[Vol 2] The Cheeky Junior Gal Becomes Too Cute When She Gets Attached to Me Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - The Student Council Treasurer, Kawana Matsuri

 

“Senpai, what should I do…!?”

The day after the student council officers gathered together, after school.

Monaka stopped me in front of the student council room, her eyes glistening with unease.

What she was worried about was the proposal made by the vice president, Kataseyama Rui, yesterday.

『We’ll call it the Student Council Exam! You have to pass all of them before graduation!』

That’s what she said, before quickly creating a test sheet on the spot.

Even now, Monaka was holding that sheet in her trembling hands.

Written on it were the names of the people she’d have to visit for her exams.

Student Council President, Tsujidou Masachika.

Vice President, Kataseyama Rui.

Treasurer, Kawana Matsuri.

Secretary, Tateishi Hayato.

Student Council Advisor, Kugenuma Sensei.

And lastly… Former Student Council President, Kuzuhara Yamato.

Clearing the tests given by these six people — that was the condition for Monaka to officially become the General Affairs Officer.

Each one of them would test her in some way to evaluate her ability. By now, both Kugenuma-sensei and Kuzuhara-senpai had probably been informed about it as well.

And apparently, I was supposed to accompany her as the supervisor for every test.

“Ah… well, good luck.”

“That sounds so half-hearted!?”

“Just so you know, I’m one of the examiners too.”

“But Senpai, you’ll sign off my pass, right?”

Well, it was my idea to begin with…

That said, I couldn’t exactly skip the test part altogether. I hadn’t even thought of a test yet, so my signature was still on hold.

The real problem was Kataseyama and Kuzuhara-senpai.

There’s no way they’d just approve her that easily.

“Honestly, this is harder than the student council election.”

“Gaaah…”

“Maybe I should just hand you the resignation form myself.”

“That’s not the kind of kindness I need!”

The student council election was just a trust vote, basically a formality. You only needed two-thirds of the votes to pass.

Since no one bothers to oppose, you’re basically guaranteed to win once you run.

In comparison, Monaka’s test had a fatal condition — if even one person rejected her, that was it. She’d never become an officer.

“Well, even if you don’t make it, it’s not like you’ll die or anything.”

“Senpai, I thought you were on my side, why are you the first to give up!?”

“I meant, you know, take it easy. Probably.”

“Oh~? So you’re saying you don’t think I’ll pass, huh~?”

Monaka pressed her fist into my shoulder, mock-pouting.

Still, I doubt Kataseyama meant any harm, and Kuzuhara-senpai would definitely judge her fairly.

At least, I trusted that much about him.

…Though I still didn’t get why they had to include the former president as an examiner.

That was the only thing that didn’t sit right with me. I told Kataseyama that yesterday, but she just replied, “That’s non-negotiable.”

Unlike me, she actually got along with Kuzuhara-senpai.

Maybe to her, he was still what she pictured when she thought “student council president.”

“…Did I do something unnecessary?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, you never said you wanted to be General Affairs, but I just threw it out there on my own. You couldn’t exactly say no on the spot, right?”

“…Yeah, I was surprised at first. But I really do want to.”

It was true — the idea of making Monaka General Affairs came from my own impulse.

Kataseyama had accused me of using Monaka, and that pushed me to come up with the idea.

But of course, I never intended to make her an officer just to boss her around.

I wanted a student council that had her in it. Along with everyone else, I wanted Monaka to be part of it too.

After all the help she’d given us, it didn’t feel right to leave her out now that things were about to get serious.

“I never thought about becoming a student council officer before, but after meeting you, Senpai, and helping out a bit… I realized that working for someone else actually feels nice. Way better than just drifting through life like before.”

“Then I’m glad I suggested it.”

“And, I’ll get to be closer to Senpai too. That might be my biggest reason.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So watch me, okay? I’m serious — I’ll definitely become General Affairs. For the sake of staying by your side.”

“…Then hurry up and get inside already.”

“Ugh… but…”

Waiting inside the room was Kawana.

They’d decided to go in order, and Kawana had volunteered to be the first examiner.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“O-okay…”

I opened the door, and Monaka nervously stepped inside.

“E-excuse me for intruding.”

Usually she’d barge right in, but today she was unusually timid.

Kawana looked up from the book she was reading.

“Please don’t loiter in front of the door so long, President.”

“How is that my fault?”

The door didn’t block sound at all, so she’d probably heard our entire conversation.

Well, it’s not like we said anything bad. If anything, it might be good for her to hear it.

“Matsurin, give me your autograph!”

Monaka ran up to her, spreading the test sheet on the desk, bowing deeply as she handed it over.

The two of them had become quite close. Kawana wasn’t great at closing the distance with others, so Monaka might actually be her closest friend.

That’s probably why Kawana was the first to approve her joining the council.

But… today, Kawana was the examiner.

“That will come after you pass the test.”

“Right…”

Kawana pushed the test sheet back toward her with the palm of her hand.

“I also want you to join the student council, Monaka-san. But that’s a separate matter.”

She smiled sweetly — which only made it scarier.

“I’m strict when it comes to anything called a ‘test.’”

“Matsurin is scary…”

“Of course. Even if you’re my friend, I won’t go easy on you.”

“Just a little leniency would be nice, though…”

Monaka whined, clinging to her.

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it seriously.”

“Muu… fine.”

Monaka straightened her posture and nodded firmly.

Kawana blinked, surprised.

“You got serious all of a sudden…?”

“Of course. I really want to be General Affairs ! I promised Senpai, too!”

Monaka glanced at me and gave a quick wink.

“So please, take care of me!”

She turned back to Kawana and bowed her head once again.

“…Then I won’t go easy either.”

“Eh?”

“Because I believe you can do it, Monaka-san.”

Kawana turned away, cheeks faintly red.

“Matsurin~!”

“No hugging the examiner!”

“I’ll do my best!”

As the two of them started goofing around, I took my seat at the president’s desk.

I didn’t know what kind of test Kawana had in mind, but things seemed fine so far.

I decided to leave it to her and focus on my own work.

Or so I thought — until Kawana suddenly looked my way.

“Why are you just sitting there, President?”

“Huh?”

“You’re helping too. This was your idea, wasn’t it?”

“Wait, but isn’t this your test?”

If I helped, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? I thought Monaka was supposed to handle it on her own.

Kawana didn’t answer me. Instead, she handed Monaka a sheet of paper and stood up.

“I’ll now announce the content of the test.”

“Yes!”

“The test is… to create a Student Council Newspaper! Here’s a sample.”

The Student Council Newspaper — as the name suggests, it’s a paper the student council publishes.

We post it once a month on the bulletin board and in every classroom.

Most students probably never bother reading it, but it’s part of our public relations work.

It usually includes student council news, club achievements, and updates about upcoming events.

“Make one on your own that satisfies me, Monaka-san.”

“Got it!”

She answered energetically — but this was a pretty tough assignment.

After all, Kawana was a perfectionist about layout, and she’d definitely go over the contents with a fine-tooth comb.

Making a newspaper was harder than it looked — it had to be not only informative, but also well-designed and eye-catching.

Getting Kawana’s approval wouldn’t be easy. Even I might struggle with that.

“By the way, the topic will be… a feature on the Student Council President.”

“Eh.”

The unexpected words made me let out a dumb sound.

“We’ll help the whole school understand who our president really is.”

“Oh-ho.”

“You can handle that, right?”

“Totally my specialty!”

Ah, so that’s why I’m involved…

Still, having a whole article about me posted around school is kind of mortifying.

“Um, Kawana-san… maybe we could use a different theme—”

“Decision final.”

“Ah, right. Understood.”

She shot me down instantly, and I couldn’t help slipping into polite speech.

Once Kawana made up her mind, there was no changing it… might as well give up.

Yeah, sometimes knowing when to give up is important. I’m good at that part, at least.

“With student council activities ramping up soon, it’s important to raise the president’s visibility.”

“I get it! We have to make Senpai popular!”

“Exactly. Though if we write everything honestly, people will find out he’s kind of weird, so we’ll embellish a bit.”

“Got it! I’ll aim for a cool and refreshing Senpai image!”

The two of them kept going back and forth, completely on the same page.

For the record, I already am a cool and refreshing president, thank you very much.

Monaka took out a notepad and stood in front of me.

“Alright then, may I interview you?”

From behind her, Kawana radiated silent pressure.

Yeah… definitely no right to refuse here.

“…Got it.”

“Then, then—what’s your type?”

“Are you seriously planning to put that in the student council newspaper?”

“Hmm, hmm. So you like younger girls, huh.”

“That’s a fabricated article!”

“Eeh? Don’t tell me there’s someone you like in school~? That’s a huge scoop!”

“That’s a fabricated gossip article…”

If something like that went around, I’d be too embarrassed to even walk down the hallway.

The pen is mightier than the sword, after all.

Information and articles must be handled with care.

“Anyway, enough joking around.”

“Glad to hear it was a joke.”

I almost ended up with some weird rumor about me.

Monaka placed her hand beside her mouth, leaned forward, and whispered softly into my ear.

“There are some truths you shouldn’t print either, right?”

“It’s not the truth, though.”

“Eeh? But I’d be happier if it was the truth… So, it’s not?”

What a sneaky way of asking.

Knowing how she feels makes it even harder to answer.

“…No comment.”

“Fufufu, that’s fine. I’ll take that.”

Monaka straightened up with a teasing grin.

This girl… She’s totally using the excuse of an ‘interview’ to mess with me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the newspaper turns out great.”

“Well, that’s the point of the test, after all.”

“Yeah. It’s a test, sure, but…”

Monaka clasped her hands behind her back and flashed a bright smile.

“I just want everyone to know how amazing you are, Senpai.”

Behind her, Kawana chuckled softly and nodded.

So that’s the meaning hidden behind the topic Kawana gave her…

Moved by the sentiment, I stood up and spread my arms wide.

“You two really admire me that much! Alright, then I’ll cooperate as much as you want! If it turns out great, maybe I’ll even donate it to the town library!”

Man, I hate standing out, but—

If these two want to make me shine that badly, I guess I have no choice!

“There he goes getting carried away again.”

“Please add a line that says ‘A man overflowing with a need for validation.’”

“Yup yup. I’ll also write, ‘Easily swayed by flattery, so butter him up when asking for favors.’”

Huh? This isn’t the reaction I was expecting.

I was kind of hoping for something like, “Kyaa! We’ll follow you for life, President!” you know?

“Ahem. Well, write whatever you want. This too is part of a president’s duty.”

“Too late to act cool now, Senpai.”

“At least let me save face a little, okay?”

“Ahaha!”

Monaka kicked her legs and clapped her hands while laughing.

Good. She seems much more relaxed now.

Getting too tense only leads to failure. Being too nervous—or too serious—never helps.

Staying this calm is probably the best way to get good results.

“Alright then, I’ll start writing!”

Feeling relieved, I thought everything would be fine after all—

But when Kawana glanced at the finished newspaper, just before six o’clock, she said one word:

“Rejected.”

Her judgment came in barely twenty seconds.

“Huh? You already read it?”

“Yes. It’s nowhere near fit for display.”

Kawana’s tone was cold and absolute.

I hadn’t read it yet myself, but I’d seen Monaka working hard for over two hours, completely focused.

She’d written it all by hand, diligently. I expected something colorful, but she stuck to black pen like the sample—it was actually a good choice.

“But I worked really hard on it…”

“Effort is irrelevant. What matters is the result.”

A clean, merciless cut.

Kawana’s harsh judgment made Monaka flinch and take a step back.

But Kawana didn’t stop there.

“This is mostly just your personal opinion, isn’t it? What’s with this huge ‘Senpai is so kind’ headline?”

“It means exactly what it says.”

“It’s a newspaper, not a love letter. You need to use his name, not just ‘Senpai.’ And instead of vague praise, you should include concrete examples.”

“T-that’s true…”

Couldn’t argue with that.

I mean, yeah… no wonder it got rejected, Monaka.

It’s not like she’s ever made a newspaper before. Heck, she probably doesn’t even read them.

When I read it myself after Kawana handed it over, I had to agree—it was rejection-worthy.

“The whole thing is too shallow. And the layout’s a complete mess.”

“It’s harder than I thought…”

“Naturally. But if you want to be part of the student council, you’ll have to learn.”

Kawana spoke coolly, almost coldly.

“Hey, Kawana, maybe you could—”

“Thank you!”

Before I could step in to soften things, Monaka bowed her head energetically.

Kawana and I both blinked in surprise and exchanged confused looks.

“Um? I don’t think I did anything worth thanking me for…”

“No, you did! You gave me so much advice. You could’ve just said it was bad and left it at that, but you didn’t give up on me.”

“W-well, I am the examiner, so…”

Kawana looked away awkwardly, eyes darting.

Thank goodness Monaka’s so positive…

“I’ll think harder and rewrite it! Will you check it again?”

“Of course. I didn’t expect you to get it perfect in one try.”

“Thanks! I’ll redo it at home and bring it tomorrow!”

Monaka slung her bag over her shoulder and dashed out of the room.

“Ah, wait—!”

Kawana tried to stop her, but Monaka was already gone. Her outstretched hand fell limply back to her side.

“She… really left.”

“Seems like it.”

Kawana dropped her head onto the desk, resting it on her arms.

“Did I go too far…?”

“Nah, she’ll be fine. I think she got what you were trying to say.”

“Maybe I should’ve been a little gentler…”

“You didn’t hold back because you didn’t want to stunt her growth, right?”

Kawana wanted Monaka to pass, after all.

She could’ve just pretended to test her and signed off. But that wouldn’t help Monaka grow.

So she deliberately took the tough-love route… and now she’s second-guessing herself. Very Kawana-like.

“Exactly! I was going to give her more detailed advice next, so why did she run off so fast?”

“Ahh.”

“I just know she’s sulking somewhere, frustrated!”

Kawana pounded her desk in frustration. Seeing her this emotional was rare.

It wasn’t real anger, though—just irritation born from worry.

“She could rely on me a little more, you know.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to just rely on you—she wants to stand beside you as an equal.”

“Monaka and I have been equals from the start.”

“Right, right.”

…Or maybe she just wanted to escape scary-examiner Kawana as fast as possible.

Better not say that out loud, or she’ll get depressed again.

“Sigh… Do you think Monaka will be okay with the rest of the tests?”

Kawana traced circles on the desk with her fingertip, looking anxious.

“You planning to fail her or something?”

“Not mine—others. Especially the vice president’s.”

“Yeah… Kataseyama will probably be strict. But I’m more worried about Kuzuhara-senpai.”

“Really? I don’t know him well. I joined after he graduated.”

Right—Kawana became a student council member right after the former president, Kuzuhara Yamato, stepped down. She might’ve seen him once or twice, but she didn’t really know him.

“He seemed like a good person, though.”

“He’s not a bad guy.”

We didn’t exactly get along, but there are things about him I respect—especially that charisma of his. Not something you can easily imitate.

“Still, once he finds out Monaka’s my recommendation, he might make things harder for her.”

“You two didn’t get along, huh?”

“You could say that.”

“I don’t know the details, but I’m guessing it was your fault.”

“Rude… But yeah, probably.”

When I admitted it, Kawana let out a soft chuckle.

I know I can be stubborn—when I think I’m right, I don’t back down easily.

I know it’s not efficient. I usually try to prioritize harmony, but… with him, I just couldn’t.

That was my own immaturity, really. So she’s not wrong.

“Monaka will be fine, right?”

“You sure worry a lot.”

“Of course I do! I really want her to join the council. When you first suggested it, I thought—‘That’s it!’”

Honestly, I wish this girl would be that honest when it comes to me, too.

It’s fine to say you respect me, you know? Really!

“And if things go badly, you’ll find a way, right, President?”

“If I can, yeah.”

But first, we’ve got to get through Kawana’s trial.

Because satisfying Kawana’s standards… is no easy task.

 

Then, the next day at lunch—

“What!? Ooba-san wants to talk to me!?”

My classmate and the head of the athletic committee, Watauchi Reiya, shouted in the middle of the classroom, his eyes sparkling.

“My time has finally come! Thank you, Masachika!”

“Uh, yeah, I wouldn’t get my hopes too high if I were you.”

“And it’s that cute Monaka-chan too! Ah, life’s amazing…”

He’s already calling her by her first name, and he’s starting to sound enlightened or something.

Explaining it to him sounds exhausting… Let him dream a bit.

He’s athletic, tall, and good-looking, but his over-the-top energy ruins his chances. Poor guy. Let him have this moment.

There’s even a tiny chance Monaka might actually like him. …Nah, that’d sting a bit.

I brought Reiya along and entered the student council room, where Monaka was waiting.

The moment we stepped in, Monaka stood up and ran over.

“Reiya-senpai, I’ve been waiting for you!”

“You were waiting for me!?”

“Yup!”

Reiya melted instantly at Monaka’s words, his whole face turning to mush.

For some reason, this felt less like helping with a student council task and more like acting as a matchmaker at an arranged meeting…

“Reiya-senpai, I have a favor to ask!”

“Sure, sure! I’ll do anything you ask, Monaka-chan!”

“Yay, thank you!”

Yeah, I already knew this, but… my best friend is way too easy to manipulate.

He’s totally the kind of guy who’d get scammed into a fake marriage someday.

Monaka pulled out a memo pad and held a pen ready.

“Then, please tell me about Masachika-senpai!”

“Of course! …Huh? About Masachika?”

“Yup! I want to learn more about him!”

Reiya looked between the two of us, his gaze darting back and forth.

When he finally understood the situation, his shoulders slumped in despair.

“My popularity phase… is over…”

“It didn’t even start.”

“Masachika! Have you no heart!?”

Reiya grabbed me by the collar and started shaking me back and forth.

Monaka flustered beside us, which only made it funnier.

“Tch, just because you’re the one getting all the girls—!”

“You’re misunderstanding this! She doesn’t mean it that way!”

“Then what does she mean!?”

He wasn’t being serious, of course—just fooling around. If the judo club’s ace actually went full strength, I’d have been thrown out the window by now.

“See, I’m making a student council newspaper, and I want to do a special feature on the president! That’s why I want to hear stories about Masachika-senpai! He said your he’s best friend!”

Monaka tugged on Reiya’s arm, trying to stop him from tearing my collar apart.

His grip loosened.

“Best… friend…?”

He set me down, then patted my shoulder—no, slammed it with enough force to make a bam sound.

“Ha ha ha! So Masachika said I’m his best friend, huh!?”

“I didn’t say it like that—and ow, that hurts!”

“Don’t be shy! We’re best bros, after all!”

…Can I just go back to class now?

Watching Reiya laugh like a maniac made me want to leave the room entirely.

Anyway, the reason I brought him here was for Monaka’s interview.

Yesterday, her student council newspaper was instantly rejected by Kawana. So, this was her retake attempt.

Instead of just writing from her own perspective, she wanted to gather opinions from others and make the article richer in content.

She’d called me last night for advice, so I introduced her to Reiya—since aside from the student council, he probably knows me best.

“Monaka-chan, ask me anything about Masachika. I’ll tell you everything!”

“Yay! Thank you so much!”

Finally free from Reiya’s grip, I slumped into the president’s chair, exhausted.

Just sitting here listening to them was already embarrassing enough, so I killed time while Monaka conducted her interview.

Apparently, she went around interviewing lots of people afterward. I didn’t tag along, so I don’t know the details.

And after a week, with Kawana’s advice helping her along…

“S-so… what do you think?”

It was her sixth resubmission. Monaka asked in a trembling voice as she handed it over.

Kawana carefully read through the student council newspaper. Considering how she dismissed the first one in twenty seconds, that alone showed progress.

Monaka gripped her skirt tightly, standing still as she waited.

What was supposed to be a short test had dragged on for an entire week.

That was partly because Kawana was strict—but also because Monaka had grown enough to understand what she’d done wrong at the start.

She’d grown so much that she could now recognize how terrible her first draft had been.

I’d seen her drafts along the way, and each version clearly improved over the last.

Kawana’s feedback was precise, but it was Monaka’s determination and effort that brought it all together.

And now, this one… was easily her best work yet.

“I’ve finished reading.”

Kawana placed the paper on the desk and closed her eyes.

Even from across the room, I could hear Monaka gulp nervously.

“You pass.”

“…Huh?”

“Did you not hear me? You pass. It’s a good paper.”

Kawana smiled softly at her.

“You did it,” I said, smiling as well.

Monaka turned toward me slowly, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

Then she ran forward and jumped straight into my arms.

I caught her light body with both hands.

“Senpai! I did it! I passed!”

“It’s just one test, though.”

“That’s fine! I’ll celebrate every time!”

Monaka bounced away from me, hopping up and down with joy.

Then she turned and threw herself at Kawana next.

“Matsurin, thank you!”

“It’s because you worked hard, Monaka-san. Now, please hand me your test form.”

“Okay!”

Monaka took out a neatly filed document from her school bag and handed it over with a beaming smile.

“We’ll print and post it later together, all right?”

“Yay! I get to do it with Matsurin!”

She was so happy she was practically regressing into a kid again…

Well, maybe she’s always been this silly.

Either way, she’d successfully passed Kawana’s test and earned her signature.

Kawana, too, looked relieved, smiling naturally beside Monaka.

But there was still one thing—five more tests remained.

“Next up…”

I pulled out my phone and started contacting the next two examiners.