Who'll Brew Me a Pot of Hot Tea?

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms over her chest. She had looked at a lot of club-related information at Horikita Manabu's place that noon.

"To create a new club, at least three students need to apply, and a supervising teacher must be registered. The Student Council will conduct an initial review, and if approved, the club will be provided with a club activity room. However, for the first six months after the new club is established, the Student Council will send someone to conduct a review every month to determine whether the club is operating healthily and whether its existence is necessary."

"Sounds easy?"

Kitagawa Ryo stroked his chin and said that he remembered that new club applications in general high schools usually required at least five people, but considering that a grade at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School only had 160 students, it seemed reasonable.

"It's still under review."

Horikita Suzune tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and patiently began to explain:

"Actually, there were quite a few niche clubs in the school in the early days, such as skateboarding and rap, but due to grades or number of members, they basically could not pass the review. Even if they barely passed once or twice, their funding would be cut due to the lower score. In this vicious cycle, they basically could not survive for more than half a year before disbanding."

"The least popular clubs in schools nowadays are Tea Ceremony and calligraphy, but actually they're not really that niche, just compared to traditional sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball."

The two chatted for a while about the new club. Although Kitagawa Ryo never said what kind of club he wanted to create or who the members would be, Horikita Suzune didn't care. Seeing that it was almost time, she left for the Student Council. Anyway, even if Kitagawa Ryo eventually created a new club, it would still need to be reviewed by the Student Council, Kitagawa Ryo couldn't hide it from her.

"Ayanokoji."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was resting with his eyes closed on a bench, heard his name called. He opened his eyes and saw that shiny bald head.

"Is there something you need, Katsuragi?"

"I just didn't expect Ayanokoji to come here too."

Katsuragi Kohei sat next to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, his body slightly hunched over, his hands clasped together as he surveyed the other students around him.

This is inside the Student Council. Each student being interviewed will be taken to the reception room for review in turn.

Katsuragi Kohei's lament stemmed from the sheer number of people who had come here.

Aside from himself, Class 1-A only had Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, while the other three classes combined only had four or five students. This made Katsuragi Kohei feel somewhat confident of victory.

In the group chat he created, you could see Totsuka Yahiko and others offering confident encouragement.

Katsuragi Kohei certainly had reason to be confident. After all, all the students had only been in Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School for less than two days, and the Student Council's recruitment at this time must be based on the students' grades from the three years of junior high school. Katsuragi Kohei's resume was quite impressive. He had been the class president and a member of the Student Council before, so he was experienced and had good grades. In addition, the competition didn't seem too intense. Therefore, even the usually composed Katsuragi Kohei couldn't help but feel a little excited.

The Student Council is the most difficult club to join at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Once you become a member of the Student Council, you can instantly boost your prestige in your class.

It wasn't that Katsuragi Kohei had any excessive desire to flatter his students; it was just a habit from the past.

He lost his parents and grandparents when he was young, and has always depended on his sickly twin sister. If he gets a position like class monitor, he can get priority in awards and honors. Whether it's a certificate or a material reward, it's something that can make his sister smile.

"Katsuragi Kohei."

Upon hearing the instruction to go inside, Katsuragi Kohei snapped out of his thoughts, nodded to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and stood up to enter the reception room.

About ten minutes later, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka saw Katsuragi Kohei come out; his expression wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either.

"How about it?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked with concern.

"Please wait for further notice."

Katsuragi Kohei wasn't sure if it was a pass or a fail, but he patted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the shoulder to encourage him.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

As expected, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Ayanokoji Kiyotaka next. He straightened his clothes slightly and slowly walked in.

Instead of the Student Council, Horikita Manabu, whom he had met at the Club Orientation, he was greeted by three boys sitting side by side. The one in particular seemed to be the leader; his blond hair and handsome face reminded Ayanokoji Kiyotaka of Hirata Yosuke in his class. However, unlike Hirata Yosuke's ever-present smile of goodwill and friendliness, the boy's smile had a completely different, roguish quality.

"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Class 1-A, ranked tenth in the entire school upon entering the school, but he has no prior experience as a class representative or Student Council member."

Miyabi Nagumo briefly read through the instructions in the document:

"I am Miyabi Nagumo, the vice president of the Student Council. I am very happy that Ayanokoji is here."

"Um."

Ayanokoji Ayanokouji nodded calmly. His entrance exam score was because his father had asked him to achieve a score that met the standards for Class A. The reason his resume was blank was simply because he had always lived in the White Room.

If the White Room hadn't loosened its control a bit in its final year, he probably wouldn't even know basic common sense like normal prices outside.

"What prompted Ayanokoji to join the Student Council? Or rather, why did you want to join the Student Council?"

The question was quite routine. Miyabi Nagumo picked at her ear with her little finger, bored. The bald, burly man who had just come in had answered the question by saying that he hoped to do something within his power for the students, which almost made her laugh out loud.

"Because the Student Council has considerable power, the power to change the school."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka recalled his experience coming to this school more than a year ago. Back then, Class 1-B, Class C, and Class D were so desperate that they had to unite against Class A because Horikita Manabu had joined the student Student Council and received the approval of the previous Student Council. It's not hard to imagine what an important role the Student Council played in this school.

"Oh?"

Miyabi Nagumo put away his lazy attitude. Although he couldn't recruit anyone outside of Kitagawa Ryo Miyabi Nagumo's list due to their deal, he still took a liking to the boy in front of him named Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

He was certainly not the kind of person who would swallow a loss; Kitagawa Ryo's threat kept Miyabi Nagumo up all night.

After asking several more tricky questions and getting them all answered, Miyabi Nagumo finally became certain of one thing.

"Ayanokoji."

"Your interview is over. Please wait patiently for further news from the Student Council."

After saying this routinely, Miyabi Nagumo paused and continued:

"Of course, if you want to confirm whether you've passed or not as soon as possible, you can also add the personal contact information of Secretary Tonokawa next to me."

"OK."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded in agreement, though he vaguely sensed something was amiss.

Sure enough, the moment he exchanged contact information with the secretary and stepped out of the reception room, his phone vibrated.

It was a text message from the other party, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was certain it was from Miyabi Nagumo:

[The Student Council seats for this year have been decided in advance. If you wish to join, please have one of the two originally scheduled students withdraw from the program this month.]

Below are the names of two people, divided into two parts.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka scrolled through his phone:

[Horikita Suzune], [Sakayanagi Arisu].

"Horikita Suzune."

A shout came from the reception room. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had just come out of the reception room, stepped aside to let him pass. A very pretty girl with long, straight black hair walked past him into the reception room.

"Drop out of school...?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka folded his hands, and Katsuragi Kohei, who was still waiting there, waved to him.

He wasn't sure if what Miyabi Nagumo said was true or false, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remembered that the two of them were students in Class D, and even quite important pieces representing the [Bishop] and [Queen].

"How about it?"

"Just like you."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave Katsuragi Kohei a casual reply, patting the other's broad shoulder:

"I didn't expect Katsuragi to actually wait for me."

"After all, we're classmates."

Katsuragi Kohei smiled nonchalantly, thinking that his action should have increased the other party's favorability.

"Let's go grab a bite to eat, it's on me."

Seizing the opportunity to bring the other party into his camp, Katsuragi Kohei extended an invitation.

He knew very well that it was unrealistic to expect to gain the support of everyone in the class, but half of them would be enough to give him a voice. Therefore, Katsuragi Kohei also valued Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was in the same class as him, even though the other seemed rather unremarkable.

Even at his worst, he wouldn't be worse than Totsuka Yahiko.

"Okay, thank you for the expense, Katsuragi. Katsuragi happen to have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka readily accepted the invitation.

The pawn is the frontmost and most numerous piece in Chess.

Suitable for relentless, all-out offensive attacks.

And to be sent to one's death.

Chapter 44: Who Will Brew Me a Pot of Hot Tea?

"Then, I'll have to trouble you, Suzune, to take good care of me."

Kitagawa Ryo placed the club application form on the table, his tone slightly teasing.

Even if you say that, it still has to pass all the checks by the Student Council.

Sitting behind her desk, Horikita Suzune picked up the form Kitagawa Ryo had placed there, glanced at it, and then sighed, saying:

"So Ryo still can't forget about your Drama Club? Someone tried to start Drama Club at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, but they all failed to pass the review. Drama isn't something that three or five high school students can perform well, let alone achieve any results."

Although Horikita Suzune had guessed that Kitagawa Ryo might apply to the Drama Club, she couldn't help but offer some advice when faced with reality. It wasn't that she didn't understand Kitagawa Ryo's talent, but rather that a club at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School was simply not big enough to put on a decent performance, and their self-entertainment would only result in the school disbanding it.

"Since Suzune has joined the Student Council, she should be able to guess what I mean."

Kitagawa Ryo shook his head. He noticed there was another secretary in the Student Council, so he leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying:

"Although this school claims to be [fully enclosed], it has a very obvious loophole."

Horikita Suzune's pupils contracted slightly. Nearly a week had passed since she joined the Student Council. During this time, she had actively browsed through most of the Student Council's internal documents. As an organization that assists the school in managing students, she did indeed possess a lot of inside information that current freshmen could not know.

When the new students first enrolled, the class advisors emphasized that the school adopted a fully enclosed management system and that no student was allowed to leave the campus without a valid reason. However, this was an impossible rule for various large clubs, especially sports clubs.

Clubs need to achieve results by participating in various competitions, whether at the prefectural or national level. Since these competitions are not held within the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the opportunity for clubs to participate in these competitions is the only chance for students to leave the school grounds.

Although the school would strictly check students' luggage during this period, Horikita Suzune herself was well aware that this step was completed with the assistance of Student Council members, and sometimes the accompanying instructors would not even be present, making it a good opportunity to slip through the cracks.

Once her thoughts were clear, Horikita Suzune immediately thought of the Theater Troupe that Kitagawa Ryo had once been in. She knew very well that even after Kitagawa Ryo left, he still maintained close contact and a close relationship with the Theater Troupe's Theater Troupe. If she only needed to inform him in advance, she could obtain the items or information she wanted from outside the school without anyone noticing.

There are also channels for sending information outwards.

In Karuizawa Kei's second simulation, Kitagawa Ryo noticed that Sakura Airi was able to post her photos to people outside the school through her blog. Although she couldn't reply, this in itself was enough to convey information.

Horikita Suzune was also aware of this loophole, which could be called a bug, because more than a year ago, it was Sakayanagi Arisu informed Horikita Manabu through social media that she was going to attend the Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School Cultural Festival, which led to their subsequent reconciliation.

Seeing Horikita Suzune's enlightened expression, Kitagawa Ryo naturally knew that she understood his meaning. If the plan went smoothly, the Drama Club would become his important channel to the outside world, which was almost a privilege for the other students who were completely isolated.

Even family and old friends are out of reach. Although the First Year are still immersed in the joy and satisfaction of the new semester, for many second and third-graders, the longing for family and close friends may have been building up for years.

Horikita Suzune immediately sensed the business opportunity.

She looked up and saw Kitagawa Ryo's upturned lips, as if everything had been planned in advance.

Taking a deep breath, Horikita Suzune pursed her lips and continued looking down at the bottom of the form:

[Members: Kitagawa Ryo, Ichinose Honami, Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi]

Horikita Suzune twitched the corner of her mouth; she didn't know how to say it.

With Horikita Suzune's help, passing the Student Council's initial review shouldn't be a problem. Although Sakayanagi Arisu also joined the Student Council, she's basically just there to hang around. Originally, Kitagawa Ryo Ichinose Honami had prepared this spot for Ichinose Honami, but unexpectedly, she insisted on joining the new club he founded. Based on the idea of keeping the good stuff in the family, Sakayanagi Arisu ended up taking the spot instead.

Miyabi Nagumo was naturally pleased to see the First Year Student Council member so lazy. It was as if only one new student had been recruited, and the influence of the second-year students within the Student Council had not been greatly affected.

As for why Sakayanagi Arisu didn't ask to join the Drama Club he created, Kitagawa Ryo could guess the reason.

Because Sakayanagi Arisu simply couldn't participate in any activities that required physical strength and fitness. Theater itself demands a high level of physical strength. Sakayanagi Arisu Shiina Hiyori, Kitagawa Ryo the Little Mermaid needed a cane to walk in daily life, it was indeed an untouchable field.

The reason why Shiina Hiyori, who had experience in theater, did not join was also very simple.

Kitagawa Ryo stopped in his tracks, standing at a corner on the fourth floor of the club building. It was a rather secluded spot, and the sign hanging on the classroom door displayed beautiful calligraphy.

[Tea Ceremony Club].

Back when Kitagawa Ryo was still making preparations, Shiina Hiyori had already chosen her favorite club, and the upperclassmen in the club took good care of her. Therefore, Kitagawa Ryo didn't intend to force it. However, since she happened to be at the Student Council today, she also planned to take a look at her on the way.

Kitagawa Ryo gently knocked on the door, as carefully as if he were handling a newborn fetus. After all, the Tea Ceremony emphasizes harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility, and being rough could easily result in being kicked out.

"Um?"

About twenty seconds later, the door to the club activity room was gently opened a crack. Shiina Hiyori, dressed in a traditional kimono, looked out through the crack with some confusion, and met Kitagawa Ryo's smiling, dark eyes.

"--"

Seeing that Shiina Hiyori was about to call out his name, Kitagawa Ryo quickly put his right index finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet. Shiina Hiyori realized that she had acted a little inappropriately and opened the classroom door with a slightly flushed face.

"Hiyori, who's here?"