The next day. I got up like I do every morning, left without ever eating breakfast, and headed off to school. A cycle destined to last twenty years, maybe more, maybe less.
The classes were almost the same as in middle school. The teacher had asked us to find a club, and things were going well enough. I was starting to learn the hallways and the quiet little corners of the school... except that instead of hitting the jackpot, I found myself face-to-face with that weird girl named Haruka. The girl is capable of traveling... traveling what, again?
She was sitting on an iron chair, hand on her cheek, staring at me with a massive grin. A simple table was all that separated us.
She had grabbed me by the sleeve and dragged me into her room while I was innocently wandering around to get familiar with the place. I hadn't even intended to stumble upon the same room as yesterday, but now that she had "kidnapped" me, I had to ask:
"Could you tell me the reason for my kidnapping?"
"Kidnapping? I don't see the problem," she replied with total poise. "You were bound to come here anyway. The reason? It's so you can become the very first member of this grand and fabulous club!"
I scanned the room. There wasn't much: dust-covered furniture, moldy old books, a window with a view of the outside, and a plastic table that creaked at the slightest pressure. And in the middle of it all, a narcissistic maniac who thought she was a goddess. Not bad, right? To be honest, I could at least give her my opinion.
I rested my chin in my hand and let out a flat: "Yeah, not bad."
"Right?!" she beamed, radiating excitement.
"Ah, sorry, I meant: not bad if you're looking for a reason to run away as fast as possible."
Silence fell instantly. Her gaze shifted. Her smile vanished, replaced by an expression that was hard to describe. I think I had seriously offended her.
"If you could just tell me what you really think of this club..." she muttered, her tone suddenly turning melancholic.
"Honestly? Your room sucks. At the very least, could you tell me what the activities are? What's the point? I hope you've at least planned some actual things to do."
"Our activities will be announced once I have enough members!" she shot back, crossing her arms and tilting her head up, avoiding my gaze.
I sighed. "How did they even give you a room if you have zero members and zero activities? I hope you didn't just steal the keys from the original owner... I'm starting to understand why there's no one here."
"AARGH! Fine! I'm done! I give up!" she suddenly screamed.
She slumped over the table, burying her head in the shelter of her arms. Her sudden breakdown caught me off guard. It was as if all her energy had vanished in an instant. Her hair spilled across the table. I just sat there watching her, waiting for the right moment to slip away.
"Can I leave?"
"No!"
"Okay."
I stayed there, bored out of my mind. Then, I heard her murmur into her arms: "Why does no one want to join my club? I wanted to do it like the old days... why isn't it working?"
Like the old days? She must be a sophomore or a senior, then.
"Why are you so obsessed with recruiting me?" I asked. "What's so special to you about this club?"
"Are you blind or what? You can clearly see my club is dying, and I need members to keep it alive! I just wanted to find that nostalgia again, to look back on memories... That's why it's special."
"I still don't see what's so special about it..."
"Whatever, I'm sick of this lame, boring life anyway!" she blurted out, which surprised me. "I wish I could live through wonderful adventures, see unique things, and have fun, instead of staying here repeating boring loops that are rotting my life away."
In that moment, I started to understand her a little. "Boring things," huh? Why was I feeling empathy for her now?!
Sniff.
My ear twitched. My brain detected the sound: Is she crying?! Why is she crying? What did I do? I can see she's bored here, but that's no reason to proclaim yourself a "universe traveler"...
Ah, "universe," that's it, I remember now.
"Seriously? There's no need to cry over that. I've dealt with plenty of boring stuff, but I don't make a whole scene out of it..."
"Fine... you can go," she tossed out, her head still buried in her arms.
I said nothing. Pity was starting to eat away at me, bit by bit. I had to get out of there fast before I cracked and handed her a coin just to console her.
I stood up and turned toward the door. There, I saw the member list pinned up: only the name "Haruka" appeared, written all alone on a white sheet. A pen was attached to a small notebook. She must really be bored to be at this point. Alone.
Suddenly, a piece of paper fell near my feet. I picked it up. It was a registration form for a "Social Club." The one category where I am officially the worst in the world in one category. I glanced behind me: Haruka hadn't moved, still hiding behind her arms.
A powerful conflict, a mix of pity and laziness, battled inside my skull. I frowned, my jaw clenched by the fear of regret. Then... I snapped.
I grabbed the pen from the notebook and scribbled my name and signature. I slapped the form onto the door, then came back toward her to drop it on the table, right next to her head. I turned around immediately, trying to leave before regret could catch up with me. At the same time, I felt at peace, almost proud to have helped someone so miserable in the face of reality.
I opened the door. I was already outside when I heard the rustle of paper behind me. I was about to turn back to say "Goodbye, see you tomorrow" with a sincere, pity-filled smile...
My eyes widened instantly.
It was the devil smiling at me. She had lifted her head. Zero tears. Just a massive, victorious grin.
"Thanks!" she chirped in a mocking tone.
I stood there frozen in front of the room, my hand slipping off the handle. My brain refused to believe I had been played by such a cheap performance. At that exact moment, I understood that signing that contract was probably worse than working fifty hours a week for a starvation wage.
The door closed slowly in front of me, but Haruka's smile seemed to pierce right through my soul. Now that's why we should never let our emotions get the better of us.
This is the result
Click.