Epilogue
The Nakayoshi Newspaper Club is indefinitely prohibited from posting articles other than heartwarming news.
Despite this directive, the club president, Yamada Mamare, was grinning mischievously in the dimly lit clubroom.
“Heh, hehehe… The student council thinks they’ve broken the Nakayoshi Newspaper Club’s spirit, don’t they? But Mamare and the others’ ambitions have actually taken a huge leap forward thanks to this uproar!”
The other club members looked at Mamare with exasperated expressions.
“Don’t drag us into this, President~”
“We didn’t join the club for that kind of purpose…”
“Idiots! Nakayoshi Newspaper Club members are one and the same! And the president’s policies are absolute!”
While scolding the members, Mamare loudly reaffirmed her ‘ambitions’ once more.
“Mamare and the others’ goal is—to get Higashiguchi Makita and Nishimaru Nanna together!”
“No way, that’s absurd! Sure, rival couplings are a genre, but…”
“That kind of thing would never happen in the real world. The president would naturally end up with either the vice president or one of the twins, right?”
“That’s why we hyped them up with those fake scandalous articles to stir things up and make it awkward! A predictable couple like the president and vice president is way too boring!”
Until last year, Yamada Mamare was just an ordinary member of the manga research club.
But witnessing the conflict between the student council and the rising stars of the club alliance, she was struck with unprecedented inspiration.
Higashiguchi Makita and Nishimaru Nanna.
The dynamic of this east-west duo, their bickering, their visuals—everything hit her right in the feels.
And so, Yamada Mamare fell deep into the rabbit hole.
Before she knew it, she had decided to dedicate her school life to making this coupling a reality, embracing it as her grand mission.
The place she chose for this mission was the Nakayoshi Newspaper Club.
“Why did you take on such a crazy burden?!”
“Can’t help it! It’s just too good! It’s too perfect!”
“It’s practically impossible. The heads of the student council and club alliance dating? That’s unheard of!”
“That’s why we’re using biased reporting to nudge them into falling in love!”
“That’s awful… That’s the worst abuse of power…”
For Mamare, this uproar was apparently a step forward.
“In the end, Higashiguchi ended up saving Nishimaru, didn’t he?! That’s enough to make anyone fall for him! No doubt, it’s a step closer to Mamare and the others’ ambitions!”
“No, it feels like we took three steps back.”
“We can only post heartwarming articles for a while, you know.”
“Shut up! In the long run, this is a huge step forward! Now go find some heartwarming news already!”
After spurring the members into action, Mamare opened the window and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Mamare-chan will never give up─────!!”
＊＊＊
A few days after the February regular meeting.
After finishing my usual student council duties, I headed to the old school building’s study room.
The small study room has only six seats. I took my usual spot at the back, by the window.
Naturally, the regular occupant of the seat next to mine was there too.
‘I’m Nishimaru Nanna. Any questions?’
The loose-leaf paper passed to me had a familiar phrase written on it.
It’s only been a month, but it feels nostalgic—probably because too much has happened in that time.
It’s safe to say this has been the most eventful month since I enrolled in this academy.
‘Free next Saturday?’
I wrote that in response to her question prompt.
‘I’m free. Wanna go buy glasses?’
‘Let’s do it. Where in Tokyo?’
‘Any big city works for me.’
‘Then let’s go to the closest one, Ikebukuro.’
‘Sounds good. I wanna eat lunch there too, so let’s meet before noon.’
Perhaps because we’ve gotten too used to passing notes, our Saturday plans came together at the speed of a regular conversation.
‘Anything else we should decide?’
‘How about we both wear our uniforms? A uniform date.’
‘Why?’
‘(´๏ ω ๏`)’
‘Why do you look surprised?’
Wearing uniforms on a Saturday and going all the way to the city—what’s the point? But not having to think about an outfit is nice. A uniform date does sound kind of appealing too.
What am I doing, taking a joke so seriously?
After finishing my questions for Nishimaru, it was her turn to write on the loose-leaf.
‘I’m Higashiguchi Makita. Any questions?’
‘I’ve got one─────!! ((°ω°))/’
Oh yeah, I forgot. Her random question time for me always starts out of nowhere.
Fine, do whatever you want. I waited for Nishimaru’s question.
‘What was your first impression of me?’
That’s kind of a heavy question.
‘A girl who seems like she sucks the life out of people.’
‘I’m not a yokai. What’s that supposed to mean?’
But that’s genuinely what I thought.
‘Then, what’s your impression of me now?’
“…………”
I paused to think.
Of all the people I’ve met in my life, no one’s first impression has changed as drastically as Nishimaru Nanna’s.
Just a month ago, I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking, assumed she looked down on me, found her smile eerie, yet understood why she was charismatic. We crossed paths often, but I thought we’d never get close—a distant yet familiar presence.
But now, Nishimaru feels far more human than I ever imagined.
She’s mischievous, loves teasing me, has neat handwriting, gets a bit cute when passing notes, laughs with a “kufu,” loves banana milk, is obsessed with glasses to an alarming degree, seems to resent her role as club alliance representative but is actually deeply responsible—a very human girl.
If I had to sum it up in one phrase…
‘A weirdo who loves glasses way too much.’
Her glasses obsession left the strongest impression, so I answered as such. Maybe I’m a bit shy too.
‘That’s exactly what I wanted.’
Seems like she’s satisfied, so I’ll take it.
Suddenly curious, I decided to ask Nishimaru a question.
‘What was your first impression of me?’
Nishimaru took the paper and seemed to think for a while, not responding right away.
After a pause, she passed the loose-leaf back, and the delay made me a bit nervous.
On it was written:
‘Questions for Nishimaru Nanna are now closed.’
“Hey!”
I protested out loud, and a “kufu” laugh escaped from the seat next to me.
Then Nishimaru added more.
‘Looking forward to Saturday.’
While I was reading, Nishimaru stood up and quickly left the study room.
“Hey, wait!”
“See you, Higashiguchi-kun.”
With that, Nishimaru walked away.
Through the gap in the door, her smile was devoid of the eeriness I once felt—it was as refreshing as a summer sky.
“…What’s that about?”
I muttered to myself, surprised at how much I cared.
What was Nishimaru’s first impression of me?
＊＊＊
At first, I thought he was a guy who disrespected glasses.
Around last summer, as I started making a name for myself in the club alliance, a boy named Higashiguchi Makita began standing out in the student council.
He seemed like a rigid, overly serious class-president type.
To someone who loves glasses, he was unforgivable—a guy wearing them without necessity or appreciation, probably just for fashion. They didn’t even suit him that well.
Initially, I felt strong dislike for him.
But as we kept meeting and arguing, I realized something.
Higashiguchi-kun was probably deliberately playing the role of the serious class-president type.
He was the same kind of person as me.
Seeing him fully embrace the role others expected of him, I found myself relating to him, and before I knew it, I was watching him closely.
Once I understood he wasn’t disrespecting glasses but was “forced” to wear them as a symbol of his class-president persona, I found it oddly endearing.
As I became the club alliance representative and Higashiguchi-kun became student council president, we started seeing each other more often.
That’s when my feelings for him turned into something inappropriate.
The more I told myself it was wrong and tried not to think about it, the stronger those feelings grew.
Then, an incident made me realize those feelings were real.
‘Student Council President and Vice President on a Daytime Eyewear Store Date!?’
A post by the Nakayoshi Newspaper. Seeing a photo of Higashiguchi-kun picking out glasses with Nakau-chan and hearing he actually bought new ones, I couldn’t sit still.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the old school building’s study room after school.
I knew Higashiguchi-kun often used this study room.
I’d once spotted him around here, wondered what he was doing, and followed him, observing until he entered the study room. I’m not a stalker—just curious.
So I barged into the study room and sat next to Higashiguchi-kun.
Since talking was prohibited, I suggested passing notes.
It was surprisingly fun. Higashiguchi-kun was clearly flustered, too.
It was impulsive, but I’m glad I did it.
Then, human greed kicked in. I wanted to know more about Higashiguchi-kun, spend more time with him, and have a normal relationship with him.
So I put into action a plan I’d been thinking about for a while—to end the ridiculous conflict that used tradition as an excuse to steal my time and energy—and presented it to Higashiguchi-kun.
That’s how our secret relationship began.
Every time I come to Tokyo, I think the same thing.
With so many people, is there enough oxygen to go around?
Ikebukuro Station on a Saturday was as crowded as a local fireworks festival. If this is the norm, it’s terrifying. I’m glad we didn’t choose a meeting spot inside the station.
Pushing through the crowd, I hurried toward my destination.
The first floor of an electronics store in front of the station, at the headphone section.
Since I was in casual clothes and wearing a hat, looking different than usual, I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Higashiguchi-kun.”
“Nishimaru.”
“Did I keep you waiting?”
“Not really… Well, not too long.”
His tone was unusually hesitant, almost mumbling.
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing, just… It’s the first time I’ve seen you in casual clothes. So that’s your style.”
“Is it weird?”
“No, I think it’s cute.”
“……”
Could there be a more straightforward compliment? I was at a loss for words.
“You’re wearing a hat too, Higashiguchi-kun.”
“Yeah, just a light disguise. You never know if we’ll run into someone from school.”
“True.”
Coming two hours by train to a city this crowded and still feeling the need to disguise ourselves—it’s ridiculous.
“Lunch first?”
“Yeah, I’m hungry. Can I leave the restaurant choice to you?”
“Sure, I looked up a few places. I’m leaving the glasses shop entirely to you, though.”
“Well, that’s practically my life’s work. We should be careful not to get separated since we haven’t exchanged LINE.”
“Good point. Let’s decide our next destination before moving.”
If we held hands, we wouldn’t have to worry, I thought.
While Higashiguchi-kun was looking up lunch spots on his phone, a boy and girl in school uniforms passed by. Maybe they had classes on Saturday?
I wondered if a day would come when I could go on a uniform date with Higashiguchi-kun.
Or spend casual after-school time together.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
For now, we have to come this far just to have lunch together, but one day, I’ll stand proudly by Higashiguchi-kun’s side.
With that resolve in my heart, I started walking.
First things first—let’s do something about those ill-fitting glasses.
The End
