Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

Kanade Natsukawa rubbed his forehead and chest, returning to class with a look of frustration.

It had taken quite the effort to escape from the infirmary.

If he hadn't used the excuse of needing the restroom, that ditzy octopus-headed girl (Chika) definitely wouldn't have let him off so easily. She would have continued trying all sorts of bizarre experiments on his body.

"Because I was curious about the texture, I wanted to pat the president's stomach"—what kind of strange logic was that?!

And then, when she saw his abs, instead of being embarrassed, she got even more excited, leaving him feeling like some kind of hapless victim of harassment.

But the worst part wasn't Chika herself. No, it was the female school nurse who, after promising "not to disturb them," kept returning every ten minutes as if she didn't trust him. Could she not just leave for at least half an hour?

In short, Kanade was both irritated and invigorated—no longer tired, but definitely not in a good mood.

"Kanade, are you okay?" Miyuki Shirogane approached with concern.

"I'm fine. I just needed some rest," Kanade replied, looking up.

Since Kanade had resumed his role as president, Miyuki's complexion had noticeably improved. His dark circles had faded, and his whole demeanor had transformed.

The power of love, huh? Kanade mused. He'd experienced something similar himself, though his changes were more deliberate.

One of the reasons he'd returned to the student council was guilt—or a sense of atonement, to put it more dramatically.

While his primary goal was to continue being friends with everyone in the council, he also felt that by taking on the president's responsibilities again, Miyuki would have more free time to spend with the girl he liked.

Yet for some reason, Kaguya Shinomiya hadn't made any real moves toward Miyuki. Instead, she spent a lot of time helping Kanade with various tasks.

Did I misunderstand? Does Kaguya not actually like Miyuki?

That thought clashed with his previous conclusions, leaving him even more confused.

Whatever. It's their business, not mine.

Thinking too much about other people's issues would only cost him his hairline.

He'd already given them opportunities—what happened next was up to them. He would step back and respect their choices.

Being an observer wasn't so bad.

After a bit more small talk with Miyuki, Kanade prepared to head to the restroom, only to be distracted by a commotion in the front rows.

"Shiina-san, the next class is swimming. Want to come with us?"

Though Kanade was popular, few people outside his close circle of male friends came to chat with him.

Mahiru Shiina, on the other hand, was a different story. With her angelic charm, she drew everyone in. No matter their age or gender, people couldn't resist her warm smile and wanted to be close to her. She truly lived up to her reputation as a universal charmer.

"Uh… That might be a little…" Mahiru hesitated, looking unsure.

"Worried about the boys peeking? Don't worry, we'll protect you!"

One of the leading girls grabbed Mahiru's hand, pleading earnestly.

"Come on, join us for this class, okay? You skipped last time, so you have to say yes this time!"

"Uh…" Seeing their expectant faces, Mahiru wavered.

She hadn't planned to attend the swimming class. Normally, she'd come up with an excuse to skip it, but this time, she was surrounded and couldn't leave.

"I'm not very good at swimming…"

"That's fine! We'll teach you. Or you can just sit on the side and smile for us."

Mahiru: "…"

Do they think I'm some kind of healing robot?

But with the conversation at this point, refusing would make her seem ungrateful.

As a student, she felt the need to read the room.

"Alright, I'll join you," she finally agreed.

"Great! Let's head to the changing rooms!"

The group happily escorted Mahiru out of the classroom.

Kanade, who had been quietly observing, thought for a moment before standing and leaving as well.

When class began, the students had already changed into their swimsuits and gathered by the pool.

The teacher led them through a series of warm-up exercises before allowing free activity and swimming.

"Shiina-san, let's head over there!"

"…Okay," Mahiru said reluctantly as she was dragged along.

"You watch that side, Xiaoshi, and you keep an eye on this side, Xiaoling. Don't let any boys come over!"

"Leave it to me!" x2

Swimming classes at Shuchiin Academy were segregated by gender. While they shared the same pool facility, the boys stayed on one side and the girls on the other, with a dividing wall in between.

The girls were being particularly vigilant because, early in the school year, a few boys had snuck over to the girls' side to peek.

While their intentions had been relatively harmless—wanting to see the girls in swimsuits or their swimming forms—the act of peeping had unsettled the girls. From that point on, they'd become much more cautious.

As one of the most beautiful girls in the school, Mahiru Shiina had been a central figure in that incident, with many boys eager to catch a glimpse of her in a swimsuit.

"Don't worry, Shiina-san. We'll keep you safe."

"Thank you…" Mahiru nodded slightly, though she couldn't help but feel they were overdoing it.

To be honest, Mahiru didn't understand why the boys were so interested in seeing her in a swimsuit. It was just a standard school one-piece, nothing special at all.

Although Mahiru Shiina didn't fully understand why the boys were so eager to see her in a swimsuit, their excessive interest made her uncomfortable. Ever since that previous incident, she had been skipping swimming classes.

This time, however, she had been cornered into participating.

Will someone try to sneak over again today? What's even the appeal of this…?

Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to someone she cared about deeply.

Kanade… would he be curious too? If it were him, maybe privately…

No, she quickly shook off the thought. That's impossible. He probably doesn't even want to see me anymore…

Her eyes dimmed, and her interest in swimming faded completely. She responded to the others mechanically, going through the motions.

Noticing Mahiru's lack of enthusiasm, one of the girls was about to ask her about it when she spotted a suspicious shadow in the corner of her eye.

"There! Those guys showed up again!"

She quickly called over her two friends to investigate.

"Shiina-san, you keep swimming here. We're going to deal with those boys."

"Be careful…"

In a dim corner, two heads were stacked one atop the other.

"Hey, did you get the shot yet? If you can't do it, let me."

"Shut up, shut up. I'm working on it. What's your rush?"

Two boys, clad only in swim trunks, had sneakily bypassed the teacher's watchful eyes and crossed over to the girls' side of the pool.

They weren't there for innocent reasons but to fulfill a so-called "mission of trust" for their little group. They had come armed with a high-definition camera to capture the angelic elegance of none other than Mahiru Shiina.

As for the other girls? Not worth their time. None of them could compare to their idol, their "Angel-sama."

"Check to the left. Maybe over there?"

"Alright, let me see…"

"What are you two doing over there?!"

A sharp, angry voice rang out, startling the boys so much that one nearly dropped the camera.

The three-girl squad had arrived.

The leader of the group stepped forward with a look of disdain. "Seriously? This is disgusting. You even brought a camera this time?"

"Tch. Hand over the camera, now," she demanded.

"Uhh… okay…" One of the boys, flustered and guilty, instinctively moved to hand it over.

But his companion snapped him out of it with a glare. "Are you stupid? Don't give it to her! That's as good as admitting it!"

Turning to the girls, the second boy sneered. "What's your problem? Coming up here demanding our camera—what, you trying to rob us?"

"Rob you?" The leader's face twisted into a bitter smile. "You're the ones sneaking around and peeping, and you've got the nerve to accuse us?"

"Peeping? What proof do you have? We just got lost and accidentally wandered over here," the boy retorted, his tone mock-innocent.

"Lost? With a camera? Do we look like idiots? Hand it over now, or I won't go easy on you," she shot back, stepping closer.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it? Go ahead, try me. I'd like to see what you think you can pull off," he challenged, his bravado ramping up.

"She might not be able to do much, but what about me?"

A deep voice cut through the tension, silencing the argument instantly.

All eyes turned toward the source, and there stood Kanade Natsukawa, his expression cold and unreadable.

"Student Council President?"

"The President?"

Kanade walked over, his face a mask of calm authority, and stopped in front of the defiant boy.

"Give me the camera. I'll be the one to check it."

"Yes…" The boy, who moments ago had been full of swagger, immediately caved, his entire demeanor shifting to submission.

He might have been bold enough to argue with the girls, but standing up to the Student Council President? That was a whole different ballgame.

Kanade Natsukawa took the camera from the boys, opened the gallery, and flipped through the photos. Seeing nothing incriminating, he closed it and kept the device in hand.

"Each of you: three sets of 200-meter laps. Also, by the end of this week, bring a 1,000-word written apology to the student council office. Any objections?"

"No, sir!"

"Good. Now go."

"But, President, what about the camera…"

"When I receive your apologies, I'll return it. Anything else?"

"N-no…"

"Then get moving. If you don't finish the laps by the end of class, don't blame me for being strict."

"Yes!"

The two boys bolted from the scene as if their lives depended on it.

Kanade then turned to the trio of girls, offering a small nod of apology.

"Sorry about the trouble they caused you."

As student council president, it was his duty to acknowledge when the students he oversaw made mistakes.

"No, not at all. Thank you for your hard work, President…"

Kanade gave them a brief nod of acknowledgment and was about to leave when one of the girls called out to him.

"President, can we see the photos on the camera?"

Kanade shook his head. "Sorry, I can't do that. I can't casually expose someone else's personal content."

Although he had checked and confirmed there was no inappropriate material, that didn't mean the private photos on the device were fair game for others to view.

"Why not? I have every reason to believe that you and those two…" The lead girl narrowed her eyes at Kanade, her voice trailing off in suspicion.

Though she didn't explicitly finish her sentence, the implication was clear enough.

It wasn't baseless paranoia—Kanade's timely arrival had been a little too convenient. After all, it wasn't exactly normal for anyone to wander into this part of the pool complex without a specific reason.

"…" Kanade furrowed his brow.

While being suspected wasn't a big deal—he had nothing to hide—it was crucial to resolve this without escalating the situation. Maintaining his reputation and authority was especially important with the student council elections approaching. Any small rumor could spiral out of control and harm his chances.

As the tension between him and the lead girl seemed ready to boil over, a gentle voice interjected.

"It's fine. I trust Kanade… I mean, President Natsukawa's judgment."

Everyone turned to find the source of the voice, only to see Mahiru Shiina standing nearby.

Still clad in her school swimsuit and dripping wet, her slender yet subtly curvaceous figure was on full display.

"…"

Kanade, ever so subtly, allowed his gaze to linger for an extra moment before snapping back to his usual serious demeanor.

"Ahem… Thank you for your trust, Shiina-san…"

"Oh no, I should be the one thanking you, Natsukawa-kun…"

"…"

"…"

The trio of girls observed the peculiar interaction between the two, exchanging puzzled glances. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, they all sported knowing smiles.

"Ah, I just remembered—I haven't finished my warm-up exercises. Let's go back!"

"Yes, let's head back."

"Good idea."

Kanade & Mahiru: "…"