Chapter 18: Beautiful Girl, Invited to Join a Club (Part 3)

The courtyard we headed toward was much quieter than the front entrance—honestly, it was almost deserted.

It lay between the building that housed our classroom and the one for science labs and special classes. The lawn was neatly trimmed, and flowerbeds along both sides bloomed with bright colors. Benches were scattered here and there, and I could easily imagine people sitting on them to eat lunch.

"Wow, it’s pretty empty here, huh?"

Moeka-chan glanced around.

"Looks like only a few of the culture clubs hang out around here. That’s probably why there aren’t many upperclassmen or new students," Sakurako-chan added, looking around with her.

If it was just culture clubs, maybe it wouldn’t turn into the same kind of chaos as earlier. Fewer people meant fewer recruiters.

"Hey, hey, Moeka. I’m seriously moved right now!"

Sakurako-chan suddenly raised her voice, startling me enough to look up at her.

"Wait, wait! Sakurako-chan! Me too! I mean—Ayumi-chan’s holding our hands on her own!"

Before I realized it, I was holding both Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan’s hands.

Ah! What was I thinking, doing something that bold!?

"Hehe♪ Was that unconscious, I wonder? Too bad, I’m not letting go now!"

Ack—no matter how much I tried to shake her off, she wouldn’t release me.

"How about we just go to the bathroom and the bath together too?"

Huh!? The bath!? You’d follow me there too!? That’s… kind of nice, but also absolutely not okay!

R-right, if I saw Sakurako-chan naked, that’d make me a total pervert. There’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed—and that’s definitely it.

B-but then again, I am technically a girl right now…

My imagination started to run wild before guilt rushed in to smother it. Just what was I even thinking?

"Ahh… look at Ayumi-chan panicking. She’s so cute!"

"Yeah! The way she takes a joke seriously is the best!"

So it was a joke. Of course it was.

I mean, where would we even be taking a bath together?

…Still, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

"Teacher! We wanna hold hands with Sakura-san too!"

Yoshikawa-kun butted into the conversation.

Ehh, holding hands with a guy… I pictured my old male self doing that with another guy—all buddy-buddy.

Yeah, sorry. That’s a no from me. Even though I look like a girl now, I can’t mentally handle that yet.

…Not that I have much room to talk. I’ve already been piggybacked and even shared a bike seat—way beyond just hand-holding!

Even if Ryoji’s been my friend forever, he’s still a guy.

But! The piggyback was an emergency, so it doesn’t count! And guys ride double on bikes all the time, so that’s safe too!

"Anyway, let’s check out the clubs already."

Ryoji cut through my spiraling thoughts with perfect timing. Well, it was mostly my brain that was in chaos.

Right—that’s what we came here for: to look for a club. I’d almost forgotten.

Ryoji always had this uncanny timing, like he could peek into my head sometimes.

I looked around the courtyard again.

That’s when I spotted a guy standing there, holding a cardboard sign and looking completely unmotivated.

"Ah, over there. Should we go take a look?"

"He doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic, but… maybe that’s better than someone who’s too pushy," Moeka-chan said.

We headed toward the upperclassman.

"Microcomputer Club?" The name sounded kind of dated—but definitely screamed “indoor type.”

"Excuse me, could you tell us a bit about your club?" I asked the senior.

"Wha—! The rumored princess herself, here of all places!?"

Princess? Was there someone with a nickname like that?

"Senpai, she has no idea what you’re talking about, so don’t mind her," Ryoji said quickly.

"A-ah, right. Didn’t expect the real thing to look even better than the rumors… Anyway, so you’re interested in the Microcomputer Club?"

Even better than what? What kind of rumors were going around about me? Whatever—best to ignore it.

Did I have an interest in computers? Kind of. Ever since I got a smartphone, I’d given up on buying a PC, but I still wanted to try using one. Not that I knew what I’d actually do with it.

"Ayumi-chan, you’re into computers? Isn’t that a little early for you?"

"E-early? We’re the same age! Don’t look down on me just because I’m short!"

"No, no, I mean aside from your height—Sakura-san is just… you know."

"Yeah. Totally her vibe, though," Ryoji added.

"Right? That’s the best part!" Sakurako-chan agreed.

And just like that, the four of them shared some weird sense of unity.

Okay, I get it—I look kind of plain and childish right now. But besides that…? My insides haven’t changed at all!

Getting treated like a kid like this feels no different than when I was a guy. It’s… complicated.

"Ah, sorry, senpai. She’s sulking now," Ryoji said.

"Haha, no worries. That was adorable, honestly. Mind if I record a video?"

The senior pulled out his smartphone.

"Eh!? You can record videos on those things?"

"Wait, what? Ayumi-chan, seriously!?" Sakurako-chan stared at me, completely stunned.

What’s with that look!? Come on, I’ve never even touched anyone else’s phone before, so how was I supposed to know? It’s not like I had anywhere to learn this stuff!

For the record, I did know about the camera! Everyone used it all the time! I just thought it only took still photos, okay!?

And those phone manuals? Way too thick to read.

"Anyway, no videos," Sakurako-chan said firmly.

"Aw, shame. Oh right, the club explanation. I was slacking off since no one ever comes by, but I guess I should actually do my job now."

He actually seemed like a decent senpai—tall, skinny, with messy hair and thin black-rimmed glasses. His shirt was half untucked, giving him a slightly sloppy look, but his voice was calm and steady.

Maybe it was just the glasses, but he gave off a quiet, intelligent vibe. Yeah, definitely the glasses.

"Well, the Microcomputer Club’s basically just us playing games on PCs. We make and show videos for the culture festival too, but mostly, we just hang out and play."

A club where you just play games? That actually sounded… kind of nice.

Still, Moeka-chan and Sakurako-chan would probably find it boring. It’s not like you hear many girls say, “I spend my after-school time messing around on computers.” Maybe I just didn’t know enough about that world.

Besides, I’d never even touched a keyboard before, so I’d probably be useless.

But after making him explain everything, it’d feel rude to just turn him down.

I glanced over at Ryoji for help.

"Senpai, we’re gonna look around a bit more. If we decide to join, we’ll let you know," he said.

Ryoji really does have good intuition.

"Hm? You think so? Well, come by anytime. Honestly, you don’t even have to join officially. If it’s you, princess, everyone in the club would welcome you."

"Um… who exactly is this ‘princess’ supposed to be?"

No one answered my question.

Come on, seriously!? So I’m the only one who doesn’t get it again, huh.

"So, we’ve been to a bunch now. Anything you actually want to join, Ayumu?"

After that, we’d gone through the Horticulture Club, the Go Club, the Manga Research Society, the Tea Ceremony Club, and more.

At the Horticulture Club, Sakurako-chan got all excited imagining “Ayumi-chan frolicking in a field of flowers,” but when we learned it was mostly just tending small flowerbeds, she looked completely deflated. I actually thought that one sounded kind of nice—until Moeka-chan said, “No way, dirt’s a no-go,” and that was that.

As for the Go Club… none of us knew the rules, so it felt a little too advanced.

The Manga Research Society drew a portrait of me. It was so well done that I couldn’t help but be happy. But there’s no way I could draw that well myself, so I gave up on joining. That club was clearly for people who already had real skill.

In the Tea Ceremony Club, Moeka-chan was overjoyed when she heard, “You’d get to see Ayumi-chan in a kimono!”—but when told that they rarely wore kimono during normal practice, her excitement evaporated. I also realized I couldn’t survive sitting formally on my knees that long, so that was the end of that.

"Everyone seemed nice compared to the sports clubs, but… I don’t think I found one I really want to join. What about you guys?"

"I’m good just following Sakura-san around. Forget enjoying club activities—I’ll enjoy watching her enjoy them!"

Embarrassing… but kind of sweet, actually.

Having friends who’ll stick with you like this—it really makes me happy.

…Even if “friends” might not be the right word for the direction some of this is heading.

"I don’t think either of us found one, really," Sakurako-chan answered for both herself and Moeka-chan.

"What, nothing at all? Then how about we just make one?"

I blinked at Ryoji’s suggestion. Make a club? That had never even crossed my mind.

"Make one? For what purpose exactly? A club to worship Ayumi-chan as our goddess?"

"No, no, no—that’s not normal!"

Please don’t give me that innocent “What’s weird about that?” face, Sakurako-chan. Somehow, it’s making me feel like the crazy one here!

"I’d actually be fine with that kind of club♪ But yeah, there’s no way it’d get approved."

"Then Yoshikawa-kun could just cause a scene for us, right?"

"Leave it to me!"

Yoshikawa flexed his arm with a big thumbs-up—like a cliché shonen manga hero.

But that club would get shut down before it even started, both in name and concept!

"Yeah, maybe a formal club’s no good… What about a circle, then? Like those casual ones we saw in the courtyard earlier? We could make an Idol Research Circle, and just study Ayumu all day."

"Tagawa, I swear—you’re a genius."

"Agreed. Absolute genius."

Don’t nod, Sakurako-chan! I’m not someone worth studying that deeply!

Moeka-chan, stop filling out that club registration form! And what’s with “Idol Research Circle”!? That’s not even a real thing!

"Um, could we… not make me the center of everything, please? I’d rather have something fun we can all do together."

As soon as I said it, I realized how embarrassing it sounded.

Ahhh, what was that line!? Straight out of a cheesy manga! I could feel the heat crawling up the back of my ears.

"The fact that she says that naturally is incredible. A line like that from such a cute girl—anyone would fall for her, no matter the gender."

"And then she gets all shy and tries to shrink away afterward—that’s adorable too♪"

"You know what, maybe we don’t even need to make a club!"

Ugh. Everyone was teasing me today.

Ever since they saw me crying the other day, they’ve been relentless. That was the most humiliating moment of my life—crying at school, in high school, of all places.

Still, at least I could tell they weren’t holding back out of pity.

It’s not like they were giving up joining clubs they actually wanted just to stay with me. If that were the case, I’d feel way too guilty.

"So you’re going with the Going-Home Club, Ayumu? You were kinda looking forward to clubs, right?"

Well, I won’t deny it. I was looking forward to it. I hadn’t joined any club in middle school, so I’d wanted a proper “high school debut.” But like I told Ryoji before—dreams are dreams because they don’t come true.

"Ehh! If you were that excited about it, then come on, Ayumi-chan, let’s join something!"

Even if she says that… what am I supposed to do?

Go check out more sports clubs again? Thinking back to the incident at the entrance, maybe if I’d handled things better, it wouldn’t have turned out that way. Sure, it hurt—literally—but not everyone in the sports clubs is bad.

Still… I just can’t bring myself to do it.

I let out a quiet sigh and sat down on a nearby bench.

Across from me, on the opposite bench, sat a woman.

I say “woman” because she wasn’t wearing a school uniform. Which meant she wasn’t a student—so the only option left was teacher. But strangely enough, that teacher was holding a signboard for club recruitment.

Curious, I walked over to her.

"Um… wh-what club is this?"

I stammered as I asked, nerves getting the better of me.

"!? Oh my. Did the sign catch your eye, dear?"

She called herself an “aunt,” but honestly, she looked more like an older sister type. Probably in her late twenties. She wore a calm-colored V-neck blouse with a light jacket over it and slim white pants.

"I used to be the advisor for the Cooking Club, but all five of my third-year students graduated this March. So now there’s no one left. I figured I’d still show up for the club fair, but, well, it’s hard to attract anyone when there aren’t any current members."

As I chatted with the teacher, Sakurako and the others walked over to join us.

"The Cooking Club? Oh, hey, Ayumi-chan, can you cook?"

"Yeah. Sort of."

Mom’s strict training had gotten me to a decent level, I think. But since I’d never shown anyone outside my family, I had no idea how my cooking stacked up in the real world.

"Then let’s all join! A cooking club sounds so cute and girly—it’d be fun!"

"Moeka, what’s your real reason?"

"I want to see Ayumi-chan wearing an apron over her uniform and die from the cuteness overload!"

"Uh, Minase-san, that thought process is purely middle-aged man behavior."

"Ugh… But I can’t help it! Ayumi-chan’s just too cute! If it were Sakurako-chan, I wouldn’t say something like that."

"Moeka, there are things you shouldn’t say out loud, you know? Even if it’s true that I could never match Ayumi-chan’s level of cuteness."

Sakurako lightly smacked Moeka’s head in exasperation. Meanwhile, Ryoji seemed deep in thought, and then—he apparently reached a conclusion.

"Alright then, why don’t we all just join? The Cooking Club."

"Huh!? You guys too?"

It made sense for Moeka and Sakurako—they were girls, after all. I mean, sure, there are plenty of famous male chefs out there, but in a high school club setting, boys usually don’t do cooking. There was no need for them to force themselves to tag along.

"Ah, don’t worry about it. I just want to breathe the air in a room full of girls cooking, that’s all."

"Tagawa, you’re a genius!"

"You really are, man!"

They want the atmosphere more than the food!? I couldn’t even begin to understand that logic. But Ryoji and Yoshikawa clearly belonged to that particular species of male. Maybe I was the weird one here? …No, definitely not.

"You know, the air around girls probably even tastes sweet."

"That’s ridiculous! Ugh, seriously, if that’s your reason, then you shouldn’t join!"

"Nah, I’m joining. I’m joining, Ayumu. I’ll even get on my knees again if I have to—‘Please, let me join!’"

"I’m in too, Tagawa!"

"Wait, hold up! You’re both totally planning to use that as an excuse to peek under skirts, aren’t you!? Just—no, okay!?"

The teacher watched our entire exchange with a gentle smile.

God, how embarrassing.

Whatever their reasons, those two were clearly serious about joining. Sakurako and Moeka didn’t seem against it either.

As for me… well, I did want to experience club life.

"Hey, Ayumi-chan. Let’s join together, okay?"

Moeka placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled softly. She was so cute that even a smile like that made my heart skip.

Having fun in a high school club—that was something I’d secretly admired, even after getting used to being alone.

Sure, maybe it wouldn’t feel like a real club without any seniors. But right now, what mattered more to me was doing something fun together with everyone. And we actually had that chance now.

Starting a brand-new club would be hard—we didn’t even have an activity in mind yet, and I hadn’t looked into the paperwork. Who knows how long that would take?

But this club? It didn’t have anyone left. If we joined, we could make it entirely our own. Honestly, it was perfect.

"Yeah, I’ll join the Cooking Club."

I nodded firmly.

The others nodded too, smiling.

"My, my, I’m so happy to have so many new members at once. My name is Emi Mogami. I teach classical Japanese for the second years, so we might not see each other in class, but it’s a pleasure to meet you all."

She handed us blank application forms, which we filled out and submitted on the spot.

And just like that, we became members of the Cooking Club!