Club Recruitment

Of course, the risks were obvious too. The Yun Family was a behemoth, with a web of complicated relationships within its ranks. Getting involved recklessly could lead to ruin at the slightest misstep. Yun Lan's own attitude was even more crucial. He clearly wasn't a puppet for others to manipulate.

But Chie Hoshinomiya was long accustomed to dancing on the edge of a blade, to weighing every person and every situation on the scales of her eternal war with Sae Chabashira. In her eyes, Yun Lan's status as an "heir" was first and foremost an enormous "variable" she couldn't afford to overlook. That variable alone was worth investing far more attention and calculation in than she would for an ordinary student—even binding him to her with her own body.

"So, little Yun Lan," she said to the image of the boy that existed only in her imagination, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. Her smile held curiosity, greed, and the thrill of a gambler spotting a big bet. "Whether you like it or not, from the moment you stepped into this school—no, from the moment you were born into that family—you were already at the center of certain people's attention."

"The points from the clubs have only made your light a little brighter, letting me... see you sooner and more clearly." She rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the campus as its lights came on. "But even without that light, people like me had already marked your outline at the top of the list of people we had to watch."

"After all, who could ignore a star that might one day... illuminate or burn an entire territory?" Her whisper vanished into the deepening night.

The drowsy air of the afternoon was sharply cut through by an electronic chime that rang without warning.

"Ding—dong—"

The crisp, uniform notes, devoid of warmth, echoed through every classroom, every hallway, every open space on campus. All the quiet conversations, the rustling of turning pages, and the scratching of pen tips across paper came to a momentary halt under the forceful announcement.

Then a calm, clear female voice, polished to near inhumanity, began speaking in an even, uninterruptible cadence:

Attention, all students and faculty.

The voice penetrated the walls and reached every corner equally. Tetsuya Hamaguchi looked up from his notes; Ryota Beppu and the others, gathered in conversation, stopped what they were doing; Yun Lan's fingers paused slightly as he twirled his pen by the window; in the faculty office, Chie Hoshinomiya's fingers froze above the desk.

The following announcement: At five o'clock this afternoon, the club recruitment event for this semester will be held in the First Gymnasium.

"Club recruitment? At five? Isn't that after school?"

"I heard the clubs at Advanced Nurturing High School are among the best in the country..."

"The First Gymnasium? Where is that?"

"Tch, what a pain. I was planning to go to the arcade..."

Excited chatter, disgruntled grumbling, curious speculation, and practical calculations... All kinds of emotions bubbled up and clashed in the classroom. The unified mood of "after-lunch break" was completely shattered, replaced by restlessness and anticipation for the upcoming group event.

Yun Lan slowly set down his pen and looked out the window, as if he could see the outline of the iconic First Gymnasium through the buildings. His expression barely changed, but a thought flashed through the depths of his eyes. For him, whether or not he joined a club wasn't important. What mattered was joining the Student Council.

Honami Ichinose, seated in front, turned around. Her expression was as gentle as ever, but there was a note of consideration in her eyes. Her gaze met Yun Lan's briefly before turning to the other students. She was clearly already thinking about how to organize the class's trip there and how to use this opportunity to learn more about the school's underlying rules as quickly as possible.

Ryuji Kanzaki pushed up his glasses and silently wrote "17:00, First Gymnasium, club rules" in his notebook. For him, this was an excellent chance to observe the school's club system up close and gather more information about how its points circulated.

Back in the faculty office, Chie Hoshinomiya lowered her hand and leaned back in her chair, a meaningful, almost pleased smile appearing on her face.

"Club recruitment... They picked the timing well," she murmured. Her gaze seemed to pierce the walls, settling on the gymnasium that was about to become the center of attention—and on a certain boy who would inevitably draw her special interest. "So, little Yun Lan... What will you do on this new stage with its new rules? Will you join a department with real power? How exciting. Sae Chabashira... How will those proud little students of yours handle it?"

The Student Council President's office was on the top floor of the administration building, with an excellent view of the central courtyard and the main academic buildings. Its heavy solid-wood door shut out the noise from the hallway. The interior was spacious and bright, yet carried an almost clinical air of strictness. The filing cabinets were uniformly arranged, the books ordered by height, and every object seemed to have its own fixed place. Sunlight streamed through the spotless windows, casting sharply defined patches of light across the floor. The only sounds were the low, steady hum of the central air-conditioning and the occasional scratch of a pen across paper.

Manabu Horikita sat behind the broad desk, his back straight as a ruler. He wasn't wearing his standard uniform jacket; the cuffs of his white shirt were meticulously rolled up to his forearms, revealing clearly defined wrists. The terminal before him displayed a summary of the day's campus activity, with an entry concerning a huge transfer of points highlighted. His gaze lingered on the line for a moment, then moved on. His expression gave nothing away.

"Tachibana."

His voice was not loud, but it was clear and cool, like the first crack in a sheet of ice.

Akane Tachibana, who had been standing by his side, immediately stepped forward. She wore a well-fitted Student Council staff uniform. Her posture was respectful and capable, her hands naturally folded in front of her, her gaze fixed on the floor one step behind the president as she waited for instructions.

"For this afternoon's club recruitment briefing," Manabu Horikita said without looking up, lightly tapping the smooth desktop with one finger. "Vice President Miyabi Nagumo was originally scheduled to attend. Change of plans. I'll go myself."

Akane Tachibana's eyelashes twitched almost imperceptibly. It was unusual for the president to attend an event for all incoming students, especially one so "ordinary" and even "boisterous." There had to be more to his decision than the event itself. But she showed no sign of questioning him and simply nodded. "Yes. I'll adjust the arrangements at once, notify the vice president, and make sure the traffic flow and procedures at the First Gymnasium meet your requirements."

"Good." Manabu Horikita replied as if this were merely an inconsequential preface. After a brief pause, he finally lifted his gaze from the screen and turned to Akane Tachibana. His eyes were sharp and calm, like a winter lake, reflecting no unnecessary emotion.