“But man, those upperclassmen were really fired up, huh?”
Mizusaki said with his mouth full of nori bento. Swallow before you speak.
“Fired up, or rather, wasn’t it closer to hunger or thirst?”
Mikage nodded at my observation.
“I heard that activity restrictions were lifted last year, and club activities are finally getting back to full strength. Everywhere is desperate to recruit members. Increasing membership is necessary to energize the clubs.”
She spoke in an emotionless, matter-of-fact manner.
However, I hadn’t known this school had such circumstances. Even the well-informed Mizusaki nodded in understanding.
“I see. That aggressive approach—I thought they were like kappa or carnivores… but basically they’re trying to store up nutrients before breeding season. If Mikage-san hadn’t been there, we would’ve seriously gotten eaten.”
Another incomprehensible metaphor. Mikage just returned another smile while chewing her hand-rolled sushi.
Still, Mizusaki sure keeps trying to steer the conversation toward thanking Mikage. Just as I was thinking this, Mizusaki clapped his hands together.
“Oh yeah! Hey Mikage-san, since we have this connection from you saving us, why don’t we check out the club orientations together?”
I see, so that’s it. Whether it’s Iwama or Mikage, Mizusaki displays incomprehensible levels of initiative when dealing with girls.
Rather than being put off, Mikage nodded as if she’d been waiting for that invitation.
“Of course. I was just thinking it would be boring alone.”
She didn’t seem like the type to think such things, but well, it’s not a bad idea. With Mikage’s dexterity in navigating that hellish hallway, we should be able to avoid unwanted assaults from upperclassmen.
“Alright! Mikage-san, which club are you thinking of checking out?”
“I’m interested in the physics club. I’m actually interested in mathematics, but I heard the math club was absorbed into the physics club a long time ago.”
“Physics club, huh… well, sounds good, right Delta?! Let’s check it out! We were thinking of looking at science clubs anyway.”
Mizusaki and I both developed an aversion to physics in middle school due to various circumstances, but well, just taking a peek at the physics club shouldn’t be too bad. I nodded.
“Are you guys are still interested in the chemistry club?”
We had told Mikage that we were former chemistry club members. Mizusaki gulped down the large amount of white rice he’d been chewing.
“Well, it’s a candidate. Can’t say for sure without checking it out though.”
Mizusaki turned toward me.
“Today let’s just check out various clubs and think about which one suits us.”
“Right.”
There was one thing bothering me.
“Mikage-san, do you happen to have siblings at this school?”
After finishing the last bite of her tuna mayo hand-rolled sushi, Mikage looked at me with interest.
“What makes you think that?”
The fact that she didn’t deny it meant my hypothesis wasn’t far off.
“Mikage-san went out of her way to rescue us from the upperclassmen despite having no benefit from doing so. I thought a bit about why.”
“Why? Well, because we’re classmates. We’re friends who discussed enzyme reactions together.”
“Is that really all?”
We did chat a bit about enzyme reaction rates. But would this quiet girl really go out of her way to push through a crowd to rescue two male classmates of that level who were about to be taken away by the swim team? Wasn’t there some other reason?
Once I started thinking along these lines, something occurred to me.
“Mikage-san knew a lot about this school’s clubs. That activity restrictions were lifted last year, that the math club was absorbed into the physics club—these aren’t things ordinary first-years would know. But it makes sense if you have siblings or upperclassmen acquaintances at this school.”
Mikage nodded as if acknowledging this. I continued.
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“So my hypothesis is this: Mikage-san has an acquaintance in the physics club. The physics club is also desperate to recruit members. Mikage-san was asked by that acquaintance to bring someone. That’s why she rescued us, knowing we’re science-oriented—in order to guide us straight to the physics club orientation. It’s a much smarter approach than forcibly dragging people.”
A brief silence. Then Mikage opened her mouth without changing expression.
“Exactly right.”
So that was it. It’s rare to be shown selfless kindness.
“Precisely as Delta-kun says. My onii—”
Mikage suddenly cut off her words and coughed as if choking. Oni?
“My onigiri was bought at a convenience store by my older brother this morning, and that brother is a third-year here. He’s the physics club president. Knowing this year’s orientation would be a fierce competition, he asked me to rescue Delta-kun and Mizusaki-kun and bring them to the physics club in that flow.”
Mizusaki’s and my gazes naturally turned to what was in Mikage’s hands. What Mikage was about to open wasn’t onigiri but a second hand-rolled sushi. This time, negitoro.
As if not bothered at all, Mikage smiled and with practiced movements peeled off the wrapping, then forcibly bent and rolled the cylindrically-shaped rice. She wrapped that lump with the separately packaged nori seaweed.
…I see, it certainly is onigiri. We decided we hadn’t seen anything.
“I see, guess you got us there.”
Mizusaki said cheerfully.
“We’ll check out the physics club since we’re here. But whether we join is another matter. We were in the chemistry club in middle school, and we’re planning to take biology and chemistry instead of physics and chemistry for our classes. Physics just doesn’t suit us.”
In high school there’s a science subject selection, and if you’re science track, you often choose two from physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth Science. Physics-chemistry selection makes up an overwhelming three-quarters majority, but chemistry-biology selection also has about one-quarter, which is what Mizusaki and I are considering. Incidentally, there are also a very small number with unusual preferences for physics-biology selection, or who choose the very unpopular Earth Science.
Mizusaki confirmed with Mikage, looking a bit apologetic.
“So… you won’t hold it against us if we don’t join the physics club, right?”
“Of course. My brother will be satisfied if you just come look.”
“Alright! It’s decided then! This is getting fun!”
While I was picking at my cherry tomatoes, the conversation progressed rapidly. Mizusaki seemed elated about the prospect of checking out club orientations with a beautiful woman. If this guy were a peacock, he’d surely be spreading his tail feathers to the fullest right now.
After finishing the negitoro onigiri, Mikage suggested as if it had just occurred to her.
“How about we check out the chemistry club first? They should be doing orientation in the chemistry room just around that corner.”
And so, after finishing lunch, we headed to the chemistry room.
“Please try not to be surprised even if my attitude changes drastically.”
Mikage gave us this cryptic warning before opening the door to the chemistry room.
The chemistry club orientation was more lively than I’d imagined. Unlike our middle school chemistry club, where a very small number including Mizusaki and me silently conducted experiments, many students were chatting in the chemistry room. As expected of Tsunagai High School.
We could also see first-years getting excited watching demonstrations of changing BTB solution colors. It’s an indicator that turns yellow in acid, blue in base, and green (in between) in neutral. However, because its color change range is wide, it’s not often used for measurements. I didn’t quite understand why they were playing with color changes.
“Oh! The newbies are here!”
An upperclassman with a solid build spotted us standing near the entrance with sharp eyes. He held out a chart with lines drawn by ruler on loose-leaf paper.
“Write your class and name here. I’ll show you around.”
After Mizusaki and I wrote our names, Mikage finally inscribed hers. Her handwriting was as elegant as her atmosphere suggested. The period she put at the end of her name was probably a habit.
After confirming the three names, the well-built upperclassman’s eyes widened.
“Mikage Aya? Mikage… that Mikage?”
He stared intently at Mikage while speaking exaggeratedly.
“Probably that Mikage, I think.”
“Well I’ll be. I thought that guy was just a siscon, but she really is cute.”
What a vulgar man.
Like Mizusaki, commenting on someone’s appearance—calling them beautiful or cute—right in front of them is unacceptable. He probably thinks he’s complimenting, but isn’t the act of verbally evaluating beauty or ugliness itself ill-mannered?
Mikage didn’t change her expression one bit at being called cute, and gave a small bow.
“If she’s Akki’s little sister, Indy would be better than me… hey!”
The one called wasn’t an archaeologist with a whip—but a female student with bright blonde hair.
Fully made up, she’s the type the word “gal” suits perfectly. The collar of her stylishly worn lab coat, left unfastened in front, has a heart sewn on as an accent. Her fingertips gleamed with gaudy, elaborate nails unsuited for a chemistry club. They’d make it hard to wear gloves.
“Wow! It’s Aya-chi! Good to see you!”
To the gal rushing over, Mikage was surprisingly unresponsive. Mizusaki reacted instead.
“Hongou-senpai!”
Apparently they were acquainted. I did feel like I’d seen her face somewhere, but couldn’t remember where we’d met.
“Oh! Mizucchi too! Welcome, welcome!”
When I asked with my eyes whether they’d met before, Mizusaki told me in a small voice.
“There was a small guidance session before the entrance ceremony, remember? After textbook sales. That’s when she taught me various things… like this school’s popular kid ratio and the cherry blossom rumors.”
What useless information to ask about.
I was near Mizusaki during the guidance too. I don’t think I directly spoke with Hongou-senpai, but perhaps I spotted her there.
Mizusaki puffed out his chest and proudly introduced me.
“Hongou-senpai, this is Delta.”
“Hm? Delta?”
“That’s right. Some people call him Izuta, but his real name is Del—”
“Izuta Shou.”
I interrupted Mizusaki to introduce myself.
“I see. Then you’re Delchi!”
Please listen to me.
It’s not like you can just add “-chi” to any name. That would make Mohorovičić into “Mohorovičić-chi.” And most importantly, there is no “Del” sound in my name. But protesting would be pointless. I just bowed my head.
The gal in the lab coat placed her hand on her chest with a confident expression.
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