“So… she was an entertainer, huh? That girl…”
“Yes. Though currently, she doesn’t seem to be very active in the industry.”
“I see. That explains why the student council president asked me… I think I get it now.”
If that’s the case, the hurdle was higher than I thought.
I already made a bad first impression on Shiranui.
On top of that, how was I supposed to convince her to return to show business?
No matter how I looked at it, wouldn’t it just end with her going “Hah?” and walking away…?
“Well, I’ll put Shiranui aside for now… Do you know anything about Isago or Minase?”
Since I couldn’t see any obvious leads, I decided to shift the conversation elsewhere.
But regarding this, Kimiya simply shook her head.
“I’m sorry. Even I don’t know details about the entrance exam contents.”
“Right… Yeah, that makes sense.”
“However, I do have a thought about Minase.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“…For all three years of middle school, Minase’s grades were consistently at the top of her class. Honestly, until I heard this story, I assumed she was part of the general admissions group.”
“Ah, now that you mention it…”
I double-checked the documents I’d received.
Minase’s exam results were almost all first place in her grade. Even her lowest ranking was third—her performance was rock-solid. When I first saw them, I only thought, “Huh, she’s really smart.”
“For someone this academically strong to take the special talent exam is… definitely unexpected.”
With grades like these, she could’ve easily gotten a scholarship through general admissions.
The financial aid I’m on—surprisingly—doesn’t apply to the special talent track. If you want tuition waivers, you have to earn them through academics. Though, there’s also an unwritten rule that wealthy families often don’t bother with scholarships…
Either way, this seemed like a potential lead.
“Got it. Thanks, that was helpful—Kimiya.”
I looked up and thanked her.
She quietly shook her head.
“I doubt I was much help.”
“Nah, it’s plenty. I keep relying on you—sorry about that.”
“…Not at all.”
She denied it with unusual firmness.
She was either surprisingly insecure or just overly humble. More reserved than I expected.
“Well, either way, I owe you one. I’ll pay you back for this someday.”
Kimiya fell silent for a moment before finally offering a faint smile and a nod.
“Then, I’ll eagerly await your thanks.”
“…Keep your expectations moderate, please.”
“No can do. You’re the one who brought it up—no take-backs.”
Seemed like I’d just added another problem to my pile of worries.
2
After that, the morning classes passed peacefully.
Not that constant chaos would’ve been normal, but given how turbulent my days had been since enrollment, this brief period of nothing urgent felt like a rare luxury.
It was like being in the eye of a storm.
Which, of course, meant the calm wouldn’t last—I just hadn’t figured out what to do yet.
“Lunch break, huh…”
Five minutes after fourth period ended, I sat at my desk, absently scanning the classroom.
Now that I thought about it, it’d been a while since I stayed in the room during lunch. Usually, I was either working, looking for work, or just wandering outside.
As a result, I didn’t really have any friends to eat with.
…Not that I was ostracized or anything.
People like Inuzuka or Kimiya sometimes invited me, after all…
But from my classmates’ perspective, I was probably seen as that guy who’s never around at lunch. They probably assumed I was too busy and didn’t want to bother me.
—Doesn’t that sound kinda sad?
Looking back, my social circle leaned more toward people outside my class. Maybe I should rethink how I act in the classroom.
Kimiya usually smoothed things over, but without her, I didn’t even get lunch invites. Wait, does that mean I am the loner type…?
“…Alright.”
Well, at least this gave me an idea. For today, I’d roll with it.
I left the classroom as usual, heading toward the second club building.
But this time, I made a detour.
Not much of one—just stopping by the school store to buy lunch. The cafeteria wasn’t exactly cheap, but the store had budget-friendly options.
I grabbed a few 100-yen bread rolls and sandwiches (slightly more than necessary) before leaving the main building.
Then, I made my way to the annoyingly distant second club building.
“Shiranui’s… not here, huh.”
Just in case, I checked the dormitory cabin, but there was no sign of anyone.
Oh well. Today’s targets were Isago and Minase.
I entered the club building and stopped in front of the Second Literature Club’s door.
Only then did it hit me—they’re in my grade, so I could’ve checked their classroom first. But it was too late for that now.
Sticking to the original plan, I knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened from inside.
“Yo. Came to hang out, like I promised.”
One of my targets—Minase Natsuki—responded in her trademark flat tone:
“Welcome, Kageyuki. Seems you really like this place.”
“Speaking of which, do you always spend lunch here, Minase?”
“Not always. But…”
“Hm?”
“—I thought you might come today.”
Neither happy nor displeased, just her usual expressionless self.
But by now, I’d started interpreting this as her subtle way of welcoming me.
Since I wanted to get closer to her, I decided to take it as a positive.
“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Wanna have lunch together?”
Minase tilted her head slightly.
“With me?”
“Well, unless Isago’s here.”
“She might drop by if she feels like it, but right now, it’s just me.”
“Then it’s just us two. If you don’t mind some store-bought bread, I’ve got extra.”
I wasn’t sure how she took my offer,
but at least she didn’t refuse.
“Come in.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Following Minase’s invitation, I entered the Second Literature Clubroom for the third time.
Technically, neither of us were members, so this was a little odd.
I borrowed a chair, sat down, and placed the plastic bag of bread on the table.
“You bought this much?”
Minase sounded mildly surprised at the quantity.
—Observation time. Her expressions were minimal, but her eyebrows and eyes gave slight hints. Easier to read than her mouth.
“Nah, I just got a bit extra.”
“What if I hadn’t been here…?”
“I’d have finished it before the expiration date. Did you already eat?”
I didn’t see any food around her.
If she had eaten, it must’ve been really early.
“Not yet.”
“Skipping lunch?”
“Mmm… No, I have this.”
She pulled out an in Jelly.
…Yeah, that tracked.
Yesterday, while Isago had been munching on a Lunch Pack, Minase hadn’t been eating anything—despite being in the same room.
She ran on incredibly efficient fuel. Her slim figure didn’t suggest dieting, though.
“If you don’t mind, take whatever you like.”
“…Then, I’ll have one. …Thanks.”
She picked up a fruit sandwich. I went for the karaage bread.
“Bottled drinks too, if you want.”
“Why so much…?”
“Figured I should bring a little gift.”
“A bribe?”
“Yep, a kickback. Please accept this humble offering, O Honorable One.”
“…Hmm. Very well. Proceed as you see fit.”
Minase played along surprisingly well.
I handed her a bottle of tea (part of the bribe) and took a green tea for myself.
“Let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat.”
We clapped our hands together and dug in.
For a while, we focused on eating. I polished off two bread rolls while watching Minase nibble like a tiny squirrel.
“…Something wrong?”
Apparently, I’d been staring too hard.
Reaching for my third bread, I casually asked:
“So, you’re not actually in the Second Literature Club, right?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Even though you knew that, you’re just letting me waltz in here?”
“Munch.”
Instead of answering, Minase took a bite of her sandwich.
She nodded while chewing, swallowed, and finally replied:
“Isa wouldn’t care about that sort of thing.”
“Well… I mean, Isago is like that, but… there are other club members, right?”
“……Huh? I told you yesterday. The Second Literature Club only has Isa.”
“Eh…… Wait, did you say that?”
I couldn’t recall hearing it and tilted my head in confusion. Across from me, Minase looked equally puzzled.
Yesterday… Oh, right. Belatedly, I remembered Minase’s words.
[The Second Literature Club only has Isa.]
She had said that, hadn’t she?
From the flow of the conversation, I’d assumed she meant (aside from Minase), it was just Isago. But no—she meant (the Second Literature Club’s membership) was just Isago.
“My bad, I misunderstood. So it’s just Isago in the Second Literature Club?”
“Yeah. A one-member club. Right now, the only people using this room are Isa and me.”
“I see… So all the upperclassmen graduated?”
Even so, how does the club still function?
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