(A/N Notes: This week's chapter, and no it's not a halloween special because I didn't have time for that)
It was currently lunchtime, and in a rather quiet and refreshing garden, located quite a distance from the other school facilities, the sound of footsteps could be heard. They were two distinct sets of steps, moving rhythmically together as they drew closer and closer to the garden.
Appearing from behind one of the hedges were Haruka and Takeru — the former tightly hugging the latter's arm and forcing him to walk at her pace. Without any delay, mostly thanks to Haruka's eagerness, the two sat down on one of the many benches available in the garden.
"…Shall we have lunch, Tanaka-san?"
"…Yes…"
"And don't even think about trying to run away the moment I let go of you, Tanaka-san. Otherwise, I'll punish you like I said this morning."
"…Right…"
Having his intentions seen through before he could even act on them, Takeru was forced to accept the fact that he wouldn't be escaping from Haruka anytime soon. But she, on the other hand…
"…"
And since Tanaka-san is a former delinquent and I'm a member of the Public Morals Committee… that means this will also end up like that!>
She was being herself — which meant she was caught up in what she believed to be a flawless plan, full of holes, flaws, and dreams. Her face, however, remained mostly composed, aside from her slight nodding to herself and the gentle aura she exuded — something she usually lacked, as she was always nervous when talking to others.
To be more specific, Haruka had trouble speaking with outgoing and sociable people, as those types tended to make her nervous. With quiet and reserved people, however — like the previous leader of the Public Morals Committee — she had a much easier time, since she didn't have to keep up with someone else's pace, nor have an actual conversation. And fortunately for her, Takeru mostly fit into that latter category and seemed rather easy to lead around.
"…" Looks at Takeru "…"
"…" Munch munch "Tanaka-san…"
"!?… I-I-I wasn't thinking about finishing my lunch quickly and leaving right away!… Ah!…"
"…"
"…"
"I see… so you were thinking of finishing quickly and running away, is that right?"
"…N-No?…"
"Really?"
"Y-Yes…"
"…I see. Then, Tanaka-san, you won't mind if I feed you, right?"
"Y-Yes… Wait, what?"
Before Takeru could react, Haruka took his lunchbox away from him, picked up one of the side dishes with her chopsticks, and brought it toward him.
"Here, Tanaka-san. Say 'Ahn~'"
"Huh!? N-No!"
"Then you're saying that you do want to flee as soon as possible, Tanaka-san."
"… … …A-Ahn~"
With no other choice, Takeru was forced to accept the bite Haruka offered, his face turning bright red from embarrassment, while Haruka was thoroughly enjoying herself. Neither of them, however, noticed the distinct sound of footsteps approaching.
"Fufu, very good… Now, again, say—"
"What are you two doing?"
"?!"
To the surprise of both, when they turned toward the very familiar voice, they saw a brightly smiling Yuriko — whose eyes, however, looked anything but bright or friendly. And before either of them could say a word, she sat down in the empty spot next to Takeru's left side.
"So? What are you two doing, hm?"
"…"
At Yuriko's repeated question, both Takeru and Haruka remained silent — though for very different reasons. Takeru kept quiet because admitting that Haruka had been feeding him was far too embarrassing, while Haruka…
"…" "Tanaka-san, Kurosawa-kanchou… I will ask one last time — what were you two doing?"
"…" Feeling both scared and too embarrassed to speak
Deeply breathes in "… Nanami-kaichou… I was merely about to give Tanaka-san his punishment for a transgression he committed earlier this morning — one that, due to the entrance ceremony, I was unable to administer at the time."
"… … …"
At Haruka's answer — delivered with her usual expressionless face — it was now Yuriko's turn to fall silent. Her smile remained, dark and sharp, as if to show she was nowhere near convinced by Haruka's explanation.
"I see… Then, Haruka-kanchou — what exactly was that earlier transgression Tanaka-san committed that warrants a punishment involving you feeding him, hm?"
"Ah…"
"Ah…"
Upon hearing Yuriko say that she had seen everything, both Takeru and Haruka couldn't help but let out startled voices. Takeru quickly turned red from embarrassment, while Haruka — unsurprisingly — maintained her usual poker face… Not that she was calm on the inside, of course. In fact, she was panicking quite a lot.
"…E-Erm… W-Well, you see, Nanami-kaichou… E-Earlier, when I first found Tanaka-san, he… Erm… He promised me that… He wouldn't run away, but… Then he ran away from me…"
"…Ah, I understand now, Kurosawa-kanchou."
"Huh? You do?"
"Yes, I do. You're saying that you're abusing your position as the President of the Public Morals Committee to forceTanaka-san to spend time with you, isn't that right, Kurosawa-kanchou?"
"N-No?…" Unable to come up with any defense for herself, all Haruka could do was freeze in confusion and look away, unsure of what to do now that Yuriko — of all people — had caught her in the act.
"Is that so? Then you have no reason to punish Tanaka-san for breaking a promise that you coerced him into accepting, correct?"
"Erm… Hmm… … …Yes."
"Fufu, you heard her, Tanaka-san. You don't have to worry about receiving an unjust punishment anymore."
"R-Right… Erm… T-Thank you, Nanami-senpai?"
"Fufu! You're welcome, Tanaka-san. Now then, Kurosawa-san, could you please return Tanaka-san's lunchbox to him?"
"Sure…"
With a dejected tone, Haruka meekly handed the lunchbox back to Takeru, her plans having crumbled completely due to Yuriko's intervention. However, that peace lasted only a moment — as Yuriko immediately took the lunchbox away from him herself.
"…Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Now, Tanaka-san, say 'Ahn~!'"
"Wha!?"
"Hm? What's wrong, Tanaka-san? Isn't it only fair that I get a reward after helping you?"
"W-Well, y-yeah… I-I suppose… B-But this…"
"Ah, I see. You might be a bit uncomfortable being fed all of a sudden, right? Then, I'm fine with my reward being a kiss from you, Tanaka-san!"
"!?"
"… … …WHA!?"
"So, what do you say, Tanaka-san? Will you let me feed you, or will you give me a kiss? Ah! I'm also fine with me giving you a kiss as a reward!"
"Ah… E-Erm… Hmm… … …A-Ahn~"
"…Okay then, here it comes~"
And so, Takeru, deciding that letting Yuriko feed him was the least embarrassing of the options she'd given him, reluctantly opened his mouth. Although Yuriko clearly preferred the other two options, she was still quite happy just getting to feed him.
Meanwhile, Haruka's usually expressionless face seemed even blanker than usual as she silently watched Yuriko happily feeding Takeru.
"… … …Nanami-kaichou."
"Hm? What is it, Kurosawa-kanchou?"
"I'll have to stop you from feeding Tanaka-san any further. That's a clear breach of public morals according to the guidelines established by the previous president of the Public Morals Committee, under the command of the former Student Council President."
"Heeeh? But weren't you also feeding Tanaka-san, Kurosawa-kanchou?"
"I was, but that was meant as a punishment. You, on the other hand, are feeding him as a reward for yourself — which makes the intent of our actions different, and thus, they fall under different guidelines of conduct."
"Hmm~ Are you sure you're not just doing this out of jealousy, Kurosawa-kanchou?"
"I could say the same about you earlier, Nanami-kaichou."
"…" "…"
And so, the two finally reached an impasse. Neither Yuriko nor Haruka were willing to give even an inch to the other in their mental gymnastics of justification. Meanwhile, Takeru — who had remained silent through most of the exchange — had finally reached his boiling point. As watching them bicker reminded him far too much of his older siblings fighting over something stupid.
"Argh! You two, stop this stupid fight already and let's just have lunch normally!"
"!?" "!?"
"W-What are you talking about, Tanaka-san!? T-This isn't a stupid fight! I have to make sure Kurosawa-kanchou respects the due process and hierarchy established by the president!"
"T-That's right! Tanaka-san, th-this isn't a stupid fight either! If I don't set the record straight for Nanami-kaichou about the school's established moral codes of conduct, then everyone else might stop respecting them as well!"
"I don't want to hear your excuses! You two will stop fighting and we'll have lunch normally — or I'll just leave and eat by myself!"
"!?" "!?"
With Takeru's rather unconventional ultimatum, both Haruka and Yuriko immediately went silent. Yuriko returned Takeru's lunchbox to him, and the two girls quietly began eating their own handmade lunches, each trying not to look at the other.
Seeing the sudden peace restored, Takeru sighed and began to eat as well — though he couldn't help but be reminded of the countless times he'd been forced to mediate between his two older siblings… usually over something as trivial as the last pudding in the fridge, thus causing a frown to form on his face.
And so, the three of them quietly shared their lunch together. Though both Yuriko and Haruka felt annoyed that they couldn't drive the other away, they couldn't deny feeling, even just a little, happy to be having lunch with someone else.
.
.
.
After the three finished their meals, without much else to say — especially after Takeru's outburst — they all returned to their classrooms.
As such, Yuriko and Haruka ended up walking side by side, which to many students was quite the sight to behold. After all, seeing the two "princes" walking together was a rare occurrence indeed.
Neither of them spoke a word. Instead, both were quietly observing the other, ready to catch any sign of movement or attempt to gain the upper hand regarding Takeru — all while planning their own next steps to get ahead.
"…" "…" "…" "…" < "…" Fufu~ I can't wait to spend an after-school moment with a friend again after so long…>
"…" The two entered their classroom still lost in their own worlds, and with perfect synchronicity, made their way to their seats and sat down at the exact same time.
"…" "…" < As both steeled their resolve to intercept Takeru the moment the final class ended, they exchanged glances. A faint spark seemed to crackle between them, as if the air itself could feel their rivalry.
Even the rest of the class could sense that something was going on between the two "princes." Yet most of the students — especially the girls — were too entranced by the intense stares and beautiful tension between Yuriko and Haruka to fully grasp what was happening.
"…So, Daichi, my dude… aren't you gonna invite Nanami-sama to go home with you?"
"Can't you see that storm brewing between Yuriko-sama and Kurosawa-sama!? There's no way I can walk into that!"
"So you're wimping out again, huh? Typical Daichi."
"Hey! I didn't say I wouldn't invite her! I'm… I'm just waiting for the right opportunity!"
"And when exactly is that opportunity supposed to come?"
"Erm… when the final class ends! Yes! When the final class ends, I'll invite Yuriko-sama to go home with me!"
"You'd better, man. My profits depend on you succeeding with Nanami-sama."
"Could you at least try to hide your true intentions!?"
.
.
.
Meanwhile
At the very moment Yuriko and Haruka were scheming about who would reach Takeru first—
A sudden chill ran down Takeru's spine.
"!?" While Yuriko and Haruka were plotting how to "capture" Takeru before the other, he was instinctively plotting his own escape route.
But little did he know… escaping from those two wouldn't be so easy.