Until earlier this year, I was a first-year student, and last year during the entrance ceremony, I didn’t come to school.
Moreover, it had been several years since I graduated from university in my previous life. I had some relatives, but most of them were either too young to have kids or too old to be distant from “entrance” matters. I hardly ever kept in touch with those relatives.
So, I couldn’t even remember that the entrance ceremony coincided with the start of the first semester.
“…Do they really hold the entrance ceremony at that time?”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Koko next to me also tilted her head.
That’s right. Both of us skipped the entrance ceremony and are attending this school.
I only skipped the early part of the first semester, but Koko skipped an entire semester. Especially since she had never attended school before.
As we both tilted our heads in thought, the other kids around us made slightly awkward expressions.
Ah, I see.
If the two of us react like this, it becomes incredibly awkward to laugh it off.
Whether they know our identities or not, the stories behind us are quite something. Moreover, they are all depressed stories.
“…”
Um…
Thinking back, Kagami probably never attended the entrance ceremony either. With two daughters no less.
Should I just focus on studying hard enough for university?
While I was trying to divert my mind elsewhere, the kids started sweating and quickly changed the topic.
“W-Wait, does that mean we have a junior starting from today?”
At Mako’s words, the kids nodded.
I momentarily thought of Shii. They were middle school and high school students, and the school uniform colors looked completely different, but in the end, we were categorized as “in the same school.” In fact, Shii was calling me “senpai.”
Unfortunately, Sasaki and Shii are two years apart. Unless something unusual happens, Shii will probably advance to high school here next year, but that’s next year.
Next year… hmm, it’s not like I can’t have fun at all, but I thought I’d go to university. I should at least study a bit.
“That’s true… But is there really anything different about a junior besides just being in the same school?”
“That’s just because you don’t participate in club activities, so you haven’t had the chance to get close.”
Hukuda said that, and Yuu replied with an incredulous tone.
That’s a valid point. We hardly engage in conversations with students from different grades most of the time.
During my high school days, I rarely had a chance to talk with juniors. The only conversations I had were during club activities I was forced into on Saturdays. Honestly, even then, I spent more time hanging out with friends than with juniors, so my memories of them are pretty vague.
“Hmm, should I at least join a club activity?”
“Why, do you want juniors?”
“Well, I didn’t have any close juniors in middle school. Isn’t it about time? Next year, I’ll be a test taker.”
Hukuda, surprisingly responsible. But then again, I think their grades were quite good.
There’s definitely an aura that emanates just from the term “test taker.” It makes people nervous unnecessarily and is annoying every time it’s mentioned— stuff like that. But in reality, once you become a test taker, you still get to have fun anyway.
“Even if it’s a club activity, I don’t really know where to join.”
Hukuda said that with a nonchalant expression.
“…What about asking Koto Ne?”
Yuu suggested.
“Koto Ne?”
“She’s into club activities.”
“Ah, right!”
Hukuda smiled slyly at me.
“That sounds good! I feel like I could get a bit lazy if it’s the Literature Club.”
Such unpure intentions to join…
Is the Literature Club that easy?
Depends…
Especially since the president is easygoing.
“…I might get scared, though.”
“Scared? Who’s scared?”
As I mumbled, Hukuda tilted their head in confusion.
Izumi seemed quite nervous when Yuu visited. Of course, since they probably judged that there was no one to gain from me being friendly, they loosened up, but still, the “delinquent type” doesn’t seem like a good match.
Why, isn’t there a cliché like that? In these kinds of stories, if they’re obviously a “gyaru,” they’re usually inexperienced, while if they look a bit gloomy or have the “top student” style, they’re boldly revealing and seem to have a lot of experience.
But that also shows a hint in the design. An inexperienced gyaru is just what you’d expect from a stereotypical gyaru, while an experienced gloomy girl is drawn to look extraordinarily sexy somewhere.
Izumi is absolute no. It’d be much more convincing to think Mako has a boyfriend.
Not that she’s unattractive or ugly or anything… It’s just that, well, there’s an ambiance about her.
As I was about to answer Hukuda’s inquiry, the classroom door opened. Seeing the teacher entering, it seemed like the break time was over.
“Ah, then let’s check it out after the entrance ceremony. Hearing you guys got me a bit curious too. Since it’s a place you’ve been active in for a year, I think the seniors wouldn’t be too bad.”
Well, at least we all know each other’s faces.
Then it might not be so surprising even if we see each other in the clubroom, huh?
I nodded in agreement for now.
Having friends in the clubroom is also a good thing.
The Literature Club should continue on for a long time, and when I visit the school again later, it would be nice if it’s still around. Our activity guide should remain, as long as there aren’t major issues.
The me from my previous life never visited the school I graduated from, but I have a feeling that such events could happen in this world.
*
The entrance ceremony was held after the morning classes finished.
Just in case, I looked around diligently, but Miki was nowhere to be seen.
Well… This school isn’t just about the difficulty of entrance exams, they say it also looks into students’ backgrounds.
Being the daughter of a yakuza, surely those criteria are pretty strict, but as for Miki… well…
Anyway, since she had been involved in some not-so-great matters in the past.
Still, since she said she wanted to attend school, I hope she enrolled in a good one. Hopefully, we can hang out together later.
Miki is still working hard at the boss’s shop. She’s kind of popular, too. Watching her makes me think that I should live like that too, working hard.
I have no idea what matters she was caught up in or the backstory behind it.
But I’m sure that person was dragged into those matters against her will. That’s the kind of thought I have.
That’s also why the boss didn’t give up on Miki until the end.
“…”
Still, it would have been nice if we could enter the same school.
“Koto Ne?”
As I was leaving the gym with a slightly disappointed expression, Koko called out my name.
“Koko.”
Instead of saying anything, I called her name back. Koko smiled at me when I said her name.
There were plenty of friends around us. It’s almost ridiculous how coincidental it is, considering all the friends I’m close with at this school gathered together.
Well, asking for more than this might be greedy.
People you can’t meet in school can just meet and hang out somewhere else.
Since we had just had the entrance ceremony, we should gather the club members soon.
For now, there are still enough members, so there’s no chance of disbandment, but if we want it to continue after we graduate, we need at least one new student to join.
Alright.
Then, shall I start by taking these guys to the Literature Club?
*
Earlier, when Hukuda mentioned seeing Izumi, I take back what I said about there not being any issues.
“…”
“Ah… Ikeda-senpai?”
Contrary to my expectations, Izumi was hiding behind Kaoru, just like the first time Yuu saw her.
It was definitely an issue that I brought so many friends with me, but it’s probably also because the kid at the front is practically “the specimen of a gyaru.”
“Hello?”
Hukuda waved to Ikeda, who was behind Kaoru.
“Eeek!”
Ikeda seemed to change angles to avoid Hukuda, trying not to be seen.
“Um, Izumi? We’ve met each other already, haven’t we?”
Of course, the two hadn’t actually spoken.
At parties like the Christmas party, or during the orientation, they were probably sitting in groups, so they likely didn’t have much chance to get close.
“W-Well, at that time, since it was a social gathering!”
Ah, I get it.
I understand a bit about the psychology behind it.
No matter how awkward it might be to meet new people, when you go somewhere with a friend and meet that friend’s friend, you can’t just sit there awkwardly. It makes everyone uncomfortable— yourself, that person, and even the friend.
In such times, you scrape up whatever little social skills you have that are buried in your personality and bring them to the forefront, enough to make it seem like you’re having a good conversation for that moment.
From the moment you set up the promise, you’ve somewhat prepared yourself mentally.
The problem is, I didn’t think of making any promises while leading my friends over today.
“C-Come on, isn’t it what you wanted? A new club member?”
Kaoru forcefully pushed Izumi, who was behind her, toward the front.
From her expression, it looks like she’s really enjoying this.
“Eeek!”
Our proud literature club president Izumi looked quite flustered as a blonde tan gyaru was suddenly pushed toward her.
Hukuda glanced at me. I shrugged.
Honestly, I’m not sure why they’re reacting like that either.
I have asked Kaoru and Izumi why it is like this, but Izumi doesn’t seem to have any dark past with gyarus or anything.
So, this is purely a matter of personal taste.
“Considering the state of the Literature Club president…”
And it seems that Kaoru took Izumi’s situation as an opportunity and leaned a bit over her shoulder.
“Hey, do you guys want to join the Occult Research Club instead of the Literature Club?”
“The Occult Research Club?”
Hukuda briefly looked at Kaoru’s face, and his eyes immediately lit up.
“What’s that? Sounds fun!”
“Right? I think the Occult Research Club would be a better choice than the Literature Club!”
“What the heck are you talking about!”
Finally, Izumi shouted back as if coming to her senses upon hearing Kaoru’s words.
“This is the Literature Club! The Literature Club! What do you mean, the Occult Research Club? The club hasn’t even been approved yet! Besides, you haven’t even applied to create it!”
“That’s just because there weren’t enough members. If I had something to build on, I would’ve applied for it too.”
Leaving the two of them bickering, I naturally sat down with Koko and Yuka.
“Want some dorayaki?”
I pulled the snack basket on the desk toward them, and the kids tilted their heads but each took a snack.
I peeled open the plastic bag and took a bite of the dorayaki.
Delicious. It’s just pancakes with red bean paste sandwiched in between, but every ingredient used feels so high-end that it tastes incredible.
Yes, sometimes I crave this taste.
Even if I buy it outside, I don’t think it will taste like this. Probably, after Izumi and Kaoru graduate next year, I won’t be able to taste it like this anymore.
I might experience other tastes, but this will likely be a flavor I won’t be able to taste again, so I plan to eat as much as I can while I still can.
“Hey, can you not look at people fighting like it’s a dish?”
Noticing my gaze, Izumi seemed to have calmed down a bit and remarked with a somewhat incredulous expression.
After all that fuss, it appears that her fear of gyarus has somewhat diluted with the distraction.
“…”
Since the embarrassment came late, Izumi’s cheeks turned red.
Ultimately, Izumi couldn’t stand the embarrassment and hid behind Kaoru.
The kids’ gazes turned back to the three of us.
However, Koko was already lost in the snack, and Yuka and I were just quietly enjoying another dorayaki with peaceful expressions.
It took about five minutes for Izumi to calm down again.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.