Kitagawa Kai had just arrived in the classroom and put down his backpack.
A slender finger poked him from the side.
"Kitagawa-kun, would you help me rate a new dish I tried making?"
He paused, then accepted the food container, which was still slightly warm.
"Thanks, Ichinose."
Her eyes shone, as though she was expecting something.
Today it was tamagoyaki, cut into neat pieces and sprinkled with fine bonito flakes.
"It's delicious."
Kitagawa Kai saw the corners of Ichinose's mouth quietly lift. "But doesn't getting up so early to make breakfast tire you out, Ichinose?"
"Not at all." She shook her head.
Ichinose Honami paused, her smile turning a little shy. "Besides, seeing someone really savor the food I make makes me happy."
The classroom gradually filled up, and several classmates looked their way with knowing smiles.
"Testing..."
A girl's sweet voice came over the school's PA system.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Tachibana Akane, secretary of the Student Council."
"The club orientation will be held at three this afternoon in Gymnasium 1. Anyone interested is welcome to attend."
"Once again..."
Just from her voice, she sounded like a very cute girl.
An image of Tachibana Akane surfaced in Kitagawa Kai's mind: a cute face and hair tied in a bun.
Was this Horikita Manabu's iconic moment from the original?
He silenced the entire gymnasium on his very first appearance.
This would be a good chance to try the system's Narrator Skill today.
The previously quiet classroom grew noisy again.
"Club recruitment!!" a boy called out from the back row, drawing out his words. "It's finally time for me to show what I can do!"
The speaker was Toyama Asahi. He shot up from his seat and swept his arm out in an exaggerated gesture, nearly knocking the eraser off the desk of the girl beside him.
"The Basketball Club! It's got to be the Basketball Club! I've been waiting ages for this day!"
"When we played basketball, you couldn't sink a single shot," the boy beside him remarked dryly, adjusting his glasses. "Show what you can do? Like miss the hoop?"
Laughter erupted around them.
Toyama Asahi flushed red and lunged over to put the other boy in a headlock.
Everyone looked at least a little excited.
"What are you planning to sign up for, Ichinose?" Kobashi Yume leaned over from nearby to ask.
Kobashi Yume was a friend of Ichinose Honami's and was also fairly active in class.
"Oh, me? I'm planning to check out the Student Council."
"The Student Council? Honami, you want to join the Student Council?"
The boys discussing sports clubs stopped talking. Even Toyama Asahi temporarily released the bespectacled boy from his headlock and looked over curiously.
Ichinose Honami was cheerful and helpful. Not only was she extremely popular in Class B, she was also among the most popular students in the entire school.
Joining the Student Council certainly seemed like something she would do.
"Yes!" Ichinose nodded lightly. "I feel like... the Student Council is somewhere I could really do something for everyone."
"Wow~~" Kobashi Yume drew out the word. "Then good luck! I heard the Student Council's selection process is pretty strict."
"I'm just going to take a look first." She waved her hands a little bashfully, then turned to Kitagawa. "What about you, Kitagawa-kun? Any clubs you want to join?"
"Yes, yes. There are nine clubs I want to join, and every one of them is..."
"Then after class, why don't everyone who's interested in clubs go take a look together~?"
Ichinose Honami excitedly offered the suggestion.
"Oh! That's a great idea!" Kobashi Yume was the first to clap in agreement, her eyes sparkling. "It'll be more fun with lots of people, and we can look out for each other!"
The club recruitment event started at three in the afternoon, but even though it was only sometime after two, the venue was already bustling.
There were all kinds of clubs, from the Cooking Club to sports clubs and even the Cosplay Club.
The upperclassmen pulled out all the stops, handing flyers to passing new students and loudly introducing their clubs.
Most new students had come in groups of two or three.
So when a large crowd from Class B appeared in the gymnasium, they drew a little too much attention.
"Hey, look over there... They're from Class B, right? There are so many of them!"
"Ichinose's class? What a turnout."
"Is it a group activity? Or..."
Whispers came from several directions, carrying surprise and curiosity.
Ichinose Honami stood surrounded by classmates at the front of the group, and she had clearly noticed the attention too.
She turned back and said softly to her classmates, "Let's not crowd the entrance. You can split up and look around. Find clubs you're interested in, and feel free to learn more about them!"
A few of the more energetic students had already lost their patience and eagerly rushed into the crowd.
Kitagawa Kai took advantage of the flow of people to slip over to Class A's area as well.
Class A's area was noticeably quieter than Class B's.
Kitagawa Kai swept his gaze around and quickly spotted that familiar figure.
Kamuro Masumi stood beside the Art Club's makeshift sign, carefully reading their flyer.
"Kamuro, I'm here~ Did you miss me?"
"What are you doing here?" She closed the booklet and looked away.
"Are you interested in drawing?"
"I'm just looking." Kamuro Masumi folded the flyer twice. "I have to find something to do, so certain people won't keep nagging me."
"Drawing sounds nice. I'd like to see your drawings too, Kamuro." Kitagawa Kai gave a feigned sigh, his voice carrying obvious teasing and anticipation.
"Come on. Why don't we give it a try together?"
"I..." Kamuro Masumi opened her mouth. "I guess we could try. It's not like I have anything else to do anyway."
"Sorry for the wait, first-year students. Next, each club will take turns introducing itself."
"I'm Tachibana Akane, secretary of the Student Council, and I'll be hosting this orientation. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"
Dressed in a neat school uniform, Tachibana Akane bowed slightly, her bun bobbing gently with the movement, making her look both smart and cute.
After the brief opening remarks, the club representatives gave their introductions in an orderly fashion.
First came the sports clubs. The captains of the Basketball Club and Soccer Club spoke in booming voices and waved their arms, trying to infect the newcomers with their enthusiasm.
The cultural clubs were more composed. An upperclassman from the Calligraphy Club demonstrated her brushwork on the spot, while members of the Tea Ceremony Club displayed elegant tea-whisking movements.
Kitagawa Kai watched each club's introduction with keen interest.
Before long, the club introductions were drawing to a close.
Just then, a tall, black-haired young man with a stern face slowly walked toward the central platform.
He neither spoke nor picked up the microphone, simply regarding the new students coldly.
Seeing his disappointing younger sister all alone, he felt deeply disappointed.
"Is the microphone broken...?"
"He must have stage fright~"
"Did this guy go up there without a script?"
As the audience watched the serious-looking boy remain silent, quite a few began making jokes.
In particular, Yamauchi Haruki's distinctive voice rang out, tinged with schadenfreude. "Go home, kid. Go home~"
The moment he finished speaking, the black-haired young man's gaze suddenly settled on Yamauchi.
Yamauchi instantly froze, the rest of his taunt catching in his throat.
Seeing this, Kitagawa Kai timed it for the moment Horikita Manabu picked up the microphone and activated the Narrator Skill.
A robotic-sounding voice rang out through the gymnasium:
"Watch closely. This man is called Handsome Guy..."