301 Chapter three, 2017, conflict: 2 (1/2)

Noriko suddenly clinging to him felt awkward as hell. After all he was old enough to be her father, by a wide margin, and Ulf really didn't feel up to her childish games of seduction. The only thing that kept him from pushing her away was his knowledge of how much Nao's betrayal must have hurt.

And then there was the stunning truth.

Ulf needed to talk with her about that, preferably after the sports festival meeting, and talking was what he was doing right now.

Not with Noriko, and definitely not about her love life.

”So you're saying in order to be on the committee you have to be a Japanese citizen?”

”Well, young man, it is a Japanese festival after all,” Principal Kareyoshi said.

Ulf shook his head. They were in the principal's office, him, one Korean girl and the entire student council.

”Principal, your reasoning is so flawed I'm astounded you're capable of sitting upright and talking simultaneously,” Ulf said.

The Korean girl stared at him, mouth agape, and Ulf heard gasps from two or more members of he student council behind him.

”Kouhai, show respect to your elders!”

Ulf turned and looked at the student council president. 'Maybe it was a bad idea not running for president last autumn after all.' ”Look,” Ulf said and lazily pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Kareyoshi, ”the shit-head behind me isn't my elder. He's a living specimen of the missing link.”

”Outrageous! Just what I'd expect from a foreigner,” Kareyoshi first roared and then whined.

”Fine, I'm off the committee.”

”I'll have you expelled for this!”

”Shut your trap piss ant! When you're spewing threats, at least make sure you can go through with them,” Ulf said. He loaded his face with his most arrogant smirk.

”Get out!” Kareyoshi roared.

Ulf obliged. He deliberately left the door open as he left. ”Don't shit yourself!” he said as he walked down the corridor to his classroom. There would be another week's worth of suspension for this, but with the moronic handling of arrivals he was guaranteed to leave Himekaizen after three years and with passing grades to boot.

'They really should do something about arseholes like me. This system is thoroughly broken.'

He'd fill that week with training, some serious studying and a fair amount of work.

Almost at his classroom he changed his mind and stopped by Noriko's class. With him booted out of the planning committee there'd be no time to have that chat with her, and besides she deserved to know that she could no longer rely on him when it came to handle the kind of show stoppers that always showed up during any larger event.

Ulf slid open the door and peered inside. A few surprised faces looked at him, but he was well known enough for someone to quickly guess his errand here.

”Wakayama-san, your boyfriend is here looking for you.”

Ulf glanced at the grinning girl who had called out to Noriko. 'Idiot girl, that show of yours earlier didn't help at all.'

”Not my boyfriend,” Noriko replied. ”Urufu, what's up?”

”Kareyoshi forced the student council to kick me out of the planning committee. You're on your own.”