Chapter 26: Workplace Discrimination

"What do you mean I won't? We all just voted to do it—"

"I mean you won't be doing any hard labor."

Kiba closed his eyes and scratched his temple.

"It would be pointless if people don't see me doing work—"

"You collapsed and got hospitalized just recently! Can't you take a hint?"

Angelie interrupted while looking away.

"There you have it."

Kiba shrugged his shoulders.

"What a meddlesome bunch. It's not like I asked any of you to care."

Akuma stood up and got his things. He left the room and slammed the door close.

"Well, we don't!"

Angelie screamed at nobody in particular.

---

The following day during the scheduled start of the Gardening club's activity, the four members of the Help Club showed up in their P.E. uniforms. They were wearing their sweat jackets and jogging pants. Niwa handed them some heavy-duty cotton gloves to protect their hands from thorns and sharp branches.

They were all assigned their specific locations around the school. Angelie and Sanaka were paired up and assigned at the garden near the school gate entrance. Kiba and Mimi were assigned the garden around the separate building for sports clubs. The two of them were quite far from the rest of the Gardening club members.

"Ah! Why did they place me so far away from the cuties of the Gardening Club?"

Kiba was fiercely striking the soil around a dead plant with the trowel in his hand.

"It might be because they can sense the lecherous desires emanating from you?"

Mimi was pulling out the dead plant that was deeply rooted underground.

"As I explained before, I just admire beauty in all its forms."

Kiba stopped his assault on the soil.

"But if you had the chance to touch those beauties, would you not?"

Mimi successfully pulled out the plant. She fell on her behind.

"Well, that's a different matter altogether."

Kiba had a lascivious smile on his face.

"I see. Then I will have to report that to the Student Council. They will have to be aware of a possible predator inside the school."

Mimi stood up and dusted her behind. She then walked towards the school building.

"Hey, Mimi, wait! I was just kidding!"

Kiba went after her.

---

At the garden near the school gate entrance, Angelie and Sanaka were helping the other Gardening club members by cutting off some branches from the bushes. As they were moving around, they started to talk.

"Don't you think it was a bit too much to not include Akuma?"

Sanaka wiped some sweat from her forehead using the sleeves of her sweat jacket.

"Another collapse from him might shut down the club, you know? I'm sure he's aware of that. And besides, he just wants to increase his popularity in school. This is a good way to stop him from getting what he wants."

Angelie was crouching down to cut branches using a large pruning scissors. She was cutting vigorously that the bush was left with very few leaves.

"I just hope you're not imagining him as that bush, Angelie-san…"

Sanaka took a step back from Angelie.

---

The following day, the Help club members were eating lunch on the rooftop. Angelie was not with them.

"So, where is Angelie-san?"

Mimi asked as she opened her multi-tier bento.

"She didn't come to school today. No word from her, as well. She's not replying to my messages."

Sanaka was already eating from her lunch box.

"After all that talk about collapsing, she's the one who's not here. The hypocrite must have fallen and gotten sick or something."

Akuma was smiling as he was chewing his sausage bread.

"I do not find that amusing, you scum! What if she is in any trouble?"

Mimi gripped her chopsticks as she glared at Akuma.

"You're being a worrywart. I'm sure her parents are taking care of her even if that Saint got sick."

Akuma was chewing much faster than he did earlier.

"If only I can ask your homeroom teacher her address…"

Mimi stared at the floor.

"Even if you did that, it's not like you can go to her and check up on her later. We're already down one member that can help the Gardening Club. If we lose you too, then we won't be much help to them."

Kiba interrupted the discussion as he pointed at Mimi using his chopsticks.

"Well, you reap what you sow. This isn't my problem."

Akuma walked away from the group and laughed sarcastically.

---

After classes, the remaining trio of the Help club showed up at the designated location of the Gardening club president. They were given instructions on what to do for the afternoon. Again, Kiba was assigned at a separate location from the other Gardening club members.

"I'm sensing a discrimination happening. Why do they keep me away from the other members of the Gardening Club?!"

Kiba was furiously striking the soil.

"Look at those girls, they're so pure looking that they probably haven't talked to a boy yet. And here you are leering at them. Of course, they'd be scared!"

Sanaka was now pulling on the dead plant they are trying to remove from the ground.

"I was only glancing! And I kept it at a minimum!"

Kiba looked up at Sanaka who was standing in front of him.

"Nevertheless, we will be banished away from the Gardening club as long as we are with you."

Mimi was picking up the dead leaves and branches surrounding them and putting it inside a plastic trash bag.

"Damn. I'm sure that Akuma is having some fun right now. He doesn't have to deal with this shame."

Kiba sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky.

"Alternatively, those girls from the Gardening club have to deal with your harassment and inappropriate 'glances'. Thus, I feel sorry for them. Now stop slacking off and get back to work, Kiba-kun."

Mimi stared at Kiba.

"Okay, okay. Wow, I'm stuck with slave drivers. I bet Angelie isn't like this."

Kiba stood up and dusted his pants.

"Speaking of Angelie-san, I wonder if she's doing okay…"

Sanaka looked up at the sky.

"Stop slacking off as well, Sanaka-san."

Mimi pointed at Sanaka.

----

Meanwhile, Akuma was wandering around town since he didn't have to help with the Gardening club. He first walked around aimlessly and looked at different shops that piqued his interest. He went inside a bookstore and went to the manga section. He browsed some books and then left after a while. He continued to wander without any purpose and found himself in a street surrounded by houses and small apartment complexes. He stumbled into a neighborhood where he hasn't been to before.

"Wow, I really didn't notice where I was going. Where am I now?"

Akuma continued to walk straight down the street in hopes of finding a familiar landmark. As he was walking, he saw a stack of boxes placed in front of a two-floor apartment complex. There was someone behind the boxes trying to lift the topmost box. Akuma was standing on the opposite side so he couldn't see the person's face. He scratched the back of his head and then approached the stack of boxes. He tried to carry the box the other person was having difficulties with.

"Here, let me help you with that."

He grabbed the box from underneath. The person on the other side grabbed the box by its sides.

"Thank you so much! I was having a hard time with this one."

The voice of the person was a female.

"Where should this go?"

Akuma tried to look at the person on the other side.

"Sorry but it's on the second floor."

The girl peeked from the other side of the box.

"Y-you!"

Akuma's eyes opened wide.

"What do you mean—"

The girl and Akuma dropped the box. It was Angelie on the other side. They stared at each other for a while. Angelie then screamed.

"What are you doing here?! You stalker! Sanaka did say you like following people around…"

Angelie was wearing a loose shirt and very short shorts. She crouched on the ground and covered her body with her arms by hugging herself.

"The heck is that Sanaka talking about? If that was about the Vice President, then that was a coincidence—"

"Why are you here, then?! You followed me here, right?!"

Angelie kept on talking loudly as she was looking up to Akuma from her crouching position.

"How will I follow you home when you didn't go to school today? Get that brain of yours working!"

"But, but…!"

"Will you first stop shouting? Your neighbors might think something is up!"

Akuma had his hands up towards Angelie, his palms facing her.

"Something IS up! You, showing up here!"

"It's just coincidence, as well! I was practically lost."

"But that doesn’t explain why you're here!"

"I just saw someone having trouble with these boxes and I came over—"

"—To help…?"

Angelie stared at Akuma for a while.