...
Ichigaya Offices
Knock, knock
"Come in…" said an old voice.
Through the door entered an attractive blonde-haired woman.
"Madam President… we have news regarding the whereabouts and some questionable movements by the young Miss," the blonde woman reported respectfully to the older woman in front of her.
The older woman, sitting at her desk, had short, dull brown hair with several white strands—a sign of her advanced age. Her face looked tired but still carried traces of the beauty she once had in her youth. Undoubtedly, in her younger days, she must have been a stunning beauty.
The older woman was gazing out of her office's large window at the starry sky.
Perched on the bridge of her nose were black-rimmed glasses reflecting a pair of almond-colored eyes filled with the weight of experience. A small cigarette rested on her lips.
After taking a puff and exhaling the smoke, the older woman spoke.
"Speak."
"Y-Yes! This afternoon, the young Miss used her authority to unofficially mobilize members of the medical branch as well as two elite squads…" the blonde reported while placing a file on the older woman's desk.
The older woman frowned and picked up the document.
"The young Miss is currently at one of the Otori Group's medical centers, accompanying the youngest son of Shinomiya Gan'an… a certain Tadano Hitohito, who suddenly collapsed early this morning," the blonde continued.
"That's enough, JB. I understand the situation. That brat becomes absolutely foolish when it comes to that boy…" the older woman complained.
The blonde woman, now identified as JB, remained silent.
The older woman let out a sigh and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on her desk. Then, she pulled a small pack of tangerine-flavored gum from a drawer. Chewing on one, she grabbed the coat from her chair and headed toward the door.
JB looked at her, stunned.
"P-President? Where are you going?" she asked, still somewhat dazed.
"Isn't it obvious? I need to give that girl a good lecture for misusing personnel just because of a simple fainting spell from her little boyfriend…" the older woman said arrogantly as she placed her hand on the doorknob.
"B-But… what about the stack of paperwork that still needs to be done?!" JB said in a panicked tone, sensing an ominous premonition.
The older woman trembled for a moment, then turned around with a somewhat stiff smile.
"I'm counting on you, JB. You know you're my favorite girl… Don't worry, I'll pay you double for the overtime. With that said, goodbye!" she said quickly before darting out the door.
Before JB could even protest, the older woman had already disappeared.
"…"
JB looked at the mountain of paperwork, and tears of grievance began to well up at the corners of her eyes.
"Damn it! They've used me as the scapegoat again…" JB cursed in her heart before picking up her pen and facing her greatest nemesis.
Not a thief, not a terrorist, not even a corrupt politician—her worst enemy was paperwork!
...
Otori Medical Center...
An unconscious Tadano rested on the bed.
Outside the room, a group of somber-looking girls sat not far from the door.
Shouko sat closest to the room, her gaze lost. Every 30 seconds, she stood up to peek inside the room, hoping Tadano would wake up.
She had experienced this situation once before, but this time was more mortifying. She had witnessed Tadano's complete suffering with her own eyes, and it broke her heart.
She would have remained glued to the door permanently if her friends hadn't insisted she rest for a bit.
Her appearance was a mess—the light makeup she had applied for Tadano's sake was now smudged, her eyes were red from crying, and her hair was slightly disheveled.
"Come on, Shouko, at this rate, you'll collapse before nightfall… Why don't you come with me to get something to drink and relax for a while? The doctor said he'd likely sleep for more than a day anyway, so let's go, okay?" Nene said carefully, with concern.
Shouko looked reluctant to leave the door, but before she could decline Nene's offer, Kaede's voice chimed in.
"It's okay, Shouko-chan… go with Nene and wash your face while you're at it. If Hito-kun wakes up, you wouldn't want him to see you looking so disheveled, would you?" Kaede said calmly.
Shouko hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to go with Nene.
Once Shouko left, Kaede turned her attention to the remaining pair.
"As for you… could you stop shaking your leg like that? It's really annoying."
"Oh! Does it bother you? Well, too bad—I don't care," Yamai immediately retorted, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Kaede didn't respond but instead gave her a sly smile.
This seemed to anger Yamai even more for some reason, but before she could say anything else, a small hand rested on her shoulder.
"Mah~ Mah~ There's no need to get so worked up, right? Remember the promise you made to Big Brother, Yamai-nee…" Ai said in a conciliatory tone.
"… Fine…" Yamai finally said, sitting in her chair and pulling out her phone to distract herself.
Kaede felt a bit disappointed. Moments of high stress were the perfect time for a war of words with Yamai, but it seemed that wouldn't happen now.
After lamenting her lost opportunity, she turned her attention to Ai.
"Tell me, little Ai, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be filming a commercial, at least that's what Hito-kun told me," Kaede asked curiously.
"Hehe… It's a long story, but to make it short, we had to postpone the shoot for a few days—at least until Tadano-nii wakes up. And well, I was also a bit curious about what a big hospital is like, so here I am, hehe…" Ai said in her usual playful tone.
That was a lie.
In truth, Ai couldn't act—not after witnessing the complete suffering her teacher and friend Nagisa had gone through.
She saw it. It was utterly terrifying, and the heart-wrenching scream Nagisa let out in that moment would likely haunt Ai's dreams.
When she later learned her Big Brother had collapsed, she broke into a cold sweat and feared the worst. While she wanted to cry on the spot, seeing her sister Yamai in such a miserable state prompted her to put on a strong front.
She wore a mask and did her best to keep Yamai calm.
Though Ai often came across as scatterbrained, she wasn't entirely clueless. She knew exactly why her sister Yamai was going through this.
Ai had looked into this sort of thing ever since she accidentally stumbled upon something between them in the bathroom that one time.
With that in mind, Ai understood Yamai was in a very delicate and sensitive state, so to prevent further harm, she decided to accompany her and take care of her as best she could.
Kaede nodded at Ai's response.
"Is that so? Well, why don't you and Yamai explore the area? Don't worry about Hito-kun—I'll stay here," she said with a calm smile.
Ai awkwardly laughed at Kaede's suggestion, quickly thinking of a polite way to decline.
Meanwhile, Yamai found Kaede's smug smile irritating, but before she could argue, she remembered Ai's words and, at the same time, the words of that man.
Flashback
In Yamai's apartment bedroom, the couple lay resting peacefully on the bed.
Yamai snuggled happily in the young man's arms, gazing at him with affection.
The young man, humming a tune, gently stroked her hair.
"Yamai, can you promise me something?" Tadano asked calmly.
"Anything you want!" Yamai replied almost immediately.
The young man couldn't help but chuckle at how eager she was just from a few casual words.
"While I've made things work with you, I'd really like it if you could improve your relationship with the others. Can you promise me you'll at least try?"
"…"
Yamai hesitated.
Deep down, something within her stubbornly refused to get along with that green-eyed vixen.
But seeing the look in his eyes, she simply couldn't find it in herself to refuse. Reluctantly, she agreed.
Then, in one swift motion, she straddled the young man once more.
"Alright… I promise I won't fight with that woman anymore. But you know, that witch is usually pretty cutting with her words, so to console my fragile heart, how about you fill me with all your love?" she said coquettishly, starting to move her hips with the intention of waking a certain part of him.
"But wouldn't that be dangerous for…" Tadano couldn't finish his sentence as a finger pressed against his lips.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… There are plenty of ways to solve that problem. You'd be surprised at the kind of information you can find online," she teased seductively.
Not long after, the room was enveloped in a rosy atmosphere, accompanied by the cries of an ecstatic fairy.
End of Flashback
Yamai looked at Kaede and, after letting out a sigh, agreed to the suggestion.
"Alright, little one, let's take a look around. Who knows, I might need to visit this place again in the future," she said, winking at Ai.
Ai seemed to catch onto Yamai's intentions and decided to go along, not without leaving a reminder to notify them immediately if her Big Brother woke up.
...
Once the last pair had left, Kaede clicked her tongue.
"Tch… since when has that woman been able to restrain herself? How boring!" she said, frustrated at failing once again to provoke Yamai.
Now alone, she made her way into the room.
Sitting in a chair, Kaede looked at the unconscious Tadano, her heart tightening.
"Please… wake up as soon as possible," she murmured.
...
Author's note: "Well, it took me an entire week... in my defense, it was a very tough week at work, and I went through writer's block. Putting the excuses aside, I hope you like it. That said, remember to drink plenty of water and know that I love you all. Sincerely, your favorite depressive author."
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