[Third Person Pov]
The murky green water was finally escaping from the pool through the siphon, flowing steadily out in a thick, unpleasant stream as Clark held the hose firmly off to the side. For a brief moment, the three of them fell quiet, the only sounds being the gentle gurgle of draining water and the distant chirp of evening insects. Then, out of nowhere, the snickering started again—soft at first, then growing stronger. The absurdity of the entire situation, especially Kotegawa's earlier outburst, kept replaying in their minds, making them look almost unhinged as they fought (and failed) to keep straight faces.
Lois took several deep breaths, trying her hardest to calm herself. Inhale… exhale… She closed her eyes for a second, focusing on the rhythm. But as soon as her gaze drifted over to Kotegawa—who was standing rigidly with her arms crossed, glaring at them with an expression that suggested she wanted nothing more than to murder all three on the spot—Lois completely lost it. A loud burst of laughter escaped her, echoing across the empty pool area.
Her uncontrollable laughter immediately triggered Clark and Jimmy again. Clark wiped tears from beneath his glasses, shoulders shaking. "Lois, please stop… I'm starting to feel guilty for laughing at this point."
"Yeah, Lois," Jimmy joined in, still chuckling as he brushed away some of the outflowing water with a broom. "Can't you see she's already mortified enough? There's no need to make it worse by laughing like that."
"Huh?!" Lois exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two boys in genuine shock, hands on her hips. "Why am I suddenly the bad guy here?! You two were laughing just as hard—if not harder! Clark, you were literally on all fours wheezing like you were dying!"
Despite all her loud complaining, a bright, irrepressible smile never left her face. Shebwas helping Jimmy in sweeping debris along the sides of the pool while Clark continued holding the siphon steady, guiding the last of the dirty water out.
"No, I wasn't," Clark said with a perfectly straight face, adjusting his glasses. "I dropped my contact lenses and was looking for them."
"I swear to the Shinto gods, Clark, I'm going to break this broom over your big head," Lois threatened, rolling her eyes dramatically while brandishing her broom like a weapon. Jimmy just chuckled at the weak excuse, shaking his head.
"Sorry, Lois, but you just don't exactly have the purest of hearts," Jimmy added in a light-hearted, teasing tone. "Makes you an easy target."
"Not pure of heart?!" Lois gasped, looking deeply offended as she placed a hand over her chest. "Although my methods might be a little questionable sometimes, I have the purest of hearts! I'm practically a paragon of virtue!"
She then pointed accusingly at Clark. "I can at least say confidently that I have a purer heart than this one right here!"
"I'm not exactly a high standard to measure against," Clark scoffed with a smirk, as the group continued their light banter to pass the time while the pool slowly drained.
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Once the pool was completely empty, all that remained at the bottom was a sad collection of trash, leaves, sludge, and miscellaneous debris that had accumulated over time. Grabbing several large trash bags and their brooms, the three students carefully climbed down the slick metal ladder into the drained pool.
"Watch your steps," Jimmy warned as he descended first, testing each rung cautiously. "They're really slippery."
Lois climbed down last. Halfway down, the slick surface caught her completely off guard. "Waaah!!" she cried out, losing her grip.
Clark reacted instantly, jumping forward and catching her smoothly in his strong arms without hesitation. "What did Jimmy just say?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"It's Joichirou,"
"Whatever,"
"Sorry," Lois said softly, looking up at Clark with an apologetic expression as she steadied herself. "I really was trying to be careful, but the steps were just too slippery."
As she spoke, Lois suddenly noticed exactly where Clark's hands had landed—firmly cupping her breast, even going even to give it a testing squeeze. She raised an eyebrow at him, a mix of amusement and mock accusation in her eyes. "Seriously?"
"Don't blame me," Clark said shamelessly, not looking the least bit apologetic. "It's how you landed."
When Clark finally set her down gently, Lois shot him a playful glare and slapped his hand away with a huff. "Pervert," she muttered, adjusting her bra and shirt with exaggerated dignity.
"If you two would stop flirting for a minute and actually help me over here, I would really appreciate it," Jimmy said dryly, giving them both an unimpressed stare from across the pool floor.
The pair shot him apologetic looks before quickly getting to work. Lois glanced around at the wide expanse of the now-empty pool and let out a long sigh at the daunting task ahead. Still, she didn't utter a single word of complaint. With a determined smile, she opened a trash bag wide, ready to tackle the mess.
The group worked steadily inside the drained pool, the air thick with the earthy scent of wet concrete and decaying leaves. Clark swept a pile of soggy debris into a neat mound, his broom scraping rhythmically against the rough bottom. After a comfortable stretch of silence broken only by the sounds of cleaning, he glanced over at Lois.
"Can I ask you something?" Clark said, pausing his sweeping for a moment. "Why exactly are you going this far to keep this club open? Why is it so important to you? I doubt it's just simply because you really want to be a journalist."
Lois was quiet for a long moment, her broom slowing to a stop. Jimmy glanced over at them silently from where he was stuffing trash into a bag, his expression softening as he sensed the shift in mood.
Lois let out a slow, heavy sigh and offered a stiff little grin, one that didn't quite reach her eyes at first. "It might not seem like a big deal to you, but… it's all we have left from our friends who already graduated and moved on to university and college. Our club was mostly made up of third-years until Jimmy and I joined together as first-years."
"They were really welcoming," Jimmy added with a faint, nostalgic grin, tying off a trash bag. "Though that was mostly because they hadn't gotten any real applicants before us."
Lois nodded, her voice growing softer and more sincere. "We might not have been a big group, but that didn't matter. All of the best memories I have from this school… pretty much all of them happened because of the people in that club. Late nights putting together newspapers, ridiculous investigations that went nowhere, celebrating stupid little victories together. When they left, they made me the president. They put me in charge and trusted me to keep it alive. It became my responsibility to make sure the club stays open and continues on."
Clark listened quietly, then nodded in understanding as he deposited another armful of collected trash into the bag. "I see. You're preserving and honoring a legacy."
"Yeah," Lois said, and this time her grin bloomed into something genuinely beautiful and warm, lighting up her face. "That's honestly the best way to put it. I'm preserving and honoring the legacy that my seniors left behind for me. That's why this club is so important to me. I don't want to let it die."
Clark studied her for a moment, then started looking at her expectantly, waiting.
Noticing his gaze, Lois tilted her head with a playful smile. "What?"
"Isn't this the part where you pull out a club registry form from god knows where and try to recruit me?" Clark asked, still keeping his guard up around her scheming nature.
Lois let out a crazy little cackle, pointing at him dramatically. "That's what you would think! But expectation subversion! I will do it when you least expect it and catch you completely off guard." She grinned mischievously. "Besides, this gives you time to bask in my noble goal and build up some sympathy. That way, when I do ask, you'll have even more reason to join!"
Clark rolled his eyes, though he looked more amused than annoyed at this point. "You saying that out loud is just going to make me want to join even less and completely kill the mood."
"Nah," Lois replied, completely unfazed as she waved him off casually. "By the time I ask you again, you'll have forgotten all about this conversation, so it'll be all good."
Clark just shook his head with a reluctant chuckle, opening his mouth to fire back another comment—when suddenly all of them turned their heads toward the pool entrance. A commotion echoed from above, unusual for the quiet afternoon. They watched in surprise as Lala appeared, dressed brightly in her gym uniform, accompanied by a lively entourage of familiar faces. Lois recognized nearly all of them from Clark's birthday celebration.
"Lala? What are you all doing here?" Clark asked, bewildered and confused. Kotegawa looked equally puzzled, her sharp eyes scanning the newcomers as she tried to figure out who they were.
"When we heard you were going to be busy cleaning the pool all day, we wanted to help out!" Lala declared cheerfully, puffing her chest out proudly. "We figured you could use some extra pairs of hands. The more help, the faster it gets done, right?" She turned to Lois and Jimmy with an enthusiastic smile. "I hope you guys don't mind!"
Lois blinked a few times, processing the sudden arrival of the energetic group, then broke into a genuine smile. "No, not at all…" she replied, gesturing welcomingly. "The more the merrier, I always say. Welcome to the mess!"
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