Chapter 311

"Oh my... oh my...! How can it rain this much...! It feels like I've been cursed with bad luck on the very first day of our Third Year...!"

Chinami made a fuss as she gathered the laundry. Taking the Training Uniform she handed me, I spoke up.

"I think we'll need to leave the dehumidifier running when we go."

"Tell me about it. I'll have to come straight here to do laundry first thing tomorrow."

"Then you can run the wash, Master, and I'll come by during my break to hang it all up."

"It won't be easy to hang everything in that short a time. We're better off setting it on a timer to finish by lunch."

"Want to do that? Alright. Let's just hang it up together at lunch, then."

"Let's do that. I need to take applications from the new members, so why don't you get some rest, junior?"

"No, I'll move the desk for you."

"Ah, y-yes...!"

I opened the door to the Drying Room alongside a delighted Chinami, carried a desk from the corner of the Club Room, and set it down beside the entrance. Chinami tilted her head and asked a question.

"Are you putting it there?"

"Yeah. I figured it would be best if the freshmen could see you, Master, the moment they open the Club Room door."

"Aha. In that case, could you move it a little further back from the door? Just enough so we're face-to-face once they take a step inside."

"I think that might startle the new students."

"Why is that?"

"Well... wouldn't anyone jump if they opened a door only to find someone staring right back at them from point-blank range?"

"Hmm... You make a fair point. It's rare for us to prepare for new recruits on a rainy day, so I was a bit clumsy about it. Having you around really sets my mind at ease, junior."

Chinami patted my lower back and made a strange hand gesture. She traced a large inverted triangle in the air before giving me a thumbs-up. I wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but she seemed to be praising me for being reliable.

It felt like a refreshing display of affection, and the corners of my lips curled up on their own. Chuckling, I shifted the desk into position and laid out the forms we'd prepared for the freshmen to fill out their details.

It would be great if Hiyori joined the Kendo Club too, but that was just wishful thinking. She'd picked up various pamphlets during orientation, and while she'd shown some interest in the Swimming Club and Archery Club, she was much more likely to join an arts-focused group like the art club or the Fashion Design Club over an athletic one. I shouldn't get my hopes up over nothing.

"Alright, I'll hold down the fort here, so you go get some rest, junior. Feel free to head over to the Lounge and snore away."

Chinami tapped the desk quietly as she spoke. Her idea of resting was quite specific. Her constant quirkiness was cute.

"I don't snore."

"Muhuhu... That's a lie."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Y-yes...?"

She had been wearing a knowing smile, only to suddenly flinch and drop her gaze. I must have dozed off while she was showering back at the Hotel that one time, and she must have caught me snoring.

"Never mind. If you say so, Master, it must be true."

"R-right... Go on and rest."

I wanted to scope out the new recruits—specifically, the female members—but well... it was raining and gloomy anyway, so I might as well just sprawl out and sleep.

"Will do."

I set down a glass of water for Chinami and crossed the corner of the Club Room toward the Lounge. Along the way, I watched Renka weaving through the members as they trained in perfect rows and columns, barking out commands.

She was still incredibly strict in front of everyone else. She carried the true dignity of a President. Granted, in front of me, she was nothing more than a neurotic puppy trying to act tough.

"...Matsuda! If you have nothing better to do, go grab your shinai and line up."

Noticing my intense stare, Renka called out to me in a frigid tone. She was clearly trying to put me on the spot in front of everyone. It looked like she was trying to get some petty revenge—the kind she was only brave enough to attempt in a public setting like this, or on AnyShare—but I wasn't about to let it slide.

"I'm taking a quick break."

"A break from what? You haven't done anything."

"Cleaning."

"You're taking a break just for that..."

"I worked really hard."

"..."

I made an exaggerated gesture of unfairness, but my eyes remained dead serious. Seeing that, Renka shrank back slightly and averted her gaze. She knew that pushing me any further would invite retaliation. After all the experiences she'd been through, it seemed she'd finally established her own baseline for how far she could provoke me.

"Right... Then go rest."

Swallowing the laughter that threatened to burst out at her timid retreat, I opened the door to the Lounge. It was empty, but the stench of guys completely ruined my mood. I wanted to sleep in the Women's Lounge. The female members probably wouldn't mind either... but Goro would throw a fit if he ever found out. I'd have to try it on a day when the director wasn't around.

"Hehehe..."

Chinami let out an ominous chuckle as she headed toward the director's office, clutching a thick stack of application forms. A massive wave of students hoping to join had poured in on the very first day, putting her in remarkably high spirits.

"The rain has gone squishy."

That was Chinami's unique way of describing the weakening downpour as she walked up to me. Just as she said, it was still raining outside, but it wasn't pouring down quite like before.

"It's still coming down, but it's definitely let up a lot. It'll probably stop before the day is over."

"You never know. The weather can be quite fickle."

"True enough. How many people applied today?"

"Twenty-seven little sprouts have stopped by the Kendo Club."

That was a number close to the entire club roster back when Tetsuya and I first joined. Had the events of the winter semester helped boost our popularity? Whatever the reason, as long as Chinami was happy, that was all that mattered.

"That's a relief. Since it's raining, do you want me to give you and the President a ride home?"

"What about junior Hanazawa?"

"She said she'd be finishing late because of Student Council work. She told me to go on ahead, but I can't just leave her behind, so I'm planning to wait."

"Ah, does that mean you have some free time right now?"

"I suppose so."

"In that case, I'd love to shamelessly take you up on that offer, but unfortunately, I have a long meeting with the director today."

"About the new recruits?"

"Yes. And after that, Renka and I are going peach shopping."

Peach shopping? Did that mean going to the grocery store to look at peaches? I wanted to ask, but I was terrified she'd hit me with some completely absurd answer—like attending a fruit auction. Better not to ask and remain blissfully ignorant.

"Should I sit in on the director's meeting, too?"

"There's absolutely no need for that. Though, of course, you're more than welcome to stay if you want to, junior."

The rainy weather already had me feeling sluggish, and listening to the director's booming voice would only drain me faster. We'd be taking more applications tomorrow anyway, so I could just join the meeting then.

"I'll sit this one out, then. See you tomorrow."

"Okay. Get home safely."

Stepping out of the Club Room, I wondered what I should do next. After briefly racking my brain, I came to a simple conclusion: I had absolutely nothing to do.

Renka and Chinami were heading off to do their peach shopping or whatever it was, and Hiyori had likely already left. Miyuki was still tied up with the Student Council, so I couldn't see her yet. How incredibly lonely. Maybe I should hit up Bread Girl or the Vice Representative to kill some time.

Pitter, patter.

Listening to the raindrops drumming a song against my umbrella, I was making my way to the parking lot when I spotted someone standing beneath a massive tree, just past the athletic field cast in a dusky gloom by the thick storm clouds.

We were too far apart for me to make them out clearly, but the cascade of blonde hair tumbling past their waist was unmistakable. There was only one person in the entire Academy with that feature.

'It's Hiyori.'

To think Hiyori was still here when I'd assumed she'd already gone home... This was a massive stroke of luck. Then again, these kinds of spontaneous events were bound to happen around a protagonist. Forcibly tamping down the sudden surge of excitement in my chest, I slowly made my way toward her.

As the distance closed, her expression came into focus.

Taking shelter from the rain beneath the tree, she wore a gentle, blooming smile on her lips. It was an enigmatic smile—as if she felt she had no other choice, yet was somehow genuinely happy about it.

What did that mean? Did Hiyori like rainy days, too? There was no information about that when I played Doki-Aka, so I had no idea. Judging by that smile alone, she certainly didn't seem to have a strong aversion to the rain... I'd have to ask her.

'Where is Miho?'

Had she gone to buy an umbrella? Or did she have other errands to run? Whatever it was, this was the perfect opportunity to chat a lot with Hiyori.

But wait... her skirt was incredibly short. It was an entirely different length from what I'd seen at the school gate. There was no way she could have hemmed it that quickly; she must have brought the one she wore during the winter semester.

What was she going to do if Miyuki or another Student Council member caught her? She seemed to have some sort of backup plan in mind... Was that why she had smiled like that at the school gate this morning?

If she did get caught, I figured she'd put on a wronged act, bringing up Miyuki's own words from the school gate: 'I've already checked your uniform today, so there's no need to worry anymore.' The chances were high. It was exactly the sort of thought Hiyori was capable of having.

The driving wind whipped rain in sideways, making Hiyori's skirt flutter. Her pale thighs were exposed beneath the hem. Anyone could tell she had gorgeous legs without her needing to shorten her skirt like that... Just the thought of others looking at them put me in a foul mood.

It wasn't completely shameless, but it was certainly open. She only needed to show that side of herself to me, Miyuki, Renka, and Chinami. There was absolutely no need to flaunt it for others. It seemed our Hiyori was in need of some education in the 'Gi' aspect of Shin-Gi-Tai.

"Asa..."

I was just about to call out Hiyori's surname when I froze. The skin beneath her uniform blouse was faintly showing through. Even the cardigan she was wearing had soaked up the rainwater and turned a slightly darker shade. It looked like the leaves had dumped a load of rainwater straight onto her.

Perhaps sensing the slow, steady squelch of my footsteps, Hiyori turned her gaze directly toward me. Her vision blurred by the weather, she didn't recognize me at first—

"Huh?"

But as the distance closed a little more, she squinted through the hazy weather, finally made out my face, and shot her hand up with a welcoming look.

"Matsuda sunbae-nim!"

Seeing her radiant smile alongside that energetic greeting, it felt like the gloomy weather was instantly breaking way to bright skies. I swore I could even smell a refreshing hint of lemon seeping in.

The faint outline of her black underwear showing through her clothes practically hijacked my gaze, but I was determined to feign ignorance somehow. Strengthening my resolve, I stepped up to Hiyori and asked a question.

"Why are you standing out here? Where's your umbrella?"