Chapter 27: Tea Party ②
“Um… do all of you on the student council have girlfriends…?”
Amid the friendly atmosphere, Mayu suddenly cut in with a question.
With so many beautiful girls in the student council, of course they would be popular. It wouldn’t be strange if they’d had partners before—Asuka thought the same.
“Katayose-san. None of us have girlfriends right now. After encouraging romance at the entrance ceremony, that doesn’t exactly make us sound very convincing, does it?”
“N-no…! I just thought that if it were you all, you could find girlfriends anytime… I was just curious, that’s all. I didn’t mean anything by it!”
(No girlfriends… then does that mean relationships beyond friendship? If the president really has a harem, then the vice president and the secretary right in front of me are already in that kind of relationship with her…)
Asuka couldn’t shake her suspicions.
The tea and the sweets were genuinely delicious. But once what she’d heard from Touka had lodged itself in her chest, it refused to come loose.
At first glance, it was just a tea party.
But then—why had the secretary, Ruri, invited Mayu?
The moment she thought about the reason, a chill ran down her spine.
—Don’t tell me… is Mayu the bait?
(T-there’s no way… but did they deliberately invite Mayu, whose seat is next to mine, just to lure me in after I’d refused once? Coincidence…? That feels a little too convenient…)
“Hey, Mayu. There’s something I’d like a little help with.”
“M-me? Of course! What should I do?”
“I’d like you to come with me for a moment.”
“O-okay.”
“Eh…?”
Called out by Ruri, Mayu got to her feet without hesitation and disappeared from the student council room with her.
Left behind were the president, Onikisu; the vice president, Makoto; and Asuka—just the three of them.
“…………”
A cold sweat trickled down Asuka’s back.
“Otomi-san, is something wrong?”
“Ah… n-no, it’s nothing…”
“You’ve been tense this whole time. If you stay that guarded… it makes it hard for us to close the distance.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize. We’re not trying to force you to open up. It’s just that— we simply want to get along with you. And if possible, we’d be happy if you took an interest in the student council as well.”
Onikisu smiled at her gently.
Even so, the unease stirring in Asuka’s chest refused to fade.
“Otomi-san. After spending a little time here, what do you think?”
“Well… honestly, I’m still not really sure.”
Makoto asked with concern, but Asuka couldn’t quite put her thoughts into words.
“I see… then, how about we play a simple game while we wait for Katayose-san to come back?”
“A game…?”
Clapping her hands once, Makoto’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Yes. It’s a game where you compliment the person next to you, and if they get embarrassed, they lose. And the loser has to accept a hug from the other person as a penalty.”
“A penalty…”
“It’s just a lighthearted way to interact. To help us get closer.”
“…If it’s just that much.”
A hug alone wouldn’t be a problem.
That’s how Asuka judged it, and she agreed to join the game.
“Then I’ll go first. Otomi-san—your large, clear eyes. Even that simple hairpin suits you so well… and those glossy lips, your fair skin. You’re very beautiful.”
“~~~~!”
Being stared at head-on by the goddess-like Onikisu, Asuka was showered with a relentless stream of praise.
Asuka found herself trembling faintly under the pressure.
“Fufu. Otomi-san, that’s a loss.”
“N-no, that’s…!”
For the penalty, Onikisu stepped closer.
Asuka resigned herself and stood up as well, and Onikisu gave her a gentle smile.
“Don’t be nervous. A penalty like this is just a bit of light skinship.”
“Y-yes…”
With that, Onikisu pulled Asuka into an embrace without a hint of hesitation.
(…She smells amazing… If someone this beautiful were right next to you, of course anyone would be aware of it… Before you even get to romance, this woman is—)
“—Asuka, you’re cute.”
“~~~~~!?”
A voice whispered softly into her ear.
It was only the faintest brush of breath, but Asuka’s spine jolted.
“Otomi-san, is something wrong?”
“Ah, no… it’s nothing…”
She hurriedly pulled back.
She didn’t understand what was happening anymore. All she knew was that her intuition told her letting herself get swept along like this would be dangerous.
“T-then, next it’s my turn… Magami-san, um… I think your gentle, soft presence is really… lovely.”
“Fufu, thank you.”
Makoto looked unfazed at first, but after a short pause, her cheeks slowly reddened.
“Eh…?”
“Ara… it seems I got embarrassed more easily than I expected.”
Which meant that this time, it was Asuka’s turn to hug Makoto.
(N-no way… was that on purpose?)
“Otomi-san, if you would.”
“Y-yes…”
(I mean, seriously… what kind of game is this? A hug, that’s just…!)
When Asuka gently pulled her in, Makoto’s body felt soft and warm, carrying a calming, pleasant scent.
“You’re warm… Otomi-san.”
“Y-you too… um… you smell nice…”
“That makes me happy.”
It was a different kind of softness from Onikisu’s.
Having been hugged by the two of them in turn, Asuka’s heartbeat showed no sign of calming down.
“—What are you doing?”
At that moment, the door to the student council room opened, and Ruri returned.
“Ah—this is—”
“Let me guess, Magami-senpai getting carried away again. I can tell just by looking.”
“Come on, Ruri-chan, you don’t have to say it like that.”
“Ahaha… huh? Come to think of it, where’s Mayu-chan…?”
However, even though Ruri had returned, Mayu was nowhere to be seen.
“If you’re looking for Mayu, she said something came up suddenly and she had to go home first. She asked me to tell you she was sorry.”
“Huh…?”
The moment Asuka heard those words—
Her mind went completely blank.
I can’t stay here anymore.
Having reached that conclusion, Asuka rose from her seat.
“I-I’m going to head home too!”
“You’re leaving already? There’s still plenty of sweets and tea left.”
“S-sorry! Excuse me!”
Turning her back on Onikisu’s voice, she headed for the door—when suddenly.
Running toward the door with Onikisu’s voice in her back—just then.
“W-what…”
Suddenly, her vision warped.
Her legs wobbled, her breathing grew shallow.
A sudden dizziness hit her, and her consciousness began to drift away.
“Otomi-san!? Are you all right!?”
Makoto rushed over, supporting Asuka as she nearly collapsed.
(This is… bad…)
Through her hazy awareness, Asuka pulled her phone from her pocket.
With trembling fingers, she opened the chat and reached for the send button to call for help—
But the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
(Ah… the game… it was just to buy time… so that’s what this was…)
With the last of her strength, Asuka looked toward Onikisu.
And then—she saw Onikisu slowly, deliberately lick her lips.
Character Summary (non-official)
- Fukase Kazuto (深瀬 和人) — A normal boy of average build, 173 cm tall, and a former member of his middle school’s soccer club. Transported to a self-sufficient yuri world where boys are typically feminine and frail, he becomes a clear oddity simply by being himself.
- Kokonoe Touka (九重 燈花) — A quiet girl with long pink hair and round glasses. Soft-spoken and seemingly shy, she gives off a gloomy yet intelligent impression and prefers reading over joining clubs. Beneath her reserved exterior, however, she harbors an intense, restless curiosity about boys.
- Otomi Asuka (音海 飛鳥) — Kazuto’s classmate since middle school. She has glossy black hair cut in a bob and held by two red hairpins, snow-white skin, and a striking F-cup figure. Despite her popularity and the countless confessions she received throughout her three years in middle school, she has never dated anyone.
- Yuuki Sena (結城 星渚) — A gyaru with short, light-blue hair, small earrings, and sun-tanned skin. She wears her uniform skirt shorter than usual, giving her a flashy appearance. Despite her casual look, she’s a serious athlete who has been devoted to track and field since middle school and plans to continue it in high school.
- Ouran Onikisu (王蘭 黒曜姫) — The student council president, known for her beautiful, androgynous appearance and her cool, confident demeanor, which has made her popular among the students. While she maintains a polished and authoritative image in public, behind the scenes she is secretly involved in perverted activities, and this hidden interest is the reason she actively seeks out and recruits girls into the student council.
- Hareruya Aoi (晴谷 碧) — Kazuto’s classmate. Short and slender with a small frame, Aoi has an androgynous appearance accentuated by his soft golden hair, giving him a delicate, almost feminine presence.
- Fukase Tomoka (深瀬 友香) — Kazuto’s sister in both his previous world and the current one. A third-year high school student, she looks after Kazuto out of concern for him as a boy, since common sense in this world treats boys as an inferior species.
- Fukase Saya (深瀬 沙耶) — Kazuto’s mother in both his previous world and the current one. In the current world, she conceived him with another woman, who left after learning the child was a boy and refusing to accept Saya’s decision not to abort. Kazuto is the only boy she loves and protects in this world.