"President, are you alright?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. Senior Tanaka looking worse than usual—dark circles under her eyes, a pale complexion, and a dazed, unfocused stare. With the vice president currently away handling matters with the teachers, only the two of us remained.
I knew what was weighing on her, but as long as she kept that wall between us, there was nothing I could do to comfort her without raising suspicion. She didn't answer my concern; instead, she merely whispered, to remind me once again "D-Don't come near me."
I stayed silent for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"I'll brew some tea for you. Drink it and rest for today. The vice president and I will handle everything else," I said, my voice steady. Without waiting for a reply, I turned and went to prepare the tea. After pouring it into a cup and placing it carefully on a small plate, I returned and offered it to her.
However, instead of accepting it, she clenched her teeth and swung her hand violently, sending the cup flying. It crashed onto the floor, spilling tea everywhere. With exhausted, furious eyes, she glared at me and shouted, "I said don't come near me! Are you deaf?!"
She panted heavily, her complexion growing even paler.
I remained silent, simply standing there, meeting her gaze without flinching. Her lips curled in frustration as she clicked her tongue and turned her head away.
"Tch! I really can't stand you," she spat. "What's even your problem? I'm the president. You just have to follow my orders, nothing more. Don't get any stupid ideas about getting close to me. Or what, are you having some weird thoughts? Know your place."
Noticing the lack of reaction from me—and the concern in my eyes only deepening—she finally snapped. She grabbed the glass of water from the desk and hurled its contents at me.
"Get out! I don't want to see your face right now!" she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her exhaustion.
It seemed my presence was only making things worse. Without saying a word, I quietly grabbed my bag and left the room. Outside, I checked the time on my phone—the club hours were nearly over.
I sent a message to the three girls, asking if any of them were still in their clubs. Surprisingly, all of them replied that they were.
So, I made my way to our usual meeting spot and waited for them to come out.
When they arrived, Yuka immediately noticed the dampness on my uniform, even though it had almost dried, she asked what had happened.
I casually brushed it off, making up a story about accidentally spilling water on myself while drinking.
That night, I was sleeping peacefully in my bed, just like always, when my rest was abruptly shattered by an intense, stinging pain on my wrist. I jolted upright, heart racing, and immediately checked the area.
There was nothing there—no wounds, no marks. Yet the searing pain was undeniable, as if multiple deep cuts had been carved into my wrist. A chilling weakness began to spread through my body, a coldness creeping in, as though I were losing blood at an alarming rate.
I could do nothing but clutch my wrist and groan in agony, writhing on the bed. Confusion and fear swirled inside me as I wondered what the hell was happening— then, like a cruel whisper, a memory surfaced.
[Pain Sharing :You will die from the same amount of pain the "Heroines" experienced that caused their death.]
It clicked immediately. And considering the storyline, it wasn't hard to guess who had taken this step.
"I shouldn't have left her alone..."
That was my final thought before the darkness swallowed me whole, leaving me powerless to do anything.
------
"President, I'm done with mine. Hand me some of your papers; I'll take care of them," I said.
After dying so abruptly, I returned back in the student council office, at the moment before everything went wrong. This time, I decided to approach her differently.
Knowing she wouldn't lower the wall between us so easily, I couldn't afford to repeat the same mistake.
Her condition looked just as bad as before—pale, exhausted, and clearly on the edge.
There was no doubt in my mind now: she was the one who had slit her wrists, the act that dragged me to death alongside her. But why? What was weighing so heavily on her? It felt too early for things to have spiraled that far.
Regardless, I still wanted to ease her burden.
But this time, just as she demanded, I wouldn't approach her as *Amane Hayato*.
I would act only as a member of the student council, dutifully doing my job.
She looked at me with those exhausted eyes, now tinged with a hint of disbelief. She was probably wondering how I had finished the tasks so quickly. Unknown to her, I had already done all of this once before— Repeating it was nothing difficult for me.
Just as I asked, she silently handed me half of the papers she had. No words were exchanged between us, but that was fine.
At least she was calmer than before— and more importantly, I am still here.
By the time we finished, it was nearly time for the school to close. The vice president, Issai, arrived to pick up the president.
"Miss Tsukuyo, it's time to go home. The car is waiting," he said politely.
I already knew their background, so nothing they said surprised or confused me. I left before them; the others had already gone home earlier, because I had stayed later than usual, worried about senior Tanaka.
From a distance, I watched until I saw her board the same car she always used.
Now what? I had no plan beyond this— and it wasn't like I could follow her while she was riding in a car.
The only thing I could do now was pray she didn't make the same tragic choice again.
But it seemed my prayers fell on deaf ears. That same night, the searing pain returned to my wrist— and once again, I died, overwhelmed by the sensation of losing blood.
I tried again and again, each time approaching her differently— but nothing worked.
The main reason was painfully clear: I didn't know what she was going through. It was frustrating— I couldn't ask her, couldn't follow her, and sneaking into her house to stop her was out of the question.
I stared at my reflection on the dark screen of my phone. After repeating the same day over and over, wrecking my brain for an immediate solution, my condition had started to look almost as bad as senior Tanaka's.
'That's it. I can't take it anymore,' I snapped internally.
I stood up and approached her without a shred of hesitation.
"How long are you going to keep this up?" I asked, my voice firm and unyielding.
She lifted her gaze, glaring at me in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.
My exhausted eyes didn't waver; they stayed locked onto hers.
"Just tell me what's troubling you already," I demanded.
Her frown deepened.
"Huh? Why should I? It has nothing to do—"
I cut her off mid-sentence.
"It does! Look at my eyes! I can't catch a break because I am always worring about you."
She snapped back at me, her voice rising,
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?! Did you hit your head somewhere?!"
I didn't stay silent this time and shot back just as strongly,
"Stop it! This isn't who you really are! Take off that damn mask already—it's frustrating to watch you pretend like this! How long are you going to stay a coward, haunted by your past? If you don't have the courage to face your fears alone, then just shut up and let me help you already, damn it!"
Senior Tanaka froze, visibly trembling, her expression cracking.
"H-How do you know abou—"
Her words were cut off by someone else entering the room. Even without hearing the rest, I knew what she was about to ask— how I knew about her past.
"Miss Tsukuyo, the teacher wants you to explain the details about this month's club budget by yourself,"
Vice President Issai announced as he entered and led senior Tanaka away.
Before leaving, however, he unmistakably shot a glance at me.
Something was wrong. He had never appeared at this time in any of the previous loops. So why now?
A suspicion clicked in my mind. Don't tell me… Does that bastard have some kind of listening device planted on senior Tanaka?
Given his personality, it wasn't just plausible— it was almost certain.
Whatever the case was, he had successfully ruined my attempt to break through her wall.
That night, I was prepared to die again— but it didn't happen.
For some reason, I was able to see the next day.