On the second day of school, the classes were extremely mundane. Not only have I learned each of these topics in my past life, but I also retain Kiyotaka's academic knowledge. In short, I am forced to learn the same thing three times. As expected, the class is chaotic, with Sudou, who slept like a log, being left unreprimanded by both the teachers and the students alike.
Not long after, it became lunchtime. Getting up from their seats, the students began leaving the classroom to go out to eat lunch with their newfound friends and acquaintances. As I was figuring out who to have lunch with today, Hirata voiced out his thoughts for the whole class to hear.
"I was thinking of going to eat, does anyone want to come with me?"
Soon after, Hirata was surrounded by girls, who flocked around him like magnets.
"I'm going too~!" "I'm joining as well!" those words echoed throughout the whole class.
Now, here's the question: Should I or should I not join them? Although I am not opposed to hanging out with any of these girls, the fact that there are too many of them is kind of putting me off a little bit. I often find myself rather uncomfortable with a crowd.
As I was deep in my thoughts, I was approached by one of the girls, to be exact: Mei-Yu Wang. "A-are you not going to join us, Ayanokouji-Kun?" Out of everyone in the crowd, I never once thought that I would be approached by her.
Seemingly having nothing better to do, I figured there should be no loss in doing so. However, I figured it would be fun to play hard to get for a bit.
"Actually, I was just planning on going to lunch alone."
"I-is that so? T-then why not join us? I think that going to lunch alone is a bit boring, don't you think so?" It's a bit peculiar to me how insistent she is on going to lunch with me.
Humming for a few seconds, I told her a small concern of mine. "Are you sure? I don't think everyone is fine with me being there. I don't want to be a nuisance in the group."
"No such thing! I'm sure everyone is fine with you being there. As a matter of fact, I think everyone would love it if you joined us."
"Is there anyone else?" As if feeling a bit lonely from the lack of other boys in the group, Hirata began searching around the room. That is when our eyes locked, and the man began to smile wryly at me, as if he were in need of my saving. I guess I have no choice but to accompany him.
Turning my attention back to Wang-San, I took up her invitation. "Well, if you insist." I stood up from my chair and began walking to the group formed at the front of the class. Startled by my sudden movement, Wang-San began franticly following me around.
Our walk to the cafeteria was filled with the scenery of Hirata getting bombarded by questions left and right from the girls. At times, their attention shifted to me, but it was obvious that their attention was mainly directed to Hirata. It was clear as day that Hirata had left a better impression on the class compared to me.
Amidst our walk, however, I was approached out of nowhere by one of the girls in the group, namely Kushida Kikyo. Perhaps she had something in mind. I honestly don't remember much of the small details from the first volume, and I believe the same goes for every other reader.
"Ayanokouji-Kun... right?" She did say something cliché to me during the introduction, so it isn't really surprising that she had memorised my name.
"That's right, and you are Kushida, right?"
"Yup! I'm glad that you remember my name." Her voice is annoying. She began slowing her walking pace, to which I followed suit. This way, the group won't be able to hear the content of our conversation.
"And I'm glad that you remembered mine. At any case, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" If I remember correctly, this was about helping her get to know Horikita or something.
"Actually... there's something I'd like to ask you. It's a rather short question, but Ayanokouji-Kun, are you, by any chance, on good terms with Horikita-San?"
"Where did you get that idea from?" Unlike in the canon, my interactions with Horikita have been kept to a minimum, so it still baffled me that she had come to such a conclusion.
"But I saw the two of you getting alone quite nicely yesterday. You were the only one that she talked to in the class yesterday. Also, I saw you two talking to each other in front of the school as well. I was asking everyone for their contact information one by one, yet Horikita refused to give hers. I wonder, what kind of personality does she have? Is she the type to only speak her mind to her close friends?" This girl talks too much. I'd prefer it if she ended our conversation as quickly as possible.
"If I'm being honest, I don't think she's good at interacting with others. In any case, Horikita and I aren't particularly close. To put it simply, we're just seatmates. Even I haven't gotten myself her contact information."
Fuuu... blowing out her breath in a relaxing manner, she then said, "So that's how it was. At first, I thought the two of you were friends prior to our enrollment. Sorry for asking you a weird question out of the blue!"
"It's fine, I don't really mind it." By now, the group that we were walking with had left the two of us far in the dust.
"Once again, let's get along well, Ayanokouji-Kun!" Thus, she leaped out of sight and began chasing after the group we were with.
I, on the other hand, had found myself walking alone at my own pace, feeling too lazy to enact the same act as Kushida's. Sorry, Hirata, but I guess I'll be eating alone after all.
[Scene Change]
Woah, it's bigger than I expected! The cafeteria, I mean. Since there's only one cafeteria in the school, students from all three different years are gathered here. I went ahead and got myself a modestly free meal. Why? Because I'm only here for two reasons: the first being that I wanted to see the atmosphere of the cafeteria itself, and the second being to fill up my stomach. Since I'm cooking after class anyway, I didn't want to go out of my way to buy something tasty and waste my private points.
Looking around, I began searching for a suitable seat. Since the cafeteria itself is packed, it took some time for me to find one, but soon I found myself the perfect seat. To be more precise, a corner seat, located at the very edge of the cafeteria. There weren't many students around, so I was able to finally eat in peace. Once seated, I began digging in.
On another note, the meal tasted horrible. I could go into heavy details, and I will go into heavy details. The soup itself tasted like pure tap water, as it lacked seasoning and was as bland as Yamauchi's personality. The vegetables, on the other hand, were soggy and mushy. Of course, that is to be expected from steamed vegetables, but the texture is simply horrible, and just like the soup, it's bland. It's like dipping bread in tap water. Though I had planned on being a cheapskate to prepare for the coming months, I had never expected the vegetable set to be this bad. I believe it is safe to say that I'd never try this shit again in the future.
My little rant, however, was suddenly interrupted by none other than Mei Yu Wang. How did she find me? Before I could ask that, however, she placed her tray of food on my table and took a seat immediately. She never acted this way in the canon, so it got me wondering what her real motive is.
"Sorry for leaving you behind just now, even though I agreed to join the group for lunch." I decided to apologise before conversing with her any further. Ruining her impression of me is something I'd rather avoid, if possible.
"It's fine, Ayanokouji-Kun, I didn't even notice you leaving the group just now." She said while shaking her head, dismissing my apology.
"Of course you didn't, since your attention was fixated on Hirata." I said with a slight chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Wang-San, however, seemed embarrassed by what I said.
"Speaking of Hirata, here is the real reason why I wanted to talk to you, Ayanokouji-Kun. W-what kind of g-girl d-do you think Hirata-Kun likes?" Stuttering her way through her words, she asked me something preposterous. It's only the second day of school, yet Hirata has already bagged someone as cute as her? Pure absurdity.
"Why, of all people, did you choose to ask me this question? You do know that, just like everyone else, I only met Hirata for the first time yesterday, right?"
"I-I know that. B-but you two seemed close yesterday. You two even hung out together after class."
"That's true, but Wang-san, don't you think it's a bit too early? It's only the second day of school, you know?"
"I-I know that. But I feel like, if I take too long, Hirata might end up getting snatched away by someone else." There it is — the true reason why she is in such a rush. "Hirata-Kun is extremely popular, even after just one day of school. It's only a matter of time before he gets into a relationship."
Considering the fact that he'll be in a fake relationship with Karuizawa soon, finding good advice to give her proved to be quite a tall order, even for me.
"I understand your concern. I, too, believe that it won't take long for Hirata to get himself a girlfriend. However, if you want someone to fall for you, don't you think you should just act like yourself around him?"
If you had to change your ways and your personalities in order to make someone love you, then does the person truly love you? Being loved means being appreciated just the way you are. If Mii-Chan acts in a certain way to make Hirata fall for her, then she will never feel truly loved.
Casting her eyes down for a while, she seemed to be mulling over it. The topic of love has always been a complicated one. Even when you know and understand what you're supposed to do, there will always be an irrational part of you that stops you from doing the right thing.
"I know it's easier said than done, but Wang-San, being in a relationship where your partner doesn't truly appreciate certain parts of you will cause you even more pain." In truth, there is no way anyone could act completely natural in front of their crushes. It's like an instinctual habit for one to act their best in such situations. However, I've witnessed numerous relationships fall apart because of that. Relationships, which had great starts, began declining once people realised that their partners weren't the perfect people they thought they were. The true key to a happy relationship is accepting all aspects of your partner, be they good or bad. Lovers and partners are people one should be able to confide in. If Hirata can't love her the way she is, then it'd be best for her to move on instead of engaging any further.
"I see... I just have to be myself after all." Rather than replying to me, it seemed as if she was murmuring to herself. Even if she heeds my advice, I doubt she could act completely natural in front of Hirata. However, that is completely fine. During the earlier stages of relationships, most of what we know of others is superficial after all. But if Mii-Chan manages to progress her relationship with Hirata further, that is when it is best for her to be herself. Whether their relationship progresses or digresses, I do not know. I do pray for her success, though.
"Thank you. Ayanokouji-Kun. I understand now why Hirata looks comfortable with you. You're surprisingly easy to talk to."
"You're exaggerating. I merely stated what I had in mind."
"Even so, I'm glad I chose to talk to you regarding this matter." As she finished this sentence, however, her gaze shifted to the abominable entity on my plate that the cafeteria employees called 'meal'.
"Um... Ayanokouji-Kun, why are you eating that?"
"At first, I thought it wouldn't be that bad. I was wrong." I said with a wry smile.
Out of nowhere, though, she handed me a bowl filled partially with rice and half a slice of chicken katsu. Apparently, she had separated half the rice from the bowl and placed it on her plate of chicken katsu. The same bowl was then given to me. This unnecessarily kind gesture... I pray for your happiness, Wang-San.
"T-thank you, Wang-San. I truly appreciate this. Words cannot describe how happy this makes me feel." I said, with genuine appreciation for such a gesture.
"It's no big deal, Ayanokouji-Kun. Besides, the portion was too big to begin with." She said while shaking her head left and right, denying that she did anything meaningful. "Also, you can just call me Mii-Chan. That's what my friends call me." She added.
I now understand why Kiyotaka stated that he felt embarrassed calling her that. It's hard to explain why, but calling her that in front of her face does make me feel embarrassed as well.
After finishing our lunch, we headed back to the class together. Nothing memorable happened during our walk, other than the fact that we exchanged our contact information. As soon as we walked through the class's entrance, we went our separate ways and headed back to our respective seats.
On her desk, Horikita had an extremely scrumptious-looking sandwich. Did she buy it or make it herself? As I was about to ask her that, though, music started to play out of the speakers.
"Today, at 5 p.m. in gymnasium number 1, there will be a club fair. For those of you with an interest in clubs, please come to gymnasium number 1. I repeat, today at---"
An announcement over the PA was made.
Clubs, huh. When I was fifteen, I was part of the softball club and even represented my school. Unfortunately, I was never that good and only qualified to be one of the representatives because the club lacked players. I still remember the times I would make fun of my best friend because he missed all of his swings in the district-level competition. Good times. Though originally I never planned on partaking in any club, I might check out the club fair after this.
"Hey, Horikita, do yo-"
"Not interested."
"I see, but do you still want to go and check out the club fair?"
"Nope, I told you already that I have no such interest." Short and curt, as usual.
Just when I thought our little conversation had ended, however, she turned to face me.
"Seeing how you want to go see the clubs, am I wrong to assume you are intending on joining one?"
"I'm still not quite sure regarding this matter. Depending on the atmosphere and vibe of those clubs, I might join one."
"Why don't you invite someone else other than me?"
"I just thought that you would be a better company compared to others. You aren't as loud and obnoxious as others."
As I turned my gaze outside, once again believing that the conversation was over, I began hearing Horikita mumbling, as if she were pondering something.
"Fine, I'll go with you, but only for a short while."
"Really?"
"What? You had a change of mind?"
"Nope, I still want to check it out. Oh, and I don't plan on staying there for too long as well."
After that, she resumed eating the extremely scrumptious-looking sandwich. If I ask for a bite, will our friendship deteriorate? Since it is highly likely that that would happen, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Wiping my desk with a wet tissue to make sure there'd be no germs on it, I then proceeded to rest my head on it and let my consciousness drift apart from my body.
[Another Scene Change]
"Huh, I thought it'd be bigger, but I guess size doesn't matter."
In front of the gym's entrance stood Horikita and me. It is safe to say that almost everyone here is a freshman. As we entered the gym, we received pamphlets with details regarding the activities of different clubs.
"So, what club are you particularly interested in, Ayanokouji-Kun?" As we were waiting for the club fair to start, Horikita posed me a question.
"My primary interest lies in softball, but I do wonder if they have a Muay Thai club in this school." In my previous life, I was a practitioner of two martial arts, namely Judo and Muay Thai. While Judo was fun, I had a blast during my years of Muay Thai. Thus, I'm not exactly opposed to training it again.
"I highly doubt it." Horikita answered. "Muay Thai isn't exactly a famous discipline of martial arts here in Japan. Rather, the natives here prefer maintaining traditional martial arts such as Judo, Aikido, and Karate." She added.
What Horikita said was true. Unlike countries such as the United States, which prioritise individualism, Japan highly values cultures and traditions. Even though certain martial arts have been criticised and debunked, such as Taekwondo, for their lack of practicality, most Japanese would still practice such martial arts rather than training 'non-traditional martial arts'. Hence, as Horikita said, it is highly doubtful that there will be a Muay Thai club here.
"Unfortunately, that seems to be true." I told her as I began skimming through the pamphlet given to us earlier. "Fortunately, the school does have a softball club." I added as I point to the page on the pamphlet with details regarding said club.
"Surprisingly, there is no Karate club as well." Said Horikita, as she failed to find information regarding Karate on the pamphlet.
As I scrutinised my surroundings, I began to understand why Horikita said in the canon that the equipment in here would bring shame to professionals'. They really were of high quality.
"The facilities here are of high quality. They even have-" and now she's telling me exactly what she said in the canon. It's honestly a weird feeling to know exactly what someone would say. I still can't wrap my head around it.
"Do you have any experience in softball, Ayanokouji-Kun?"
"While I did play softball for a period of time, I wasn't particularly good at it. Why are you asking?"
"Because it appears that someone with no experience will have difficulty joining a sports club. Even if someone made their high school debut, they would remain a substitute player indefinitely. I don't think it would be enjoyable."
"If that's the case, then I won't be joining any club after all."
"You came to that decision rather quickly, as if you were never interested in club activities to begin with."
"Wrong. I was interested in them, but if I can't enjoy doing them, then I'd rather not join at all." Doing something I do not enjoy—the simple notion of it goes against my principles.
"I told you already, right, that my joining a club depends on the atmosphere and vibe of those clubs. I had originally wanted to check out if I could join any of the clubs to relieve some stress and have fun."
"But since you'll be having neither of those, you decided that joining a club is not worth it?" Horikita decided to finish my sentence for me.
"Exactly."
She seemed to be annoyed by the notion of doing something for the sole reason of having fun. I'm not surprised. Horikita is someone who does things based on merit, after all. Before she could say anything, though, a greeting coming from the stage of the gym stole our attention.
"Thank you for waiting, first-year students. A representative from each club will explain their activities and how to join. I am Tachibana, the secretary of the student council and the chairman responsible for this club fair. Pleasure to meet you."
Making her debut in my school life, Tachibana made such an announcement. After the greeting from her, the club representatives queued up on the stage of the gym. Donning their own distinctive uniforms, they began promoting their respective clubs while providing a brief description of the settings for their activities and training.
"Why not join the archery club? They seem to be welcoming of newcomers."
Unlike other clubs so far, which have shown that their interest lies only in experienced students, the archery club's president is rather welcoming to beginners.
"No, I don't think I will. I've tried archery before, and every single muscle fibre of my upper back going up to my shoulder was hurting for the whole week."
Though the actual reason why I ended up like that was because I was using an old bow—more specifically, an exact replica of the mediaeval age's bow. I was stunned at how powerful you had to be to become an archer back then.
"That's surprising. I knew that archery requires monstrous strength, but to affect someone to such an extent is unheard of."
"That's because I was using a mediaeval age's bow." I decided to tell her the truth.
"Oh." That's all she had to say?
As I was staring at her, however, she suddenly tensed up. It's that moment, huh? Shifting my gaze over to the stage once again, I saw the figure of a student, standing at around 170cm tall. Peering over the crowd manacingly, the first-year students mistook his silence for weakness and began throwing insults at him.
"Did you forget to bring your notecards~?"
"Bro forgot his script."
"Ahahahaha!"
Despite the insults being thrown at him, the man didn't waver, not one bit. Just as described in the novels, the man's aura is no laughing matter.
Eventually, the noises started dying down, and soon after, the whole gym was enveloped in a tense and quiet atmosphere. No one dared to make a noise, resulting in a dreadful silence.
"My name is Horikita Manabu, and I am the student council president. The student council is looking for first-years to replace the graduating third-years. There are no strict requirements to apply for the position, but those who are interested should not be affiliated with any other clubs. Generally, we do—" blah blah blah, I barely give a fuck.
After finishing his speech, Horikita Manabu walked off the stage. However, even then, not a single soul dared to speak. It was only with the help of the chairman, who announced that the club fair was over, that the tense atmosphere began to dissipate.
Without saying anything to me, Horikita simply walked out of the gym, heading towards God knows where. However, a thoughtful voice called out.
"Ayanokouji! You also came?"
Next to him are Ike and Yamauchi.
"It looks like you guys are getting along."
"That's right. In any case, are you also thinking of joining a club?"
"That was my original intention. Unfortunately, it seems like the softball club isn't very welcoming to beginners. What about you? Are you thinking of joining any clubs?"
"Yup, I've been playing basketball since elementary school, and I'll continue here as well."
"I see. I had expected you to be involved in sports due to your physique." As I said this, Sudou began scratching the back of his head, as if he were embarrassed by my compliment.
"What about you two? Are you guys looking to join any club as well?"
"We came because we thought it would be fun. I was also hoping for some sort of fateful encounter to happen."
"Fateful encounter, huh? Are you perhaps referring to finding a girlfriend?"
"It's like you read my mind. That's right, my goal is to make a girlfriend, so I was hoping to find a target here."
Calling your potential girlfriend a target seems a bit concerning, but I'll let it slide. Ike doesn't seem like he is capable of hurting anyone.
"Oh, that's right." Ike said, as if he remembered something important. "I made a male group chat yesterday. Do you want to join? It might come in handy." He said, as he took out his phone.
"Seems like fun. Count me in." Thus, we exchanged contact information, and he then added me to the group.
From then on, we began walking back to the dormitories. Our walk was filled with chit-chat, with nothing worth mentioning. The topic mostly revolves around girls and their delusions. I opted to stay quiet most of the time while giving my input from time to time. Soon, we arrived at the lobby and went our respective ways. From then on, we began walking back to the dormitories. Our walk was filled with chit-chat, with nothing worth mentioning. The topic mostly revolves around girls and their delusions. I opted to stay quiet most of the time while giving my input from time to time. Soon, we arrived at the lobby and went our respective ways.
Looking back, I managed to converse with a couple of my classmates today, namely Horikita, Mii-Chan, Kushida, and the idiot trio. While my social energy was drained to the brim, I had fun nonetheless.
Taking off my shirt and stripping naked, I took a good twenty-minute shower. Now that I think about it, I don't have any pajamas or nightwear. I guess I should pay the mall a visit soon.
Putting on whatever shirt I have left, I fell flat onto the bed and decided to call it a day.
A/N: Once again, another short chapter. First and foremost, apologies for the late update. This past week, I went on a vacation that burned me out completely, physically (sunburn) and mentally (I need more sleep). As far as the chapter goes, I had hoped to come up with a longer one. Unfortunately, I find it hard to transition from one scene to another, so I opted to create short yet mass-produced chapters. Do let me know if you guys would prefer it this way or vice versa. In any case, feel free to leave any criticism, as it will help me in the long run. Anyway, thanks again for reading my work, and have a great day, everyone.