Our walk back to the Student Council Room was quiet with occasional giggles from the girls.
The sky had already dipped down the horizon, casting an orange glow and long shadows across the hallways.
Shizu strode ahead, her posture regaining its usual sharpness despite the faint flush still lingering on her cheeks. Haruko trailed beside her, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips as she tossed me a meaningful glance over her shoulder.
Komoe stayed close to my side, her hand linked with mine. Her free hand clutched the edge of her uniform skirt as if grounding herself after everything that had happened.
I carried the stack of documents under one arm as the weight of the papers was merely a small burden compared to the slight tension still humming between us.
I squeezed Komoe's hand, assuring her that everything was fine.
The conference room had been left in a slight mess. Some papers were scattered, chairs askew, and a faint damp spot on the table we'd discreetly wiped down with some spare tissues Haruko had in her bag.
We'd locked it up tight, though, and with any luck, no one would notice until I came back to clean it thoroughly tomorrow.
As we reached the Student Council Room, Shizu pushed the door open without hesitation.
Inside, Watanabe was already there, perched on the edge of the long table watching Masato-senpai sort through a box of supplies he'd brought back from his errand. Minami Shouko was sitting lazily on one of the chairs, looking bored.
Masato-senpai glanced up as he noticed our arrival. "Welcome back. Has everything been sorted out, President?"
Watanabe answered him as if trying to cover for us, "Oh, they were busy, Ma-kun. Am I right, President?"
Shizu smilingly nodded as she walked towards her table.
Haruko took a seat on the sofa and Komoe followed her.
As for me, I walked over to the other end of the long table, placing down the documents in front of Minami Shouko before whispering, "Senpai, I'm surprised you're still here. Are you waiting for me?"
Minami Shouko glanced up at me, her expression shifting from boredom to mild exasperation as she leaned back in her chair.
"Don't flatter yourself, Onoda-kun. The club hours aren't over yet and this is the quietest place left. Though judging by how long you all took, I'm guessing your 'meeting' dragged on for other reasons."
Her tone was dry, but the way her eyes narrowed at me hinted she wasn't entirely in the dark about what had kept us.
I mean, it's pretty obvious. I'd be more surprised if she remained oblivious.
"Well, that's just how it is, senpai. By the way, Good work today. I'm glad you're here to help."
She snorted, crossing her arms but the way she puffed up her cheeks was adorable at best. "Yeah. You should thank me more.
"Of course, senpai. How should I show you my gratitude?" I straightened up and gave her a playful wink, "I still owe you, remember?"
Her lips twitched, fighting a smile as she waved me off. "Keep your debts to yourself for now… I'm satisfied with… earlier."
Look at her, she's really warming up to me now. Our little game earlier bridged another gap between us. But then again, I'm just glad she's not running away at all.
Whatever was her problem at home, I could only hope that it wouldn't pull her down further. Will I see her lying sick in the infirmary room again? Possibly.
Anyway, I took a step back and chuckled before turning my attention to Shizu who was watching our exchange in interest.
After a while, Shizu held a short meeting, summarizing our work today and the plans for tomorrow.
Once that's done, we're good to go.
Since I promised to return and pick up the girls at the clubhouse, I brought Komoe with me. Her older sister was also there, after all. It would be an interesting sight to see how Miura-senpai would react to seeing us together again.
Shizu and Haruko stopped by the crowded Literature Club which was also busy finishing up. They would go together and wait for us at the entrance of the Club Building.
The walk to the clubhouse was uneventful at best, the cool evening air as the sky gradually darkened was quite refreshing for us.
Like earlier, Komoe's hand slipped into mine, taking this opportunity to draw closer to me which I welcomed wholeheartedly. I even got tempted to kiss her after finding an obscure spot, away from prying eyes.
A few minutes later, the clubhouse came into view soon enough, its weathered exterior still blending into the shadows of the desolate corner of the school grounds.
Inside, the chatter of voices greeted us.
Misaki's bright laughter, Maaya's calm explanations, and the competitive banter of Miura-senpai and Sagara-senpai over their board games.
When we entered, I found Reira-senpai sitting on the sofa, her glasses perched low on her nose as she flipped through a book while Edel perked up immediately at the sight of me, detaching herself from Chii to rush over.
"Ruki!" Edel flung herself into my arms, her silver hair a soft curtain against my chest. "You're back!"
I caught her with a laugh, steadying us both. "Mhm. I promised to pick you up, right? How's it going here?"
Chii approached next, her pout already in place as she crossed her arms. "Kii, you took forever. We've been stuck losing to Maaya-chi's game for the last hour." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI★Fire.net
"Don't blame me for your bad luck, Chizuru. Maybe if you stopped flirting with the dice, you'd roll better."
Maaya looked up and smiled at me before smirking at Chii's words. She's quite smug. Possibly because she's racking up her wins.
Looking at her expression, what little stress she had earlier had already disappeared. Games are truly her stress reliever… Before meeting me.
Misaki giggled, waving at me with her usual boundless energy. "Ruki! We saved you a spot! And I practiced my lines again. Want to hear?"
Reira-senpai glanced up from her book, her expression a little dry but amused.
"They've been at it nonstop, Ruki-kun. I hope you're ready to play referee."
Miura-senpai and Sagara-senpai barely looked up, too engrossed in their own game, muttering about rule tweaks and victory points. But when Miura-senpai noticed who arrived with me, she immediately perked up, especially when she saw our joined hands.
"Komoe? Oh… You came with Onoda-kun. Geez… You're growing up… You now know how to secure your man."
Komoe blushed but didn't hide from her older sister's gaze, instead, she proudly nodded as she squeezed my hand.
That made Miura-senpai's brows curl before she turned to me, a meaningful smile plastered on her lips.
"Welcome back, Onoda-kun. Care to play with us? You ran away earlier."
Upon saying that, even Sagara-senpai who was engrossed with her game turned around to wait for my answer.
"Well, I'd love to. But senpai, have you checked the time? It's almost dark outside," I said as I set Edel back on my side, keeping an arm around her.
Miura-senpai blinked a few times before her head cranked to her watch.
Clearly, they didn't notice since the single window on this floor was blocked by curtains and they were too engrossed with their game.
Miura-senpai eventually exhaled, her excitement deflated, "R-right…It's time to go home, huh?"
"Mhm… Let us help you pack up." I said as I walked over to Misaki and Maaya's side.
Reira-senpai closed her book with a soft thud, standing to join us. "I'll help. You've got your hands full, shameless junior."
"Thank you, Reira-senpai. I owe you one." I winked at her, making the girl turn away as she nudged her glasses.
With this, although reluctant, everyone started gathering their things.
Misaki chattered about how fun it was to play. Maaya packed up her game with a smug victory smile before whispering to me about wanting to play it with me again. And the Game Club duo reluctantly conceded their test run.
Komoe helped her older sister while Edel clung to me like the koala she was.
Lastly, Chii walked towards the back, checking the garden plots one last time.
Once that was done, we stepped out of the clubhouse together and made our way back to join the others.
The day is about to be over but it's still just the start of a busy week.