Naruse, who stayed in the classroom to help with coloring, was busy until five o'clock in the evening, with almost no time to stop and take a breath.
"That's it for today."
Since props had to be prepared, Class C's cultural festival executive committee member Tanaka Koji naturally stayed. At this time, he said hello and announced the disbandment.
Naruse and Ito, who were squatting on the ground, looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's it. There's still more than half of it. We'll continue tomorrow afternoon."
"Hmm. Do you want to put these composite boards away?"
Ito shook his head and touched the paint on it again, "It seems to be almost done, but it's better to leave it in the classroom to dry."
Naruse packed up the brushes and paint trays, then picked up the small bucket of turbid water and prepared to dump it.
Before he reached the corner, he saw Shangzi coming from the connecting corridor on the second floor.
"Oops..."
He forgot that she was still waiting for him at the handicraft club.
Naruse quickened his pace to clean the bucket, and when he came out again, Naoko had already reached the third floor.
"Shangzi."
When she heard the call, she turned back subconsciously, with a thoughtful expression on her face. She suddenly turned to surprise when she saw him.
"Chunhai..."
She also noticed the bucket in his hand.
"So Harumi stayed to help?"
"Well, sorry."
Shangzi shook his head to show that he didn't care, then smiled slightly, "Is it over?"
"Just finished. I'm going to get my schoolbag and go home."
"Okay."
After taking his schoolbag and saying hello to the others, Naruse went downstairs and told Naoko about the things he had just helped.
"No wonder Harumi's clothes are stained with paint."
Shangzi stopped at the corner of the stairs, stood in front of him, pulled up his uniform jacket, and picked at the hardened blue paint near his chest.
"Really? I didn't even notice it."
She dug her nails twice, with little effect, and looked up at him:
"This is the new uniform I just changed into today."
Naruse pursed his lips, "It should be washable..."
"I haven't washed the paint yet. Let's take a look when we get back."
"Yeah."
Letting go of her uniform, she patted his chest twice more and smoothed it for him.
"How does Harumi feel?"
"Is Naoko talking about the feeling of helping?"
"Yeah."
"It's not bad." Naruse walked down, "A group of people are working hard for a common goal. Not to mention the results, at least the atmosphere feels good."
He turned to look at her, "It's probably similar to how Naoko helped prepare cultural festival works in the handicraft club."
Shangzi showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"As for that work, there is something wrong now."
"What's wrong?"
There were other students up and down the stairs, and Shangzi signaled with his eyes that he would explain to him later.
"Where's Chunhai? Teacher Zhongyuan is looking for you, right? It's about your ambition to enter higher education."
Regarding this matter, Naruse had already gotten rid of his previous emotions and said calmly: "It has been solved."
"Really?"
"I said that both the second and third graders wanted to be in the same class as Shangzi, but Xiaoxue didn't say anything."
Shangzi looked at him, the smile on his face flowing freely.
The two left the school and passed by the Yuumino Cafe. Naruse quietly glanced inside, but this time he didn't see anyone familiar.
At this moment, Shangzi suddenly said: "Last week, Chunhai said that there were some things that needed to be dealt with, right here?"
Naruse was startled.
Did Haixing say something to her?
"Now in the handicraft club, there are rumors that Harumi has dated more than 60 girls here."
"..."
Why not say six hundred girls?
Naruse soon realized that the girls he invited to the coffee shop said this themselves, and their intention was nothing more than to show off.
He was somewhat embarrassed and had no intention of telling Shang Zi that he was actually investigating.
"There are so many girls... and it's just drinking coffee and chatting."
"'Just coffee and chit-chat'?"
Shangzi leaned slightly and looked at him with a tilted head, "Chunhai has never taken me to a place like this."
"..."
Naruse stopped and grabbed her again.
"Take the next bus."
"Okay~"
The two of them walked back and were about to enter the cafe when Naruse suddenly looked at Naoko: "I feel like you are a little happy today."
Normally, Shangzi would not say what he just said.
"It's like... letting go of something?"
Shangzi smiled and did not deny it.
"Probably."
There are still empty seats on the first floor, but Naruse has been to the second floor of the cafe and feels that the atmosphere upstairs is better.
The two of them each ordered a cup of coffee and a small piece of cake, and sat down opposite each other by the window on the second floor. Shangzi first talked about the current problems encountered by the handicraft club.
"The 'tree' fell? That should be a design problem."
Naruse had spent so many days at the handicraft club and already knew about the paper apple tree they were going to display at the cultural festival.
"Well, we are now discussing how to improve it. It is too late to redesign other plans."
"I just want to make the paper tree stable. There are many ways, right? For example, use glue."
"No, that would defeat the original intention of the design." Shangzi shook his head.
"Environmentally friendly?"
"Yeah."
Naruse thought for a while, "What about using wires or something to connect them internally?"
"That would be too simple and crude, and it would not reflect the sense of design."
"..."
Naruse pursed his lips and looked out the window sideways.
Shangzi laughed, "This is the troublesome part of the handicraft club."
After laughing, she paused for a few seconds, and when she spoke again, her voice was several minutes lower.
"When I went to the club to help during the summer vacation, I made some suggestions for improvement, and today, a senior sister said that suggestion was the key to why they did not discover design problems early."
Naruse looked over for a moment.
"Takahashi?"
Naoko opened his eyes slightly, "Chunhai really knows the people in our club."
"Well... I can guess a little bit, I just got it right."
Naruse hid it, but he was more surprised: Naoko would actually take the initiative to mention to him today that he had been targeted.
"Can you guess... Then Harumi should already know that Takahashi-senpai occasionally targets me."
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Naruse did not deny it, but asked: "Is it just 'occasionally'?"
Shangzi smiled and continued without changing his statement:
"I have always felt that in a club with a majority of girls, it is inevitable to encounter this kind of thing; and the senior students usually don't go too far, so I..."
"Bear it if you can." Naruse looked at her and said.
"Yes, after all, they are not the reason why I stay in the handicraft club. I never told Chunhai because I didn't want you to worry about me. However, Chunhai still noticed it..."
Naruse snorted lightly.
There were footsteps on the stairs, and the clerk came to the second floor with coffee and desserts.
"Please use your coffee and cake with ease."
The clerk went down quickly, Naruse picked up the coffee and took a sip, while Naoko tasted the cake first.
"So sweet..."
Seeing the smile blooming on her face, Naruse also took a bite of the cake.
Feeling the sweetness and smoothness of the cream on his tongue, a question arose in his mind: In this case, what is it that makes Shangzi happy?
She quickly told him the answer: "The minister stood up and spoke for me today."
"Huh?" Naruse was even more surprised.
That "neutral" minister actually sided with Shangzi?
"When Takahashi-senpai put the blame on me, the minister reprimanded her in front of everyone."
"Real or false..."
"Senior Ogawa also spoke for me." Naoko smiled.
Looking at a little cream on her lips, Naruse reached out and wiped it away, "Is that why you are so happy?"
"And..."
Shangzi's cheeks turned red, and after a long time he continued: "The minister called me out to chat for a while. She seemed to have a special plan. Can Harumi guess what it is?"
Naruse picked up the coffee and asked, "Do you want Naoko to replace her as the next minister?"
"Ah..."
She was stunned.
He could only pretend to be surprised: "Did I guess it right again?"
"I don't know..."
Shangzi shook his head, "The minister seems to have this intention, but this is just my guess."
"I'm optimistic about Naoko." Naruse said.
"Thank you."
She smiled and then became very serious.
"So, I don't have to worry about Harumi. I'll just stay in Class C and help out during this period of time - I want to solve the matters in the handicraft club by myself."