21 Secret Mission
Even if the clubs are no longer accepting new applications, nothing is impossible in this school with enough private points. Since the prices of things vary in their importance, the cost of overlooking something small like a late joining application should be marginal. The main concern is that I would let at least Chabashira know that I am already thinking outside box. It could give her the wrong idea considering her reaction when Ayanokoji asked to buy points for Sudo's test in the original story. On the other hand, leveling up my skills takes priority and I could also get Miyake to become my sparring partner, it's too hard practicing martial arts alone.
In the real world, bribery is a very common thing, be it to overlook one's crimes or perhaps even something as trivial as adjusting one's grades. Hell, we are commonly hiring lawyers to protect us even if we know we are guilty. Everything resolves around one's power and influence and money can bring both. Just like one can join class A with a sufficient amount of private points.
Collective capitalism is still capitalism in its heart.
I stood in front of the mirror inside my dorm room thinking whether I should risk asking Chabashira how much it would cost me to join the club.
"I guess my body is really slowly shaping into a more athletic build." I muttered as I was observing my body in the mirror.
I never truly noticed it since I was seeing myself in the mirror every single day, however, people who had no way of seeing my body as frequently as I do could perhaps notice a difference just like Miyake did.
As I was about to go to bed, I froze thinking about my actions till now.
"...Fuck" I just realized that if Horikita were to use Inogashira's advice to force those guys to withdraw the complaint, they might not use Sakura as eye-witness at all, she might not have enough contact with Ayanokoji and he might not help her when that creep assaults her. I honestly didn't care if she got any character development since it would be for naught in the long run anyway, however, I can't just let her get assaulted. The problem is...she won't go out of her way to confront that creep without getting some confidence boost from her testimony.
*sigh* "Looks like I will have to take a proactive role here and confront the creep myself, thankfully I know who it is. Well, at least I am making mistakes in the beginning when I still remember most of the things." I said aloud while lying on my bed and looking at the dark ceiling.
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Over the next few days, I paid a lot of attention to Sakura's behavior and actions and noticed her restlessness. School announced that Sudo's incident has been resolved and none of our points were taken nor was Sudo suspended which surprised everyone and even I was pleasantly surprised since I have been a bit worried in case Horikita wouldn't be able to completely force them to withdraw the complaint.
[Quest completed, calculating the contribution... 20 points]
With that out of the way, I decided to focus on the creep and solve Sakura's problem as soon as possible.
After school hours, I approached the person I would have never imagined having a conversation with, however, they were among the people who noticed my changes.
"Hey, could you help me with something, ...Hasabe-san?"
"Huh? Ike-kun?" She seemed taken aback by my initiative.
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Afternoon at Keyaki Mall
"Sakura-san, here!" Kushida waved at timid Sakura who slowly made her way toward the group waving at her.
"I hope you don't mind if Ike-kun joins us for today. I apologize for not informing you about this earlier, we happened to bump into each other just a moment ago and after a short while of talking, I decided to invite him to come with us." Kushida explained with an apologetic smile.
Sakura looked at me and when our eyes met, she averted her gaze.
"...I-I don't mind" She seemed nervous but far cry from uncomfortable.
'I forgot she is quite talented at reading other people so she must be especially sensitive when someone stares at her with lustful eyes.'
"I apologize for intrusion since this looks like girls only event"
"It's fine, it's fine! Even Sakura-san said so, therefore there is no need to apologize! Right, Hasabe-san?" Kushida comforted me with a kind smile.
"Yeah, having a boy around might even be helpful." Hasabe nodded her head, secretly giving me a weird look. I haven't told her the details but I did mention that I found out disturbing news why is Sakura's behavior stranger than usual. When she discovered I wouldn't share more, she instead asked me why I was involving myself with someone I barely know.
Simple words "Would you be able to sleep soundly while knowing something bad can happen to your acquaintance?" were able to convince her.
---Kikyo Kushida---
Affection: -20 -> -17
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---Airi Sakura---
Affection: 0
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'Am I intriguing her with my actions?'
When we started walking around the mall, checking out a lot of different stores, Hasabe and Sakura slowly started getting along since they were a bit similar to each other. As the two of them were talking to each other behind us, Kushida turned her attention to me.
"Your request is really strange this time, Ike-kun. I still have a hard time grasping why did you ask me to bring everyone together even going as far as to lie to Sakura-san. Is it perhaps that Ike-kun likes Sakura-san? However, even if that is the case, it's still wrong to lie" Kushida teased me, leaning a bit closer to me as if trying to make me flustered.
"I just noticed she has been acting strange as of lately. I also noticed she was barely talking to anyone so I thought she might have been feeling lonely without any friends to talk to and put her trust in." I replied normally but her expression changed to one of surprise, most likely from my calm response.
"But why Hasabe-san of all people? I have never seen you two talk to each other." Kushida questioned with a confused expression.
"I saw two of them skipping swimming classes together so I thought they might connect through that matter even if it's trivial, it can serve as an icebreaker."
"Hehe, Ike-kun is quite thoughtful and attentive, color me impressed" Kushida released a cute chuckle while twirling her side bangs hair.
For today, I decided not to visit the store where that creep works, therefore we spent the rest of the day just walking around and looking around the shops, mostly dresses since I was a minority in this group. I quite regretted not having any friends I could have invited that aren't complete creeps so I told myself to befriend Miyake in the future.
When the group dispersed and went home, it was just Hasabe and me.
---Airi Sakura---
Affection: 0 -> 1
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"What was the point of today? Was it to get closer to Kushida-san? If the answer is yes, it looked like you got along quite well." She asked with a confused expression before she teased me.
"I was just making her occupied not to disturb Sakura-san and you" I replied without showing any kind of response she was expecting, rendering her dumbstruck.
"Suuure" She was still suspecting me but I ignored her suspicion.
"You and Sakura-san got along pretty well too, did you get her number?" I questioned with a curious gaze.
"Oh, yeah, I guess we got on pretty well" She seemed quite happy with the development.
"Then today's goal had been accomplished. I will have to require your help once again." I said and lowered my head to show sincerity.
"Huh? Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say the goal had been accomplished? Was this entire meeting just to make me get Sakura-san's number?" She was quite shocked upon hearing my words and I just nodded my head.
"But...but you never said that! Did you honestly rely on luck that we would get along or are you perhaps a foreseer?! I won't give you her number, she entrusted it to me." She questioned with something between an excited and shocked expression.
"You would act strange if I told you what's the goal, it wouldn't be genuine and no, I am not a foreseer. You two were usually skipping swimming classes together so I thought you might find a common ground, however for that to happen, you two needed some space. I also don't need her number nor do I care about it." I closed my eyes for a second before replying calmly, though the last part might have sounded a bit harsh.
"So...you really kept Kushida-san occupied so she wouldn't interrupt our bonding...? That's amazing! But why would you want to exclude Kushida-san from this secret mission to help Sakura-san?" She acted a bit enthusiastic going as far as to take a few steps closer to me.
"Ehm...Can I choose to refrain from answering this question?" I averted my gaze and asked with an uncomfortable expression.
"I see, that's fine. So...what is our next step?" She asked in an excited tone as if we were playing a mystery and detective game.
"Our next step is to bait the creep out of his hiding and teach him a lesson he won't so easily forget" Unconsciously, both my eyes and smile turned cold when I thought of what I should do to that person.
"Creep? Does she have a stalker?! I will definitely help you out if that's the case! However, I must say you really are different from the way you act in class..." Hasabe said with a determined expression while clenching her fist before giving me a mysterious smile I couldn't discern.
---Haruka Hasebe---
Affection: 4 -> 9
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