After school, Ju Ji and Horikita found a suitable time to head to the Gymnasium.
Incidentally, the atmosphere in Class D had been unusually good. Everyone was earnestly keeping their promise. Atmosphere was a frightening thing. Even Sudo, who had refused to participate at first, hadn't slept in class under the positive learning environment. It seemed there was no need to worry too much about him.
Enough small talk. Back to the matter at hand.
Most of the students in the Gymnasium seemed to be first-years. Nearly a hundred people had gathered to wait. In other words, quite a lot of them were interested in club activities.
Ju Ji and Horikita stood toward the back, waiting for the appointed time to arrive. At the same time, they read through the booklet describing the clubs.
Most of the clubs listed were familiar ones. There were plenty of athletic clubs, such as track and field, baseball, and ballet. They all seemed to be at a very high level; some even had national-level competitors.
"That's amazing. The booklet says this school's club facilities are better than those at other prestigious schools of a similar standing. But it doesn't seem to have anything like an anime club."
"What? Are you interested in that kind of thing?"
Ju Ji thought he saw a trace of disdain in Horikita's eyes. People generally looked down on anime, thinking it was a bad thing. It seemed Horikita felt the same way.
"No, I'm just a little curious. Don't worry about it."
"Is that so? Still, it's a bit of a shame. It's hard for people without club experience to join an athletic club. If you're only starting in high school, you'll just be a permanent benchwarmer. So I don't think you'd get much out of it."
Horikita was right. The athletic clubs at this school trained with the goal of competing in national tournaments, and anyone without experience would struggle to keep up.
"First-years, sorry for the wait. The club representatives will now begin their presentations. I'm Tachibana, the Student Council secretary, and I'll be hosting today's event. It's a pleasure to meet you."
After Tachibana finished speaking, the club representatives lined up on the Gymnasium stage.
The representatives were a varied bunch, from a muscular upperclassman in a judo uniform to an upperclasswoman dressed in an elegant kimono. But, as expected, the upperclasswomen were more pleasing to the eye. Coming here had definitely been the right choice.
"My name is Hashigaki, and I'm the captain of the archery club. I imagine many students think of archery as old-fashioned and plain. But it's a lot of fun and a sport well worth trying. Beginners are very welcome, so please consider joining our club."
The young woman onstage, dressed in archery attire, began introducing the club. Even her formal uniform couldn't conceal her graceful figure.
"I'm thinking about joining the archery club. With such a beautiful upperclasswoman by my side, I'm sure I'd have a wonderful three years."
"No. If that's your reason, you'd better not join. You'll just become a target for membership fees. Besides, she's a third-year, so she'll be graduating soon. Maybe all that'll be left by then is a bunch of rough-looking guys."
"No, archery sounds like such an elegant sport. Maybe lots of girls join."
"More likely, there are a lot of horny guys who joined for the same reason as you."
The archery club's upperclasswoman really was beautiful, but archery wasn't a good fit for Ju Ji. He was only joking and had no intention of joining. There was nothing in it for him. He was a loyal member of the go-home club.
As the upperclassmen took turns introducing their clubs, Horikita's body suddenly shuddered. Her face went pale as she stared toward the stage. She must have spotted her older brother, Horikita Manabu.
Her expression was so complicated. Was it surprise? Fear? Or perhaps joy? Maybe she had come to this school to follow in her brother's footsteps, but being assigned to Class D must have made it hard for her to face him. Even so, she had still come to this presentation. That alone showed how much she cared about her brother.
"What's wrong, Horikita? See a club you like?"
Perhaps she was already lost in her own world, because Horikita didn't answer Ju Ji. So he fell quiet and continued listening to the presentations.
The presentations that followed were extremely dull. If there was one surprise, it was learning that starting a new club required at least three people. What a simple requirement. He wondered if they'd approve a go-home club. Probably not.
Whenever the club presentations switched, the first-years discussed them with the friends beside them. By the time Ju Ji noticed, the Gymnasium had grown noisy. He'd been one of them, but Horikita was now as motionless as a statue.
Perhaps inviting Horikita along had been a mistake in the first place. But how would she react if he played a prank on her now?
Eager to find out, Ju Ji reached his wicked hands toward Horikita's waist. There was a spot near the waist that could give someone a huge jolt with just a light touch, especially if they were sensitive. It was practically the perfect place for a prank.
"Ah...! S-S-Senpai!"
Ju Ji had expected Horikita to react, but he hadn't thought she'd make such a cute sound and shout so loudly.
The Gymnasium had been bustling, but the unexpected outburst silenced everyone as they tried to figure out who had made the noise.
"Everyone, please don't mind that. It seems there was a little incident. Let's continue with the club presentations."
Fortunately, Tachibana stepped in at once to smooth things over, and the presentations continued. Meanwhile, Horikita, red-faced with anger, gave Ju Ji a thorough beating.
I'd better not joke around like that again. Feeling the pain in his body, Ju Ji firmly resolved to keep that in mind.
It was only a small incident. Neither the teachers overseeing the event nor the club representatives seemed annoyed by the noisy first-years; they simply continued with their presentations.
They were probably putting in a lot of effort to recruit as many new members as possible.
Once the presentations ended, the upperclassmen filed off the stage in order and headed to the area lined with folding tables. The students would probably sign up there after the event.
Only one person remained. Everyone's eyes turned to him, and Horikita's gaze had been fixed on that person for some time...
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