Chapter 13:

Love Quest

Having Trouble Coming up With a Decent Story


The second day of club activity wasn’t much better than the first one, actually, it was probably worse. Hirata and Yasutake were already there when Koshiro slid the door and sat on the same spot as last time.

“Excuse me…”

“Hello, Koike-san!”

“Hi, K-Koike-san…”

The other two members only arrived after a few minutes. Takayama entered the room without uttering a single word, but behind her:

“Excuse me, guys!” Shimizu shouted cheerfully. It was clear she had dragged her friend to the place.

The two girls went to their seats, making an awkward hush descend over the room for several minutes until it was finally broken by Shimizu:

“Hey, Hirata-kun. Can you do that drawing I asked you yesterday?”

“Oh, sure Shimizu!” Hirata said while being frowned at by Yasutake.

“Serious, how can this guy be so oblivious? Is he the protagonist of a Harem story and I don’t know?”

“It’s the one for your brother, right?” Hirata started to rummage his bag, “What is it that he wants?

“Hmm…” Shimizu smiled, “It's better if I send you a message with the details!” and then started to look at her phone.

“You don’t need to do that!” Hirata got up with tools in hand, “If you want to chat in private we can just go to the back…”

“Grrr.” a howl was coming from Yasutake’s direction.

“NO!” Shimizu exclaimed and jumped out of her chair, “I-I mean, you can just look at your phone…”

Koshiro just observed the situation while fiddling with a pencil: “Oh my god, Hirata. You’re breaking the records of making girls mad.”

“Umm...” Hirata was perplexed, “I’m sorry if it sounded weird, is there a problem with…”

“Oh no!” Shimizu's smile came back as if it had never left, “There’s no problem at all! It’s just that... It’s just that I want Yasutake-chan to come with us!” the girl rushed to Yasutake’s side and grabbed her shoulders. “Hehe.” Shimizu grinned.

“Huh?” Yasutake tilted her head and looked at the other girl.

“Please, just stay with me…” Etsuko Shimizu whispered near Yasutake's ears, making sure she was the only one to hear it.

“Ok then!” Hirata headed to the back of the room.

Koshiro looked to Takayama, she seemed to be paying close attention to the three club members that just went to the back of the room. “What is this girl doing here? She doesn’t seem so thrilled to be part of this club… besides, is it really alright for her to be here after yesterd...”

“What is it?” Takayama suddenly turned to him, her face glowering, “Is there something you want to say, pervert?”

“Aargh.” Koshiro started to frown, “I actually wanted to say something, so yes!”

“What is it? You’re gonna declare your love for me?”

“Of course not! I was gonna be kind enough to ask if you’re alright after yesterday! But now I see there's no need for that!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! As always you're a terrible person!”

“What...” Hayami clenched her teeth and fists, “...did you just…” her voice was like a growl, “...say…” her eyebrows were twitching, “...to me?” and her body was trembling as she got up and glared at Koshiro.

“Well… I just said that you are…”

“Hayamichi!!” Shimizu interrupted them by shouting from the back of the room.

“Humpf!” Takayama gave Koshiro a last stare and then returned to her seat, “You’re lucky she's a kind girl! And that I have the duty of staying here.”

“Ee? The duty of staying here?”

“Of course, you idiot. I’m the club president.”

“What??! Why are you the club president?”

“I’m the one that chose her!!”

“Huh?” Koshiro believed to have hard Sumiyes’s voice.

“I chose her as the president!” Sumiye slid the door and put her head inside the room, “Is there a problem with that Koike-kun?”

“OF COUR…”

“No problems?? That’s great!” she closed the door.

“Doesn’t she have something better to do than mess with my life?”

“The answer for that would be no!” Sumiye yelled from the other side of the door.

After that, Shimizu finished giving Hirata the instructions and the boy promised to draw it at home, so he, Yasutake, and Shimizu returned to their seats. Takayama called Shimizu to one side of the room while Yasutake and Hirata began chatting, leaving Koshiro alone with his thoughts and ideas.

***

“My name is Aika Murakami. I’m a student at Obaka High, a school despised by most people. I’m in my second year, and (somehow) I’m the student council president. How am I the present so early? It doesn’t matter (maybe we’ll see it in a flashback later), what matters is that I don’t have many friends, neither romantic experience. I don't know why, but people call me cold and frightening, but it doesn't matter now! I'm in love and I made a new friend! He even promised to help me in my quest for love! Today I was having tea with my only two friends, and now I’m patrolling the corridors to see if my new friend will keep his promise!”

“Hey, Koshiro Koike-kun!” a deep voice called Koshiro when he was about to leave the third floor.

“Why are people always calling me when I’m going through stairs today?” the boy turned around.

“You promised me that you were going to report to me…” the tall Murakami looked at him from above, “...WAS THAT A LIE?”

“Oh my god, she seems pissed.” Koshiro gulped, “Oh no! Of course not, of course not! I was just... just…”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” she gave a terrifying grin, “JUST come to the student council.” her eyes were somehow glimmering with an executioner light.

“Hehe...” Koshiro was in a cold sweat while trying to force a smile.

“Huh?” Aika who had turned her back to the boy was now observing him with her peripheral vision, “Is he sick or something? But mom said my friendly smile can make anyone get good enough to run... Anyway, maybe I should get him some medicine.”

“W-What is she going to do to me?”

“Hey, Koike-kun. ARE YOU SICK?” Murakami asked while walking. “I have the PERFECT MEDICINE for you.” she gave another petrifying smile.

“Oh no! I’m totally fine!”

“I see…” “Maybe my smile helped him after all. Kuma-chan always tells me that I have a beautiful smile as well... Just in case, I should give him some tea.”

Aika Murakami ushered the boy to the student council room. Arriving at the door, she slid it to reveal a large room with a huge desk pushed against the wall, leaving space for a small one to be placed in the middle of the room, amongst four chairs.

“Please come in!” Murakami said. "These are my other two friends!”

“Excuse me then...” Koshiro stepped into the room, to see that two chairs were vacant, and the other two were occupied by... “Kuma-chan and tiny Senpai?”

“Hey, my name is Umiko Sawada!” the girl put a teacup on the table and then looked at Koshiro: “Aaaah! It’s you!” Sawada jumped out of her chair. “You are here because of us?” she pointed at Kuma-chan, “So you were lying!”

“Aargh.” Koshiro sighed, “I think we’ve already gone through this.”

“Okay! You don’t like lolis or bears, you are the one spanked by Suto-Sensei!”

“Oh!” Murakami seemed surprised, “So this is the one?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” Koshiro denied, “And how would you know that?”

“What? I’m obviously following the story! Did you think just because I haven’t appeared in a while I would be outdated?”

“Normally that would be the case.”

“You’re wrong you idi...”

“Anyway…” Koshiro looked at the scene in front of him, they were apparently having some sort of tea party, “... are you sure I’m not on your way president?”

“Of course not! We were waiting for YOU.”

“Hmm? So he’s the one that’ll help you with your love quest?” Sawada asked.

“Yes, he’s the one that promised.”

“Promised…?” Koshiro murmured.

“Please have a seat.” Murakami indicated the spot.

“Okay…” Koshiro sat on the pointed chair.

“Here.” the president poured some tea for him.

“Thanks... but I don’t ne…”

ARE YOU SURE YOU AREN’T A BIT SICK?”

“M-Maybe I am…” he accepted the teacup.

“Well then…” Sawada sipped some tea elegantly, “What can you tell us about her loved one?”

“Hmm… loved one?”

“Yes, that’s why she asked you to watch those three, right?”

“Oh, so that’s why…. but why the three?”

“Takayama is student council business, I can’t let her lose control and punch people…”

“But she can kick me?”

“...or mess with them as she did to you in the bathroom.”

“Oh, that was, that was…”

“Was her tricking you into running to the girl’s bathroom instead of the principal’s office?”

“Hmm, so she really got what happened…”

“That aside, I know Yasutake and Hirata have a long relationship, but I was hoping you could clarify that for me.”

“Okay, but what about Shimizu?” “Of course, she yelled at Hirata today, but she’s very pretty, there’s a chance he could fall for him.”

“Etsuko Shimizu isn’t a problem. You can just tell me about Yasutake’s and Hirata’s relationship.”

“Maybe you’re making a mistake, but okay.” “First of all, you might like to know Hirata was apparently looking at you a lot when you came to our classroom on the first day.”

“Huh? Hirata-san?! Are you sure?!”

“Uhum.” Koshiro nodded, “I’m pretty sure, Yasutake was the one that talked about it. she frowned at him for doing so.”

“So that means she likes him??!”

“That’s what it looks like.” Koshiro shrugged his shoulders.

“Are you SURE??!”

“Y-Yes, I think so, probably!”

“It’s probably true…” Sawada pondered, “Every time I see them she’s right behind him.”

“Oh no!” Murakami put her hand on her head, “I lost before even trying!”

“Hey, hey!” Koshiro tried to calm her, “We don’t know if he feels the same for her!”

“That’s right, Aika-chan! You don’t have to worry yet!” Sawada complemented him.

“Hmm…” Murakami composed herself, “If that’s the case… WHY DON’T YOU TELL US THEIR STORY KOIKE-KUN?”

“Of course, Of course! I can tell the little I know!”

PROCEED.”

The nervous Koshiro went into talking about how he met Yasutake and Hirata in the middle of junior high, how Yasutake was always shy, especially with those she didn’t know, and how Hirata was always more upbeat. He also told them about Yasutake blushing in front of her childhood friend, indicating that she likes him, but that he is totally oblivious to the situation.

“Okay, okay. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR CLUB? I don’t even know what it does.”

“I-It kind of does nothing! A-Although it has been only a few days…”

“I see… so it’s similar to most of the others.”

The boy then talked about the brief and awkward club days, pointing out each of the member’s hobbies.

“It makes a lot of sense now...” Sawada said after seconds of pondering.

“Yes! That’s why we can’t know if Hirata likes her or not.” Koshiro explained.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” she spoke with her soft voice

“Huh?” Koshiro tilted his head with puzzlement, “What it is then?”

“One of the reasons why you don’t have good ideas is because you’re a terrible narrator! I didn’t get most of the stuff you talked about! Right, Aika-chan?”

“That’s true.”

“You two too??!” Koshiro was totally downcast.

“But the important part is that…” Murakami straightened her glasses, “Their hobbies are Singing and Drawing, right?”

“Uhum.” Koshiro nodded.

“So, it’s decided...” Murakami put her tea on the table and stood up with confidence to state: “We’ll have an early cultural festival in Obaka High!!”