Chapter 332: The Neighboring Club's Activity
Although Utaha kept a much lower profile after entering her third year, and Kaede gave the speech at the entrance ceremony, she was still one of the school beauties who had captured everyone's attention at Toyosaki for two years. Within this past week, she was already known by the first-year students.
After Nibutani Shinka and Togashi Yuuta recognized Utaha, they immediately greeted her.
"Hello, Senpai!"
"Hello," Utaha said with a smile. "Don't mind me; I just came over to talk to Eriri about something. You two carry on."
Togashi Yuuta, whose attention had been fixed on Utaha since he entered, instantly reacted and quickly said, "Oh, oh, oh! That's right, Seniors, we wanted to borrow some paint and brushes. Would that be alright?"
"Borrowing things?"
The club president immediately became interested and asked with a smile, "Your club, I remember it's called... the Far Eastern Magic Society? What do you need paint for?"
"Uh..."
Although they knew they would be asked about this, when the question actually came up, both Togashi Yuuta and Nibutani Shinka looked a bit embarrassed.
A few minutes later, everyone collectively moved next door and finally saw what Takanashi Rikka and Dekomori Sanae were doing.
The two girls were currently kneeling on the cleaned floor, which was covered with a blanket. In front of them was a large sheet of paper on which they had drawn a circular, incomprehensible... magic circle?
Hearing the door open, the two turned their heads, and Takanashi Rikka excitedly asked, "Yuta, where are the things, where are the things?"
Handing over the bag he was holding, just as Takanashi Rikka was about to grab it, Togashi Yuuta pulled his hand back and looked at the girl, saying, "The Seniors are all here. Say thank you first."
"Ugh..."
Making a Chuunibyou girl give thanks in front of so many people was truly difficult for her.
However, Takanashi Rikka saw Togashi Yuuta's stance and realized she wouldn't get the items unless she thanked him. After struggling for a while, she let out a breath, then, catching Togashi Yuuta off guard, struck a JoJo pose and said in a low voice, "My deepest gratitude!"
Then, she turned her face away, blushing.
Alright, using an extremely Chuunibyou pose to alleviate her inner shyness? That was quite something.
But at least she had thanked him. Although it was a little funny, Togashi Yuuta still handed the items over to Takanashi Rikka.
Taking the items, Takanashi Rikka and Dekomori Sanae began their creation, starting to further process the magic circle that had only been outlined with a black marker.
Utaha walked over curiously, crossing her arms as she observed their actions, whispering, "I can't quite keep up with what these kids are doing, Eriri. What exactly are they trying to achieve?"
Eriri tilted her head and guessed, "Hmm... Drawing a magic circle to gather magical power?"
"Ohoho! You understand quite well!"
Dekomori Sanae looked up at Eriri and said triumphantly, "Just wait and see. The magic circle that Master and I draw will absolutely emanate immense magical power, death!"
"...death?" Utaha leaned back slightly, feeling a strong gust of Chuunibyou wind blowing toward her.
Eriri reacted similarly. Shrugging, she said to Dekomori Sanae, "Well, as long as you're happy. Just remember to return the supplies when you're done drawing. Kaede-kun, let's go back."
As for the club president and Uchimaki, they had already returned earlier. After all, this wasn't their territory, and their interest in these matters wasn't very high.
Back in the Art Club, Utaha and Eriri continued discussing work matters, while Kaede typed away.
Meanwhile, the newcomer Colette seemed to have no intention of drawing. She took out the first volume of Konosuba, which she had bought at some point, sat on a chair, and read intently, occasionally letting out a laugh or two.
Although she was sitting right next to Kaede, it had to be said that Colette was surprisingly restrained. She managed not to peek at the new content Kaede was typing, focusing only on the novel in her hands.
Seeing her behavior, Kaede silently nodded. Although the girl seemed a bit impulsive and acted on every whim, she could be serious once she focused her mind.
He just wondered how many things could actually make her concentrate.
After about half an hour, Togashi Yuuta brought Takanashi Rikka to return the paint and brushes.
Taking the items and putting them away, the president asked with a smile, "How did the drawing turn out?"
Spreading his hands, Togashi Yuuta said helplessly, "It is what it is. Neither of them has any artistic talent."
"Yuta! What I drew was a very standard magic circle!" Pulling on Togashi Yuuta's clothes, Takanashi Rikka puffed out her cheeks, looking very displeased.
Although she wore a very Chuunibyou eye patch over one eye, this action combined with her tone was still very cute, making the club president look at Togashi Yuuta with a strange expression.
"Ah, Senpai, it's not what you think..."
Before he could finish, the president smiled and patted Togashi Yuuta hard on the shoulder, turning him toward the door: "Alright, alright, you don't need to explain anything to me. I understand~~ I totally get it~~~ You still have people waiting for you over there, so go back and have fun. If you ever want to borrow paint again, you're welcome to come over, or even if you want to learn a bit about drawing."
"Uh... Ah, okay."
Before leaving the Art Club, Togashi Yuuta glanced inside and saw Kaede continuously typing on his keyboard, never lifting his gaze. Everyone else was also extremely focused and hadn't paid any attention to their entry.
Although it was a small club, everyone seemed so impressive.
After leaving, carrying this thought, Togashi Yuuta looked at Takanashi Rikka, who was still pulling on his clothes beside him, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Yuta, what's wrong?"
Shaking his head, Togashi Yuuta said, "It's nothing. I should have expected it. Alright, let's go back. If we leave Nibuya and Dekomori alone there, I feel like they might start fighting."
As it turned out, although they didn't actually fight, the two of them were still locked in a standoff... Back in the Art Club, Utaha and Eriri's discussion went very smoothly, though they kept their voices very low. Utaha only showed the content of her new book to Eriri; no one else knew anything about it, including Kaede.
By the time club activities ended, the discussion had reached a conclusion. There was no need to rush the new book; Utaha simply wanted to ensure a better start than love metronome and make the new book's performance surpass love metronome's.
"Mhm, today was very productive."
Putting away the notebook where she recorded materials, Utaha was very satisfied with today's discussion and said with a smile, "Eriri, thank you for today. I'll come over again tomorrow!"
"...You're squeezing my work time."
Despite her complaint, Eriri didn't refuse.