A Different Kind of Club

The third day of school.

"Yo, morning, Suzune."

You En waved, but Horikita Suzune's big eyes were fixed on him, the dissatisfaction in them practically overflowing.

"What's wrong? Did I get a few more points of handsome today?"

You En patted his pocket, a look of regret on his face.

"Ah, too bad I didn't bring a mirror."

"Hah..."

Horikita Suzune's breathing grew a little heavier as she recalled last night's experience.

After dinner last night, she'd returned to the student dormitory, but ran into the bathroom and dry-heaved for a long time. That taste in her mouth, honestly, hadn't even faded when she brushed her teeth this morning.

"You seemed pretty happy eating it yesterday, though. I didn't see any change in your expression when you ate."

You En leaned in, studying Horikita Suzune's small face.

"See, your skin's even paler and prettier today. Must be the nutrition from last night's dinner."

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune couldn't help recalling that taste. That strange sensation still seemed to linger in her mouth, and she couldn't help sticking out her little tongue.

You En chuckled. "Cute."

"You!"

Horikita Suzune lunged to grab You En's waist, but caught only air.

"Get back here!"

"Oh."

You En obediently returned to Horikita Suzune's side, putting on a pitiful look.

"You! Sigh..."

This made Horikita Suzune unable to put any strength into her grab. She just gave him a simple pinch to express her displeasure.

"That hurts!"

Horikita Suzune noticed the gazes of others gradually shifting to them, and couldn't help pressing a hand to her brow.

"Enough! I didn't even use force!"

"Right, right, right. Lady Suzune is beautiful and kind."

Horikita Suzune clenched her fist. "Say another word, and I'll inflict some malice on you."

You En knew when to quit.

After all, she had quite a few skills on her status panel related to physical fitness. He was just a shut-in novelist. If Horikita Suzune got serious, he'd be the one making a fool of himself.

The day's classes ended, and the bell for the last period rang.

Horikita Suzune tugged at his sleeve.

You En turned around.

"What's up?"

Horikita Suzune asked, "Um, why are you so... well-behaved today?"

You En had actually been thinking about the school's oddities. Everyone except him just thought the school was strange, or that the treatment was good, but they felt no sense of crisis.

"Wasn't it what you said this morning?"

Horikita Suzune recalled her words from the morning and felt a bit helpless.

"I didn't say you couldn't talk to me, it's just..."

Huh? Strange?

She couldn't put it into words. She sensed something off about herself. Before high school, she'd never thought this way about anyone.

Why?

Horikita Suzune felt she shouldn't dwell on this question.

"Ah... anyway, just be careful yourself."

You En stared at her, one eye wide and the other narrow. "Suzune, you're really making things hard for me. Don't let people talk, and when they don't talk, that's not good either... Ah, forget it, I'll just take the loss."

He let out a long sigh.

Horikita Suzune nodded instinctively, then thought it over and realized something was off. Wasn't this supposed to be her problem?

How did it end up looking like she was the one in the wrong?

You En changed the subject. "By the way, I heard them talking about club recruitment. Besides the student council, the only way to get in touch with upperclassmen is through clubs. Want to go check it out?"

Horikita Suzune's attention was instantly caught by the words "upperclassmen." She replied, "Sure."

They arrived at the gymnasium.

You En looked around. Roughly half the grade had shown up—about a hundred people.

"You En, you forgot to pick something up."

Horikita Suzune handed him a small booklet and said, "This has the club introductions written in it."

You En thanked her, opened the booklet, and flipped through it quickly, stopping on a certain page.

The first few clubs were normal enough—just a little "fancy." Some medical-grade equipment that even large hospitals would hesitate to buy, costing several million dollars, was available here.

But when he got to the Space Club, the introduction was impossible to parse.

"Science, exploration of the outer world, Theology, seeking the inner self, We soar into the sky, and sink to the sea floor, What is your choice?"

"The requirements for this club are too high. It's basically not even an interest-based club," Horikita Suzune said, glancing at it. "Starting from registration, there are layers of exams—exams about becoming a professional astronaut. It covers every possible field. You couldn't master it all even in ten years."

You En flipped through all the clubs, then turned back to that page.

Horikita Suzune warned him, "You're not thinking of signing up for that, are you? If you really want to, I won't say anything, but you already have way too much on your plate."

You En shook his head, then looked around at the recruitment booths for each club. Very calmly, he said, "No. I was just thinking—what's the school's purpose in building these clubs?"

"What purpose?" Horikita Suzune found it strange. "Isn't it just because the government allocates funds, so they spend it however they like?"

"No. Think about it carefully. After everything we've been through these past two days, do you really think this school has no underlying intention?"

You En felt it was time to share some things with Horikita Suzune.

As a transmigrator who knew the original story's plot, he was the most sensitive to this sense of wrongness.

"What intention could clubs have?" Horikita Suzune felt something was off when she heard that, but after thinking it over, she didn't dwell on it. No matter how unusual this school was, it was still just a school. She shook her head, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I think you're worrying too much."

You En didn't press further. He flipped through the manual again and finally found something different.

"Aside from the Space Club, club registration has two tiers: ordinary members and official members. Ordinary members just need an interest to join, but official members all require exams. You can't become one right away."

"Probably no one except a handful of people would even sign up to be an official member," Horikita Suzune said. Suddenly, the corner of her eye caught someone seemingly sneaking a look in their direction. She tried to confirm it, but the person was gone.

You En turned his head to look beside her. "What's wrong?"

Horikita Suzune said, "Someone seemed to be watching us. It was probably Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

As soon as You En heard that, he understood. Little Ayanokoji was probably very interested in one of the two of them—or maybe both—and was observing from a distance.

You En sighed. "It's impressive you spotted him."

Horikita Suzune didn't get it. "What's so impressive about spotting him?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about him."

You En couldn't exactly tell her, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is the campus version of the 'Urban War God.'

Horikita Suzune being able to detect his covert surveillance just meant her instincts were sharp.

But if he said that out loud, Horikita Suzune would probably just roll her eyes at him and think he was seriously unwell.

"Do you have a club in mind?" Horikita Suzune asked.

You En nodded. "I'm planning to join the Kyudo Club. I kind of wanted to sign up for the Firearms Club, but it's not here."

"Where would there be a Firearms Club? This isn't America." Horikita Suzune turned her head. "I'm going to check out the Karate Club."

"Alright. See you later, then."

You En added, "If you can become an official member, give it a try."

Horikita Suzune nodded without turning around.

"Got it."

The two set off toward their respective target clubs.

You En arrived at the Kyudo Club registration point, where the person in charge was a senior with short, dark brown hair and a spirited, heroic air.

The senior wore a form-fitting kyudo uniform, her left hand resting on her navy blue hakama, the other hand open, as she asked briskly, "Freshman, looking to join the club?"

You En nodded. "But more than the club, I'm interested in your name, senior."

Qiao Heng laughed generously. "Heh, I'm Qiao Heng. Junior, trying to court your senior is still way too early.

At the very least... hmm, you'd have to get through your first year smoothly, and at minimum rank in the top ten for overall ability."

You En asked, "If I do that, can I date you, senior?"

"Haha,"

Qiao Heng reached out and lightly flicked You En's forehead, laughing heartily. "Of course not, but I'll consider it then."

"Alright, I want to sign up for Kyudo Club,"

You En said seriously. "I need to see if I have any other rivals."

"Sure,"

Qiao Heng felt quite fond of this junior in front of her. "If anyone pursues me, I'll definitely tell you. But what do you plan to do?"

"Beat them up!"

You En looked at the thick calluses on the senior's hands and felt he probably couldn't take on any potential rivals right now. "Or throw out some threats first, then beat them up later."

"Fine, then I'll be waiting for you, senior."

Qiao Heng pulled out a registration form. "Are you signing up as a regular member?"

"No, I want to sign up as an official member."

You En said.

"You want to be an official member?"

Qiao Heng's demeanor shifted, her voice dropping to a husky, low tone.

"The assessment for official members lasts three years. Even if you pass, there's plenty of other responsibilities. And even if you can quit midway, the earlier tests are no joke."

"Isn't it all written in the brochure?"

You En met Qiao Heng's gaze. His amber eyes were clear and transparent, with what seemed like trembling tadpole-like text visible deep within them.

After staring for a while, You En suddenly felt a pain in his head, like several needles stabbing in and churning wildly.

"Not bad eyes."

Qiao Heng praised, though it was unclear what exactly she was complimenting.

She reached out both hands, pulling You En into a loose embrace, gently massaging his temples. Soon the pain vanished.

A cool, refreshing aura seeped in, stirring vitality and energy.

Before You En could enjoy the sensation and fragrance for more than a few seconds, Qiao Heng stepped away from her spot and waved him over.

"For official members, we have to test your talent. That's the case for almost every 'advanced club.'"

"Talent?"

Qiao Heng explained: "Those without talent will struggle their whole lives to truly get started. Rather than waste their time, it's better to let them find a hobby that suits them better."

You En pointed at himself. "So do I have talent for kyudo?"

Qiao Heng turned sideways, looking back over her shoulder, spinning her keyring with her index finger.

Orange sunlight streamed in through the window, casting across her pretty face, her lip line outlined in a somewhat ambiguous curve. She answered without addressing the question, "Your eyes are really beautiful. I like them."