We spent the rest of the time preparing for the festival outside, in the place where they usually sat. Hina argued that going to watch the classes before they were ready was redundant, since we were going to watch them later anyway.
After that time and an extra half hour that Otsuki and Hina were distracted, we got up from the place.
"You can come to my house to see them whenever you want."
"Could this Saturday be okay?"
"I was going to study with Natsuki…"
"…"
Judging by how red her face was, Tsukiyomi wasn't pleased that Hina had revealed that. It was a slip-up on her part. She apologized to Tsukiyomi.
Otsuki didn't see anything strange about that plan, and frankly, neither did I. Even when study's going like shit, I'm not one to stay home and study, but I don't understand why she'd be embarrassed to admit that.
Ah, that must be because I'm here. It's not like I'm going anyway. I can sort this out myself.
Otsuki turned his head to his left to look at me.
"It wouldn't hurt you to go."
I said no…
"I prefer to study alone. Even if I wanted to, it would be strange to go to Hina's or Tsukiyomi's house without hardly knowing them."
I ignored the fact that I did the exact same thing with Otsuki, and I'd only known her for a day. I don't know if I should count it as two. If the first one subtracts, it would count as zero. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
"But doesn't it seem strange to me? We're already friends, aren't we?"
"Oh, that's not what I meant..."
I hesitated at Hina's comment and her innocent look. I say innocent, but only superficially. That's what's most frightening about intelligent people. I assume Hina is intelligent just because of her insults.
She continued,
"If you want to come, I'm not going to slam the door in your face. You're not Atsumi, after all."
"What about the truce from half an hour ago?"
"Ara, I thought it was for the time we were sitting down, not the whole festival."
"For some reason, that bothers me…"
"You're just so irritable. As expected of Atsumi."
Hina's philosophy could be defined as 'He who laughs last laughs best.' I'll have to bet with someone on whether the day will ever come when Otsuki won't be defeated.
Her silence also shows that she is somewhat irritable.
As expected from Otsuki.
"So, shall we go to the greenhouse?"
Hina glanced to her left, where Tsukiyomi was sitting. During our time at the picnic table, she had suggested we go see what the gardening club had to show us. Hina was pleased that she had mentioned it, and she was thinking of suggesting the same thing.
It's his club, after all.
The greenhouse was past the entrance to the school, in a corner. As a point of reference, to the left of it is the perfect empty alley for bullying people.
I'll never go in there again.
Like the other stalls, the entrance to the greenhouse was decorated with a cardboard sign and decorative text. They also had a couple of plants and flowers placed there to further enhance the aesthetic.
The paintings were done with the same care as those in the theater. They may even have been better.
"Forward."
The door was already open. Hina stepped aside to let us pass.
"…"
I entered last, behind Otsuki and Tsukiyomi. The former didn't seem amazed by the sight. The latter was thrilled. I was beyond surprised.
It took my breath away. Coming from the same person who earlier wasn't interested in seeing a couple of shiny stones.
I had to take into account not only the abundance of flowers and even crops, each with a small information card, which didn't look like they were courtesy of Hina, but also the environment itself.
They also used this greenhouse as their club, so they had set up a small, comfortable area in one corner. The rustic lamps hanging from the ceiling throughout the greenhouse enhanced its ambiance, along with the sweet scent of the flowers that subtly permeated the space. Finally, the floor was covered with wooden planks, instead of the grass outside.
It was a club you wanted to be at. And if you're into this kind of thing, it's heaven incarnate.
"Hey, the lamps are new. Are you going to leave them until after the festival?"
"Yes, we put them up a couple of weeks ago for ourselves. We haven't really changed much about the club itself. We've just made it less cluttered and more presentable."
It far surpassed the mineral display in our class. That's how big the difference was.
"Ah, you've come, Hina!"
A girl threw herself at Hina with open arms.
She had short hair for a girl, and a common style. She let it fall freely everywhere except for her bangs, half of which were pinned to the side of her head with a clip that blended in with her black hair.
She was about the same height as Otsuki, but beneath that, she had a cheerful and friendly demeanor, evident in both her face and her attitude. A mole near her nose was also a distinctive feature. If she treats Hina with such familiarity, she'll become a member of her club.
"Suyu, you're going to make me fall…!"
For the first time, Hina's composure showed cracks that didn't leak poison. She was genuinely worried about falling because of her. She grabbed her shoulders to try and keep from falling, which she managed to do. Now she had a leech attached to her waist.
"You're with Otsumi and Tsukii too! Hi! It's been a while since I've seen you guys around here."
"Yes, and in that time you haven't changed at all."
"Y-Yū doesn't need to change, so, it's okay."
This mysterious girl, who seemed to be named Yū, pulled her head away from Hina's belly to greet Otsuki and Tsukiyomi, whom she also knew. A friend of a friend, I suppose.
She noticed me shortly afterwards.
"Ah."
Her eyes widened and her eyebrows lifted. She didn't care that a boy she didn't know saw her being so affectionate with her friend. This was perfectly normal; any girl would do it anywhere.
I'm sorry. I just lied. I wasn't a stranger to her; she was a stranger to me.
The girl, whom I'll call Yū for now, stopped hugging Hina, having regained her composure. Her smile, however, was even bigger than before.
He approached me, stopping about a meter away.
"My name is Susukita Yū, from class3-C. You can call me whatever you want," she quickly recited an important part later, "as long as it's not an insult."
The half-whisper she directed at me close to my ear made the blood rush to my face.
She did all this with the same radiant energy and joy he showed to Hina and everyone else. He didn't hesitate to treat everyone the same, even if he spoke to me that way. He even managed to crack a joke in his introduction. Could it be that Hina has picked up some of that confidence?
"And you?"
She extended her hand, leaning forward slightly. She had to play along.
"I am :2!";_¨`* Riku, you can call me Riku."
In fact, I want you to call me Riku. It's not that I hate my last name, but it's long and a little strange.
"Can I call you Bucchi? It's part of your last name, but it works as a nickname."
It sounds like "gucci," from that luxury clothing brand,and "bocchi" from "hitori bocchi"... Did she say it without thinking, or is she even more witty than Hina? Maybe she's a mind reader. Although I'm not posh.
"Yes, it doesn't bother me."
I was given my first nickname so quickly that it wasn't even an insult. Calling 'idiot,' 'retard,' or 'stupid' nicknames is a bit much. And nobody's going to call me that anymore.
Perhaps Otsuki has a vulgar side yet to be discovered.
As for first impressions, I see that Yū is an expert at giving nicknames. She doesn't call anyone by their last name or first name except Hina, and her life is all rainbows and flowers.
Well, part of her life was indeed full of flowers.
"Thank you! And Riku, this is your first time here, right? Enjoy!" Then she sugested with a quiet voice, not close to me now "It's not too late to join the club yet."
My five-month stay will be greatly appreciated, yes.
Even if it were the literature club, which is the one I'd be most likely to join, joining so late doesn't make much sense. You've already missed everything.
After selling me an invitation, he walked away from me to the same distance as before and accentuated his smile a little more.
It's worth mentioning how easy it was to talk to her. Except for the time she looked at me after I'd greeted 'Otsumi' and 'Tsuki,' I had no trouble speaking and didn't have to think about what I was saying for the rest of our interaction. I wish it were that easy to talk to the whole group.
"Hi, Hina, girls."
Having heard all the commotion that had erupted at the entrance of the club, a boy who had previously been sitting on the small sofa in the club stood up to greet us.
He was about the same height as Yū, around 1.70 meters. His short hair was like anyone else's. His face was just as striking as his hair, though his glasses did somewhat redeem him.
"I'm Ikōchi Shin, from class 2-B, nice to meet you."
"I'm wondering the same."
Wasn't 2B the name of some character too? Are they a teacher? What do they teach?
He didn't offer me a handshake, but it wasn't necessary. He was the first normal person I'd met in a while, at least on the surface. A breath of fresh air.
"I hope you like the club," he told me kindly.
"Thank you…"
The name sounds familiar...
That normalcy was what prevented me from saying anything more than monotonous and bland answers. I would have found it difficult to say them if Yū hadn't created such a lively atmosphere.
"Would you like me to give you a tour of the club, Riku?"
Hina, seeing how I had finished interacting with the two people in the club, made a proposal. Otsuki intervened.
"Like the one Shioyama did earlier? That was a real bummer."
"I didn't ask you. Suyu, you can do whatever you want with Atsumi."
"O-oh …!!"
Yū began to snort through his nose, moving his hands lasciviously in front of Otsuki.
"Get away from me, beast!"
"But it's been so long since we've seen each other… I-I have to see if they've grown or not!"
Otsuki went on the defensive, covering her body with her twisted face. She feared for her life and her body. Tsukiyomi was hidden behind her, embracing her and sharing her fear. Yu.
"I'm not going to do anything to you, Tsukii."
"Oh, n-no? Then, s-she's all yours."
"Natsuki!?"
She stopped hugging her best friend after Yū momentarily broke off their 'passionate' act. She betrayed Otsuki as she walked away from the pair.
Will the play overcome this dedication?
"Leave them be, they're just playing."
"It doesn't surprise me that much. It's just that…"
This looks more like sexual harassment rather than just playing.
"Haven't you seen anything like this before?"
"N-no. Not in real life."
I thought sexually assaulting your friends was something that only happened in anime. It's more common than I expected. Disturbing.
The world is destined to collapse…
I ignored the couple that had formed at the entrance and went with Hina. Well, actually, it seemed like I was following Hina, since Ikōchi came with us too. That's normal, he's from the club.