AGRIM SHARMA'S POV:
April 20th, 2017
"They say high school is all sunshine and roses- sunshine, roses, rainbows, and unicorns. I've heard so much about the bliss and excitement of being a high school student that I've written it off as a worn-out cliché. Who's to say that every teenager wants high school to be a fairy tale fever dream? It seems ridiculous to me. Take all the studying, the sports, and the romantic affairs- there are a lot of people who show no interest in that kind of nonsense, right? Well, I guess when you rule out all that crap, there's not much left, is there?" Oreki asked.
"Wow, Hotarou. I didn't know you were such a full-fledged pessimist." I said with a hand on my cheek and a smirk on my face.
"Wait, pessimist?"
"Why do you have a problem with studying, sports and romance? You know, the things normal kids enjoy. You make it sound so dismal."
"That's not what I said. You misunderstood me."
"I'm just telling you what I heard." I said, waving my arm around. "Maybe you're just lazy- have you thought of that?"
"Huh."
"In the past six months I've known you- anytime you think something's a hassle or seems like it might be frivolous, you refuse to do it, which explains- your motto." Agrim said, pointing at Oreki.
"If I don't have to, I'm not going to." Oreki said lazily. "If I have to, I'll do it as quickly as possible."
Maybe I should take a book out of your page. Wait- that's not right...
"That's the one. But, you know? Not joining any of the clubs here at Advanced Nurturing High, you've made a little black cloud appear above your head."
"Oh, yeah? What club are you in, then?"
"I'm still thinking about it. There's a lot to choose from." I smirked. "You might think you're slick, but you're only punishing yourself."
"You sure like to run your mouth, huh...?"
"And you just noticed? We've basically hung out every single day for the past six months."
"Whatever, go join whatever club you were gonna join." He said, before taking out a piece of paper.
After examining it closely, I noticed it was a club application form.
"No way... Classic lit? Since when are you in classic lit?" I asked him.
He lazily took out another paper, but this time it was an envelope.
"What's that- What does a letter from your sister have to do with anything?"
"She sent it to me from India, some place in the north called Varanasi."
"Oh, yeah?" I took the letter from his hand and read its contents. "I see... Your sister's blackmailing you."
"They're threatening to close down the club because of lack of members. She asked me to join to help keep the club alive."
"But I thought your sister was more into martial arts?"
"Aikido, actually- which is worse. If she wants to hurt you, she knows just how to do it."
Me too...
"Hah! Then you should do as she says."
"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do... And believe me, I've tried to think of an excuse."
"So the club doesn't have any members?"
"Nope."
"Well, look on the bright side- you'll have the clubroom all to yourself. It'll be like having your own private space on school grounds. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it?"
"My own... private space?" Oreki's eyes lit up just a bit after hearing that.
"You know what? I think I'll join the club with you."
"What? No, please don't. I want the clubroom to myself."
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun- just the two of us. And classic lit is kind of my vibe, you know? I don't plan on joining any sports club, so might as well be with you."
*SIGH* "Fine... do whatever you want."
With that, Oreki got up from his seat and left for the cafeteria. I turned my attention to my right, and saw that my seatmate had returned.
"Hey, Kamuro. What are you planning on doing after class today?" I asked, turning to my right.
"Why? You wanna stalk me?" she replied, scoffing.
"I'm surprised you think so highly of yourself, but, no- I don't. I just wanted to get to know you better, you're my seatmate after all."
*SIGH* "Fine... How about... Hmm, I have no idea actually-"
"Wanna hit the mall with me later? But I need to take care of something first. My friends-"
"You already have friends?" she asked curiously. "Or are you talking about your brothers?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm talking about my brothers. Sorry, force of habit." I dismissed with a wave.
"Fine, I'll see you later, I guess...?"
"Definitely. See you later, grumpy!"
I shot up from my seat and made my exit quickly. I didn't want to wait and face the wrath of a grumpy teenage girl, so I made my way out the classroom and looked for a place to suit up.
...
I swung over to the location of the alert I got in my phone, and looked around for the source.
These alerts aren't really accurate. Gotta talk to Ritvik about developing an app so people can directly report crimes and send in requests. Man, that'd be a great idea...
A few meters ahead of the pinged location, I spotted a break-in happening.
"Quick! Before the cops show up." One of the thugs instructed.
There were a total of five guys below me, all trying to get into a house? Wow, these guys are low- even by my standards.
I jumped down and swing-kicked one of them, knocking him into the wall.
"Alright guys, if you guys make up a convincing enough argument, I'll believe that you all forgot your keys. Sound good?" I joked, before punching one of them in the gut, knocking them down to their knees.
I picked him up from his collar and threw him against the wall, before webbing him up.
One down, four to go.
The big guy moved in on me, trying to subdue me, but I slid under him and kicked his knee, bringing him to a knee. Using a web-line, I pulled him towards myself and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out.
Two down, three to go.
Two of them moved in at the same time, and I quickly vaulted over them before using two web-lines to make them bump into each other.
Using the wall for support, I leaped to the wall and delivered a superman punch to one's jaw, knocking him out as well. The other one moved in from behind, but I ducked and slid underneath him, and pulled his pants down.
"Ohh! Someone's not wearing- wait a second! Those are neither tight, nor white! Bro, did you shit yourself fighting me?" Before he could respond, I kicked him in the nuts, knocking him out.
"AAAAGH! NOT COOL, MAN!"
The final thug finally got back up to his feet, and came rushing towards me. I decided to mimic his actions and leaped over his head before webbing his limbs, and then slammed him into the ground.
And that's a clean sweep.
...
I quickly got back to the school just after lunch break was over. The teacher enquired about my absence and I made up an excuse that I was with the nurse because of a nosebleed.
He bought the excuse.
After classes ended for the day, I checked the group chat and saw that everyone was busy. Arush was going to meet someone he met online while playing Mortal Kombat, Zain was hanging out with Uesugi, and Ritvik was at his club.
Guess I'll go fill in my form and head to the clubroom as well...
...
THIRD-PERSON POV:
Oreki walked to the teacher's lounge in relative silence, his thoughts mirroring what he said to Agrim earlier today.
'People usually misunderstand me on this- it's not like I think my way of doing things is better than them, by any means, and I don't see myself superior to those who chose to get involved- I'm just true to my motto, that's all.'
'If I don't have to, I'm not going to. If I have to, I'm gonna do it as quickly as possible.'
"Fourth floor of the Auxiliary building...? That's as remote as it gets." Hotarou sighed.
Hotarou opened the door with his key and walked in with Agrim. The first thing they noticed was that there was someone else in the room beside them.
The two boys shared a curious glance but just shrugged, since they didn't know who the other person was.
This mystery person turned around and gave the two boys a small smile, before bowing slightly and introducing herself.
"Hello, there. I didn't know you two were in the Classic Literature Club as well, Oreki-san, Sharma-san."
Hotarou's eye twitched and he asked the girl a question. "Who are you?"
"You don't know? I'm Eru. Eru Chitanda."
"Sorry, I have no idea who you are." Oreki replied.
"You're Hotarou Oreki-san, right? From Class 2-A. I'm in Class 2-B, so we have met."
'She's Arush's classmate?' Agrim thought to himself.
"I'm sorry, but that's not ringing any bells." He says, before putting his hand up to his chin.
'2-B?'
"Wait, you don't happen to be in my music class, do you?"
"Yep." Chitanda replied with a smile.
'We've only had that class once so far this term... Her memory's incredible.' Agrim thought to himself.
"I'm assuming you know me from music class as well?" Agrim asked her.
"Oh, yes, but you are quite famous, you know? Being a transfer student and all, and your brother actually told me about you a little when he first got here."
"He did?" Agrim says, confused. "Only nice things, I hope..."
'Fat chance of that happening...'
"So, uh, Chitanda- what are you doing in here? Are you lost or something?" Oreki asked her, setting his bag on the table.
"Nope." She walked over to him. "You see, I joined the classic lit club. This is where we're supposed to meet."
Those words ringed inside Oreki's head repeatedly, until he had to be snapped back to reality by Agrim.
"Are you for real? Why would you do that?" Oreki asked, slumping his shoulders.
"I have my reasons, but they're personal. Why'd you two join the club?"
"Oh, no reason, really... I'm just glad we have members." Oreki said. 'Well, are you happy now sis?! The classic lit club lives to see another day.'
"I joined because of Oreki." Agrim replied.
"Well, see you later." Oreki said, already at the door.
"Wait, you're leaving?!" "Wait, you're leaving already?" Agrim and Chitanda exclaimed at the same time.
"Sure am. You two have fun in here, and be sure to lock up before you guys leave."
"What?" she grabbed onto Oreki's bag. "I can't lock up if I don't have a key."
"What's that?"
"I said I don't have a key."
"Oh, yeah..." Oreki took out the key from his pocket and handed it to Chitanda. "Here."
"Wait a sec, why do you have the key to this room, Oreki-san?"
"What you mean? How the hell were we supposed to get into a locked classroom without one?" Oreki said, confused.
"Pardon my French, but how did you get in here before the two of us showed up?" Agrim asked Chitanda.
"The door was open when I got here."
"Well, then you must've just locked it behind you..."
Chitanda's eyes suddenly lit up, and she got up in Oreki's face. "So, you're saying I was locked in here?!"
"Yeah..."
Agrim watched from the sidelines, clearly amused by the whole situation.
"Yeah, you were."
"So, someone came along and trapped me in this room until you came along?" she moved closer to him.
"Look, I'm sure you just did it yourself. Are you certain that you did?"
"Yes! I'm absolutely certain!" by now, she was basically kissing him without actually doing it.
"But I'm the only one with the key... I mean, what else could have happened?"
"Maybe we should ask the guy hiding in the hallway?" Chitanda suggested, causing Oreki to look at the slightly ajar door.
"Huh? Satoshi..."
"Hehe, sorry about that... I totally didn't mean to eavesdrop on you guys." Satoshi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
'Satoshi Fukube is one of Oreki's middle school friends from what I've seen on his file.' Agrim thought, trying to remember where he had seen the name "Satoshi."
"You totally did."
"Okay, guilty as charged. But, I gotta admit- when I see my good buddy Hotarou, known for his stoicism in an empty classroom with a young lady and- wait, who are you?"
"Agrim Sharma. Oreki's classmate." Agrim acknowledged Fukube's presence with a nod of his head.
"Satoshi Fukube. Hotarou's childhood friend." He extended his hand for Agrim to shake, which he took without hesitation.
"Anyway, I was just curious about as to what the three of you were up to, alone in this room."
Chitanda got flustered because of Fukube's words, and decided to clear the air.
"Hey- wait, no! We weren't-"
"You have got to be kidding me..." Oreki said with a bored look.
'This guy has no tact...' Agrim thought to himself, looking at Fukube.
"I know~ Just joking..."
"Sorry about that." Oreki apologized to Chitanda. "This guy has no manners at all."
"Nothing beats a good joke~ Well, except for Spider-Man beating up some criminals!"
'Wait, how did Spider-Man get dragged into all this?!' Agrim thought, clearly caught off-guard.
"Are you a fan?" Agrim asked Fukube.
"Sure am!" he replied. "Those guys are awesome."
"Eh, seems like an elaborate corporate trick to distract us from the real issue." Agrim said, making it seem like he doesn't like the Spider-Men, so he can divert attention off of himself.
"Dude, what?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"Anyway, you were saying?"
"Oh, right... I was saying that nothing beats a good joke. Don't take life too seriously. I live by that motto."
"Right... Oreki-san, who is this boy?"
"This is Satoshi Fukube- would be comedian."
"I see..."
"Hey, good one! Nice to see you think so." Fukube patted Oreki's back. "Nice to meet you... And you are?"
"I'm Eru Chitanda."
"D-did you say- Chitanda?! As in the very famous Chitandas?" Fukube exclaimed.
"What's the matter with you?" Oreki asked him.
"Wait, are you telling me you've never heard of the Chitanda family?" Fukube took out a small book from his bag and scrolled through its contents. "New Tokyo has many prestigious dynasties, but none of them are as notable as the four higher families- There's the Richard's Family. The big corporate tech owning Stark Family. The Chitanda farmers, and the Wakandan Family of King T'Challa."
'I know three out of these four families, which I guess, isn't too bad.' Agrim thought to himself.
"Is that true?" Oreki asked.
"I wouldn't say we're a prestigious family." Chitanda answered. "And I've never heard us referred to by that name before."
"You made that up."
"It sounds cool, and I thought that I could be the first one to coin that phrase." Fukube shamelessly admitted. "They also said that the oldest Chitanda daughter is known for her beauty and incredible grades, and that she's one of the most refined girls in all of New Tokyo. In middle school, she got a near perfect score on the entrance exams for this school, which is quite hard to, in fact, I only know three people who've had near perfect scores on this school's entrance exams, and you're one of them."
"Whoa, is that true?" Oreki asked her.
"It's just a fluke. I just have a knack for acing standardized tests. And besides, I heard that the new transfer students got perfect scores across the boards on their tests-"
The three of them quickly turned to look at Agrim, who was busy on his phone. Sensing the quiet, he glanced up from his phone and stared at the three students.
"Is there... something on my face?"
"No. Did you get perfect scores on the entrance exams?"
"What?"
"Did you or did you not get perfect grades on the entrance exam?"
"I... I did?"
"WHY IS THAT A QUESTION?!" Fukube exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah- I did, what about it? It was easy enough."
"Easy enough?! That test is one of the most difficult tests to clear in the world."
"Really? Me and my two other brothers gave the test together. I actually finished second among us three."
"Wait, someone else finished it before you, the guy with the perfect score? How much did he get?"
"He got a perfect score as well. I told you, it was easy."
The three of them exchanged shocked glances as they continue staring at the anomaly standing before them.
"Oh, crap!" Agrim exclaimed. "Guys, I gotta go. I promised someone I'd meet them after school- see you!" With that, Agrim grabbed his bag and made a beeline towards the exit.
...
AGRIM SHARMA'S POV:
I saw Kamuro impatiently waiting for me right at the entrance of Keyaki Mall. I approached her and greeted her.
"Hey. Sorry if I made you wait."
"Finally... Where the heck were you?"
"I was having lunch with my friends. I-"
The reality of this situation is much more different, however.
"Excuses, excuses~ You invite a lady out, and then, you make her wait. Not. Good."
"My deepest apologies, my lady. You see, my foolish self was famished, so I decided not to die of starvation. I apologize once again..."
"Oh gosh, you're so dramatic."
"Yeah. That's part of my charm." I flashed her a smirk.
"Stop that, it's creepy."
We walked in silence as we reached the convenience store and went inside. However, to my surprise, I saw free items on the corner shelf of the store.
Hmm, definitely not suspicious.
After paying for our stuff, Kamuro and I walked out of the store.
"Well then, my lady, where would you like to go next?" I asked the purple-haired beauty.
"Ugh, don't call me that. It's creepy."
"Eh? Really? But you act so high and mighty all the ti-"
*CHOP*
I got interrupted because I was chopped in the stomach. "Ow!"
"Serves you right."
"What was that for?"
"You were talking nonsense."
"It was a fact..." I mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Anyway, do you wanna grab some ice cream? I wanna try it."
"What do you mean 'try it'? Surely, you've eaten one before, right?"
"Uhh... No?" Not from this universe, anyway.
She stopped walking and looked at me like I was an alien.
"You're telling me you haven't eaten ICE CREAM before? Like ever?"
"Yeah...?" I replied, unsure of how to answer.
"Why is that a question?! Have you or have you not eaten ice cream before?!" she asked loudly.
"No! I haven't. Not from around here, anyway." I replied, surprised by her aggressiveness.
"Let's go." She grabbed my arm and started dragging me.
"Um, where are we going, though?" I asked, confused.
"To the ice cream parlour, where else?"
"That's all well and good, but do you actually know where it is?"
"Don't care. Has to be somewhere in this mall. We will look until we find it, and you will try ice cream today!"
"Yes ma'am!" I couldn't help but giggle at her childish behaviour. She was too adamant on making me have ice cream.
I guess it can be shocking to hear that a person hasn't tasted ice cream ever, especially when they're 17 years old.
Well, all in all, today was a good day. I joined a club, and had a little date with Kamuro, although I don't know if she would call it that.
She made me try 3 different flavours, which were the big three of ice cream. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. I had to say, though, that chocolate was definitely my favourite.
TO BE CONTINUED...
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Chapter-7 is over. And I know that things are progressing very slowly, but Volume-1 is all about setting up and established the characters and character dynamics, so bear with it for a little while.
Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. :)
- ZZS101