"Absolutely not."
Yuki Tachibana's voice cut through the air like a well-honed blade. Her clipboard snapped shut with a decisive clack, and the two terrified underclassmen before her practically bowed in apology before fleeing down the hallway.
Yuki Tachibana, that girl is 17 years old. She a student council president. Always get Perfect grades. Her elegant appearance and cold personality makes her respected by teachers and most of students. She also known as the "Ice Queen.", where every time she takes action against someone, that person will feel the cold atmosfer in front of her.
Like this morning, where Yuki had managed to take action against a underclassmen who had intentionally selling snacks without teacher's permission. It could be said that crisis averted.
Yuki sighed, adjusting the red armband that marked her as the all-powerful Student Council President. She had single-handedly shut down an unauthorized snack-selling scheme and now walking towards a place to investigate a far worse atrocity: the rebirth of the Manga Club.
The club had been defunct for years. Rumors claimed it died of "excessive nosebleeds and too many fanservice panels." It was, in Yuki's mind, a den of hormonal chaos that did not belong in her school's sacred halls. Of course, that was the secret of the ice queen that was never exposed by anyone.
She pushed open the clubroom door, fully prepared to deliver a lecture so sharp it could draw blood.
Instead, she was greeted by the soft hum of jazz music.
Pens clicked gently against paper. The scent of instant green tea filled the room.
At the center of it all sat a boy with messy dark hair, sleeves rolled up, a mechanical pencil dancing across a sketchpad. He looked... oddly peaceful.
Haruki Arai.
Of course. That boy. An ordinary man who is in the same year as Yuki Tachibana.
He didn't even look up and just said, "Just a second…"
Yuki's eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me?"
"Oh!" Haruki's eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. His glasses nearly flew off. "S-sorry, I didn't realize anyone important was—uh—welcome! Are you here to check out the club? We're kind of just starting back up…"
Yuki crossed her arms. "I'm not here to join your nerd cult."
He blinked. "It's a manga club."
"Exactly."
She stepped further in, The sound of her shoes clicking against the polished floor. "I'm here to make sure you're not violating school regulations. Clubs must provide a proposal, budget breakdown, meeting plan, and at least five active members. So far, all I've seen is a doodle party for one." she said coldly.
Haruki chuckled nervously. "Yeah, uh… most people quit when they realized we weren't just drawing fanservice. So it's just me. For now."
Yuki raised a brow. "Then this isn't a club. It's a solo pity party."
"Ouch," Haruki muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
He motioned to the table behind him. "I did submit the paperwork. And I organized everything by category. The club fund's untouched. Also, I'm cleaning out the old files. Yeah, there's a lot of strange material in here. Like this one guy who only drew—"
Yuki cut him off. "Spare me."
Haruki responded with half-shock, "Excuse me?"
"I said, Spare... Me!" Yuki said once again, with a cold intonation that intimidated anyone who heard it. But the only response she got was Haruki who looked calm.
Yuki also checked the documents that Haruki kept, a large blue folder containing several documents belonging to Haruki's previous club members. She open and check through the documents and found—annoyingly—everything in order. Precise. Properly labeled. Even color-coded.
Her eye twitched.
"W-Would you like some tea?" Haruki offered. "It's from the faculty lounge. I stole one of the good ones before Mr. Daichi could."
"I don't accept bribes." Yuki responded coldly.
He poured it anyway.
Yuki sat down stiffly across from him, arms crossed. "As president, I'm required to monitor new clubs. I'll be dropping in regularly. Expect surprise inspections."
Haruki gave a lopsided smile. "Sounds like I'll have company, then."
She nearly choked on her tea. "Don't be ridiculous."
He tilted his head. "I didn't mean anything weird. I just meant—nevermind."
Yuki stared at him. This boy was… impossible to read. He wasn't intimidated. Wasn't overly friendly. He was just—there, existing in a messy halo of pencil dust and manga panels.
She hated that it made her curious.
---
The next afternoon, she returned. Officially to inspect. Not because she was wondering what he was drawing.
Definitely not.
Haruki looked up and smiled as she walked in. "Back again?"
"Stop smiling like that. It's creepy." Yuki responded to Haruki's smile with a look of disgust.
"Sorry, sorry."
She sat across from him, pulled out her own notebook, and started pretending to work.
She kept glancing up. As someone who 'secretly' likes shoujo manga, she observes Haruki who is sketching something in front of her.
He was sketching something. A girl. Shoulder-length hair, sharp eyes, lips slightly pursed.
The girl looked… familiar.
Yuki blinked. She realized that Haruki was sketching her.
"What is that?!" Yuki interrupted Haruki who was concentrating.
Haruki jumped, covering his paper. "It's nothing!"
"That was me! You're drawing me, right!?" Yuki said with a cold stare. "That's not allowed!"
"Only as a character! You've got a very expressive… scowl."
She flushed violently. "Why would anyone want to draw me?!"
Haruki scratched his cheek. "You're kind of, uh… cool-looking."
Her heart betrayed her with an obnoxious thump.
She stood up so quickly her chair nearly fell.
"I'm only here because it's my job! Don't start thinking I actually care about your little ink-stained kingdom!"
Haruki nodded, looking weirdly unfazed. "Of course, President Tachibana."
The way he said it made it sound… almost respectful.
She stormed out.
---
That night, she paced her room in a frenzy, with a slight cheeks blushing. She glared at her bookshelf—all carefully hidden behind lock and key—full of glittery shoujo manga.
On top of them was her favorite: "Prince of Ice: Love Melts Slowly."
She slammed a pillow over her face.
"Baka…"
---
Back at school, rumors began to swirl.
"I heard the President's visiting the Manga Club every day."
"Is she dating that weird guy with the pencil case?!"
"No way! She'd never fall for someone like him!"
Yuki cornered Mina in the council room. "Make the rumors stop."
Mina sipped her juice box. "Ehhh, Why? You are into him. I just realized it yesterday."
"I'm not!" Yuki replied coldly. But Mina responded the opposite.
"Sure. You won't into him." She said with a face of disbelief.
Yuki growled. "He's infuriating."
Mina leaned in. "And yet you keep going back."
"I'm watching him!"
"You're watching out for him."
"…Shut up." This time, Yuki lost. Her best friend Mina was able to overcome Yuki's cold aura.
At the Manga Club the next day, Haruki handed her a new sketch.
"As an apology. I thought you might want this."
It was her. Smiling. Just slightly. Blushing. A breeze catching her hair.
It was beautiful.
Her voice came out smaller than she meant. "Why would you draw me like this?"
He smiled. "Because I think that version of you is real too."
Her heart did that annoying thing again.
She handed the drawing back, with a slightly blushing face.
"D-Don't draw me again without permission, you dumb."
"Okay, Sorry." Haruki chuckled softly.
Pause.
"…But you can this one time."
He blinked. "You mean—?"
"I'll sit here for ten minutes. But only because I need a break. And you're terrible at anatomy." Yuki said in a cold tone, but her face was still slightly blushed.
He grinned and reached for a new page.
"Alright. Please count of me, President Tachibana."
She turned her face away, muttering:
"Baka."