Ever since I got my first flip phone at age five,
I only used it for making emergency calls.
But after joining the student council,
I've been using it to document my daily life.
I used to look down on girls my age who would constantly take phone pictures.
Probably because
I had nothing to take a photo of then.
There were no days...
I told you I'd confiscate that!
...that I wanted to think back upon.
How many times do I have to say it before it sinks in?
Therefore...
...by doing this,
I feel...
...just a little bit...
...like an ordinary girl.
"LONG TIME NO SEE"
A photo of us?
"Shuchiin Academy School Brochure"
Yes! We're making a pamphlet for Shuchiin Academy,
"THE STUDENT COUNCIL WOULD LIKE A GROUP PHOTO"
so I would like all of you to model for it.
We're going to be models?
That sounds like fun!
What shall I wear?
Your school uniform, of course.
Excuse me...
I'm sorry, but...
...my family's policy doesn't allow my face to appear in any media.
"SHINOMIYA FAMILY"
We can't show your face at all?
Could you do something like this?
What kind of pamphlet are you making?
Don't worry about me. You guys do it.
I've never been photogenic anyway.
Really?
The pamphlet I wish to make, in a nutshell, will make kids think,
"I want to spend the springtime of my life at that academy!"
So, please show me your bubbly best!
Our bubbly best...
Go on, vogue!
L-Like this?
Fujiwara's bubbly best is like a bratty child.
L-Like this?
A three-year-old's first photo session.
Thank you, next!
Why do you hide your face?
B-Because I'm embarrassed.
Non ! What a waste when you have such a cute face...
Cute?
Precisely! When you're so pretty...
"UH-HUH"
Please show me that cute face.
How cute! Very nice!
Don't be afraid.
Entrust me with your body.
Now bite that pen you're holding.
The epitome of Japanese cuteness!
"SNAP SNAP"
Iino, if some sleazy guy in town scouts you as a model, don't you go with him.
Ishigami, would you stand next to her?
Me, too?
This won't do.
Mutter mutter mutter...
"HMPH..."
Shinomiya, would you fix Ishigami's hair?
Sure.
And you look a little too stiff, Iino.
Please loosen up a bit.
Mutter mutter mutter...
Now that's what I'm talking about!
The vibe I get is two students who secretly help each other out.
Where's that coming from?
What are you talking about?
Next, I want Fujiwara and Shirogane!
Come on!
"WACKA WACKA"
Non , more natural!
Easy for you to say.
Well, let's see.
Perhaps, it would be easier if I gave you a hypothetical situation.
All right, let's say you two are girlfriend-boyfriend.
"FLASH"
You're talking in the hallway.
"FLASH"
Your hands accidentally touch.
"FLASH"
That's it! So innocent!
Adolescence personified!
The springtime of youth!
Tres-tres-tres bien!
Now bring your faces closer together!
I always thought of this man as a clown...
...but I didn't realize the depths of his mockery.
Doesn't he realize just how much my family donates to this school?
I hope he knows his days as a principal are numbered.
It's just a shame.
Shinomiya would've been ideal to play Shirogane's girlfriend.
I would love to get a two-shot of Shirogane and Shinomiya!
They have the ideal relationship!
That's what I wanted to capture!
Can you understand my frustration?
Yes, yes!
I understand!
Well, let's take a group photo with the schoolyard behind you.
Everyone, line up, please.
A group photo...
In order of school year!
Don't stand next to me.
Come to think of it, I've never taken a photo like that before.
I know, I know.
Then, stand wherever you like!
I envy them.
Shinomiya, please come over here.
For the last shot, let's take a keepsake photo.
But...
You don't have to do this for me.
I'm not.
This is what your friends want.
Any more photos taken will be private!
We can use your cell phone if you'd like.
Then...
Do you think it's broken?
Non ...
I'll retrieve it.
Shinomiya...
It's kaput. No surprise.
I probably lost all the photos I took.
Maybe I should get a smartphone next time.
I hear the photo resolution is great with the newer models!
Then, I can do LINE, too.
It'll give me a whole new avenue for defeating President!
This is a blessing in disguise!
It's actually a good opportunity.
I needed something like this to force me to make a decision.
"Student council election results Miyuki Shirogane Miko Iino"
Now, I'll be able to use Snow and Instagram, too!
If I can figure them out.
They say the photo resolution for phones these days is so good.
Just think, I can use all of the social media apps.
They're just photos. What am I crying for?
I guess I'm more girly than I thought.
I did check, and this model is not only old, but has corporate proprietary specs.
"THE STUDENT COUNCIL IS GOING TO GET THAT GROUP PHOTO"
There aren't any parts left to fix it,
and I'm afraid there's no way to save the data.
If you had an SD card attached, it may have been possible,
but with this model, all of the data is stored internally, so...
Then, that's that.
Let's buy a smartphone and go home.
Which one do you like?
The same model as President.
I want the same model as President.
But think about that carefully!
Lady Kaguya, if you choose the same model as President...
Well, well. You bought the same phone I have, huh?
You want to match me that badly?
How cute.
That will happen!
I mean, he wouldn't actually be like that, but...
What are you talking about?
President wouldn't say those things.
Wait. You're right, but...
I feel like you've just betrayed me.
I'm kind of tired.
I'm in no mood to play along with your jokes, Hayasaka.
I haven't cracked a single joke.
President has an old smartphone, too, so you wouldn't find it here.
Buy the latest model from the same brand instead.
Here. This is a good one.
The display is 4K HDR.
It also has a look-ahead function that can even detect a smile.
I don't feel like smiling.
You can charge it with both USB Type-C and Qi.
It's even 5G compatible?
Ultrasonic fingerprint authentication? This is the future!
These phone features are giving us phones of the future! Wow! This is amazing!
I don't know what you're going on about. Just choose one.
Ka...
Kaguya! You finally bought a smartphone?
"TA-DA"
Well, after my previous phone broke...
But you were so obstinate.
"FRET FRET"
Whatever I said, you were like, "I don't need it."
"I've been getting along fine with this for years."
Not buying a new phone was a point of pride for you!
Welcome to civilized society.
I wasn't that into my flip phone.
Um, I installed LINE, but...
Then, let's exchange IDs!
We are in the age of information technology!
Kaguya was forced to get a smartphone because flip phones have gone extinct.
"SPARKLE"
Everyone knows that a smartphone is an essential accessory for a high school student.
Very nice.
I love how you can do so many things with it.
From making plans, to hanging out, to texting, everything happens via phone.
When you don't get a reply right away, it seems like a matter of life and death.
Some students even confess their love through a social media app. That's right.
This past year has been a complete waste
Yes. I don't even know how to use any of these functions.
because these two weren't connected through LINE.
Becoming a LINE friend is the ticket to love in this day and age in Japan.
"Do you want to add XXX as your friend? YES NO"
This is it!
Now that she's bought a smartphone, I can ask her to exchange LINE IDs!
But if I ask for her address, it's equivalent to a confession of love!
Maybe, humans are creatures that never learn.
Is that philosophy?
I have to set up a situation!
President, can I have your LINE ID?
Sure. My ID, huh? Of course we can exchange IDs--
"SCAN QR CODE TO ADD FRIENDS"
Huh?
"KAGUYA SHINOMIYA" "NEW FRIEND"
Shinomiya asked me straight out without any tricks!
Wait, is there something behind it?
It doesn't seem like it.
Secretary Fujiwara, is Shinomiya acting strange today?
You finally picked up on that?
That's what we've been talking about.
Huh? Really?
What's got her feeling down?
Maybe a relative passed.
Or she has a stomachache.
Or she stayed up late playing video games.
You're the only one who does that.
Maybe it has something to do with her broken phone yesterday.
I don't know.
I can't picture that.
Kaguya's family policy is not to talk to outsiders about their problems.
So, maybe it's not a good idea to even spitball about it.
Yeah.
Everyone is worried about her.
Maybe she'll bring it up herself,
so why don't we interact normally with her for a while?
You're probably right.
Their decision was to act normal.
They decided not to treat her like a fragile flower.
This might seem callous to an outsider...
"KAGUYA SHINOMIYA"
This is Shinomiya's account.
Maybe I'll send her a message.
...but actually...
That's right.
...it was the right thing to do.
This is...
"SHUCHIIN STUDENT COUNCIL GROUP"
I just created a group for the student council, so join in.
Okay!
Roger that.
So, you didn't have a group before now, huh?
"PHEW"
Thank goodness. I thought maybe I was the only one who didn't get an invite.
I wouldn't do that to you.
While we're at it, let's make a shared album!
We can upload whatever photos we want!
Then...
I'm going to upload the photos from the sports festival.
Is it okay if I send over all of my photos from Snow?
Okeydokey!
President decided beforehand to make a group only when you got a smartphone.
He said he didn't want you to be left out.
But this is good timing.
Shinomiya wasn't able to transfer data from her old phone...
...and an empty phone is kind of sad.
What Kaguya wanted to hold on to
was the record of the ordinary days she'd shared with a certain someone.
"STUDENT COUNCIL PHOTOS"
Her photos were proof of that.
Kaguya was feeling down because she had lost all of those pictures.
However, if you share your precious memories with others...
"Student council election results Miyuki Shirogane Miko Iino"
If they are truly precious...
...the people who share those memories with you will want to hold on to them, too.
You secretly took these photos.
How cute.
There are so many...
Because we took so many!
When my flip phone got demolished, I thought I'd lost all of them.
But instead, I gained a lot more than I had before.
Shinomiya, didn't that model just come out?
Lucky!
That's the one with the smile detection feature, right?
You should give it a try.
How do I do it?
"In recognition of your enthusiasm and achievements"
Just like this.
Now smile, Kaguya!
It won't take a photo until you smile.
You, too, Iino?
But I'm used to looking serious for photos.
You, too, President.
Okay.
All right, everyone, big smiles!
Jeez!
Today's battle result...
Kaguya wins.
"KAGUYA WINS SHE SUCCESSFULLY MADE HER SMARTPHONE DEBUT"
"Now let's the three of us girls make a heart sign with our hands!"
"Huh? L-Like this?"
"I'll make the bottom part with a peace sign..."
You can pump it as many times as you want,
but you have to pump it at least once.
And whoever reaches the limit loses! Wanna play that game?
A game where you can pump it as many times as you want,
but you have to pump it at least once, and whoever reaches the limit loses?
What is that?
Let's do it! Let's do it! Let's do it!
"CHIKA FUJIWARA WANTS TO INFLATE"
Fujiwara, please calm down.
I don't understand the mechanics of this game.
But why don't we give it a shot?
Shall we?
Hooray for daring boys!
"BRAVO"
I'll get it set up!
Oh, this is what she was talking about!
"PUMP PUMP"
A game in which you can pump it as many times as you want,
but you have to pump it at least once, and whoever reaches the limit loses?
"LEARN THE GAME IN SECONDS!"
Here are the rules!
"PUMP PUMP"
You take turns, with each person pumping as many times as they want,
but you have to pump it at least once.
You keep going until the balloon reaches its limit and bursts!
"POP"
I see.
I thought you had some dirty game in mind at first...
"GLOOM"
Why aren't you two into it anymore?
If we refused to participate now, that would be telling.
It'd be totally obvious.
I bet she set us up on purpose!
I'd lay 50-50 odds on that.
That girl is an eternal mystery.
Where did you get this?
At the end of the sports festival, we released balloons, remember?
I thought throwing them all away would be a waste, so I kept a big one.
That's very ecologically-minded of you!
Kaguya and Miko, you two will play, too, won't you?
Oh sure, after all that build-up.
Well, if everyone else is going to do it...
Then, the order will be President, Kaguya, Ishigami, me, and Miko!
Let the game begin.
Well, it's not like there's any punishment if I fail.
Or I guess the punishment would be a balloon popping in your face.
"PUMP"
I don't mind that.
It's all in fun.
"PUMP"
It's been a long time since I've played a low-stress game.
"PUMP PUMP"
Yay!
"BOOM"
Wait, you're really pumping it up!
That's right!
No, this is bad!
If it pops right before my eyes, I'll be scared out of my wits!
And if I'm scared out of my wits...
Scared by a popping balloon...
How cute.
Calm down, man!
Look!
It doesn't faze Shinomiya at all!
What kind of man am I if this terrifies me?
Kaguya has never played this game in which you burst a balloon on purpose.
So, naturally, she's nervous.
Kaguya is a teenager after all.
And like any teenager, she has a fear of the unknown.
However...
Jeez...
What is it about this that you all find so frightening?
Kaguya...
You have to inflate the balloon with both hands!
The calming ritual!
No way! I'm scared! I don't wanna do this! Don't make me do this!
I should never have said I would do it! What's fun about this? I hate it!
Save me, Hayasaka!
Go, go, Kaguya!
You'll pay.
I swear I'll make that balloon bimbo pay!
"PUMP"
Okay, Ishigami, you're next!
After that impressive declaration, you only pump it once?
You should talk, scaredy-cat Ishigami!
A scaredy-cat?
I sure was.
Well...
Watch this.
Yu Ishigami has moved beyond fear.
He has recently overcome numerous hardships and has taken a step forward in his life.
That's right.
The important thing is to keep your eyes wide open.
I realized that I was afraid of so many things because I avoided looking at them.
But if I take a good look, nothing will--
"GLARE"
I got a good look, and it scares the hell out of me!
I'll wait for my chance to sneak out of here!
Apparently, the entire sports festival arc was pointless.
"PUMP"
Okay, Fujiwara's next!
You only pumped it once yourself, Ishigami.
Miss Fujiwara...
Would you like some tangerines?
"RUMBLE RUMBLE"
The rind of citrus fruits contains limonene which can dissolve rubber.
If one drop of tangerine juice hits the balloon, it'll explode.
I'll have some later.
Regrettably, Kaguya's plan failed.
"PUMP"
Okay, Miko, you're up!
You only pumped it once, Fujiwara.
"PUMP"
You can do it, Miko!
"PUMP PUMP"
Keep going!
Okay.
You've got more pumps in you!
But...
"FIRST-YEAR MIKO IINO IS PLAYING THAT GAME!!"
And...
At that moment, they all thought Fujiwara was scum.
"PUMP PUMP"
Show me that you've got what it takes to be the next student council president!
The greater the fear, the more valuable the courage you can muster!
That's true strength, Iino!
"FIRST-YEAR MIKO IINO IS PLAYING THAT GAME!!"
Yet, they all joined in.
"OOOH OOOH"
Is this enough?
I don't think it can stand any more.
"SWISH"
That's right.
This is a game of wits.
If the balloon doesn't burst during my turn, I win.
I'm only doing this because I want to win! It's not because I'm scared!
Huh? Was that a bug?
Yes, I saw it flying near you.
The game is up!
Even Kaguya can't hide her despair!
Shinomiya...
Maybe she has issues with this kind of thing.
Is she only participating because she didn't want to ruin it for everyone else?
If so, then I...
Miyuki...
I'm not a good person.
There isn't anything I can teach you.
But...
I want you to promise me just one thing.
A man always protects the friends he loves...
...the woman he loves... when they're in trouble.
He'll face any hardship if he has to.
Become that kind of man.
That's all I'm asking of you.
Dad...
The son recalled his father's words...
All right, it's Shinomiya's turn!
...but completely ignored them.
Well, good luck, Shinomiya!
I'm having those tangerines now!
To reiterate, the rind of citrus fruits contains limonene which can dissolve rubber,
so if one drop of tangerine juice hits the balloon...
My life is flashing before my eyes!
I haven't accomplished anything yet!
Sky burial!
Thank you!
I'm watching.
Bye-bye, way to die!
Today's battle result...
Results invalid.
And so...
Think, Miyuki Shirogane.
Don't just reach out a hand here.
Be smart and bold.
Nonchalantly draw out Shinomiya's affection for you.
This is your chance, Kaguya Shinomiya.
Play up your girlishness...
and let President take hold of your hand now when he's in a mentally weakened state.
Are you okay, Shinomiya?
Y-Yes.
And then, if all goes well...
I'll make him confess his love for me!
The battle rages on...
...and on...
...and continues!
"CONFESSION"
"THE 68th STUDENT COUNCIL"