"Shinomiya-senpai! Fujiwara-senpai's grades aren't that great either!"
Ishigami Yu pointed dramatically at Fujiwara Chika, his voice loud and desperate—like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
But he had forgotten one crucial thing...
Compared to the rest of the Student Council, Fujiwara Chika's grades might seem average. In reality—
"No, Ishigami. Secretary Fujiwara's grades are actually quite solid—upper-middle tier," Shirogane Miyuki corrected, listing the stats."In last year's third-term exams, she ranked 93rd. The top five were me, Shinomiya, Sakurai... and—"
"Fourth was Shijo-kun, fifth was Kashiwagi-kun," Sakurai Saki added, finishing the list smoothly.
"Exactly." Shirogane nodded as he jotted a note with his pen.
He was also debating whether to bring Sakurai Saki along to the upcoming inter-club meeting. Sakurai, in a word, made a good bodyguard—intimidating when needed and likely to prevent conflicts from escalating.
But lately, Sakurai had been overwhelmed. Just yesterday, even his tutoring sessions had hit roadblocks.
And then, there was what had happened at lunch today.
Shirogane had already heard the cafeteria incident. With only 600 students across all three years at Shuchiin Academy, word traveled fast.
To him, conflicts could usually be solved if both sides were willing to compromise. But that was the view of a bystander.
As Sakurai's friend, Shirogane knew—after what happened—there was no going back. The situation had passed the point of reconciliation.
He would take responsibility and handle it himself.
"Still… tutoring someone after school? I've never done that before. Not sure I'm cut out for it."
And those five sisters? They had worse tempers than even Kaguya Shinomiya.
But he had to try.
Shirogane sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Did you hear that, Ishigami-kun?" Kaguya said with an arched brow."Your entrance exam score was near the bottom, wasn't it?"A mocking smirk tugged at her lips."What an idiot~"
"Ah, right! I am an idiot!" Ishigami shrugged nonchalantly.As long as he was self-aware, no one could use it against him.
Kaguya glanced at Fujiwara and said flatly, "He's a man without goals or dreams."
"Well, he is Ishigami-kun, so that checks out," Fujiwara nodded in agreement.
Ishigami rolled his eyes and continued sorting the expense data.Seriously? That 'X is X' kind of logic again?Stop using my name as a synonym for 'useless,' you two!
"Actually," Sakurai said, "if Ishigami put in the effort, he'd do really well."
After all, getting into Shuchiin High after a half-year suspension was no small feat. The boy was undeniably a genius.
"He's great at math, and he handles all the accounting perfectly," Sakurai added."Oh—and he's a killer gamer, too."
"And?" Kaguya crossed her arms.
"Anyone can handle accounting, can't they?"Cold. Even Sakurai thought that was harsh.
"Besides," Sakurai pressed on, "Ishigami's also incredibly kind."
Shirogane glanced up and nodded."Yeah. He works hard for others behind the scenes. The quiet, reliable type."
Kaguya didn't reply.
Because… she couldn't argue with that.
"Eh? Why does everyone think Ishigami-kun is gentle?" Fujiwara frowned."He's not gentle at all! He badmouths me every single day!"
She ducked behind Sakurai for dramatic effect.
She expected a quick retort from Ishigami, but several seconds passed in silence.
Finally, he spoke, his tone subdued:
"Fujiwara-senpai's right. I'm not gentle. I say things without thinking, and I end up hurting people without meaning to."
The atmosphere turned a bit heavy.
Noticing the shift, Sakurai quickly tried to redirect."Anyway, Ishigami, don't forget what we agreed on for tonight."
Ishigami gave a small nod and returned to his work.
Why is everyone so quiet all of a sudden? Fujiwara wondered, looking around the room.
To lighten the mood, she made a cheerful announcement:
"Everyone! Let's play a game!"
Four responses rang out almost immediately:Sakurai Saki: "Don't care."Shirogane Miyuki: "Sorry, Secretary Fujiwara. I'm busy."Kaguya Shinomiya: "I'll go make tea."Ishigami Yu: "Fujiwara-senpai, there's still a lot of data to finish."Seeing her plan flop, Fujiwara scooted over to Sakurai and nudged his shoulder.
Then, leaning close to his ear, she whispered:
"Sakurai-kun~ Two people can't play a game~"
And then—
She gently blew a warm puff of air toward his ear.
"Hoo~"
A shiver ran down Sakurai's spine.
Does she want me to get more people...? he wondered, his ear tingling.
Her breath was warm and carried a soft sweetness, brushing against his skin like syrup.
Sakurai turned to look at her—only to meet her mischievous, victorious smile.
Their eyes locked.
And so—
Fujiwara Chika and Sakurai Saki began a silent, smirking stare-down.
1 second.3 seconds.5 seconds.
"You know, Fujiwara Secretary..." Sakurai Saki said softly, a playful glint in his eye."They say if a man and a woman stare at each other for ten seconds, they fall in love."
At his words, Fujiwara Chika instantly broke eye contact. Her cheeks flushed crimson.
"I-I think I've heard that somewhere..."
She'd been teased again.
Thank god I looked away in time, Sakurai thought, turning his head with an awkward cough.A faint blush had crept up his own face.She had a way of catching him off guard with those sudden attacks.
And to think—he was usually the one doing the teasing.
Just then, Kaguya Shinomiya returned from the kitchen, carrying a tray of black tea. She spotted the two, now sitting awkwardly apart, their eyes deliberately avoiding each other.
She tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
"Why haven't you two started dating yet?" she asked bluntly.
From the president's seat, Shirogane Miyuki froze mid-paperwork.He slowly looked up at her, expression unreadable, as if seeing a cryptid in broad daylight.
This woman... still hasn't learned how to read the room?
Kaguya casually placed the teacups on the table, then took a seat beside Ishigami Yu.
"That's just how the ambiguous phase works," Ishigami said flatly."Neither side wants to confess first, because they're afraid it'll make them look weak. No one even considers how the rest of us feel."He added quickly, "Not that I'm talking about Fujiwara-senpai and Sakurai-senpai—this is just general stuff, from manga."
Fujiwara lowered her head, face still burning, twirling the ends of her hair between her fingers.
Sakurai finally found his voice.
"It's true. In a lot of shōjo manga, the main couple clearly like each other, but it takes dozens of chapters before anyone admits it. Even then, the confession is usually this huge hurdle."
"And once they finally get together," Ishigami added, "they have to worry about love rivals, misunderstandings, breakups, you name it. It's a minefield."
Kaguya calmly handed out tea.
This was part of the Shinomiya way: stern leadership on the outside, but occasional gestures of softness to maintain balance.
Like preparing tea for everyone.
She picked up Shirogane's cup, walked over, and set it gently on his desk.
Then she returned to the sofa and sat down, musing aloud:
"Shōjo manga?"
"It's a genre aimed mainly at girls," Sakurai explained."Usually focused on romance—first love, relationships, that kind of thing."
Normally, this sort of explanation would come from Fujiwara. But today, she was clearly out of commission—still in a daze from Sakurai's earlier comment.
So Sakurai took on the job himself.
... patreon Rene_chan