"President, I... I quit."
Just after Kyoko Kuroda finished explaining the details of the assessment, someone suddenly stood up and said those words.
Everyone froze for a moment, then turned toward him.
It was Sato Shunsuke, who had never had much of a presence in the club.
Oshima Masao got along fairly well with Sato Shunsuke. Surprised, he asked:
"Shunsuke, why are you quitting? This is such a great opportunity! We can meet someone like that esteemed figure at the shrine, and even become someone like him! Why would you quit?"
Sato Shunsuke looked at Oshima Masao and shook his head without saying anything.
He looked at Kyoko Kuroda and continued:
"President, I want to quit. I won't be coming to the Folklore Club anymore."
When Sato Shunsuke spoke a second time, Kyoko Kuroda broke her silence.
"I respect your choice. If you ever need my help in the future, you can still contact me."
In truth, Kyoko Kuroda had noticed the signs long ago.
Over the past month, Sato Shunsuke had barely participated in any club activities.
The only time he had gone, Oshima Masao had dragged him along.
As for why Sato Shunsuke had become like this...
It was probably for the same reason as the other members who had quit before him.
At that thought, Kyoko Kuroda looked at the others in the meeting room. "What about everyone else? If you don't want to go, you don't have to."
Her gaze swept over them. Although Sato Shunsuke's withdrawal had dampened their smiles, no one else spoke up.
After Sato Shunsuke left, Kyoko Kuroda continued, "That's the general outline of the assessment. Mr. Murakami didn't say you couldn't form teams, so you can look out for one another during it."
"As for how Mr. Murakami makes his final