The Secret Life of Class President

Yuka Tanaka stood at the front of classroom 2-B, her posture perfect and her voice clear as she addressed her classmates.

"Everyone, please remember that tomorrow's cleaning duty roster has been updated. Also, the student council meeting will be held after school in room 203."

Her classmates nodded respectfully.

Yuka was known as the most responsible and serious student in the entire school.

She always arrived thirty minutes early, her uniform was always perfectly pressed, and she had never missed a single homework assignment in her three years at Sakura Middle School.

"Tanaka-san is so amazing," whispered Kenji to his friend Hiro.

"I bet she goes home and studies until midnight every day."

If only they knew the truth.

The moment Yuka stepped through her bedroom door that afternoon, she underwent a complete transformation.

Off came the perfectly pressed uniform, replaced by an oversized gaming hoodie.

Her neat ponytail was released into messy hair that fell around her shoulders.

She slipped on her gaming headset and cracked her knuckles.

"Time to destroy some noobs," she muttered with a grin that her classmates would never recognize.

Yuka, known online as "ShadowEmpress," was one of the top-ranked players in "Battle Fortress Online," a popular multiplayer game.

She had over fifty thousand followers on her gaming channel, though she never showed her face or used her real voice, always using a voice modulator instead.

Her phone buzzed with a message from her gaming teammate, RocketDude: "Yo Shadow! Ready for tonight's tournament? We're gonna crush those kids from Seoul!"

Yuka typed back quickly: "Born ready. They won't know what hit them."

For the next three hours, Yuka was in her element.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard with lightning speed, executing complex strategies that left opponents stunned.

Her team dominated match after match, climbing the tournament bracket with ease.

"ShadowEmpress with another incredible play!" shouted the tournament commentator through the stream.

"This player's tactical genius is unmatched!"

Yuka allowed herself a small smile.

If only her mathematics teacher could see her calculating angles and trajectories in real-time, planning ten moves ahead like a chess grandmaster.

The next morning, Yuka was back in her class president mode, standing at the school gates to greet students as they arrived.

She checked uniforms, reminded students about upcoming tests, and helped a first-year student who had gotten lost.

"Good morning, Tanaka-san!" called out Miki, one of her classmates who was known for being obsessed with gaming.

"Did you see the Battle Fortress tournament last night? ShadowEmpress was incredible!"

Yuka's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained calm.

"I'm afraid I was busy studying for the chemistry test. Video games are quite time-consuming, aren't they?"

Miki laughed. "You should try it sometime! Though I guess someone like you wouldn't be interested in something so silly."

If only she knew that "someone like her" had just earned prize money equivalent to three months of allowance.

During lunch break, disaster nearly struck.

Yuka had forgotten to close her gaming notebook, which was filled with strategy diagrams and team formations.

She usually kept it hidden in her bag, but today it was lying on her desk when Hiro walked by.

"Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking it up before Yuka could stop him.

"These look like... battle formations?"

Yuka's mind raced.

"Oh, those are... historical battle strategies! For my history presentation on ancient warfare. You know how I like to be thorough with my research."

Hiro nodded, impressed.

"Wow, you even study military history in your free time. You're really something, Tanaka-san."

Crisis averted, but barely.

The real problem began during computer class that afternoon.

The teacher, Mr. Yamamoto, announced a surprise activity.

"Today, we'll be learning about online safety by exploring popular gaming platforms. Everyone, please log into Battle Fortress Online using the school computers."

"Don't worry if you've never played before – it's just for educational purposes."

Yuka's blood ran cold.

Her account would automatically log in if she accessed the game, and her username would be visible to everyone.

She raised her hand.

"Mr. Yamamoto, I'm not feeling well. May I go to the nurse's office?"

"Oh, Tanaka-san, but this is an important lesson. Just try it for a few minutes. I'm sure even you can figure out basic gaming controls."

Trapped, Yuka slowly sat down at her computer.

She had to think fast.

As the game loaded, she quickly created a new account with a generic username: "Student012."

But when the game opened, her muscle memory took over.

Within minutes, she had customized her character's loadout with optimal gear combinations, adjusted twenty different sensitivity settings, and was moving through the tutorial map with the fluid grace of a professional player.

"Whoa, Tanaka-san!" exclaimed Kenji, who was sitting next to her.

"You're really good at this! You said you never played before!"

"I... I just have good hand-eye coordination from piano practice," Yuka stammered, deliberately missing her next few shots to look more amateur.

But Miki had noticed something else.

She was staring at Yuka's screen with wide eyes.

"That movement pattern... that exact jumping technique... I've only seen one player do that..."

Yuka's heart was pounding so hard she was sure everyone could hear it.

She quickly closed the game.

"Oh look, I think I clicked something wrong. The game crashed."

For the rest of the class, Miki kept glancing at her with a suspicious expression.

Yuka knew she was in trouble.

After school, instead of going straight home, Yuka decided to stay for the student council meeting, hoping Miki would forget about her suspicions.

But as she was organizing papers in the student council room, Miki appeared at the door.

"Tanaka-san, can we talk?"

Yuka's stomach dropped.

"Of course, Miki-san. How can I help you?"

Miki closed the door behind her and pulled out her phone.

She showed Yuka a video – it was a recording of ShadowEmpress's gameplay from last night's tournament, focusing on a particular movement combination.

"This is exactly what you did today in class," Miki said.

"The same pattern, the same timing, even the same weapon switch. Tanaka-san... are you ShadowEmpress?"

Yuka's perfect composure finally cracked.

Her shoulders slumped, and she sank into a chair.

"How did you figure it out from just that?"

Miki's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I've watched every single ShadowEmpress stream! I'm your biggest fan! I've analyzed your gameplay for hours!"

"But... why do you hide it?"

Yuka looked at her hands.

"Can you imagine what would happen if everyone knew? The perfect class president, wasting her time on video games?"

"My parents think I'm studying when I'm gaming. The teachers expect me to be a role model. I have an image to maintain."

"But you're amazing at it! You're famous! You've won tournaments!" Miki protested.

"And I'm also supposed to be the responsible one, the serious one, the one who always has everything together," Yuka replied.

"If people knew I spent five hours yesterday planning strategies for a virtual battle instead of studying for the mathematics test..."

"Wait, you didn't study for the math test?" Miki gasped.

Yuka smiled sheepishly.

"I studied during homeroom this morning. Speed-reading is another skill gaming taught me."

Miki sat down next to her.

"Your secret is safe with me, but... can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Can you teach me that triple-jump wall-bounce move? I've been trying to master it for months!"

For the first time in school, Yuka's face lit up with the same enthusiasm she showed online.

"Oh, that's actually easier than it looks! You need to time the first jump at exactly the right frame, then..."

For the next hour, the class president and the gaming otaku sat together, discussing advanced techniques and strategies.

Yuka had never felt so free at school before.

Over the following weeks, Miki became Yuka's confidant and cover story.

When Yuka needed to leave school quickly for an online tournament, Miki would tell others she was at an emergency student council meeting.

When Yuka dozed off in class after a late-night gaming session, Miki would discretely wake her up.

In return, Yuka helped Miki improve her gameplay, sharing professional-level strategies that transformed her from an average player to a formidable opponent.

They even started playing doubles together, with Miki joining Yuka's team under the username "MoonKnight."

Her teammates followed her instructions perfectly, and within minutes, they had turned the match around.

The victory was so decisive that the opposing team's coach asked to speak with Yuka afterward.

"That counter-strategy... I've only seen it used once before, by a professional player named ShadowEmpress. Where did you learn it?"

Yuka adjusted her glasses nervously.

"I... watch a lot of gaming videos for research. To better lead the club, you understand."

The coach looked skeptical but said nothing more.

As the semester progressed, Yuka found it increasingly difficult to maintain her double life.

More students began to notice similarities between the mysterious ShadowEmpress and their class president.

The way she held her hands when thinking, her habit of saying "Execute formation" when organizing group activities, and her uncanny ability to predict opponents' moves in club matches.

The breaking point came during the school festival.

The e-sports club had set up a gaming booth where students could challenge club members.

A professional gaming team happened to be visiting the festival for a documentary about youth gaming culture, and they stopped by the booth.

"Hey," one of the pro players said, watching Yuka guide a first-year student through a game.

"Your teaching style... it's exactly like someone I know. Shadow, is that you?"

Every student in the booth turned to stare.

Yuka's face turned bright red.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," she managed to say.

The pro player grinned.

"Come on, Shadow. We've been teammates for two years. I'd recognize your tactical style anywhere."

"Plus, you just used our team's secret callsign in your explanation."

The booth erupted in chaos.

"TANAKA-SAN IS SHADOWEMPRESS?!" someone shouted.

Students pulled out their phones, comparing videos of ShadowEmpress's gameplay to recordings of Yuka in the e-sports club.

The evidence was undeniable.

"The class president is a famous gamer!"

"She has fifty thousand followers!"

"She won the Asian Championship!"

"How did she hide this for so long?"

Yuka stood frozen as her secret life came crashing down around her.

She waited for the disappointment, the accusations of deception, the loss of respect from her peers and teachers.

But then something unexpected happened.

"That's so cool!" shouted Kenji.

"Our class president is a gaming legend!"

"Tanaka-san, you're even more amazing than we thought!" added another student.

Mr. Yamamoto pushed through the crowd.

"Tanaka-san, is this true? You're a professional gamer?"

Yuka nodded slowly, unable to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry for deceiving everyone. I know it's not appropriate for a class president to—"

"Are you kidding?" Mr. Yamamoto interrupted.

"This is incredible! You've been balancing your responsibilities as class president, maintaining top grades, AND competing at a professional level?"

"That's the kind of time management skills every student should learn!"

The principal, who had been watching from nearby, approached with a smile.

"Tanaka-san, you've shown that gaming and academic excellence can coexist."

"You've broken stereotypes and proven that students can pursue their passions while maintaining their responsibilities."

"I think you owe the school a proper demonstration of your skills."

And so, for the first time, Yuka played as herself – not as the perfect class president trying to hide her gaming, and not as ShadowEmpress hiding behind a screen name, but as Yuka Tanaka, a talented student who happened to be exceptional at both leadership and gaming.

The demonstration was spectacular.

She played against the visiting pro team in a show match, her classmates cheering every brilliant move.

Her parents, who had been called to the school, watched in amazement as their daughter commanded the virtual battlefield with the same precision she brought to everything else in her life.

"We thought you were studying in your room all those evenings," her mother said afterward.

"I was studying," Yuka replied with a grin.

"Just not the subject you expected."

Her father laughed.

"Well, considering you've maintained straight A's while becoming a professional gamer, I'd say you've mastered the art of multitasking."

From that day forward, Yuka no longer had to live a double life.

She remained class president, but now she also openly led the e-sports club to regional championships.

She used her platform to promote balance between gaming and studies, showing students that passion and responsibility could coexist.

Her streams became even more popular once people knew the real person behind ShadowEmpress.

Students from schools across Japan tuned in to watch the famous "Gaming Class President" who had proven that you didn't have to choose between being successful and doing what you loved.

Miki, now her official gaming partner and best friend, often teased her about the months of deception.

"All that time, I was taking advice from my idol without even knowing it!"

"And all that time, I finally had someone to talk to about my real passion," Yuka replied.

The story of the class president's secret life became legendary at Sakura Middle School.

Future students would hear about Yuka Tanaka, the girl who showed everyone that being responsible didn't mean giving up your dreams, and that sometimes, the most surprising people have the most interesting secrets.

During her graduation speech, Yuka stood at the podium one last time as class president.

"Three years ago, I thought I had to choose between being the person everyone expected me to be and being who I really was."

"But I learned that we don't have to hide the parts of ourselves that bring us joy."

"Whether your passion is gaming, art, music, or anything else that makes you happy – embrace it, balance it with your responsibilities, and never be ashamed of what you love."

The auditorium erupted in applause.

As she walked off the stage, diploma in hand, someone shouted, "GG, ShadowEmpress!"

Yuka laughed and gave a small bow.

"GG indeed. Thanks for the great game, everyone."

And with that, the legend of the gaming class president came to a perfect end, though her adventures in both the real and virtual worlds were just beginning.