076. President, You’re About to Be Toyed With!

"Had enough rest? If so, hurry and get out. I need to finish checking everything and lock up." Watching Chika Fujiwara casually pocket the handkerchief that clearly belonged to him, Natsukawa Kanade couldn't help but feel a vein throb on his forehead.

Sure, it was just a handkerchief, nothing important, but wasn't it weird to just take someone else's belongings without even asking?

Better not be planning some weird voodoo ritual with it!

"Alright, alright. Geez, President, you're always rushing people…" Chika puffed out her cheeks, then stood up with a relaxed demeanor, brushing the dust off her clothes.

"Today was such a productive day! Hard work feels so rewarding!"

Kanade resisted the urge to comment, instead focusing on cross-checking the inventory against the checklist in his hands.

But it didn't take long before Chika trotted back over to him, wearing a mysterious expression.

"President! I've got some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Start with the good news," Kanade replied without looking up.

"The good news is—I happen to have my phone with me, and it still has battery!"

"…Okay. So what's the good news?"

"Idiot President! I'm going to hit you!"

With that, Chika whipped out a roll of paper from who-knows-where and began bopping him on the head with it.

"Aren't you already hitting me?" Kanade sighed, not bothering to stop her playful antics. The light taps were more cooling than annoying, thanks to the breeze they stirred up.

"So, what's the bad news?"

"Humph…" Chika huffed and pouted dramatically before slowly revealing, "The bad news is—we're locked in the storage room! We can't get out!"

"…"

Kanade turned to face her, scrutinizing her expression.

Arms crossed, cheeks puffed, lips pouting, muttering under her breath…

She didn't seem particularly worried, nor did she show any signs of mischievous delight from a prank. So, it was probably true.

Setting down his pen and checklist, Kanade headed over to the storage room door to check.

"It's actually locked…"

After several attempts—pushing, pulling, even trying to pry it open with random tools—he had no choice but to accept the truth: they were indeed stuck in the storage room.

Whether it was the wind or someone's misguided attempt to help by shutting the door, the result was the same—they were trapped.

Thankfully, this airhead had brought her phone. All they needed to do now was notify someone and wait for rescue.

"Fujiwara, can you contact someone? Anyone will do. Just ask them to come unlock the door."

That was the plan, but Chika seemed quite reluctant to cooperate.

"Heh heh heh, if the President kneels and shouts, 'Long live Lady Fujiwara!' a few times and flatters me a bit, I might just consider it~."

"Hmm. I think I'll spend the night here, then. Do as you please."

Kanade had no intention of humoring her. He'd already guessed she was up to something the moment she ran over looking so smug earlier.

She was too easy to read.

"Ugh! At a time like this, can't you just play along?! President, you've changed! You're such a jerk!"

"Could you, at least, read the room a little? Isn't it unbearably hot in here?" Kanade sighed.

It was summer. The storage room was sweltering, dusty, and filled with allergens that relentlessly assaulted his sinuses. And she expected him to humor her antics? That was a tall order.

"Honestly, I'm fine with it. If you don't contact anyone, you can't leave anyway, so you'll just have to keep me company here."

Kanade shrugged and returned to inventorying the equipment.

"Guh…"

Seeing that he wouldn't give in, Chika puffed up in frustration and reluctantly pulled out her phone to start contacting someone. But after tapping on the screen for a while, she froze.

"President…"

"What now?"

"There's no signal…"

"What?"

"No signal!" Chika thrust the phone screen in front of Kanade's face to prove it.

"…Wow."

Kanade was at a loss for words. Who would've thought that the real killer wasn't a dead phone or forgetting to bring one but a lack of signal?

Still, it wasn't an insurmountable problem. If there was no signal, they just needed to find a spot where there was.

"Give me the phone. I'll try."

Kanade took the phone and tested it in various corners of the storage room, but the signal remained nonexistent. Then, his eyes fell on the small window high up on the wall.

Chika noticed his gaze and immediately recoiled, her face flushing red as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"W-What are you planning, President? Don't even think about doing anything inappropriate! Not in a dirty place like this!"

"What kind of nonsense is running through your head?" Kanade rolled his eyes. He pointed at the window.

"See that? There might be a signal up there. You're going to stand on a chair, raise the phone, and see if you can send a message."

"Eh? Why don't you try it yourself? You're not planning to peek up at me from below, are you?!"

"Because I don't trust you not to fall, you idiot. I'll hold the chair steady!" Kanade's tone carried a hint of exasperation.

Normally, she didn't care about these things. Why was she suddenly so self-conscious now? Was she deliberately trying to mess with him?

"Hurry up and stop stalling. Get up there. I'll hold the chair."

"Geez, President, you're so impatient! My mom said boys shouldn't rush things~."

Chika stuck out her tongue playfully and climbed onto the chair just as Kanade was about to glare at her.

"…!"

Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

Kanade resolved then and there that once this ordeal was over, he would assign her so much work she wouldn't have the energy to stand straight for a week!

"Eh… Hmm… Ugh…"

"How's it going? Any luck?"

"Not yet. I might need to go higher. Let me try standing on my tiptoes…"

"Don't overdo it. If it's too dangerous, let me—" Kanade began to caution her, but before he could finish, Chika wobbled and lost her balance.

"!?"

Acting on reflex, Kanade leapt forward to catch her, pulling her into his arms. His back, however, made painful contact with the ground in the process.

"Ugh…"

A sharp, burning pain flared up along his back, sending waves of discomfort through his body.

"President?! Are you okay?!"

Chika had closed her eyes, bracing herself for a painful fall, but instead found herself enveloped in a warm embrace. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by Kanade's strained expression as he endured the pain.

"This is all my fault…" Chika muttered guiltily, realizing her carelessness had caused this.

"You…"

"Yes? President, I'm here. Just tell me!"

"Could you… get up first?"

Chika's immediate instinct was to complain about him implying she was heavy, but then it hit her: she was completely sprawled on top of him, and his back had taken the full brunt of the fall. Startled, she scrambled to her feet and helped him up.

"President, are you hurt? Let me see!"

"It's probably nothing…"

"Don't you dare play tough! You're such a big dummy sometimes!" Chika glared at him and ordered, "Turn around and lift your shirt so I can take a look!"

"…" Without a word, Kanade did as instructed, slowly pulling up his shirt.

"Yikes! You're bleeding!"

On his back were several scrapes, streaks of blood standing out against his skin. The abrasions were from the friction of the fall, and while there were no visible bruises, it was hard to tell if there was any internal damage.

"Sit tight and don't move! I'll find something to treat this." With that, Chika rushed off to search for supplies.

"…"

A short while later, she returned with a bottle of iodine, a few cotton swabs, and a large roll of gauze.

"It's just a scrape. Cleaning it up should be enough. Isn't the gauze a bit overkill?"

"President, zip it! Don't question my professionalism!" Chika shot him a playful glare before kneeling beside him. "I'll wipe away the blood first. It might sting a little, so be a good boy and bear with it, okay?"

"Where do you even get this doting-aunt attitude from?" Kanade sighed, feeling as though she had suddenly gone into full maternal mode, treating him like a child.

"…"

Chika didn't respond, focusing intently on cleaning his wounds.

"…"

After what felt like an eternity, the blood was cleaned, and she moved on to wrapping him in gauze.

"Seriously, are you trying to mummify me? Do you really need this many layers?"

"It's just in case! If I don't wrap it well enough, you might reopen the wound while bathing!" Chika suddenly paused, as if struck by an idea. "Oh, right! With your back like this, you can't possibly bathe on your own! Want me to come over and help you tonight? I could scrub your back for you! Although, my curfew might be a problem, hmm…"

"That won't be necessary!" Kanade quickly waved off the suggestion.

Aside from the potential for awkward situations at home, there was also the matter of Shiina Mahiru, who lived next door. He had promised her he would keep her living arrangement a secret, and having Chika over would jeopardize that.

"Humph…" Chika gave him a look that seemed to say, Are you rejecting me?

Kanade, however, interpreted it differently, assuming her real thought was more along the lines of, What a shame, I can't tease him anymore.

The air in the storage room felt stifling. Having removed his uniform earlier for treatment, Kanade's upper body was now wrapped in gauze while his toned abs remained exposed.

Chika's eyes drifted to the uncovered area.

Hmph! I want to touch them again!

Her fingers twitched as she remembered the missed opportunity last time. Now, with Kanade in a vulnerable state, there was no way he could resist her…

And so, she made her move.

Chika's cool, delicate hands landed on Kanade's stomach, making him flinch at the icy sensation.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Aww, don't be shy, President! It's not like I haven't already seen everything!" Chika giggled mischievously, straddling his lap to keep him pinned down. She leaned forward, her playful grin looming over him.

"Kukuku, just surrender your body to me, President! You'll make such a perfect specimen!"

Kanade's eyes widened in alarm as she edged closer. This girl's gone off the deep end!

Help! There's a crazy woman here!

He wanted to yell, but Chika's relentless teasing left him pressed against the wall, unable to escape.

"Hehehe…"

"…"

Just as Chika seemed about to succeed in her antics, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the storage room. Moments later, the door swung open.

And there they were—Chika atop Kanade, both disheveled and drenched in sweat, frozen mid-action as they turned to face the intruder.