Where I am ?

Not long after, Kiyoko ended up joining the student council, replacing Tadano.

Unfortunately for Tadano, Kiyoko would often send one of the council members to drag him back to help whenever she could.

Tadano felt conflicted. On one hand, he was happy with how seamlessly Kiyoko fit into the student council—so perfectly that one might wonder who the real president was in this case. On the other hand, Tadano lamented being dragged into the council room to tackle enormous piles of paperwork.

However...

Clink

"Here, for your troubles..." Kiyoko said, placing a cup of tea next to Tadano.

Tadano looked at the bespectacled beauty and smiled.

"Heh, I guess facing this pile of paperwork isn't so bad if it comes with a fragrant cup of tea," Tadano teased as he took a sip.

"I'm just practicing a hobby, that's all," Kiyoko replied as she returned to the main seat in the room.

Not long after she sat down, the door opened slowly.

"Hello, everyone..." Nene greeted casually as she sat next to Tadano and began helping him with the paperwork.

"I always appreciate your help, Onemine-san. You're really helpful, unlike certain people..." Kiyoko said kindly, casting a sidelong glance at Setoka.

Feeling a chill, Setoka wisely avoided Kiyoko's gaze and worked on the documents in silence.

"It's no trouble... By the way, I ran into Ase-san earlier, but a teacher called her over, so she might be a bit late," Nene informed them while glancing at a document in her hand.

"Sigh I just hope that girl doesn't run into any problems..." Kiyoko said, looking at the door.

"No need to worry—you know she's made a lot of progress compared to her past self," Nene reassured her.

After a couple of hours, both Tadano and Nene finished their portions and left after receiving Kiyoko's thanks.

As they walked back to the classroom, Tadano asked,

"Was it really necessary for you to follow me?"

"Hehe, was I that obvious?" Nene said, scratching her head awkwardly.

"For starters, you're usually there before me, so..." Tadano said, casting a glance at the brunette.

"Well... I just wanted to come to prevent any incidents, you know..." Nene said, playing with her fingers.

"Incidents? Oh! You mean the change..."

Nene nodded.

"It would be troublesome if more than one person witnessed it," Nene said.

"That's true. If it's just one person, my abilities would be enough to handle it, but if there are several, an accident could always happen," Tadano said thoughtfully.

Stare

"?"

At that moment, Tadano noticed a peculiar gleam in the girl's eyes. Before he could ask, he was pulled into an empty classroom.

"Nene?" Tadano asked.

Nene didn't respond and slowly approached Tadano.

Tadano thought she was going to kiss him, so he braced himself. However...

Instead of kissing him, Nene leaned close to his ear and said,

"You know, ever since I saw your appearance that night, I've been really curious. So, let me be a little selfish, okay?" she said flirtatiously.

Taking advantage of Tadano's brief daze, the girl quickly drenched his head with cold water.

Poof

"..."

"Uwoooah!"

Tadano was left speechless.

Meanwhile, Nene stared at him with shining eyes.

Tadano let out a resigned sigh at the girl's sudden interest but decided to let it slide.

After a moment of examining Tadano's new appearance with curiosity, Nene stepped out to get some warm water from the home economics classroom.

Sigh

"These girls are getting wilder by the day..."

"Hehe, whose fault is that? This girl has always been a bit playful and clingy. Unfortunately, her character seems to have been corrupted by a certain big, bad man..." Tomoya teased.

"I just hope they don't cause bigger problems. This condition is very troublesome. Maybe we should start keeping a container of warm water for emergencies," Shinomiya suggested.

"How are things going with Yamai?" Tadano asked.

After a moment of silence, Tomoya's voice responded,

"All quiet. Though Ai-chan is a bit unhappy about being forced to film an extra commercial as compensation for the loss. On the bright side, the payment won't be denied, and the news didn't spread, so there won't be an impact on Ai-chan's image. But you'd better prepare your wallet because, judging by her expression, you can expect a big mess..." Tomoya teased, clearly enjoying his host's misfortune.

"Sigh As expected. On the other hand, it's really impressive how easily you and Nagisa stay in contact despite the distance," Tadano praised.

"Haha, of course! Who do you think I am? Besides, my Nagisa is obviously amazing too. Just look at her acting skills..." Tomoya boasted, clearly proud of both himself and his wife.

Though after a moment, his smile dimmed slightly as he thought about a certain little one...

Noticing this, Tadano wanted to ask, but the sound of the door opening pulled him from his thoughts.

"That was quick, Nene. Did you run here?" Tadano asked but was slightly surprised to see who was at the door.

It was none other than Shouko, who stared at him with stars in her eyes.

Like a ninja teleporting, the girl with obsidian eyes was suddenly at his side, observing him from every angle with curiosity and interest. The pair of cat ears on her head appeared with an audible Poof and twitched eagerly.

Tadano swore he even saw a small cat tail wagging energetically.

At that moment, Tadano couldn't help but blush as Shouko's curiosity spiraled out of control.

Shouko soon wasn't content with just looking; she began using her hands to touch Tadano.

For a moment, Tadano was captivated by the girl's expression.

Her usually calm and gentle eyes, tinged with innocence, now seemed so... intense.

Her gaze gradually became clouded and unfocused.

Her breathing grew heavy, and the red blush on her cheeks deepened by the second.

The breaking point was when she raised her eyes to meet his. He could see her attention now fixated on his lips.

Tadano swallowed nervously as he saw her lick her lips—whether it was unconscious or intentional, he didn't know. But what he did know was that the atmosphere was becoming dangerous.

Seeing things get out of hand, Tadano decided to stop her.

Grasping the anxious Shouko, Tadano spoke.

"Alright, little eager kitten. I think we should stop here. There's still work to be done in the council room, right?" Tadano said seriously.

"Eh? … Oh! … Yes, I suppose there are still things to do..." Shouko responded, somewhat confused.

She couldn't help it. She had an indescribable feeling at that moment.

Seeing her tall, strong, and always reliable Tadano transformed into such a "unique" appearance awakened a strange fondness in her.

It felt like a small, innocent kitten being exposed to catnip for the first time.

Snap

At that moment, Tadano heard someone snap their fingers and turned his attention to the still-open door.

"Tch, I guess you win..." muttered a sullen Kaede as she pulled a wad of cash from her wallet.

"Hehe... Looks like I'll have a nice week~" Nene sang as she pocketed the money.

"..."

"What? This big sister has to earn some pocket money too, you know. Those little brats don't feed themselves," Nene said.

Kaede, meanwhile, took the thermos Nene was holding and approached Tadano.

"May I?" she asked in her usual calm tone.

"Go ahead..." Tadano replied.

Not long after, the water poured over his head, and with an audible Poof, Tadano returned to his original appearance.

This seemed to calm Shouko down, bringing her out of her daze and leaving her feeling a little embarrassed.

Tadano was amused by Shouko's reaction and ruffled her hair carelessly.

"Alright, let's take care of the pending matters. We need to have everything ready in no more than two days," Tadano said while drying his head with a towel handed to him by Nene.

"Yes!" the three girls responded before following Tadano.

Unbeknownst to them, a small pink blob hidden in a secluded corner of the classroom had witnessed the entire affair.

"Ugh... What should I do? Was it okay for me to see something like this? Will the president try to silence me if he finds out?" lamented the little pink blob, Gotou Hitori.

In her mind, she pictured Tadano sitting in a leather chair, slowly petting a cat and saying,

"Sorry, Pochi-chan. You know too much..."

"Ah!!! I don't want to! I don't want to be fish food!" Hitori wailed.

Author's Note:

"Alright, this author worked hard, and here's another chapter! Consider it my Christmas gift to all my readers. This chapter will be published on the 24th, so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Remember to drink plenty of water, and know that this author cares about you a lot. Sincerely, your favorite depressive author."

---------------------- nwnr