Heartbeats and Illusions

Chapter 42: 042. I Was Careless



"Regarding the student council elections, we've almost finalized all the preparations on our end. There's no need for concern from those in the same grade. The only variable left to address lies with the first-year students…"

"…?"

"Therefore, I believe it's necessary to take preemptive measures. If we leave things unattended, it's possible—"

"…?"

"I've said my piece. President, what are your thoughts?"

"…?"

"President?"

"Ah, um…" Natsukawa Kanade blinked as he snapped out of his daze. He sat at the head of the student council table; his usual commanding presence now subdued.

"Apologies, Shinomiya," he said, rubbing his temples with a sigh. "I was a little distracted."

Kaguya Shinomiya's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, the faintest flicker of concern crossing her face. "President, should I repeat—"

"No need," Kanade interrupted with a faint wave of his hand. "As for taking measures, I still think it's unnecessary. A second-year senior should remain calm and confident toward the juniors. Besides…" He leaned back slightly in his chair, his tired gaze steady but resolute. "I don't believe I'm inferior to him in any capacity."

His voice carried a quiet assurance, but the weight in his tone hinted at the fatigue gnawing at him.

"Everyone has their limits," he continued. "There's no need to stress over trivial matters. I'm fully aware of what's going on." He straightened his posture, offering a small, practiced smile. "Let's stick to the original plan. If there are any changes, you can inform me through the usual channels."

With that, Kanade brought the meeting to a close. "That's all for today. Let's adjourn."

The room fell silent as the other council members exchanged uncertain glances. Kanade's tone was as composed as ever, but something about him seemed… off.

"Sorry, everyone," Kanade added, standing up and offering a polite bow. "I haven't been feeling well lately. I'll excuse myself for now."

"…"

No one objected, though Kaguya's worried expression deepened as she watched him leave.

"President…" she murmured under her breath, her voice tinged with hesitation.

Kanade exited the room, his footsteps echoing faintly in the hallway. His normally sharp demeanor seemed dulled, weighed down by unseen burdens.

He stifled a yawn as he made his way toward the infirmary. Insomnia again, huh…

Ever since the incident at the bookstore, sleep had eluded him. The memories of that day clung to him like an unwelcome shadow, playing on an endless loop in his mind.

The angel…

His brow furrowed as the thought resurfaced, accompanied by a pang of regret. I got carried away… again.

When he kept himself busy, it wasn't so bad. But the moment he let his guard down, those vivid scenes came rushing back—unrelenting, vivid, and all-consuming.

It was laughable, really. He had fallen for one of life's greatest illusions: "She likes me."

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He'd made the same mistake again, assuming the girl who had approached him was genuinely interested in him.

Six rejections in a row, huh? A new record, Natsukawa Kanade. Truly remarkable.

His self-deprecating chuckle faded into the quiet hallway. Whether it was the leading heroine or a random passerby, it didn't matter. The answer was always the same: no one liked someone like him.

Perhaps they admired him as the capable and dependable student council president, but admiration wasn't love. At best, they might see him as a reliable friend… or someone worthy of respect. But never more than that.

The realization had been humbling, to say the least.

But the cost? Insomnia, embarrassment, and a lingering ache in his chest that refused to go away.

Reaching the infirmary, Kanade knocked gently on the door. "Excuse me. Is anyone there?"

Silence greeted him.

Shrugging, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. As expected, the room was empty. Most students were still trickling in, and the teachers wouldn't arrive for another hour.

Glancing at his watch, Kanade calculated his time. There were 40 minutes left until the first self-study class, and if he factored in his ability to skip… he could sneak in nearly two hours of rest.

"Lucky," he muttered under his breath, a faint smile crossing his lips. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to recharge his drained energy.

He settled onto one of the infirmary beds, closing his eyes and letting the tension in his body melt away. The room's stillness was a welcome reprieve, the silence a balm for his frayed nerves.

And then—

"…zzz…"

A soft, warm sensation enveloped him. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced—gentle, almost ethereal.

Marshmallows? Clouds?

The sensation wrapped around him so warmly and gently that Natsukawa Kanade's groggy mind struggled to comprehend it. Whatever this strange softness was, it felt almost otherworldly, as though he had been transported into a fluffy dreamscape.

"Um..."

The muffled noise escaped his lips as his breath hitched. Something was blocking his airways, leaving him to greedily suck in oxygen through his mouth. But just as he adjusted, his face encountered an oddly rough texture that sent a jolt through his senses.

"Y-yeah!"

A startled yelp broke the serene silence as Kanade finally managed to pull himself free from the enigmatic softness.

His half-lidded eyes met the sight of a blushing girl with cotton-candy pink hair, her expression caught between embarrassment and exasperation. Her posture was awkward, arms flailing as she attempted to shield herself.

"...Fujiwara?"

Kanade stared at her, still processing the situation. He blinked once, then twice. Is this some bizarre punishment from the universe? Or… did I wake up wrong?

Rather than dwell on the answer, he made the only logical choice. He lay back down and closed his eyes, as if resetting the moment might somehow fix the absurdity of it all.

"Oh, come on, President! Stop pretending to be asleep!"

The girl—Fujiwara Chika—pouted dramatically. One hand clutched her chest protectively, while the other reached into her bag and pulled out... a piece of dogtail grass?

Kanade had no time to process her antics before she began tickling the tip of his nose with the grass. The maddening itch finally won out, and he sneezed, his eyes fluttering open in surrender.

"Secretary Fujiwara," Kanade groaned, rubbing his nose, "what exactly are you doing here?"

If there was anyone he'd hoped not to encounter at this moment, it was Fujiwara Chika. It wasn't hatred or annoyance—no, nothing like that. It was more the overwhelming energy she exuded, a chaotic force of nature that Kanade simply didn't have the stamina to handle right now.

"I'm here to arrest you!" Fujiwara declared with a dramatic flourish, jabbing a finger at Kanade's forehead. A smug grin spread across her face, as if she had just cornered a notorious criminal.

"…Arrest me?" Kanade deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Fine. You win the ghost-catching game. Now go back to wherever you came from."

"Oh, I'm not leaving yet!" Chika wagged a finger at him. "There's still the matter of your punishment, President!"

Before Kanade could respond, Chika's hands moved swiftly, guiding his head onto her lap with practiced ease.

Knee pillow, acquired√.

Kanade blinked in disbelief. "You're calling this a punishment?"

Chika huffed, crossing her arms. "Of course it's a punishment! Why else would I let you rest on the knees of a maiden like me?"

Her tone was teasing, but Kanade could sense the faintest hint of bashfulness in her voice. He considered pointing it out but decided against it. Fujiwara Chika's thought process was an enigma he didn't have the energy to decipher.

Instead, he let himself relax, the soft warmth of her lap lulling him into a rare moment of peace. Not a bad deal…

"Alright, first question!" Chika chirped, snapping him out of his reverie. "Do boys like using girls' knees as pillows?"

Kanade smirked faintly. "Well, I wouldn't reject it."

His nonchalant response earned him an exaggerated gasp from Chika. "President, you're shameless!"

Despite her words, she seemed delighted by his honesty. Her fingers gently began massaging his temples, and Kanade had to admit—it wasn't half bad.

"This feels like anything but punishment," he muttered, his brows relaxing as the tension in his head eased.

Chika pouted again. "Hey, don't underestimate me! This is my first time giving someone a massage, you know. That makes you my guinea pig!"

"Please don't call me weird names," Kanade sighed, though his voice carried no real annoyance.

"Shh, don't move, stupid President," Chika scolded, her cheeks tinged with a faint pink. "If you fidget, I might mess up."

Kanade froze, wary of her unpredictable nature. He wasn't in the mood to deal with accidental pokes or prods. Especially near my eyes…

As the minutes ticked by, Chika's confidence seemed to grow. "Alright, little white mouse," she teased. "Next question!"

Kanade's eyes twitched. "Didn't you just say the last one was the first?"

"Don't interrupt me!" Chika's playful reprimand was accompanied by a light flick to his forehead.

Kanade sighed. "Fine. Ask your question."

"How does it feel to be my guinea pig? Honest answer!"

"It's alright," Kanade admitted. "But your technique could use some improvement."

The instant the words left his mouth, Chika retaliated with another flick to his forehead.

"President, you're so rude!" she huffed, though her hands didn't stop their gentle work. "I'm trying my best here, you know!"

Kanade resisted the urge to laugh. This girl…

"Now for the next question—"

"Isn't this the third one already?" Kanade interjected.

"Don't ruin the flow!" Chika's voice carried a mix of frustration and amusement as she playfully swatted at him again.

The odd sense of satisfaction on her face made Kanade wonder if she was enjoying this "punishment" a bit too much.

It was the kind of satisfaction you'd get from smacking someone's butt in the bath after a good scrub—a sharp, tactile delight that left Fujiwara Chika grinning like a mischievous fox.

"Why are you hitting me again…" Natsukawa Kanade groaned, rubbing his increasingly sore forehead.

"Because the President is too long-winded!" Chika retorted, puffing her cheeks indignantly. "Now stop complaining and answer my question already!"

"Then ask," Kanade muttered, resigning himself to his fate.

But instead of a question, another snap echoed through the room as Chika flicked his forehead yet again.

"You're just a little guinea pig, President! No talking back!" she declared, her voice brimming with excitement.

Kanade sighed deeply. It was clear she was enjoying herself far too much. The punishment game had long since devolved into her personal experiment, and the gleam in her eyes only confirmed his suspicions.

"Alright, President!" Chika's voice took on a new level of enthusiasm, her gaze practically sparkling. "Let me try something else!"

"What are you planning now?!" Kanade asked, his eyes widening in alarm.

Chika's hands twitched with anticipation as if the thirst for experimentation had completely overtaken her. "Not just your forehead… I want to test everything! The texture, the feel… everywhere!"

Kanade's face twisted in horror. This is it. The real punishment is starting. I should've known better than to trust that mischievous grin!

Still, the comfort of Chika's knee pillow made resisting feel impossible. The softness, the warmth—it was all a trap, and he had walked right into it. Even now, as he resolved to escape, he couldn't muster the strength.

Just as Kanade began to shift, summoning what little energy he had left, Chika's hands moved faster. She grabbed his wrists and pinned them against the bed.

"Guhehe~!" she cackled, her fingers flexing with devilish intent. "The President's hands feel so soft… I wonder what the rest of you feels like…"

"W-wait, stop!" Kanade shouted, panic rising in his voice.

But Chika's "sinful hands" were already creeping toward the hem of his shirt, her curiosity completely unchecked.

"…!"

Don't come any closer! Kanade's mind screamed, his heart pounding as he prepared himself for whatever chaos was about to unfold.

And then, salvation came.

The door to the infirmary creaked open.

Chika froze mid-motion, her face stiffening like a deer caught in headlights. Kanade turned his head toward the door, hope blossoming in his chest.

Standing in the doorway was the school nurse, her expression shifting from confusion to mild amusement in an instant.

"Oh…" the young teacher muttered, her gaze flickering between the two of them. Chika, straddling Kanade on the bed, hands poised in a decidedly compromising position, and Kanade, lying helpless beneath her with a look of pure desperation.

For a long, awkward moment, silence reigned.

"…Well, I see you're both… enjoying yourselves," the nurse finally said, her tone dry. "I'll leave you to it, then."

Before either of them could protest, she turned and walked out, muttering under her breath. "Ah, young people these days. So energetic first thing in the morning… They're having way more fun than we ever did."

The door clicked shut.

"…Huh?!" Kanade exclaimed, his jaw dropping in disbelief. "Shouldn't she stop us in situations like this?!"

Chika blinked, her earlier confidence evaporating. "I… forgot to lock the door," she admitted sheepishly, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson.

Kanade groaned. At this rate, I really will be at her mercy!


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