Infinite Stratos, Volume 5, page 2
“You know, this year’s just been so busy that I’ve never had a chance to introduce myself! My name is Sarashiki Tatenashi. Your student council president. Nice to meet you!”
The grin on her face was apparently as charming to girls as it was to guys, as I heard sighs well up around me.
“Anyway, for this month’s school festival, we’re going to have a special one-time-only rule. And that is...” She expertly pulled out her fan and drew it to the side, and as if responding to the motion, a floating holographic display opened up in midair. “The Club Battle for Orimura Ichika!”
With an audible snap, she spread her fan wide. At the same time, the display switched to a huge picture of me.
“Eh?”
“EHHH?!” A thunderous roar of applause broke out as the assembly realized she wasn’t joking. I felt an army of eyes fall upon me.
“Let me finish. Normally, each club would propose an event of some sort, with voting held to determine which are funded by the school. But I thought that wouldn’t be as much fun as—” Her fan swung to point directly at me. “Orimura Ichika being forced to join the top club!”
Another roar of applause.
“Omigawd!”
“Prez, you’re amazing!”
“We... We got this!”
“We’re getting started today! Who gives a crap about the Autumn tournament?”
I mean, you should... But really, why would you want me in your club? I’m a guy, so I’d be in different groups than you at meets. And I’d make a pretty bad manager.
“You didn’t even ask whether I wanted to do this...”
Still a bit confused, I looked up at Tatenashi, and she answered me with a giggle and a wink.
I didn’t think a wink was enough to excuse that...
“All right! I can’t wait!”
“Let’s all get together after school and vote on what to do?”
“We have to get first place! Failing that, there is no failing!”
Once you set them off, there was no stopping them.
And thus, without any notice and without any agreement, the battle over me began.
◇
The same day, we had an extra homeroom session after classes. It was an excited discussion of what to do for the festival.
“Um...”
As class rep, it was my job to collect suggestions, but... This is all stuff like ‘A host club with Orimura Ichika,’ ‘Play Twister with Orimura Ichika,’ ‘Spin the bottle with Orimura Ichika,’ and ‘Truth or dare with Orimura Ichika.’
“Rejected.”
The classroom echoed with dismay.
“What’s wrong with you all? Who would even enjoy something like this?!”
“I definitely would!” a girl shouted out.
“Yeah! Do your job and make us girls happy!”
“Orimura Ichika belongs to us all!”
“The other classes have been all over us with ideas. Especially in my club.”
“Remember, you’re helping us out!”
“Endure it for our sins.”
Umm. What do I even do about this? The only person I could maybe look to for help was Chifuyu.
“Seems like it’s going to take you a while. I’ll be in the faculty room, tell me when you’re finished.”
Such a kind sister.
“Ms. Yamada, we can’t actually do these kinds of things, right?”
“W-Why are you asking me?”
Oh, come on.
“Honestly, the one with the bottle sounds nice.”
A blush rose to Ms. Yamada’s face. Asking her was a mistake...
“Does anyone have any more normal ideas?”
“How about a maid café?” Surprisingly, Laura came up with that.
“Eh?” I wasn’t the only one surprised. The rest of the class was as well.
“It would be popular. We could earn money for the class selling snacks. And aren’t non-students able to get tickets too? They’ll probably want somewhere to take a break.”
She was as blunt as ever, but it still didn’t sound quite right coming from her, and it took a few seconds for it to click with everyone.
“Um... What do you think?”
Laura had hoped for a majority agreement, but we were all too stunned to say anything.
“Sounds good to me. We could have Ichika be the butler or the cook,” Charl followed her up, and the cover fire was just what was needed for a direct hit.
“Orimura as a butler? That sounds great!”
“That’s it! You’ve got it!”
“Where are we getting the outfits? I do costumes for the drama club, I can sew them!”
The class suddenly erupted in a flurry of activity. Once they were started, there was no way I could stop them. Ah well. I guess it’s fine if I just think of it as a café with costumes.
“I have a contact who can get me maid outfits. I’ll see if she can lend me those and a tuxedo.”
Surprisingly enough, that was Laura again. Everyone’s eyes went wide in shock as they realized who was saying they’d do what.
“Ahem— I mean, Charlotte will.”
Laura wilted, blushing in embarrassment, under the stares. Charl, meanwhile, looked confused at suddenly being the center of attention and replied with, “Er, Laura? Wait, do you mean... From last month?”
“Mm.”
“I’ll ask, but no guarantees...”
The class responded to her ambivalence with a “That’s okay!” in unison. And thus, class 1-A settled on a maid—well, a ‘Servant Café.’
◇
“So... Class A has decided on a café.”
I was in the faculty room, reporting to Chifuyu on what our class had chosen.
“A smart choice. So, what’s the catch?”
“We’ll be in costume. That’s what they decided.”
“Who came up with this? Tajima? Liadh? It had to have been one of those troublemakers, right?”
“Um...” Chifuyu’s grin almost made me not want to tell her the truth. But I had to go through with it. “Actually, it was Laura.”
Her face went blank and the room became silent as she absorbed this new information. Ugh, this is ominous. She blinked once, then twice... Then burst out laughing, “Ahahahahah! Bodewig? Really?! I never would have guessed that in a million years. Really? She decided on a cosplay café? Hahahaha, she sure has changed.”
“You weren’t expecting it to be her?”
“Of course not. Not with what she used to be like. Ahaha, Laura wanting a cosplay café...” Chifuyu dabbed tears from the corners of her eyes as she struggled to hold back her laughter. Was it really that unexpected? Even the rest of the teachers were staring at Chifuyu as if they’d never seen her do anything like this before. “Mm-hmm. Anyway, is that all?”
Noticing the looks she was receiving, she cleared her throat and regained her composure.
“Yes. That’s all,” I plainly replied.
“Very well, then. This requisition form is for any equipment or food you’ll need. It will need to be turned in a week in advance. Understood?”
That sounds like a lot of work...
“Un-der-stood?” Chifuyu reemphasized.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her insistence made me subconsciously straighten my back as I answered. She’d always been a bit scary when she got like that. But I guess she has changed. I didn’t really remember clearly, but in middle school, she always seemed so scary. Like a knife ready to cut anything it touched, no matter how close we were. She’s softened up a lot since I started high school, though. Hmm, she used to hang out a lot with Tabane back then. The genius inventor Shinonono Tabane... Chifuyu was probably the only person in the whole world on a level with her. No, definitely. I knew it for sure.
“Oh, and remember. The school festival will have military high brass and representatives from the IS industry all over, so civilians will not be allowed—with the exception of one companion for each student. Be sure to choose yours wisely.”
“Ah, yes.”
Having finished reporting to Chifuyu, I took my leave and exited the faculty room. As the door clicked shut behind me, I let out a sigh.
“Hey!”
“.........” A face I’d never forget was waiting for me just outside. Student council president Sarashiki Tatenashi. “...What do you want?”
“Aw, why so prickly?”
“Do you have to ask?”
She was smiling at me as if she’d never made me late and the assembly had gone perfectly normally.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought if I didn’t make a big first impression that you’d forget about me.”
“You didn’t have to go that far.”
I broke off and left for the arena, and she followed alongside me. It looked like she wouldn’t be that easy to shake. She definitely didn’t seem like someone who would take no for an answer. But at the same time, it didn’t seem like she would be insistent—rather, that she’d manipulate the flow of things to get what she wanted.
“C’mon, don’t be so standoffish. It’s not good to shut yourself away from the world when you’re young.”
“And whose fault is it that I want to?”
“Hmm. How about this? I’ll be your personal IS coach. Sound good?”
“I already have plenty of coaches.”
Houki, Rin, Charl, and Laura. Honestly, I had my hands full with coaches.
“Aww, c’mon. I mean, I am the student council president.”
“And?”
“Huh? Didn’t you know? IS Academy’s student council chooses its president by—”
Sarashiki was interrupted as another girl came running in a cloud of dust—no, charging in with a shinai raised to strike.
“Prepare yourself!” the girl exclaimed.
“Wha—” I reflexively placed myself between them, but Sarashiki dodged past me while pulling out her fan.
“Oh, no hesitation... Not bad.”
Amazingly, she parried the shinai with her fan before delivering a karate chop in response. The other girl fell to the ground as a nearby window shattered.
“Now what?!” I exclaimed out of reflex.
A hail of arrows plunged toward Sarashiki. Through the broken window, I could see a girl in the next building over, clad in an archer’s hakama, drawing her bow again. What the hell is going on?
“Let me borrow that for a minute.”
She kicked the collapsed girl’s shinai into the air, then grabbed it from its arc and sent it flying in one smooth motion. It soared out the window and across the courtyard, before striking the archer directly between her eyes.
“Got you!” The door to the janitor’s locker burst open with a bang, and a third assassin sprung out. Her fists were wrapped in boxing gloves, and she moved with the fleet footwork of a champ as she threw her weight into each punch.
“Hmm. They’re certainly enthusiastic today... Oh, by the way, Orimura Ichika.”
“Uh, yes?”
“It seems like you really didn’t know, so let me explain. At IS Academy, the title of student council president proves one thing.” Sarashiki covered her mouth with a half-opened fan, but her excitement was still audible. Through all this, she continued to slip past each and every punch of the boxer’s assault.
“The right to be student council president—the leader of all the students—” She circled around a right jab, then suddenly leapt into the air. “—belongs to the strongest.”
And her foot spun around behind her before plunging into the boxer’s gut like a lance. The boxer plunged back into the locker as if played in rewind.
“Got it?”
The fan she’d tossed into the air while kicking spun around once before she plucked it from the air and snapped it open, demurely holding down her hemline as she landed.
“Did you see them?”
“O-Of course not!”
“Excellent,” she giggled as she closed her fan.
“So... what exactly is going on?”
“Oh? Isn’t it obvious? A shrinking violet like me simply needs a knight to protect her.”
That was an obvious lie.
“Didn’t you just say you were the strongest?”
“Oh dear, I’ve been found out,” she replied with another bemused chuckle. It didn’t really matter, but her laughs were always so refined, and so natural. Just what kind of person was she? “Anyway, to put it simply. The student council president is the strongest, but it’s open season on them. If they’re defeated, the person who pulled it off becomes the new president.”
“That sounds... chaotic.”
“Well, there haven’t really been many attempts since I became president, until now. I guess it must be—” She pulled me toward her, her face drawing closer. So close! Too close! “Your fault?”
“W-Why?!” The smell of flowers softly filled my head. My heart pounded, suddenly unable to relax.
“Hm? Ever since I announced you as the prize of this month’s school festival, the sports and martial arts clubs that don’t think they have a very good chance have turned to naked force. They think that if they depose me, they can cancel the competition and take you for themselves.”
I wanted to fire back with ‘You think?’ but it seemed like her guesses were pretty much on the money. It felt like she was really good at reading people. Which was terrifying, because it meant she could probably tell just how hard my heart was pounding.
“Very well, then. Will you join me in the student council room for a drink?”
I sighed in reply.
“Can I take that as agreement?”
I... couldn’t exactly disagree so I said, “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Excellent. I like it when you’re honest, Orimura.”
“Just call me Ichika.”
“Okay. Call me Tatenashi, then. Just Tat for short.”
“I’m fine either way.” I let out another sigh as I shrugged. There was no arguing with her. Her face beamed with delight as she recognized my resignation. It was different from her mature smile from before. Almost childlike—almost like a child who’d just pulled off a successful prank.
◇
“...How long are you just going to slack off like that?” came a voice from the other side of the door to the student council room.
“Iss late... Mmmm, tired...”
“Pull yourself together.”
“Okay......”
I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, but hearing that voice made me sigh.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Ichika?”
“I feel like I recognize that voice from somewhere...”
“Oh, right. She must be here.” Tatenashi opened the door. It swung silently on its hinges with a weight that suggested quality. “I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”
Greeting us was a third-year. She already looked the part of a serious hard worker with her braided hair and glasses, and the file folder in her hand just completed the picture. Behind her, though, was a face I didn’t expect at all.
“Wow... It’s Orimu...”
It was Miss Casual. Wait, what? Really? What’s she doing here?
“Sit right down. I’ll have some tea ready in a minute.”
“Okay...”
Miss Casual seemed even more sleepy than usual, as her face barely lifted three centimeters from the table before seeing me and drooping back down.
“We have a guest. Get a hold of yourself.”
“I can’t... Tired... Wanna go home...”
“Well, that isn’t happening.”
Her last hopes were crushed by the stony demeanor of the third-year. To soften the blow I decided to greet the only familiar face I knew, “Oh, hey, Miss Casual! Tired again?”
“Yeah... Up all night... Every day this week... Sorting wallpapers...”
“Wall... papers?”
“Oh, wow, you two even have nicknames for each other?” Tatenashi, president despite her youth, left the making of the tea to the third-year as she sat elegantly with arms crossed.
“Actually, I just never learned her real name.”
“What?!” For the first time ever, I heard Miss Casual raise her voice as she stood. “That’s so mean! I thought you called me that because you liked me!”
“Uh... Sorry...”
Just as I slouched my head forward in guilt, the third-year returned with tea mugs and interjected, “Stop lying to him, Honne.”
“Tee-hee, you caught me. Fine, fine, sis.”
“Sis?”
“Yes. I’m Nohotoke Utsuho. My little sister here is Honne.”
“Our family’s served the Sarashikis for a long, long time. For generations.”
“Eh? So is the whole student council related in the same way, then?” I asked.
“Yes. The president, of course, is the strongest, but the others are freely chosen up to a limit. So I chose my childhood friends.” Tatenashi explained the council’s membership. So they all grew up together, huh? I guess because their families were connected?
“Serving the young mistress is my duty.” Utsuho, having finished with the tea, poured it into the mugs. She bore herself with all the precision of a secretary or head maid.
“Stop calling me ‘young mistress.’”
“I’m sorry. I’m too used to it.”
It seemed like the Sarashiki family was of some repute? Tatenashi’s comportment made it obvious, I guess.
“Here you are, Orimura.”
“Th-Thank you.” Utsuho’s formality made me stiffen up in response.
“Honne, could you get the cake from the refrigerator?”
“Sure thing! See, I can do a good job as long as I’m awake!”
If you say so... She was still as slow as ever, and she stumbled as if still in a daze. But somehow, she stayed upright as she retrieved the cake.
“Orimu, this bakery... This bakery’s cakes are super, super, super, super tasty...” As she spoke, she served herself a piece as well.
“Stop that, Honne. Do you want him to think we were raised in a barn?”
“Oh, come on, it’s fine. Plus, it’s really tasty.”
She was gleefully licking the cream from the plastic wrap, to her sister’s dismay. With a dull thud, a fist interrupted her from continuing any longer.
