Vol.3 Ch.3: The Student Council ②

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The slight smell of medicinal chemicals lingered in the air as Kanna and Tsutomu entered the clinic of Starlight Academy’s eastern district. After greeting the student at the front desk, the two were taken down the hallway towards the room where the two anemic students were resting in bed.

“Please excuse me.” Kanna spoke as she entered the room.

As she entered, one of the two students looked her way while the other remained asleep. Both students were pale, each connected to an IV to help regulate their blood.

“Dealing with a condition like this is rare for us, so we’ve continued to consult with the teachers on what steps to take, and have considered requesting the assistance of the medical staff from Central.” one of the health club students explained as Kanna and Tsutomu made their way to the bedsides of the patients.

“Hello, Miss President… My name is Seki.” the awake student spoke, introducing himself.

“Pardon our intrusion, Seki. How are you feeling?” Kanna asked gently.

“Much better compared to yesterday…” Seki looked at the ceiling wistfully.

“So you were the first to suffer this anemia, am I correct?” Kanna asked.

“Yep…” Seki nodded, before glancing at the student in the other bed. “She came in this morning, apparently found under similar circumstances as me.”

“Yes, I have heard as much…” Kanna solemnly glanced at the sleeping girl, before turning to the health club student. “Could you explain the details on how they were found?”

“Of course!” the student exclaimed, as they fumbled around with their clipboard of papers. “Let’s see, um… Seki was found yesterday morning, fainted near the bushes by one of the main walkways leading out of the business area. A student found him during their morning jog.”

“I see… And the girl?” Kanna asked.

“She was found this morning, on a bench at Rigel Park… Similar to Mr. Seki, she was unconscious and suffering from a shortage of blood.” the student diligently reported.

“Thank you, I understand.” Kanna nodded.

The details are about what I had assumed from the reports we received. This situation… truly, it does not sit well with me.

After pausing to think, Kanna spoke up once more.

“Seki, do you recall what you were doing before you fainted?” Kanna asked.

“Sorry, but not really…” Seki shook his head. “I know I was out late helping a classmate who works at the arcade. I remember leaving there, but…”

“If you were leaving the arcade, were you returning to the dorms?” Kanna asked. “The area where you fainted would suggest so.”

“Yeah, I know I was heading home… and then… nngh…!” Seki was wracking his brain trying to think of what happened.

“Please, do not push yourself on my account…” Kanna tried to reassure him after seeing his strained expression, but Seki shook his head.

“No, hold on… I feel like…” Seki grit his teeth, knowing he was on the verge of remembering something.

“I… I think there was someone else there… Someone in… some kind of hood or cloak. I don’t remember their face.” Seki sighed.

“Is that so…?” Kanna couldn’t hide the sense of shock on her face. “Thank you for the information.”

“No prob… Hey, I think I should get some sleep myself now.” Seki said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Of course. Once again, sorry for the intrusion. You were truly a big help.” Kanna stood up and bowed.

The health club student then guided Kanna and Tsutomu out of the room and back to the main lobby of the clinic. Although the visit was short-lived, Kanna was satisfied with the little information she was able to receive.

“I-is that all we came to do?” Tsutomu asked.

“Yes. Even if it is one small piece of information, it was quite valuable.” Kanna stated.

“The thing about the, um, hooded guy…?” Tsutomu pondered. “Sounds too weird to me… Maybe he remembered wrong…”

“That is a possibility.” Kanna nodded.

But if it is the truth, this situation could be much more dangerous than it appears…

Kanna grimaced as her mind swirled with possibilities.

“Azuma, let us go.” Kanna called.

“Right!” the boy nodded.

The two left the clinic, making their way back to the student council office, where they’d spend the rest of the day as usual, completing their tasks as student council members. As the case of the anemic students lingered in the back of their minds, time marched forward…

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Sunday morning, June 11th.

Although it was a day off for most students, the student council had gathered again. An emergency meeting had been called once more. Kanna glanced around the student council room, acknowledging that Tsutomu, Makoto, Megumi, and Shizuo were all seated.

“Thank you for gathering despite today being your day off.” Kanna bowed to her fellow council members.

“This better be important…” Makoto grumbled, clearly annoyed at having to come in on Sunday.

“As you may have surmised upon the formation of this meeting, another case of anemia has occurred as of this morning.” Kanna reported the bad news.

“Oh dear…” Megumi sadly muttered.

“Seriously? This really is bizarre…” Shizuo was dumbfounded at how this could be happening so consistently.

“With that being the case, I propose we form a plan of action immediately.” Kanna firmly stated. “We must work to find the root cause of these incidents and put an end to it.”

Most of the other members began to shake their head in acknowledgement, however, one member couldn’t help but bang his fist on the table.

“Oh please, it’s not like this is some kind of epidemic, president.” stated the clearly perturbed Makoto.

“Ishigami, listen…” Kanna tried to explain, before she was once more interrupted.

“You haven’t given us one piece of information that convinces me we should have anything to do with this. It’s a health issue, and it’s fine being left to the specialists in those fields.” Makoto explained with exasperation.

“You misunderstand.” Kanna countered. “As I stated, we will find and eliminate the root cause of the incidents. Caring for those already afflicted is indeed the responsibility of the clinic, but preventing further victims is ours.”

“Victims? You say that like they were attacked or something.” Makoto raised his eyebrow.

“That is exactly what I am saying.” Kanna confirmed while staring him straight in the eyes.

With those words, the others in the room all wore looks of surprise and confusion as well.

“What nonsense are you…” Makoto was speechless.

“Yesterday, Azuma and I visited the clinic and spoke with the first victim.” Kanna started to explain. “We did not find very much new information, however we did learn that the first victim had vague recollections of seeing a hooded figure before losing consciousness and suffering from their anemic response.”

“And you took such a ridiculous story at their word?” Makoto replied, beginning to sweat. “Absolutely absurd…”

“This is starting to sound like something out of a weird movie…” Shizuo shivered at the thought.

“Is that really what the student said, little Azuma?” Megumi asked to the timid boy who still hadn’t spoken up.

“Y-y-yeah… Th-that’s what he said… After thinking real hard…” Tsutomu stuttered out in response, backing up Kanna’s story.

“So, what? You think some creepy guy in a hood is running around the district somehow causing people to develop anemia?” Makoto asked sarcastically, trying to make sense of the situation.

“That is my current hypothesis, yes.” Kanna nodded with complete sincerity, causing Makoto to give a double-take.

“Okaaaay… And how do you suppose this mystery assailant is doing such a thing?” Makoto wore a strained smile upon proposing the question.

“I wonder.” Kanna spoke, averting his gaze.

“I’m being serious, President!” shouted Makoto, slamming his fist on the table again.

“As am I, Ishigami.” Kanna once more glared Makoto directly in the eyes, causing him to falter. “Simply put, the method is inconsequential. For all we know, the culprit could be stealing blood with a syringe or a similar tool. I cannot answer your question definitively because we lack that very information!”

“Seriously? A syringe? Was one stolen from the clinic or something…?” Makoto mumbled under his breath.

“I understand where you’re comin’ from Ishigami. This all sounds totally wacko. But if students really are in danger, we gotta do somethin’ about it like the Prez says.” Shizuo laid his perspective out for everyone.

“I agree. We should at least try to figure out what’s going on.” Megumi nodded along.

“Both of you, thank you.” Kanna smiled at the two of them.

“Fine.” Makoto gave up with a sigh. “So? Do you have a plan?”

“Yes.” Kanna nodded, preparing to explain. “This morning I spoke with the clinic staff about the incident from this morning, and it confirmed a suspicion of mine. Rather, two of them.”

“Oh? What would those be?” Megumi asked curiously.

“First,” Kanna lifted one finger. “All of the victims were found in the same general area. Every location was somewhere south of the business area, near Rigel Park.”

“Bro… That’s crazy.” Shizuo’s response slipped from his mouth.

“And second,” Kanna lifted a second finger. “Each victim was found in the morning, suggesting to me that the actual incidents occur late at night.”

“Oh dear… When you line up the information like that, it really does seem like these incidents are intentional and not just a coincidence…” Megumi’s face filled with concern.

“I suppose… That does seem possible.” Makoto begrudgingly agreed.

“With these details in mind, I suggest we attempt to lure out this hooded individual ourselves.” Kanna declared. “Tonight, I suggest we masquerade as ordinary students passing through the park. We shall be the bait, and catch the culprit through our coordinated effort.”

“You’re seriously asking us to put ourselves at risk now…?” Makoto sighed exaggeratedly.

“My apologies, but it is the most direct and efficient method I could think of.” Kanna apologized. “Do not fret, however, as I will do all in my power to protect each of you.”

“And if she can’t, then I will!” Shizuo flexed. “We’re the strongest here! Ain’t no way any hooded creep could get past us!”

“Precisely, Yamamura.” Kanna nodded, smiling over Shizuo’s enthusiasm.

Still, I pray that I am simply overthinking this. If the situation is truly as I fear, even Yamamura here would need to be protected…

“Well, I guess it’s been decided.” Makoto shrugged, utterly exasperated. “Let’s work out the details on where and when we’ll meet up then.”

“Of course.” Kanna nodded.

From there, the student council spoke amongst themselves for a while longer, finalizing the details of their plan to catch the hooded figure in action. Outside of the walls of the school building, the students wandered around, enjoying their Sunday despite the cloudy weather. All completely unaware of the threat lurking in the shadows of their daily school lives…