It was now noon after my visit to Maki in the music room. The clock struck 3 pm, and I found myself back in the student council room, deep in a meeting with the President and Vice President. We were discussing plans for the upcoming welcoming party.
After an hour of deliberation, the President excused herself, leaving the Vice President and me with a task: to stamp the forms with approval for those signed by the President.
In the ensuing silence, we diligently worked on our assigned task until I decided to break the quiet.
"Do you think President Ayase will try to persuade the teachers?"
I asked while approving the forms.
"Fufu~ Nishihara-kun~ I don't think that's the most pertinent question."
The Vice President replied with a chuckle.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The real question should be, do you think her plan for the welcoming party will succeed?"
"We're talking about President Ayase here, after all. Of course, I believe in her."
"I'm glad you do," the Vice President responded with a smile.
Silence settled over us once again, broken only by the sound of stamping and rustling papers.
"By the way... It seems like those three girls are serious about becoming school idols," she remarked, breaking the quiet.
I paused, turning to look at her. "If that's what they want, then I won't stand in their way. After all, they did request to use the auditorium."
"Mhm~ I'm quite excited to see how it turns out too."
...Silence...
"I've also been keeping an eye on their training at the shrine." Nozomi continued the conversation, making me pause and look at her.
"Shrine?"
"Are you... curious?" she asked, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.
"I'd be lying if I said no."
"Fufu~ I'm glad you're honest then."
An hour later, we finally completed our task, and as we left the room together, I couldn't help but voice my curiosity.
"Can I watch them train too?"
I asked as we strolled down the hallway.
"Of course~ Although you have to be early." She answered.
"The shrine, huh..."
I had heard about Nozomi-senpai from other students; they mentioned she was helping out at the local Kanda Shrine. Considering her affinity for tarot cards, perhaps she had a penchant for spiritual pursuits.
"Now then, shall we call it a day?"
I nodded in agreement, and the two of us left the student council room, walking together for a while before parting ways.
Heading home, I made my way to my room, eager to relax after a long day.
Now then... I guess it's time for me to learn more about idols.
After spending the entire night immersed in learning about idols, I eventually fell asleep on the couch.
sounds of an alarm clock
The next morning, I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed that the television was still on.
"There goes my electricity bill," I muttered to myself, reaching over to turn it off. As I stretched, I couldn't help but notice the lingering scent of sweat on my clothes.
"I should take a shower."
With that, I headed to the bathroom, quickly showering and drying off before preparing for the day ahead.
After finishing my preparations, I took one last look in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
"To the shrine, I go."
With that, I left the house, ensuring it was securely locked, and made my way towards the shrine.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the shrine where Vice President Nozomi was working. "Oh? There she is."
Approaching her, she noticed me and greeted me with a warm smile. "Welcome~"
"Vice President Nozomi, good morning."
"Nishihara-kun, we're not at school right now, so feel free to address me casually."
"Oh... Then Nozomi-san, Good morning."
"Good morning to you too Nishihara-kun."
Scratching the back of my head, I gave her a slight smile before noticing what she was holding. "You're currently cleaning the place?"
"That's right~"
"Oh, Then I shouldn't disturb you with your work."
"Don't worry, I'm almost done anyway~"
"I see..."
Now that I think about it...
I observed her appearance, noticing Nozomi-san wearing a shrine maiden outfit.
She looks pretty in it... I'll give it 9.5/10
"Hm? Did you say something?"
Nozomi-san inquired catching my attention.
"Oh! Nothing!"
I quickly answer trying to hide my thoughts.
Crap, I really should avoid monologuing in front of Nozomi-san, I feel like she can hear my thoughts.
"Oh? They should be here any moment now," Nozomi-san said looking past me.
"Hm?"
Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from the stairs leading up to the shrine. Three figures soon appeared, panting and holding their knees.
I turned to the sound and noticed the three, "Oh, I see they're starting a jog, huh."
"Hm? You know about idols' training routines?"
"Well, yeah, I've been studying about idols."
"Oh? And what's the most interesting fact you've learned about them?"
"Oh... Uhhh... Did you know that idols hold handshaking events?"
"Really?"
"Yes."
The air filled with silence and a hint of awkwardness as Nozomi and I exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond.
Suddenly, Honoka's voice broke the silence. "Huh? Nishihara-senpai and Vice President..."
"Good morning, you three."
I greeted them, attempting to ease the tension.
Good job, you three! Good timing!
"What are you doing here, Nishihara-senpai?" Umi inquired, looking at me curiously.
"C-Could it be?!" Kotori interjected, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she covered her mouth, "Are you two... actually dating?"
"Nope, wrong," I said quickly shaking my head.
"We're not dating, Minami-san. We're just talking about idols." Nozomi clarified for me.
"Idols?" Honoka's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to me. "Don't tell me, senpai... You're interested in idols too!?"
"I am curious about what idols do... I guess you could say I'm interested?"
"Ohh! I see~ I see~" Honoka nodded in understanding.
"By the way, how's the member hunting?"
The three exchanged hesitant glances, and a silence fell over us.
"Oh my~" Nozomi chimed in. "You know that you need two more members to become an official club, right?"
"W-We'll get to that later, once we're at school," Honoka said avoiding eye contact.
I bet it's not going well.
"Eh? Wait, senpai... Could it be you still want our club to be approved?" Kotori asked her expression hopeful.
"Well... I do support you three, but President Ayase has the final say," I said scratching my head awkwardly.
"Ahh~ So that's what it was~," Nozomi said with a knowing smile, glancing at me.
"W-What is it?"
"Nothing~"
"By the way, Senpai! Listen to this!" Honoka immediately placed her earphones over my ears and played a song.
"Oh?" I closed my eyes, letting the music wash over me, a smile forming on my lips.
After a few minutes, the music ended, and I removed the earphones, impressed.
"So? Who wrote these lyrics?"
"Umi-chan," Honoka and Kotori said simultaneously.
I turned to Umi, noticing her embarrassed expression as she looked away.
"It's well done."
"T-Thank you..." Her face was red so I couldn't tell if she accepted my compliment or not.
"And who composed the music?"
"Nishikino-san," they replied.
I was surprised but pleased. "I see."
So, Maki did take up their offer after all...
"Anyway, how about we start practicing our dance steps now?" Umi suggested, turning to the two.
"Yeah!~" Honoka and Kotori chorused.
"Alright, then we'll start practicing now. See you later, Senpai!" Honoka called out as they headed to an open area to practice.
"Yeah," I waved them off, as the three started preparing.
"By the way... Was it you who convinced Maki-chan?" Nozomi looked at me intently.
"Huh? Who's Maki-chan?"
"Fufu~ You don't have to pretend like you don't know~"
Flashback to Nozomi's POV:
As I was cleaning with the broom, I noticed a familiar figure peeking at the three girls. Setting the broom aside, I crept up behind her and playfully grabbed her breast.
"Kyaa!~" She exclaimed, startled.
Turning around, she found me standing there. "What are you doing!?"
"You've still got some growing to do, Maki-chan."
Maki recoiled, flustered. "W-What!?"
"But you haven't given up on your desires yet, so there's still hope, At this rate, you might continue to blossom."
"What are you talking about?!" Maki demanded, her cheeks flushed.
"If you're too embarrassed about something, there's always anonymity," I said cryptically.
Maki's eyes widened at the mention of the word. "Anonymity..." She repeated quietly, deep in thought. "You two said the same word."
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"N-nothing!" Maki hastily walked away, clearly pondering.
"Hmm? You 'two'?"
End of Flashback
"Maki-chan said 'You two said the same thing.' I had a hunch that the other person was you. Am I right?" Nozomi asked, smiling at me knowingly.
"Ahh... So I got caught, huh..."
"Fufu~ Nishihara-kun, you're really good at handling things behind the scenes."
I smiled back, feeling a bit sheepish. "I do what I can." I turned around as I stretched my limbs. "I'm going now."
"Already?"
"Yeah, I bet President Ayase is busy in the student council room by now."
"I see. Say hi to her for me."
"Will do."
And so I made my way downstairs and out of the shrine, heading back to school.