Chapter 65: Fujiwara Chika Wants to Be Called by Name
"Didn't expect that someone as handsome as you would turn out to be a pervert."
Iino Miko looked at Hayasaka Ai's made-up face and sighed.
An Ikemen like this actually risked barging into the girls' changing room.
Beside Miko, Osaragi Kobachi — also a discipline committee member — pushed up her glasses.
(⌐■_■)⟡
"You can't judge a person's heart by their appearance, just as you can't believe in rumors." She said something very reasonable, then turned to Hayasaka Ai: "Sorry, please come with us to the discipline room!"
Hayasaka Ai stood frozen on the spot.
Even for her, at this moment, she was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into — too bad the Shuchiin Academy hallway floors were paved too well, no holes to hide in!
"Uh, um…"
She began thinking of how to explain.
"Actually, though on the outside I look like a boy, in my soul I'm a girl! That's why I went into the girls' changing room to change." Hayasaka Ai felt they shouldn't be so quick to impose a gender label on her like this.
In response, Miko wore an expression as if looking at an idiot.
<(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>
"Are you kidding me? Classmate?" Miko introduced, "The school regulations don't care what your soul's gender is, and Japan doesn't have anything called political correctness! You'd better stop struggling!"
Osaragi Kobachi also nodded in agreement: "This isn't the free America! Here there's no freedom of speech or protection for minority gender groups."
Hayasaka Ai felt that high school girls nowadays knew too much — even terms like "political correctness" and "minority gender" they were familiar with.
She took out her phone, intending to text Kaguya and inform her the plan had to be canceled.
"Put the phone away! As expected, daring to do something this reckless must mean you've got someone backing you! Hmph! Let me tell you! I, Iino Miko, am not afraid of these tricks! Even if you call for reinforcements, it's useless!" Miko-chan angrily snatched Ai-chan's phone, "This, confiscated! You'll get it back once you explain everything clearly!"
Hayasaka Ai sighed helplessly.
"All right, I'll go with you."
Hopefully, she'd make it in time before Kaguya-sama started the plan.
...
Meanwhile, in the student council room.
Everyone was chatting to kill time.
There hadn't been anything to handle lately — since the last club budget allocation meeting, the next busy period would probably be the Sports Festival? But that wouldn't happen until after Golden Week.
Just two more weeks until Golden Week: April 29 was a holiday, May 3 was Constitution Day, May 4 was Greenery Day, May 5 was Boys' Day, and adding the weekend, they'd get at least over a week off.
After a while, the conversation circled back to the earlier topic: forms of address.
"Um, Sakurai-kun, can I… call you Saki-kun~" Fujiwara Chika felt she should take another step forward!
(,,¬﹏¬,,)
She also found herself strange — normally she didn't feel shy calling others by name, but when it came to Sakurai Saki, it was hard to get the words out. So usually, Chika only dared to secretly call his name in her heart.
The first step to becoming lovers with Sakurai-kun was to switch to a more intimate way of addressing him!
Before Sakurai Saki could even reply, Shinomiya Kaguya had already begun commenting:
"In the end, a name is merely a symbol representing a person; something like that isn't worth worrying about." Shinomiya Kaguya wasn't lying — she genuinely thought so.
What's so embarrassing about calling someone by name?
She smiled and turned to Ishigami Yuu: "Yuu-kun~"
Ishigami: ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
Shinomiya-senpai, please go back to normal! Or if not… please just look at me with those eyes that can kill, like before! I'm begging you!
Compared to this gentle Kaguya, Ishigami Yuu would rather face the familiar "Ice Kaguya."
That was the Shinomiya family's eldest daughter who always looked at everything with emotionless eyes; he felt more comfortable facing her like that.
Besides, that way of addressing was seriously too weird!
Ishigami Yuu trembled as if he had just encountered the Devil, bowing his head and burying his face in his game.
Kaguya: (..◜ᴗ◝..)
Kaguya in Ishigami eyes: ᕙ(⊝益⊝)ง
"..." Shinomiya Kaguya withdrew her smile, as if she had just discovered something interesting.
Everyone… seems very sensitive about forms of address, huh~
"Chika~" She tilted her head, calling out to Fujiwara Chika.
❀.(*´◡`*)❀
Immediately, Chika felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet straight up to the top of her head, her face showing clear panic.
"U-um…" Chika-chan also lowered her head, "Just calling me Fujiwara-san is fine. Kaguya-san, you don't have to force yourself."
(ó﹏ò｡)
She was starting to feel she couldn't handle it anymore either.
Seeing this, Shinomiya Kaguya became even more intrigued.
She felt that now she could "command the winds and rain" in the student council.
"Miyuki-kun~" — Kaguya called to Shirogane Miyuki, who was sitting across from her.
Shirogane Miyuki was sipping a cup of coffee brewed by Sakurai Saki — "Cough, cough!!!"
He choked and coughed several times.
Taking out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, "S-Shinomiya, that way of addressing… I'm a bit not used to it."
"Then from now on, I'll just call you President Shirogane~"
Shinomiya Kaguya had "taken down" three people in a row, and now she was fully "in character."
She turned to look at Sakurai Saki — the one sitting at the center of the three across from her.
"Saki-kun~"
❀.(*´◡`*)❀
Sakurai Saki, expressionless, took a sip of coffee.
Honestly speaking, he didn't feel much emotional fluctuation.
He calmly replied, "I don't really mind how you address me, Kaguya-chan can call me however you like."
Shinomiya Kaguya: ....(⊙ _ ⊙ )???
Kaguya-chan? Huh? Kaguya-chan? What… the hell is this? That way of addressing?!
From childhood until now, no boy her age had ever dared call her "chan"!
Fujiwara Chika took the opportunity to chime in: "Then can I call you that too?"
ヾ(｡✪ω✪｡)ｼ
"No." — Sakurai Saki, feeling a bit embarrassed under Chika's direct gaze, lowered his head and sipped his cup.
(,,¬﹏¬,,)
Being called that by Shinomiya Kaguya and being called that by Fujiwara Chika were two completely different feelings.
It gave a tingling, itchy sensation in his heart.
Normally, one or two times was still bearable, but if it continued like this nonstop, Sakurai Saki probably wouldn't be able to take it.
"..." Fujiwara Chika was clearly unhappy.
( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)
She muttered: "I clearly saw that even Hayasaka-san gets to call you Saki-chan sometime, so why can't I?"
That made her feel like her position in Sakurai Saki's heart was a step below the other party!
Could it be… he actually doesn't see her as a girl?
Because… clearly Sakurai-kun was very close with her, yet he wouldn't even let her call his name! That's way too strange!
"If… you really want to call me that, I won't stop you." — Sakurai Saki felt what she said made sense.
Balance was very important, after all; the relationship between the two girls and him wasn't bad, so he couldn't play favorites.
Fujiwara Chika joyfully said: "Okay, it's settled then!"
Ishigami Yuu slightly raised his head, glancing at Sakurai Saki and Fujiwara Chika — at this point, he just wanted to fire a "Shine-Shine Beam" at both of them!
(◣_◢)┌∩┐
If you're this sweet, why not just officially get together already! Stop spreading "dog food" in the student council room all day!
What's with all this back-and-forth!
As an outsider, Ishigami Yuu understood the situation better than even the two involved or Shirogane Miyuki — who hadn't grasped the full picture — about the state of this battle!
'So, Sakurai-senpai is actually this shy? Likes her but doesn't dare confess?'
Or, maybe, he himself wasn't even sure if he truly liked Fujiwara-senpai?
"That way of addressing just now, forbidden!" Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly spoke up.
"Kaguya-chan, didn't you say a name is just a symbol…" Sakurai Saki hadn't even finished his sentence.
Immediately, Shinomiya Kaguya showed an angry yet slightly embarrassed face, saying: "Forbidden! Calling me 'Kaguya-chan' is forbidden!"
⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾
"Got it." Sakurai Saki "reluctantly" nodded.
It's just a form of address — if you want to make me flustered, that's still a long way off!
"Saki-kun~ Saki-kun~ Saki-kun~" Fujiwara Chika suddenly called out to him several times.
"W-what is it?"
"Nothing, just… wanted to call you~"
(๑>◡<๑)