Chapter 53: Sakurai-kun Doesn't Know How to Lie
In the student council room.
The three male members of the student council were gathered, having lunch together. Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika had not arrived yet.
"Oh right, Sakurai, your tutoring job, is it still ongoing?"
Shirogane Miyuki asked while lifting a spoonful of rice from his bento box.
"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll visit next week. Originally, it was arranged to tutor three sessions a week, but improving grades can't be rushed. Besides, among the four of them, only one actually has the will to study. When someone has no motivation, no matter how many test papers I give, it won't help much."
¯\_(•⤙•๑)_/¯
Sakurai Saki calmly replied.
Shirogane Miyuki nodded in agreement: "Exactly, whether one actually wants to study or not is the most important factor."
The fact that he himself could persist in studying 10 hours a day, besides external factors, was largely thanks to his own desire to learn — that was an important reason he could stick to it. Even though Shirogane Miyuki couldn't feel joy in studying.
But he could feel his own progress through studying, and from there, find joy in that progress itself.
Ishigami Yuu listened to the two talking, not daring to say a word.
(っ- ‸ - ς)
This man, he was afraid these two would drag him into the abyss called studying.
"Ishigami..." Shirogane Miyuki uttered the opening that Ishigami Yuu feared the most.
Ishigami: Σ(°ロ°)
Everyone knows that human words often follow from the previous sentence or topic.
Like a word chain game, the end of the previous word and the start of the next are inevitably connected.
"Next week, I think the first-years have a small entrance assessment test, do you need me to help you review?" Shirogane Miyuki asked.
Ishigami Yuu forced a smile, "I'll review at home myself, no need to trouble the senpai."
...This is a lie!
Sakurai Saki could see the word [FAKE]floating above his head.
Special ability today:
Swallow a thousand needles when lying: can check in real time whether the person in front is lying, while making that person feel the pain of being pricked by needles.
Side effect: the esper's own will to answer increases sharply and they cannot lie.
This is a simple ability, and its side effect is equally simple.
How to remove this side effect? Just don't speak — this is the most convenient solution, but it's not easy to pull off.
Increased will to answer, simply put, means that once someone asks a question, you basically can't avoid answering.
In this situation, what's the biggest problem?
The answer is: EQ will drop.
Drop to what level? Lower than even Ishigami Yuu. At least Ishigami Yuu, when facing someone he cares about, wouldn't say everything in his heart, and even if he slips, he'd try to cover it up.
But this side effect is different — it turns Sakurai Saki into a super atmosphere-killing machine who can't understand the mood.
For example:
Phryne Jamil from Danmachi asks — [Nee~nee~, Sakurai-kun, do you think I'm pretty?]
In a normal state, he would reply like this — [You're pretty in a very... unique way.]
ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
But if it's today, Sakurai Saki would just bluntly say — [I want to gouge my eyes out just because I accidentally saw you, you ugly thing, I've never seen anyone this ugly! I suggest you go home and look in the mirror, you're a certified fat toad, it's disgusting, ugh~]
╭∩╮( •̀_•́ )╭∩╮
That's the level of the side effect.
Truly terrifying.
That's why this morning Sakurai Saki had to think carefully about how to maneuver during the club meeting this afternoon.
"If you do poorly on the entrance assessment, then before the midterms, I'll help you review." Sakurai Saki took a bite of rice, speaking indifferently.
The seasoning today was passable, though making the rice this morning had taken some time and was a bit rushed.
"Sakurai-senpai, then about the nightly gaming time..."
"Cancelled." Sakurai Saki said decisively.
"I don't care if the Nakano quadruplets fail the midterms, but if you fail too much... Heh, You understand, right Ishigami?" Sakurai Saki smiled dangerously at Ishigami Yuu.
(＾◡＾)っ✂╰⋃╯
Ishigami Yuu glanced at Sakurai Saki, then sent a pleading look toward Shirogane Miyuki.
But in the end, he realized — even in Shirogane Miyuki's eyes, there was full agreement with Sakurai Saki's plan.
It's over, I'm done for… is it still in time to go find Fujiwara-senpai to save me?
Just as Ishigami Yuu felt his future was pitch black.
His angel descended!
"Gooood afternoooon everyooone~, your super cute Chikan-chan is here~~~!" Fujiwara Chika energetically pushed open the door, raised her hands, placed the thing in her hands on top of her head, and spun twice in place.
After drawing all eyes in the room.
She wobbled a little from dizziness, shook her head, and staggered over to Sakurai Saki, like offering a treasure, placing the item in front of him: "Tada~ Sakurai-kun, look what this is!?"
"Fujiwara-san, that action you just did was really stupid." Sakurai Saki didn't know how to lie.
"And also, why did you wear cat ears to the student council room?"
Fujiwara Chika instinctively ignored the first half of the sentence and began introducing the accessory in her hand, "These pink cat ears, cute right?"
Ishigami Yuu sent a grateful look toward the pink-haired senpai.
Chika in Ishigami eyes now: ꒰ঌ(˶ˆᗜˆ˵)໒꒱
To repay secretary Fujiwara's kindness, Ishigami Yuu said with full sympathy: "It really is cute! Fujiwara-senpai, these cat ears are super cute!"
"Oho~" Fujiwara Chika glanced at him, "Then let's have Ishigami-kun try wearing it first!"
Ishigami Yuu: Σ(°△° ꪱꪱꪱ)
Digging one's own grave — isn't this exactly what that means?
Fujiwara Chika mischievously placed the cat ears on Ishigami Yuu's head.
Then, in the very next second, she showed a visibly disappointed expression that could be seen with the naked eye.
"Nununu~ Ishigami-kun, you and the cat ears really don't match at all, it's like… um…" Fujiwara Chika was choosing her words.
Finally, she opened her mouth: "Like a pile of trash sitting on top of a flower."
"HAA?"
<(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>
Ishigami Yuu heard that, shot up in disbelief: "Wasn't it Fujiwara-senpai who told me to try it on? I knew perfectly well it wouldn't suit me! But Fujiwara-senpai, saying it like that, that's too mean!"
This isn't an angel! This is clearly a demon!
Fujiwara Chika completely ignored his words.
This time, she had come here with a very clear goal!
Because yesterday she had heard Sakurai Saki making "nyan nyan" sounds, today she was feeling bold!
Chika sneakily took out her phone, and in a tone as if casually, she said: "Sakurai-kun, don't you want to try wearing it a bit?"
(˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)
"No." Sakurai Saki decisively answered.
"And also, Fujiwara-san, please put away that phone you're planning to use for secret photos."
(≖_≖ )
Ishigami Yuu took off the cat ears from his head and placed them on the table.
Shirogane Miyuki curiously picked up the cat ears; honestly, he was a little curious about how he'd look wearing them.
After observing for a few seconds, Shirogane Miyuki casually put them on his head.
Then, he saw the three people in front of him simultaneously show astonished faces.
"President, it's so mismatched..." Fujiwara Chika covered her mouth with her hand, tears seeming to well up in the corners of her eyes, "Uuh~ how pitiful, how can someone be this ugly!"
Ishigami Yuu comforted: "Senpai, everyone has things that don't suit them, don't take it too hard."
He turned his head, letting out a long, deep sigh.
"So ugly, Shirogane, don't wear it again next time, it makes me feel nauseous just looking at it." Sakurai Saki frowned.
Shirogane Miyuki felt like his knees were struck by three arrows in a row.
Especially that last sentence from Sakurai Saki.
Being told that by his best friend, he felt a bit down.
Holding onto a thread of hope, he asked again: "Is it really that bad?"
No one answered.
At the corner of Shirogane Miyuki's eyes, tears fell.
Kusho, Damn you, Bad friend!
(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )╭∩╮