Noa and Haruna had just finished washing up when Hanako came out, saying she only needed to wash her face and brush her teeth, while Akko, who had already washed before coming, and Wakamo joined them too. Out of the eight people, only three remained after excluding five, and Nagisa had just finished her shower second.
As soon as Mika and Hina vanished behind the bathroom door, everyone immediately gathered in Mika’s room right next door.
And what sprang out from there was none other than the Black Beard Pirate Roulette.
The game’s rules were exceedingly simple. One by one, participants would stick toy swords into the slots of a barrel.
The objective was to avoid making the pirate pop out from inside the barrel, which would mean losing—a straightforward game commonly used for punishments.
All participants except Nagisa were in.
The game was essentially about reducing the number of players until only one person remained, who would earn the right to share a bed with Mika.
After that, there would be questions about who would use another bed in the house or which room had the neatly laid out blankets, but right now, the most important matter was who would sleep next to Mika.
Since they had already invaded Nagisa’s rights countless times, they had no intention of taking them away any further; thus, only one final winner could claim Mika’s side…
“…Wait a moment. Why is Aco here?”
“Well, it’s obvious that I’m here to represent our Head, right?”
“Hmmm. Isn’t this something that needs the agreement of the others?”
“Well, don’t you think that stripping our Head of her participation rights just because she used her wish would be even more absurd? We could have very well waited for the two who went to wash to come out and proceed without any issue.”
“…Aco, you’ve brought up quite an interesting point. However… to be a bit more precise, I’m afraid this is not a subject you should meddle in. Those of us who are suffering due to Mika’s inability to recognize moderation should at least have all opportunities distributed as fairly as possible—”
“Isn’t it a bit ironic for someone discussing fairness to be doing what you are doing today…?”
Aco rolled her eyes, as if finding it ridiculous, and quickly pointed out a flaw in Nagisa’s argument.
Having started to think for the sake of the Head, Aco had no intention of relinquishing control, and in reality, Nagisa had quite a few things to feel guilty about.
“…I already think I’ve given up too much. I’m not joking when I say that today, I’ve spent more time with other people than with Mika. I think that’s plenty fair.”
“Alright, I’ll let that slide for now, but I still have more to say. Do you think it’s fair for you, Nagisa, to impose balance on the wish that our Head worked hard to obtain? Even knowing how she got it? She helped Mika on her birthday and worked in the desert for an entire week to deserve this.”
“…”
“Why not just admit it frankly? Right now, you’re sacrificing your precious…”
Ahahaha! Hina, your hands are too naughty… Kyaah!
Swishhh—
“…precious, person, hmmm.”
Hearing Mika’s voice just before the water started flowing made Nagisa flinch, and Aco, who was pinching that part, also momentarily stopped.
“Hehehe… Mika-senpai is really stimulating my imagination…”
“…Fufufu. You told us we weren’t allowed to touch, but what would that make us, who’ve just washed?”
“Well, maybe someone who’s thoughtful enough to consider the person behind?”
Even though Noa and Haruna had come out looking all fresh, the one who brought up the subject was acting all suspicious…
“Y-yeah. I’ll admit it. Honestly, I felt a bit jealous knowing what’s going to happen. Are you feeling satisfied after hearing my answer, Aco?”
“…Not necessarily satisfied, but still. What I’m saying remains valid. It seems quite obvious that this game is being rushed forward at an opportunity our Head can’t participate in, so I’m stepping in for her. That’s what it comes down to.”
“Rush it? Why would you frame it like that… Phew. I can’t deny that Aco’s argument holds water. So if everyone else is okay with it, let’s have Aco take Hina’s place.”
Naturally, Aco’s participation was confirmed.
Ehehe. Hina…
…Mika, you’re too loud.
Heueng. So what? It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.
With the ongoing background conversation faintly coming from beyond the wall, the game began.
Since there were only five rounds to be played, everyone quickly took their turns sticking swords into the barrel without wasting time…
“…This might be a bit unfair.”
The first person out was Haruna, who had to stick her sword into the only remaining slot on her turn. It was a tragically unlucky defeat.
After her, Wakamo and Noa consecutively fell in their first turns, and the game was progressing swiftly.
While Noa and Haruna, who fell one after another, showed disappointment but accepted it, Wakamo feigned indifference yet showed some semblance of disappointment. On that note, Nagisa provided consolation, unintentionally revealing who she favored.
Everyone was baffled by Nagisa’s clear favoritism towards Wakamo, especially as they had been openly suppressing her.
“…I don’t think I did anything wrong, you know, Nagisa-senpai?”
“Hanako, you’re just too free with your mouth, it’s exhausting to deal with…”
“But Mika-senpai said she likes a person who’s true to their desires.”
“Oh, I know that all too well.”
“…Huh?”
“…?”
For a brief moment, a mutual confusion arose between Hanako and Nagisa, but soon after, the game to determine the final winner began.
“…Huh. It’s your turn.”
“Hehehe. Speaking of the essence of this game, isn’t it quite intriguing?”
“How so, exactly?”
“Well, when you stab it in, the pirate’s body jumps out…”
“…Really now. I don’t understand what’s so appealing about this person, Mika.”
“Well, the biggest factor, no doubt, is my competence, right? After all, I’m the best secretary, as recognized by Mika-senpai herself…”
“Ha. That’s just because Mika-senpai hasn’t experienced the support of the Alpha and Omega of the Gehenna Student Council, the chief administrator Amau Aco.”
“Oh my. Is that really necessary? Without Hina, the student council truly is just a bunch of misfits…”
“Honestly. Are we done here? Even discounting the Head…”
“Yes, please continue~”
With a bright smile plastered on her face, Hanako gave an impression that she was casually accommodating, and as Aco stuck a sword into the barrel, she gritted her teeth and spat out.
“…Ha. Want to make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“I’ll spend a day as Mika’s personal secretary! Yeah. Perfect timing with the upcoming student exchange week; that’ll make for a great chance to prove who’s the better secretary in just one day.”
“Oh… that might actually be somewhat entertaining. To make the bet more interesting, when we go to Gehenna, I should take Hina as my secretary… but that might be a bit too harsh. So let’s leave that aside. I’m actually not that interested either.”
“…What did you just say?”
“We don’t want Hina to frequently compare us by saying, ‘Hanako would have done this…’ or ‘If it were Hanako…’ do we? I, for one, would decline working for anyone else other than Mika-senpai.”
Both Aco and Hanako, contrary to the usual banter, had their attention wrapped around stabbing the swords into the barrel with pure focus, while even the eliminated participants and Nagisa were captivated by their exchange and anxiously awaited the game’s outcome.
“Making an excuse and backing out, it seems you’re only good at running your mouth—”
“…Oh my.”
And in that instant, as Hanako stabbed her sword into the barrel, the pirate sprung out, signaling her defeat.
“Hmph. It seems the one who will be smiling today will be our Head. So Hanako… continuing from before—”
“…Huh? What are you continuing?”
“What do you mean, me smiling? What does that even mean, Aco?”
And right then, the bathroom door swung open, revealing a freshly dried Mika, wrapped in a towel, her hair also covered. Behind her, Hina was drying her hair with a towel, tilting her head in confusion.
“Oh, Mika-senpai. What we were talking about was…”
“No! What’s important isn’t that silly bet! Heh. Head, you can sleep next to Mika tonight. I’ll personally secure that right for you—”
“…Aco. I appreciate the effort, but honestly, I’m planning to go back to Gehenna tonight. I couldn’t afford to let tasks pile up unnecessarily.”
“…Huh?”
“Hmmm. Now that it’s come to this, taking a day to relax here before returning isn’t so bad.”
“T-that’s… You’re saying you’re allowing it?!”
“No? Not me; Aco, you are. You’ve worked hard, so take a day off on Sunday to rest and then come back.”
“…Huh?”
With a bewildered expression, Aco stared at Hina, who was drying her hair with a towel. And regardless of that…
“Nagi! Can you dry my hair for me?!”
“Y-yes, Mika-senpai. Here, sit down… Oh, it’s so cold…?!”
Ehehe. Surprised, weren’t you?
“…I really can’t handle this.”
As if the conversation had already concluded while washing, Mika approached Nagisa and started acting cute without adding any further comments about Hina’s choice.
“Hehe, does this mean that the one sleeping next to Mika-senpai tonight will be Aco? With that pajama design and her boldness, she was trying to seduce Mika-senpai all along…”
“What…?! No! No way! You can have that stupid chance! Please take me with you when you go, Head…!”
“Ugh.”
“Let go of me! Head…!”
Amidst the sight of the two secretaries clinging to each other, Mika gently covered her mouth and whispered.
“Kanpeki…”
The soft and jiggly forms were truly a perfect sight to behold.
