"Rinji, teach me that magic trick from earlier!"
"No."
"Ehh~ so stingy."
From the moment Rinji left the Tabletop gaming club room, Fujiwara Chika followed him. She was extremely curious about the 'live card printing' he had demonstrated. But no matter how much she begged, Rinji remained unmoved.
"Alright, time for you to get back to your club. I've got other clubs to audit—very busy."
"Hmph… then give me your LINE."
"Eh? Why?"
"Weren't we supposed to go on a date since I lost?"
"Come on! I deliberately didn't mention that, can't you just pretend it never happened?"
"Geez, why do you make it sound like going out with me is so terrifying?" Chika pouted.
"…Do you say yes to every guy who asks you out?"
"Of course not. You're part of the student council, right? We'll be working together, so it's just a little bonding trip—nothing more," Chika said with a smile. "It's really just hanging out, so don't overthink it~"
"Don't worry. I wouldn't dare."
After getting his LINE, Chika finally returned to the Tabletop Gaming club.
Rinji, meanwhile, pulled out his audit sheet.
The Tabletop Gaming club's budget had been handled. The journalism club—since it played a role in shaping school opinion—got a small funding increase. As for the drama club…
Since Rinji had once hospitalized their star member, Ogino Ko, and sent him to Thailand, they were probably missing someone important. As compensation, he gave them a little more funding.
Next was the final club.
---
Near the school gymnasium, the sound of bowstrings echoed through the air.
Inside, both boys and girls wore traditional archery uniforms. Each archer wore a glove on one hand and steadily drew their bows.
This was the final club on Rinji's list—the Archery Club.
"Oh my, I didn't expect you to stop by, Rinji-kun."
"I didn't want to, but this is a task from the president."
Standing in front of him was Shinomiya Kaguya, dressed in archery uniform.
Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she carried a longbow, probably fresh from practice.
"What kind of task did the president assign you?"
"Auditing clubs and adjusting their budgets accordingly," Rinji said.
"So, you're going to check out the Archery Club now?"
"No need. I already have a good idea of the situation."
"Then…"
"Cut 50%."
"EHH!? Why!?"
Kaguya couldn't believe it when she heard that half their budget would be slashed.
"The reason? Because you're in the Archery Club."
"How is that a reason!? That's just a personal grudge!"
"Then call it a personal grudge."
"…Rinji-kun, this might be your first time participating in student council work, so maybe you don't understand." Kaguya suddenly calmed down.
"A 50% budget change is a serious matter. If there's no reasonable explanation, I'm sure the school will intervene."
"Then let them come talk to me. Right now, I am the rules."
"…"
Rinji carried an arrogance and eccentricity that ordinary people couldn't comprehend. Kaguya knew this well.
"The president must've trusted you a lot to assign you this job."
"Exactly. So I'm going to complete it properly."
"Cutting budgets without a good reason will only cause problems for the president later."
"Don't worry. Anyone who tries to go around me and complain to the president probably won't be human by the next day."
"…"
"Well then, if you want a proper explanation, I can give you one."
Rinji pulled a small notebook from his uniform pocket.
"Before coming to the Archery Club, I stopped by the journalism club. Turns out you have some obsessed fans there. One girl—Erika Kose, I think—literally held me hostage for half an hour gushing about you. She wouldn't let me leave until she finished. Honestly, why the hell do you have fans? What's wrong with those people?"
"Rinji-kun, you really don't have to say everything that comes to your mind."
"Habit."
Rinji opened the notebook and continued.
"Anyway, according to that second-year, you're the captain of the Archery Club, right?"
"Well… that's true."
Kaguya had a 4-dan ranking in archery and had won first place in middle school competitions. She was easily the strongest member of the club.
"But it's said that ever since entering high school, you haven't participated in the national tournament. And it wasn't that you failed the preliminaries—you chose not to go."
He lowered the notebook and looked her in the eyes.
"Is that true?"
"…Yes."
It was.
Even though she remained active in the club, Kaguya had deliberately skipped the national high school archery tournaments.
"Can I ask why? Were you injured? Or did the Shinomiya family forbid you from appearing in public?"
"…There's a reason."
"Then just tell me. If the captain is slacking off, then I've got plenty of reason to slash your budget."
"Ugh…"
Kaguya's expression twisted.
The real reason was… the tournament always happened from December 24 to 26.
That clashed with Christmas.
'I can't say that out loud! I fantasized about the president asking me out on Christmas, and the tournament venue is too far to make it back in time! How am I supposed to admit that Christmas felt more important than nationals just because of my delusions!?'
"What's wrong with you?"
Rinji stared at Kaguya's blushing, conflicted face, completely baffled.
"I… I was sick."
"Ah, that's a shame then."
"Ahaha… yeah."
In the end, Kaguya lied.
"Your Archery Club takes up one of the highest sports budgets. I'll check in with the president about how to handle this. Maybe I'll have him visit the club too."
'The president… coming to the Archery Club!?'
Kaguya immediately imagined Shirogane Miyuki dressed in archery gear, drawing a bow. And herself gently handing him a towel.
"Kaguya-sama, what's wrong with you? You've been blushing nonstop today."