The ping-pong ball soared into the air.
"Bang!"
A sharp crack echoed across the room as Sakurai's paddle met the ball, sending it streaking like a bolt of light toward the—
Blind spot.
Kaguya reacted instantly, paddle vertical, returning with a clean counter to Sakurai's backhand.
"Oh! Bystander-chan saw that coming~ Eh-heh~ Actually, I didn't guess—it was obvious! Kaguya-san is such a little dummy~"
Return.
Sakurai crouched slightly, fluid, focused. The paddle met the ball again with mechanical grace, the return sharper, cutting through her defense like a blade of white light.
"Nice! Good shot!"
After PE, Sakurai changed out of his sportswear, slinging his uniform over one shoulder as he prepared to visit the Student Council Room. He needed to confirm yesterday's documents with Shirogane Miyuki.
Meanwhile, in a completely different battlefield—
The changing room.
"Waaaah~ Hayasaka~ I got bullied~ I didn't score a single point against him!" Kaguya collapsed in Hayasaka's arms, all elegance lost in a heap of self-pity and girlish wails.
She had transformed from Ice Queen Mode into Ultra Rare: Silly Crybaby Kaguya, a phenomenon so uncommon even Hayasaka had only witnessed it a few times.
"There, there~" Hayasaka hugged her gently, patting her back with the weariness of someone who had signed up to be a maid and ended up a full-time emotional support system.
Two stunning girls embraced—truly a scene for the ages.
"I want you to beat him for me next time! Hayasaka~ Aren't you friends with him?" Kaguya pleaded, tugging pitifully at Hayasaka's sleeve.
"Okay~" Hayasaka agreed with zero hesitation.
Kaguya wiped her eyes dramatically on Hayasaka's sleeve. Once fully recovered, she re-entered Ice Kaguya Mode, steely and beautiful.
"Next time, I absolutely won't lose."
This wasn't defeat—it was reconnaissance.
Next match, she'd show him what a Shinomiya was made of.
If he'd kept playing seriously today, her family name might've been reduced to a meme.
'Sakurai-kun, consider yourself lucky. If you'd humiliated me further, you'd be floating in Tokyo Bay by now—for the glory of the Shinomiya Family.'
Hayasaka gently patted her head, deciding she'd ask Sakurai to take it easy next time. But this crying Kaguya was… admittedly, super adorable.
Back in the Student Council Room—
Sakurai opened the door, already mid-sentence.
"Huh? Ishigami? Didn't expect to see you here." He'd figured Ishigami would be off doing recon ahead of the club fairs next week.
"Shirogane, good afternoon." Sakurai greeted, tossing his backpack onto the sofa and walking over to the desk.
"Did you read my annotations from yesterday?"
"Oh, Sakurai. Yeah. Afternoon." Shirogane looked up from his stack of papers, rubbing his temples. "I've skimmed them. That part about not giving top club spaces to already-popular clubs—that was yours, right?"
"Yes." Sakurai nodded.
"But you know the seniors are gonna pressure us. They don't care about actual club strength—they just want the best spots for their friend groups and family names." Shirogane's voice carried that worn-down tone of someone trying to fix a machine that actively hates being fixed.
"This school, huh..."
"Ugh~ Why can't humans just understand each other~"
Because humans are self-important morons.
"You want to shift focus to cultural clubs, then?" Sakurai asked, reading between the lines.
"The sports clubs are all meatheads! Just muscle with zero brain cells! Gorillas with tennis rackets! Ahaha~!"
Hey! Who said that?! This garbage superpower was out of control again!
"Yes." Shirogane sighed, clearly regretting his sense of duty.
Sakurai, wisely, left it at that and went to the corner.
From the cabinet, he pulled out cups, beans, and his beloved automatic coffee machine. He'd brought them from home days ago—tools of a former barista, bartender, and part-time hustler extraordinaire.
"Bartenders are so cool, right? Swish, swish, clink—and voilà! A heartbreaker cocktail!"
This… was love idiot energy.
Grinding beans? Nah. Too much work.
He dropped them into the machine, pushed a button.
"No soul at all. No artistry. No devotion. Hand-brewing is the true path of coffee. Sakura-chan, you simply do not understand~ There are layers to coffee~!"
Yeah, yeah. Lecture me after you learn what a tax refund is.
The machine hissed softly as it brewed, and for a brief moment, the room was filled with the scent of dark roast and the low hum of responsibilities neither boy wanted.
Obey.
Obey her, Sakurai.
For she is a superpower with a lifespan of one day.
Like a mayfly, destined to vanish by sunset.
Yes! Let her die!
Die for me!
"Woooow! Sakura-chan, your heart's so pitch-black! So this is what they mean when they say boys have scary inner thoughts sometimes~"
"Oh oh oh!!! Chika-chan's coming! DAISUKI!!! Quick, Sakura-chan, go kiss her!"
Are you some kind of pervert?
A kissing goblin?
Is this thing really my superpower?
The fact that this voice originated from his own subconscious made Sakurai's skin crawl. He shivered slightly, then wordlessly handed a freshly brewed cup of coffee to President Shirogane.
"Thanks. That really helps."Shirogane took the cup carefully… and placed it far away from the paperwork. Sakurai could respect that.
He turned back toward the sofa, carrying a second cup for Ishigami—only to find the latter fully immersed in whatever he was reading. No wonder he hadn't responded earlier.
New first-year, but surprisingly dependable.
And then—
Clang.
A high-pitched chime as the door swung open.A swirl of pink chaos entered the room.
"Oh my~ Is everyone working hard~?"
Silence.
Fujiwara Chika pouted.
They're ignoring me!!
President Shirogane didn't look up.Ishigami didn't move.Even this new guy, Sakurai, was pretending not to notice her.
"Ehh-heh-hehh~ You've all been working sooo hard, let's take a break and play a game~!"
From her bag, she dramatically pulled out—
"Ta-da! Ludo!"
"Kyaah~ I'm dead~ It's so cute~!"
Stop being horny here.
Sakurai turned to Fujiwara, eyes blank.
"Everyone is working hard on club recruitment, Fujiwara-kun. Please be quiet."
"Ugh, seriously, Sakurai-kun says that kind of thing, but you totally wanna play too, right? Right~?"
I'll right you, you @#*%$sdjakas!!
But instead of yelling, Sakurai just sighed, resigned.
"…Then let's finish one quick round."
He turned to Shirogane.
"Hey, Shirogane, want to join? Coordinating with upperclassmen isn't really the president's job, is it?"
He gave Fujiwara a meaningful glance, then added, low and cutting:
"That's what the secretary in charge of coordination is supposed to handle."
Fujiwara Chika's bright smile froze.Her eyes widened slightly, lips parted as if to object.
And then—deflation.
"…I know! I know, I'll go. Let's skip the game…"
Sakurai blinked.
"Hey—It's fine. There's enough time to do the work after a game of Ludo."
Fujiwara lit up instantly, sparkles in her eyes.
"Sakurai-kun, you're so nice!"
From somewhere deep in his psyche, the voice returned:
"…Totally got used, Chika-chan~ Hey, Sakura-chan, don't tell me you know she likes you—but you keep teasing her like this just to see her reaction every day?"
Heh.
Who knows?