#1 Student Council
<em>Nyaaah—!</em>
“Where are we heading now?”
<em>Nyaaang!</em>
“To the student council. Sit quietly on my shoulder, ckie.”
The ck cat named [ckie], which had been rubbing against my cheek, elegantly perched on one side of my shoulder.
For the record, “ckie” is just a shortened form of “ck cat”.
Calling it just “cat” felt too impersonal, and naming it properly seemed like too much effort…Besides, it’s a temporary name since I’ll likely find its owner soon.
<em>Nyaaah—!</em>
After carrying ckie around for a while, I realized that despite its chic appearance, it’s surprisingly talkative.
Thanks to that, I often find myself talking to it unnecessarily.
Right now, it feels like its meows are asking why we’re heading to the student council.
“The reason we’re going to the student council? The chances of a connection between a cat and the scenario are slim. However, I think I might get some useful information to find your owner.”
And so, we arrived at the student council.
The student council’s reception room was unusually quiet, a sign that not much had been happening recently.
We were greeted by the student council’s sleepy mascot, someone I had met before.
“<em>Yaaawn</em>…”
Or not.
They just yawned.
Was that their way of greeting me? I prefer this nonchnt style myself, but seeing someone who was once surprised by my presence react like this feels a bit underwhelming.
“What brings you here… <em>yawn</em>?”
“I heard the student council has been having trouble with catstely.”
“That’s right. Like the one sitting on your shoulder, Ian ckangers… wait, huh?”
Suya’s eyes momentarily widened in surprise before drooping again.
“No, not that type of cat. Hmm.”
“Don’t fall asleep, Suya.”
“I’m going to sleep… Go in there. They’re having a meeting today. Zzz.”
Suya slumped over the desk.
I poked her cheek a few times, but she didn’t budge.
A thin trail of drool was her only response.
I wiped the drool on her sleeve and stood before the door she pointed to.
<em>—Come in.</em>
The cold voice came just as I knocked.
As soon as I opened the door, the temperature seemed to drop by at least 5 degrees.
<em>Sssruk, sssruk.</em>
The rough sound of papers being flipped filled the room.
At the head of the long meeting table was Iris, the student council vice president, ncing at me over the documents she was reading.
She looked as cold andposed as Silvia when it came to administrative matters.
Her rigid posture, metallic sses worn solely for reading, and the aura of professionalism made her seem like a human embodiment of ice.
If someone could sculpt a person from coldness, it might look like this.
A literal ice sculpture might seem warmer inparison.
I felt that if I touched her, not only would I fail to melt her, but I might freeze myself.
Would Lina need to be summoned to use a fireball just to detach me?
And if that happened, how would I even—
“Ian ckangers.”
“…”
“Ian ckangers, are your ears closed?”
“Oh.”
I snapped out of my thoughts and opened my eyes wide.
I noticed Iris quietly observing ckie perched on my shoulder.
“What on earth are you doing, not listening to a word I’m saying?”
“Ah… Iris, you’re not an automaton sculpted from ice, are you…?”
“I’m very much human, as you can see.”
“Right, of course.”
“If you interrupted a meeting, state your business quickly.”
Her expression made it clear: “If you don’t have anything important, leave now.”
Even as she looked at me, she kept ncing at her documents and asionally at ckie on my shoulder.
To be honest, her precision and attentiveness bordered on superhuman.
If there were an eye movementpetition, Iris would undoubtedly win the Lichten Academy championship.
“Student Ian ckangers.”
“Hm?”
“Your Dessert Research Club contributes significantly to our student council’s finances. That’s the only reason I’m tolerating your presence. If you have no business, leave immediately.”
“Ah—”
I had been lost in thought for too long.
I needed to focus.
This “cat incident” might somehow tie into the main scenario.
“The Witch Hunt episode requires delicate navigation.”
The scenario originating in the small city of Lichten eventually concludes at the Holy See of Constantine, located in the southern theocracy.
The Pope holds a status rivaling the Emperor, the absolute ruler of the Empire.
To avoid an oue where I end up on the pyre before him, and to prevent a war between the Empire and Holy Constantine, this scenario must be carried out sessfully.
Pulling myself together, I finally voiced the purpose of my visit.
“I’ve heard that the number of cats on campus has been increasing recently.”
At my words, Iris’ expression shifted. The hint of annoyance in her eyes gave way to something resembling interest.
“How much do you know about it?”
“Only that the student council is paying attention to the matter.”
Hmmm.
Iris touched her lips with her fingers, pondering.
“Indeed, the number of cats on campus has been increasing significantly.”
“I’ve heard as much.”
“The problem is, we’ve found evidence suggesting someone is deliberately increasing their numbers.”
“Which means…?”
“It suggests two things: there’s someone intentionally spreading cats, and their intent likely isn’t benign.”
“I see.”
“It’s definitely suspicious. The information we’ve gathered recently doesn’t look good. The student council is prioritizing this issue and monitoring it closely.”
Finishing her exnation, Iris adjusted her sses and asked,
“…By the way, that cat?”
Ah. ckie really does seem like a cat who gets around.
Maybe Iris could shed some light on its identity.
Her slightly more serious expression gave me a sliver of hope.
Her gesturing hands, as though asking for the cat, made me decide to hand ckie over.
ckie surprisingly settled onto Iris’s desk without much resistance.
<em>—Meow.</em>
Iris examined ckie intently.
Her gaze was exceptionally serious.
‘…Does she really know something about it?’
What was she going to say?
I focused on her lips, anticipating her response.
Her lips, pale yet glossed, slowly parted.
“… Whoa.”
“?”
“…It’s… so… cute.”
“…?”
What?
I stared at her, utterly bewildered, as she turned to me and asked,
“Can I pet it?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Thank you… ah…”
Iris reached out to stroke ckie’s back, her movements cautious and reverent.
<em>—Nyaaaah.</em>
ckie purred contentedly under her touch, and Iris’s frosty expression melted away entirely.
“…”
What was this scene before me?
A wholesome, unexpected moment of healing unfolded right in front of my eyes.
Iris, now fully absorbed in petting ckie, even closed her eyes as if savoring the moment.
“Iris.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever seen that ck cat before?”
“…Hold on.”
After stroking ckie several more times, she scrutinized it carefully.
“I haven’t seen it before. But…”
Hmm.
Iris tilted her head briefly before speaking with certainty.
“It’s not one of the newly increased cats. Those are all ‘cheese cats’.”
“…Cheese cats? Is that some kind of technical term?”
At my question, Iris’s face reddened.
“Those orange-and-yellow mixed cats.”
“Ah, I see.”
Still, this was a valuable piece of information.
So the issue revolves around cheese-colored cats.
◆
ckie and I left the student council.
“Iris was right.”
As she had said, there was an unusually high number of cheese-colored cats on campus.
<em>— Hyaaah!</em>
ckie clearly disliked it whenever those cheese-colored cats came near.
As we walked, we eventually arrived at the one-room apartment area outside the northern gate of the academy.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’
his was where my old dormitory was located at the beginning of the semester.
I navigated the familiar alleyways and stopped in front of a particr door.
<em>— Knock knock!</em>
I knocked on the door and asked.
“Lina, are you home?”
<em>Crash! Bang!</em>
The sound of ttering and chaotic noise came from inside.
Shortly after— <em>Bang!</em> —the door flew open.
“Ian…?!”
It was Lina, clearly flustered, as though she had rushed to the door.
She looked at me with a mix of surprise and delight.
“What brings you all the way here? Wait, isn’t this your first time visiting my ce?”
“Is it? I think you moved in here back when I was still living around this area.”
“Yeah! But this is definitely the first time! I didn’t even get to throw a housewarming party.”
Hmm.
Now that I think about it, she’s right.
The lingering trace of my inner Korean spirit pricked my conscience.
I should’ve brought a housewarming gift.
I’ll bring one next time. For now, uncovering ckie’s identity takes priority.
I held out ckie to her and asked.
“Lina, have you seen this cat before? It wandered into our clubroom.”
<em>— Nyaaaaaaah!</em>
ckie meowed, almost as if whining to Lina.
She stared at ckie for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, this is my first time seeing it.”
“I see.”
What a shame.
That leaves Danya and Silvia as the remaining candidates.
It would be best to visit Danya first and then head to Silvia’s ce.
As I turned to leave, Lina suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
“But… I have seen another ck cat before.”
“Another ck cat?”
“Yeah.”
Lina answered while inexplicably lowering her head.
For some reason, her ears turned red.
Then, lifting her head to face me, she asked with a hesitant voice:
“…Would you like toe in and see the cat at my ce?”