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Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: Cleaning the Pool (1)

[Third Person Pov] 

Clark walked out into the expansive outdoor pool area of the school, still dressed in his standard gym uniform—a simple white T-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and toned frame, paired with comfortable red shorts that reached just above his knees. The late afternoon sun cast a warm, golden glow over everything, but the scene before him was far from inviting. The entire pool was clearly filthy and in desperate need of a thorough cleaning. What should have been sparkling, clear blue water was instead a murky, unappealing green, clogged with leaves, debris, and who knew what else floating lazily on the surface. The surrounding tiles were grimy, and the air carried a faint, stagnant scent that made him wrinkle his nose in mild disgust.

His eyes, however, were quickly drawn away from the disappointing state of the pool to the three figures waiting for him near the edge. Two of them he recognized immediately, but the third was new to him. Lois and Jimmy stood side by side, chatting casually, but Clark's gaze naturally gravitated toward Lois. She looked effortlessly striking even in her casual work attire: her white shirt was tied in a playful knot at her side, accentuating her waist and curves, while her red gym bloomers clung snugly to her thighs and hips. Her hair was pulled up into a messy side-bun, with a few loose strands framing her face, giving her a spirited, approachable look that suited her energetic personality perfectly.

"You actually made it, nice!" Lois called out brightly as she spotted him, walking over with a confident stride and handing him a sturdy broom. "I thought for sure you would've changed your mind at the last minute and just gone straight home instead."

"I considered it," Clark replied dryly, rolling his eyes as he accepted the broom and casually rested it across his broad shoulders like a makeshift yoke.

Lois smiled knowingly, tilting her head as she studied him. "You say that, but I think I know you well enough now to confidently say that no, you didn't. Deep down, you're too responsible to bail on something like this."

Clark ignored her teasing remark and turned his attention to the unfamiliar girl standing with them. "Who is she?" he asked, nodding in her direction.

"Kotegawa Yui," Jimmy chimed in quickly, making the introduction with a polite gesture. "She's part of the Student Council Disciplinary Committee."

Clark studied her for a moment, taking in her appearance. She had long, sleek black hair that fell straight down her back, piercing amber eyes that seemed both observant and strict, and a generous, well-proportioned figure that reminded him somewhat of Lala's—elegant yet undeniably eye-catching. She carried herself with an air of poised authority.

"Is she here to help as well?" Clark asked, his brow furrowing slightly. "She doesn't really look dressed for it, though." He noted that Kotegawa was still in her full school uniform, crisp and immaculate, without any signs of preparation for manual labor.

Lois let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "No, she's not here to help clean. She's here to supervise us and make sure we actually stay on task the whole time."

"She's what, our babysitter or something?" Clark asked curiously, raising an eyebrow as he gave the girl another quick, appraising glance up and down.

"I don't want to be," Kotegawa responded simply, her tone even and matter-of-fact, "but yes. To leave you all unsupervised would simply be asking for trouble. Everyone knows how shameless boys can be when left unattended. So, to ensure you stay focused and don't get sidetracked, I volunteered to supervise."

Clark just motioned toward her with his thumb, pulling a comically confused expression on his face as if trying to process the situation.

Jimmy and Lois both looked equally exasperated, responding simultaneously in perfect unison: "Don't ask."

"Part of the condition for letting us do this was having her supervise," Jimmy added with a resigned shrug.

Kotegawa turned her sharp gaze on Clark, scanning him up and down with analytical precision. "Is he part of your club? As far as I'm aware, your last member was a girl."

"Yup!" Lois declared shamelessly, flashing a large, mischievous grin.

"I'm not," Clark said flatly, correcting her right away. Jimmy nodded firmly in agreement, backing him up without hesitation.

Lois immediately started to pout, her lower lip jutting out dramatically. Clark turned toward her and scoffed lightly. "At least you have the decency not to ask Lala to participate after you went and tricked her into joining your club in the first place."

"I'm not that cruel," Lois said, rolling her eyes in mock offense. "I'll have you know I also have a conscience."

"Really? That's surprising," Jimmy added in exaggerated mock surprise, widening his eyes for comedic effect.

Clark let out a boisterous laugh that echoed across the pool area, while Lois shot him a mean side-glance. Jimmy simply stuck his tongue out at her mischievously.

"I'm going to need your name if you're planning on volunteering," Kotegawa said to Clark after a moment, her voice carrying a note of formal expectation. "You have yet to introduce yourself properly."

"Clark. Clark Ayase," he replied calmly, offering a polite nod as he introduced himself.

"Oh, I know of you," Kotegawa said with a nod of recognition, a certain level of respect entering her expression. "You're the top scorer of the year, having gotten consecutive perfect scores on all your mock exams." She seemed impressed, as if this information made her feel he should possess far more discipline than the average boy.

"What?" Lois exclaimed in genuine surprise, her eyes widening. "Seriously? You're actually smart?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Clark asked, keeping his face completely straight and deadpan.

"No, no, I'm just surprised!" Lois said quickly, waving her hands. Then her expression shifted into something more playful as she stepped a little closer. "Well, big guy, you just keep getting sweeter and sweeter!" She licked her lips teasingly. "One way or another, Mama's gonna get yah."

"Supervisor," Clark said immediately, turning to Kotegawa with a perfectly straight face, "she's being shameless and making me uncomfortable. Please help."

"Yes, I can see that," Kotegawa replied, her cheeks flushing slightly as she glared at Lois. "Don't worry, I'll handle it." She launched into a firm tangent, lecturing Lois on proper behavior. "Please stop acting inappropriately with your junior. You're our senior—you're supposed to set a good example for everyone…"

As Kotegawa continued her reprimand, Clark stood just behind her, subtly covering his mouth with his fist while flicking his wrist towards Lois's direction. Lois, undeterred, simply stared over Kotegawa's head directly at Clark, quirking an eyebrow with an amused, challenging stare that held far more entertainment than irritation. Jimmy stood beside her, quietly chuckling to himself and shaking his head at their childish antics, the whole group settling into a lively, if chaotic, rhythm as they prepared to tackle the messy pool.

The three of them—thanks to their reluctant supervisor—were finally forced to stop wasting time and focus on the task at hand: cleaning the filthy pool as they had promised. The sun was beginning its slow descent, casting long shadows across the grimy deck, and the murky green water seemed to stare back at them mockingly, daring them to begin.

"We'll need to drain the pool properly before we can even begin cleaning it," Jimmy pointed out, stating the obvious. "The best way to do that is probably through a siphon. It'll pull the dirty water out efficiently without needing a pump."

Lois walked away for a moment, rummaging through some nearby maintenance supplies, and soon returned triumphantly with a long, flexible hose. "Here, we can use this to do it," she said, tossing one end into the pool with a splash. She then passed the other end to Clark, holding it out expectantly. "Here, suck it."

"What?" Clark stared down at the hose in his hands, blinking in disbelief.

"In order to get the water moving, it needs a powerful initial suction for the flow to start properly," Lois explained patiently, as if teaching children in a science class. She demonstrated with a small gesture, mimicking the motion.

"I get that," Clark replied, still eyeing the hose warily, "but why do I have to suck it?"

"You've got the biggest chest out of all of us," Lois said matter-of-factly, stepping forward and patting his broad, muscular chest with an appreciative grin. "Your lung capacity must be huge. So start sucking."

"I don't want to suck it. You suck it," Clark shot back, motioning the hose toward her. "You're the girl here—you should be good at it."

"Woaaaaah!!" Lois exclaimed loudly, backing away dramatically with both hands raised in exaggerated offense. "Sexist much?! Just for that comment, you should definitely be the one to suck it now!"

Clark turned quickly, trying to pass the hose to Jimmy instead. "Jimmy, here—you suck it."

"You couldn't pay me enough to put my mouth around that thing," Jimmy replied, recoiling visibly. "I don't even want to think about how much bacteria I'd inhale by sucking on it. You look the healthiest and strongest, so you should really be the one to do it… and for the last time my name is Joichirou"

"I'm the volunteer here," Clark protested with a deep grimace, holding the hose like it was contaminated. "I did this out of the kindness of my heart. Are you seriously going to make me suck it?"

"Yes," Lois and Jimmy both answered shamelessly in perfect unison, grinning like troublemakers.

Lois stepped closer and began patting Clark's back encouragingly. "Like you said, you volunteered~"

"Fine…" Clark relented at last, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Yes!" Lois and Jimmy cheered triumphantly, exchanging high-fives.

Clark placed both hands on top of each other protectively over the end of the hose, steeling himself mentally for the unpleasant task ahead. He took a deep breath, leaning in slightly.

Lois gained a mischievous, wicked grin as she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted enthusiastically, "Come on, Clark! You can do it! Put those big juicy lips on that tube and start sucking like you owe it money!!"

"God damn it, Lois!" Clark exclaimed in frustration, slamming the hose down onto the deck with a loud smack. "Now I'm not sucking anything!!"

Kotegawa, who had been standing off to the side trying her best to maintain composure and professionalism, had turned bright red in the face. The trio's shameless wording and constant innuendos were driving her absolutely mad—she couldn't believe people could be so crass and childish in a school setting. But when Lois delivered that final cheer, something inside the disciplined girl finally snapped.

"I'll suck it!" Kotegawa burst out suddenly, her voice louder and more forceful than anyone expected. "Just give it to me and I'll suck it for you if you can't decide! I'll suck anything you want—just make all of you stop!"

By the end of her outburst, Kotegawa was huffing and puffing heavily, having used up her full lung capacity in the heat of the moment. Her chest heaved as she stood there, fists clenched at her sides.

Clark, Lois, and Jimmy simply stared at her in stunned disbelief for a long moment, their mouths hanging open. Her words hung thickly in the air that made all their faces start to twitch.

Lois was the first to crack. A sharp "Phttt!" escaped her lips as she tried—and failed—to hold it in.

That single sound immediately set off the chain reaction. All three of them burst into hysterical laughter. Lois and Jimmy doubled over, leaning heavily on Clark, who had dropped to all fours on the deck, wheezing uncontrollably. Their laughter was the deep, stomach-clenching kind that made breathing difficult and caused their sides to ache. Strange, breathless, autistic-sounding noises escaped them as they gasped for air between fits.

Kotegawa's face grew even redder—if that was possible—until she looked like she might actually pass out from sheer embarrassment. Tears of mortification prickled at the corners of her eyes as the full weight of what she had just said sank in. It didn't help that the three of them had transformed into a pack of seals, slapping the ground and gasping wildly for breath, their uncontrollable laughter echoing across the empty pool area.

The usually strict and composed Disciplinary Committee member covered her burning face with both hands, wishing the ground would swallow her whole, while the others continued to howl with laughter, the cleaning task temporarily forgotten once again.

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