As time passed and things changed, he gradually found his way back to who he used to be.

The second-year school trip had come to an end.

As the second-year students filed out of the inn, Aoi Aoyama stood in a row with the other attendants, bowing quietly.

This silent farewell seemed to completely sever the connection between her and the young man.

Just as there had been no great fanfare upon their arrival, their parting was naturally light and effortless.

Seated on the bus heading to the station, Jinguji Tsukasa rested his chin in one hand, looking calmly through the window at the female attendant standing in front of the inn.

As the bus pulled away, the boy couldn't help turning his head back. When he caught sight of her engaged in an earnest conversation with the inn's proprietress, he finally withdrew his gaze.

The scenery outside shifted continuously, the glass reflecting the boy's faint silhouette, as gentle as the subtle smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

……

“Jiyugaoka! I am back!”

Stepping out of the station, Sakurakoji Sakura couldn't wait to raise both hands high, declaring her return to the chilly sky.

“Stop making such a fuss,” said Jinguji Tsukasa, following closely behind her with a rather helpless expression.

At that moment, the boy's hands were full of things, and besides that, he was lugging two huge suitcases packed with souvenirs bought in Kyoto, mostly intended as gifts for others.

Among them, only a tiny fraction had been bought by Jinguji Tsukasa himself; the rest belonged entirely to Sakurakoji Sakura.

After all, the difference in the number of friends these two had was simply worlds apart.

“Tsukasa, what are you planning to do for the rest of the day?”

“Go home first, then part-time work in the afternoon.”

“How diligent. Are you that short on money?”

“Not really.”

“Well… anyway, help me carry my luggage to my house first.”

“You certainly know how to boss people around.”

“Got a problem with that?”

“……No.”

After that, Jinguji Tsukasa first went to the Sakurakoji residence and helped settle Sakurakoji Sakura's luggage. Upon returning home, Kokoro, whom he hadn't seen in days, turned out to be unexpectedly clingy. After brushing the cat for a while, Jinguji Tsukasa packed his bag and prepared to head out.

When he arrived at the bookstore, Miss Nagumo was on duty. Jinguji Tsukasa took a box of Yatsuhashi purchased in Kyoto out of his bag and handed it to her.

Although Miss Nagumo was usually an unserious adult who liked making suggestive remarks to high school boys, she was, in all fairness, a good person and took quite good care of Jinguji Tsukasa.

“My, Luna-chan, have you been getting a bit more cheerful lately?”

“Huh? Who?”

“You, of course.”

“I was born with the image of a bright and cheerful young man, is there something wrong with that?”

“He laughed, he actually laughed!”

Miss Nagumo laughed heartily and patted Jinguji Tsukasa on the head, leaving him rather depressed as he resolved to get back at her through her niece.

For the entire afternoon, Jinguji Tsukasa sat leisurely behind the cash register reading a book. That trip to Kyoto felt like nothing more than a fleeting puff of smoke, leaving no trace upon him whatsoever.

By evening, the little brass bell at the entrance chimed crisply, and a short girl in a school uniform appeared inside the shop.

“Auntie, I am back~”

“Listen to this, listen to this! Today, a third-year senior confessed to me! Heh heh! As expected of me! Now I can finally show off properly to Senior Jinguji and see if he dares treat me like a kid again.”

“Oh, welcome back.” The boy, buried in his book, replied without even lifting his head.

“Eh?! Auntie, your voice suddenly got super deep!”

“Idiot, it's me.”

“Eh? Ehhhhhhh! Senior! Why?!”

“Your reaction is way too entertaining.”

The little animal he hadn't seen in days widened her eyes, staring at the boy in a mix of surprise and uncertainty, as if suspecting that the Jinguji Tsukasa before her might just be an illusion.

“Senior… when did you get back?”

“At noon,” Jinguji Tsukasa replied very calmly. In contrast, Yomiya You was immensely shaken, her face turning much redder than usual.

“Oh, oh… is that so…”

Blushing, the little animal walked silently behind the cash register, took out a dark green work apron from beneath the counter, and put it on.

“Why are you suddenly acting like such a good girl? Weren't you just boasting triumphantly about showing off to me?”

“Ah… that was, um… I, I was just joking.” Yomiya You's gaze drifted, her voice carrying a cute tremble.

“You're even getting embarrassed now.”

“I, I am not embarrassed at all! I'm just sympathizing with a senior who has never been confessed to by a girl. That's my kindness!”

“I do get confessed to, you know.”

“Eh? Senior?” Yomiya You instantly froze.

“Yeah.”

“By girls from our school?”

“That's right.”

“Pfft~~ There you go again. Why would any girls from our school take a fancy to you? Everyone says you're a scumbag, you know~~ Ouch!”

Jinguji Tsukasa calmly withdrew his hand, thinking that the texture of this little animal's head was truly something else—it really was addictive.

“Why are you turning to violence against your cute underclassman the moment you get back? Senior, you need to cherish me more, or else I'm going to go on strike! I'll quit the student council!”

“Yes, yes~”

“So casual! You're not taking me seriously at all!”

Jinguji Tsukasa took another box of souvenirs out of his bag.

“Yatsuhashi. Want some?”

“Eh? Is this for me? Um… thank you very much, I'll dig in—Ouch! What is it this time?!”

“I didn't say you could eat it here, you'll dirty the books. Eat it when you get home.”

Since the boy's reason was far too legitimate, Yomiya You could not utter a single word in retort. She could only puff out her cheeks, clutch the souvenir box the boy had handed her, and pout in silence.

Jinguji Tsukasa squeezed his palm, marveling that the tactile sensation truly was exceptional.

“Hey, Yomiya.”

“What is it, violent senior?”

“How was the student council while I was away?”

“Hmph! Thanks to me, even without the senior, the student council ran smoothly. Plus, I even found a student who might become a new member. How about we just oust the senior and run things without you?

“The seat of student council president, I gladly accept!

“Heh heh heh!”

Jinguji Tsukasa quietly watched her solo performance, a soft smile inevitably forming on his face.

“Eh? This is the part where you're supposed to roast me, Senior. Why aren't you teasing me like you usually do?” The girl looked at the boy in confusion.

“That's true. Well… I'd also like to see what Yomiya looks like as student council president. I'm sure she'd run the school in a very entertaining way.”

“Mmph… Hearing you say that, Senior, I'm actually a little shy.”

Jinguji Tsukasa was momentarily left speechless, then said, “Though if you're going to be student council president, to set a good example, you mustn't go around dating casually, you know.”

“There's a rule like that? Oh well… anyway, I wasn't planning on dating.” Yomiya You shrugged, showing complete indifference.

“Didn't you just say you were confessed to earlier?” Jinguji Tsukasa pointed out.

“There's no rule saying you have to accept just because someone confesses. I wouldn't deign to look at some loser who can't even rank first in their grade.”

It seemed this underclassman also possessed rather eccentric quirks, actually using academic standing as a screening condition for romantic partners. Still, since Yomiya You herself was a genius, perhaps that condition wasn't too unreasonable after all.

……

After the school trip concluded, the school welcomed the midterm examinations of the third term.

Without any surprises, the thrones for the top rank across the first, second, and third years were still monopolized by Yomiya You, Jinguji Tsukasa, and Hoshinomori Hirono.

Especially Jinguji Tsukasa and Yomiya You, who were double monsters that had consistently scored perfect marks in every subject on major exams ever since their enrollment.

The change brought about by these academic results was an ordinary students' yearning and aspiration toward the student council. It was said that only those standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid could join it.

Of course, that wasn't true. As far as Jinguji Tsukasa was concerned, as long as they could be useful, even a cat could join the student council.

All in all, because of these awe-inspiring academic achievements, an invisible high wall had formed between the student council members and the general student body.

Additionally, it was worth noting that ever since the second-year school trip ended.

A rumor had circulated among the second-years that Jinguji Tsukasa wasn't actually a scumbag. This rumor spread outward from Class A and Class B, backed by group photos from the school trip as evidence, which cleared up the rumors of a romance between Jinguji Tsukasa and Aoi Aoyama, making its credibility extremely high.

Moreover, ever since Jinguji Tsukasa became student council president, he had followed Hoshinomori Hirono's advice to appropriately relax the school rules. While dyeing hair remained prohibited, moderate makeup, manicures, and earrings had been officially permitted, winning him immense popularity.

Consequently, those who had never cared about him before blindly chose to stand on Jinguji Tsukasa's side.

Having served in the student council for two terms, Jinguji Tsukasa had completed a dual reversal of his public reputation and status.

It was precisely because of his past experience of being ostracized that he possessed a heart more willing to empathize with others than the average person. He implemented an anonymous reporting system within the school, preventing the student council from becoming a cold campus organization and striving instead to make it a warmer community.

For the future of Kami-Sakura High School, for every future generation of the student council, and for every student in this school.

This would be inherited for a long time to come as a tradition of Kami-Sakura High School.

Perhaps this was a very trivial matter. Even during his tenure, not a single person might trust the student council, and no one might ever come to them to discuss or pour out their troubles.

Even so, it had to be done. Jinguji Tsukasa firmly believed this would become a starting point, just like when he had met Hoshinomori Hirono back then.

……

The February breeze gradually grew pleasant. The boy stood in the connecting corridor, looking out at the distant playground in a quiet reverie, while the sounds of conversation and farewell echoed back and forth along the hallway.

It was already dismissal time. Ordinarily, Jinguji Tsukasa would have been hard at work in the student council room at this hour, but today he had something else to attend to.

He didn't have to wait long before a long-haired girl wearing a pink headband appeared in the boy's field of vision.

The boy's gaze was calm, without a trace of evasion, filled with a gentle serenity that instantly put anyone who looked at him at ease.

“H… Hello, Senior Jinguji.”

“Hello, Anri-san.”

He would no longer make a point of deliberately getting a girl's name wrong. He looked into her eyes earnestly, accepting her feelings head-on, and on that basis, without pretense or falsehood, conveyed his most genuine thoughts.

“These are chocolates I made myself, Senior Jinguji. Would you be willing to accept them?”

“I… I've always looked up to Senior Jinguji. You're so handsome and wise, and before I knew it, I had fallen deeply in love with you. I know I'm not very smart, that I live in a completely different world from Senior Jinguji, and even if I wanted to join the student council, I don't have any special talents.

“Even so, I still like you so much! So! Please… would you go out with me!?”

The underclassman before him mustered up her courage, her cheeks flushed crimson, her hands trembling slightly as she held the transparent packaging bag in her palms.

The exquisite packaging, the pink ribbon, the heart-shaped chocolates—no matter how one looked at it, this could by no means be called a "courtesy gift."

Yet, no matter how many times it happened, rejecting a girl's feelings was truly a sorrowful thing.

To shatter the courage they had mustered, and watch their expressions shift from nervous anticipation to disappointment.

Even so, he couldn't say ambiguous things, nor could he give them false hope where none existed.

If hurting them was unavoidable, he would at least respond honestly, acting as the Jinguji Tsukasa they hoped for.

“I'm very glad for your feelings, but I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to date anyone.”

“…….”

The girl seemed to have anticipated this answer long ago; her raised hands abruptly sank, and tears were already welling up in her eyes.

The boy tightly gripped the pink envelope in his hand. He couldn't quite tell if his heart was calm or fluttering; more than that, it was a shift in emotional state.

Having encountered the exact same situation, he felt a mindset entirely different from his former self. He didn't know if this could be called growth.

Yet at least he distinctly sensed that he had changed—he wanted to be sincere, he wanted to treat others with greater gentleness.

Not to become the outstanding Jinguji Tsukasa in people's mouths, nor to fulfill anyone else's expectations, but simply because he wanted to.

The original Jinguji Tsukasa wanted to do this.

“Hey, Anri-san, could I have one of these chocolates?”

“Eh? P… Please go ahead…”

“Thank you.”

Carefully untying the ribbon, the boy picked out a piece of chocolate that wasn't heart-shaped and popped it into his mouth.

“It's very delicious. Thank you for being willing to prepare chocolates for me.”

“……Senior… Jinguji……”

She stared blankly at the boy before her, forgetting even to shed her tears, not daring to blink for a single second lest his gentle smile vanish right then and there.

From the distant corridor came the sound of students laughing and playing, the muffled thud of a batted baseball striking the wire netting, and a continuous wave of cheers surging up into the February sky.

“I may not be able to accept your confession, but I deeply admire anyone who works hard for something.

“Those who study hard, those who work hard in club activities, those who work hard to make chocolates.”

As Jinguji Tsukasa spoke calmly, the underclassman before him could no longer tear her gaze away, completely captivated by the boy. Even the pain of being rejected seemed to fade away, leaving her utterly lost in the gentle aura radiating from him.

“Also, the student council is a lot of fun. If you get the chance, please definitely join. I warmly welcome anyone who wants to make this school a better place.”

Having left her with those words, the boy turned and walked away with a smile, leaving her standing frozen in place, gazing at his receding back for a long, lingering moment.