Vol 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)
VOLUME 1-1
Chapter 3
“You’re late, light-weight warrior!”
“Ah?”
When Touya raised his head, he met the gaze of Homura, who was looking down towards him from above.
On the stairs’ landing above him, Homura was peering down at him while leaning both her arms against the handrail.
“Are you giving up after only that?”
“…Huh? You mean the invitation to join the club?”
It was the first time in four days, including the weekend, that Homura was meeting Touya.
“That’s right. Are you going to give up that easily? Don’t you want me? My apt.i.tude score was [80-B]. Don’t you want this super-promising investigator candidate?”
“I can see your panties, you know.”
“W-What color are they, then?”
“Are you an idiot?”
Touya calmly climbed the stairs at his own pace, one step at a time.
Blus.h.i.+ng, Homura quickly ran down the stairs to meet him at eye level.
Touya spoke to Homura with a serious expression.
“I haven’t given up.”
He scratched his head.
“But anybody would be shocked after being told all that. I just thought… you needed some time to sort out your feelings.”
Being shown such consideration by this b.u.mpkin boy was a huge shock for Homura.
The anger that had been seething in Homura’s chest without any outlet as she agonized by herself the past few days had calmed down a little now.
“T-Thanks for that. But I’ve decided.”
“Decided what…?”
Grinning, Homura poked Touya’s chest with a clenched fist.
“But aren’t you getting ahead of yourself, Hinooka? Don’t you remember what one of Mori-chan’s [conditions] was?”
“Yeah. Come with me for a bit.”
Homura pulled Touya’s sleeve as she ran off once again.
The two of them headed to the corridor with the long bulletin board, on which the student council president and her accountant had hung up posters.
The s.h.i.+nryoku Festival included ten big events that were listed side by side on the board, with new students standing in front of it.
Quite a crowd had gathered in front of the board.
First year students were encamped in front of the posters that interested them and were carefully scrutinizing the contents of the events.
When Homura suddenly appeared among them, she drew people’s attention unintentionally.
“Everyone seems to be looking forward to the festival.”
“……”
Touya once again stared at Homura with a gaze filled with nothing but questions.
“Now then, which event do you think I’m going to partic.i.p.ate in, Touya-kun?”
“Aren’t you acting completely differently from before? Ah, let me think.”
While looking over the posters, Touya reflected on his conversation with her a few days ago.
One of the conditions that Miss Fujimori had given.
It can be in any category. Win and prove that you’re the best at something in this school.
Strictly speaking, second and third-year students wouldn’t be partic.i.p.ating, so, it basically meant getting first place among the first years. Perhaps Fujimori meant it as a sort of helping hand for Homura.
However, he understood that telling Homura this wouldn’t give her any peace of mind.
Touya pointed at the poster in front of him.
“…How about this one? The [Gardening Club and Handicrafts Club Joint Event: Flower Arrangement That Seems Edible Yet Isn’t But You Can Still Eat A Little].”
“Close, but no cigar. Incorrect. Wrong Answer.”
Homura shook her head with a prim expression.
“Why did you think it was that one?”
“Because it had a flower pattern.”
“Flower—Wait, you…”
“Come on, give me a hint or something.”
Homura blushed again and backed away while pressing down on her skirt.
Touya quickly threw up his hands with an amazed expression.
“I give up, okay? Just tell me.”
Homura slid sideways through the backs of the other students, pa.s.sing by the poster of the questionably legal beauty contest, the [Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko Contest]… and stopped in front of a certain event poster.
“This one.”
“This psychedelic poster?”
Homura had slapped her palm against the poster for the [Home Economics Club Event: Boxed Lunch Contest].
The wrinkled poster had a huge lunch box drawn across its entire surface and had various decorations made out of origami posted on it.
“I see.”
Touya crossed his arms as he gazed at the poster.
“Hey, Hinooka-san?”
One of the girls in Homura’s cla.s.s who happened to be there spoke up.
“Hinooka-san, you’re not going to partic.i.p.ate in the [Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko Contest]?”
“Y-Yeah. I want to partic.i.p.ate in the [Boxed Lunch Contest].”
Her cla.s.smate made a disappointed face upon hearing that.
“Eeh, what a waste. I heard this from one of the uppercla.s.smen, but apparently, this is an annual customary event meant to choose successors for the student council.”
“Why?”
Touya cut into the conversation.
“Ah, you’re Touya-kun, from Cla.s.s C, right?”
It seemed Touya was quite well-known among the female students as well.
“Our school has tended to have an overwhelming number of female student council presidents for generations, so this event became famous and ended up effectively deciding who’s going to be the next president.”
“Hmm? But didn’t the student council elections already end?”