The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 4Volume 2 .5 - Pathetic Scone
The Pitiful Scone 5
“Alright. I’ll consult with the president over the phone right now.”
“Um, Dad?”
As her father stood up to leave, Chika, who had been quietly watching the exchange, raised her hand to stop him.
“What does it mean to distribute sweets at the children’s association? When I was little, we used to have a Halloween party in costume.”
“Recently, the activities of the children’s association have been shrinking. The number of children has decreased, and there seem to be only five this year. Naturally, the association’s budget decreases as well, and the burden on the parents who serve as officers increases. So, they’ve just been distributing sweets for the past few years.”
“That’s… I have such fun memories of the Halloween party.”
Chika said with a disappointed tone after hearing her father’s explanation.
“I understand how you feel, but just handing out sweet is still better. It seems that the children’s association itself might be gone by next year.”
“Is that so? I didn’t realize things had come to that…”
Chika furrowed her brows and began to ponder deeply while murmuring this. Across from her, her mother’s face lit up with nostalgia.
“Chika was so cute when she dressed up as an angel for Halloween when she was little. She was all white and fluffy. I thought she might actually be a real angel.”
Her mother reminisced.
She’s nicknamed ‘Angel of Peace’, but it seems she showed signs of this from a young age. However, Sōma, who has been thoroughly exposed to Chika’s true nature, doesn’t think of her as an angel in the slightest.
“Sōma-kun, shall I show you the photos?”
“No, thank you. I’ll respectfully decline.”
And so, Sōma politely refused when Chika’s mother attempted to bring over the album.
As the disappointed mother settled back into her chair, Chika looked up at her father.
“Dad, can I turn the children’s association Halloween into a party?”
“What did you say?”
Her father was surprised, but so was Sōma sitting next to her. With widened eyes, he stared at her as she proposed something unexpected.
“It’s such a waste to just receive sweets and have it end there. That would be disappointing for the children. I might not be able to do much, but at the very least, I want to give them a party.”
“Chika, are you serious about this?”
“Of course. I don’t joke about these things.”
“I suppose so…”
Chika’s father glanced at his wife. She nodded slowly, her face still wearing a gentle smile.
Understanding his wife’s intent with just that, he told them to wait and headed to the hallway to make a phone call.
Ten minutes later, the father returned and informed his daughter and Sōma.
“I’ve got permission from the neighborhood association president. Both of you, do your best.”
“Thank you, Dad!!”
“Thank you for giving us this chance.”
Chika beamed innocently with joy, and Sōma bowed deeply in gratitude.
“However, we will not help you. Neither the neighborhood association nor the children’s association officers will assist. You must manage on your own. Also, the budget is very limited. You must not go over it, and I won’t allow you to spend your own money on it either. It wouldn’t be considered a success even if you cover it up. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Sōma-san, let’s work hard together!”
Chika’s energetic words were met with a firm nod from Sōma.
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“—Why did you suggest such a thing?”
As the tea party ended and he was about to leave, Sōma asked this question at the entrance.
“Was it surprising?”
“Yeah, it was. I’m a bit surprised.”
It might be so.
Up until now, the challenges Chika had taken on, like going shopping for clothes, planning a picnic, or making a bento, were all things that could be completed just between Chika and Sōma.
However, the Halloween party was different. Children would be participating, and it was a larger-scale event than anything they had wanted to do before.
“Do you like Halloween that much?”
Chika denied the off-target guess with a laugh.
“No, that’s not it. As I told my parents, I have fun memories of the neighborhood Halloween party, but they’re not so important that they’re the sole reason I’m motivated to do this.”
“Then why?”
“Don’t you know?”
When she looked at him, Sōma had a troubled expression. He really didn’t seem to understand.
Feeling a bit dissatisfied, Chika poked him in the chest.
“Of course the reason is you, Sōma-san.”
“Me?”
Sōma’s eyes widened in surprise.
“If you’re going to work hard, then I want to work hard too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sōma was going to make sweets for the children’s Halloween party. That was amazing.
Chika wanted him to do his best. She wanted to support him with all her might.
――But was that really enough?
Originally, the plan was for Sōma to make sweets and then simply give them to the children. All Chika could do was hand out the sweets.
Sōma would work hard to make delicious sweets, and she would just hand them out.
The effort didn’t seem balanced.
Just imagining it made her feel frustrated.
Sōma was currently lacking confidence, worried about whether he could make the sweets well. But Chika was certain that he would definitely create sweets that would make the children happy.
If that happened, he would have a satisfied look on his face when they talked about this year’s Halloween memories someday.
And at that time, what kind of face could she, who had only handed out sweets, make?
『Sōma-san, you worked hard.』
She didn’t want a future where that was all she could say.
『We both worked hard back then!』
She wanted to say that with a smile.
That’s why she searched for something she could work hard on too, and suggested they host the Halloween party.
To stand beside Sōma.
“Hey, Sōma-san. Let’s both do our best, okay?”
She stopped poking him and raised her hand.
“Yeah, let’s make it a Halloween party that will leave the kids completely satisfied.”
Understanding her intent, Sōma gave her a high five vigorously.
A crisp and satisfying sound echoed.
