COTE: Ayanokouji's Return

By : tobi7th

...

Chapter 25 - 27

Chapter 25 - Matsushita's suspicion

Matsushita Chiaki's POV

Chiaki: "Sure enough, this interests me."

Starting from the beginning of the school, a certain feeling had been stuck in my heart.

It was an unknown, weird feeling that I couldn't identify yet.

This was caused by the existence of a classmate of mine called Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Recently, I was paying close attention to him.

If someone heard about it, he or she would start grinning and tell me that I started to have a crush of him.

But that wasn't a case here.

I acknowledge that he was very handsome, but my standards for a boy to date were higher than just having a good look.

Both his appearance and personality should be first-class.

The same for his background - his parents should have received high-level education and accomplishment.

I may be very picky, but I believed that as a girl from a good, wealthy family, blessed with intelligence and appearance, I could make such requirements.

Especially after managing to enter this Advanced Nurturing High School, I was going to aim even higher than before.

I was going to study abroad in a prestigious university, then start working for an embassy or in the UN.

Those were my goals after graduating.

Since this part of my future life had been secured, the thing to focus for me right now was to enjoy my high school life and maybe look out for a suitable life-long partner.

Unfortunately, after the first day in the school, I was disappointed in the boys from my class.

Apart from Hirata-kun, there wasn't anyone, who may be even close to my ideal.

There was Koenji-kun as well, but I already heard rumors about him being a weirdo, so I let go of the thought.

And then, at the start of the second day, I met Ayanokouji-kun.

It was a weird meeting.

I saw someone standing before our classroom's door, so I decided to be polite and ask if he needed some help.

When he turned around, I was slightly surprised.

The boy's appearance was definitely on Hirata-kun's level.

It turned out that he was a classmate that wasn't present during the first day.

From our conversation, he appeared nice and friendly.

I rejoiced a little, learning that my class had not one, but two jewels to pick.

Then, he suddenly complimented me and my voice, making me blush a little.

He was a straightforward type, but I didn't mind it.

Especially since I learned that he knew how to play a piano, which could suggest that he received a high education.

We even exchanged phone numbers.

The perspective of my future was starting to become a little better.

Or so I thought.

On the very same day, I met Ayanokouji-kun once again in the dorm, while waiting for Satou-san to go for some shopping.

And once again, the brown-haired boy managed to stun me with his appearance.

He was so good-looking in his casual outfit that he actually surpassed Hirata-kun in my judgment.

But it was a quick stun, since I learned later that he was actually going to meet with some girl.

I couldn't imagine this meeting as anything other than a date, despite Ayanokouji-kun's denial.

So someone had an early start, huh?

I felt slightly down.

And then, Ayanokouji asked me about Chabashira-sensei's explanation about private points and that weird feeling appeared.

That uncomfortable, weird feeling that something was wrong.

I quickly let go of such thoughts, since there wasn't any rational explanation for it.

It was just some Ayanokouji-kun's words that could be interpreted as a mistake.

But it was still in the corner of my head.

I thought that I would forget about it soon, but Ayanokouji-kun was successfully reminding me about it, making those thoughts even stronger.

And alongside this weird feeling, I started to grow doubtful about Ayanokouji-kun's actions.

To be more precise, I started to feel like he was actually trying to make me be aware of all of this on purpose.

If he was just a classmate, I may not actually notice this, but after he became Student Council Vice-President and the most famous boy in our school year, I just couldn't help but think that it's not a coincidence.

I had confidence in my ability to assess others and in psychological warfare.

But I admit that I underestimated Ayanokouji-kun.

When he asked me for a lunch, which he called a scouting mission, I thought that he was acting a little too fast and straightforward, so I declined him politely.

I wasn't going to act on impulse for such a thing.

But now I was thinking that he may have some hidden agenda in it.

And that made that weird feeling even stronger.

Ayanokouji-kun was suspicious about the school giving us so much money so easily.

The students were supposed to overflow with private points after some time, yet senior students were eating free food sets.

Such a disparity really was weird.

Ayanokouji-kun said that Chabashira-sensei never told him that we would be getting 100000 points each month and to be honest, I didn't remember hearing about it as well.

But if we weren't going to get the same amount of money as at the beginning, then how much would we get?

And what was the point of hiding something like that by the school?

Such thoughts were circling in my mind, alongside the image of Ayanokouji-kun.

He was getting more and more mysterious, but for me, it was rather a good characteristic.

I didn't want to pursue only the stability in my life.

I wanted to experience some thrill as well.

So I decided to understand this weird feeling of mystery that I felt by establishing more friendly contact with Ayanokouji-kun.

Fortunately, it seems like I caught the brown-haired boy's attention, so I had an upper hand.

He even twice confirmed in my presence that he was single.

I was going to make him think that I wanted to get in touch with him due to curiosity, draw out some answers from him and comprehend the mystery behind my feelings.

That was my goal for this week.

I changed from my pajamas to the school uniform and left my room.

Today was the first day of the second week of the school.

I met with my new friends Satou Maya and Shinohara Satsuki and walked towards school.

We talked about some innocent topics and arrived at the classroom.

My gaze instantaneously went to the corner of the classroom without my permission.

Ayanokouji-kun was already there, talking with Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun.

I often caught him talking with those two, so I concluded that they became friends in those days.

To be honest, I had mixed feeling about his choice of friends.

Sotomura-kun was a well-known otaku and Miyake-kun wasn't an active member of the class.

The combination of those three was somehow weird no matter how you looked at it.

Some of the girls had the same impression about it as me.

Those three belonged to different categories of people, yet were together.

Ayanokouji-kun felt my vision and directed his gaze at me.

The brown-haired boy smiled slightly to me, while waving his hand a little for a greeting.

I did the same, which of course wasn't left unnoticed by my companions.

Satou: "Matsushita-san, have you made any progress with Ayanokouji-kun?"

Satou-san smiled smugly, trying to tease me.

I noticed that she was interested in Ayanokouji-kun as many others, but since he and I seemed closer, she was trying to find out about the actual situation between us.

Chiaki: "Please don't tease me, Satou-san. I didn't meet with him during this weekend."

Shinohara: "Actually, isn't he closer with Horikita-san? Sometimes I see them talking."

To be honest, at first I thought the same as Shinohara-san.

But every time I saw him speaking with Horikita-san, she was actually glaring coldly at him.

That vision of hers was closer to seeing him as her mortal enemy rather than a potential dating target.

Looks like the boy was speaking the truth about not being close to her, but her brother.

Although I was wondering why she would always give him such a murderous glare.

Chiaki: "They are seatmates, so of course they would talk with each other sometimes."

Shinohara: "Normally, you would be right, but it's Horikita-san, you know. I never saw her talking with anyone else, even Kushida-san."

Right, Horikita-san didn't have a positive opinion within the class.

Despite being a pretty girl, she was a loner.

Satou: "True, I also saw her turning down Kushida-san's invitation with some harsh words. I dislike her."

Satou-san didn't mind her words and openly expressed her dislike for the black-haired girl.

Truthfully, I was sharing her sentiment.

Shinohara: "Yeah, me too. I don't understand why Ayanokouji-kun even speaks with her."

Chiaki: "Maybe he just wants to be nice? Hirata-kun also tried to talk with Horikita-san a few times."

Shinohara: "Yeah, right. We sure are lucky to at least have those two. The rest of the boys in the class are just simply no good."

The three of us had the same opinion about the male part of the class.

A little later, Hirata-kun entered the classroom alongside Karuizawa-san.

I was suspecting it, but those two really became closer in a short amount of time.

It was mostly the work of Karuizawa-san, who was practically sticking to Hirata-kun wherever he went, while trying to intimidate any girl, who tried to get closer to him.

I knew her type well.

She was trying to establish herself at the top of the class hierarchy through the most popular boy.

And it seems like this cute, fashionable girl made some successful moves, since I could tell that the distance between them was reducing.

Well, after the first day, I may try to get in her way like the other girls, but after meeting Ayanokouji-kun, I stopped the thought.

Hirata: "Everyone, good morning."

Hirata-kun smiled widely to us, making some girls blush.

In terms of looks, he and Ayanokouji-kun were truly on high level compared to the others.

Karuizawa: "Good morning."

Karuizawa-san also greeted everyone like Hirata.

Hm?

The blonde-haired girl vision was directed in the certain corner, then quickly left it.

It was a very short action, but I noticed it.

I thought that she casually just looked, but after greeting with us and starting the conversation, Karuizawa-san was stealing some glances in that direction from time to time.

My mouth twitched a little.

Wait a second here...

Why was she looking at Ayanokouji-kun, when she was so close with Hirata-kun already?

Don't tell me... she was actually considering the change of targets?

Karuizawa-san, aren't you a little too greedy?

I couldn't help but be astonished by my sudden discovery.

I looked at Ayanokouji-kun, but he was talking with his friends and seemed to not notice Karuizawa-san's gazes.

But then, he looked at me and our vision crossed again, making me slightly embarrassed that he caught me staring at him.

Luckily, he turned away quickly.

I sighed, a little relieved.

But the real shock came after that.

Ayanokouji-kun stood up from his seat and started to walk in my direction.

What's going on?

Why was he coming here?

Ayanokouji: "Good morning. Hirata, is your invitation to the lunch available today? I don't have Student Council work during the lunch break, so if you don't mind, I would like to join you."

So he came to answer Hirata-kun's invitation.

I noticed that practically everyone present was observing the situation here.

Hirata: "Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun. Of course, it's alright. I'm happy that you could join us."

Hirata-kun looked really happy.

Ayanokouji: "Thank you. I felt bad the last time, so since my schedule today was open, I decided to take my chance and ask."

Hirata: "Please, don't be. You have an important position now, so it's understandable that you may be busy. Will Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun join us as well?"

Ayanokouji: "No, they said that they already have some plans, so it will be only me."

Hirata: "I see."

Ayanokouji-kun looked at us girls.

Ayanokouji: "I hope that I'm not interrupting anything."

Karuizawa: "Of course not, Ayanokouji-kun. I thought that you are going to work yourself to death in Student Council, but unexpectedly you have free time right off the bat. I guess your job isn't as harsh as I thought."

Ayanokouji: "Well, I was lucky to take care of things quickly the last time."

The brown-haired boy talked with us a little and came back to his seat.

I couldn't help but start to analyze his every move and word, yet I didn't find anything strange.

Satou: "We are going for lunch with both Hirata-kun and Ayanokouji-kun! This is big!"

Satou-san said excited, while Shinohara-san nodded enthusiastically.

I wasn't surprised by their reactions.

Hirata-kun was usually asking if anyone would like to have lunch with him, but it was the first time for Ayanokouji-kun.

It was a good opportunity to get to know and chat with the twin jewels of the class.

For any girl, it was a big event.

And for me, it was an opportunity to get some clues.

The classes up to the lunch break ended up quickly.

The number of students, who were paying attention to teachers, was decreasing with every day.

We were never scolded, no matter what anyone did, so it was obvious that my classmates were starting to become lazy.

At first, I couldn't understand this behavior, but recently I started to let loose as well in order to not stand out from my friend group.

But I never stopped to wonder about this situation, especially after being aware that something may be wrong with our future income.

Many started to take it for granted, but this school was just too good to be true.

There were so many unclear factors popping out once I started to realize that there may be some catch somewhere.

Fortunately, the chance for me to make everything clear appeared.

The group that was going together for lunch was gathering in front of Hirata-kun.

Apart from him and Ayanokouji-kun, there were five girls here - me, Satou-san, Shinohara-san, Karuizawa-san and Mori-san.

We managed to enter the cafeteria quite early, so there were many seats available.

Thanks to my good positioning, I managed to take a seat next to Ayanokouji-kun.

Everything was going smoothly for me.

Since Hirata-kun was mainly occupied with Karuizawa-san and Shinohara-san at the moment, I decided to start my offensive against Ayanokouji-kun.

Chiaki: "Ayanokouji-kun, what are you planning to buy for lunch? Will it be Special Lunch Menu that you talked about the last time?"

Satou: "Huh? You bought that expensive lunch set before, Ayanokouji-kun? How nice. I was thinking of trying it at the end of the month, if I managed to keep some private points."

As expected, Satou-san instantaneously became interested in our conversation.

Ayanokouji: "It was just a whim, but the taste was great, so I recommend saving up some points, Satou."

Ayanokouji-kun was unshaken and answered her question with a smile.

Satou-san nodded her head a few times.

Ayanokouji: "As for your question, Matsushita, I decided to go for different extreme today and I will take the free lunch menu."

...

Satou&Karuizawa: "Huhhh?!"

There was a strange silence once Ayanokouji-kun made his announcement, then Satou-san and Karuizawa-san made the same surprise voice.

The weird feeling that I had once again appeared.

Karuizawa: "You want to try that free lunch set? Why would you do that?"

Hirata: "Ayanokouji-kun, could it be that you are actually going low with points? I could lend you some, if you want."

Hirata-kun made a worried expression.

To be honest, if it was the first time I heard about that, then I would make the same assumption as Hirata-kun, but I was sure that it wasn't the case here.

Ayanokouji: "No, I have more than enough points for now. I just saw some senpais eating it the last time I was here, so I became curious about it."

It was the same situation as when I met him while going back to the classroom.

Ayanokouji-kun wanted to scout some things out.

Karuizawa: "Ehh? Someone actually was eating that poor-looking set? What kind of penalty game is that?"

Ayanokouji: "It may be actually more delicious than it looks like."

Karuizawa: "I don't think so..."

Ayanokouji: "I already spotted two students, who are eating it right now. Here and here."

Ayanokouji-kun pointed two places and there really were two students, who were eating that free food.

Satou: "No way. You are right, Ayanokouji-kun."

Karuizawa: "They seem, like, not really happy about eating it."

Ayanokouji: "That's why I want to find out now. If it would be awful, I will buy something else."

Ayanokouji-kun made a carefree expression.

None of us was trying to agree with him, but there was no one, who was stopping him as well.

The two boys started to walk to get our orders, so I decided to tag along with them.

Hirata: "Matsushita-san?"

Chiaki: "There are many orders, so let me help you."

I said with a smile.

Hirata: "Thank you, Matsushita-san."

Hirata-kun said gratefully.

We stopped before a small queue to the cash register.

Ayanokouji-kun was scanning the entire cafeteria.

Chiaki: "Ayanokouji-kun, are you looking for more challengers like you?"

I said, trying to confirm my suspicion.

Ayanokouji: "Yes. But I wouldn't call those people challengers. After all, they probably don't have a choice but to eat those."

Hirata: "What do you mean, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Ayanokouji: "I mean, they don't have points to buy anything decent, so they can only survive with those free sets."

Chiaki: "Are you suspecting once again that the students won't receive the same amount of private points like at the beginning?"

Hirata: "What?!"

Hirata-kun became surprised by my suggestion.

Hirata: "Is that true, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Ayanokouji: "Well, I still hope that I'm just overthinking things."

Hirata: "But why would you think like that?"

Ayanokouji: "When I was receiving the explanation about S-System from Chabashira-sensei, I didn't hear anything about getting the same amount of points in the next month, so I thought that maybe the amount of points we will get may vary."

He made a serious face.

Ayanokouji: "But then I consulted it with Matsushita, who told me that it was explained in the class, so maybe Chabashira-sensei forgot to mention it to me."

I remembered that.

It was that very moment that this weird feeling of mine was born.

Hirata: "So that's how it was."

Hirata-kun made a relieved face.

Ayanokouji-kun's vision stayed at him for a moment.

I got a feeling that he was disappointed by Hirata-kun's reaction.

Chiaki: "But you are still testing this theory of yours, aren't you, Ayanokouji-kun? Do you have some more suspicion?"

Ayanokouji: "Well, when I saw those senpais eating those free meals, the thought of our income came back. So I thought it may be good to scout some things."

He winked at me, reminding me about his proposition to scout things together.

It was amazing how he could casually flirt with a girl, while talking about a serious topic.

But I wasn't repulsed by his action.

Hirata: "I see. It's true that it's weird for so many people to lack points, especially seniors, who should be used to life here."

Hirata-kun's expression became clouded again.

Chiaki: "Hirata-kun, what do you think about that?"

Hirata: "To be honest, I'm not sure myself. I don't remember that well Chabashira-sensei's explanation, but if something like that was true, then she should've mentioned it to us already."

That was my biggest wonder as well.

If something like that was true, then the school would have informed us about it.

Ayanokouji: "But don't you think it's fishy that the school would spend so much for the students so easily? Considering that there are 40 students in 12 classes, then it's 576 million yen per year. I know that this place is backed by government, but it's still a big amount of money."

Hirata: "This..."

Ayanokouji-kun's calculation stunned us.

I never thought about it like that.

It was true that such a big amount of money to spend for just high schoolers seems unbelievable.

Ayanokouji: "Ah, I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm just oversensitive. It's true that something like that would be properly explained by Chabashira-sensei. I guess this school is just that amazing."

He did it again.

He made us suspicious about the school, then backed off.

I could see that Hirata-kun was affected by his previous words, but let go for the time being.

Chiaki: "But that's some great calculation, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji: "Oh, I did it in my room, so the number just stuck in my mind. Don't mind me, and let's order our food."

Chiaki: "I see. Then you should buy yourself something more decent, Ayanokouji-kun. There's no need to eat this poor-looking lunch set, isn't it?"

Ayanokouji: "That's true, but I'm really curious about it. Who knows, maybe it will be delicious."

He definitely was lying.

Someone this observant should be able to tell that it wasn't good.

But it was our turn to order, so we stopped talking about it.

Everything went smoothly, apart from one thing.

When Ayanokouji-kun asked for that free meal set, the cashier made a weird expression for a second.

I was looking at the back of the brown-haired boy.

Was it truly all?

No, it shouldn't be.

He was Vice-President of Student Council.

If he was really that curious, then he should have more than enough opportunities to ask about his worries with someone like President Horikita or the teachers.

Ayanokouji-kun was definitely hiding something.

We took our meals and returned to the table.

Karuizawa: "Ugh... You seriously took this free meal, Ayanokouji-kun? It looks even worse at close range."

Ayanokouji: "Although it doesn't look fancy and appetizingly, it also isn't bad. It's only vegetables here, but I could tell that it was made with some nutrition balance in mind."

Ayanokouji-kun took a bite of his food.

We expected him to shudder or make a bad face, but he chewed his food without any reaction.

Ayanokouji: "Mm, it's not good, but also not bad. A person could probably live on those sets without worry."

He took a second bite, then a third...

Karuizawa: "You are a weirdo, you know, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to eat this set even if I was starving."

Satou: "Me too. Looks like you aren't a picky eater, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji: "I tend to make my own meals, so I probably won't eat this set often."

Satou: "Huh? Ayanokouji-kun, you can cook?"

Ayanokouji: "Yes, I..."

Ayanokouji-kun abruptly stopped and looked at some point.

We also looked in the same direction and saw a magenta-haired boy, who was glaring at our table with a big smirk.

He didn't look away, when we started staring at him as well.

Chuckle...

Suddenly, I heard a small noise and I found out that it was Ayanokouji-kun's voice.

It was only for a second, but he also smirked, while looking at the magenta-haired boy.

It was the first time I saw him make such a face.

That expression was... really attractive.

Only after that, the staring boy started walking, while not bothering with us anymore.

Shinohara: "What's wrong with that guy? His stare was so creepy."

Karuizawa: "Y-Yeah..."

Satou: "He seemed dangerous."

Chiaki: "Ayanokouji-kun, do you know that boy?"

I couldn't bear, and asked the brown-haired boy.

Ayanokouji: "Yes, that's Ryuuen Kakeru from Class 1-C. He was the reason why I couldn't go with you for lunch, when Hirata asked me the last time."

Hirata: "I remember that you said that you had some Student Council's work at that time. Was he related to that?"

Ayanokouji: "Yes. He is a delinquent, who started to terrorize his class starting from the first day. He was prone to strong violence and bullying, to the point the entire class become scared of him in just a few days."

Hirata: "Violence?"

Karuizawa: "Bullying?"

Ayanokouji-kun's words shocked all of us, but Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san reacted quite strongly to his words.

Especially Karuizawa-san, her face turned really pale for a moment.

Satou: "That... sounds really scary."

Shinohara: "Why is someone like him in this school?"

Chiaki: "Are you okay, Ayanokouji-kun?"

If that Ryuuen was that scary and dangerous person, then Ayanokouji-kun's job wasn't a pleasant one.

Ayanokouji: "Yes, I'm okay. I was told to give him a strong warning that he may be expelled, if he won't stop, so I went to Class C to talk with him."

Satou: "That sounds like a really hard job."

Karuizawa: "Yeah."

Mori: "Luckily, he isn't in our class."

Ayanokouji: "Well, he took the warning rather calmly and from what I heard, he didn't cause any more problems for now."

That look on Ryuuen-kun's face just now could be anything, but peaceful.

And Ayanokouji-kun's smirk was also rather dangerous.

And hot...

Stop thinking about it, you idiot!

Shinohara: "But why only warn him, when he was doing such things? He should be expelled instantly for something like that, or at least suspended."

Ayanokouji: "That because no one actually informed the school about this. The students were scared to do that. Luckily, there are cameras in every classroom, so the school learned about it anyway. But since no one was actually complaining, the school decided to give him only the warning that his actions were known."

I see.

Since there wasn't any complaining from the victims, the school decided to not interfere to some point and then give a warning.

Karuizawa-san's face was a little weird again.

Hirata-kun's face also darkened lightly.

Hirata: "Ayanokouji-kun, it's dangerous to do something like that alone. If it happens again, you can tell me about it. We are classmates, I will help you."

Hirata-kun strongly requested Ayanokouji-kun.

Ayanokouji: "Thank you, Hirata, but there's no need. Like I said, there are cameras in every classroom, so if Ryuuen tried something, he would be really expelled."

Hm?

Now that I think about it, were there really cameras in the classroom?

I never noticed them.

Satou: "That's kind of relief. But to think no one reported him despite his actions. It's kinda unbelievable."

Ayanokouji: "That's because no one knew that there were cameras in the classroom. They were hidden, just like in this cafeteria. Look, for example, the one here."

Ayanokouji-kun pointed at the ceiling.

Only after watching it closely, I noticed a small irregularity there.

Chiaki: "That's a camera?"

Ayanokouji: "Yes. The same kind is placed in every classroom. The school did a good job in hiding them."

Chiaki: "But why would they hide them? Wouldn't it be better to show them, so people would be aware of them?"

Ayanokouji: "Who knows? Maybe so that the people like Ryuuen would be easily caught, if they really tried anything? I heard that in some schools, the cameras are purposely hidden to watch over students and their actions. It's a good method to find out a cheater during a test, for example."

That may be true, but it was still bugging me.

Was the school really observing our actions on purpose of catching some bad behavior?

Then why were the teachers so lenient towards students, who acted inappropriate at the classes?

Because the camera would catch it anyway?

But no one from the class was actually reprimanded up to this day.

Chiaki: "Ayanokouji-kun, does Student Council often reprimand the students on their bad behavior?"

Ayanokouji-kun looked surprised by my question for a second, then smiled slightly.

There was something in his gaze that was telling me that my thinking was on the right track to... right, to what?

Ayanokouji: "No, it's the only case that I know about. Why would you ask?"

He was looking intensely at me.

It was kind of embarrassing.

Chiaki: "Well, since... You know... Some of our classmates behave bad during the classes, I was wondering if they were going to be reprimanded by you or Chabashira-sensei in the future?"

Ayanokouji-kun smiled a little more widely.

Karuizawa: "Eh? Don't say such a scary thing, Matsushita-san. The teachers don't care about what happens in the classroom."

Mori: "Right. I was worried at the beginning, but now I feel totally secure."

Hirata: "Well, to be honest, I think that our classmates should focus more on the classes. It's rude towards our teachers to behave like that in the classroom."

Shinohara: "That's true, but even Sudo-kun wasn't scolded for his lateness and sleeping during the classes."

Right.

It's not like everyone wasn't paying attention to the classes from the beginning.

It started with a few students, who were disturbing the teachers, but weren't scolded.

After figuring out that there was no need to act as a proper student, more and more of my classmates started to take it easy.

Ayanokouji: "Well, if the school wanted to point out bad behavior and punish the students, the punishment would be already executed. But I agree with Hirata. This is an elite school, after all. It's always better to behave properly. There may be some consequences in the future."

Hm?

This wording was somehow strange.

Karuizawa: "But no one was actually punished, so it's okay, isn't it?"

Shinohara: "Right. What kind of consequences there may be apart from some scolding?"

Most of our group had a carefree attitude, but I was silent.

Because my brain just caught and started to process a certain hypothesis.

A penalty for bad behavior that may be executed in the future, huh?

Like...

Chiaki: "The loss of private points?"

...

Suddenly, the silence took over our table.

Everyone looked at me.

Shinohara: "Matsushita-san? What did you just say?"

Ah...

Looks like I said my own theory aloud.

I didn't plan on doing it, but this guess was so shocking that it just came out of my mouth.

But what to do now?

I just formulated this.

I didn't have any proofs.

Chiaki: "I..."

Ayanokouji: "I see. Decreasing our income as a way to punish us. That's interesting, indeed. How did you come up with this, Matsushita?"

Before I started to back off, Ayanokouji-kun approved of my assumption with a thoughtful expression.

Almost as if he was waiting for me to say it...

My vision clashed with his.

The weird feeling in my body intensified.

Did he know what I was thinking about?

Did he reach the same conclusion as me?

Did he discover more than that?

I had so many questions right now.

Karuizawa: "Eh? That's ridiculous. What are you talking about, Matsushita-san? The school would penalize us by reducing our income?"

Karuizawa-san cut my thoughts and looked at me with disapproval.

The other girls were also looking doubtfully at me.

Matsushita: "I just thought about what you said, Ayanokouji-kun. You were wondering about how much money we would get in the future, since Chabashira-sensei didn't mention it during her explanation of S-System, right? What if she couldn't mention it, because the amount is not constant and depends on some factors?"

Everyone became stunned by my theory.

Satou: "Oh, I remember you talking about it earlier, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you still doubt it?"

Shinohara: "But Chabashira-sensei did tell us about it. Everyone heard it. Right?"

Karuizawa: "Right."

Karuizawa-san quickly confirmed, but I was sure she didn't really remember that speech.

Too bad, her voice may give the others the wrong idea.

Hirata: "Actually, I don't remember her saying it as well."

Thankfully, Hirata-kun also showed his doubts about Chabashira-sensei's explanation.

Karuizawa: "Ehh? Really, Hirata-kun?"

Hirata: "Yes."

Karuizawa-san didn't take well that the boy disagreed with her.

Mori: "Then, how much would we get next month?"

Ayanokouji: "That's what I was wondering about. But Matsushita made a good point. What if the amount of points we get depends on some factors, for example behavior?"

Ayanokouji-kun quickly supported my idea.

My intuition was telling me that he knew about it already.

Or at least formulated the same suspicion earlier than me.

Chiaki: "Right. The school's personnel may be actually monitoring our actions, so the teachers didn't need to take action themselves. That would explain why the teachers were so lenient with us and the need of cameras."

Hirata: "I see. The penalty was already applied to the ones, who broke some rules, so the teachers didn't need to reprimand anyone."

As expected, Hirata-kun was a smart student.

He managed to figure out some things himself based on our talks.

Karuizawa: "No, no, no! Let's stop for a second here! It doesn't make any sense. Why the school didn't tell us something this important?"

Shinohara: "R-Right! Something like this should be explained at the very beginning. Aren't you guys just being paranoid?"

As expected, without some proof for our suspicion, the others wouldn't believe it easily.

No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't figure out why the school would do something like that.

That was the biggest mystery.

I looked at the main culprit of this discussion.

If there was someone, who could reveal some more, it could be only him.

He noticed my gaze.

His face was still like a stone.

For someone, who was so straightforward with me most of the time, this lack of emotion was highly weird.

The silence continued for a moment.

I couldn't bear it anymore and went on offensive once more.

Chiaki: "What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun? You are part of Student Council. Maybe there was something you heard, when the school asked you to warn Ryuuen-kun."

Don't think you could weasel yourself out of this, Ayanokouji-kun...

I want my answers.

But before the brown-haired boy managed to say something, someone else started to speak.

Mori: "Maybe... Maybe it's something like performance evaluation? My mother was working for a company, who was having a system like that. The content of their personal evaluation was hidden, so no one knew how to act and everyone was trying their best."

Noooo, Mori-san!

I was trying to corner Ayanokouji-kun here!

Why are you helping him?!

Although this was an important piece of information...

Hirata: "I see. I also heard about such procedures. The school may have a similar system and is trying to evaluate us based on our daily behavior. Good observation, Mori-san."

Hirata-kun approved this point, making Mori-san blush a little for being praised.

Karuizawa-san glared slightly at her.

Ayanokouji: "Now that I think about it, maybe the reason the school didn't give Ryuuen a warning from the beginning was because the system was reducing his private points allotment for his misdeeds. Then, once his income became 0, it was decided to take some action. Our private points may be the patience threshold of the school."

Ayanokouji-kun analyzed the case with Ryuuen-kun, making it even more believable.

Satou: "N-No way... Then it may really be the truth!"

Shinohara: "Noo! I was recently a little noisy in the classroom! What's gonna happen to my income?"

Once everything was beginning to make sense from the start to the end, the other girls in our group began to panic.

To be honest, I also started to recall what kind of misbehavior I conducted during the classes.

Luckily, there wasn't much of it.

I sighed lightly.

So there was a catch here after all.

After everything was said, I was almost certain that it was true.

I treated this school too lightly and almost made a big blunder.

The source of that weird feeling was probably this.

Fortunately, the brown-haired boy's suspicion saved us all.

I couldn't help but be grateful for him.

Ayanokouji-kun was observing the group in silence.

It didn't look like he was surprised by all of this.

No, stop it, Chiaki...

Now that everything was clear, there was no need to analyze it so much.

Hirata: "We should tell the others about it. At this rate, there may be some of our classmates, who may really end up with no private points later on."

As expected, Hirata-kun decided to inform everyone about it.

Karuizawa: "What if we are wrong? It could be just us overthinking things."

Karuizawa-san was still unconvinced.

I guess she didn't want to face such reality.

Hirata: "But there's a chance that it's true. Let's at least discuss it within the class. There's nothing to lose from that."

Although we still didn't have any proof about it, this theory was too solid to be just ignored.

And even if someone didn't listen, there was nothing to lose for us.

That person would be the only one, who would suffer in the future, if he or she wouldn't behave after it.

Hirata: "What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?"

The entire group vision focused on the boy next to me.

Ayanokouji: "Well, if you say so, Hirata, then why not? Can I ask you to do it?"

For some reason, Ayanokouji-kun wasn't as decisive as Hirata-kun about telling the others about our findings.

Weird.

Up to this point, I thought he would be eager to tell the others about it.

Hirata:"Actually, I thought about asking you to do it, Ayanokouji-kun. You were the one, who was suspicious about it first, and you are Vice-President of Student Council."

I also thought the same, but Ayanokouji-kun shook his head.

Ayanokouji: "You give me too much credit. I doubt I would arrive at this point without help. And I think you would be better for this, Hirata. You are already known and trusted by more of our classmates than me. They would believe your words faster. Also, this revelation would make some people uneasy. If Student Council starts to warn more students, it may be unpleasant for me and them."

Although his words made some sense, I couldn't help but think that Ayanokouji-kun just didn't want to tell the class.

Or he didn't want to be the one to tell them.

Karuizawa: "I think Ayanokouji-kun is right, Hirata-kun. You are so dependable. I'm sure that if you tell the others about it, they would believe you."

Karuizawa-san approved of Ayanokouji-kun's words.

From my perspective, she probably was evaluating Ayanokouji-kun lower than Hirata-kun and decided to flatter the latter.

Hirata: "I... I see. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun, Karuizawa-san. I'm going to tell the class about our discovery during the homeroom. Maybe Chabashira-sensei would tell us more, if we confront her with this information."

Shinohara: "Oh, good thinking, Hirata-kun. This may help us clear some suspicion."

Karuizawa: "As expected of Hirata-kun."

The others began to speak enthusiastically with Hirata-kun, while Ayanokouji-kun was being silent.

To be honest, I didn't care who was going to discuss it with the class, as long as I wasn't the one to do it.

The rest of the lunch break went down quickly.

My friends were consulting with Hirata-kun the possibility of reducing their income and what to do in the future.

Weirdly enough, Ayanokouji-kun became passive after the revelation and was only answering some questions directed at him.

This change of attitude was bothering me.

As if he was purposely making himself less noticeable and gave the main position to Hirata-kun.

He was like that for the rest of our time together.

Although there was no need for it anymore, my eyes couldn't help but still followed him.

Why?

The mystery was solved.

The doubt was cleared.

So why?

Why the boy was still acting strange?

Why that weird feeling didn't disappear?

Tell me, Ayanokouji-kun...

What are you hiding?

.

.

.

Chapter 26 - Sakayanagi

Kiyotaka: "( Sigh )... How troublesome..."

I sighed loudly to myself.

I was on my way to Student Council after the classes, while analyzing the things that occurred today.

It was the beginning of the second week of the school and I decided to take some action for my class.

There were various reasons why I did that.

The last weekend was really fruitful for me.

Not only I obtained a huge amount of private points, while blackmailing some senpais with Fuka and Professor, I also managed to recruit Nishino Takeko from Class C as my secretary.

It was big progress on my battle plan against Nagumo Miyabi.

Furthermore, I became a little closer to Fuka and Takeko, and I got to know another beauty from my class, Hasebe Haruka.

Assuming that the interviews to Student Council would go well, the only problem that I needed to take care of at the moment was the lack of knowledge about S-System in my class.

Unfortunately, on this field, I was totally behind.

That's why I decided to make myself a bait and accepted Hirata's invitation from before.

He was the current leader of class and someone, who was already trusted by some of my classmates.

If I made him aware of some things, he probably would act for the sake of the class.

I didn't know his defect yet, but he was a safer choice than Kushida in my judgment.

Of course, I wasn't going to expose all of my knowledge as well.

In his closer circle of friends, there was Matsushita, to whom I previously planted some seeds of doubt.

She was an intelligent girl, and I was trying to befriend her, but she was so cautious that she didn't reveal her doubts to the others, halting my plans.

From her actions, I deducted that she figured out that I was dropping her some hints, but she couldn't make the entire picture out of it.

So, while going on the lunch with Hirata's group, my plans were to confirm how much Matsushita already knew or suspect and use her as my partner to naturally expand the amount of information gathered by my classmates.

To be honest, the effect was above my imagination.

Not only Hirata, but also the entire group became aware of some of S-System rules.

Well, they believed that responsibility for losing some of our income was an individual problem, not the entire class, but it was still good enough for now.

But to think the true MVP would be actually Ryuuen.

Thanks to his action, the conversation went down quite naturally and smoothly for me.

On top of that, I noticed that Hirata and Karuizawa reacted quite strongly against my mention of Ryuuen's violence, which gave me some ideas about those two.

I will remember this favor, my friend.

Of course, I also won't forget about Matsushita's efforts in it.

Thanks to her, my official merit in the revelation became considerably smaller.

That girl was truly observant and smart, but it seems she didn't want to openly lead the others, just like me.

Figuring out some of her abilities and personality was really a good catch for me.

Unfortunately, though Matsushita proved herself to be quite useful, she was also the only one, who didn't stop suspecting me.

I could see her peeking at me from time to time, while Hirata was giving his speech during the homeroom.

I guess someone of her level could figure out that something was off with me after all that.

Did my lack of cooperation after my hints were understood by the group bothered her?

Well, she won't be getting any more clues anytime soon, so she won't be able to expose me.

But keeping her interest in me would be beneficial, so I was going to hang around with her group from time to time.

She definitely would try to question me, but without having too many loose ends after Hirata's conclusion, her possible moves were rather limited, so it was alright.

Unfortunately, while the results of my actions were pretty good, it's not like there wasn't any demerits as well.

I just acquired the attention of the entire class, since Hirata, being a good boy, of course had to say that it all started with my curiosity of our future income.

And that's where Sae-chan started to peek at me at the same frequency as Matsushita.

My lovely female teacher understood instantly that I was the mastermind behind this sudden revelation.

At first, she became so excited, but soon that feeling changed to disappointment.

Seeing her all frustrated because Hirata only announced the possibility of losing our income in the next month because of the bad behavior was quite enjoyable.

As I predicted, she couldn't answer any of Hirata's question, nor she could point out the wrong parts of his revelation.

She couldn't expose me before the entire class as well.

For her, that homeroom was definitely a huge roller coaster.

But the same could be said about my classmates.

Hirata's warning met with two different reactions.

Some of the student believed him and started to panic.

But the rest of the class didn't and became angry at him, especially boys.

It's not like I couldn't understand them.

For most of the boys in this class, Hirata was an enemy for being popular among the girls.

Of course, I was included in that category as well.

The blonde-haired boy's revelation made the girls worship Hirata even more, which in turn made the boys jealous of him.

And if we add their inability to accept the reality of being punished by their actions, when they already started to think they could be lazy all they want, then the war was inevitable.

That reminded me that despite my luck during the lunch break, this class of mine was considered as the worst not without reason.

Fortunately, Kushida took Hirata's side, making the boys shut up.

At this early stage, those two were the only ones with some authority within the entire class.

While I was Vice-President of Student Council, my authority was below them, since I wasn't active in the class.

That position was good enough for me.

In the end, Hirata probably convinced more than half of the class.

While it wasn't bad, the problem was the others, who could also be considered the worst part of the class.

Students like Sudo, Ike or Yamauchi didn't listen at all and were only silent for Kushida's sake.

Well, for Sudo, the biggest troublemaker in the class, the lack of points wasn't currently a problem, since he had more thanks to my intervention.

I was kinda regretting helping him back then.

While it was good that the class would start to change from now on, the group responsibility for our future income was still unknown to my classmates.

And that's why I, who was currently going to Student Council, couldn't help but sigh at this troublesome situation.

If only there was some good blackmail material in my hands...

Speaking about blackmailing, my relationship with Suzune went from seatmates to mortal enemies.

At least for her.

She refused to speak with me or even look at me, unless I simulate the slapping sound or start to pretend to call her brother.

I was currently training her in calling my name, but she was as stubborn as ever.

While I could make her obey my words to some extent if I wanted, I wasn't going to openly threaten her, unless it was necessary.

If only she had interpersonal skills on par with Hirata...

But her defective traits made me unable to use her for our class' sake for the time being...

I sighed again.

?: "Ara, what's up, Ayanokouji-kun? You sighed so loudly."

I turned around and saw Asahina Nazuna smiling at me.

My mood started to rise.

Kiyotaka: "Asahina-senpai, good afternoon. It's nothing. I was just thinking about some stuff."

Asahina: "Is that so? You looked kinda down. Wanna tell your senpai what's bothering you?"

Ah, she was so sweet.

Kiyotaka: "You see, there is this beautiful senpai that I couldn't help but notice. I would like to get closer to her, but she seems to be an ally with a donkey, who have some grievances with me. What should I do, Asahina-senpai?"

Asahina-senpai looked stunned by my words.

It took her a few seconds to apprehend what I was actually talking about.

She burst out in laughing.

Asahina: "Ahahaha! You sure are a straightforward one, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka: "I'm not sure what you are talking about, senpai. I seriously sought some advice here, yet you started to laugh at me. My fragile feelings are hurt."

Asahina: "Feelings of someone, who made such a big storm in this school in a few days? Sounds fishy."

Kiyotaka: "So there's no hope for me, senpai?"

I tried to make myself look pitiable.

Asahina: "I start to understand why Fuka-chan likes you so much."

Asahina-senpai chuckled, amused by my talk.

Asahina: "Well, if you wanted to impress that senpai of yours, why don't you try to beat that donk... Ppfff... that ally of hers at something?"

Kiyotaka: "I think I already cleared that stage, senpai."

Asahina: "Ah, no, no. No one actually thinks like that. Even if Miyabi was suspended, most senior students think that it was a fluke, including me. Even the guy himself doesn't think of it as a loss. At first, he was really angry at you, but now that you became second Vice-President, he thinks of you as a toy to play with."

Kiyotaka: "Please tell him that he isn't my type."

Asahina-senpai started to laugh again.

Kiyotaka: "Does that mean that right now I'm not perceived as a threat by Nagumo?"

Asahina: "That's right. Do you think you could freely walk in this school, if Miyabi treated you as a threat? He gave an order to second-year students to leave you alone for the time being and not engage in any disputes with you. He wants to deal with you himself."

Kiyotaka: "I see. No wonder no one made trouble for me for now. I expected some trouble or at least surveillance on me, but there was nothing apart from some glares."

Asahina: "That's Miyabi's... No, that's the entire second-year students' attitude towards you, a freshman. Do you understand now why that senpai of yours won't be easily impressed by what you did earlier?"

Kiyotaka: "I see, I see. That was quite helpful, Asahina-senpai. Thank you."

Asahina: "You have nothing to be thankful for. I just made some things clear for you, that's all. Your situation didn't improve one bit because of that."

Kiyotaka: "That's not true. You listened to my troubles and gave an advice to me. You are really nice."

My vision focused on the pretty girl beside me.

She tried to ignore it, but her cheeks were starting to change colors to reddish.

Asahina: "D-Don't stare at me like that, Ayanokouji-kun. You are a bad kouhai, you know."

Kiyotaka: "You know, you don't seem as enamored with Nagumo Miyabi as the other second-year students, Asahina-senpai."

While I was blackmailing seniors in the last week, every conversation I had with any second-year student had Nagumo's name in it.

I thought that maybe I would find some good informant among them, but everyone spoke of him highly and with respect.

Compared to them, Asahina-senpai seriously stood out low in this aspect.

It was probably the main reason why Horikita-senpai made me be aware of her so early.

Asahina: "You truly are straightforward one, Ayanokouji-kun. I also have quite a story with Miyabi, you know. Me, Ikuto-kun and Fuka-chan are childhood friends, but apart from those two I know Miyabi the longest here."

Ikuto-kun?

Ah, Kiriyama-senpai, huh?

Kiyotaka: "Because he became Fuka's fiance?"

Asahina: "Did she tell you about it?"

Kiyotaka: "Nagumo himself told me that at the first day."

Asahina: "I see. He already thinks of her like that, huh?"

Asahina-senpai made a pensive expression.

I could tell that her mood dropped a little.

Kiyotaka: "Senpai, do you think those two would make a good couple in the future?"

Asahina: "Whatever I think doesn't matter. It's their families' problem. Outsider's opinion doesn't matter."

Kiyotaka: "Shouldn't it be their problem rather than their families?"

Asahina: "Yes, it should. But sometimes the bigger picture is more important than a small puzzle."

Asahina-senpai sighed and shook her head.

Asahina: "Back to the topic, I already told you, didn't I? I am Miyabi's classmate. You already know how this school works, so you should understand what this means, right?"

Kiyotaka: "That you couldn't become his enemy no matter what you really thought."

Asahina: "That's mainly right."

Kiyotaka: "But you just told me to beat Nagumo, didn't you?"

Asahina: "This and that are different matters. Even if I couldn't ally myself with you, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't want to see Miyabi lose for once."

She made a foxy expression.

I could almost see a tail wagging behind her.

Kiyotaka: "So you are telling me that even if I won't win the war, I should win a battle?"

Asahina: "Yes, that's right."

Kiyotaka: "But wouldn't it be a problem for you, if Nagumo was beaten?"

Asahina-senpai made a surprised expression.

Asahina: "So you are serious, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "I believe every action I took so far against Nagumo would suggest that this was my aim all along."

Asahina: "Even if you said so, this isn't something a first-year student can do anything about. Horikita-senpai may have some hopes in you, so he made you Vice-President, but things aren't as simple."

Kiyotaka: "I admit that I'm behind in this race because of my late start, but apart from that, I don't think I would be inferior in any way. I could beat him or suspend him again, if I really put my mind into it."

I straightened my back, mimicking an attempt to try to show off to the girl.

Asahina-senpai looked rather amused by this.

Asahina: "That's quite some confidence, Ayanokouji-kun. I hope you will back it up with your actions in the future."

Kiyotaka: "Then, how about giving this kouhai some motivation for the harsh road ahead?"

Asahina: "Oh, what kind of motivation?"

Kiyotaka: "Don't you think giving only the words 'I'm impressed' would be a little too mean to the boy who gave his all? If only there was some real reward from the impressed girl to motivate the boy..."

Asahina-senpai burst into laughing once again.

Asahina: "Ahaha! Ayanokouji-kun, you are really something. In terms of coaxing girl, you are really above Miyabi."

She was laughing for some time, then made a thoughtful expression, while her vision stayed on me.

Asahina: "I guess I would really be the bad guy here, if after giving you such an advice I would back off."

Asahina-senpai put her hands behind her and smiled sweetly at me.

Asahina: "How about this? If you manage to beat or suspend Miyabi again, I will agree to an invitation from you. After all, the impressed girl would like to know more about the boy, who managed to impress her, wouldn't she?"

She would agree to an invitation from me?

That's practically the same as going on date with me!

Hell yeah!

So many possibilities popped inside my head.

No, wait!

Since there's no restriction placed on this promise, depending on the circumstances and mood, wouldn't something like 'inviting her to become my lap pillow' be actually possible as well?

Kiyotaka: "!"

Asahina: "What do you think?"

Kiyotaka: "Yeah! My motivation just rose through the rooftop! I feel my blood boiling in excitement."

Asahina: "Mou... I don't know what you are thinking, but you are kinda overreacting, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka: "Ah, I'm sorry. But it's about my favorite senpai, so I just couldn't help myself."

I smiled brightly at the brown-haired girl.

Asahina-senpai's cheeks were slightly red from embarrassment.

Asahina: "You really are a bad kouhai, Ayanokouji-kun. Let's go, otherwise we would be scolded by Horikita-senpai."

Asahina-senpai rushed ahead of me, probably to hide her embarrassed face.

I looked at her back, then at the sky.

Nagumo, ah Nagumo...

I was planning to just stay on defensive for the time being...

But now the commission for your head just rose dramatically...

I just can't help it, if someone with such fine thighs make such a request...

So no hard feelings, okay?

With really mean smile, I followed Asahina-senpai.

After finishing my work in Student Council, I walked towards the dorm, while thinking about Asahina-senpai's words.

Most of the students were probably thinking that I was just being an ignorant and cocky freshman, but I personally thought that only with this level of handicap, things may be a little interesting.

To be honest, considering how lenient Nagumo was towards me for now, it didn't even feel like a challenge yet.

If he seriously was giving me some time to prepare, then he was losing one of his advantages over me so easily.

He didn't even put a surveillance on me, clearly indicating that he looks down on me.

Not that I enjoyed being observed, but this was still just plain stupid.

But now that I had the promise with Asahina-senpai, I probably should wake him up to the reality.

Truthfully, rather than seeing that donkey's face after losing, I would like to see Asahina-senpai's reaction.

Would she really be impressed by that, or she would actually start to treat me as a threat?

I was curious about it.

The time we spent together was rather small, so this opportunity to change our relationship to the closer one shouldn't be underestimated.

Maybe I would also find out some more about Fuka's situation from her.

She seemed bothered by it, which would suggest that she really cared for her friend, but was powerless.

Although I spent some time with the platinum-haired beauty, she rarely said anything about her situation, which would indicate that she didn't trust me enough.

So I must make the most out of that promise with Asahina-senpai.

And for that, I needed some plan and resources.

...

...

Okay, for now, let's visit Henry for some brainstorming!

I changed the direction of my walk towards his place.

But I didn't even manage to cover half of the distance to my goal, when I noticed a person lurking close to one of the shops.

It was a petite girl with lilac, shoulder-length hair.

She was really cute with a doll-like face, but that's not why I focused on her.

In her hand, I spotted a cane, and I remembered hearing about an individual with such a particular accessory.

Sakayanagi Arisu, one of the two leaders of Class 1-A.

How lucky.

I wanted to meet with her at least once before deciding on Katsuragi's candidacy to Student Council.

I came a little closer, while observing her behavior, which was a little off.

Rather than coming to the shop, she was lurking nearby it while observing the situation inside.

What was she looking at?

I followed her gaze and saw the purple-haired friend of mine, Kamuro Masumi.

She was currently inside the shop.

Was Sakayanagi observing Masumi?

But why...

Before I managed to ask myself a question, the answer to it came instantly.

This pattern... don't tell me...

Fuck!

This is bad!

I accelerated, while trying to not be too obvious.

I moved to the most conspicuous direction, while looking at Masumi.

Sakayanagi spotted me almost instantly, but I wasn't paying attention to her at the moment.

A second later, Masumi also spotted me through the window.

Her body stiffened.

I waved to her with a small smile.

Masumi looked away, trying to ignore me.

Oy!

It isn't time to act as a tsundere, Masumi!

I entered the shop and faced the purple-haired girl.

Her expression was rather grumpy.

Kiyotaka: "Good afternoon, Masumi."

Masumi: "Good afternoon. What do you want?"

For some reason, she was moody today.

I came closer to her.

Masumi: "W-What...?"

Kiyotaka: "Don't make any big movements, Masumi."

Masumi: "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Kiyotaka: "You are being watched, Masumi."

Masumi's body trembled a little.

Fortunately, she didn't start to look around.

Masumi: "What? By who?"

Kiyotaka: "By Sakayanagi Arisu. She was lurking near this shop and was watching your actions."

Masumi's face darkened.

Masumi: "But I didn't see anyone."

Kiyotaka: "That's not important right now. Did you do it?"

Masumi: "What?"

Kiyotaka: "Did you took something from here?"

Masumi understood my meaning and averted her gaze.

Masumi: "No."

Kiyotaka: "Really?"

Masumi: "Yes."

Kiyotaka: "Really, really?"

Masumi: "You are annoying. Really, really. I was planning to, but you came, so..."

I sighed in relief.

Looks like I wasn't too late.

Kiyotaka: "That's good."

Masumi: "You... Did you come here to warn me?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. Luckily, I wasn't too late."

Masumi: "But I didn't see... Ah!"

At this moment, we saw Sakayanagi Arisu walking away from the shop.

I guess she figured out that there's no longer merit in watching Masumi's actions.

But why was she doing it in the first place?

Did she figure out something?

It may be troublesome.

Kiyotaka: "Looks like you gained her attention, Masumi. Did you do something?"

I looked at the purple-haired girl.

Masumi: "N-No, I don't think so."

I could tell that she was bothered by almost being caught again.

Kiyotaka: "Really?"

Masumi: "Really."

Kiyotaka: "Really, really?"

Masumi: "Ugh, are you some kind of parrot?"

Kiyotaka: "I'm just worried, Masumi."

My vision crossed with her, but she looked away.

Masumi: "There's nothing to worry about."

Masumi started to walk away towards the exit.

I followed her.

I thought that she wanted to talk in some better place, but Masumi directed her foot towards the dorm's direction.

Masumi: "Stop following me."

Kiyotaka: "What, you prefer a girl to follow you?"

Masumi glared at me.

Kiyotaka: "Why didn't you tell me, if you wanted to shoplift? We promised to work together, remember?"

Masumi: "There was no need to tell you."

Kiyotaka: "Eh? You were almost caught by Sakayanagi, but you claim that there was no need for me to help you?"

Masumi: "..."

Kiyotaka: "Sakayanagi seemed like she was waiting for you to do that. Any thoughts why?"

Masumi: "..."

Kiyotaka: "Did something happen in your class?"

Masumi: "Nothing much."

Kiyotaka: "Why are you in a bad mood, Masumi?"

Masumi: "I'm not."

Kiyotaka: "You are. Oh, it's that time of the month, right?"

Masumi couldn't bear it anymore and kicked my leg.

Kiyotaka: "Ouch! What was that for?"

Masumi: "You bastard, it's all your fault!"

Masumi pointed her finger at me with some anger.

Kiyotaka: "Mine?"

Masumi: "Yes! After you became Student Council Vice-President, my classmates are practically sieging me every day, while asking about you. Girls want to know about our relationship and what you are like, that snake Hashimoto is endlessly teasing me and that pervert Totsuka is still warning me to be careful around you. On top of that, that baldie Katsuragi was questioning me about how you became Student Council's member so fast and now that loli... Ugh!"

Masumi was shooting her words with machine gun-like speed, while giving vent to her pent-up frustration.

I see.

Looks like Masumi had some hard time with her classmates because of me.

She didn't like attention like me, so I could only guess how much stress she accumulated recently.

Kiyotaka: "It seems like I made your life harder for now, Masumi. But don't worry, it won't last long. People get bored by such a thing rather quickly."

Masumi snorted.

Kiyotaka: "So you wanted to steal something to rise your mood up, only to be almost caught by Sakayanagi... You didn't tell me about it, because it would cause more rumors and questions, yet we were seen by that girl, so you probably will be questioned again, huh? No wonder you are so moody."

Masumi: "That's right. So go away before more people will see us."

Kiyotaka: "Eh? But I don't wanna."

I got kicked again.

Kiyotaka: "Ouch!"

Masumi: "Do you have some hearing problem, Kiyotaka? I just said that I didn't want to get more attention for now."

Kiyotaka: "We didn't see each other for a few days, so I missed you, Masumi. Since we meet already, then let's hang out."

I smiled at her.

The purple-haired girl's cheeks turned a little red and she looked away.

Kiyotaka: "We talked about it the other day, didn't we? I know that it may be troublesome for you now, but believe me that it won't turn bad in the long go. Look, I just saved you from the evil clutches of smug loli. Who knows what would she do to such a pretty girl like you, Masumi."

Masumi: "You pervert..."

Kiyotaka: "Oh? I'm really curious about what did you just imagine, Masumi. Could it be that Sakayanagi really swings that way? Then I must tell her that although sharing is caring, but I absolutely refuse to share you!"

Masumi: "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Masumi kicked me once more.

I looked at her red, pretty face.

Kiyotaka: "Can I confirm something with you? Was this your first time trying to shoplift after the first day of the school?"

Masumi: "Huh? Yes, it was."

Kiyotaka: "I see. Either you were so unlucky that Sakayanagi just happened to notice you like me before, either that girl was tailing you for some purpose. No matter which way, she probably will observe you more from now on."

Masumi: "And whose fault do you think it is?"

Kiyotaka: "That's why I'm saying that I would help you with that, Masumi. Aren't we friends?"

Masumi: "..."

Masumi once again became silent.

Kiyotaka: "What?"

Masumi: "You are Vice-President now. Shouldn't you avoid such a situation and nag me to not do so as well?"

She asked me rather meekly compared to before.

Kiyotaka: "Ah, were you bothered by such a thing as well? You are so cute, Masumi."

Masumi tried to kick me again to hide her embarrassment, but this time I blocked her, while closing the distance between us.

Masumi: "W-What are you doing?"

Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. I'm still that Kiyotaka, who asked you to spread your legs and drank stolen beer with you, Masumi. I won't change so easily. So if you wanted to experience some thrill again, call me. I will gladly help you, whatever it's shoplifting or something else~"

My words made Masumi totally red.

Masumi: "You... What are you talking about, you pervert?!"

Kiyotaka: "Of course, I meant drinking with you again. You have quite an imagination, Erosumi-chan."

Erosumi-chan's face was starting to boil, half from embarrassment and half from anger.

Masumi: "Bastard! I can handle this myself!"

Oh, she was playing strong right now.

Kiyotaka: "Hoh? Are you sure? If I caught you again without you noticing..."

My lips came closer to her ear.

Kiyotaka: "I will punish you for real at that time, Masumi~"

Masumi: "Wha... Wha..."

Masumi's face became truly like a boiling volcano.

Her chest also violently shook.

Quite a feast for the eyes.

Kiyotaka: "This matter is decided, then! I hope you will call me next time. Of course, if you want to confirm your assumption of the punishment with the reality, you can try your luck, Masumi."

Teasing her was so fun.

Masumi glared at me, but I wasn't going to back down on this.

We stared at each other for some time until the purple-haired girl looked away.

Masumi: "Do whatever you want!"

Kiyotaka: "Thanks. That's exactly what I was planning to."

Masumi: "Hmph."

Kiyotaka: "How about tagging along with me now? I was going to Henry's place to consult him about something, but one more head would be more than welcome."

Masumi: "What are you planning to do?"

Kiyotaka: "I'm thinking of opening a factory of salami."

Masumi: "Huh?"

Kiyotaka: "I'm joking. But it's gonna be something thrilling depending on the circumstances. What do you think? If you didn't have dinner yet, then we could also eat there. Henry... cough... I will pay for it."

Masumi looked sharply at me, while I was slightly smiling at her, then she sighed.

Masumi: "Fine, let's go."

Kiyotaka: "I knew that I could count on you, Masumi."

She looked annoyed, but still decided to go along with me.

I really liked that part of her.

Masumi: "Hey."

Kiyotaka: "Hm?"

Masumi slightly fidgeted with her eyes looking down.

Masumi: "Thanks... For helping me out earlier... And for your words now..."

Her head was still slightly down, but I still could see her cheeks burning again.

I smiled at her.

She was so cute.

Kiyotaka: "You are welcome."

We were about to walk away, when I spotted a student going in our direction.

It was Sakayanagi Arisu.

She was looking straight at us with a smug smile.

I guess she wasn't called 'smug loli' for nothing.

Now that I could check her up from a closer angle, she was really pretty.

That face and those thighs...

But I could tell...

She wasn't some delicate doll that needed to be taken care of.

How intriguing.

Masumi also spotted her and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Sakayanagi: "Fufufu, there's no need to look so annoyed, Kamuro-san. I apologize for disrupting your date, but I wanted to talk a little with your friend. Or should I use the term 'boyfriend' here?"

Masumi: "He isn't my boyfriend, and we aren't on a date! Stop spouting some nonsense, Sakayanagi."

Ugh... Masumi...

There was no need to deny it so strongly...

Sakayanagi: "Is that so? You know, that information would make many girls happy, Kamuro-san. Thank you for the confirmation."

Masumi's eyes became slightly sharper.

This Sakayanagi was good to bring people into her pace.

Kiyotaka: "Hello. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, a non-boyfriend of Masumi. How can I help you during our absolutely-not-a-date?"

Masumi: "Huh?"

Sakayanagi: "Fufufu, where are my manners? I'm Sakayanagi Arisu, a classmate of Kamuro-san."

Kiyotaka: "So you are a daughter of Chairman Sakayanagi? Nice to meet you."

Sakayanagi: "Do you know my father?"

Kiyotaka: "A little. We had a small conversation once before."

Sakayanagi: "I see."

Kiyotaka: "You said that you wanted to talk with me. How can I help you?"

Sakayanagi: "Oh, it's nothing much. I just saw the famous Vice-President Ayanokouji with my classmate, so I thought that I would introduce myself. Kamuro-san rarely interact with the class, so I was curious about her close friend."

Masumi: "I've told you already that it's not your business."

Masumi slightly snapped at Sakayanagi.

I guess she really didn't like her, but unfortunately for her, I wanted to converse with the lilac-haired girl.

Kiyotaka: "What a coincidence. I was also thinking about talking with you sometime, Sakayanagi."

Masumi turned her head to me and started to shoot invisible laser beams towards me.

Sakayanagi: "What an interesting turn of events, indeed. What business may Student Council Vice-President have with me?"

Kiyotaka: "Of course, the Student Council's business. I have heard that you are quite skillful student, Sakayanagi. Aren't you interested in joining us?"

Sakayanagi: "Ara, am I scouted right now? And by such famous and handsome individual as Ayanokouji-kun, no less. My heart may have skipped a beat just now, fufufu."

I felt a cold aura coming from my side, but I decided to ignore it for now.

Sakayanagi probably also felt it, and her smile widened a little.

She was enjoying herself, wasn't she?

Sakayanagi: "May I ask why did you invite me?"

Kiyotaka: "Like I said, I heard that you are quite skilled, Sakayanagi. Someone like you would fit in Student Council. I was wondering if you could give some thoughts about it."

While I had no idea how good she was, my intuition was telling me that she wasn't an ordinary girl.

She managed to gather some followers in a short amount of time, which proves that there was something that made those people follow her, despite her physical handicap.

As Class A student and leader, there was definitely no need to question her abilities, even if I didn't know much about them.

Sakayanagi: "Unfortunately, I must decline. As you see, it would be rather troublesome for me to attend to Student Council's activities."

She waved her cane a little, pointing that her physical handicap would be in the way.

I didn't know how much of it was her true thoughts and how much was just an excuse, but she successfully blocked my further invitations.

Not that I was planning to do so from the beginning.

My aim was something else.

Kiyotaka: "I see. It seems like I put you in rather awkward situation. I'm sorry."

Sakayanagi: "Please don't be. Being recognized for my skills makes me quite happy. I'm sure there are some skillful students, who applied to Student Council already, yet you asked me. It's rather gratifying."

Sakayanagi really didn't seem bothered by the situation.

Her mentality was definitely strong.

I wondered how much she knew about Student Council's current situation.

Kiyotaka: "Indeed, there were a few applications from freshmen. You probably know one of them. It's your classmate, Katsuragi Kohei."

Sakayanagi's eyes squinted slightly.

Sakayanagi: "I see. Katsuragi-kun, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "Hm? Is something wrong with his application to Student Council?"

I observed her closely.

It was the main question that I wanted to ask her before seeing her with my own eyes.

Class A was starting to experience a schism, which may became their big problem in the future.

Teaming up with one leader may automatically turn me into an enemy of the other one.

And if Nagumo started to get interested in that conflict as well, Class A may become one of the battlefields between me and him.

So choosing the right leader was of big importance for me.

But since only Katsuragi applied to Student Council, all I could do was to see Sakayanagi's reaction to the possibility of her rival rising in the rank and act accordingly to the results.

Sakayanagi: "No, of course not. Katsuragi-kun is a classmate of mine, so why would I mind him being in Student Council?"

Kiyotaka: "So you don't mind your rival being in Student Council?"

Sakayanagi: "You are rather well-informed, Ayanokouji-kun."

Sakayanagi looked at Masumi, but my friend didn't react in any way to this provocation.

Kiyotaka: "As I said, I have heard some things about you, Sakayanagi. And isn't it obvious that I should learn more about potential members?"

Sakayanagi: "You are speaking as if it depends on you who would enter Student Council, Ayanokouji-kun. Isn't it the right of President?"

Kiyotaka: "Horikita-senpai left me in charge of the interviews of potential candidates among freshmen. So it depends on me to a certain degree."

Sakayanagi: "Oh my, that's quite shocking. First, he made you Vice-President in just a few days, and now this... He must value you quite highly, Ayanokouji-kun."

Sakayanagi made a thoughtful expression.

Her smile became a little mean.

Sakayanagi: "Almost to the point, when one may think that he wants you to become a leader of first-year students quickly."

This beauty was quite clever.

She managed to figure out Horikita-senpai's intention with such short amount of time.

And while many would be still doubtful upon this conclusion, she looked confident.

Kiyotaka: "I wonder. This is something that only President Horikita would know."

Sakayanagi: "So you aren't going to deny it, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Kiyotaka: "It's hard to deny something that I'm not sure about."

Sakayanagi: "I see. Let's leave it at this for now. As for your question about Katsuragi-kun..."

I knew what she wanted to say without hearing it.

Kiyotaka: "It doesn't really matter to you, since the winner wouldn't change, right?"

It was something that could be noticed only after seeing Sakayanagi in person.

Despite her small physique, she held a big amount of pride and had some charisma to back it up.

It was easy to be swallowed by her pace, like what she was doing with Masumi just before my eyes.

Sakayanagi was a ruler, just like Ryuuen, but a different type.

She wouldn't ally herself with me or Nagumo so easily.

That's the conclusion I reached after observing her.

Sakayanagi made a slightly surprised expression upon my interruption, then changed it to a happy one.

Sakayanagi: "Fufufu, that's right. You are really clever, Ayanokouji-kun. Now I see why Kamuro-san likes you so much."

Masumi: "Oy, what are you talking about, Sakayanagi?! I don't like Kiyotaka at all!"

Masumi denied it without a second thought and a slight embarrassment...

It kind of stung.

Sakayanagi: "Fufufu, is that so? Then, how about becoming friends with me, Ayanokouji-kun? I have taken quite a liking to you. I feel like you could be my first friend here."

Masumi: "What?!"

Oh my, did I pick her interest somehow?

Interesting.

And how timely good to bestow small punishment to the certain friend of mine.

Kiyotaka: "I see. The feeling is actually mutual, Sakayanagi."

Masumi: "Huh?!"

We smiled at each other, while thinking the same thing.

'This person is really interesting.'

Sakayanagi: "To think this would turn out to be such a lovely encounter. I would have invited you for some tea, but it would be rude to disturb the two of you anymore, so I'll leave it for another time."

Kiyotaka: "Want to exchange phone numbers for now?"

Sakayanagi: "Yes, I was about to propose it. What about you, Kamuro-san? A friend of my friend is also my friend, so I don't mind sharing my number with you as well."

Masumi: "I don't need it!"

Masumi glared at us with a cold expression.

I could already imagine some violence performed on me in the near future.

Sakayanagi: "I see, that's too bad. I guess making one friend is already enough for today."

We exchanged phone numbers.

Sakayanagi performed her smug smile.

Sakayanagi: "Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. Maybe this school life won't be as boring as I thought."

Kiyotaka: "I'm glad to be of service."

Sakayanagi: "Fufufu, what an interesting individual you are. I will see you later."

With those words, Sakayanagi started to walk towards the dorms.

I was watching her for a moment.

What an interesting encounter this was, indeed.

This new friend of mine definitely would bring many waves to this school.

It was just another hunch, but our relationship probably won't be a peaceful one.

I thought so while bracing myself for the strongest kick Masumi was about to unleash on me this day.

.

.

.

Chapter 27 - Birthday Party

Ring, ring...

The alarm in the bedside clock rang loudly, signaling the arrival of the new day.

I woke up and looked at it with resignation, understanding why people have an urge to throw it through the window when it starts ringing in the morning.

I swear, the one who invented wake-up alarm clocks was genius and devil.

Normally, I had a punctual sleeping schedule, so I didn't need it, but today was different.

I barely had any sleep the last night and the night before, preparing for this day, so I set it just to be sure to not oversleep.

Today was 10th April, Kiryuin Fuka's birthday.

Normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal to celebrate a girl's birthday.

I already invited Fuka for a date and prepared a present.

But because of the certain idea, this event became even more important.

And since I didn't have much time to prepare the surprise, I decided to cut off my sleep time to minimum to make it happen.

It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was still detrimental.

I went to the bathroom, then started preparing to dress up and go to Professor's place.

Since we had classes today, I treated the first part of today the same as always.

I only needed to worry about my performance in the afternoon.

Ding-dong!

Suddenly, my doorbell rang, interrupting my dressing up.

Kiyotaka: "Sotomura managed to prepare himself before me? Today's gonna snow..."

Without many doubts nor my shirt, I opened the door widely.

...

Hm?

The last time I saw him, Professor didn't have platinum hair, nice thighs and a smug, pretty face.

I made a surprised expression, understanding what kind of blunder I just made.

' Professor ' also made a surprised expression, while scanning me a few times, then started to grin widely.

Professor(?): "Oh my, Kiyotaka. I was planning to surprise you, but you instantaneously beat me up. Is that how you always welcome your guests, or is this some kind of service for VIP of today?"

Kiyotaka: "Good morning, Fuka. I was thinking that it was Professor and was worried what kind of natural disaster was going to hit us today. Fortunately, such a phenomenon won't occur, so treat it as a service from my gratitude. "

Indeed, before I was standing Kiryuin Fuka in casual, pretty clothes.

While I was standing in just my pants...

Fortunately, the concept of shame wasn't even close to me.

Fuka: "Is that so? Then thank you for the treat."

Fuka grinned, while her eyes stayed on my body.

This girl was almost as shameless as me.

Almost, since her cheeks started to turn red.

Kiyotaka: "Like what you see?"

I teased her a little with a smug face.

Fuka: "I guess the first surprise today was rather well-made, Kiyotaka. You pass."

Kiyotaka: "Thank you very much. May I ask what are you doing here so early in the morning? If I remember correctly, I invited you after the classes, not before."

Fuka: "You won't let me in? Some people may come and see the current you, if we talk here."

Kiyotaka: "The question is - do you dare to enter this room with the current me, Fuka?"

Without any hesitation Fuka walked past me to my room, not failing to provocatively glance at my body once more while doing so.

This girl...

I closed the door.

Fuka looked around a little, then sat on my bed without even asking for permission.

Fuka: "So you are one of those clean types, Kiyotaka."

Kiyotaka: "What were you expecting, while coming here?"

Fuka: "Mainly your embarrassed, unwashed face after just waking up, while asking me to wait a little to clean up your messy room and face."

Kiyotaka: "I apologize for disappointing you."

Fuka: "Don't worry. The view may be different from my imagination, but it's still quite nice."

Kiyotaka: "Pervert. How did you know when to come?"

Fuka: "I contacted with Prof yesterday and told him that I was going to visit you this morning. He was really cooperative once he heard that the exercises will probably be cancelled."

That lazy bun...

He just sold off his leader like that and didn't say any word of warning...

I'm gonna engrave in his bones the chain of command here...

Fuka: "You can't bully Prof, Kiyotaka. He is really a sensible fellow."

Kiyotaka: "The thought never crossed my mind."

I started to walk towards Fuka.

Fuka: "You are not going to put on your shirt?"

Kiyotaka: "I wonder... Should I? Your embarrassed, washed face is quite nice."

Fuka: "You shouldn't bully VIP of today as well, Kiyotaka."

Kiyotaka: "Does that mean I could bully you tomorrow?"

I stopped just before Fuka and crouched down to have a good look at her.

She didn't react in any way, but the shade of redness on her cheeks became more obvious.

Fuka: "Who is a pervert here, I wonder."

I grinned at her.

Kiyotaka: "So, Fuka, to what do I owe this lovely visit?"

Fuka: "You see, Kiyotaka... A certain, troublesome individual leaked to my classmates that today is my birthday... And my motivation to go to the school reached rock bottom. So I thought, 'why not skip it for today?' And then, an idea that you would be interested in accompany me crossed my mind, so here I am."

Kiyotaka: "A troublesome individual?"

Fuka: "Nagumo..."

Kiyotaka: "Nagumo contacted your class?"

Fuka: "Yes. Nazuna told me that Nagumo made a contact with Ichinose and asked her for cooperation, since he and I are close. Apparently they are going to hold a surprise birthday party for me after the classes."

Fuka made a sour expression, totally showing how the idea displeased her.

Nagumo contacted Ichinose?

That was a really interesting and bad piece of news.

Kiyotaka: "Did Asahina-senpai tell you anything else?"

Fuka: "No, only that. She knows that I dislike such a thing, so she decided to tell me beforehand."

I furrowed my brows.

This move of Nagumo was quite good.

Ichinose was a potential candidate for Student Council and an important figure in Fuka's class.

For Nagumo, she was probably a priority target to approach among freshmen.

By cooperating with her to hold Fuka's party, not only he would make a nice first impression on Ichinose, he could also naturally come close to Fuka's daily environment.

He was taking an advantage of Ichinose's kindness, who, according to Fuka, was trying to unite her class.

If played well, he would get a new member of Student Council to his side, make a cooperation with one of the freshman's class and gain some control over Fuka's space.

What a nasty guy.

Fuka: "Looks like you figured out some things, Kiyotaka."

I looked at Fuka.

She was still smiling, but her smile became a forced one.

I could tell that she was greatly irritated right now.

Kiyotaka: "It seems like the actual target of today is Ichinose rather than you, Fuka. Nagumo is probably just using your birthday as a pretext to get close to her."

Fuka: "I know that. Acting as a good guy and wooing some girls, while actually being an unpleasant bastard, is one of his fortes. And my classmates just keep bothering me recently, so they probably thought that this is a good idea to become friends with me..."

Kiyotaka: "So you decided to hide here?"

Fuka: "If I go to the school, my classmates would invite me to the party. If I refuse, Nagumo would just act as a pitiful, abandoned man. If I agree, he would act as if he was great for helping out my classmates. I don't want to do either, so I'm skipping the school and this performance. Do you want to accompany me?"

She looked straight at me, her eyes dead serious.

I smiled at her.

My hand reached her head and patted her hair.

Kiyotaka: "Is there something you would like for your birthday breakfast?"

Fuka made a joyful expression.

Fuka: "I will leave it to you, Chef Ayanokouji."

My smile widened, while looking at her.

I left her, wondering what should I cook.

I decided to finally put on my shirt.

Fuka: "Ah, what a waste. I thought I could witness a half-naked apron at least."

Kiyotaka: "Such a premium event would be unlockable for one thousand Kiyotaka Affection Points, Fuka. Work hard to gather points, and your dream may come true."

Fuka laughed heartily.

Fuka: "I will keep it in mind."

I started bustling in the kitchen to prepare some nice breakfast.

But my thoughts weren't there.

It wasn't a bad idea for Fuka to hide here, but leaving Ichinose with Nagumo may be problematic.

Without anyone to oppose him, he could tell Ichinose whatever he wanted, and she may decide to take his side, since she wanted to achieve unity in her class.

On top of that, if I would be absent from the classes to spent my time with Fuka, I would be higher on the suspect list after THAT.

While I would love to spend the entire day with Fuka, the risk would increase, and I may need to call the entire operation off...

...

But if we played it right...

...

Actually, wasn't it kinda an opportunity?

I was planning to kill two birds with one stone, but now there's a possibility to kill three... No... Four birds in one move...

But would Fuka agree to that?

Fuka: "You are making a really mean face, you know, Kiyotaka."

I turned around and saw Fuka looking at me.

Kiyotaka: "Do I?"

Fuka: "Yes. It says that you just thought of something really bad."

Kiyotaka: "Who knows? Let's say that I did, but needed help. Would you help me?"

Fuka: "Why do you think I came here so early? I thought that maybe if it's you, there would be a chance to witness something interesting. If not, you would just be my personal butler for a day, which wasn't that bad either. But now that I see your current face, it seems like we aren't going to laze around."

Kiyotaka: "So you were actually testing me? What a bad girl you are, Fuka."

Fuka: "Yes, I'm a bad girl. What are you going to do with this bad girl, Kiyotaka?"

I turned around and slightly hugged her waist.

Kiyotaka: "I need some help from this bad girl, so her punishment may be postponed for now."

The girl's body shivered slightly.

Fuka: "So you can't do it without me, huh? How helpless."

I was slowly caressing her back.

Whenever I was with her, I was carefully increasing the intimacy between us.

Of course, she knew what I was doing, but she never refused.

Both of us understood that it was just a small game to figure out what the other one was actually thinking.

Kiyotaka: "I can't do it without VIP of the day."

Fuka: "I see. It can't be helped then. Fine. What should I do?"

Kiyotaka: "Sit down for now. Breakfast is almost ready."

It took me less than 10 minutes to prepare everything.

Fuka: "You are quite skilled, Kiyotaka."

Fuka took a bite and smiled happily, enjoying the food.

Kiyotaka: "Thank you."

Fuka: "So? Did you organize your thoughts about the matter?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. And to be honest, everything is ready."

Fuka: "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Kiyotaka: "I was planning a birthday surprise anyway, so everything is ready. The only thing that needs to be changed is our actions and to be precise, your actions, Fuka."

Fuka: "Mine?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. I was planning to surprise you during our date, but with how things stay, I thought of the better idea."

Fuka: "Which is?"

Kiyotaka: "I want you to attend your classes normally and... I want you to attend this surprise birthday party."

Fuka: "..."

Fuka made a sour face again.

She probably didn't expect that I wanted her to go along with Nagumo's wishes.

Kiyotaka: "I know that you wanted to avoid that, but I promise that it would be worth your sacrifice. Only when you would attend this party, everything would be in place."

Fuka: "What are you planning, Kiyotaka?"

Kiyotaka: "A pleasant surprise."

Fuka: "Pleasant, huh? And where are you going to be at that time?"

Kiyotaka: "By your side, of course. Waiting to be rewarded for my hard work."

I smiled at her.

Fuka looked at me and sighed.

Fuka: "You really know how to bully a girl."

Kiyotaka: "I will add the promise to spend the entire day with you on some other day."

Fuka: "That's not a punishment for you."

Kiyotaka: "But you have nothing to lose from it as well, right?"

Fuka: "..."

Fuka was hesitant.

She disliked social activity this much, huh?

Or, she had the unpleasant memories from attending some in the past...

Fuka: "Can you honestly answer one of my questions, Kiyotaka?"

Kiyotaka: "Of course."

Fuka: "How much do you know about me?"

The platinum-haired girl made a serious expression.

I guessed that we would have a discussion like that one day, so I answered truthfully.

Kiyotaka: "I know that you are Kiryuin Family's daughter. And some of your circumstances. A certain individual really liked his birthday present, so he was a little more talkative about the things other than himself."

Fuka: "I see. That damned narcissist..."

Kiyotaka: "You and Nagumo are supposed to marry to help your family increase its influence, and you don't have any say in that matter. Am I right?"

Fuka was silent for a moment.

Fuka: "Yes, that's right. My family only treat me as a commodity to sell for the one who may bid the most. My freedom is limited. I was only allowed to attend this school, where my family couldn't freely reach, because Nagumo was in this school. They agreed, since it was a good occasion to make some official backstory that we were a couple or something during our stay here, then just marry me off after graduation."

Kiyotaka: "So you were the one, who have chosen this place, because the only one to bother you here would be Nagumo, huh?"

Fuka: "Yes. I thought that I could at least experience some freedom here, especially since Nagumo would graduate one year before me. I was planning to just kill my time, while lazing around and not bothering myself with thoughts about my family."

Kiyotaka: "And things already become troublesome because of the class competition, right?"

Fuka: "Yeah. I like how much income we get, but I'm not planning to lend my hand to the class. Seeing how Nagumo is already eyeing Ichinose, my conviction became even stronger."

Kiyotaka: "I understand that. I promise that I won't allow things to become troublesome for you. Didn't I say that it's gonna be a pleasant surprise? But of course, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. Like I said, this surprise was made without knowing about that party, so we can still avoid it. It's just that if you go, it's gonna be more effective."

Fuka: "..."

Kiyotaka: "It's your choice. We can also spend the entire day together. This butler will keep you entertained either way, Young Miss."

Fuka chuckled and made a thoughtful expression.

After a few moments, she smiled slightly.

Fuka: "You will lose all Fuka Affection Points for this."

Kiyotaka: "I'm sure I will get even more FAP points after this day is over."

Fuka: "We shall see."

I smiled to her.

Looks like there's a chance to strike big.

After our breakfast, Fuka went back to change into her school uniform.

We agreed to meet before the dorm and walked together to the school.

I could tell that she wasn't really happy about it, but was bracing herself for what's to come.

Seeing her reluctance, while we went separate ways, made me feel bad for her.

I could only hope that the plan would bring expected results.

The classes today were somehow even more boring than always, probably because I was thinking how nice would it be to spend this time with Fuka.

After the last class finished, I left the classroom in a hurry.

It was time for the show.

Since I was familiar with the route, I spent less time to arrive at Class B's classroom than before.

This time I didn't stop to overhear what was happening inside, but just widely opened the door.

Everyone from Class B was here.

I spotted Fuka.

She was already encircled by Ichinose and the rest.

Not bothering with the gazes, I walked naturally to the platinum-haired girl.

Kiyotaka: "Fuka, I came to pick you up."

Using the same phrase as the last time, I started the war.

Most of the Class B's students didn't expect me to come, or so their faces were telling me.

Ichinose was surprised as well.

I guess she didn't account for such a situation to occur.

Kiyotaka: "Good afternoon, Ichinose. I hope I didn't interrupt something here."

I made an innocent smiling face.

Ichinose: "A-Ayanokouji-kun, good afternoon. No, you didn't..."

Fuka: "Kiyotaka, we have a small trouble here."

Fuka made a serious face.

Or should I say that she was playing her role perfectly?

Kiyotaka: "Hm? Trouble?"

I looked at her with some doubts.

Fuka: "My class found out that today's my birthday and decided to make a surprise party for me. What to do?"

Kiyotaka: "Oh? Isn't that nice?"

Fuka: "But I already promised to meet with you..."

Kiyotaka: "Ah, well, that's true..."

I made a troubled expression.

Ichinose: "Ayanokouji-kun, I apologize. I've heard that Kiryuin-san actually didn't have any appointment today, so we wanted to surprise her and celebrate together. I didn't know that you two had any plans."

Right, it was a wonder of mine why Ichinose didn't confirm Fuka's schedule for today before organizing a party.

Fuka: "Where did you hear something like that, Ichinose?"

Fuka looked sharply at Ichinose.

Ichinose: "This..."

Ichinose looked disoriented.

I guess Nagumo's the one behind that...

He probably thought that by making it a surprise for Fuka, he would ruin whatever plans she had.

There was also a possibility that he really thought that no one would know about Fuka's birthday so early, so she wouldn't have anyone to celebrate it anyway.

Kiyotaka: "Now, now, Fuka. It's not that big of a deal."

Ichinose: "What? No, no... It's my fault for not checking it accurately. I apologize for making both of you uncomfortable."

The situation became tense.

Kiyotaka: "Fuka, since your class made such an effort to make you a party, you shouldn't decline. It's a good way to become closer. We could celebrate it by ourselves on some other day."

Fuka: "Kiyotaka, are you sure about it?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes, please have fun with your classmates. I will postpone our celebration for another day."

I patted Fuka's head a little, acting as if I was reassuring her, then directed myself to leave.

Behold what a good guy I was.

I let go of my appointment, so the girl could spend time with her classmates.

I could imagine my stocks going up for every person here.

Nagumo wasn't the only one, who could play the Nice Guy card.

But of course, it wasn't my only aim here.

Ichinose: "Wait a moment, Ayanokouji-kun! Since it has come to this, how about coming with us?"

I was also expecting to get this invitation.

Kiyotaka: "Really? This is your class's event, and I'm an outsider."

Ichinose: "That's not true. We all are celebrating Kiryuin-san's birthday, so her friend should be the part of it as well. Isn't that right, everyone?"

Ichinose made a saint-like smile, while asking her classmates.

Everyone nodded, making some smiles.

Amikura: "That's right. The more, the better. Ayanokouji-kun is more than welcome."

Suddenly, a boy took a step towards me.

He had violet hair and a stoic expression.

?: "It would be in bad taste for me and my classmates, if we make you withdraw because of our negligence. If it's okay with you, let's celebrate together, Ayanokouji."

Kiyotaka: "Well, since it comes to this, I won't refuse. Thank you, umm..."

?: "I'm Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you, Ayanokouji."

We shook our hands.

Game, set, match.

My vision crossed with Fuka's, making her roll her eyes.

This small episode was quickly forgotten and Class B started to happily chat with each other, while leaving the school.

I was walking close to Fuka, Ichinose and Kanzaki, while observing this atmosphere with some interest.

Unlike Class D, Class B looked united.

Ichinose's skill and effort was evident here.

She turned out to be not only the leader of the girls, but the boys as well.

Kanzaki seemed to be the second-in-command here and was supporting Ichinose.

Once the class competition would be announced, this class probably wouldn't experience much of chaos.

It was a normal, happy class.

They seriously were giving me the vibe that only good people were present here.

But this cheerful mood was just... too heavy.

I could tell why Fuka was fed up with her classmates.

Someone with strong individuality, who didn't like to be part of the big group, wasn't a good match for this class.

While we were going to the place, both me and Fuka were targeted with questions from both girls and boys.

We were like a pair of pandas in the zoo during the school trip.

It was just annoying.

But at the very least, my presence loosened Fuka's burden.

When I sighed slightly to myself, she gave me a look as if saying, 'It was your idea. We could just stay in your room and have fun', or something similar.

Fortunately, we soon arrived at the place.

It was a big restaurant with seats in the outside garden for the customers.

There was also an arbor nearby.

It seemed like a good place to hold some party in open space for the bigger number of people.

Compared to it, Henry's place was...

Yeah...

I looked around.

The positioning and distance was good enough to execute my plan.

Now I only needed a good timing.

The entire Class B under Ichinose's command neatly took over the place.

I took the seat next to Fuka, with Ichinose and Kanzaki near us.

Since the participants started to disperse and form smaller groups, the focus on me and Fuka dropped a lot.

I could see that the platinum-haired girl's mood became better.

Kiyotaka: "You found quite a good place for such big amount of people, Ichinose."

Ichinose: "Haha, thank you. It was actually recommended to me by a senpai. I must say that I'm surprised by how nice here is as well."

Kiyotaka: "I see. To be honest, I didn't expect that all of your classmates would attend this party. It seems like Class B started to function as the entire class."

Ichinose: "Does your classmates not get along with each other, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Kiyotaka: "Well, some get along with each other and small groups started to form already. But if I made a party like this, probably only more than half would come."

Ichinose: "I'm sure you would unite your class soon as well, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka: "Hm? But I'm not planning to do something like that though. In the first place, I'm not even the leader of class."

Ichinose: "Ehh? Is that so?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. I'm just a dude from Student Council in my class. A boy named Hirata is more like class leader than me."

Fuka chuckled at my comment.

Ichinose: "I-I see."

Kanzaki: "Ayanokouji. I hope you won't be offended by me asking this, but how did you manage to enter Student Council so early?"

Ichinose: "I'm also curious about it, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka: "Well, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but since you were so kind to invite me to this party, I will share it with you two. Fuka already knows about it."

The two of them looked at Fuka for a second, but she remained silent.

Kiyotaka: "It all started because we were late on the first day of the school."

Ichinose: "Eh? You were absent as well, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes, our bus became part of an accident and some students including us were late to the school."

Ichinose: "An accident? Were you two alright?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes, no one got hurt, thankfully. But because of that, we needed to meet with our homeroom teachers and with Student Council. That's how we have met with Horikita-senpai."

Fuka started smiling, probably remembering that time.

Kiyotaka: "At that time, Horikita-senpai was in the middle of different matter. But I hope you guys won't repeat it to anyone else."

Both of them nodded at me.

Kiyotaka: "Actually, Student Council has one more Vice-President called Nagumo Miyabi from Class 2-A. When we met with Horikita-senpai, he was in the middle of processing the matter of suspending Nagumo-senpai. I don't know the details, but apparently it was because of his inappropriate behavior towards some freshmen."

After hearing Nagumo's name, Ichinose stiffened slightly and Kanzaki narrowed his eyebrows.

Fuka just chuckled, trying to not smile too widely.

She knew that what I said was actually mainly true, just without some details.

Kiyotaka: "To be honest, it seemed like a huge headache for Horikita-senpai. We hit off well during our talk, so I thought that maybe I could help him and asked if he would be interested in me joining them."

I smiled slightly, trying to act as if I was reminiscing about that talk.

Kiyotaka: "He said that it's not that easily to join Student Council, and it would need a further consideration. I was told that he may contact me later after the case with Nagumo-senpai would be over. I agreed. He then really met with me and proposed the position of Vice-President. From his mouth I learned that Nagumo-senpai was suspended for two weeks and there would be no problem with my candidacy."

I looked at Ichinose and Kanzaki.

Kiyotaka: "To put it simply, I got lucky. That's the all of mystery."

Both of them were silent with some sour faces.

Only Fuka was looking as if she started to enjoy herself.

I guess their bitter look was pleasurable for her.

Fuka: "Once again, congratulations, Kiyotaka. I don't know what Nagumo did, but at least the school had put him in his place. I actually know that bastard. He is quite sly and nasty person. On top of that, he is a womanizer. He was wooing me once before. Ichinose, a girl like you, should be careful around him."

Ichinose: "I-Is that so?"

Ichinose looked confused.

Kanzaki shot her a look of worry.

Kiyotaka: "Don't worry, Ichinose. Although Nagumo-senpai is Vice-President like me, I definitely won't let him bully anyone. If something would happen, please contact me or Horikita-senpai without any worry."

I tried to appeal to the both of them as a dependable person.

Ichinose: "Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kanzaki: "Then, do you mind exchanging phone numbers, Ayanokouji?"

Kiyotaka: "No problem."

We exchanged phone numbers quickly.

Fuka was looking at me with a funny expression.

Our vision's crossed, and we quickly communicated with our eyes.

'You are so shameless, Kiyotaka.'

'You acted along perfectly, Fuka.'

'I just said the truth.'

'Me too.'

'And you got Ichinose's number, you lucky fellow.'

'I didn't ask for it, you know.'

Or so I thought we have said with our eyes.

This eye communication was fascinating.

I was almost sure that I got right what she was thinking and had the same confidence that she was experiencing the same.

Although Ichinose and Kanzaki were still bothered by our words, the party was going smoothly.

The day was slowly getting darker and darker.

It really looked like a normal birthday party in open space.

And it may actually feel like one if only...

?: "Good afternoon, Ichinose. I apologize for my lateness. I thought that maybe the star of the day wouldn't appear, but looks like you managed to bring her here after all."

If only this fellow didn't come...

Nagumo Miyabi smiled widely, while looking at people.

By his side, there were Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai.

While I was expecting the former, the latter was rather a surprise.

Then I remembered that Asahina-senpai said that he was her and Fuka's childhood friend.

But that grumpy expression didn't indicate that he was attending a friend's birthday party at all.

Asahina-senpai was wearing a smile on her face, but I could tell that she was nervous.

Especially after our eyes met, even that smile started to disappear.

I winked at her to reassure her.

Nagumo: "Surprise, Fuka. I thought that maybe you may not tell anyone about your birthday, so I decided to inform Ichinose to make a party just for you."

Nagumo came to us alongside the other two.

Fuka: "Geh, it's you..."

Fuka made a sour face.

This probably wasn't acting but her honest feeling.

After she finally started to enjoy herself a little, now she needed to face the last person she wanted to see today.

Of course, she would be dissatisfied.

I looked at Ichinose as if I was questioning her.

She made an uneasy expression and looked away, probably feeling that the situation wasn't right.

Kanzaki silently observed us.

Nagumo: "The same as always, I see. But today is your birthday, so you should smile."

For the first time, Nagumo looked at me, while narrowing his eyes.

Nagumo: "Looks like we also have an uninvited guest here."

Hearing this, Ichinose tensed up some more.

Ichinose: "Umm, senpai... I actually invited Ayanokouji-kun here because..."

Nagumo raised his hand to stop her.

Nagumo: "It's no problem, Ichinose. Actually, it's even better."

He smirked at me.

Nagumo: "This is the first time we saw each other after the first day, isn't it, Ayanokouji? I have heard that you already made some big waves in such a short amount of time."

Kiyotaka: "..."

Nagumo: "It seems like Horikita-senpai took a liking to you. Impressive, Ayanokouji. I was really surprised, when I learned that he made you second Vice-President."

Kiyotaka: "..."

Nagumo: "What's up? Become mute after seeing my face?"

I directed my vision to Fuka.

Kiyotaka: "Fuka, who is this?"

Everyone made a dumbfounded expression.

Fuka wasn't an exception, not knowing what I meant.

Kiyotaka: "Seeing him with Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai, he seems to be a senpai. He also said that I have met with him before, but I can't reckon such a situation."

Fuka: "Kiyotaka, that's Nagumo. Nagumo Miyabi. You two met already."

Kiyotaka: "Eh? Don't joke around, Fuka. Nagumo-senpai looks better than that."

Fuka: "Ppff... No, no, that's him. Take a good look."

I stared at the donkey for a moment.

Kiyotaka: "Ehh?! Nagumo-senpai, so it was really you? I'm so sorry... I've always had a hard time to recognize an unremarkable face."

Nagumo: "You..."

Kiyotaka: "Damn it. I almost made a big blunder. I swear I remembered that your face looked better than that. Was it because of the light?"

I acted as if I was seriously pondering about this issue.

Fuka: "Pppfff... Buhahahaha! Kiyotaka, you are the best!"

Fuka couldn't bear it anymore and started to laugh wildly.

Nagumo's mouth twitched slightly.

Asahina-senpai looked at me with her mouth opened.

Kiriyama-senpai and Kanzaki made stunned expressions.

Ichinose, totally not understanding what's going on, just looked at me and Nagumo over and over.

Nagumo: "You sure are rude towards your senior..."

Kiyotaka: "Oh, so it's Tachibana-senpai wearing Nagumo costume... That would explain the difference between my memories and this look. Tachibana-senpai, I must say that your choice of surprise sure is ugl... cough... peculiar. What's next, Horikita-senpai jumping out of the cake wearing panda costume?"

Suzune would kill to see that.

Fuka: "Hahahaha...!"

Asahina: "Pppfff..."

Fuka burst out in laughing again, while Asahina-senpai couldn't help herself and chuckled.

Nagumo's face became darker, but not only his.

Kiriyama: "Ayanokouji, how can you insult your fellow Council's members like that? Is that something Vice-President should do?"

Kiriyama-senpai was no fun at all.

Although in some aspect he resembled Horikita-senpai, I just couldn't bring myself to have some positive opinion of him.

Kiyotaka: "I don't remember insulting anyone, though, Kiriyama-senpai. Didn't I say that Nagumo-senpai was more handsome in my memories than in the reality? It's practically a compliment. It's not my fault that his image in my head was just destroyed like this."

Kiriyama: "You..."

Fuka laughed again.

Nagumo: "You seem to skillfully adopt the clown role, Ayanokouji."

Kiyotaka: "I wouldn't dare to make my senpai jobless. But if you need help in blowing up some balloons, you can always ask me. It's kouhai's duty to help his senpai."

I winked again to Asahina-senpai, who just smiled at me, though worriedly.

Nagumo: "You sure are an interesting guy, Ayanokouji. Looks like our rivalry over President position is gonna be an entertaining one. We shall return to this conversation on the other date. After all, this is a birthday party. The main star of today shouldn't be us. Isn't it right, Fuka?"

Fuka: "I could watch Kiyotaka roasting you for the entire day, so there's no need to be polite, Nagumo. Just bring me some popcorn."

Nagumo: "Now, now. The people here gathered for you. Don't make Ichinose and the others uneasy because of your behavior. You aren't a kid anymore, Fuka."

Fuka stopped smiling and glared at Nagumo, who just smirked at her.

Should I just punch him?

The atmosphere was going astray.

Ichinose: "W-Well, since everyone arrived finally, let's start the main event."

Ichinose spoke, breaking out the coldness.

I could see that all of her classmates were looking at us.

Nagumo: "You are right, Ichinose. We prepared some gifts just for you, Fuka. I hope you will like it."

Nagumo said with a smirk.

Once again, Fuka became the center of attention.

Ichinose: "This one is from the entire class, Kiryuin-san."

Ichinose gave her a big box.

Inside, there were scented candles, sweets and daily care products for females.

I must say that it wasn't a bad mix, especially if they didn't know much about Fuka.

The platinum-haired girl smiled at Ichinose and thanked everyone.

Looks like she wasn't dissatisfied.

Kiriyama: "Happy birthday."

Kiriyama-senpai gave her a small package.

Inside, there was a book.

While it wasn't a bad choice, I thought that he bought it only because he needed to bring something.

Both him and Fuka just nodded to each other.

I guess they weren't exactly in a friendly relationship, despite knowing each other for long.

Asahina: "Here's one from me. Happy birthday, Fuka-chan."

Asahina-senpai showed a bright smile.

Out of everyone here, she probably wished Fuka all best the most.

She gave her a new pretty headband alongside some other small accessories.

Fuka: "Thank you, Nazuna."

Fuka smiled at her friend.

Nagumo: "Then, it's my turn now."

Nagumo brought an expensive looking box.

Fuka opened it in silence.

Instantaneously, many girls made some noise.

Inside the box, there was a set of platinum jewelry, including necklace, earrings and bracelet.

Really beautiful, expensive set.

Nagumo: "It took some time to find something suitable, since I wanted to present you the best gift. I'm sure you will look stunning with it."

Nagumo looked self-satisfied with his present.

Some of the girls looked at Fuka with envy.

It seemed like he really went out of his way for this gift.

But I saw many people like him before, so I knew.

This was just an empty act to boost his own status and boast about his wealth.

Nagumo treated Fuka as already his, so he decided to give his doll some pretty ornaments.

Fuka: "I see. Thanks."

Fuka said in monotone voice with no emotions at all.

Nagumo: "Won't you try it on?"

Fuka: "Nah, I'm good."

She wasn't happy about it, nor she was angry at Nagumo.

The boy just smiled.

He was probably used to this treatment.

Many people made some weird faces, as if not understanding the lack of enthusiasm from Fuka.

Asahina-senpai sighed lightly.

The show seemed to finish, but...

Nagumo: "Ayanokouji, it's your turn."

I was sure he would do that.

After showing a flashy and expensive gift, he knew that he would win against any gift in the eyes of others, so it was a good chance to challenge me and make people compare us.

As Student Council President candidates...

As love rivals...

But he didn't know one thing.

The more he was showing off in public, the harder he was going to fall later.

The students looked at me with anticipation.

But I didn't give the slightest damn about them.

While Nagumo's goal was to boost his status among freshmen, my mission was to make happy only one girl.

I took a small box from my pocket.

Kiyotaka: "Happy birthday, Fuka. It's my gift from you."

Fuka unwrapped the wrapping paper and opened the box.

Fuka: "Oh my."

Fuka took out my present to take a look.

It was a silver necklace with gradient red pendant shaped like maple flowers.

I could see Nagumo starting to smirk, but it was unimportant.

Kiyotaka: "We didn't know each other for so long, so I kinda hesitated what to buy you. Then, I found a jewelry shop with those pendants. Your name means 'maple flower', right? I'm gifting it to you, hoping that you would stay as yourself forever, without any chains and limitations. It sounds easy, but I'm sure it's a hard thing to do."

I looked at her with a smile.

Kiyotaka: "For me, Fuka will always be Fuka. No less, no more. I wish to see the current you being the same tomorrow and the day after it and so on. That's the meaning of my gift."

Fuka didn't answer me and looked at the necklace with interest.

The silence took over the party.

It was hard to tell, if she was satisfied or not until...

Fuka: "It's really pretty, this maple flower (fuka)... Thank you, Kiyotaka. I will remember your words."

She smiled at me warmly.

I internally sighed in relief.

Kiyotaka: "You are welcome."

Clap, clap...

Nagumo started clapping his hands.

Nagumo: "How moving, Ayanokouji. I guess some gifts really can become better, if one knows how to make a good presentation of them."

Kiyotaka: "The birthday gifts are supposed to have some meaning of good will towards the recipient. It should be obvious to anyone. Meaningless gifts for some self-satisfaction is nothing better than a trash."

Nagumo's mouth twitched, while Kiriyama-senpai glared at me.

Asahina-senpai and Ichinose smiled brightly, nodding their heads in agreement.

Fuka: "Help me put it on, Kiyotaka."

She gave the necklace and turned around.

This made another wave of whisper among her classmates.

She disliked an expensive set of platinum jewelry and put it away, then she wanted to try on the silver necklace with a happy face.

Some of them were clearly confused.

But Fuka didn't care, nor did I.

I came close to her and put the jewelry on her neck.

She turned around.

Fuka: "Well?"

I scanned her for a moment.

Kiyotaka: "I think this Fuka is beautiful."

She giggled happily.

Asahina: "It looks nice on you, Fuka-chan."

Ichinose: "That's true, Kiryuin-san."

The girls praised Fuka.

The atmosphere became merry, despite previous whispers.

Nagumo glared at me for a second, then his expression returned to normal.

Nagumo: "Since the gifts were given, it's time for the party."

All students agreed.

Fuka came near me, her expression still happy.

We sat down on our seats.

Nagumo walked towards us and tried to take a seat nearby, but she put her foot on it.

Nagumo: "What are you doing?"

Fuka: "You seriously can't be thinking that I would let you seat near me. I would rather sacrifice this chair."

Nagumo: "How childish."

Fuka slightly hit the chair, announcing that she wasn't joking around.

Ichinose: "Nagumo-senpai, I will help you three find some good seats. Please follow me."

Ichinose once again tried to soothe the atmosphere.

I guess she figured out that this party wasn't exactly made with good intention of Nagumo.

Nagumo: "Fine, fine. Let's not make the big baby cry."

Nagumo said and followed Ichinose.

The other two senpais went after him.

Kiriyama-senpai just ignored us, while Asahina-senpai looked at us with a smile.

We were left with Kanzaki.

Fuka: "I swear, this bastard is so irritating. I wondered a few times if I should've just punched his face."

Kiyotaka: "I thought the same thing. But considering what his face looks like, it may actually help him if some of his bones moved a little."

Fuka: "Fufu, you are right."

Nagumo and the other two sat a little further from us.

Ichinose stayed with them.

Kanzaki stayed silent, but I could tell that he had many questions.

Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry, Kanzaki. We didn't know that Nagumo would arrive here and just acted wildly."

Kanzaki: "That's what I should tell you. We didn't know that you two and Nagumo were on bad terms. Your conversation at the beginning sure was... intense."

Kiyotaka: "Let's just say that we don't like each other. Just like Nagumo said, we are rivals now, and we just meet today for the second time, so I guess some sparks were rather expected."

Kanzaki: "No, it's okay. We should've let you two know about it earlier. He approached us and proposed this party. We never thought that it would start a conflict."

Fuka snorted slightly, totally showing her displeasure.

Kanzaki looked down.

Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. You guys didn't know. Even if he is in the middle of suspension, Nagumo is still Vice-President and our senpai. It wouldn't be a good idea to openly decline him without a good reason."

Kanzaki: "Thanks."

Fuka: "You probably should worry about Ichinose, not us, Kanzaki."

Fuka pointed at Ichinose, who was talking with Nagumo.

Kiyotaka: "Fuka is right, Kanzaki. Ichinose is a candidate for Student Council. If we consider Nagumo's character, it's easy to understand why he approached her."

Kanzaki looked at the strawberry-haired girl with a worried expression.

It wasn't long before Ichinose called the boy with her hand.

He went to them and then together with Nagumo to the inside of the restaurant.

We looked at each other with some doubt.

A thought about what's about to come crossed my mind.

The time has come.

I slightly patted the device in my pocket.

A few minutes later, the mystery became clear.

Ichinose: "Happy birthday, Kiryuin-san!"

Ichinose shouted, while Nagumo and Kanzaki appeared with a cart with a birthday cake on it.

It looked elegant and expensive.

The candles were burning brightly on it, illuminating the scene.

The entire Class B started to sing 'Happy Birthday Song'.

It was the perfect time.

I stealthily pressed the button on the device placed in my clothes.

Kiyotaka: "Fuka, happy birthday. Here's your other present."

I said to her in low voice.

Fuka: "Hm? What are..."

BANG!

Before she finished her sentence, a huge explosion brightened the sky.

BANG!

BANG!

After the first one, another two fireworks launched after, then another ones.

The big fireworks show instantaneously caught the attention of everyone present.

Girl A: "What's that?"

Girl B: "How pretty!"

The sky brightened again and again in many different colors and forms.

I looked at Fuka, who also watched the sky show.

Kiyotaka: "Like?"

She smiled widely at me.

Fuka: "Like, of course I like it. When did you prepare something like that?"

Kiyotaka: "Oh, it took some time and effort, but seeing your smile right now made it totally worth it."

I looked at the sky, observing the show.

Henry had chosen some nice ones.

Fuka: "But... why did you make me attend this party if you prepared something like that? We could just observe it with just two of us at some desolated place."

Kiyotaka: "Oh, there was a meaning of it, Fuka."

I made a mean smile.

Kiyotaka: "After all, this is totally not authorized by the school show made from the fireworks bought outside this place and prepared on the second-year students' dorm, you know. I guess no matter how pretty it is, the school probably will punish the one responsible for it. But who could do something like that and for what goal..."

Fuka looked at me stunned, then started grinning wildly, understanding the situation.

Fuka: "Pppfff... You madman... You mean villain... You made this show and used Nagumo's party to make him the number one suspect? This is hilarious."

Kiyotaka: "I actually didn't expect things to be so optimistic, so I did it for some other purpose in mind, but after learning about this party, the chances to make Nagumo a culprit rose considerably, so I thought that it was worth trying."

Fuka: "Other purpose?"

Kiyotaka: "I will explain later. The show is almost over, so it's time for the latter part of the present."

Fuka: "?"

Kiyotaka: "Like I said, I didn't prepare some definite evidence that it was his work. But... If many people thought that it was his doing, then he probably won't be able to run away from the responsibility."

I looked at Nagumo, who was observing the sky.

My mouth came close to Fuka's ear.

Kiyotaka: "Go, Fuka... Make that bastard be not able to wash himself clean out of this..."

Fuka's body shivered, as I devilishly whispered to her.

Fuka: "So that was your goal all along, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "Yeah."

Fuka: "You still owe me for this."

Kiyotaka: "But of course."

She looked at me for a moment, then walked toward Nagumo with a smug smile.

Girl A: "What a beautiful firework show!"

Girl B: "Yes! But who could do something like that?"

Girl C: "Don't tell me... It's a part of the surprise for Kiryuin-san?!"

Some of the Class B's students started to talk among themselves about the possibility of the show being a part of surprise for Fuka.

Nagumo stayed in the same place alongside the cake.

Fuka: "Well, well... I must say that I didn't expect something like that from you, Nagumo."

Fuka said in the loud voice, while walking towards him.

Nagumo looked at her, confused.

Nagumo: "What?"

Fuka: "To be honest, your gift wasn't that pleasant for me, and I was skeptical about this party, but I was positively mistaken for once. Thanks for the show."

Fuka nodded to him, then blew the candles on the cake.

Nagumo's eyes narrowed.

He was still silent.

Fuka's behavior probably made him even more cautious.

But her statement practically nailed his fate.

Girl A: "Kyyaaa, so it was Nagumo-senpai's doing!"

Girl B: "How nice..."

Many people started to talk about or praise Nagumo.

He looked at me warily.

I made my expression cold and glared lightly at him.

Our vision clashed.

He then smiled and turned towards the crowd.

Nagumo: "Since the show ended, let's continue with the party."

I guess making him acknowledge that it was his doing in front of the crowd was a little too optimistic, but it was good enough for everyone to think like that.

He probably couldn't figure out the situation, but since there wasn't any sight that it was my doing, he decided to let it go for the time being.

Fuka divided the entire cake to all her classmates and senpais with a smile on the face, then came to me with the last part of it.

Fuka: "Here."

Kiyotaka: "Thank you. Good job."

Fuka: "Fufu, I thought that I would never thank him, while having some positive emotions about it. It was actually not that bad."

Kiyotaka: "That's good. I was worried you wouldn't agree to that."

Fuka: "Will you tell me what's this about now?"

Kiyotaka: "When we will be returning to the dorm, I will tell you. We still need to stay here for some time, then we will run away."

Fuka: "Finally!"

We fooled around with each other.

Nagumo was eyeing us suspiciously, but not for a long.

I saw him messaging on the phone with a frown on his face.

The second-year students probably texted him about the fireworks above their dorm.

After a few minutes, the senpai trio left the party in a hurry.

Nagumo sent me a glare before leaving, as if he was warning me.

I answered the courtesy and showed him the middle finger, gaining another laugh from Fuka.

Ichinose: "A-Ayanokouji-kun, that was rude."

Ichinose and Kanzaki came back to sit with us again.

Kiyotaka: "Ichinose, all's is fair in love and war."

Ichinose: "What?!"

Kiyotaka: "Me and Nagumo are rivals for President position, so being mean is a standard courtesy, you know."

Ichinose: "A-Ahaha... I see... But I still think it's not very nice, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry, Ichinose. In my defense, he was acting hostile first, you know. Did you see how he glared at me? Like I have stolen his fiance or something."

Fuka chuckled at my comment.

Ichinose looked at her, confused.

Kiyotaka: "Do you happen to know why Nagumo and the others left, Ichinose? They looked disturbed."

Ichinose: "I'm not sure. Nagumo-senpai was messaging someone, then he got a call. After that, he said that he must take care of something and left."

Kanzaki: "Something must have happened."

Kiyotaka: "I wonder what."

Ichinose: "I hope everything is okay."

Kiyotaka: "Well, it's probably nothing serious, since I wasn't informed about it."

The second-year students were probably the only ones disturbed at the moment, but the adults should start to investigate soon enough as well.

I looked forward to the result of this storm.

We talked with Ichinose and Kanzaki some more, then finally we bid them and the rest of the class a goodbye, while thanking for the party.

Fuka wasn't that reluctant to say her thanks, so I guess she didn't dislike it so much.

We strolled slowly, enjoying the silence after the party.

Kiyotaka: "So, how was the party, Fuka?"

Fuka: "Well, I guess I would give it some points out of 10."

Kiyotaka: "So you aren't completely dissatisfied, huh?"

Fuka: "It wasn't bad, but it was mostly thanks to you."

Kiyotaka: "I see."

Fuka: "So? How about you start talking about those fireworks? You said that the show was illegal, and you made it for some other purpose than just showing it to me."

Kiyotaka: "Well, to be honest, my original goal was, apart from making it a surprise for you, to make some trouble that would include an investigation from the school. To put it simply, I'm trying to experience first-hand the school's incident investigation procedure."

Fuka: "Hoh? More details please."

Kiyotaka: "Well, let's say that I recently put some more thoughts about battling Nagumo..."

Thanks to the unexpected reward from the certain senpai.

Kiyotaka: "And while I was analyzing the situation, I remembered how Horikita-senpai said that Nagumo became the leader of second-year students partly because of the amount of people expelled there."

Fuka: "I remember that."

Kiyotaka: "Considering that me and him are on different school years, we probably wouldn't be able to battle each other on exams, or at least it wouldn't be often. So what kind of move he could do against me? If I was Nagumo, I would try to smear my opponent with some mud to destroy his reputation or expel him. It would also be a good payback for the suspension."

Fuka: "That's indeed something he may do."

Kiyotaka: "So I thought that in order to protect myself from such moves, I needed to learn more about how the school proceed in such cases. That's why rather than waiting for Nagumo to make a move, I decided to do a test myself with a certain amount of damage control."

Fuka: "And you decided on birthday fireworks?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. Launching fireworks required the permission from the school, so it was obvious that launching some without it would start a search for the culprit. It was also easy to deduce the motive of the fireworks, if they would be launched on your birthday. And once the motive was known, the amount of possible culprits would reduce greatly."

Fuka: "So you thought that it would end up with either you or Nagumo, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "Yes. But after today's party, there's going to be a few more..."

Fuka: "My class."

Fuka said rather sharply.

I observed her for a second before continuing my story.

Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. Since I chose to launch them on your birthday, I couldn't run away from the possibility of being the suspect, right? So I needed to decrease some suspicious on me, while increasing Nagumo's. The rooftop of the second-years students' dorm was a perfect place."

Fuka: "But also too obvious place, if you asked me."

Kiyotaka: "Doesn't matter. While it was suspicious that someone like Nagumo would make such an obvious mistake, my aim wasn't attacking him in person at all. One of the places with the biggest influence of Nagumo was second-year students' dorm. After the school would finish this case, the adults would probably keep watching that place more carefully, which would result in reducing Nagumo's movements."

Fuka: "But how did you manage to go there unnoticed by cameras and students?"

Kiyotaka: "I used my invisibility cloak."

Fuka: "Invisibility cloak? What's that?"

Kiyotaka: "Let's say that every magician wouldn't reveal their tricks so easily. Otherwise, the magic wouldn't be the magic."

Fuka: "Ehh? You can't be serious now..."

Kiyotaka: "Just think of it as a magic."

I used a virus I made to hack Henry's surveillance system.

It was connected to the school's main surveillance system, so I started my attack from that point.

While it was still impossible to freely access the system, I managed to anchor myself there with no trace.

It took me two long nights to enter it, but I managed to do it and overwrite the footage of my potential route from my room to that rooftop.

I asked Masumi to prepare the route from our dorm to Nagumo's, since I couldn't go close to that building myself.

She created a few potential routes, while pointing the cameras on the road.

As expected of my Masumi.

While she was nagging me that it was dangerous, she still did an excellent job.

I ordered a few good wines for her from Henry.

Thanks to that, I knew how much footage I needed to overwrite, while considering the time of the route.

All that was left to do was sneak up unnoticed in the night and install the fireworks' launcher.

Henry managed to prepare a one-time launcher, who could be activated from a remote place by pushing a button on the connected device.

Luckily, the security during the night was rather weak.

I returned to my room without any problems and managed to clean up after myself in the system.

At 4 a.m. I have finally laid in my bed, only to be woken up by that damned alarm clock two hours later.

Fuka: "But I want to know!"

She hugged me, acting like a curious child.

Cute.

Kiyotaka: "No can't do."

Fuka: "Meanie."

I patted her head.

Kiyotaka: "Doesn't being mysterious make a man more attractive?"

I made a smug smile.

Fuka: "You... Hahaha! I can't... Haha! Fine, fine... But promise to tell me one day."

Fuka laughed heartily.

I looked at her amused.

Kiyotaka: "Okay."

Fuka: "But what if the school would find out about your actions anyway?"

Kiyotaka: "The job was done neatly. If the school really figured out everything, I would be impressed."

Fuka: "That's quite self-confidence."

Kiyotaka: "They would have really hard time to figure out everything, since there's one more group of people that I wanted to involve in this investigation - the workers."

Fuka: "Hm? I could understand the students, but why workers as well?"

Kiyotaka: "You see, while I was analyzing what I knew about Nagumo, I came to the conclusion that maybe the reason Nagumo managed to expel some students without Horikita-senpai figuring out how was because he received some help from the adults."

Fuka: "So you are thinking that Nagumo managed to get some adults to cooperate with him on his schemes?"

Kiyotaka: "Right."

If Nagumo managed to get some help from adults, then even Horikita Manabu would have some hard time investigating the truth behind those cases.

Fuka: "I see. And those fireworks were going to help you with that?"

Kiyotaka: "In order to make the school investigate the workers, I needed to make some things point clearly at the work of the worker. That's why I used my own source to obtain some fireworks from the outside. Once the investigation starts, the shops selling things like that are going to be checked. If there will be no result, it's gonna be obvious that they were provided from the outside."

I couldn't normally buy some fireworks nor steal them from somewhere.

Masumi and I already shoplifted before.

It would be troublesome if someone linked those cases together.

Fuka: "Oh, you have someone like that? You work fast, Kiyotaka."

Kiyotaka: "It was a coincidence. From his mouth, I obtained some information about how the school is transporting and checking out the supplies from the outside. The same could be said about the workers here. Although most of the teachers and working staff live here, it's not like they can't leave the school grounds. Especially the ones involved in supplying their shops or restaurants."

Fuka: "I don't think this school would be loose about something like that, though."

Kiyotaka: "Which also doesn't mean that the school could check out everything."

Henry was already working on the means to smuggle some things before I even asked him to do so.

While I was grateful for that, the phrase 'also, Christine wanted to send you some packages later on' made me slightly uneasy about the future.

Fuka: "But what benefit would Nagumo bring to them?"

Kiyotaka: "Well, as a leader of all second-year students, Nagumo may point which shops would be worth visiting and which wouldn't. That's practically like obtaining one third of the market, you know. There's also a possibility that he found out something to blackmail some people."

Fuka: "Probably both. He found out something on them, then promised some benefits for keeping them shut up."

Kiyotaka: "Maybe. Another goal of this show was to make the school be aware that there may be some adults involved and investigate it. And since Nagumo would be the primary suspect, the ones he met recently would be involved as well."

Fuka: "And your friend."

Kiyotaka: "As I said, it's not a problem."

Henry is a world-class informant.

He went through many investigations before.

We already created a good story for not only us, but also Masumi, if by any chance, she would be summoned as well.

Fuka: "So Nagumo is in trouble, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "Well, considering that there's no clear evidence pointing at him, the school may let him go easily. But that's also a part of my experiment. I want to know how the school would react in the case when there's no clear results and only some suspects and some clues pointing at the certain individual."

But it wasn't my only goal.

I didn't know much about Nagumo nor his inner circle nor the places he was visiting regularly.

Once the school would start to investigate Nagumo, they would look into his movements and connections to other students and workers in order to confirm if he was the culprit or he ordered someone to do it.

And I was planning to steal the results of those investigations.

I didn't have enough manpower to start observing Nagumo's movements without some risk, so I was going to let the school take care of it for me.

If my experiment was successful, I would learn more not only about the school's procedures, but also about Nagumo himself.

I looked at Fuka with a smile.

Kiyotaka: "There's no need to worry about your classmates. I wouldn't pay them back in such a way."

Fuka: "I wasn't worried about them at all. It just would be in bad taste for me to make them suffer after they went out of their way to celebrate my birthday. It was annoying, but they aren't people, who should deserve such a treatment."

Kiyotaka: "As I said, there's a possibility that even Nagumo wouldn't be penalized, let alone Ichinose. But thanks to this investigation, the relationship between her and Nagumo would become colder."

Fuka: "I guess so. Telling Ichinose and Kanzaki almost all the truth of Nagumo's suspension made them be wary of him, so if they experience the investigation because of the party, they may think that Nagumo tried to use them and their relationship would go down."

Kiyotaka: "But it's also a good way for me to befriend Ichinose before deciding if she would join Student Council. As fellow freshmen, we should stick together in the face of senior's oppression and tricks, right?"

Fuka smiled at me.

Fuka: "What a crafty guy you are."

Kiyotaka: "I will treat it as a compliment."

Fuka: "You are impossible. I can't believe you pulled out something like that on my birthday."

Kiyotaka: "Are you dissatisfied?"

Fuka: "No, I'm not. You did a good job entertaining me, Kiyotaka."

She suddenly embraced my neck, giving me a VIP-like view of her upper body.

The necklace I gave her was hanging nicely between her neck and chest.

Fuka: "Like what you see?"

Kiyotaka: "Really beautiful, Fuka."

I answered honestly.

My hands naturally found their way to her back.

Fuka: "You know, although some parts of today made me feel annoyed..."

I couldn't help but agree with her.

While the results for today were likely to be good, the entire situation could be easily avoided if I wasn't trying to experiment with the school.

Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry. I will make it up to you later."

Fuka: "I will make sure that you will. But..."

Her smile widened a little.

Fuka: "Right now, I'm quite happy."

Before I managed to say anything, she moved suddenly and planted a kiss on my cheek.

Fuka: "Thank you."

I stiffened a little, while looking at her reddish face.

I couldn't help but be charmed by her lovely appearance.

Kiyotaka: "You are welcome. In the next year I will prepare something even better."

I tenderly patted her hair.

When Fuka's eyes narrowed with joy, I dove in and kissed her forehead.

Kiyotaka: "I promise."

Now it was Fuka's time to stiffen, while her face turned totally red.

But she quickly recovered and smiled brightly.

Fuka: "I look forward to it."

We hugged each other.

It seems like the distance between us reduced considerably.

Wonderful.

The feeling of warmth of another was really wonderful.

I felt that this very moment was already totally worth all the trouble.

But of course, I wasn't going to let go of the opportunity after putting myself into some danger.

My experiment and its result...

Nagumo's result...

Ichinose's result...

There were still so many things to gain.

The hunt was still on.

To be continued..