ter touching his forehead and rubbing his chest, Natsukawa Kanade returned to the classroom with a dejected face. It took a lot for him to escape from the health room. If not for the excuse of going to the bathroom, Fujiwara Chika would not have let him go so easily and would surely have tried even more absurd things with his body.
—Since I was curious about the sensation, I wanted to try stroking the president's belly…
Who says that so naturally? And when she saw his abdominal muscles, instead of being embarrassed, she got even more excited. Kanade really felt like he was being harassed by an exile.
But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that the doctor promised him she wouldn't disturb him… and she kept her word. What did it mean to return in only ten minutes? Was she looking down on him? At least stay out for half an hour!
In short, he didn't manage to sleep for a single second. Instead, he felt an absurd amount of energy.
—Kanade, are you okay?
Shirogane Miyuki approached and greeted him.
—It's nothing. You'll feel much better after resting.
Since returning to his duties, Shirogane looked much better. The dark circles had disappeared and his expression was more stable.
The magic of love, huh? Natsukawa Kanade thought. He had experienced it himself, although in his case it was something he deliberately modified, so it might be different.
The reason he decided to return and resume his position was not just to remain friends with everyone in the student council, but also out of a kind of "atonement."
Perhaps it sounds exaggerated, but the idea was clear: if he took over the presidency, Shirogane Miyuki would have more free time, which would be perfect for being with the girl he likes.
What he didn't understand was why Kaguya Shinomiya had never attacked Shirogane directly, but simply stayed by his side helping him with council matters.
Had he misunderstood? Was Kaguya not interested in Shirogane?
But that contradicted everything he had deduced before… Forget it. It's not worth thinking too much about other people's business.
Thinking too much only damages your hair.
He has already given them opportunities. What happens next is none of his business.
Give up the desire to help others and respect their destiny. It's okay to just be a spectator.
After exchanging a few more jokes with Shirogane Miyuki, he was about to get up to go to the bathroom when a commotion in the front row caught his attention.
—Shiina-san, swimming class is next hour, can we join you?
Although Kanade was popular, not many people approached to greet him. Basically just some male friends he had a good relationship with.
But Shiina Mahiru was different. Her presence had a warmth that attracted everyone.
Men or women, old or young, they couldn't resist her calm smile. She had a charm that generated closeness.
—Eh? That's a bit…
Shiina Mahiru looked uncomfortable.
—Are you worried that the boys will look at you? Don't worry, we will protect you.
The lead girl in the front row took her hand enthusiastically.
—Come on, let's go to class together! Shiina-san refused last time, so please accept our invitation this time.
—Hmm…
Seeing the expectant look of the other girl, Shiina Mahiru's heart wavered.
She didn't want to go to swimming class. As usual, she planned to find an excuse to skip it. But this time she was surrounded and couldn't escape.
—I'm not very good at swimming…
—It's okay, it's okay. We'll teach you, or Shiina-san just needs to smile from the side.
Shiina Mahiru: …
Do they see her as some kind of therapeutic pet?
But now that things had reached that point, refusing would be rude.
As a student, she had to know how to read the atmosphere.
—Okay, thank you for your help.
—Great! Without further ado, let's go to the locker room.
Several girls surrounded her and took her away.
Natsukawa Kanade, who was watching all this in silence, reflected for a moment and then left the classroom.
…
In the blink of an eye, class time arrived. The students had already put on their swimsuits and were seated.
The teacher first led a series of warm-up exercises before allowing them to move freely and enter the water.
—Shiina-san, let's go over there.
Shiina Mahiru couldn't refuse and was dragged along.
—Shino, watch over there. Rika, watch here. Don't let any boys get close.
—Leave it to me. —x2
Swimming classes at Shuchiin are taught in groups. Although held in the same pool, boys group on one side and girls on the other, separated by a wall.
The reason for such caution was an incident earlier this year when several boys sneaked into the girls' side to spy during class.
Although they just wanted to see the swimsuits and swimming postures, that behavior affected the girls, who began to take strict precautions.
Shiina Mahiru was one of the protagonists of that incident. As a recognized beauty in the academy, many boys wanted to see her in a swimsuit.
—Don't worry, Shiina-san, we will protect you.
—Thank you…
Shiina Mahiru nodded slightly, although inside she wondered if they weren't overreacting.
To be honest, she didn't understand why the boys were so interested in her swimsuit, since it was just the standard school uniform.
Although she didn't fully understand, that behavior made her uncomfortable. Since that incident, she had opted to skip all swimming classes. But this time she couldn't avoid it.
Will someone come to look again? What's so special about it?
For some reason, she thought of the person she cared about.
Would he be interested too? If it were him… even in private…
No, that shouldn't be possible. He probably doesn't want to see her again.
Her eyes were dull. She had no interest in swimming. She just responded mechanically to what the others said.
The girl beside her noticed her dejection and wanted to ask her something, but at that moment she saw a suspicious figure move in a corner.
—There! Those guys are here after all!
She called her two companions and prepared to go investigate.
—Shiina-san, keep swimming here. We'll go there and teach those boys a lesson.
—Well, be careful…
In a dark corner, two heads were stacked one on top of the other.
—Did you take the photo? Is it okay? If not, let me take it.
—Don't make such a fuss, we're already looking for it. Why are you so anxious?
Two boys in swimsuits had sneaked in without being seen by the teacher and approached the girls' side.
They came with the so-called "organization's confidence" and were well prepared: a high-definition camera.
The purpose was clear: to record Shiina Mahiru's posture in a swimsuit so they could admire her later.
As for the rest of the girls… they weren't interested. To them, they were nothing compared to the idealized image they had of Shiina.
—How about the left side? Look again.
—Okay, let me see…
—What are you doing there!
A furious voice interrupted them. The two boys were startled and almost dropped the camera.
The three girls who had been keeping watch approached. The one in front looked at them with disdain.
—What a bad idea! This time they even have cameras ready!
—Hurry up and hand over the camera.
—Oh, I'm sorry…
One of the nervous boys wanted to apologize and hand it over, but the other stopped him.
—How stupid! Isn't this just confessing?
Then he looked at the girls arrogantly.
—What are you doing? Do you want someone else's camera right now? A robbery, eh?
—Robbery?
The girl laughed with rage.
—Do you, a peeping tom, have the nerve to turn the tables?
—What do you mean by spying? How do you know you saw me spying? We just got lost and came here by mistake.
The other boy nodded, as if that were enough.
—Lost? And you have a camera? Are you joking? Give it to me quickly or I'll be rude.
—Do you think I'm afraid of you? If you're not polite, don't be. I want to see what you can do to me.
—She can't do anything to you, but what about me?
A low voice interrupted the discussion. Everyone turned immediately.
—Student Council President?
—President?
Natsukawa Kanade approached with an expressionless face.
—Give me the camera. I'll check it.
—Yes…
The boy who was previously arrogant instantly feigned shyness. He could challenge a classmate, but not the student council president. They weren't on the same level.
Kanade took the camera, opened the gallery, and checked it. He didn't find any compromising images, so he put it away.
—Each of you will swim three sets of 200 meters back and forth. Also, turn in a 1,000-word self-assessment to the Student Center Office before the end of the week. Any questions?
—No!
—Okay, let's go.
—But President, this camera…
—I'll return it to you as soon as your apology letters arrive. Anything else?
—No, no more…
—Then hurry up and practice. If you don't finish before the end of class, don't blame me for being ruthless.
—Yes!
The two boys ran off as if escaping.
Only then did Kanade turn to the three girls and bowed slightly.
—I'm sorry they caused you trouble.
As student council president, it was his duty to intervene when something like this happened among students.
—No, thank you for your hard work, President…
Kanade nodded, and just as he was about to leave, one of them stopped him.
—President, can you show us what's on the camera?
Natsukawa Kanade shook his head.
—I'm sorry, that's not possible. I cannot expose other people's privacy at will.
He had checked the content and found nothing inappropriate, but that didn't mean he could show other private photos to the girls in front of him.
—Why? I have reason to believe that President Natsukawa and them…
The girl leading the conversation looked at him suspiciously. Although she didn't finish the sentence, she was confident he would understand the insinuation.
It wasn't that he didn't have a clear goal, but Kanade's appearance had been too timely. Normally, no one approached that area without reason.
Kanade frowned.
It was okay for them to be suspicious. He knew he was innocent. The important thing was how to get out of the mess without damaging his prestige.
It was about the change of mandate in the student council, and any disturbance could be amplified and affect his election.
Just as a new storm was brewing, a soft voice was heard.
—It's okay. I trust President Natsukawa's character and judgment.
Everyone looked toward the source of the sound.
Shiina Mahiru, still in her soaked school swimsuit, was calmly approaching. Her thin, wet figure caught everyone's attention.
…
Kanade looked at her twice without a trace, then looked away with a serious expression.
—Ahem… Thank you for your recognition, Shiina-san.
—Ah, no, I should thank Natsukawa-san…
"…"
"…"
The three girls on the side watched the interaction between the two, looked at each other in confusion, and the next moment regained their senses.
—Ah, I remembered I haven't finished my warm-up exercises yet. Let's go back.
—Yes, let's go back. —x2
Natsukawa Kanade and Shiina Mahiru: …
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