Chapter 1: The Student Council wants to deceive

He is dead.

And I will soon follow.

I just, want him to realize.

The feelings hidden in my heart.

My soul will forever.

Wander in this academy.

「Last note of Girl A」

Retrieved from the Shuchin Academy Student Council Meeting Logs

Chapter 1: The Student Council wants to deceive

Shuchin Private Academy.

Founded as an education facility for children of nobles and samurai, it’s a prestigious school with an honorable and ancient history.

Even with the abolishment of the aristocratic system, many talented youths born to wealthy and distinguished families, who would shoulder the future of the country continued to be enrolled here.

And naturally, no mere mortal would be permitted to lead them.

「Hey! Everyone look, it’s those two from the Student Council!」

A girl said excitedly. The crowd followed her enthusiastic scream, and focus on one spot. The quiet corridor started getting rowdy.

A youth and a girl were basked in their gaze, as they continued walking with calm faces.

By some means of wizardry, only their footfalls could be heard clearly in this noisy passageway.

A youth with sharp eyes and a girl that gave off an air of elegance with her every move. The sight of them walking shoulder to shoulder looked like a match made in heaven, it was only natural that they grabbed the attention of the mob.

A girl lamented as she watched the two of them:

「Ohh, Kaguya-sama… why art thou such a beauty.」

It was no exaggeration to compare her to Lily, Peony, or any other flowers. And her name was——

Shuchin Academy Student Council Vice President, Kaguya Shinomiya.

With total assets of 200 trillion yen, and numerous subsidiaries across all sorts of industries such as railways, banks and car manufacturing—— the 『Shinomiya Group』 was one of the four top conglomerates in the nation.

As the eldest daughter of the head of the main family, Ganon Shinomiya, Kaguya was a lady of a prestigious family in the truest sense.

Befitting her superior lineage, Kaguya Shinomiya with outstanding achievements in various fields such as traditional performing arts, music and martial art. She was in every way a true 『genius』.

And the young man Shinomiya supports is——

「Ohh, President’s eyes… seems to be able to see through everything in this world…」

Shuchin Academy Student Council President, Miyuki Shirogane.

He’s strong and silent, smart and wise. He had the highest score in exams and was the undisputed number one in his grade.

Even amongst all the geniuses striving for the top score in the nation, he was a formidable candidate.

In contrast to the multi talented Kaguya, he gained the awe and respect of the entire academy through his grades alone. At the same time, he won the Student Council President election through his exemplary behaviour won him the model, and he was without a doubt, an outstanding youth.

The aiguillette he wore on his chest was passed down from president to president in Shuchin, and bears the weight of 200 years of history.

When one of the female student walked by Shirogane, just a glance from him was chilling enough to robbed her of all her body warmth. That couldn’t be helped.

In the Shuchin Academy that covered primary school up to university, an 「impure」 that joined mid way and becoming the Student Council President was definitely an exception, and there was only three such cases in the history of Shuchin Academy.

And on top of that, Shirogane won the election in autumn for a second term, which made him the exception of the exception.

He had a piercing glare, and they were few in the Shuchin Academy who dared look Shirogane in the eyes. Those who did either had an indomitable will, or had a clear conscience without any fear of their past being pried. That was the common consensus among the student body.

「Everyone look, Kaguya-sama and the President is chatting happily…」

「Hey, isn’t Kaguya-sama afraid of President Shirogane at all?」

「That’s Kaguya-sama, you know? Having a guilty conscience is probably the furthest thing from her nature. The only one who can stand beside the President is a maiden like Kaguya-sama.」

「Do you think they’re dating?」

「Who knows? I heard that the President confessed to Kaguya-sama before the election——」

In the close environment of the academy, such topics were brought up constantly.

Furthermore, this was love gossips about the two geniuses at the peak of Shuchin, so it naturally garnered the attention of the students.

However, the truth about their relationship——

♂♂♂

「The election did just ended, but they really don’t get tired of that topic.」

On the way to the Student Council room, Miyuki Shirogane chatted up the girl beside him.

However, his eyes didn’t leave the french phrase book he was holding in his hand. Shirogane aims to study for ten hours a day, and he didn’t even want to waste the short period of time he spent walking.

In modern society, people might get chided for playing with their phones while walking, but reading a book while moving were given a pass. That was because this action was a rare sight—— right now, Shirogane was just like a living Ninomiya Sontoku.

The girl smiled awkwardly at him, and didn’t intend to admonish him. This was already the norm for this girl.

「That’s normal for their age, you should ignore it.」

They chatted in a casual tone. Their calm demeanor felt like they were mocking the peasants who couldn’t hide their love problems and troubles.

「Hmm?」

Shirogane shift his gaze away from the phrase book, and saw Kaguya lifting her hand to the corner of her lips and smiling elegantly.

Shirogane remembered saying that exact line Kaguya just stated.

He couldn’t recall how that conversation started back then, but Shirogane was confident of his memory. He was certain that they talked about this topic before.

「Yes, you are right.」

It happened eight months ago.

Just like today, Shirogane and Kaguya heard the students around them gossiping on their way to the Student Council room.

『Do you think they’re dating?』

When Shirogane heard that, this was what he thought:

Hmmp, they think Shinomiya and I are dating? The fools certainly do enjoy talking about nonsensical love affairs.

This was an opinion that befitted the Student Council President who stood at the top of the academy.

… Although——

If Shinomiya demanded that I go out with her, I suppose I would mull it over!

Regrettably, Miyuki Shirogane was also a teen going through puberty.

He would feel inferior to friends who had lovers, and look forward to the love column in the weekly manga magazine that his junior brought to school, and would also read manga that was a little lewd.

And I’m certain she has feelings for me. Probably just a matter of time…

He stroked his chin, and showed a sharp gleam like a hunter that had cornered his prey.

She should just take off the mask of a perfect, pampered maiden and make her blushing appeal to me.

Shirogane snickered as he imagined Kaguya confessing him bashfully with a flushed face.

♀♀♀

On the other hand, Kaguya who didn’t know what Shirogane was thinking fiddled with her skirt that slightly longer than her knees, and thought:

Really now… The ignorant children with their common talk, who do they think I am? I’m a member of the Shinomiya family, the heart of this country. How did they reach the conclusion that I would be dating a commoner?

Kaguya maintained her refreshing smile, and sighed at that misunderstanding around them.

The ideal Japanese woman would walk three steps behind a man, but showing one’s back to this girl wouldn’t be a wise move.

Contrary to her pure and untainted appearance, she was dark on the inside—— no, it would be closer to reddish black, like clotted blood.

Well, I suppose there could be a very slight possibility.If he got on his knees and offered up his body, soul, and hometown, I suppose I could forge him into a man who measures up to me…

Kaguya imagined the the affection Shirogane could barely conceal under his sharp gaze, as he confessed to her shyly. She had to work really hard to suppress a smile.

Simply put, the situation was like this.

—— if the other party took the initiative, there would be a chance.

Certainly, there’s no man who doesn’t pine for me. It’s probably just a matter of time.

She laughed softly. It was a smile that befitted a girl her age who was in love.

Both of them felt mutual affection for each other.

If one of them confessed, then this love would bear fruit. A happy ending was right within their grasps.

And both of them gradually realized this point.

It was just a matter of time.

That was right, the other party would confess sooner or later.

They just needed to wait calmly without panicking——

While they were engaging in this kind of thoughts, eight months passed.

Nothing of note happened during that period—— no, something did change. The two of them went to school on a single bicycle, went home sharing one umbrella, went to watch fireworks together, joined the Student Council for a second term together, and drew portraits of each other in art class. Even the color of their underwear was asked—— thinking back, quite a lot did happen.

But the two of them still didn’t confess.

As for the cause, it was because they were half-assed and popular at the same time.

Humans were creature who would fall for them even when left alone, and would come confess on their own volition—— that was their views on love.

No matter how compatible, or how much they yearn for each other, the two of them just waited for the other to confess, and their relationship didn’t progress at all. The worst scenario would be for them to stay this way until they pass of old age.

In the end, while they waited for the other to confess, their thinking shifted from, 「I wouldn’t mind dating him/her」 to 「How do I make him/her confess」.

And recently, it even turned into 「Please, hurry up and confess to me!」, but it would be too insensitive to point that out.

And so, the two of them acted like usual as they schemed to make the other confess, and walked towards the Student Council room.

♂♂♂

After Shirogane and Kaguya entered the Student Council room, they found someone was already there.

「Ah, President. Shinomiya-sempai too… Hello.」

The youth sitting on the couch was Yu Ishigami.

He held the post of Treasurer in the Student Council, and was a data analyzing expert.

In Shuchin Academy, only the Student Council President was elected, the other members of the Student Council were appointed on the President’s digression.

Ishigami was an outstanding talent, and less than a year after he enrolled, he was scouted by the Shirogane to join the previous Student Council. And of course, he continued holding the post of treasurer in the current term too.

His long bangs covered half of his face, and his habit of keeping his headphones on him made it felt like he was trying to avoid contact with the people around him. In actual fact, when he first joined the Student Council, he often brought his work home.

Ishigami had grown since then. Recently, he had been able to perform his work in the Student Council room together with his colleagues. And now, when he saw Shirogane and the others, he would take off his headphones, and he even joined the Cheer Team to change himself.

Compared to the stagnant relationship between Shirogane and Kaguya, Ishigami had made marked improvements.

「Hmm? Only Ishigami is here?」

Shirogane and Kaguya came here after a meeting with the other clubs, so Shirogane thought the other members were already here.

Aside from Ishigami, there were two other Student Council members. The two of them joined clubs or committees aside from the Student Council, and when Shirogane was wondering if they had gone over there, Ishigami shook his head to dismiss Shirogane’s thoughts:

「Actually, Fujiwara-sempai and Iino were here, but they ran off after seeing this…」

Ishigami then took out a white envelope timidly.

「What is this, an application form for the Student Council?」

「… Please read the contents first.」

Shirogane had an ominous feeling.

This was the smell of trouble.

Ishigami was an outstanding talent, and he wouldn’t let the busy Shirogane read work related documents, and would explained it to Shirogane after summarizing the key points. When he opt to hand the letter to Shirogane directly, it was a sign that he couldn’t decide on the situation.

Shirogane opened the letter inside the envelope cautiously.

『Why aren’t you replying to me? I know you are a solitary person. That’s right, that’s how well I know you, or rather, I’m the only one who understands you so much. Oh, how beautiful you are, the sight of you running on the track in preparation for the sports festival, and how you are glistening in sweat is so beautiful. Ohh, how I wish to turn your beauty into eternity. When that time comes, I will go with you. The two of us will turn into eternity together, and your beauty will be preserved. That is the most important thing—— but why are you turning me down? Why don’t you understand me? If you continue to ignore me, I will turn you into eternity by my own hands. Even if you don’t acknowledge me, I’m sure God will, because preserving your beauty forever is the right thing to do.』

「… Hmm.」

After reading its content, Shirogane carefully folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.

At this moment, Kaguya brought freshly brewed tea over, and Shirogane took the cup and proffered the envelope to her. As they exchanged the items in their hand, Kaguya asked nonchalantly:

「What does it say?」

「Hmmp, just your usual threatening letter.」

Shirogane sip on his tea and said calmly.

His face was like that of an elite that wouldn’t be wavered by such trivial matters.

Shirogane might look calm on the surface——

How scary! Sigh… This is a pain… saying 『I will turn you into eternity by my own hands』 already made this a criminal case, right? No no, this is beyond the jurisdiction of the Student Council! It’s too terrifying!

But his heart wasn’t calm at all, and was freezingly chilly.

Shirogane turned pale and the light was gone from his eyes, as he tried to hide his trembling hands. To stop the tea in his cup from spilling, Shirogane finish it all in one gulp, and burned his mouth.

But thanks to this pain, Shirogane regained a little of his spirit.

After coughing a little to check the condition of his throat, Shirogane asked Ishigami:

「But the culprit who wrote this threatening mail is kind of a klutz… and didn’t even write the name of the addressee. Just who is this meant for?」

「That’s right. To investigate, Fujiwara-sempai and Iino…」

「Oh, about that——」

Just as Ishigami and Kaguya who finished reading the letter was about to say something, the door was opened with a bang.

「Love sickness that even doctors can’t treat, shall be cured by this famous detective! Love detective Chika is here!」

Student Council Secretary Chika Fujiwara barged in with ragged breath.

On her head was a familiar hunting cap she borrowed from the drama club. For unknown reasons, she insisted on wearing this hunting cap whenever she talks about love related topics.

Even though the Student Council was short on manpower, Fujiwara and Kaguya would occasionally help out the drama club on their request. They were happy to help, and Kaguya would occasionally wear cosplay too, so Shirogane had no complaints about that.

Besides, there would be no one to this if he tried to interfere with Fujiwara’s actions—— However, Shirogane couldn’t help asking asking this time.

「Why are you wearing that? This isn’t a love topic.」

「Tchh. You are too naive, Watson-kun.」

Fujiwara waved a finger cockily. Before Shirogane could retort 「Who are you calling Watson-kun, don’t make me your assistant」, Fujiwara pointed strongly at him with her index finger.

「Mi-chan called this a threatening letter, but it can’t fool the eyes of this Love detective! I can tell that this is a love letter addressed to a girl. It just feels a little bit dangerous.」

「No, this is definitely a pure threatening mail.」

Shirogane retorted naturally, and Ishigami said hesitatingly.

「It might seem threatening at a glance, but I think… this should be a love letter. I don’t like to say it, but I agree with Fujiwara-sempai. But Iino strongly insist that this is a threatening letter, so there are two different opinions here.」

That explains it. When Ishigami let Shirogane read the letter without saying anything, this was to allow Shirogane to make his own judgement without any outside influence.

「I see, that is a plausible explanation.」

「Hmmp! The truth is always within the grasp of the love detective!」

Shirogane accepted their explanation, and dismiss his own thoughts. He didn’t think much of Fujiwara’s take on things, but since Ishigami says so, then there was a good chance that this was a love letter. Shirogane thinks Ishigami was more observant than himself, so he wouldn’t be so arrogant as to refute Ishigami’s view without any basis.

「Hmm? But Secretary Fujiwara, you mentioned 『this is a love letter addressed to a girl』, how did you know that? The gender wasn’t specified in the letter.」

「Hmmp, that’s because… that’s because……… Huh?」

Fujiwara tilted her head.

「Speaking of which, why did I think this is a love letter written by a boy to a girl? The handwriting looks like a boy, but that isn’t enough to determine that—— huh?」

The love detective put a hand on her forehead, and fell into deep thought.

Seeing her like this, Kaguya raised her hand:

「Fujiwara-san, about that——」

「Excuse me! Can someone please open the door for me?」

A call came from outside, and because the love addict had fallen into deep thought, Shirogane had no choice but to get up and open the door himself. He found Miko Iino standing outside.

Her petite figure was struggling with a heavy box, and there were sweat on her brows.

Shirogane was confused, as there wasn’t any arrangements to move something so heavy today.

「Hey, what are these?」

「Documents to verify handwriting. In order to find out who wrote the threatening letter, I borrowed these survey forms from the sports festival committee. We can match the handwriting against the entire student body.」

「Hey… then you can just ask Ishigami or me to go. The sports festival committee is pretty far, it must have been tough for you.」

「That won’t do, since no one has the same opinion as me—— Sigh, really now. Ishigami aside, even Fujiwara-sempai thinks this is a love letter… No matter how I see it, it’s a threatening mail!」

Iino said in a serious tone, and concluded without any room for negotiation. Regrettably, she was out of breath mid sentence. For Iino who was lacking in physical endurance, bringing the survey forms for the entire student body was strenuous work.

If it was for the sake of carrying out her conviction, she would do all that without any word of complaint—— that was the style of Miko Iino. She competed with Shirogane for the seat of Student Council President, and now held the post of auditor within the Student Council, and was everyone’s colleague.

「Do you plan to find the culprit by matching the handwritings one by one? Even if all the members of the Student Council did this together, who knows how many days it will take…」

「There is no need to trouble everyone, I can do this by myself. Matching handwritings isn’t something normal people can do, but the one who wrote this has a distinct handwriting style. For example the word 『go』 was written in one stroke, so I can find the culprit with efficiently with this clue. Don’t worry, I will also do my Student Council and Morals committee duties too.」

Iino said with determination. Her firm eyes didn’t show any sign of detest towards the hard work involved. She was really planning to find the culprit alone. Unfortunately, as if she was pouring cold water over Iino——

「Please listen——」

It was rare seeing Kaguya cut her off with a troubled face.

「This letter is addressed to me. I have an idea who wrote it.」

「Ehh?」

「Hah?」

Shirogane and Iino opened their eyes wide. Kaguya looked troubled, but chose to continue:

「In the past, I received a love letter, and discussed this with the President and Fujiwara-san. This is from the same person.」

「… Oh, that did happen.」

Shirogane started thinking back. That was before summer vacation, Kaguya said she received a love letter, and declared she would date that person. A lot of things happened, and in the end Fujiwara stopped Kaguya in tears.

Kaguya didn’t bring this up again, so Shirogane thought that was the end of this matter——

「Eh, ehh!?」

Shirogane’s train of thought was disrupted by a high pitch shout.

「Then, what about the handwriting verification? I brought these all the way here!!」

With her eyes on the pile of questionnaires, Iino’s scream echoed in the Student Council room.

♂♂♂

In the end, Ishigami sent the questionnaires back.

When the exhausted Iino went to the washroom, Ishigami got up from the couch and said 「Ah, I will return this.」 Before Shirogane could even offer to help, he had already left the Student Council room. Ishigami was actually very kind towards Iino, if only Iino could notice it, their relationship would definitely improve.

After some time, Iino returned to the Student Council room. This was a side topic, but Miko Iino visits the washroom frequently. With regards to that, Iino’s friend Osaragi Kobachi explained it as 「God made Miko small, especially her bladder」, and Ishigami commented 「It will get her into trouble one day」.

Because she made a wasted trip, Iino was so depressed that she didn’t notice the pile of questionnaires were gone.

Shirogane wasn’t sure how to console Iino, so faked a cough and continued the topic:

「So to summarized what Shinomiya said—— before summer vacation, after discussing with us, she turned the other party down clearly by saying 『Sorry, I can’t date you.』 However, that person started sending letters to her recently again.」

「That’s right. The letters were placed directly in my shoebox in the past, but recently, I started throwing them out without even reading. That’s why he changed tact and sent them directly to the Student Council.」

Shinomiya was saying that it was troubling, but her face didn’t look that way at all.

「Hmm.」

Shirogane nodded to concur that it was indeed troubling, but he seemed completely unfazed.

What he was thinking didn’t match his appearance at all.

Oh god! Receiving these scary mails frequently is terrifying, why is Shinomiya so calm!? Is she confident of subduing her opponent in an emergency!?

Shirogane who had experienced being thrown by Kaguya onto the floor desperately hid the wavering in his heart.

When Kaguya leaned forth to pour tea for Shirogane, she pretended to mention casually:

「But what should I do? Now that it have come to this, I will have to get help from others. But the other party is a fellow schoolmate, so it’s not too convenient to bring this up to the teachers or police——」

「Hmm……」

Shirogane realized that Kaguya’s tone sounded strange, which made him wary.

So it’s the usual, Shirogane’s mind started churning.

「I already told the other party that I’m troubled by these actions. Since he isn’t backing down, then I will need a more convincing explanation.」

Her tone sounded like she was discussing something, but Kaguya had a chilling smile on her face. She then glanced at Shirogane.

「Is there anyone who can convince that person completely?」

「Hmm.」

Shirogane brought the tea cup to his mouth, and surveyed the room discreetly.

Ishigami was away, Iino looked depressed, and Fujiwara was unreliable.

Kaguya used the vague term 「who」, but Shirogane noticed that he was the best candidate.

Shirogane started imagining how he could convince the person he sent that letter.

♂♂♂

Assume the sender was called Mr. X.

Shirogane imagined him standing face to face with 『X』 on the chilly rooftop.

With the white envelope in hand, Shirogane asked:

「You wrote this, right? You are troubling Shinomiya with your constant mail to her. Please desist at once.」

『X』 was shaken, and he yelled at Shirogane: 「This is none of your business!」

「Hmmp, but it is. I’m the Student Council President, and Shinomiya is the Vice President. As fellow members of the Student Council I have the rights to be involved in her affairs.」

『X』 snarled, ready to pounced on Shirogane and beat him off. He roared: 「Love is a private matter!」

Shirogane sighed again. Matters of the heart was private. It seemed that the Student Council President helping his Vice President was not compelling enough of a reason to convince 『X』.

Then Shirogane could only answer him this way:

「I do have another reason.」

Shirogane’s hair was messy from the wind, and he flicked it back. Flower petals seemed to be scattering behind him as he declared:

「Shinomiya is my woman.」

『X』 fell into despair because of how absolute that declaration was, and collapsed onto his knees.

And the incident was resolved perfectly.

Kaguya got liberated from the stalker and his undesired love letters, and officially started dating Shirogane——

No, this won’t work! I will lose!

Shirogane shook his head and refuted his delusion.

——「My woman」 declaration!

Since ancient times, this was a classic line in love stories that would win the hearts of the ladies.

From the male perspective, this was an action that declared to everyone that this woman was his lover; from the female perspective, this would resolve her own problems, and allow her to get the man she had an ambigious relationship with. Killing two birds with one stone.

Indeed, the 「My woman」 declaration favors the woman more.

In a relationship between lovers, 『the one who falls in love first loses』 was the absolute rule. Which means to say, the one who confess first was the loser. For Shirogane and Kaguya who had more pride than normal people, they would never permit themselves to confess before the other.

Assuming Shirogane did the 「My woman」 declaration, what would happen——

『Ara, President, so you are that possessive of me… How cute.』

Kaguya would definitely say that.

A 「My woman」 declaration was similar to a confession in a sense—— No, considering the effect on the surroundings, it is more intense than a confession. This was unacceptable for Shirogane!

「Cough cough—— Ahem!」

Shirogane snapped out of his delusions and faked two coughs to clear his mind.

It was just his delusion, but yelling 「Kaguya is my woman」 in his mind was enough to make Shirogane blush a little.

Even without the problem of the girl standing to gain more, Shirogane realized that he couldn’t yell out loudly that Kaguya was his woman.

If he could say such an embarrassing line, then he would have already confessed.

「Cough cough cough! Hack!」

「President, did you catch a cold?」

「N-No, I’m fine. Sorry, you don’t have to mind me.」

Shirogane turned his face away from Fujiwara who was checking on him, and rubbed his throat.

Whenever he remember doing something embarrassing or his past failures, he would want to roll on the ground and scream.

But this wasn’t his own room. As the Student Council President, Shirogane could never behave like that on campus.

And in return, Shirogane coughed dryly for some time before finally calming down.

♀♀♀

On the other hand, while Shirogane was suppressing the urge to twist his body in shame, Kaguya was also lost in her own delusion.

President’s 「my woman」 declaration——

Kaguya started imagining the scene of Shirogane negotiating with the sender on her behalf. And after Shirogane made his 「Kaguya is my woman」 declaration, the two of them officially become lovers.

Kaguya life her tea cup to her lips to hide her face.

Fufu. The President won’t say something like 「my woman」, that’s like saying I’m his possession—— really now! I don’t like that! Really now! Really!

When Kaguya return her cup to the saucer, her expression was completely different from before, with an unconcealable glee.

She didn’t even notice that when she imagined her relationship with Shirogane becoming deeper, her body would squirm softly.

If Kaguya’s personal assistant Ai Hayasaka saw this, she would show a speechless face.

Hayasaka knew about Kaguya’s side she never show to the members of the Student Council. In her eyes, Kaguya who had turned all soft and fluffy would look like she had a flower growing on her head.

If the usual dignified Kaguya was like a photorealistic portrait drawing, then this Kaguya would be like a child’s scribbling in crayons. That was how different she was now.

If the observant Yu Ishigami was present, he would probably suspect from the change in Kaguya’s facial expression that the tea was drugged. Kaguya would go so far as to use illegal means to put herself into an excited state—— and Ishigami would probably imagine something that would scare himself out of his wits.

Fortunately, Hayasaka and Ishigami weren’t here.

Fujiwara was still lost in her thoughts, and Iino was still depressed. Shirogane kept coughing as if he was trying to expel his delusion. Kaguya was lucky that no one noticed her unsightly side.

In the end, it was Shirogane’s coughing that pulled Kaguya back from the flower field in her mind.

「Cough, cough! Hack!」

「President, did you catch a cold?」

「N-No, I’m fine. Sorry, you don’t have to mind me.」

Shirogane said he was fine, but Kaguya was already thinking back to earlier moments.

A few minutes ago, when Shirogane handed the letter to Kaguya, and when she served her tea, Kaguya noticed Shirogane was shivering.

And since just now, Shirogane had been coughing unnaturally.

Shivering and unnatural coughing, there was only one conclusion.

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