"NO, IT CAN'T BE."
A young man in a neatly worn high school uniform slammed both hands onto a large brown desk, the sound echoing through the quiet student council room. His face was pale with panic, and the armband on his arm clearly read: Student Council President.
"The school festival is almost here, and we don't have enough budget!" he shouted, his voice cracking as he looked down at the scattered documents on the desk.
Nearby, a girl with black hair and black eyes was calmly stacking books and loose papers, her movements careful and organized. She glanced at him and spoke in a steady voice.
"President Sugato, then why not ask the school for additional funds?"
Sugato slowly turned toward her, his shoulders drooping. His expression shifted from panic to helpless despair.
"We already used it all on the last school trip," he said weakly.
"I thought if we ate expensive food and stayed in a good hotel, everyone would be more excited for our projects. But we ended up spending way too much money."
He buried his face in his hands for a moment before looking up at her again.
"Argh… hey, Kehea, what should I do?"
Kehea paused, holding the stack of books against her chest. She thought for a moment before answering.
"That's a serious problem," she said.
"We could ask everyone to contribute money, but that would put the council in a bad position. It would look shameful."
The moment she finished speaking, Sugato's eyes widened. As if struck by sudden inspiration, he jumped up from his chair.
"I know!"
Kehea stopped mid-step, startled by his sudden outburst. She turned around and looked at him.
"What is it?"
Sugato leaned forward eagerly.
"Do you remember the guy who donated money to the council during last year's sports festival?"
Kehea blinked, then slowly nodded as realization dawned on her.
"Oh, right. Uh… what was his name again?"
Sugato clenched his fist, confidence returning to his face.
"We can ask him again. I've heard he's extremely wealthy. If he helps us this time, we can pay him back after the festival ends."
Kehea frowned slightly, clearly unsure.
"Yeah, but will he even agree to help again?"
Sugato's expression softened, and his shoulders slumped once more.
"But he's our only hope."
Without wasting time, he grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and began writing quickly, his hand moving with urgency.
"You're going out anyway, right?" he said, tearing the paper off and handing it to her.
"Give this to Renka, okay?"
Kehea took the paper and looked at it, confused.
"Huh? You're giving this task to Renka? Shouldn't you be the one handling something this important?"
Sugato scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.
"Sorry. I have a meeting to attend, and you also have club activities. It'll be better if she goes."
Kehea let out a small sigh.
"Alright, alright. See you later, President."
She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sugato behind as he waved at her with forced optimism.
Outside, the vast high school grounds were filled with energy. Students ran across the field, some practicing sports, others cleaning up decorations. A few were busy tending to the garden, while groups gathered around, discussing plans and laughing.
As Kehea walked through the campus, her eyes caught sight of several students setting up a large board near the main path. Painted boldly across it were the words:
"Satarou High School Festival."
Kehea placed all the materials she was carrying into the locker room, arranging them neatly before closing the locker and locking it with a soft click. After that, she took out the paper the president had given her and glanced at it once more.
She stepped out of the room and headed upstairs. The hallway was lively, filled with students chatting in groups, laughing loudly, and moving back and forth between classrooms. After walking a short distance, she stopped in front of a classroom door labeled "2-B".
Kehea slowly slid the door open and peeked inside. Only a few students were present. Some were talking quietly near the windows, while others sat at their desks reading manga without much concern for their surroundings.
Her eyes moved across the room, and soon a small smile appeared on her face.
"Renka!"
At her call, a girl sitting in the fourth seat of the middle row turned around. She had wavy, slightly messy green hair that reached her shoulders and soft pink eyes. Her expression was innocent and a little surprised. On her wrist was an armband that read: Student Council Vice-President.
Kehea waved her hand lightly, signaling her to come over.
Renka slowly stood up from her seat, holding a notebook and a pencil, and walked toward the door.
Without wasting time, Kehea took out the paper and handed it to her. Renka accepted it and began reading. After a few moments, her eyes widened slightly. She looked up, but Kehea had already turned away.
"Sorry, I have club activities to attend, hehe," Kehea said while waving her hand over her shoulder.
She quickly walked downstairs and disappeared into the crowd.
Renka stood there for a moment, staring at the paper. Slowly, she puffed her cheeks in mild frustration.
Back in the student council room, Sugato sat quietly at his desk. He looked down at the scattered documents and muttered to himself.
"Kenzo Urano… a brilliant second-year student from Class A. Last year, he helped us a lot by donating money for the sports festival. After that, we tried talking to him, tried to be friendly, even asked him to join the council. But he said he wanted to stay alone."
Sugato leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"He never spoke to the council again after that. I wonder… what kind of person he really is."
Inside Class 2-A, Renka stood near two students who were seated and chatting.
"Huh? You're looking for Urano?" one of them asked.
Renka nodded softly.
The other student waved his hand casually. "You won't find him in class at this hour, I think he's on the rooftop as usual."
Renka paused for a brief moment, then bowed her head slightly before turning and walking away.
"Why is the council looking for him?" one of the boys whispered.
"I don't know he doesn't talk to anyone do you think he did something?" the other replied.
Renka quietly closed the classroom door and walked down the hallway, holding her notebook tightly against her chest.
She made her way upstairs toward the rooftop. When she reached the gate, she stopped and hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, she pushed it open.
A strong breeze rushed toward her, making her hair and clothes sway. She stepped inside and looked around. The rooftop was empty.
Or so she thought.
"Who?"
The sudden voice startled her. Renka flinched and stepped back, quickly turning her head toward the sound.
There, leaning against the wall, was a boy. He had medium length curly brown hair and dark eyes, with faint dark circles beneath them. He looked at her with a lazy expression before his gaze dropped to the band on her wrist.
"Vice-president?..."
Renka realized who he was. She steadied herself, then opened her notebook and began writing carefully. After finishing, she turned the notebook toward him.
Urano glanced at it and read the neatly written words.
"Hello, Kenzo Urano?"
He stared at the notebook for a moment, then looked at her, confused.
'huh… why is she writing…'
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He slowly raised his eyes to her face. Renka was looking back at him, her expression nervous yet earnest.
'Oh right… the vice-president is… mute.'