Chapter 13: Of Course You'll Choose to Forgive Him
Noon was lunchtime.
Even a workaholic like Shirogane Miyuki couldn't stay in work mode all the time.
"President~, why didn't you increase the budget for the board game club!" Fujiwara Chika tugged on Sakurai Saki's arm.
(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )づ♡
It was clearly Shirogane's decision, so why was she tugging on me?
Sakurai Saki picked up a piece of tempura, "I was the one who told the president that."
"The training costs for sports clubs are much higher than for cultural clubs, and the rate of equipment damage is greater too. From what I've heard, a lot of the board games purchased by your club were played just a few times and then left to gather dust in a corner."
Fujiwara Chika instantly deflated.
"Well, that's…"
"Well, that's just…"
Shirogane Miyuki picked up a piece of vegetable, swallowed it, then joined the conversation: "If something's been bought, it should be used until it's completely worn out—at the very least, right?"
Shirogane Miyuki was a stingy person.
His family circumstances had shaped his habit of frugality.
If an electronic device could still power on, it was still "new."
If food was still edible, it was still "fresh"!
"Exactly." Sakurai Saki nodded.
"President! You too, Sakurai-kun! You stingy cheapskates!" Fujiwara Chika yelled.
.·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
"Using student council resources for personal reasons is obviously not a good thing—but technically, it's not impossible to increase the budget for the board game club." Sakurai Saki brought the piece of tempura he had just picked up to Fujiwara Chika's mouth.
"So, it's my fault. Can you forgive me?"
(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
No way in hell I'm forgiving you!
Fujiwara Chika angrily munched down the tempura.
"Hmph! I forgive you!"
∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ??
After she said it, Fujiwara Chika froze.
Sakurai Saki picked up a piece of beef, "What about back then, when I used to tease you every single day—can you forgive me for that too?"
(..◜ᴗ◝..)
"Of course no—"
Before Fujiwara Chika could finish, another piece of meat was shoved into her mouth.
After swallowing it, the rest of her sentence turned into——"UwU~ I forgive you."
( ꈍ◡ꈍ)
Sakurai Saki nodded.
"You not holding a grudge—what a relief."
Shirogane Miyuki, sitting across from them, had the corners of his eyes turning a bit red.
What a beautiful relationship this was!
Even though she lost miserably every time they played, Secretary Fujiwara never once complained!
This truly was genuine love!
(∩˃o˂∩)♡
Fujiwara Chika felt something was seriously wrong.
She quietly covered her mouth with her small hand.
"Fujiwara-san, Ahh~"
(づ˶•༝•˶)づ♡
Like a devil, Sakurai brought over another piece of food.
It was a sausage.
Fujiwara Chika frantically shook her head.
(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
...
Shinomiya Kaguya had planned to drop by the student council room for a bit during lunch today.
But it seemed she had walked in at the wrong time.
"Sakurai-kun, yamete~ don't shove that sausage in!"
(,,>﹏<,,)
"Fujiwara-san, eating more is good for your health. Hora hora, Ahh~~"
On Kaguya's usually cold face appeared a trace of suspicion.
She slowly pushed the door open.
And saw a scene that made her feel unbearably embarrassed—
Sakurai was pinning Secretary Fujiwara down on the sofa.
( ≖‿ ≖ )
Tried to stuff the sausage in her mouth
Fujiwara Chika had her hands over her mouth, teary-eyed.
(っ>﹏<ς)
But upon seeing this scene, Shinomiya Kaguya didn't look worried at all—in fact, she seemed a little amused.
That normally overly-enthusiastic, hard-to-handle girl, like a cancer cell replicating endlessly, had finally met her match.
"Kaguya-san?"
"Shinomiya?"
"Shinomiya-san?"
Shinomiya Kaguya had almost no knowledge of sexual matters.
If the average person's understanding of sex was at ground level, then Kaguya was the sheltered rich girl living on the 99th basement floor.
She believed that just kissing would lead to pregnancy.
Those two… were they about to kiss?
Getting pregnant in high school was definitely not a wise choice.
"When the baby's a month old, don't forget to send me an invitation, Fujiwara-san." Kaguya said as she stepped into the student council room.
ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)
She glanced at the food laid out on the table.
And at the two people practically glued together.
Kaguya's face turned red, and she left the student council room with a solemn expression.
Leaving behind Fujiwara Chika and Shirogane Miyuki, who stood frozen in place, utterly confused as to what she had just misunderstood.
"Did Shinomiya just mention… a baby?"
Shirogane Miyuki had thought he understood Shinomiya Kaguya well enough by now.
In his eyes—
Shinomiya Kaguya was someone who appeared cold on the outside but was warm on the inside.
He had invited Kaguya into the student council partly because he wanted to help her open up.
Don't let the family tie down your freedom—Shirogane hoped she could become someone named Shinomiya Kaguya, not Kaguya of the Shinomiya household.
Sakurai let go of Fujiwara, looking at the still-shocked expression on her face.
Then he answered:
"She said, 'Don't forget to send me an invitation when the baby's one month old.'"
"But among the three of us… do any of us even have a lover?" Sakurai asked Shirogane Miyuki.
The moment the topic of love came up, Fujiwara Chika perked up.
ヾ(｡✪ω✪｡)ｼ
All the embarrassment from earlier when the sausage was shoved toward her face completely vanished.
"President Shirogane~ do you already have a girlfriend?"
"Not yet."
"Then do you have someone you like?" Fujiwara asked curiously.
"No."
Shirogane Miyuki felt like he didn't have time for romance.
Daily studying took up 10 hours, plus part-time work and student council duties.
He genuinely had no energy left for anything else.
"Ehh? That's so sad~" Chika looked disappointed.
(¬`‸´¬)
"President! High school is the time to celebrate youth! Youth only lasts a few years, you know~"
Secretary Fujiwara said, then even pretended to be an old lady and coughed a few times, "Or else you'll blink and suddenly you're an oji-san!"
The way you define "youth" is way too random!?
"President, don't listen to her. Even if you die a virgin, a man is still a boy."
"But as for me, I already have a girl I like," Sakurai Saki said, resting his chin on his hand.
Then he started describing the girl he liked—
"Her hair's a bit curly..."
Fujiwara Chika glanced at her own hair.
That's a match!
(๑>◡<๑)
"She's petite, very cute."
That's a match too! A total match!!
(づ> v <)づ♡
"Her name starts with the syllable 'Chi'."
Aaaaaa!!!!
(∩˃o˂∩)♡
Isn't that clearly——
A confession!?
Chika's cheeks flushed red, and her smile bloomed brighter than the cherry blossoms in the schoolyard.
"She just turned 12 this year."
( ˶°ㅁ°) NANI!!!
Chotto matte... what!?
So it wasn't me——!??
Fujiwara Chika's smile instantly disappeared.
Replaced by a face of utter despair.
(╥ᆺ╥;)
Shirogane Miyuki didn't catch the implication in Sakurai's words.
"Oh~ you mean that little one? Yeah, she's really cute. Tiny, and super clingy too."
Shirogane smiled fondly.
"Every time we visit, she runs out to hug us, and she won't leave until we give her a kiss."
Fujiwara Chika jumped out of her seat.
Twelve years old.
Elementary school student.
Lo…loli!!??
President and Sakurai-kun!
So you guys are into girls that age!?
Shirogane Miyuki rubbed his nose awkwardly and said:
"She's already old and still running around like that—it really worries me sometimes."
Old!?
She's only 12 years old though!?
Secretary Fujiwara, trembling, pulled out her phone.
Her fingers shook as she opened the dial screen.
Call the police… I need to call the police…
༼;'༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽
What's the police number again?
"Secretary Fujiwara, are you okay?" Shirogane asked, puzzled.
"Hentai!!! Even children aren't safe from you! Beast!"
⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾
Fujiwara Chika shrieked, hiding behind Sakurai in fear.
Shirogane's face was full of question marks.
What? Beast?
If I'm a beast, then the one you're using as a human shield right now is a True Beast, you know!?
"Secretary Fujiwara, a 12-year-old dog is actually quite old. She's not doing too well these days."
…Dog?
∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?
∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?
∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?
Fujiwara Chika froze for a few seconds.
Her fair face visibly changed color.
No longer able to face anyone!
"Umu, a white Bichon Frise. Very cute. She's an old lady now—12 years old this year."
Sakurai Saki smiled as he looked at Fujiwara Chika.
Then, like a demon, he dropped a question straight into her soul:
"Secretary Fujiwara, just who exactly did you think I was talking about?"
(≖⩊≖)