I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Afterward, we took a group photo in the sticker booth to commemorate the day and then headed to the bowling alley.
There, we drew lots and the President and I ended up on a team, while the Akagi siblings were on the other team.
It was a pretty close match, but in the end, the Akagi siblings won, and the karaoke fee fell on the President and me.

It was because both of us had never bowled before.
Then we went to a karaoke room and took turns singing for about two hours.
What surprised me slightly was that the President’s singing skills were top-tier.

When I asked how that came to be, she said she had learned it as part of her basic upbringing when she was younger.
As expected of someone from a noble family—aside from things she had simply never done before, she was basically good at everything.
After singing to our hearts’ content at the karaoke room, it was already 6 PM.

We’d eaten ramen around 3, which meant we’d been hanging out straight through the afternoon.
Since it was about time for the sun to set, when we came out of Nakano Broadway and started discussing dinner plans, Minami suddenly made a suggestion.
“How about we have a dinner gathering at Yu-seong’s place for the first time in a while?”

Upon hearing that, the President spread her fan and laughed, “Ohohohoho!”
“A splendid idea, Minami. The last time we visited Kim Yu-seong’s home was last year, wasn’t it?”
Hearing them, the Vice President also pushed up his glasses and nodded.

“I think it’s a fine idea as well. We’d need to have dinner anyway.”
With all three of them in agreement, the natural course of action became having dinner at my house.
When I hesitated, the President smoothly pulled out a black card from inside her fan.

“Of course, I don’t intend to freeload like last time. I’ll properly pay this time.”
“No, I wasn’t worried about that. It’s just—if I suddenly bring friends over, my mom might be surprised.”
“…Would it be too much trouble?”
The President looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

Honestly, how could I say no when she looked at me like that?
After explaining the situation to the three of them, I called my mom.
[What? Of course, bring everyone over!]

Im I-ja’s hearty approval was so loud it could be heard by everyone, even though the phone wasn’t on speaker.
Once dinner at my place was confirmed, Minami immediately made a phone call, and before long, the same limousine we’d seen earlier pulled up to the curb.
As I climbed into the limo, I suddenly remembered something and asked,

“By the way, how did you and the Vice President get here?”
The Vice President flinched and replied,
“O-Oh, us?”

“We came by taxi. We’re not used to taking the subway.”
Well, since they were escorting the President, they probably wouldn’t have taken the subway anyway.
Once the four of us were on board, the limousine glided through the gradually darkening streets.

A lot had happened, but in the end, our final destination for the day was my house.
***
“Welcome!”

As we opened the door and entered the restaurant, my mom—who happened to be in the dining hall—greeted us with a bright smile.
Since I had called ahead, the table was already set with side dishes.
“Ohohohot, it’s been a while, Madam!”

“Oh my, it’s been a while, President.”
When the President stepped forward and greeted her naturally, my mom smiled brightly and took her hand.
It might have been just a coincidence, but their names were nearly identical except for one syllable.

Im I-ja and Saionji Kumiko.
Maybe because of that, they clicked surprisingly well.
“Since the President and her student council friends were coming, I prepared the restaurant’s signature menu.”

With that, my mom seated us at the prepared table and called to my dad in the kitchen.
He came out carrying a brazier filled with charcoal.
“Be careful, it’s hot.”

As I warned everyone, the President folded her fan and stared in fascination at the brazier placed in the center of the table.
“So this is yakiniku.”
“Is this your first time grilling it yourself?”

“Yes… It’s a bit embarrassing.”
The President smiled self-deprecatingly, saying there were still many things she hadn’t experienced.
Well, since she was willing to learn and try new things, I figured she’d get the hang of it soon.

She’d already been steadily experiencing “commoner” life whenever she had time, and was now doing things she never imagined she could before.
I picked up the tongs to serve meat to the three of them.
“Let me know if you want more. I’ll keep grilling as much as you like.”

Then the Vice President’s glasses gleamed as he said,
“Hooh—are you sure you won’t regret saying that?”
“Of course.”

With that, I loaded all the meat from the plate onto the grill.
Our restaurant was a Korean-style yakiniku place, serving familiar cuts for Koreans like samgyeopsal, moksal, galmaegisal, and hangjeongsal.
And naturally, the son of a meat restaurant owner should know how to grill meat properly.

Sizzle—sizzle—meat cooked on the charcoal grill.
As the delicious smell spread, the three hungry high schoolers, fresh from playing all day, swallowed hard.
In the world of charcoal grilling, samgyeopsal and moksal are king.

The oily, savory samgyeopsal with its layered fat and the slightly dry but flavorful moksal were grilled evenly on both sides and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
People often say you should only flip meat once, but as long as both sides are golden brown, that’s all that matters.
Thanks to the intense heat of the charcoal, the meat cooked in no time. I moved the finished pieces to the side and added a new batch.

The three of them, holding only chopsticks and drooling slightly, dug in as soon as I gave the signal.
“Take your time. There’s plenty more meat.”
Since most of the staff were on vacation today, the restaurant didn’t have many customers.

And with three high schoolers—at their peak appetite—dropping by, there was no worry about leftover meat.
Once I started eating, I could pack away quite a bit too.
I explained the various side dishes to the three.

“These are pickled myung-i leaves and perilla leaves. They go great wrapped around meat. Oh, and that’s ssamjang—it’s a mix of gochujang and doenjang. It pairs perfectly with grilled meat.”
The Akagi siblings seemed used to yakiniku, but the President—being her first time—seemed to struggle a bit. So I made a wrap and offered it to her.
“President, say ah.”

Blushing, the President exclaimed,
“To do something so shameless in front of others—how, how indecent!”
“My arm’s going numb. Hurry up.”

After some hesitation, she delicately accepted the wrap I made.
Chew—chew—
“How is it? Tastes good, right?”

At my question, the President shyly nodded.
Watching from beside us, Minami suddenly spoke up.
“Mr. Yu-seong, are you not going to eat? I think it’s time you passed the tongs to me.”

I appreciated her consideration—but just for today, I decided to be stubborn.
“No, it’s fine. Wouldn’t it be better for the best griller to keep grilling? Don’t worry about me—eat as much as you like. I’ll take care of myself.”
As I said that, I picked up a piece of meat with my chopsticks and popped it into my mouth. Minami gave a reluctant nod.

“Hahahahaha! I can still eat more! Kim Yu-seong!”
“Vice President, please slow down. You’re acting like someone’s chasing you.”
Even with my scolding, the Vice President’s eating speed didn’t slow down.

Thanks to that, I was constantly putting more meat on the grill.
While watching me intently, the President suddenly made a wrap and offered it to me.
“Uh, I can make one myself.”

“You keep saying that, but you’re not eating.”
She offered it again, and I couldn’t refuse.
After accepting the wrap and eating it, the President asked nervously,

“How is it?”
After chewing and swallowing the contents in my mouth, I gave her a thumbs-up.
“It’s delicious.”

The President smiled bashfully.
“Fufu, of course. Who °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° do you think made it?”
And so, the night deepened—a joyful evening spent with the entire student council.

***
“Take care!”
“Come again~”

With farewells from Kim Yu-seong and his mother, Saionji Kumiko and the Akagi siblings exited the restaurant.
The sky was already completely dark.
Thinking about how they had started the day early in Asakusa, they had basically been out all day.

Though her body was tired, Saionji Kumiko felt a warm emotion lingering in her chest.
On the way back to the estate, inside the limousine, Akagi Shinjiro and Akagi Minami bowed their heads from the seat opposite her.
“We’re sorry, Young Lady. We should’ve discreetly withdrawn midway.”

“We got too caught up in having fun and couldn’t find the right moment to slip away.”
To their sincere apology, Saionji Kumiko shook her head with a soft smile.
“No, it’s fine. I was more than satisfied with today.”

As she said that, she recalled the events of the day.
Waiting for someone for the first time in her life… eating ice cream with Kim Yu-seong in Asakusa… laughing while shopping together… being told she looked beautiful in a kimono…
And that wasn’t all.

“It’s been ages since I’ve hung out with the two of you like this. It brought back so many memories.”
The student council is fundamentally structured around Saionji Kumiko.
That’s natural—but sometimes, she felt a strange loneliness.

She thought the two no longer treated her the way they once did.
But that had been a misunderstanding.
“Playing spot-the-difference with Minami today was really fun. Bowling too. The photo booth and singing together—it all became precious memories.”

As wonderful as her date with Kim Yu-seong had been, the time spent together as a unified student council held an even deeper meaning.
“Thank you for always being with me, Shinjiro, Minami. I’m always grateful.”
When Saionji Kumiko said this and bowed her head slightly, the two looked moved.

“…We will follow you forever.”
“Young Lady…”
As a gentle atmosphere filled the air, Saionji Kumiko awkwardly cleared her throat and said,

“Anyway, I’ll be satisfied with this much for today. This won’t be the last opportunity. You’ll both help next time too, right?”
The two immediately nodded.
“Of course!”

“Naturally.”
And so, the first night of Golden Week—a night worth commemorating—came to a close with renewed unity between a mistress and her loyal followers.