Spring Festival || Aki Hayakawa X OC

chapter 1: the council

The conference room is silent, save for the ticking clock on the wall. Niko and her brother Ren, are seated at the very end of a large mahogany table.

As the student council president of Fukushima Academy, her brother had a presence that could command any room. He was tall, dark, and imposing, yet he was fair and just in his leadership. However, his apathetic attitude towards paperwork was a huge flaw.

The student council meetings for the interschool festival were her least favorite. Her brother had the habit of leaving the least interesting bits to her and judging by the stack of paperwork conveniently placed in front of her, his system hadn't changed.

A little annoyed and becoming impatient, Niko is about to ask where their host is-- seeing as the other schools are already assembled-- when the door to the council room opens, and instantly when he steps in, the air in the room feels a little colder.

Aki Hayakawa, the student council president of Junpei Preparatory, enters with his vice president in tow.

Everyone in the room, even her brother seems to straighten up, and despite herself, Niko straightens too. As expected, he takes a seat at the head of the table and the meeting commences.

A little game Niko likes to play at these types of gatherings, where the atmosphere isn't all that exciting, is zoning out and tuning back in when either she or her school is mentioned.

She doesn't realize she's being addressed until Ren's elbow is digging into her side. The whole room has turned their attention towards her and she has no idea why.

"Is there something your vice president would like to add, Ren?" Aki asks, scowling at Niko. "If she has a question she wants to ask, she can raise her hand like the rest of us. No need to mumble."

A few snicker around the table and Niko's face feels warm. Aki narrows his eyes at her, glaring before he turns back to the laptop in front of him. What the hell?

Okay, what was that? What's his problem? She's pretty sure he just did that as some kind of sick power play because why would he even speak like she wasn't even in the room?!

The initial embarrassment fades quickly and is replaced by something unpleasant on her tongue. She didn't fail to notice the looks the other kids had given her, her mouth suddenly tasted bitter.

Aki moves on with the meeting, however, carrying on as though he hadn't just embarrassed her in a room full of people she doesn't know.

Ren mutters an affirmation as he pushes his chair back and stands, she follows behind him, throwing a glare at the dark-haired president before joining her brother at the front of the room.

A projector on the ceiling fires a white light at the wall and she steps back to work the machine, an image of Fukushima Academy's crest fills the illuminated patch. She clicks the remote and Ren begins his presentation for their school's budget report for the semester.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to speak. She may be the same age as these kids, but they are intimidating as hell and after what just happened, she doesn't trust herself not to mess up.

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"... and then the guy dares to call me out in front of the whole council! 'raise your hand like the rest of us, Niko' Ugh." she scoffs, "What does he know about "the rest of us"? Aren't his parents like, super loaded or something?"

Beside her, Ren is clutching his stomach, howling with laughter, totally oblivious to the shame and embarrassment she has just brought upon future generations. She punches his arm.

"Alright, alright, I shouldn't laugh, but like, what were you thinking, man? Zoning out and mumbling on top of that, you were asking for it to be honest." he chuckles calming down a little.

"Did he have to call me out like that, though? Ren, come on, even you'd think that wasn't cool."

"I mean, it's your fault for doing it in the first place, I don't know what you want me to tell you,"

Niko steps in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "I want you to take my side, dude! What kind of brother are you if you can't even support your twin!"

She lets him go and he tumbles back, falling on his ass.

"Ow! My perfectly sculpted butt" he whines, rubbing his back. "This is my only redeeming feature!"

She smirks, leaning over him. "Serves you right."

Suddenly, in one swift movement, Ren yanks her down and she lands on her knees, before she can cry out in pain, he has her in a headlock.

"Apologize to your older brother," he demands.

But this isn't the first time he pulls this move, she channels all her years of experience (torture) as if she's been preparing for this her whole life. Her arm is free, she can elbow him in the shin.

"Hell no, loser!" she cries and lifts her arm.

His grip remains iron-like, but she won't be deterred. She raises her arm higher, eyeing her target; it'll be easy to hurt him from this position. Niko feels a fire burn in her chest.

Someone clears their throat from behind them, and they both freeze. They look at each other, and then at the source of the sound. Aki Hayakawa stands with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring down at them, they look back at each other.

"What's he want?" Ren sneers, and huddles Niko covertly.

"I don't know," Niko replies, tilting her head. "Maybe if we keep our backs turned he'll go away?"

Ren's face lights up. "Good idea, if we don't move he can't see us!"

"How does that work?"

"Saw it in a documentary once,"

Niko nods, and they crouch down lower, their backs turned to him.

"What are you doing?" he asks, sounding genuinely perplexed, but Niko sighs at him dramatically.

"As you can see,"-- Ren bugs his eyes-- "we were in the middle of a civil debate, which I would've won if you hadn't so rudely interrupted us."

Aki rolls his eyes and rests a hand on his hip. "Shouldn't you be returning to your school? The others have left already, you're the only ones here."

Ren gasps, scandalized, and points at him. "Mom, what are you doing here?!"

Niko bursts into loud laughter, earning what she would call in her unbiased opinion, the most judgemental side eye from Aki.

But Ren lets her go and helps her to her feet. He won't go anywhere until they leave, so out of spite Niko shoulders past him and murmurs to her brother, just loud enough for Aki to hear:

"What's up his butt?"

Ren simply shrugs, and they make their way to the minibus.

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