Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

"Regarding the student council election arrangements, we've finalized most of the plans on our end. There shouldn't be any issues among our grade, so now it's just a matter of monitoring the first-years…"

"…"

"Therefore, I believe it's necessary to take proactive measures. If we leave things unchecked, there's a risk of…"

"…"

"I'm done with my report. President, what do you think?"

"…"

"President?"

"Ah, yes…" Kanade Natsukawa finally snapped back to reality, realizing he was in the middle of the student council's morning meeting.

"Sorry, Shinomiya, I spaced out a bit." Kanade rubbed his temples, looking slightly fatigued.

"As for proactive measures… I still don't think it's necessary. As second-years, we should maintain a calm and composed demeanor for our juniors. Besides, I personally don't think I'd lose to the competition."

"Our energy is limited, and there's no need to waste it on trivial matters. I have it under control."

"Let's settle the matter here. No need to bring it up again in future meetings. Other tasks will proceed as scheduled. If anything unexpected comes up, message me. That's all for today. Meeting adjourned."

After organizing the agenda, Kanade gave the council members a faint, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, everyone. I think I'm feeling a bit under the weather and need to rest for a while. Please excuse me."

"…"

The room fell silent as the members exchanged uncertain glances, then watched him leave.

"President…" Kaguya Shinomiya murmured softly, her gaze filled with concern.

Leaving the council room, Kanade stifled a yawn as he made his way toward the infirmary.

Ever since the incident at the bookstore, he had been battling sleepless nights, the weight of unresolved emotions pressing heavily on his chest.

The situation with Mahiru had been troubling enough, and now he had compounded it by acting impulsively.

When he was busy or focused, it wasn't so bad. But as soon as he started feeling tired or idle, his mind would replay that day's events on an endless loop—even in his dreams.

It was one of life's great illusions: she likes me.

And Kanade had fallen for it, mistakenly believing that a girl who approached him so eagerly had genuine feelings for him. The resulting rejection had hit him like a freight train.

That made it a solid streak of six consecutive failures—a record, really. Kanade chuckled at himself bitterly.

Main characters, side characters—it didn't matter. No girl would ever truly like someone like him.

Maybe they felt some level of fondness toward him, but it wasn't romantic. It was the kind of "okay" reserved for friends… or perhaps a touch of respect for his competence?

Being student council president naturally brought a certain level of trust and admiration from others. Kanade had finally come to understand this.

The cost, however, had been making a fool of himself—and several sleepless nights.

Now, he just wanted to catch up on some rest in the infirmary.

"Excuse me, anyone here?"

Kanade knocked lightly on the door, but there was no response. Pushing it open, he found the room empty.

With students arriving late and staff not yet on duty, the infirmary was deserted.

He checked the time—about 40 minutes before the first class. Factoring in his ability to skip the self-study period, he figured he could get nearly two hours of sleep under ideal circumstances.

Lucky!

Though it wasn't much, it would be enough to recharge his energy and, more importantly, rest his strained eyes.

He had no choice but to sleep.

"…"

"Zzz…"

Kanade felt an enveloping softness surround him—a sensation both smooth and plush.

It was as though large, fluffy clouds were pressing against him, filling the air with a texture he couldn't quite describe.

Marshmallows? Maybe. The clouds above the sky? He wouldn't know; he'd never experienced them.

What he could say for certain was that the sensation was incredible, like lying amidst a sea of pillowy comfort.

"Hmm…"

Half-opening his eyes, Kanade was met with a murky darkness.

Breathing was difficult—his nose seemed blocked by something—and he was forced to gulp down air through his mouth. The next second, he felt a rough texture against his lips.

"Eek!"

A soft, high-pitched yelp snapped Kanade to his senses.

"…"

Pulling his head away from whatever strange crevice it had been in, Kanade blinked at the sight of a pink-haired girl blushing furiously and fidgeting awkwardly.

"Did I… wake up wrong?" he muttered, laying back down as though trying to restart the moment.

"Oh no you don't, President! Since you're awake, stop pretending!"

The pink-haired girl placed a hand over her chest and, with the other, pulled out a piece of foxtail grass from… somewhere. She waved it playfully under Kanade's nose.

Unable to hold back, Kanade sneezed, fully opening his eyes this time.

"Secretary Fujiwara… What are you doing here?"

If there was anyone Kanade least wanted to encounter right now, it was the ever-playful Chika Fujiwara.

Did he dislike her? Not at all. At most, her ditzy antics occasionally grated on him.

But in his current state, he had neither the patience nor the energy to deal with her.

"I'm here to catch you, President!" Chika said triumphantly, poking his cheek with her finger and flashing a mischievous grin.

"Ah, you got me…" Kanade intoned dramatically. "You win the ghost game. Now go back to class."

"I'm not leaving just yet—there's still a punishment to be dealt, President," Chika Fujiwara said with a mischievous grin. Without waiting for permission, she maneuvered Kanade Natsukawa's head onto her lap.

The legendary lap pillow—suddenly unlocked.

"…"

Is this really punishment? Or is it actually a reward? Kanade wanted to ask.

But with Chika Fujiwara—an unpredictable "chaotic force of nature"—if she called it punishment, it was probably best to assume she was serious.

Not that he minded; whatever she planned to do, it wasn't likely to be a complete loss for him.

"First, we're doing a Q&A session! Question one: do boys like lap pillows?" Chika asked, her "wicked" hands already reaching for Kanade's head.

"I don't mind them," Kanade replied, his brows relaxing slightly.

If you're trapped in a strange situation, the best move is to accept it and face it head-on—that principle applied perfectly here. The only difference was that the person in question was Chika Fujiwara.

That said, he'd braced himself for some kind of prank, only to find her… giving him a head massage? Could this really count as punishment?

"And how does our guinea pig president feel about it? This is my first time doing this, you know," Chika teased, her tone playful as her fingers worked through his hair.

"Please don't give me weird titles," Kanade deadpanned, confirming to himself that this was, in fact, punishment.

Having strange nicknames bestowed on him while being completely at her mercy—unable to even shake his head—was definitely not his idea of fun.

"Don't squirm, silly President, or I might press the wrong spot," Chika warned, her cheeks reddening slightly from the strange intimacy of the situation.

To hide her embarrassment, she lightly patted Kanade's forehead, though she avoided making eye contact. If he saw her flustered expression, she'd probably end up feeling even more awkward.

Kanade, sensing her warning, immediately stopped moving. He didn't want to risk getting poked in the eye.

"…"

"Don't play dead, Guinea Pig President! Answer my question—the punishment isn't over yet," Chika urged, her tone a mix of mock authority and excitement.

"You're the one who keeps derailing the conversation…" Kanade muttered before giving a proper response. "It's okay, but your technique needs work."

The moment the words left his mouth, Chika playfully smacked his forehead again.

"…"

Stop that! If this keeps up, my forehead will be a giant lump, and my dignity as student council president will be in shambles!

"This is all your fault for not praising me properly!" Chika huffed, pouting but continuing her "work" with surprising diligence.

"Next question!"

"This is already the third question, isn't it?"

Before he could process the situation, another smack landed on his forehead. Chika seemed to derive a bizarre sense of satisfaction from it.

It was like slapping someone's back after a bath—strangely fulfilling, even addictive.

"Why did you hit me again…"

"B-because you're too chatty! J-just answer the question already!"

"Then ask it first."

Smack!

"Guinea Pig President, no talking back!" Chika declared, her enthusiasm reaching new heights.

By now, she had completely forgotten what she initially wanted to ask. Fueled purely by excitement, she blurted out:

"Come on, President, let me test it out!"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, her hands poised as though eager to explore. At this point, her thirst for discovery had completely taken over.

"Test what, exactly?!"

Kanade's face turned pale as dread set in. This was it—the real punishment was about to begin. He'd let his guard down, and now it was too late.

But the lap pillow was so soft and comfortable! The view above wasn't bad either… He had completely fallen into her trap.

Lying there, he realized he was at a severe disadvantage. Though still tired and sluggish, he knew he had to act fast—if he didn't get up now, things would escalate.

Just as Kanade resolved to move, Chika grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the bed.

"Ghehehe… The president's feel…" Chika's devious hands moved toward his shirt hem, ready to cross the line into uncharted territory.

"…"

No, stop! Don't come any closer!

As Kanade braced himself for whatever mischief lay ahead, the infirmary door suddenly creaked open.

"Oh no, I forgot to lock the door…"

A young female teacher stepped in, only to be greeted by the sight of Chika straddling Kanade in a compromising position. The scene resembled some kind of fusion magic ritual.

"…"

"…"

"Well, uh… Sorry for interrupting. I'll just… leave you two to it…"

She backed out of the room, muttering to herself with a mixture of amusement and resignation: "Ah, kids these days. So full of energy first thing in the morning. Makes us look tame by comparison…"

Kanade: "…"

Shouldn't she be stopping this?! If she doesn't come back, I'm really going to be at her mercy!