473: Let’s Go Home Together

In psychology, there is a term called "Murphy's Law," which roughly means that the possibility of something going wrong cannot be ignored, and sometimes, the things people worry about are more likely to happen.

This law is now fully embodied in the case of Chisato.

"Senpai? ...Senpai!"

Worried that the students from Soubu High, who were visiting her school, might not be familiar with the campus, Chisato waited by the school gate after school with Fukube Satoshi. 

Before long, she saw students dressed in Soubu High's uniform.

Before the student who appeared to be the leader among them could speak, a graceful figure took the lead and approached.

As the distance closed, Iroha's disbelief turned into joy.

"Is that really you, Senpai?"

Iroha clasped her hands in front of her chest, her face blooming with a radiant smile.

Seeing other familiar faces among the group of Soubu High students, Chisato felt his head getting a bit heavy, but he still forced a smile and raised his hand to greet Iroha.

"Ah, so it's someone you know, Iroha."

"Yeah, he's a senpai who takes great care of me!"

Iroha cheerfully gave Chisato a high five. Even if he didn't mean it, the excitement in her mood was obvious.

"Let me do the introductions... This is Suzumiya Chisato, and over here is our school president..."

Yui had been watching closely the interaction between Iroha and Chisato. She cast a slightly concerned glance at Yukino's expression.

Though Yukino appeared unchanged, there seemed to be an air of softness around her now, much softer than before.

Was it just an illusion?

…

In the conference room of Houjou University Attached High School.

A long conference table had already been set up with refreshments.

But although they were refreshments, they were not particularly impressive—just some commonly available snacks like gummies, cookies, and chocolates.

Considering that there would be quite a few people at the meeting, most of the snacks were in small packages for easy sharing and to prevent hands from getting dirty.

"I didn't expect this," Fukube Satoshi said while neatly arranging disposable cups at the corner of the conference room.

"What do you mean?" Chisato slowly poured coffee into the cups.

"I mean, I didn't expect you to know Soubu High students... Ah, no wonder you were so restless earlier asking about who would come from their school. 

You didn't do anything bad to them, did you? After all, you already have Touma."

"Your imagination is amazing, but unfortunately, that's not the case. As Iroha said earlier, I'm just a senpai who looks out for her. We're on good terms, but that's all."

"Look out for her, huh... How much does that 'looking out' go? Did you kiss?"

"That's too much gossip. You should focus on your own love life. You've been with Ibara for so long, yet there's no progress. Aren't you worried?"

"Well, that's why I'm seeking advice from you."

"My experience is not something worth learning from, so don't bother."

"Ha ha..."

Chisato placed the coffee tray on the table and handed it to the group from Soubu High.

"Thank you, I'll help."

Iroha eagerly took the coffee tray from Chisato and handed the cups to the others.

The three from the student council, led by Shiromeguri Meguri, placed their backpacks and meeting notes on the edge of the table but were conversing with the president of Houjou University Attached High School at the counter.

Yui took her coffee and thanked him. Now that they had time to chat, she continued,

"I didn't expect Suzumiya-kun to have joined the student council. When I saw you greeting us at the gate, honestly, the three of us were quite surprised."

Yukino glanced at her slightly, but did not object.

"I haven't joined the student council. The reason I'm here is because I was dragged along by a friend to help out."

Chisato explained with a smile.

"Really? That's just like us. We were also asked by the president to help out and offer some suggestions."

Yui casually shared their situation.

"I see, that's why the members of the Servant Club are here... Is this too much of a coincidence?"

Chisato appeared calm on the surface, still friendly and approachable, offering reassurance.

"Anyway, my role here is just like a gofer, so if you need any help, feel free to ask me. Let's all work hard for the upcoming sports event."

"I won't be polite about it. After all, it's rare to be treated by a senpai."

"Stop acting like you're not always bothering me."

"Senpai, no need to say such things, it's embarrassing."

"It's fine, I didn't specify what it was about."

"That's still no good. This concerns a girl's reputation..."

Iroha complained, but anyone could see that she was enjoying her conversation with Chisato. The radiant smile on her face was completely different from her usual social smile.

Yui noticed this clearly, and so did Yukino.

But for some reason, Yukino felt distracted today.

She had a draft plan for the collaboration with Soubu High for the sports event in front of her, and she should have been reviewing it seriously as per Shiromeguri Meguri's request, but she couldn't focus.

Was she catching a cold?

The flu had been spreading severely recently, and perhaps she should take a hot bath when she gets home tonight to ward off the chill.

Yukino remained silent, occasionally sipping her coffee.

Since Chisato had promised to help, he couldn't just chat with his acquaintances.

After delivering the coffee and chatting briefly with Iroha, he turned to leave.

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

"We can take care of the coffee here. I don't think there's anything else that needs doing."

"Does that mean I can leave now?"

"Don't go yet. Although there's nothing to do right now, who knows if something might come up later. Ah, right, since you're familiar with them..."

Fukube Satoshi glanced at the three members of the Soubu High School Service Club.

"I see they're a bit awkward with the unfamiliar environment, so I'm leaving them in your care."

"You really know how to give orders."

"Don't act so unwilling. You seemed to be chatting quite happily with them earlier."

"…"

Chisato paused, looking at Fukubu, and when his friend showed a puzzled expression, he suddenly pointed at his own face and asked,

"Did I really look happy just now?"

Although he didn't understand why, Fukube Satoshi nodded honestly and replied,

"Yeah, you looked really happy. You've never shown me that kind of smile."

"Don't compare it to yourself. That's disgusting."

"If I didn't say that, there'd be no way to make a clear comparison... But you might be right. Let me rephrase: I've only seen you smile like that at Touma before."

At school, Chisato and Hitori usually interacted in a small space near the stairs, and later moved to a quiet music classroom without anyone else around. 

Since Hitori's band was gaining popularity, Chisato would naturally be careful about his behavior in public to avoid causing any unwanted attention from fans. 

Acts like kissing or hugging would only happen privately, so Fukube Satoshi had never witnessed any particularly intimate moments between them.

"I don't know the details of your relationship with them, but now that Touma's gone, even if you take some actions, no one will say anything about it. So go ahead, do whatever you like."

Fukube Satoshi said these strange things, then gave Chisato's shoulder a friendly pat.

The reason Fukubu had asked Chisato to help was to get his attention off the "heartbreak" and get him involved with the new, excellent student who had recently joined the student council, someone he had carefully chosen. 

But now that he didn't need to set up any targets, his plan seemed unnecessary.

So now, it was just as the famous brand slogan goes: Just Do It, just go for it.

"...Anyway, I've been assigned to your side. I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I still ask for your kind cooperation."

Before the meeting officially started, Chisato sat next to the three members of the Service Club.

Iroha was especially excited,

"So, does that mean you'll be in charge of entertaining us from now on?"

"That's one way to look at it, but the most I can do is show you where the restrooms are. Please don't expect too much from me beyond that."

"It's fine! As long as you sit here with us, I never imagined I'd get to work with you like this before coming here. It's such an interesting turn of events."

"You should know why you're here today, right?"

"You just suddenly appeared and scared me!"

Iroha raised her hand and said it without hesitation.

"It's to discuss strategies for the upcoming joint sports festival between our schools."

"Hehe~"

The meeting began with the two of them playing around while talking. 

The student council members from both schools took the lead in the discussions, and although other people were present, their chances to speak were relatively few.

During this time, Iroha purposely leaned closer to Chisato. Her focus was no longer on the meeting tasks, and she kept chatting with him quietly, her smile never fading. 

Occasionally, Yui also joined in the conversation.

However, Yukino, throughout the entire meeting, only interacted with Chisato once when their gazes met and they gave each other a brief nod.

Still, the meeting ended on a friendly and warm note.

The group set up a discussion group and agreed to continue any discussions online later.

Chisato and Fukube Satoshi were also added to the group chat, but upon seeing the entire page filled with chaotic self-introductions, Chisato chose to mute it.

By November, the sky darkened quickly, and by 6 p.m., stars were already visible. The neon lights along the streets lit up.

As Chisato helped Fukube Satoshi tidy up the meeting room and left the school gate, he noticed that the Service Club trio hadn't left yet.

Iroha saw him and waved with a friendly smile.

"Looks like everything went smoothly."

Fukube Satoshi leaned in close to Chisato's ear and gave a mischievous grin.

"What's with that oddly relieved tone?"

"Hehe, I was going to thank you for helping me clean up the meeting room and maybe treat you to a bun or something, but it looks like I don't need to do that. 

I'll head out now. See you tomorrow."

Fukube Satoshi was quick to leave, without a moment's hesitation.

Chisato took a deep breath and walked over to Iroha.

"Why aren't you heading home?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for you, of course."

Iroha emphasized the word "waiting," her face showing a pouty, displeased expression.

"Then, what about them…"

Chisato glanced at the other two behind Iroha.

"We were planning to visit Yukinoshita-senpai's house after school anyway, so since it's on the way, they're just waiting with me for a while."

"You all really get along well."

"You have good friends too, like that Fukubu guy. I always thought you didn't have any male friends."

"What made you think that?"

"Of course, it's because of you..."

At this point, Yui joined in.

"Since your work here is done, let's go home together."

As she spoke, the exposed skin on her legs, under her skirt, slightly trembled.

This was something Chisato had been puzzled about.

Not just Iroha, but also Yukino, both of them were wearing warm coats over their uniforms. Yet, for some reason, they still wore summer-style skirts.

Was it for aesthetic reasons?

He just couldn't understand.

"Alright, let's go."

Though he didn't understand, he decided to move faster since the three of them seemed cold.

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