Mid-May had passed, and the temperature was gradually climbing.
It was already impossible to wear the uniform jacket to school.
But Metropolitan High School’s uniform didn’t come with a short-sleeved shirt.
The inner layer was a long-sleeved shirt, so even without the jacket, wearing only the long-sleeved shirt wasn’t much cooler.
Fortunately, the Student Council Room was equipped with an air conditioner.
Even though the air conditioner made the indoor air feel cool, the atmosphere was mentally oppressive.
Aoba Tomoyo had just had a fight with Aoba Toshie.
After mid-May, the school was going to hold a sports festival.
One could imagine how busy and frantic the Student Council must be.
The reason the Aoba sisters had fought was over the special event planned by the Student Council for this year’s sports festival.
Should they continue the traditional borrowing race, or do something more innovative?
For example, a large-scale search, battle, and extraction event combining hide-and-seek with treasure hunting…
Of course, the large-scale search, battle, and extraction event was a proposal Hiiragi Shuichi had come up with during the brainstorming process.
Aoba Toshie agreed, but Aoba Tomoyo insisted on saying, “Could it be that Rishi can’t come up with a feasible plan at all?”
She was trying to make Aoba Toshie propose a plan of her own.
After all, the person who had proposed innovation was also Aoba Toshie.
Hiiragi Shuichi could more or less understand.
Aoba Toshie clearly wanted to plan something different herself.
She wanted to gain the students’ support and make things easier for the presidential election in the second half of the year.
Judging from the earlier conversation at Asahi Bakery, Aoba Tomoyo had deliberately used Hiiragi Shuichi as a shield.
She had said that even if she retired, the next president would most likely be Hiiragi Shuichi rather than Aoba Toshie.
That remark must have provoked Aoba Toshie.
The degree of provocation…
Even if Hiiragi Shuichi said he wouldn’t run in the election, Aoba Toshie probably couldn’t feel at ease.
Now, Aoba Tomoyo was lying in her swivel chair, rocking back and forth, bored out of her mind.
Aoba Toshie was propping her head on the desk, looking extremely displeased.
The whiteboard covered in planning proposals sat alone off to the side.
It was like an isolated island abandoned by everyone.
It was just like Komuro Ayumi…
Uh.
There was no way to get any work done…
By the way, where was the secretary?
Where the hell had the secretary gone?
Why was Hiiragi Shuichi doing all the secretary’s work?
Hiiragi Shuichi capped his pen, tapped the tip of the ballpoint pen, and tossed the documents aside.
He could hardly stand this oppressive atmosphere.
So, using club activities as an excuse, he finally managed to leave the Student Council Room.
To avoid being caught later and having his story not match up, Hiiragi Shuichi obediently headed to the Classical Literature Club.
He didn’t choose to go somewhere else to slack off.
Arriving in front of the club room on the second floor of Building C, Hiiragi Shuichi saw the sign that read “Classical Literature Club.”
He opened the door and slipped inside like a fish swimming through water.
“Excuse me.”
Inside the Classical Literature Club, everything was peaceful and quiet.
In the not particularly large club room, there were only two long tables pushed together.
Tall bookshelves lined both sides.
The books crammed into the shelves gave off an elegant sheen under the glow of the setting sun.
When Club President Koyuki Shoko saw Hiiragi Shuichi arrive, her face showed both nervousness and excitement.
She was afraid Hiiragi Shuichi had come because of the club funds.
But seeing that he was alone, she felt relieved and joyful.
‘He’s finally here…’
“Oh, it’s Hiiragi.”
“What brings you here in such grand style?”
President Koyuki closed the BL light novel in her hands and immediately scurried over to welcome him.
Hiiragi Shuichi only returned a standard smile and began surveying the club room.
He was completely unwilling to pay attention to President Koyuki.
He saw that on the small sofa in the club room, Komuro Ayumi was curled up and lying there.
She was seriously reading a bread-making reference book.
But after noticing that Hiiragi Shuichi had arrived, she hurriedly hid the book behind her.
She switched to her phone and quickly started scrolling through SNS.
It was as if she were pretending she hadn’t noticed him.
Komuro Ayumi had officially returned to school, but no one really cared.
A few people might go over to greet her, but Komuro Ayumi actually had no friends.
So those greetings could basically be understood as…
Either simple overflowing sympathy or social performance.
Either way, no one truly cared about Komuro Ayumi.
This was a huge difference from the scene when Hiiragi Shuichi had first returned to school…
So, for her, the Classical Literature Club was probably just a relatively suitable safe haven.
President Koyuki saw Hiiragi Shuichi ignoring her.
She followed his gaze and discovered that he was actually looking at Komuro Ayumi.
‘What, what does he mean by that…’
“Hiiragi, Hiiragi…”
President Koyuki probed tentatively.
“What is it, President?”
“I am also a member of the Classical Literature Club, after all.”
“Surely you’re not going to say I’m unwelcome?”
“No, no, no!”
“You’re very welcome!!”
“All right, all right, members!”
“Come congratulate Hiiragi on visiting the Classical Literature Club!”
“Tsk, put your books down for a moment!”
Hiiragi Shuichi originally had no way to refuse such a welcome.
But seeing that the Classical Literature Club members all seemed deeply immersed in their books and stories, almost too busy to pay attention to him, he became quite interested instead.
Most of the members completely ignored President Koyuki.
Only one girl with twin braids and a small pink hair clip, who was flipping through her book, casually responded.
“Oh… welcome, welcome…”
Hiiragi Shuichi noticed that the book in her hands was serious classical literature, not a light novel.
The girl’s welcome ended, and she looked up at Hiiragi Shuichi.
After a moment of surprise, her eyes suddenly widened.
She immediately inserted a bookmark and closed the book.
The bookmark was actually a hair clip too.
Then she widened her sparkling eyes and walked straight toward Hiiragi Shuichi.
The girl’s cute face, dotted with a few freckles, was probably only 3 or 4 centimeters away from Hiiragi Shuichi.
Before Hiiragi Shuichi could figure out what was going on, the girl immediately moved behind him.
Then she moved to his side.
She stood on tiptoe, crouched down, bent over, and even stepped onto a chair…
She was like a scanner, as if she wanted to record every inch of Hiiragi Shuichi clearly so she could create a character in a game.
“Um, um…”
“Excuse me, what are you doing?”
Hiiragi Shuichi asked while trying his best to maintain a smile.
The girl really did stop her scanning activity.
She stood straight in front of Hiiragi Shuichi and gave him a charming, cute smile.
“Are you Hiiragi Shuichi?”
“Hello!”
“My name is Kosui Taki!”
“I’m from…”
“Uh, let me think…”
“Right!”
“Class 1-A!”
So she was a junior…
But why did she need to think about which class she belonged to?
“Ah, good afternoon, Kosui…”
Hiiragi Shuichi exchanged a simple greeting with her.
Glancing at the sofa, Komuro Ayumi seemed to be looking over with a very resentful and gloomy gaze.
Right, her name had just been erased, and the love hadn’t completely faded yet…
“Ara, why does Hiiragi keep looking at Komuro?”
Kosui Taki’s voice was extremely soft.
It was like a chewy green rice ball with sweet red bean paste inside.
It gave off a gentle, enveloping sensation.
It made Hiiragi Shuichi feel as if she were very weak-willed and a little absent-minded.
“Eh?”
“Not really…”
“Uh, do you two know each other?”
“No, we don’t?”
“Then…”
“It’s just because her information is on the problem student list?”
Hiiragi Shuichi wondered what that meant.
President Koyuki had been confused from the very beginning.
She had been standing off to the side, brainstorming by herself, as if she felt that something was wrong.
Until President Koyuki ran to the filing cabinet at the very back and began flipping through a document.
She immediately walked proudly over to Kosui Taki.
“Hey!”
“Where exactly did you come from?”
“You’re not a member of my club, are you?!”
“Haha, so I’ve finally been found out…”
Kosui Taki smiled blankly.
She tapped her little head as if trying to act cute and get away with it.
“It’s fine, Shoko.”
“I won’t interfere with everyone’s club activities~”
“That’s true…”
“But why was your name and the book list you submitted included in the last purchase plan?”
“Either join the club now and pay your club fee immediately, or give me back my club funds right now!!!”
“Eh?”
“But…”
“Hiiragi probably hasn’t paid much of his club fee either, right?”
Kosui Taki naturally steered the topic toward Hiiragi Shuichi.
‘How does she know everything?’
Hiiragi Shuichi couldn’t help wanting to ask.
Although the club fee wasn’t much, it was only 2000 yen.
Previously, he had been busy making a living.
After careful budgeting, Hiiragi Shuichi had gotten away with not paying whenever he could.
As for the book selection earlier, he hadn’t participated at all in order not to stand out.
Only then did President Koyuki realize that Hiiragi Shuichi, as a ghost member, had basically never paid his club fees.
But if this went on, would Hiiragi Shuichi run away?
No, no!
“Hiiragi is a ghost member.”
“If he doesn’t participate much in club activities, then it’s actually fine if he doesn’t pay…”
President Koyuki immediately tried to smooth things over.
Seeing President Koyuki treating them so differently, Hiiragi Shuichi worried that Kosui Taki might project some displeasure onto him.
Besides, Hiiragi Shuichi’s living expenses were now relatively comfortable.
His rent was completely waived, his utilities were cut in half, and with Teacher Shiraishi’s help, his hourly wage at the bakery had gone up.
If he still didn’t pay the club fee now, it would be a little unreasonable.
“No, no, no.”
“I will pay the club fee.”
Hiiragi Shuichi said this.
President Koyuki couldn’t help but beam with joy.
Kosui Taki also said with a smile.
“Hiiragi is really so gentle…”
“Gentle?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
“As expected of…”
“Everyone’s Hiiragi Shuichi.”
Suddenly, Kosui Taki narrowed her eyes.
Her two delicate braids traced two arcs through the air like the fuses of fireworks.
Then, those freckles seemed like tiny sparks bursting open in the night sky.
They could dazzle one’s eyes, yet disappeared in an instant.