/
‘How powerful was my attack?’ Seiji looked at the computer screen.
There were some numbers on the screen… but he didn’t really understand them. Well, the main thing was that he didn’t know what standard was being used. Basically, he lacked anything to compare the numbers to.
Seiji thought about it for a moment and memorized the main number before resetting the program.
He walked back to the practice field, and aimed a strong punch at the practice target.
He didn’t use the [Body-Strengthening Technique] for this punch. He estimated that it was a punch which would probably knock out an average adult.
He returned and checked the monitor again, comparing the number on the screen to the earlier number. He now had a better understanding of [Mana Bullet]’s strength.
That baseball-sized [Mana Bullet]… had roughly ten times the destructive force of his normal punch!
Basically, if he hit any ordinary human with [Mana Bullet], that person would 100% die. It was quite powerful… testing it out was indeed useful.
Seiji continued to experiment. He increased and decreased the size of his [Mana Bullet]… and recorded the necessary information such as how much Mana was used each time and the difference in power, so that he could use [Mana Bullet] appropriately in future situations.
Gradually, casting [Mana Bullet] became increasingly difficult. Seiji stopped his experiments; he had expended too much Mana. His tests had proved him with useful insight into his power.
He left the practice field and returned to the living room. Natsuya Yoruhana was sipping tea at wooden table; she had been waiting for him.
“President, you’ve returned.”
The scion smiled at him. “Yes, I’ve returned.”
Seiji felt her smile seemed somewhat strange.
“I heard that you’ve adopted Reo Tachibana.”
“No, not adopted; I’m just temporarily taking care of her.”
“This is the second one after Kagura-san.”
“It’s just temporary…”
“It’s the same with Rana—I feel like your attitude is rather… Haruta-kun, could it be that you especially prefer younger girls?” Natsuya maintained that subtle smile of hers, but Seiji saw an abnormal light flash in her eyes.
Seiji was rendered speechless.
‘Are you a lolicon?’ He felt as if he could imagine being asked such a direct question.
If he didn’t do a good job answering this question, there would be serious consequences!
“I don’t have such a preference!” he denied in a serious voice. “I’m normal; I like all beautiful and cute girls.”
Natsuya didn’t respond to his answer for a while.
“I figured as much.” She finally retracted her gaze and continued sipping her tea.
A moment of silence fell between them. Just as Seiji wanted to say goodbye and escape, Natsuya put down her teacup and fixed him with her stare.
“Didn’t you forget about something, Haruta-kun?” she asked softly.
Seiji was mystified by this question.
“Forget…” He suddenly recalled something as he observed her expression. “President… you’re talking about the promise to ‘do something’ for you?”
Earlier, when he requested the student council president to help Peach-sensei, he had promised to do something for her in exchange for her assistance.
Natsuya nodded. “That’s right.”
“I’m sorry, I almost forgot…” Seiji scratched his face awkwardly.
Since he had spent too much time in the soul realm, and there were various things to deal with after he woke up, he had almost forgotten about his promise until Natsuya’s reminder.
“President, what would you like for me to do?”
Natsuya’s eyes flashed with an indescribable light as she continued to look at him.
Seiji recalled how she said at the time that it was “something that only you can do.” When he remembered her flirtatious tone at the time and being stared at by such a beauty, Seiji couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken.
“The Winter Snow Festival.”
“Eh?”
“On the day of the Winter Snow Festival, do you have plans?”
“The Winter Snow Festival… er, I don’t have any plans.”
“Then, I want you to accompany me.”
“Eh?” Seiji blinked in surprise.
“On the day of the Winter Snow Festival, accompany me for the entire day. This is what I want you to do.” The president elucidated this as clearly as possible.
Accompany her for the entire day? Was this… a date?
And on the Winter Snow Festival… Seiji knew that in this world the Winter Snow Festival was an upgraded version of Valentine’s Day.
‘The president wants to have a date with me on this day!?’ Seiji was astonished to hear this.
However, Natsuya, who was sitting before him had quite a calm expression. It was as if she had just asked him something incredibly normal.
“Is there a problem, Haruta-kun?” she asked him, her eyes piercing his.
“…No problem at all.” Seiji could feel her strong will and retracted all doubts from his mind.
Obviously, she would know the meaning of the Winter Snow Festival, but she was acting so calm about it. Could it be that she merely wanted someone to accompany her for the duration of the holiday?
For lovers, the Winter Snow Festival was a special holiday. However, they weren’t lovers, so he figured he shouldn’t think too much into it.
“It’s fine if there are no problems,” Natsuya said lightly. “That settles things, then. Let’s talk about it again when it’s time, Haruta-kun.”
Seiji smiled. “Alright, sure thing, President.”
Afterwards, he said goodbye and left.
After he left, the president poured some more tea for herself, but her hand was shaking. Her face flushed red, she was trembling, and her eyes were teary…
“Ahhh! What did I say!!? Ahh!!”
She roughly put down the teapot, and then began rolling around on the sofa in a manner that seemed the complete opposite of her typical, refined, scion-like behaviour.
“I actually asked him to accompany me on the Winter Snow Festival!? Isn’t this a date!? And on the Winter Snow Festival… Wahhh!!”
‘This is so awkward! I’m so embarrassed! I want to go hide in a hole somewhere!!’ Natsuya didn’t know what she had been possessed by to ask him something like that. That wasn’t what she wanted from him at all!
“I just… wanted him to directly call my name…”
She wanted him to stop calling her “President,” and to call her “Natsuya” instead. This was all she had wanted. Then, why didn’t she ask that of him just now?
She actually requested something even more embarrassing of him!
“We aren’t lovers, so what’s with having a date with him for the Winter Snow Festival!?” Natsuya continued to pound the innocent sofa with her fists. “Why did I say something like that? What was I thinking just now!!!?”
She didn’t know what she was thinking, nor did she know why she did something that she wasn’t intending to do.
‘How… scary…” The scion couldn’t control her emotions as she kept thinking back to what just happened. The situation which would ruin the impression she gave others continued for quite a while.
If Seiji saw her right now… no, if any student from Genhana High School witnessed the student council president right now, they would surely be astonished.
The beautiful, elegant, strict scion and student council president, was actually…
This scene of her rolling around on and smacking the sofa was quite impactful.
Finally, Natsuya barely managed to calm herself down, and stopped her out-of-character actions. However, the redness on her face hadn’t faded yet.
“Wahh… what should I do…”
She had already done it. There was no use crying over spilled milk.
Luckily, she managed to use her strong willpower to maintain her image just now. It seemed to her that he didn’t think too much of it.
‘But he must have been inwardly astonished! He definitely must have!!
‘He probably didn’t think that I’m a casual girl, but he must have wondered. It was just that he trusted me, so he didn’t think too much or ask too much about it Luckily, he didn’t ask…’ Natsuya felt that was very fortunate indeed.
If Seiji had wondered what she wanted, or asked her directly about it, she probably wouldn’t have been able to maintain her image any longer.
And now, she definitely couldn’t tell him the truth—that she had made that request of him without even thinking about it. She could only act to the end! And have a date with him during the Winter Snow Festival…
“No, no! It’s not a date! I’m just having him accompany me!!” Various scenes flashed through her mind, and Natsuya’s face suddenly started burning up again. She immediately vocalized her inner thoughts to the empty air: ‘…Actually, a date would be pretty nice as well.’
But even deeper in her heart, a tiny voice whispered: “Pretty nice… that’s not it! It’s too quick for me!!”
The president’s shouts of embarrassment echoed throughout her residence.