A Roller-Coaster Club Orientation

Seeing Shiranami Chihiro looking as if all her effort and courage had been wasted, Ichinose Honami suddenly realized something.

"Chihiro-chan, you don't think I did all that because I like Hoshino, do you?"

"Huh? No, isn't that why?"

"Of course not!"

No wonder Chihiro-chan had seemed a little strange. So that was the problem.

"Chihiro-chan, I told you yesterday at the café, didn't I? Hoshino once did me a huge favor, even though we were complete strangers, so I wanted to repay him."

"But since he didn't tell me about it at the time, that means he didn't care about it. He didn't even care whether I would repay him. If I suddenly showed up and said something like 'I owe you a favor,' I'd probably make him uncomfortable."

"So I wanted to repay him quietly and discreetly, just as he helped me back then. That way, I could return his kindness without making him uncomfortable."

"Yesterday, I also realized that although Hoshino is very smart and perceptive, he doesn't seem to understand how to interact with girls. He often makes ambiguous gestures without realizing it, which isn't good."

"That's why I wanted to correct him and help him understand how to interact with girls properly. That's why I acted the way I did just now."

After Ichinose Honami explained it all, Shiranami Chihiro finally understood.

So that was it! That was what had happened!

But if Honami-chan hadn't explained, anyone would have thought she liked Hoshino En and was getting jealous of Sakayanagi Arisu!

Once her confusion cleared, Shiranami Chihiro was overcome with joy.

If Honami-chan didn't like Hoshino En, did that mean she still had a chance?

That had to be it. Generally speaking, secretly helping someone without expecting anything in return was the sort of thing that most raised the other person's affection. It was practically the starting point of falling in love. But Honami-chan hadn't fallen for Hoshino En after doing that. Could that mean Honami-chan didn't like men after all?

Wouldn't it make perfect sense for her to get together with Honami-chan, then?!

Wonderful!!!

Seeing Shiranami Chihiro suddenly break into a strange smile, Ichinose Honami was at a loss.

What was wrong with Chihiro-chan?

But with her grin nearly reaching her ears, she must have been delighted, right?

It was great that she'd managed to explain everything.

"Ah, Chihiro-chan, you're drooling..."

"Ah! Slurp... Sorry, Honami-chan. Hehe~"

Meanwhile, after parting ways with Sakayanagi and Kamuro, Hoshino En arrived at the Student Council Office in the Special Building.

Knock, knock—

"Come in."

"Excuse me."

He closed the door behind him and looked around the Student Council Office.

Since it was lunchtime, the room wasn't as crowded as it was after school. Most of the student council members were away.

Only the student council president was there, reviewing documents at his desk, while a purple-haired senior with her hair in a bun took notes nearby.

"Hoshino, what brings you to the Student Council Room? Club Orientation is this afternoon, and student council recruitment doesn't start until then either."

Horikita Manabu was the first to look up and greet him. They'd interacted that morning, so he hadn't buried himself in work and left the task of greeting visitors to a subordinate, as Hoshino En had expected.

"Actually..."

"Ah! You shameless first-year from yesterday—"

Before he could say anything, the bun-haired senior, who had just looked up, pointed at him and shouted.

That was quite an accusation.

Hoshino En hadn't seen her at the café yesterday, so she must have spotted him and Sakayanagi Arisu somewhere else.

On the street? Unlikely. He and Sakayanagi hadn't done anything shameless there. Holding hands—or helping someone who was unwell walk—wasn't enough to warrant that accusation.

So it must have been their conversation. It would have happened just after they left the Special Building. Sakayanagi had deliberately said things that could be misunderstood, and he'd fired back. Their exchange probably had sounded strange to an eavesdropper.

In other words—

"Senior, were you eavesdropping on Sakayanagi and me at the entrance to the Special Building yesterday afternoon?"

The bun-haired senior fell silent.

"You... no..."

"How did you know?"

She stared at Hoshino En in shock, forgetting all about her accusation.

She'd only overheard them by chance while passing the entrance yesterday. They hadn't even met face-to-face, had they?

"It was just a simple deduction. But first, I want to clear something up: Sakayanagi was deliberately teasing me yesterday. I didn't want to let her get the better of me, so I played along with my reply. There was nothing like what you're thinking, so please don't misunderstand."

After clearing things up, Hoshino En turned to Horikita Manabu and took out the memory card he'd found yesterday.

"I came here because I found this at the Shopping Mall last night. The Student Council handles lost property, right?"

He placed the memory card on Horikita Manabu's desk, then turned to leave.

To find its owner, the Student Council would surely check what was on the card. If it contained something indecent, the employee who'd lost it would certainly be punished, and Hoshino En would be rewarded for indirectly helping out. If it didn't, the Student Council would still contact the employee, who would be more careful for fear of getting into trouble. Hoshino En had nothing to lose either way.

Perfect.

But before closing the door, he looked back at the bun-haired senior and offered a reminder. "Senior with the bun, I know that hearing just my conversation with Sakayanagi yesterday could easily lead to a misunderstanding. But the fact that you jumped to that kind of conclusion is also because you watch too much of that stuff and have developed a biased perspective."

"You third-years should be focusing on university or finding a job. Taking care of your own needs might relieve stress, but it can wear you out mentally and physically, so you should try to do it less."

After saying that, Hoshino En closed the Student Council Office door and left without looking back.

When it came to things he couldn't stand, he never hesitated to crush them outright.

That senior had slandered an innocent, kind young man like him as "shameless." It was outrageous.

But since she hadn't gone around spreading rumors, he'd let that mild "reminder" serve as her punishment.

Back in the Student Council Office after Hoshino En left—

Akane Tachibana, the bun-haired senior from Class 3-A: "..."

Horikita Manabu: "..."

He set down the document he'd been working on, rested both elbows on the desk, and clasped his hands in front of his forehead.

"Tachibana, if you're feeling stressed, you could try working out at the gym. It'll relieve stress and improve your fitness."

"Besides, I have a membership at that gym, so you'd save a lot of points."

Tachibana Akane: "..."

President, I don't do that kind of thing!!!

First Semester of First Year :

A Roller-Coaster Club Orientation

The afternoon classes passed in an atmosphere of silence.

But after getting used to it that morning, Class D had more or less adapted to the feeling. No one was being particularly deliberate about it; everyone quietly went about their own business and chatted on their phones in silence.

After class came the usual club activities, but since it was only the second day of school, the afternoon activities had been replaced by a dedicated Club Orientation. Most of the clubs would be presenting themselves in the gymnasium to recruit first-year members.

The more members a club had, the bigger its budget would probably be.

Sitting in the corner, Hoshino En thought this as he got ready to leave.

He was an inconspicuous loner, the sort of person no one would come over and invite to go with them. Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't spare the attention to make plans with him, since he was still trying to befriend Horikita Suzune.

Besides, the Club Orientation was optional. He'd lose nothing by skipping it.

"En, are you going to the Club Orientation?"

That was how it should have gone...

Hoshino En, who had been about to leave, turned around and looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in front of him, then at Horikita Suzune waiting behind him. A huge question mark appeared over his head.

"Kiyotaka, aren't you trying to befriend Horikita Suzune? Why are you bringing me along?"

He put an arm around Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's shoulder and spoke quietly.

"If someone she doesn't know is there, she'll be even less likely to open up than usual."

Though Hoshino En didn't think that guy would open up to anyone in the first place.

He hadn't interacted with her, but judging by how Horikita Suzune acted in class, she was probably an extreme social recluse. And since she didn't seem to mind that at all, she was probably an extreme egoist, too.

Only someone as clueless as Ayanokoji would keep doggedly pursuing a person like that.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

"I don't think she'll care about that."

Exactly. Hoshino En didn't think she'd care either!

"...Forget it. Let's go."

In the end, Hoshino En gave in.

It was probably the first time Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had "shown off" his "friend" in front of Horikita Suzune, so Hoshino En decided to humor him and go along.

Tsk. He suddenly felt like a father worrying about his foolish son. Would he be able to grow up on his own?

"Come on, let's go."

With an arm around Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's shoulder, Hoshino En followed him and Horikita Suzune toward the gymnasium where the Club Orientation was being held.

By the time the three of them arrived, quite a few first-year students had already gathered there. Plenty of second- and third-year students had come to watch, too.

Before long, a cute purple-haired senior with her hair tied in a bun appeared onstage. She was the very same "shameless" senior Hoshino En had seen at the Student Council Office that afternoon.

Come to think of it, he hadn't asked her name at lunchtime. Still, "Bun" was a pretty nice name.

She turned on the microphone and began to speak.

"First-year students, sorry for the wait. I'm Tachibana Akane, the student council secretary, and I'll be hosting today's orientation. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Oh, so her name was Tachibana Akane. It suited her petite appearance for some reason.

"Next, representatives from each club will explain what their clubs are about."

With that, she stepped aside. But perhaps it was just his imagination; Hoshino En thought she glanced in his direction as she left the stage.

Then a large group of people streamed out from backstage and lined up onstage. They were representatives of the various clubs.

Each club had its own distinctive representative. The Judo Club had a muscular senior in a judogi; the Tea Ceremony Club had a pretty senior in a kimono; the Anime Club had a beautiful senior in cosplay; even the Chess Club, which Hoshino En had crushed yesterday, had sent a familiar-looking senior holding a chess set...

At the very end of the line stood Horikita Manabu, wearing glasses and looking composed. He was there to represent the Student Council.

Noticing Horikita Manabu, Hoshino En looked past Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and over at Horikita Suzune, who had frozen at the sight of her older brother.

It had clearly affected her a great deal, just like it had at the opening ceremony.

Still, it was impressive that Ayanokoji could keep talking to Horikita Suzune, who was as unresponsive as ever, through such a dry Club Orientation.

Hoshino En shifted his gaze to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who kept talking enthusiastically without getting tired, and thought that he'd surely become an impressive man one day.

Even Hoshino En couldn't match that level of patience.

He just hoped he wouldn't turn out weird... Tsk, he really couldn't stop worrying.

Soon, all the club representatives had finished their presentations, leaving Horikita Manabu alone onstage.

He stepped up to the microphone and stared at the noisy first-years below without saying a word.

Oh, Hoshino En knew this act. It was a special skill reserved for those in power: using one's own coldness to subject the entire school to the cold shoulder.

But it was obvious that not every first-year had experienced this before.

"Why isn't that senior saying anything? Is he nervous?"

"Maybe he forgot what to say. Even the student council president makes mistakes sometimes."

"Come on, senpai, you can do it~"

The second- and third-years remained silent and solemn. Only the first-years, who hadn't yet been put through the wringer, were making a racket.

The ones who had spoken up were mostly clueless Class C students and the worst-behaved students in Class D.