Volume 2 Chapter 3 Shirogane Aqua, The Future Remained the Same Even After Knocking.
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I regained my composure and headed towards the third club, the Home Economics Club’s clubroom. By the way, Mayuzumi seems to have reached his limit from interacting with many girls in the Drama Club, so he’s currently resting alone in the infirmary. Unlike the relatively “reserved” members of the Tea Ceremony Club, the Drama Club was the type that came on strong. I feel bad for getting him caught up in all this. I’m planning to pick him up from the infirmary and take him home later, so maybe I’ll treat him to a drink on the way back. Sounds good, right?
”Is this the place?”
Having arrived at the Home Economics room, I took a deep breath. And to avoid making the same mistake as before, I properly confirmed whether it was okay to knock and enter the Home Economics room.
”Yes?”
A familiar, slightly childish voice came from inside the Home Economics room. It was the voice of Kurumi Kokona-san, who invited me to observe this club activity.
”Excuse me.”
I swung open the door to the Home Economics room.
”Huh?”
There was a time when I thought it would be fine as long as I knocked and confirmed, just like I did now.
”Hmm? Aqua-kun, what’s wrong?”
But right now, Kurumi-san was in the middle of changing out of her uniform and into a maid outfit for some reason. And a maid outfit? Why!? This is the Home Economics Club, right? I took a step back and double-checked the nameplate. But no matter how many times I checked, it only said “Home Economics Room.” So it seems there’s no doubt that this is the place where the Home Economics Club conducts its activities.
”Um… Why is Kurumi-san wearing a maid outfit?”
”Hehe, this maid outfit, isn’t it cute?”
Even though she said so, I can’t get through the conversation. Besides, Kurumi-san lifted the upper part of the maid outfit fabric, revealing that she only put on a bra on her upper body. While her lower body was somewhat covered by the skirt part of the maid outfit, the skirt was too short, exposing the matching panties.
”Um, well… Kurumi-san, for now, it would be appreciated if you could, um, properly dress if you’re going to dress and undress if you’re going to undress.”
”Hmm? Should I take it off?”
Kurumi-san tried to take off the maid outfit as if it was normal, so I hurriedly stopped her.
”No, you can’t just take it off!!”
”Hmm, then I’ll put it on. Oh! Aqua-kun, did you prefer the school uniform or an apron or maybe a gym uniform? Or a swimsuit?”
Oh no, this girl, she doesn’t understand the situation…
”No, I don’t care what you’re wearing. Please just put on some clothes quickly. I’ll step outside for a moment!”
I hurriedly left the Home Economics room. Sigh… I feel even more exhausted now, despite already being tired. Maybe I should just go home… As I was thinking that, the door to the Home Economics room swung open.
”Sorry to keep you waiting! Here’s the maid outfit you wanted, Aqua-kun~ What do you think? Tehehe.”
”Oh, yeah, it’s kawaii desu ne.” (Note: it’s written with katakana)
I replied in broken Japanese, but Kurumi-san looked good in the maid outfit and there was no lie in calling it cute.
”Yay~, Aqua-kun said it’s cute. I’m so happy!”
Kurumi-san clung to my right arm and leaned against my shoulder, leading me into the Home Economics room. Wait… Could it be that this place is like one of those rumored high school girl cafés or maid cafés?
”By the way, Kurumi-san…”
”What is it, Aqua-kun? Oh, by the way, I’d prefer if you didn’t call me Kurumi-san, just call me Kokona.”
”…Just to confirm once again, why is Kurumi-san wearing a maid outfit even though she’s in the Home Economics Club?”
”Ehehe, this maid outfit, Kokona made it herself when she was in junior high. And it’s not Kurumi-san, it’s Ko-ko-na. Geez, Aqua-kun, you’re no fun. But that’s what makes you cute!”
Hmm… I feel like I’m not quite on the same page in the conversation with Kurumi-san. But if I worry about that, the conversation won’t move forward, so I forcefully continued.
”Oh, I see. That’s impressive. So, Kurumi-san, are there any other members in the Home Economics Club?”
”Huh? There aren’t any other people~ After all, it’s a club activity with just you and me, Aqua-kun. It would be a bother if there were other kids. That’s why Kokona created the club herself.”
Oh… does that mean it’s more like a a friendship group than an official club activity?
”I see… I understand. Well then, see you later.”
Feeling a sense of danger, I tried to pretend that nothing had happened and leave the place. However, Kurumi-san grabbed my arm with incredible strength, not letting go. I wondered where that strength was coming from in her petite body, like that of a small animal.
”You know, Aqua-kun, even girls… no, Kokona has the right to choose, you know?”
”Yes?”
I couldn’t understand the true meaning behind Kurumi-san’s words, so I asked for clarification.
”In other words~ Kokona doesn’t just think any guy will do if he’s a boy. For example, you and our classmate Mayuzumi-kun are considered pretty high-ranking boys from a girl’s perspective, you know? But, you see, Kokona has already decided that her prince is none other than Aqua-kun.”
Even I, with my limited social skills, could tell that Kurumi-san had feelings for me. No… not just Kurumi-san, but Kurogami-san and Washimiya-san as well. It was clear that they all had feelings for me. However, considering the relationship between boys and girls in this world, I judged that it wouldn’t be wise to easily accept those feelings without question.
In the first place, there are fewer men in this world, and I think I’m relatively easy to approach among the few men. Mayuzumi is a good guy, but I’ve heard that men in this world are generally more terrible. So even if they direct their feelings toward me, I don’t know if it’s because they genuinely like me or if it’s just because I’m an approachable guy.
I still want them to get to know me before developing feelings, and I want to be with someone who genuinely likes me, not just as a outlet for their s*xual desires. But Kurumi-san, knowingly or unknowingly, boldly declared her seriousness by mentioning Mayuzumi’s name.
”But you know~ Aqua-kun, you’ve only known Kokona for about two weeks, right? You still don’t know much about me, and Kokona doesn’t know everything about you either.”
Indeed, as Kurumi-san said, I still didn’t know anything about her, and she didn’t know everything about me either. Surprisingly, hearing Kurumi-san say something similar to what I had been thinking made my heart warm.
”That’s why, Aqua-kun, I want you to know a little bit about Kokona, so I’ve been trying to appeal to you like this every day.”
I see… I never expected Kurumi-san to be thinking about all these things. In that sense, her efforts to appeal to me like this today allowed me to get to know Kurumi-san a little better.
”Hey… Aqua, do you dislike Kokona?”
Kurumi-san, who had somehow released her grip on my arm, tightly held the hem of my uniform, and her eyes glistened as she looked up at me. It was quite unfair. She definitely knew how to use her charms. If there were any men who could reject her in this situation, they would be quite heartless.
”No, if it’s a matter of liking or disliking, I don’t dislike you…”
”Really?! Yay~! If you don’t dislike me when it comes to liking or disliking, it means you might like me, right? Because those are the only two options! Hehehe… Aqua-kun is kinder than I thought… cough, I mean, it’s nice to know you’re a kind person!”
Kurumi-san hugged my body quite eagerly and interrupted my words.
”Uh, did you just say ‘kinder than I thought’?”
”It’s just your imagination~”
”Well, but…”
”I said, it’s just your imagination~”
”Oh, okay…”
”Geez, Aqua-kun, you worry about the smallest things too much! Kokona thinks it’s not a good trait of yours.”
Oh… but I have a feeling she was about to say I was easy to handle just now.
”But, but~ since Kokona likes Aqua-kun, I accept and forgive everything about you.”
”Oh, um… thank you very much.”
I felt like it somehow turned into me being at fault. It felt a bit unfair, but I decided not to dwell on such trivial matters anymore. Kurogami-san was quite troublesome, but Kurumi-san seemed to be trouble in a different way.
”Oh, yes, I forgive everything, including matters of the body, of course. How my body feels, the compatibility, the condition… It’s better for a boy to feel good, right? If you want to confirm those things about me, you can just push me down without permission. Kokona’s body is exclusively for Aqua-kun, with an unlimited free trial, so you don’t have to hold back. Oh, but before any actions, I would be happy if you told me all about the parts of a girl you like, the plays, the situations, and the cosplay you want me to do. Because I want Aqua-kun to feel really good with me. Kokona is willing to serve you with all her effort and accept any special kinks, so rest assured.”
As the sun began to set and the fading sunlight turned into backlight, the highlights disappeared from Kurumi-san’s eyes. Oh no, if I stay here, I’ll be devoured. And once I’m devoured, there’s no going back. Feeling a sense of urgency, I quickly pulled Kurumi-san’s body away with both hands.
”…I’m sorry, but I’m tired today, so I’m going home.”
I smoothly left the Home Economics Club, or rather, the Home Economics Enthusiasts Club, and picked up Mayuzumi, who was resting in the infirmary, before heading home. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said it, but I feel incredibly exhausted today.
In the end, after various twists and turns, I somehow ended up joining all three clubs. Huh? That’s strange. It seems that in this school, it’s not forbidden for male students to belong to multiple clubs. In exchange for being able to participate in multiple clubs, it seems that after-school club activities are free to attend. So, I decided to put my name down for all of them. By the way, Mayuzumi decided to only join the Tea Ceremony Club, which was the first one we observed. Well, it couldn’t be helped since he hardly had the chance to observe the other two clubs…
And so, my hellish streak of three consecutive club observations came to an end.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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