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"What the heck is this?"
"Please don't raise your voice right now, Elliot"
The young man with silver hair chides him as he returns to reading through the text book, laying it down on top of the kotatsu.
A kotatsu in the middle of Serendia Academy's student council room. One of the most prestigious academies of Japan where the children of the elite attend to shape them into future leaders, heirs and business owners. In the sacred student council room where only a few rare students were chosen for their talent, skill and knowledge, laid a kotatsu in the center of it.
Winter break was but a few weeks away but the weather dropped cold faster than intended so most of the students were in that dire need to seek heat and comfort nowadays, of course the school had laid out heaters for most of the rooms for the students to stay warm until the break rolls in.
Nonetheless it wasn't in anyone's right mind yet to bring a kotatsu in the school premises of all things, how they got it here is a mystery to Elliot as he drops his bag to the sofas that were pushed away now to the wall.
Currently in the room were himself, the vice president and heir to the Highown printing press, Cyril Ashley, and three other people where half of their bodies were curled up inside the kotatsu. As Elliot moves forward he's not surprised to see the people also enjoying a nap in the warmth of the kotatsu.
"I'm guessing this was Felix's idea…?" Elliot looks towards the group of people sleeping soundly.
"It was a combined effort with Ike this time, but most of it Felix so yes." Cyril responds without much need to glance at him, focused on the textbook instead.
"Why is Auditor Everett there?"
"She eventually succumbed due to her lack of sleep and unhealthy lifestyle"
As they both converse in a toned down voice, it doesn't escape Isaac's sharp ears as his eyes start to flutter open. He tried to move his body but both of his arms were currently occupied by two people on both his sides which made his attempt to sit up immediately rejected and he had to settle having his eyes be welcomed with the ceiling.
"Just move them off your body, are you an idiot?" Isaac tried to glare towards Elliot but it looked really silly since he was lying down, so he stopped doing so and simply accepted his situation.
"You wouldn't do so in my position" Elliot just scoffs at him as he takes the empty spot in front of Cyril and settles in, moving his legs inside the kotatsu to also revel in its warmth.
As the silence passes of minding each other's business, only the flipping of a page, the soft snores of two people and doom scrolling on a phone were what filled up the room.
"I think that's enough…" Cyril closes his book and puts its down as he moves to stand up, first moving his right leg out then—
'Huh'
The vice president tries to pull out his right leg again.
"GuAgH—!"
"AcCkK—"
Cyril falls down from the pain and Isaac's face contorts weirdly as his leg gets pulled.
"Cyril, stop moving" Isaac is now in desperate need to free one of his arms as he slowly tries to move Monica away, Cyril meanwhile is writhing in pain from that attempt of escaping the kotatsu.
"I don't think…I don't think I can move Ike" Elliot finally glances from his phone to see the other two in some form of odd twister situation, when Isaac attempts to pull out his leg and Cyril covers his mouth to not raise his voice.
"Look what dragged both of you into." Elliot smirks and Cyril glares coldly at him in annoyance
"Not helping Elliot." The said person hardly cared as he goes back into scrolling on his phone while ignoring any form of call for help for both of his friends.
Isaac sighs in relief at finally freeing his right arm, free from Monica's grasp who rolled in the other direction to continue sleeping. Now he tries to sit up but only does so halfway, but it was enough to see and ascertain the situation. Cyril was trying to crawl gently away from his side but each attempt simply dragging both boys deeper into the conundrum of the their tangled legs.
"Cyril, can you give me a…minute. I just need to move Arc—"
"I need to use…the restroom…"
…
…
…
No one spoke for a moment.
Cyril looked hard on the floor from embarrassment as he says that.
Elliot tried his best not to laugh but failing to do so where his hand barely covered his mouth.
Isaac didn't even know what to respond anymore.
But he was already so close to moving Felix gently off his other arm, as much as he wants to listen to such endearing snores of the peaceful sleeping of his brother, Cyril's bladder was unfortunately at stake if they can't untangle their legs by the passing minute.
After slow movements, Isaac finally has both of his arms free and looked over on Cyril who was looking in a dire state as his leg unfortunately went asleep along the way, beginning to mutter to himself how much of an incompetent person he was for not going to the rest room earlier, or for letting himself indulge in the comfortable heat of the kotatsu and unaware of his legs getting stuck in it.
Elliot hearing this put the phone down and stood up. "I am not letting you get a single stain on this CARPET! The student council is for the prestigious of people and you are not gonna let yourself be the first to soil it."
"I would do no such thing—!" Cyril flushed red from Elliot's statement as he holds onto Elliot's arm to pull himself out.
"Please don't even attempt to hold your own bladder, Cyril dear." Isaac says jokingly but knows full well his dear friend would be damned to be the reason of discomfort for his friends than let himself be okay.
"Alright, your foot is the only thing left inside, just pull it out damn it!" Elliot's voice suddenly rising earned him a glare from Ike.
With a disgruntled groan from both boys whose legs entanlged, it was finally free with the last pull.
"It's finally free…" Cyril catches his breath and scutters to stand up immediately and fixes his uniform for any messy folds and rushes for the personal rest room in the student council.
"What has happened here?" The door yet again opens and both Elliot and Ike glance to see one of the most beautiful girls of the academy, Bridget Greyham with her unamused look staring at the scene before her. A shorter boy peered from behind her, wide eyes also wondering as he closed the door, almost becoming unseen from how short he was compared to Bridget, but it was not a new thing for Neil.
"It's nothing, it's just a kotatsu." Elliot sighs after saying so and returns to his side where his phone was. Bridget deemed the response enough as she too places her bags to the velvet sofas that were pushed away and Neil following suit. Isaac deemed it appropriate now to gather his bearings and fix his uniform but left the jacket unbuttoned. Now finding his shoes and go to the other room to make tea for everyone. Doing just one more glance between the two still sleeping figures on the floor, who were now snuggled next to each other and smiled seeing that then he leaves.
Bridget decides to join in the warmth and sits on the spots adjacent to Elliot, folding her skirt and gracefully doing so as she places down a textbook and her pencil case on the hard surface of the kotatsu. Neil follows also by sitting on the spot where Cyril was, moving aside the vice president's textbook and placing down his notebook and going through his notes.
"Even with the warmth, you guys don't want to relax?" Elliot yawned as he lays his arms on the top of the kotatsu, burying his head and now understanding the drowsiness that hit the other two sleeping members in the room.
"Unlike you, I plan to be someone worthwhile standing next to Felix." Bridgette pushes a bit of Elliot's arms away to make space for her pencil case that falls off. Elliot mutters an apology not wanting to be on the wrath of his fellow secretary.
"Oh, you guys are done with the affairs from the drama club?" Cyril's footsteps are heard as he approaches towards his spot, planning to move away until Neil scooted a bit to make space for him. Cyril was hesitant to accept the offer but he wasn't resistant to Neil's kind smile (and the possible teasing he gets from Claudia later) and sits next to the general affairs officer.
"Well, it took a while but thankfully Lana wasn't entirely too disagreeing through out it all."
"That Colette girl is quite the negotiator, she's gonna be a wonderful business woman for her age." Bridgette and Neil responses seemed to satisfy Cyril's worries and goes back to reading his textbook.
As is the usual antics of the student council of Serendia.
Felix finally stirs awake as Isaac returns to the room carrying a tray of tea for everyone, the wonderful smell of his favorite tea washes the room and he sits up, rubbing his eyes and yawns.
"Good Afternoon, your highness." Elliot jokes.
"Hello Felix!" Neil greets him.
"Good Afternoon, Felix." Cyril says.
Felix Arc Ridill, student council president and next in line for being the heir for his grandfather, Duke Clockford, took a while to gather is senses as his eyes flutter to open and yawn comes out of him. His hair was a little messy but it didn't take away the kind of adorable look he always had, somewhat resembling an angel. It was a stark contrast at times despite to his brother despite looking almost alike.
"Oh, you're here Bridget" As Felix' eyes cleared, the first he catches is the familiar long blonde locks of his girlfriend, making the girl smile and a soft pink on her cheeks visible as she gazes at Felix across her. "Nice to see you awake, Felix" Felix smiles back brightly.
"Would you like your usual cup, Arc?" Isaac lays down a cup in front of arc, and Felix thanks him as he takes a sip from it. Pulling the cart closer to them, Isaac soon lays out teacups for everyone accordingly.
Felix takes this opportunity to get up from his seat and move next to Bridgette, to leave some space for Ike next to a sleeping Monica.
After serving everyone and laying down the last cup for Monica, who eventually wakes up from the chattering and the feeling of someone sitting next to her left. Her hair was now in disarray from the nap and she sits up as she tries to adjust from light.
"Now the little squirrel is finally up." Elliot mutters.
"Oh, we can hold our meeting like this!" Felix says with excitement, though it was an odd setting but with everyone gathered here, it was a good opportunity to do so. "Well, we technically don't have much to discuss but just some stuff needed to be addressed before the break starts." Felix starts to speak his part of how the winter ball will be happening soon, adjustments on the budget and the clubs wanting some facility changes to their preference.
Between all of these, Bridgette carefully took down the minutes and paid attention, Cyril and Neil would sometimes suggest an idea whenever Felix asked so and Elliot would put out his opinion on the student's social changes and complaints about it. Isaac happily helped Monica braid her hair as she would speak up whenever the funds were asked of her, whilst also mentioning of how some student's bullying were becoming a little to out of hand.
They worked like a well-oiled machine, though from the outside it's simply looked like a bunch of friends hanging out in a kotatsu, the student council of Serendia were a respectable group of students who weren't short but excellent on their jobs.
"Are there anymore concerns needed to be brought up?" Nearing the end of the meeting, Elliot raises his hand and Felix nods to let him talk.
"Yeah, why is everyone seating in pairs but never with me?"
Everyone thought about it and they realized looking at each other, that he had a point. Though, Isaac, Bridgette and Cyril merely looked back at Elliot as if to say the reason was completely obvious to them.
"Well, I wanted to sit next to Bridgette since we couldn't have lunch together for today…" Felix sheepishly says, his hands doing the gesture of having his fingers point cutely at eachother, Bridgette smiling at him at how adorable he looked.
"I had to discuss something with Cyril today since Claudia's birthday is nearby." A perfectly acceptable reason, Elliot thinks.
And then he glances at the duo to his left, where Monica scrambled to say a reason from between "Umm well.." and "Uhhs…" sputtering out incoherent phrases, Isaac puts his tea down after taking a sip and smiles at Elliot. "Because why should I?"
"And people say I'm the spiteful one…"
"With how you treated Arc back then, it wouldn't be hard to do so."
"That was already years ago Ike…" Felix tries to ease the tension.
"Frankly, Isaac has a point."
"You too Bridget??!" Elliot turns to his left.
"W-Well, you guys have been childhood friends for years and still are despite it. I think its a testament to how dear you guys to each other despite it." Neil's words seem to lay an atmosphere of agreement between the group for a moment.
"I-I think Howard-san isn't such a bad person…" Monica speaks up and they all decided to agree with that much from her words, much to Elliot's confusion but he let's it slide.
"What infuriating friends…" Elliot mutters but can't help but sneak a smile despite his annoyance. The chattering of the Student Council continues till the dusk falls and it was finally time to head home. Picking up their bags and paperwork to bring and closing the door for the end of the day.