Fujiwara was aimlessly wandering through the halls of Shuchiin, an exhausted expression imprinted on her face.

"Geez~ At least Shirogane was somewhat athletic to begin with. This was a whole different beast… I mean seriously- ow!"

Fujiwara sank to her knees, rubbing her forehead after bumping into something.

"What the-"

Fujiwara looked up and across from her to find a girl who seemed to be rubbing her head in pain. Suddenly, a look of realization flashed across Fujiwara's face, yelling:

"Hayasaka-san?! What are you doing here?"

Hayasaka also seemed to be rather surprised, clutching a utility ball in her hands.

"I was just heading to the gym to return this."

Alarm bells began to ring in Fujiwara's head as she tried to search for a way to keep Hayasaka far away from Iino and Ishigami.

But how do I keep her out of that gym? Uh…

"Hey, Hayasaka-san!"

Hayasaka stopped just short of the door, turning her attention from the door to Fujiwara.

"Yeah? What's up?"

Fujiwara's mind began to race to find a diversion as she pushed her brain cells to their limits until eventually, she settled on one.

"Uh, could you show me how to use that equipment?"

Hayasaka gave Fujiwara a blank stare as, without even blinking, she bounced the ball off of the ground.

*boing*

…

*catch*

…

*tada!*

"Were the jazz hands really necessary, Hayasaka-san?"

Hayasaka gave a brief chuckle before going back towards the gym.

"Well, if that's all, then I'll just head in and-"

"You can't!"

Fujiwara dashed past Hayasaka, interposing herself between Hayasaka and the gym entrance. This prompted a slightly confused expression from Hayasaka which quickly turned to mischief.

"Ah? Is there something you don't want to show me in there?"

"No, not at all! Uh… um… W-what are you doing?"

Hayasaka's lips had curled into a mischievous smile as she leaned so close to Fujiwara they could feel each others' breath on their faces.

Hm… I guess I can have a little fun with this, can't I?

"Well, if you're not going to get out of the way, then I guess I'll just have to kiss you."

"Hah?!"

Fujiwara's face went bright red and she froze for just long enough for Hayasaka to slip past her only for Fujiwara to grab her arm.

"Don't go in there!"

Hayasaka raised an eyebrow as she saw Fujiwara pulling her away from the door by the arm.

I could probably shake her off whenever I want, but it's interesting how far she's going to keep me out of the room. I wonder what she's gonna due next? Then again, Secretary-chan doesn't seem like the type to care that much about keeping secrets and such, so she probably won't-

Hayasaka watched as Fujiwara's expression went from panicked to contemplative, to hesitant, and then to the look of someone who had just discovered ice cream for the first time. Intrigued, Hayasaka stayed silent as she watched Fujiwara open her mouth, about to say something.

"I know! Why don't I take you to a cafe? It'll be my treat."

Hayasaka blinked twice before briefly opening the door to throw the utility ball in and giving a nod.

"Alright then. Let's go."

###

In almost no time at all, the 2 of them had reached the cafe. It was fairly small, the interior having a bright colour palette that used lime greens, pinks, and oranges which Hayasaka found very visually stimulating. However, the wallpaper was the least of Hayasaka's concerns as she found herself growing concerned over the carefree expression on Fujiwara's face.

I was waiting for her to think of some other plan, but did she seriously just bring me to this cafe? Don't tell me that this is a filler chapter…

Allow me to explain! As Fujiwara had stepped forward in her kouhai's efforts in love (I'm mainly talking about Iino since she couldn't care less about Ishigami), she had searched for any method she could find to keep Hayasaka far away from Iino. You may think that as such, she was doing everything in her power to keep Hayasaka far away from the school rather than just taking her down the street, but you would be dead wrong! Fujiwara had already begun to celebrate the moment that she'd exited the school! Fujiwara lives her life by three rules and those are "Live every day to it's fullest", "Win no matter what", and "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Thus is the way of Chika Fujiwara! Though even she has her limits:

It's a little awkward, though. What to talk about…

Having made this invitation out of the blue, Fujiwara wasn't exactly sure what to talk about this. Fortunately, looking at the menu, an idea popped into her head, replacing her slightly uncomfortable expression with her usual smile.

"Hey, Hayasaka-san?"

"Yes?"

"You want to try getting each other coffees? It could be fun to try to guess what the other person likes!"

Hayasaka scanned the menu from top to bottom before giving a shrug.

"Sure. Sounds fun."

Secretary-chan's preferences should be easy to guess.

Hayasaka continued to search the menu before settling on a specific drink.

"I guess that in that case, I'll get you…"

###

They picked a table to sit down at and Fujiwara stared at Hayasaka with bated breath as she waited for Hayasaka to take a sip of her drink.

What is this pressure?

The ripples began to form on the surface of the drink in Hayasaka's hand as she slowly raised the cup to her lips.

Immediately upon taking a sip, Hayasaka's eyes lit up as a light and fluffy drink coated her mouth. She put the cup back down with a satisfied expression and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"That was pretty good. I'm guessing it was a cappuccino?"

Fujiwara gave a thumbs up.

"Yep! So, how would you rate it out of 10?"

Hayasaka closed her eyes, nibbling on her thumbnail as she thought.

"I'd say… 8/10. Even though there's nothing that really jumps out at me, it's warm and it's well-made. You really can't go wrong with this sort of thing. I'm curious though, why a cappuccino?"

"Well, I thought that someone like you would prefer a classic drink instead of seasonal stuff."

Hayasaka cracked a smile at Fujiwara's jovial expression.

So, she can actually be pretty thoughtgul, huh?

"It's nice to know your head's not just full of empty space."

The life immediately drained out of Fujiwara's expression and her voice.

"Ah. So that's what you thought of me before?"

Panic immediately flooded Hayasaka's expression as she scrambled to come of with an explanation.

"Uh, well… When I say that, I-I mean that you're really unpredictable, that's all! Like, we haven't hung out much, so I didn't think that you'd put that much thought into it, that's all!"

Fujiwara seemed to buy this, giving a nod along with a smile.

"Oh, that's what you meant."

Hayasaka lives for another day.

"In any case, I guess it's my turn, huh?"

Fujiwara took a drink from her cup before putting her cup back down and furrowing her brow as she put her fingers to her chin.

"Hmm…"

"Something wrong?"

"Not exactly… Was that, like, a sweet drink? Seems cinnamonny…"

Hayasaka have a quick nod.

"Mhm. It's a pumpkin spice latte."

A wide smile formed on Fujiwara's face.

"Oh! That's it. Yeah, it's not bad, but…"

"But?"

Hayasaka watched Fujiwara struggle to find the words to describe what she was thinking until a decisive expression surfaced on her face

"You know how if you add too much gold to jewelry it's really easy to deform?"

Hayasaka nodded, prompting Fujiwara to continue.

"It's the same thing here. Like, if you add a lot of milk and sugar to coffee, when does it go from coffee to caffinated milk. You know?"

Hayasaka started to look slightly uneasy.

"So, your rating?"

"Hm… I guess that I'd say…"

Fujiwara gave a shrug, taking another sip before seeming to come to a conclusion.

"5/10."

The colour drained out of Hayasaka's face as she automatically arranged her expression into a smile, albeit, one devoid of emotion.

"Ah… 5 out of 10… I see…"

I'm worse than she is…

"What's with that face?"

Hayasaka shot back to her senses, clearing her throat and rapidly recomposing herself.

"I-it was nothing!"

"Hm?"

Fujiwara eyed Hayasaka with suspicion before a playful expression began to brew on her face.

"Eh? Was this a contest? In that case, I win!"

Hayasaka gave a sigh as Fujiwara had a mini celebration on the spot.

I should probably feel a little annoyed, but it's hard to get angry with someone that cute.

"By the way, what drinks do you like, Secretary-chan?"

Fujiwara thought for a moment before giving a smile.

"Bubble tea."

But that's not even close to what you were describing?

Today's result: Hayasaka's loss (failure to comprehend Subject F).

###

Having finished her drink far earlier than Fujiwara, Hayasaka put her phone away when she saw Fujiwara put her cup down.

"You done?"

"Mhm."

Hayasaka leaned forward, putting her elbows up onto the table and resting her chin on her fingers.

"So, what was the point of guessing one anothers' preferences?"

Fujiwara gave a shrug.

"Thought it would be fun."

Hayasaka leaned back, beginning to look around the room.

"Why'd you even call me here in the first place? After all, we haven't talked much since rescuing Kaguya, right?"

Hayasaka had learned never to expect the ability to predict Subject F's actions, but even still, she was blindsided by the sheepish expression that had appeared on Fujiwara's face.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Fujiwara rolled her eyes and gave a huff.

"Well, I wouldn't call it that, exactly…"

Hayasaka raised an eyebrow, waiting for Fujiwara to continue.

"You know! Remember the day after we rescued Kaguya-san?"

A look of realization dawned on Hayasaka's face as the memories flooded back into her mind.

"Oh yeah! Yeah, I remember!"

###

Flashback to the day after Kaguya's rescue

Fujiwara was a little bit scared to open the door to the mass media room. Sure, she knew that the members of the mass media club were… eccentric, but they were nothing she couldn't handle. Despite this, the amount of energy was strangely high, even by Karen and Erika's standards which was especially concerning, seeing that it was still lunch.

"C'mon! You said that you would tell us more, Hayasaka!"

"Yeah! I mean, you still haven't explained how Kaguya-sama set up the dominos for the president to find!"

"Mhm, mhm! I bet that it must've been magical! Jumping off of a cliff into the loving embrace of the president on a helicopter… It must've been a magical sight!"

"Uh, guys? One at a time…"

Fujiwara gave a smile knowing that it was business as usual.

Well, no use in waiting around.

Fujiwara pushed the door open, sighing at the sight of Hayasaka huddled in a corner of the room while Karen and Erika towered over her, bombarding her with questions.

"Is everything fine here?"

Fujiwara watched Erika inquire about the exact path that Kaguya had taken that night as to arrange a pilgrimage. Noticing Fujiwara in the door, however, Karen turned towards her with an enthusiastic grin.

"Oh, hey there, Fujiwara! We were just having a friendly discussion with Hayasaka-san about what happened while you guys were absent!"

Doesn't look very friendly to me…

Fujiwara decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Look like you guys are having… fun?"

Fujiwara's mouth thinned as she saw Hayasaka begin to sweat and tuck her head deeper into her chest as Erika towered over her.

"In any case, I was looking for Hayasaka-san."

Karen looked surprised as a light blush dotted her cheeks, her expression shifting over to a more stern one.

"Hey, this isn't about the whole thing with her trying to kiss you, right?"

Fujiwara immediately went red.

"Uh… well, you see…"

"Why didn't you deny that?"

"Look, I'm just here for Hayasaka-san, ok?!"

Karen held up her open palms as if in surrender.

"J-just making sure!"

Still blushing, Fujiwara gave a huff as she watched Hayasaka recompose herself after getting up off of the ground. She gave an exhausted sigh, visibly frazzled and speaking in a tired voice.

"So, you were looking for me?"

Fujiwara gave a nod.

"Mhm. Meet me after school in the student council room today, ok?"

And with that, Fujiwara left behind a bewildered Karen, Erika, and Hayasaka as the door slammed shut behind her. Karen slowly began turning to face Hayasaka who had, incidentally, gone a deep shade of red.

"Haaaah? I thought that everything between you two was resolved a while ago. She's not trying to kiss you again, is she?"

Fujiwara shook her head, though her face was still roughly the colour of her hair.

"Well, uh, you see, yesterday, Secretary-chan told me that, well…"

Fujiwara hesitated, shuffling on the spot before speaking in an almost whisper.

"She may or may not have said that 1 can kiss her…"

…

…

"HAH?!" x2

Hayasaka threw her hands up in defense as she backed up, her blush not fading in the slightest.

"Look, I'd just saved me from a bunch of goons, a-and she said that I looked cool, so I'm pretty sure that she just said it without thinking- why are you looking at me like that?!"

Hayasaka was spared from their questioning by the school bell signalling that lunch was over.

###

Even without Karen and Erika breathing down her neck, Hayasaka was still incredibly anxious throughout the rest of the day. She kept on stealing glances at Fujiwara in class as her mind went wild, countless scenarios playing through her head. Eventually, the school day ended and Hayasaka began making her way to the student council room.

Why on Earth would she make that kind of offer? At this point, isn't it gonna be one of those after school meetings?

After-school meetings! When a person tells someone else to meet up with them alone in a secluded spot afater school, there's always an air of anticipation surroundinng the request! Whether it be a request, simply hanging out, or something a little more romantic, nothing is out of the question when a person utters the words: "Could you meet me in _ after class ends?"

"Hey there, Secretary-chan…"

Hayasaka nudged the door open, looking in to see Fujiwara standing in the middle of the room all by herself.

"So, why'd you call me here?"

The sun bathed the room in orange light as Fujiwara took a deep breath, speaking in a soft tone.

"It's about what I said yesterday…"

Hayasaka's blush immediately intentisified, her mind turning to much as she saw Fujiwara turning around with an equally dark blush on her face. Fujiwara walked up to her, though she never quite made eye contact before cautiously putting her hands on Hayasaka's shoulders.

"Look, I-I've never done this before, but, just… no tongue, ok?"

"Eh? What are you-"

Hayasaka froze as Fujiwara began leaning in, getting closer and closer until…

"Wait, stop!"

Fujiwara opened her eyes, a confused look appearing on her face as she saw Hayasaka with her hands in between them and a bright red blush on her face.

"I-I was going to say that you didn't have to do anything! Seriously, if you don't want to kiss me, that's fine."

Fujiwara stared blankly for a few moments before an indignant expression surfaced on her face.

"Hah?! What's that supposed to mean?"

"I could say the same to you!"

Hayasaka began to grow slightly concerned as she watched Fujiwara practically throwing a mini-tantrum in front of her.

"Do you have any idea how much I had to hype myself up for that?! I mean, seriously, you could at least be considerate of my feelings!"

"Yes, I was! Which is why I say we don't need to kiss!"

Wait, doesn't that make it sound like I'm the one who wanted to kiss?

Hayasaka dispelled that thought before taking on an exasperated tone.

"Look, I'm not going to force you to do something your uncomfortable with. Ok?"

Fujiwara paused, seemingly digesting this information before giving a sigh of relief.

###

"So, why'd you even call me here anyways?"

"Didn't I say already?"

The 2 of them were now sitting across from one another on the couch with coffee that Hayasaka had brewed.

"You did, but I was more wondering why you took it so seriously. I mean, I thought is was just a joke or something, so I didn't think anything-"

"It wasn't a joke."

Hayasaka stopped, a blush appearing on her cheeks as she looked up from her coffee.

"Hah?"

"Wait, that's not right! It's um…"

Fujiwara cheeks had also darkened as she struggled to come up with a response.

"It's like, I wasn't joking, but I wasn't totally serious either? Like, you just looked really cool, and my heart was probably beating really fast from beating up all those guys, so I mistook the sensation for- anyways, it wasn't really a joke, but it also wasn't like that!"

Hayasaka had gone completely red over the course of this explanation, her mind spinning from information overload.

"I see… but you didn't have to call me over."

Fujiwara hesitated before answering in a near-whisper.

"Well, I thought that you were the type to be really mad if I didn't do what I said, what with what happened last time I thought about kisses, so I thought that this would be a good way to be kind of in control of the situation…"

Hayasaka blinked twice before she began to feel slightly indignant.

"Hah?! That's what you thought of me?"

Ok. Maybe it was a little more than "slightly".

"Look, I'm sorry, ok?"

The 2 of them sat in silence for a few moments before Hayasaka gave a sigh.

"I guess we don't really know each other that well, huh, Secretary-chan?"

"Guess so…"

Fujiwara took a sip of her coffee and shuffled on the spot for a second before speaking up.

"Say, Hayasaka-san? Do you want to start hanging out?"

Hayasaka raised an eyebrow.

"Hah? Where's that come from?"

Fujiwara's face was a little pink as she struggled to find the words to express herself.

"Well, you're a cool girl and you seem like you're fun to hang around with, so… I'm interested in getting to know more about you."

Hayasaka's mouth was open in surprise as her cheeks went a little pink.

"Secretary-chan…"

"Also, Kaguya-san's always talking with Miyuki on the phone, Iino and Ishigami are busy setting up the StuCo and the TG club is in the design phase for our next game."

So, that's what it was, huh?

"Still, I'm excited to get to more about you, Hayasaka-san!"

At that moment, Hayasaka felt a feeling unlike any that she had experienced before. The sun had just begun to set, illuminating the student council room in a type of ambiance that filled her with anticipation. Fujiwara leaned forward with the type of carefree smile that Hayasaka yearned to be able to produce one day in the future. The way that the evening light bounced off of Fujiwara's body almost made it look as though the secretary was the one who was actually glowing. A small smile began to grow on Hayasaka's face as she gave a slow nod.

"Yeah. That would be nice."

Indeed, Fujiwara had summoned all her courage to make her request and in response, Hayasaka didn't seem to be averse to the idea at all. At that moment, time seemed to stand still as their relationship seemed on the verge of changing forever until…

###

Hayasaka slammed her palms on the table, almost standing up as indignation filled her expression.

"And then, you ignored me for over a month! I mean, seriously, what's with that?"

Fujiwara had gone red at the memory of this, shrinking in her seat as she began to explain.

"It's not my fault! First of all, a world famous pianist confessed to me the next day and then Kaguya-san had more time with me because of Miyuki's schedule! Plus, I don't have your communication info, so there was no way for us to talk to each other!"

Hayasaka was unimpressed.

"So, you forgot about it?"

Fujiwara sunk down in her chair.

"...That's a mean way of putting it."

Right then, an idea sprung into Hayasaka's mind along with a brief smile, only for her to return to her normal stone-faced expression.

"Well, it was pretty mean of you to forget your promise."

Fujiwara re-engaged, taking on a more defensive stance.

"I didn't forget! It just…"

"Slipped your mind?"

"Don't put words in my mouth!"

Hayasaka gave a giggle at Fujiwara's sulky expression.

"Honestly…"

She stopped laughing, leaning down onto the table to meet Fujiwara's gaze as she said:

"You really are quite cute."

Fujiwara felt her heart skip a beat as she stared into Hayasaka's eyes for a moment before mumbling out a defense.

"...Shut up."

Hayasaka gave another chuckle as Fujiwara straightened up with a "hmph".

"Well in any case, you said that you forgot because we didn't exchange LINE IDs, right?"

The digital age! Yes, from making plans to breaking plans, everything happens on phones these days! While getting left on read may just be one of the worst feelings known to man, the LINE app allows friends, family, and even lovers alike to connect at the tap of an icon! That's right: the past months were a bust because these two weren't using LINE!

Hayasaka cleverly casts a net over Fujiwara. By not explicitly offering to exchange IDs but instead, heavily implying it, Hayasaka shifts the responsibility onto Fujiwara to make the final step! How will she respond?

"Oh, yeah, that's right! Let's do that!"

Fujiwara sidestepped the whole premise of this fanfic.

"Here's my QR code, Hayasaka-san!"

Well, at least Hayasaka seems happy. Guess I'll have to shelve "Fujiwara-sama wants to be confessed to" for another day.

Today's result: Hayasaka wins.