Chapter 9: The formation of the Clamp School Deêtctives
According to the information provided by Kanon, the three members of the Elementary Student Council quickly discovered the whereabouts of that mysterious old lady. Kanon chose not to get involved in the rescue mission, and Nokoru never asked her about it again. Kanon suspected that Nokoru didn't want to drag her into this matter because, from what she remembered, the confrontation with that lady's brother-in-law was quite dangerous. Of course, these dangerous situations were no match for the handsome, talented trio who could handle anything.
Until one day, Kanon noticed that the Elementary Student Council was preparing to set off with a hot air balloon. She guessed that this was the day they would confront the old lady's brother-in-law at the Tokyo Tower, where Nokoru had cornered him and forced him to sign over the property rights of the land and house to the lady. He also had to make a commitment not to bother her anymore. However, Kanon suddenly felt restless and couldn't understand why.
That night, after dinner, she pretended to be tired and went to bed early. Quietly, she sneaked out of the house and used her superpower to fly to the Tokyo Tower. It was here that the lady's brother-in-law had written a deceitful letter to lure her up the tower and planned to harm her while she innocently trusted him and didn't report anything to the trio who had helped her before. Kanon thought to herself, maybe Nokoru didn't leave any information for her, so how would she contact them? Kanon sneaked into the Tokyo Tower and found the lady searching for her brother-in-law. While Nokoru, Suoh and Akira were still not here, the brother-in-law appeared and attacked the old lady.
"Isn't it time for them to show up and save the old lady? Why haven't they been here yet?
Kanon anxiously looked at the situation in front of her. Did she have to intervene again? Seiji was not here to help now, so what should she do? And it seemed that annoying brother-in-law brought more people with him this time, why are they so crowded like that? Kanon hesitated and waited until a man in black approached and grabbed the old lady's arm but the trio of brothers still didn't appear. Kanon had no choice, she bit her lip and then used her power.
Suddenly, the men in black seemed to lose their balance and floated in mid-air before crashing into the wall. Kanon tried to control her power so that their heads didn't hit too hard, just enough to make them faint. She really didn't want to harm anyone, this was just an emergency situation. The men in black, in a state of panic, became chaotic, but Kanon admitted that the lady's annoying brother-in-law had a cold head. At first, he was a bit bewilded, but then he realized that his henchmen were not seriously injured, just unconscious. He understood that this mysterious force was not meant to harm them, but only to save the old lady. So he grabbed the old lady's arm and shouted:
"Whoever is playing these devilish tricks, listen up! This old lady is in my hands. Stop fooling around or else just wait and see what happens."
Kanon chuckled silently, "What are you afraid of, old man? Let me show you a trick from a story I once read." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a colored chalk, commanding it to fly towards their nearby wall. The chalk moved on its own and twisted to form the words:
"Younger brother! Don't do anything foolish!"
Ha ha, let's see if you're scared now!
"Brother... older brother?"
The annoying brother-in-law began to panic, while the old woman covered her mouth with both hands, gasping:
"Oh darling, is it really you?"
And she started crying, tears streaming down her face, whether from pain, sadness, or joy, it was unclear.
Just then, a beam of light shone upon them, and a stern voice rang out:
"Leave the lady alone!"
Finally, they arrived! Kanon sighed in relief, the legendary heroes from Clamp's universe had finally appeared, and she could take a break. Kanon sat back and watched the performance unfold. Of course, she would lend a hand whenever necessary to ensure everyone's safety and well-being. Whenever the old man or the younger brother attempted to attack, they would always slip and fall, making the task much smoother than ever before. In the end, the younger brother was scared off by the reputation of the Imonoyama family and slinked back to his humble existence.
When the Clamp school's famous trio bid farewell to the old lady at her commemorative house, Nokoru had a hot air balloon project light up into the shape of a flower, casting its glow onto the cherry blossom forest behind the house for the old lady to see the petals dancing in the night. And so, the old lady found peace in the rest of her life. It was also the moment that Nokoru founded the Clamp School Detectives with the noble purpose of bringing happiness to women all over the world, or more precisely, the world of Clamp.
Kanon waited for the balloon from the Student Council to drift far away before hiding behind the chimney on the roof, controlling the petals to form the words "Live happily!" in front of the glass door where the old lady stood. And then she flew away, leaving the old lady with countless memories of her late husband.
As Kanon flew back home with a satisfied smile on her face, little did she know that a familiar figure was silently trailing her from a distance. Those eyes flickered with disbelief at everything they had witnessed tonight.
Unaware of being watched, Kanon innocently climbed through the window into her room, happily brewed a cup of hot tea, and went to bed for a sound sleep.
The next morning, Kanon woke up early and stretched, gazing out of her bedroom window at the pure rays of morning sunlight, embracing the promise of a beautiful new day. However, her serene moment was shattered when she saw the serious face standing right below, peering up at her room, breaking the peaceful moment. Kanon widened her eyes in surprise. She had never been escorted from home to school before. Previously, she had only encountered Seiji within the school. Whether he had been secretly following her during her commute to and from school was of no concern to her.
Kanon opened the window, allowing a refreshing breeze of the early morning to sweep in, but it did little to ease her discomfort. She looked down and asked:
"Senpai, what are you doing down there? It's still too early. Do you have some business passing by here?"
"Lady, ever since the visit to the Tokyo Tower, I have decided to protect you wherever you go, especially on the route from home to school and back."
What? This wasn't protection, it was more like surveillance. Kanon couldn't accept this. Losing her freedom meant losing everything. But as much as she thought about it, she couldn't confront Seiji in this Romeo and Juliet-like situation. If her mother found out, it would only create more trouble. That's why Mrs. Hanazaki was happily preparing breakfast for her daughter and that mysterious boy in the kitchen. Kanon invited her bodyguard to join them for breakfast, and surprisingly, he immediately accepted. Kanon didn't try to hide or prevent her mother from knowing about the circumstances of Ichikawa Seiji's presence and why he had followed her here. Mrs. Hanazaki was delighted that her daughter had such a prestigious family protecting her. She had some knowledge about prominent families, and it wasn't easy to have members of the Takamura and Ichikawa clans agree to become bodyguards.
Mrs. Hanazaki's breakfast was both simple and elaborate. It was simple because it consisted of bread, butter, jam, and tea. However, it was elaborate because there were so many varieties of bread, butter, jam, and tea to choose. Mrs. Hanazaki loved baking, and her pastries were absolutely delicious. She made different types of butter and jam herself to complement each kind of bread. Tea was Kanon's specialty, and each type of bread and jam had to be paired with a suitable tea. For example, today everyone chose to have some jam on their bagels, so Kanon brewed a Assam tea to ensure that the flavors of the bread and tea would match perfectly.
"Breakfast is absolutely delicious. Thank you, Mrs. Hanazaki!"
After breakfast, cold-faced Seiji stood up to help Mrs. Hanazaki clear the table. He showed great courtesy, bowing his head in gratitude and even adding a gentle and bright smile. Mrs. Hanazaki was pleased and continuously praised him for his manners. Kanon stood to the side, feeling a bit strange. Why did it feel like a son-in-law trying to win over his mother-in-law?
However, the atmosphere at the breakfast table was completely different from the atmosphere on the way to school. Seiji returned to his usual demeanor, serious and not uttering a word. Kanon followed behind him, and it wasn't until they reached the school gate that she dared to speak up:
"Senpai, what is all this about? I don't think I need to be protected to this extent. After all, I'm just an ordinary person, unlike Imonoyama kaichou, who is a genius, wealthy, and important..."
But then she fell silent as she received a strange look from Seiji. It was a look that was hard to understand, somewhat amusing, and a bit... intriguing. That look conveyed to her that her words were quite... humorous. Kanon tilted her head and responded with her own gaze, full of naivety. Finally, Seiji bowed his head and chuckled, leaving Kanon feeling a bit flustered. Why did Seiji laugh so much? Today alone, he had already laughed... twice. Could there be a storm brewing in the heavens and the earth?
"Lady, please don't underestimate yourself like that. Perhaps you don't even realize how important you are. But please rest assured, you are not in any danger at the moment. Everything I do is just to prevent the worst cases. Maybe I was a bit abrupt, which made you unhappy. From now on, I will pay more attention and silently observe from a distance to avoid making you feel uncomfortable.
'Oh, well, if you're going to observe me from a distance, there's no need to say it out loud like this. It's even more uncomfortable than me constantly being by your side, you know. Imagine this, you're walking in the park, enjoying an ice cream, eating a pastry, and you know someone is lurking around, watching your every move. Suddenly, you have a stomachache and rush into a public restroom, only to find out there's no toilet paper. You have to knock on the wall and say, "Bodyguard, please bring me a roll of toilet paper!" Isn't that too terrifying?' Kanon shuddered at the thought of it.
And to keep his promise, Seiji went ahead and left a thunderous statement for the young lady:
"From now on, you should call me Seiji!"
But that was the story of the morning. Now, at 3:15 PM, Kanon was summoned to the Student Council office and calmly drinking tea there. After the morning incident with her bodyguard, Kanon no longer felt anything surprising or horrifying. So, in front of Suoh's serious, Nokoru's mischievous smile, and Akira's excitement, she comfortably ate cookies and drank tea, finishing two cúp of tea and a full plate of cookies in no time:
"Oh, this one is delicious, and that one too. Ijyuin's cakes and black tea are truly the best."
"Thank you!"
Akira happily bowed and thanked her, while Nokoru patiently smiled, waiting for her to finish the third teapot. Suoh, on the other hand, was slightly restless, wanting to quickly explain the situation and resolve the pending tasks of the Student Council.
"Ah, thank you so much, Student Council, for treating me to such a lavish meal. If there's nothing else, then I'll take my leave!"
"Hanazaki-san, please hold on! Today, for inviting Miss Hanazaki here, there is indeed an important matter to discuss."
So Suoh turned out to be the most impatient person in the trio? Kanon can clearly see his restless expression as she calmly fought against the giant cookie plate earlier.
"Well then, please go ahead, Takamura-senpai!"
"The thing is, yesterday, our school's fun-loving, I mean, our school's innovative and creative Kaichou has decided to form the Clamp School Detectives team with the purpose of helping all the students of Clamp School in general and... other people in need in particular."
"Actually, to bring happiness to all women around the world."
Akira interrupted and received a sideways glance from Suoh, but he was so innocent that he didn't even realize he was being stared at, while Nokoru was very pleased with Akira's correction.
"So?"
"And therefore, the decision clearly states that the members of the Detective Team include Imonoyama Nokoru, the Elementary Student Council President, Takamura Suoh, the the Elementary Student Council Secretary, Iyuin Akira, the Elementary Student Council Treasurer, and Hanazaki Kanon, member of the Modern Literature Club of Clamp School."
After reading the decision, Suoh took out a copy and handed it to Kanon, then carefully closed the clipboard. Kanon calmly took the decision, it seemed Nokoru has a very good memory, still remembered when she had advised him on how to win over Suoh, typing the document and sealing it like this, truly a skilled person. She quickly scaned through the decision and handed it back to Suoh.
"This is better left to you, senpai. The decision-making power does not belong to me, anyway."
"Are you saying that you don't want to be a part of our Detective Team?"
Nokoru, as if understanding Kanon's intentions, continued to smile and spoke.
"That is exactly what I have been thinking since Kaichou mentioned this team."
"So, you don't like us?"
He looked sad, just like when he had asked her about Suoh in the past, but she changed the subject and fliped the question back:
"I do dislike trouble, and Kaichou seems to enjoy causing trouble."
"No no no! How can you blame an innocent, kind-hearted person like me? Why don't you understand that everything I do is to create a school filled with laughter and joy for everyone? Why? Why???"
Suoh and Akira were taken aback. They had seen their president do all sorts of antics before, such as being lazy, avoiding work, and displaying various expressions, but they had never seen him act so pitifully. Both of them couldn't help but look up at the girl with admiration, who remained calm as if nothing had happened.
After waiting for a while and seeing the handsome president still crying, Kanon stood up and said:
"Kaichou, if you're not tired, please continue. I have things to do and can't stay here to watch your performance."
With that, she bowed to the members of student council, raised her chin, puffed out her chest, and walked away, leaving Suoh feeling the need to further refine his Ninja skills, at least to be on par with Miss Hanazaki. As for Akira, in an instant, he found himself a new idol to worship.
After the sound of the council room's door closing, Nokoru calmly looked up as if nothing had happened, leaving Suoh with a darkened face and Akira with sparkling eyes, who exclaimed a sentence that stunned the entire student council:
"Kaichou is truly a great actor, to the point that no one can recognize it."
Then, he added another sentence that left everyone speechless:
"Hanazaki-san is indeed Kaichou's rival, only she can see through it. Ha ha ha ha!"
Clearing his throat a few times to regain his fighting spirit, Nokoru, who had never known the meaning of giving up, had his eyes burning with determination, his hands and feet forming a fighting stance, and decisively said:
"That's right, a talent like Kanon cannot be overlooked. Without her, the Student Council and the Clamp School Detectives team would be lacking. Our goal now is to win her over as a member in both places or at least as a Detective Team member. Let's do our best!"
"Fighting, Kaichou!"
Akira chimed in, while Suoh furrowed his brow, wondering how they could force someone like that. But he himself had forgotten how he had been coerced by someone in the past, leading him to now spend his days running around looking for the student council president to handle paperwork.
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