"Say, Secretary Fujiwara, what exactly is all this stuff for?"
"Cosplay, of course~"
"I know it's for cosplay. What I don't get is why."
Inside the student council office, Rinji looked speechlessly at the large box of props Fujiwara had brought. Inside were costumes, wigs, and accessories.
"Since we're welcoming French exchange students, cosplay is a must!" she said cheerfully. "France's cosplay scene is second only to Japan's, you know?"
"I have no idea where you got that rumor. Isn't France known for romance… and surrender?"
"Don't say that! My mother's a diplomat. She's deeply knowledgeable about foreign cultures—she wouldn't lie~"
Still wearing that innocent smile, Fujiwara pulled out a cat-ear headband and plopped it on Rinji's head.
"Aw~ So cute!"
She beamed as she nodded at the cat ears perched on Rinji's head.
"Ridiculous. Cat ears don't suit a macho man like me."
"I think they look great on you, Takamine-kun." Kaguya giggled on the side. "Truly adorable~"
"…"
Rinji glanced at Kaguya, then calmly removed the headband and slapped it onto her head.
"Ah!"
"Looks great on you, Shinomiya-hime."
"Geez, Rinji-kun. You should treat girls a little more gently."
"If I wasn't being gentle, it wouldn't be cat ears on your head—it'd be a chamber pot."
Ignoring Shinomiya Kaguya, Rinji began rummaging through the box.
"Secretary Fujiwara, where did you get all this stuff?"
"Oh~ I borrowed it from the drama club! We have to return it after we're done."
"So that means by Monday? I honestly think there's no need to do any cosplay at all. We should just keep the welcome party simple." Rinji turned to Shirogane. "President, what do you think— President?"
At this moment, Shirogane Miyuki's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Kaguya Shinomiya, who was still wearing the cat ears. His whole body trembled at a high frequency, muttering under his breath.
"President, what are you doing? President!"
"Ah, Treasurer Rinji..."
"I was asking you about the French exchange student welcome party…"
Rinji spoke a few more sentences, but Shirogane continued staring at Kaguya. Turning his head, Rinji glanced toward her.
"So you also think the cat ears don't suit the Shinomiya heiress, right? I mean, she's not that young anymore—"
"Who are you calling not young!? I'm only seventeen, still in the prime of my youth and beauty!" Kaguya shouted indignantly.
But after observing Shirogane's expression carefully, she noticed there wasn't any distinct reaction from him, which left her a little disappointed.
'Well… I guess cat ears only work on cute girls like Fujiwara.'
Meanwhile, Fujiwara Chika was smiling as she rummaged through the box. At last, she pulled out a golden wig.
"Ah~ Found it!"
"What did you find?"
"Takamine-kun, come here~" Chika waved him over with a mischievous grin on her face.
"…I'm not coming."
Seeing the wig in her hands, Rinji seemed to recall some unpleasant memory and instinctively took two steps back.
"Then I'll come to you."
"Don't come any closer!!"
Chika chased him into a corner with the wig, trying to put it on his head. Fortunately, Rinji managed to grab her hands just in time.
"Come on~ Just wear it for a bit."
"Stop it! I don't even want to wear it for a second!"
"I just want to take one picture, it'll be quick."
"You even want to take pictures!? No way!"
"Okay okay, both of you, enough already." Shirogane stepped between them with a smile. "This is just the student council room, no outsiders will see. Besides, even if you wear a wig, no one's going to think anything of it."
"Exactly~" Kaguya chimed in with a smile. "A real man stays a man, even with a wig. Don't tell me you're lacking confidence, Takamine-kun?"
"You're the one lacking confidence."
Grumbling, Rinji snatched the wig and plopped it on his own head.
"There, satisfied? You guys—hey, say something."
The three other student council members stared at him in stunned silence.
With long hair, Rinji looked… stunning. Even knowing he was a guy, his appearance was captivating enough to daze anyone.
"Rinji… um…"
"President, I trust your judgment. Please give me an honest evaluation."
"..."
Though shocked by how attractive Rinji suddenly looked, Shirogane saw the expectation in his eyes and steeled himself.
'He may be beautiful, but he's still a guy. He trusts me the most in this student council—I can't let him down.'
He stepped forward and placed both hands on Rinji's shoulders.
"I believe that no matter what you look like, Rinji, you're still an unquestionable man."
"Now that's a president! I knew you were different from all those fools!"
Satisfied with the answer, Rinji hugged Shirogane and gave him a few firm pats on the back. What he didn't notice, however, was that Shirogane's face was a little flushed—and…
[Note: With how the fics playing out, should I replace the Harem with Reverse Harem?]
Shinomiya Kaguya's expression darkened rapidly.
"No way!!"
She immediately rushed forward and yanked the wig off Rinji's head.
"Shinomiya, why so aggressive all of a sudden?"
"Nothing… Nothing at all."
She balled up the wig and tossed it aside, pretending to look away as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Fujiwara Chika was staring at her phone, nose bleeding.
"Se↘cretary…Fu↗ji↘wara↗."
Rinji glared at her with a wicked smile on his lips.
"You just took a picture, didn't you?"
"Eh? I didn't…"
"Give me your phone!"
"…No."
"Hm?"
"…Uu…"
Tears welling up in her eyes, Fujiwara reluctantly handed over her phone.
Rinji flipped through it and found a picture of him hugging Shirogane.
"…Now that I look at it, I really do take after my mom in the looks department."
He pressed delete.