“So you’re telling us that kissing our Kouhai restores your presence?”
Inside the Service Club, Utaha Kasumigaoka, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, and Yukino Yukinoshita stared intently at Megumi Kato.
After hearing her explanation, none of them could find anything to say.
“Kissing fixes your presence?
THERE’S NO WAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT WORKS!” Eriri shouted, clenching her fists in shock and outrage.
But in her mind, she was screaming for a different reason.
‘Dammit.
Why couldn’t that be me?
I’m so jealous!!’
Yukino stayed quiet, her calm face revealing nothing.
Meanwhile, Utaha had already started tapping her foot on the floor, clearly irritated.
“…”
“So one kiss restores your presence for a little over twenty hours?” Ren ignored the tense mood in the room and focused on the details.
“Yes.” Megumi nodded.
“I was in the middle of class when I realized the teacher and the other students couldn’t see me again.”
A little over twenty hours.
That was the entire duration of the effect.
Eriri slammed both hands on the table.
“Does that mean you two have to kiss every single day just to keep you visible?”
Megumi thought about it for a moment.
“I suppose so…”
Eriri couldn’t hold it together anymore.
“I’m so jeal— I mean, I’m so shocked.
Yes.
Just shocked!!” Eriri was a classic tsundere, so she couldn’t admit how she really felt, even though her true thoughts were written all over her face.
On any other day, Utaha would have seized the chance to mock her mercilessly.
But today she just didn’t have the energy.
Megumi’s face stayed as blank as ever, but she quietly watched the other three girls.
Did all of them like Ren?
Or was it just Utaha and Eriri?
Yukino hadn’t said much, and her face was so unreadable that Megumi couldn’t tell.
Then Yukino finally spoke.
“Is there a permanent cure for her condition?”
Everyone in the room, including Megumi, turned to Ren.
“A permanent cure?” Ren rubbed his chin, thinking.
“I’ve never dealt with something like this before, so I can’t promise anything.
It could even fix the problem for good.”
“…” The room went silent.
They were all old enough to understand what “taking things further” meant.
“Even I would find that embarrassing,” Megumi said.
Her words should have sounded embarrassed, but her flat voice made it seem like she was just talking about the weather.
Not a trace of blush appeared on her face.
Utaha’s foot tapped even faster.
Yukino let out a tired sigh.
“Let’s pretend you never suggested that.”
It was clear that going that far wasn’t an option.
Megumi gave Yukino a lingering look.
So all three of them really did have feelings for him…
With that in mind, she turned back to Ren and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Can I join this club?
I’m going to need Ren-kun’s help on a daily basis anyway.”
No one could argue with her reasoning.
They couldn’t just sit by and let Megumi fade away until everyone forgot her again.
“Please fill this out.” Yukino pulled out a club application form and slid it across the table.
“Okay.”
Megumi accepted the form without hesitation.
Ren could feel three intense, resentful stares aimed right at him.
They had originally planned to spend the weekend searching for local urban legends as a club activity.
But with exams in two days, they had to put it off and focus on studying instead.
“EXAMS ARE THE WORST,” Eriri groaned, slumping over her desk as if her soul had already left her body.
“You should start studying.
I doubt you want to fail English again,” Utaha said.
“Tch.”
Eriri rolled her eyes, too tired to argue back.
“By the way, Megumi,” she said, noticing how unbothered the new girl looked.
“Are your grades good?
You don’t seem worried about the tests at all.”
Over the past few days, the girls had slowly gotten used to Megumi being in the club.
Watching her sit there so calmly made Eriri curious.
“My grades are painfully average,” Megumi replied.
“I usually hover around the passing mark in every subject.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
No subjects stood out, but none were terrible either.
She was perfectly average.
“Must be nice,” Eriri muttered.
She wished she could pass everything easily instead of struggling every exam season.
Seeing everyone stress over the upcoming tests, Ren stood from his chair.
“Since exams are right around the corner, let’s wrap up early today so everyone can study.”
Yukino was the real club president, but no one argued with his decision.
As Megumi finished packing her bag, Ren motioned her over.
“Megumi.”
“Right.” Megumi understood right away and walked over to him.
The other three girls went dead silent.
Ren pulled Megumi close and kissed her.
The kiss lasted for several minutes, long enough for the silence in the clubroom to become unbearably heavy.
“I’m heading out,” he said once they parted.
“Be careful on your way home,” Megumi replied softly.
With Yukino, Utaha, and Eriri staring at her, she picked up her bag and calmly said goodbye.
“…”
“I’ll be going home now too.” She left the room as if nothing unusual had happened.
Eriri glared at the doorway where Megumi had just left, grinding her teeth so hard it almost hurt.
‘Dammit.
I’m so jealous.’
Sobu High held exams every month.
For most students, it was just part of the routine.
Still, plenty of them complained about it every time.
“Another exam?”
“This is so annoying.”
“Test days are the worst days of the month.”
“I really don’t want to do this.”
Unfortunately for them, exams were mandatory.
Japan’s modern education system might seem relaxed, but regular testing remained the most direct way to show students where they were falling behind and where they needed to improve.
It helps new readers find it.
And of course, your Power Stones help push the story forward.
Thanks for reading.