[Third Person Pov]
"You guys want me to open the presents in front of you? Isn't that kind of disrespectful?" Clark asked with a puzzled look.
"Since when have you ever cared about being respectful?" Momo replied, giving Clark a strange, mildly incredulous expression.
"..." Clark fell silent for a moment and simply stared at Momo with a blank face.
After a brief pause he shrugged. "Fair enough."
Clark glanced around the room with open curiosity as he wondered aloud, "So which one should I open first?"
"Ohh, try mine!" Lois exclaimed excitedly as she hurriedly handed him a neatly wrapped box.
Clark accepted it but looked at Lois with clear suspicion. Lois only responded by smiling widely, baring her teeth in an almost mischievous grin.
Lucy casually raised her hand as she added, "I just want to make it very clear that I chipped in and helped pay, so it's technically a gift from both of us."
"You gave me a five yen coin," Lois said flatly, turning to Lucy with a completely deadpan expression.
Lucy shrugged while flashing a shameless, sleazy smile. "Hey, a contribution is a contribution. The amount doesn't matter, it's the thought that counts."
Clark snorted in amusement and chuckled along with the others. He shook his head lightly while looking at the two sisters with a small smile. "Thank you both, and yes, it's the thought that counts."
Lucy rubbed the underside of her nose smugly. "As long as you understand."
Lois looked like she was only seconds away from punching her sister in the face.
Clark opened the box and lifted an eyebrow when he reached inside and pulled out a camera. His expression quickly flattened when he reached in again and retrieved a sheet of paper. At the top of it were the words "Club Registry Form."
Clark slowly turned toward Lois while holding both items in his hands.
Lois simply stared back at him with a wide, expectant smile, her eyebrows repeatedly shooting upward with encouragement, urging him to sign it.
"Honestly…" Clark said while shaking his head before letting out a laugh. "Haha, I really have no choice but to respect it. You're nothing if not persistent."
"Is that a club registry form? Seriously?" Ichika snickered.
"A registry form? I thought Clark was already part of her club. I mean, that's why I joined," Lala said while tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"Details, details, don't pay it any mind," Lois dismissed with a wave of her hand. She then turned back toward Clark and gave him a look filled with expectation. "So, what do you say?"
"Still a no from me," Clark scoffed as he placed the items back into the box. "Anyway, where did you even get the money to buy this? From what I can tell it's very good quality. It must have cost you a pretty penny… or yen in this case."
Lois immediately shot Clark a confident thumbs up. "I used the school funds."
"Are you insane?!" Clark blurted out as he stared at her in disbelief, and he wasn't the only one reacting that way. Clark quickly pushed everything back toward her. "I can't accept this. What you did is literally no different from embezzlement."
Lois puffed out her chest proudly and lifted one finger with a dignified air. "Not if it's an investment. That's what the money is for, isn't it? To better the club, which in turn benefits the school. If I manage to recruit you, the club improves and doesn't disband, which ultimately benefits the school. Therefore you can keep it, since it now belongs to you."
'Technically speaking that makes sense, but still…' Clark's lips twitched, though he refused to give her the satisfaction of admitting she might be right. "There is something seriously wrong with your head."
Clark pushed the gift aside and decided it was best to move on to the next present.
Haruna made a small sound the moment Clark picked up the next present. When he looked over at her, he saw her face had turned bright red with embarrassment. "Before you open that one, I want to make it perfectly clear that this was very, very last minute."
Clark glanced inside the bag curiously and pulled out a small potted cactus. "A potted plant?" he asked, his lips curling slightly with amusement.
"Yeah…" Haruna muttered shyly. "You were always out in the garden during middle school, so I figured you might like it. And cactus can sustain themselves pretty well, so you don't need to take much care of it."
Clark hummed appreciatively as he turned the pot in his hands, inspecting the little plant. "My room doesn't really have any decorations, so this was very much needed. It'll look perfect on my windowsill. Thank you, Haruna."
Haruna immediately beamed with happiness when she saw that Clark genuinely liked the present. She nodded eagerly, her face shining with satisfaction.
'Cute…' most of the others couldn't help but think when they saw the bright, delighted grin on her face.
Clark then reached for the gift closest to him and opened it. Inside was a simple envelope. He slid his fingers inside and pulled out a ticket, causing him to stare at it in confusion.
"That one is from me," Ichika said, raising a hand with a proud smile.
"All I had on me at the time was a ticket for a play I'm performing in. We were allowed to invite one person, and I immediately thought about giving it to you as a present," Ichika explained proudly.
"I see," Clark muttered as he examined the ticket more closely. After a moment he nodded at her in appreciation. "Thank you. I'll be sure to see it if I have the time."
"I would very much appreciate it," Ichika replied with a confident smile.
Clark reached toward another box, but before he could open it, Miku nervously spoke up. "Um… I would honestly really appreciate it if you opened that one in private. I wouldn't feel comfortable with the others seeing it."
Now Clark became genuinely curious. Without hesitation he briefly used his X-ray vision.
He immediately understood why Miku didn't want him opening it in front of everyone. Inside the box was a carefully crafted plushie of him dressed as Superman.
His expression softened slightly as he looked at it through the wrapping before turning to nod at Miku. "Sure. Thank you for the consideration nonetheless."
"You're welcome…" Miku muttered bashfully, lowering her gaze.
The others glanced at her curiously, now wondering what exactly could be inside the box that she didn't want anyone else seeing.
Lala suddenly raised her hand into the air. "My present isn't there. Can I give it to you in private as well?"
Everyone's eyes shifted toward Lala when she raised her hand. As she did, however, the collar of her shirt shifted slightly.
"Hey Lala," Momo said as she leaned forward a little. "What happened to your shoulder blade? It looks bruised."
"What?" Lala asked as she tried to look down at herself. She tugged at the collar of her shirt slightly to get a better look.
Slowly, one by one, everyone's eyes widened at the sight.
Seiko's head immediately snapped toward Clark.
Clark froze.
"Hahaha, it kind of looks like a hickey," Momo laughed teasingly. "Just what have you… been… doing—"
Momo stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lala's face turn completely beet red as she quickly pulled her collar back into place. Her eyes slowly shifted back and forth between Lala and Clark.
"No. Fucking. Way."
Everyone's mind went completely blank.
Meanwhile Clark slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head upward toward the ceiling.
'I'm ready, God. Take me away. Kill me and save me from this moment.'
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