...
When Tadano finished, he gave a satisfied smile at his work and put away the tools. Then, with another wave of his hand, he pulled out a small handheld mirror and showed Rumiko the result.
"See? You don't need all that makeup or exaggerated styling. Look how beautiful you are with just a few simple touches from me," Tadano said as he proudly displayed his handiwork.
Rumiko stared in amazement at her new appearance.
Curiously, she touched her face and admired herself in the mirror.
After a moment of reflection, she turned her gaze to Tadano.
"Thank you..." Rumiko said. Her heart was restless, and her cheeks were warm, but deep inside her, a small white light tinged with pink had begun to bloom. Perhaps this was the seed of self-confidence... or maybe it was something more?
After comforting Rumiko, the two headed to the Student Council room, where a cheerful Setoka greeted them with a smile.
She looked very elegant with a pair of black-framed glasses as she worked on documents.
A perfect image of a responsible president—if one ignored the three bags on her head and the two motionless men on the floor, who were most likely her accomplices in some crime.
At a nearby desk, Kiyoko was giving orders through a walkie-talkie while typing on the computer in front of her.
Not far from her, both her best friend Ase Shibuki, who was doing her best while carrying another batch of papers, and Nene, who received the documents and started helping with data processing, were assisting her. Nene, who had arrived not long ago, had decided to stop by and help, true to her reliable "big sister" nature.
When the pair entered, and before Setoka could feel relieved at the chance to shift the workload to someone else, Kiyoko spoke.
"Tadano-kun, please take a walkie-talkie and help me with patrols. Ignore any requests from that useless person over there..." Kiyoko said, pointing disdainfully at Setoka with her pen.
Setoka, seeing her chance to escape completely ruined, deflated in her chair without energy.
"I understand... I'll be on my way. Oh! By the way, Kiyoko-chan... Ahem I mean, Isagi-san, I need your help with this girl here..." Tadano began animatedly but quickly changed his tone upon noticing the indescribable look Kiyoko gave him.
"That was dangerous. I almost got hit with that hammer..." Tadano thought to himself.
"It may be made of plastic, but that thing cracked the floor last time..." Shinomiya said, seemingly calm, though the paleness of his face told a different story.
"Tomoya-kun, would we be eliminated if that thing hit Tadano-san on the head?" a trembling Nagisa asked. She couldn't understand how a plastic, seemingly harmless object could crack floors and walls so easily.
"I don't know, dear, but if it comes to that, we'll turn into clones and escape just in case... Don't take it personally, Host, but it's better to be safe than sorry..." Tomoya said, cold sweat running down his back. He was well aware of what that hammer was capable of.
You see, they had been parents before, and he and Nagisa used that little toy to play with their daughter in the past.
At most, it should have been able to lightly stun someone if a lot of force was applied, but cracking walls and floors as if it were a steel sledgehammer? That was something entirely different.
...
Unaware of Tadano and his "tenants'" concerns, Rumiko introduced herself.
"Pleased to meet you, Vice President Isagi. I'm Manbagi Rumiko from 1-B. I'm here to deliver the leftover materials for storage and present our receipts for archiving." Rumiko introduced herself as she approached with her box.
The box was taken by Ase, who quickly glanced at it and nodded to Kiyoko.
"Alright, leave the receipts on the table... Thank you for your trouble, Manbagi-san. The rest will be discussed with your delegate. You may leave," Kiyoko said formally as she continued typing on the computer.
Rumiko nodded and exited the room.
Not long after, Tadano, now holding a walkie-talkie and having exchanged a few jokes with Nene and Isagi, as well as giving Ase-san a few new tissues, also left to begin his patrols. He departed while playfully winking in Nene's direction, who smiled as she waved goodbye.
As Tadano played with the communicator in his hand while leaving the Student Council room, he was surprised to still see Rumiko there.
"Oh? Manbagi-san? You're still here? I thought you'd go meet up with your friends," Tadano said as he put the communicator in his shirt pocket.
"Uhm... Yes... I just... I just wanted to thank you. So... Here, take this..." Rumiko said, embarrassed, as she quickly handed him something before fleeing in a hurry.
When he opened his hand, Tadano saw a pair of strawberry-filled chocolates.
"?"
A big question mark formed in Tadano's mind.
"I understand that you might be happy with me, but not to this extent, right? I mean, you haven't even gone through the second-year abandonment phase yet. You should enjoy a nice school life with your friends," Tadano thought, confused by the chain of events.
Not wanting to overthink it, he decided to accept her gratitude and ate the chocolates as he began his patrol.
"Well, with some extra energy, let's get this final round of help for the council started," Tadano said as he stretched.
As he walked away, he didn't notice a trio of girls watching him from a distance with interest.
"Fufu... So that's the boy Bagiko is after. That girl has great taste. Right, Muu-tan?" said a cheerful blonde gal with a ponytail and tanned skin.
"Yup... Yup... That girl Bagiko seems to be opening up at last. Just thinking about her blushing face earlier... jeez, what a cute little thing..." her friend, a gal with dark skin and black hair, responded, her cheerful grin growing wider by the second.
"And you, Gonzales?" the blonde gal asked her other friend.
"Ossu! That boy looks really strong... I like him. It seems we won't have to worry about Bagiko's safety in the future. Following them for a bit was a great idea, Yukapoyo," responded the other girl, her first words sounding like those of a burly man from the karate or judo club, before switching back to her sweet, girly voice that matched her cute and gentle appearance—though not her frivolous and lively personality.
"Ahem! As always, my plans are flawless!" Yukapoyo boasted.
"Oh, yeah? Who was the one who lost Bagiko at the pool last time? Care to remind me?" Gonzales asked with a feline smirk.
"Gonzales-sama, I admit my mistake! Please forget it and let me go free!" Yukapoyo said with a guilty tone, raising her hands in surrender, prompting her friend to laugh amusedly.
As her friends joked around, Muu-tan's eyes sharpened as she remembered something.
"Gonzales, don't forget to track down that group from earlier. They made our Bagiko sad and didn't even apologize. If it weren't for that handsome guy, they might've even mocked her for her smudged makeup," Muu-tan said coldly, an unusual tone for her.
"Ossu!" Gonzales's demeanor became serious as she firmly replied to her friend.
Yukapoyo also nodded.
The three might have been playful gals, but no one should mess with Rumiko in their presence.
To this trio of gals, Rumiko was like the mascot of their group and, at the same time, their reverse scale.
If anyone dared to mess with her, they wouldn't hold back and would fight with everything they had.
Even those of their own kind—just ask the seniors from 3-F.
At least, if you still valued your peaceful school life.
Setting aside those dangerous thoughts, the trio quickly followed Rumiko, eager to tease their adorable little friend.
Author's Note:
"Alright, with this, we'll soon wrap up this school festival arc—I've stretched it out long enough. By the way, I'm planning to do a quick time skip for the next storyline, and I'll be rereading Komi-san to make sure I don't forget any key events. That said... remember to drink plenty of water, and know that I love you all very much. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."
------------ nwnr