Vol. 15 Ch. 5: The Approaching Deadline

Cyril and Monica returned to the student council room looking sheepish, and Elliott greeted them with a smug grin. As Monica clutched her head, realizing that he really had heard everything, Cyril cleared his throat.

"...Sorry for losing my composure."

"You losing your composure is practically an annual event."

Elliott's teasing words made Cyril look displeased, but he swallowed his retort.

In the middle of the thoroughly awkward atmosphere, Monica fidgeted with her fingers. Then Neil, who had disappeared from the room without anyone noticing, popped back in. Apparently, he had gone to the staff room by himself to check on the situation.

"Sorry, I'm back."

With Neil's return, the six of them—the current student council officers and Claudia—sat down again. It was time to start the discussion over.

"First, regarding what happened this time... The faculty don't seem to have a very clear grasp of the situation either. On top of that, they warned us, 'To avoid unnecessary confusion, do not tell anyone that the president has been taken away.' They also said the school will be closed for three days after the break. Presumably, the academy is going to be investigated."

"That sounds about right," Elliott muttered.

"We should proceed with the handover to the new student council officers and everything related to the graduation ceremony without the current president present. There's practically no chance he'll be coming back to the academy."...