First Time

Hirata and a few other students from Class D who genuinely wanted to save their class began their efforts, searching the campus for eyewitnesses and new evidence.

"I didn't expect that I'd only miss a day, and such an interesting story would unfold here."

After learning about the events between Class C and Class D through her informants, Sakayanagi arrived at the clubroom. This time, she brought a full tea set and a canister of tea leaves with her.

"The story of Class D isn't the most interesting one. Guess how many clubs signed up after I released the news at the club orientation yesterday?"

At the mention of this, I could barely suppress the corners of my mouth. I truly hadn't expected the third-year students at this school to be so naive and adorable, willing to believe such absurd nonsense.

"Five?"

Sakayanagi searched her memory and gave a number lower than the estimate. In her view, getting even that many clubs to fall for it would be no small feat.

"Eight."

"Hmm?"

The number I gave exceeded Sakayanagi's expectations.

"So, all those small clubs with only three members signed up?"

Sakayanagi had assumed that since they were already in their third year, they would have gained some growth at this school, or at the very least, wouldn't be taken in by such an outrageous scam.

"That's right. Oh, wait, it's nine clubs now. Those clubs with only four members seem to be getting restless as well."

I looked at the updated file Ryuen had just sent over and laughed happily.

Originally, I hadn't taken the clubs seriously, but now it seemed this was a rare gold mine. It was just a pity that some clubs had already been ransacked by Sakayanagi; otherwise, there would have been much more to gain.

In the glow of the setting sun, the Traditional Literature Club turned off the lights.

I sat by the window directly opposite the desk, leaning my body against the wall and resting my hands on the small table in front of the window.

I extended a finger from my left hand, staring blankly at the mechanical movement of my finger, using my imagination to sketch out memories that didn't exist in my heart.

Yet, the more effort I put into constructing this false memory, the more ethereal it became, until my impression blurred and my thoughts disconnected. Only then did the automatically formed memory and the tactile sensation of my finger colliding with the glass bring me to a distant place.

With an instinctive movement, I couldn't help but smell the finger I was staring at. It was the scent of plum juice, just like the one that had stained it when she snatched it back yesterday.

Feeling that this action was slightly sleazy, I didn't have the nerve to turn my head to observe their reactions. Instead, I naturally slipped into the role, using my finger to doodle randomly on the window glass.

The window, already covered in a layer of mist, reflected Sakayanagi's eyes. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I wiped the mist off the glass and pushed the window open.

The window, now at a different angle, became a mirror that allowed me to see Hiyori. Hiyori was currently taking care of Sakayanagi, who sat beside her, completely unaware that I had already drifted off the tracks first.

The glow of the setting sun and Hiyori's beauty overlapped through the window, and the gentle caress of the evening breeze smoothed out the ripples in my heart.

The combination of the two made my heart tremble.

The passage of time changed the light, and the same scenery evolved into countless moods under the impetus of time.

Until the two sunsets, appearing due to reflection, fell into Hiyori's eyes together, and when they overlapped, what bloomed was a bewitchingly moving beauty.

My thoughts drifted until the light dimmed, and only then did Sakayanagi reluctantly stand up, leaning on her cane to walk to the door and turn on the lights.

My consciousness returned to my body. As I turned back, I saw Hiyori looking at me with equally dazed eyes.

So she, too, had drifted off the tracks when I wasn't looking. This tacit understanding was the chain between us.

"Ara~ so much time has passed in a blink of an eye. I should take my leave. I am very much looking forward to the story Masaryu-kun has prepared for me. I will come back to be an audience member next time."

Sakayanagi left, looking satisfied.

"So, when can we eat? This Mountain Vegetable Set Meal is already cold. And when did you get tangled up with Sakayanagi?"

In a corner I hadn't been paying attention to, Ryuen and the others were sitting there, boredly scrolling through their phones.

"Wasn't that set meal cold to begin with? That pile of forage is easier to swallow raw than cooked!"

I selectively ignored the question regarding Sakayanagi, picked out some meat nearing its expiration date from the refrigerator, and began to cook.

"So, have you all decided to join my club? Let me remind you again: joining my club means you have to study seriously."

During a break from stir-frying, Hiyori entered the food-serving phase, and I was able to emphasize the importance of studying once again to those who had followed Ryuen to the clubroom with the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal.

"We have already made up our minds!"

A very loud voice rang out in the clubroom. I looked at these Class C students who kept "resolve" on their lips, and I didn't know why things had turned out this way. Perhaps Ryuen had instilled something strange in them?

"See, hasn't Sakayanagi's utility been demonstrated now? Free labor!"

After letting everyone line up to get their food, I carried my own portion over to Ryuen, nudged him with my elbow, and told him about my arrangements for Sakayanagi with a wicked grin.

"I don't believe you can handle that little shrimp. Just don't let your cleverness be your undoing."

Ryuen looked at me with disdain, and then refreshed my perception of him once again.

"Thanks for getting my food for me."

"Huh?"

I saw Ryuen reach out with both hands, pin my hands down, and then bury his head into my portion of food and spit in it.

"Was that necessary? There aren't that many people here! It wouldn't take many steps to get your own food. Is it really worth using such a childish tactic?"

I admit that this disgusted me. This tactic was despicable, but it was very effective!

"Take it, then! Hiyori, please get me another serving."

Leaving Ryuen, who stood rooted to the spot holding my meal while laughing hysterically, I asked Hiyori to fetch me a fresh plate.

"Jokes aside, Sakayanagi certainly can't become a teacher. At most, I can help them draft some study plans, but whether they actually improve depends entirely on them.

Our class has too few students with high academic ability. In that regard, Class D is far superior to us. The only one capable of taking on the role of a teacher is Hiyori; the others either have personalities that aren't suited for it or lack the necessary competence.

The real reason for winning over Sakayanagi is that we will undoubtedly face large-scale special exams over these three years—the kind that span across grade levels. The rougher the seas, the more valuable the fish; the larger the scale of the exam, the more points are at stake.

We must ensure that the cards in our hands can secure the greatest profit when the opportunity arises. A single success might be worth more than half a semester of our hard work.

Therefore, we must not only ensure that Class A becomes our ally at the critical moment, but we also need to find a way to handle Class B and Class D as well."

At dinner, Ryuen and I sat apart from the others, discussing our subsequent strategy.