Star Color's Strange Hobby

"Hmm... I want to start my own club."

"Start a club? That's interesting. So what kind of club does Classmate Star Color want to start?"

"A board games club. But I need to find two like-minded people. It's a hassle."

"I'll join."

"Huh?... Huh!"

"Sounds fun. Being able to play games as a pastime isn't bad, right?"

"Thank you, Satoshi Satonaka!"

This guy might be after my body, but compared to being targeted, what really gives Star Color a headache is not having enough members. And you, my brother, are the true hero. Only today is allowed, though.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Star Color felt his thoughts were a bit weird. Damn it! His sexual orientation wasn't going to bend!

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm still one short. I want to go to the student council to pick up an application form."

He and Satoshi Satonaka arrived at the student council's office.

Ah, it's old acquaintances Little Fist Stone, Katsuragi, and everyone's favorite Classmate Totsuka.

Star Color waved at them, and they nodded back in acknowledgment.

Little Fist Stone Katsuragi really is hardworking. With his serious personality, he's definitely got the student council thing in the bag.

"Senior, I'd like to take an application form for starting a club."

The purple-haired bun-haired senior sitting before him—seemed to be called Tachibana or something... forgot the name...

Star Color didn't have that great a memory. Remembering his own classmates had already consumed most of his brain's RAM. Bun hair? Like two oranges on her head. I'll call you Orange Sister from now on.

"You two... are a couple? While the school doesn't strictly forbid students from dating, please don't do anything that disrupts discipline."

Only then did Star Color realize he was still holding Satonaka's hand. His face instantly flushed like a steam engine, and he shook it off.

"No, no, no! We're both guys!"

"Eh, you're a guy?!"

Orange Sister's pupils burst with even more dazzling light. What's with this woman? Is she a fujoshi?! Don't just see everything through yaoi-tinted glasses, damn it!

"Don't misunderstand. We're just classmates."

Star Color covered his face with one hand, completely numb.

"Alright, please fill out this form."

Orange Sister handed him a sheet of paper.

"To start a new club, you need at least three members. After filling out the application, submit it to the student council for review."

"Okay~, thank you, Senior."

Star Color quickly and smoothly filled out the application form and handed it back to Orange Sister with both hands.

Orange Sister glanced at it and showed a slight hint of confusion.

"Board Games Club? What's a board game? A game?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like—games played on a tabletop."

"So it's still a game after all?"

"Tabletop games cover a wide range. Shogi, chess, mahjong, poker—these have even developed to a competitive level. Strictly speaking, they're all types of board games."

"I see."

Orange Sister nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Then please wait for the student council's notice. We'll complete the review in two to three days. If approved, a message will be sent to Junior Star Color's phone."

"Okay, thank you, Senior Tachibana."

After leaving the gymnasium, the sky was nearing dusk.

The world was coated in a layer of blood, everyone shrouded under the wild, lascivious sunset.

"The sky is always this color..."

Star Color murmured.

"Yeah. The same scenery over and over gets boring fast."

The evening breeze gently blew through Tamiya Emi's hair, making it sway softly.

"The sky looks like it's breaking apart."

Star Color looked up at the sunset, reaching out a hand as if trying to grasp something. His hand couldn't touch the sky. Under the blood-red light, his slender waist and arms cast shadows like cracks—spreading from the center outward, slowly shattering...

Tamiya Emi stood frozen. At this moment, Star Color didn't seem as cute as usual. His aura was like that of a decadent, world-weary nihilist.

Star Color briefly averted his eyes from the sky. Then, without flinching, he looked straight at Tamiya Emi, his violet pupils purely reflecting everything.

—Tamiya Emi saw her own blurred eyes reflected in his.

"Haha, don't worry. It's just that special teenage boy melancholy, nothing to fuss over."

Star Color returned to his usual demeanor, the irises of his eyes lighting up.

Only then did Tamiya Emi realize she hadn't fully grasped the true depths of Star Color's inner self.

"I'm so hungry, um... hey, Tamiya, want to try my cooking?"

"Huh? Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all~. You said just yesterday to trouble me more, and now you're being so polite."

"Then I'll gratefully accept your invitation, Star Color."

Tamiya Emi nodded, finally agreeing to Star Color's offer.

"Well then~, let's hit the supermarket for ingredients first."

For the first time in her life, Tamiya Emi sat in a boy's room, perched stiffly, feeling a bit out of place.

Meanwhile, Star Color hummed a tune in the kitchen that Tamiya Emi didn't recognize. Even sitting in the room, she could smell the aroma of cooking wafting from the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready soon~, Tamiya."

"Okay."

Tamiya Emi curiously looked around. So boys' and girls' rooms had the same layout and decor, huh. She noticed that Star Color's wardrobe door was slightly ajar.

She peeked inside out of curiosity. Mm-hmm, there were women's clothes...

Tamiya Emi's brain blue-screened.JPG.

A gorgeous, alluring black kimono, a dazzling white dress, and an extremely revealing transparent negligee! Even for a girl, wearing that would be embarrassing enough! Why does Star Color... this is too weird! Is Star Color really a boy? He is, right?!... Why are there women's clothes in the closet?

Could Star Color have a cross-dressing fetish?!

Tamiya Emi deduced the answer with her fried brain.

"Well, you have to respect your friend's hobbies, mm-hmm."

Tamiya Emi nodded, convincing herself. She helped close Star Color's wardrobe door, pretending she hadn't seen anything. She paced around a bit, feeling awkward. She took deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.

It's definitely not because she just imagined Star Color wearing those clothes and looking cute that she got flustered! That's right, she can't think about it anymore.

Tamiya Emi suppressed her feelings, desperately maintaining her ladylike image.

"Phew, don't overthink it."

"Um, what are you thinking about, Tamiya?"

The voice from behind made Tamiya Emi's body tremble slightly.

Small and adorable, Star Color wore a slightly oversized tea-colored apron with a rabbit pattern. It was just an apron over his school uniform, yet it inexplicably gave off a shy, youthful vibe. Just seeing Star Color's cute face was enough to soothe her heart. That harmless aura like a puppy or kitten was practically a lady-killer...

"Nothing... Do you need any help?"

This was the first time Tamiya Emi had been this close to a boy, but Star Color's looks made it hard to treat him as one. There wasn't that strange sense of distance—it was oddly unique.

"No need, just wait a bit and we can eat."

"I can already smell it. I'm really looking forward to your cooking, Star Color."

Star Color went back to the kitchen and busied himself for a while, then brought out gratin onion soup, vegetable stewed beef, pizza toast, and some sliced bread.

"Ta-da~, food's here! Thanks to the supermarket having a microwave, I managed to pull off the pizza toast."

Tamiya Emi's eyes sparkled at the dishes on the table. Just the smell was enough to tempt her growling stomach.

"There's pasta and rice too, enough to fill you up, Tamiya."

Star Color sat down with his legs apart in a duck-sitting pose, gazing fondly at Tamiya Emi.

"I really am putting you to trouble, Star Color."

"No trouble at all~. You know, I love seeing happy expressions on people. And you, Tamiya~, when you eat, you unconsciously show little bits of happiness. So I want to see more of that happiness that belongs to you."

"Ah, honestly, Star Color! Don't say such embarrassing things."

"Alright, first have some onion soup to wash away the day's fatigue~."

Tamiya Emi blushed and murmured softly.

"I'll start now."

The bread soaked in the soup melted in her mouth, fully absorbing the broth.

The warm soup comforted her stomach. She tasted the sweet melt of cheese blending with the soup's savory flavor—two tastes perfectly balanced at one point. The satisfaction from her taste buds sent pleasure signals flooding her brain.

"Delicious..."

"Right~. If you want more bread, you can add it yourself."

Star Color smiled calmly, simply gazing at Tamiya Emi's eating expression.

"Star Color, staring at a girl while she eats isn't very gentlemanly, you know."

Tamiya Emi looked up, a hint of shyness and embarrassment showing through her ladylike demeanor.

"Ah, sorry. It's just that watching you eat so heartily... makes my own appetite grow too."

Star Color blushed and scratched his cheek.

"Um... Star Color, from now on can I just call you Star Color-kun?"

"Of course, I don't mind at all."

"Star Color-kun..."

"What is it?"

"Thank you."