. One has to wonder how she manages to pull it off considering there is no kitchen in the dormitories they live in. As the only viable one is in the home economics laboratory, Hisao wonder how early she has to be to ask permission to use the lab without the help of Misha to translate her sign language—and how she actually managed to acquire the permission from a faculty is another different story. He thinks about asking her about it, but decides not to as she will probably give him the same answer as she did—it is a secret.
[We’re missing drinks! I’m going to get some, do you guys want anything?]
[Melon soda] Shizune replies.
[I’ll have the same. Thanks Misha]
She smiles and hastily leaves the room, not to forget to close the door tightly. She snickers and chuckle along the way, intentionally leaving the two of them alone in the Student Council office just how she used to about a year ago before Hisao and Shizune became an item.
“Take your time~!”
Meanwhile back in the Student Council Office, Shizune and Hisao sits idly after watching Misha left the scene for their drinks. The room is left in a solemn state, accompanied with the shouts of joy and laughter from students outside doing what they do best. They sit in silence with Hisao more or less working to finish his bento all the while stealing glances towards Shizune who—surprisingly—is keeping her eyes to the door. He stops for a second after he notices her sweet fragrance, causing him to accidentally recall that moment where they spent their night together in this room—that table isn’t even far off too. With his cheeks flushed from the memory, Hisao tries to shake off the feeling by digging into his lunch before—unfortunately—Shizune stops him mid-way with a tug on his sleeve.
[You have rice on your cheek]
She swiftly plucks the grain and eats it. [It’s not nice to waste food.]
Hisao’s heart almost gives out for a second, to which his only reply comes in nods of ‘yes’ forgetting entirely how to sign.
Moments pass and Misha has yet to return to the Office with their promised drinks. Despite being familiar with her, Hisao can’t help but to realize how private the air around the room has become. He’s uncertain if Shizune herself realize this and decides to steal short glances at her while keeping his thoughts in check. That didn’t help much considering how the way she sits at the moment reveals much of her thigh-high socks and the small patch of her soft skin above it; if her skirt isn’t in the way, he could probably catch a glimpse of her panties. He curses and thank Misha for putting him in this situation and proceeds to relax a little to calm his raging heart and rushing hormone.
Not for long.
In one of his attempt to steal a glance at his girlfriend, he notices her irritated eyes directed at him with her arms crossed causing him to flinch a little. She sighs, scoots a little closer to him and pinches him in the arm much to his surprise.
[What was that for?]
[It’s for not doing anything.]
His attempt to retain self-control is slowly losing its grasps the moment he whiffs a hint of her sweet fragrance. True, they are alone in the room and she is sitting dangerously close to him; but he isn’t going to let her knock over his virtue like dominoes—after all they are in a public area and someone might walk-in unintentionally, be it Misha or someone else. Wetting his throat with a gulp, Hisao pulls up one last attempt to maintain ‘law and order’ as the invader—intentionally or not—draws closer and closer to conquer him. His attempt is cut short when Shizune tugs his sleeve one last time.
[Are you going to do anything to me?]
[Something like what?] He signs nervously.
[You can kiss me if you like.]
And just as easy as he decide to maintain his virtue, he throws it out the window without a second thought. Shizune has won him over, and this he can’t deny.
Maybe she know it is going to happen sooner or later, about the fact that Misha left them alone, or about Hisao breaking into the pressure. Better yet, maybe she wants it to happen and skillfully plays her card over Hisao. Nonetheless, the result is a win-win situation for both sides as Hisao edges closer, captivated by her charms while Shizune accepts and locks him in an embrace as they engage in a long, soft kiss. Blood starts rushing through Hisao’s heart as the surge of sweetness and bliss that overwhelms his lips forces his heart to thump faster and faster. They part soon after, cheeks flushed after their short encounter and their breathing slightly erratic. Both of them know this alone is not enough to satisfy their growing desire.
[You’re not using your tongue today.] Signs Shizune cheekily. Hisao’s attempt to make a comeback is short-lived the moment she glares him straight in the eye.
[Don’t play innocent. You’ve been checking me out since Misha left, I know.]
Unable to retaliate any further, Hisao resigns from the argument. [You got me there.]
He leans closer once again, locking their lips together—this time in a long, deep kiss. The pressure he made on her lips and her tongue causes her to flinch a little, releasing a barely audible pleasurable moan from the experience as she raises her hand and locks them with his. Before long, he manages to push her down to the carpet and locks her further in pleasure as his hand begins to trace her slender waist, moving up in a slow steady massage. They knew it has to stop sooner or later; Misha is bound to return with their drinks, and being caught in the act like this could be mighty embarrassing for both Hisao and Shizune. Of course, it’s either Misha…
“Vice-President, I have new budget estimation for class 2-2’s booth after their submission; could you please relay this to—”
…or a member; in this regard, it’s the Treasurer, Mokou Kohei.
Hisao flinches and shot up from his position in shock the moment Mokou bursts into the room. He is soon followed with an irritated Shizune with her hair ruffled and her glasses out of place, still oblivious to Mokou’s presence as she is still indulged in their love scene; the moment she turns around, however, changes her expression 180 degrees from irritation to a complete shock and embarrassment. Both parties, now locked in complete awkwardness and silence, are incapable of generating a proper response to the situation and only to be broken by the sound of a pen that slips from the hands of the dumbstruck Treasurer.
“Uhh…”
Mokou clears his throat, stopping Hisao abruptly before picking up his pen, attach it to his clipboard, and proceeds to fix his tie.
“Uhh…Kohei…”
“My apologies,” he reply. “TAKE YOUR TIME~!”
With a swift 180 degrees turn and a face with an expression they will never forget, Mokou bursts out of the room and closes the door behind them with enough force to cause Shizune to flinch. His voice—and his mildly audible cry—echoes across the hallway, enough for Hisao to make out what he cries out; or at least, who he cries it to.
“Oh, Kohei…! What’s up with you…” From the sound and the tone of the voice, Hisao deduces that it is Ryou. Apparently he, too, is making his way to the Office.
“THE VICE-PRESIDENT IS DATING THE PRESIDENT!!”
“…you just knew? And I thought everybody in the Council knew…” Ryou replies in a loud and clear voice, compensating Kohei’s slight hearing disability.
“THEY’RE ON THE FLOOR K-K-K-KI-…”
“Aah, so that explains the rattling sound in the ‘supposedly’ empty Student Council Office. Huh, kinky. Case closed!”
“IT’S NOT POSSIBLE…!! PRESIDEEEEEENT….!!”
Curiously, Shizune tugs Hisao after she fixes herself to ask him about what happen to Kohei and if there is anything of concern to them. Hisao never did explain to her in detail, but he mentions that it might become the talk of Kohei and Miyazaki; she isn’t too happy knowing that, but is nonetheless too embarrassed to make any further comments. ‘It is still pretty exhilarating,’ she signs before teasingly giving him one last peck on his lips.
Misha returns to the room five minutes before the bell with three cans of melon soda, and a wide victorious grin imprinted on her face.
-------------
Two days pass, and with the day of the final festival drawing close, the Student Council is kicked into full gear the following day. Morning meetings acts as briefings, lunchtime is organized for the members to finish the make-shift booths, while afterschool is where the Council is seen breaking their backs the most. With the final festival only five days away and with only two days left to prepare, Yamaku’s Student Council kicks into full gear to finish everything by the end of the week. For the seniors, final exams are still in their list of nightmares while they try to maintain their commitment to the Student Council. This is no different to Shizune who realizes her coming birthday, yet keeps it to herself while keeping her focus on the pile of work before them.
It is Wednesday, May 2nd.
“Come on, come on! Move those boxes over!”
“I need spare nails here, please!”
“Someone give me a hand!”
“Who has the budget report folder!?”
The Council room is as hectic as it can be with two days remaining to finish up whatever they can and set everything ready by Monday. It is during these times that Shizune’s belligerent taskmaster attitude takes the toll of most of the members as she tries—often too hard—to rally the Student Council into completing sets of objectives with limited manpower; not to mention the stress from the exam some of them are still experiencing, it is often evident how gruesome working under her command can be. This, however, never did falter the remaining ten who stayed behind in the Student Council; ‘natural selection’, as Miyazaki humorously pointed out.
“Maam, I still haven’t received the budget report from class 3-3.” Report Mokou as he reads his summary, neatly attached to a clipboard. “It’s the class under Satou, ms. President.”
With her quick hand, Misha translates Mokou’s complaint to Shizune who grows more and more aggravated by the minute. […!]
“Uhh…should I really translate that?”
[…!!!]
“I know Shii-chan,” Misha replies with a sigh; she can tell Shizune has just managed to blow her own top off from her strong, heavy strokes. “But the other day she told you that she gave the assignment to someone else, so it’s not fair to blame it entirely on her.”
“What did she say?”
Misha turns to Mokou, “It concerns class 3-3’s class representative and how she thinks she is incompetent. I understand the budget report is due today, but…”
“Ah!! The budget report…!”
The voice of Ryou catches the attention of both Misha and Mokou who immediately turn to the young man carrying a structure frame for one of the booth. Setting it down for awhile, he dust his hand off casually and clears his throat.
“You see, I-uh…” he stutters for a second, trying to find the right word for it. “I was supposed to give it to you yesterday, but I forgot about it and…”
[…??]
“Where is it??”
Shizune’s sudden retaliation—thanks to Misha’s quick translation—made the jump on the young officer followed with a glare that pierces deep into his soul. Ryou can’t escape this, and he knows he will receive quite an ear shot if Shizune is ever capable to speak; lucky for him, Misha is the person who does the ‘dubbing’ and as such, Shizune’s strong and powerful messages tend to get tenderized before it made an impact.
“I-It’s in my bag! I’ll get it for you…”
Cautiously Ryou reach for his book bag and draws three-four piles of paper, all of which are related to the ‘Budget Report’ of class 3-3 the Student Council is missing. With the subtlety of an oni, Shizune stomps her way towards him and snatches the paper from his hand and reads its content in a flash. She rolls up the paper into a scroll, grips one end, and lightly taps the young officer’s head with a swift movement. He flinches a little, but kept his eyes open nonetheless to see the President signs while her assistant translates.
[…]
“I don’t know if I should be angry towards your poor o-oru-or-ga-ni-za-ti-on skills, or to thank you for submitting this on time.”
Ryou nods, his eyes pointed to the ground.
[…]
“Nonetheless, you saved us—especially the Treasurer—the trouble of confronting a class representative at a time like this. Thank you.”
“Y-yes, I’m sorry too.” He replies with a stutter. “…can you tell her that?”
Misha chuckles lightly as Shizune smiles and signs one last time at the dumb-founded Ryou.
[…]
“Wahahaha~!”
“What did she say?”
“Good for you Miyazaki,” Misha replies as she accompanies Shizune and Mokou to the President’s desk to sort-out the last of the budget report. “Good for you~!”
Left in a pretty much confused state, Ryou decides to confront Hisao and ask what the President had meant. He smiles and sighs with glee, planting a palm on his forehead and shakes his head. “That’s so like you, Shizune…”
“What did she say?”
“Don’t worry,” he replies. “It’s a complement.”
-------------
Wednesday passes, then Thursday, and before they know it the morning sun rises on Friday. To many students, Friday marks as a revelation as it is the final day of exams for the seniors; but for those in the Student Council, it also serve as an alarm that this is their last chance to complete whatever work is left in the Student Council be it the festival preparation, grooming their successors, or final paperwork to be submitted to Shizune. The thought of ‘party’ or ‘celebration’ escapes their mind as they setup the last booth for Monday’s festival and assign the class that has been given the privilege to occupy it. By the end of the day, the dust clears and everything is finally set. The members cheer for their final contribution, proud of their contribution towards Yamaku High and the Student Council. Hisao releases a sigh of relief as he gives Shizune a pat on her shoulder for a ‘good job’, Misha rests on a nearby tree and fall asleep immediately, while Shizune raise her chest high feeling proud and accomplished.
The work of this year’s Yamaku High’s Student Council is finally complete.
The members of the Student Council eventually crowd their President, congratulating her and thanking her for a job well-done and a year to remember. She nods and smiles as best as she can while Hisao frantically tries to keep up with the bombardment of adoration the members are keen to express. By June, they will all walk their separate ways and will probably never see each other again. The juniors—numbering no more than four—will inherit the Student Council with the two new candidates who were recently interviewed by Misha, Shizune, and Hisao. Despite Shizune’s slight displeasure of passing the baton down to the candidates—so much as calling them ‘amateurs’—she knows that her time as Yamaku’s Student Council President is nearing its end and what has to be done, needs to be done.
“Let’s all head to the Shanghai and celebrate our accomplishments!”
The members cheer once again as they accepts the suggestion with open arms.
Kindly, Shizune declines.
“Why not…? I mean, it wouldn’t be complete without you ms. President.”
[…]
“She said she still has paper and matters to attend to; a final check, so she says.”
Ryou grumbles. “Why can’t we do that on Saturday or Sunday?”
Shizune pauses, her eyes wide open in astonishment but quickly regains her composure.
[…]
“I have plans. Besides, it’s the job of the President to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
“I see…then, have a good one ms. President,” The Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ straightens himself and salutes her; a habit that unfortunately contributes to his misleading demeanor. “It’s been an honor serving under you.”
Finally giving up on their attempt to persuade her, the Council members sigh regretfully and waves goodbye before heading down the hill. She then turns to Hisao and asks him to join them as well.
[Aren’t you going to be ok?]
[It’s just a checkup, so it shouldn’t be long.]
[Should I help you with anything?]
She shakes her head. [No, it’s ok. All of you have done enough.]
[Besides,] she continues. [Someone has to watch over Misha.]
After giving him a kiss, Shizune bids Hisao farewell as he heads down the hill to join the rest of the Council. The President sighs, checks the time, and went over through all the booths for a complete and final preparation check. She smiles in relief knowing everything is in order as her eyes begins to swell and a single tear runs down her cheek. Slowly and silently, she begins to sob. It isn’t because of the final paperwork, for there is none; it isn’t because she has plans on the weekend because that, too, doesn’t exist. In her short time as a Student Council President, Shizune recognizes the faces of its members and the value each of them has albeit small in numbers. There is Misha, her assistant that—although hyperactive at times and despite the issue they had during summer and fall—remains as her most loyal and trusted friend. Then there’s Ryou Miyazaki, the officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ who joins the Student Council out of curiosity. Although secretly recognized as the Council’s fumbler, his happy-go-lucky attitude and sense of humor has brought many tears of laughter to the small group. Mokou Kohei is amongst one of the original ten that stayed and is known for his organization and prowess as the Treasurer. She secretly knows that he has a slight crush on her; too bad Hisao outplayed him first. Then there’s Tsubaki, Urabe, Sawachika, Shiroyanagi, Takeda, Tainaka, Konpaku, Tatara…
And of course, there is Hisao.
Hisao, the only person who so far manages to read her inside-out like a book. His path with her are littered with memories from the first time they met, his participation in the Student Council, his confession, their ‘first time’ at her house, and that night at the Council office. She often appeal to others as a taskmaster, manipulator, or to some as a dictator. She knows Misha refuse to translate the insult of the students as they stand by the gate every morning with the Disciplinary Committee, and she knows it isn’t words of compliment. It never bugged her, however, for she knows that there are people that understands her; people she can trust. ‘Treat a friend like a thousand friend’ they say, and that is why Yamaku High’s Student Council—her Student Council—despite how small, is valued greater than the most expensive thing money can buy. They are her colleagues, her allies, her friend, and her most valuable treasure. The thought of parting with them hurts her the most.
She wanted to end the Student Council with a cheer and a smile; they all deserve a happy ending, not a teary goodbye.
They have done everything she could have asked for. Asking for more is considered as selfish.
Misha arrives at the Shanghai later that evening.
The President never came.
-------------
Sunday, May 6th. The clear Sunday morning greets Shizune as she wakes up to the vibration of her alarm clock positioned conveniently at her side. It is a common practice for her in compensation for her inability to hear or speak, and as such the slightest vibration could potentially disturb her sleep—a good thing for her, she thought, as it ‘keeps her on edge’. She rolls out of her bed, open her wardrobe, and fetches a towel and a set of casual clothes tagged with a simple—but cute—striped panties. As she heads out of her room, she notices a yellow sticky posted on Misha’s door with—clearly—Misha’s own handwriting, easily distinguishable with its cute but messy stroke; some of her Kanji are almost too much of a scribble to be almost readable. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose to inform her that she is out on an errand for her parents.
“There goes today’s plan,” she thought to herself as she made her way into the public bathroom. “Maybe Hisao would like some company…
Unlike the boys’ dormitory’s bathroom, the girls’ dormitory made a more traditional approach with a single bathtub combined with the shower, a mirror with a small rack that holds the liquid shampoo and soap, as well as a small stool most common in public bathhouses. Linked with the bathroom is the laundry room—although there are no incidents of intrusions to date, Shizune often carries her change of clothes with her rather than leaving them out in the baskets. As she sits on the stool in the nude, she smiles satisfactorily at her reflection in the mirror before she removes her glasses and places them on the provided rack.
“You did well, Shii-chan,” She thought to herself as she washes her hair and body. “For Yamaku, the Student Council, and your friends; you did the right thing.”
She scoops a pale of cold water and rinses herself from the soapy mixture that covers her hair and body, checks the mirror one last time, and then candidly measures her breasts and smiles.
“Happy birthday, Shizune.”
She remembers how she will be celebrating it alone. A single tear runs down her cheek, masked by the droplets of water.
”Happy birthday…”
It isn’t because she doesn’t want to celebrate it with her friends; on the contrary, she dying to—and she’ll treat it like a direct order if she have to. But every time she remembers their faces, the struggle that they’ve been through, the laughter and the tears they share, and the time they’ve spent for the Student Council—for her—made her recall the reasons why the original number of students dwindle. Is it because of her slightly intimidating demeanor? Or maybe it is because of her way of running the Council? She may never know. No matter how hard she tries to reach and understand others, her competitive personality and her disability always gets in between her, and only those who are stubborn enough will stay. All this time in the Student Council, the members have been pushing themselves for her sake and yet she keeps them at arm’s length, cautious and afraid of losing them entirely. The more they know, the greater the chance the she will hurt them.
“Just like Misha…” She thought.
She refuse to join the celebratory party the other day to avoid them develop a personal attachment to her; something that she has already did towards them. To them, she thought, she is the taskmaster, the President, and the leader that guides them through their year in the Student Council—nothing more, nothing less. That alone is enough for her, and she secretly thanks them for their dedication towards the Student Council.
Finishing her morning bath, she wipes herself dry with a light-blue towel and dresses for an unplanned Sunday stroll with Hisao.
-------------
It takes her less than five minutes to walk to the boy’s dormitory, another two minute to Hisao’s room, and a few seconds to return home disappointed. Much to her displeasure and fear, Hisao is not at his home as her knocks are greeted with nothing but silence. Calling him proves fruitless when he doesn’t answer his phone; messaging him gives no answer of his whereabouts if he doesn’t reply. Feeling slightly dejected and irritated, Shizune decides to look for him throughout the entire campus for hours until finally—submitting to her fate—she returns to her dormitory and lie on her bed, lonely and detached before she weep herself to sleep.
The cold chill from her open window awakens her from her sleep, causing her to groggily locate her slightly misplaced glasses and moans in irritation. The sky is dark blue in color, notifying her of the current time that is further enforced by the clock that she set on her desk—it is currently 7PM, just a few more hours until the end of the day. Aside from the birthday texts she receives from her father and her younger brother, there is nobody else who congratulated her—not even Misha or Hisao. Throughout the day she has a slight suspicion on the disappearance of Misha and Hisao; it is almost too convenient for them to escape from her sight once in awhile—and this all takes place during her birthday too. Nonetheless, her thoughts are shot down the moment she checks her phone for any other incoming messages.
Nothing.
As disappointed as she is towards two of her most trusted comrade, she eventually sighs and purse her lips as an act of toughness to not a tear drop. She cried enough for a day, and as much as she wishes to have them congratulate her for living through another year, she knows that they may have more important matters to attend to that made them accidentally forget about her birthday. Quickly regaining her composure, she decides upon herself to knock on Misha’s door and remind her—maybe pull out a ‘punishment game’ or two for her and Hisao; surely by this time, they should have returned. Still dressed in her casual, she straightens herself and opens the door…
…and finds Hisao standing outside, busy with his phone.
Her finger snaps in reflex, causing him to jolt in surprise to find her glaring right at him. Cold sweat runs down his brow and his forehead as he pockets his phone before he tries to communicate with her.
[Uh…hi…?]
[Where were you since this morning?]
He swallows a ball of spit. [I was out on an errand from my parents.]
[You’re lying.] She replies with a swift, intimidating stroke. It doesn’t take a genius to tell that she is furious—her face is another dead-giveaway too. [Misha is also out on an errand. Should I tell you that it also came from her parents?]
[It’s just a coincidence.]
[I don’t trust you. You’re in cahoots with her.]
[You don’t trust me? That hurts.]
She has to admit how good Hisao has become when it comes to debating against her. For once, he causes her to hesitate the moment she looks into his eyes—hurt, like a wounded puppy. She’s also quite surprised to know Hisao can actually pull that kind of face too. She purses her lips in search of the right way to express her disappointment while, at the same time, to regain her footing on this argument. [Do you even remember what day is today?]
[Sunday…]
[You idiot…!]
[Look, can we save that for later?]
[No…!] She replies in a strict sense. [I can’t believe you, of all people, forgot about it.]
Hisao sighs in regret as he tries to focus his eyes to her. He raise his hand to comfort her, only to be pushed away at a second’s notice by Shizune who is now sobbing silently—both due to Hisao’s antics and herself. He taps her shoulder to regain her attention to be met with her teary eyes and pinkish nose.
[Look, I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember.]
She shakes her head to tell him that it is ok.
[Do you want to take a walk with me? It’s to make up for today.]
She nods at his offer and returns to her room to fetch a coat for the night walk. It’s been awhile since she let her emotions take the better of her judgment; personally, she feel disgusted with herself for being so weak at the moment when she could have easily dominated Hisao in that conversation earlier. Now she’s following him closely by his side as they take the night stroll—by Hisao’s request too! Nonetheless, if it is his effort to return to her good side then she’ll let it slide; Misha’s next.
[Do you want to go to the roof?]
[It’s locked isn’t it?]
[Don’t worry, it’s not.]
[How do you know?]
[Kenji, my neighbor, tends to visit the roof on the evening.]
[What for..?]
[Manly Picnic]
They enter the school building and slowly make their up through the series of stairs and passages. It’s getting late as the moon’s beam begins to shine through the windows and illuminate the solemn hallways and classes. Shizune is just a step away beside Hisao, her hand buried inside the pocket of her coat as Hisao leads the way up the stairs. Together, they are alone in this building as they traverse through the halls, corridors, and stairs that lead up to the roof; a humble night stroll, she thought. Secretly she wishes he would at least surprise her with an ‘attack’ during their stroll—even if it only means him reaching for her hand to hold, that alone is enough for her; although naturally, she will ask for more.
Finally reaching the top flight of stairs that leads to the roof, Shizune stands before the door that separates the interior with the exterior. She turns to Hisao, wondering why he takes her here instead of somewhere downtown, to which he only shrug in reply.
[You’re not setting up a prank, are you?]
[If it’s a prank,] he rushes forward and plants a kiss on her lips. [Then this will be one.]
[Cheeky pervert…]
[You’ve been asking for it.]
True, Hisao is indeed capable of reading her thoughts like a book. She smiles knowing this as he urge her to open the door.
And sure enough, when the door opens she is greeted with a sight that will forever remain in her memories.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY…!”
Before her is the Student Council, dressed in their casuals, and packing confetti that bursts the moment she opens the door. Standing in the far left, Misha visibly grins and laughs as she signs the cheer the members shouted as they clap and ‘wooed’ at her presence. Ryou stands not far from her carrying what is apparently a telescope that is beautifully boxed and laced with decorative paper; much to her dismay, that ‘decorative paper’ comes from the Art Club, but she’ll let it slide for now. Mokou cheerfully raise a cup of beverage as he cheers for her well being while shouting something she can’t even hear—nonetheless it brings joy to her heart knowing that they are here. Under the expanse of the stars, the members of the Student Council gather with a cheer and a spirit that has never been broken. It is a small group with exceptional bonds.
[Happy Birthday, Shizune.] Hisao signs the moment she turns to him in surprise.
Misha’s sudden leap surprises her even more the moment her chest lands on her back followed with a sudden kiss on her cheek.
She turns to the Student Council, Misha and Hisao standing at her side.
[…]
“How did you guys know?” Misha translates with zest.
“We thought it was weird for you to not join us on our celebratory party the other day,” Mokou reply, generously translated by Misha. “So I decide to ask your…eh…”
“Hisao, your boyfriend,” Ryou finishes, resulting in a number of gasps and flinches. “What? I thought everyone knew...?”
“Now they do.” Reply Mokou. Hisao and Shizune blushes slightly as he continues. “Anyway,”
“I ask Hisao, your—excuse me—boyfriend, the reason why. He told us about your upcoming birthday today.”
“Also,” Ryou intervenes. “He told us what you probably think at that time, so we decide ‘hey, let’s organize this and get it down’!”
Mokou continues, “We never feel that you are a burden or selfish. Despite how you run the entire Student Council, the intimidating aura you give away, and your merciless way of barking orders…”
“We never see you as a burden or selfish, chief.” Ryou concludes. “Because in all that time you lead us, you prioritize the betterment of others over yourself. For that, we thank you.”
Ryou steps forward and gives her the telescope. “In return, this is the best we can do for you.”
“It’s been an honor serving under you, President Hakamichi!” He takes a step back and—following his habit—raises his hand and salutes. The other members follow suit.
All this time she has been thinking how much of a burden she thought she is to them with her strong, dominating aura every time she steps into the council. Never even once have they called her by her name, instead using the term ‘President’ as a way of addressing her. She thought that she is selfish, pushing the Student Council to accomplish an objective that often strain them to their limits for the betterment of others, but the members think otherwise. To them, she is their leader, role model, and dear friend. The ice that encases her heart slowly and finally melts away as she sheds tears of happiness. Yes, this is the Student Council she has been wishing for; these are her most valuable treasures and they are her greatest gift.
[…] She tries to give a reply as best as she could in the midst of her cry. Misha hugs her dearly and reassures her.
“[I’m sorry for keeping this away from you, Shii-chan,]” she said while signing. “[But we know how stubborn you can be. It’s quite a challenge to wake up this morning to organize everything too~!]”
[That’s why both you and Hisao are missing this morning?]
“[Yep…!]” She let out her trademark laughter. A smile and a mute-giggle is Shizune’s reply.
With a humble stroke and with Misha’s generous translation, Shizune said her piece.
[Everyone, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.]
"THREE CHEERS FOR SHIZUNE HAKAMICHI!!"
The members cheer, congratulating her as they express their gratitude and exchange hugs. For the members of the Student Council, the night is still young and they will continue as long as they want them to.
[…]
“By the way, who’s in charge of clean up after it’s all over?”
-------------
Shizune stands at the gate, her chest puffs proudly as she grasps the baton and the flowers she receive after their graduation. Finally, their time as members of the Student Council has come to an end as they gather outside the gate of the school that brought them together. The Student Council is now left in a capable hand of a groomed successor—deemed worthy by Shizune nonetheless. To her right, Misha smiles gleefully as she toss her baton high up in the air and catches it in jubilee, while in her left, Hisao tries to steal a glance at her and smiles warmly. He whispers ‘I love you’ to her with the absence of Misha’s translation, and she smiles in return as if knowing what he said all along. It doesn’t take words for her to understand him, only his actions and presence.
Behind her, the graduates from the Student Council and those inheriting their positions stand at the ready behind her. Ryou is regularly clowning himself with the members of the ‘Counseling Committee’, Mokou callously drinks a can of mocha coffee from a vending machine, while the rest all chatters idly as they wait for Shizune to give her command. With a camera at hand, Yuuko stands before them for a final shot of Yamaku High’s—correction, Shizune’s Student Council committee.
[So what do you plan for us to do Shii-chan?] Misha asks curiously. [Everybody has gathered.]
[Can you direct them one last time? I want us to raise our fists high in the air; show them that this is the Student Council, and we are prepared to take on any challenges the world may throw at us.]
With the conclusion of the school year and the start of a new chapter in their lives, the members raise their fists up high as their picture is taken to commemorate Shizune’s Student Council committee; the finest people she has ever known.
This is their finest hour.
This is her last wish.
This is us.
We, the Council.
Fin
Based on this thread:
"If this entire board is Yamaku High..."
and inspired by this thread:
"Shizune's Birthday!!!!"
Story takes place in a *slightly* altered universe.
*DISCLAIMER* Mokou Kohei doesn't belong to me. This is themocow's 'author avatar'
We, The Council
“Button that shirt up!”
“Fix your collar!”
“Don’t run with toast in your mouth!”
Yamaku High, a school recognized by many across the country as a private institution for its challenging curriculum and its astounding graduates. Ever since its first establishment in 2007, Yamaku has made a name of itself from its student graduates, persistent programs, curriculum, beautiful campus and dormitories, as well as its famous twenty-four hour nursing staff that is available throughout the entire campus. Unlike any other new school, Yamaku High shines amongst the rest as a private institution which encourages students to embrace an ‘Open Culture’ policy that echoes towards its students and faculties; for many outside, it is regarded as a ‘dream school’ that fit only for the ‘prestigious’ or the ‘diligent’. Ironically, what made Yamaku High famous is far from what many had heard for the first time; it isn’t its student graduates, its persistent programs, curriculum, beautiful campus and dormitories, or its recognition as a private school.
Yamaku High is recognized as a school for the disabled.
Since its first establishment in 2007, the school—despite its achievements and recognition in such a short period—met many criticisms from outside and within Japan’s education board. It is both hailed as a ‘daring and ambitious’ project, with some belligerent suggesting segregation of its student—a “foster home” of sorts for the disabled. Others sees it as an opportunity, a ‘light of hope’ for those considered to be ‘incapable’ and hailed the school as a ‘saving grace’. There are, however, those who see the establishment of Yamaku High as an insult to those who were unfortunate to be regarded as ‘crippled’—often, these claims are backed with the fact that the school has an active twenty-four hour nursing staff.
None of these claims, however, are true. With its ‘Open Culture’ policy, Yamaku High opens its gates to both worlds, appealing to the disabled and the regulars as equals.
“You’re not allowed to wear that to school!”
“M-my apologies…!”
“Where’s your tie?”
“I-I’m sorry! It’s in the laundry currently and I only have one at the moment so…”
“You’re supposed to have a spare tie ready~! We’ll let you off this time, so don’t forget it next time kay’~!”
“Y-yes, I’m sorry…”
The pink-haired girl sighs as she watches the young male—probably two years younger than her—dashes away from her sight. She can’t help but pity the boy a little, just a bit after that early morning scold due to a violation of Yamaku’s dress code; then again, she can’t entirely blame herself for throwing a ‘fit’ at the boy’s sloppy attire—after all, she is the voice of the Student Council. Just by her shoulder her dear friend stands at attention at the torrent of students walking to and fro pass the main gate, her chest raised high as if signifying her status and position as well as a hint of pride she secretly keep to herself. She notices the attention of the pink-haired girl and smiles in return before tugging her sleeve once more, again to remind another student about ‘what it is to be a Yamaku student’.
“Hey~! Don’t ‘drift’ with the wheelchair! It’s dangerous~!”
Despite her strict and stern personality, the pink-haired girl knew deep inside that she couldn’t have asked for a better friend.
This is Shizune Hakamichi and Shiina ‘Misha’ Mikado, the President and the Secretary of Yamaku High’s Student Council.
And life in Yamaku High is nothing short of ‘ordinary’.
-------------
“[Nee~, Shii-chan,]” Misha said bubbly, not to forget to use her hands to sign to her friend. “[I know we’re trying to keep an image of the school, but shouldn’t we be a bit more…relaxed?]”
She continues, “[I mean it’s not wrong, it’s just how we end up scaring a number of students and end up leaving a bad impression to the student council.]”
The President takes a long look at her, raising her eyebrow in question seemingly oblivious to what is happening around her. True to her ‘words’, Misha acts as the voice and ears of Shizune Hakamichi, Yamaku High’s current Student Council President. As a designated Secretary, it is her duty to translate the words of her President as well as doing the translation of others for her, a deaf-mute. Shizune is almost like living in another world, separated from the norm of this planet due to her inability to perceive the ‘sounds’ or the ‘voice’ that keeps it spinning for the past thousands of years; like a child lost in a world she is never meant to understand. To her, Misha proves invaluable as her ears, her voice, and her beacon in this strange world. More than that, she is her closest friend.
[Is there something wrong about being disciplined?]
“[Well, not exactly but…]”
Indeed, Misha is Shizune’s voice and ears, and it is her duty to translate to her the things that are happening all around them. There are, of course, ‘things’ she would never want to translate.
“Ah, it’s that Student President again…”
“There she goes, bossing around others. What I wear is my problem...doesn’t concern her or school; f**k them.”
“Hey, I heard she manipulated one guy from class 3-3 to join the council; the class that was under Satou.”
“Really…? That’s terrible…”
To Misha, these are ‘sounds’ that she will never translate to her friend. She always feel a slight pang of guilt each time she mentally refuses to translate these voices; a habit she has grown accustomed to paired with her own selfishness of not wanting to hurt her friend—live and let live, they say. She knows Shizune’s bound to figure it out sooner or later; maybe she already have and is waiting for Misha to tell her about it. But nonetheless, whether Shizune know or don’t know about it is left to the heavens to sort out; but when the time comes, she’ll be ready to tell her all about it.
“[I mean, don’t you want more people to help you? Scaring them off isn’t going to help us…]”
Shizune smiles and chuckles—or as close as Misha can tell that she is chuckling. She sighs lightly and relaxes as her index finger adjusts her glasses.
[Thank you, Misha,] She replies with a swift hand motion. [But it isn’t about the number of people you have, but how valuable one can be.]
[And for now,] she continues. [I have all that I could have asked for. Asking for more is selfish of me; I am content.]
She puffs her chest proudly, ready to face the new day. With a smile and her distinctive laughter, Misha stands next to her with her orange armband firmly pinned to her uniform in a similar fashion to Shizune. In it, it is written in kanji ‘Student Council – Secretary’.
[Besides, who will enforce the school’s policy if no one stands up for it but us?]
-------------
As the school bell echo across the campus, the number of students outside began to dwindle as class is now in session. As usual, members of the Student Council are regularly dismissed as necessary from the fifteen minute homeroom period. With their attendance in check and the traditional ‘greeting’ taken care of, members of the Student Council proceed to rendezvous at the council room for their regular daily meetings; this is a practice that has been imprinted into the mentality of each member and to the faculty staff. The serenity of the hallway greeted the three from class 3-2 as they made their way to the Student Council Office. They have small, short discussions in sign along the way as they thread as lightly as possible so as not to make a commotion in hallway at this time—homeroom can be pretty serious for some faculty members.
Finally, the door to the Student Council Office stands before them, a barrier that separates the ‘students’ from the ‘council’. She reaches for the depressed handle and slides the door open.
“Good morning, ms. President!”
“President! Good morning!”
“Ah, here she is! Good morning!”
For Shizune Hakamichi, nothing starts a day better than a motivated Student Council and a cup of coffee.
This is the Student Council of Yamaku High which is comprised of unique individuals from each class that spans from junior to senior high. They are small in numbers, often overshadowed by the more popular literature club but nonetheless prove to be as capable as having fifty people. Their creativity is second to those of the art club, while their determination and spirit are almost as comparable to the track team. What they lack in numbers, they make up in intelligence, tenacity, determination, and spirit that brought the council to be as it is today; before then, the Student Council used to have twice the number until those unable to bear the pressure of the President began to leave in droves. Those who stayed numbers as many as ten students; for Shizune, this is more than enough.
“Everyone good morning~…!” Greet Misha with her usual, bubbly manner. It is simple deduction for the members that she also the voices the President.
“You guys are determined as always despite meeting up this early.”
“Ah, good morning to you too vice-president…! Do you still have the ‘heart’ to work with us?”
“As long as it doesn’t stop beating due to your antiques, Miyazaki, I’ll be fine.”
Ever since he enrolled in Yamaku High, Hisao has been under a constant state of depression and self-pity due to his unfortunate situation which led him here. He was diagnosed with arrhythmia, a condition that affects the heart which causes it to lose its tempo once in awhile due to exertion. More often than not, this condition could lead to unexpected number of heart attacks of which—if no help is nearby—could lead to death. It was back then before Yamaku’s ‘End of Spring’ festival did he became acquainted with Shizune, Misha, and eventually the members of the Student Council before he finally decided to join; albeit with a little persuasion by the council members and—to some degree—Hisao’s own growing interest towards Shizune herself. Immediately, Shizune assigns Hisao to the last vacant position available in the council ever since the ‘dispersion’—the vice-president.
[…]
“To your seats~…!”
This is how the Student Council starts their day. With a swift hand motion and the voice of her secretary, the council immediately takes their seats in the row of tables adjacent to one another. At the end of the row are two tables, one of each represents the President and the Vice-President; the Secretary is given a separate seat next to the whiteboard—although most of the time, she is required to use the board or pass handouts to all the members. As the members take their seats, so does the President, Vice-President, and Secretary as they prepare to start their daily meeting. With her swift hand movements, Shizune announce that the meeting has begun, followed soon after with Misha’s translated version. It is currently April 30th, one month before their graduation. On June, they all will walk on their separate ways.
With their senior years closing in fast, the Student Council decides to pull one last festival dedicated to the seniors before their graduation ceremony that takes place around mid-May. It is a final agreement between the board members, a consensus that she originally suggested that quickly gain approval from the council members; a farewell gift for the graduates, so to say. It is initially brought up in a discussion between the President, her Secretary, Vice-President, and the Treasurer concerning what to do with the ‘extra’ budget. It is in this discussion that Shizune, with a sigh and a hint of satisfaction over their achievement throughout the year, mentions how she’d love to hold at least ‘one more festival’—this idea soon spread like wildfire throughout the board members after Hisao, the Vice President, unintentionally blurted the idea to the ‘Events Committee’ on one of their separate meetings. After the President caught wind of the idea, she confronted the faculties and promotes it class by class. It soon gained enough approval and popular support for it to be green-lit. With a smile and a victorious smirk the members could never forget, Shizune once again leads the Student Council one last time to brave the storm.
[…]
“Would the Treasurer report on our current budget for this project?”
The designated Treasurer sits unfazed; his eyes glued to the printout before him reading and calculating the ‘approximate’ fund necessary to pull-off this last event. He is assertive, calm, often sharp on his intuition and calculation; if it isn’t because of his disability—partial deafness—Mokou Kohei wouldn’t be remembered as the Council’s ‘daydreamer’.
“Oi, Kohei!”
“W-what…?’
“Budget report…?”
Mokou pauses, blinks in confusion at his friend, turn to the President who grows impatient by the second, then to her Secretary. For better or worse, Misha’s easy going attitude and her grin could easily defuse the growing thick atmosphere that is beginning to surround the Treasurer. He fixes his collar, clear his throat, and opens his notebook.
“Our budget at this moment is currently at…”
He speaks out in a clear, loud voice—albeit louder than necessary; nonetheless, it is a better alternative than speaking in a barely audible tone. After finishing his notes, Mokou often proceeds to voice his own concern and suggestion over the budget and what he believes to be the best approach concerning any budget-issue; most of these suggestions, however, are left to the decision of Shizune. After his brief speech, Mokou clears his through and fixes his collar in a similar fashion to how he started them.
“…and that’s all for the budget.”
[…]
“Ok! ‘Counseling Committee’, any concerns or issues?”
“None,” he replies as blunt as possible. “The box is empty.”
“Of course it’s empty if the officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ looks like a yakuza.”
“Haaahn…? Is that a concern?” he replies mockingly to one of the members. “If it is, then you should’ve slipped one into the box; maybe I’ll even consider beating the crap out of you if you ask for it!”
“Ooh, tough guy! Bring it on!”
[…!]
“Pipe down!”
The officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ chuckles, grinning cheekily at Misha’s intervention—or Shizune’s most likely. When people say to never judge a book by its cover, the case holds true to Ryou Miyazaki. He is recognized as the Council’s ‘class clown’ only to be masked by his slightly intimidating tone, height, and the eye patch he commonly wear over his dysfunctional left eye—his cold facial expression doesn’t help it either. A member of class 3-3, his carefree personality is often overshadowed by his cautious attitude towards others, and the fact that he is the one responsible on completing last year festival’s budget report, registered as ‘sick’ on the day and during the festival caused his class to develop a certain animosity towards him. When he decided to join the Student Council three days after the festival—and after a minor argument with the class representative—rumors began to fly about his possible ‘manipulation’ by the current President much to his chagrin. He can’t blame his class, nor does he wish to; ‘let them think what they think,’ he said, ‘they don’t know me, and that will never change me’.
[…]
“Uhh…you sure there’s nothing?”
“Nothing,” he nods silently, but confidently. “There’s nothing to worry about. Aside from the regular plea by Ikezawa from class 3-2 concerning her suspicion on the ‘Literature Club’, all the faculty members agreed to the idea and the students have no complaints either; there is nothing to worry about.”
[…]
“There’s really nothing you’re hiding…?”
Shizune’s stare can be deep and piercing sometimes, almost as if she is capable of reading through your mind. As the pressure slowly builds up around him, his finger reacts instinctively to scratch his cheek while he avoids eye contact; often, it is his dead-giveaway.
[…!]
“If there is something of concern, spill it out!”
“Well there is something new, but it is irrelevant and…!”
As fast as he tries to reply, Shizune’s swift hand motions are faster—Misha’s translation is evenly unmatched.
[…!]
“I—Shii-chan will decide if it is relevant or not!”
Sighing in defeat, Miyazaki resigns to his fate. “Fine, I’ll spill it.”
He clears his throat and continues, “It’s nothing major, more or less a ghost story about…”
[…]
“Irrelevant.”
“WHAT…!? But you said…”
[…]
“It’s irrelevant. As you said it, it is not related to anything.”
Feeling slightly dumbstruck, the ‘Counseling Committee’ officer sighs dejectedly to his seat. “I feel like a sub-character for a moment there…”
Shizune slightly giggle, appreciating these short precious moments.
[…]
“Is there anything from the ‘Disciplinary Committee?”
“Ah, yes,” The Officer of the ‘Disciplinary Committee’ opens his notebook. “Aside from the regular issue with the uniform, and the over-the-top action of the un'official Lilly’s Fanclub’…”
The meeting continues for the entire homeroom period until the echo of the bell signals the end of the morning. Again, they will have to repeat this process later in the afternoon, or—optionally—at lunchtime. Most of the time, Shizune give the committee members freedom to arrange their own meeting at their convenience as long as the deadline for certain assignments are met on time. With the first period bell signaling the end of the meeting, the President signs skillfully followed with the announcement by her secretary that ‘meeting is adjourned’. With that, all members proceed to file out of the office and return to their classes, resuming their daily life.
“Hey, Miyazaki…”
“Need something Vice-President?”
The Vice-President stands up from his seat and closes the distance between him and the Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’. Clearing his throat, he begins to voice his curiosity. “Can we talk a little as we walk back?”
“Uh…I thought you prefer to walk with the President and her Secretary,” Ryou chuckles and elbows Hisao. “I don’t know what you have for breakfast, but you have to share that! Being close with two cuties like that is like a dream!”
Hisao replies with a chuckle and shows him the door in the process; an invitation to walk back to class together. “Believe me, they think pretty highly of you guys.”
“Shut up, we’re not as fortunate as you; you’re dating the President, am I right?”
He returns with a nervous laughter. “Guess you’ve found out…”
“Not just me, but I think the whole Council knew,” Ryou sighs lightly. “Anyway, need anything?”
“Oh yeah, I’m a little curious about that concern—if I heard it right, you mentioned it was something about a ‘ghost story’…?”
“Oh that? Yeah, it is.”
“Who sent it?”
The Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ clicks his tongue as he tries to remember. “It was someone from class 2-4, can’t remember her name—was it Ayano? Aya…? Aki…? I don’t know, but it’s someone along that line…”
“What was it about?”
“I don’t really believe in this stuff, but she reported that there was some sort of ‘haunting’ in the tool shed near the track club; she said she heard moans and painful cries one late evening but never checked it since she was too scared to do so.”
Ryou sighs, stopping a moment in front of Hisao’s class; not far behind them, Shizune and Misha are conversing mutely. “Whatever it is, that’s something worth investigating.”
“Creepy.”
“You can say that again—but really, what’s next? Rattles from a supposedly empty Student Council office…? It happened once, you know!”
Miyazaki chuckles lightly as he leaves for his classroom. Upon taking his seat, Shizune takes no time to ask Hisao what they have been talking about and why his face is all flustered.
-------------
As the lunchtime bell echoes across the entire campus, Shizune, Misha, and Hisao are always the first to return to the Student Council Office, taking their seats in the pre-arranged tables. It is never a mandatory duty for members of the Student Council to be present in the Office room, but is often encouraged by Shizune herself incase urgent tasks or reports are at hand. But for Hisao, Shizune, and Misha, spending their lunch in the Student Council office has become a habit, a way to escape from work and stress. Despite having it littered with tables and chairs, the room is empty and spacious—almost too big for just the three of them when they think about the number of individuals who work here during the busy period. There is the partially-deaf Treasurer who keeps pacing in the corner when he’s swamped with work, the happy-go-lucky Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee with his three-man team who joke and laugh endlessly at the other corner while emptying their ‘box of reason’, the Officer of the ‘Events Committee’ who sleeps at his designated table during free periods, and the Officer of the ‘Morals Committee’ who always storms in outraged about the cafeteria and its sub-par food.
And of course, there’s the three of them.
[We’ve come a long way,] signs Hisao as he takes his seat, sighs, and remembers the ‘ghostly’ sight of the rest of the Council members. [I can’t believe that we’re a month off from graduation.]
[You’re getting sentimental now?]
[Is it wrong of me?]
Shizune smiles as her thumb pushes the rim of her glasses. [Look at how far Hisao has matured.]
[Way different from the Hii-chan that first came to Yamaku!] Misha signs gleefully, not forgetting her signature laughter. [Shii-chan was actually pretty skeptical about you.]
[And I’m glad I was wrong about it.] She smiles softly towards Hisao. [Your introduction, although simple, left quite an impression considering your situation at the time.]
[I like it.]
Hisao is left speechless, charmed by the rather childish smile of the President as she signs the last remark. His head start to wander and his heart begins to thump faster and faster as blood rushes through his cheeks which, fortunately, Misha notices pretty quickly. She grins cheekily and whispers ‘lover boy’ without signing, making sure Shizune is kept in the dark considering this little prank of hers—just this once. Ever since their breakup and reunification back in fall last year, Misha has been secretly taking the jobs of both Shizune and Hisao as her way of thanking them. She may not exactly be the hardworking taskmaster as Shizune or the understanding and considerate Hisao, but if she can at least lighten their load and support them for as long as she can then that is enough for her. She loves Shizune more than what she can imagine, and even if she can’t reply to those feelings she knows that Misha is an important friend to her. And thus she—Misha—promises herself never to let her down again.
[I tried making bento for all of us today,] Shizune signs as she positions three neatly stacked boxes on her table. [And so here it is!]
[Hey, that’s a surprise Shii-chan!] Misha laughs as she picks the one with her name written on it. [There’s no kitchen in our dormitory, so how did you do it?]
[It’s a secret]
She puffs her chest proudly and grins confidently as she unpacks the assortment of food that she presented to Misha and Hisao. One has to wonder how she manages to pull it off considering there is no kitchen in the dormitories they live in. As the only viable one is in the home economics laboratory, Hisao wonder how early she has to be to ask permission to use the lab without the help of Misha to translate her sign language—and how she actually managed to acquire the permission from a faculty is another different story. He thinks about asking her about it, but decides not to as she will probably give him the same answer as she did—it is a secret.
[We’re missing drinks! I’m going to get some, do you guys want anything?]
[Melon soda] Shizune replies.
[I’ll have the same. Thanks Misha]
She smiles and hastily leaves the room, not to forget to close the door tightly. She snickers and chuckle along the way, intentionally leaving the two of them alone in the Student Council office just how she used to about a year ago before Hisao and Shizune became an item.
“Take your time~!”
Meanwhile back in the Student Council Office, Shizune and Hisao sits idly after watching Misha left the scene for their drinks. The room is left in a solemn state, accompanied with the shouts of joy and laughter from students outside doing what they do best. They sit in silence with Hisao more or less working to finish his bento all the while stealing glances towards Shizune who—surprisingly—is keeping her eyes to the door. He stops for a second after he notices her sweet fragrance, causing him to accidentally recall that moment where they spent their night together in this room—that table isn’t even far off too. With his cheeks flushed from the memory, Hisao tries to shake off the feeling by digging into his lunch before—unfortunately—Shizune stops him mid-way with a tug on his sleeve.
[You have rice on your cheek]
She swiftly plucks the grain and eats it. [It’s not nice to waste food.]
Hisao’s heart almost gives out for a second, to which his only reply comes in nods of ‘yes’ forgetting entirely how to sign.
Moments pass and Misha has yet to return to the Office with their promised drinks. Despite being familiar with her, Hisao can’t help but to realize how private the air around the room has become. He’s uncertain if Shizune herself realize this and decides to steal short glances at her while keeping his thoughts in check. That didn’t help much considering how the way she sits at the moment reveals much of her thigh-high socks and the small patch of her soft skin above it; if her skirt isn’t in the way, he could probably catch a glimpse of her panties. He curses and thank Misha for putting him in this situation and proceeds to relax a little to calm his raging heart and rushing hormone.
Not for long.
In one of his attempt to steal a glance at his girlfriend, he notices her irritated eyes directed at him with her arms crossed causing him to flinch a little. She sighs, scoots a little closer to him and pinches him in the arm much to his surprise.
[What was that for?]
[It’s for not doing anything.]
His attempt to retain self-control is slowly losing its grasps the moment he whiffs a hint of her sweet fragrance. True, they are alone in the room and she is sitting dangerously close to him; but he isn’t going to let her knock over his virtue like dominoes—after all they are in a public area and someone might walk-in unintentionally, be it Misha or someone else. Wetting his throat with a gulp, Hisao pulls up one last attempt to maintain ‘law and order’ as the invader—intentionally or not—draws closer and closer to conquer him. His attempt is cut short when Shizune tugs his sleeve one last time.
[Are you going to do anything to me?]
[Something like what?] He signs nervously.
[You can kiss me if you like.]
And just as easy as he decide to maintain his virtue, he throws it out the window without a second thought. Shizune has won him over, and this he can’t deny.
Maybe she know it is going to happen sooner or later, about the fact that Misha left them alone, or about Hisao breaking into the pressure. Better yet, maybe she wants it to happen and skillfully plays her card over Hisao. Nonetheless, the result is a win-win situation for both sides as Hisao edges closer, captivated by her charms while Shizune accepts and locks him in an embrace as they engage in a long, soft kiss. Blood starts rushing through Hisao’s heart as the surge of sweetness and bliss that overwhelms his lips forces his heart to thump faster and faster. They part soon after, cheeks flushed after their short encounter and their breathing slightly erratic. Both of them know this alone is not enough to satisfy their growing desire.
[You’re not using your tongue today.] Signs Shizune cheekily. Hisao’s attempt to make a comeback is short-lived the moment she glares him straight in the eye.
[Don’t play innocent. You’ve been checking me out since Misha left, I know.]
Unable to retaliate any further, Hisao resigns from the argument. [You got me there.]
He leans closer once again, locking their lips together—this time in a long, deep kiss. The pressure he made on her lips and her tongue causes her to flinch a little, releasing a barely audible pleasurable moan from the experience as she raises her hand and locks them with his. Before long, he manages to push her down to the carpet and locks her further in pleasure as his hand begins to trace her slender waist, moving up in a slow steady massage. They knew it has to stop sooner or later; Misha is bound to return with their drinks, and being caught in the act like this could be mighty embarrassing for both Hisao and Shizune. Of course, it’s either Misha…
“Vice-President, I have new budget estimation for class 2-2’s booth after their submission; could you please relay this to—”
…or a member; in this regard, it’s the Treasurer, Mokou Kohei.
Hisao flinches and shot up from his position in shock the moment Mokou bursts into the room. He is soon followed with an irritated Shizune with her hair ruffled and her glasses out of place, still oblivious to Mokou’s presence as she is still indulged in their love scene; the moment she turns around, however, changes her expression 180 degrees from irritation to a complete shock and embarrassment. Both parties, now locked in complete awkwardness and silence, are incapable of generating a proper response to the situation and only to be broken by the sound of a pen that slips from the hands of the dumbstruck Treasurer.
“Uhh…”
Mokou clears his throat, stopping Hisao abruptly before picking up his pen, attach it to his clipboard, and proceeds to fix his tie.
“Uhh…Kohei…”
“My apologies,” he reply. “TAKE YOUR TIME~!”
With a swift 180 degrees turn and a face with an expression they will never forget, Mokou bursts out of the room and closes the door behind them with enough force to cause Shizune to flinch. His voice—and his mildly audible cry—echoes across the hallway, enough for Hisao to make out what he cries out; or at least, who he cries it to.
“Oh, Kohei…! What’s up with you…” From the sound and the tone of the voice, Hisao deduces that it is Ryou. Apparently he, too, is making his way to the Office.
“THE VICE-PRESIDENT IS DATING THE PRESIDENT!!”
“…you just knew? And I thought everybody in the Council knew…” Ryou replies in a loud and clear voice, compensating Kohei’s slight hearing disability.
“THEY’RE ON THE FLOOR K-K-K-KI-…”
“Aah, so that explains the rattling sound in the ‘supposedly’ empty Student Council Office. Huh, kinky. Case closed!”
“IT’S NOT POSSIBLE…!! PRESIDEEEEEENT….!!”
Curiously, Shizune tugs Hisao after she fixes herself to ask him about what happen to Kohei and if there is anything of concern to them. Hisao never did explain to her in detail, but he mentions that it might become the talk of Kohei and Miyazaki; she isn’t too happy knowing that, but is nonetheless too embarrassed to make any further comments. ‘It is still pretty exhilarating,’ she signs before teasingly giving him one last peck on his lips.
Misha returns to the room five minutes before the bell with three cans of melon soda, and a wide victorious grin imprinted on her face.
-------------
Two days pass, and with the day of the final festival drawing close, the Student Council is kicked into full gear the following day. Morning meetings acts as briefings, lunchtime is organized for the members to finish the make-shift booths, while afterschool is where the Council is seen breaking their backs the most. With the final festival only five days away and with only two days left to prepare, Yamaku’s Student Council kicks into full gear to finish everything by the end of the week. For the seniors, final exams are still in their list of nightmares while they try to maintain their commitment to the Student Council. This is no different to Shizune who realizes her coming birthday, yet keeps it to herself while keeping her focus on the pile of work before them.
It is Wednesday, May 2nd.
“Come on, come on! Move those boxes over!”
“I need spare nails here, please!”
“Someone give me a hand!”
“Who has the budget report folder!?”
The Council room is as hectic as it can be with two days remaining to finish up whatever they can and set everything ready by Monday. It is during these times that Shizune’s belligerent taskmaster attitude takes the toll of most of the members as she tries—often too hard—to rally the Student Council into completing sets of objectives with limited manpower; not to mention the stress from the exam some of them are still experiencing, it is often evident how gruesome working under her command can be. This, however, never did falter the remaining ten who stayed behind in the Student Council; ‘natural selection’, as Miyazaki humorously pointed out.
“Maam, I still haven’t received the budget report from class 3-3.” Report Mokou as he reads his summary, neatly attached to a clipboard. “It’s the class under Satou, ms. President.”
With her quick hand, Misha translates Mokou’s complaint to Shizune who grows more and more aggravated by the minute. […!]
“Uhh…should I really translate that?”
[…!!!]
“I know Shii-chan,” Misha replies with a sigh; she can tell Shizune has just managed to blow her own top off from her strong, heavy strokes. “But the other day she told you that she gave the assignment to someone else, so it’s not fair to blame it entirely on her.”
“What did she say?”
Misha turns to Mokou, “It concerns class 3-3’s class representative and how she thinks she is incompetent. I understand the budget report is due today, but…”
“Ah!! The budget report…!”
The voice of Ryou catches the attention of both Misha and Mokou who immediately turn to the young man carrying a structure frame for one of the booth. Setting it down for awhile, he dust his hand off casually and clears his throat.
“You see, I-uh…” he stutters for a second, trying to find the right word for it. “I was supposed to give it to you yesterday, but I forgot about it and…”
[…??]
“Where is it??”
Shizune’s sudden retaliation—thanks to Misha’s quick translation—made the jump on the young officer followed with a glare that pierces deep into his soul. Ryou can’t escape this, and he knows he will receive quite an ear shot if Shizune is ever capable to speak; lucky for him, Misha is the person who does the ‘dubbing’ and as such, Shizune’s strong and powerful messages tend to get tenderized before it made an impact.
“I-It’s in my bag! I’ll get it for you…”
Cautiously Ryou reach for his book bag and draws three-four piles of paper, all of which are related to the ‘Budget Report’ of class 3-3 the Student Council is missing. With the subtlety of an oni, Shizune stomps her way towards him and snatches the paper from his hand and reads its content in a flash. She rolls up the paper into a scroll, grips one end, and lightly taps the young officer’s head with a swift movement. He flinches a little, but kept his eyes open nonetheless to see the President signs while her assistant translates.
[…]
“I don’t know if I should be angry towards your poor o-oru-or-ga-ni-za-ti-on skills, or to thank you for submitting this on time.”
Ryou nods, his eyes pointed to the ground.
[…]
“Nonetheless, you saved us—especially the Treasurer—the trouble of confronting a class representative at a time like this. Thank you.”
“Y-yes, I’m sorry too.” He replies with a stutter. “…can you tell her that?”
Misha chuckles lightly as Shizune smiles and signs one last time at the dumb-founded Ryou.
[…]
“Wahahaha~!”
“What did she say?”
“Good for you Miyazaki,” Misha replies as she accompanies Shizune and Mokou to the President’s desk to sort-out the last of the budget report. “Good for you~!”
Left in a pretty much confused state, Ryou decides to confront Hisao and ask what the President had meant. He smiles and sighs with glee, planting a palm on his forehead and shakes his head. “That’s so like you, Shizune…”
“What did she say?”
“Don’t worry,” he replies. “It’s a complement.”
-------------
Wednesday passes, then Thursday, and before they know it the morning sun rises on Friday. To many students, Friday marks as a revelation as it is the final day of exams for the seniors; but for those in the Student Council, it also serve as an alarm that this is their last chance to complete whatever work is left in the Student Council be it the festival preparation, grooming their successors, or final paperwork to be submitted to Shizune. The thought of ‘party’ or ‘celebration’ escapes their mind as they setup the last booth for Monday’s festival and assign the class that has been given the privilege to occupy it. By the end of the day, the dust clears and everything is finally set. The members cheer for their final contribution, proud of their contribution towards Yamaku High and the Student Council. Hisao releases a sigh of relief as he gives Shizune a pat on her shoulder for a ‘good job’, Misha rests on a nearby tree and fall asleep immediately, while Shizune raise her chest high feeling proud and accomplished.
The work of this year’s Yamaku High’s Student Council is finally complete.
The members of the Student Council eventually crowd their President, congratulating her and thanking her for a job well-done and a year to remember. She nods and smiles as best as she can while Hisao frantically tries to keep up with the bombardment of adoration the members are keen to express. By June, they will all walk their separate ways and will probably never see each other again. The juniors—numbering no more than four—will inherit the Student Council with the two new candidates who were recently interviewed by Misha, Shizune, and Hisao. Despite Shizune’s slight displeasure of passing the baton down to the candidates—so much as calling them ‘amateurs’—she knows that her time as Yamaku’s Student Council President is nearing its end and what has to be done, needs to be done.
“Let’s all head to the Shanghai and celebrate our accomplishments!”
The members cheer once again as they accepts the suggestion with open arms.
Kindly, Shizune declines.
“Why not…? I mean, it wouldn’t be complete without you ms. President.”
[…]
“She said she still has paper and matters to attend to; a final check, so she says.”
Ryou grumbles. “Why can’t we do that on Saturday or Sunday?”
Shizune pauses, her eyes wide open in astonishment but quickly regains her composure.
[…]
“I have plans. Besides, it’s the job of the President to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
“I see…then, have a good one ms. President,” The Officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ straightens himself and salutes her; a habit that unfortunately contributes to his misleading demeanor. “It’s been an honor serving under you.”
Finally giving up on their attempt to persuade her, the Council members sigh regretfully and waves goodbye before heading down the hill. She then turns to Hisao and asks him to join them as well.
[Aren’t you going to be ok?]
[It’s just a checkup, so it shouldn’t be long.]
[Should I help you with anything?]
She shakes her head. [No, it’s ok. All of you have done enough.]
[Besides,] she continues. [Someone has to watch over Misha.]
After giving him a kiss, Shizune bids Hisao farewell as he heads down the hill to join the rest of the Council. The President sighs, checks the time, and went over through all the booths for a complete and final preparation check. She smiles in relief knowing everything is in order as her eyes begins to swell and a single tear runs down her cheek. Slowly and silently, she begins to sob. It isn’t because of the final paperwork, for there is none; it isn’t because she has plans on the weekend because that, too, doesn’t exist. In her short time as a Student Council President, Shizune recognizes the faces of its members and the value each of them has albeit small in numbers. There is Misha, her assistant that—although hyperactive at times and despite the issue they had during summer and fall—remains as her most loyal and trusted friend. Then there’s Ryou Miyazaki, the officer of the ‘Counseling Committee’ who joins the Student Council out of curiosity. Although secretly recognized as the Council’s fumbler, his happy-go-lucky attitude and sense of humor has brought many tears of laughter to the small group. Mokou Kohei is amongst one of the original ten that stayed and is known for his organization and prowess as the Treasurer. She secretly knows that he has a slight crush on her; too bad Hisao outplayed him first. Then there’s Tsubaki, Urabe, Sawachika, Shiroyanagi, Takeda, Tainaka, Konpaku, Tatara…
And of course, there is Hisao.
Hisao, the only person who so far manages to read her inside-out like a book. His path with her are littered with memories from the first time they met, his participation in the Student Council, his confession, their ‘first time’ at her house, and that night at the Council office. She often appeal to others as a taskmaster, manipulator, or to some as a dictator. She knows Misha refuse to translate the insult of the students as they stand by the gate every morning with the Disciplinary Committee, and she knows it isn’t words of compliment. It never bugged her, however, for she knows that there are people that understands her; people she can trust. ‘Treat a friend like a thousand friend’ they say, and that is why Yamaku High’s Student Council—her Student Council—despite how small, is valued greater than the most expensive thing money can buy. They are her colleagues, her allies, her friend, and her most valuable treasure. The thought of parting with them hurts her the most.
She wanted to end the Student Council with a cheer and a smile; they all deserve a happy ending, not a teary goodbye.
They have done everything she could have asked for. Asking for more is considered as selfish.
Misha arrives at the Shanghai later that evening.
The President never came.
-------------
Sunday, May 6th. The clear Sunday morning greets Shizune as she wakes up to the vibration of her alarm clock positioned conveniently at her side. It is a common practice for her in compensation for her inability to hear or speak, and as such the slightest vibration could potentially disturb her sleep—a good thing for her, she thought, as it ‘keeps her on edge’. She rolls out of her bed, open her wardrobe, and fetches a towel and a set of casual clothes tagged with a simple—but cute—striped panties. As she heads out of her room, she notices a yellow sticky posted on Misha’s door with—clearly—Misha’s own handwriting, easily distinguishable with its cute but messy stroke; some of her Kanji are almost too much of a scribble to be almost readable. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose to inform her that she is out on an errand for her parents.
“There goes today’s plan,” she thought to herself as she made her way into the public bathroom. “Maybe Hisao would like some company…
Unlike the boys’ dormitory’s bathroom, the girls’ dormitory made a more traditional approach with a single bathtub combined with the shower, a mirror with a small rack that holds the liquid shampoo and soap, as well as a small stool most common in public bathhouses. Linked with the bathroom is the laundry room—although there are no incidents of intrusions to date, Shizune often carries her change of clothes with her rather than leaving them out in the baskets. As she sits on the stool in the nude, she smiles satisfactorily at her reflection in the mirror before she removes her glasses and places them on the provided rack.
“You did well, Shii-chan,” She thought to herself as she washes her hair and body. “For Yamaku, the Student Council, and your friends; you did the right thing.”
She scoops a pale of cold water and rinses herself from the soapy mixture that covers her hair and body, checks the mirror one last time, and then candidly measures her breasts and smiles.
“Happy birthday, Shizune.”
She remembers how she will be celebrating it alone. A single tear runs down her cheek, masked by the droplets of water.
”Happy birthday…”
It isn’t because she doesn’t want to celebrate it with her friends; on the contrary, she dying to—and she’ll treat it like a direct order if she have to. But every time she remembers their faces, the struggle that they’ve been through, the laughter and the tears they share, and the time they’ve spent for the Student Council—for her—made her recall the reasons why the original number of students dwindle. Is it because of her slightly intimidating demeanor? Or maybe it is because of her way of running the Council? She may never know. No matter how hard she tries to reach and understand others, her competitive personality and her disability always gets in between her, and only those who are stubborn enough will stay. All this time in the Student Council, the members have been pushing themselves for her sake and yet she keeps them at arm’s length, cautious and afraid of losing them entirely. The more they know, the greater the chance the she will hurt them.
“Just like Misha…” She thought.
She refuse to join the celebratory party the other day to avoid them develop a personal attachment to her; something that she has already did towards them. To them, she thought, she is the taskmaster, the President, and the leader that guides them through their year in the Student Council—nothing more, nothing less. That alone is enough for her, and she secretly thanks them for their dedication towards the Student Council.
Finishing her morning bath, she wipes herself dry with a light-blue towel and dresses for an unplanned Sunday stroll with Hisao.
-------------
It takes her less than five minutes to walk to the boy’s dormitory, another two minute to Hisao’s room, and a few seconds to return home disappointed. Much to her displeasure and fear, Hisao is not at his home as her knocks are greeted with nothing but silence. Calling him proves fruitless when he doesn’t answer his phone; messaging him gives no answer of his whereabouts if he doesn’t reply. Feeling slightly dejected and irritated, Shizune decides to look for him throughout the entire campus for hours until finally—submitting to her fate—she returns to her dormitory and lie on her bed, lonely and detached before she weep herself to sleep.
The cold chill from her open window awakens her from her sleep, causing her to groggily locate her slightly misplaced glasses and moans in irritation. The sky is dark blue in color, notifying her of the current time that is further enforced by the clock that she set on her desk—it is currently 7PM, just a few more hours until the end of the day. Aside from the birthday texts she receives from her father and her younger brother, there is nobody else who congratulated her—not even Misha or Hisao. Throughout the day she has a slight suspicion on the disappearance of Misha and Hisao; it is almost too convenient for them to escape from her sight once in awhile—and this all takes place during her birthday too. Nonetheless, her thoughts are shot down the moment she checks her phone for any other incoming messages.
Nothing.
As disappointed as she is towards two of her most trusted comrade, she eventually sighs and purse her lips as an act of toughness to not a tear drop. She cried enough for a day, and as much as she wishes to have them congratulate her for living through another year, she knows that they may have more important matters to attend to that made them accidentally forget about her birthday. Quickly regaining her composure, she decides upon herself to knock on Misha’s door and remind her—maybe pull out a ‘punishment game’ or two for her and Hisao; surely by this time, they should have returned. Still dressed in her casual, she straightens herself and opens the door…
…and finds Hisao standing outside, busy with his phone.
Her finger snaps in reflex, causing him to jolt in surprise to find her glaring right at him. Cold sweat runs down his brow and his forehead as he pockets his phone before he tries to communicate with her.
[Uh…hi…?]
[Where were you since this morning?]
He swallows a ball of spit. [I was out on an errand from my parents.]
[You’re lying.] She replies with a swift, intimidating stroke. It doesn’t take a genius to tell that she is furious—her face is another dead-giveaway too. [Misha is also out on an errand. Should I tell you that it also came from her parents?]
[It’s just a coincidence.]
[I don’t trust you. You’re in cahoots with her.]
[You don’t trust me? That hurts.]
She has to admit how good Hisao has become when it comes to debating against her. For once, he causes her to hesitate the moment she looks into his eyes—hurt, like a wounded puppy. She’s also quite surprised to know Hisao can actually pull that kind of face too. She purses her lips in search of the right way to express her disappointment while, at the same time, to regain her footing on this argument. [Do you even remember what day is today?]
[Sunday…]
[You idiot…!]
[Look, can we save that for later?]
[No…!] She replies in a strict sense. [I can’t believe you, of all people, forgot about it.]
Hisao sighs in regret as he tries to focus his eyes to her. He raise his hand to comfort her, only to be pushed away at a second’s notice by Shizune who is now sobbing silently—both due to Hisao’s antics and herself. He taps her shoulder to regain her attention to be met with her teary eyes and pinkish nose.
[Look, I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember.]
She shakes her head to tell him that it is ok.
[Do you want to take a walk with me? It’s to make up for today.]
She nods at his offer and returns to her room to fetch a coat for the night walk. It’s been awhile since she let her emotions take the better of her judgment; personally, she feel disgusted with herself for being so weak at the moment when she could have easily dominated Hisao in that conversation earlier. Now she’s following him closely by his side as they take the night stroll—by Hisao’s request too! Nonetheless, if it is his effort to return to her good side then she’ll let it slide; Misha’s next.
[Do you want to go to the roof?]
[It’s locked isn’t it?]
[Don’t worry, it’s not.]
[How do you know?]
[Kenji, my neighbor, tends to visit the roof on the evening.]
[What for..?]
[Manly Picnic]
They enter the school building and slowly make their up through the series of stairs and passages. It’s getting late as the moon’s beam begins to shine through the windows and illuminate the solemn hallways and classes. Shizune is just a step away beside Hisao, her hand buried inside the pocket of her coat as Hisao leads the way up the stairs. Together, they are alone in this building as they traverse through the halls, corridors, and stairs that lead up to the roof; a humble night stroll, she thought. Secretly she wishes he would at least surprise her with an ‘attack’ during their stroll—even if it only means him reaching for her hand to hold, that alone is enough for her; although naturally, she will ask for more.
Finally reaching the top flight of stairs that leads to the roof, Shizune stands before the door that separates the interior with the exterior. She turns to Hisao, wondering why he takes her here instead of somewhere downtown, to which he only shrug in reply.
[You’re not setting up a prank, are you?]
[If it’s a prank,] he rushes forward and plants a kiss on her lips. [Then this will be one.]
[Cheeky pervert…]
[You’ve been asking for it.]
True, Hisao is indeed capable of reading her thoughts like a book. She smiles knowing this as he urge her to open the door.
And sure enough, when the door opens she is greeted with a sight that will forever remain in her memories.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY…!”
Before her is the Student Council, dressed in their casuals, and packing confetti that bursts the moment she opens the door. Standing in the far left, Misha visibly grins and laughs as she signs the cheer the members shouted as they clap and ‘wooed’ at her presence. Ryou stands not far from her carrying what is apparently a telescope that is beautifully boxed and laced with decorative paper; much to her dismay, that ‘decorative paper’ comes from the Art Club, but she’ll let it slide for now. Mokou cheerfully raise a cup of beverage as he cheers for her well being while shouting something she can’t even hear—nonetheless it brings joy to her heart knowing that they are here. Under the expanse of the stars, the members of the Student Council gather with a cheer and a spirit that has never been broken. It is a small group with exceptional bonds.
[Happy Birthday, Shizune.] Hisao signs the moment she turns to him in surprise.
Misha’s sudden leap surprises her even more the moment her chest lands on her back followed with a sudden kiss on her cheek.
She turns to the Student Council, Misha and Hisao standing at her side.
[…]
“How did you guys know?” Misha translates with zest.
“We thought it was weird for you to not join us on our celebratory party the other day,” Mokou reply, generously translated by Misha. “So I decide to ask your…eh…”
“Hisao, your boyfriend,” Ryou finishes, resulting in a number of gasps and flinches. “What? I thought everyone knew...?”
“Now they do.” Reply Mokou. Hisao and Shizune blushes slightly as he continues. “Anyway,”
“I ask Hisao, your—excuse me—boyfriend, the reason why. He told us about your upcoming birthday today.”
“Also,” Ryou intervenes. “He told us what you probably think at that time, so we decide ‘hey, let’s organize this and get it down’!”
Mokou continues, “We never feel that you are a burden or selfish. Despite how you run the entire Student Council, the intimidating aura you give away, and your merciless way of barking orders…”
“We never see you as a burden or selfish, chief.” Ryou concludes. “Because in all that time you lead us, you prioritize the betterment of others over yourself. For that, we thank you.”
Ryou steps forward and gives her the telescope. “In return, this is the best we can do for you.”
“It’s been an honor serving under you, President Hakamichi!” He takes a step back and—following his habit—raises his hand and salutes. The other members follow suit.
All this time she has been thinking how much of a burden she thought she is to them with her strong, dominating aura every time she steps into the council. Never even once have they called her by her name, instead using the term ‘President’ as a way of addressing her. She thought that she is selfish, pushing the Student Council to accomplish an objective that often strain them to their limits for the betterment of others, but the members think otherwise. To them, she is their leader, role model, and dear friend. The ice that encases her heart slowly and finally melts away as she sheds tears of happiness. Yes, this is the Student Council she has been wishing for; these are her most valuable treasures and they are her greatest gift.
[…] She tries to give a reply as best as she could in the midst of her cry. Misha hugs her dearly and reassures her.
“[I’m sorry for keeping this away from you, Shii-chan,]” she said while signing. “[But we know how stubborn you can be. It’s quite a challenge to wake up this morning to organize everything too~!]”
[That’s why both you and Hisao are missing this morning?]
“[Yep…!]” She let out her trademark laughter. A smile and a mute-giggle is Shizune’s reply.
With a humble stroke and with Misha’s generous translation, Shizune said her piece.
[Everyone, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.]
"THREE CHEERS FOR SHIZUNE HAKAMICHI!!"
The members cheer, congratulating her as they express their gratitude and exchange hugs. For the members of the Student Council, the night is still young and they will continue as long as they want them to.
[…]
“By the way, who’s in charge of clean up after it’s all over?”
-------------
Shizune stands at the gate, her chest puffs proudly as she grasps the baton and the flowers she receive after their graduation. Finally, their time as members of the Student Council has come to an end as they gather outside the gate of the school that brought them together. The Student Council is now left in a capable hand of a groomed successor—deemed worthy by Shizune nonetheless. To her right, Misha smiles gleefully as she toss her baton high up in the air and catches it in jubilee, while in her left, Hisao tries to steal a glance at her and smiles warmly. He whispers ‘I love you’ to her with the absence of Misha’s translation, and she smiles in return as if knowing what he said all along. It doesn’t take words for her to understand him, only his actions and presence.
Behind her, the graduates from the Student Council and those inheriting their positions stand at the ready behind her. Ryou is regularly clowning himself with the members of the ‘Counseling Committee’, Mokou callously drinks a can of mocha coffee from a vending machine, while the rest all chatters idly as they wait for Shizune to give her command. With a camera at hand, Yuuko stands before them for a final shot of Yamaku High’s—correction, Shizune’s Student Council committee.
[So what do you plan for us to do Shii-chan?] Misha asks curiously. [Everybody has gathered.]
[Can you direct them one last time? I want us to raise our fists high in the air; show them that this is the Student Council, and we are prepared to take on any challenges the world may throw at us.]
With the conclusion of the school year and the start of a new chapter in their lives, the members raise their fists up high as their picture is taken to commemorate Shizune’s Student Council committee; the finest people she has ever known.
This is their finest hour.
This is her last wish.
This is us.
We, the Council.
Fin
