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After cutting down all the monsters, Akio looked rather disappointed. He turned to Sherry and said, "These aren't the ones I'm after. Keep searching."
Sherry nodded lightly. "Understood, Lord Akio. We'll keep looking."
Akio gave a short grunt before adding, "Tell you what. If you can really help me find that creature, I'll give your Nura Clan my protection. How does that sound?"
He knew full well that, while he'd forced the Nura Clan into submission and bent them to his will, there was no guarantee they'd give it their all. They could just pretend to obey while half-assing the job.
And honestly, if their positions were reversed, Akio knew he wouldn't have gone all in either. They'd search, sure—but whether they actually found anything would depend entirely on their mood.
Which was exactly why he dangled a reward in front of them: to motivate them to work wholeheartedly for him.
Sherry's eyes brightened at his words, though she held back from showing much else. Instead, she just gave a small nod. "I'll pass this along to the Supreme Commander."
Akio hummed in acknowledgement, then parted ways with Sherry and her monsters, leaving the abandoned building behind.
He went home, washed up, and went straight to bed.
The next morning, after dragging himself out of bed, Akio went to freshen up, then casually ate the breakfast offered by Erina Nakiri and her secretary.
Only after that did he slowly head out, making his way toward his school—Private Ousai Academy.
His place wasn't far from the academy. About ten minutes on foot. Five if he bothered to run.
So he never left the house in a rush. By the time he reached the school gates, there were still a good fifteen minutes before the bell.
At the entrance stood Amakusa Shino, the student council president of Ousai Academy, along with the student council secretary, Aria Shichijō. The two were busy checking that students were dressed neatly and not smuggling in any questionable items.
Ousai students had a habit of bringing in all sorts of strange contraband, which meant Shino and Aria had to show up bright and early to conduct inspections.
But from Akio's point of view, the real contraband at this school was Shino and Aria themselves.
Those two were way too indecent.
Sometimes he honestly worried they'd end up corrupting the entire school's atmosphere if left unchecked.
Especially since the student council vice president—and resident straight man—Takatoshi Tsuda still hadn't shown up.
That surprised Akio. In the original Seitokai Yakuindomo storyline, Takatoshi was one of the very first male students admitted when Ousai transitioned from an all-girls' school to a co-ed one.
Akio remembered clearly: the guy chose Ousai simply because it was close to his house. Not long after enrolling, Shino roped him into the student council as the male representative—filling the vice president role she'd left vacant.
But now, even though Akio had been at the academy for a while, Takatoshi Tsuda was nowhere to be seen.
Which was seriously odd.
It wasn't that Tsuda didn't exist in this world. He definitely did.
Tsuda Takatoshi was actually in the same class as Akio, sitting by the window.
What surprised Akio was that Amakusa Shino hadn't dragged him into the student council. That just didn't add up. What kind of story was hiding behind that?
"Hey. You. The transfer student."
Lost in thought, Akio froze when a sharp, cool voice cut through the air.
He looked up. Amakusa Shino's gaze—black and gleaming like polished pearls—was locked straight onto him. She strode over, each step closing the distance like a predator zeroing in on prey.
In the blink of an eye she was right in front of him, leaning in until her breath brushed across his face.
Too close. Way, way too close.
If he tilted his head forward even a centimeter, his lips would touch hers.
"You're slacking. Totally slacking."
Her tone was righteous, scolding. "Look at you—shirt hanging loose, lazy posture, wobbling around when you walk. Is this what a student of Sakurazaka Academy should look like?"
"You didn't even eat breakfast, did you? No wonder you've got no energy."
She punctuated the words with a firm smack on his shoulder.
"A student should be full of vitality! Like how a boy wakes up, uh, full of energy every morning. Come on, transfer student, get it together."
Akio: …
He'd already known from the anime that she had no filter, that shameless jokes just rolled right off her tongue.
But in person? It hit ten times harder.
This girl really didn't know the meaning of embarrassment.
"President, do you even realize what you're saying?" Akio groaned. "You think it's okay to say stuff like that to a perfectly healthy guy?"
Shino just gave a dismissive hum. "I only want you to be more spirited. What's wrong with that?"
"…Nothing. If you're happy, I guess."
Akio sighed, straightened his back, and asked, "Like this?"
Shino nodded, satisfied. "Much better. A man's energy should be just like his—"
Akio: …
Her mouth really was a one-way highway for dirty jokes.
As expected of the student council president who lived and breathed innuendo.
There was no way he was going to stand there trading dirty jokes in front of the whole school. Retreating in defeat, Akio mumbled an excuse and slipped away.
In the classroom, Akio found Ritsu Tainaka already there, chatting animatedly with Mio Akiyama.
The moment she spotted him, Ritsu waved like crazy. "Akio! Over here!"
He dropped into his seat. "You're awfully lively this early. What's the topic?"
"Of course we're talking about Ai-chan's concert!"
"'Ai-chan'… you mean Ai Hoshino?"
"Duh. Who else?" Ritsu nodded so hard her hair bounced.
"You weren't there, so you don't know, but it was incredible—stage effects, performance, everything top-tier. No doubt about it, she's the hottest idol right now. Seriously amazing."
"You're exaggerating."
Watching Ritsu wave her arms like she was still at the concert, Akio glanced at Mio for confirmation.
Mio nodded gently. "It really was a great show."
"See? Even Mio says so. That proves it."
But that only made Ritsu pout. "Oi, oi, oi! Why is it that when I say something, you don't believe me, but when Mio says the exact same thing, you take it as gospel? You traitor—totally ditching your friends for a pretty face! Take this!"
"..."
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