Muscles and guitar? Is he the hot-blooded type that would sing at the base of a volcano or something?
“I’m just so sick of it already. It’s so embarrassing I can’t even walk outside.”
“You have it hard.”
“Mn,” nodded Aoi-chan, before letting out a big sigh.
But although I feel sorry for thinking this, Aoi-chan, I kinda wanna meet that brother of yours.
“Would it be possible for me to meet…”
“Never.”
I see.
“Sorry for bringing up a weird topic. Enough about Muscles. How has school been, Reika-chan?”
“Well, it appears that others think of me as difficult to approach. Especially the boys.”
“You’ve said something like that before as well, haven’t you? I think it was during your remedials?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Things are undoubtedly better than that time, at least.”
I stayed a deserted island until the very end, after all.
“Could it be that I truly do have a bully’s face? You know, it seems that there are lots of kids who avert their eyes in fear.”
“Eh… But don’t you have some close friends too? And I mean, you said you had that male friend from cram school too.”
“Well, yes, I suppose.”
Akizawa-kun, huh.
“What if you had that boy spread your good points amongst the others? You could ask your girl friends too. You might makes lots more friends that way.”
“Isn’t that just a massive farce? If it was ever found out that I orchestrated it all, I would die from the embarrassment. And to begin with, it would be much too embarrassing to ask anyone for that favour.”
“Well, that’s true…”
I don’t want to believe that I’m cornered enough to do that.
“Then it has to be a club after all! You’ll definitely make new friends!”
“I think so too. I should go look at the clubs the next chance I have!”
Yeah. I’ll make lots of new friends once I join a club, and then maybe I’ll even start up some romance with a dreamy senpai!
I wonder what club I should join.
*
When they heard I was joining a club, the Tennis Club immediately came to invite me. I told you guys, the Tennis Club is just out of the question.
And what the heck is the Tenni-Pong Club. Isn’t that like tennis too? And it’s way too niche. I never even knew you guys existed.
And the Tennis de Table Club? Please just call it Ping Pong. Have some confidence in your own club, damnit.
And if you lot want to make me hold a racket so badly then maybe I’ll compromise with badminton. Aoi-chan was considering it too, after all. Lots of the friends from my old life did it too. Mn, that might be a good idea.
I went to the Badminton Club without much thought, and was sent trembling by the speed of the shuttle. Impossible. I’ll die if that hits me. And it looks like the running is really intense too. For me, running is a bit… Sometimes when I run I swear I can taste blood. I don’t think I’m quite suited for it.
At my friends’ invitations I went to look at the various sports clubs, but the intensity of it all steadily disillusioned me.
“After all of that touring, I think that sports clubs may be a bit much for me. I am sorry for making you accompany me,” I apologised to my friends, but everyone had this expression like, ‘I thought so’. I’m sorry, guys.
While I was walking around, feeling a little depressed at my own weakness, by chance I came across Class Rep who invited me to the Literature Club. Class Rep, are you still writing poems there?
Anyway, poems aside, maybe the Literature Club would suit me. I might make some kind friends. Maybe I’ll have a look tomorrow. Yeah. I’ll do that.
*