Spring is almost here.

Inside the student council room, Jingusiji Yue was boiling water and serving steaming hot black tea to the members. Only Youmiya You received special treatment, being served milk tea.

Regarding the current composition of the student council, Jingusiji Yue served as the president, Youmiya You, who previously served as the secretary, became the vice president, and Yamada Kanade remained the treasurer.

In addition, two new members had joined.

They were Amamiya Haruka from Class 1-A and Amamiya Kaho from Class 1-C. They were twins, and both were regular fixtures in the top ten of their grade.

The older sister, Amamiya Haruka, served as the student council secretary, and the younger sister, Amamiya Kaho, served as the disciplinary officer. Both of them were recommendations by Youmiya You.

Other than Jingusiji Yue, who was a second-year student serving as the council president, all the other members were first-years, giving them more time to contribute to the school.

For Jingusiji Yue, who was about to advance to his third year, this was the most ideal lineup.

"Mr. President, here are the club financial reports for this semester."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Yamada."

"Haruka-san, please trouble yourself to go to the drama club later and check the extent of the damage to the costumes over there to see if it's necessary to purchase new fabric."

"Understood, Mr. President."

"Stare..."

"Kaho-san, starting next week during the morning grooming inspections, you must repeatedly lecture those students whose attire does not meet regulations. We cannot let basic etiquette be ignored just because the school rules have been relaxed, otherwise the school administration will be dissatisfied, and all the pressure will fall on the student council. You may take a firm attitude when necessary."

"Leave it to me, President Jingusiji."

"Stare..."

The student council members were all busy with their respective tasks, except for Youmiya You, who was kneeling on the sofa with her knees, poking her eyes out from behind the sofa back, and staring intently at Jingusiji Yue, who was sitting at the president's desk.

Jingusiji Yue looked at her helplessly and said, "I say, what kind of tantrum have you been throwing since just now? Get to work properly."

"Because, because, I've never been called by my given name by the upperclassman. I feel like I've been beaten to the punch." The small animal hid behind the sofa, puffing out her cheeks to vent her dissatisfaction.

"What are you even saying at this stage? It's just because they share the same surname, and I did it to tell them apart easily."

"That logic makes sense, but right now I feel like I'm being NTR'd, and I can't muster any energy to work for the entire day."

Jingusiji Yue let out a long sigh, put down his fountain pen, and looked at the small animal with a serious expression:

"I'm going to punch you."

Hearing this, Youmiya You immediately hugged her head defensively, locked in a stalemate with the young man.

On the other side of the student council room, Amamiya Haruka tugged at Yamada Kanade's sleeve, leaned close to her ear, and asked in a lowered voice, "Hey hey~ Yamada-san, those two, are they dating by any chance?"

Yamada Kanade looked at Jingusiji Yue and Youmiya You, instantly wore a wry smile, and scratched her cheek: "I don't think it's like that."

Amamiya Kaho, standing nearby, suddenly thought of something, and a mischievous smile inevitably appeared on her face. She took something out of her school bag and walked towards Jingusiji Yue with a grin.

"Pres~~id~~ent~~"

"Hm, what is it, Kaho-san?"

From Youmiya You's perspective, the moment she saw what Amamiya Kaho was holding with her hands hidden behind her back, her eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Youmiya Kaho, you! Could it be that you actually harbor feelings for the upperclassman—"

Amamiya Kaho wore a little-devil-like sly smile and handed the prepared item to Jingusiji Yue.

"Ta-da~~ Giri-choco! My sister and I made it together."

Youmiya You, sitting on the sofa, suddenly caught her breath: "Eh?"

Jingusiji Yue looked at the chocolate handed over by Amamiya Kaho and realized slightly: "Come to think of it, today is Valentine's Day."

"The president is always very kind to us, so we thought we should give you something. The president doesn't hate sweets, right?"

"No."

"Hehe, that's great."

"Thank you, Kaho-san, Haruka-san."

Jingusiji Yue generously accepted the chocolate. Amamiya Kaho shot Youmiya You a smiling sideways glance, then took another box of chocolate from her school bag and placed it on Yamada Kanade's desk.

"Here, this is Yamada-san's share."

"Eh? Me... can I accept this?"

"Of course, aren't we all comrades in the student council?"

Consequently, Youmiya You's expression grew stiffer and stiffer, with faint beads of sweat dripping from her forehead.

"Ah-lei? Ah-lei ah-lei? Could it be that You-chan hasn't prepared anything at all?"

"In the face of President Jingusiji, who has taken such good care of her, to show not a shred of gratitude..."

"Me, me, me, I..."

The small animal appeared extremely shaken. She truly hadn't prepared a single thing, her heart firmly believing that a holiday like Valentine's Day had nothing to do with her; how could she have anticipated the concept of giri-choco?

"Kaho-san, that phrasing isn't quite right," Jingusiji Yue spoke up at this moment.

"It's not that I've been taking care of you; rather, I am the one who has constantly been receiving your help. I should be the one expressing gratitude."

"Ugh..."

Facing Jingusiji Yue's earnestness, Amamiya Kaho's pretty face flushed slightly at first, then instantly turned pale. She panicked and took a few steps back, her chest heaving with her disordered breathing.

"President Jingusiji is simply too skilled at dealing with girls! I feel like if I let my guard down for a moment, I'd fall for his tricks and get sold to a hostess club for a high price—it's actually kind of terrifying!"

Jingusiji Yue was left instantly torn between laughter and tears.

...
...

Dismissal time arrived. Jingusiji Yue was the last to leave the student council room, heading to the staff room alone to return the key.

Near the corner, a figure suddenly jumped out, seemingly lying in wait for a long time, deliberately wanting to see the look of startlement on his face.

Unfortunately, Jingusiji Yue had heard her movements long ago, so his expression remained utterly calm.

"What is this! Not a single reaction at all, how boring!"

"If you ambushed me here just to scare me, upperclassman, you're way too free. Please have a bit more self-awareness as a test-taking senior."

"Tsk... Why do you only say things like a teacher would? Gotten a promotion and now you start looking down on me."

Jingusiji Yue sighed helplessly: "Even if you've secured a recommendation slot, you can't be overly lazy, otherwise once you get to university, you won't be able to shine the way you do now."

"Yes, yes, yes. You're such a nag, acting like an old man. I don't remember raising you to be such a fussbudget."

"I'm being serious."

Hoshinomori Seino placed her hands on her hips: "Geez, of course I know you're being serious, but I didn't come here today to listen to your lecture."

"Then...?"

The girl beside him stopped walking, pulled the young man's hand, and placed the chocolate she had prepared in advance into his palm with an undeniable momentum.

Jingusiji Yue visibly wavered, staring blankly at Hoshinomori Seino, unable to speak.

Chocolate, Valentine's Day, giri, honmei, confession.

Words seemed to grow wings, and such terms constantly hovered above the young man's head, rendering him temporarily unable to think properly or discern the meaning the girl wished to convey.

"Upperclassman, this is..."

For a moment, the young man's voice became somewhat stammering.

"Could it be, Valentine's chocolate...?"

"Ha? Valentine's Day? What nonsense are you talking about, child? How could I possibly give Valentine's chocolate to a junior?

"Compared to such a boring holiday, today is an even more important day."

"An even more important day?"

She reached out with both hands, straightened the neatly tied necktie on the young man's chest, and then took a step back, putting her hands behind her back and smiling faintly.

"Jingusiji-kun, happy birthday."

"........."

"Why are you making such a surprised face? Do I look like the kind of person who would forget her cute junior's birthday?"

She was right; Hoshinomori Seino was precisely that kind of person. No matter how nonchalant she appeared, she placed great importance on Jingusiji Yue as a person—he should have guessed it long ago.

"What are you standing there stunned for? I made this with my own hands, you know, so don't you dare look down on it."

"Oh... oh oh, thank you, upperclassman." The young man solemnly put the chocolate away.

Seeing the young man's hesitant demeanor, Hoshinomori Seino continued, "So, this isn't Valentine's chocolate, it's birthday congratulatory chocolate. Don't carry any psychological burden, eat every last bit of it for me, understand?"

"Ugh..."

"Where is your reply?"

"...Yes."

"Mm, very good, what a good boy."

Walking side by side in the connecting corridor between the old and new school buildings, Hoshinomori Seino wore a gentle smile at the corners of her lips as a mild breeze caressed her sky-blue long hair, causing it to sway gradually.

Jingusiji Yue looked straight ahead, casting occasional sideways glances at the girl beside him.

"Speaking of which, Jingusiji-kun."

"Hmm?"

"Jingusiji-kun will be a third-year student very soon. Have you given any thought to your future path?"

"My path?"

"Mm, like what university to attend, though with Jingusiji-kun's grades, you can pick any university in the country. Or studying abroad would also be a good choice."

"I want to stay in Tokyo."

"Oh... Tokyo is nice too. Why not go all out and aim for Tokyo University? I figured you wouldn't actually care about the trouble of not finding a partner if you go to Tokyo University, hahaha."

Jingusiji Yue fell silent at first, looking at the girl's profile. The thought that less than a month remained before this girl—who had once been hurt by him, yet had rescued him from his gray high school life—would completely vanish from this school...

He seemed to instinctively resist this change, wanting to catch up to her, desperately wanting to chase after her side.

"Upperclassman, you're going to Keio University, right?"

"You cannot do that."

In an instant, Hoshinomori Seino stopped walking, gazing fixedly at Jingusiji Yue with a solemn expression.

Precisely because she understood Jingusiji Yue's character well enough, even if the young man hadn't spoken the rest of his words aloud, she could clearly tell what he wanted to say.

"With Jingusiji-kun's talent, you have many more and better choices. You must not follow me; the limit of what I can reach is not your limit.

"The person you should be chasing is not me. I hope you deeply understand this principle."

Jingusiji Yue remained silent, offering no response.

For a long time, Hoshinomori Seino seemed unwilling to delve too deeply into this topic, fearing it would provoke a rebellious streak in Jingusiji Yue.

If Jingusiji Yue wanted to go to Keio University from the bottom of his heart, she certainly wouldn't stop him.

Yet this was not a choice made by Jingusiji Yue himself, but rather the product of being influenced by his desire to follow her.

If that were to happen, it would be equivalent to Hoshinomori Seino deciding Jingusiji Yue's life for him.

She could not bear such a burden.

Ever since she was a child, Hoshinomori Seino's life had always been decided by her parents, and now if she were to decide Jingusiji Yue's life, wouldn't that mean turning Jingusiji Yue into her past self?

Hoshinomori Seino could never do such a thing, no matter what.

Furthermore, she harbored an even deeper secret that she had not revealed to Jingusiji Yue.

To change the mood, Hoshinomori Seino smiled and shifted the topic, chatting about matters related to the student council.

As they left the school together, students greeted them. By now, Jingusiji Yue had become a household name throughout the school.

And those people who once viewed Jingusiji Yue through colored glasses—while not all of them had vanished—had decreased by a huge margin compared to back then.

He was finally getting to experience a normal high school life, and the person who brought all of this about, the one walking right beside him at this very moment, was about to leave this school.

"Upperclassman."

"Hmm?"

"I, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you've done."

"Why so sudden? Are you the sentimental type?"

Jingusiji Yue felt slightly helpless and said, "I'm thanking you quite sincerely, upperclassman. Why are you always brushing it off?"

"Because being thanked so solemnly by a junior makes me feel embarrassed."

"You're not the type to be thin-skinned either," Jingusiji Yue remarked.

"Huh? What did you say?!"

"Sorry, I didn't say anything."

Seeing Jingusiji Yue back down, Hoshinomori Seino let out a soft chuckle and gently bumped Jingusiji Yue's arm with her slender shoulder.

A warm breeze swept across the long slope; the cherry blossom trees around were bare, tinged with a faint pink.

Walking side by side down the downward sloping path, they breathed in the slightly moist air.

The rushing wind blew through her long strands of hair. She looked into the distance at the two rows of cherry blossom trees about to burst into bloom, her gaze drifting off.

"Hey, Jingusiji-kun," she spoke up abruptly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you like spring?"

Following her gaze, he looked at the slope they walked every day, watching the flower buds waiting to bloom on the trees.

"I can't say I like it or hate it, but right now..."

"Right now?"

At the thought that the girl in front of him would soon disappear, Jingusiji Yue parted his lips.

In the end, he chose an ambiguous phrasing, choosing words that wouldn't make her feel lonely.

"I don't hate it."

"What is that? You said a whole lot of nothing, pfft haha~~"

The girl looked up at the sky, extended her arms straight, and the rosy light filtering through the tree leaves passed through the gaps between her fingers, scattering across the girl's gentle face.

"Spring is almost here, isn't it?"

"...Yeah, it is," the young man chimed in.

"Don't go hurting yourself recklessly anymore."

"I won't."

"You mustn't do things that make Sakura sad."

"I know."

"And, you must become an excellent student council president."

"Mm."

"It's a promise, okay?"

"Yeah."