“Phew… that’s about it for today. Kokonoe-san, could you lock up for me?”

“Y-yes!”

It was almost time to close the library. After receiving the key from her senpai, Touka quietly began the closing routine on her own.

That was when—a familiar figure caught her eye down the hallway.

“Huh… isn’t that the girl who’s always with Otomi-san… Katayose-san?”

They were classmates, but she only vaguely remembered her name.

But more than that, ever since the start of the term, Touka had often seen Asuka together with Mayu, and the image had naturally stuck with her.

That was precisely why it bothered her.

Because Asuka, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen beside Mayu.

A restless feeling stirred in her chest, and before she realized it, Touka had stepped out of the library and called out to Mayu as she walked down the hall.

“E-excuse me!!”

“Oh—Kokonoe-san? What’s up?”

Mayu recognized Touka as well.

Her drastically changed appearance had made her someone who stood out in class in one way or another.

“Um, well… Katayose-san. Weren’t you with Otomi-san until just now?”

“Asuka-chan? Yeah, we were! We’d been having tea in the student council room a little while ago. But I got called away by Ruri-senpai to help with something. When I came back, they told me Asuka had already gone home. So I was just heading back by myself!”

At that moment, a cold sweat trickled down Touka’s back.

(Otomi-san… you said you weren’t going…)

The unease in her chest intensified.

And then—suddenly, Asuka’s voice from a little while ago resurfaced in her mind.

“Kokonoe-san… I’m sorry.”

(…No way, that apology was…!)

That wasn’t an apology for breaking our promise.

It was something else entirely—something she couldn’t quite put into words.

“…I have to go.”

“Huh?”

“I have to go!!”

“K-Kokonoe-san!?”

Before she realized it, Touka had already started running.

(Otomi-san…!)

Unable to stay still any longer, Touka dashed down the hallway without a second thought, heading straight for the student council room.

◇◇◇ 

“—Don’t you think that was a bit too forceful this time?”

The one looking down at the unconscious Asuka was the student council secretary, Okawara Ruri.

“Fufu. It’s fine. This girl was always meant to become the president’s slave. A little force won’t change that.”

“Targeting the girl who sits next to her in class was Makoto-senpai’s idea, right? I can’t believe she actually came.”

“She was suspicious of us. But she couldn’t just abandon a friend, right?”

“Honestly, Makoto-senpai, you really do have a nasty personality.”

Ruri grinned sarcastically, while Makoto lifted the corners of her mouth in a smug smile.

She lightly pulled Asuka closer into her arms, peering down at her face with open curiosity.

This plan had been built around Asuka from the very beginning.

The moment the initial invitation was refused, they smoothly transitioned to the next stage—everything up to that point had already been accounted for.

They exploited their prior knowledge of Asuka’s close relationship with Katayose Mayu, the girl seated next to her, and invited Mayu to the tea party.

As a result, Asuka came along as if she’d been lured in.

And since Asuka was the true target, it was necessary to separate the two of them.

That was why they sent Ruri out on an errand, so they could get Mayu to leave first.

Only Asuka’s tea had been dosed with a small amount of sleeping medication, and they stalled for time with games until it took effect—everything had unfolded exactly as Makoto and the others had planned.

“—Still, she looked so delicious that it was hard not to let it show on my face.”

“Then we should hurry. Let’s move to the next room.”

Onikisu’s lips curled upward.

One hand touching her lower abdomen as she looked down at Asuka, barely able to contain her impatience.

Then, with Makoto and Ruri supporting her between them, they carried Asuka into the next room.

Inside, a large bed had been set up. After removing Asuka’s indoor shoes, they laid her down on it.

“…Ahh, I’m getting excited… Why does touching someone so pure, with such an untainted body, excite me this much?”

Onikisu stepped closer to the bed and touched Asuka’s beautiful face.

Her finger slid smoothly from Asuka’s cheek down to her chin.

“Makoto, Ruri. Undress her.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Pulling her hand away, Onikisu gave the order.

Makoto and Ruri climbed onto the bed where Asuka lay and slowly began to remove her uniform.

“She’s bigger than I expected…”

With Asuka’s uniform removed, the sight of her white underwear made it feel as though Asuka’s innocent heart had been exposed, stirring Onikisu deeply.

And Asuka’s ample chest, which hadn’t been clearly visible beneath her uniform, now showed itself through her bra.

“Fufu… Perfect…” 

Onikisu then moved to Asuka’s lower half and brought her nose close to her panties, inhaling deeply. 

“Ah… the scent of a virgin… To think it will be lost this very day… What a sacred day this is…”

Then, Onikisu reached over and hold Asuka’s right hand.

And for reasons known only to herself, she brought those fingers to her mouth.

“Nnh… mm… mmm… slurp…”

Taking both her index and middle fingers into her mouth at once, she moistened them with her own tongue.

The unconscious Asuka remained unresponsive, unaware that her fingers were being licked all over by Onikisu.

“President, it’s time.”

“Ah, yes. We should hurry before it gets dark…”

It was already evening. The sun had tilted low, and the orange light streaming through the window faintly colored the air in the room.

If they didn’t act now, the school building would soon be locked for the night.

Thus, Onikisu began to prepare for the main event.

“Makoto, Ruri… take off her underwear.”

At Onikisu’s instruction, the two reached for Asuka’s underwear. As they were about to expose the part of her body she had never shown to anyone before—

At that moment—

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The sound of someone pounding hard on the double doors came from next door.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!! Is anyone there!? Excuse me!!”

Someone was shouting.

Makoto and Ruri pulled their hands away from Asuka’s underwear.

“Ruri, could you go check?”

“Understood.”

Onikisu frowned slightly as she gave the instruction.

Ruri went alone to the adjoining room and opened the door just a crack.

“What do you want?” 

“U-um! I-is Otomi Asuka here by any chance!?”

“…………And you are?”

“I-I’m Kokonoe Touka, from the same class as Otomi-san! I had plans with her, and, um… when she still didn’t show up by the time we were supposed to meet… I looked around for her, and eventually ended up here…”

Standing there was Touka.

While telling a convenient lie, she explained that she was searching for Asuka.

“…There’s no such person here. The student council is busy. Could you leave?”

“…! Otomi-san! Otomi-san!! You’re here, aren’t you!? Otomi-san!!”

“H-hey, you! Don’t raise your voice!!”

Pressed by Touka’s incessant resistance, Ruri faltered reflexively. Keeping the door half closed, she was about to turn back to Onikisu to check what to do.

But at that moment, words completely beyond Ruri’s expectations came from Touka’s mouth.

“—I-I’ll take Otomi-san’s place instead!”

“Eh…?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected declaration, Ruri was left momentarily speechless.

The way Touka spoke made it sound as though she somehow grasped what was happening inside the room—and on top of that, she flatly declared that she would take Asuka’s place.

“…………Wait there for a moment.”

“Y-yes!”

Ruri closed the door once, then returned to the next room to check with Onikisu.

“President… the one who showed up was the other target, Kokonoe Touka.”

“My.”

“And, um… for some reason, she said she’d take her place…”

“……Oh…? She speaks as if she knows what’s going on in here… and she wants to take her place, you say?”

Listening to Ruri’s report, Onikisu let a sly smile spread across her face.

Then she gave Ruri her instruction.

“—Let her in.”

“Y-yes!”

Ruri once again appeared at the entrance of the student council room, facing Touka.

This time, she allowed Touka inside, as if accepting her request.

Following Ruri, Touka moved into the adjoining room.

There, she saw Asuka lying down, still in her uniform.

“O-Otomi-san! It’s okay now! You’re going to be fine!”

As soon as she entered the room, Kokonoe Touka rushed over and threw herself at Otomi Asuka, who was lying on the bed.

“—So you’re Kokonoe Touka.”

“Ah… uh… y-yes. I’m sorry for barging in so suddenly…”

“That’s fine. …As you can see, we were having a tea party when this girl suddenly collapsed. So we were just taking care of her.”

(Wh-what is she saying…? That’s definitely a lie… But I don’t have any proof…)

Touka doubted Onikisu’s words.

But Asuka, lying right in front of her, seemed merely unconscious, with no sign that anything had been done to her.

“Makoto, Ruri. Could you take Otomi-san away for me?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

With that, the two lifted the unconscious Asuka in their arms and carried her out of the student council room.

“W-where are you taking Otomi-san!?”

“Fufu, don’t worry. We’re taking her back to her classroom.”

“C-classroom…” 

Left alone with Onikisu, Touka fell into a state of extreme tension.

Sweat poured from her body, and she began to tremble.

Standing before her was a stunning beauty—someone any girl would normally admire.

And yet, at this moment, Touka was completely overtaken by fear.

“So then… what made you come to the student council room? I want to hear it from you.”

“Ah… um… I-I thought that, at the tea party, something might… happen to Otomi-san…”

“Something, you say? What kind of thing? Tell me.”

“U-um… th-that… l-lewd… stuff like that…”

“Pfft… ahahahahahahaha!”

The moment Touka said that, Onikisu burst into loud laughter.

It was so loud it echoed all the way outside the room.

“I-I know! Th-the president has a harem, and is preying on students at this school…!”

“Oh? Is that so…? And if that were true, so what?”

“Th-that’s…”

“You heard it as a rumor from someone, didn’t you? But, have you heard any rumors of me hurting anyone?”

“Th-that’s…”

Touka had heard the rumors about the president keeping a harem.

And yet, strangely enough, none of the rumors painted her in a bad light.

If the people involved didn’t see it as a problem, then perhaps it wasn’t an incident at all. If they were happy being devoted to the president, then that, too, was their choice.

And yet, Touka couldn’t help but wonder.

There might be students who never spoke up, held back by fear, unable to raise their voices.

“I don’t care about such rumors in the slightest. But you’re here now to take Otomi-san’s place, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then those rumors mean nothing now—take off your uniform.” 

Onikisu stepped closer.

Then, leaning in close to Touka’s ear, she whispered softly in a sweet, sultry voice.

That single whisper sent a shiver through Touka’s entire body. An irresistible pressure seemed to crush her chest.

She wasn’t prepared for this. She had come here for one reason alone—to save Asuka.

Her fingers trembling uncontrollably, Touka slowly reached for the buttons of her uniform and began to undo them.