Chapter 194: Poster Girl Kumiko
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 194: Poster Girl Kumiko
Several days passed.
"Ohohoho! You simply must try the spicy stir-fried pork my father made!"
Contrary to my expectation that she would find it unfamiliar, being the daughter of a wealthy family, the President had completely adapted to living at our house.
Normally, my mother would be the one serving customers in our restaurant, but the President insisted on helping out, wanting to pull her weight as someone living under our roof.
"Miss! Two orders of spicy stir-fried pork over here!"
"Can I get a refill on my beer?"
"Just a moment, please!"
The President answered the regular customers' orders in her refined tone.
Wearing an apron, she scurried over to the kitchen to place the orders, then returned with a refilled mug of draft beer.
She had always been a woman of many talents, but the serving skills she learned from my mother in such a short time were also first-class, worthy of the Saionji name.
Our already popular restaurant was now booming thanks to the appearance of our new poster girl.
"Hey, what are you doing just standing there? Go help the young lady."
"Ah, yes."
I had been standing at the counter, staring blankly at the President, but at my mother's urging, I hurriedly started carrying plates.
After a hectic rush, we finally closed up shop at 9 PM.
"Father, please let me pour you a drink."
"Well now, I can't refuse a drink poured by our dear Saionji."
Watching the President pour a beer for my father as he relaxed after a long day, she seemed more like a part of the family than I did.
"...Hey."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Aren't you two getting a little too used to this? What are you going to do when the President is gone?"
At my words, both of my parents froze simultaneously.
"Haha, don't say such scary things. Our Saionji isn't the type to just disappear without a word."
"Honestly, if you have time to say things like that, just eat an apple."
My mother said, forcibly stuffing a slice of apple into my mouth.
It seemed they were in denial.
Watching them, I announced I was heading to my room and stood up.
Thud.
I entered my room and sat down in my chair.
The room, about 350 square feet, was so packed with exercise equipment that there was barely any room to walk, but the cramped space it created actually put my mind at ease.
Then, a beat later, reality hit me.
'Isn't this a bit dangerous?'
At first, I had only offered a room to the President because she had nowhere else to go. But now, it felt like she had blended into this family better than I had.
Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the child of this house, not me.
'To think I'd be worrying about something like this.'
Looking at it this way, I could only conclude that the President was a truly captivating woman.
I was stewing in my thoughts when it happened.
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking on my door.
"Yoo-Sung, may I come in?"
"Ah, yes. Come in."
With my permission, the President opened the door and entered.
She was holding a plate of fruit.
Placing the plate on my desk, she asked.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?"
"Because you had a strange look on your face while you were watching me."
"...Hmm."
I felt like she'd hit the nail on the head.
And here I thought I was hiding it well.
I scratched my head and decided to be honest.
"It's just... it looked like you were more the child of this house than I am."
"Haha, what are you talking about? Are you perhaps jealous?"
"Maybe. I can't treat my parents as affectionately as you do."
It was probably because I, as a person, was an imposter who had slipped into a normal family by possessing the body of the deceased Kim Yoo-Sung.
I had tried my best to be a filial son to make up for taking his place, but it never quite worked out the way I wanted.
Even in my past life, I was never good with sweet talk.
Hearing my sincere confession, the President smiled warmly and took my hand.
"Yoo-Sung. Both of my parents passed away when I was young."
"...Yes."
"So, I was raised by my grandfather from a very early age. I'm not unhappy about that fact, but I've always longed for my parents. What I've felt these past few days while staying here is... I wonder if this is what it would have been like if my parents were still alive."
I listened to her, my lips pressed tightly together.
I never imagined she was thinking something like that.
I felt a little pathetic.
"I treat them well partly because I miss my own parents, but also because they're your parents, Yoo-Sung. If you and I get married someday, they'll become my parents-in-law, right? So I thought I'd score some points in advance."
She spoke of marriage with a casual expression, but her face was quite serious.
There was no doubt she meant every word.
"So you don't need to be so jealous. It's all for the best in the end, isn't it?"
She looked at me with such benevolent eyes that I couldn't hold back my laughter any longer.
"Pfft!"
As the laugh escaped me, the President blinked her eyes blankly.
"Yoo-Sung...?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, it's just... what you said was so cute."
"......"
The President's cheeks puffed up like a blowfish.
It seemed my sudden outburst had made her angry.
"I'm really sorry. It's just that you looked so cute trying to comfort me."
As I wiped away a tear of mirth, the President, who had been glaring daggers at me, let out a small sigh and muttered.
"Fine. I suppose the kind and generous me will have to understand."
I watched her cautiously before asking.
"By the way, aren't you overdoing it lately, President?"
"Overdoing it?"
"You're busy during the day with school and student council work, and then you help out at the restaurant in the evening. Even if you had ten bodies, it wouldn't be enough."
"...I'm still okay for now. I have done some training, after all."
"You'll ruin your health like that. I don't mind you helping out occasionally, but you don't have to help at the restaurant every day. My parents won't say anything if you don't."
"I understand."
The President nodded with a reluctant expression.
She looked as if she'd just been scolded.
To comfort her, I pulled her into a hug and asked.
"So, what happened with the Vice President?"
"According to Minami, he's taking full responsibility for what happened and has returned to his hometown to await his punishment. At school, we've processed it as a leave of absence. He was so close to graduation, it would be a waste for him to drop out because of this, don't you think?"
"...That's true."
"I plan to keep his position open so that Shinji can return whenever he's ready. To be honest, if I were to cast out such a loyal subordinate, who would want to work for me? It was the right thing to do."
"That's admirable of you."
I stroked the President's trembling shoulders.
Overcome with emotion, her voice had started to crack as she spoke. After taking a deep breath, she asked.
"Shinji... he'll be okay, right?"
"The Vice President will be fine. The man I know would walk through fire for you."
Sniffle.
"...Thank you. For comforting me."
"Of course. I'm your one and only boyfriend, after all. This is the least I can do."
After our conversation ended, the President remained in my arms for a long time before finally pulling away.
"Thank you for putting up with my whining. I feel much lighter now."
"I'm glad to hear that. From now on, if you're ever having a hard time, you can always talk to me."
"Haha, thank you, but I'll have to decline. It feels like I'm revealing my weaknesses to you."
The President wiped her reddened eyes with her sleeve, then suddenly gave me a peck on the cheek.
"Good night."
"Yes. You too, President."
With a gentle smile and a nod, the President opened the door and left.
Left alone in the room, I stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before working my body to exhaustion to erase the lewd thoughts that kept popping into my head. I fell asleep late that night.
*
The school trip was over, and ordinary life had returned.
A life that felt like a hamster wheel: go to school in the morning, attend classes, do club activities, and then go back home.
The sports festival was coming up soon, but until then, our normal school routine would continue.
For high school students, the school trip is one of the biggest events of the year.
And such events usually bring about a change in relationships.
The excitement of being away from home makes people search for love, and those feelings of affection are often directed toward a member of the opposite sex who is close by.
In other words—
After the school trip, the number of couples in our class skyrocketed.
I could spot at least three new pairs just by looking around.
Among them, the most conspicuous pair was, of course, Ryuji and Yaguchi, who had confirmed their feelings for each other in front of so many people.
「I want to kill him.」
"You need to calm down."
I was startled by the words of Chiaki, who was floating beside me, and quickly tried to placate her.
But for Chiaki, who, as Ryuji's guardian spirit-like entity, had to watch the two of them be lovey-dovey all day, my words were like pouring oil on a fire.
「Why should I?! Why do I have to watch the person I like being all cutesy with another girl every single day!!!」
Uh, well, when you put it like that, I don't really have a comeback.
As I instinctively averted my gaze, Chiaki glared at the flirting couple and let out a threatening roar like a dinosaur.
Just then, Rika, who was sitting next to me, asked a question.
"Ryu-chan, are you free this weekend?"
"Huh? This weekend?"
"Yeah. That promise we made last time... I was hoping you could fulfill it this weekend."
Rika looked up at me, her face tense with anticipation.