Too Many Losing Heroines! - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.3

Literature Club Report - Winter Edition

<Everyone Has to Know the Engagement Is Voided!> Chapter 6

By Chika Komari

The duchy is greeted by winter.

The year’s first snow is already reaching our ankles.

The heavy cold air is silently advancing toward the mansion’s corridor. With a stack of documents on my chest, I also begin to pick up the pace.

I’m the former daughter of a baron, Sylvia Luczel.

Recently, I’ve turned from being a free rider to the financial officer of the duchy.

I pushed open the heavy door to the office and asked the man sitting behind the table.

“Philip, can I borrow some time of yours?”

“What’s wrong, Sylvia? I already got the required information yesterday.”

Philip, the handsome young man sitting behind the table, raised his head and smiled faintly.

People who don’t understand him may think his smile is freezing due to his frigid and collected appearance.

I can barely hold myself back. After that, I put a thick stack of documents on his table.

“Reports say our collected tax is less than expected due to cuts in land rent. I have implemented corresponding policies in that regard. First of all, road infrastructure is fundamental-”

Philip raised one of his hands confusedly. He interrupted.

“We have already discussed this last time, right? Both sides have reached an agreement with the contract.”

“Even so, I still don’t agree to hand off the monopoly on minerals and salt to merchants. Please reconsider it.”

“I know you’re very worried, but this contract lasts only 3 years. Also, I have already thought of the worst-case scenario.”

I took the document. It’s the draft of the contract.

“As you know, this place has always been isolated. Didn’t you agree to use her powers to open up new trade routes?”

“That’s right, but…”

Indeed, the conditions offered by the contract are not bad. The shopowners benefit from new trade routes, and we have an emergency food stockpile and temporary income.

Restrictions on the effects on the peasants’ life are also in place, so we don’t need to worry about that.

It’s- too convenient.

I’m worried. Philip showed a smile.

“Relax. Even though Elisa is a businesswoman, she’s not a deceiver. I’m an old friend of hers.”

…That’s precisely what I’m worried about.

I mumbled in my heart.

The contract is offered by a businesswoman from Nazart, a trading metropolis in the south, Elisa Volta. She’s also a baron’s daughter.

The youngest daughter of the baron. She was Philip’s classmate.

I have seen her once only. She’s a beauty with bright red hair. Her talking to Philip as if they are best buddies has left a deep impression on me.

“Anyway, can you take a look at the report from the Suvia region? The toll of the port has decreased a lot. There are also rumors of Leviathans appearing on the voyage routes-”

In contrast to her, all Philip and I have been talking about is work recently.

Even though I’m glad I can be of use to him, I’m just his friend and employee in public.

I’ve heard that Elisa is quite rich. The wealth of Count Volta is comparable to the duke, First Prince Philip. If it’s Elisa, I guess she’ll be a good fiancee for Philip-

…No, I should stop thinking about it now.

Using the opportunity of the end of our work conversation, I spoke up.

“Philip, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What’s wrong? Tell me.”

“I want to have a party this weekend. So, can I use the reception room?”

Philip frowned in confusion.

“The room is fine, but we can’t arrange a banquet and musicians this late, right? We also don’t have invitation letters as well.”

Despite having the best duchy in the kingdom, Philip isn’t a man of luxury, especially this year. We just barely made it through the food shortage caused by unusual weather patterns.

I smiled to ease his worries.

“Even though it’s a party, my plan is just to have tea, snacks, and chat with our friends. No need for all that effort.”

“That’s not all. December is ending soon. I don’t like having extra work in such a swamped period.”

Servants get holidays in Philip's house before and after the end of the year. I know that. This is a reminder of his care for his servants.

“Please don’t worry about it. I’ll give overtime pay to everyone. It’s more like so many people want to participate that it’s bleeding my wallet dry.”

“...Overtime pay? You say some unbelievable things sometimes.”

Perhaps he knows I’m winning the debate. Philip smiled.

“Alright, alright, you win. It’s fine if it’s for our friends. Have fun, okay?”

“Hmph, hmph, you’re joining too, of course.”

“I’m not suited to tea parties, right?”

“In my country- no, based on past literature, the 25th of this month is an important date for spending time with your family or important ones. I hope Philip can participate as well.”

“But…”

I smiled charmingly- at least, I planned to do that. However, an invisible sense of worry blurred my smile.

Did he notice it? A gentle smile appeared on Philip’s face. It was the same one when we met for the first time.

“Sure. Let’s arrange a time.”

Right now, I’m in a garden entirely covered by snow. I’m throwing them away with a shovel.

“Phew, …I guess that’s enough.”

I wiped the sweat on my forehead and put the shovel on the ground. The snow on the path has finally been cleared.

The best way to disperse the depression lingering in my heart is by moving my body.

…It’s been a few months since I was kicked out of my old house and started taking residence here.

I’ve kept this “more than friends, less than lovers” relationship with Philip.

One day, he’ll meet my promise and be my fiancee. It’s just a verbal promise, though.

“...Getting my engagement voided for the second time would be terrible.”

My exhaustion has caught up. I stretched my back relaxedly. Then, I noticed someone approaching me from behind.

“Sylvia, did you do all of this alone?”

“Elisa-san!”

The sweet voice reminds me of velvet. Her bright and tidy red hair is carefully adorned with golden ornaments. Also, there’s her overwhelming beauty.

A gentle smile appeared on the count’s daughter’s face.

“You never let yourself relax, right? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Elisa seems very energetic too. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see Philip. He’s going to give me more opportunities to earn money.”

Elisa winked sharply. She wrapped her arms around my waist and walked toward the mansion.

“Please bring me to Philip. How’s that guy doing?”

“Come to think of it, something weird happened a few days ago. There are rumors about Philip having an illegal child in Granburg.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle after thinking about Philip freaking out as he tried to explain.

“...Then, what happened after that?”

“It’s just a rumor. It’s because Philip was still studying in the magic school when that child was born. There’s no way he would’ve been in Granburg.”

I laughed and turned around. For some reason, Elisa’s smile disappeared.

“Hey, Elisa-san?”

“...Yeah, Philip wasn’t there indeed.”

She mumbled as if it was to convince herself. Elisa wrapped her arms around herself and stood still.

“...No, never mind. Right, I’ve brought the small Bergson tree you want. Is it okay if I send it to your room?”

“Ara, it’s here! I want to use it at the tea party tomorrow.”

Bergson. It’s a circular coniferous tree I saw on the index. It looks the same as cedar trees.

I asked her whether she could get it one last time. She didn’t seem to forget.

“Are you using this tree at the tea party?”

“Yeah, I’m decorating the tree, and we’ll have desserts. Some gifts for people who have taken care of us.”

“Oh, that’s literally like Christmas.”

Elisa mumbled calmly before moving again.

I casually answered. Then, I stopped when I was about to pick up the pace.

Eh? Did Elisa…just say Christmas?

“What’s wrong, Sylvia?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

…I must be imagining things, right? I quickly followed Elisa.

Whether it’s Christmas or the illegitimate child, all of those- must be my misunderstanding.

Alright, the Christmas party is right around the corner. I should get to the preparations-

*

The next day, after school. Yanami and I walked toward the club room.

Shikiya-san asked us to be there for a strategy conference.

After Yanami got a rough idea of what happened yesterday, she displeasedly threw a red cube into her mouth.

“I look away for one second, and you give me this, Nukumizu-kun. Don’t tell me you’re interested in Basori-san?”

“No, I’m not. Also, in the end, isn’t this because you pushed all of this on me?”

“But crepes are different. They are going into another stomach. I want that too.”

Leave me alone.

Also, why did Komari share information about what food I bought with Yanami?

Despite the ever-increasing number of questions, I cannot help but notice what Yanami is eating.

“Anyway, Yanami-san, what are you eating? Eraser?”

“Even I won’t eat erasers, alright? It doesn’t taste good.”

Yanami seems well-versed in the taste of erasers.

“It’s a jelly. I’m completely addicted to it after trying one in Grandma’s house. It matches very well with hot tea.”

Yanami took out a bag. It’s saying “mixed jelly”.

Adding sugar to jelly cubes is a dessert originating from the Mikawa region. It’s indeed a little addicting.

“But Yanami-san, didn’t you say you would lose weight at the end and the start of the year?”

“I did. That’s why I’m eating this.”

…She said something weird again.

Seeing my look, Yanami shook her finger chicly.

“Nukumizu-kun, we’ve learned about this in Biology classes, right? Our organs secret something whenever our blood sugar level rises. It’s supposed to make you feel good, right?”

Even though we did, was the content this suspicious and vague?

Yanami swept her hair upward joyfully.

“That’s why I have noticed something. Eating snacks while walking effectively burns out the absorbed sugar while increasing my primary metabolism- In other words, I’ll get thinner easily.”

“Are you sure? Did you even listen to the teacher?”

“Of course. Believe in the textbook, Nukumizu-kun.”

That can’t be helped, then. Let the weight scale next week be the judge.

We arrived at the club room and opened the door. Then, I saw Shikiya-san and- Komari froze on her lap.

What’s happening here?

Komari’s face is pale. Her lips are trembling.

“Thanks for waiting. Senpai, you’re here early.”

“Yes, …I’m playing with Komari-chan…”

“I see. Komari, I’m glad that you’re having fun with senpai.”

“-G-Go die.”

I’m so glad she’s energetic. I sat on the opposite chair and immediately started our discussion.

“Actually, I met with Basori-san yesterday.”

Shikiya-san nodded.

“I’ve heard from Teiara-chan, …an after-school date…”

“Ah, so you’ve heard about it. However, it’s not a date.”

It feels embarrassing when someone’s talking about me behind my back.

“Hey, Nukumizu-kun. How did you get so close to Basori-san?”

Yanami kept two jellies in her mouth. She poked me with her elbow.

Hmm, …how much should I reveal? I carefully formulated my words as I answered.

“It’s because that person is wondering whether she should go to cram school. So, I introduced her to Ayano and Asagumo-san.”

“Hmph, hmph, and then you two went to get crepes.”

Yanami gave me a dissatisfied look. This girl. Can you don’t mind it that much?

“Compared to me, the most important thing right now is getting back the doujinshi, right? From my perspective, instead of blindly opposing her, she should understand that we have learned our lesson-”

“Young man, …are you getting closer to Teiara-chan…?”

Shikiya-san ignored what I said and questioned.

“Perhaps she doesn’t hate me anymore, yet we aren’t on excellent terms.”

“Give it another push, okay? …Teiara-chan…will be easy from this point onward…”

Indeed, I can’t deny Teiara-san seems relatively easy.

“Well, let me confirm something first.”

I cleared my throat to divert our conversation back to the topic.

“Basori-san is hostile toward Tsukinoki-senpai. I do know that. Even though it’s hard to accept it, I understand why the Literature Club is under attention.”

Shikiya-san stared at me as if she had forgotten to blink.

I withstood her glance and continued.

“Honestly, I wanted to get the book back no matter the cost in the beginning. However, I felt different after speaking to her.”

“Is that…because of…guilt…?”

“Maybe. That person is someone who can be fooled with a poorly-made lie. Hmm, for example, you have seen chihuahuas, right?”

“Eh? Nukumizu-kun, what are you going on about suddenly?”

Yanami interrupted. My my, this girl must find this concept quite hard to comprehend.

“I’m talking about Basori-san. Please imagine tricking the chihuahua Basori-san by taking away her favorite toy. Don’t you feel guilty?”

“Uwah, that’s bad. Nukumizu-kun, your sin can only be atoned with 10,000 deaths.”

“Y-Yeah, i-it’s best for you to g-go die.”

How much do you girls want me to die?

I cheered myself up and turned to Shikiya-san.

“In the end, this is Tsukinoki-senpai’s fault, right? So, taking the book back from Basori-san by fooling her doesn’t seem right.”

“If you…think this works…”

Shikiya-san suddenly hugged Komari from behind. Komari let out a quiet moan.

“Of course, I don’t mean to blame Tsukinoki-senpai. I know she wrote it as part of her creative writing. As for whether it’s right or wrong, I believe that should be decided by the characters involved.”

I pieced together my scattered thoughts as I looked at Shikiya-san’s white pupils.

“Prez doesn’t know about this yet, right? What would she think if she knew?”

“If it’s her, …she’ll probably just laugh it off, I guess…”

Shikiya-san played with Komari’s hair as she spoke.

Indeed, Prez and Tsukinoki-senpai definitely have a good relationship. She should be well aware of her constantly-over-the-line BL hobby. In a sense, there isn’t an actual victim in this incident.

“So, you…will be the bridge…for improving their relationship.”

“Even so, I feel like I’m lying to that person.”

There’s still one more thing. In my eyes, Teiara-san is Prez’s fan.

Will such a girl really want to submit a book about Prez to the teacher’s meeting, not to mention something as complicated as a genderswap BL doujin?

This time, Shikiya-san started stroking Komari’s ears.

I looked at Komari shivering as I summarized my thoughts. Then, someone knocked on the door.

Hmm, who will knock on the door?

“Please come in. The door isn’t locked.”

The door slowly opened as if the person had waited for my answer.

“Excuse me. Did Yumeko-san come here?”

The person entering the club room is- the treasurer of the student council, Hiroto Sakurai.

He showed a relieved look upon seeing Shikiya-san.

“Young man Sakurai, …what’s wrong…?”

“You didn’t check your phone, right? The Broadcast Club said they wanted to talk to you.”

“Broadcast Club…?”

Shikiya-san’s head tilted in surprise while Sakurai-kun sighed.

“Hiba-nee and Yumeko-san are in charge of the graduation ceremony arrangement, right? Hiba-nee already went to the gymnasium. Can you meet up with her?”

“But I…”

Shikiya-san seems unwilling. She remained on the spot. I gave her a reassuring smile.

“Please don’t worry about us. Go. The student council is more important.”

“Yes, …sorry…”

Shikiya-san was about to stand up. She whispered next to Komari’s ears.

“Let’s go…together…?”

“Fueh!? I-I’m not going!”

“Sure, …well, …I’ll be leaving…”

After putting down Komari, Shikiya-san wobbled as she left the room.

..Eh, is Sakurai-kun not going with her? Why is he still standing here?

“Hey, you sure you don’t want to leave with her?”

“I want to talk to everyone in the Literature Club. Can you spare me some time?”

An unexpected suggestion. Yanami stood up and pulled a chair.

“No problem. Have a seat.”

Well, what does a person from the student council want from us, then?

I observed the situation. Then, Yanami took out a bag of chips. It’s seaweed salt flavored.

“Does Sakurai-kun want snacks?”

“Thank you, but I don’t really eat them.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yanami nodded as she opened the chips like it was a party. How come she just opened it on her own?

“...Yanami-san, are you sure about your weight loss program?”

“Look. There are 4 people in the room, right? In other words, the calorie will be distributed into 4 servings. In a sense, this is losing weight as well.”

Is her theory correct? How come I think it’s false?

“Well, what do you want to talk about with us?”

Upon my question, a shy smile appeared on Sakurai-kun’s face.

“Yumeko-san has been visiting here a lot, right? Hiba-nee, I mean, Prez is very worried about her.”

Yanami chewed the chips as sparkles of curiosity flashed in her eyes.

“Sakurai-kun, you call Prez ‘Hiba-nee’, right? What’s the relationship between you two?”

“Prez and I are cousins. I’ve always been calling her that way.”

Sakurai-kun smiled. His eyes squinted slightly.

“Did Yumeko-san cause any trouble?”

“Hmm, well, …I won’t say she’s causing us trouble. It’s because we asked her for help first. Saying she’s a troublemaker is a little cold-”

My words clearly aren’t coherent. Sakurai-kun sighed deeply.

“...That’s what we are worried about. That person is a loose cannon.”

“Does Shikiya-senpai have that many previous convictions?”

Sakurai-kun shook his head.

“Please don’t misunderstand. She’s very capable at student council work. The same goes for Hiba-nee and Basori-chan. The follow-up work aside from those is the worst- Ugh, but everyone didn’t mean it.”

Sakurai-kun smiled helplessly. Things seem tough…

“Well, I hope you can ease your worries about Shikiya-san. Compared to that, how’s Basori-san doing?”

“...Did something happen to Basori-chan too?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it-”

Yanami licked her finger full of seaweed powder as she interrupted.

“It’s because of that. They were checking our belongings a few days ago, right? The old senpai in the Literature Club is pretty upset with her self-made doujinshi getting confiscated by Basori-san.”

Also, Yanami ate up all of the chips. Didn’t she say she would share them with the 4 of us?

After Yanami said that, Sakurai-kun’s head tilted in confusion.

“The confiscated items have already been printed into a list and submitted to the teachers, but the doujinshi isn’t among them.”

Is it not on the list? So, in other words-

“Did Prez or Shikiya-san stop her?”

“First-year students in the council have been handling the belonging checkings for the past couple of years. The senpais aren’t involved.”

That’s why we didn’t see Prez and Shikiya-san there.

Sakurai-kun continued with a calm demeanor.

“The checking is a practice meant cooperating with outsiders without relying on the senpais. They even have to give orders to senior students upon finding problems.”

Sakurai-kun sighed for a long while as if it was to empty his lungs.

“Then, Basori-chan seems a little too enthusiastic. Things are tough in every sense.”

“Ha…”

According to what he said, Teiara-san seems to be dealing with the doujinshi alone.

Is she trying to prevent Prez from covering this up, or is she not planning to let everyone know from the start?

“I can convince her if she’s causing you trouble.”

I scratched my head as I stood up.

“No, I should talk to Basori-san instead. She’s in the student council room, right?”

“Yes, she was asked to tidy up the materials. So, I think she’s alone in the room now.”

Teiara-san is alone in the student council room.

Despite my lack of motivation, I guess we need to have a nice chat.

…I really don’t feel like it.

*

Tsuwabuki High School Student Council Room. I took a deep breath as I fixed my tie.

…First, I need to apologize for sneaking around to gather intelligence. Then, I need to ask her to return the doujinshi to us.

Indeed, I should have used a frontal assault in the beginning. Based on how I felt talking to her yesterday, she doesn’t seem that unreasonable of a person- I guess.

I knocked on the student council room door.

I opened the door after a while. Teiara-san raised her head and glanced at me. She seemed to be reading something.

“Ara, thanks for yesterday. Can I do anything for you today?”

“I want to talk about something. Can you spare me some time?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Teiara-san is the only one in the student council room now. This is my only chance to speak to her.

Teiara-san ignored me and continued working. I took a step toward her.

“Actually, I have an apology and a request…”

“It’s about the book confiscated from Tsukinoki-senpai a few days ago, right?”

“Eh?”

Teiara-san continued reading as she spoke calmly.

“Shikiya-san has shown great care toward the Literature Club during this period. I do know that. Bumping into me in the corridor a few days ago was meant to be an opportunity to talk to me alone, right?”

“Uh, no, hmm…”

She’s not correct, but she’s close. Seeing her in the corridor was a coincidence. However, picking up her grade sheet wasn’t.

I stuttered. Teiara-san pressed her forehead and sighed.

“It’s my failure for you to have picked up my dropped grade sheet. You have grasped my weak point because of that.”

“Eh?”

Does this person still believe I picked up her grade sheet by accident…?

Teiara-san raised her head. She looked at me dumbfoundedly.

“What are you surprised about? Grades are more important to me than you have thought. Please don’t spread the word.”

“Ah, yeah, of course. So, about the doujinshi…”

Teiara-san stopped jotting notes in her notebook.

“...That obscene book using Prez as the model.”

Clang. She stood up and nearly kicked over the chair.

“She made something like that and dared to bring it to the school. Even though she’s my senpai, she deserves proper complaints and punishments. Isn’t that right?”

Correct. I have the same opinion as you, alright…

I cheered myself up and nodded forcefully.

“I think Basori-san is correct, but that person has learned her lesson. Moreover, what does Prez herself think? Will she be mad even if she knows?”

Teiara-san’s expression relaxed as if someone had sprayed a bucket of cold water on her.

“Prez is very kind. …Yeah, she will definitely forgive her.”

Good, the mood is perfect.

“Exactly. Prez and Tsukinoki-senpai are on good terms, right? Let’s just solve this peacefully and ask her to write a reflection letter or-”

…I was too hasty.

Teiara-san’s face changed immediately the moment I said “good terms”.

“Koto Tsukinoki was the student council vice president last year.”

Tsukinoki-senpai used to be the vice president?

That’s strange. Right now, Teiara-san is also standing before me over the table as the vice president.

“That person had a feud with Shikiya-senpai during the second term of the second year. She left the student council.”

“Feud. Did something happen?”

“I don’t know, nor do I want to know the details. However, that person gave up her duties in the student council and ran away. That alone makes her deserve to be looked down upon.”

“But Prez doesn’t seem angry. Instead, Shikiya-senpai seems quite worried-”

Teiara-san didn’t speak. She suddenly got her face real close.

I fell silent due to the overwhelming pressure. Teiara-san was about to say something, yet her shoulders suddenly dropped powerlessly.

“...You’re exactly right. The senpais are always on Koto Tsukinoki’s side. No matter how often that person has caused problems, the two always help her out. Instead, I’m the stubborn girl whenever I try to scold her sternly.”

Teiara-san turned around and slowly walked out.

“Shikiya-senpai invited me to the student council. She went out of her way to recommend me to the vice president position, even though she was supposed to be the one to do it.”

I see. I thought this girl joined the student council due to her admiration of Prez.

“Since Sakurai-kun is in charge of taking care of Prez, I spend a lot of time with Shikiya-senpai. Senpai spoils me a lot. Everything went well in the beginning.”

…This person starts talking about something.

I immediately sensed the upcoming trouble. I looked at my watch on purpose.

“Well, it’s already this late. It’s time for me-”

I was about to run away. Teiara-san turned around and approached me suddenly.

“Did you know what Shikiya-senpai had done to me when I was unconscious!?”

“Eh, no. What did she do?”

“I couldn’t believe she said this suited me better, so she tied two ponytails behind my head! I also got a pair of optical glasses, you know!?”

Ponytails with glasses…? Is that outfit-

“Isn’t that like Tsukinoki-senpai-”

“Indeed, it is, alright!? What’s the point of dressing me up like that person!?”

I can’t do anything about it, even if you ask me. I mean it.

“Also, Shikiya-senpai is constantly touching me. Can you believe it? That person can untie my bra over my clothes, alright!?”

“Uh, even if you tell me the details of the play, I can’t…”

“Who’s talking about plays with you!?”

I think we’re precisely talking about that.

Teiara-san blushed and trembled. She cleared her throat to cover her embarrassment.

“A-Anyway, I hope Shikiya-senpai and Prez can acknowledge that problematic child’s issues!”

I think Prez is already well aware of her issues, right…?

“I understand how you feel, really. In other words, you want to showcase Tsukinoki-senpai’s novel and make everyone realizes her mistake, right?”

“Well, …that’s right.”

I see. I’ve understood everything up to this point. However, there’s still something else.

“But that novel’s protagonist is based on Prez, right? Are you sure you want to publish it?”

“Of course, I plan to black out the obscene parts.”

What’s the point if you do that?

Teiara-san walked to the wall. She tiptoed and took out a thin book above the shelf.

“Is this the-”

Teiara-san frowned and nodded. That BL doujinshi is at a place like that?

Teiara-san pinched the book with the tip of her fingers as if it was something dirty.

“In the end, as a woman myself, I can’t understand a book about the sexual exploitation of women. A high school student should behave like one-”

…Hmm? This person just said something weird.

The unusualness in my heart slowly materialized.

“Teiara-san, can I ask something?”

“Please don’t call me by my first name! Also, what are you asking? I’m not returning the book.”

“That’s not it. That novel doesn’t have any women.”

“...What are you talking about? Didn’t she star in the novel? The student council president Hibari Hokobaru-”

“Ah, hmm, that’s a real-life doujin.”

“Real-life?”

Ah, where should I start explaining?

“Let me check again. If you know Prez is in it, this means that you have read the book, right?”

Teiara-san shivered.

“I just read a little to check the content! T-The lewd illustrations, well, I have just taken a look- sheesh, what are you making me say!?”

“Ah, no, that’s why I said there are only men in this novel. Probably.”

“No women…? Isn’t Prez in it?”

“Well, that’s genderswap. …Anyway, the Prez in this novel is a guy.”

“Genderswap…? Sorry, what’s the point of that?”

Hmm, good question. I don’t know, either.

“In other words, this is a so-called BL novel. Prez turns into a guy and has sex with another man. It’s mainly about love between males-”

“Ha…”

Teiara-san’s sight froze mid-air for a while. Then, she seems to have realized something suddenly.

“Ha!? Prez!? He’s a guy!?”

Flap. She quickly opened the book.

“H-Hold on. Then, this illustration, eh?”

Teiara-san mumbled as she stared at the novel.

“Hey, Basori-san?”

“Then, here’s also, …uwah, like that.”

Teiara-san flipped through the pages hastily.

“Uwah, …uwah-”

“Hey, excuse me, alright?”

“Eh, I can’t believe a place like this-”

…C-Can I go back?

Teiara-san sighed as she closed the book.

“This…is indeed something bad.”

I see, but you look very satisfied.

“Basori-san, now you understand, right? You can’t publish a book like that. How about we solve this peacefully to defend Prez’s reputation?”

Did she understand? Teiara-san’s cheeks grew a faint red. She looked at me listlessly.

“President of the Literature Club. What’s your name?”

Uh, …this girl managed to talk to me this long without knowing my name.

“I’m Nukumizu.”

“Nuku-mizu!?”

Flap. Teiara-san opened the book again.

“T-Then, the Nukumizu who have conquered the Magic Academy in this book is…?”

Holy shit. Is that my character? It’s also an isekai novel.

“Ah, no, I’m one of the characters. You can also say I’m the victim.”

“Eh, then this scene has you…? Eh, uwah, …that’s too much…”

Teiara-san looked between me and the book. She mumbled “uwah” from time to time.

Can you imagine a girl using 100% of her brain power to read a BL fanfic of you in front of you? Even though this is a good experience, my heart can’t take it anymore.

I started approaching Teiara-san again. She’s still fully invested in the novel.

“Well, now that you understand, can you return the book to me?”

“...Ha!?”

Did she only notice I’m in front of her now? Teiara-san hugged the book before her chest and jumped.

“W-W-Wait, what are you doing!? What are you trying to do to me!?”

“Eh? No, no, no, no, that’s not it! Don’t be so loud. People will misunderstand.”

My high school life would be over if people saw this, right?

I reached my hand out nervously. Teiara-san backed to the wall.

“Hey, I’m not going to-”

“P-Please wait! I’m a girl!”

What are you trying to declare?

“I told you I won’t do anything. I’m different than the Nukumizu in that book, right?”

Teiara-san is glaring at me cautiously. She must have finally understood, right? Her body ran out of strength. She bent down on the spot.

“...Y-Yeah, I was freaking out, but you were at fault too.”

Eh, no way. Am I at fault too?

Teiara-san slowly stood up. She looked at the book cover carefully.

“Indeed, this novel is complicated. It’s not just something obscene…”

“Right? So, let’s just-”

Teiara-san shook her head. She gazed into my eyes.

“I changed my mind. Nukumizu-san, let’s make a trade.”

Trade. Is she trying to make me do something in return for giving me the book?

I’m scared the plot will go down the same as the BL novel. Teiara-san spoke up formally.

“Be on my side. I’ll give you back the book then.”

…Eh? This means-

“You have enemies too?”

“In a sense, everyone is an enemy to me. I’m just doing my job as the committee member of the student council, and you think of me as a bad person, right?”

Well, I can’t deny that.

Teiara-san glanced at Prez’s table.

“Prez is kind and forgives everything. As for Shikiya-senpai, she just ignores everything I say. She always touches my neck whenever she has the chance-”

“Uh, please discuss the content of the play with her beforehand.”

“I told you it’s not a play!”

Her emotions are going up and down like an escalator. She must be exhausted, right? Teiara-san put her hand on her forehead and sat down.

…Alright, this is getting even worse.

I spoke up to the exhausted Teiara-san.

“I’m okay with being on your side, but can you decide the actual conditions and expiration date? It’s not fair for me to listen to you forever just because of the book.”

“I see. You’re right.”

Teiara-san thought for a while and clapped her hands.

“Shikiya-senpai and Koto Tsukinoki. Please put an end to their mess before the graduation ceremony, alright?”

“Eh? Why should I do that?”

“I already have had enough of those two’s past. Tsuwabuki High School Student Council only has Prez Hokobaru and her three underlings. Let the ghosts from the past move on.”

“What if I…can’t do it?”

Teiara-san hugged the BL fanfic to her chest dearly.

“Then, I’ll read everything in this novel- and submit it to the teacher’s meeting at the graduation ceremony.”

There are 8 days until the graduation ceremony.

As a person who only goes with the flow, I finally realized the murky waves were swallowing me.