Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! ~I Reincarnated but My Science Grades Are Still Hopeless~
Mizunoe Ume is a genius—at humanities, anyway. Perfect scores in Japanese and social studies, literary awards under his belt, top of the year. There's just one problem: his math and science grades are so catastrophically bad that he's one makeup exam away from being held back. And to make matters worse, he's been reincarnated—with memories of a past life where he was *also* hopeless at science. No cheat skills. No second chances. Just the same weaknesses, carried over intact.
Enter Hiratsuka-se
Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! ~I Reincarnated but My Science Grades Are Still Hopeless~ - The Rooftop Brat and the Tearful Reconciliation
I pressed my palm against the chain-link fence on the rooftop. The heat of midday no longer lingered on my fingertips.
Mizunoe Ume leaned against it, gazing at the sky. The orange of the pre-sunset glow stung my eyes strangely today.
(I wonder how Arisu-san is doing.)
Since that day, she hadn't left the corner of my mind.
My own voice, so carelessly saying "psycho cutting-board monster," still echoed in the back of my ears. And the way Arisu's eyelashes had dropped halfway the moment I said it. Whether the rumor that she'd put a senpai in the hospital was true, I didn't know. But one thing was certain.
I had erased that person's smile.
"...Hah."
My sigh dissolved into the wind.
That was when it happened.
"So you're the famous Ume, aren't you?"
A voice like a bell chimed from behind me.
Ume turned around.
Standing there was a girl I'd never seen before. Shoulder-length blonde hair glowing translucent in the sunset. A ribbon headband. Round blue eyes. A pretty face with a fang that peeked out when she smiled. A navy blazer with a middle-school ribbon.
"...Huh? Who are you?"
Before Ume could even finish asking, the girl was already running.
"I'm Tan, from Public Relations, aren't I! Nice to meet you~!"
And just like that, she flung herself into Ume's chest with a soft thump.
"Whoa!?"
Small. Incredibly small. She put her hands on my shoulders, stretched up on her toes, and tried to wrap her arms around my neck.
"H-hey, wait! What are you doing!?"
"Carry me~"
"Carry you—what the hell, you—!"
"Ume-kun, can I ride on your shoulders? Tan wants a piggyback ride, you know."
"Why would it come to that!?"
Ume was genuinely bewildered about how to handle this tiny creature.
The girl clung to Ume's arm, grinning mischievously.
"Ume-kun, you're taller than I thought. Tan really likes this angle, you know."
"I said let go!"
—That was when it happened.
Silence.
Truly, without any warning. I hadn't even sensed a presence. Just, at the edge of Ume's vision, soft brown hair swayed.
"—Tan."
A low voice. The instant I turned, Arisu's right foot had already sunk into Tan's stomach.
Guh.
Tan's small body folded into a bent shape.
"Gweh...!"
Tan went flying backward. Her back slammed against the chain-link fence, and she crumpled sliding down.
"...Ah."
Ume couldn't make a sound.
What just happened?
Arisu stood frozen in her kicking stance, looking down at Tan with cold eyes.
"Don't touch Ume-kun so casually."
"...Arisu-chan, that's mean."
Tan clutched her stomach and staggered to her feet. Something red dripped from the corner of her mouth.
"Blood!? You're bleeding!? Wait, that was definitely a bad one just now, right!?"
Ume was genuinely panicking.
But Tan just grinned.
"Tan's a tough little brat, so this much is nothing."
"Little brat...?"
Ume's mind went completely blank.
"Y-you're a guy!?"
"Yep. I look like a cute girl, but I'm a full-fledged man."
Tan straightened the ribbon on her uniform and said it completely matter-of-factly.
"...No, I don't get it. Calm down. Let's sort this out first."
Ume pressed a hand to his temple.
"Okay, so you're Otori Tan. Public Relations. Third-year in middle school. A guy."
"Correct."
"And Arisu-senpai kicked you because you touched me."
"That's the usual."
"It's the usual!?"
"Ume-kun, you're great at playing the straight man. Tan's taken a liking to you."
Tan tried to cling to Ume again.
"Stay away."
Arisu's voice was cold as ice. Tan froze mid-motion.
"...Arisu-chan, are you in a bad mood today?"
"Not particularly. ...It's because you do weird things to Ume-kun."
Arisu said that and turned toward Ume. Their eyes met.
—Those eyes were, after all, the same as that day. She wasn't looking at Ume.
"...Terui-senpai."
The moment Ume tried to speak, Arisu turned her back.
"I have work to do. ...Tan, you come to the student council room soon too."
Arisu said only that and headed for the rooftop door.
"Ah, wait, please!"
Ume's voice didn't reach Arisu's back. The door closed with a sound.
"...Ahh, she's gone."
Tan stood beside Ume, leaning against the fence.
"...Are you close with Arisu-senpai?"
"We've known each other since middle school. Arisu-chan kicks Tan, but she actually loves Tan a lot."
Tan smiled brightly.
"...Is that so?"
"Yep. ...But Arisu-chan's been weird lately."
Tan's voice got just a little quieter.
"...Weird?"
"Like she's forcing herself to smile. ...Ume-kun, did something happen between you and Arisu-chan?"
Tan's blue eyes stared up at Ume. Ume was at a loss for words.
"...I hurt Arisu-senpai."
"Hmm."
Tan pulled a candy from her pocket and popped it in her mouth.
"But Arisu-chan doesn't kick when she's really angry."
"...Huh?"
"The only people Arisu-chan kicks are Tan and people who are truly hopeless. ...I don't think she's avoiding you because she's angry."
Tan said it while rolling the candy around.
"...Then why?"
"Even if you ask Tan, I don't know. ...But Arisu-chan is kind. She's probably blaming herself."
Tan said that while looking at the sunset.
Ume stared at her profile. Cheeky, incomprehensible, and yet somehow lonely.
"...You're actually a pretty good person, aren't you?"
"Tan is always a good person."
Tan clung to Ume's arm once more.
"...Let go."
"No."
—After that, the atmosphere in the student council room was just a little different.
When Ume entered with Tan, Arisu was already working at her desk. As always, she wouldn't meet Ume's eyes.
"Ah, Ume-senpai...!"
A small voice came.
When Ume turned, a petite female student stood in the corner of the room. She was even smaller than Tan. About 142 centimeters, maybe. Shoulder-length black hair. Big eyes looking up at Ume nervously.
"...Um, who are you?"
"I'm Mutsu Komaro. I handle general affairs for the student council. ...I was on leave for a long time due to an accident, so this is our first meeting, Ume-senpai."
Komaro bowed politely.
"Ah, general affairs... I heard about you. You just came back recently?"
"Yes. ...I'm still not at full strength, though."
Komaro smiled apologetically.
"Don't push yourself. ...Oh, I'm Mizunoe Ume. I'm the secretary's assistant."
"I know. ...Ume-senpai, you got a perfect score on the Japanese mock exam. That's amazing."
Komaro's eyes sparkled.
"No, that was just a fluke."
"It wasn't a fluke. ...Ah, but you're a little weak at math, aren't you?"
"More than a little."
Ume smiled wryly.
"...Komaro-chan has an amazing memory."
Tan poked her head out from behind Ume's back.
"Memory?"
"Komaro-chan has memorized all the past student council minutes."
"All of them... seriously?"
"...All is an exaggeration. But I remember most of what's necessary."
Komaro looked down shyly.
"That's amazing. ...I can't even memorize science formulas."
"I've heard that people with talent in the humanities are often bad at science. ...Ume-senpai, you must be a genius specialized in the humanities."
Komaro's words saved Ume just a little.
"...Hearing you say that helps."
That was when it happened.
"Komaro, bring those documents here."
Arisu's voice rang through the room.
"Ah, yes! Arisu-senpai!"
Komaro gathered the documents from the desk and hurried to Arisu. Arisu showed a soft smile only to Komaro.
"Thank you. ...Komaro, are you pushing yourself?"
"I'm fine. Arisu-senpai, aren't you tired lately?"
"...I'm fine."
Arisu said that and turned back to her computer.
Ume watched from a distance.
(Arisu-san smiles normally with Komaro, huh.)
A small prick of pain in his chest.
—After school that day.
Ume was stopped by Komaro in the hallway.
"Ume-senpai, do you have a moment?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Komaro looked around nervously, then said in a small voice.
"Ume-senpai, you're misunderstanding Arisu-senpai, aren't you?"
"...Huh?"
Ume's heart jumped.
"...Why do you think that?"
"Arisu-senpai has been really down lately. ...I think it probably has something to do with you, Ume-senpai."
Komaro looked straight into Ume's eyes.
"...I hurt Arisu-san."
"I know. ...Arisu-senpai cares about what happened in middle school. Being called 'psycho cutting-board monster.' ...But none of that is a bad thing."
"...Huh?"
"Arisu-senpai is scary, but she's a very kind person. ...When I was on leave after the accident, Arisu-senpai came to visit me so many times. With handmade sweets."
Komaro's voice trembled slightly.
"When I said I was scared to come back to school, she said, 'It's okay, I'll protect you.' ...That person is truly kind."
Ume listened to Komaro's words in silence.
"Ume-senpai. ...Please talk to Arisu-senpai properly. Please."
Komaro bowed deeply.
"...Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."
Ume gently patted Komaro's shoulder.
"Thanks, Komaro. ...Thanks to you, I've made up my mind."
Ume started running. Through the hallway, up the stairs.
(Arisu-san is probably still in the student council room.)
(This time, I'm going to talk to her properly.)
His breath ran short. His heart was pounding. But his feet wouldn't stop.
In front of the student council room door, Ume took one deep breath.
—And opened it.
"Terui-senpai!"
The moment the door opened, Ume was shouting.
Arisu was alone in the room. Her hands, which had been organizing documents, stopped.
"...Ume-kun."
Arisu's face turned toward him. Her eyes, as always, looked just a little frightened.
"...I have something to talk about."
Ume stood directly in front of Arisu.
"...What is it?"
Arisu's voice pretended to be calm. But her fingertips were trembling faintly.
"I don't know the details of your past, senpai. ...Being called psycho cutting-board monster, the rumor that you put a senpai in the hospital—I only know fragments of all of it."
Ume continued.
"But the senpai in front of me now is properly kind. ...Bringing handmade sweets to visit Komaro. Kicking Tan while actually caring about her. ...Those aren't things a bad person would do."
Arisu's eyes widened.
"...I want to be with the senpai I see now. Psycho cutting-board monster or whatever—it doesn't matter. ...I like the Terui Arisu-senpai who's here now."
Ume's voice cracked just a little. But he said it all.
Silence. Only the sound of the clock's second hand seemed strangely loud.
"...You're a strange one."
Arisu gave a small laugh.
"Normally, people run away when they hear a nickname like that."
"...I won't run. I'm not going to."
"...I see."
Arisu walked to the window. The sunset dyed her profile orange.
"...In middle school, there was a junior who was being bullied. ...I wanted to save her, and I got into a fight with a senpai."
Arisu's voice was quiet.
"...I put that senpai in the hospital. I went too far. ...That's how I ended up being called psycho cutting-board monster. ...I got scared of myself. ...So I decided that in high school, I'd act refined and quiet."
Arisu kept looking out the window as she continued.
"...But Tan kept telling me, 'Arisu-chan, you didn't do anything wrong.' ...Tan was the only one who saved me."
"...So that's how it was."
"...When you said those words to me, Ume-kun, I was really scared. ...That I might go back to who I used to be. ...So I avoided you. ...I'm sorry."
Arisu turned around and looked at Ume. Tears were welling in her eyes.
"...Don't apologize. I was the one who said all that without knowing anything about you, senpai."
Ume took one step closer to Arisu.
"...But the senpai in front of me now is properly putting that reflection to use. ...Acting refined, kicking Tan—all of it is your kindness, senpai."
"...I don't think kicking is kindness, though."
Arisu smiled just a little.
"No, that one's Tan's fault."
"...Fufu."
Arisu's laughter echoed through the room. It wasn't the smile with the dead eyes I'd seen in the archive that day. It was a real, soft smile.
"...Thank you, Ume-kun."
Arisu said it quietly.
"...No, I should be the on
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.