01: An Absolute Zero
Who would have thought, being the student council president actually required you to put in a ton of work. Isshiki Iroha thought it would be a bit easier, because their previous president, Shiromeguri-senpai made it out to be a walk in the park. But she was a bit of an airhead and a good natured person, so perhaps she was trying to be a bit more encouraging and understanding of her miserable plight. But she didn't bother to show up and teach her the ropes after Isshiki won the election and became president, always making the excuse that she was busy studying or preparing for her entrance exams. But Isshiki couldn't really blame her. It was not her fault she became president. No, if anything, it was her senpai's fault.
It didn't even feel right to use his last name. He was just her senpai. Well, not hers as if he was a thing or a possession which she could carry around in her purse, though now that she thought about it, the idea did sound awesome. He could be like her very own personal genie. But because life wasn't like a fairy tale as shown in Disney movies, she would just have to settle for a boyfriend. Wait a second, what the hell was she thinking just now. Did she just imagine having senpai as her boyfriend? Of course not. There was no way she did. It was not possible. Isshiki Iroha was probably just thinking about the idea of having a boyfriend in general.
Definitely made more sense.
Now if you thought she was a blushing virgin who had no experience, you would be right. But also more than a bit wrong. Isshiki might not have any real experience in the, shall we say, cough, cough, bedroom arts, but she knew her way around men. Yeah, she definitely did. And she didn't shy away from the attention. After all, before becoming the president of the student council, she used to be the manager of the soccer club. A club full of handsome, athletic, sweaty guys. Eww. Yeah, she definitely remembered her stint in the club. Or at least the stench. It didn't matter if the guys looked hot, covered in sweat, their breathing hard. When they tried talking to her after practice, she had to work really hard not to gag from the god awful smell. Even her beloved Hayama-senpai smelled bad. But at least he had the good sense to shower and towel off before meeting up with her. And just like that, she fell in love with him.
Huh, wait a second. Didn't that make her sound really shallow? Let's try that again shall we. Isshiki Iroha fell in love with Hayama-senpai because he was smart and handsome. And popular. And rich. And every girl in school wanted to be his girlfriend. In other words, she was being just another normal teenage girl who fell in love with her senpai. Not her senpai. Definitely not him. Isshiki meant Hayama-senpai. Of course she meant Hayama-senpai. If you want to hear another reason, well then listen to this. If Isshiki became Hayama-senpai's girlfriend, her status in school would increase tenfold. Without working hard or accomplishing anything, she would become superior to every other girl in school. Besides, it's not like Hayama-senpai was not a nice person. He was a great guy, better than most losers. And going out on dates with him, she would no doubt have a great time.
A great time with a great guy.
Her senpai.
Huh.
That rhymes.
"I see you didn't get any work done."
Isshiki Iroha almost swore and it was important that Isshiki Iroha never swears in front of any one in school, let alone her senpai. And yes, this time she was really talking about him. Though, she had a feeling her senpai would be oddly okay with her swearing and probably understand where she was coming from. Need I remind you, Isshiki Iroha was the manager of a soccer club and she picked up quite a few interesting words and added them to her vocabulary. Not that she would ever use them in public. After all, it was not the kind of image she would want to portray of herself to anyone. Lest we forget, Isshiki Iroha was just another sweet and innocent first year student, who knew nothing about the vast world and always wanted someone to help her with her troubles. Though by now, she knew the whole sweet and innocent routine didn't work on her senpai. But it was still not enough to drop her whole act and simply cry out what she actually felt, that he had just scared the shit out of her just now.
Also, that she was just a little bit happy that he actually kept his word and showed up to the student council room as promised to help her with her work. But why on earth would Isshiki Iroha be happy that her senpai was here and she was alone with him. It didn't make any sense. He was just taking responsibility for his actions. After all, it was his entire fault that she agreed to become the student council president. And he had the gall to say she wasn't doing any work. How rude. Isshiki Iroha definitely liked Hayama-senpai more. In fact, it was stupid to even compare these two. But because she was a girl, she was allowed to make a comparison between these two guys she might like and as you would expect her senpai performed pretty poorly. In fact, he scored an absolute zero.
"I brought strawberry milk."
Huh.
He actually remembered. Isshiki had just mentioned it in passing the last time he was here in the student council room. She didn't think he would actually remember, let alone buy it using his own money. As far as she knew, her senpai wasn't actually rich. Not that buying a pack of strawberry milk was really all that expensive. But still, he went out of his way and did something which she could actually call nice. And sweet. Just who was this guy? This is not the senpai she knew and lov- did you think, she was going to say love. Of course not. Isshiki Iroha meant to say loathed. Also, let's get to the important bit. He must have an ulterior motive.
Definitely.
"You are trying to bribe me with strawberry milk." He didn't voice a protest, so she continued. "So that I can let you go back to your club."
He made a face. "You got it half right. I'm trying to bribe you with strawberry milk, so that you can complete your work."
Ah, so she was right. For some reason Isshiki felt rather good about herself. You see, she was finally able to understand how her senpai's mind worked. Or how some of it worked at least. It was a bit more complicated than what she first assumed. Her senpai wasn't like most boys she met in school. Or anywhere else. He had layers. Like an onion. Now she was picturing senpai's head superimposed on an onion, grumbling and snarking and making someone cry as she tried to peel of his many layers. The thought made her chuckle and the knowledge that she would never be that person made her get back to work. After all, Isshiki Iroha didn't like onions, because they made her cry for no reason at all. But she liked them to be added in her food, because it tasted great.
She was complex like that.
After the two of them worked in silence for a short while, her senpai made the most obvious remark.
"I don't see any of the other student council members. Did you send them home again, Isshiki?"
Isshiki was just wondering when he would make a comment on that and though she was busy sucking on her pack of strawberry milk with the help of a straw, she let it out of her mouth with a loud audible pop. A bit of the white liquid dribbled out and stained her pretty lips and she wiped them away with a swipe of her tongue. By the time, she looked at him, her senpai's head was lowered onto a piece of paper, which he was studying with every molecule of his stiff body, his eyes never leaving the page, as if he was trying to discover if inanimate objects possessed a soul.
And he was turning red.
Wonder what's that about, Isshiki thought.
For a moment, she wondered whether senpai would repeat the same thing all over again. He had done this last time too and they had almost gotten into an argument. No, she would not call it a misunderstanding. He had accused her of neglecting her duties and not working hard. Which to be honest, he had a point. For the time being, she was willing to let that slide. But then he had the audacity to say she was not willing to work with the rest of the members of the student council, and that she was purposefully letting them go home early, so that she could slack off. It had made her so angry and she had almost lost her composure. Like he would ever understand what was actually going on. None of the other members in the student council respected her. Besides, she didn't need them. Her senpai got her into this mess in the first place and she would make sure he was also the one who got her out of it. But she couldn't let him know her secret. It was better to just smile and take advantage of her cute kouhai status.
"Yeah, I sent them home."
He let out a sigh and picked up another piece of paper. "You need to learn how to work with them, Isshiki."
Just tease him a little with the truth. "But senpai, I thought you would like having me all to yourself. Teehe~"
Flash a wicked, sexy grin and watch him blush.
And he didn't blush at all.
Now she felt stupid and quickly decided to hide her embarrassment behind a ton of paper work. It was better to focus on her job, get things done and go home. It's not like she had any real friends. Before becoming the student council president, she spent her time with the members of the soccer club, trying to grab the attention of Hayama-senpai. And now after becoming the student council president, she spent her time alone with her senpai. Who seemed to be growing immune to her charms. It was driving her crazy. Was she losing touch with her cute, feminine side and becoming a dull, boring person. It would totally mess with the image she was trying to create. If she couldn't make her senpai blush, then what chance did she have with the likes of Hayama-senpai, who always found himself in the middle of female attention.
Ah, but that's not exactly true. Her senpai also spent time with a bunch of girls. Not as many as Hayama-senpai, but she got the distinct impression that he was more into quality than quantity. He was in a club with two girls, Yuigahama-senpai, who was nice and Yukinoshita-senpai, who was a scary. Perhaps he had something going on with one of them. Or both of them. Hmm. No, it didn't seem likely. Her senpai didn't seem like the kind of person who would fall in love with two girls at once. He seemed more like the one and done type. Besides, he was here with her wasn't he, instead of spending time with two other beautiful women in his club.
For some reason, it made her smile.
Isshiki Iroha was the winner.
But she quickly wiped the smile from her face, stretched her arms over her head and looked at the clock which hung on the opposite wall. They had been working for over half an hour. It didn't feel like it. Isshiki didn't feel tired. Even though she was a bit bored. Her senpai was engrossed in the pages of a file, studying its contents like they would show up in a mid term exam. And for some reason he looked a bit red and embarrassed. What in the world was he reading, she wondered. But she didn't say anything and tried to suck out the remaining strawberry milk from the pack. It made a loud, sucking noise and this time he looked up with a hint of annoyance.
"I didn't know you liked strawberry milk that much."
Ah, so she finally had his attention. Not that she was looking forward to it. But it felt good to know he was here with her in the room and just not lost in his work. In fact, he should feel a bit grateful that she was helping him take a short break from work. But no, her senpai didn't see it that way. Wait a second, did he think, she was a glutton who really liked strawberry milk. No way, she had to clear this small misunderstanding before it got out of hand.
"I don't like strawberry milk all that much." Isshiki helpfully pointed out. "It's just, I have heard it helps you -" she felt shy using the word 'grow', because she didn't want him to think of her as a child, so she used a different word instead. "- develop your figure." Ah, that made it worse. Better clear things up before she causes a small misunderstanding and embarrasses herself even further.
"I'm trying to add a couple more inches…."
And she trailed off, because she felt more than a bit self conscious, discussing these kinds of issues with a boy. It was even worse because he was her senpai. For better or worse, no, now that she thought about it, it was definitely worse, her senpai gave her a quick once over and even though he tried to be subtle about it, he lacked the experience to act smooth or cool. It actually made her blush a little bit and she almost thought about snapping back and asking him just what the hell he was doing. But she didn't need to ask, because her senpai actually explained his actions, while being completely unable to meet her eyes.
"I don't think you are especially lacking in the department."
Huh.
What did he mean by that? This time around, she couldn't help herself and simply asked the obvious question. "Senpai, do you like shor-" No, she had to think of a better word. Ah yes, thank you France. You gave use French toast, French fries, French kiss and the word, "-petite girls?"
"Petite girls?" He repeated and for some reason he got lost in his own thoughts. For a while he didn't say anything and Isshiki felt a little bit grossed out, because she couldn't help but imagine what kinda perverted stuff her senpai was thinking about which involved short, cute, petite girls. Like her. But before she could make a ball out of a piece of paper and throw it at his head, he snapped out of his trance and simply uttered. "You were talking about your height."
Huh.
Was he an idiot?
Of course she was talking about her height.
Unless.
Oh no.
Isshiki Iroha quickly covered her breasts with her arms and threw a glare at him while talking really fast to hide her own embarrassment. "Huh? Are you aiming for my body? Sorry, but you haven't even taken me out on a date yet. Please ask me out and take me somewhere nice, show me a good time and then after the tenth date, I might consider letting you kiss me good night."
Wait a second, what was that just now. She just said a ton of embarrassing stuff. This is not how she reacted the first couple of times when she thought he was trying to hit on her. She just rejected his advances by telling her she liked someone else. But now, she didn't even mention liking someone else. Instead, it almost sounded like she was asking him to ask her out on a date. Really, this habit of hers of growing flustered and running her mouth, without thinking things through and just saying anything was getting out of hand. The day wasn't far when she accidentally said something which she might not be able to take back.
But why was she waiting for him to respond back.
"Yeah, yeah, I wasn't trying to hit on you."
He didn't even look at her, just waved her off like she was being a nuisance. Now this was really infuriating. Was he even listening to a word she just said? It didn't seem likely. Now, she was certain, she liked Hayama-senpai more. He would have listened to her words. And he would have laughed and sent her heart aflutter. But her senpai did none of those things and when the two of them finally finished their job and called it a day, all he did was grouse and complain. And that too over something really petty and mundane.
"You at least got a pack of strawberry milk out of this arrangement." He snapped, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do I get?"
For a moment, Isshiki wondered whether he was actually going to ask her to cough up some money. No way was she going to pay him. He wouldn't even get a measly five yen. After all, this was all his fault and she thought about reminding him of that particular fact. But she didn't want to get on his bad side. The way he helped her win the election and got her into accepting the job, it made her feel a bit wary. Not that he would ever harm her intentionally. He was smart and full of cunning and he was really crafty and manipulative. Did he not realize his own potential? Well, she wasn't going to remind him of it. He might one day decide to leave her for his club mates and then who would help her in her time of need. But it seemed like he wasn't a truly selfless person and he wanted something out of this arrangement. And the best she could think of was –
"Headpats."
Her senpai gave her a weird look. "I don't want headpats from a kouhai. It might awaken some weird fetish in me."
Bet he didn't mean to say the last part out loud. Who talks about stuff like fetishes in the open? Apparently, her senpai. Really, he could be so clueless sometimes. There was a part of her which wanted to tease him about it, but she was feeling really tired and thought it wasn't worth the extra effort. Besides, she had something better running around in her mind.
"Senpai, I want headpats!" Isshiki cooed while trying to look absolutely cute. She even cocked her head to the side. But it didn't work. Drats! Really, her senpai was getting too used to her normal level of cuteness. This is not good. If this kept up, pretty soon she would have nothing to use against him. But she wouldn't give up so easily. Isshiki Iroha demanded headpats. It was the only thing left in the world which would give her the needed strength to keep going. She tried once more, this time using logic and reason, something which she had learnt overtime that appealed to him on a personal level.
"But senpai, I have heard headpats have a healing affect on both the giver and the receiver."
He blushed. Just what the hell was he thinking, Isshiki really wanted to know. He tried to look away for a second and failed miserably, before letting out a sigh and giving into her demands. "Fine." He grumbled. And he moved closer.
And closer.
And closer.
And then he placed his hand on top of her head.
For some reason, Isshiki thought he would be all awkward about it, because she couldn't picture him being affectionate towards another girl, but the way he touched her, it created butterflies in her stomach and made them all flutter at once. Was this really her senpai? Did she make a serious mistake and underestimated him. He did spend a lot of time with two women, one of them being Yuigahama-senpai, whom she could picture actually asking for headpats. Or maybe it was the cold and aloof Yukinoshita-senpai. Maybe she had a softer side, which she showed only to him, when she asked him for headpats. There was no way this was his first time, touching a girl like this. He was a pro and he was making her blush and making her squirm.
This was not good, not good at all.
Isshiki definitely thought she had bitten off more than she could chew and when he finally stopped, she almost let out a really embarrassing sound from her mouth, which sounded a bit like a protest. Thankfully, he didn't mention it at all, because when she peeked up and looked at him, he was blushing too. Good to know she wasn't the only one affected by his actions. He took a step back, before reaching for the door and just when she thought he was going to leave without saying anything, he turned around, gave a small nod and mumbled in a soft, almost inaudible voice.
"Thanks for your hard work."
It's the first time he said those words to her and she felt really pleased, because for some reason, it felt like she had earned his respect just a little bit. And for some reason it really mattered to her. But before she could respond and say anything in return, he left the room and she could hear his loud footsteps retreating down the corridor, which was odd because he was usually quiet when he moved. Perhaps he was in a hurry to rush back to the club room and meet his two beautiful clubmates and try to create some excuse to make amends.
Good for him.
The thought made her grumble.
And Isshiki Iroha didn't know why.
Besides, she liked Hayama-senpai.
Right?
A/N: I decided to re-upload this story in this account. I don't know why, but for some reason I feel queasy writing stuff on my other account. I don't know how to explain it. Anyway, I think I will use that account to post stories which are not related to Oregairu. Speaking of which, I was thinking about writing fanfics for other fandoms too. I think I am ready to explore a little. So, which other fandoms should I write for? If you can, let me know in the reviews.
Also, I listened to you guys and I started posting my fanfics on other sites as well.
In Archive Of Our Own, my user name is "Betrayed_Dreams" and there you can find "Labcoats and Loners" and "8man's Journal: Looking Into The Mind Of An Unstable Police Detective."
In SpaceBattles, my user name is "Betrayed Dreams"
In Wattpad, my user name is "BetrayedDreams."
But let me say this, I still enjoy writing and uploading stuff here. This is the best platform, in my humble opinion.
Now it's time for a poll -
Poll#1: Which Fic Should I Update Next?
Option 1: A Fox In The Hen House.
Option 2: Ikebukuro : A Bohemian Rhapsody.
Option 3: Ore Ga Iru : As I Expected, My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong.
Please pick accordingly.
Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.
Leave lots and lots of reviews, follow and fave.
Won't betray your dreams.