Chapter 108: Squad Member Yamamura, the Organization Has a Task for You (2-in-1 5k) (Patreon)

Only a few days remained before July.

After completing sixty cumulative days of gym training, Naruse's body had reached a peak he'd never known before.

[Body Remodeling (Intermediate): Explosive power and endurance further increased. Physical strength now approaches the limits of an adult body. Stamina +3.]

This wasn't just numbers stacking up for show. With his new [Body Remodeling], he tried out an entirely different way of moving and found his exertion dropped sharply while his recovery sped up dramatically.

Though finishing this quest hadn't triggered a new Body Comeback Quest, what he'd reached now was already enough. Even against Rokusuke Koenji, Naruse figured he wouldn't come out the loser.

On another front, aside from the results of his Body Remodeling, there was one last matter he needed to handle before June ended.

That was choosing a deputy for the First-Year Management Countermeasures Department — something that still hadn't been fully settled.

Naruse's preliminary pick was Miki Yamamura. Playing the friendship card to good effect, he'd have the girl complete a certain task as a way to test her ability.

The task itself was simple enough: investigate a certain person's background.

In the original work, Miki Yamamura was a core member of the Sakayanagi faction, a key asset in Arisu Sakayanagi's intelligence-gathering operation — and Naruse needed to confirm whether that held true.

The day Naruse made the request, Yamamura had agonized over it.

After all, her original presence in Naruse's inner circle had actually come at Arisu Sakayanagi's instruction.

Though Naruse had no idea of this yet, Yamamura herself knew perfectly well that she hadn't been entirely honest with him.

Within their current trio, even though Ai Morishita kept coming up with one outlandish idea and scheme after another, Yamamura genuinely treasured this relationship.

So in the end, she'd agreed.

She wanted to see just what Naruse was really after.

One day after school.

Naruse sat on the living room sofa, his eyes fixed on a neat stack of documents laid out on the coffee table.

Ai Morishita sat beside him.

The girl was as unguarded as ever — after everything intimate they'd already done together, this was no different. She draped her thigh straight over Naruse's lap without a shred of concern that someone else sat right across the table.

Miki Yamamura, her dark teal hair tied back, wore a faint smile as she pulled a notebook from her pocket.

The trio had been spending time together for a while now, and Yamamura no longer showed any trace of embarrassment or unease — conversation flowed easily between them all.

"All right, Yamamura-san — go ahead and give your report."

"Sure."

Yamamura's expression turned serious as she began reading slowly from her prepared notes.

"Naruse-san, I've finished compiling everything on the person you asked me to look into."

"Taiga Shijou."

"He's a Class A student, one hundred seventy-five centimeters tall, seventy kilograms, with a build that shows he trains regularly. His grades hold steady in the top ten of his class — his strongest subjects are English and social studies, while math and science are more average."

"Mm, go on."

Naruse listened intently. The person he'd had Yamamura investigate was this one — chosen at random.

"Right."

Yamamura turned a page and continued.

"As for hobbies, Shijou-san tells people his favorite sport is soccer. He often volunteers for ball games in gym class, and he's joined the soccer club."

"But from what I've observed these past few days, soccer isn't actually where his talent lies... it's track and field."

"He just had one bad showing in a marathon race back in middle school, so he never pursued that path."

"I see."

Naruse raised an eyebrow slightly at that detail.

"On the soccer field, Shijou-san's performance is only so-so — his passing and shooting are both inconsistent. But every time there's a running test... he places in the top three of the class."

"I also went and checked his running records from gym class specifically. He clocked fifty-four seconds in the four hundred meters — that's quite an impressive time for a first-year."

"That is impressive. If there's ever a footrace event, it might be worth recruiting him."

Naruse filed the information away. Even with his knowledge of the original work, plenty of details like this were never covered in the source material — he had to dig them up on his own.

Across from him, Yamamura, hearing his response, turned another page in her notebook, her tone growing a touch hesitant.

"There's one more thing — about Shijou-san's romantic situation."

"Oh?"

"Shijou-san and Haruka Nishi from our class seem to have an unusual sort of relationship."

"What kind of relationship? Are they in that 'more than friends' stage?"

"Yes. The two of them aren't officially a couple yet, but... it's something like that."

Yamamura had never dated anyone herself, so she couldn't find better words for it — all she could say was that their relationship wasn't ordinary.

Naruse thought it over. If neither of them had actually said the words 'we're together now,' it would be hard for anyone else to tell just from how they acted in public.

"That's everything."

With her report finished, Yamamura closed her notebook and looked up at Naruse's face.

"Not bad at all!"

Having heard her report, Naruse suddenly felt certain — she was the right pick.

"Yamamura-san, you're genuinely skilled — you have a real gift for gathering information."

"Really?"

His praise clearly pleased her; her faint smile brightened by several degrees.

"Yes. And that's exactly why there's something else I'd like to ask of you."

A flicker crossed Yamamura's eyes as she asked, a little puzzled.

"What is it, Naruse-san?"

"Yamamura-san, you know I've set up a new department in the Student Council, right?"

"I do."

After all, with Ai Morishita as her close friend, it would've been strange for Yamamura not to know.

"Does this have something to do with what you want to ask of me?"

"Of course it does."

"I'm planning to name a deputy for the First-Year Management Countermeasures Department. And that person—"

Naruse's voice turned a shade more serious, his eyes fixed squarely on her face.

"That person... I'm hoping it'll be you."

The moment the words left his mouth, Yamamura's expression froze.

She sat on the sofa turning the question over and over, wondering if she'd misheard — how could Naruse-san possibly hand something as important as the deputy position to her?

"D-deputy?"

"Naruse-san, are you sure you mean me?"

Naruse looked at her utterly-caught-off-guard expression and gave a small nod, continuing gently.

"Yes. You."

His voice was warm but firm, without a trace of insincerity.

"Yamamura-san, your ability speaks for itself. There's no need to sell yourself short."

"I want you to help me for another reason too."

"What reason?"

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.

Had he found out the real reason she'd first approached him?

Or was there some other special reason?

Just as she began to grow uneasy, Naruse smiled, his tone easy.

"The reason's actually simple — I believe you'll do a great job, Yamamura-san."

Naruse said this slowly. Empty promises wouldn't do any good here — what mattered was making Yamamura believe she was up to the task.

"Take this test, for instance — your intel-gathering was thorough. You picked up on everything from basic facts to deeper emotional matters. Not everyone can pull that off."

"On top of that, Yamamura-san — I recall you've mentioned before how you worry about your presence being weak, haven't you?"

"Hm?"

Yamamura didn't understand why he'd suddenly brought that up.

But Naruse just went on speaking gently.

"Once you become my deputy, you'll have more on your plate, but it'll also be a great opportunity to grow."

"And wouldn't that be a good thing?"

His voice softened further, like a guide patiently pointing the way for a lost child.

He paused briefly.

"Aren't you worried about people overlooking you?"

"Once you're standing at the center of the stage, I'm sure that problem will resolve itself."

"By then, you'll not only have grown — your worries will fade away along with it."

"So, what do you say?"

Every reason Naruse laid out lined up perfectly with what Yamamura herself thought and wanted. She wasn't socially anxious — she just lacked social experience, which was why she seemed to have so few friends.

But she'd already come a long way past that, and if she wanted to solve the problem of her weak presence, the obvious answer was to do more, meet more people.

[Once you're standing at the center of the stage, no one is likely to overlook you again.]

That was the core argument Naruse had just used to win her over, and what he'd added afterward mattered just as much.

Yamamura genuinely wanted to grow.

She wanted to shed the version of herself that felt like she couldn't do anything right — and that was exactly why she'd worked her way into Naruse and Morishita's little circle in the first place.

After several minutes of thought, Yamamura finally sorted out her feelings.

She closed the notebook in her hands, looked earnestly at Naruse's face, and spoke slowly.

"Naruse-san, are you really sure about choosing me?"

"I'm sure."

"All right... then I accept."

Her voice came out clearer than before, pitched loud enough that Naruse could feel the courage behind it.

For Yamamura, this too was a big step forward.

"I'll do my best, Naruse-san."

"Good. Squad Member Yamamura, let's work well together."

Naruse held out his hand, and Yamamura offered her small one in return — they shook, skin meeting skin.

"That settles it, then. I'll take you to the Student Council on Monday to get you familiar with things."

"Okay."

Beside them, Ai Morishita watched the matter finally get settled, a smile spreading across her own face too.

"Squad Member Yamamura, you've officially been recognized now. If Captain Naruse doesn't mind, I wouldn't object to crowning you Deputy Deputy Captain."

Deputy Deputy Captain?

Yamamura laughed a little. After all this time together, she knew how Ai Morishita's mind worked and didn't find it the least bit strange anymore.

"So from now on... Naruse, can I come find Squad Member Yamamura at the Student Council?"

"You can't just walk in while Student Council is in session, but you can text her."

"Got it."

With the matter settled, Naruse relaxed considerably, and Ai Morishita, apparently sensing it, immediately draped herself over him again.

"Naruse, today's kiss."

"Uh..."

Across from them, Yamamura tucked her notebook into her bag, getting ready to take her leave.

Experience had taught her.

If she stayed any longer, this shameless pair wouldn't feel the least bit embarrassed — they'd just keep right on with their intimate antics.

Kissing right in front of her before had already been outrageous enough.

Once, Ai Morishita had even reached over and pulled Naruse's shirt off right in front of her.

The sight of his abs had left Yamamura absolutely red in the face.

"I'll head out now, then. Naruse-san, Morishita-san."

"Oh... bye."

Naruse lay on the sofa, head turned to the side, watching Yamamura push open the dorm door and leave.

The next moment, Ai Morishita's skirt landed square on his face.

"Naruse~"

"Mm... nngh..."

A few more days passed, and July finally arrived in earnest. Each class's evaluation points had been adjusted somewhat.

Class A: 1,108 points

Class B: 398 points

Class C: 305 points

Class D: 127 points

Class A remained far out in front, Classes B and C were locked in a fierce battle in the middle, and Class D was slowly clawing its way up from the bottom.

Now that July had arrived, everyone knew about the other thing looming ahead: the first semester's final exam would be held at the end of the month.

Like the midterms, this would be a large-scale comprehensive test.

It wasn't much of a concern for Class A, but for Class D — which had just come through the whole Sudo point-buying incident — the moment the final exam was announced, everyone snapped to full alert.

Last time, being short just one point meant expulsion, and buying back a single point cost a hundred thousand points.

Now everyone was either saddled with debt or gripped by anxiety over the exam to come.

So, championed by Yosuke Hirata, Kikyo Kushida, and Suzune Horikita, the group-study sessions were welcomed by everyone.

In the Student Council, Naruse glanced over the recent student forum posts, catching up on what had been happening lately.

Then, his phone buzzed.

A new message had come in, from Airi Sakura.

"Hikaru-kun... I have to tell you something"

Ever since they'd grown physically close, Airi's whole attitude had changed considerably.

The awkwardness was gone from how they talked, and since Airi had always liked chatting over the phone anyway, these past few days she'd taken to texting Naruse all the time.

"What is it?"

"At the group study session our class held... I made a friend I can actually talk to."

"That's great. What's her name?"

Naruse already knew who it was, but he played along anyway.

"Her name's Haruka Hasebe. She's really outgoing — the kind of person who just seems amazing."

"She's a lot more proactive socially than I am."

"That's wonderful. Now you've got a girl friend you can really talk to, Airi. Make sure you look after a friendship like that — it's not easy to come by."

"Mm, got it."

A little while later, Airi sent another message.

"Hikaru-kun... can you come to my dorm this Saturday night?"

"What's up?"

"I bought a new set of pajamas..."

"Okay, I'll be there."

Time passed day by day.

Naruse's daily life grew busier and busier — after all, there was now one more girl he needed to keep happy.

Beyond discussing mystery novels and writing manuscripts with Hiyori Shiina, there was also Student Council work to keep up with.

And then there was the rotating cycle of time with Kei Karuizawa, Airi Sakura, and Ai Morishita.

As intimate as things had gotten with each of them, Naruse hadn't gone all the way with any of them just yet. Of course, short of that final step, every other means available had certainly been put to use.

The reason he hadn't crossed that last line was that he wanted each of the girls to be fully ready for it, mentally.

He wasn't the type to pull his pants back on and pretend nothing happened — he needed the other person to be certain in her own mind before taking that next step.

Sure, with enough sweet talk he could have pushed things past the point of no return then and there, but that wasn't the intimacy Naruse wanted.

Meanwhile, Tanabata was drawing closer.

The night of July 6th, in Kei Karuizawa's dorm room.

Kei sat alone on her bed, head lowered, gazing at a set of clothing laid out before her.

It was a brand-new set of lingerie.

The color was an elegant, mysterious luminous purple, the fabric delicate lace — bold in its overall design, with cutouts that carried all the allure of a mature woman.

She picked it up, held it against herself for a moment, then glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

Honey-colored hair spilled over her shoulders; the girl in the mirror had faintly flushed cheeks, her eyes brimming with welling affection.

Kei took a deep breath, her resolve hardening further.

"Tanabata... after we're done making our wishes, I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Hikaru-kun."

So...

The girl murmured softly to herself, her heart brimming with anticipation for what tomorrow would bring.

It was a perfect time for it.

Tomorrow was Friday, and there'd be no school the day after, so even if things ran late, it wouldn't matter — a heaven-sent opportunity, really.

"Tomorrow, I definitely have to..."

"Hikaru-kun..."