Where I am ?

Itan High School

"Hehe, how do we look?" Najimi said coquettishly as she spun on her heels.

Like her, all the other girls were dressed in cute maid outfits.

Seeing the charming appearance of the girls in maid dresses, the boys in the class couldn't hold back and roared like a pack of stray dogs.

Tadano sighed at how noisy his classmates could get.

Not long after, he could feel a group of longing gazes fixated on him.

This didn't surprise Tadano, but what made him feel helpless was that several of those gazes didn't belong to his usual group of admirers.

"I guess I've been gaining popularity since my concealment deactivated…" he thought to himself.

After complimenting the girls, it didn't take long before Tadano was dragged to the student council room by Kiyoko's minions.

Shouko wondered if it was okay to leave him alone, but when she looked at Kaede, who remained unfazed, she assumed it would be fine.

Unbeknownst to Shouko, Nene was already headed toward the student council room.

In the student council room

Tadano couldn't help but frown at the woman kneeling in a corner of the room.

"So, what was it this time?" Tadano asked as he picked up a pen and began skimming a sheet from the stack of documents nearby.

"She snuck off to the arcade this morning and let all the work pile up—not to mention she hasn't even completed yesterday's tasks…" Kiyoko said with a grim expression, the toy hammer in her hand glinting ominously.

"…"

Tadano was left speechless at the shamelessness of the president.

When he turned his gaze toward her, the woman quickly avoided his eyes, whistling innocently.

Sigh

"When will you change, President…" Tadano said, feeling helpless at how troublesome she was.

The tone didn't sit well with the girl, and she tried to defend herself.

"Hey! It wasn't just me! Those guys also went to the arcade with me and even tricked me out of 5,000 yen!" President Setoka said indignantly.

"Ugh! Th-That's not true! Tadano-san! Isagi-sama!" one of the boys tried to defend himself.

"Who are you trying to fool?! Yesterday you two gambled with the president and swindled her week's allowance! A pair of leeches! Because of you, I couldn't buy this week's manga!" Setoka exclaimed indignantly.

"President, you were the one who said you were a pro! It's not our fault your skills are so pathetic!" one of the implicated boys retorted, unable to tolerate the shameless president any longer.

However, he immediately regretted it when he saw the smirk forming on the president's lips.

"Oh… so you two also neglected your duties…" Kiyoko said in a dark tone.

"Ehm… w-wait… this is a misunderstanding… we…"

Before they could say more, the girl's hands moved.

Bonk

Bonk

Bonk

"Hey! Why did you hit me again?!" Setoka complained.

"You admit your wrongdoings so blatantly; you don't seem remorseful at all," Kiyoko said blankly at the president's shamelessness.

"Hmph! Who regrets anything? This president never regrets a thing! I'll always look forward and never give up! Because that's my ninja way!" Setoka declared with sparkling eyes, her caramel-colored hair fluttering dramatically.

Bonk

"Ugh… I'm sorry! I regret it! I regret it! Please… stop hitting me…" the president lamented with teary eyes and two large bumps on her head.

"Hmph, as long as you understand…" Kiyoko said, twirling the hammer in her hand.

Seeing the spectacle before him, Tadano couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. It was hard to reconcile the dignified president with the clownish woman now before him.

The memory of the first time he met her made Tadano sigh.

...

She had been an enchanting beauty with caramel-colored hair and charming eyes.

When Tadano first saw her, he couldn't help but whistle at such beauty. Unfortunately, that thought only lasted a second before being shattered by her words.

"Oh? Handsome boy, do you want to join the student council? Is that it? Very well, this president approves. Now, as your first task, here's this stack of documents. At this moment, this president has very important council matters to attend to…" Setoka had said with a serious face, guiding Tadano to a pile of documents.

After handing him a pen and wishing him luck with a bright smile, Setoka rushed out the door, completely ignoring Kiyoko, who had been following Tadano at the time.

Tadano had been stunned and couldn't react until Setoka had already left the room.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy seeing Kiyoko at the door.

At that moment, Kiyoko was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

Not long ago, the handsome Tadano had dragged her here, saying he'd help her join the student council. She didn't really understand why, but she ended up following him. Kiyoko wouldn't deny she had been excited to meet the student council president, who was her idol at the time.

However, seeing her actions just a moment ago left Kiyoko feeling conflicted.

Disheveled clothing, incomplete uniform, sweaty, irrational, and carefree.

That was Kiyoko's first impression of the woman.

Considering it all, the disappointment in her heart was hard to shake off.

But before she could dwell on it further, the man's voice called out to her.

"What are you doing standing there? If you've got so much free time, why don't you help me with this pile of paperwork? Wasn't your initial dream to become someone as amazing as the president was to you?" Tadano said while casually flipping through the documents, pointing his pen at her.

"I'll never be like that woman!" Kiyoko retorted, thinking of the shameless president who had just fled.

"Maybe not like her now, but why not become the president you thought she was?" Tadano replied.

"What?" Kiyoko said, confused.

"If the current president isn't who you thought she was and didn't meet your expectations or ideals, then why don't you become the president you once idolized?"

"I-I…"

Kiyoko hesitated.

"Oh? Are you doubting yourself? Do you think that carefree woman who escaped the moment she could dump the work on someone else is better than you?" Tadano said teasingly, looking directly into Kiyoko's eyes.

As if Tadano had pressed the right button, Kiyoko was motivated and entered the room with renewed vigor.

However...

Spray

Scrub

With a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, Tadano couldn't help but lament his situation.

At the moment, he was thoroughly cleaning the student council room. While he moved tables and chairs back and forth, Kiyoko wielded a mop, scrubbing the floor.

After some time, they finally finished cleaning, and Kiyoko nodded in satisfaction.

Once they had stored the cleaning tools and washed their hands for five minutes, she returned to the room.

She found Tadano seated at one of the desks, busily handling paperwork. Without changing her expression or saying a word, she sat next to him and began helping with the paperwork as well.

The two worked in silence, completing the tasks.

It wasn't an awkward silence—or so Kiyoko thought.

When only one sheet remained, they accidentally touched hands.

"Oh, sorry about that. Do you want to handle this one, or should I finish it?" Tadano asked nonchalantly.

"Eh? Oh... um, n-no... you can finish it," Kiyoko replied, a bit flustered.

"Alright then. You can head out—it's getting late, and your parents might worry," Tadano said as he began reviewing the document.

Tadano silently thanked his increased efficiency with these kinds of tasks. Without it, he likely would have ended up staying even later. Inwardly, he cursed Setoka's shamelessness—that woman had left and never returned, dumping everything on him. Originally, he had only come here to let Kiyoko meet Setoka in advance and help reaffirm her convictions, as she did in the canon.

Who would have thought that shameless woman would abandon her to who-knows-what?

On the other hand, Kiyoko glanced at Tadano working diligently by her side and couldn't stop the growing warmth in her chest.

After a moment of thought, she left the room.

However, she returned not long after, struggling to carry part of the enormous pile of paperwork. With somewhat wobbly steps, she made her way to the door.

Tadano sighed. After quickly finishing the document in his hand, he placed it atop the small pile of paperwork Kiyoko had left. Then, with swift movements, he exchanged both piles.

With a mischievous smile on his face, he teased his companion.

"What are you doing with such a huge stack in your hands? What if you trip and fall with those tiny feet of yours? That's why I'll take this." Tadano teased before picking up his pace.

Kiyoko was a little stunned at first, but after catching the meaning of Tadano's words, she couldn't help but get annoyed and chase after the troublesome man.

"You! Stop right there!" Kiyoko yelled, frustrated, as she ran after Tadano.

Unbeknownst to her, a small smile crept onto her lips.

Author's Note: "Well, here's another chapter. I'll try to write another one if I have the time. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas in advance. Remember to drink plenty of water, and know that this author loves all the friends who read their work. Thank you so much, everyone. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."

--------------- nwnr