After the evening class meeting, it was time for school to end again.
After saying hello to Naruse, Naoko hurriedly packed her things and prepared to go to the club room.
Next week is the cultural festival, and the club is getting busier.
Before she went downstairs, she met Hikari Takigawa at the corner of the stairs, who was returning.
The latter was heading upstairs more anxiously than she was going downstairs, taking two or three steps at a time, and the two of them almost bumped into each other.
"...Light."
"Shangzi! Sorry, sorry~"
Takigawa Hikaru stood on the steps of the lower corridor and could look at her level, "I forgot my cell phone in the classroom."
"I see." Shangzi grabbed the handrail, "But be careful when going up the stairs."
"I understand." Takigawa Hikaru smiled slightly, "Naoko wants to go to the club?"
"Yeah."
Those who went upstairs continued to go upstairs, but those who came downstairs were suddenly stopped again before they could pass the corner of the stairs.
"Shangzi——"
Naoko turned around, and before she could see clearly, Hikaru Takigawa was already in front of her, as if she was stepping on a skateboard, and underneath the skateboard was not a corridor, but a smooth slope.
She lowered her voice when she spoke and naturally leaned forward, "I heard from my friends that Shangzi has encountered some trouble at the handicraft club recently."
"..."
Shangzi glanced at her in surprise.
"Are you okay?" Takigawa Hikaru then asked.
Shangzi shook his head, "It's okay."
Takigawa Hikaru thought for a while and then said: "If there is any misunderstanding, I know quite a few people and I can say a few words for Naoko."
"Thank you."
Shangzi stood up straight, then bent towards her again, and when he raised his head again, there was still the smile on her face that she couldn't be more familiar with.
"I feel Guang's kindness. If necessary, I will definitely come to Guang for help."
Takigawa Hikari also smiled, "That's good."
The two said goodbye again.
Watching Takigawa Hikari disappear at the top of the stairs, Naoko continued to go downstairs.
"Even the light noticed...has it gone too far lately?"
She went down to the second floor, walked through the connecting corridor between the main building and the auxiliary building, and came to the department room of the handicraft club. As soon as she entered the door, more than a dozen eyes were cast on her at the same time.
Some eyes were full of goodwill, either gently or warmly greeting her.
"Shangzi is here."
"Good afternoon~"
"Shangzi, Shangzi, come and see me..."
Some eyes were full of undisguised malice, equal parts disgust and disdain, but they kept pestering her and refused to let go.
"Look, Director Shangzi of the Handicraft Club is here, everyone get up and bow quickly——"
Takahashi Tomoyo waved his hands to the left and right, indicating that they would do as he said, but he sat still and raised his eyebrows at Naoko who was looking at him.
"There's no need to bow. Just shut up. People who don't know think it's a cloaca."
Ogawa Rina glanced at her sideways, then ignored her and held Naoko's hand.
"..."
Tomoyo Takahashi suddenly became cold, and then quietly asked the first-year girl next to him what cloaca meant.
"Well, senior sister...I don't know either!"
Naoko didn't pay attention to what was going on there, said a few words to Ogawa Rina, and then came to his seat and sat down.
The gazes gathered gradually decreased, but they did not disappear completely. Shangzi sighed inwardly.
The closer we get to the cultural festival, the more turbulent the handicraft club becomes.
The various factions that used to be divided due to different hobbies have basically been actively or passively integrated into two new camps in the past half month;
One faction is the "Konaka faction" headed by her, and the other faction is naturally the "Takahashi faction" headed by Tomoyo Takahashi, who is the most active in targeting her.
I don’t know since then, the rumors that she will take over as the next minister have become more and more intense. The dissatisfied Takahashi Tomoyo has become more unconcealed in his malice towards her, which naturally aroused even more intense resistance from the "this flower family"
.
The handicraft society has not yet split, but it has already split.
Of course, although the struggle is fierce, it is limited to words and attitudes.
What has changed is the atmosphere in the club, but what remains unchanged is that all members of the craft club still have to work together for the cultural festival.
After recovering her thoughts, Shangzi took out the fabric she brought and began to sew the task that was suddenly assigned to her last week - sewing some small animals for the paper apple tree as a foil.
A figure slowly approached and stopped beside her.
Shangzi raised his head and said, "Minister."
"How's it going?" Ritsuko Sugiyama motioned to the puppet in her hand.
"We can finish it all before the end of this week."
"Really? This matter is very important, but you must also pay attention to rest."
"Okay."
She didn't stay long, and soon walked to another member of the manual department, and then said similar words.
Shangzi looked at her twice before lowering his head and continuing.
In this turmoil, only Ritsuko Sugiyama, the current director of the Handicraft Club, remained neutral and rarely spoke out against the bad words from both sides, looking like she was going all out to prepare for the cultural festival;
As for her intention to take over as minister, no one has ever asked her publicly in the club, and Ritsuko Sugiyama has never publicly given any clear answer.
"Shangzi——"
Suddenly a girl from the other side of the club called her, "Come and take a look at this."
Shangzi stood up and walked over, picked up the fabric in her hand and looked at it.
"It feels very good."
"Yeah. I want to use this kind of fabric to sew the torso part. What do you think?"
"Okay. This kind of fabric has good elasticity..."
"Hello." Takahashi Tomoyo, who was sitting two or three meters away, suddenly turned around.
Shangzi gently pulled the fabric without raising his eyelids.
"Hey, this flower calls you."
Then she looked over and said, "Senior Takahashi."
Tomoyo Takahashi half-turned around, his arms resting on the strange-shaped tabletop in the back seat.
"Has your mistress not been here for a long time? Could it be that her last date with a dozen girls was discovered and she was too embarrassed to come here?"
Naoko lowered his head midway and looked at the girl who called him over, "Did you also buy this material at the fabric store in Tashiro Town?"
Being ignored by her like this, Takahashi felt angry and suddenly raised his voice:
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"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Shangzi glanced at her, "I don't understand what senior sister is talking about."
"Pfft."
An uncontrollable chuckle came from somewhere.
Boom!
Takahashi slapped the table and stood up.
"You're not acting arrogant because there are rumors that you will be the next minister, are you? You actually don't even pay attention to your seniors."
The entire handicraft club fell silent, and their eyes focused on her and Shangzi one after another.
"I didn't take my seniors seriously."
"Then why don't you answer my question?"
"I told you, I don't understand what the senior sister is talking about."
"You..."
"——Chise."
Sugiyama Ritsuko, who had been watching with cold eyes for a long time, finally spoke, "Stop making trouble, time is very tight now."
Takahashi Tomoyo turned his head and stared at her for a while, then gradually calmed down.
"Minister, I heard that you plan to let this flower serve as the next director of the handicraft club. Is it true?"
"..."
Ritsuko Sugiyama's face flashed with anger for a moment.
"I never said such a thing."
After she finished speaking, the whole department was followed by whispers.
"Really?"
Takahashi Tomoyo seemed to have foreseen such a result, and glanced at Naoko with a proud face.
She still didn't look at her, but fell into silence, holding the piece of fabric tightly in her hand.
"The next minister of the Handicraft Society should be jointly elected by the next members of the Handicraft Society."
Ritsuko Sugiyama looked around the club room, and her eyes finally fell on Naoko.
"——And that is also for next year. Do I need to emphasize the current focus again?"
No one spoke except Tomoyo Takahashi who answered with a strange accent.
Ritsuko Sugiyama walked around the club room again and then left.
"Just use this." Shangzi put down the fabric in his hand and said.
"Shangzi..." The girl looked at her worriedly.
"It's okay." Shangzi smiled slightly.
After returning to her seat and sitting for a while, her phone vibrated. She glanced at it and suddenly felt like laughing.
After gathering her mood, she stood up and prepared to leave the department.
"Naoko." Ogawa Rina pulled her.
"Senior?" Shangzi lowered his body, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Ogawa Rina looked at her again, and then let go.
"You can't hide in the toilet and cry alone."
"What did senior sister say..."
"Go!" Ogawa Rina patted her on the butt.
When I came to the bathroom, Sugiyama Ritsuko was waiting inside.
"My flower, do you want to be a minister?"
"..."
After being silent for a while, Shangzi nodded.
"No matter what, I will become a minister."
Her tone was calm, but it contained amazing determination. The silent person became Ritsuko Sugiyama.
"But not now."
Shangzi smiled slightly.
"Yes, Minister."
"Although just now..." Ritsuko Sugiyama paused, "When necessary, I will stand by Soka. I can guarantee that Soka will successfully become the next director of the Handicraft Club next year."
Shangzi smiled and said nothing.
"But now - especially now, the handicraft society still needs 'peace', do you understand?"
"I think the minister should tell this to Takahashi-senpai."
"I will." Ritsuko Sugiyama looked at her and said, "But... can't I avoid her here?"
"Does the minister want me not to come to the department?" Shangzi asked.
"No..."
Ritsuko Sugiyama hesitated for a moment, then said: "I mean, the attitude this flower had before is very suitable."
"Can you bear it if you can..." Shangzi whispered.
Sugiyama Ritsuko wanted to nod, but she held back.
In the past two weeks, Naoka Naoko has been like a docile child who has suddenly reached a rebellious stage. She ignores all kinds of provocations and occasionally even picks out loopholes in the other party's words to ridicule them. Even Takahashi and the others also
This aroused even more anger - "This Flower Group" actually became more united under this situation - the whole society was on the same level, and she highly suspected that her previous hints had a counter-effect.
After a brief silence, Shangzi nodded.
"I will be careful."
Naoko looked at her, "For the upcoming cultural festival."
Hearing this, Ritsuko Sugiyama breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.
Sure enough, she was right. This flower Naoko, like her, takes the overall situation into consideration and is worthy of entrustment.