Kiyotaka's POV
Ring, ring...
The alarm in the bedside clock rang loudly, signaling the arrival of the new day.
I woke up and looked at it with resignation, understanding why people have an urge to throw it through the window when it starts ringing in the morning.
I swear, the one who invented wake-up alarm clocks was genius and devil.
Normally, I had a punctual sleeping schedule, so I didn't need it, but today was different.
I barely had any sleep the last night and the night before, preparing for this day, so I set it just to be sure to not oversleep.
Today was 10th April, Kiryuin Fuka's birthday.
Normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal to celebrate a girl's birthday.
I already invited Fuka for a date and prepared a present.
But because of the certain idea, this event became even more important.
And since I didn't have much time to prepare the surprise, I decided to cut off my sleep time to minimum to make it happen.
It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was still detrimental.
I went to the bathroom, then started preparing to dress up and go to Professor's place.
Since we had classes today, I treated the first part of today the same as always.
I only needed to worry about my performance in the afternoon.
Ding-dong!
Suddenly, my doorbell rang, interrupting my dressing up.
Kiyotaka: "Sotomura managed to prepare himself before me? Today's gonna snow..."
Without many doubts nor my shirt, I opened the door widely.
...
Hm?
The last time I saw him, Professor didn't have platinum hair, nice thighs and a smug, pretty face.
I made a surprised expression, understanding what kind of blunder I just made.
'Professor' also made a surprised expression, while scanning me a few times, then started to grin widely.
Professor(?): "Oh my, Kiyotaka. I was planning to surprise you, but you instantaneously beat me up. Is that how you always welcome your guests, or is this some kind of service for VIP of today?"
Kiyotaka: "Good morning, Fuka. I was thinking that it was Professor and was worried what kind of natural disaster was going to hit us today. Luckily, such a phenomenon won't occur, so treat it as a service from my gratitude."
Indeed, before me was standing Kiryuin Fuka in casual, pretty clothes.
While I was standing in just my pants...
Fortunately, the concept of shame wasn't even close to me.
Fuka: "Is that so? Then thank you for the treat."
Fuka grinned, while her eyes stayed on my body.
This girl was almost as shameless as me.
Almost, since her cheeks started to turn red.
Kiyotaka: "Like what you see?"
I teased her a little with a smug face.
Fuka: "I guess the first surprise today was rather well-made, Kiyotaka. You pass."
Kiyotaka: "Thank you very much. May I ask what are you doing here so early in the morning? If I remember correctly, I invited you after the classes, not before."
Fuka: "You won't let me in? Some people may come and see the current you, if we talk here."
Kiyotaka: "The question is - do you dare to enter this room with the current me, Fuka?"
Without any hesitation Fuka walked past me to my room, not failing to provocatively glance at my body once more while doing so.
This girl...
I closed the door.
Fuka looked around a little, then sat on my bed without even asking for permission.
Fuka: "So you are one of those clean types, Kiyotaka."
Kiyotaka: "What were you expecting, while coming here?"
Fuka: "Mainly your embarrassed, unwashed face after just waking up, while asking me to wait a little to clean up your messy room and face."
Kiyotaka: "I apologize for disappointing you."
Fuka: "Don't worry. The view may be different from my imagination, but it's still quite nice."
Kiyotaka: "Pervert. How did you know when to come?"
Fuka: "I contacted with Prof yesterday and told him that I was going to visit you this morning. He was really cooperative once he heard that the exercises will probably be cancelled."
That lazy bun...
He just sold off his leader like that and didn't say any word of warning...
I'm gonna engrave in his bones the chain of command here...
Fuka: "You can't bully Prof, Kiyotaka. He is really a sensible fellow."
Kiyotaka: "The thought never crossed my mind."
I started to walk towards Fuka.
Fuka: "You are not going to put on your shirt?"
Kiyotaka: "I wonder... Should I? Your embarrassed, washed face is quite nice."
Fuka: "You shouldn't bully VIP of today as well, Kiyotaka."
Kiyotaka: "Does that mean I could bully you tomorrow?"
I stopped just before Fuka and crouched down to have a good look at her.
She didn't react in any way, but the shade of redness on her cheeks became more obvious.
Fuka: "Who is a pervert here, I wonder."
I grinned at her.
Kiyotaka: "So, Fuka, to what do I owe this lovely visit?"
Fuka: "You see, Kiyotaka... A certain, troublesome individual leaked to my classmates that today is my birthday... And my motivation to go to the school reached rock bottom. So I thought, 'why not skip it for today?' And then, an idea that you would be interested in accompany me crossed my mind, so here I am."
Kiyotaka: "A troublesome individual?"
Fuka: "Nagumo..."
Kiyotaka: "Nagumo contacted your class?"
Fuka: "Yes. Nazuna told me that Nagumo made a contact with Ichinose and asked her for cooperation, since he and I are close. Apparently they are going to hold a surprise birthday party for me after the classes."
Fuka made a sour expression, totally showing how the idea displeased her.
Nagumo contacted Ichinose?
That was a really interesting and bad piece of news.
Kiyotaka: "Did Asahina-senpai tell you anything else?"
Fuka: "No, only that. She knows that I dislike such a thing, so she decided to tell me beforehand."
I furrowed my brows.
This move of Nagumo was quite good.
Ichinose was a potential candidate for Student Council and an important figure in Fuka's class.
For Nagumo, she was probably a priority target to approach among freshmen.
By cooperating with her to hold Fuka's party, not only he would make a nice first impression on Ichinose, he could also naturally come close to Fuka's daily environment.
He was taking an advantage of Ichinose's kindness, who, according to Fuka, was trying to unite her class.
If played well, he would get a new member of Student Council to his side, make a cooperation with one of the freshman's class and gain some control over Fuka's space.
What a nasty guy.
Fuka: "Looks like you figured out some things, Kiyotaka."
I looked at Fuka.
She was still smiling, but her smile became a forced one.
I could tell that she was greatly irritated right now.
Kiyotaka: "It seems like the actual target of today is Ichinose rather than you, Fuka. Nagumo is probably just using your birthday as a pretext to get close to her."
Fuka: "I know that. Acting as a good guy and wooing some girls, while actually being an unpleasant bastard, is one of his fortes. And my classmates just keep bothering me recently, so they probably thought that this is a good idea to become friends with me..."
Kiyotaka: "So you decided to hide here?"
Fuka: "If I go to the school, my classmates would invite me to the party. If I refuse, Nagumo would just act as a pitiful, abandoned man. If I agree, he would act as if he was great for helping out my classmates. I don't want to do either, so I'm skipping the school and this performance. Do you want to accompany me?"
She looked straight at me, her eyes dead serious.
I smiled at her.
My hand reached her head and patted her hair.
Kiyotaka: "Is there something you would like for your birthday breakfast?"
Fuka made a joyful expression.
Fuka: "I will leave it to you, Chef Ayanokouji."
My smile widened, while looking at her.
I left her, wondering what should I cook.
I decided to finally put on my shirt.
Fuka: "Ah, what a waste. I thought I could witness a half-naked apron at least."
Kiyotaka: "Such a premium event would be unlockable for one thousand Kiyotaka Affection Points, Fuka. Work hard to gather points, and your dream may come true."
Fuka laughed heartily.
Fuka: "I will keep it in mind."
I started bustling in the kitchen to prepare some nice breakfast.
But my thoughts weren't there.
It wasn't a bad idea for Fuka to hide here, but leaving Ichinose with Nagumo may be problematic.
Without anyone to oppose him, he could tell Ichinose whatever he wanted, and she may decide to take his side, since she wanted to achieve unity in her class.
On top of that, if I would be absent from the classes to spent my time with Fuka, I would be higher on the suspect list after THAT.
While I would love to spend the entire day with Fuka, the risk would increase, and I may need to call the entire operation off...
...
But if we played it right...
...
Actually, wasn't it kinda an opportunity?
I was planning to kill two birds with one stone, but now there's a possibility to kill three... No... Four birds in one move...
But would Fuka agree to that?
Fuka: "You are making a really mean face, you know, Kiyotaka."
I turned around and saw Fuka looking at me.
Kiyotaka: "Do I?"
Fuka: "Yes. It says that you just thought of something really bad."
Kiyotaka: "Who knows? Let's say that I did, but needed help. Would you help me?"
Fuka: "Why do you think I came here so early? I thought that maybe if it's you, there would be a chance to witness something interesting. If not, you would just be my personal butler for a day, which wasn't that bad either. But now that I see your current face, it seems like we aren't going to laze around."
Kiyotaka: "So you were actually testing me? What a bad girl you are, Fuka."
Fuka: "Yes, I'm a bad girl. What are you going to do with this bad girl, Kiyotaka?"
I turned around and slightly hugged her waist.
Kiyotaka: "I need some help from this bad girl, so her punishment may be postponed for now."
The girl's body shivered slightly.
Fuka: "So you can't do it without me, huh? How helpless."
I was slowly caressing her back.
Whenever I was with her, I was carefully increasing the intimacy between us.
Of course, she knew what I was doing, but she never refused.
Both of us understood that it was just a small game to figure out what the other one was actually thinking.
Kiyotaka: "I can't do it without VIP of the day."
Fuka: "I see. It can't be helped then. Fine. What should I do?"
Kiyotaka: "Sit down for now. Breakfast is almost ready."
It took me less than 10 minutes to prepare everything.
Fuka: "You are quite skilled, Kiyotaka."
Fuka took a bite and smiled happily, enjoying the food.
Kiyotaka: "Thank you."
Fuka: "So? Did you organize your thoughts about the matter?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. And to be honest, everything is ready."
Fuka: "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Kiyotaka: "I was planning a birthday surprise anyway, so everything is ready. The only thing that needs to be changed is our actions and to be precise, your actions, Fuka."
Fuka: "Mine?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. I was planning to surprise you during our date, but with how things stay, I thought of the better idea."
Fuka: "Which is?"
Kiyotaka: "I want you to attend your classes normally and... I want you to attend this surprise birthday party."
Fuka: "..."
Fuka made a sour face again.
She probably didn't expect that I wanted her to go along with Nagumo's wishes.
Kiyotaka: "I know that you wanted to avoid that, but I promise that it would be worth your sacrifice. Only when you would attend this party, everything would be in place."
Fuka: "What are you planning, Kiyotaka?"
Kiyotaka: "A pleasant surprise."
Fuka: "Pleasant, huh? And where are you going to be at that time?"
Kiyotaka: "By your side, of course. Waiting to be rewarded for my hard work."
I smiled at her.
Fuka looked at me and sighed.
Fuka: "You really know how to bully a girl."
Kiyotaka: "I will add the promise to spend the entire day with you on some other day."
Fuka: "That's not a punishment for you."
Kiyotaka: "But you have nothing to lose from it as well, right?"
Fuka: "..."
Fuka was hesitant.
She disliked social activity this much, huh?
Or, she had the unpleasant memories from attending some in the past...
Fuka: "Can you honestly answer one of my questions, Kiyotaka?"
Kiyotaka: "Of course."
Fuka: "How much do you know about me?"
The platinum-haired girl made a serious expression.
I guessed that we would have a discussion like that one day, so I answered truthfully.
Kiyotaka: "I know that you are Kiryuin Family's daughter. And some of your circumstances. A certain individual really liked his birthday present, so he was a little more talkative about the things other than himself."
Fuka: "I see. That damned narcissist..."
Kiyotaka: "You and Nagumo are supposed to marry to help your family increase its influence, and you don't have any say in that matter. Am I right?"
Fuka was silent for a moment.
Fuka: "Yes, that's right. My family only treat me as a commodity to sell for the one who may bid the most. My freedom is limited. I was only allowed to attend this school, where my family couldn't freely reach, because Nagumo was in this school. They agreed, since it was a good occasion to make some official backstory that we were a couple or something during our stay here, then just marry me off after graduation."
Kiyotaka: "So you were the one, who have chosen this place, because the only one to bother you here would be Nagumo, huh?"
Fuka: "Yes. I thought that I could at least experience some freedom here, especially since Nagumo would graduate one year before me. I was planning to just kill my time, while lazing around and not bothering myself with thoughts about my family."
Kiyotaka: "And things already become troublesome because of the class competition, right?"
Fuka: "Yeah. I like how much income we get, but I'm not planning to lend my hand to the class. Seeing how Nagumo is already eyeing Ichinose, my conviction became even stronger."
Kiyotaka: "I understand that. I promise that I won't allow things to become troublesome for you. Didn't I say that it's gonna be a pleasant surprise? But of course, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. Like I said, this surprise was made without knowing about that party, so we can still avoid it. It's just that if you go, it's gonna be more effective."
Fuka: "..."
Kiyotaka: "It's your choice. We can also spend the entire day together. This butler will keep you entertained either way, Young Miss."
Fuka chuckled and made a thoughtful expression.
After a few moments, she smiled slightly.
Fuka: "You will lose all Fuka Affection Points for this."
Kiyotaka: "I'm sure I will get even more FAP points after this day is over."
Fuka: "We shall see."
I smiled to her.
Looks like there's a chance to strike big.
After our breakfast, Fuka went back to change into her school uniform.
We agreed to meet before the dorm and walked together to the school.
I could tell that she wasn't really happy about it, but was bracing herself for what's to come.
Seeing her reluctance, while we went separate ways, made me feel bad for her.
I could only hope that the plan would bring expected results.
The classes today were somehow even more boring than always, probably because I was thinking how nice would it be to spend this time with Fuka.
After the last class finished, I left the classroom in a hurry.
It was time for the show.
Since I was familiar with the route, I spent less time to arrive at Class B's classroom than before.
This time I didn't stop to overhear what was happening inside, but just widely opened the door.
Everyone from Class B was here.
I spotted Fuka.
She was already encircled by Ichinose and the rest.
Not bothering with the gazes, I walked naturally to the platinum-haired girl.
Kiyotaka: "Fuka, I came to pick you up."
Using the same phrase as the last time, I started the war.
Most of the Class B's students didn't expect me to come, or so their faces were telling me.
Ichinose was surprised as well.
I guess she didn't account for such a situation to occur.
Kiyotaka: "Good afternoon, Ichinose. I hope I didn't interrupt something here."
I made an innocent smiling face.
Ichinose: "A-Ayanokouji-kun, good afternoon. No, you didn't..."
Fuka: "Kiyotaka, we have a small trouble here."
Fuka made a serious face.
Or should I say that she was playing her role perfectly?
Kiyotaka: "Hm? Trouble?"
I looked at her with some doubts.
Fuka: "My class found out that today's my birthday and decided to make a surprise party for me. What to do?"
Kiyotaka: "Oh? Isn't that nice?"
Fuka: "But I already promised to meet with you..."
Kiyotaka: "Ah, well, that's true..."
I made a troubled expression.
Ichinose: "Ayanokouji-kun, I apologize. I've heard that Kiryuin-san actually didn't have any appointment today, so we wanted to surprise her and celebrate together. I didn't know that you two had any plans."
Right, it was a wonder of mine why Ichinose didn't confirm Fuka's schedule for today before organizing a party.
Fuka: "Where did you hear something like that, Ichinose?"
Fuka looked sharply at Ichinose.
Ichinose: "This..."
Ichinose looked disoriented.
I guess Nagumo's the one behind that...
He probably thought that by making it a surprise for Fuka, he would ruin whatever plans she had.
There was also a possibility that he really thought that no one would know about Fuka's birthday so early, so she wouldn't have anyone to celebrate it anyway.
Kiyotaka: "Now, now, Fuka. It's not that big of a deal."
Ichinose: "What? No, no... It's my fault for not checking it accurately. I apologize for making both of you uncomfortable."
The situation became tense.
Kiyotaka: "Fuka, since your class made such an effort to make you a party, you shouldn't decline. It's a good way to become closer. We could celebrate it by ourselves on some other day."
Fuka: "Kiyotaka, are you sure about it?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes, please have fun with your classmates. I will postpone our celebration for another day."
I patted Fuka's head a little, acting as if I was reassuring her, then directed myself to leave.
Behold what a good guy I was.
I let go of my appointment, so the girl could spend time with her classmates.
I could imagine my stocks going up for every person here.
Nagumo wasn't the only one, who could play the Nice Guy card.
But of course, it wasn't my only aim here.
Ichinose: "Wait a moment, Ayanokouji-kun! Since it has come to this, how about coming with us?"
I was also expecting to get this invitation.
Kiyotaka: "Really? This is your class's event, and I'm an outsider."
Ichinose: "That's not true. We all are celebrating Kiryuin-san's birthday, so her friend should be the part of it as well. Isn't that right, everyone?"
Ichinose made a saint-like smile, while asking her classmates.
Everyone nodded, making some smiles.
Amikura: "That's right. The more, the better. Ayanokouji-kun is more than welcome."
Suddenly, a boy took a step towards me.
He had violet hair and a stoic expression.
??: "It would be in bad taste for me and my classmates, if we make you withdraw because of our negligence. If it's okay with you, let's celebrate together, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "Well, since it comes to this, I won't refuse. Thank you, umm..."
??: "I'm Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you, Ayanokouji."
We shook our hands.
Game, set, match.
My vision crossed with Fuka's, making her roll her eyes.
This small episode was quickly forgotten and Class B started to happily chat with each other, while leaving the school.
I was walking close to Fuka, Ichinose and Kanzaki, while observing this atmosphere with some interest.
Unlike Class D, Class B looked united.
Ichinose's skill and effort was evident here.
She turned out to be not only the leader of the girls, but the boys as well.
Kanzaki seemed to be the second-in-command here and was supporting Ichinose.
Once the class competition would be announced, this class probably wouldn't experience much of chaos.
It was a normal, happy class.
They seriously were giving me the vibe that only good people were present here.
But this cheerful mood was just... too heavy.
I could tell why Fuka was fed up with her classmates.
Someone with strong individuality, who didn't like to be part of the big group, wasn't a good match for this class.
While we were going to the place, both me and Fuka were targeted with questions from both girls and boys.
We were like a pair of pandas in the zoo during the school trip.
It was just annoying.
But at the very least, my presence loosened Fuka's burden.
When I sighed slightly to myself, she gave me a look as if saying, 'It was your idea. We could just stay in your room and have fun', or something similar.
Fortunately, we soon arrived at the place.
It was a big restaurant with seats in the outside garden for the customers.
There was also an arbor nearby.
It seemed like a good place to hold some party in open space for the bigger number of people.
Compared to it, Henry's place was...
Yeah...
I looked around.
The positioning and distance was good enough to execute my plan.
Now I only needed a good timing.
The entire Class B under Ichinose's command neatly took over the place.
I took the seat next to Fuka, with Ichinose and Kanzaki near us.
Since the participants started to disperse and form smaller groups, the focus on me and Fuka dropped a lot.
I could see that the platinum-haired girl's mood became better.
Kiyotaka: "You found quite a good place for such big amount of people, Ichinose."
Ichinose: "Haha, thank you. It was actually recommended to me by a senpai. I must say that I'm surprised by how nice here is as well."
Kiyotaka: "I see. To be honest, I didn't expect that all of your classmates would attend this party. It seems like Class B started to function as the entire class."
Ichinose: "Does your classmates not get along with each other, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Well, some get along with each other and small groups started to form already. But if I made a party like this, probably only more than half would come."
Ichinose: "I'm sure you would unite your class soon as well, Ayanokouji-kun."
Kiyotaka: "Hm? But I'm not planning to do something like that though. In the first place, I'm not even the leader of class."
Ichinose: "Ehh? Is that so?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. I'm just a dude from Student Council in my class. A boy named Hirata is more like class leader than me."
Fuka chuckled at my comment.
Ichinose: "I-I see."
Kanzaki: "Ayanokouji. I hope you won't be offended by me asking this, but how did you manage to enter Student Council so early?"
Ichinose: "I'm also curious about it, Ayanokouji-kun."
Kiyotaka: "Well, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but since you were so kind to invite me to this party, I will share it with you two. Fuka already knows about it."
The two of them looked at Fuka for a second, but she remained silent.
Kiyotaka: "It all started because we were late on the first day of the school."
Ichinose: "Eh? You were absent as well, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes, our bus became part of an accident and some students including us were late to the school."
Ichinose: "An accident? Were you two alright?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes, no one got hurt, thankfully. But because of that, we needed to meet with our homeroom teachers and with Student Council. That's how we have met with Horikita-senpai."
Fuka started smiling, probably remembering that time.
Kiyotaka: "At that time, Horikita-senpai was in the middle of different matter. But I hope you guys won't repeat it to anyone else."
Both of them nodded at me.
Kiyotaka: "Actually, Student Council has one more Vice-President called Nagumo Miyabi from Class 2-A. When we met with Horikita-senpai, he was in the middle of processing the matter of suspending Nagumo-senpai. I don't know the details, but apparently it was because of his inappropriate behavior towards some freshmen."
After hearing Nagumo's name, Ichinose stiffened slightly and Kanzaki narrowed his eyebrows.
Fuka just chuckled, trying to not smile too widely.
She knew that what I said was actually mainly true, just without some details.
Kiyotaka: "To be honest, it seemed like a huge headache for Horikita-senpai. We hit off well during our talk, so I thought that maybe I could help him and asked if he would be interested in me joining them."
I smiled slightly, trying to act as if I was reminiscing about that talk.
Kiyotaka: "He said that it's not that easily to join Student Council, and it would need a further consideration. I was told that he may contact me later after the case with Nagumo-senpai would be over. I agreed. He then really met with me and proposed the position of Vice-President. From his mouth I learned that Nagumo-senpai was suspended for two weeks and there would be no problem with my candidacy."
I looked at Ichinose and Kanzaki.
Kiyotaka: "To put it simply, I got lucky. That's the all of mystery."
Both of them were silent with some sour faces.
Only Fuka was looking as if she started to enjoy herself.
I guess their bitter look was pleasurable for her.
Fuka: "Once again, congratulations, Kiyotaka. I don't know what Nagumo did, but at least the school had put him in his place. I actually know that bastard. He is quite sly and nasty person. On top of that, he is a womanizer. He was wooing me once before. Ichinose, a girl like you, should be careful around him."
Ichinose: "I-Is that so?"
Ichinose looked confused.
Kanzaki shot her a look of worry.
Kiyotaka: "Don't worry, Ichinose. Although Nagumo-senpai is Vice-President like me, I definitely won't let him bully anyone. If something would happen, please contact me or Horikita-senpai without any worry."
I tried to appeal to the both of them as a dependable person.
Ichinose: "Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."
Kanzaki: "Then, do you mind exchanging phone numbers, Ayanokouji?"
Kiyotaka: "No problem."
We exchanged phone numbers quickly.
Fuka was looking at me with a funny expression.
Our vision's crossed, and we quickly communicated with our eyes.
'You are so shameless, Kiyotaka.'
'You acted along perfectly, Fuka.'
'I just said the truth.'
'Me too.'
'And you got Ichinose's number, you lucky fellow.'
'I didn't ask for it, you know.'
Or so I thought we have said with our eyes.
This eye communication was fascinating.
I was almost sure that I got right what she was thinking and had the same confidence that she was experiencing the same.
Although Ichinose and Kanzaki were still bothered by our words, the party was going smoothly.
The day was slowly getting darker and darker.
It really looked like a normal birthday party in open space.
And it may actually feel like one if only...
??: "Good afternoon, Ichinose. I apologize for my lateness. I thought that maybe the star of the day wouldn't appear, but looks like you managed to bring her here after all."
If only this fellow didn't come...
Nagumo Miyabi smiled widely, while looking at people.
By his side, there were Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai.
While I was expecting the former, the latter was rather a surprise.
Then I remembered that Asahina-senpai said that he was her and Fuka's childhood friend.
But that grumpy expression didn't indicate that he was attending a friend's birthday party at all.
Asahina-senpai was wearing a smile on her face, but I could tell that she was nervous.
Especially after our eyes met, even that smile started to disappear.
I winked at her to reassure her.
Nagumo: "Surprise, Fuka. I thought that maybe you may not tell anyone about your birthday, so I decided to inform Ichinose to make a party just for you."
Nagumo came to us alongside the other two.
Fuka: "Geh, it's you..."
Fuka made a sour face.
This probably wasn't acting but her honest feeling.
After she finally started to enjoy herself a little, now she needed to face the last person she wanted to see today.
Of course, she would be dissatisfied.
I looked at Ichinose as if I was questioning her.
She made an uneasy expression and looked away, probably feeling that the situation wasn't right.
Kanzaki silently observed us.
Nagumo: "The same as always, I see. But today is your birthday, so you should smile."
For the first time, Nagumo looked at me, while narrowing his eyes.
Nagumo: "Looks like we also have an uninvited guest here."
Hearing this, Ichinose tensed up some more.
Ichinose: "Umm, senpai... I actually invited Ayanokouji-kun here because..."
Nagumo raised his hand to stop her.
Nagumo: "It's no problem, Ichinose. Actually, it's even better."
He smirked at me.
Nagumo: "This is the first time we saw each other after the first day, isn't it, Ayanokouji? I have heard that you already made some big waves in such a short amount of time."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Nagumo: "It seems like Horikita-senpai took a liking to you. Impressive, Ayanokouji. I was really surprised, when I learned that he made you second Vice-President."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Nagumo: "What's up? Become mute after seeing my face?"
I directed my vision to Fuka.
Kiyotaka: "Fuka, who is this?"
Everyone made a dumbfounded expression.
Fuka wasn't an exception, not knowing what I meant.
Kiyotaka: "Seeing him with Asahina-senpai and Kiriyama-senpai, he seems to be a senpai. He also said that I have met with him before, but I can't reckon such a situation."
Fuka: "Kiyotaka, that's Nagumo. Nagumo Miyabi. You two met already."
Kiyotaka: "Eh? Don't joke around, Fuka. Nagumo-senpai looks better than that."
Fuka: "Ppff... No, no, that's him. Take a good look."
I stared at the donkey for a moment.
Kiyotaka: "Ehh?! Nagumo-senpai, so it was really you? I'm so sorry... I've always had a hard time to recognize an unremarkable face."
Nagumo: "You..."
Kiyotaka: "Damn it. I almost made a big blunder. I swear I remembered that your face looked better than that. Was it because of the light?"
I acted as if I was seriously pondering about this issue.
Fuka: "Pppfff... Buhahahaha!!! Kiyotaka, you are the best!"
Fuka couldn't bear it anymore and started to laugh wildly.
Nagumo's mouth twitched slightly.
Asahina-senpai looked at me with her mouth opened.
Kiriyama-senpai and Kanzaki made stunned expressions.
Ichinose, totally not understanding what's going on, just looked at me and Nagumo over and over.
Nagumo: "You sure are rude towards your senior..."
Kiyotaka: "Oh, so it's Tachibana-senpai wearing Nagumo costume... That would explain the difference between my memories and this look. Tachibana-senpai, I must say that your choice of surprise sure is ugl... cough... peculiar. What's next, Horikita-senpai jumping out of the cake wearing panda costume?"
Suzune would kill to see that.
Fuka: "Hahahaha...!!!"
Asahina: "Pppfff..."
Fuka burst out in laughing again, while Asahina-senpai couldn't help herself and chuckled.
Nagumo's face became darker, but not only his.
Kiriyama: "Ayanokouji, how can you insult your fellow Council's members like that? Is that something Vice-President should do?"
Kiriyama-senpai was no fun at all.
Although in some aspect he resembled Horikita-senpai, I just couldn't bring myself to have some positive opinion of him.
Kiyotaka: "I don't remember insulting anyone, though, Kiriyama-senpai. Didn't I say that Nagumo-senpai was more handsome in my memories than in the reality? It's practically a compliment. It's not my fault that his image in my head was just destroyed like this."
Kiriyama: "You..."
Fuka laughed again.
Nagumo: "You seem to skillfully adopt the clown role, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "I wouldn't dare to make my senpai jobless. But if you need help in blowing up some balloons, you can always ask me. It's kouhai's duty to help his senpai."
I winked again to Asahina-senpai, who just smiled at me, though worriedly.
Nagumo: "You sure are an interesting guy, Ayanokouji. Looks like our rivalry over President position is gonna be an entertaining one. We shall return to this conversation on the other date. After all, this is a birthday party. The main star of today shouldn't be us. Isn't it right, Fuka?"
Fuka: "I could watch Kiyotaka roasting you for the entire day, so there's no need to be polite, Nagumo. Just bring me some popcorn."
Nagumo: "Now, now. The people here gathered for you. Don't make Ichinose and the others uneasy because of your behavior. You aren't a kid anymore, Fuka."
Fuka stopped smiling and glared at Nagumo, who just smirked at her.
Should I just punch him?
The atmosphere was going astray.
Ichinose: "W-Well, since everyone arrived finally, let's start the main event."
Ichinose spoke, breaking out the coldness.
I could see that all of her classmates were looking at us.
Nagumo: "You are right, Ichinose. We prepared some gifts just for you, Fuka. I hope you will like it."
Nagumo said with a smirk.
Once again, Fuka became the center of attention.
Ichinose: "This one is from the entire class, Kiryuin-san."
Ichinose gave her a big box.
Inside, there were scented candles, sweets and daily care products for females.
I must say that it wasn't a bad mix, especially if they didn't know much about Fuka.
The platinum-haired girl smiled at Ichinose and thanked everyone.
Looks like she wasn't dissatisfied.
Kiriyama: "Happy birthday."
Kiriyama-senpai gave her a small package.
Inside, there was a book.
While it wasn't a bad choice, I thought that he bought it only because he needed to bring something.
Both him and Fuka just nodded to each other.
I guess they weren't exactly in a friendly relationship, despite knowing each other for long.
Asahina: "Here's one from me. Happy birthday, Fuka-chan."
Asahina-senpai showed a bright smile.
Out of everyone here, she probably wished Fuka all best the most.
She gave her a new pretty headband alongside some other small accessories.
Fuka: "Thank you, Nazuna."
Fuka smiled at her friend.
Nagumo: "Then, it's my turn now."
Nagumo brought an expensive looking box.
Fuka opened it in silence.
Instantaneously, many girls made some noise.
Inside the box, there was a set of platinum jewelry, including necklace, earrings and bracelet.
Really beautiful, expensive set.
Nagumo: "It took some time to find something suitable, since I wanted to present you the best gift. I'm sure you will look stunning with it."
Nagumo looked self-satisfied with his present.
Some of the girls looked at Fuka with envy.
It seemed like he really went out of his way for this gift.
But I saw many people like him before, so I knew.
This was just an empty act to boost his own status and boast about his wealth.
Nagumo treated Fuka as already his, so he decided to give his doll some pretty ornaments.
Fuka: "I see. Thanks."
Fuka said in monotone voice with no emotions at all.
Nagumo: "Won't you try it on?"
Fuka: "Nah, I'm good."
She wasn't happy about it, nor she was angry at Nagumo.
The boy just smiled.
He was probably used to this treatment.
Many people made some weird faces, as if not understanding the lack of enthusiasm from Fuka.
Asahina-senpai sighed lightly.
The show seemed to finish, but...
Nagumo: "Ayanokouji, it's your turn."
I was sure he would do that.
After showing a flashy and expensive gift, he knew that he would win against any gift in the eyes of others, so it was a good chance to challenge me and make people compare us.
As Student Council President candidates...
As love rivals...
But he didn't know one thing.
The more he was showing off in public, the harder he was going to fall later.
The students looked at me with anticipation.
But I didn't give the slightest damn about them.
While Nagumo's goal was to boost his status among freshmen, my mission was to make happy only one girl.
I took a small box from my pocket.
Kiyotaka: "Happy birthday, Fuka. It's my gift from you."
Fuka unwrapped the wrapping paper and opened the box.
Fuka: "Oh my."
Fuka took out my present to take a look.
It was a silver necklace with gradient red pendant shaped like maple flowers.
I could see Nagumo starting to smirk, but it was unimportant.
Kiyotaka: "We didn't know each other for so long, so I kinda hesitated what to buy you. Then, I found a jewelry shop with those pendants. Your name means 'maple flower', right? I'm gifting it to you, hoping that you would stay as yourself forever, without any chains and limitations. It sounds easy, but I'm sure it's a hard thing to do."
I looked at her with a smile.
Kiyotaka: "For me, Fuka will always be Fuka. No less, no more. I wish to see the current you being the same tomorrow and the day after it and so on. That's the meaning of my gift."
Fuka didn't answer me and looked at the necklace with interest.
The silence took over the party.
It was hard to tell, if she was satisfied or not until...
Fuka: "It's really pretty, this maple flower (fuka)... Thank you, Kiyotaka. I will remember your words."
She smiled at me warmly.
I internally sighed in relief.
Kiyotaka: "You are welcome."
Clap, clap...
Nagumo started clapping his hands.
Nagumo: "How moving, Ayanokouji. I guess some gifts really can become better, if one knows how to make a good presentation of them."
Kiyotaka: "The birthday gifts are supposed to have some meaning of good will towards the recipient. It should be obvious to anyone. Meaningless gifts for some self-satisfaction is nothing better than a trash."
Nagumo's mouth twitched, while Kiriyama-senpai glared at me.
Asahina-senpai and Ichinose smiled brightly, nodding their heads in agreement.
Fuka: "Help me put it on, Kiyotaka."
She gave the necklace and turned around.
This made another wave of whisper among her classmates.
She disliked an expensive set of platinum jewelry and put it away, then she wanted to try on the silver necklace with a happy face.
Some of them were clearly confused.
But Fuka didn't care, nor did I.
I came close to her and put the jewelry on her neck.
She turned around.
Fuka: "Well?"
I scanned her for a moment.
Kiyotaka: "I think this Fuka is beautiful."
She giggled happily.
Asahina: "It looks nice on you, Fuka-chan."
Ichinose: "That's true, Kiryuin-san."
The girls praised Fuka.
The atmosphere became merry, despite previous whispers.
Nagumo glared at me for a second, then his expression returned to normal.
Nagumo: "Since the gifts were given, it's time for the party."
All students agreed.
Fuka came near me, her expression still happy.
We sat down on our seats.
Nagumo walked towards us and tried to take a seat nearby, but she put her foot on it.
Nagumo: "What are you doing?"
Fuka: "You seriously can't be thinking that I would let you seat near me. I would rather sacrifice this chair."
Nagumo: "How childish."
Fuka slightly hit the chair, announcing that she wasn't joking around.
Ichinose: "Nagumo-senpai, I will help you three find some good seats. Please follow me."
Ichinose once again tried to soothe the atmosphere.
I guess she figured out that this party wasn't exactly made with good intention of Nagumo.
Nagumo: "Fine, fine. Let's not make the big baby cry."
Nagumo said and followed Ichinose.
The other two senpais went after him.
Kiriyama-senpai just ignored us, while Asahina-senpai looked at us with a smile.
We were left with Kanzaki.
Fuka: "I swear, this bastard is so irritating. I wondered a few times if I should've just punched his face."
Kiyotaka: "I thought the same thing. But considering what his face looks like, it may actually help him if some of his bones moved a little."
Fuka: "Fufu, you are right."
Nagumo and the other two sat a little further from us.
Ichinose stayed with them.
Kanzaki stayed silent, but I could tell that he had many questions.
Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry, Kanzaki. We didn't know that Nagumo would arrive here and just acted wildly."
Kanzaki: "That's what I should tell you. We didn't know that you two and Nagumo were on bad terms. Your conversation at the beginning sure was... intense."
Kiyotaka: "Let's just say that we don't like each other. Just like Nagumo said, we are rivals now, and we just meet today for the second time, so I guess some sparks were rather expected."
Kanzaki: "No, it's okay. We should've let you two know about it earlier. He approached us and proposed this party. We never thought that it would start a conflict."
Fuka snorted slightly, totally showing her displeasure.
Kanzaki looked down.
Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. You guys didn't know. Even if he is in the middle of suspension, Nagumo is still Vice-President and our senpai. It wouldn't be a good idea to openly decline him without a good reason."
Kanzaki: "Thanks."
Fuka: "You probably should worry about Ichinose, not us, Kanzaki."
Fuka pointed at Ichinose, who was talking with Nagumo.
Kiyotaka: "Fuka is right, Kanzaki. Ichinose is a candidate for Student Council. If we consider Nagumo's character, it's easy to understand why he approached her."
Kanzaki looked at the strawberry-haired girl with a worried expression.
It wasn't long before Ichinose called the boy with her hand.
He went to them and then together with Nagumo to the inside of the restaurant.
We looked at each other with some doubt.
A thought about what's about to come crossed my mind.
The time has come.
I slightly patted the device in my pocket.
A few minutes later, the mystery became clear.
Ichinose: "Happy birthday, Kiryuin-san!"
Ichinose shouted, while Nagumo and Kanzaki appeared with a cart with a birthday cake on it.
It looked elegant and expensive.
The candles were burning brightly on it, illuminating the scene.
The entire Class B started to sing 'Happy Birthday Song'.
It was the perfect time.
I stealthily pressed the button on the device placed in my clothes.
Kiyotaka: "Fuka, happy birthday. Here's your other present."
I said to her in low voice.
Fuka: "Hm? What are..."
BANG!
Before she finished her sentence, a huge explosion brightened the sky.
BANG!
BANG!
After the first one, another two fireworks launched after, then another ones.
The big fireworks show instantaneously caught the attention of everyone present.
Girl A: "What's that?"
Girl B: "How pretty!"
The sky brightened again and again in many different colors and forms.
I looked at Fuka, who also watched the sky show.
Kiyotaka: "Like?"
She smiled widely at me.
Fuka: "Like, of course I like it. When did you prepare something like that?"
Kiyotaka: "Oh, it took some time and effort, but seeing your smile right now made it totally worth it."
I looked at the sky, observing the show.
Henry had chosen some nice ones.
Fuka: "But... why did you make me attend this party if you prepared something like that? We could just observe it with just two of us at some desolated place."
Kiyotaka: "Oh, there was a meaning of it, Fuka."
I made a mean smile.
Kiyotaka: "After all, this is totally not authorized by the school show made from the fireworks bought outside this place and prepared on the second-year students' dorm, you know. I guess no matter how pretty it is, the school probably will punish the one responsible for it. But who could do something like that and for what goal..."
Fuka looked at me stunned, then started grinning wildly, understanding the situation.
Fuka: "Pppfff... You madman... You mean villain... You made this show and used Nagumo's party to make him the number one suspect? This is hilarious."
Kiyotaka: "I actually didn't expect things to be so optimistic, so I did it for some other purpose in mind, but after learning about this party, the chances to make Nagumo a culprit rose considerably, so I thought that it was worth trying."
Fuka: "Other purpose?"
Kiyotaka: "I will explain later. The show is almost over, so it's time for the latter part of the present."
Fuka: "?"
Kiyotaka: "Like I said, I didn't prepare some definite evidence that it was his work. But... If many people thought that it was his doing, then he probably won't be able to run away from the responsibility."
I looked at Nagumo, who was observing the sky.
My mouth came close to Fuka's ear.
Kiyotaka: "Go, Fuka... Make that bastard be not able to wash himself clean out of this..."
Fuka's body shivered, as I devilishly whispered to her.
Fuka: "So that was your goal all along, huh?"
Kiyotaka: "Yeah."
Fuka: "You still owe me for this."
Kiyotaka: "But of course."
She looked at me for a moment, then walked toward Nagumo with a smug smile.
Girl A: "What a beautiful firework show!"
Girl B: "Yes! But who could do something like that?"
Girl C: "Don't tell me... It's a part of the surprise for Kiryuin-san?!"
Some of the Class B's students started to talk among themselves about the possibility of the show being a part of surprise for Fuka.
Nagumo stayed in the same place alongside the cake.
Fuka: "Well, well... I must say that I didn't expect something like that from you, Nagumo."
Fuka said in the loud voice, while walking towards him.
Nagumo looked at her, confused.
Nagumo: "What?"
Fuka: "To be honest, your gift wasn't that pleasant for me, and I was skeptical about this party, but I was positively mistaken for once. Thanks for the show."
Fuka nodded to him, then blew the candles on the cake.
Nagumo's eyes narrowed.
He was still silent.
Fuka's behavior probably made him even more cautious.
But her statement practically nailed his fate.
Girl A: "Kyyaaa, so it was Nagumo-senpai's doing!"
Girl B: "How nice..."
Many people started to talk about or praise Nagumo.
He looked at me warily.
I made my expression cold and glared lightly at him.
Our vision clashed.
He then smiled and turned towards the crowd.
Nagumo: "Since the show ended, let's continue with the party."
I guess making him acknowledge that it was his doing in front of the crowd was a little too optimistic, but it was good enough for everyone to think like that.
He probably couldn't figure out the situation, but since there wasn't any sight that it was my doing, he decided to let it go for the time being.
Fuka divided the entire cake to all her classmates and senpais with a smile on the face, then came to me with the last part of it.
Fuka: "Here."
Kiyotaka: "Thank you. Good job."
Fuka: "Fufu, I thought that I would never thank him, while having some positive emotions about it. It was actually not that bad."
Kiyotaka: "That's good. I was worried you wouldn't agree to that."
Fuka: "Will you tell me what's this about now?"
Kiyotaka: "When we will be returning to the dorm, I will tell you. We still need to stay here for some time, then we will run away."
Fuka: "Finally!"
We fooled around with each other.
Nagumo was eyeing us suspiciously, but not for a long.
I saw him messaging on the phone with a frown on his face.
The second-year students probably texted him about the fireworks above their dorm.
After a few minutes, the senpai trio left the party in a hurry.
Nagumo sent me a glare before leaving, as if he was warning me.
I answered the courtesy and showed him the middle finger, gaining another laugh from Fuka.
Ichinose: "A-Ayanokouji-kun, that was rude."
Ichinose and Kanzaki came back to sit with us again.
Kiyotaka: "Ichinose, all's is fair in love and war."
Ichinose: "What?!"
Kiyotaka: "Me and Nagumo are rivals for President position, so being mean is a standard courtesy, you know."
Ichinose: "A-Ahaha... I see... But I still think it's not very nice, Ayanokouji-kun."
Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry, Ichinose. In my defense, he was acting hostile first, you know. Did you see how he glared at me? Like I have stolen his fiance or something."
Fuka chuckled at my comment.
Ichinose looked at her, confused.
Kiyotaka: "Do you happen to know why Nagumo and the others left, Ichinose? They looked disturbed."
Ichinose: "I'm not sure. Nagumo-senpai was messaging someone, then he got a call. After that, he said that he must take care of something and left."
Kanzaki: "Something must have happened."
Kiyotaka: "I wonder what."
Ichinose: "I hope everything is okay."
Kiyotaka: "Well, it's probably nothing serious, since I wasn't informed about it."
The second-year students were probably the only ones disturbed at the moment, but the adults should start to investigate soon enough as well.
I looked forward to the result of this storm.
We talked with Ichinose and Kanzaki some more, then finally we bid them and the rest of the class a goodbye, while thanking for the party.
Fuka wasn't that reluctant to say her thanks, so I guess she didn't dislike it so much.
We strolled slowly, enjoying the silence after the party.
Kiyotaka: "So, how was the party, Fuka?"
Fuka: "Well, I guess I would give it some points out of 10."
Kiyotaka: "So you aren't completely dissatisfied, huh?"
Fuka: "It wasn't bad, but it was mostly thanks to you."
Kiyotaka: "I see."
Fuka: "So? How about you start talking about those fireworks? You said that the show was illegal, and you made it for some other purpose than just showing it to me."
Kiyotaka: "Well, to be honest, my original goal was, apart from making it a surprise for you, to make some trouble that would include an investigation from the school. To put it simply, I'm trying to experience first-hand the school's incident investigation procedure."
Fuka: "Hoh? More details please."
Kiyotaka: "Well, let's say that I recently put some more thoughts about battling Nagumo..."
Thanks to the unexpected reward from the certain senpai.
Kiyotaka: "And while I was analyzing the situation, I remembered how Horikita-senpai said that Nagumo became the leader of second-year students partly because of the amount of people expelled there."
Fuka: "I remember that."
Kiyotaka: "Considering that me and him are on different school years, we probably wouldn't be able to battle each other on exams, or at least it wouldn't be often. So what kind of move he could do against me? If I was Nagumo, I would try to smear my opponent with some mud to destroy his reputation or expel him. It would also be a good payback for the suspension."
Fuka: "That's indeed something he may do."
Kiyotaka: "So I thought that in order to protect myself from such moves, I needed to learn more about how the school proceed in such cases. That's why rather than waiting for Nagumo to make a move, I decided to do a test myself with a certain amount of damage control."
Fuka: "And you decided on birthday fireworks?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. Launching fireworks required the permission from the school, so it was obvious that launching some without it would start a search for the culprit. It was also easy to deduce the motive of the fireworks, if they would be launched on your birthday. And once the motive was known, the amount of possible culprits would reduce greatly."
Fuka: "So you thought that it would end up with either you or Nagumo, huh?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes. But after today's party, there's going to be a few more..."
Fuka: "My class."
Fuka said rather sharply.
I observed her for a second before continuing my story.
Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. Since I chose to launch them on your birthday, I couldn't run away from the possibility of being the suspect, right? So I needed to decrease some suspicious on me, while increasing Nagumo's. The rooftop of the second-years students' dorm was a perfect place."
Fuka: "But also too obvious place, if you asked me."
Kiyotaka: "Doesn't matter. While it was suspicious that someone like Nagumo would make such an obvious mistake, my aim wasn't attacking him in person at all. One of the places with the biggest influence of Nagumo was second-year students' dorm. After the school would finish this case, the adults would probably keep watching that place more carefully, which would result in reducing Nagumo's movements."
Fuka: "But how did you manage to go there unnoticed by cameras and students?"
Kiyotaka: "I used my invisibility cloak."
Fuka: "Invisibility cloak? What's that?"
Kiyotaka: "Let's say that every magician wouldn't reveal their tricks so easily. Otherwise, the magic wouldn't be the magic."
Fuka: "Ehh? You can't be serious now..."
Kiyotaka: "Just think of it as a magic."
I used a virus I made to hack Henry's surveillance system.
It was connected to the school's main surveillance system, so I started my attack from that point.
While it was still impossible to freely access the system, I managed to anchor myself there with no trace.
It took me two long nights to enter it, but I managed to do it and overwrite the footage of my potential route from my room to that rooftop.
I asked Masumi to prepare the route from our dorm to Nagumo's, since I couldn't go close to that building myself.
She created a few potential routes, while pointing the cameras on the road.
As expected of my Masumi.
While she was nagging me that it was dangerous, she still did an excellent job.
I ordered a few good wines for her from Henry.
Thanks to that, I knew how much footage I needed to overwrite, while considering the time of the route.
All that was left to do was sneak up unnoticed in the night and install the fireworks' launcher.
Henry managed to prepare a one-time launcher, who could be activated from a remote place by pushing a button on the connected device.
Luckily, the security during the night was rather weak.
I returned to my room without any problems and managed to clean up after myself in the system.
At 4 a.m. I have finally laid in my bed, only to be woken up by that damned alarm clock two hours later.
Fuka: "But I want to know!"
She hugged me, acting like a curious child.
Cute.
Kiyotaka: "No can't do."
Fuka: "Meanie."
I patted her head.
Kiyotaka: "Doesn't being mysterious make a man more attractive?"
I made a smug smile.
Fuka: "You... Hahaha! I can't... Haha! Fine, fine... But promise to tell me one day."
Fuka laughed heartily.
I looked at her amused.
Kiyotaka: "Okay."
Fuka: "But what if the school would find out about your actions anyway?"
Kiyotaka: "The job was done neatly. If the school really figured out everything, I would be impressed."
Fuka: "That's quite self-confidence."
Kiyotaka: "They would have really hard time to figure out everything, since there's one more group of people that I wanted to involve in this investigation - the workers."
Fuka: "Hm? I could understand the students, but why workers as well?"
Kiyotaka: "You see, while I was analyzing what I knew about Nagumo, I came to the conclusion that maybe the reason Nagumo managed to expel some students without Horikita-senpai figuring out how was because he received some help from the adults."
Fuka: "So you are thinking that Nagumo managed to get some adults to cooperate with him on his schemes?"
Kiyotaka: "Right."
If Nagumo managed to get some help from adults, then even Horikita Manabu would have some hard time investigating the truth behind those cases.
Fuka: "I see. And those fireworks were going to help you with that?"
Kiyotaka: "In order to make the school investigate the workers, I needed to make some things point clearly at the work of the worker. That's why I used my own source to obtain some fireworks from the outside. Once the investigation starts, the shops selling things like that are going to be checked. If there will be no result, it's gonna be obvious that they were provided from the outside."
I couldn't normally buy some fireworks nor steal them from somewhere.
Masumi and I already shoplifted before.
It would be troublesome if someone linked those cases together.
Fuka: "Oh, you have someone like that? You work fast, Kiyotaka."
Kiyotaka: "It was a coincidence. From his mouth, I obtained some information about how the school is transporting and checking out the supplies from the outside. The same could be said about the workers here. Although most of the teachers and working staff live here, it's not like they can't leave the school grounds. Especially the ones involved in supplying their shops or restaurants."
Fuka: "I don't think this school would be loose about something like that, though."
Kiyotaka: "Which also doesn't mean that the school could check out everything."
Henry was already working on the means to smuggle some things before I even asked him to do so.
While I was grateful for that, the phrase 'also, Christine wanted to send you some packages later on' made me slightly uneasy about the future.
Fuka: "But what benefit would Nagumo bring to them?"
Kiyotaka: "Well, as a leader of all second-year students, Nagumo may point which shops would be worth visiting and which wouldn't. That's practically like obtaining one third of the market, you know. There's also a possibility that he found out something to blackmail some people."
Fuka: "Probably both. He found out something on them, then promised some benefits for keeping them shut up."
Kiyotaka: "Maybe. Another goal of this show was to make the school be aware that there may be some adults involved and investigate it. And since Nagumo would be the primary suspect, the ones he met recently would be involved as well."
Fuka: "And your friend."
Kiyotaka: "As I said, it's not a problem."
Henry is a world-class informant.
He went through many investigations before.
We already created a good story for not only us, but also Masumi, if by any chance, she would be summoned as well.
Fuka: "So Nagumo is in trouble, huh?"
Kiyotaka: "Well, considering that there's no clear evidence pointing at him, the school may let him go easily. But that's also a part of my experiment. I want to know how the school would react in the case when there's no clear results and only some suspects and some clues pointing at the certain individual."
But it wasn't my only goal.
I didn't know much about Nagumo nor his inner circle nor the places he was visiting regularly.
Once the school would start to investigate Nagumo, they would look into his movements and connections to other students and workers in order to confirm if he was the culprit or he ordered someone to do it.
And I was planning to steal the results of those investigations.
I didn't have enough manpower to start observing Nagumo's movements without some risk, so I was going to let the school take care of it for me.
If my experiment was successful, I would learn more not only about the school's procedures, but also about Nagumo himself.
I looked at Fuka with a smile.
Kiyotaka: "There's no need to worry about your classmates. I wouldn't pay them back in such a way."
Fuka: "I wasn't worried about them at all. It just would be in bad taste for me to make them suffer after they went out of their way to celebrate my birthday. It was annoying, but they aren't people, who should deserve such a treatment."
Kiyotaka: "As I said, there's a possibility that even Nagumo wouldn't be penalized, let alone Ichinose. But thanks to this investigation, the relationship between her and Nagumo would become colder."
Fuka: "I guess so. Telling Ichinose and Kanzaki almost all the truth of Nagumo's suspension made them be wary of him, so if they experience the investigation because of the party, they may think that Nagumo tried to use them and their relationship would go down."
Kiyotaka: "But it's also a good way for me to befriend Ichinose before deciding if she would join Student Council. As fellow freshmen, we should stick together in the face of senior's oppression and tricks, right?"
Fuka smiled at me.
Fuka: "What a crafty guy you are."
Kiyotaka: "I will treat it as a compliment."
Fuka: "You are impossible. I can't believe you pulled out something like that on my birthday."
Kiyotaka: "Are you dissatisfied?"
Fuka: "No, I'm not. You did a good job entertaining me, Kiyotaka."
She suddenly embraced my neck, giving me a VIP-like view of her upper body.
The necklace I gave her was hanging nicely between her neck and chest.
Fuka: "Like what you see?"
Kiyotaka: "Really beautiful, Fuka."
I answered honestly.
My hands naturally found their way to her back.
Fuka: "You know, although some parts of today made me feel annoyed..."
I couldn't help but agree with her.
While the results for today were likely to be good, the entire situation could be easily avoided if I wasn't trying to experiment with the school.
Kiyotaka: "I'm sorry. I will make it up to you later."
Fuka: "I will make sure that you will. But..."
Her smile widened a little.
Fuka: "Right now, I'm quite happy."
Before I managed to say anything, she moved suddenly and planted a kiss on my cheek.
Fuka: "Thank you."
I stiffened a little, while looking at her reddish face.
I couldn't help but be charmed by her lovely appearance.
Kiyotaka: "You are welcome. In the next year I will prepare something even better."
I tenderly patted her hair.
When Fuka's eyes narrowed with joy, I dove in and kissed her forehead.
Kiyotaka: "I promise."
Now it was Fuka's time to stiffen, while her face turned totally red.
But she quickly recovered and smiled brightly.
Fuka: "I look forward to it."
We hugged each other.
It seems like the distance between us reduced considerably.
Wonderful.
The feeling of warmth of another was really wonderful.
I felt that this very moment was already totally worth all the trouble.
But of course, I wasn't going to let go of the opportunity after putting myself into some danger.
My experiment and its result...
Nagumo's result...
Ichinose's result...
There were still so many things to gain.
The hunt was still on.
To be continued...
Author's notes:
Hello. Thank you for reading this chapter.
Firstly, thank you for answering my little pool from the previous chapter.
It was really a valuable source of information for me. And surprising, since I expected answers with lower number of points :P
I'm presenting you my first chapter with nearly 10K words, but I probably won't make many chapters this long, unless it's absolutely necessary to cover many things in one go.
It took some time to write it, especially since it was an original chapter, but I hope the quality is good and there aren't some serious plot holes :)
I made it slightly more romantic (or cringe, depending on taste), since it's just before Valentine's Day.
I hope everyone will have a nice week :)
See you in the next chapter.