Chapter 2

“Alright, from here on out, the two of you will come up to the front and lead the discussion. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how things are organized, so make sure everything’s settled during this period~,” the teacher said, essentially handing the entire responsibility over to the two newly appointed class representatives.

It was clear she wanted the students to handle this themselves, as expected of high schoolers.

For Satoru, this was shaping up to be a hassle, but he also understood that if they didn’t get things wrapped up within the period, it could spill into after school or break time—something that could potentially incite a mini-rebellion among the students.

With that thought in mind, Satoru and Reika stood up from their seats and made their way to the teacher’s podium.  

But—

“…”

“…”

Without exchanging even a single word about dividing tasks, the two smoothly began working as if they had rehearsed this beforehand.  

“Alright, how should we proceed?” Reika mused, resting her cheek lightly against her fist in thought.

Satoru, meanwhile, grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing on the board, listing roles and available committees.

“Wow. That was surprisingly… smooth?” the teacher muttered under her breath, unable to hide her astonishment.

At a glance, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. However, most people, regardless of how close they were, would typically confirm things with each other in this kind of situation—if only to avoid stepping on toes.

But they didn’t need to check in or discuss their respective roles; it was as though they instinctively knew what the other would do.  

The fluidity of their teamwork left the teacher more bewildered than impressed, especially considering Satoru was hanging his head down and looked defeated just moments earlier.

“Hmm,” Satoru grunted softly after finishing the necessary notes on the board.

“Alright then, let’s assign roles,” Reika announced smoothly. “To start, everyone will submit their first choice. If there’s overlap, we’ll resolve it with rock-paper-scissors. For those who don’t get their first choice, you’ll pick from the remaining roles as your second choice—again, resolving overlaps with rock-paper-scissors. We’ll repeat this process until everything’s decided. Any objections?”

As soon as Satoru finished his small grunt, Reika effortlessly laid out the entire plan for organizing the discussion, with a level of precision that left the class momentarily stunned.

***

The entire discussion wrapped up in under 30 minutes, far faster than anyone anticipated.

“This was… shockingly fast. Usually, discussions like this in a new class 100% drag on forever,” the teacher murmured, still looking visibly confused.

The speed was thanks to the draft-like system Reika had proposed, which worked efficiently and minimized arguments.

“Alright, then! Since we have extra time, you can all do self-study. As for the two class representatives, I’ll need you to write the homeroom journal about today’s session,” the teacher added.

““Understood.””

The teacher handed Satoru a black file folder containing the homeroom log sheet. The log was meant to record what had been discussed, the decisions made, and any lingering issues or concerns.  

Satoru immediately began taking notes, recalling what was written on the board and what he has just learned, but—

“……”

“…What?”

Beside him, Reika was resting her chin on her hand, staring at Satoru with an amused expression.

It was so unsettling that, despite the quiet of the self-study time, Satoru couldn’t help but whisper a response.

“Fufu, is it really that strange for a girl to stare at the handsome face of her beloved boyfriend?”

Certainly, there was nothing strange about the meaning of her words alone.  

At that moment, Satoru found himself unable to come up with any retort.

Noticing his hesitation, Reika smiled even more, her expression one of serene satisfaction.

“I kind of figured it would turn out like this. From the moment you became the class representative, you know.”  

“…And yet, you seemed worried that someone else might get chosen. When our eyes met because you couldn’t stop glancing up, you looked so cute.”  

“It was humiliating…”

Satoru already knew he could never win against her.  

Still, being toyed with so effortlessly, he couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of frustration.  

“Oh my, are you sulking?”  

“Well, I guess I kind of am…”  

“Fufu, my apologies.”

Reika’s smile was so bright and cheerful that it was clear she didn’t feel sorry in the slightest.  

Then, leaning closer to Satoru’s ear, she softly whispered something.

“As an apology, why don’t you come over to my place today?”

“Wha—!”

Satoru knew exactly what she meant.  

Having experienced this several times before, he certainly understood what her invitation implied. But even so, he still couldn’t get used to the shock of being asked so suddenly.

“We have school tomorrow, so obviously I can’t…”  

“Oh? So, does that mean you’d be open to it if it were Friday or Saturday instead?”  

“Ugh…”

His composure, already fragile after her whisper, was completely shattered, leaving Satoru unable to form a coherent response.  

Even his desperate attempt at deflection was twisted by Reika into something that cornered him further.

The reason Satoru had been utterly captivated—body and soul—by Reika.  

One of those reasons was her overwhelming ability to manipulate him, along with the sudden, sweet whispers and advances she would unleash on him.  

And this very dynamic would continue to draw him further into her orbit, ensnaring him even more deeply.

“Well then, I’ll assume you’ll be free this Friday and Saturday, and I’ll make the necessary preparations, okay?”  

“…Even if I say no, you’re not going to listen to me at this point, right?”  

“Of course not. But I don’t think you’d refuse anyway, would you?”

And so, as always, Reika created a situation from which Satoru could never escape her whispers.