Arriving at the handicraft club, Naoko greeted the other members as usual, but when she passed Rina Ogawa, she pulled her in.
"Senior Ogawa?"
"Come to the bathroom with me."
"Ah? OK."
Naoko was taken aback for a moment, but quickly agreed. She went to her place to put down her things, and Ogawa Rina was already waiting for her at the door.
After taking a few steps away, she immediately asked: "What's going on with Shangzi's boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?"
Naoko quickly reacted, "Senior, are you talking about Harumi?"
"Is there anyone else?"
She smiled and said, "We are not in this kind of relationship yet."
Ogawa Rina looked at her for a while, then turned away, "If this continues, even if Naoko wants to have this kind of relationship, she won't have a chance."
"Why do you say that?" Shangzi asked.
Ogawa Rina quickly turned back, "Look, you really care about it."
"Yes, I care."
Naoko smiled and said, "Please tell me, senior."
"I'm not the kind of person who gossips, but last Friday, the day the typhoon came, your childhood sweetheart made an appointment with at least six girls from the handicraft club to have coffee at the feather shop near Jingao.
Umino Cafe...what's going on, that guy."
Shang Zi was startled for a moment.
Is that why he met the starfish there... What an unlucky coincidence.
"Naoko?" Ogawa Rina looked at her.
She came back to her senses and responded with a smile: "It's just a coffee. If Chunhai really had that kind of plan, he probably wouldn't date so many girls at once."
"Don't let your guard down just because you think the girls in the handicraft club are not as good-looking as Shangzi."
Rina Ogawa suddenly became serious, "The tactics used by certain girls in the club to poach people will scare you to death if you tell them."
"Senior..."
"I've already said hello to Shangzi anyway. When the time comes that you lose your boyfriend, don't come crying to me."
Shangzi didn't say anything, just smiled.
Ogawa Rina specifically asked her to come out just to remind her of this matter in private. They walked to the bathroom, the two of them washed their hands and went back.
"Speaking of which..."
On the way, Ogawa Rina thought of another thing, "Naruse has been staying with Naoko in the club recently, and those girls won't take the initiative to embarrass you."
Shangzi's face darkened slightly, "Yeah."
"After all, she is a girl. Even if she is a boy she cannot get, she doesn't want to make too much noise in front of him... Let's just let Naruse join the handicraft club." She suggested.
Shangzi suddenly stopped.
Ogawa Rina took a few more steps before she realized, "Naoko?"
Naoko looked at her, and the second-year senior sister in front of her was the person she trusted most in the handicraft club.
"Senior, I have something..."
After another moment, the two returned to the club room.
Ogawa Rina sat down silently. Before Naoko returned to her seat, she was stopped by a second-grade boy.
"Can I come out with this flower?"
Several eyes gathered at the same time, Shangzi turned a blind eye, but understood in his heart.
Second-year senior Yu Nan has good looks and is the most popular boy in the handicraft club.
"Senior, if you have something to say, just say it here."
"Ah...okay."
Yu Nan glanced around, lowered his head and came over, lowering his voice: "I've heard about that..."
When he came over, Shang Zi took a step back, met his stunned and somewhat embarrassed gaze, and stared at him to show that he was listening.
He had no choice but to continue talking.
"Um...I've heard about what that kid Naruse did last Friday. Um, my flower, don't be too sad."
It's this thing again.
Shangzi sighed in his heart.
She didn't speak, just nodded.
The second-year senior who "kindly comforted" seemed relieved, nodded to her, and then returned to his original position.
The gazes that gathered as he approached did not dissipate.
"This flower——"
A second-year girl sitting on the other side of the club room suddenly spoke.
Naoko looked at the seat just a few steps away and stopped, "Takahashi-senpai."
Takahashi Tomoyo also stood up and crossed his arms, "Let me tell you, the handicraft club will suffer a lot from you this time."
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire department fell silent.
Shangzi turned around and faced her, "Senior, what do you mean?"
"Don't you know yet, that 'tree' fell down?" Takahashi said.
Shangzi was startled, then frowned, "Senior, are you talking about the paper apple tree?"
"What else could there be?"
Takahashi sat down again, but assumed a higher posture, staring at Shang Zi and asking for his guilt.
"The second assembly test was conducted at noon today, but it didn't even last an afternoon. How could it be displayed at the cultural festival for three days? This is all your fault."
"I..."
She interrupted Shangzi, "The new structure that cost everyone a lot of effort is only so strong..."
"Enough is enough!"
Rina Ogawa, who was sitting at the door of the club room, stood up and looked at Takahashi coldly.
"Is this Shangzi's fault? If we didn't use the method proposed by Shangzi, the tree might not be able to hold on for even a few minutes. It's obviously a problem with the overall design, which is your responsibility!"
The clubroom suddenly became silent.
Although the whispers that followed were not clear, they made Takahashi suddenly feel cold.
"This is also my first time to design such a complex structure, and I was not given much time. Who knew it would not be able to hold up... Moreover, if we follow the original folding method, although it will not hold up even more, it will allow us to
You found something wrong with the design the first time you tested it, didn't you?"
Finding a seemingly reasonable excuse, Takahashi stared back at her without showing any signs of weakness, "However, just because this flower did unnecessary things, the problem was covered up, which not only made everyone busy for a few more days during the summer vacation, but now has to delay even more
Time, Xiaochuan, can you take the responsibility for this matter for her?"
Ogawa Rina was so angry that she laughed.
"Takahashi, there must be a limit to your nonsense. If this is Shangzi's responsibility..."
"——Okay."
Minister Ritsuko Sugiyama, who had been silent all this time, finally stood up.
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"This topic ends here. The problem has occurred. Next, what everyone has to consider is how to redesign the structure of the paper apple tree instead of passing the blame to each other."
Takahashi Tomoyo curled his lips and turned around with a snort. Ogawa Rina looked at her coldly and refused to sit down until Ritsuko Sugiyama looked at her again.
"This flower, do you have time to come out and chat for a while?"
Facing the minister's invitation, Shangzi nodded and followed out.
The handicraft club is located in the middle of the second floor of the annex building. The two of them walked to the end and stopped. Next to it was an empty chemistry classroom.
"I'm really sorry, this flower."
Ritsuko Sugiyama suddenly apologized to her and lowered her head slightly, "It's all my responsibility that things turned out like this."
"Ah, Minister."
Shangzi quickly took a half step back, raised his hands, and seemed a little panicked, "No, um, I..."
"Tomoyo took the lead in the design of the paper apple tree. Now that something like this happened, she is not in a good mood... I hope this flower will not take it too seriously." Ritsuko Sugiyama said.
Shangzi was silent for a moment.
"Minister, that tree..."
"I can't bear it."
Ritsuko Sugiyama sighed, "It's made entirely of waste paper, but its strength is still a bit lacking. The height of three meters is indeed too reluctant."
"Is it a structural problem?" Shangzi asked again.
"Takemoto-san and the others are still studying. There are only more than three weeks left before the cultural festival. It is too late to redesign other projects. If it cannot be realized, then we can only change the original design until the tree can stand.
."
Shangzi understood that this meant lowering the height of the paper apple tree and even cutting off some branches and leaves.
Ritsuko Sugiyama sighed softly, "In that case, this year's handicraft club's works won't be as dazzling as in the past. I'm really a failure as a minister."
"No, this is not the responsibility of the minister." Shangzi looked at her and said, "Minister, how can I help?"
"What this flower is good at is cloth art," Ritsuko Sugiyama said.
"If there is someone who needs me, I will do my best...ah." She suddenly remembered what Takahashi said just now.
Sugiyama Ritsuko obviously also thought of this, "Don't take Tomoyo's words to heart. I understand that Tomo's suggestion for improvement was entirely out of good intentions."
Shangzi raised his eyes and then lowered them, "Yeah."
"In addition..."
Ritsuko Sugiyama thought for a while and said in a low voice: "Tomoyo and the others will occasionally embarrass Kahana on some things, but I've actually seen it."
Occasionally?
Shangzi pursed his lower lip.
"I'm sorry, my dear, as a minister, I didn't stand up to speak for you."
"No, the minister stood up today."
Sugiyama Ritsuko shook her head and smiled bitterly.
"As a minister, there are many things I want to do but cannot do, or even say a few words... because the current balance of the handicraft society is actually very fragile."
Shangzi lowered his head, "There are too many members."
"There are many members, numerous and complex factions, and they are always competing consciously or unconsciously... just like the meeting before the summer vacation."
The meeting was to discuss the works to be presented at the cultural festival, and Naoko also attended. Several major factions put forward their demands one after another. The process was so intense that it was not surprising that the handicraft club was disbanded on the spot.
In the end, Ritsuko Sugiyama decided on the cultural festival project.
"I don't like competition, and I hate conflicts even more. I often feel that I shouldn't have taken over the post of minister... But, for the sake of the handicraft club, I choose to be patient."
"Minister..."
"Sorry, I'm going too far."
Ritsuko Sugiyama looked at her, "But, I will only say these words to this flower."
Naoko was stunned, and suddenly her mind recalled the recent rumor that Ritsuko Sugiyama wanted her to succeed the minister after she retired from the army.
"Just think of the little fight now as a preview of the storm in the future."
Shangzi pursed his lips and said nothing, but she also clicked to the end.
After saying a few more words, Ritsuko Sugiyama patted her on the shoulder and went back to the club room.
Watching her walk away, Shang Zi stroked his heart and suddenly felt much more at ease.
"Sure enough, the minister has noticed it long ago..."