Chapter 075: Stay Back!

"Just move it here; thanks, Ishigami, Shirogane," Kanade Natsukawa said, wiping the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. He gave the two young men hauling equipment a grateful nod. "Fujiwara and I can handle the rest from here. You guys can head back now."

Before either of them could respond, Chika Fujiwara puffed out her cheeks and exploded, "What?! Why do I have to stay?! This is so unfair!"

"Why am I the only one stuck working?! I demand labor arbitration!"

"Because you've been slacking off this whole time," Kanade replied flatly.

From the very beginning, he'd noticed how this ditzy secretary dragged her feet, constantly excusing herself to the restroom or claiming to be thirsty. Others had already made three trips to the storage room while she barely managed one, all while pretending to wipe away imaginary sweat under his watchful gaze.

Did she really think he was that gullible?

"No more excuses! I'll supervise you myself to make sure you don't slack off again."

"Ugh! Kanade, you're such a heartless capitalist! You're going to end up strung up by the masses someday!"

"Don't worry," Kanade replied with a smirk. "I'll make sure to squeeze every last bit of value out of you before that happens."

Ignoring her protests, he grabbed her wrist and led her toward the hall where the remaining equipment waited.

"No point trying to stall with small talk, Fujiwara. I'll make sure you keep moving."

"Guh... You tyrant! You brute! You..."

"Say whatever you like; it's not going to change anything."

Chika's exaggerated struggles drew attention from passing students, but upon realizing that the "aggressor" was none other than their newly elected student council president, they all swiftly averted their gazes, pretending not to see anything.

Kanade tightened his grip as Chika tried harder to pull away. Despite her frantic efforts, there was no escaping his firm grasp.

To be honest, Kanade harbored a bit of a grudge against her. Not only had she rejected his request to give a campaign speech during the elections, but she'd later had the audacity to demand he treat her to dinner. And then there were her countless antics throughout their time together...

Today, he decided, she needed a proper lesson.

"That one, and that one over there—all of it needs to go to the storage room. No exceptions," Kanade declared, crossing his arms as he stood guard over the remaining equipment.

Chika, still pouting, gave him a pitiful look.

"...Can't you help me just a little, President? Pretty please?"

Kanade remained silent, his gaze unyielding.

"Come on, I've learned my lesson! Next time, I promise to work hard and never slack off again. Pretty please, just let me off the hook this once?"

Kanade continued to stare, unimpressed.

"Grr! You're a tyrant, an abuser of power, and... and a generic light novel protagonist!"

The corners of Kanade's mouth twitched. If only she knew how much time he'd spent defending the integrity of light novels during heated online debates back in his club days. Her weak verbal jabs were laughable by comparison.

"Keep this up, and I really won't help you," he warned.

Chika immediately straightened, giving a mock salute. "Yes, sir! I knew you were the best, President! Hehe!"

Kanade rolled his eyes, hoisting a heavy speaker. "Coil up those cables over there, and don't drag them across the floor. Someone might trip."

The bulky speaker would have been too much for Chika to handle alone, so he hadn't expected her to finish everything by herself. His goal wasn't to overwork her—it was simply to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry! I'm not that careless, you know."

"Why do you think I'm worried?"

"Ugh! President, you're the real idiot here!"

"Oh? Care to repeat that while I'm holding this?" he asked, nodding toward the heavy equipment in his arms.

"I-I said... the President looks super cool today! Especially during the election speech!"

"...Where exactly do you see stars shining? 'Super cool,' really?"

As the hours wore on, their pace slowed. To accommodate Chika's lack of stamina, they alternated between moving equipment and taking short breaks. By the time they'd finished, the sky outside had darkened, and most of the campus was empty.

"Finally done," Kanade said with satisfaction, surveying the neatly arranged storage room. "Good work, Fujiwara."

He turned to her, ready to offer a few words of praise, only to find her slumped in a chair, looking utterly defeated.

"Ugh, it's so hot! I'm melting here!"

Despite her goofy antics, there was no denying that Chika Fujiwara had a unique charm. Her delicate features, flawless skin, and sparkling blue eyes could easily captivate anyone. Her slightly tousled hair and the way the light caught the sweat on her collarbone...

"Want a handkerchief?" he asked, offering his own.

"Thanks, President..." Chika took the handkerchief but suddenly jumped up, backing away several steps. Her eyes held an accusatory glare.

"Don't get so close! You smell sweaty!"

She really did just say that.

Kanade froze. Whatever momentary flutter of admiration he'd felt instantly vanished.

Why... why had he even entertained those thoughts about her?

Kanade heaved a long sigh, muttering to himself, "My brain must be broken."

Notes-Read advances chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, a total of 274 chapters you can find it in the collections, thanks for supporting me and special thanks to all the patrons for joining