Fractal Plane: Beyond Public Eyes

Chapter 4 - Our True Reflection?

1

Buzzing sounds of cheerful young adults filled the sushi bar. Kazuki did not expect his day to take a turn like this, but here he sat, still not over the day's events.

The bright, orange ambience of the restaurant as well as the poppy tunes being played over the speaker did little to get him over what happened just half an hour ago. Neither did the plates of sushi in front of him and the two student council members.

In contrast, the cheerful environment and the sound of the songs served to remind him of the verbal spat with Kimura.

"There you are, Saito. I see you brought a new guest here today."

"Hahaha, can't have too many new customers, Uncle," answered Saito to the white-haired man dressed in a suit. He glanced over his shoulders and gave another look to the filled tables and the density of people in the establishment before returning to the white-haired man. "I see that business is booming, too."

"Well, thank you. There's a reason you're one of my favorite customers. Natural Selection owes you a lot."

"Don't mention it. The food here is great and really affordable. Perfect for introducing fellow schoolmates to the wonders of your bar."

Kazuki saw the white-haired man turn to him with a grin.

"How are you enjoying the food? Are you a student council member? A clubmate, perhaps?"

Kazuki did enjoy the food, but the man was correct on neither of the guesses. The last question initially took him by surprise, but he just remembered a while ago that Saito had pretty much become an honorary member of the engineering club.

"It's great. Really. I'm just a schoolmate of his though. A lowerclassman."

"Ohhh," replied the man with a nod. "Okay, I'll get back to work now. Please enjoy your food."

"Oh, and Saito, let's talk afterwards, okay?" he said before he finally left the trio behind.

Things settled down in the students' table, and everyone went back to eating and drinking quietly. The awkward silence was broken when Saito slammed his glass on the table.

Kazuki was caught off guard, and he was sure that it showed in his facial expression when the student council president began talking to him.

"Come on, man, you have to stop looking so gloomy and down all the time. I get what just happened, but even before that incident, you were always like that in school."

"I guess it's just part of my personality, that's all. No need to force positivity in."

"Look, I've been student council president for two years now, and I've known a lot of you guys already. Even compared to your regular mode, I can sense something, and I would feel bad if I, as the student council president, won't be able to lend a helping hand."

He paused for a while, presumably to gather his thoughts.

"You know you can trust your good old student council president. I'm trying my best to help everyone, and you're part of the Fuyusato family as much as my fellow members."

"You're heavily associated with a person that he's not in good terms with, for one," interrupted Bloomenfled. The glasses-wearing member of the student council had kept to herself the entire time until now, and her intervention was as expected – straight to the point and frank.

"As for what's got him down... If I were to guess, I think it has to do with that idol. Poor guy probably snapped back at something, and that girl just stormed off."