Chapter 121: Lunch in the Clubroom ①

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Translator: Soafp

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The plan to have Takagi relay the message to the light music club president didn’t seem very promising.

In that case, maybe it would be better to leave it to Airi or Nodoka after all.

As I was thinking that over, Takagi looked at me seriously.

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Did something happen to the president?”

Could it be that Takagi had started to suspect my ability?

I’d warned him directly about the flowerpot falling before, so it wouldn’t be strange if he’d begun to wonder…

Even so, I had no intention of honestly telling him about my power.

“Well, it’s just… after seeing the president’s stage costume yesterday…”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Didn’t you think the skirt was really short?”

“Really? I mean, aren’t mini dresses usually about that length?”

“They are, but she’ll be performing on stage. Just in case something happens, I thought maybe she should take some precautions.”

I’d phrased it indirectly, but I hoped my point had gotten across.

After all, this was a perfectly reasonable concern to have before a live performance.

Takagi nodded.

“Ah… yeah, you’ve got a point. If that’s what you mean, I bet the president would listen if you talked to her seriously. She’s not that stubborn.”

“Then can I leave it to you?”

“Uh… well…”

Takagi looked away awkwardly.

“Sorry, but if it’s just me, she might get the wrong idea. Could you come with me?”

“What exactly have you been doing during club activities?”

“Nothing! We just chat. Like wondering whether armpits seem sexy because that’s where body odor is strongest.”

“…”

At that point, talking about sexy underwear almost sounded more normal.

Takagi wasn’t exactly normal either—his weirdness just pointed in a different direction.

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At lunchtime.

Just as I stood up to head toward the emergency staircase as usual, Takagi called out to me.

“Come eat in the light music club room today. The president said she’ll hear you out.”

When had he managed to arrange that?

For someone who didn’t look the part, Takagi really had impressive people skills.

“Got it. Mind if I bring the three of them?”

“Sure, I don’t think she’ll care. They’re practically in the clubroom every day lately anyway.”

He was right.

So I walked over with Takagi to Nodoka’s and Yui’s desks and explained the situation.

The two of them immediately nodded in understanding.

As usual, Nodoka wrapped herself around my arm as we stepped into the hallway.

Airi was already waiting there.

…I honestly had no idea how she always managed to get there before us.

Looking at Takagi standing beside me, Airi murmured knowingly,

“Hm… So today you’re talking directly with the club president in the clubroom?”

“H-Hey, Fukagawa! Does Sugawara-senpai read minds or something?”

“Well, even I get surprised by Airi’s powers of observation sometimes.”

“That’s way beyond observation!”

If Airi possessed something similar to my precognition, it would certainly explain things.

To begin with, it seemed unlikely that I was the only person in the world with a supernatural ability.

As always, Airi linked arms with my free arm, and the three of us walked down the hallway together.

Only today, our destination was different.

“Oh, you’re here. As always, Fukagawa-kun’s lunchtime is quite something.”

The light music club president was already in the clubroom.

She had a sandwich in one hand with a bite already taken out of it.

Takagi sighed.

“President, dieting again?”

“What do you mean, ‘again’? The cultural festival’s almost here. I want to look as cute as possible.”

“Eating slightly less for a few days isn’t going to make much difference. Just go back to eating your usual mountain-sized lunch.”

“Hahaha. Making fun of a maiden’s efforts? Takagi, that’s a crime worthy of death.”

The president slipped behind Takagi and immediately locked him in a headlock without mercy.

Were these two always like this?

They seemed even closer than I’d imagined.

As Airi pulled over a table and chairs from the corner of the room, she said,

“Come on, Ren-kun. Let’s eat too.”

“Yeah.”

Nodoka and Yui took out our lunch.

The president’s eyes widened.

“Whoa… what’s with that three-tier lunch box? Are you all going on a family picnic?”

Airi answered.

“We always eat together anyway. There’s no point packing separate lunches—it just creates more dishes to wash. So we switched to this.”

“You guys really are something else…”

Actually, it had been Nodoka’s idea.

I hadn’t had any reason to object.

If anything, it made things feel even more like a family.

The only concern I’d had was that it’d be inconvenient if we ever had to eat separately.

But Nodoka had immediately shot that down.

“Ren comes first for all of us. A situation where we’d have to eat separately simply won’t happen.”

The moment the lid came off the lunch box, the president’s eyes widened even further.

“Whoa… that looks incredible. Everything looks delicious.”

A loud gulp echoed through the clubroom.

“Did you all make this yourselves?”

“Yes. Mostly Nodoka-san and Yui-san.”

“Senpai barely helped at all!”

“I taste-tested everything. That counts as helping.”

“You only did that because you barged in and insisted on tasting everything!”

Nodoka and Airi continued their little comedy routine.

The president laughed cheerfully while taking another bite of her sandwich.

Then Takagi suddenly interrupted.

“Hold on. I’ve been wondering this the whole time… don’t tell me you guys are actually living together?”

““Ah…””

All four of us awkwardly looked away.

We’d kept our cohabitation a secret because we didn’t want strange rumors spreading around school.

That said, it wasn’t exactly a life-or-death secret either.

Takagi slumped his shoulders.

“Damn it! I can’t even get one girlfriend, and meanwhile you’ve got a lovey-dovey harem living together under one roof!? I hope you step in dog poop on your way home!”

“What are you, an elementary school kid?”

Well…

Even I knew my life was nothing like that of an ordinary high school student.

“Seriously though, you guys are amazing. Honestly, it looks like it’d be exhausting. What’s the advantage for the girls in a relationship like… well… a harem?”

“There is one. Especially since I’m not even in the same class as Ren-kun.”

“Not even the same grade.”

“But because Nodoka-san is in the same class as him, I don’t have to worry about some strange girl trying to get close to him.”

“Ah… I get it. So if one of you can’t keep an eye on him, another member of the harem can.”

“Exactly. More accurately, wherever Ren-kun is, one of us is always with him.”

Airi flashed a mischievous smile.

“In other words… we’ll never give Ren-kun a chance to be alone.”

…That was news to me.

Airi had actually thought that far ahead?

Judging by the fact that neither Nodoka nor Yui objected, it seemed I really was the only one who hadn’t known.

Takagi suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You know… everyone’s got their own hardships. Personally, I’d still rather have just one girlfriend than a harem.”

Why… was Takagi the one sympathizing with me?