I lay facedown on my desk, listening to my classmates chat nearby.
It seemed Club Recruitment would be held soon, though nothing had been officially confirmed yet.
Maybe the topic had been growing in popularity precisely because there hadn't been any official notice.
Perhaps the buzz wouldn't die down until Club Recruitment was over.
I could check each club's activities and rules on my mobile device, so I browsed through them.
The first page listed school-sponsored clubs, such as the News Department, the Art Troupe, the Soccer Club, and the Go Club. They didn't just organize competitions and events on campus; apparently, they could also represent the school in competitions at the local and international levels.
The clubs supported by the school were quite well-rounded.
Next came the academic clubs. I took a quick look, then scrolled past them.
There were also interest clubs organized by students, such as the Tea Ceremony Club, the Archery Club, Calligraphy Club, and Photography Club.
Although the students were given the freedom to organize them, that didn't mean the school left them to fend for themselves.
They could apply to their supervising teachers for activity funds and venues, and the rules weren't very strict.
If I joined a club, I'd probably choose one of the interest clubs.
Tetsuya, needless to say, was definitely going to the Soccer Club.
Ryota thought it over for a moment and said he hadn't decided yet.
As for me, I felt like I should visit a few clubs before making a choice.
I was just about to turn off my mobile device and put it in my pocket before the next class when a notification interrupted me.
Ever since she'd asked for my contact information that day, I'd occasionally received messages from her.
I did my best to respond warmly, too.
I still felt a little awkward about chatting online and sharing bits of daily life.
Could the feelings I wanted to convey really get across through a screen?
Were these her genuine thoughts?
Was it just a matter of making friends, or something like that?
"My friend invited me to look around campus after school. Can I invite you to come with us?"
Aside from Zelkova Shopping Center, there were a lot of places I still hadn't visited.
Ryota had invited me to the library, but I hadn't checked out any other facilities besides that.
I started typing a reply, but after writing a little, I deleted it.
"Is it inconvenient for you? We're all in Class D, but we've only just met, so don't worry about things getting awkward."
"I'll be there, so I definitely won't leave you out, Hajima~"
She'd attached a cute little sticker.
It seemed she'd read my message but hadn't received a definite answer, and was worried I might be hesitant.
"Sorry for the trouble. I'll join you after school."
"Yay~ I'll wait for you outside Class B, then."
"Seisuke, we're going to check out the Soccer Club's training and facilities. Come with us."
As soon as school let out, Tetsuya excitedly got ready to check out the Soccer Club in person.
"You've got pretty solid muscles. If you're interested in sports, it'd be nice to have a buddy in the club."
He came over and felt my arm up and down as he commented.
"Sorry, I might not have time today..."
"Hey, why are you always busy whenever I ask you to come along?"
"Maybe you're just unlucky?"
Tetsuya stroked his chin as he pondered, giving me a suspicious look.
He opened his mouth, as if he still had something to say, but Ryota immediately dragged him out of the classroom.
"I wasn't even done talking! Why'd you drag me away?"
"Let's go and come back quickly."
"It wouldn't have hurt to stay a few more minutes. It wouldn't even have hurt to let me finish that one sentence."
"Would it not?"
Ryota gave him a meaningful look.
Tetsuya seemed a little reluctant, but Ryota kept dragging him along.
I heard them bickering as they left.
Kushida seemed to be coming to our class to find me, so I leaned sideways over my desk and watched the girls chatting nearby.
Come to think of it, school was already over.
Most of the students had left the classroom, but a few girls led by Ichinose were still sitting in a circle, laughing and joking.
All I could see was the back of Ichinose's head and the tips of her ears, faintly flushed red.
Perhaps I'd been watching her for too long, because she noticed.
Yume Kobashi patted Ichinose on the shoulder, then gestured in my direction.
Ichinose turned to look at me, a little shyly, then quickly turned away again.
Amakura clenched her fist, as if cheering Ichinose on.
What were they planning to do? I'm afraid I couldn't guess what would happen next.
Ichinose glanced my way again, biting her lower lip.
I smiled back at her, and watched as she stood up.
It seemed...
Suddenly, a little brown head popped into my field of vision.
"Hajima! Sorry for the wait~"
Kushida Kikyo crouched beside me, resting her head on one hand as if trying to imitate me.
"Are you a little tired...?"
Her adorable eyes blinked at me, as if she felt terribly sorry for being late.
"A little, so I decided to rest my head here for a bit."
I straightened up slightly and saw Ichinose sitting back down.
"Sorry... Something came up and held me up a little."
Please forgive me.
She clasped her hands together in a gesture of apology.
Who could stay in a bad mood when she acted so adorably apologetic?
Kushida glanced around the room, seemingly just looking about.
But I noticed her gaze linger for a moment in Ichinose's direction.
"Then let's go~"
I nodded.
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