Shirou and the Student Council
Hearing the girl's words, Shirou finally stopped walking as she clung to him. It seemed this girl didn't just overlap with Mash in her kouhai traits—this was something else entirely.
"You're right, this really isn't good," Shirou nodded.
"Senpai, since you've started playing FGO, you should understand, right? The Great King—Baa baa baa~! That cuteness that breaks through the heavens! No matter how much pressure I'm under, it feels like I'm being healed... if I don't hear her voice even once a day, I don't think I can go on living—baaa hee hee~!" Iroha Isshiki said as she pulled out her phone and opened the preview video for the upcoming event.
"You're seriously addicted," Shirou said, watching the girl as if she were already deeply poisoned.
"Ahhh, Christmas Great King is just so cute… I'm being healed… baa baa~. In that case, I'll help you get NP5 even if I have to stay up all night!" the girl said, rubbing her face against the poster of Attila on her phone screen, determination in her eyes.
"I get it. In any case, come to the Service Club room at noon so we can talk it over," Shirou finally gave in, seeing her like this. Besides, they had just about finished cleaning up the monsters in the alternate space. He figured he could lend her a hand.
"Really?! Thank you, Senpai~! Then I'll head back to class! See you later!" Isshiki said excitedly.
After parting ways with her, Shirou ran toward the archery club. As he pushed open the door, the pink-haired girl was already there in her uniform, standing at the entrance waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Shirou-Senpai," Mash greeted him with a soft smile.
"Sorry for making you wait here alone, Mash," Shirou said.
"No, I wanted to learn archery from you, Senpai. So let's get inside and start practice," Mash shook her head and replied.
"Mm," Shirou nodded. He changed into his kyūdō uniform, and they began their training as efficiently as possible before heading to the school building for classes afterward.
When noon arrived...
"Excuse me," a small head poked in through the doorway from outside.
"Come on in, Iroha-chan," Yuigahama greeted her with a smile.
"Thank you, Yuigahama-senpai," Iroha Isshiki entered, her eyes curiously scanning the room at Asuna and Mash. "Hello, everyone! By the way, when did the Service Club get so many people?"
"Well, there was a bit of a situation, haha..." Yuigahama laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to explain.
"So, Isshiki-san, why did you come here this time?" Yukinoshita asked, setting down her book and looking straight at the girl.
"Well, the student council at our school is supposed to co-host a Christmas event with a nearby school, targeted at the elderly and kids. But the students from the other school are all upperclassmen. Since I'm just a first-year, I'm kind of looked down on, so I got stuck doing a bunch of errands. The problem is, there's been absolutely no progress on the actual event planning," Isshiki explained.
"If you didn't like it, you could've just refused in the first place," Yukinoshita said, unable to understand.
"Well, Yukino, sometimes there are situations where it's hard to say no," Yuigahama added gently.
"Yeah... I actually had stuff planned during Christmas break too, but Hiratsuka-sensei forced us to participate," Isshiki sighed, her shoulders slumping. She seemed so troubled that she'd even forgotten to maintain her usual cutesy demeanor.
"Ah, if it's because of Hiratsuka-sensei, then it makes sense," Yukinoshita and Yuigahama said, suddenly understanding.
"Yeah, if it's Hiratsuka-sensei, then there's no way to dodge it."
Speaking of the iron-fisted teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka was infamous for her persistence.
If she didn't get a reply, she would keep sending messages, calling repeatedly.
If she couldn't get through, she would even contact people through social networks, or ask a student's middle schooler sibling for their phone number to get in touch—a truly terrifying presence.
"Yeah, that checks out," Shirou nodded. Putting aside the fact that the girl seemed more interested in grinding events than doing council work, being assigned something by Hiratsuka Shizuka definitely earned some sympathy.
"The event just keeps growing, and now even elementary schoolers are involved. But the whole team's completely disjointed, and I'm at my wit's end. The only people I can rely on now are you guys, Senpai~ So please, I'm begging you!" Isshiki clasped her hands together and bowed deeply.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. Isshiki, you go back for now. We'll talk this over," Shirou said, standing up and gently ushering her out.
"Eh? But Senpai, I haven't gotten your answer yet," Isshiki protested as she was being pushed toward the door.
"We'll discuss it and get back to you," Shirou replied.
"Shirou-Senpai, you did promise to help me, remember?" Isshiki puffed her cheeks in frustration and looked back, pouting to remind him.
"This isn't just up to me, right? Anyway, we'll contact you once we've decided. Give me your ID," Shirou said, pulling out his phone.
"Ugh..." Isshiki had no choice but to take out her phone as well.
Suddenly, her expression changed. She took two steps back and gave Shirou a wary look. "Senpai... so you do have feelings for me, huh? Sorry! Asking for my contact info is way too cliché—your intentions are completely exposed! Please try again next time!"
"Wait, this is the second time today you've falsely rejected me! Whatever... I'll come find you after school," Shirou muttered, helpless against this little devil of a girl.
"Okay! I'm counting on you, Senpai!" Isshiki stuck out her tongue, pressed her hands together in a begging gesture, and ran off.
Just then, Shirou's phone vibrated. He opened it and saw a new message.
"Because I already had it~ ()" — Sakura Little Lamb
"…Seriously?" Shirou muttered. So Isshiki was also in the gaming group chat. But how did she even know which account was his?
Bewildered, Shirou looked in the direction she had run off to—but she was already out of sight.
"What do you all think?" Shirou asked his fellow club members, seeking their opinions.
Yuigahama instinctively patted her bun-shaped hair and thought for a moment. "Let's help her out, yeah? Otherwise, she seems really pitiful."
"This is work for the Service Club, but Shirou, you should already know—we've got something extremely important to deal with on our end right now," Yukinoshita said seriously.
"I think we can handle both at the same time," Shirou countered.
"Then let's do both together and work hard!" Yuigahama smiled brightly.
"Well, club activities are important too. Plus, the monsters in the alternate space have mostly been dealt with. If any new ones appear, Mash and I will go handle it. If we can't take care of it, we'll call for backup," Asuna added.
With Mash as her guard, even the Berserker-class Minamoto no Raikou could handle most situations.
"Yes, I'll do my best to support Asuna-senpai. You all, please do your best with the club work too!" Mash pumped her fist, showing her support.
Whether it was in battle or after, even if it meant getting hugged and head-patted by Heroic Spirit Raikou again, she was determined!
"And me too!" came a voice from the tiny Da Vinci in the smartphone screen.
"Alright then, I'm counting on all of you. I'll take care of things on this end as quickly as I can," Shirou promised.
"Thanks! Besides, if we don't help her and Hiratsuka-sensei finds out, she'll definitely come after us to ask why," Yuigahama said with a bitter smile.
"Got it. In that case, let's get this done quickly," Yukinoshita nodded in agreement. Whether it was dealing with monsters—or the work of the Service Club—both had to be handled!