"Momo's cooking skills are getting better and better."
In the abandoned art room on the fourth floor of Building No. 2, in the relatively clean open space, the girls had cleared out.
Sasaki sat on the spread-out picnic cloth, eating the steaming takoyaki from the bento box, and smiled as he praised Momo sitting beside him.
The weather was still bad today—heavy rain under dark skies.
The windows that were usually left open for ventilation were tightly shut, and raindrops pattered crisply against the glass.
The raindrops shattered and turned into winding streams sliding down the window, blurring the view outside and dimming the light, making the room, where they couldn't turn on the lights, somewhat dark.
Even so, it did nothing to diminish the picturesque smile on the girl's charming face.
Today, Momo was wearing the light brown V-neck wool sweater she had worn for the first time they met, with the standard white school shirt underneath, just like all the boys and girls wore.
Perhaps because of the steam from the food, or for some other reason, she hadn't buttoned up the collar of her shirt.
It hung open boldly all the way down to the bottom of the V-neck.
When she leaned forward with a smile, Sasaki could glance down and catch a glimpse of that soft white glow, even in the dim light; it refused to lose its radiance.
White... truly the softest and most generous color in the world.
Come to think of it, has Momo gotten a little bigger than before?
Because he handled them so often, Sasaki could tell at a glance that the little watermelons he frequently played with had grown just a tiny bit larger.
Hearing her lover's comment, Momo smiled and was about to speak when she turned to see him staring at her certain parts.
Following her lover's gaze downward, Kashiwabara Momo looked at herself.
She didn't shyly cover her top with her hand like ordinary girls…
Kashiwabara Momo had deliberately left the collar unbuttoned for her lover to see.
So she smiled brightly and tugged at it, letting him view it freely.
"It's been feeling a bit tight lately. Looks like I need to change bras.
Want to help me pick one, Fuyumi?"
As his guess was confirmed by Momo, Sasaki naturally looked away and held out half a takoyaki on his chopsticks to her lips.
"Sure."
"As long as you can accept whatever I pick."
While agreeing, he also picked up some other items from his bento box and gave a little to each of the girls.
Although doing it this way was troublesome, he couldn't favor one over the others.
Fortunately, Momo always packed his bento with generous portions; otherwise, there really wouldn't be enough to share.
After swallowing the dishes the girls had given him, Sasaki looked at Natsuha, who was sharing the same bento with Chifuyu.
"Natsuha, how are things going with the club? I've already sorted things out with the teachers."
"As long as we fill out the club application form properly, it should be fine."
Hm?
Natsuha never expected her lover to move so quickly. In just a few days, he had already found a faculty advisor.
The surprise showed clearly on her face as she opened her eyes wide and asked. "The reason you were out with the teacher for so long this morning... was to talk about this?"
Ah, that's another matter.
Well, he hadn't mentioned it, after all, he was quite busy, but getting Tomoe or Kurumi to sign was just a quick thing, no need to bring it up in advance.
But since Natsuha asked like that, he might as well answer accordingly...
If he told her the truth, she might not accept that her own homeroom teacher... had that kind of relationship with her boyfriend.
Better to let her discover it herself.
After all, they'd all be in the same club eventually.
Thinking about it, Sasaki nodded:
"Hyoudou-sensei, Sakashiro-sensei, and Kisaragi-sensei all have some connection with me; they're people
I can talk to. Today they called me out to chat about elementary school stuff, so I brought up the club thing with them."
"Ah? So you already knew the teachers back in elementary school?"
It was the first time her lover had mentioned this, so Shinomiya Natsuha was a little surprised.
But the ages didn't quite add up.
When Fuyumi was in elementary school, the teachers would have still been students themselves, right?
Maybe they had been neighbors?
Unaware of Natsuha's guess... hearing her say he had known them since elementary school made Sasaki's gaze drift for a moment.
It wasn't that he had known them since elementary school... it was that they had known him since elementary school.
Clearing his throat, Sasaki steered the conversation back.
"Let's not talk about that. Natsuha still hasn't answered me."
"Oh, right."
Exchanging a glance with Akane, Natsuha spoke up:
"We've talked about the direction for the club these past few days.
We definitely can't go with a formal club like a sports club or cultural club, otherwise the school will set quotas and make us participate in competitions."
"For fun-type clubs like film research or anime research, we'd have to write tons of research reports. Too much hassle."
"After thinking it over, we've decided to position the club as a mutual aid society."
"Mutual aid society?"
Sasaki paused for a second, then, understanding the literal meaning, burst into laughter.
As expected of top students.
Natsuha, Akane, and Momo really had sharp minds.
Sharp minds, and massive melons too.
The phrase "big chest, no brain" wasn't always true.
A mutual aid society literally meant a club for helping each other.
But the student council definitely wouldn't let them limit their help to just inside the club.
Otherwise, the activity budget they approved would go to waste.
So the people they helped would have to be students from the school.
But in this country, the guiding principle people believe in is "try not to cause trouble for others."
In such an environment, over the course of a semester, the number of people who might seek their help probably wouldn't even fill one hand.
In that case... few troubles, the founding purpose would be impeccable, the student council couldn't possibly object, and they might even get a slightly larger activity budget.
With all these conditions stacked together, their club would become the freest and most perfect one in the entire school.
That settled it.
Sasaki asked:
"Have you decided on a club name yet?"
"Of course, we discussed it together," Shinomiya Natsuha answered, chewing a small bite of broccoli.
Her puffed cheeks slowly deflated as she swallowed, then she turned her gaze to the quiet girl beside her. "Does Fuyumi have any ideas for the club name?"
"No, no, please don't make me name it. I'm hopeless at that stuff." Sasaki set his chopsticks down and waved both hands in surrender.
"Fine then."
"We came up with a few names.
See if any of them feel right or sound good to you?"
After the long, deliciously tormenting lunch Sasaki had put them through, both Natsuha and Tsukimi Chifuyu now had healthy appetites.
They finished sharing one bento in record time, the empty box set neatly aside.
Natsuha reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a folded A4 sheet, handing it to him.
Sasaki unfolded the paper and scanned the list.
Straightforward suggestions like Mutual Aid Department, Mutual Aid Society, and Multi-Help Department sat alongside far more suggestive ones: Service Department, Good Deeds Department, Attendant Department and so on.
Speaking of which, the name Service Department...
Sasaki glanced sideways at Momo.
"Momo, these two names were your suggestions, weren't they?"
Pausing her small bites, Momo followed her lover's finger to the words "Service Department" and "Attendant Department" on the paper.
In the end, she didn't find anything strange or inappropriate about them, so she narrowed her smiling eyes and nodded. "Yes~ What do you think? Aren't they great?"
"Truly has your signature style, Momo."
Sighing, Sasaki reached over and pinched Momo's soft, smooth cheek:
"Don't suggest club names that attract so much attention. We can't use names that scream 'we're a fuck-club.' We made this club for convenience, so, we can't draw too many eyes or cause misunderstandings."
He certainly had a point.
Though Momo puffed out her cheeks in reluctance, she didn't argue back.
After reading through every club name on the paper, Sasaki summed it up.
"How about the Mutual Assistance Help Department? Simple and clear. 'Mutual' means we help each other, 'assistance help' means helping others. Isn't that perfect?"
Nanao Akane, sitting on his left, exchanged glances with Natsuha, Momo, and the still somewhat unfamiliar Tsukimi Chifuyu.
Then she tilted her head, lips pursed in amusement, "Fuyumi left out one word, didn't he? 'Mutual... assistance...' You really are..."
Murmuring with pursed lips, Nanao Akane didn't finish the jab at her lover, but the look she gave Sasaki was full of reproach.
She didn't say it, but Shinomiya said it for her:
"I told you. This guy is shameless. Always slipping in dirty little tricks in the tiniest places. And he still has the nerve to scold Momo?"
"I can't help it. Being able to be with all of you beauties is my good fortune.
A man's little vanity, you know, can't resist showing off a bit."
He leaned in and kissed the cheeks of the two girls beside him, first Momo's, then Nanao's, leaving shiny, wet imprints of his lips on their smooth, flushed skin.
Then, with a playful grin, he lifted his chin toward Natsuha and Chifuyu across from him.
"You didn't even wipe your mouths. Who's going to kiss you looking like that?"
Well...Natsuha blinked.
In the heat of their private nights, not to mention kissing, if Sasaki ordered her to lift her ass, spread her legs, and ride his cock like a desperate little slut in front of the others, she would obey without hesitation, moaning and dripping the whole time.
But that was only in the heat of their passion.
After all, being lost in ecstasy, no one could laugh at anyone else.
But this wasn't the bedroom.
This was daylight, in the clubroom, with everyone watching, knowing full well that he was just teasing her, going along happily and leaning in... didn't that feel a little...
Unlike Shinomiya Natsuha's shyness,
Tsukimi Chifuyu, who had a very soft personality and was completely obedient to Sasaki, silently blinked her eyes, slowly leaned forward, and pursed her soft, moist lips.
"Eh? Chifuyu, you…"
Natsuha's words died as she watched her boyfriend's mouth claim Chifuyu's.
Their lips pressed together, parted, and their tongues met in a slow, wet, intimate kiss.
The soft, wet sounds of mouths moving and quiet little sighs filled the small space.
"..."
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(End of the Chapter)
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P.S:
The earlier phrase "Mutual Assistance Club" comes from a Chinese-style word play that can also be written and interpreted in Japanese.
Since the story takes place in Japan, I'll share the Japanese word.
So, he said 'Sōgo-sei Enjo-bu.'
Sōgo= mutual
Enjo-bu = assistance/help club
But he left out the word 'sei', which can be translated to nature/attribute/gender/sexuality (can carry a sexual nuance depending on context).
If "sei" is understood with its sexual nuance, the phrase implies:
"Mutual Sexual Assistance Club."
...
But if "sei" is interpreted instead as part of sōgō-sei (相互性), which means mutuality or reciprocity, then the phrase reads as.
"Mutual Assistance Club."
sōgō + sei → can suggest a sexual attribute nuance.
sōgō-sei → mutuality (non-sexual)
That's it...
Thanks for reading, if you did.)
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