“All righty then, Brain, so then what shall we do?”
“Ha-ha-ha, you’re still a no-brain, huh.”
On the way back that day, we were having a strategy meeting as we walked.
“Of course! That’s what you’re here for!”
But still, what we were thinking of wasn’t that complicated.
I’d asked Mimimi to get the situation from the student council members, and from what I’d heard from her, it seemed that the student council had mainly been relying on Hinami’s connections to come up with guest candidates for the career-path seminar, and then they contacted them one by one. But Hinami had vanished halfway through the process, and everyone they had reached out to had refused, they’d said.
Hmm, hmm…
“So that’s why they haven’t made any progress,” I said.
“It’s actually getting me excited to not have anyone taking over!” Mimimi chuckled, and I laughed back.
“Then…I think the question’ll be who we invite. Is there anyone you can think of?”
“Hmmm. You mean it should be someone as famous as possible, right?”
“Probably…from what I’ve heard.”
I’d had absolutely no interest in the event, after all. I’d basically forgotten everything about my time at school before I started playing the game of life, since every day back then had just been “nothing happening” to me, so I functionally only had one day’s worth of memory. In other words, that also meant that I wasn’t wasting my memory allocation. Jealous, aren’t you?
“My mom works for a beauty company,” Mimimi said, “and she might know some people in the industry…but a model isn’t quite who you want to invite for something like this, huh.”
“Hmm, I feel like it’s not out of the question…but I’m not sure.” It didn’t feel like it was the absolute right answer. Also, it seemed like it would cost a lot of money.
“But what about you, Brain—? You don’t have anyone? Like a famous person you know!”
“No, I—,” I started to say, and then I realized. “Ah.”
Oh yeah. Recently, I had taken a step into the adult world, which had been unknown to me. I had even spoken with people from that world.
And I felt like there was one person there who would fit that perfectly.
“Ohhh! So there was someone!”
I nodded, and after thinking about it realistically—I figured it wasn’t actually a bad plan.
That profession would probably be popular with high school students, he was probably used to talking in front of people, and most of all, it would be easy for me to ask him.
“I might have someone. And he’s someone I’d like to ask more about his job myself.”
✦ ✦ ✦
It was lunch break the next day.
“I see… For the student council.”
“Yeah. So I had to tell you, Kikuchi-san.”
“Oh…thank you.”
I’d come to the library for the first time in quite a while, sharing with Kikuchi-san the conversation I’d had with Mimimi.
I was telling her what I’d mentioned about Haruka-chan, and the matter of helping the student council.
“But that’s rather interesting,” she said as she set down an astronomy book. “So when the person you have as a role model is unhappy, then…”
“…Yeah?” So that’s what she’s interested in, I thought. Kikuchi-san was not talking about the student council, but my conversation with Mimimi before that.
That remark must have pulled at her heartstrings, as she repeated it and lowered her eyes thoughtfully before eventually lifting her chin like she’d suddenly realized something. “Um…so then will the career-path seminar…be all right?” She changed the subject.
“Oh yeah. Actually, I already have an idea about that.” I nodded.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, really? A guest, you mean?”
“Yeah. I’d like to ask someone I got to know at a meetup recently. So next time I see him, I was thinking I could go to a tournament and discuss it…”
“A tournament… I see.” That must have made her figure out who I wanted to invite.
But at the same time, I could also see her expression grow somber. “Um…at the tournament…… No, never mind, actually.” She started to say something and then stopped, unsure.
So I said it myself. “Um, Kikuchi-san. I’d like you to come with me.”
“Huh…?” Her eyes widened. “B-but I’m not in the student council…”
“Neither am I.” I was just the Brain for the impromptu student council president substitute.
“But…”
“I don’t want to worry you.”
Kikuchi-san’s lips opened in a little gasp.
I’m sure she was about to ask whether Rena-chan would be at that tournament. And maybe she was also worried about me going there alone with Mimimi.
I wanted to do my own thing and also show care to my girlfriend, Kikuchi-san—so I wanted to think carefully and keep everything in balance as I moved forward.
That’s how you battle with life, I think.