I Apologize for My Presumption

Bai Yu thought for a moment and turned his gaze forward. Ever since just now, someone's movements had gone frighteningly quiet.

It was as if he had concealed his presence; anyone not at the same level would be unable to detect his existence.

Bai Yu turned his pen upside down and rhythmically massaged his chin with the spring-loaded cap at its end.

His expression was subtly strange, revealing signs of an unstable condition. Before long, he poked the shoulder in front of him with the end of his pen.

"Is something the matter?"

Like a teammate whose connection had dropped for half the game and had just reconnected, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka blanked out for a moment. Then he slowly turned around with measured composure and looked at Bai Yu. "I suppose I still wanted to hear other people introduce themselves..."

Bai Yu smiled oddly. "Ayanokoji, are you interested in school clubs?"

"..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sensed something strange and cautiously replied, "I've never really cared much for entertainment-oriented performances. The only things I watch on television are News Simulcast and the Science and Education Channel."

"Oh? Same here. I only watch recordings of plays and Animal World."

Same how, exactly?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's gaze drifted away. He politely declined, "Then I'm afraid we probably won't have much to talk about..."

"Indeed."

Bai Yu nodded leisurely, showing a hint of regret. After a brief silence, he suddenly asked, "Then what do you think of Waiting for Godot, Ayanokoji?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka answered instinctively, "Its main tone is built around an absurd plot structure and a humorous atmosphere, using the small to reflect the large, portraying the widespread spiritual emptiness and despair of that society through the fates of two ordinary people... Cough. I haven't seen it."

Bai Yu grinned cunningly. "As expected, Ayanokoji, you know something about drama too."

"I just happened to see it on television before..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka offered a somewhat pale explanation.

This guy really was terrifying. He had no idea whether Bai Yu was doing it deliberately, but it felt like every word out of his mouth was a trap.

"Then we're companions!" Bai Yu abruptly declared on his own, passionately reaching out to press a hand onto Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's shoulder. "Ayanokoji, come up with a name for our future organization! As the first club member, your valuable suggestion will receive priority consideration."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka no longer knew where to begin criticizing him.

He removed the hand from his shoulder, sighed slowly, and said listlessly, "So you want to establish a club centered around studying drama?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Bai Yu wore a lovely smile, yet the moment he spoke, his voice took on a chant-like cadence that made one feel abruptly enlightened. "What I want to establish is a special club. It can be rich, professional, and proper; it can also be abstract, incompetent, and half-baked."

"None of that matters, but one thing is essential."

"It has to be interesting." As if summarizing the central idea of an essay, Bai Yu set down the theme, snapping his fingers for effect before continuing. "We'll paint color onto ordinary campus life, let sunlight cut through the clouds, let flowers bloom in color, let streams soak through the forest, let that ever-serious Horikita smile sincerely like I do. Perhaps we could also try replacing the target with Ayanokoji."

"Please don't make such an unnecessary attempt."

A bead of sweat appeared on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's forehead as he glanced at the girl reading nearby.

Fortunately, she had not heard him. Otherwise, another battle would have been unavoidable.

He breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Then what counts as interesting to you?"

"I'd rather hear Ayanokoji's opinion first."

Bai Yu leaned back, smiling as he assumed an attentive posture.

Like a wise ruler opening his ears to counsel.

"I think living ordinary days like this is interesting enough."

Ayanokoji gave a universally applicable answer.

"That's quite a perfunctory answer." Bai Yu smiled and unconcernedly stated his own thoughts. "Right now, helping people weaker than myself is interesting to me."

"The process of helping them lets me learn things beyond the matter itself."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked, "For example?"

"For example, complicated and contradictory emotions. Or how to make you and Horikita smile from the bottom of your hearts."

Bai Yu's smile gradually became unsettling.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka coughed. He really did not want to be forcibly remade.

Changing the subject, he summarized, "Then why not name the club based on that?"

"How about... the Service Club? I think it suits you quite well."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing." Bai Yu hesitated slightly.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka added, "Since the club's activities haven't been decided yet, there'll still be room to change it later. Considering that you only have a vague direction in mind right now, I think this name works perfectly as a temporary one."

Bai Yu thought it over briefly, then ultimately chose to accept the suggestion of the member whose enrollment had already been decided for him.

"Fine, then it'll be the Service Club. In the end, fussing over a name is what's truly uninteresting."

"The important thing is, how many people does this school require at minimum to submit a club application? We only have two people at the moment, so we'll probably need some sort of recruitment strategy..."

As he spoke, Bai Yu sank into thought on his own.

At this point, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not even want to point out that he had never said he would join the club.

Even if he did say so, he would probably be ignored, and might even invite more unnecessary trouble.

For a moment, the two were immersed in their respective worries.

The self-introductions in the classroom continued in order.

Before long, a desk behind them suddenly made quite a commotion.

A boy with close-cropped red hair and two delinquent-style shaved lines near his ears suddenly barked out an angry shout, interrupting the harmonious self-introductions in the classroom.

"Huh? What's with these introductions? Do you think we're children?"

"Anyone who wants to keep being treated like an idiot can go right ahead!"

His tone was exceedingly irritable.

Everyone startledly turned to look behind them. He was the classic athletic boy from traditional sports anime: tall, toned, muscular, as though endless stamina flowed through every inch of his body.

"Now, now... please calm down..." Hirata Yosuke tried to smooth things over kindly from the podium. At the same time, a cool, indifferent command came from the classroom door.

"You there. Get back to your seats and sit down."

The person who entered was an attractive adult woman. She wore light makeup that emphasized propriety and a business suit that gave her an efficient air.

"My name is Chabashira Sae, and I'm your homeroom teacher." She swept her gaze across the classroom, walked calmly behind the podium, and casually set down her teaching materials. "This school does not reshuffle classes, so I'll be managing this class for the next three years."

"First, I'll hand out materials regarding this school."

The woman calling herself their homeroom teacher divided a stack of informational booklets into four portions and handed them to the students seated at the front of each row. Understanding what to do, they passed the booklets backward.

At the same time, the teacher began explaining, "This school has a special set of rules. First, it is a completely closed residential school..."

Bai Yu took the booklet passed to him and gave it a quick glance.

Most of the contents were similar to the information he had learned before applying, though there were some discrepancies—details that could not be learned outside the school.

For instance, people outside could only know that the school used a closed boarding system, but not that all contact with the outside world would be cut off for a period of three years.

No wonder every kind of facility at this school was so complete. It seemed prepared to meet all of the students' daily needs during their three years of study here.

Bai Yu's gaze skimmed over the basic information before stopping at a section labeled special rules. He pondered it briefly.

He had already felt that this school's introduction was somewhat suspicious. Now, it seemed that he had been right...

His feelings became a little complicated.

The S System... 100,000 personal points every month, freely usable...

Just as he thought.

So he had misunderstood what a good school was!