The Order of Being and My First Club Member

"Why come to the classroom so early? The first bus hasn't even departed yet, and it isn't even light out!"

"Isn't this to make things easier for your operation later? Learn from me~"

The next morning, before dawn, I dragged Ryuen to the school building ahead of time.

Walking into the Class 1-A classroom, nameplates were placed on all forty desks.

"The outcome of a battle is decided before it even begins."

I collected all the nameplates and walked to the classroom door.

Based on the strength of the characters in my memory, I placed the nameplates for Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei in the first two seats by the door, followed by Hashimoto Masayoshi and the other minor characters.

After reaching Class B, I repeated the process, placing Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji at the very front.

For Class D, I had a bit of malicious fun and placed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's nameplate in the first seat.

"Is this the strength gradient of the students in the other three classes in your eyes? Interesting."

Back in Class C, just as I was about to play a prank by putting Ibuki and Ryuen together, Ryuen beat me to it, collecting all the nameplates in the classroom and starting to arrange them according to his own judgment.

"Hey, don't be so earnest. Having you sitting in the first seat to attract fire is enough. We'll work in the light and the dark; that way, we won't crash and burn together so easily."

After looking at Ryuen's arrangement, I rolled my eyes at him and swapped the nameplates in the second and third positions with the two students by the window.

"So, what kind of ability does this person named Shiina Hiyori actually have that makes you care so much?"

Ryuen leaned against the doorframe, looking at me with a wicked grin as I swapped the nameplates.

"How did you figure that out?"

"I tested it while placing the nameplates. I tested so many nameplates one after another, and you didn't react when they were placed in the third position; only when that specific nameplate was placed there did you react."

So my micro-expressions didn't stay hidden. It seems I need to work harder on that in the future.

"She's a club member I've already scouted, and she's a quiet girl, so let's not make her the center of attention."

"As I thought."

As time passed, more students arrived at the school by bus and entered their classrooms. I took the specialized "trap" out of my bag at the right moment—this was the first layer of the trap.

"Does Sima-kun also like reading mystery novels? My name is Shiina Hiyori, and my hobby is reading."

Just like that, the target took the bait in no time.

Of course, following closely behind was the gaze of Ryuen, who had returned from peddling the rules to the other three classes.

"Hiyori-san, I like them very much~"

"Hm? Th-that—"

Upon hearing me use her given name, Hiyori nervously clasped her hands together. She probably hadn't expected me to be so "abrupt."

"Apologies, I forgot again. I'm an international student from the Dragon Kingdom. In my country, we don't worry much about honorifics even when meeting classmates for the first time. It was my rudeness."

I feigned a look of deep regret, put down the The Decagon House Murders I was holding, and apologized to Hiyori. Inadvertently, I displayed the notes I had made in the book to her—this was the second layer of the trap.

"I see. It's quite alright. I also like mystery novels, Masaryu-kun. May I take a look at the notes you made?"

She truly is the character who fulfills my fantasies of an intellectual lady. I feel that the affinity Hiyori possesses is in no way inferior to Ichinose's; she simply doesn't want to attract too much attention.

"Of course, as long as Hiyori-san doesn't mind the possibility of spoilers."

Before discussing the plot twists, I kindly reminded Hiyori, as spoilers are absolutely unforgivable for a mystery novel fan.

"Eh? Masaryu-kun and I have very similar insights into this book!"

Hiyori quietly flipped through the notes I had made, and I quietly admired her serene expression while reading.

"Perhaps this means we share common ground in our thinking. Hiyori-san, is there any club you want to join?"

Although I obtained permission from Chairman Sakayanagi to ignore the minimum member requirements for clubs, a club with only me in it would be too empty.

Moreover, I have my own ideas. Although I can use the system to transport masterpieces and become a literary giant, I don't want to be a mere copy-paste machine.

Should the accumulation of so many years in this life be washed away just because of the system's assistance?

Since ancient times, scholars have been known to belittle one another. I am not standing on the shoulders of one or two people right now; if I were to copy everything exactly, I would look down on myself. I don't dare to think about surpassing the originals at this stage, but at least, after incorporating my own thoughts, I shouldn't fall too far behind.

"A club? If I had to choose, it would probably be something like a Literature Club?"

Hiyori tilted her head and thought for a moment, giving a slightly hesitant answer.

"Then, Hiyori-san, would you be interested in joining the Traditional Literature Club I founded? The main purpose of the club is to provide a platform for like-minded book lovers to communicate. There are no requirements for club activities or attendance; the core principle is freedom and reading."

I took the key to the club room and an application form I had printed yesterday out of my bag.

"That sounds nice, but why is the club named the Traditional Literature Club? Isn't what Masaryu-kun likes mystery novels? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it a Literature Club?"

Hiyori took the pen I handed her, filled in her information on the application form, and posed her question.

This was normal, as mystery novels do not belong to traditional literature.

"That probably has to do with the education I received and the expectations placed upon me since childhood. My elders at home all hoped that I would achieve success in the field of traditional literature, so I have been exposed to the essence of traditional literary works from various countries since I was young.

It wasn't until I came into contact with the genre of mystery novels that I fell hopelessly in love with it. Simply put, traditional literature is like life to me, while mystery novels are more of a passion."

I wasn't lying to Hiyori about this. After all, even after reading so much traditional literature, I still prefer mystery novels, which are more intricately designed in terms of plot.

"Masaryu-kun is really like me. My father is a mystery novelist. Under his influence, I also had a lot of contact with the mystery genre, but after reading traditional literature, I felt like I had discovered a new continent.

To use Masaryu-kun's words, mystery novels are like life to me, while traditional literature is more like a seasoning in life."

With our souls in sync, Hiyori and I began to discuss our understanding of books, to the point where I selectively ignored Ryuen's resentful gaze.