Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

"Somehow I got used to walking down this path," Chihiro thought.

After school, he suddenly felt this way as he walked to the student council room.

It was probably because he had been going there every day before the school festival. Now that the school festival has ended a few days ago, the student council is back to normal. And every few days meetings are back to normal.

He also has been told repeatedly not to skip the meetings just because he is just a helper.

It was, of course, Lucille, the vice-president, who told him to do so.

Naturally, Chihiro is not tired of helping the student council.

However, if possible, he would like to avoid hectic activities before the event for a while—

「Excuse me」

He knocked on the front door and entered.

Instantly, the usual smell of instant coffee fills his nose.

All the girls on the student council - except one, are already there. On the table were the usual plates of sweets and what looked like a box of cakes.

「Oh, Chihiro, you're here」

The person who had strongly called Chihiro chuckled.

Yotsuba, Marika, Ayase, and the others greeted him too. After that, Marika offered him a piece of paper.

『Come here, Izumi-kun』

「? Is it a ticket for the purchase? For 500 yen?」

「It's a prize for the points race. Congratulations on your 8th place」

Chihiro stopped thinking for a moment and then thought, "What is a points race?".

Come to think of it, there was an event organized by the student council at the school festival. It was for students only, and the points were awarded based on their actions during the festival.

Also, there are prizes for the top winners.

「...Eighth place!?」

「You're too late to be surprised, Izumi-kun」

Yotsuba chuckled.

She became Chihiro's slave a while ago. But she is not in slave mode now that she is in public, but her tone seems to be more frank than before.

In other words, she seems to have a more ladylike tone.

「Umm, by the way... Why me?」

「Because you earned enough points to get the 8th place. Of course you didn't cheat」

「...I don't remember it」

Sure, Chihiro did some of the exhibits, such as arm-wrestling and the ring-throwing.

However, the score themselves were not so good, and he doesn't think he could compete with the students who worked hard for the race.

Or, perhaps there were only about seven students who worked hard for the race.

Seeing Chihiro tilting his head, Ayase comes in with a laptop.

「Umm, okay, here is the breakdown of Izumi-kun's points」

Chihiro then looked at the screen.

Surprisingly, there are a number of detailed items on the screen. As expected, not so many points were earned from the exhibits.

Compared to the total number of individuals, the percentage of points earned from exhibitions is quite high.

「...What are these items called "Meals" and "Miss Contest"?」

『The race points are coming from many different aspects. Didn't I mention that?』

Chihiro knew that, but he didn't think it would go this far.

According to the details explained to him again, first of all, the meals were discounted by showing the student ID card, meaning that the amount and frequency of the meals were assessed there. The more one bought, the more points were given as evidence that one had eaten a lot.

As for the Miss Contest, it is easy to judge because the results are clear. Simply, the higher the rank in the preliminary contest or the final contest, the more points one get.

There were also bonuses for students who were involved in official activities such as student council, executive committee members, and public morals committee members. Perhaps for this reason, Kamishiro was also ranked third in the race.

「I used my student ID card to shop for my sister and teachers」

「Having the opportunity to go shopping with other people means that you have trust and connections, doesn't it?」

「Didn't I tell you that this race is a preparation for the inter-school competition? You know, this is a battle, but every year people compete in different ways. So it wouldn't be surprising if there's a gluttony contest or some other situation where connections come into play」

「...I see」

When it is put that way, it makes sense.

However, Chihiro never expected that the shopping he did for his sister, the school nurse, Maria, and many others would come back to him in this way.

Especially, Kaede's contribution to the teachers is very significant.

"I wonder if she knew about it," Chihiro thought.

It is natural for an OG of the school to know about the inter-school competition and the points race. Probably, she knew it when Chihiro was asked to show his student ID card at the time of shopping, and deliberately made Chihiro show it. But it made him think, "Really, what does my sister want?".

「Oh, Izumi-kun, you have included cross-dressing in the list」

「Why am I included in the list!?」

Chihiro felt there was some overlap with the Miss Contest, but it seems that the contestants were evaluated on their disguises and acting skills.

In this contest, everything is possible.

Still, he sighed, and Lucille was smiling at him, as if she was having a good time.

She then patted Chihiro's shoulder.

「That's why. You might be selected for the competition. I'm looking forward to working with you」

「Eh? But I'm in eighth place, right?」

「Yes, you are the eighth place. But students who earn points by something other than their prowess are very valuable」

Five students from the entire school are selected to compete against each other.

It is said that it is a great idea to have some colorful people in the mix, since it is unlikely that a normal match format will last for five times.

"...really, a school competition this time", Chihiro thought.

While Chihiro was feeling this heavy pressure, Yotsuba clapped her hands together with a genuine smile, saying, "I'm looking forward to it". This shows that she is pleased with Chihiro's success.

Then Marika came in.

『The competition is at the beginning of December. The election for new officers member will be held later this month, so Izumi kun will be busy anyway』

「I've been very busy」

After the election of the new officers members and the competition, there will be the final exam and the ability test.

Chihiro was tempted to say that this school has too many events, but Lucille dismissed him saying, "That's the way the school is".

Then, she smiled again and said something.

「That's why you should do your best. Maybe you are a candidate for the officer?」

* * *

「I'm home」

「Welcome back, Chihiro-kun」

As soon as Chihiro returned to the apartment, Suzu hugged him. She was dressed in a blouse and underwear, which he had seen somewhere before.

Such a sloppy outfit does not seem so strange with Suzu.

Perhaps it is because of her loose-fitting nature, or perhaps it is because of her ample breasts that emphasize her sex appeal.

「Suzu-san, are you coming home from work?」

「Yes. I worked hard today. Give me compliments」

Suzu rubs her cheek against him with a friendly, puppy-like manner.

Her gestures are like those of a cat.

Feeling ticklish at being pampered by an older woman with all her heart, Chihiro puts down his bag and pats Suzu's head.

As he patted Suzu's head, he found a hair elastic band that held her hair in place.

He carefully undid the elastic so that it would not interfere with his work. And while holding her lightly with his left arm, he combed her long hair with his right hand.

No resistance came from her.

Rather, she squinted her eyes pleasantly and let him do what he wanted.