novelraw Chapter 429: Iino Miko: I Want to Kill Someone
Chapter 429: Iino Miko: I Want to Kill Someone
Iino Miko looked out through the transparent glass door, slightly pensive.
It wasn't until she heard footsteps behind her, along with a man's voice saying, "Why aren't you sleeping so late?" that she turned to see who had come.
It wasn't Shirogane Miyuki—the one who always cares about everyone in the student council—but Sakurai Saki—the one in the student council who cared about her the most.
These two people were completely different.
During the student council elections, it was this person who had advised her, comforted her, and eased her worries. The fear, anxiety, and even a bit of regret that Iino Miko had felt back then were all soothed by his guidance.
So…
To live up to Sakurai Saki's expectations, Iino Miko made an effort to overcome her social anxiety and communicate with everyone.
She tried to understand, and to be understood by others.
That was the essence of social interaction.
Iino Miko had spent a lot of time gradually realizing that simply imposing her own thoughts on others was wrong; she needed to understand their thoughts while letting them understand hers. Only then could she achieve her own dream—to change Shuuchiin, even rise higher, to change this world itself, making it a better, more just place.
"I couldn't sleep, so I just came out to get some fresh air…"
Iino Miko smiled at Sakurai Saki, seeing him walk straight over and sit in the chair beside her.
This was the place for afternoon tea; the lighting was excellent.
But recently, the temperature had been very high; even on the mountain at night, it was close to 30 degrees—hardly an ideal place to enjoy a breeze.
Sakurai Saki guessed she had something troubling her.
What kind of trouble kept a girl from sleeping in the middle of the night?
Could it be because of someone she liked?
Sakurai Saki couldn't help thinking about that possibility. After all, Iino Miko was a teenage girl, emotional and sensitive; it was normal for her to like a boy—just who it was, he didn't know. The boy she often got close to in class seemed to be only Ishigami Yuu—but the two of them's personalities made any romantic relationship impossible.
'Who could it be?'
Sakurai Saki always regarded her as a cute kouhai; he really had no other intentions. Even though he often hugged Iino Miko, it was just sibling-like affection. As Hayasaka Ai said, both of them treated Iino Miko as a little sister.
Therefore, he naturally assumed that Iino Miko also saw him as the older brother and senpai she liked.
"Sakurai-senpai, did you come here because you couldn't sleep too?"
"Umu."
At first, he thought someone had come for a "night raid," but unexpectedly, it was Iino Miko out for a breeze—something Sakurai Saki hadn't predicted.
"Are you troubled by something?" Iino Miko tried to probe Sakurai Saki's mind.
She really expected that if Sakurai Saki faced a problem he couldn't solve, then at this moment, the normally cute Kouhai-chan who did nothing else would suddenly become a hero, descend, and solve the difficulty. Wouldn't that be so cool?
"There's nothing. Everything's going smoothly lately." Sakurai Saki quickly cut off her heroic daydream—a true villain.
"Oh~ really nothing?"
Seeing her expectant expression, he smiled lightly: "Miko-chan, do you hope I run into trouble that much?"
Iino Miko shook her head and explained: "It's because I've always been the one in trouble, then senpai helps me. I feel that not returning the favor over the long term isn't right."
These small favors keep accumulating, eventually becoming debts that are hard to repay—what should one do then?
Dedicate oneself entirely? This isn't the ancient era; such scenarios have long been outdated.
"If friends help each other but you still have to repay them, can this relationship even be called friendship?"
Sakurai Saki didn't allow Miko to return the favor. He didn't like people approaching others with ulterior motives, and he was no good to people who approached him with such intentions…
"Sakurai-senpai, even blood relatives have to keep accounts straight, divorced couples have to divide their assets, and when parents pass away, siblings often fight over inheritance—there are plenty of examples." Iino Miko spoke fluently.
Her future dream was to become a judge, so refuting like this was not difficult at all.
"By your reasoning, Miko-chan, there's no true affection left in this world; everything is just an exchange of benefits. The human world is really terrifying, isn't it?"
Sakurai Saki felt that Iino Miko had internalized her legal studies.
At sixteen, she had already seen through enough of life's evil—by thirty, wouldn't she reach full enlightenment and perhaps even become a monk?
'...Dating a practical girl like Miko would be exhausting, wouldn't it? Compared to Nino's idealistic love, dating her would be no pressure at all.'
Sakurai Saki, who had always regarded Iino Miko as a mascot, suddenly noticed another side of her—or rather, a side he normally didn't pay attention to.
He hadn't noticed Miko's characteristics because in front of him, Iino Miko never spoke this way; she always played the role of the 'cute Kouhai-chan'—clingy, liking hugs, speaking sweetly like honey.
All in all, now Sakurai Saki was a little surprised.
"But I only gave extreme examples. Most siblings live harmoniously, many families have happy marriages, and couples who date for over ten years before marriage aren't uncommon either."
Iino Miko refuted her own point and then said to Sakurai Saki: "Earlier, I didn't mean to settle accounts with you, Sakurai-senpai, it's just that you've been so good to me, and my conscience feels uneasy…"
Every time before exams, he would give her food, check if she had an umbrella when it rained, and during Christmas or New Year, his phone was always there—too many instances for Iino Miko to count.
She sometimes wondered how a stubborn girl like herself could have Sakurai Saki patiently interact with her, chatting every morning back in first year… Although Miko always said the candy he gave her was a bribe, in her heart she knew it was Sakurai Saki's goodwill.
Gradually interacting, especially in the student council, their relationship improved. Miko realized he could get angry, was very competitive, liked others, and even did things against norms. She discovered many flaws in him, yet still couldn't help wanting to be close.
But she was only a little sister; Sakurai Saki had never seen her as a romantic interest.
Iino Miko knew this.
She had initially tried to regard Sakurai Saki solely as a respected senpai, but realized that seemed impossible.
Even if rejected, even if there was no future, it didn't matter—she wanted to speak her mind.
"Senpai, tonight I have a lot on my mind, could you listen to me?" Miko's voice was gentle.
Besides the matters of owing Sakurai Saki, Miko had another topic she wanted to discuss.
"If you want."
"I trust senpai will be a very good listener."
Iino Miko felt that no problem could trouble him, since last time when Shinomiya Kaguya was taken by the Shinomiya family, it was Sakurai-senpai who rescued her.
"Shinomiya-senpai said she would help me become Shuchiin's student council president this September. But I'm still uncertain about the choice of members."
'Members? It seems best to select from first years. But I aren't very familiar with the current first years yet…' Sakurai Saki thought.
He knew the outstanding first-year students well.
For example, this year's special selection students—mixed students—because Shirogane Miyuki had been looked down on before, he and Sakurai Saki wanted to prevent that phenomenon, paying particular attention to the mixed students.
"From what you're saying, you already have some ideas?"
"Umu. Good grades, solid personalities, high test scores from the last exam—I've shortlisted a few… Tono Mitama, a slightly dreamy girl, but lively, socially skilled, very popular among first years. I think the new student council wants to quickly assert its position, so it's necessary to attract reputable first-year students."
"And what about positions?"
"Secretary." Iino Miko spoke the answer she had prepared long ago.
"...Feels like Chika all over again, another energetic, noisy person." Sakurai Saki already felt bothered just thinking about adding another energetic secretary.
"Also, Kanegae Kogane, the star of this year's Art Club, has been famous since middle school. I plan to make her Auditor." Although Miko said she hadn't had any ideas, she had actually already selected two members.
Besides that, there were still several other positions.
General Affairs, Vice President, Treasurer.
"You don't have any ideas for Treasurer?"
"...I want Ishigami to be Treasurer."
"He won't agree. Moreover, Vice President would make more sense, since you plan to bring in all the new students; letting them be Vice Presidents wouldn't work. Ishigami now has a good reputation in school; making him Vice President would also earn respect."
"Right, he won't agree." Iino Miko found this troublesome for that very reason.
The reason Ishigami Yuu joined the student council was that a few senpai had pulled him out of the mud, and he was eager to meet their expectations. In this regard, Ishigami Yuu and Miko were very similar—both were the type to strive to fulfill others' expectations.
"If a few of us ask him, he'll probably agree."
Ishigami Yuu had previously promised Shinomiya Kaguya that he would achieve top results—specifically, within the top ten of exams.
Don't think that most of this year's student council members are in the top five; but being in Shuuchiin's top ten was no small feat.
You must know, Shuuchiin has a standard deviation of 77; making the top ten in this school is unimaginably difficult.
"Forget it, just seeing him annoys me. Moreover, if senpai asks him for me, I'd rather invite him myself."
Iino Miko didn't see this as embarrassing.
She was no longer the Miko who constantly quarreled with Ishigami Yuu; now, she had transformed from a 'Magikarp' into a fierce 'Gyarados'!
Mainly, if the student council really only had Iino Miko as the 'old member,' she didn't think she alone could lead the whole team well. After all, Miko was only an Auditor; many matters belonged to the President and Vice President, which she wasn't involved in.
With Ishigami Yuu—a highly experienced person—helping, everything would be much easier.
But if he didn't agree, Iino Miko wouldn't force him.
She knew Ishigami Yuu wanted to take the university entrance exam like Koyasu Tsubame… whether he would be willing to spend a lot of time helping the student council remained a question.
"It's been a while since you two argued. Have things cooled down?" Sakurai Saki was curious.
Miko answered briefly: "Arguing with him serves no purpose."
Compared to arguing, Iino Miko preferred reading books in the student council.
Currently, it seemed the only person left in the student council who still liked arguing with Ishigami Yuu was Chika, who was a bit too energetic.
"Miko-chan has grown up, hasn't she?" Sakurai Saki, like an old father, exclaimed.
Iino Miko, who previously could not maintain composure in front of Ishigami Yuu, could now control her emotions—whether angry or happy, nothing showed. There was no doubt this was a sign of maturity.
"Grown up? Really?"
"Umu."
'But senpai, you've never seen me as a girl…' Miko moaned softly.
Is it because I'm too short?
Or because I always act clingy? But when I see senpai, I just can't help it…
"Senpai, can we pause the student council topic here?"
After speaking, waiting for Sakurai Saki to nod, Miko continued: "I have another concern, about a friend of mine."
'This friend… isn't Miko herself, right?'
Sakurai Saki immediately guessed her meaning, but he still chose to listen seriously.
"She's a second-year student, with a senpai in the same club. At first, she found him annoying and often teased her, so she had no good impression. But later, my friend realized that senpai was caring about her, and because she's not good at socializing, has few friends, and is stubborn..."
After finishing, Iino Miko smiled gently: "Strange, isn't it? There's someone willing to reach out to a lonely, stubborn girl. Any ordinary boy would definitely run away at the sight of her."
"Is that friend of yours cute?"
"Not to the extent of being cute." Miko said this purely as modesty on behalf of herself, but then she realized and hurriedly corrected: "That senpai definitely didn't approach her because she's cute, that point… my friend already told me."
Miko's acting was terrible—didn't "her friend" tell her that?
"And then? That friend of yours likes that senpai now?"
Sakurai Saki had basically guessed everything.
"Yes. But unfortunately, that senpai already has a girlfriend, and she's a mature girl of the same year. As for her, since senpai always saw her as a little sister, she feels there's no hope."
After Iino Miko finished speaking, everything finally became clear——
"Senpai, what do you think she should do? Give up, or continue holding on?"
Hearing that, Sakurai Saki stared at her face, unable to answer for a moment.
"Sakurai-senpai… you've probably guessed already. I like..."
Just as Miko was about to confess, from the living room connected to the balcony came a noise, and very quickly, a pink-haired figure appeared under the moonlight, along with a voice:
"Miko-chan!! Don't let your friend give up!"
In the silent midnight, Fujiwara Chika, who was preparing to 'ambush' Sakurai Saki, had heard everything!!
Chika, the love detective, would absolutely never miss any romance-related rumor!!
Especially one involving Miko!!
...