To find Ririka, Naoki resumed her usual routine, grabbing a cleaning tool and wandering from one student council room to the next.
Eventually, she found her in the archives room.
She wasn't sure what Ririka was reading, but the girl was deeply engrossed in it. Since the archives weren't open to regular students, Naoki waited just outside the door.
Ririka was shy. If Naoki didn't take the initiative, nothing would ever happen.
She pulled out the chocolate she'd prepared earlier and got ready. Today, she was going to shoot her shot.
Ririka didn't have much experience in love. Her bashfulness made the direct approach the best option.
"Um, Vice President, thank you for helping me last time. This is a little something from me, please accept it." Naoki lowered her head shyly as Ririka stepped out of the room, using another Charm Card in the process.
The air froze for a second. Ririka, wearing her mask, stared at the box of chocolates Naoki offered, looking momentarily confused.
Luckily, they were still in the student council area. No one else was around to witness the scene.
Why isn't she saying anything? I even used a Charm Card!
Naoki grumbled internally.
Finally, Ririka reached out and took the chocolate box. A mechanical voice came through the voice modulator beneath her mask. "I understand. I'll accept your gift."
Something's off.
Why was she so calm? Wasn't the Charm Card supposed to overwhelm her? Ririka was such a shy girl, how could she receive a confession gift from another girl so naturally?
As Ririka turned to leave, Naoki couldn't hold back the frustration of wasting a Charm Card. She chased after her in two quick steps.
"Vice President, don't you have anything else to say to me?"
Ririka glanced sideways. "What do you want me to say?"
Naoki: …
No, this isn't right. This isn't Ririka. There's no way she'd be unaffected by the Charm Card. Last time, she was totally entranced even without a word from me.
I even gave her a gift this time, and she's colder? That makes no sense.
"You're not the Vice President, are you?"
The woman chuckled. "Why do you say that?"
"Instinct. I've seen her. You give off a completely different vibe," Naoki said confidently.
**System: You've seen through the disguise. Kirari Momobami's favorability +1.**
Naoki: …
These twin sisters, always playing dress-up and swapping roles.
The woman said nothing more and simply walked ahead. Naoki followed reluctantly, after all, her chocolate was still in the imposter's hands.
Realizing she'd just confessed to Kirari, Naoki wanted to faint on the spot.
They arrived at the Vice President's office. Kirari casually sat down on the sofa.
"Give it back," Naoki said, pulling on her arm. She didn't really mind if Kirari ate it, but she still had to pretend her heart belonged to Ririka.
"Chocolate?" Kirari inspected the box with interest. Who knew her sister had actually charmed herself a little fangirl?
So it's mutual, huh?
Even without seeing each other's faces, they could recognize each other. Just like how Sayaka could instantly tell the difference between Kirari and Ririka.
"By the way, who are you really? And where's the Vice President?" Naoki played along, pretending to be clueless.
Powerful people loved secret identity games. Playing along could win points. After all, if this was Kirari being herself, she wouldn't be chatting about chocolate in an office with Naoki.
Kirari didn't answer. "She's not here today."
Naoki sighed. "That's a shame. Could you give this to her for me then? Oh, and since this is my first time making chocolate, I'm not confident. Try one and let me know how it tastes."
Naoki opened the box. Inside were an assortment of handmade chocolates, molded into playful shapes.
"Doesn't look deadly," Kirari said dryly, picking up a cherry-shaped piece and popping it into her mouth.
"How is it?"
She already knew the answer. These were handmade by Kusunokuro as a favor for everything she'd done to help her.
Of course, Kusunokuro didn't say no.
With her love of sewing and cooking, Kusunokuro whipped up eight unique flavors without breaking a sweat.
Kirari wanted to nitpick, but the taste was undeniable.
She'd eaten countless artisan chocolates from top-tier chefs, and she could tell instantly: this wasn't mass-produced. This was genuine, homemade craft.
"Not bad," she muttered.
That's it? Just "not bad"? It's *amazing*, okay!
**System: Kirari Momobami's favorability +1, thanks to the delicious chocolate.**
Ha! Naoki's culinary skills mostly involved melting chocolate, pouring it into molds, and freezing it again.
They say the love in chocolate matters more than the taste. But hey, why not have both?
"You've already eaten three pieces. Still just 'not bad'? Never mind, since the Vice President isn't here, I'll give this batch to you. I'll make another one when I see her next time."
Kirari hadn't lied, Ririka had returned to the family estate for a few days. Kirari occasionally roamed the academy in her sister's disguise.
Only a few senior members of the Student Council knew that the President and Vice President were twin sisters.
"I'm heading out," Naoki said. Since Ririka wasn't around, it didn't fit her character to linger.
"Wait."
Naoki paused, hopeful. Did the Charm Card finally kick in?
"What's your name? When the Vice President returns, I'll let her know."
Ugh... Still just playing matchmaker for her sister?
"Naoki Utsugi. Class 1-B."
...
Back at the second library's prep room, Mary, Kusunokuro, and the others were buzzing with excitement.
"We earned 300,000 yen just like that!"
"All thanks to Mary's gamble idea."
"And Togakushi's twist was genius too!"
The three were already dressed in their maid outfits, and Naoki could easily imagine how wild things had gotten.
"So this is how you're drawing in customers? Smart move. For a new casino, it's a great way to get attention. Your business is doing well."
Mary looked more confident than ever. "I'll earn enough to repay you."
Naoki didn't care about repayment.
"Oh, and Kusunokuro, your chocolate was amazing."
"Really? I'll make more next time." Making her friends happy was Kusunokuro's greatest joy.
"That would be wonderful."
Watching Naoki and Kusunokuro get cozy again, Mary cut in. "Hey, it's about time we pack up and go home."
...
The next day.
Hyakkaou Academy's Student Council announced a Friendship Party to be held in three days. This time, it would include a same-sex matchmaking area.
The news stirred excitement, especially among girls who'd previously shown no interest in gambling-based matchmaking.
"A Friendship Party? Gambling for romance? I'm not interested," Mary scoffed. Her mind was on the casino and making money.
But Kusunokuro and Togakushi looked intrigued.
Togakushi explained, "If you win a million yen in one go, you won't even need to worry about the casino dues this month. The bets allow various strategies like dining or dating to lower the payout rate. And if it's girl-on-girl gambling, even if you pair up, it's not a big deal."
"What if the girl across from you actually *is* gay?" Mary asked, deadpan.
"That's fine, isn't it? We're all girls, it's not like we're at a loss," Togakushi answered casually.
Mary frowned. No, she *definitely* minded.
Dating a random girl and doing... stuff? Unacceptable.
Naoki suddenly grinned. "Mary, don't tell me, you're into girls?"
"What? Of course not! I just don't care about this kind of gamble," Mary snapped.
"No way. If you were totally straight, you'd react like Togakushi, indifferent. 'Just girls, nothing will happen.' But if you get all flustered about dating or staying the night with a stranger, that's a little sus. The more you deny, the weirder it sounds."
After Naoki's comment, Togakushi and Kusunokuro looked at Mary with a new kind of curiosity.
Mary blushed, yelling that Naoki was slandering her.
"Then come prove you're not gay by joining! I don't mind joining myself."
"Y-you're going too?" Kusunokuro asked.
"Yep."
"I want to go too. What about you, Mary?"
"Fine! I'm only going because the prize is big, alright?"
"Great! Let's all go together!"
Wait, how did this turn into her going to a lesbian matchmaking party just to prove she *wasn't* into girls? Mary felt like she'd walked into a trap.
...
Mary's casino had been booming for days. Since the dealer could only face one person at a time, and each guest was limited to three games a day, the line was always long.
Many came just to see the maid costumes, bought drinks, and tossed in tens of thousands of yen to try what they assumed was a pure-luck game.
With the simple strategy involved, Mary had the three rotate shifts, ensuring everyone got rest.
That day, Mary was deep in thought in the library, planning the next gambling setup.
The more people played the Magic Dice, the easier it was to notice patterns. She only planned to run it for a week before switching it out.
Meanwhile, Naoki wandered around the Student Council building like usual. And finally, she caught Ririka.
"Vice President! You're back!"
Naoki barreled toward her, pinning Ririka to the wall in a surprise kabedon.
There was no escape. Naoki was too passionate, and Ririka didn't know how to reject her.
She was just so cute.
"What are you doing? Let me go," Ririka said, her voice flustered even through the modulator.
"I've been waiting for you for days."
Even though her voice was mechanical, the uneven cadence revealed her nervous heart.
"Hey, Vice President, let me take you out for tea, yeah?"
Faced with Naoki's hopeful eyes, how could Ririka say no?
...
From the neighboring office, Kirari listened to the commotion, watching her silly sister get swept off her feet.
She thought Naoki was serious about Ririka, but now it seemed like her sister was falling way too easily.
Sayaka Igarashi was also in the President's office, delivering her report. Her expression darkened.
Just as she expected. This Naoki Utsugi couldn't sit still for a second. Now she was even hitting on the Vice President.
Thank goodness her beloved President would never fall for someone like *that*.
Sayaka looked over at Kirari, her eyes instantly softening. The President had even invited her to share chocolate today, was it a hint?
"President, this chocolate is really good. It tastes handmade."
"Yeah, Naoki gave it to me. She's a pretty good cook," Kirari said with a smile.
The chocolate that tasted so sweet a moment ago now clung to Sayaka's throat like syrupy lead.
She forced herself to stay composed in front of her beloved President.
But... why?
Why did she call her by name so affectionately?
When did she even *give* her the chocolate?
Sayaka hadn't noticed at all.
Unforgivable. That girl wasn't satisfied with seducing the Vice President, she even gave Kirari chocolate?
This tramp! Sayaka couldn't allow someone like that to corrupt the President.
"Sayaka, is something wrong?" Kirari asked, noticing her shift in mood.
"No, nothing. Just a little tired."
Since Naoki Utsugi showed up, Sayaka's peace of mind had been under constant attack.
If she were just being silly on her own, that would be fine.
But now she was messing with the most important person in Sayaka's world.
Wandering around the Student Council building every day like she belonged there... Something was up.
And the other girls in the council even treated her well. What kind of tricks was she using?
...
Cafeteria, Dessert Shop, Private Booth Upstairs.
Naoki had ordered tricolor dango, yokan, tea, and baumkuchen.
"That's enough. We won't finish all of this."
Naoki looked at Ririka with a mischievous smile. She just wanted to watch Ririka eat, so she ordered extra.
With just the two of them, it wasn't too much. Everything came in small portions anyway.
Last time she saw Kirari eat chocolate, it slipped under her mask. But today... they were drinking tea. Let's see how she avoids unmasking now.
Yes, Naoki was extremely curious to see Ririka's real face.
"Vice President, you can't eat with a mask on. There's no one else here."
Ririka hesitated, then slowly removed her mask. A fair, lovely face appeared before Naoki.
Stunning beauty, delicate as a blooming flower.
"My name is Ririka." The girl folded her hands and looked nervous.
Naoki felt her heart melt. Ririka was exactly the kind of girl she dreamed of when she was younger, pure, lovely, shy in front of the one she liked.
Ririka wasn't sure why... but the moment she agreed to come today, she'd already decided to reveal her secret.
She didn't want to hide anything from this girl.