Chapter 225: Opening Ceremony
"How many assignments haven't you finished yet?" Sakurai Saki asked.
"Half… just a small half." Chika said, eyes dodging, not daring to look into Sakurai's. She tried to whistle, but unfortunately, no sound came out.
Chika: ( ᵕ ¯ ³¯)~~~
"Really?"
"A bit more than half a small part."
"Hm?"
"Really, just a tiny little bit more…" Chika made a hand gesture, thumb and index finger pinched together showing a small gap.
"About this much."
One look from Sakurai Saki and he knew she was lying.
He reached for her workbook, but Chika held tightly to the other end, not letting him open it: "No!"
"Wasn't it you who asked me for help just now?" Sakurai Saki retorted.
"It's too embarrassing! I won't write anymore!"
"You don't want to be embarrassed, but after the opening ceremony it'll be even more embarrassing! And besides, the student council secretary not doing her homework, are you really going to pull that off!" Sakurai Saki tightened his grip.
Chika looked at him with pitiful puppy-like eyes, "Saki-kun~ let me copy, please."
Chika: ｡ﾟ(₌இᆽஇ₌)ﾟ｡
"Secretary Fujiwara, homework is something I think you'd better do yourself." Shirogane Miyuki interjected.
"In your dreams." Sakurai Saki shot her a glance.
"Evil! Saki-kun, you're evil! Shirogane-kun too!"
Chika: .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
A few minutes later.
Chika was holding her head, silent and not daring to speak.
'Hateful Saki-kun, daring to knock me on the head.'
Not even married yet and already domestic violence, after marriage what would he dare to do, Chika didn't dare to imagine.
With no other choice, Chika obediently sat down to do her homework.
Mainly because she had traveled with her family for too long, and when she returned she got absorbed in playing the board games she had secretly bought, so she wasn't in the mood to write homework.
But compared to Yotsuba, Chika was still better. Yotsuba had a lot of homework that required Sakurai Saki to teach her, but Chika didn't. Her grades were around above-average in the grade.
This time bringing the homework over, the bigger reason was to copy.
Clearly calling herself a detective, yet relying on petty theft to finish homework, there really wasn't anyone else like that.
"The opening ceremony speech, Shirogane, what are you planning to say?" Sakurai Saki looked at what he was doing.
He was writing something.
"What I'm writing isn't the opening ceremony speech, but content related to the election. Mid-September is the student council election, mid-December is the cultural festival."
"School trip seems to be after winter break ends, right?" Sakurai Saki followed up.
"Saki-kun~ I don't know how to do this question~" Chika suddenly cut into their conversation, pressing herself right against Sakurai Saki.
After a whole summer break without being able to be intimate with Sakurai Saki, now Chika was constantly thinking of ways to make physical contact with him.
Chika: (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)
"Umu, let me see." Sakurai still hadn't realized anything unusual.
After explaining a question, he noticed that Chika was pressing against him a bit too much.
"Saki-kun~ why didn't you come find me to hang out during summer?"
"Chika, didn't you go traveling? After that you went shopping with Kei-chan several times. I remember one day I asked you to go on a date in Jimbocho, but you refused."
"Over there it's all bookstores, so boring." Chika wasn't the type to listen to whatever Sakurai said.
If the date spot wasn't interesting, then even if she went, she wouldn't be happy.
If she wasn't happy, Sakurai wouldn't be happy either — that's what Chika thought.
"Sitting together in a bookstore, flipping through the same book, then I tell you the story inside… I think that scene is quite beautiful."
"…Now I want to go!" Chika suddenly changed her mind.
Chika: ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *⠀
Last time refusing really was stupid of me!
"Then next time let's go together, there are many bookstores there, also manga magazines and some old books."
"Umu!"
After settling the location for their next date.
Chika continued her attack: "Saki-kun, did you go out with Hayasaka-san?"
"She was a bit busy this summer, so she couldn't."
"Even during summer she has to do part-time jobs?"
"The boss at her workplace doesn't have a good temper, haizz, always bullying her." Sakurai Saki spoke roundaboutly, taking a jab at Shinomiya Kaguya.
If not for Shinomiya Kaguya, Sakurai would have already been sweet with Ai-chan long ago, even had a few children.
Moreover, lately Ai-chan's other personality rarely appeared, seemingly because much of Ai-chan's recent pressure had been relieved, so the "Cat Onee-san" who existed to ease stress was no longer necessary. Perhaps only when Ai-chan's stress built up again would she appear once more.
"How pitiful." Chika imagined Hayasaka Ai working hard, and she also felt it wasn't worth it for her.
"Why doesn't she just change jobs?"
Sakurai Saki thought: "Probably because she's gotten close with her 'boss,' worked there long, feelings grew deep, so it's hard to cut ties."
"So that's how it is."
After finishing this topic, the two continued studying.
Sitting at the president's seat, Shirogane Miyuki watched the two getting closer and closer, until Chika actually sat right on Sakurai Saki's lap.
'Is this really doing homework?'
Shirogane: (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )
And besides… showing off affection is fine, but could you pick another place, don't just act like I don't exist.
"Khụ khụ." Shirogane Miyuki lightly coughed, reminding them.
Only then did Chika snap back, hurriedly moving out of Sakurai Saki's arms, face red, mumbling: "The air conditioner's a bit cold."
Shirogane Miyuki pretended as if nothing had happened, opened his mouth: "The air conditioner really shouldn't be set too low."
But what did that excuse have to do with what she had just done?
...
A while later.
"Huh? All the senpai are here already, ah no, Shinomiya-senpai isn't here yet." Ishigami Yuu walked into the student council room holding a game console, then pulled a laptop from his backpack, "Shirogane-senpai, Sakurai-senpai, good morning."
"Umu, good morning."
"Ishigami, the club budget for the new semester, don't forget to send it to me once you're done, and… good morning." Shirogane Miyuki said.
"Ishigami-kun, you left me out!" Chika angrily said.
"Oya~ isn't this Fujiwara-senpai, how come after just one summer break you've gotten so much tanner?" Ishigami Yuu's face clearly showed amusement.
"Hmph~" Chika lowered her head and continued doing homework, giving up on humiliating herself further.
Chika: (¬⤙¬ )
She realized she couldn't win against Ishigami Yuu in verbal sparring.
But if she hit him, it wouldn't be very ladylike.
"Are~ are are are~ Fujiwara-senpai still hasn't finished her homework?" Ishigami Yuu chuckled, then noticed Secretary Fujiwara lifting her head, looking at him with an extremely gentle expression.
Ishigami : Σ(°ロ°) smells dangerous!!
"Ah, there's so much data, I'd better get to work quickly." Ishigami Yuu muttered to himself.
And so, the student council room once again fell into silence.
...
September 1st.
The opening ceremony.
Compared to the first semester, with its comfortable spring, the second semester's heat was truly unbearable.
Especially in the school auditorium, where the air conditioning wasn't very effective.
Mainly because there were too many people.
'Shirogane, can't you hurry it up a little?'
Sakurai Saki lifted his head, watching Shirogane Miyuki's speech.
A moment later.
"…Thank you, everyone, that concludes my speech." Shirogane Miyuki slightly bowed, then stepped down from the podium.
Just when Sakurai Saki thought it was over.
The principal walked up.
'This is truly terrible beyond words.'
"( - ⌓ - )