Chapter 131: “Festival preparations begin!”

A few days later…

Itan High School was bustling with activity.

"Can you pass me that board over there, please?"

"Oh! Pass me that fabric!"

"Does anyone know when Takeshi will be back with the materials? I sent him over an hour ago!" "Ouch! Damn needle!"

Amidst the various sounds of tools, the voices of the many young people hard at work could be heard.

Student Council Office...

"Damn it, where the hell is the president!" shouted a student council member.

"Did she really have to disappear at a time like this?"

"Wait, I found something!"

"This... This is a note?"

One of the members found a note on the president's main seat.

"I had to attend to an important matter that involves getting lost in the paths of life, so good luck everyone and work hard! Kisses, Setoka..."

"You've got to be kidding me!" yelled another member.

"Wait! Don't panic, we still have the acting vice president!"

"That's right!"

"Quick, someone go find Tadano-san! He's the only one who can bring the acting vice president!"

…

Tadano POV

Tadano: "So, that's why I'm here, isn't it?" I asked.

Student Council Member 1: "Yes!" one member nodded without a shred of shame.

Student Council Member 2: "It's really hard for us to deal with her... Please, Tadano-san, it's an emergency!" begged another member.

Sigh

After letting out a sigh of annoyance, I took out my phone. After a few messages and a short call, I responded.

Tadano: "Alright, she'll be on her way. In the future, please contact the vice president's best friend first..." I said in a slightly irritated tone.

Student Council Member 3: "But we don't know who that is..." the other member couldn't finish their sentence because the door suddenly swung open.

From it emerged a nervous-looking girl with short brown-orange hair tied into a small ponytail on the right side. She was holding the hand of a stern-looking girl with short, wavy black hair combed to the right side of her face. She wore thick black glasses.

Upon seeing the girl with glasses, all the members quickly rushed to surround her.

"Vice president! You're finally here!" they shouted, tears of relief streaming down their faces.

I wonder what kind of disasters Setoka has put them through; that woman is a walking catastrophe.

While I was lost in thought, Kiyoko began directing the people.

"Tadano-san, good morning..." I heard from behind me.

When I turned around, I saw the somewhat nervous but still very cheerful Ase Shibuki.

Tadano: "I see that Kiyoko has managed to overcome her aversion enough to hold your hand without needing a glove or disinfectant," I said teasingly.

Upon hearing my words, the girl smiled happily and somewhat proudly.

Ase: "Hehe, thanks to your advice and those sweets you gave us, I've managed to help her relax. Now, I only need to wash my hands for five minutes to be able to hold her hand without any issues!" she said proudly.

Without a doubt, Ase was a cute girl, so, eager to tease her a bit, I asked: Tadano: "So... how are things going with that little blue-haired brat?" I said, patting her on the shoulder.

Ase looked away and began sweating uncontrollably. Ase: "T-Things are going f-fine..." she said shyly.

Tadano: "Have you kissed him yet?" I joked.

Ase jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Ase: "K-Kiss... No! I-I haven't..." she stammered, turning as red as a tomato.

I raised an eyebrow at her behavior.

Then, before I could say anything, a hammer suddenly flew toward my head and lodged itself into the wall.

I turned my head robotically and looked at the object stuck in the wall.

"How the hell does a toy hammer have enough force to embed itself in concrete!" I thought as I looked at the red and yellow plastic hammer deeply embedded in the wall, still emitting a bit of smoke.

Then, I turned my head and saw an angry Kiyoko.

Kiyoko: "Don't bully Ase-san..." she said in a chilly tone.

I raised my hands in surrender.

…

A few minutes later, the committee members had left, and Kiyoko let out a tired sigh as she sat in a nearby chair.

Ase, being a good friend, approached her with a bottle of water.

Kiyoko hesitated for a moment but then took it and drank a large gulp.

She then looked at me and extended her hand.

Sensing her gaze, I turned around and pretended to look behind me, acting oblivious.

She frowned and snapped. Kiyoko: "Those candies... hand them over!" she said in a commanding tone.

Sigh

Tadano: "So demanding, Miss Clean Freak..." I said with a smile as I materialized a small bag with colorful little balls.

[NikoNiko Candies: "Relaxing candies with various flavors. Try your luck and see which flavor you get..."]

This is one of the countless items I got from the roulette. They're pretty useless except for giving a slight feeling of happiness... for a few minutes. Or so I thought until Kiyoko ate one by accident.

In her case, it prevented her aversion from flaring up too much.

With their help, she could now hug and hold her friend's hand without needing a long cleaning process beforehand.

…

After giving her the candies, she didn't hesitate and quickly ate one.

Sigh

After letting out a sigh of relief, the girl relaxed.

Kiyoko: "These really are good..." she said as she stretched her stiff limbs.

Ase: "Isagi-san, are you sure you'll be alright without the president?" she asked, somewhat worried.

Kiyoko: "Don't worry. Thanks to the constant reminders from that gorilla next to you, I no longer rely on anything Ichou-san does. It also helps that he handles most of the paperwork..." she began speaking with clear disdain towards Setoka's behavior but ended in a near whisper.

I obviously heard her and smiled at how tsundere she was.

It's worth noting that Kiyoko didn't feel her usual cleanliness aversion with me, which surprised me the first time it happened too.

This made Kiyoko very curious, causing her to follow me around for a while.

The good thing was that thanks to that, it was easier to connect Kiyoko with Shouko and, in turn, with Ase.

At first, I didn't have many intentions with Kiyoko other than to make her a friend of Shouko's, but since she's so diligent with her work while also being a beauty...

Well, you know, right? There's a saying...

"Beauty has its privileges..."

Shinomiya: "Isn't it more that you're just a pervert?" Stab

Nagisa: "Womanizer!" Stab

Tomoya: "Well, buddy, don't worry. You're not far off from becoming one of those Arab sheikhs with hundreds of wives... a total scumbag." Stab

Damn, those comments pierced me like a thousand blades, you know?

After clearing my mind and helping Kiyoko with some paperwork, I returned to my class.

…

Third Person POV

Even after some time had passed since the man left, the wavy-haired girl didn't take her eyes off the door.

Ase, at her side, sighed as she watched her friend.

Ase: "You know you can tell him, right?"

Kiyoko seemed to snap back to reality upon hearing her friend and, after adjusting her glasses, continued with her work.

Without looking at her friend, she spoke.

Kiyoko: "It's not important... I don't think he's interested in me anyway, plus he already has girls around him... It's better for me to just focus on my studies. These feelings will go away sooner or later..." she said in a calm voice.

Ase: "Kiyoko-chan!"

Kiyoko: "It's fine, Shibuki... By the way, how are things going with that egocentric blue-haired guy? From what I've heard, you two have already..."

Ase: "AAAAAAAAAAA!" the girl screamed, trying to stop her friend from continuing, her face completely red.

Kiyoko laughed at the sight of her friend.

Ase looked at her friend with grievance.

...

Author's note: "Hehe, a little late but here's the chapter. I had some minor issues this weekend, so I couldn't publish it earlier, but here we are. Remember to drink plenty of water, and I love you all. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."

---------------------- nwnr