014. The Gathering of Clubs

"...Kato, I'm sorry!"

"..."

It was lunchtime, and the location was Classroom 2-B.

Outside the window, a few pink cherry blossom petals drifted by. The sunlight, much stronger than it had been in the morning, brought a touch of warmth to the skin, as though it could dispel all the troubles of the heart—or so one might wish.

Jiang Yu, whose otaku spirit had flared up just that morning, was now earnestly apologizing to a girl he seemed to have just hurt (?) or perhaps offended (?). Incidentally, although they had been in the same class for a year, he had only learned her name—Kato—yesterday.

For reasons unknown, Jiang Yu’s deathly otaku energy had abruptly subsided. Now, fully aware, he realized he had said some rather harsh things to a girl he’d only just met.

All morning, Jiang Yu had tried to apologize; whenever he tried to speak, he was either ignored or simply overlooked.

Then again, wasn't that to be expected? Even with Kato, she was just an ordinary high school girl, after all.

But since when, Jiang Yu, did you start thinking that Megumi Kato was any different from an ordinary high school girl?

So, taking advantage of lunchtime, Jiang Yu dashed out to buy two pineapple buns and a carton of milk for his lunch. He also bought a box of coconut milk as a peace offering.

And thus, the scene at the start unfolded.

Jiang Yu bowed at a ninety-degree angle, apologizing in front of Kato’s desk. On the desk was a box of coconut milk, and Kato herself looked slightly surprised.

After a long silence, just as Jiang Yu could feel cold sweat soaking his back, Kato finally spoke in her characteristically calm, indifferent tone.

"...Actually, I’m not that angry, you know—"

"Eh? B-but, think about it, you just met a guy yesterday, and he says something weird like ‘your character is wasted’ or whatever. And you ignored me all morning!"

Jiang Yu straightened up, his back aching, and scratched his head, confused.

“…So Jiang Yu, you do realize the things you said were pretty bizarre, huh?”

“Ah… y-yeah, sorry.”

Jiang Yu wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Kato, who always seemed easy to talk to, suddenly sounded a little sharper.

“Besides, haven’t we technically known each other for a year now?”

“…”

“Ah, I’m not blaming you, Jiang Yu. After all, it’s my fault for being so ‘unremarkable’.”

So you do care, don’t you, Kato? Jiang Yu thought silently, but kept a humble, receptive expression on his face.

“And now that I think about it, those really are the kind of things you’d say, Jiang Yu.”

“...?”

Jiang Yu could only make a perplexed expression.

“After hearing all that, I was a little upset, sure—but then I remembered that at heart, you’re still an otaku. Even though sometimes you don’t seem like it—”

“Huh? ...I guess.”

“So when you start talking about ‘characters’ and ‘attributes’ and all that, it’s just stuff that slips out without thinking, right? Besides, you don’t seem like you have many friends, either.”

“…”

Ouch. Kato, even if you say all that with a straight face, you must hold a grudge against me, right? Jiang Yu inwardly slumped in defeat.

So please, stop rubbing salt in the wound, Kato!

Utterly at a loss, Jiang Yu could only nod and agree, until finally, when the bell rang for afternoon classes, Kato stopped talking.

After taking a critical hit, Jiang Yu didn’t even have the energy to write on his phone. He could only stare off into space, waiting for the day to end.

At last, the dismissal bell rang. As the teacher left, the students quickly packed up their things to head home; those in sports clubs hurried off to their clubrooms for post-holiday training.

Jiang Yu had just finished packing his bag and was about to leave when someone stopped him.

As expected, it was Tomoya Aki.

Even Kato was asked to stay; after a moment’s thought, she simply said, “I don’t have anything to do at home anyway,” and nodded her agreement.

Kato, you really are too easygoing, aren’t you?

Jiang Yu sighed and spoke up, “So, Tomoya, what is it this time? Honestly, I’ve been super busy lately, you know?”

“I talked to Eriri and Utaha-senpai again today, and they agreed to meet in the AV room after school. Let’s go!” Tomoya said, completely ignoring Jiang Yu’s question.

So Jiang Yu could only follow, forced along by Tomoya’s enthusiasm, with Kato trailing behind at her own pace.

...

The usually empty audiovisual room was, for once, occupied after school by several faces rarely seen there.

Utaha Kasumigaoka—one of the two great beauties of Toyonozaki Private Academy, the top student for two years running, renowned for her independence and stunning beauty, surrounded by an untouchable aura. She was admired by underclassmen and called “the flower on the high peak.”

At this moment, the girl who was practically worshipped as a goddess by the students of Toyonozaki was sitting in the AV room, silently turning the pages of a book.

Suddenly, the sound of someone leaning against the doorframe interrupted her reading. Utaha’s hand paused.

Then a voice came: “I haven’t accepted, but if I just leave you waiting, I won’t sleep well. So I thought I’d come say something.”

Utaha’s fingers resumed flipping pages as she replied, “How commendable of you, Sawamura.”

“Ah!” A startled cry like a frightened fawn sounded from the doorway. There stood a girl with dazzling blonde twin-tails, who quickly peered inside.

“Well, I have nothing much to say,” Utaha responded in a languid tone.

“Ka-Ka-Ka-Kasumigaoka Utaha!” the blonde girl exclaimed.

After turning another page, Utaha said, “But could you stop using my full name all the time?”

She paused, then continued, “Miss Eriri Spencer Sawamura?”

Eriri Spencer Sawamura—one of Toyonozaki’s two great beauties. Petite, with golden twin-tails. Her father was British, her mother Japanese, and she’d grown up in Japan. With her diplomat father, rumors of family wealth surrounded her. Ace of the art club and, with her elegant and refined demeanor, extremely popular among her peers.

“What are you doing here?” Eriri asked bluntly.

Utaha turned her head, her wine-red eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded Eriri, who had moved in from the doorway. “What a coincidence, Sawamura. I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

Eriri blurted out her suspicions, “Did Tomoya ask you to come too?”

“After the way you talked to him yesterday, you still haven’t given up helping him?” Utaha glanced back at her book.

Eriri snorted, turning her head away with a tone both angry and petulant, “To think he’d ask a gloomy girl like you to write the script—what is that idiot thinking?”

Utaha replied indifferently, “If you want to talk about problems, is it really okay to have a so-called perfect-on-the-outside, utterly useless-on-the-inside, fake young lady like you doing the illustrations?”

“Who are you calling useless?!” Eriri shot back.

Utaha didn’t pursue the argument, letting it devolve into empty bickering. She kept her eyes on her book, her tone casual, “I may be gloomy, but at least I’m more honest than you.”

“And stop letting that idiot rope you in with a single plea, you lonely girl!”

“I don’t need criticism from someone doing exactly the same thing as me. Besides, I’m just repaying a favor to a junior who once helped me. What about you?”

“Why should I tell you my reasons?!” Eriri blurted, then hesitated before continuing, “I’m just here to stop him! That ridiculous project will never work!”

Utaha, unimpressed by Eriri’s passion, calmly retorted, “If you didn’t show up, that ridiculous project would die on its own, wouldn’t it?”

“...I’m leaving.” Eriri turned as if to go.

“Oh? Goodbye, then,” Utaha said, still seated, eyes on her book.

“Are you really going to stay? You actually believe that nonsense...?” Eriri asked, as if unwilling to back down.

Utaha turned to face the blonde twin-tailed girl squarely. “That’s not something I need to explain to you.”

Eriri clenched her teeth and stood rooted to the spot.

And so the two of them glared at each other in deadlock, until—

“Hey, Eriri, Utaha-senpai, good afternoon!”

In walked a short-haired boy in a school uniform and black-rimmed glasses, followed by Jiang Yu with a helpless smile—and someone else, entirely overlooked by everyone.

Kato, could you please not just walk into the room and pick a seat at random, acting like you’re invisible simply because you’re so unremarkable?