When we returned to the conference room, the atmosphere shifted subtly but noticeably.
The club presidents waiting outside barely glanced up from their hushed conversations, too preoccupied with rehashing their strategy to get their proposal accepted without any modification.
Watanabe, however, shot us a curious look as we passed, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. Well, she's not oblivious to my relationship with the girls so she already had an inkling to where we went. Minami Shouko stood beside her with her arms crossed. The way she looked at me had a hint of suspicion and exasperation. She didn't say a word, but with how smart she was, she'd already pieced together that our "break" had been anything but innocent.
"Should I start sending them in, President?" Watanabe peeked in her head and asked seconds after we entered the room
Shizu nodded smoothly, her composure unshaken. "Mhm. We're ready to continue."
Minami Shouko entered after that as she took her place again.
Since I already planned to step out and visit the clubhouse, I walked toward Minami Shouko, lightly massaging her shoulder. My small gesture to make up for leaving her here.
"I'll make it up to you, senpai."
Her eyes narrowed, but the faintest twitch of her lips betrayed her amusement. "You'd better."
After that, I checked on Komoe again and gave her my unopened can of drink. She needed that after what happened, after all.
And once that's done, I returned to Shizu and Haruko, kissing them one more time before the next club president entered.
Before going straight to the clubhouse, I passed by our Literature Club and checked on their progress.
Everyone was already there, including the girls from the Book Club and Poem Appreciation Club, as well as Chii and Nami's group.
Arisa and Izumi weren't around. They stayed in the Student Support Club, handling the work passed to them by Shizu and some requests from the other students.
I stayed in the Literature Club for about ten minutes just checking on the progress and flirting with the girls before continuing on my way.
Rumi scolded me again but well, a kiss was enough to silence her, but in exchange, a bite mark was left behind on my neck.
And as I exited, I didn't leave alone though, Chii, Edel and Reira-senpai followed me out.
Ah. I pulled Chii away from what she's doing while my lovely koala, Edel, was glued to my side ever since I arrived. As for Reira-senpai, I asked her politely if she wanted to visit the clubhouse with me.
She was intrigued about it, after all.
As we walked down the hallway, stairs and stepped out of the Club Building, Chii's pout eased up slightly as she grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers together.
Meanwhile, Edel had no plans of ever letting go of my arm. Her silver hair brushed against my shoulder and her soft hums of contentment filled the quiet space between us.
Only Reira-senpai stayed a step behind us. I kept glancing back at her. And every time I did that, I'd be met with her glare as if she's not amused to see me with the other two. Then, she'd tell me to focus on the front.
Really, if I had a third arm, I'd probably pull her close with me too. Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of mutant.
Anyway, no matter who we ran into and whatever curious glance they threw at us, we kept up with this as we continued on our way to the clubhouse, passing through the fields and the gymnasium.
Although I was tempted to also check on Satsuki during their practice, I held back for now since my hands were already full.
On the way, I introduced and explained the purpose of the clubhouse to Reira-senpai.
When she learned that it's an official club with the blessing of the School Director herself, she stared at me in disbelief.
What can I say? It is that shocking.
Anyway, I also told her our objective there. Other than checking the state of the soil behind it and ensuring that the garden plots would be ready to plant our potatoes whenever possible, I revealed to her that it's our sanctuary of sorts where I could steal moments with the girls away from the prying eyes of the school.
That earned me another roll of her eyes while Edel and Chii giggled, justifying it alongside me.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the school grounds as we made our way toward this desolate area of the school. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novᴇlfire.net
Although rumors were already floating about this place, not many students were that curious to explore this abandoned place where run-down clubhouses were already in a state of decay.
I mean, even our renovated clubhouse had its exterior left untouched to continue blending in so unless someone investigated this place thoroughly, it'd be hard for them to find our clubhouse.
"So, this 'clubhouse'…" Reira-senpai started with her tone carrying a mix of curiosity and skepticism as she quickened her pace to fall in step beside Chii. "Isn't it just a glorified shed you use to sneak off with your girls, Ruki-kun?"
I shrugged, not denying it at all, "You made it sound so crude, senpai. It's more like… a multi-purpose retreat. Gardening, relaxation, and yeah, maybe a little quality time with the girls. It's efficient."
"Efficient," She echoed flatly as her brows arched. "That's one way to put it, I guess?"
Chii grinned, nudging Reira-senpai with her elbow. "Oh, come on, senpai. It's not like we're hiding anything scandalous. Well… not always."
Edel also chimed in. "It's cozy… And Ruki makes it special, Nakanishi-san."
Reira-senpai crossed her arms, "I'll believe it when I see it. But if it's just a shack with a dirt patch, I'm turning around."
"Are you sure, Reira-senpai?" I asked, giving her a teasing wink. "But I think you'll stick around. You miss your favorite junior, after all."
"Shameless junior." She puffed up her cheeks but she didn't deny it at all.
As we approached the clubhouse, its weathered wooden exterior came into sharper focus. It wasn't much to look at from the outside, of course.
I fished the key out of my pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open with a faint creak.
The moment it opened, a surprised gasp came from Reira-senpai as she didn't expect to see a polished interior filled with furniture.
"Welcome to the sanctuary," I said as I stepped aside to let the girls file in first.
Edel reluctantly detached herself from my arm and skipped over to the sofa, plopping down in its softness with a contented sigh before calling out to me, "Ruki, sit here, okay?"
"Mhm. Let me just give Reira-senpai a tour." I replied before turning to Chii, whose pout returned before letting go of my hand and checking the place as well. It wasn't any different than our stay last Friday so she eventually reached the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soda.
Reira-senpai lingered near the doorway, her eyes scanning the place with a critical air.
I interrupted her thoughts, "Senpai, come in before someone sees that there's a sanctuary here."
I reached for her hand, pulling her inside. The faint scent of polished wood and fresh soil greeted us as I shut the door behind Reira-senpai, sealing us into the cozy confines of the clubhouse.
"It's… less shabby than I expected," She admitted silently before she turned to me with a smirk, "Still smells like old wood, though."
"That's part of the charm, Reira-senpai. Keeps it authentic."
She shook her head and snorted before reaching in to pinch my cheek, "Alright. I'm convinced, Ruki-kun. You said you're giving me a tour. Should I wait until you finish flirting with your girls?"
I stared at her for a moment and then asked with a teasing smile, "Senpai, are you jealous?"
The moment my words registered in her ears, her glasses immediately fogged up as she crossed her arms and turned sideways, "Why should I be jealous?!"
Unfortunately for her, that reaction earned her a giggle from both Edel and Chii.
"You're really not sparing anyone, shameless Kii."
"Nakanishi-san, I'm glad you found Ruki too. He's amazing."
For Edel to pitch in like that, it became my turn to blush but obviously, Reira-senpai wouldn't just admit to it.
"No, Serizawa-san. I'm not… I'm not jealous. Ruki-kun is my junior. T-that's all."