VOLUME 2
[2nd Discussion ~ The Reflecting Student Council ~]
“By learning from our past failures, we can move forward!”
As usual, the president stuck out her small chest and proudly spoke as if she were reciting something she probably read in some book.
Today’s theme was already written up on the whiteboard. She didn’t even get our acknowledgement yet.
<The First Student Council Mass Reflection Meeting>
It seemed like today would also head towards a topic that would be extremely boring for me, but since the president was already raring to go, it was probably impossible to change course now.
However, Minatsu let out a dissatisfied “Ehhh?” in my stead.
“You want us to reflect, but we’ve only been active for two months now…”
“Minatsu! You’ve been active since last year!”
“B, but well, today it’s about the ‘current student council,’ isn’t it? In that case……”
Minatsu was clearly flustered and reluctant.
Yeah that’s right, this time the ones who are supposed to be the seniors are the president, Chizuru-san, and even the casual speaking Minatsu, who have had a year’s worth of experience…… Unlike the student council now, since last year’s student council seemed to be pretty enthusiastic, and due to her personality, she stopped being able to use honorifics.
Maybe in reaction to that, Minatsu this year seriously hates discussions. It could also be due to the current student council’s very lax atmosphere. She must’ve become accustomed to the comfort here. That was probably why she found today’s mention of a reflection meeting to be absurd.
At Minatsu’s displeased face, the president slammed her hands down on the desk and shouted.
“It’s that kind of halfhearted way of thinking that caused this student council to degrade!”
“Degrade huh?”
I interrupted her without thinking. I mean…… the student council may be lax, but I felt like taking it that far was just too cruel…… Mafuyu and I, both newly joined this year, showed a complex and bitter smile. Chizuru-san alone secretly pointed out the truth, saying “I’m sure the reason for this atmosphere is eighty percent due to Aka-chan’s laziness……”but was kind enough to make sure that the president wouldn’t hear it.
The president shifted her point of view from Minatsu to me and once again slammed on the desk…… That behavior, I wondered if she planned to keep “strongly and imposingly” slamming the desk. If she did, then she was like a child just throwing a tantrum for no reason, and I that’s all I could see. It was oddly pleasant.
“You’ve got a ton of points you need to reflect on, Sugisaki! In fact, you only have points you need to reflect on!”
“So you’re rejecting my entire personality?”
“Eh? You have positive points then?”
She very innocently tilted her head in question…… so cruel…
“Well yeah I do. Even I’ve got some good points, right?”
I faced the other student council members and asked. When I did, everyone uttered “Um…” and the mood turned quiet. Only Minatsu, who was opposing the president just a moment ago, spoke up.
“We…… should probably have that reflection meeting.”
“Whoa whoa! What’s with the sudden about-face?”
“When…… when Mafuyu looks at Sugisaki-senpai, Mafuyu feels that we need to hold a reflection meeting right away.”
“Mafuyu-chan, you know you inadvertently said something pretty damn mean right!
“I’m sure Key-kun was born for the sole sake of reflecting on his actions.”
“Would there be such a sad child who would be born for that sake?!”
This is bad. This flow is similar to last time with the rehabilitation and stuff. I was headed in an extremely bad direction. But…… they were almost already set on holding a reflection meeting. In that case……
I brought out my trump card.
“That’s right, I’m full of points I need to reflect on!”
I became serious. The president didn’t seem to expect this. She blinked in surprise.
“However that reality has been obvious ever since I was born! That’s exactly why it’s a waste of time for you to pressure me into reflecting! Since that’s the case, all of the other members should be the ones to reflect today!”
“Ooh…… That does sound pretty convincing… even though I disagree with all of it.”
The president was won over by my words. Chizuru-san and the Shiina sisters were also pulled in. I took this opportunity and continued the conversation. Yes, The Master of Ceremonies (1)…… In short, if I could take the moderator’s position, it was the same as taking control of the flow of the conversation!
“First up is Prez! As the chief executive here, you should be the one to take the initiative and reflect!”
“Ugh!”
I jabbed my finger at her and the president jumped back in surprise. At the same time, the other members went with the flow saying, “That makes sense……”
Since I confirmed that I the leader role, I once again continued the conversation.
“Now then, Prez. First, please tell us all the points you need to reflect on that you can think of.”
“P, points I need to reflect on?”
The president crossed her arms and began to think. For the president…… she should have a mountain of points. Even though I was an outsider, I could already roughly count many of them just by thinking a bit, but the amount was more than the number of worldly desires. (2)
I’m sure Chizuru-san, Minatsu, and Mafuyu-chan were thinking the same thing. Each of them seemed to recall dozens of points that the president needed to reflect on as they spaced out.
With that, probably because there were so many, the president thought carefully for five minutes. I was ready for it and she told me.
–
“None.”
–
“Just how easy can you go on yourself damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Wah! Sugisaki snapped! He suddenly snapped! Modern youths who snap without reason are scary!”
“I have plenty of reason! Even an ancient old person would snap!”
As proof of that, I could see veins popping on Chizuru-san, Minatsu, and even Mafuyu-chan’s foreheads. (3)
Seeing all our reactions, the president tilted her head in confusion with a, “H, huh?”
“Umm…… Is everyone angry at something? Why? A, ah, is everyone a bit jealous that I’m too perfect? Sorry, I guess I’m one of the chosen, so I don’t really have any flaws!”
*Snap Snap Snap Snap*
The student council room was filled with an aura of rage…… Yeah, I understand now. A reflection meeting is definitely necessary.
It’s…… about time an adult taught this childish president a lesson! That’s something I must do! (4)
“Prez! Sit in seiza here!” (5)
“Y, yes!”
At my change of attitude, the president quickly took off her shoes and earnestly sat seiza in her chair.
I stood up and started lecturing while looking down on her.
“Now listen up, Prez.”
“R, right……”
“By learning from our past failures, we can move forward.”
“Th, that’s my saying-”
“Silence!”
“Eek!”
“The wise Prince Shotoku once said this: ‘It is impossible for man to appear in Getsuku without reflection.’” (6)
“I don’t think he said that at all……”
“Silence!”
“Eek!”
“You don’t need to worry about when it was said! The point is that you must reflect!”
“Then say that in the first place……”
“Anyways! You must reflect, Prez! If you don’t reflect, you won’t have a future!”
“I, if you say it like that it makes me wonder if I’m really that bad……”
“You are that bad!”
“You outright said it!”
“On Ori**n’s ‘Student Council Presidents Who Should Reflect’ ranking, you were the #1 spot for three years!”
“O**con keeps track of things like that too?!” (7)
“Well, you’re #1 in Sugisaki Ken’s ‘Pretty Loli Girls I want to Hug ranking’ with a commanding lead.”
“I didn’t want to hear that info!”
“And so, you should reflect, Prez! Even in a sexual way!”
“Even in a sexual way?!”
“Well that lesson, or should I say training, will come later……”
“My future looks bleak! Even if I reflect, I’ll have no future anyway!”
“Now then…… I got it. Starting from Mafuyu-chan, let’s name all of Prez’s points to reflect on.”
Saying that, I handed the topic over to Mafuyu-chan. In a rare bout of particular excitement, Mafuyu-chan eagerly joined the conversation, saying, “Ah, yes.” …….It seemed like when it came to the topic of the president’s points to reflect on, she surprisingly had a stock of points thought up. The president faltered, saying, “Whoa…”
Chizuru-san and Minatsu waited for their turns and watched over Mafuyu-chan as she timidly stood up and began speaking.
“Umm, first up is…… Right, Prez-san should think more before doing something, is what Mafuyu thinks.”
“Guh!”
It was a sudden sharp attack. Mafuyu-chan…… her verbal attacks are powerful.
“Mafuyu gets the impression that Prez-san says her idea only two seconds after she just thought of it.”
“Guhuh……”
“The wise Edison one said this: ‘In order to defeat the boss, you must level up enough first.’”
“No, like I said, I’m pretty sure he didn’t say that……”
“That’s not the problem! The point is, if you’re going to do something, you need to properly prepare for it!”
“Still, like I said…… do you really need to make up wise people’s sayings, Sugisaki?”
“Prez-san! Please stop fighting back and properly reflect!”
“I think the fact that you need to tell me to not retort is a problem within itself!”
“Prez-san…… Mafuyu is disappointed with you. Is retorting really that important?”
“It’s important! If I go with the flow it’ll be chaos! You don’t get it at all!”
“You’re the one who doesn’t get it, Prez-san!”
“Mafuyu-chan, shouldn’t you be saying that to Sugisaki?!”
“So now you’re pushing blame onto others……”
“I’m not pushing it! I’m assigning blame to where it’s supposed to be!”
“That’s it. Mafuyu no longer has anything else to say……”
Mafuyu-chan muttered as the sighed and sat back down.
“Eh, what’s with that ending?! That just makes it looks like I’m insanely selfish!”
The president shouted something, but our disappointed mood didn’t change. For crying out loud…… this is why the president is so……
“No, seriously, what’s with this mood?! What I’m saying is basically true, right?”
“…………”
“…… I guess this student council rejects me sometimes, huh……”
The president sighed and fell silent. Seeing that, this time Minatsu stood up.
“Alright, next up I’ve got things to say……”
“I just realized, but isn’t this bullying? Right now, in the student council room, I’m pretty sure I’m being bullied.”
“Shut it Prez! That ‘Everyone but me is bad’ mindset you have is no good!
“Ooh…… I was pretty tempted to start reflecting there, but just now I realized I’m definitely right ……”
“Shut it, you damn rotten Prez! Feh!”
“Now that’s just too cruel! Wait, I mean, that’s going too far against your senior! Minatsu!”
“Shut up! Seniors who don’t reflect don’t count as seniors! Instead of repeating a year, you should go back a year!”
“What’s with that new system?! That’s scary! Going back a year is scary!”
“If you don’t want it to end up like that, then reflect!”
“O, ooh……”
As the president lamented, Minatsu cleared her throat with a cough and recollected herself.
“The first point I think Prez should reflect on is her weak childish appearance.”
“You’re instantly going for something unreasonable! Why go after my appearance?!”
“I’m telling you, you gotta eat meat! Aim for a muscled buff body! You’re the student council president aren’t you?!”
“I need to discard my femininity to become president?!”
“Even women become body builders!”
“But I don’t see the need for the president to become one!”
“Good grief. Alright, listen up Prez-san. The wise Youkihi once said this: ‘Women can’t be missing protein or the gym!’”
“Not only did she definitely not say that, I feel like Youkihi’s personality is a bit off……”
“Shut it! Are you only able to toss out retorts?!”
“Only because certain people keep fooling around!”
“Give me a break…… this is pointless. Nothing’s getting through.”
Minatsu said that and returned to her seat. The president made a fuss, shouting, “what’s with this atmosphere?! It’s like I’m the away team! I’m the student council president, but the student council room isn’t my home field!”
At last, the star performer …… Chizuru-san took action towards the president who didn’t show any signs of reflecting.
Chizuru-san flipped her long, sleek hair, then quickly and coldly narrowed her eyes, glaring at the president.
“Aka-chan…… I’m disappointed in you.”
“You too Chizuru……?”
“The wise man Vege** often shouted this: ‘KA**ROTTTTTTTTTTTTT!’”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?!”
“Basically, it means that if you look back on your actions, you can lead this student council, and even this school to an even better future.”
“There’s no way ‘KA**ROTTTTTTTTTT!’ has that kind of deep meaning!”
“Are you denying Veg*ta……?”
“Ve**ta doesn’t matter! I’m not denying him!”
“Could it be that you’re part of the Ra**tz faction?”
“I’m not part of any faction! I don’t have a favorite Sai**an!”
“So you’re turned on by Na**kians or something……”
“What’s with this topic?! Just what are we talking about!?”
“We’re talking about how Tori**** Akira is a genius, aren’t we?”
“That’s not it! Today’s topic is reflection meetings!”
“Ah, I guess you could say that GT was a useless addition. But that has its own circumstances……”
“We’re not reflecting on D**gon *all! I mean who do you think you are?!” (8)
“Oh? I guess it can’t be helped…… If you’re so against talking about Ju*p, then how about Su*day? (9)
“Enough with the shounen manga! Right now – ”
“Right now?”
–
“We’re talking about points I need to reflect on!”
–
“You got it.”
“Ah.”
Chizuru-san grinned broadly. The president’s face turned pale.
…… She was totally manipulated. By demanding her own reflection points from herself, she was totally duped into focusing on the topic and bringing it up. Chizuru-san…… As usual, your handling of the president is above top-class.
Chizuru-san smiled and the president trembled in fear.
“Now then, Aka-chan. Since you were so intent on that topic, I take it you are seriously prepared to accept what we have to say?”
“Oooohh……”
“Are you?”
“I am……”
The president answered while absolutely terrified. Hearing that, Chizuru-san looked satisfied and instantly started listing the president’s reflection points.
“First off, Aka-chan.”
“Yes……”
“I want you to have a little more variation in your body.”
“Like I thought, it would be unreasonableeeeeeeeee!”
The president burst into tears. But now that Chizuru-san was in her sadist mode, she wouldn’t stop…… The president’s suffering figure might be addictive even to people who weren’t sadists……
“Although within my preferences, I also love that childish figure. But if you want to talk about how student council president-like it is, then you really do lack a bit of force.”
“What would you have me do……?”
“Drink milk, Aka-chan. And then accidentally spill it all over your face and we’ll make it into a colored illustration.” (10)
“Why are you taking advantage of all this confusion and trying to draw such an erotic scene?!”
“See, Key-kun even instantly had milk prepared and is looking over here with intensely sparkling eyes.”
“When it comes to things like this Sugisaki works fast!”
I already had milk on standby, but the president snatched it away and normally gulped it all down…… Ooh, the fanservice scene… the very immoral image of a loli girl covered in a cloudy liquid that the readers could get…
“Oh my, Aka-chan. If you do something like that…… Look, Key-kun looks like he’s about to cry.”
“The tears of men come cheap!”
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll give up on changing up your body.”
“Hoooo……”
“Now then, Aka-chan. How about we make your uniform more provocative? Something like a certain pair of celebrity sisters would wear……”
“What kind of school would have a student council president strutting around in something like that?!”
“Exciting.” (11)
“Don’t finish off with just one word!”
“Look, Key-kun is ecstatic! For the sake of improving your uniform, he’s quickly contacting his amateur cosplayer acquaintance!”
“Stop that over there, you perverted vice president!”
The president confiscated my cell phone…… AH! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
“Oh my. Key-kun is crying.”
“There must be a huge bargain sale on men’s tears!”
“Hmm. It can’t be helped. I couldn’t get fanservice for Key-kun, even though I picked out Aka-chan’s points to reflect on…… at this rate Aka-chan will reject everything no matter what.”
“Of course I am!”
“Well, how about we go with the emotional approach this time?”
“Yes! That’s the normal way –”
“Aka-chan. You have the heart of a child. You need to grow up more.”
“Suddenly going for the core! It’s been a joke up till now, but that one hit hard!”
The president was greatly upset. Chizuru-san looked warmly at her as she spoke.
“Aka-chan, you’re the type who can do anything if you try.”
“It’s like I’ve started some sort of full-blown training! I’m being looked at by a classmate with motherly eyes!”
“That’s exactly the reason, Aka-chan. First off, you need to feel what society is like for yourself.”
“So, society? Ah, you mean like working a part time job? I see, that does sound reasonable –”
“Really? Then right now, go to the front of the station in a short skirt and stand around looking free. Sooner or later, call out to some sleazy old man and ask “How does 30,000 yen sound?” After that, as long as you accompany him, you’ll climb the stairs of adulthood in one shot –”
“You’re my friend aren’t you Chizuru?! My best friend right?! Sometimes I really wonder about our friendship Chizuru!”
“Of course I am, Aka-chan. We’re best friends. You know, You know, you’re really strange, taking jokes like that seriously……”
“Chizuru……”
“That was a joke just now. Don’t worry Aka-chan. There’s no way I would let any harm come to your body, Aka-chan. Yes…… the only one that can lay their hands on you is me and me alone.”
“That’s crossing the bounds! What you said crosses the bounds of being best friends!”
“It’s alright. Maria-sama is watching over some other light novel right now.” (12)
“What does that even mean?!”
“Well, that was also a joke……”
“Chizuru, I don’t even know when you started joking in the slightest……”
“Oh my, Aka-chan. That much is simple.”
“Eh?”
“Whenever I’m with you almost everything I say is a joke, Aka-chan.”
The president hung her head in dejection. Upon seeing that, Chizuru-san shouted “Yes!”
“That’s it! That’s the severity of society, Aka-chan! This was a lesson about encountering painful experiences when you trust people too easily!”
“…! Th, this was……”
“You did it, Aka-chan! You took a step closer to adulthood!”
“T, to adulthood? Heh, hehehe…… although it honestly feels hard to be happy about it……”
“With this, Aka-chan only has 7951 points to reflect on left!”
“Just kill me already! If you really have such a problem with me being the president, then take my head already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The president broke down in tears in the end…… she looks so pitiful…… although I didn’t question the number of points she needed to reflect on.
Only the president’s crying voice echoed throughout the student council room. Naturally unable to stand seeing this any longer, Mafuyu-chan stood with a Buddha-like kindness, stood behind the president and placed her hand on the president’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, Prez-san. You may have many points to reflect on, but as long as you don’t lose to them, there will be many places for you to belong.”
“Sniff……. Mafuyu-chan……”
The president lifted her head while sniffling. Mafuyu-chan showed her an angelic smile.
“It’s alright. Even though Mafuyu has thought of 5236 of Prez-san’s faults, Mafuyu has come to the conclusion after desperately thinking about it that Prez-san has at least two good points.”
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
The president wailed as she took the finishing blow. Mafuyu-chan was puzzled, uttering “H, huh?” …… Mafuyu-chan. If you’re going to encourage her, at least consider setting the positives to a higher number than the negatives…… Well, I could say it’s expected of Mafuyu-chan’s pureness. That pureness was what made it all the more vicious.
Now the president was crying and seemed to be liable to cut her wrists, so even we started to feel unpleasant.
While wondering whether we should back up Mafuyu-chan or to give up on it, Minatsu moved to encourage the president.
“D, don’t worry about it Prez-san. Ken’s got 2000 points to reflect on after all!”
“That’s even less than meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“N, no, that’s, well………… it’s like that, ya know? His perversion is just so far above the rest that he’s a completely useless human being, but if you take that out he’s relatively perfect.”
“WAAAAAAAAAAH! I’m even worse than Sugisaki!”
“Ah, well…… Prez-san you’re, to put it simply, rather than extremely bad, er, um, well your comprehensive abilities, they’re below average or something……”
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”
Minatsu scratched her head. She then said “Sorry, you tag in,” and passed the whole ordeal onto me…… What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do now with the president who’s been severely battered by these sisters?
I groaned and quickly thought of good support…… I remember that just the other day I learned that my poor support can backfire, with Mafuyu-chan as proof of that, and so I’ll go with a straightforward approach.
I don’t care what happens after this! Even if the president just gets more depressed after what I’m about to say, don’t expect me to shoulder any of the blame!! After I shouted that in my head, I focused on the president.
I called out “Prez,” and made contact with her reddened eyes as she raised her head.
Then, I cleared my throat and told her.
–
“Prez is cute.”
–
“………… huh?”
“No matter how useless a person you may be, as long as you’re cute, you can be forgiven. At the very least to me, Sugisaki Ken, your cuteness makes up for 7951 flaws, and I mean it’s turns everything into a huge positive.”
“Wha, what does that mean? That’s just…… in the end all that matters is what I look like…… I’m just…… someone to be hated…… that’s all.”
Like I thought, the president didn’t recover much.
…… I understood. After all, my words were flimsy. However…… even so I’ll continue to the end.
“What’s so unsatisfying about that?”
“Eh?”
“If I say I like you despite all your faults, what’s so bad about that?”
“Sugisaki……”
“Although, I can only judge by your appearance. It’s the same with the other members. That’s why everyone comes up with thousands of flaws. But…… has anybody ever said the words “I hate you” to you?”
“Th, that’s……”
“Then let’s switch up the conversation. Prez…… Do you hate me?”
“Eh? There’s no –”
“Excuse me, but please answer seriously this time. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
“…………”
At my serious expression, the president faltered…… Even so, as she started to turn away she stopped midway and looked back.
“I, I don’t hate you…… not particularly at least…”
Her cheeks turned red. This is where I’d usually shout “Moeeeee!!!” but this time I was controlling myself. I calmly kept cool and tenderly smiled.
“Thank you. But just look at me… well, I guess it’s a bit strange if I say that though. The point is this: if you just look at my faults, then even you would just hurl lots of insults at me.”
“O, of course! If we bring up your faults, your high school life would be over, Sugisaki!”
Getting a bit of her energy back, the president stuck her chest out. That slightly irritated me, but well, I’ll ignore it for now.
“But, even so, you said you liked me, Prez.”
“I didn’t say I l, l, l, liked you! I only said I didn’t hate you!”
“Oh, then, well, that’s fine. Prez… you don’t… hate me…… even though you came up with a lot of insults…”
“Ah……”
“It’s the same thing, Prez. Although my feelings to you are more along the lines of ‘like’ rather than ‘don’t hate……’ and that feeling isn’t related at all to any faults you have. That goes for everyone else too. While the meaning is different from mine, there’s no mistaking that everyone loves you.”
“Sugisaki…… Everyone……”
The president turned and looked at us around her. Chizuru-san and the Shiina sisters all gazed warmly at the president.
“Well, there are still plenty of points that need to be reflected on. For Prez, for me, and for everyone else too. That’s why I’ll say this: the number of negatives or number of positives a person has doesn’t represent the person in entirety.
That’s why, Prez. Don’t you think it’s fine for you to be a bit more confident in yourself? The talent to have everyone like you despite all your faults is an uncommon talent you know. Be proud of that.”
At my words, the president wiped her tears with her sleeve.
Everyone warmly watched over the scene, the president raised her head and showed us a bright smile.
“Ehe, Ehehe! O, of course! I’m the genuine student council president! There’s no one else suited for the position more than me!”
She hopped up and stood on her chair. And then she laughed loudly.
She was revived. She was completely revived.
Hooo. Good, good. Now this matter is –
“Ahahahahahaha! That’s right! There’s no way I wasn’t appropriate as the president! Man, I must’ve been going crazy! I mean look at the popularity vote, look at it! I’m the number one most popular! That’s right! Chizuru and Sugisaki, you said you had thousands of flaws to tell me, but that’s all just jealousy! That’s right, that’s right!”
<Snap Snap Snap Snap>
…… so annoying. The president was so annoying. The president’s revival just now… was very annoying.
Once again an aura of rage began to fill the student council room. Chizuru-san, Mafuyu-chan, Minatsu, all of us had our fists clenched beneath our desks.
That’s right…… We forgot. Despite everything, this wasn’t an issue of love or hate.
This person had one more talent. The absolute talent of irritating other people.
That’s exactly why…… that’s exactly why she was supposed to be the one to reflect! Why the hell am I comforting her?! There’s nothing good about this! It would’ve been better to leave her depressed!
No…… That’s not it. Is this also one of the president’s talents? The cuteness to have anyone help her when she’s in real trouble.
The result……
“Ahahaha. I see. So everyone loves me. Man, that’s troubling. It’s tough being so popular. When I think about it normally, there’s no way I have thousands of flaws, right? I realized that it’s just jealousy, just biased rash remarks! I’ve got the truth now. Yeah, that’s right. I’ve got absolutely nothing bad about me!”
“………… (SNAP)”
–
She hit the breaking point.
–
Every member aside from the president stood up in unison.
The president tilted her head and innocently asked “Hm? What’s wrong everyone?”
At the same time…… we all shouted at her!
–
“SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE!”
–
***
– That day’s reflection meeting continued well into the night, and in the end Sakurano Kurimu was eventually made to cry out “As the student council president, I was mistaken. From now on I will, with all sincerity, be considerate for the sake of the students.”
However…… the next day a surprising spectacle appeared before vice president Sugisaki Ken and the other student council members.
–
“It’s wrong to only look back on your past! After all, time only moves forward!”
–
When the student council members witnessed the president in the student council room, standing on a chair and shouting with all her might, they sighed…… and promptly gave up.
–
(Aah, whatever, I’ve had enough.)
–
In the style of the youths of today, they abandoned the child.
–
And with that…
Sakurano Kurimu’s Points to Reflect on Today: 7953 (and steadily increasing)
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
(1) He says this in English.
(2) From Buddhism, the 108 worldly desires are the emotions that result in wrongdoing.
(3) He actually said “ikari maaku,” literally meaning “rage mark.” Basically, that floating symbol of a popped vein that you see on enraged anime characters.
(4)Sugisaki uses the phrase that was popularized by Miyazaki mayor Higashikokubaru Hideo in 2007.
(5) Seiza is a formal sitting posture were one kneels and rests on their heels. It’s pretty uncomfortable to sit in. I suppose I could’ve used “on your knees, now!” but that has more he connotation of an imperial order than a disciplinary instruction. The command also holds the meaning to sit straight in one’s seat.
(6) Getsuku, as it’s popularly known, is Fuji TV’s Monday 9 P.M. Drama Serials that airs weekly.
(7) They’re talking about Oricon, the company that holds statistics and information on Japanese entertainment. It’s known for weekly ranking charts for sales of CDs, games, manga, etc. And apparently Student Council Presidents too.
(8) Dragonball, if you couldn’t tell. Vegeta is always yelling “Kakarot!” Raditz is another character, and they are all Saiyans. Namekians are another species within the series. It was all written by Toriyama Akira. GT was the last part of the series and was… less than satisfactory to most.
(9) Dragonball was published in Shonen Jump, while Shounen Sunday is another manga magazine.
(10) See colored illustration #2
(11) She says exciting in English.
(12) Chizuru is referencing Maria-sama ga Miteru, a yuri light novel series.
VOLUME 2
[2nd Discussion ~ The Reflecting Student Council ~]
“By learning from our past failures, we can move forward!”
As usual, the president stuck out her small chest and proudly spoke as if she were reciting something she probably read in some book.
Today’s theme was already written up on the whiteboard. She didn’t even get our acknowledgement yet.
<The First Student Council Mass Reflection Meeting>
It seemed like today would also head towards a topic that would be extremely boring for me, but since the president was already raring to go, it was probably impossible to change course now.
However, Minatsu let out a dissatisfied “Ehhh?” in my stead.
“You want us to reflect, but we’ve only been active for two months now…”
“Minatsu! You’ve been active since last year!”
“B, but well, today it’s about the ‘current student council,’ isn’t it? In that case……”
Minatsu was clearly flustered and reluctant.
Yeah that’s right, this time the ones who are supposed to be the seniors are the president, Chizuru-san, and even the casual speaking Minatsu, who have had a year’s worth of experience…… Unlike the student council now, since last year’s student council seemed to be pretty enthusiastic, and due to her personality, she stopped being able to use honorifics.
Maybe in reaction to that, Minatsu this year seriously hates discussions. It could also be due to the current student council’s very lax atmosphere. She must’ve become accustomed to the comfort here. That was probably why she found today’s mention of a reflection meeting to be absurd.
At Minatsu’s displeased face, the president slammed her hands down on the desk and shouted.
“It’s that kind of halfhearted way of thinking that caused this student council to degrade!”
“Degrade huh?”
I interrupted her without thinking. I mean…… the student council may be lax, but I felt like taking it that far was just too cruel…… Mafuyu and I, both newly joined this year, showed a complex and bitter smile. Chizuru-san alone secretly pointed out the truth, saying “I’m sure the reason for this atmosphere is eighty percent due to Aka-chan’s laziness……”but was kind enough to make sure that the president wouldn’t hear it.
The president shifted her point of view from Minatsu to me and once again slammed on the desk…… That behavior, I wondered if she planned to keep “strongly and imposingly” slamming the desk. If she did, then she was like a child just throwing a tantrum for no reason, and I that’s all I could see. It was oddly pleasant.
“You’ve got a ton of points you need to reflect on, Sugisaki! In fact, you only have points you need to reflect on!”
“So you’re rejecting my entire personality?”
“Eh? You have positive points then?”
She very innocently tilted her head in question…… so cruel…
“Well yeah I do. Even I’ve got some good points, right?”
I faced the other student council members and asked. When I did, everyone uttered “Um…” and the mood turned quiet. Only Minatsu, who was opposing the president just a moment ago, spoke up.
“We…… should probably have that reflection meeting.”
“Whoa whoa! What’s with the sudden about-face?”
“When…… when Mafuyu looks at Sugisaki-senpai, Mafuyu feels that we need to hold a reflection meeting right away.”
“Mafuyu-chan, you know you inadvertently said something pretty damn mean right!
“I’m sure Key-kun was born for the sole sake of reflecting on his actions.”
“Would there be such a sad child who would be born for that sake?!”
This is bad. This flow is similar to last time with the rehabilitation and stuff. I was headed in an extremely bad direction. But…… they were almost already set on holding a reflection meeting. In that case……
I brought out my trump card.
“That’s right, I’m full of points I need to reflect on!”
I became serious. The president didn’t seem to expect this. She blinked in surprise.
“However that reality has been obvious ever since I was born! That’s exactly why it’s a waste of time for you to pressure me into reflecting! Since that’s the case, all of the other members should be the ones to reflect today!”
“Ooh…… That does sound pretty convincing… even though I disagree with all of it.”
The president was won over by my words. Chizuru-san and the Shiina sisters were also pulled in. I took this opportunity and continued the conversation. Yes, The Master of Ceremonies (1)…… In short, if I could take the moderator’s position, it was the same as taking control of the flow of the conversation!
“First up is Prez! As the chief executive here, you should be the one to take the initiative and reflect!”
“Ugh!”
I jabbed my finger at her and the president jumped back in surprise. At the same time, the other members went with the flow saying, “That makes sense……”
Since I confirmed that I the leader role, I once again continued the conversation.
“Now then, Prez. First, please tell us all the points you need to reflect on that you can think of.”
“P, points I need to reflect on?”
The president crossed her arms and began to think. For the president…… she should have a mountain of points. Even though I was an outsider, I could already roughly count many of them just by thinking a bit, but the amount was more than the number of worldly desires. (2)
I’m sure Chizuru-san, Minatsu, and Mafuyu-chan were thinking the same thing. Each of them seemed to recall dozens of points that the president needed to reflect on as they spaced out.
With that, probably because there were so many, the president thought carefully for five minutes. I was ready for it and she told me.
–
“None.”
–
“Just how easy can you go on yourself damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Wah! Sugisaki snapped! He suddenly snapped! Modern youths who snap without reason are scary!”
“I have plenty of reason! Even an ancient old person would snap!”
As proof of that, I could see veins popping on Chizuru-san, Minatsu, and even Mafuyu-chan’s foreheads. (3)
Seeing all our reactions, the president tilted her head in confusion with a, “H, huh?”
“Umm…… Is everyone angry at something? Why? A, ah, is everyone a bit jealous that I’m too perfect? Sorry, I guess I’m one of the chosen, so I don’t really have any flaws!”
*Snap Snap Snap Snap*
The student council room was filled with an aura of rage…… Yeah, I understand now. A reflection meeting is definitely necessary.
It’s…… about time an adult taught this childish president a lesson! That’s something I must do! (4)
“Prez! Sit in seiza here!” (5)
“Y, yes!”
At my change of attitude, the president quickly took off her shoes and earnestly sat seiza in her chair.
I stood up and started lecturing while looking down on her.
“Now listen up, Prez.”
“R, right……”
“By learning from our past failures, we can move forward.”
“Th, that’s my saying-”
“Silence!”
“Eek!”
“The wise Prince Shotoku once said this: ‘It is impossible for man to appear in Getsuku without reflection.’” (6)
“I don’t think he said that at all……”
“Silence!”
“Eek!”
“You don’t need to worry about when it was said! The point is that you must reflect!”
“Then say that in the first place……”
“Anyways! You must reflect, Prez! If you don’t reflect, you won’t have a future!”
“I, if you say it like that it makes me wonder if I’m really that bad……”
“You are that bad!”
“You outright said it!”
“On Ori**n’s ‘Student Council Presidents Who Should Reflect’ ranking, you were the #1 spot for three years!”
“O**con keeps track of things like that too?!” (7)
“Well, you’re #1 in Sugisaki Ken’s ‘Pretty Loli Girls I want to Hug ranking’ with a commanding lead.”
“I didn’t want to hear that info!”
“And so, you should reflect, Prez! Even in a sexual way!”
“Even in a sexual way?!”
“Well that lesson, or should I say training, will come later……”
“My future looks bleak! Even if I reflect, I’ll have no future anyway!”
“Now then…… I got it. Starting from Mafuyu-chan, let’s name all of Prez’s points to reflect on.”
Saying that, I handed the topic over to Mafuyu-chan. In a rare bout of particular excitement, Mafuyu-chan eagerly joined the conversation, saying, “Ah, yes.” …….It seemed like when it came to the topic of the president’s points to reflect on, she surprisingly had a stock of points thought up. The president faltered, saying, “Whoa…”
Chizuru-san and Minatsu waited for their turns and watched over Mafuyu-chan as she timidly stood up and began speaking.
“Umm, first up is…… Right, Prez-san should think more before doing something, is what Mafuyu thinks.”
“Guh!”
It was a sudden sharp attack. Mafuyu-chan…… her verbal attacks are powerful.
“Mafuyu gets the impression that Prez-san says her idea only two seconds after she just thought of it.”
“Guhuh……”
“The wise Edison one said this: ‘In order to defeat the boss, you must level up enough first.’”
“No, like I said, I’m pretty sure he didn’t say that……”
“That’s not the problem! The point is, if you’re going to do something, you need to properly prepare for it!”
“Still, like I said…… do you really need to make up wise people’s sayings, Sugisaki?”
“Prez-san! Please stop fighting back and properly reflect!”
“I think the fact that you need to tell me to not retort is a problem within itself!”
“Prez-san…… Mafuyu is disappointed with you. Is retorting really that important?”
“It’s important! If I go with the flow it’ll be chaos! You don’t get it at all!”
“You’re the one who doesn’t get it, Prez-san!”
“Mafuyu-chan, shouldn’t you be saying that to Sugisaki?!”
“So now you’re pushing blame onto others……”
“I’m not pushing it! I’m assigning blame to where it’s supposed to be!”
“That’s it. Mafuyu no longer has anything else to say……”
Mafuyu-chan muttered as the sighed and sat back down.
“Eh, what’s with that ending?! That just makes it looks like I’m insanely selfish!”
The president shouted something, but our disappointed mood didn’t change. For crying out loud…… this is why the president is so……
“No, seriously, what’s with this mood?! What I’m saying is basically true, right?”
“…………”
“…… I guess this student council rejects me sometimes, huh……”
The president sighed and fell silent. Seeing that, this time Minatsu stood up.
“Alright, next up I’ve got things to say……”
“I just realized, but isn’t this bullying? Right now, in the student council room, I’m pretty sure I’m being bullied.”
“Shut it Prez! That ‘Everyone but me is bad’ mindset you have is no good!
“Ooh…… I was pretty tempted to start reflecting there, but just now I realized I’m definitely right ……”
“Shut it, you damn rotten Prez! Feh!”
“Now that’s just too cruel! Wait, I mean, that’s going too far against your senior! Minatsu!”
“Shut up! Seniors who don’t reflect don’t count as seniors! Instead of repeating a year, you should go back a year!”
“What’s with that new system?! That’s scary! Going back a year is scary!”
“If you don’t want it to end up like that, then reflect!”
“O, ooh……”
As the president lamented, Minatsu cleared her throat with a cough and recollected herself.
“The first point I think Prez should reflect on is her weak childish appearance.”
“You’re instantly going for something unreasonable! Why go after my appearance?!”
“I’m telling you, you gotta eat meat! Aim for a muscled buff body! You’re the student council president aren’t you?!”
“I need to discard my femininity to become president?!”
“Even women become body builders!”
“But I don’t see the need for the president to become one!”
“Good grief. Alright, listen up Prez-san. The wise Youkihi once said this: ‘Women can’t be missing protein or the gym!’”
“Not only did she definitely not say that, I feel like Youkihi’s personality is a bit off……”
“Shut it! Are you only able to toss out retorts?!”
“Only because certain people keep fooling around!”
“Give me a break…… this is pointless. Nothing’s getting through.”
Minatsu said that and returned to her seat. The president made a fuss, shouting, “what’s with this atmosphere?! It’s like I’m the away team! I’m the student council president, but the student council room isn’t my home field!”
At last, the star performer …… Chizuru-san took action towards the president who didn’t show any signs of reflecting.
Chizuru-san flipped her long, sleek hair, then quickly and coldly narrowed her eyes, glaring at the president.
“Aka-chan…… I’m disappointed in you.”
“You too Chizuru……?”
“The wise man Vege** often shouted this: ‘KA**ROTTTTTTTTTTTTT!’”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?!”
“Basically, it means that if you look back on your actions, you can lead this student council, and even this school to an even better future.”
“There’s no way ‘KA**ROTTTTTTTTTT!’ has that kind of deep meaning!”
“Are you denying Veg*ta……?”
“Ve**ta doesn’t matter! I’m not denying him!”
“Could it be that you’re part of the Ra**tz faction?”
“I’m not part of any faction! I don’t have a favorite Sai**an!”
“So you’re turned on by Na**kians or something……”
“What’s with this topic?! Just what are we talking about!?”
“We’re talking about how Tori**** Akira is a genius, aren’t we?”
“That’s not it! Today’s topic is reflection meetings!”
“Ah, I guess you could say that GT was a useless addition. But that has its own circumstances……”
“We’re not reflecting on D**gon *all! I mean who do you think you are?!” (8)
“Oh? I guess it can’t be helped…… If you’re so against talking about Ju*p, then how about Su*day? (9)
“Enough with the shounen manga! Right now – ”
“Right now?”
–
“We’re talking about points I need to reflect on!”
–
“You got it.”
“Ah.”
Chizuru-san grinned broadly. The president’s face turned pale.
…… She was totally manipulated. By demanding her own reflection points from herself, she was totally duped into focusing on the topic and bringing it up. Chizuru-san…… As usual, your handling of the president is above top-class.
Chizuru-san smiled and the president trembled in fear.
“Now then, Aka-chan. Since you were so intent on that topic, I take it you are seriously prepared to accept what we have to say?”
“Oooohh……”
“Are you?”
“I am……”
The president answered while absolutely terrified. Hearing that, Chizuru-san looked satisfied and instantly started listing the president’s reflection points.
“First off, Aka-chan.”
“Yes……”
“I want you to have a little more variation in your body.”
“Like I thought, it would be unreasonableeeeeeeeee!”
The president burst into tears. But now that Chizuru-san was in her sadist mode, she wouldn’t stop…… The president’s suffering figure might be addictive even to people who weren’t sadists……
“Although within my preferences, I also love that childish figure. But if you want to talk about how student council president-like it is, then you really do lack a bit of force.”
“What would you have me do……?”
“Drink milk, Aka-chan. And then accidentally spill it all over your face and we’ll make it into a colored illustration.” (10)
“Why are you taking advantage of all this confusion and trying to draw such an erotic scene?!”
“See, Key-kun even instantly had milk prepared and is looking over here with intensely sparkling eyes.”
“When it comes to things like this Sugisaki works fast!”
I already had milk on standby, but the president snatched it away and normally gulped it all down…… Ooh, the fanservice scene… the very immoral image of a loli girl covered in a cloudy liquid that the readers could get…
“Oh my, Aka-chan. If you do something like that…… Look, Key-kun looks like he’s about to cry.”
“The tears of men come cheap!”
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll give up on changing up your body.”
“Hoooo……”
“Now then, Aka-chan. How about we make your uniform more provocative? Something like a certain pair of celebrity sisters would wear……”
“What kind of school would have a student council president strutting around in something like that?!”
“Exciting.” (11)
“Don’t finish off with just one word!”
“Look, Key-kun is ecstatic! For the sake of improving your uniform, he’s quickly contacting his amateur cosplayer acquaintance!”
“Stop that over there, you perverted vice president!”
The president confiscated my cell phone…… AH! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
“Oh my. Key-kun is crying.”
“There must be a huge bargain sale on men’s tears!”
“Hmm. It can’t be helped. I couldn’t get fanservice for Key-kun, even though I picked out Aka-chan’s points to reflect on…… at this rate Aka-chan will reject everything no matter what.”
“Of course I am!”
“Well, how about we go with the emotional approach this time?”
“Yes! That’s the normal way –”
“Aka-chan. You have the heart of a child. You need to grow up more.”
“Suddenly going for the core! It’s been a joke up till now, but that one hit hard!”
The president was greatly upset. Chizuru-san looked warmly at her as she spoke.
“Aka-chan, you’re the type who can do anything if you try.”
“It’s like I’ve started some sort of full-blown training! I’m being looked at by a classmate with motherly eyes!”
“That’s exactly the reason, Aka-chan. First off, you need to feel what society is like for yourself.”
“So, society? Ah, you mean like working a part time job? I see, that does sound reasonable –”
“Really? Then right now, go to the front of the station in a short skirt and stand around looking free. Sooner or later, call out to some sleazy old man and ask “How does 30,000 yen sound?” After that, as long as you accompany him, you’ll climb the stairs of adulthood in one shot –”
“You’re my friend aren’t you Chizuru?! My best friend right?! Sometimes I really wonder about our friendship Chizuru!”
“Of course I am, Aka-chan. We’re best friends. You know, You know, you’re really strange, taking jokes like that seriously……”
“Chizuru……”
“That was a joke just now. Don’t worry Aka-chan. There’s no way I would let any harm come to your body, Aka-chan. Yes…… the only one that can lay their hands on you is me and me alone.”
“That’s crossing the bounds! What you said crosses the bounds of being best friends!”
“It’s alright. Maria-sama is watching over some other light novel right now.” (12)
“What does that even mean?!”
“Well, that was also a joke……”
“Chizuru, I don’t even know when you started joking in the slightest……”
“Oh my, Aka-chan. That much is simple.”
“Eh?”
“Whenever I’m with you almost everything I say is a joke, Aka-chan.”
The president hung her head in dejection. Upon seeing that, Chizuru-san shouted “Yes!”
“That’s it! That’s the severity of society, Aka-chan! This was a lesson about encountering painful experiences when you trust people too easily!”
“…! Th, this was……”
“You did it, Aka-chan! You took a step closer to adulthood!”
“T, to adulthood? Heh, hehehe…… although it honestly feels hard to be happy about it……”
“With this, Aka-chan only has 7951 points to reflect on left!”
“Just kill me already! If you really have such a problem with me being the president, then take my head already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The president broke down in tears in the end…… she looks so pitiful…… although I didn’t question the number of points she needed to reflect on.
Only the president’s crying voice echoed throughout the student council room. Naturally unable to stand seeing this any longer, Mafuyu-chan stood with a Buddha-like kindness, stood behind the president and placed her hand on the president’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, Prez-san. You may have many points to reflect on, but as long as you don’t lose to them, there will be many places for you to belong.”
“Sniff……. Mafuyu-chan……”
The president lifted her head while sniffling. Mafuyu-chan showed her an angelic smile.
“It’s alright. Even though Mafuyu has thought of 5236 of Prez-san’s faults, Mafuyu has come to the conclusion after desperately thinking about it that Prez-san has at least two good points.”
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
The president wailed as she took the finishing blow. Mafuyu-chan was puzzled, uttering “H, huh?” …… Mafuyu-chan. If you’re going to encourage her, at least consider setting the positives to a higher number than the negatives…… Well, I could say it’s expected of Mafuyu-chan’s pureness. That pureness was what made it all the more vicious.
Now the president was crying and seemed to be liable to cut her wrists, so even we started to feel unpleasant.
While wondering whether we should back up Mafuyu-chan or to give up on it, Minatsu moved to encourage the president.
“D, don’t worry about it Prez-san. Ken’s got 2000 points to reflect on after all!”
“That’s even less than meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“N, no, that’s, well………… it’s like that, ya know? His perversion is just so far above the rest that he’s a completely useless human being, but if you take that out he’s relatively perfect.”
“WAAAAAAAAAAH! I’m even worse than Sugisaki!”
“Ah, well…… Prez-san you’re, to put it simply, rather than extremely bad, er, um, well your comprehensive abilities, they’re below average or something……”
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”
Minatsu scratched her head. She then said “Sorry, you tag in,” and passed the whole ordeal onto me…… What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do now with the president who’s been severely battered by these sisters?
I groaned and quickly thought of good support…… I remember that just the other day I learned that my poor support can backfire, with Mafuyu-chan as proof of that, and so I’ll go with a straightforward approach.
I don’t care what happens after this! Even if the president just gets more depressed after what I’m about to say, don’t expect me to shoulder any of the blame!! After I shouted that in my head, I focused on the president.
I called out “Prez,” and made contact with her reddened eyes as she raised her head.
Then, I cleared my throat and told her.
–
“Prez is cute.”
–
“………… huh?”
“No matter how useless a person you may be, as long as you’re cute, you can be forgiven. At the very least to me, Sugisaki Ken, your cuteness makes up for 7951 flaws, and I mean it’s turns everything into a huge positive.”
“Wha, what does that mean? That’s just…… in the end all that matters is what I look like…… I’m just…… someone to be hated…… that’s all.”
Like I thought, the president didn’t recover much.
…… I understood. After all, my words were flimsy. However…… even so I’ll continue to the end.
“What’s so unsatisfying about that?”
“Eh?”
“If I say I like you despite all your faults, what’s so bad about that?”
“Sugisaki……”
“Although, I can only judge by your appearance. It’s the same with the other members. That’s why everyone comes up with thousands of flaws. But…… has anybody ever said the words “I hate you” to you?”
“Th, that’s……”
“Then let’s switch up the conversation. Prez…… Do you hate me?”
“Eh? There’s no –”
“Excuse me, but please answer seriously this time. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
“…………”
At my serious expression, the president faltered…… Even so, as she started to turn away she stopped midway and looked back.
“I, I don’t hate you…… not particularly at least…”
Her cheeks turned red. This is where I’d usually shout “Moeeeee!!!” but this time I was controlling myself. I calmly kept cool and tenderly smiled.
“Thank you. But just look at me… well, I guess it’s a bit strange if I say that though. The point is this: if you just look at my faults, then even you would just hurl lots of insults at me.”
“O, of course! If we bring up your faults, your high school life would be over, Sugisaki!”
Getting a bit of her energy back, the president stuck her chest out. That slightly irritated me, but well, I’ll ignore it for now.
“But, even so, you said you liked me, Prez.”
“I didn’t say I l, l, l, liked you! I only said I didn’t hate you!”
“Oh, then, well, that’s fine. Prez… you don’t… hate me…… even though you came up with a lot of insults…”
“Ah……”
“It’s the same thing, Prez. Although my feelings to you are more along the lines of ‘like’ rather than ‘don’t hate……’ and that feeling isn’t related at all to any faults you have. That goes for everyone else too. While the meaning is different from mine, there’s no mistaking that everyone loves you.”
“Sugisaki…… Everyone……”
The president turned and looked at us around her. Chizuru-san and the Shiina sisters all gazed warmly at the president.
“Well, there are still plenty of points that need to be reflected on. For Prez, for me, and for everyone else too. That’s why I’ll say this: the number of negatives or number of positives a person has doesn’t represent the person in entirety.
That’s why, Prez. Don’t you think it’s fine for you to be a bit more confident in yourself? The talent to have everyone like you despite all your faults is an uncommon talent you know. Be proud of that.”
At my words, the president wiped her tears with her sleeve.
Everyone warmly watched over the scene, the president raised her head and showed us a bright smile.
“Ehe, Ehehe! O, of course! I’m the genuine student council president! There’s no one else suited for the position more than me!”
She hopped up and stood on her chair. And then she laughed loudly.
She was revived. She was completely revived.
Hooo. Good, good. Now this matter is –
“Ahahahahahaha! That’s right! There’s no way I wasn’t appropriate as the president! Man, I must’ve been going crazy! I mean look at the popularity vote, look at it! I’m the number one most popular! That’s right! Chizuru and Sugisaki, you said you had thousands of flaws to tell me, but that’s all just jealousy! That’s right, that’s right!”
<Snap Snap Snap Snap>
…… so annoying. The president was so annoying. The president’s revival just now… was very annoying.
Once again an aura of rage began to fill the student council room. Chizuru-san, Mafuyu-chan, Minatsu, all of us had our fists clenched beneath our desks.
That’s right…… We forgot. Despite everything, this wasn’t an issue of love or hate.
This person had one more talent. The absolute talent of irritating other people.
That’s exactly why…… that’s exactly why she was supposed to be the one to reflect! Why the hell am I comforting her?! There’s nothing good about this! It would’ve been better to leave her depressed!
No…… That’s not it. Is this also one of the president’s talents? The cuteness to have anyone help her when she’s in real trouble.
The result……
“Ahahaha. I see. So everyone loves me. Man, that’s troubling. It’s tough being so popular. When I think about it normally, there’s no way I have thousands of flaws, right? I realized that it’s just jealousy, just biased rash remarks! I’ve got the truth now. Yeah, that’s right. I’ve got absolutely nothing bad about me!”
“………… (SNAP)”
–
She hit the breaking point.
–
Every member aside from the president stood up in unison.
The president tilted her head and innocently asked “Hm? What’s wrong everyone?”
At the same time…… we all shouted at her!
–
“SIT DOWN RIGHT THERE!”
–
***
– That day’s reflection meeting continued well into the night, and in the end Sakurano Kurimu was eventually made to cry out “As the student council president, I was mistaken. From now on I will, with all sincerity, be considerate for the sake of the students.”
However…… the next day a surprising spectacle appeared before vice president Sugisaki Ken and the other student council members.
–
“It’s wrong to only look back on your past! After all, time only moves forward!”
–
When the student council members witnessed the president in the student council room, standing on a chair and shouting with all her might, they sighed…… and promptly gave up.
–
(Aah, whatever, I’ve had enough.)
–
In the style of the youths of today, they abandoned the child.
–
And with that…
Sakurano Kurimu’s Points to Reflect on Today: 7953 (and steadily increasing)
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
(1) He says this in English.
(2) From Buddhism, the 108 worldly desires are the emotions that result in wrongdoing.
(3) He actually said “ikari maaku,” literally meaning “rage mark.” Basically, that floating symbol of a popped vein that you see on enraged anime characters.
(4)Sugisaki uses the phrase that was popularized by Miyazaki mayor Higashikokubaru Hideo in 2007.
(5) Seiza is a formal sitting posture were one kneels and rests on their heels. It’s pretty uncomfortable to sit in. I suppose I could’ve used “on your knees, now!” but that has more he connotation of an imperial order than a disciplinary instruction. The command also holds the meaning to sit straight in one’s seat.
(6) Getsuku, as it’s popularly known, is Fuji TV’s Monday 9 P.M. Drama Serials that airs weekly.
(7) They’re talking about Oricon, the company that holds statistics and information on Japanese entertainment. It’s known for weekly ranking charts for sales of CDs, games, manga, etc. And apparently Student Council Presidents too.
(8) Dragonball, if you couldn’t tell. Vegeta is always yelling “Kakarot!” Raditz is another character, and they are all Saiyans. Namekians are another species within the series. It was all written by Toriyama Akira. GT was the last part of the series and was… less than satisfactory to most.
(9) Dragonball was published in Shonen Jump, while Shounen Sunday is another manga magazine.
(10) See colored illustration #2
(11) She says exciting in English.
(12) Chizuru is referencing Maria-sama ga Miteru, a yuri light novel series.
