"Hm?"
A basketball suddenly rolled toward Izuru's feet, making him look up in confusion.
"Sorry! My hand slipped!"
A beautiful girl with rose-tinted hair and a rabbit-ear ribbon wore a deeply apologetic expression. She jogged toward Izuru, intending to bow and retrieve the stray ball.
{Nakano Yotsuba, huh?}
With a single glance, Izuru recognized her. He reached down first to pick up the ball and handed it to Yotsuba, waving a hand to show he didn't mind. However, he cast a brief look toward the court Yotsuba had just come from and asked inquisitively:
"It's fine... But why are you the only one picking up the balls?"
The court where Yotsuba had been competing was starting to empty out. It was clear the match had ended; the participating students were either slumped on benches in exhaustion or had already changed clothes, ready to head home. They had left behind a complete mess—specifically, basketballs scattered all over the floor.
But the strange part was...
Izuru didn't see a single other person tidying up. More accurately, Yotsuba was the only one doing the grunt work. That was the reason for his question.
"Thanks for the help! You're asking why I'm doing this alone? Well, the others were really tired and wanted to get home and rest. Since I still have plenty of energy, I told them I'd help out and clear up!"
After taking the ball, Yotsuba thanked him again. She seemed momentarily puzzled by Izuru's question before answering with a somewhat naive tone.
This answer, however, made Izuru knit his brows in displeasure. Not displeasure toward Yotsuba, but toward her classmates who claimed to be "dead tired."
"I saw your performance on the court earlier. It was only because you showed up that the girls' team, which was being pressed by the boys, managed to rally and turn the tide. Logically, your contribution was MVP-level, and you should have spent the most stamina. Why are you the one doing the chores?"
"Even by the principle of fair distribution of labor, everyone should be cleaning up together. Why are you handling this solo? Isn't this just blatant exploitation?"
Hearing Izuru's words, Yotsuba blinked in surprise. She scratched the back of her head while flashing a bright, somewhat innocent smile.
"Wow, are you worried about me? I'm really happy to hear that! I appreciate the thought..."
"But besides, the capable should work more, right? The fact that they asked me to do it means they acknowledge my ability. So, I'm happy to spend a little extra time and effort to help everyone out—it's the least I can do to meet their expectations!"
It sounded noble, but the logic didn't hold up under scrutiny. Put simply, this was just a kind-hearted, honest person being squeezed dry by a bunch of selfish, lazy jerks. Izuru's irritation reached a peak, causing his brow to furrow tightly, but he didn't try to lecture Yotsuba further.
He knew that given their current relationship, the most he could do was offer a warning or a verbal defense like this. If he talked too much or meddled too deeply, he'd be overstepping. Not only would it be a hassle for him, but it could also be seen as being "presumptuous." Izuru was self-aware enough to know that, but...
"Earlier, I met a beautiful girl who looks remarkably like you. Her name was 'Miku Nakano.' Do you know her?"
"Eh?! You met Miku? What a coincidence!"
Hearing Izuru mention her sister in an attempt to find common ground, Yotsuba responded with a mix of delight and surprise.
"Of course I know her—we're quintuplets! By the way, my name is Yotsuba Nakano!"
{I know, Yotsuba. Who in this world doesn't know that name?}
Izuru mused internally, but on the surface, he maintained a look of surprise.
"My name is Izuru Kamukura, the Student Council President. I ran into Miku Nakano earlier while buying a drink at the vending machine. I helped her out a bit, and she treated me to a bottle of matcha soda..."
{Even though I'm allergic to matcha and didn't even touch the cap.}
"They say chance encounters are destiny, especially since I have a bit of a connection with one of your sisters. So, if you don't mind, let me help you!"
Exactly—Izuru's goal was to help Yotsuba tidy the court. Since he couldn't convince her to change her "too nice" nature, he figured he could play the "good guy" just this once to assist her.
Of course, this had absolutely nothing to do with Izuru feeling sorry for a girl as sweet as Yotsuba being used by selfish pricks! Hmph!
Fortunately, Yotsuba couldn't read minds, so she remained unaware of Izuru's slightly tsundere mental gymnastics. If she had, she surely would have felt awkward.
Hearing that Izuru was willing to help, Yotsuba's face instantly lit up with joy.
"Really? President, you're such a good person! To be honest, I actually am a little tired. It's a huge help if you're willing to chip in!"
{What the—I try to do something nice and I get hit with the 'Good Person' card?!}
Izuru screamed internally, but seeing the traces of fatigue she couldn't quite hide, he just let out a resigned sigh and began to follow her in the cleanup work.
In truth, tidying a basketball court like this usually required a small army. The task wasn't just picking up scattered basketballs and tossing them back into the bin; it also involved picking up discarded drink bottles and plastic wrappers left behind by irresponsible students who couldn't be bothered!
It was tedious, dull, and exhausting work. Especially after a heavy sport like basketball, most people just wanted to lie down like "salted fish." Who would want to do back-breaking work with zero reward?
That was why, once they knew Yotsuba was willing to do it—and because she was a kind, somewhat gullible person—the other boys and girls had instantly lost any sense of shame and let their selfish sides take over. They had fled the scene as fast as possible, dumping everything on Yotsuba without caring whether she could handle it alone or not...
Perhaps in their minds, even if Yotsuba failed to do it right, she would be the one to take the blame, not them. So why care?
To this, Izuru could only say: "No wonder you're all single for life!"