138 Treasure (1/2)

What was with this terrifying yet immature-sounding nickname!?

”‘In this school, the only person that I’m truly afraid of is the ‘Smiling Executioner’ Mai Houjou-sama.’ This was something that the drama club president personally told me,” Chiaki stated.

The drama club president... that legendary weirdo who was basically a kidnapper, the one who debated against the school morals committee and won was actually addressing someone the same age as her with an honorific like -sama!?

No, wait, that wasn’t the important part! He should have been paying attention to the contents of that quote!

”The only person she’s truly afraid of...” Mika repeated dazedly.

Chiaki nodded. ”You guys know that our club president is an idiot who isn’t scared of anything. That’s why when she said that so seriously, it gave me such a deep impression.

”Later, I checked it out due to my own curiosity and found out that President Mai Houjou... Houjou-senpai was active last year, which was right before the three of us entered Genhana High School, when she was still a second-year high school student.

”As the student council president, she ruled with an iron fist and eliminated half the clubs in this entire high school!”

Seiji’s and Mika’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

”Half the clubs... so Genhana High School used to have twice the number of clubs as it currently has?” Seiji asked.

”That’s right, and Houjou-senpai was the one who eliminated them... She didn’t lead the student council in doing this; she did it entirely by herself!”

”This... is that even possible?” Mika asked in confusion.

Chiaki sighed. ”There’s no need to even talk about possible or not possible, because it’s an indisputable fact.”

”I know it’s difficult to believe, but the facts are there. Houjou-senpai used various methods to... eliminate, or perhaps I should say delete, all those clubs that she believed shouldn’t exist.”

”The scenes from that time sounded rather brutal... all the third-year high school students I asked didn’t want to tell me the specifics, and the drama club president only used one word to describe that time period—bloodbath.”

Seiji and Mika were rendered speechless.

”Houjou-senpai earned her nickname of ‘Smiling Executioner’ during that time. In combination with everything I found out about her, it gave me the impression that she was a truly frightening third-year high school student senpai.”

”I didn’t expect to hear about her from Seigo just now...” Chiaki smiled wryly as she looked back at the lunchbox.

Seiji and Mika also followed her line of sight.

The fine, exquisite food was still sitting inside, giving off a tantalizing aroma.

All three of them were lost for words.

Erm... just what was it, this indescribable feeling he currently had?

He didn’t understand.

It was probably best not to understand.

Some things in this world were better off left alone, and it would be foolish to pay too much thought to these things.

At least he should probably leave it alone for the time being.

Chiaki and Mika also wisely chose to avoid thinking too much about this topic.

There was a lengthy period of silence between the trio.

”Seigo, how is our junior Kagura-san doing?” Chiaki asked.

Seiji blinked in surprise.

”She’s already recovered her memories,” he stated lightly.

”Oh? That’s great news!”

”But she forgot everything about what happened while she had amnesia,” he continued in a light tone.

”Oh...” Chiaki paused.

She exchanged glances with Mika before looking back towards Seiji, who seemed calm on the surface.

”Seigo... are you mad?”

”Hrm? Why would I be mad?” Seiji seemed confused.

”It feels like... something’s off about your emotions,” Mika said in a tiny voice.

”...Maybe something’s a little off.” Seiji nodded in acknowledgment. ”I’m slightly... sad, that’s all.”

Mika and Chiaki exchanged awkward glances.

Yet another period of silence fell between them.

Seiji sighed after a while, breaking the silence.

”It’s a wonderful thing for her to recover her memory without any mishaps. I’m also happy for her.”

”But... how do I put it? For her to have forgotten what happened while she had amnesia... it gave me a greater impact than I expected.”

”I also feel that me being this way... is rather unseemly, but there’s no helping it. I can’t force myself to suddenly be happy.”

He was unable to ignore or instantly seal off those memories of a mere one and a half days.

That girl who kept calling himself ”brother,” as well as the young Shika’s smile were difficult for him to forget.

...Was he awakening to the path of a sis-con?

No, no, that couldn’t be! It wasn’t the case!!

He wasn’t a sis-con; instead, he was... er... this... seemed like...

Seiji’s cheek twitched as a strange light flashed in his eyes.

”I admit it then! I’m actually someone who’s awakened as a sis-con but I just lost my younger sister character so I’m feeling awful right now! Ahhh!!!”