Masumi Kamuro, Are You a Dog or Something?

While Suzune Horikita and Yuki Gyakukai argued with each other.

Not far away, Masumi Kamuro stood silently by the Art Club booth. With a very sneaky air about her, she picked up a painting and used it to hide her face.

Her eyes, the only part left visible, glared daggers at that damn dog of a man.

"Damn dog, if you don't explain what you meant last night, you're going to be in big trouble."

The club recruitment event was halfway through, and someone was still standing onstage.

He was a boy a little over 170 centimeters tall, wearing square-framed glasses. He stood onstage without saying a word.

His posture was upright, and his sharp eyes swept over the crowd below. His jet-black hair made him look imposing.

"Hey, senpai, are you too scared to speak?!"

"Hahaha!"

The first-years in the audience jeered. Of course, that didn't include Classes A, B, and C, so it was obvious that the hecklers were idiots from Class D.

At that moment, Suzune Horikita's face darkened. Her icy gaze cut through the crowd and landed on the Class D students who were still making a racket.

If looks could kill, Yamauchi and the others would have died millions of times over under Suzune Horikita's glare.

Gradually, the students from Class D noticed that something was off.

"Hey, Yamauchi and Sudo, please stop talking. There's still someone onstage, and what you're doing is pretty rude. I'm asking you, please."

Class D's resident nice guy, Yousuke Hirata, had also noticed that something was wrong. Aside from the upperclassmen, all three of the other first-year classes were staying quiet.

As soon as he noticed, he quickly found the few who were still mocking the speaker and tried to stop them.

But it didn't seem to work very well.

Facing the most popular boy in the class, Yamauchi glanced at Hirata without a care.

"What's the big deal? You're just too timid, Hirata. If we were really bothering anyone, somebody would've stopped us already."

Meanwhile, Ken Sudō, standing beside the basketball club's booth, keenly sensed the strange looks from the club's upperclassmen.

He didn't usually care about looks like that, but that was only after he'd joined the basketball club. The problem was, he hadn't joined yet.

So when he turned and saw Haruki Yamauchi and Kanji Ike still making a racket, he immediately shouted at them to quiet down.

After all, Ken Sudō didn't care much about studying or motivation. He'd staked his future on basketball.

If he couldn't even get into the basketball club, how could he hope to make a name for himself in the high school league and secure a better future?

And so, under the pressure bearing down on them, the noisy bunch finally lowered their heads and stopped shouting. They still whispered to each other from time to time, though.

"It's over. I was going to show off my manly side, but now all the girls in class probably think I'm pathetic."

"Waaah... Goodbye, my rosy school life. No, wait, I still have Kikyou-chan!"

"That's right. Someone as kind as Kikyou-chan will definitely understand me."

"..."

They kept whispering to each other. Who knew how they had so much to say?

They certainly had thick skin. They'd completely ignored the way everyone around them was staring at them like they were monkeys.

Fortunately, they had at least a little self-awareness. After being stared at by so many people until they started feeling uncomfortable, they finally shut their mouths.

Watching this unfold, Yuki Gyakukai looked curiously at Suzune Horikita, whose face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.

"Suzune, what do you think of having people like that in Class D?"

Suzune Horikita frowned and glanced at him impatiently. "What is there to think? I don't know them. Besides, the difference between them and me is like the difference between modern humans and unevolved monkeys.

"And we're not close enough for you to call me by my first name, you pervert, Mr. Gyakukai."

Unbelievable. Suzune Horikita, you'd better hope I never find something to use against you. Otherwise, I'll make you kneel and sing "I Surrender."

Once everyone had quieted down, the venue finally fell silent.

After several dozen seconds, Manabu Horikita, who was standing onstage, finally began his speech.

"I am Manabu Horikita, the Student Council President."

"As the upperclassmen will be leaving the school soon, the Student Council will be selecting a number of incoming first-years to join us over the coming days.

"As a rule, those who join the Student Council cannot join other clubs. Otherwise, their applications will not be accepted."

"The Student Council has the authority to change the rules and regulations. So I don't want anyone with naive ideas to join. That would be a stain on the school. I hope you can understand."

"That's all I have to say."

He didn't pause for a moment or care how the students below reacted. As if the whole thing had nothing to do with him, he left the venue immediately.

But the recruitment venue remained silent, the uneasy atmosphere hanging in the air.

"Yikes!"

Yuki Gyakukai, who had been wondering whether he should leave, suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. Frowning, he reached behind himself.

"Kamuro, are you a dog or something? You just leaped at me and bit me!"

Masumi Kamuro had been clinging to Yuki Gyakukai's back, biting down hard on his shoulder. An irresistible force lifted her up.

A moment later, her view shifted, and she found herself looking at Yuki Gyakukai's pained face.

The two of them stared wide-eyed at each other.

But their commotion drew the attention of the students from every class, who had been standing around in stunned silence.

"Hey! Isn't that the really handsome underclassman who was walking around in front of our class earlier?"

"Wow! Is he a celebrity?"

"Is he really that strong? He just lifted someone right off the ground. He'd be perfect for the basketball club/the kendo club."

"Isn't that Kamuro? Why does she seem so close to Yuki Gyakukai from Class B? I'm jealous."

Masumi Kamuro hadn't felt embarrassed at first. She'd thought she had finally gotten her revenge. But as she listened to the steady stream of whispers, it felt as if countless needles were pricking her back. Her dangling feet even scraped at the soles of her shoes without her realizing it.

Along with the embarrassment, a strange thrill filled her chest.

But when she remembered that the culprit was right in front of her, she took one look at his handsome face and got angry all over again. She began struggling wildly.

"Put me down! How long are you going to make me stay like this?"

"Little Thief Cat, apologize to me."

"No way! You called me something weird. And the worst part is, you stopped talking halfway through!"

"So, according to you, this is my fault?"

"Isn't it?"

Just as the two of them were at a stalemate, a petite figure appeared beside them, leaning on a cane.

Sakayanagi Arisu studied the two of them, her gaze moving back and forth between them.

"Mr. Gyakukai, people who bully girls aren't very popular, you know."

"Mean little shrimp, this has nothing to do with you. Go stand somewhere else."

She was furious.

For the first time, Sakayanagi Arisu felt contempt directed at her. Anger surged in her chest, and the hand gripping her cane tightened without her realizing it.

And then... nothing happened.

She simply turned around and left.