SCPK 46

Chapter 46 

 The Underclassmen

“Yamada-senpai!”

As I was heading back to my classroom after sixth period, I heard a familiar male voice call out to me.
When I turned around, I saw it was the first-year student who’d helped me put away the track and field equipment the other day — Yusa Amatsu.

He had a boyish face, yet all his features were perfectly balanced — definitely a good-looking kid.
He was smart, too, and on top of that, a student council officer — the complete package.
Tsukiyo had mentioned before that he was well-known among the first years.

“Hello!”
“Oh, you remembered me?”
“Of course! I really look up to you, Yamada-senpai!”

I couldn’t think of anything I’d done to earn someone’s respect, but getting admiration from a junior didn’t feel bad.
Yusa-kun gave off a very good impression.

“Just kidding, actually.”
“Wait—kidding!?”
“I just don’t really have many chances to talk with older guys… so I thought I’d take this opportunity to get to know you better.”

It was then that I realized something.
The student council at Kōchū Academy is notoriously busy — balancing it with club activities is tough.
That probably meant he wasn’t in a club.
And if I remembered correctly, the student council president was Saika Kudohara.
There were five council members, and if I wasn’t mistaken, Yusa-kun was the only boy among them.

“It must be rough with Kudohara-san as president.”
“Tell me about it. She’s always teasing me…”

Yusa let out a sigh as if recalling some recent frustration.

“The only one who can stand up to her is Seiya-senpai, really.”

Ah, right. Seiya sometimes gets called in as a temporary council helper, so the two must’ve met.
Of course, that’s only because Kudohara has a soft spot for Seiya — he’s got zero intention of actually joining the council.

“Do you happen to know any of the president’s weaknesses? I’d love to catch her off guard for once.”
“Hmm… okay, try this. Next time Kudohara’s watching, just tighten up a little and say, ‘Uh, th-thanks…’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

That was an imitation of Kudohara’s shy reaction during the summer festival.
If Yusa tried it, he’d probably get himself into serious trouble… but he would manage to throw her off for a moment.

“If it’s okay, could I ask you for advice again sometime? Seiya-senpai’s nice and all, but…”
“He’s lazy, and his tone can be pretty sharp,” I said.

Yusa laughed awkwardly.
Then the two of us exchanged contact info.

“You can call me Amatsu — Seiya-senpai calls me that too.”
“Alright then, Amatsu. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, senpai!”

“Oh hey, isn’t that Yusa?”

Coming toward us were three first-year girls — Tsukiyo, Sera, and Urihara — the close-knit trio.
They were all in different departments, so it was rare to see them together.

“What are the three of you doing here?”
“We just ran into each other while switching classrooms,” Tsukiyo explained.

So they were heading back to their homeroom together.

“Are you and Yusa-kun close, Taiyo-san?”
“He just gave me his contact info, actually,” I said, showing them my phone.

“Your networking skills with the guys are impressive,” Sera teased.

I had no comeback for that — it’s not like I could just ask for a girl’s contact that easily.
While I was flustered, Amatsu started talking to the girls.

“Kannagi-san, there’s an extra handout for the special advanced class — can you let everyone know when you get back?”
“Got it, thanks for the heads up.”
“Oh, and Sera-san — congrats on winning first place at the swimming tournament!”
“Thanks! I’m really glad I managed to win this time!”

Just then, the bell for homeroom rang.

“Guess I’d better get going.”
Oddly, even though Amatsu was in the same class as them, he didn’t follow the three girls back.

“I need to stop by the student council room. You girls go ahead—oh.”
He turned toward Urihara.
“See you later too, Urihara-san.”
“Eh? Oh, um… yeah.”

With that, Amatsu urged them to head back to class.

“Alright, we’re going!”
“See you after school, Taiyo-san!”

I waved as the three of them walked off toward their classroom.
I was about to head back myself, but I noticed Amatsu watching the girls as they left — staring after them, almost dreamily.

“Amatsu?” I called out.

He flinched slightly.

“Ah, sorry about that. Anyway, if something comes up, I’ll ask for your advice again, senpai.”

What was that just now?
Was it about one of the girls…?
I didn’t know it at the time, but that “something” he’d consult me about — would be happening sooner than I expected.