"Where on earth is that girl?"
Hayasaka had looked everywhere from her classroom, to the tabletop games room, to the mass media club room, heck, she even tried the student council room, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find Fujiwara anywhere. After a few moments of racking her brain for more places to look and coming up empty, she pulled out her phone and opened the LINE app before hesitating when she tapped on her chat with Fujiwara.
It's still empty… Maybe I should just ask where she is?
Hayasaka began to type away at her phone screen.
"Where… are… you… Secretary-chan? I've… been… looking… for-"
Hayasaka shoved her phone into her pocket, resisting the urge to scream.
How creepy can I get?! I just talked to her yesterday, so it's not as if I need to make the first move or anything-
"Hayasaka-san?"
Hayasaka slowly turned around, swiftly disguising her look of horror as a certain pink-haired girl began to form in her view.
"A-ah… Hello there, Secretary-chan. What are you doing here?"
Fujiwara gave a sigh.
"I was on my way somewhere but I got lost. In any case, though, you realize that I'm not the secretary anymore, right?"
Hayasaka shrugged, electing not to comment on Fujiwara getting lost in the school she had been attending for over 2 years.
"Kaguya called Miyuki-kun the president even after his term ended-"
Wait, why am I comparing my situation to hers?
Hayasaka began to sweat a little as her composure and voice began to break down.
"A-anyways, just calling you 'Fujiwara-san' would be a little cold, wouldn't it?"
"What? No, it wouldn't-"
Memories of her previous interaction with Kaguya flooded into Fujiwara's brain along with her own previous complaints.
"Actually, yeah, it would be. I guess, Secretary-chan it is."
"So anyways, Secretary-chan…"
Anticipation began to rise in Fujiwara as she watched Hayasaka begin to hesitate. Hayasaka was doing a good job of controlling her outward emotions, but Fujiwara noticed that just for a moment, Hayasaka's voice cracked a little as she spoke.
"Do you have any time right now? I happen to be available at the moment."
A smile immediately sprung onto Fujiwara's face as she took out her phone and began to flip through her schedule.
"Yeah, I should be able to hang out right now-"
Or not!
Fujiwara visibly deflated, slouching slightly as her gaze went to the floor.
"I've actually got a cheer team meeting today."
"Does tomorrow work?"
Fujiwara shook her head.
"We've got meetings everyday this week because we have a lot of new members, so… sorry."
Hayasaka put her fingers to her chin, seemingly unbothered.
"Still, didn't you and the tabletop games club do something together for last year's sports fest?"
Fujiwara shrugged.
"It's nice to try something new every now and again."
"Gotcha. Well in that case, make sure that you practice hard, ok?"
"Don't worry! I always give 100%!"
Fujiwara's wide smile and exaggerated thumbs up elicited a giggle from Hayasaka.
"Ahaha… haha… Good luck, Secretary-chan."
Hayasaka watched Fujiwara turn around, her smile slowly diminishing to the point of nearly disappearing as she gave a sigh.
Too bad. Looks like we'll have to take a rain check for today. Maybe I'll use this time to plan our next meetup!
However, that was when a spark ignited in Hayasaka's mind, an idea beginning to form in the recesses of her mind.
Cheering, huh? Could be interesting. I wonder what would happen if I just so happened to take up an interest?
She, however, immediately began to shake her head, her cheeks going a little pink.
What kind of loser am I? Joining a club just to spend more time with someone who I've barely just started hanging out with? Then again, there's no way I'm gonna 'pull a Kaguya' and spend two years agonizing over how to properly ask to hang out with someone, so…
Ignoring the fact that she had just unwittingly compared her own situation to Kaguya's, Hayasaka steeled herself briskly making her way towards Fujiwara.
"Oi, Secretary-chan!"
Fujiwara whirled around, her mouth opening and her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Hayasaka practically running over to her.
"Oh yeah? What's up, Hayasaka-san?"
"Well, it's just…"
Hayasaka caught herself. No, she wasn't going to become a panicking mess here. Not now, not ever, and especially not in front of Fujiwara, though she didn't quite know why that last part held so true. She steeled herself, rolling her tongue towards the back of her mouth and taking a deep breath.
Huh. I guess that my calming ritual's pretty effective after all.
She pressed forward, taking note of every gesture she was making. Relaxed hands? Check. Casual expression? It's a little stiff and monotone, but it works. She casually flipped her hair and looked off into the distance as she spoke. She was in total control of every movement she made right down to her finger tips.
"So, is there room for one more? Y'know, on the cheer team."
Fujiwara seemed a little shocked for a moment before her expression quickly turned into a smile that seemed to shine bright enough to light up the whole hallway as she took Hayasaka's hand and clasped it in both of hers.
"Yes, of course! I'm sure that the cheerleading prez would love to have you!"
When Fujiwara stopped talking to look at Hayasaka's face, however, all she saw was her normal blank expression.
Eh? What's with that face? I mean, seriously-
And that's when she looked down. At her hands. Which were holding Hayasaka's hand.
"Gak!"
Fujiwara let go of Hayasaka so quickly that it was almost as if her hands had turned into flames, immediately going red and scrambling to find a response.
"I'm so, so, sorry! Seriously, I don't know what happened, I-"
Wait, how is she so calm?!
Fujiwara watched as Hayasaka merely gave a shrug, her expression completely unchanging.
It's like she's completely unaffected by this! Am I seriously the only one getting ahead of myself right now?
But she's not! On the inside, Hayasaka is just about as far as she could be from calm!
What on earth was she thinking?! She just, what, walks up to me and grabs my hand out of nowhere?! Seriously, why would she do that?! This girl's gonna give me a heart attack… Is Fujiwara so unaffected by this that she can just waltz on ahead of me?
Meanwhile, in Fujiwara's mind:
Am I so easy that I'm this flustered just by touching her hand? Hayasaka's scary…
They eventually found their way to the meeting.
###
The first thing that Hayasaka noticed when she walked into the room was the noticeable increase in volume.
"Alright, everyone! Who's ready to cheer?!"
She watched as a blonde-haired girl pumped her fist in the air before being accompanied by loud cheers by everyone.
"You're the best, Onodera!"
"I'm so ready to get cheering!"
"This is totally yee crazy haw!"
Hayasaka sighed and leaned back her seat, taking in the atmosphere.
Looks like these guys are just as energetic as my friends. Seriously though, between Kaguya, the mass media club, and now these people, it's almost like the dumber you are, the higher your grades. Still, this kind of thing is nice every now and then.
Onodera wildly gestured out towards the rest of the room while beginning to write on a whiteboard.
"Alright then! In that case, why don't we start coming up with a slogan for this year's sport's fest?"
Hayasaka smiled to herself as she heard suggestions like "Fire up red team! We're lit AF!" and "Burning through the opposition like a wildfire!"
This is pretty entertaining. Maybe I'll contribute some ideas of my own.
"I know! How about 'Burning with a red-hot passion, get ready for the TikTok famous red team'!"
Everyone turned to look at Hayasaka, their gazes focusing directly on her until…
"That's a totally lit idea!" x14
Hayasaka merely smiled as the cheer team started showering her with praise.
"See? I told you that Hayasaka would have the best ideas!"
"This is a totally baller slogan!"
"I didn't know that Hayasaka would be here! Why'd you decide to join?"
Hayasaka paused for a moment. Her smile was wiped off of her face for a moment as a pink tinge began to appear in her cheeks. She felt her gaze beginning to move to Fujiwara before quickly fixing herself with a relatively casual smile.
"Well, I guess that I wanted to try something new, or something like that."
Seemingly satisfied with this reply, the person scurried off to join the rest of the group who were now discussing ideas for their cheer.
"Honestly, this was pretty enjoyable, Secretary-chan. Why don't you give some ideas-"
Hayasaka looked over at Fujiwara before realizing that the girl in question had gone as white as a sheet, rocking back and forth slightly..
"Uh, earth to Secretary-chan? You there?"
"Yee crazy haw…lit AF… so many fire puns… my life… it's flashing before my eyes…"
Hayasaka gave a weak smile before going back to her normal expression.
Huh… looks like Secretary-chan isn't used to hanging out with people like this. Well, in that case…
Hayasaka stared at Fujiwara's limp frame for a few moments, deciding what action she should take before giving a sigh and cautiously setting her arm down, lightly draping it on top of Fujiwara's shoulders.
"Hey, look. I know that this kind of thing can be a little intimidating at first. It was for me too. But as long as you just be yourself like you always do. Ok?"
Hayasaka began to grow uneasy as Fujiwara's expression seemed to remain unchanged as if completely frozen in time.
Did I do something wrong? I've never seen Secretary-chan so distraught like this…
Fujiwara's mind was churning, her thoughts flowing back and forth, crashing into the sides of her brain as she didn't move a muscle. Indeed, she was troubled, but…
Ohmygosh, oh my gosh, her arm is on my shoulders! Why is Hayasaka-san being so forward today…
As you can see, her inability to contribute to the yay brigade's discussions is the least of her concerns!
How far is she trying to go? I thought that she didn't like touching from before, but why is she doing this all of a sudden? This girl's gonna give me a heart attack…
"Ok, everyone! So, like last year, the boys'll wear girls' uniforms and the girls will wear male uniforms! Are we clear?"
"That sounds totally hip, yo!" x10
"Yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea!"
Hayasaka was slightly surprised at Fujiwara's sudden enthusiasm, though she was also slightly relieved to see that colour had returned to her face.
"You sound happier."
"Well, duh! Last year's concept for a cheer was good, but I think that we can take that same idea and do it 10 times better, you know?"
Hayasaka gave a nod, her expression turning into a jovial smile.
"So, who do you think you'll ask for a uniform?"
"I'm texting Kaguya-san and Miyuki as we speak~"
"Oh, I see-"
Wait, what?
A dilemma arises! As a part of her work for Kaguya, Hayasaka had chosen the optimal friends to stay with and blend in with and this group didn't really include any males because of the beliefs of her employers. As such, the number of guy friends she has is… next to 0.
Other than Miyuki-kun, there really isn't anyone I can borrow a uniform from! I could ask Mirin or Subaru if they know anyone, but-
That's when it hit her. An idea flew into Hayasaka's mind, quickly putting her at ease once again.
I guess I'll be paying the StuCo room a visit later. For now, though…
Fujiwara looked slightly confused as she watched Hayasaka start to go in a direction different from herself as they exited the school.
"Hayasaka-san? The school gates this way, not that way."
Hayasaka shrugged.
"I figured that I'd brush up my cheering skills."
"Oh, is that so? Have fun then~"
"Mhm. I haven't done it in a while, so I'm probably kind of trash at it, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
Fear. That was the emotion that Fujiwara felt resounding through her body as her smile was wiped straight off of her face. She resisted the urge to huddle into a small ball and her body began to shake as the colour drained from her face.
"Ah… you say that you're only kind of trash, right, Hayasaka-san?"
Hayasaka turned around, raising an eyebrow when she saw that Fujiwara had run up to her.
"That's what I said, but honestly, I can't be that bad. I mean, I'm pretty well-coordinated and athletic in general, so I should be fine."
Contrary to Hayasaka's expectations, this phrase only seemed to distress Fujiwara further rather than calming her. Fujiwara began holding her head in her hands, whispering to herself over and over again.
"Relax, Chika. She's not the president. She isn't the same as Miko-chan. She can't hurt you."
"Uh, you ok over there, Secretary-chan?"
Fujiwara perked right back up, absolutely beaming.
"Yep! Just a little bit of trauma, that's all!"
"Doesn't trauma usually mean that you're not ok, though?"
Fujiwara elected not to respond, instead tying some sort of white headband around her head as Hayasaka looked on, slightly worried.
"Do you know why humans have eyes on the front of their head, Hayasaka-san?"
Hayasaka shook her head, sweat beginning to form from the confusion.
"It's so that we can look forward! To the future!"
"Hooray?"
Fujiwara had gotten back to her feet, her smile eerily serene as she clasped her hands together.
"Alright then, Hayasaka, so you're just getting into cheering, so I want you to start with something simple, ok?"
Hayasaka was slightly uneasy. Was teaching people this hard for Fujiwara? And if so, why was Fujiwara spending her time and energy on teaching her of all people? Resisting the urge to activate her calming ritual and not really wanting an answer, Hayasaka merely ended the silence and decided not to ask any questions.
"Sure."
Fujiwara took a deep breath in and a deep breath out before saying:
"Now, I want you to jump in the air with your eyes open, ok?"
…
Hayasaka stared for a few moments, raising an eyebrow.
"Look, if you want to master cheering, then you've gotta start from the basics-"
"No problem."
Fujiwara raised an eyebrow.
"Hah? You're just going to do it?"
Hayasaka nodded.
"Well, of course. You went through the trouble of teaching me, so the least I can do is listen to you, right?"
A single tear rolled down the side of Fujiwara's face, her mind becoming overwhelmed with emotion.
"I love you…"
Hah?!
Hayasaka nearly bit her tongue clean off in surprise as her face burned bright red.
This airhead! I swear, if I don't get a grip, I'm gonna end up like Kaguya!
At this time, Kaguya was browsing for plane tickets to California.
"In any case, I can do the open-eyed jump, see?"
Fujiwara stared in awe as Hayasaka sprung into the air, landing on her toes and gradually lowering herself down to her feet.
"So?"
"I've… I've never…"
Fujiwara seemed to be on the verge of crying a river, sniffling every few moments as she had her hands over her mouth, saying:
"I've never seen anyone look so beautiful while doing the open-eyed jump!"
Hayasaka's face immediately flushed pink as she tried (and failed) to stop a smile from forming on her face. She scratched her cheek and averted her gaze, giving a light giggle.
"Oh, really? I guess I'm just naturally talented, ehehe…"
"Alright then! Let's see some other moves!"
Hayasaka seemed to be slightly surprised for a moment, but still generally pleased with herself.
"Fufufu… Well if that's what you want, I guess I have to!"
And so she did! From somersaults to cartwheels, Hayasaka pulled off every move flawlessly! After every successful maneuver, Fujiwara would say things like "That's awesome!" or "You're so cool, Hayasaka-san!" all while utterly dumbstruck!
"Hahaha… You really don't have to praise me so much, Secretary-chan."
"But I do! You need to know just how amazing you are!"
Hayasaka continued with a smile on her face, a thought having been lingering in the back of her mind this whole time.
Honestly, I could've stopped after the front flip since I'm pretty confident that I won't have much difficulty with the cheer team, but…
Hayasaka took a look at Fujiwara's transfixed expression before continuing:
It's kind of nice to be acknowledged every now and then.
And so, Fujiwara's battle arc draws to a close…
…At least, until she finds out about Iino's inability to sing.
Today's result: Hayasaka wins.
