Episode 351: After-party

「Well everyone, once again… good work.」

「「Good work!!」」

After school, the usual faces were gathered in the student council room… including the third years led by the former president, everyone was here.

It has been about a month since the prep for the School Festival started, and we have been busy every day, doing prep, having meetings, and patrolling or helping out in between.

And now that the festival is over, we decided to have a small celebration to thank everyone for their hard work.

So today is a bit more extravagant than usual… the table is lined with snacks and juice, and even a tea-flavored chiffon cake that Sara-san baked last night…

「The School Festival felt long, but looking back, it went by in the blink of an eye… but it finished safely and without a hitch, just as planned. This is all thanks to everyone’s hard work and cooperation… especially the senpai, who helped us out of pure kindness. I want to express my gratitude once again. Thank you so much.」

Sara-san gave a bow, and the rest of us followed her lead.

The senpai really took care of us… the only reason we could move together was because they filled in for us, so I have nothing but gratitude for them.

「Ahaha, that’s embarrassing, so stop it!」

「Exactly. It’s basically a tradition for the retired third years to help out with the School Festival. It feels totally normal. Right, Uesaka-kun?」

「Yeah. And this year’s festival was really fun in so many ways. It became a great memory.」

「Still, thank you very much.」

Even if that is true, it is a fact that they specifically looked after us for purely personal reasons.

So I bowed deeply once more, as a way to thank them for that.

「Yeah. Then, I’ll just say you’re welcome.」

「Ahaha, Takanashi-kun is so serious about those things.」

「But Satsukawa-san, I’m surprised you didn’t stop Takanashi-kun?」

「True. I thought you’d say something like Kazunari-san doesn’t need to go that far.」

「Of course I didn’t. Kazunari-san was expressing gratitude on behalf of both of us.」

「The Wife would never do something that would make Kazunari lose face.」

「I see. With such a good wife, the Husband is a lucky man.」

「Good for you, Husband!」

「Wait!?」

Wh, why are the senpai calling me that!?

Don’t tell me… it wasn’t just the second years coming to Sara-san’s class…

「Mufufu, news of the madness in Satsukawa-san’s class reached our ears too, you know?」

「We didn’t go there ourselves, but the third year classrooms have been in an uproar over Satsukawa-san and Takanashi-kun since this morning.」

「For the record, my class was talking about nothing else. I was asked about you two quite a bit, so I just told them the student council had known you were close for a long time.」

Hmm…

While the increased awareness means the public proposal was worth it… I’d prepared for more enemies, but I didn’t expect it to become a school-wide festival like this.

「The fact that Satsukawa-san is wearing an engagement ring seems to have made quite an impact too.」

「Since accessories are usually forbidden, it stands out even more. I mean, since she’s still wearing it, I guess it really is okay with the school?」

「Yes. This isn’t just a fashion ring, it’s a formal engagement ring. If anyone had pointed it out, I intended to lodge a stern protest.」

「The Wife’s parents probably handled the groundwork perfectly. Even if they didn’t, the school would be too scared to say anything.」

It’s true, the teachers’ blatant support is definitely because Masaomi-san and the others are pulling strings behind the scenes… if that’s the case, this much is expected.

「Well, there have been students who wore engagement rings in the past. So it probably would’ve been fine regardless of the groundwork, right?」

「Now that you mention it, Eri said something like that.」

「N-Nishikawa-san… I, I see…」

I’m not sure what made him so happy in that exchange, but Uesaka-kun suddenly developed a suspicious grin.

Could he be happy just because he said the same thing as Nishikawa-san? That sounds… likely.

「Uesaka-kun, you’re being creepy.」

「Ugh… s, sorry.」

「I don’t mind, but… what was that all about?」

「N-No, it’s nothing. More importantly, shall we get started?」

「True. This isn’t work, so we shouldn’t let it get too late.」

「Alright, does everyone have their glasses? We don’t have real ones, so paper cups, but do you have them?」

Taking a quick look around, everyone was already prepared with paper cups in hand… the guys especially were looking at the table restlessly.

It looks like they’re being told to「stay」before a treat.

「Well then, everyone… to celebrate the success of the School Festival…」

「「Cheers!!」」

I could almost imagine the clinking sound of real glasses…

And so, our little celebration began.

「Hey, there’s exactly one for each person!!」

「Ah, that one’s mine!!」

「S, Senpai, I was aiming for that one!?」

「Uoooooh, I’m so glad I’m alive!!!!」

Right at the start of the party, a scramble… or rather, a battle broke out, and as expected, it was over Sara-san’s handmade chiffon cake.

It is the maximum size that fits in our oven, but for this many people it is naturally small, so everyone is desperate to grab the biggest piece.

「Hauuu… it’s so good.」

「Marina is melting.」

「But it’s just so delicious. So it’s okay, right? Just for today, it’s fine, isn’t it?」

「Who are you asking what?」

Todo-san looked extremely happy, holding her cheeks and squirming.

She loves sweets, so I totally understand her acting like that over Sara-san’s cake.

That cake is a masterpiece, as good as anything from a high-end bakery.

「So good!? It’s way too delicious!!」

「Haa… great at all things domestic, professional-level cooking and baking… Satsukawa-san, your girl power is seriously off the charts.」

「In Satsukawa-senpai’s case, isn’t it less about girl power and more about wife power?」

「Here, Kazunari-san, say ahh♪」

「Ahh.」

Chomp… munch munch…

Haaaa… I’m way too happy…

「Fufu…」

「Sara-san?」

「I’m sorry, you’re just so cute when you eat sweets, Kazunari-san… I couldn’t help it.」

「No, it’s the fault of Sara-san’s cake for being too good.」

I’m not exactly a sweet tooth, so I guess this is just an impulse triggered by how delicious Sara-san’s cake is.

Which makes me understand Todo-san’s reaction even better.

「Fufu… then I’ll gladly take responsibility, okay?」

「Responsibility?」

「Yes. From now on, I’ll be pursuing your tastes in baking as well, Kazunari-san. So I’ll need you to cooperate on the eating side♪」

「Haha, I’ll welcome that kind of cooperation anytime.」

That said, it’s already a perfect match for my taste as it is… really, if I eat Sara-san’s cooking every day, I’m going to get too spoiled.

「…Those two really flirt so naturally.」

「…That was a shockingly natural ‘say ahh.’」

「But to be able to bake a cake like this, you must have some pretty solid equipment?」

「Yes. When we were getting our furniture, Kazunari-san bought a large convection oven for us.」

「Getting furniture?」

「There were many things we lacked for living together. When we formally started our cohabitation, we bought new furniture and appliances or added to what we had.」

「Whoa, you’re already doing stuff like newlyweds!?」

「But it’s just like you to choose things while thinking carefully about Satsukawa-san.」

「No, I think that’s only natural.」

In the first place, we got new furniture to make things as comfortable as possible for Sara-san…

and if I’m being honest, the money came from the Satsukawa family, so the idea that I bought it feels a bit off.

And the way Sara-san phrased it, it makes it sound like I bought it for her.

「Still… I still can’t believe this scene.」

「What’s with you all of a sudden?」

「I mean, this is Satsukawa-san we’re talking about. You’ve been watching her in the council too, right?」

「W, Well… looking back, it really is hard to believe.」

「Satsukawa-san used to be so cold to guys it was scary to watch, and now she’s engaged and doing a ‘say ahh’ for a boy!? And she looks so happy… do you get how shocking this is!?」

「Hwah!? N, No, Sara-san was kind from the very start…」

Even if they say that to me, while I can easily imagine what they mean, if it’s a question of whether I get it or not, I’d have to say I don’t.

It’s true… I did have some experiences where Sara-san was cold to me, especially at first…

but even then, I’d felt that she was a truly kind person from the moment we met.

「Hmm, that’s the thing. Why was Satsukawa-san only kind to Takanashi-kun from the start?」

「Could it be… that you fell in love at first sight, Satsukawa-san?」

「True. If you call it love at first sight, it might be close to that.」

「I knew it! But in that case, even Satsukawa-san has a type when it comes to guys…」

「You’re wrong. When I say love at first sight, I mean I fell for Kazunari-san’s kindness. Besides, his attitude toward me was completely different from other men, so I was able to feel safe by his side.」

「Whoa, the reason is deeper than I thought.」

「That’s what you were talking about during the Miss Contest, right? About the girl Takanashi-kun was holding…」

「Yes. I saw him doing that before I even met Kazunari-san…」

「Ah… so that’s why you thought Takanashi-kun was kind at his core, not just on the surface?」

「Yes. Plus, the smile Kazunari-san gave Mio-chan was so wonderful… in that sense, maybe it really was love at first sight.」

Saying that, Sara-san stared into my eyes and gave a gentle smile.

I remember that day too, obviously… but I only remember being in a panic because Mio-chan wouldn’t stop crying.

So I thought it must have looked ridiculous to everyone else…

「I see. So seeing him being kind to a child made you fall for him.」

「Fufu… of course that wasn’t the only reason, you know? But… if I hadn’t seen that, I might not have wanted to get closer to him when we first met.」

「Hmm, a real turning point, huh.」

「True. However, even if I hadn’t seen him then… I am certain that sooner or later, we would have met, been united, promised each other the future, and become engaged.」

「Th, That’s some serious confidence.」

「Yes. We were existences seeking each other out… even if the trigger had been different, we were fated to be attracted once we met.」

「U, Um?」

「Uh, yeah?」

The senpai tilted their heads in confusion… and turned their gazes toward me instead of Sara-san.

They probably didn’t quite get the meaning…

and explaining it would require digging into a lot of things, so neither I nor Sara-san intended to say any more.

「…Ehehe, it’s romantic, isn’t it?」

「…Well, you could call it the ultimate bragging.」

「…Do you two understand the meaning of those words?」

「…Naturally. But if those two aren’t saying it, we won’t either.」

「…S, Sorry, Uesaka-kun.」

「…No. It’s just like you all.」

「Anyway, it’s clear as day that Satsukawa-san is head over heels for Takanashi-kun.」

「Usually you’d think it’s the other way around… but if you think of it as ‘exactly because of that,’ it makes sense… I guess?」

「I’m more than head over heels for her too, you know?」

「Fufu… no matter how much you say, I won’t back down on this. I’m the one who’s more in love.」

「No way, I’m at least as in love as you are, Sara-san.」

「I’ve already fallen in love with Kazunari-san countless times, after all.」

「Same here… a… mph!?」

Chu.

The moment I realized where this pattern was headed…

just as expected, Sara-san wore a mischievous look and suddenly leaned in, blocking my lips in an instant.

I feel like this happened recently too… seriously, Sara-san, this is cheating!!

「So I win… right?」

「…Yeth.」

「Fufu… good boy♪」

Chu.

Giving a beaming smile at my answer, she gave me one more light kiss on the cheek and pulled away.

Ugh… I lost again…

「…Wh, what are you doing… you baka-couple!?」

「…Using a kiss to silence your lover’s argument… I’ve learned that the Satsukawa-san I knew no longer exists in this world.」

「…Sa, Satsukawa-senpai, you’re too much…」

「…Uuu, showing off like that is too cruel…」

「…Sob sob」

「…W, Well, they get along as well as ever.」

「…You don’t need to try and wrap things up nicely.」

「…Ha, Hanako-san, that’s a bit blunt…」

「Um… r, right, what were we talking about in the end…」

「About how crazy I am for Kazunari-san…」

「No way, that’s not it!!」

「Fufu, I’m joking, you know?」

「「That’s definitely a lie!!」」

As everyone chimed in to tease her, Sara-san let out a cute giggle… and everyone else started laughing along.

Like the senpai said earlier, this was a scene that would’ve been impossible when I first joined the council…

I have a feeling that if I showed this to Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san, they’d be really happy… or so I thought.

It was a peaceful afternoon that made me feel that way.