Fukayama Midori's Campus Story

It's over, it's really over.

Looking at the application form in his hands, now stamped with approval, Fukayama Midori truly felt that it was over.

He admitted that he had indeed been a bit impulsive.

Who doesn't fantasize about having a colorful high school life? But Fukayama Midori didn't want to do anything too troublesome.

Therefore, most of his actions had always stopped at the "thinking" stage; in any case, that enthusiasm would fade away after a while.

Of course, every time Suzuran Ayano and his younger sister would get angry at his lack of ambition, trying to force him to show some drive, the result was naturally useless.

However, this time the situation was different.

For the first time, Fukayama Midori experienced the feeling of being praised and given a push from behind, rather than being dragged along by force.

"Look, Otaku-kun, this is a photo from middle school. How is it? Isn't it super cute and fresh?"

Nagase Kumari leaned in, showing Fukayama Midori the photo she had registered for the vice-president position.

Nagase Kumari had already been a gyaru since her middle school days.

The girl in the photo was indeed more youthful than she was now, but Fukayama Midori could also see the forced nature of her smile and the shadows behind it.

Thinking back to the lunches he saw Nagase buying at the small takeout restaurant earlier, Fukayama Midori was very concerned.

"Nagase-san, you..." Fukayama Midori looked at the girl who always seemed so cheerful in front of him; he wanted to ask about her.

For example, why did she become a gyaru, and why didn't she have money for food? Was her family situation bad?

These were all things Fukayama Midori wanted to know.

"Hm? What's wrong? Am I not cute?" Nagase Kumari looked at him with a brilliant smile.

"You're very cute, hahaha." Fukayama Midori said, scratching the back of his head.

He still didn't have the courage to ask; he was afraid that if he said those things, she would end up hating him.

"Right? I think so too!"

Looking at Nagase Kumari's cheerful smile, Fukayama Midori felt that things were fine just as they were.

At this moment, he felt that his high school life really seemed to be starting to change.

"Alright, since we've already signed up! Next, we need to make flyers!"

"By the way, why don't we do something different from them? Instead of just writing text, why don't we draw them by hand? If we make them cute, they'll definitely be popular!"

"Yabai~ The more I think about it, the more excited I get! Otaku-kun, what do you think of my idea?"

As she spoke, Nagase Kumari unconsciously wrapped her arms around Fukayama Midori's arm.

Feeling the sensation coming from his arm, Fukayama Midori subconsciously tensed his body; it was the first time a girl had interacted with him like this.

Although Suzuran Ayano was Fukayama Midori's childhood friend, let alone holding his arm, she wouldn't even walk close to him without getting angry and saying things like, "Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that you have no friends, I wouldn't want to walk with you."

Breathing in the scent wafting from Nagase Kumari, Fukayama Midori couldn't help but feel distracted.

"Ah, yes, okay, I think it's great."

"Right! Then leave it to me! Leave the flyer production to me. Don't look at me like that, I'm actually really good at drawing."

Only then did Fukayama Midori react.

"Nagase-san, you can draw?"

Seeing Fukayama Midori's surprised look, Nagase Kumari proudly puffed out her already ample chest, pressing even more firmly against Fukayama Midori.

"How about that? Surprised, right? Actually, I've always loved drawing. Of course, mostly drawing pretty and cute 2D characters. Look, the makeup on my face is something I did myself. Cute, right?"

"Yeah, I, I think it's great too." Fukayama Midori scratched the back of his head and nodded.

At such close range, Fukayama Midori could see Nagase Kumari even more clearly.

Although Nagase Kumari was also dressed as a gyaru, her style was simpler and cuter than her two other gyaru companions.

Those two companions seemed to want to hang everything that looked "cool" on themselves, but Nagase Kumari was not like that.

Whether it was her eyelashes, lipstick, contact lenses, or her striking hair color, nothing was at a level that would make people afraid at first glance; looking closely, it actually made one feel captivated.

Fukayama Midori had once thought about changing his own style, but such notions were quickly nipped in the bud by his bullying-type childhood friend and his own sister.

They even reported him to his parents, which led to his allowance being cut off for a long time.

"By the way, Otaku-kun, can you lend me some more money? Hehehe~"

Seeming to have just remembered the "important business," Nagase Kumari blinked at Fukayama Midori with an embarrassed expression.

"..." He had just thought she was cute, and now she wanted to borrow money again?

The smile on Fukayama Midori's face stiffened, but there was no helping it.

He felt his pocket, where the sound of a few coins clinking together could be heard.

"Sorry, Nagase-san, I didn't bring much money out today."

"There's only three hundred yen here; I was planning to use it to buy juice."

A new magical girl figure and a few idol photobooks he had been following were released yesterday.

Fukayama Midori had no choice but to save some of his pocket money.

"I see, then forget it." Looking at the mere three hundred yen, Nagase Kumari waved her hand and didn't take it.

"Are you sure you're okay, Nagase? If you don't have money for food, maybe I can help you borrow some from someone else."

Remembering how Nagase Kumari used to buy piles of expired bread and bread crusts, Fukayama Midori said with a twinge of guilt in his heart.

"Ahahahaha, it's fine, it's fine, really, I'll think of something else. I've always gotten by like this before anyway." Nagase Kumari continued to smile brightly.

Seeing this, Fukayama Midori could only nod, thinking he would ask his parents working overseas for a bit more pocket money before he went back.

The two then began to chat about their student council election flyers, discussing what kind of patterns to draw and what content to write to make them more interesting.

When it came to things related to 2D culture, Fukayama Midori became quite talkative.

Unlike Suzuran Ayano, Nagase Kumari was equally knowledgeable about 2D culture, and the two even started discussing the latest anime series.

They also had a great time discussing the production of the flyer.

Although Fukayama Midori noticed the gazes directed at him from those around them, he didn't care at all; this moment was undoubtedly a beautiful scene he had seen in his dreams.

Just as the atmosphere was so pleasant, a hand suddenly grabbed Nagase Kumari from behind.

"Kumari, you're here? Why didn't you reply to the message I sent you last night? And who is this guy?"

"Osawa-senpai." Nagase Kumari called out the name of the upperclassman before her.

At this moment, she also instinctively let go of the arm of Fukayama Midori she had been holding.

"This is my classmate. Is there something you need, Osawa-senpai? I was very busy last night."

"Hello, Senpai."

Fukayama Midori hurriedly lowered his head to bow to the other person.

"Classmate?" Osawa Nobuhiko glanced at Fukayama Midori and immediately lost interest in him.

"Nagase, are you unwilling to answer my calls even if you're making a move on this brat? What 'very busy'? That's just an excuse, right? Are you planning to switch to someone else again?"

Switch to someone else? Making a move?

Listening to these words from the side, Fukayama Midori's mind couldn't help but automatically piece together some implications.

Nagase Kumari was also a bit flustered at this point; she hurriedly pulled Osawa Nobuhiko toward the stairs, saying, "What are you saying, Osawa-senpai? Let's go somewhere else to talk. I'll explain it to you."

"Goodbye, Otaku-kun. You should head back to the classroom first; I'll be back soon."

"Alright, Osawa-senpai, let's go. Honestly, don't say things like that in front of my classmate."

Watching the figure of Nagase Kumari pulling someone else away, Fukayama Midori, left behind, couldn't help but stare blankly.

However, looking at the student council election application form in his hand, he clenched his fist and then let it go.

"Actually, I didn't want to participate in the student council election that much anyway." Fukayama Midori muttered, turned around, and tossed the application form in his hand into the trash can.