Chapter 2553: What exactly was your plan? |
As I walked towards the Student Support Club to check on Arisa and Izumi, my conversation with Enomoto was easily thrown to the back of my mind. I wouldn't deal with a new problem student anytime soon, after all. That had to wait for the next semester unless the Guidance Counselors asked me to work on a new one again.
My stay in the Student Support Club was short. I just went and flirted a bit with my two girls, who kicked me out when clients asking for the club's support arrived.
Among those clients, one of them was Minami Shouko. She went there on behalf of the Student Council.
Yep. Shizu was still bringing them work, and clearly, it was related to the upcoming Cultural Festival.
When she saw me in the room, her eyes instantly narrowed. Given that she investigated me before our eventual confrontation, she had a clue why I was between Arisa and Izumi.
She rolled her eyes and pretended not to see me. Of course, that only lasted for a few seconds, because Arisa, who also recognized the girl, unleashed her playfulness, catching her off guard.
In the end, I got included in their conversation while Ogawa and the other two boys could only listen on the side.
Ah. Right. Although their Student Support Club was hired by our Literature Club to help out in our booth, only Nami, Hina, Sachi, and, by extension, Kikuchi were deployed.
Izumi, the Student Support Club President, and Arisa chose to remain to continue serving more students who might require a helping hand from their club. And obviously, the three stooges also remained for manual labor.
I don't know what happened between them yesterday, but I guess they're fine again? I should ask Nina or my two adorable juniors about it. Or maybe Nami also knew the reason.
In any case, I couldn't really care enough about his love life.
The only reason I'm following it is for the sake of Kazuha-nee, who hopes for her little brother to finally be set straight by Mami after his blunders. If he hurts that girl then… he'll possibly see some hell. Not just from Kazuha-nee but from everyone in their circle.
Alright, enough about them. Tadano was still a little miffed about my encounter with Mei-chan earlier in the bus, but that's it. It's also nothing important unless he gives it more importance and tries to act like I'm seducing his little sister.
Back to the topic, I ended up leaving the clubroom with Minami Shouko, who was going to return to that conference room where Shizu, Haruko and Komoe were still receiving the Club Presidents who were presenting their proposal.
Well, as much as I'd like to stay with Arisa and Izumi, they couldn't fully concentrate on their work with my presence there. Or rather, they wanted to shower with their attention instead of performing their duty of helping students. And even if she hated to admit it, Izumi also felt the same.
In short, I'm still kind of a distraction, right? And I didn't want to cause trouble for them, so after sneaking in kisses from both girls, I had them kick me out by acting overly flirty.
Arisa almost gave in, but she's sharp enough to understand my intention. Really, among my girls, she's one of those who can read me like a book. Not to mention, our irresistibility to each other's charm.
If not for Izumi and Minami Shouko faking a cough, I might've dragged the girl out of the room with me and spent a few minutes in a private room.
"You're impossible, Onoda-kun." Minami Shouko muttered under her breath as we turned to the stairwell leading to the third floor of the Club Building.
I glanced at Minami Shouko, her arms crossed and her lips pursed in a way that was half-annoyed, half-amused.
The late afternoon light filtered through the stairwell windows, catching the sharp edges of her expression.
She was trying to maintain her usual composed demeanor. The one where she's always trying to appear tough and playful but the slight flush on her cheeks exposed that my earlier antics with Arisa and Izumi had gotten under her skin.
"Impossible, huh?" I said as we began climbing the stairs. "That's a new one. Care to elaborate, senpai? Can I not be that intimate with my girls?"
She huffed, quickening her pace as if to outrun the conversation. "This isn't about that. Ugh. I just can't help but notice that you are always stirring things up wherever you go. It's like you can't help but make a scene."
I chuckled, matching her stride easily. "A scene? I was just saying goodbye to my girls. And here I thought you'd investigated quite deeply before deciding to confront me back then."
"... Isn't it obvious by now? I haven't studied you enough. That's why I ended up losing my edge against you. If I had known you're a tough nut to crack, I would've bided my time and waited for the perfect opportunity."
"Except, you didn't. Alright. I'll take that explanation." I chuckled and then grabbed half of the papers she was carrying, unloading some of her burden.
The girl stopped in her climb, balancing herself on the stairs. I held the stack in one hand and stretched the other to her back, keeping her balance.
Minami Shouko sighed in relief, but at the same time, she snapped her head to me and huffed unhappily, "Onoda-kun, next time, tell me if you're going to do that. What will happen if I end up slipping?"
"You didn't, right? Besides, senpai, I want to help you."
"I didn't ask for it. Haa… You call me an expert manipulator for doing those pranks with my followers but here you are, handling me so expertly I don't even know how to fight back."
"Heh… Senpai, my ability to handle you isn't affecting your ability. It's simply because you're still not used to me. Give it time. Once you finish settling into your role as the General Affairs Officer of the Student Council, you'll be able to handle me again just like before we talked for the first time."
"... You say that, but knowing you, you're already preparing for that day."
"Of course." I grinned mischievously as we both resumed climbing up the stairs, "You know I'm still impressed by the letter you sent before. Trying to lure me with a key to a storage room at the School Building… I wonder… What exactly was your plan if I fell for it?"
I did almost fell for it though. But thanks to Kaede, who I thought was the one responsible for it at first, I ended up not bothering to check anymore.
Minami Shouko's steps faltered for a moment, her confident stride betraying a flicker of hesitation as my question hung in the air.
The stairwell was quiet, save for the soft echo of our footsteps and the distant noise made by students filtering in and out of the clubrooms.
She clutched the remaining papers to her chest, her fingers tightening around the edges as if they could shield her from having to answer.
"Really, Onoda-kun? You're bringing that up now?" She shot me a sidelong glance, her hazel eyes narrowing slightly as her lips faintly curved up into a smirk.
She wasn't wary at all. She just found it amusing that I got curious about it again.
I grinned, adjusting the stack of papers in my hand as we reached the third-floor landing. "Just curious, senpai. You went through all that trouble to set a trap for me. I'm dying to know what you had planned. A dramatic confrontation? A secret recording? Or maybe you were just gonna lock me in there and call it a day?"