It was extra quiet in the parlor. Haruto didn't know what to do now. There where two extra frightening girls in the room with him, and his father wearing a raccoon suit. "Harutoooo-kuuuuun~!" chimed his father, "Let's turn on the ttttttttvvvvvvvvv. There's a Buri-chan special~!"
"Father..." he sighed, covering his face as the tanuki danced around. "Why me...?"
"Buri-Buri-Buri-chan~!" sang the father who turned on the television. He then plopped right up front with his popcorn. "I'm so happy..."
Asahina popped. "Aa, how cute! That girl looks just like Ninoku--" She stopped herself and turned towards Haruto. "Should I go help your mother with dinner?"
"Eh? What?"
"I'll go help her. It'll be a good bonding experience for us..."
"W-Wait!!" Haruto quickly snagged her by the arm. "Are you serious??"
"Don't worry!" she said with a wink, "I'm a very good cook!"
So Haruto let her go, but worriedly watched from the doorway. 'Is she seriously trying to help me... But why... Why is she really doing this??' He thought about how she said she wanted to keep him as President, but for some reason he couldn't see that convincing. 'There are other ways I could survive this... Why be my girlfriend...?'
"My my!" chimed Mother, "Asahina-san, you are a wonderful cook! You'll be a great wife someday!"
"N-No way... Me?"
Haruto blushed. "M-Mother...!" Before he could get out of there, his parent told him that they were almost finished cooking. "Then I'll go set the table."
But as he went to put the plates on the table, he felt a tug on his foot. Looking down, he saw a hand sticking out of the floor. "W-What?!?"
Out came the Chairman. "Yo Haruto-kun!"
"W-What are you doing here???"
"Well, we all heard about Asahina-kun's plan and were very interested. We made a poll of the outcomes."
"Hey! Don't gamble or do anything sinful with this! It doesn't mean anything! Asahina-kun's just trying to help me out!"
"Right... and that redness on your cheeks don't mean anything??"
Haruto quickly covered his face. "Get out. If my parents see you I'll get into trouble. This is a normal Christian home! Ghosts don't belong here!"
"Normal eh?" They looked back into the parlor were Haruto's father was dancing around with Buri-chan's music. "Heheheh, so that's where you get it from..."
"I'm nothing like that crazy man!"
"Anyways, keep up the good work. I bet Kazumi-kun that you and Asahina-kun would become the new couple of Saitou high. Ahahahahahaha!" He then disappeared.
"Chairman..." Haruto sighed. Just then the plates disappeared out of his hands. "Aa! Asahina-kun!"
She started to place them around the table. "A poll isn't that bad. I hope they bet awesome things like vacation packages in the Mediterranean... Or even a cruise..."
"What? Are you supporting this deception, Asahina-kun? What if people at school start to talk about us as... as... a... aa..."
"A couple? Don't worry. We're on vacation now so no one has to find out. Besides it's only until that witch goes away and everything will go back to normal when you return as President next term. Right?"
"Oh, right..."
The two stopped, silence suddenly hitting them. There was a bit of reluctance in the next words to be said. Just then, Haruto's mother came in with the main dish. "Everyone, it's time to eat!"
And so, they had a nice family like dinner. Jezebella, who hadn't said a word for a long time, kept glaring at poor Haruto. He couldn't relax under her icy grips and had trouble eating. That is until...
"Jezebella, at school what clubs are you in?" Asahina said, moving in the way of her eye view of the cringing Haruto.
"The archery club..."
"That's wonderful! I'd love to watch archery! Have you been to any tournaments?"
"Yes... I won junior regionals..."
"R-Really?" Haruto felt a bit bewildered. "I... I never knew..."
"What clubs are you in, Mutsuki-san?"
"Me? Well, Haruto-kun and I are in the Student Council together, which takes up lots of our time. But when I do have some spare time, I'm part of the 'sho--"
Haruto quickly covered her mouth. He knew what she was going to say and he wasn't sure if there was a way to explain her shouta complex to everyone.
But Asahina gently prying his hand from her face and smiled sweetly, while he blushed ever so much. "Haruto-kun! Don't be so playful at the table!" she laughed, "I was just going to say that I was part of the 'shonen manga club'."
"Oh..." he stammered, very embarrassed for making a scene. "S-Sorry to interrupt you." While the girls chattered on, Haruto thought deeply about this to himself. 'This isn't real... Remember this...'
After dinner, Asahina went to help with the dishes. Haruto was stuck in the parlor with his father and Jezebella, who seemed very thoughtful as well. She finally turned towards him, this time not frightening but very somber. "I'm convinced... She's a nice girl... I will back down for now."
"Really..." Haruto couldn't help but feel relieved. He wanted to shout out with joy and start dancing around as like his father. He then saw Asahina come out. He wanted to thank her, to hug her...
'W-What??! What am I thinking!!? This is Asahina-kun!!'
"What's the matter?" she asked him, when she saw that he was in a restraint. "If you need to go. The tolit is open."
"Oh... that's not it..."
Mother then popped up. "Haruto-kun! It's getting late. You ought to walk Asahina-san home."
"EH?! WHAT?! WHY?!"
"Because you wouldn't want any harm to come to her, right?" Jezebella asked, "Because she's an important person?"
"Aa... well... Yes, she is."
Asahina's eyes sparkled. "Ne! Let's go, Silly!" she said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards the door. "I'll visit again soon!"
And so they went outside, Haruto, still thinking deeply about this - while feeling the warm pressure against his arm. 'This isn't real... This is fake... Still... I can't help...'
He then looked down at the cheerful Asahina, still hanging onto him. "Uh, I think you can stop the act. We're already three blocks away from the house."
"Shhh," she replied, with her eyes closed, "Just a bit longer..."
'Eh??'
From behind some bushes were Chairman, Kazumi, and the other ghosts. "Ahahaha! I'm going to be rich!" chimed the chairman.
"Dammit! I'm losing the bet!" Kazumi gasped, "I gotta do something fast!"
Nino was just in shock. "Mutsuki-san... No way...!"
To be continued...