The wandering, solitary soul has no need for a place of attachment—at least, not for now.

In the student council room’s reception area, Tsukimitsu Jinguuji sat on the sofa. After making him a cup of black tea, the girl took a seat directly across from him.

“Please have some tea, Jinguuji,” she said.

“Does the president know who I am?” Jinguuji asked in return.

“Is that so surprising?”

The girl pursed her lips in a faint smile, gazing straight into Jinguuji’s eyes. As a third-year, she exuded a calm confidence that spoke of her seniority in every gesture.

“Since you entered the school, you’ve ranked first in every exam. As the student council president, I’d say it would be far harder not to know who you are.”

All the while, Morino Hoshino kept her eyes fixed on Jinguuji. Just as the rumors claimed, he did have an unusually handsome face.

In turn, Jinguuji was quietly observing Hoshino’s demeanor, assuring himself that the girl before him had completely forgotten the romance they once shared.

All in all, this was a good thing—it would spare them both from unnecessary complications.

And it would let him lie with a clearer conscience.

“In that case, President Morino, you must know why I’m here, so I’ll be frank. I don’t intend to join any school club. Please restore my special privileges.”

“Oh? I thought you’d use more tactful words when speaking to a girl.” The girl blinked her lovely eyes, neither agreeing nor refusing right away.

Those eyes seemed to have a strange magic. When Jinguuji first met her, he couldn’t help but be struck by their clear, shimmering depth, like sunlight glinting on a pristine lake.

Jinguuji fell silent for a moment.

“Is that necessary?” he finally asked.

“Not really, but you’re a little different from what I imagined. I was prepared for you to invite me to lunch and then slowly try to persuade me.”

“That sounds more like I’d be using lunch as a clumsy excuse to see you,” he replied.

“Well, the truth is you don’t have the best reputation at school. And, you know, I am a girl myself.”

So she was testing him.

That’s what Jinguuji thought.

“As for that matter, we weren’t targeting you specifically. For example, we’ve also revoked special privileges from another first-year, Yagami, who’s top in the overall rankings.

Apart from students with unavoidable circumstances—family reasons, health issues—I hope everyone can enjoy a rich and joyful high school life.”

She calls that a “request”?

“I suppose I should at least ask for a reason.”

“A reason?” The girl tilted her head slightly to the left, as if puzzled by his question.

“Isn’t it natural for high schoolers to join clubs, sweat together, and celebrate their youth?”

“Sorry, I’m more of an indoors type.”

“The volleyball club is a perfectly good choice, too.”

“……”

“Do you dislike club activities, Jinguuji?”

“If I had to say, I dislike group activities.”

“Oh dear—that’s a tough one. You see, humans are basically social creatures.”

Even when the president before him put on an act of helpless cuteness, spreading her hands with a gentle, weak smile, Jinguuji felt nothing.

Admittedly, Morino Hoshino’s figure was impressive, and her pose only made her curves all the more pronounced.

Jinguuji had long known that Morino Hoshino was Sakurakouji Sasa’s natural nemesis—at least in terms of physique.

For the record, he’d never so much as touched her.

“Trying to fit in with the group can be meaningful, can’t it?”

“Can President Morino be sure I don’t spend my after-school hours volunteering at an orphanage or doing something equally meaningful?”

“Eh? Do you?” She looked a little embarrassed.

“Please don’t blame yourself. I made that up. I’m not that noble.

After school, I usually hang around the front of Shimokitazawa Station, looking for girls who seem to be in trouble. That’s more my style.”

“That’s just picking up girls.”

“Some people call it that, but I don’t like the term ‘picking up’—it sounds too frivolous.”

Morino Hoshino suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

The boy before her kept saying things she didn’t want to hear, as if determined to prove he wasn’t a good person. Yet his casual demeanor seemed intentionally distant, as if he was keeping her at arm’s length.

Today, she was wearing black 30-denier tights beneath her skirt, but not once had the boy even glanced at her legs. For a teenager, that was almost unbelievable.

Especially since Jinguuji was notorious for being a womanizer—there was no reason for him to play the gentleman in front of her.

“Um… Jinguuji, I think you might have misunderstood me. Even as student council president, I’d never force you into a club you dislike. You can join whichever club interests you.”

“I refuse.”

“You really dislike club activities that much?”

“To be precise, I dislike group activities.”

In truth, Jinguuji’s main reason for not joining any club was that he had to deal with his girlfriends outside of school.

If he didn’t spend time on them, he would never have completed all the tasks the system assigned him so smoothly.

That being said, the idea of joining some high school social circle and running wild under the banner of “youth” was something he had no interest in.

“When people gather, a strict hierarchy inevitably emerges. Take right now, for example—I have to sit here with you, not because you’re president and I’m just an ordinary student.

They say school is a microcosm of society. Maybe ten years from now, I’ll still be in the same situation—unable to leave work on time on Fridays, forced to go drinking with a balding boss who doesn’t even want my company, just needs someone to pour his drinks and laugh at his jokes.

If that day comes, when I’m pouring for my boss, I’ll definitely remember this distant afternoon.

This moment—right now, President Morino.”

Morino Hoshino arched her elegant brows.

“Jinguuji, I’m not trying to scold you, but there’s something about what you just said that bothers me.”

“Please enlighten me.”

“You compared me to a balding boss.”

“My deepest apologies.”

“Don’t apologize so seriously—are you trying to make me believe I’ll really go bald?”

Maybe she meant to show her displeasure, but by the time she finished, she couldn’t help but smile at her own joke.

Jinguuji did not smile, only fell silent.

On the whole, Morino Hoshino was a gentle, approachable girl.

Even as student council president, vested with authority over the students, there was no arrogance in her manner. She was as graceful and serene as a spring hidden deep in the mountains.

Even with a troublemaker like Jinguuji, she treated him no differently than any other student, never lecturing from on high.

This was her strength—and her weakness. It was precisely why, back then, Jinguuji had been able to take advantage and hurt her so deeply.

Jinguuji thought, it was fortunate she had forgotten him.

And forgotten those bittersweet memories along with him.

“In some ways, the impression you give is a little different from the rumors,” Morino Hoshino remarked.

“I think you should believe the rumors, President Morino.”

“I haven’t said anything, have I?”

“At the very least, none of the rumors say I’m the kind of person who helps old ladies across the street.”

“If it were a pretty girl, I imagine you wouldn’t hesitate to lend a hand.”

Jinguuji shrugged. “That’s true.”

“Oh? So you do fit the rumors after all. And you admit it so easily?”

“Why not?”

“I always thought you were good at sweet-talking girls.”

“Unfortunately, President Morino, you’re not in my sights. Otherwise, I’d show you just how I deceive women.”

He was lying.

He didn’t have a girl he liked, nor would he ever.

But clearly, this tactic worked on Morino Hoshino.

When she heard the word “deceive” from Jinguuji’s lips, she frowned ever so slightly. She disliked words like that, even in jest.

As student council president, Morino Hoshino embodied the ideal of a model student, both in conduct and character, and she naturally couldn’t stand misbehavior.

For someone like Jinguuji, who played with girls so carelessly—even getting involved with a teacher—it was only right for her to dislike him.

Just because her first impression of him didn’t quite match the rumors, for a moment, Morino Hoshino almost let her guard down.

Looking at him again, the boy in front of her really did come across as frivolous—at the very least, not pleasant.

Of course, some of that was because Jinguuji had contradicted her at every turn since stepping into the room.

Morino Hoshino let out a long sigh. “Fine. I understand.”

“Will you return my privileges, then?”

She looked him in the face for a moment. Her voice, gentle as ever, suddenly took on a note of resolve.

“In that case, let’s go visit the clubs together now. We’ll keep looking until you find one that suits you.”

Jinguuji was caught off guard, then dumbfounded.

“What?”

……

……

After school, on the athletic field, a girl in sportswear sprinted along the track. Her lightly tanned, long legs moved with explosive power.

“Hey, that’s Sakurakouji, right? The track club ace—she was a national semi-finalist last year.”

“If only she were my girlfriend! Did you see those legs? If she wrapped them around you… damn!”

“Watch your mouth!”

The running girl gradually slowed, her aerodynamic chest rising and falling as she made her way toward the rest area with light, graceful steps.

Her gaze drifted to the club building in the distance, where, through the first-floor windows, a boy and a girl could be seen walking together down the corridor.

“Sasa, here.”

“Mm… thanks.”

The girl took the towel from her friend, wiping the sweat from her neck. A gust of early autumn wind lifted the hem of her tracksuit, revealing a flash of pale skin.

Looking toward the club building, amber eyes calm, Sakurakouji Sasa watched as the boy yawned behind the student council president, clearly bored and disinterested.

“So, they’re still dating after all. Liar,” she muttered under her breath.

“Come on, one more lap!” her friend called out.

Closing her eyes, the images of the boy and girl faded from her mind. Sakurakouji Sasa turned away, pursing her pink lips as if nothing had happened.

“Hey—no slacking!”