Join a club? Oh, hehe

The next day, during the lunch break.

With everything having settled down, Onizuka found himself unusually free.

Just as he was planning to stick to his routine of dormitory-school-cafeteria, a girl with short, ash-yellow hair approached him.

Her bright, spirited eyes revealed a lively and capable personality, and her thin, pouty lips made her look quite adorable.

Onizuka clearly remembered her name—"Kikyo Kushida."

Kikyo Kushida, who had run over, widened her eyes in surprise.

"Wow, Onizuka-kun, you remembered my name? That's amazing."

"Would you mind if we exchanged contact info? Do you remember the goal I mentioned during my self-introduction? I want to be friends with everyone!"

Looking into those sparkling eyes, Onizuka believed it would be hard for anyone, man or woman, to refuse such a girl's request to her face.

"Sure, no problem."

The two exchanged contact information, but Kikyo Kushida didn't leave; instead, she looked at Onizuka with a troubled expression.

"Hey, Onizuka-kun, your seat is so close to Horikita-san, are you two close?"

Onizuka frowned. "Not really, we've only exchanged names. Why?"

"It's nothing, it's just that Horikita-san rejected my friend request, and I thought I might have done something wrong." Kikyo Kushida fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, looking pitiful.

"Well, that's definitely her issue, don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing Onizuka's comfort, Kikyo Kushida seemed very happy. "Thank you. Maybe Horikita-san is just busy with something. I'll try again later. See you!"

"See you."

Watching Kikyo Kushida's retreating back, Onizuka's gaze deepened. Ever since school started, he had sensed a strong feeling of dissonance about her.

When Kikyo Kushida talked about Horikita Suzune, that feeling became even more intense. It was a scent filled with malice, as if she wanted to crush her, tear her apart, and swallow her whole.

It reeked.

Ignoring their affairs, Onizuka headed to the cafeteria. He had already wasted a lot of time with Kikyo Kushida, and if he were any later, he might miss out on lunch.

Then again, Onizuka thought, it wouldn't be a big deal if he skipped afternoon classes. He had already skipped a whole week since school started, so skipping another half-day wouldn't hurt.

After changing his mindset, he stopped rushing and walked slowly to the cafeteria counter, ordering a seafood platter with rice.

To be honest, the only thing about this school that Onizuka truly approved of so far was the cafeteria food; it was fresh, juicy, and simply marvelous.

Just as he was struggling with an octopus tentacle, soft music suddenly played over the school's PA system, signaling an announcement.

"At five o'clock this afternoon, a club orientation will be held in the First Gymnasium, hosted by President Horikita. All first-year students interested in joining a club, please gather at the First Gymnasium! Repeating, five o'clock this afternoon..."

Clubs, huh?

Under normal circumstances, he might have been interested, but...

He was the man who had forcibly squeezed nearly two million points out of his seniors, and his reputation must have spread quite far by now, right?

Given that, Onizuka couldn't imagine any club where he would still have a place.

Of course, that was the price he paid for those benefits, something he had been perfectly clear about from the start.

So, Onizuka decided not to make himself a nuisance and would just head back to the dorm to sleep and replenish the energy he had spent lately.

...The next morning...

Onizuka arrived at the classroom early. Having slept from yesterday afternoon until now, he felt refreshed and full of energy.

Soon, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka walked into the classroom, greeted Onizuka, and sat in his own seat.

Onizuka always felt that this boy was definitely not as simple as he appeared; he could sense the abundant power hidden beneath his school uniform.

Onizuka, who had been staring blankly outside, came back to his senses and noticed that the most rowdy students in the class were extremely excited.

It seemed their names were Ike and Yamauchi or something similar.

He wondered if today was some special day, but he didn't recall any notifications.

Hearing them talk about swimsuits and the like, Onizuka finally realized—were they really that excited about a normal swimming lesson? He truly didn't understand the way these people's minds worked.

Onizuka sat in his seat and cleared his mind. This was his favorite way to relax; basking in the sun without thinking about anything made him feel very at ease.

Soon, the bell rang, and they all returned to their seats.

After a relaxing and simple morning of classes, the swimming lesson followed. It was the class that Yamauchi and his group were looking forward to most, though Onizuka couldn't relate to that sentiment.

Onizuka quickly changed into his swim trunks and arrived at the pool.

It was a standard fifty-meter indoor pool with clean, clear water, which made him want to jump in and swim a few laps.

After all, in this hot weather, who wouldn't want to soak in the water for a while?

The boys in the class gathered in several groups to chat. Onizuka was, of course, not among them; ever since he skipped a whole week of classes at the start of the term, he had essentially lost the best window to make friends in class.

Clearly, Onizuka didn't care about such things.

However, someone else did. Yosuke Hirata walked up to Onizuka and greeted him.

"Tsukasa-kun, would you like to come over and join us?"

"Yosuke, since we're already on a first-name basis, there's no need to add 'classmate' to it, is there?" Onizuka emphasized the form of address, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.

"My bad, my bad, Tsukasa. So, are you coming or not? I can tell they're actually quite interested in you."

They? Onizuka glanced in the direction Yosuke Hirata was pointing.

Oh, so it was that group of gyaru from the class. He had been wondering; ordinary girls wouldn't be this bold, but if it was them, it made perfect sense.

Onizuka's appearance had always been outstanding, and precisely because of this, he had been highly sought after back in middle school, so it was naturally no different now.

"No thanks, I prefer being alone."

Onizuka still rejected Yosuke Hirata's invitation. No matter how many foolish people one got to know, they were nothing more than a burden; it was completely meaningless.

Soon, the students had all changed into their swimwear and gathered in the swimming pool, ready to begin the swimming lesson.