The Order of Things and My First Club Member

"What are you doing coming to the classroom this early? The first bus hasn't even left yet, and it's still dark!"

"I'm just making things easier for you later. Take notes~"

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

When we entered the Class 1-A classroom, nameplates bearing the students' names sat on all forty desks.

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

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

Based on my assessment of everyone's strength, I placed the nameplates for Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei in the two seats at the front nearest the door, followed by Hashimoto Masayoshi and the other minor characters.

When we reached Class B, I did the same thing, placing Ichinose Honami's and Kanzaki Ryuji's nameplates at the front.

In Class D, I took perverse pleasure in putting Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's nameplate in the first spot.

"So, this is how you rank the students in the other three classes? 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. He collected all the nameplates in the classroom and started arranging them according to his own judgment.

"Hey, don't be so earnest. It's enough to have you sitting in first place and drawing all the fire. We'll have one of us in the open and one in the shadows. That way, we're less likely to crash and burn together."

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

"So, what exactly is this Shiina Hiyori capable of that makes you care so much about her?"

Ryuen leaned against the doorframe, watching me switch the nameplates with a mischievous grin.

"How did you figure that out?"

"I tested it while I was putting the nameplates down. I tried so many of them in the third spot, and you didn't react. But you did react to that one."

So my microexpressions had given me away. It seemed I could work on that skill some more in the future.

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

"Just as I thought."

As time went on, more and more students arrived at school by bus and came to the classroom. At the right moment, I took my specialized "trap" out of my bag. This was the first layer of the trap.

"Do you like reading mystery novels too, Sima? My name is Shiina Hiyori, and I enjoy reading."

Sure enough, my target took the bait before long.

Of course, Ryuen's gaze followed soon after. He'd just returned from going around the other three classes, peddling the rules.

"Hiyori, I really do~"

"Hm? Um, well—"

When I addressed her by her first name, Hiyori nervously clasped her hands together. She probably hadn't expected me to be so "forward."

"Sorry, I forgot again. I'm an international student from China, and in my country, classmates don't worry much about how they address each other, even when they've just met. I was too forward."

I put on an apologetic expression, set down The Ghost in the Clock Tower, and apologized to Hiyori. At the same time, I casually showed her the notes I'd made in the book. This was the second layer of the trap.

"I see. It's all right. I like mystery novels too, Masaryu. Could I take a look at your notes?"

No wonder she fulfilled my fantasies of an intelligent, cultured woman. I felt that Hiyori's warmth and friendliness were every bit as appealing as Ichinose's; she simply didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.

"Of course. Just keep in mind that there's a chance of spoilers."

Before I got to the book's big twist, I kindly warned Hiyori. After all, for mystery fans, spoilers were unforgivable.

"Really? Masaryu, your thoughts on this book are so similar to mine!"

Hiyori quietly looked through my notes for a while. I quietly admired her serene expression as she read.

"Maybe it means we have something in common. Hiyori, is there a club you'd like to join?"

Although I'd gotten permission from Chairman Sakayanagi to ignore the required number of club members, a club with only me in it still felt too empty.

Besides, I had some thoughts of my own. With the system's help, I could become a literary giant by reproducing famous works, but I didn't want to become a mere copyist.

Would all the effort I'd put in over the years in this life really go to waste just because I had the system's help?

Writers had always looked down on one another. I wasn't standing on the shoulders of just one or two people. If I copied everything outright, even I would look down on myself. I couldn't imagine surpassing the original works at this point. At the very least, after adding my own thoughts, I hoped not to fall too far behind.

"A club? If I had to choose, probably something like a literature club?"

Hiyori tilted her head and thought for a while before giving me an answer that sounded a little uncertain.

"Then, Hiyori, would you be interested in joining the Traditional Literature Club I started? The club's main purpose is to provide a place for like-minded people who love reading to exchange ideas. There are no requirements for club activities or attendance. The guiding principles are freedom and reading."

I took the key to the club's Activity Room out of my schoolbag, along with an application form I'd printed the day before.

"That sounds nice. But why is the club called the Traditional Literature Club? Don't you like mystery novels, Masaryu? Wouldn't Literature Club be a more suitable name?"

Hiyori took the pen I handed her and filled in her information on the application form, then asked me what she wanted to know.

That was only natural, since mystery novels weren't considered traditional literature.

"I suppose it has to do with the education I received growing up and the expectations people had of me. The elders in my family all hoped I'd make a name for myself in traditional literature, so I grew up reading the finest works of traditional literature from countries all around the world.

"Only after I discovered mystery novels did I fall hopelessly in love with the genre. To put it simply, traditional literature is like life to me, while mystery novels are more of a passion."

I really wasn't lying to Hiyori. After reading so much traditional literature, I still found myself more drawn to mystery novels, with their more intricate plots.

"Masaryu, you really are a lot like me. My father writes mystery novels, and under his influence, I've read quite a lot of them too. But after reading traditional literature, I felt like I'd discovered a whole new world.

"To put it in your words, mystery novels are like life to me, while traditional literature is more like seasoning in life."

Having found a kindred spirit in each other, Hiyori and I began discussing our views on books, and I selectively ignored Ryuen's resentful gaze.