Naoki picked up the mop and started pretending to clean the floor. Well, not pretending—she was supposed to be mopping, after all.
The footsteps stopped just outside the door. Naoki glanced up casually—and locked eyes with a girl standing at the entrance.
Long black hair was tied into a graceful ponytail. Her features were refined, her overall appearance elegant and scholarly. There was a composed calmness about her, not cold but measured. Just by looking at her, Naoki could tell she must be top of her class, and probably well-liked too.
The system pinged a tooltip in Naoki's mind, confirming the girl's identity.
Student Council Secretary — Sayaka Igarashi.
Another one of the capture targets.
Compared to Miharu Taki Sakura, Sayaka had a quieter, more restrained aura. It suited her role as the behind-the-scenes secretary.
When Sayaka spotted Naoki cleaning, she paused outside the doorway, not entering.
Naoki called out, "Just a few more minutes. The meeting's at three, right?"
It was only two. What are you doing here so early?
Sayaka held some documents in her arms. Without replying, she stepped inside and walked straight to the bookshelf to begin organizing papers.
Naoki blinked. Was that... being ignored?
She was starting to seriously doubt whether the charm pill she took days ago had done anything. Every one of these student council girls had nerves of steel.
Cleaning the student council building was a golden opportunity. Ordinary students would never get this close to high-ranking council members. Even if it didn't lead to anything major, just a little interaction could earn her some recognition. That might be enough to boost her rank.
The floor was almost done, but Sayaka showed zero intention of chatting. Focused entirely on her prep work.
Naoki didn't want to waste this rare chance to interact with a capture target.
No choice. Might as well test out the charm card.
Activate: Charm Card.
Suddenly, Naoki transformed into a creature of pure feline allure—a purring kitten in human form, exuding pheromones.
She grabbed her cloth and sashayed over to the bookshelf beside Sayaka, voice soft and sweet: "Miss Igarashi, I haven't cleaned this part yet."
She leaned in, moving gracefully as if dancing, her body brushing just close enough to draw attention.
Yes, Naoki was doing this on purpose. She wanted to see how effective the charm card was against a main target.
Ordinary students had fallen for it like dominos.
Sayaka closed the file in her hand and returned it to the shelf. Her typically composed face twitched ever so slightly.
She looked at Naoki with something between disbelief and annoyance.
It was like a cat had started breakdancing beside her.
"What's your name?" she finally asked.
She spoke!
Naoki immediately replied, "Naoki Uzutsugi."
Sayaka repeated the name, her tone flat: "Naoki Uzutsugi, is it? Don't bother coming tomorrow."
"...Huh?"
"You're fired."
Without another word, Sayaka turned away from the bookshelf.
Naoki blinked.
"Why!?"
"This place needs a janitor, not a dancer."
Naoki: ...
"System! That charm card was useless! It made things worse!"
The system chimed in, deadpan: "You really don't get it, do you? That was the equivalent of meeting a girl for the first time and stripping while saying, 'Wanna get a room?' Of course it works on perverts. Normal girls? Not so much."
Naoki had no rebuttal. The system was right.
The charm card wasn't a free pass. Misused, it backfired spectacularly.
She sighed. That test had come at a steep price.
She couldn't afford to lose this job.
Just then, more footsteps echoed down the hall. Recognizing the rhythm, Naoki glanced toward the doorway—and caught sight of a familiar face.
Showtime.
She snapped into performance mode.
"Please, Miss Igarashi! I'm begging you. Don't take this job away from me!" Naoki wailed dramatically, tears beading at the corners of her eyes.
Sayaka frowned. Was this girl seriously switching gears this fast?
She turned around—just as Miharu Taki Sakura entered the room.
"What's going on here?"
That pitiful voice, the tears, and the girl clutching her cleaning rag with trembling hands—it instantly caught Miharu's attention.
She recognized the girl immediately. After all, Miharu had only just dealt with a disciplinary report involving her days ago.
And rumors had been circulating on campus about the girl being bullied by some upperclassmen.
Apparently, she'd lost a bet and was on the verge of being demoted to housepet.
And now here she was, cleaning the council building.
That... kind of confirmed the gossip.
It was clear she wasn't doing this by choice.
Miharu felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't her fault, technically—but the bullies had been punished under her orders. If they took revenge on this girl, wasn't that, in a way, indirectly her responsibility?
System: Miharu Taki Sakura sees your pitiful state and feels sympathy. Affection +3.
"Sayaka, what happened?"
Before Sayaka could speak, Naoki stepped forward and took the blame: "It was my fault. I didn't clean the shelf properly. That's why Miss Igarashi said I couldn't work here anymore."
"But... I really need this job. Please, give me another chance."
Seeing her so desperate, Miharu softened.
"Sayaka, it was just a shelf. Let it go. She can redo it."
Sayaka: ...
Now she looked like the villain.
She cast a long look at Naoki, clearly remembering her earlier seductive act—but said nothing. That part would be way too awkward to explain.
She forced a smile, neither agreeing nor refusing. It was as good as a yes.
Miharu smiled gently at Naoki. "There. Go ahead and finish. It's fine now."
Naoki nodded gratefully.
System: Sayaka Igarashi saw through your manipulative performance. Affection -2.
Well, a loss was a loss. Naoki would fix that later.
For now, the focus was Miharu Taki Sakura.
Gentle, just as Naoki had hoped. The kind of person who would be easy to win over—and comforting to be near.