At this moment, Jingลซ Amane was looking at the boy in front of her with a triumphant expression.
“Suzuki-kun, good evening~” she said teasingly.
Then, she pointed to the empty chair beside her and continued, “Have a seat.”
Seeing this, Suzuki Yลซ resignedly sat down.
He looked around; the furnishings of this washitsu were even more elegant than the one he shared with Chisa, and a faint scent of incense lingered in the air.
It seemed he had just escaped the tiger’s den, only to enter the wolf’s lair.
If there was any comfort, it was that he wouldn’t lose his chastity tonight.
Jingลซ Amane took a small sip of milk. Seeing Suzuki remain silent and only quietly observe his surroundings, she found it rather amusing.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” She put down her cup and pressed him further.
Obviously, she had no intention of letting him off tonight.
The corners of Suzuki Yลซ’s mouth twitched, his cheeks feeling a bit hot. Getting caught in something like this, he really didn’t know what to say.
Compared to being lectured by the guidance counselor like Tanaka and the others, just being called over to Jingลซ Amane was already much better.
In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh and said:
“Presidentโฆ you knew all along, didn’t you?” His voice was weary.
“Uh-huh.” Jingลซ Amane nodded cheerfully. “Ever since that day you were sneakily looking at the Class B roster, I started keeping an eye on you. I even used a drone to observe your movements early on.”
Hearing this, Suzuki Yลซ fell into silence.
So, it was because he ran out? That caught Jingลซ Amane’s attention?
Did that mean Tanaka and the others got in trouble because of him?
Thinking this, Suzuki Yลซ shook his head, then took a deep breath, looked at Jingลซ Amane, and spoke with a righteous air:
“President, this was all Tanaka and the others’ idea. I was forced to join in. I can tell you their whole planโcould you go easy on me with the punishment?”
Jingลซ Amane was clearly stunned by such a shameless confession. Then she covered her mouth, her body trembling slightly as if struggling not to laugh.
“Suzuki-kun, you really have no bottom line, do you.”
Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Suzuki Yลซ also smiled and said:
“It’s fine. They were going to be punished anyway. What’s a little more? But if I can get off the hook, that’s a win. Plus, as a member of the student council, shouldn’t I get a few privileges?”
Suzuki Yลซ spoke rapidly, and as he finished, he looked at Jingลซ Amane with a pitiful expression:
“Besides, my dear president, we have a contract, don’t we? If something happens to me, you’ll never find another rentalโฆ partner as useful as me.”
He sounded as if he was struggling desperately.
Jingลซ Amane finally couldn’t hold it in and let out a bell-like laugh.
“Suzukiโฆ I can’t believe you can say things like that.” she said.
After a while, she managed to stop laughing a bit, looked at Suzuki Yลซ, and responded nonchalantly:
“Letting you off isn’t impossible, but you have to agree to one condition.”
“What condition?”
“Take a photo with me.”
“Huh?”
Suzuki Yลซ was still trying to process it, but Jingลซ Amane had already pulled him to her side in a flash. The next second, her phone was out, the angle was perfect, Jingลซ Amane tilted her head and flashed a sweet smile at the cameraโclickโdone. The whole process was seamless.
Immediately after, she quickly opened her photo album and sent the picture to a contact named [Chisa].
It wasn’t until she finished the whole process that Suzuki Yลซ realized what she’d done.
“President, are you trying to get me killedโฆ”
He spoke in a gloomy tone, but Jingลซ Amane just smiled.
“No helping it. You sneaked out tonight, so I had the perfect excuse to stir things up.”
“Weren’t you prepared for this all alongโฆ”
“Of course not, Suzuki-kun. The world is never that well-prepared; everything depends on improvisation.”
Seeing her calm and carefree attitude, Suzuki Yลซ felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of expression Chisa must have right now.
A while later, Jingลซ Amane’s phone rang, but she quickly set it aside.
Less than a minute later, Suzuki Yลซ’s phone rang.
He pulled it out. Sure enough, it was Chisa.
He was just about to answer and explain, but at some point, Jingลซ Amane had sidled over and snatched his phone away.
“If you answer, then what I just did will have been pointless, right?” Jingลซ Amane released his hand and held onto the phone. “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”
Suzuki Yลซ grew anxious at this, his voice trembling:
“Presidentโฆ do you realize what will happen if you do this? Chisaโฆ she’s really going to be mad!”
“I know.” Jingลซ Amane tilted her head, her voice innocent and pure. “That’s exactly why I want to see her angry.”
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll come here in the middle of the night?”
“Don’t worry. Even if she comes, she can’t get in.”
A devil, she was definitely a devil.
“Also, for the sake of my plan, you’ll have to stay here and sleep tonight.”
“Huh?” Suzuki Yลซ turned his head, suddenly noticing Jingลซ Amane pointing at the room next door.
“Surprised? Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? Tonight, you don’t have to stay with Chisa.”
Of course he wanted that, but not in this way! If he didn’t go back tonight, that’s when the real trouble would start!
“No, President, that’s too much trouble for you.” he said, trying to escape.
However, as soon as he stood up and before he could take a step, Jingลซ Amane blocked the door like a ghost, still wearing her sweet, “harmless” smile.
“Trouble?” She tilted her head slightly, feigning grievance. “Suzuki-kun, you’re my ‘boyfriend’, aren’t you? Now that you’re in a predicament, I have to share your burden.”
She extended a slender finger, gently poking Suzuki Yลซ’s chest to stop his advance.
“Don’t force me to use some unsavory means. Even if I’m not as skilled as Chisa in that area, I still know a thing or two.” Jingลซ Amane said with a cheerful squint.
Suzuki Yลซ froze where he stood.
Then, he watched helplessly as the president walked to the room next door, slid open the shoji door, revealing another elegant washitsu, already laid out with clean bedding.
“Get some rest, Suzuki-kun.” She turned aside and gestured invitingly.
Suzuki Yลซ looked at Jingลซ Amane, then at the room, and finally, with heavy steps, walked inside.
The next morning, Suzuki Yลซ opened his eyes.
He sat up and glanced beside him, discovering his phone was there.
Looks like Jingลซ Amane returned itโฆ
The phone displayed [7:00], and on the screen were several missed calls from Shiina Chisa.
“I’m doomedโฆ”
It was almost time to gather already.
Last night, he’d been so restless he could hardly sleep, but when he thought he could just make it through the night, he finally drifted off.
Recalling what Jingลซ Amane did last night, he instantly felt uneasy.
Fortunately, Jingลซ Amane had kept her promise and let him go in the morning, not stopping him further.
Thinking about the storm he was about to face, Suzuki Yลซ almost wished he’d just gotten scolded and written an apology with Tanaka and the others last night.
He practically leaped out of bed, hurriedly dressed, wiped his face, and rushed out of the room, heading straight for “Katsuragawa Manor”.
As he neared the destination, he slowed his pace, took a few deep breaths to calm his pounding heart, and then, as if heading to his execution, pushed open the door.
Upon entering, he saw Shiina Chisa sitting on the tatami.
She was gazing out the window, her eyes empty, seemingly in a daze.
However, when she heard the noise from the door, she turned, and upon seeing him, a faint light returned to her eyes.
“Youโฆ have you been here all night, not sleeping?” Suzuki Yลซ asked cautiously, seeing her like that.
“I tried to sleep, but every little sound woke me up.”
Shiina Chisa’s tone was as usual, but Suzuki Yลซ could still sense her exhaustion.
“Why don’t you take the day off? Sleep is more important.”
Suzuki Yลซ said, knowing she had waited for him until now.
“Did Jingลซ force you to do anything?”
Shiina Chisa seemed to ignore his suggestion and suddenly asked her own question.
“No, absolutely nothing happened!”
Suzuki Yลซ hurriedly explained his ordeal from the previous night.
But Shiina Chisa just stepped forward, stared intently at him, and asked again:
“So, the reason you left last night was because you didn’t want to be with me?”
At those words, Suzuki Yลซ fell silent. After a moment, he finally said one word:
“Yes.”
Shiina Chisa’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. The faint light that had returned to her beautiful eyes was extinguished, replaced by disappointment and sadness.
Seeing her like that, Suzuki Yลซ instinctively tried to explain:
“I ran away not because of you, but because of myself. I didn’t want to do anything to you.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“But I do, because I have my own principles, and I don’t want to make any decisions about my future so early.”
Suzuki Yลซ spoke with determination.
Just as he finished, his phone suddenly rang. He picked up the call and was immediately met with the roar of Kobayashi Keiko:
“Hey, Suzuki! Where are you?”
The voice startled Suzuki Yลซ so much he nearly dropped the phone.
“Ko-Kobayashi-sensei!” He quickly pressed the phone to his ear, his voice warbling, “Sorry! I’ll be right there! Right away!”
“Where are you? Is the whole class supposed to wait for you? Get over here!”
With that, the call ended. Suzuki Yลซ sighed, then looked at the still dazed Chisa and hurriedly said:
“I have to go gather. Anyway, don’t think too much about itโget some rest!”
Without waiting for her reply, he rushed out the door.
The back-and-forth left Suzuki Yลซ drenched in sweat, and to make things worse, he still missed the class gathering.
Apparently, Kobayashi-sensei had already marked him absent.
He felt a bit annoyed, but there was nothing he could do, so he headed toward the beach.
If he’d known this would happen, he never would have gone along with those guys.
At least he managed to dodge a day’s trouble? But he didn’t really get to explain everything to Shiina Chisa.
He just hoped she wouldn’t overthink it.
As Suzuki Yลซ prayed inwardly, suddenly a volleyball struck him in the face, snapping him back to reality.
“Bang!”
With a dull thud and a sharp pain shooting through his nose, Suzuki Yลซ stumbled back two steps and landed squarely on the soft sand.
He sat there dazed for a moment. When he came to, he saw a petite figure standing before him.
She was wearing a deep blue two-piece swimsuit with frilly edgesโa cute style. Her fair skin shone brightly in the sunlight, and her striking light chestnut hair was pulled up into a playful side ponytail.
“Hanasegawa-senpai, you hit a bit hardโฆ”
“Hmph, serves you right for spacing out! What are you doing in the second-year camp anyway, underclassman?”
“I took a wrong turnโฆ By the way, senpai, you really are underdevelopedโฆ”
Before Suzuki Yลซ could finish, the volleyball smacked him in the head again.
“Underclassman, could you at least show some manners? Say something nice about me!”
“Tchโฆ I was just being honestโฆ”
Stars spun before his eyes. Seeing Hanasegawa Aoi about to pick up the volleyball for another shot, he quickly came to his senses and jumped up to stop her.
“Just kidding, just kidding!” Suzuki Yลซ hurriedly grabbed her hand, shouting, “Senpai, aren’t you overreacting?”
“You insulted me! Of course I have to fight back.”
Hanasegawa Aoi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, but soon she curved her lips in a sly smile, looked at Suzuki Yลซ, and said:
“Of course, if you want my forgiveness, it’s not impossibleโbut you’ll have to do what I say.”
“What is it?”
“Take off your shirt!”
Suzuki Yลซ froze with her hand in his, staring in disbelief at the brazen request, wondering if he’d misheard.
“Huh? Senpai, what did you just say?”
“I said, take off your shirt!” Hanasegawa Aoi repeated, hands on hips, chest out, trying to look more imposing, “Show off my training results!”
“You really can’t help exposing your true nature, can youโฆ I’m out!”
“Hey, don’t run!”
Hanasegawa Aoi immediately gave chase.
Of course, with her minimal stamina, she was no match for Suzuki Yลซ.
Soon, he left the perverted senpai behind, made it to the beach, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, as if to calm himself, he gazed out at the sea.
The azure sky and the boundless ocean met at the horizon, golden sand glittered under the sun. The waves ceaselessly crashed onto the shore, sending up snowy white foam, and the air was tinged with a salty, slightly fishy scent of the sea breeze.
The students scattered in groups, racing toward the water, their youthful laughter blending into the sound of the waves.
Amid this vibrant backdrop, the air was filled with the exuberance of youth.
Seeing such a scene, Suzuki Yลซ felt his heart relax.
However, just then, he suddenly felt an arm snake around his neck, locking him in place:
“Yo, Suzuki, you seemed to sleep pretty well, huh.”
Tanaka’s voiceโlike someone back from hellโrang in his ear.
At that moment, Tanaka held a phone in his other hand and played a recording of Suzuki Yลซ’s attempt to pin the blame on Tanaka and the others last night.
“This was handed to me by a member of the student council’s executive department. We all got extra punishment, and we’ll be stuck working for logistics the next few days.”
“Soโฆ”
“So, Suzuki, how do you want to die?”
As he spoke, a group of people gathered around Suzuki Yลซ.
Their faces were all filled with resentment.
Suzuki Yลซ gulped and replied:
“Just don’t hit my face, that’s all I ask.”