Despite the unexpected setback of the freshman representative declining the Student Council, First High moved into Recruitment Week without any further major incidents. However, a week where clubs aggressively vie for new members—which historically always sees its fair share of friction—was never going to end in total peace. On Friday the 13th, the second day of recruitment, Azusa's fleeting dream that "everything might just end quietly this year" went up in smoke.
That afternoon, Tatsuya and Miyuki were on standby at the Club Federation headquarters, just as they had been the day before. Their role was to respond immediately to any recruitment disputes, using force if necessary—the very same position held by Mayumi and Hattori the previous year.
The current Student Council had a somewhat lopsided structure, with two Vice Presidents. Having both of them away from the Council room simultaneously seemed to lack balance, but no one questioned it. Miyuki's magical prowess was beyond reproach, and Tatsuya's practical combat ability had been proven on a level that rendered his school grades irrelevant.
"It's a funny thing, isn't it?" Kirihara mused. "Last year, I was the one nearly getting suspended for causing trouble. This year, I'm the one expected to crack down on it."
"Senpai, are you really the one to be saying that?" Tatsuya asked dryly.
"Kirihara, please don't say anything unnecessary," Hattori interjected, rubbing his temples. "I'd rather not have people getting the wrong idea about our operations."
"Relax. It's not like anyone else is listening."
At the moment, the headquarters was occupied only by the four of them: Hattori, Kirihara, Tatsuya, and Miyuki. Two other executive members were out monitoring the small gym's schedule, while the remaining two were patrolling the hallways.
"Speak of the devil," Kirihara noted, glancing at a girl entering to report. "Guess that's the end of that topic."
"It looks like the Kendo Club's demonstration has just begun," Tatsuya observed, shifting his gaze to the clock and moving the conversation along as requested.
"Yeah. It seems the Kenpo Club actually managed to clear out on time for once," Hattori noted.
"Aren't you going to participate, Senpai?" Tatsuya asked Kirihara. "You spent more time practicing with the Kendo Club in March than anyone else."
"You're well-informed, aren't you..." Kirihara muttered, giving Tatsuya a look that was half-wary, half-impressed.
"I was a member of the Disciplinary Committee until last month," Tatsuya replied simply. "I happened to see your practice sessions from time to time."
"When did you...? I never even noticed you were there." Kirihara's shoulders tensed for a moment with a reflexive sense of alarm, but seeing Tatsuya's utterly nonchalant expression, he forced himself to relax.
"I was participating in the drills, but I haven't officially transferred to the Kendo Club," Kirihara explained. "There's an exhibition match coming up the week after next. They asked me to fill a slot."
"So that's why you've been training with them?"
"Exactly. It's a good opportunity; I didn't want the invitation to go to waste."
Though Tatsuya and Kirihara had met under the worst possible circumstances a year ago, they had reached a point where they could trade casual banter like this. Miyuki watched them from the side, a small, pleased smile playing on her lips.
"Shiba—Shiba-san."
The tranquil atmosphere was shattered by the sharp ring of an alarm on Hattori's desk. Though his habit of tripping over Tatsuya's name was becoming a staple of their interactions, no one bothered to point it out anymore.
"We have a situation at the Robot Research Club's garage. Go and mediate."
"Understood," Tatsuya replied.
Hattori's decision to direct the order specifically at Tatsuya wasn't deeply calculated; he simply found it easier to give orders to Tatsuya than to the intimidatingly perfect Miyuki. Tatsuya gave his verbal confirmation while Miyuki offered a polite bow, and the two headed for the scene.
"By the way, Hattori," Kirihara began the moment the door closed. "Where did this rumor about you and Nakajou dating come from?"
"I don't know..." Hattori groaned.
"Seriously? It's all over the school."
"Not you too..."
Hattori felt a headache coming on. Just as he had done during the previous conversation, he pressed his fingers to his temples and shook his head in weary resignation.
The reason recruitment activity was strictly limited to a single week was primarily to prevent the "Turf Wars" that inevitably broke out between the high-profile Magic Combat clubs. However, that didn't mean the non-combat clubs were immune to conflict.
In front of the garage used by the Robot Research Club, the "Robo-ken" members and the Motorized Bicycle Club were currently locked in a heated standoff over a single freshman. The "prize" in this tug-of-war was Kento Sumisu—the same boy Tatsuya had helped when he was lost before the ceremony.
"Just give it up already!" a third-year girl from the Robo-ken shouted. "Smith-kun already said he wants to join our club!"
"Did the noise from your hydraulic presses rot your brain?" a girl from the Bike Club shot back. "Smith-kun hasn't said a word yet. We approached him first, so stop meddling!"
"Approached him first? What is this, elementary school? It sounds like those outdated reciprocating engines have shaken your brains into mush."
"Outdated?! That's rich coming from a high-tech otaku who spends her time playing with life-sized mechanical dolls!"
The upperclassmen girls' desire to recruit Kento was driven purely by the urge to turn him into their "club mascot." The two third-year girls at the front of the argument were trading insults so petty and unseemly that the gathering crowd of onlookers was visibly cringing.
However, the male members standing behind them had a much lower threshold for insults.
"Outdated...?" one muttered, his face darkening.
"Otaku...?" another growled.
Those were clearly the magic words. In an instant, the verbal sparring turned into a physical shove.
"Um, I really think..." Kento tried to speak, but he was completely ignored.
Discarding the very boy they were supposedly fighting for, the members of the Robo-ken and the Bike Club descended into a chaotic scuffle.
"Is... is this my fault?" Kento whispered to himself.
Kento didn't have a thick enough skin to simply ignore the situation. While he hadn't actually done anything, the undeniable fact was that these two clubs were brawling because of him.
If he had possessed the iron nerves of someone like Tatsuya, he would have taken advantage of the fact that everyone had forgotten about him and slipped away. But Kento wasn't built that way. He remained rooted to the spot, trembling and helpless, as the chaos swirled around him.
(A new storm is brewing in the next chapter...)
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