Chapter 15: This Is Headquarters

"However, there's one condition." Qingshan Li spoke again.

"What condition?" Mikami Ai's tone showed she had expected this.

Qingshan Li was only able to come because she threatened him; how could he possibly take the initiative to help her recruit people?

Qingshan Li glanced at Miyase Yaeko, then said to Mikami Ai: "I'll tell you later; it's not a difficult matter."

It's just giving a portion of the club activity funds to Ono Mizuki so she can earn a little extra money.

Probably not much, but at least enough to buy several pairs of underwear.

Sigh, once I have money, I must buy the most expensive, best underwear for Ono Mika and Ono Mizuki.

That seems a bit perverted...

Then I'll buy outerwear instead, like stockings, leggings, things like that.

Mikami Ai handed the application form to Qingshan Li, who wrote 'Ono Mizuki's name on it.

"Aoyama."

Qingshan Li, head bowed writing, looked up; the Witch President was smiling as she looked down at him from the seat of honor, chin resting on her hands: "Put my name on it too."

"You?"

"If you don't write it, I won't stamp it." The witch laughed.

Qingshan Li looked at Mikami Ai.

Mikami Ai pondered, then decisively said: "Write it!"

Qingshan Li thought about what the Athens Philosophy Research Club truly needed to do, and felt that pulling the Student Council President in was entirely a good thing.

I'm being forced anyway; it's their orders — considering the difference in status, everyone should believe it.

"Remove your sister's name." Mikami Ai said again.

Qingshan Li, who had already lowered his head preparing to write, looked up at her again.

"From now on you can tell your friends I like you." Mikami Ai had an expression saying you've hit the jackpot.

Not even worth a hundred yen.

A hundred yen can at least buy a pair of underwear.

In summary, Mikami Ai's liking is worth less than a pair of underwear!

"Forget it, I'll write it; just thinking about being liked by you gives me the creeps." Mikami Ai seemed to genuinely shudder.

Qingshan Li also breathed a sigh of relief.

Every penny is important to them, especially now that he can't work part-time and Miyuki plans to quit the club.

The urgency to write novels in his heart grew even greater.

After Qingshan Li wrote Miyase Yaeko's name, he handed the application form to Yuko, who passed it to Miyase Yaeko.

Without even looking, Miyase Yaeko stamped it directly.

"Next we still need the school's approval, but I can assign you an activity classroom first." The Witch President said, "Right next door."

Mikami Ai took the key and left the Student Council with Qingshan Li.

Opening the classroom door next door, a sense of spaciousness greeted them.

The size is actually standard, but there's nothing inside, so it looks large and can be arranged freely.

"Not bad." Mikami Ai nodded with satisfaction, "Next is taking down the News Club, making them our publishing platform."

Leaving aside such grand ambitions for now.

"My condition is, from now on when we receive activity funds, a portion must be given to my sister, no matter what she uses it for." Qingshan Li said.

"Just such a small thing?" Mikami Ai turned around, looking slightly doubtful, "Seeing you insist so much, I thought it was something major."

"Regardless of size, you just need to agree."

Size varies from person to person; there has never been an absolute large, nor a definite small.

Qingshan Li continued: "Next we can discuss how to take down the News Club."

But Mikami Ai temporarily lost interest in this matter.

"Before that, I want to explain to you why I want to create a club myself." She said.

"Isn't it to make the world more lively?"

"That's the self-salvation of boring people."

"Oh."

"Classmate Aoyama, since childhood I've had no troubles whatsoever, let alone encountered misfortune."

"Envious."

"So I hope by founding this club, to do something annoying but neither wrong nor excessive, to actively give myself a tiny bit of trouble."

"Generally speaking, no matter how rich a person is, they will have troubles, unless."

"Besides money, I also have beauty and intelligence." The Labyrinth Girl said.

"Unless, this person is very optimistic." Qingshan Li continued as if he hadn't heard, "So the main reason you have no troubles isn't that you've done too little, but that your angle of viewing things is problematic."

"You're quite sarcastic, but with only this level, if you want to become my trouble, you still need to keep working hard."

Qingshan Li didn't want to become anyone's trouble.

So he also didn't want anyone other than the Ono Sisters to cause him trouble.

The Labyrinth Girl is causing him a huge amount of trouble right now.

Hurry up and give me material, okay?

Mikami Ai continued: "As the saying goes, youth must eat more bitterness; with little time left until my high school graduation, I must seize the time — this is our club's activity guidelines, understood?"

"I completely agree on the seizing time part." Qingshan Li said.

"So during club activities, don't be afraid of any trouble."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say goes."

"Since you have that awareness, I won't say more." Mikami Ai nodded in satisfaction with a light laugh. "Let's set up our headquarters first."

"Has the News Club already become a branch?"

Mikami Ai looked at Qingshan Li with surprise.

"What's wrong?" Qingshan Li's heart pounded thump-thump.

Just as no one can not breathe, no one can keep their heart from accelerating when stared at directly by Mikami Ai — she is that level of beautiful girl.

"You can keep up with my train of thought, could it be your IQ is A-rank?"

"You overestimate yourself too much, my IQ is only B. Enough idle talk, can we hurry up and start setting things up?" Qingshan Li pleaded with her.

"We need some books on Greek philosophy, as deception;

"We also need some chairs, for resting;

"There's a ready-made blackboard here, so we still need some chalk and blackboard erasers, for use when analyzing data in the future;

"Finally, we need a video camera."

"The rest I can understand, but what do we need a video camera for?" Qingshan Li asked.

"Naturally to film it, then analyze carefully and assign grades. To just grade based on on-the-spot impressions would be very rude behavior."

Whether it's grading or secretly filming, both should be even ruder things to do.

【Campus Mystery, Main Ability is Beauty: 91.2%】

"I see, I completely agree with your decision!"

Way more useful than a mystery novel!

Mikami Ai, you're really handy.

"You bring a video camera from home tomorrow that you're not using." Mikami Ai ordered, as casually as if asking Qingshan Li to bring a few grains of salt tomorrow.

"My home doesn't have a video camera." Qingshan Li's tone didn't change.

"Like that... then I'll bring it, it's too heavy." Mikami Ai looked a bit troubled.

"Didn't you say you wanted to endure hardship?"

"Physical hardship isn't needed." Finished speaking, Mikami Ai smiled and gazed at Qingshan Li.

"We're not familiar, so what I'm about to say might be wrong, but the meaning of your words and smile — are you saying the Greek philosophy books, chairs for resting, chalk and blackboard erasers, all need me alone to go get?"

"Your IQ is A."

"Only B."

"A person should have confidence."

"Where do we move the chairs from?" Qingshan Li gave up.

They all say mental laborers govern others, physical laborers are governed by others, but the reason Qingshan Li chose to be governed was a choice born of wisdom.

Talking with Mikami Ai is too tiring; better to be governed by her. This kind of boring conversation won't add material anyway, it'll just waste time.

The two began to act.

Philosophy books are temporarily impossible, funding hasn't come down yet, but simple desks and chairs, chalk, blackboard erasers — these can all be collected directly, the school provides them.

Four desks, pieced together into one big table by the window.

Besides that, only sunlight scattered its radiance, adorning this empty classroom.

Mid-way Qingshan Li worried about his foot, but it didn't hurt even once.

Kuze-sensei, the tuina technique you "learned" in China is authentic.

The two chose their positions, at the diagonal, the two seats farthest apart.

"Go to the Calligraphy Club." Mikami Ai said.

"Not the News Club?" Qingshan Li was puzzled.

"The Athens Philosophy Research Club's signboard hasn't been hung up yet."

"Oh, to have them help write the name."

"No, I'll write it myself." After a slight pause, the first Athens Philosophy Research Club President said, "By the way, kicking the hall."

Socrates being killed, in the eyes of some people at the time, should have been completely normal, right.

(Chapter End)