"It's your fault this happened to me, you know…"

The flaxen-haired girl's heartbreak was evident in both her speech and eyes. The normally cheerful girl looked so… vulnerable. I wasn't unused to the girl breaking her carefully crafted persona like this, but it was the first time I had ever seen Isshiki Iroha actually distraught. At some point I had nearly forgotten that underneath her sly, manipulative nature was simply a high school girl.

She stared at me intently, tears budding on the corner of her eyes. She looked lost and frightened, yet also flushed and maybe it was just my imagination, but a maybe even a little expectant? I turned away slightly to hide my own unease

Hey, don't look at me like that, it's not like I can solve all your problems, I'm not that reliable. Also, I might get the wrong idea if you look at me with those eyes.

"Well, the student council president thing is but the rest…"

All of a sudden, she leaned forward and my eyes went wide. She was too close, the sweet scent of her shampoo filled my nostrils. For an instant image of those soft, shimmering lips pressing against my cheek filled my mind despite myself. What I received was instead the feeling of her breath tickling my ear as she whispered softly.

"You'd better take responsibility."

I couldn't see her expression as she whispered those words. My eyes drifted away instinctively to hide my own embarrassment, and as she pulled away from me my eyes followed her to find her with a small smile. It was that same sort of determined look she had whenever she was hatching a new scheme to accomplish her latest objective but it was somehow softer. Her eyes shined with gentle determination instead of the outrageous gung-ho energy that she usually displayed. Was this the real Isshiki Iroha? Why was I suddenly feeling like her eyes were actually looking straight at me for once instead of through me to her latest goal.

Looks like she's feeling a little better if she can make jokes like that, I suppose I should play along for now.

"I guess it can't be helped… yeah, I'll take responsibility. What kind of senpai would I be otherwise?"

I said it dramatically while closing my eyes and putting a hand over my face, posing like one of those riajuu ikemen that you only read about in manga or light novels. I was expecting her to laugh or tell me how disgusted she was. Hell, I was even fairly disgusted myself, but as I opened my eyes with a grin and turned to her, fully intending to ask her what she thought of my performance, I was met with yet another unexpected reaction. She held that same soft, determined look, but her lips had twisted into a somewhat devious smirk.

"Senpai, are you perhaps trying to hit on me?"

So it was this pattern again. I waited for the rejection that always followed those words. It was our usual shtick after all. It never came, however. We sat in silence together as she continued to stare at me as if she was actually waiting for a reply this time. I was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Oi—"

"Ah, senpai it looks like this is my stop."

She lifted herself from her seat, smoothing out her skirt as she moved for the door as it opened, folding her hands behind her back. She stood on the platform without facing me.

"Senpai… Thank you."

What the hell was that about?

"Hikki…"

Seriously, what kind of trauma did that girl take? Did Hayama's rejection destroy her brain or something? Telling me that she was after something real too and all those confusing reactions.

"Hikki, are you listening?"

Just because of that she didn't have to play with me that hard. If I had been any other guy I would have definitely mistaken that for some kind of change of motive from her. Is this the true strength of Isshiki? What a scary girl, I'll have to lecture her later about messing with the pure emotions of loner men. Also what kind of—

"Hikki!"

I came out of my internal monologue to find Yuigahama standing over me, a concerned look on her face.

"Ah, sorry"

"Hikki, are you alright? Class ended a while ago and you were just sitting there with this intense look on your face… did something happen with Iroha-chan last night…?"

She looked downcast as she fidgeted in place. Of course Yuigahama would be worried about our fellow underclassman. We didn't exactly separate with her in best of states and with her seeming so downcast maybe she was thinking that Iroha had broken down completely. Of course, telling her what actually happened might not be the best idea. Isshiki prided herself on her image, and what happened on the train wasn't meant for anyone to see.

"No, I just didn't get much sleep last night."

She took a defensive stance as she took a step back suddenly, her face flushed as she very clearly got the wrong idea.

"Hikki, you didn't… you didn't take advantage of her while she was heartbroken did you?"

Oi, what kind of hyperactive romance novel imagination do you have there, Yuigahama?

"Idiot, of course not. I rode with her to her stop before coming back to mine, remember? I didn't get back home until pretty late and Komachi wouldn't leave me alone about it."

I dismissed her comment quickly before standing and grabbing my bag. She didn't look very satisfied with my answer. She still stood there, eyes downcast as I made my way towards the door.

"My lack of precious sleep aside, we have a meeting to go to, remember?"

"Ah, that's righ— H-hey! Wait a second, let me grab my things! Hikki!"

That's right, there was still the issue of what to do about the Christmas event planning committee. At the rate everything was going, the event would most assuredly be a flop. In order to make everything align we needed everyone participating in the event to be on the same page. I couldn't fight alone anymore, I had spent the last few days learning that lesson.

"You'd better take responsibility."

Thoughts of our train ride together came unbidden. Why was I still thinking about it? Still, I was doing exactly that, wasn't I? Here I was, Hikigaya Hachiman trying to pull everyone together to see through Isshiki's request.

"You're wrong."

Silence fell over the room as I said it. Maybe I was being too forceful here, but the time that I had spent listening to this idiot had frustrated me. All eyes were on me as I continued to push.

"I know because I had the conceited idea in my head that I could do it. That's why, even though I was wrong, I couldn't admit it. I guess I wanted to cover up my own mistakes. To do that, I used tricks and words. I tried to put myself at ease by getting promises out of people. Because when I messed up, it was easier if I could blame it on someone else."

It was more than just trying to tell them they were wrong. It was everything I had been struggling with for the past few days, the very thing that lead me to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita in the first place and finally telling them what I truly wanted. I only hoped that I could convey to these people that they were making the same mistakes, that they were being far too conceited about this. However…

"I get the feeling that's just a lack of communication."

"Why don't we take time to cool down and then discuss this again?"

Agreements resounded from the other side of the meeting table.

No good, huh…?

Frustration grew as I grit my teeth. What could I possibly do now? There wasn't any way to get through to these people.

"I can't stand this anymore…"

I turned to find Isshiki staring at the table, a frustrated, disgusted look on her face before she stoo suddenly, her hands slamming onto the table.

"I can't stand it anymore!"

"I-Isshiki—"

"Always 'let's discuss it again.' Over and over and just trying to use big words that you probably don't even know the meaning of to make it sound like you understand and know what you're talking about!"

Her outburst was insulting, but everyone simply stared at her in stunned silence. Even I hadn't seen Isshiki like this. Her arms fell to her side, her expression and voice softening as she stared at the table.

"I know a thing or two about maintaining appearances… especially when you're scared to make a decision. What senpai is saying is right, you're too scared to make that choice, too scared of what might happen if that choice goes wrong so you just keep pushing it around. But nothing will ever happen that way. In the end you'll just be fake…"

Even Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were completely stunned by her outburst and simply stared at her, mouths agape.

"I want to… we want to move forward. Towards something real. That's our decision. That's what we will do."

She said it with finality. For some reason Yuigahama and Yukinoshita looked somewhat downcast. All the student council members, however, stared in wonderment at their president before smiling. It was no wonder, it was the first time their leader actually acted like, well, a leader.

"Uh, wouldn't it be more fun to let people enjoy the event twice than to force it all into one? It would show the individuality of both our schools! Right?"

Yuigahama finally broke the silence in an attempt to smooth the mood, which wiped the determined look clean off of Isshiki's face, as if making her realize where she was for the first time. She looked suddenly nervous and forced a smile.

"U-um yeah! I think that would be a great idea."

"What do you think?"

"I-I think that might also work, right?"

With the combined efforts of Yuigahama and Orihime after Isshiki's outburst, the mountain that was the Kaihin Sogo student council finally toppled.

"Ahh… I can't believe I actually did that…"

Iroha looked completely defeated even though we had ultimately won the battle.

"It was something that needed to be said. If you hadn't I most certainly would have. People that are just playing at their roles like that irritate me to no end."

"You're probably right, Yukino-senpai but I completely ruined the mood and I think I might have lost face with them, there was definitely a better way to say it than that."

"No. You weren't wrong."

"Senpai…"

"The conversation was leading nowhere. The shock was enough to get them to act. I don't think there was any way to get them to read between the lines. Still, I was surprised to see that out of you."

"Same here! Iroha-chan you were amazing standing up like that, I don't think I could have ever done something like that!"

The praise seemed to get Iroha to cheer up a little bit. She smiled and neatly folded her hands behind her back, looking up at me.

"Well, I guess there are some things that are more important that keeping up appearances."