— — — — — —
Feeling Oikawa's hand resting a little too boldly at her waist, Kawasaki lightly bit her lower lip.
At that moment, her heart was pounding uncontrollably. Yet surprisingly, she didn't feel the familiar urge to push him away.
She was simply shy, her face burning hot.
"...Mm."
In the end, that was all she managed to say.
But almost immediately, regret crept in.
She regretted not responding more passionately, not expressing the feelings in her heart.
If her love was worth ten points, that single "mm" had conveyed only one.
"Oikawa, I..."
"Sis, is dinner ready yet?" Keika's voice suddenly called out from the other room. "I'm starving!"
"It's ready, Keika-chan. I'll bring it over." Oikawa released his arm from around Kawasaki's waist and said softly, "Let's eat first."
Kawasaki froze.
As she watched his retreating back, an inexplicable sense of loss rose in her chest.
For a brief moment, it felt as though she had lost something precious.
The fish in the pan was starting to smell burnt, but Kawasaki couldn't have cared less. Her eyes saw only the boy standing before her.
The boy who, at some point without her realizing it, had taken up residence in her heart.
Love at first sight? Or maybe it was something that had grown over time.
She remembered how patiently Oikawa had explained things whenever she ran into difficulties.
She remembered him brewing tea for her when her period came.
She remembered how, whenever she got sick, he took care of her like she was a child.
Kawasaki stopped hesitating.
She grabbed Oikawa's arm and pulled him back toward her.
At last, she reclaimed the courage she had lost so many times before.
The courage she'd lost on that walk home at night. The courage she'd lost during the camping trip. The courage she'd lost when Oikawa jokingly said he wanted to marry her someday.
She had imagined it countless times.
A snowy day. Oikawa standing before her in his best clothes. Confessing his feelings. Telling her he loved her. Asking her to be his girlfriend.
As long as it was him. That was enough.
The kiss was deep and passionate.
Only when the smell of burnt fish became impossible to ignore, and footsteps started approaching the kitchen, did Kawasaki finally let him go.
Even then, before turning away, she smiled and said, "I love you too... Very, very much."
Oikawa stared at her retreating figure in a daze.
His fingers unconsciously brushed against lips that still held her warmth.
Just now... Had he been the one who got kissed?
"Um... what are you two doing in here? I could smell the burnt fish all the way from the living room! Didn't you notice it in the kitchen?" Keika stormed in with her hands on her hips.
"Sorry, sorry. I got distracted." Oikawa finally snapped back to reality and ruffled Keika's hair. "Keika-chan, go get the rice. I'll bring the dishes to the dining room."
"Okay~!"
The instant she received the head pat, all of Keika's anger vanished.
...
..
Soon, all four of them were seated around the table.
"Itadakimasu."
Taishi and Keika said politely before digging in.
Besides the curry, sea snails, and fried fish, Oikawa had also brought out some of his treasured frozen shrimp.
The dinner table was unusually quiet.
Every now and then, Oikawa's and Kawasaki's eyes met.
Kawasaki would instinctively look away, only to gather her courage and meet his gaze again.
The blush on her face spoke more eloquently than any love confession ever could.
"Sis, the fish is burnt. Why are you eating that piece?"
"Ah... it's fine. I like burnt fish."
Kawasaki's face turned even redder.
Oikawa picked up a piece of the burnt fish and placed it in his bowl. "Actually, I like burnt fish too."
Keika blinked in confusion.
She had no idea when the two of them had developed such a strange preference.
Looking out the window, Oikawa found himself hoping that Typhoon-sama would make a surprise return. That way, he'd have an excuse to keep Kawasaki overnight.
Unfortunately, by the time dinner ended, that bastard typhoon remained completely silent.
The disappointment was hard to hide.
"Keika, Taishi, go watch some TV. I'll wash the dishes and then take you two home. Don't fall asleep, okay? Especially you, Keika."
Kawasaki gave the warning, though Keika already looked half-asleep.
"I'll help."
Oikawa followed Kawasaki into the kitchen.
The moment they were alone, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Kawasaki's face instantly reddened, and she tried to struggle free. But Oikawa seemed much stronger than before.
After one unsuccessful attempt, she gave up.
"Stay tonight, okay?"
The affection in Oikawa's eyes made it difficult for Kawasaki to resist.
But in the end, she still shook her head. Biting her lip, she spoke in a hurried voice. "Keika and Taishi are still here... don't make this harder for me."
Seeing the pleading look in her eyes, Oikawa's heart softened.
If he really insisted, Kawasaki would probably agree. But he didn't want to make her unhappy.
"Then kiss me."
Oikawa smiled and settled for the next best thing.
Kawasaki hesitated.
She fidgeted for a moment, clearly embarrassed, before finally leaning in on her own, pulling him into another deep, uninterrupted kiss.
....
..
December arrived. Yet the issue surrounding Iroha Isshiki still hadn't been resolved.
The Service Club had asked around repeatedly to see if anyone was willing to run for student council president, but they'd come up empty-handed.
There was less than a week left before the final registration deadline.
Once again, Isshiki was invited to the Service Club.
"So, are you all planning to give up?" She looked at them with a pitiful expression.
"..."
"Isshiki, the truth is, you really do want to be student council president, don't you? You just think getting elected that way was embarrassing." Oikawa stood up.
Skipping any unnecessary preamble, he went straight to the point. "And you've been finding excuses to get close to me lately because you're trying to get closer to Hayama, right?"
"You like him, don't you?"
For the first time, a trace of panic flashed across Isshiki's face.
"Senpai, what are you talking about? I've only been talking to you because I wanted some advice. It has nothing to do with Hayama-senpai."
"Besides, I... I never wanted to become student council president in the first place! If someone hadn't submitted my name, I would've never even known about the election. I'm serious."
A lie.
Despite the sincerity on her face, it was undoubtedly a lie.
After spending the last few days around her, Oikawa had already figured out what kind of person Isshiki was.
On the surface, her gentle demeanor resembled Meguri Shiromeguri's. But at their core, the two couldn't have been more different.
As for her cleverness and tendency to scheme, she was somewhat similar to Haruno Yukinoshita. Though nowhere near Haruno's level.
More than anything, Isshiki craved attention. In that respect, she resembled Minami Sagami.
The difference was that Isshiki was far more capable, which was why she remained so popular.
Putting all of that together, Oikawa had a pretty good grasp of her personality.
Behind her carefree exterior was an incredibly strong sense of pride. She wanted people's attention, yet carefully maintained a certain distance from boys.
Always close enough to draw interest. Never close enough to invite certainty.
The result was a constant feeling of being just out of reach.
At her core, Isshiki was actually quite selfish.
She selfishly wanted everyone to see only the best version of her. That was why she hated the idea of being elected through a forced vote. It would damage her image. And simply inheriting the position wouldn't improve how people viewed her either.
Taking a deep breath, Oikawa spoke again. "I'm only going to say this once. You're going to have a strong opponent; I've convinced her to compete. And the person helping her will be your biggest romantic rival: Yumiko Miura."
Isshiki immediately interrupted. "Senpai, I really don't like Haya—"
"Let me finish... For the next few days, I'll personally help you prepare your campaign speeches. I'll be backing you."
"I know you're proud, Isshiki. So tell me honestly. Don't you want to get back at the people who pushed you into this in the first place? If you withdraw now, or make a fool of yourself during the election, do you really think they'll miss the chance to laugh at you? Do you truly not care?"
Silence filled the clubroom. And Isshiki no longer looked as calm as she had at the start.
"They worked together to make a joke out of you. And once you embarrass yourself, they'll laugh even louder."
"Every time you run into them afterward, you'll see those mocking looks. You'll hear those mocking comments. Are you really okay with that?"
Isshiki lowered her head.
"But I can't win. I don't want to become student council president in some forced, humiliating way. And if I'm up against someone like that, there's no way I can win."
Oikawa raised an eyebrow. "No, you can. As long as I'm backing you, you can win."
"To be honest, the opponent I've chosen won't just have Miura supporting her. She'll have Hayama too. This won't be an easy election. But trust me. I'll make sure you win."
At that moment, Oikawa seemed almost untouchable.
The confidence in his eyes allowed no room for doubt.
"And if you really do become student council president, you'll gain a lot in return."
"But I still have club activities," Isshiki protested. "Trying to handle both will be exhausting."
Oikawa shook his head. "That's actually your advantage. When student council work gets overwhelming, you can use club activities as an excuse to escape."
"And when you're tired of club activities, you can do the opposite. Don't forget, you're only a first-year. People will be lenient with you."
"And whenever you need help, you can ask Hayama without hesitation. Isn't that the perfect opportunity to get closer to him? Think about it. Hayama would be by your side for an entire year. And after club activities, you could ask him to discuss council business over dinner."
"Maybe even get him to walk you home afterward. Miss, opportunities like this don't come around often."
Oikawa's patient persuasion finally caused a crack in Isshiki's resolve. A hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes.
"Senpai... you're not lying to me, are you? You really think you can help me win?"
She looked at Oikawa, searching his face for any sign of deception. Instead, she found nothing but sincerity.
"I swear on my conscience."
...
After Isshiki left the Service Club, Oikawa collapsed back into his chair and let out a long sigh.
"Man, she was hard to convince. I spent an entire day coming up with that speech. Good thing she bought it."
The moment those words left his mouth, Yui, who had been looking at him with admiration moments ago, froze.
"Oikawa-kun, were you tricking Isshiki-san just now?"
"Of course not," Oikawa answered without hesitation. "Didn't you notice? Isshiki actually wants to become student council president. She just hasn't been able to make up her mind."
"What she needed was a strong rival and a little courage. And I can give her both."
"As for the part about tricking her, I just meant that the opponent I'm finding for her isn't nearly as overwhelming as she thinks. And sure, some of the future scenarios I described were a bit... optimistic."
A bit of selling a dream, perhaps.
Oikawa was only human, not a miracle worker.
He could find Isshiki a suitable opponent. He could even make sure things tilted in her favor at the right moment.
But the part about giving her endless opportunities to get closer to Hayama Hayato? That wasn't something he could guarantee.
"Even so, Oikawa-kun, I still think you're amazing!" Yui's eyes sparkled as she spoke. "But who exactly is this opponent you're setting up for Isshiki-san? And someone who can even get Yumiko's support? Yumiko doesn't usually help people."
"Ebina Hina."
Oikawa didn't bother keeping it a secret. "Ebina owes me a favor. When I asked, she agreed almost immediately."
Across the room, Yukino suddenly looked up and shot Oikawa a curious glance.
"Ah, Yuki, you don't know about that, do you?" Yui quickly jumped in to explain. "Last time, Hina wasn't actually trying to confess to Oikawa-kun. She figured out we were trying to set her up with Tobe. She didn't want things to get awkward between him and the group, so she came up with that plan instead."
"I see." Yukino glanced at Oikawa once more before lowering her gaze back to the textbook on her desk.
"So Oikawa-kun is capable of being considerate once in a while." After a brief silence, she delivered the remark in a tone that was anything but complimentary.
Oikawa immediately fired back. "Well, at least I'm kinder than certain people who get jealous when someone scores higher than them on an exam."
The atmosphere instantly turned sharp.
The two looked ready to start arguing at any second.
"Okay, okay!" Yui hurriedly stepped between them. "Don't fight! We managed to solve Isshiki-san's problem. That's something to be happy about."
Yukino let out a quiet huff and chose not to continue.
Instead, she picked up the kettle and filled it with mineral water.
Before long, the familiar aroma of black tea drifted through the clubroom.
Meanwhile, Yui somehow produced a box of cream puffs from who-knows-where.
The room once again felt warm and comfortable.
...
..
After a long and exhausting day, Oikawa rode his bicycle home.
Not long after arriving, he received a message from Ebina Hina.
[Ebina Hina: "This is getting a little troublesome. After hearing that the opposing side is you and Isshiki, Yumiko and Hayama suddenly got really serious. Honestly, I don't think I'll be able to throw the match without making it obvious anymore."]
Oikawa frowned slightly as he read the text.
What were those two up to now?
After thinking for a moment, he typed a reply.
[Oikawa Toru: "They're not the ones running for student council president. Why are they taking this so seriously?"]
The response came almost immediately.
[Ebina Hina: "Hmm, how should I put it? Maybe it's because both of them have someone they want to compete with. You know, love rivals~ And yes, I'm talking about you, Oikawa-kun. Hehehe."]
Oikawa shook his head after reading it.
He really couldn't catch a break.
[Oikawa Toru: "It's fine. Then let's just have a proper contest. You've got Yumiko Miura and Hayama Hayato backing you... Isshiki has me and Yukino. Sounds pretty fair to me."]
After sending the message, Oikawa walked over to the refrigerator and began considering what to make for dinner.
A new message from Ebina arrived almost immediately.
[Ebina Hina: "Oikawa-kun, I think you've forgotten someone. The Service Club has three members, doesn't it? Or is my beloved Yui-chan completely invisible in your eyes?"]
[Ebina Hina: I took a screenshot, so don't even think about editing your message.]
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