Chapter 328: I can’t bear it anymore!

Returning to the classroom.

Before the first class of the day, and under Chika's persistent urging, Amamiya filled out his campaign application and made his way to the Election Management Committee.

The committee's office was located on the fourth floor, primarily staffed by second-year students.

As soon as Amamiya reached the fourth floor, he found himself face-to-face with a strikingly beautiful senior with pink hair at the corridor corner.

"Hey, fellow student?"

The senior's eyes lit up as she spotted him coming up the stairs.

"Good morning, Tsubame-senpai," Amamiya greeted politely, his tone calm and composed.

Tsubame looked delighted. "Oh, this is the second-year floor! What brings you here, Amamiya-kun?"

"I'm here to submit an application," Amamiya explained, holding up the form in his hand.

"Hmm…" Tsubame tilted her head curiously, her gaze landing on the application. "Are you running for student council president?"

Amamiya nodded slightly.

"Impressive!" she exclaimed. "If it were me, I wouldn't even want to leave my house, let alone run for president!"

Amamiya replied casually, "I just thought it'd be a good experience—something I haven't tried yet. Better to give it a shot than regret not trying. Well then, goodbye, senpai."

He turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

"Wait a moment…"

Tsubame held onto his sleeve, her wide, pleading eyes meeting his. "There's a terrifying evil spirit in my classroom. Could I trouble you to exorcise it, Amamiya-kun?"

The request made sense. Just yesterday, Tsubame had been roped into Amamiya's organization of players tasked with dealing with supernatural phenomena. After reading through the group's guides and dungeon logs, she realized just how much experience and skill Amamiya had. Despite being a year younger, his abilities in exorcising evil spirits were in a league of their own—particularly his mysterious and unique "repelling aura" skill.

"Where is your classroom, Senpai?" Amamiya asked.

"Class 2-A, just ahead," Tsubame answered, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Amamiya nodded and headed down the hall, stopping at the door of Class 2-A. Peering inside, he immediately spotted the problem.

Standing in the classroom was a grotesque female spirit, her stomach swollen and bloodied. A smaller, baby-like evil spirit dangled from her belly, connected by a twisted umbilical cord. The baby spirit, with serrated fangs and a bloodied appearance, leapt gleefully around the classroom. It jumped onto students' heads, into their laps, and even wriggled into the arms of a pretty girl, as though it wanted to bite into her flesh.

Amamiya glanced back at Tsubame.

No wonder she was so desperate. Given her, well… size, she'd undoubtedly become a prime target for that baby spirit the moment she entered the room.

Noticing Amamiya's gaze, Tsubame instinctively covered her chest with both hands. Her face went pale as she whispered pitifully, "Please, Amamiya-kun! I don't want to let that horrifying thing touch me!"

She shuddered at the thought. She had never even had a boyfriend, let alone allowed a boy to touch her. The idea of such a terrifying spirit targeting her was unbearable. If Amamiya hadn't shown up, she was ready to fake a stomach ache just to skip class.

Amamiya said nothing, quietly activating his evil spirit repelling aura. The invisible force quickly engulfed the classroom, its reach perfectly calibrated to trap the two spirits inside.

A moment later, the spirits began to howl in pain.

The mother and baby spirit, though gruesome in appearance, weren't particularly powerful. Under the influence of Amamiya's aura, they burned away in seconds, leaving behind nothing but silence.

"Whew…" Tsubame exhaled deeply, relief washing over her face. She bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Amamiya-kun!"

"It was nothing," Amamiya replied with a wave of his hand. He turned and headed off to the Election Management Committee to submit his application.

The submission process was quick, and in no time, he was exiting the office. To his surprise, Tsubame was still waiting in the hallway.

"Senpai? Were you waiting for me?" Amamiya asked.

"Yes!" Tsubame's eyes lit up as she nodded eagerly. "If you're running for student council president, choosing someone to deliver your campaign speech is super important. Have you picked anyone yet?"

"Not yet," Amamiya admitted.

"Then choose me!" Tsubame clasped her hands in front of her chest and leaned forward. Her proximity carried a faint scent of milk and fruit. "I have tons of experience with cheering speeches. If you choose me, I promise I won't let you down!"

The cheering speech was crucial.

In essence, an election was nothing more than a contest of popularity and recognition.

In a school setting, the lesser-known individuals simply couldn't compete with the campus celebrities. A well-chosen person to deliver the cheering speech could create a ripple effect—what the saying describes as "love me, love my dog."

From this perspective, Tsubame was indeed an excellent candidate.

Not only was she beautiful and kind-hearted, but she was also universally liked, with friends across every grade level. Her extensive social network was leagues ahead of anyone else's, including Kaguya's. If she were chosen as the cheering speaker, it was certain that she'd win over many of the undecided voters.

"What's your condition, senpai?"

Amamiya asked calmly.

Given Tsubame's naturally helpful personality, it wasn't difficult to imagine that she'd agree to assist if asked directly. However, Amamiya understood it was better to let her make the offer herself.

"Ahem." Tsubame raised her hand, coughed lightly into the back of it, and leaned in to whisper, "I do have a favor to ask, Amamiya-kun… I saw in the group chat that you can temporarily grant others special skills. Could I, um, borrow your 'Evil Spirit Repelling' skill?"

Amamiya wasn't surprised.

The "Evil Spirit Repelling Aura" was highly useful in everyday life. It was no shock that someone like Tsubame, who wasn't particularly combat-capable, would want it. Even Kaguya, with her usual stoic demeanor, had caved under the stress of being haunted. A warm and gentle senpai like Tsubame would have an even lower threshold for dealing with sudden evil spirit encounters.

"I'll think about the cheering speech," Amamiya replied after a brief pause. Then, after a moment of consideration, he added, "But as for the skill, I can grant it to you. Let's talk more after school."

"Deal!"

Tsubame's face lit up with a radiant smile. She waved cheerfully and hurried back to her classroom.

Amamiya descended the stairs.

Lunch Break – Rooftop Terrace

During lunch, Amamiya bought a drink and some fried noodle bread, making his way to the rooftop. When he arrived, he found Chika already there.

"Here, here!"

Chika raised her right hand, her cheerful voice carried by the cool breeze.

Amamiya walked over and sat beside her, holding up the plastic bag. "Which drink do you want?"

"The 100% freshly squeezed strawberry juice," Chika replied.

"Here."

Amamiya unscrewed the cap and handed the bottle to her.

Chika placed her lunchbox on her lap and opened it, revealing an impressive spread: beef, fried pork chops, prawns, sausages, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, plums, green peppers, and more. The portions were generous and beautifully arranged.

"I thought the rooftop would be scorching," Chika remarked as she handed him a spare pair of bamboo chopsticks. "But the breeze is so nice and cool!"

Amamiya shook his head. "I don't need chopsticks."

"Huh?"

"I took too many notes in class, and now my hand's cramped. I can't hold chopsticks," Amamiya said seriously. "I'll need you to feed me, Chika."

Chika smirked mischievously. "Well, since you said so…" She picked up a piece of green pepper with her chopsticks and offered it to him with a grin. "Here you go, naughty child. Eat more green peppers!"

Amamiya immediately straightened up. "Actually, I can suddenly hold chopsticks again."

"It's too late." Chika raised her chin triumphantly, her tone playful. "Open your mouth and eat this green pepper now!"

Amamiya turned his head away. "If I eat too much at once, I might die from poisoning."

"It's not poisonous, just a little bitter!" Chika leaned in closer, her head tilted at a cute angle. "Come on, don't be picky! Green peppers are good for you."

"…"

The two continued their playful bickering as they ate. Suddenly, the sound of the rooftop door opening interrupted them.

"Someone's coming up!"

Chika hastily withdrew her chopsticks and sat upright, looking flustered. "Hide quickly!"

Amamiya sighed helplessly.

"The rooftop is a public space. There's no need to hide, is there?"

Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, Chika grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the shadow of the water tower.

The rooftop of the school building had several large water towers, which could just barely conceal two people if needed.

No sooner had they ducked out of sight than the sound of footsteps echoed on the rooftop. Amamiya heard two sets of steps—one slightly ahead of the other. Curious, he peeked out and caught sight of a boy and a girl who both seemed vaguely familiar.

The pair didn't notice Amamiya and Chika hiding and made their way to a bench, sitting down to eat their lunch together.

"It's Yamazaki-san and Kyoko-chan from the next class," Chika whispered, leaning in close to Amamiya's ear and covering her mouth with one hand. Her warm breath brushed against his ear.

Amamiya immediately realized why the two looked familiar. They were classmates from a neighboring class.

Shrugging off the situation, Amamiya sat on the ground and resumed eating his fried noodle bread.

Having already hidden himself, it would feel awkward to reveal his presence now. The only reasonable choice was to stay out of sight. Besides, filling his stomach took priority.

But as Amamiya ate, he noticed Chika's expression was oddly subtle, as though something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" Amamiya asked in a low voice. "Are they acting weird?"

"Um…" Chika hesitated before leaning closer and whispering, "Yamazaki-san has a girlfriend—Ayaka-chan."

"Maybe the three of them planned to meet, but Yamazaki's girlfriend couldn't make it," Amamiya suggested casually.

Chika's expression grew even more conflicted. She bit her lip lightly before adding, "Kyoko-chan has a boyfriend too. It's Tanaka-san."

"…"

Amamiya's thoughts stalled for a moment. "Maybe Kyoko's boyfriend was also busy and couldn't come to the rooftop?" he said dryly. He held out the rest of the fried noodle bread to Chika. "Here. Eat the bread."

"Ah…" Chika opened her mouth obediently, taking a bite of the bread. Puffing out her cheeks, she chewed carefully, her mood seemingly distracted.

After a moment, her eyes flicked back to the bread in his hand.

"I want more," she said with her gaze.

"…Fine," Amamiya relented, handing her the rest of the bread.

Time passed quietly.

The boy and girl on the bench eventually finished their lunch and began packing up their containers.

Just as Amamiya thought they were about to leave, the two unexpectedly hugged each other—and then, to his astonishment, began kissing.

What the heck?

There was no way to spin this into something innocent anymore.

Both of them had partners, yet here they were, having a full-on affair on the rooftop. The tangled mess of their relationships was beyond comprehension.

"How…how could they…"

Chika's voice trembled slightly as she stared wide-eyed at the pair on the bench. Her face turned pale, and she visibly shuddered.

The bad feeling she'd had earlier had come true.

Fortunately, after a few minutes, the two students got up, adjusted their clothing, and left the rooftop one after the other.

"Let's head down too," Amamiya said, tossing the wrappers and scraps from their lunch into a nearby trash bin and preparing to stand.

But before he could rise, there was a loud bang!

Chika suddenly pressed her right hand against the wall beside Amamiya's ear, effectively pinning him in place. She leaned in close, her face flushed and her breaths coming unevenly. Her usual bright demeanor had been replaced by a look of desperation, her lips trembling slightly as she bit down on them.

"I…I can't take it anymore!" she blurted out, her voice tinged with frustration and self-abandonment.