Spring Festival || Aki Hayakawa X OC

Chapter 3: Hanging in the balance

"Your proposal is not bad," Principal Choi says the next afternoon. "I can definitely tell that you put a lot of thought into it's structure. However, I have to be frank with you."

She waves the papers, and a puff of air blows Niko's face. "This proposal doesn't paint our school in the most flattering light. Although I understand where you're coming from, Miss Itoshi, it makes us sound underfunded and needy, like we're a rural school. Which is simply not true."

Niko feels like she's going to be sick. Had she been too ambitious? Too desperate? They hadn't thought this through enough, and now it feels like all her work was for nothing.

Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, the diamond of her earring glinting in the room, Principal Choi steeples her fingers together. "I cannot permit this to happen, I'm sorry," she says, and it feels like a punch to the gut.

It isn't fair; she wants to say that much, but the words die out in her throat. What are they going to do now? This was their best bet and they have no backup.

With the papers back in her hands, the principal compliments Niko on the hard work of the student council. "I'm impressed with you," she says. "But sometimes in life, Miss Itoshi, things don't work out the way we want them to, and we have to accept it and move on."

Niko leaves the office feeling like a failure. She's let Ren down, and she's let down the entire school. The slump in her shoulders is involuntary, but it feels like the only way she's allowed to react. As the vice president, she wonders why she couldn't get this one thing right.

Ren is waiting for her by the wall opposite Principal Choi's office. Unlike her, he looks calm and collected, but Niko has known him long enough to tell when he's pretending. Despite it all, something like hope shimmers in his eyes. She can't face that look and darts her eyes to the floor beside his feet.

Niko mutters, "You should have gone in there instead of me," and pushed past Ren, trudging further down the hallway. Ren follows closely behind.

"A couple of students approached me while you were in there and asked if the rumor about the festival was true," Ren explained as they took a left turn and arrived at the staircase.

Niko puts her hand on the railing and leads the way down to the ground floor. "What did you tell them?" she asks in a monotonous voice as they make their way towards the council room.

As they walk, two students rush by and collide with Niko's shoulder, sending dozens of flyers fluttering through the air and scattering all around them. Niko stumbles a few steps forward, and Ren has to help her steady herself, one of the students apologizes and the other begins picking up the papers. A pang of guilt strikes her when she reads what the flyers are for.

"I told them to watch the school news broadcast tomorrow," Ren replies as they enter the council room. Niko takes her usual seat adjacent to the head of the table.

"So, what did she say?" Ren asks.

Niko glances up at the clock on the wall. Their afternoon meeting is going to start soon, and the council members will trickle in one by one. She decides to wait until they've all gathered before sharing the news; she isn't looking forward to it at all.

*
*
*

As predicted, the news is not received well.

"That's bullshit!" Haruka exclaims, slamming her hand on the table and startling the room, although a few of the members murmur something similar. Ren throws her a chastising glare, which she ignores.

"Haruka, calm down," he scolds with the authoritative tone he reserves for giving commands. "Yelling doesn't solve anything."

"It's bullshit!" she repeats, throwing her arms up in frustration. "It's an outrage! The principal has no right to dismiss us like this. It's a damn good idea, Ren--"