"It's your turn for cleaning duty today, Shimaura. Here, this is the key to the washroom. Please hand it over to the teacher at the administration office after you're done. Thanks~"
Inside the Technology Club's activity room, a girl wearing narrow-framed glasses and delicate makeup briskly gave Shimaura Hitomi her instructions. Then she tossed the key onto Shimaura Hitomi's desk, where it clattered loudly. The sound was rather grating at close range, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard.
The sudden noise made Shimaura Hitomi's heart skip a beat. Her hand trembled, and the solder joint came out crooked.
She sighed and helplessly glanced at the girl's departing back. She wasn't angry at her; instead, she blamed herself for being so timid and stupid.
After a while, Shimaura Hitomi began to find it strange. According to the schedule, she had only been on cleaning duty the night before last. It shouldn't have been her turn today.
So she went to check the duty roster and discovered it had been changed at the last minute. After the revision, today's cleaners were herself and... Ito Kiyoharu?
"Stop looking. Kiyoharu agreed to go to the car show with us, so you're the only one staying behind for cleaning duty, Otter Girl."
A passing club member casually tossed out that remark. Well, it wasn't entirely out of nowhere. About two weeks earlier, the Technology Club had begun discussing organizing a group trip to the spring car show.
The outing clearly suited the theme of a "Technology Club," making it easy to apply for activity funding. The club's benefactors—the several wealthy guys in the club—were all rabid sports car enthusiasts. Visiting the car show was the perfect chance for them to display their "vast knowledge" in front of the girls. Only when talking about sports cars