Ayano Aishi, the Emotionless Lover

Week Six, Wednesday

Week Six, Wednesday

 

    They day starts just as normally as yesterday. Ayano gets up on time, and goes through her morning routine. She idly wonders about what the day will bring as she gets into her uniform, and makes sure that her necklace is still on when she grabs her bag. Finally, she grabs her phone, slipping it into her blazer’s pocket before she opens the door. And, as usual, all five of her friends are there, waiting for her. 

    When Ayano gets to school, she heads straight to the Student Council room, her group of six separating at the gates. She keeps an eye out for anything suspicious, but nothing catches her interest on the way to her club.

    It’s when she steps into the room that her day changes. Ayano walks into the room, and is greeted with the sight of frustration. The Headmaster is in the room, and he and Kuroko are angrily discussing something. Meanwhile, Akane looks overwhelmed by something that she’s reading. Aoi and Shiromi, behind her, look exhausted.

    As soon as Ayano shuts the door behind her, Shiromi looks up. “Ayano, good timing. We need some help here.”

    “What is it?” Ayano asks, setting her bag down. 

    “We forgot that the Gardening Club leader had a meeting with us planned for this afternoon. We don’t have time for this, would you be willing to take over?” Akane asks, and Ayano can see the pleading in her expression clearly.

    Ayano nods. “Of course.”

    The three girls sigh. “Thanks,” Aoi says, slumping against the nearest wall. “We’ve been so wrapped up, trying to catch this thief, that when we realized that we had the meeting we didn’t know what to do.”

    “I understand. Is there anything specific I should know about the meeting? Any ideas of who the thief is?” Ayano sits down, ignoring the rising tone coming from the Headmaster.

    “We aren’t really sure, but they’re probably just asking for funding, or something related to the performance on Saturday. Maybe they want a bigger area to sell during plays, who knows?” Shiromi shrugs. “All you need to do is find out what they want, write it down, and we’ll all discuss it tomorrow.” Her smile drops a bit. “If we manage to find time for that, at least.”

    “Thank you, again, Ayano,” Akane says. 

    Ayano opens her mouth to reassure Akane. She doesn’t get the chance.

    The Headmaster slams his hands on the table. “The point of this Student Council is to keep problems under control. The faculty is busy, and now we have a kidnapping and theft going on in my school? How did this slip by all five of you girls?”

    Kuroko remains calm, but Ayano can tell that she’s close to slipping when she fixes her glasses. “Mr. Shuyona, with all due respect, we have kept every other problem under control. But, I must correct you by saying: A Student Council is supposed to help others, but we weren’t assigned to our positions to stop knife-stealing thieves and, as you said, kidnappings . We aren’t bodyguards or surveillance cameras. The problems we expect to fix are issues such as petty conflicts, fights, or bullying. We’re here to organize the school and prevent disorder. We are not here to stop murderous psychopaths .”