[Vol 2] The Cheeky Junior Gal Becomes Too Cute When She Gets Attached to Me SS
It happened a few days after the graduation ceremony.
“……It’s just the two of us today, President.”
Another ordinary after-school hour.
The student council treasurer, Kawana Matsuri.
The first-year girl stretched inside the student council room as she said that.
I let out a breath as well, matching Kawana.
“Graduation’s over, after all. There’s still various prep to do for the new term, but… it’s not like we have to rush.”
Once spring arrives, student council events like the entrance ceremony and club introductions will be waiting.
That said, the entrance ceremony doesn’t require much preparation, and the club introductions are mainly run by the clubs themselves. We’ll probably need to gather a few times during spring break, but there’s no problem taking it easy today.
“Where’s Monaka-san?”
“Looks like she’s got some stuff to do.”
“I see…… It feels lonely without Monaka-san.”
“Oh? Sounds like you’re not satisfied with just me?”
“That’s correct.”
Kawana turned away with a huff.
Man, this kouhai’s being cold……
“You sure it’s okay to say that?”
“W-What do you mean?”
When I grinned, Kawana shrank back as if frightened.
“Ahh, I’m talking about what you said on Valentine’s Day.”
“……!”
“What was it again? That you love everyone in the student council? That you don’t want to be separated? Something like that, right?”
“I didn’t say it like that! Don’t fabricate things!”
“You love the president, right?”
“I absolutely did not say that.”
Huh? That’s strange. That’s how I translated it in my head, though.
“Well, this is an important place for you, Kawana, right? A place so important you’d cry your eyes out?”
“Y-You’re the worst…… Teasing me just because things were resolved peacefully.”
Kawana’s face turned bright red as she glared at me.
At this rate, between embarrassment and anger, she might genuinely start hating me.
Kawana’s reactions are cute and fun to tease, so I can’t help myself……
“But I was happy, you know. That before I even noticed, Kawana had started caring about us.”
“……That’s a huge misunderstanding. I only said it for the sake of smooth event management.”
“Let’s go with that, then.”
I don’t think I’ll ever forget her tears that day.
That was entirely my fault.
For a while, regret and reflection lingered. I’m truly glad we managed to resolve things.
“……Was I not important to you, President?”
With a trembling voice, Kawana glanced at me sideways.
“Of course you were. To me, the current members are the best.”
“I see.”
She turned away again, but she couldn’t hide the grin at the corner of her mouth.
What is with this girl? She’s cute.
Monaka is cute as a member of the opposite sex, but Kawana gives me the feeling of looking at an adorable child.
If I ever said that out loud, she’d probably get seriously mad, though.
“Alright, shall we head home now?”
“Yes, I guess.”
“Hm? That’s a pretty lukewarm response. Don’t tell me you wanted to stay with me a little longer?”
“That’s disgusting.”
It upgraded from creepy. Or maybe it downgraded.
“Hahaha, well, I was joking—”
“But that might be true.”
“Huh?”
The unexpected reply made my mind go completely blank.
Did Kawana just turn dere!?
No, wait. Calm down. There’s no way.
“On the way home, shall we stop somewhere?”
“Eh—s-sure. Of course.”
“My parents are going to be late today, so there’s no dinner. And you promised before that you’d treat me, remember?”
Hearing that jogged my memory.
Come to think of it, when we made the newspaper to question Shirahata, I do recall making a promise like that with Kawana.
So that’s how it is……
In other words, it wasn’t that Kawana had gone dere—she was just treating me as a convenient wallet.
“Hehe, what’s wrong? You look so shaken.”
Whether it was intentional or not, Kawana leaned in and peeked into my eyes with a grin.
“For the sake of a cute kouhai, I don’t mind being treated like a wallet……!”
This must be what they call the perks of being a senpai.
Looks like I’ll have to work part-time during spring break!
“I’m not treating you like a wallet. I just wanted to go eat with you, President.”
“……Huh? Was Kawana always this kind of girl?”
“Well, you’d rather go with Monaka-san, wouldn’t you?”
Kawana pouted, her lips sticking out sulkily.
I found myself at a loss for words.
After being confessed to by Monaka, I’ve already come to understand my own feelings.
On top of that, I’m currently putting off my reply to her confession.
But I haven’t told anyone about that. Kawana shouldn’t know either.
That’s why her unexpected line left me completely frozen.
“……If you get that seriously shaken, it makes things awkward for me too.”
“S-Sorry.”
“Being apologized to is a bit frustrating too. Well, it’s fine—I don’t have even a speck of romantic interest in you, President.”
“Not even a little?”
Like, even if it’s not romantic, I’d like to at least be in the position of a friendly senpai.
Well, it’s not like I have any special feelings toward Kawana either.
“……This is kind of irritating, so I’ve decided I’m going to empty your wallet.”
“You say that like it’s an act of kindness.”
That phrasing isn’t very Kawana-like.
Still, she’s definitely softened her attitude.
At first, she looked so uncomfortable around me.
Is it okay to think she’s opened up to me a bit?
“Alright then, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Kawana stood up and hurriedly put on her coat.
She’s sensitive to the cold, so even in March she’s still wearing one.
I’ve got a warm inner layer on, but I go outside in just my shirt. Since I’m heading straight home, there’s nothing extra to put on.
“Without the third-years, the school feels a bit quieter.”
As we left the student council room, Kawana murmured thoughtfully.
Lately, many of the third-years had been staying after school, even without club activities, as if cherishing what little time they had left.
Before five o’clock, you could still hear their voices.
It’s even more noticeable during lunch break—you really feel that an entire grade is gone.
“Next month, new first-years will be coming in.”
“That’s true, but… it’s not quite the same, is it?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
It’s just a replacement. They won’t be the same students.
Kawana didn’t have any particularly close third-year friends, but it seems she still has her own thoughts about it.
“……You’ll graduate next year too, President.”
Kawana stared intently at the floor. With her short stature, she looked deeply dejected from my perspective.
Of course. Unless I repeat a year or get expelled, I’ll graduate after three years.
And then I’ll hand my seat over to the new students.
“If you want me to stay, Kawana, I could repeat a year.”
“Hehe, it’d be nice if we ended up in the same class.”
Rarely, Kawana shot back with a joke.
“I’ll ask Kugenuma Sensei to pull some strings so we’re in the same class.”
“I won’t lose on the tests.”
“We’ll see. For me, it’d be my second time around.”
Of course, the questions probably wouldn’t be the same.
“It’d be nice if that happened, but it’s an impossible future, isn’t it?”
“……What’s gotten into you today?”
“Nothing. Just because.”
Kawana smiled brightly, her cheeks softening.
The fact that she shows attachment to the school—and to the student council—makes me happy.
She once told me this high school was just a backup option. That her only goal was to get into a good university. Hearing that, I’d assumed she didn’t place much importance on her high school life.
But it seems she cares more than I expected.
Three years that will inevitably come to an end.
If possible, I want her to enjoy them.
“Well, I’ll still be around for another year, so relax.”
“Please be careful not to cause trouble and get expelled.”
“If the student council president got expelled, that’d be a huge problem……”
“If you commit any wrongdoing, President, I’ll make sure to properly interpret it for you.”
“I wouldn’t mind being killed by you, Kawana.”
“T-That’s scary.”
I mean it. She’s the kouhai I trust the most.
Not just Monaka—my time with Kawana is important to me too. Of course, the same goes for Hayato.
It might be unexpected…… or maybe not, but I like kouhais.
“Then shall we start by killing your wallet, President?”
“You're the type who starts by securing the outer moat, huh.”
[TLN: This is a Japanese expression meaning someone who builds up the situation or prepares everything around first before going for the main goal]
If you’re going to do it, I’d prefer it quick.
By the way, Kawana eats so little that it was completely within budget.
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