Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 205

"……Why."

Akizuki looked at the competition swimsuit in his hand with a complicated expression and sighed deeply.

After handing him the swimsuit, Ji Yexue left without a second thought.

She seemed to be simply there to convey this message.

This made Akizuki Makoto feel a little uncomfortable. He wanted to spend more time with Ji Yexue, even if it meant being used as a human chair.

However, he had no right to try to keep Ji Yexue, since they were now in a superior-subordinate relationship.

When one party has a need, it will be at a disadvantage, while the party that receives the need will hold the dominant position.

Previously, when Ji Yexue pursued him passionately, he was the one in a superior position, holding the dominant role.

Now he's experiencing that feeling firsthand, and it's really not pleasant.

He didn't mind being forced by Ji Yexue to publicly perform in his competition swimsuit during tomorrow's art class. If that was what she wanted, then he would do it.

Anyway, he's not someone who cares about face or worldly opinions.

If she cared, she wouldn't still insist on dating both Himeyasu and Shiina Maki at the same time.

"...Let's go to the student council room."

After lingering quietly in the Light Music Club's activity room for a while, Makoto Akizuki put his swimsuit into a compartment in his backpack and went to the student council room on the top floor of the club building.

Today may be his last day as student council president.

……

Six o'clock in the evening.

When the club activity ended.

After packing up the documents, Akizuki Makoto solemnly greeted and said goodbye to each member one by one.

"Thank you all for taking care of me during my time in the student council room. I am very grateful."

Seeing Akizuki Makoto bow his head and bid a solemn farewell, the student council members all laughed.

"Hey, President, what's going on? It's like you're stepping down today."

"Yes, it really startled us to say goodbye so solemnly."

"President, what's wrong with you today?"

Listening to the teasing of the student council members, Akizuki Makoto laughed, but his smile concealed a deep loneliness.

He spent nearly two years in this student council room, where he has many precious memories, not only with the other members but also with Ji Yexue.

Now, he sits in the seat that used to belong to Ji Yexue.

The view from the window is great; you can see the courtyard and the playground, and you can also see members of the sports club running in the sunset.

As the saying goes, one cannot simultaneously possess youth and the understanding of youth.

But Akizuki Makoto, who was reborn, did just that, so he cherished his time at school and his relationships with everyone.

"……fine."

Despite the concern shown by the student council members, Qiu Yuebai ultimately said nothing and bid them farewell.

It's good to say goodbye like this, after all, no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

He was content to be able to say goodbye properly; he had no other desires.

"Goodbye."

Akizuki Makoto picked up his schoolbag and left the student council room amidst a chorus of farewells.

Two girls were already waiting for him at the entrance of the club building.

"elder brother!"

"Cheng-kun!"

When Fuyuko and Shiina Maki saw Akizuki Makoto coming down the stairs, they went to greet him.

"Come on, go home."

Akizuki smiled at them and walked with them home.

At that time, apart from Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki, no one knew what major events would occur the next day.

He didn't know how Shiina Maki would view him tomorrow, or how Fuyuko would see him.

But if it's the two of them, then there's no need to worry, right?
If it were them, they would understand him and wouldn't blame him, no matter how absurd his actions were.

"Brother, your expression is so strange. You're smiling, but why do you look so lonely?"

"Ah...yes, what happened?"

Upon hearing what Fuyuko said, Shiina Maki also noticed the loneliness hidden beneath Akizuki Makoto's smile.

"You can't hide this from me."

With a hint of helplessness in his voice, Akizuki Makoto said softly, "Tomorrow, I might not be the student council president anymore, so I'm feeling a bit sentimental."

"Hey, wasn't it supposed to be next semester? Why is it so sudden?"

Shiina Maki was somewhat surprised, because Akizuki Makoto had talked about this with her just yesterday.

Then, she immediately thought, could it be because of yesterday that Akizuki Makoto resigned from his position as student council president ahead of schedule?

"Don't worry, it's not like that."

Makoto Akizuki noticed Shiina Maki's concerns, squeezed her hand, and comforted her, "There are probably various reasons for this."

"Yes, yes..."

Shiina Maki nodded as if she understood, but didn't ask further about the various reasons.

"Since you're not going to be the student council president anymore, could you come to the craft club and play with Dongzi?"

"Well... I'll come if it's alright."

"Great!"

Dongzi cheered immediately, her face beaming with joy.

Upon seeing this, Akizuki felt a slight pang of pain in his heart and couldn't help but pray that tomorrow wouldn't come so soon.

His social death, that is, the chain reaction brought about by his disgrace, will definitely also affect Dongzi.

After all, he's Dongzi's brother. Dongzi's friends will definitely be embarrassed if they find out what he did in art class tomorrow.

It's even possible that they might simply cut off all contact with Dongzi, or criticize him.

He certainly doesn't care what others think of him, but Dongzi probably won't ignore it.

Thinking of this, Akizuki Makoto felt a bitter taste rise in his mouth, leaving him with a very unpleasant feeling.

He thought he was mentally prepared, but thinking about the various consequences, he couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.

But since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere.

"I would love to do crafts with Cheng-kun."

Shiina Maki's expression also revealed her happiness. Since the disbandment of the Light Music Club, she has returned to the Craft Club and is doing club activities with Fuyuko.

It's said that they're also planning an exhibition for the November school festival.

Afterwards, Shiina Maki and Fuyuko continued to dream about the future, discussing in a cheerful atmosphere whether they should simply let Akizuki Makoto join the craft club as well.

Akizuki Makoto nodded in agreement from time to time, trying his best to appear nonchalant.

So the three of them returned to the apartment and spent the night as usual. They went to the supermarket together to buy groceries, ate together, and stayed together.

They spent most of their time together until they fell asleep, and Shiina Maki had integrated herself well into their group.

In fact, Shiina Maki has already spoken with Akizuki Makoto's parents and made an appointment to go home with him for the New Year.

That happened when Makoto Akizuki was contacting his mother regularly. Maki Shiina happened to be there too, and her mother overheard her talking to Fuyuko, and then asked what had happened.

Upon learning that her son was dating Maki Shiina, she appeared surprised and subconsciously asked, "Where's Yuki?"
At that moment, Makoto Akizuki and Maki Shiina stopped talking abruptly, as if they had touched on some taboo topic, and remained silent for a long time.

Sensing something was amiss, Qiuyue's mother awkwardly tried to smooth things over, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then hung up the phone.

……

……

The following day was the day of destiny.

Early in the morning, Akizuki Makoto opened his eyes, but they were filled with exhaustion, and his face looked ashen and lifeless.

Clearly, he hadn't slept well all night, or perhaps he hadn't slept at all.

Since lying down with Dongzi last night, he has been tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Even though he felt exhausted late into the night, and his eyes were sore and heavy, he still couldn't fall asleep.

When I close my eyes, my mind is filled with all sorts of thoughts about what I will become tomorrow.

Dongzi, who was beside him, was sleeping soundly, nestled in his arms, and slept until dawn. She was sleeping peacefully, without turning over or moving around.

"elder brother……"

As Akizuki Makoto wondered if it was time to get up, Fuyuko, who was in his arms, slowly opened her eyes and gently called to him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No."

Dongzi gently shook her head, peering at Qiuyue Cheng's face through the bright morning light, and asked with concern, "Brother, you didn't sleep all night?"

"Ah... um, I'm thinking about some things, I can't sleep."

Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Akizuki admitted honestly, saying, "Don't worry about me. Although I'm a little sleepy, I don't feel unwell."

"Don't push yourself too hard, brother."

Dongzi reached out and stroked Akizuki Makoto's face, her warm and slender fingers gently tracing his features as if to outline them.

"Dongzi has been very worried about her brother. Is he about to reach his limit?"

"...Nothing."

"No matter what, Dongzi will firmly choose her brother. No matter what happens, Dongzi's feelings will not change."

As if she could see through Akizuki Makoto's bravado and what he was going to do today, Fuyuko made a promise in a low voice.

"Brother is the most important person to Dongzi. Dongzi loves brother more than anyone else."

"..."

Akizuki Makoto fell silent, unsure how to respond to Fuyuko's words.

Normally, Dongzi wouldn't express her feelings so frankly. What's wrong with her?

He was somewhat troubled and at a loss.

"Brother, don't worry, Dongzi will always be with you."

Finally, Fuyuko closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and kissed Akizuki Makoto on the cheek.

This kiss contained no affection; it was merely a gesture of goodwill, or perhaps a testament to a vow.

Afterwards, Akizuki Makoto held Touko quietly for a while until it was completely bright outside before getting up.

After washing up, Shiina Maki, who had prepared breakfast, rang the doorbell.

When she saw Akizuki Makoto approaching, she was startled and hurriedly asked, "Makoto-kun, what's wrong? You look terrible!"

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night. Don't worry."

As Akizuki Makoto spoke, he stepped aside to let Shiina Maki enter the entrance hall.

"How could I not be worried? Why don't you take the day off? I'll take the day off too and stay to take care of you."

"No need for that, I'm really fine."

"Cheng-jun is an idiot! A fool!"

Shiina Maki suddenly got angry, pouting, and said with dissatisfaction, "You've always been stubborn and won't rely on me. I'm Makoto's girlfriend, and I want Makoto to depend on me more!"

"I'm sorry, but I have something I have to do at school today, so you don't have to worry about me."

Akizuki lowered his head and said apologetically, "I know you were worried about me, Maki. Fuyuko was also worried about me when I woke up this morning, but I'm really okay."

"Okay, okay..."

Hearing Akizuki Makoto say that, Shiina Maki finally relented and stopped asking Akizuki Makoto to rest.

Anyway, she and Akizuki Makoto are in the same class, so if anything happens, she'll find out immediately.

Although she was a little concerned about what Akizuki Makoto meant by "things she had to do," she wisely refrained from asking further questions.

Afterwards, the three of them ate breakfast together, put on their school uniforms, and went to school.

It's already mid-October, the weather has gotten a bit colder, and the school uniforms have changed from summer uniforms to autumn uniforms.

Specifically, it changed from a shirt to an open-necked sweater and a coat.

It was precisely because of the jacket that Akizuki Makoto was able to conceal the fact that he was also wearing Himeyasuki's competition swimsuit.

If you're just wearing a shirt, then your light blue competition swimsuit will immediately stand out.

Makoto Akizuki originally planned to change into it during lunch break, since art class didn't start until the afternoon.

But then I thought about it and realized that there was no difference between wearing it now and wearing it during my lunch break, so I just put it on.

Walking beside him, Fuyuko and Shiina Maki would never have imagined that under his school uniform, he was actually wearing Himeyasuki's competition swimsuit.

It was this stimulation and sense of transgression that made Akizuki Makoto feel incredibly energetic, so excited that he didn't seem like he hadn't slept all night.

He might wear it now partly to refresh himself.

As they got closer to the school, more and more people noticed Akizuki Makoto and came up to greet him.

As Akizuki Makoto responded to each question, the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Seeing the smiling faces of his classmates who greeted him, and the respect and trust in their eyes, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Especially when they arrived at the school gate and encountered the disciplinary committee members who were routinely checking discipline, Akizuki Makoto's sense of immorality reached its peak.

The disciplinary committee members greeted him respectfully, praising his appearance and demeanor as always, as meticulous and standardized as his character.

Shiina Maki chuckled and said jokingly, "Hehe, Makoto-kun is really popular. I'm starting to feel a little uneasy."

By this time, they had said goodbye to the disciplinary committee members and entered the school.

"Don't joke with me. If they knew what I really think, they'd probably despise me like I'm scum."

Akizuki gave a helpless, bitter smile. The "inner meaning" he was referring to today had two layers of meaning.

"It's alright. Many people are doing what Cheng-kun is doing."

Shiina Maki comforted him, not wanting Akizuki Makoto to feel guilty about wanting to date two people at the same time.

As she said, love triangles are not uncommon in this world, especially in this emotionally volatile era.

(End of this chapter)