Chapter 17

Once lunchtime started, Izumi turned around like usual with her lunch, but Shiori stood. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, to look for the notebook." Shiori shoved her stuff into her backpack.

"But what about lunch? You need to eat."

"I can eat while I walk." She pulled a sandwich out of her bag. "They're really convenient like that."

"I'll come with you then." Izumi stood and immediately winced.

"No, you stay here."

"I'll go with you." Yanagi intercepted before Shiori could run off on her own.

"Whatever."

Yanagi shoved a few pieces of sushi into his mouth, dropped the rest on Kuruma's desk, and followed Shiori out.

Does that mean I have to eat alone?

Scrrrk. Kuruma shifted his desk over to hers. "Okayu this time, right?"

He's joining me? It's just us?! Her heart rate spiked. "Yup." He remembered! She pointed at her nose. "Something easy to eat." She pulled a thermos and opened the extra compartment in the top that included toppings for it.

"Are those eggs shaped like bunnies?"

"And nori as bears... Somehow she still managed to make it cute." Mom, you are so next-level.

"It's cool how much she cares. I usually just make onigiri the night before or get sent with leftovers." Kuruma shrugged and tossed one of Yanagi's sushi into his mouth.

"Hey, Izumi." The guy whom Yanagi scared away before approached her. "Would you like to join us for lunch? We'd love to talk to you. We're all curious about where you moved from."

"Oh, you can join them if you want," Kuruma mumbled.

Izumi smiled at him. "No, thank you. I'm having lunch with Kuruma."

Kuruma's eyes widened slightly.

"I-I see. Maybe another time..." He shuffled away.

"Not going to spread your wings and make more friends while they're away?"

"No? I'm quite happy with my current friends." And why would I give up time with you?! She leaned slightly in his direction as she ate, smiling. "You can even try one of the bunnies." She placed the egg on top of one of Yanagi's sushi.

"Cool, thanks. Mmm, so light and fluffy, and easy to eat."

"Oh my gosh, what is all of this?" A girl's squealing voice reached their ears as a few other girls moved to surround her. "What kind of demented person came up with these drawings?"

Demented? Izumi's notebook with horrible drawings of demons flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. Oh no. Did they find it?

"There's a name in the front. Izumi."

They glanced back at her, and she froze, eyes wide as some okayu slipped off her spoon.

"Tch. If you see a name, just return it to them." Kuruma approached the girls. "And not that it's your business, but it's for our club." He snatched it from her. "Izumi just started it, and we didn't put our names in it yet. Seriously, how lame can you get?" He sighed, heading back to his seat.

"Thanks," Izumi mumbled.

Kuruma flipped the first page open and wrote his name under hers, along with Yanagi's and Shiori's. On the front, he wrote 'Game Dev Club'. "There, no more confusing it. How many ideas did you guys brainstorm?" He flicked through. "Let me guess, this is yours, and this is Shiori's version?" He pointed to the pictures.

"Yeah..."

"Admittedly, Shiori's look better, but yours look scarier."

"Mine are just preliminary sketches, not meant to be seen by the public." She swallowed hard as he read through her notes.

"You definitely put in more thought than I expected anyone to. Then again, your room..." Kuruma trailed off.

Am I hearing things? "Did you say my room?" What is he talking about?

"Never mind; I misspoke." Kuruma pulled out his phone to text Yanagi. "They're on their way back, so..." He tapped on the notebook.

"You think the MC needs more motivation to save the school?"

"I thought it might add depth." And my head is so full of shoujo manga and visual novels that I can't help but want it included.

"Well, I agree on needing some sort of powers to combat the demons. I wonder how hard it'd be to have it start with a real baseball game, then have a meteor hit with the demons... or a portal like I said before. Start normal and everything gets twisted."

"That's a lot of mechanics to work out."

"Oh, that's true. We'll have to try to go simple or see if there's anything to help streamline it."

"Is there going to be a difference if they win or lose the baseball game?"

"If you don't win, it's game over right there. If you do win, you get a special baseball bat? There's a lot to think about." Kuruma tapped on the notebook with his pen, slowly adding in his own notes.

"If it gets too complicated, will we be able to finish in time?"

"No idea, but we have to try, and I'll put in extra time outside of club hours... like we're already doing."

Shiori and Yanagi rushed back into class up to them. "Where did you get it?" Shiori asked, and Kuruma gestured toward the group of girls near the front. "Tch. Of course, it was them. Also part of the same group I suspect for pushing you."

Izumi shuddered. They're in the same class! Will they try something again?

"You okay?" Yanagi asked.

"Yup, I'm fine." She smiled up at him. "I'm just glad we got the notebook back."

He sighed, shaking his head, and leaned in close. "You don't always have to say you're fine," he whispered, so only she could hear him. "But I get not wanting to make a big stink of things in class. Feel free to talk to me later if you need to." He backed away and winked at her.

"Should I wring them out? Which one had it in their grubby grasp?" Shiori glared at the group of girls, mentally cursing them as her fists clenched.

"Shiori, just leave it be, or they'll probably retaliate," Izumi said.

"If we leave it be, they might do something worse, too. It'd be better if they feared us."

"I could talk to them instead," Yanagi suggested.

"Yeah, so not going to make it better." Shiori rolled her eyes and sat down with a huff. A smile slowly crept up on her face.

"Shi, whatever you're thinking, please don't do it," Yanagi said, grabbing the last onigiri set aside for him from Kuruma's desk.

"I was just thinking about the sketches I worked on last night." She pulled out a sketchbook and opened it to show them a sketch of Yanagi in his baseball uniform, ready to swing his baseball bat.

"Wow, that looks awesome." Izumi's eyes sparkled.

"While I agree with Izu, I doubt that's what you were thinking about. I know that look; you were planning something." Yanagi sighed and glanced over at the group.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but look at this, too." She flipped the page to a similar sketch of Kuruma in his uniform. "In case you want a choice between characters." The next page had Izumi in a baseball jacket and cap, with a clipboard in her hands. A whistle hung from her neck and a small first-aid pouch attached to her belt.

Aren't I the one who needs first aid, not gives it?

Kuruma whistled. "Izumi as our manager? Looks perfect."

"She looks so cute. Matches her," Yanagi said.

Her face burned as she stared at the picture. "I-I think you've upgraded my looks a bit too much."

"Upgraded?" Shiori held her picture up beside Izumi. "I think I got it pretty on point here, right, guys?"

"Yeah," they both agreed.

"W-where's your sketch? Shouldn't you be in the game, too?"

"Me? No, what would I be? I'm definitely not on the team. Maybe one of the monsters that takes over the school?" Shiori suggested.

"A monster? Why would you do that to yourself?" Yanagi complained. "You could be a cute girl who gets kidnapped, and we get to save."

Shiori's expression dropped. "You have to be kidding me. There's no way in hell I'm having a character like that. I'd rather be the final boss. Even an NPC would be better."

"Okay, okay." Yanagi laughed. "I get it."

Did he do that on purpose? Even I know she wouldn't like that idea.

"Shiori would be better off as a fortune teller with her tarot cards, or even the person that gives the bat the powers," Kuruma suggested. "Like even when the main character tries to fight with the bat right away, they're forced back and flee, only to run into Shiori, who uses her mystic powers on the bat so it can defeat the monsters."

"Yeah, I prefer that over making her a villain."

Shiori pulled her tarot cards out of her bag. "Interesting concept."

The teacher walked in as the bell chimed. "Okay, class, back to your seats."

Kuruma kept the notebook with him as he shifted his desk back over.

Guess it really is for the club now.

Feeling someone's eyes on her, Izumi dragged her gaze away from Kuruma and looked at the front, to the girl glaring back at her.

That can't be good.