34 - Days of Our Verdant Youth (4)

The next day, after classes end, Kaya shows up to the ASSS club room.

True to her word, she really did quit the student council, relinquishing her role as the vice-president completely.

"A-Are you g-guys, um …"—stammers Kaya, eyes glued to the floor of our club room—"accepting n-new members? Th-that is, i-if you're okay with somebody … like me …"

Alex, Himacchi and I all trade looks with one another, smiling.

Then I say to Kaya, "… Of course!"

She looks up, eyes bright. "… Really!?"

Alex and Himacchi fire off a few party poppers that we have for some reason. "… Welcome to the club!" they sing, as confetti explodes everywhere.

And just like that, we have a fourth member of the club.

*

Is it awkward, when we still have to see Saya every day in homeroom?

I mean, I'd certainly be lying if I said, No.

But as the days, and then weeks, go by—as Kaya spends more time with us in the ASSS—all the fun times we have together as club members quickly overshadows whatever tension remains between the two sisters.

In the meantime, Saya completely gives up on her mission to destroy the ASSS.

I was worried that Kaya joining would only serve to fuel her determination to disband us—but apparently it's had the opposite effect entirely.

Sometimes, I look back in class, and see Saya staring out the window, hand on her chin. Unreadable expression on her face.

Is she lonely? All by herself, in the student council?

"Onee-chan's fine," says Kaya, one day, when I voice my worries aloud. "Besides, she's not alone. All those clubs she absorbed—technically, all those people are under the student council, too."

I frown. "But … then, where are all those people?" That familiar pain in my head, when I think too hard about our school, the other students. "Have you seen them? Do they attend your student council meetings?"

"Well, n-no," admits Kaya, her forehead furrowing. "I guess … not …"

Anyway, it hurts the both of us to think about it too much—so we stop.

*

Even though we goof off a lot at ASSS, we all recognize that the exit exams are drawing near.

Pretty soon, study sessions become a regular part of club activities.

After all, we all wanna graduate. And that's something we can't do, without passing our exit exams.

"Ahhh, but you know," says Alex, stretching his arms, his textbooks and notes sprawled out in front of him on the club table, "it'll be kinda sad when we do all graduate. We won't be able to hang out here anymore."

I nod sagely, while trying to balance my pencil on my upper lip. "That is true. But as long as we keep ASSS in our hearts, ASSS will always be with us, wherever we end up. (… Or something like that.)"

Himacchi pokes Kaya in the shoulder. "Hey … What's the answer to this one? I don't get it."

"Oh, that's simple," says Kaya, looking over Himacchi's notes. "I'll teach you a little trick, here—…"

Actually, the addition of Kaya has been a real game changer for us, academically speaking.

Before, when it was just the three of us, we were basically dead in the water whenever we came across a problem we didn't understand.

Most of the time, we skipped over anything we didn't get.

… Which led to, as you can imagine, a lot of gaps in our combined knowledge.

But now that Kaya's here, it's like we've got some kind of secret weapon.

"S-secret w-weapon?!" repeats Kaya, blushing, "… I wouldn't go th-that far …"

"Kaya," I say, patting her shoulder. "With you around, the exit exams will be a piece of cake."

Alex and Himacchi voice their assent.

Kaya buries her face in her hands. "S-stop … You guys are making fun of me …"

Alex: "We would never! … We only make fun of Himacchi. (She deserves it.)"

Himacchi, scratching behind her ear, and then smelling her finger: "… Zuh? Did somebody say my name?"

I laugh, as I stand up from the club table. "Alright. We all need a study break. I'll head to the vending machines, and grab some drinks. Melon soda for Himacchi, canned coffee for Alex—"

"Black, remember," Alex reminds me.

"—and … Kaya, what do you want?"

"Ehh?" exclaims Kaya. "N-no, you don't have to get me anything! … I don't deserve it … D-Don't waste your money on me …"

"Hey now, you're part of the ASSS now. And if I'm using club funds to buy my members drinks, that means you're getting one too."

Kaya hesitates for a bit. Then, sheepishly: "In that case … I'll h-have a … strawberry milk."

I smile, and head for the door. "Coming right up!"

*

I head back from the vending machines, juggling the four drinks in my hands through the darkened hallways.

We've stayed behind so late today that the sun's already set, and the only light now is the moonlight coming in through the windows.

I bet everyone's hungry.

Hey! Maybe we can order a pizza or something later, that would be—

I freeze.

There's a light on, coming from the open door of the school library.

(I must not have noticed it earlier, on my way to the vending machines, since it's down another hallway.)

Now I'm curious.

… Who else is here, at this hour?

Quietly, I turn into the hallway leading to the library, and approach the doorway, hiding behind the wall.

I peek in.

… And there she is, seated all by herself, at a table in the middle of the library, books and notes open in front of her.

Saya.

The student council president. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

She flips through pages, sighs heavily. She runs her hands through her twintails, clearly frustrated. She slams a book closed, opens another one.

I hear Kaya's voice in my head, what she told me in the gym storage room.

My sister, you see … She's never been good at studying.

And I realize—while the four of us are up in our club room, helping each other study, goofing off, having the time of our lives—

Saya's here, in the library.

All alone.

No one to help her, or joke with her, or offer her a much-needed strawberry milk.

I watch as Saya sighs again, dropping her face into her arms, folded on the table.

"… This is hopeless," she mutters to herself.

I watch her for a bit longer.

Then I turn around, and quietly head back down the hallway, back to the club room with the drinks.

Thinking about Saya the entire time.

"Odd-kun?" Kaya asks me, as I hand her her strawberry milk. "Is something wrong?"

"I think I have an idea," I say, idly sipping from my own bottle of Diet F*nta. "Guys, hear me out …"

*

A couple days later, I'm on the soccer field again.

The members of ASSS stand in a row behind me, as I stare Saya down with my arms crossed.

Saya glares at me, her hands on her hips.

She flips her twintails.

"… So? What is this? Has the ASSS come to gloat? That you've stolen my vice-president, my own sister, away from me?"

Despite her confrontational tone, I can't help but notice the way her voice falters at the word 'sister'. The way she looks behind me at Kaya. The momentary flash of hurt in her eyes.

I clear my throat, and assume a self-assured, smug grin. "Of course not, prez. I've merely called you out here to announce that the ASSS has found its true calling."

Saya raises an eyebrow.

"No longer are we content to goof around, or slack off," I continue. "From this day forward, the After School Slackers Society's official activity will be—…"

Saya squints her eyes. Her jaw tightens.

"…—HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT!"

Saya blinks.

She doesn't say anything for a long time. Then, scrunching her face: "… Ha-aaa??? Are you touched in the head?" She clicks her tongue, her angry glare returning. "Oh, you guys are making fun of me, aren't you? Ha ha. I get it. You think—"

"N-No!" cries Kaya, from behind me. "You got it all wrong, Onee-chan! Odd-kun is serious! We … We're a fight club now. Wh-which means …"

I finish Kaya's sentence. "—Which means you can officially challenge the ASSS."

Saya's eyes widen.

… Does she get it now?

What we're trying to do?

(Kaya, a few days back: "Onee-chan's too proud if we just invite her to join ASSS. She'll reject it outright. She'll think we're pitying her. To her, that's the biggest insult of all."

Himacchi: "I mean … We are pitying her, though."

Me: "Yeah, but we have to frame it like it's not. We have to let her … win."

Alex, eyebrows raised: "You do realize this means you're just gonna get beat up again?"

Me: "Yes, but now it's for a good cause!"

Kaya: "But one thing. Even if we let her win, we can't let her absorb the ASSS entirely. Or else it'll just be the same as what she did to all the other clubs. Onee-chan has to accept that she can't just take over everything the way she wants, all the time."

Me: "So what do you suggest?"

Kaya, stroking her chin: "We have to stipulate that—")

"—that even if the ASSS falls under the student council umbrella," I say to Saya, "we still reserve the right to run our club as we see fit. The way we want to, independent of the student council. We keep our name, our members, our room. Everything."

"B-but, of course," adds Kaya, "… if Onee-chan wants to j-join in on club meetings … you know, to see how we're doing … th-that's fine, with us … Since we would technically be under the student council …"

Saya deliberates on this for a while.

Then, she flips her twintails again.

And for the briefest moment, I catch a smile on her face—not the usual combative, defensively hostile one she always seems to wear—but rather, one I've never seen on her face before.

A smile of relief, maybe. Of joy, and of warmth.

… But it's quickly gone, as she re-assumes her usual icy facade.

"… Fine, then. I suppose those are acceptable terms," says Saya. "But be warned, Odd-kun—I won't go easy on you!" One hand still on her hip, she points at me with her other hand.

I smirk. "I wouldn't expect anything less. … Well, then"—I adopt a fighting stance—"have at you, Saya!"

Of course, as you know by now, Saya is faster, stronger, and a better fighter than me in every respect. … No question I'm about to get demolished by her, just like I have, so many times before.

But it's okay this time. This time, if it's to bridge the gap between the two sisters, then—

—Then I'm okay with it.

I close my eyes, bracing for an uppercut, or some kind of roundhouse kick maybe, as I hear Saya's footsteps approach.

I grit my teeth, and wait for the feeling of being launched into the air …

… But it never comes.

I open my eyes.

Saya is standing in front me of me, grinning.

She's got her hand out in front of my forehead, a finger cocked behind her thumb.

She releases her thumb, and flicks me right above my eyes.

"… My win," she says. And smiles.