“Hey there, Ray! Good morning!”
“Good morning, Sera-senpai.”
I bow my head slightly.
Today, I went shopping with Sera-senpai as promised.
The purpose of our trip was to purchase new seeds, fertilizers, and nutrients at the gardening shop. The two of us regularly come here to represent the gardening club.
Sera-senpai, who is from an upper-class family, seems to be quite busy, but today she was able to spare the morning, so we headed to the gardening shop within the kingdom.
“Ahh, I really wish Rebecca-sama could have come along too…”
“That’s true. But the three great noble families must be very busy.”
“Exactly. Even, I have a lot on my plate, and the three great nobles have it even tougher. I heard there’s a party at the Magic Association in a few days.”
“I see.”
By the way, I was also invited to that party at the Magic Association. I hadn’t attended before, but my master told me that as the current ‘Ice Blade Magician’, I should participate. Apparently, the president wanted to meet me as well. My master seems to be coming along too.
I said I was fine on my own since I’m already of a decent age, but she insisted on coming up with reasons to tag along.
I’m truly grateful to my master, who constantly worries about me.
“By the way, what are we buying today?”
“Fertilizers and potting soil. We also need to make sure we have a decent selection of autumn flowers.”
“Understood. By the way, Sera-senpai, have you been doing this all by yourself until now?”
“Hmm? Well, since I became vice president, I’ve been doing it alone.”
“I see. From now on, feel free to call me anytime. I can carry as much as you need. I’m strong enough.”
“Well, that’s true. I’ve actually been helped a lot by you, Ray. I look forward to your continued support.”
“Yes!”
While chatting like this, we continued on our way. We arrived at what is said to be the largest gardening shop in the kingdom. There were already many seeds displayed outside, along with various types of flowers.
“Let’s go further inside.”
“Got it.”
Following Sera-senpai, we moved deeper into the store.
“Hello there!”
“Oh! If it isn’t Dina-chan! Long time no see!”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
The person at the back of the store was a woman who looked quite young. I would guess she’s in her early thirties.
It seems she and Sera-senpai are old acquaintances, and she offers various services. She said not to worry about it since she’s the store manager. I hadn’t met her during my last visit, so today was our first encounter.
“Ah, manager. This is my junior.”
“I am Ray White. I still have much to learn about gardening, so I would appreciate your guidance and support.”
I bow deeply and greet her.
It’s our first meeting, and since I’m still quite young and just a first-year student, I felt it was important to greet her properly. Courtesy is crucial in everything.
“Oh my, what a well-mannered child… Could it be that you are Dina-chan’s?”
The manager grinned, while Sera-senpai hurriedly denied the statement.
“Wha-! No, that’s not it! I am devoted to Rebecca-sama!”
“Hmm. Well, let’s just say that’s the case… But I can’t believe you allowed a boy to join. Didn’t you used to reject them outright?”
“That’s because they were lowly individuals aiming for Rebecca-sama. But Ray is quite reliable. He takes the gardening club’s activities very seriously.”
“I see…”
After that, Sera-senpai placed the order for today’s purchases, and a considerable number of bags were lined up.
“That’s quite a lot, isn’t it…?”
“This is all we need… Are you okay? Can you carry it?”
Both Sera-senpai and the manager asked, but I had no problem with this amount at all.
“I’m fine. Leave it to me.”
With that, I picked up all the bags and thanked the manager alongside Sera-senpai.
“It seems we always get a bit extra, thank you very much.”
“Thank you.”
As we bowed our heads, the manager smiled and replied.
“That’s fine! Dina-chan is a valued customer after all. And it seems you’ve got a good junior now.”
“Ah, I am honored.”
“Well then, manager. We’ll be back again.”
“Take care.”
As we both bowed our heads, we stepped outside the store.
It was already 10:30.
Sera-senpai had plans in the afternoon and needed to head back soon, so it would be best for her to leave right away. I needed to carry this load to the academy, but it was manageable on my own.
“Senpai, please go ahead and return. I can handle the rest of the luggage by myself,” I said.
“Eh… but that seems unfair,”
“I understand that time is tight. And as you know, I’m confident in my strength. This amount is nothing. In fact, it’s a good workout.”
“I see. Ray, you really are a great junior. Well then, here.”
Sera-senpai took out a key from her pocket.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the key to the club room. It’s a spare key, but I’m giving it to you.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah. It’s a hassle to go to the staff room every time to borrow it, right? Ideally, the club president or vice president should keep it, but I’ll be relying on you a lot during the summer break. I should have done this sooner.”
“I’m really honored to be entrusted with this, especially since I’m still a relatively new member.”
“Come on! What are you saying? You’re already a respectable member of the gardening club. Everyone acknowledges that.”
“Is that so? I’ve been really dependent on everyone in the gardening club.”
“It’s fine, really. Besides, everyone likes you, including your cross-dressing side.”
“Ahaha… Is that so? The reactions were indeed good when I was in cross-dress.”
As we chatted casually, Sera-senpai suddenly said with a determined look on her face:
“Um… it’s okay to call me by my first name from now on…”
“Is that really okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve gotten to know you well this semester, and you even accompanied me on shopping.”
“Understood. Then from now on, I will call you Dina-senpai.”
“Okay! See you later!”
“Yes!”
With a big wave, Sera-senpai left.
Thinking back, I knew from the start that Dina-senpai… wasn’t particularly fond of me when I joined the gardening club. But now, it felt great to be trusted like this.
This key must be a symbol of that trust.
Then I too should devote myself more to the gardening club. As a member of this traditional gardening club, for the sake of my seniors…
After easily carrying a large amount of luggage by myself, I arrived in front of the club room. As I turned the key and prepared to go inside, I suddenly heard a loud noise from within.
Could it be… a thief!?
To intrude upon this sacred gardening club room is absolutely unacceptable.
I half-barged through the door and rolled inside, ready to confront the intruder, but…
What I found was a familiar face.
With her glossy long black hair and a beauty mark on her lower right cheek, her striking features captivated both genders. But now, she seemed oddly flustered and surprised.
“Rebecca-senpai, is that you?”
“Ah… hahaha… R-Ray-san? Wh-what are you doing here? And the key…?”
“I was out shopping with Dina-senpai today. I came back to bring some luggage to the club room. What about you, Rebecca-senpai?”
“Eh!? W-well, um… I just forgot something!”
“But the door was locked, right? And is there something on the desk? I can see something behind you…”
“D-Don’t worry about it! I’ll be taking my leave now! See you later, Ray-san!”
With that, Rebecca-senpai hugged something to her chest and dashed away.
Well, I trust Rebecca-senpai, so I didn’t think she was up to anything bad, but it still piqued my curiosity.
Her behavior was definitely unusual. It was clear she was hiding something.
However, it wouldn’t be right to pry too much into someone else’s affairs. After all, there are things that people might not want others to know.
“I’ll just carry this.”
I muttered to myself as I continued to bring the luggage into the club room. Then I noticed a dark stain on the desk.
“Is that ink? But why…? Were you doing some paperwork or something?”
This was probably something Rebecca-senpai had been working on.
“Well, it’s fine. I’ll just wipe the desk later.”
After placing the luggage in its designated spot, I wrung out a cloth and wiped the desk. I also did a light cleaning of the room.
“That should do it.”
Once I finished, I locked the door and left the club room. At that moment, I had completely forgotten about Rebecca-senpai’s strange behavior.
But by the end of this summer, I would come to learn what Rebecca-senpai had been doing in that room… though for now, I had no way of knowing.
MY boy Ray picking up girls like pokemons.
Here is the —>discord<—- to get update notifications and release schedules(if there is any).
I’ll be trying to catch up to the chapters backlogs.