Chapter 6: Accident

“Mm… No problem.”

Suzuki Yu signed his name on the agreement. The contents of this contract couldn’t be called harsh; in fact, there were quite a few clauses that genuinely surprised him.

Surprisingly friendly.

He only needed to spend two hours a day in the Student Council, had his weekends entirely free, was paid 200,000 yen a month, and even got all sorts of extra allowances.

Most importantly, the contract clearly stated: “Both parties are to maintain a purely contractual relationship, with no involvement of personal feelings.”

Back then, in order to drive him away, Shiina Chisa had included plenty of outrageous conditions in the contract.

For example: “Within three months, you must master French to the extent of fluently reading Proust’s original works and participating in academic discussions,” “Within three months, master the basics of Fencing and achieve a mid-level ranking in the school’s Fencing Club competitions,” “Within one month, learn all styles of international standard Ballroom Dance,” and so on.

Even children of nobility who had received elite education since childhood would struggle to accomplish these tasks in such a short time, let alone a Special Scholarship Student like him from an ordinary background.

Of course, with the System’s support and his own hard work, he still managed to meet Lady Shiina’s requirements within three months.

He could still clearly remember the look of astonishment on Shiina Chisa’s face.

And after things stabilized for a while, she suddenly amended the agreement again.

She added things like: “You must reply to messages within a month, or the penalty doubles,” “During the rental period, you may not have one-on-one conversations with any other girls for more than three minutes,” “You must attend at least two social events per week as company,” and so forth.

Obviously, these had nothing to do with skill improvement. But faced with the overwhelming pressure from Shiina Chisa at the time, he had no choice but to agree.

Besides, Shiina Chisa had received excellent education since childhood, so even after half a year together, even with the System’s help, there were still plenty of skills Suzuki Yu hadn’t even begun to learn.

If only she could always treat him like trash…

So in a way, the senpai in front of him really did shine like an angel.

But Suzuki Yu also knew well—such contracts were meaningless to these young ladies. If they wanted to amend them on a whim, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

But then, the benefits were simply too great to refuse.

The instant he signed his name, the System’s echo resounded in Suzuki Yu’s mind.

[Detecting: Binding confirmed—Jingu Tenon (President of the Aoyama Saint Academy Student Council)]

[Host will resume German learning, current progress 60%]

[Available skill list:]

[German (Inherited from Shiina Chisa, current 60% → can continue learning)]

[Italian (Jingu Tenon, Master-level) 0%]

[Firearm Marksmanship (Jingu Tenon, ??? level) 0%]

[Martial Arts (Jingu Tenon, ??? level) 0%]

[Piano Performance (Jingu Tenon, Master-level) 0%]

[Violin Performance (Jingu Tenon, Master-level) 0%]

[Cello Performance (Jingu Tenon, Master-level) 0%]

[Music Theory (Jingu Tenon, Master-level) 30% (Host is Beginner-level)]

Suzuki Yu glanced at his skill list with satisfaction. There were so many master-level skills here!

At master level, one would be among the very best in their field.

But… somehow, something felt off.

He could understand the language and music skills, but what was with Firearm Marksmanship and Martial Arts?

What did “???” level even mean?

He subconsciously glanced at Jingu Tenon, who was busy sorting files—hmm, as beautiful as ever, the very image of a classic beauty.

No matter how he looked at her, there was no way she’d have anything to do with “Martial Arts”!

“Suzuki-kun?”

Jingu Tenon noticed his strange gaze and tilted her head in confusion.

“No, it’s nothing. Come to think of it, senpai, what does your family do?”

Suzuki Yu feigned calm and asked tentatively.

In truth, cold sweat was already beading on his forehead, afraid her family might be involved in some top-secret business.

“Oh, my father’s a civil servant, and my mother’s just an ordinary housewife, that’s all. Nothing special.”

“Who’d believe that…”

Suzuki Yu didn’t even know where to begin retorting. Never mind whether a civil servant would use firearms—the way she carried herself alone clearly marked her as a pampered young lady.

“It really is the truth, I’m not lying, you know.”

Jingu Tenon spoke with a gentle smile on her face.

Suzuki Yu lost all motivation to keep asking. After all, the more he knew about these things, the worse it would be for him.

He handed her the contract, half-joking, half-complaining:

“I never imagined someone as upright as you, Jingu-senpai, would resort to threats to get your way.”

“Threats?” Jingu Tenon tilted her head, a flicker of amusement in her amber eyes:

“I was merely stating a fact. If Suzuki-kun refused, I really would tell Chisa-chan the truth—that’s not a threat, just honesty.

“And to me, doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals is rather heroic.”

With that, she elegantly put the agreement away in her folder, then asked again:

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Th-there is—what I really can’t figure out is, why did you choose to sign this agreement with me?”

Suzuki Yu finally voiced his biggest question, but she just smiled as she answered.

“Because I’m interested in Chisa, and since you caught Chisa’s attention, Suzuki-kun, you must be special too.”

What kind of reason is that… Does this Student Council President have too much free time?

Suzuki Yu complained inwardly, then excused himself and left.

As soon as he walked out the main doors, he happened to run into a few passing Student Council members.

For some reason, he felt their gazes towards him were somewhat complicated.

Was that… pity?

“That’s strange.”

Suzuki Yu muttered to himself. It seemed joining the Student Council was like stepping onto a road of no return.

A road of no return, huh? Well, it’s not like he has any choice right now.

The sunset in the hallway stretched his shadow out long behind him.

As he walked, Suzuki Yu continued to consider which skills to prioritize learning—Jingu-senpai’s skill set might be small, but every one was master-level, something he’d rarely seen from anyone else before.

Even those from families with heritage usually only had expert-level skills at best. By comparison, it seemed the President truly had talent herself, not just family resources.

He remembered when he first signed with Shiina Chisa, a flood of skills appeared in his mind, but only the languages reached master level. The rest were mostly proficient or expert, including her beloved Archery.

Of course, that was only compared to top-tier people; under normal circumstances, even that level would be more than enough for most jobs.

“Music Theory at 30% progress…”

Suzuki Yu stroked his chin. That was the bit he’d self-studied in the club before—maybe it could be a breakthrough point.

Good thing Hasegawa Aoi hadn’t approved his resignation from the Music Club—at least he could still mooch off their instruments.

As for those two “???” level skills…

Best not to touch them for now.

He quickened his pace, planning to check in at the Music Club.

“Yu…”

Just then, a familiar voice called out behind him.

Suzuki Yu’s steps abruptly froze, cold sweat instantly breaking out along his back.

That voice, that tone, that nickname only she ever used—

He turned around stiffly.

Bathed in the backlight at the end of the corridor, Shiina Chisa stood there quietly.

There was no expression on her face.

And precisely because there was no expression, it was all the more unsettling.