Mandatory Clubs

The next day after school, Yorikane stayed behind to help with cleaning duty. I wasn’t sure why he was getting so involved with me and my partner, especially when his friends wanted him to go play soccer but he refused. At least my partner and her friends were happy and stayed focused on him instead of me.

“Great work today, get home safely!” he told us as we began to leave after finishing cleaning.

“You too, Miya-kun!” the girls replied.

I just gave him a slight bow as I left the classroom. I went home thinking tomorrow would be different. There’s no way the golden retriever of class 2-1 would ditch soccer just to help with cleaning duty when it wasn’t even his turn.

Yet to my surprise, Yorikane stayed behind in the classroom the rest of the week. The girls were ecstatic and his friends he played soccer with were not. His behavior confused me. But with his presence, cleaning duty was pleasant and I didn’t feel any suffocating fear being alone with those girls, since I never was.

He did try to get me to join their conversations, which made the girls look at me with disdain, but I could barely reply out of nervousness. It just ended up that he and those girls continued their back and forth while I listened.

When the week came to an end, the hottie number two, Yorikane Miya, smiled at me and patted my arm.

“Have a good weekend,” he said.

Walking home was a blur. I still felt the warmth on my arm from his hand and his kind smile shining brightly in my face. His words echoed in my head. Have a good weekend… Those words definitely didn’t mean anything. But the fluttering in my chest wouldn’t stop.

When sitting on my bed, I finally came to my senses. Yorikane is probably the nicest boy in school. Helping out with cleaning duty is nothing for him. Smiling and saying “have a good weekend” even less so. And the more I think about it, maybe he noticed the tension between me and those girls… So he was only trying to lend a helping hand to a fellow classmate…

Still, it makes me happy. I don’t have to worry about cleaning duty for a while now. My school life doesn’t have to be hell… And it’s all because of Yorikane. I grab my phone and find his number. I want to text him… I really want to text him…

“You’re really nice to everyone, huh?”

I start with a question. Kishi replied when I first texted him, but it could be different with Yorikane. He probably has so many friends that his phone is probably blowing up all of the time. Especially now that the student body has a hold of his number. It would be great if he replied, but I shouldn’t get my hopes up…

I eat dinner with father as usual, take a shower before bed, and then check my phone. My heart almost stops when I see a reply from Yorikane.

“Haha, what do you mean? Isn’t it better to be nice?”

A reply… He really replied to me… My heart can’t handle this. Who knew I could get so worked up over one measly reply? Right, I need to calm down… Even though he replied once, there’s no guarantee he will again. Unless I say something interesting… But I don’t even know anything interesting to say. Still, I try to rack my brain for a response to his text.

“You’re right, it’s better to be nice. But it seems like your kindness goes above and beyond.”

“Above and beyond? How so?”

I pause. He replied again… Am I actually having a conversation with the most popular boy in school? No, before that, I need to reply before it’s too late.

“I happened to hear that you helped out some girls with cleaning duty for almost a whole week when it wasn’t even your turn to do so. No one is kind enough to help with something as tedious as that for a whole week.”

“You think so? I thought it was pretty normal to help out your fellow classmates. By the way, I didn’t catch your name. Who did you hear that from anyway?”

Of course he’s curious… I just lied as easily as breathing… But he already questioned the validity of my statement… I try to find a way to answer.

“I heard from a friend of a friend. Don’t you know how easily rumors spread? And you can just call me Rose.”

“Rose-chan? That’s not Japanese, is it?”

“It’s a nickname.”

He already added ‘-chan’ to my alias… I guess I should have expected him to speak casually with the way our conversation has been going.

“Well, Rose-chan, I hope you understand that my kindness is normal for me because I always make sure to treat everyone with as much kindness as possible. Maybe if you think what I did is considered above and beyond, you should do your best to be as kind as you can to others too!”

“Are you trying to say I’m rude to everyone around me?”

“No way! I don’t even know you. But it’s always better to try and be kinder!”

“You’re right. You have a good attitude. I just know a lot of people aren’t like you. Some people are unimaginably cruel.”

“Yeah, sometimes that's the case. But if we all try to spread more kindness, maybe we can make a difference in people’s lives.”

“That’s a nice sentiment. I don’t doubt that you've made a difference in at least one person’s life.”

“Is that one person you?”

“What?”

“Haha! I’m still trying to figure out who you are. Have we met in person before?”

“You meet a lot of people, don’t you?”

“...yes. Are you really not going to tell me who you are?”

“I’d like to keep the mystery going on for a little longer.”

“So mean!! I’m so curious!! Mark my words, I’ll figure out who you are! Then we can talk in person and be friends!”

“We’ll see.”

I scroll through our conversation. I can’t believe we managed to talk for so long… It’s almost like I’ve gotten to know him a little better too. But there’s no way we can be close friends since I want to keep my identity hidden. I really hope he doesn’t figure out who I am… How would he guess that Rose is the gloomy girl in his class anyway?

Since it was the weekend, I was glad when I was able to sleep in. Father had the day off and slept in too. When we both got up in our pajamas, he made breakfast with bacon and eggs. The smell was delicious. We watched cartoons on TV while we ate. It was a perfect morning.

The weekends are always a nice break from school. I never feel like going back on Monday. But I have no choice if I want to graduate one day. And as long as I keep my head down and don’t get involved with others, I can avoid a lethal interaction. Just like I did in my first year. I was far more nervous back then, but since nothing serious happened, I feel a little more relaxed.

Once I went back to school on Monday, the student council president made an announcement over the intercom to thrust another curveball into my relatively peaceful life.

“Hello, hello, can everyone hear me? Mike check, one, two?” The lively voice of a high school girl blared through the classroom speaker situated above the blackboard.

“They can hear you…” a more quiet voice said to her.

“Great! I have an announcement to make so pay attention! It’s of utmost importance! I know all of you who were here last year will be outraged by this news, but I promise this decision is for all of your sakes! Starting this year and in the future, clubs will be mandatory for all students. Please decide on which club you’d like to join by the end of the week or the student council will hunt you down personally. The going home club does not exist!! We have sent a list of clubs to each classroom for all students. Pick one of those or make your own! Five members are required to start a club. If you have any questions, please ask us down at the student council! Have a great rest of your week, Sunray High!” 

The intercom shut off after her quick goodbye. My classmates began chattering about it among themselves. Clubs are now mandatory…? My days were only peaceful because I could go home after school… But now I have to stay behind and participate in a club? Where others will have to continue looking at the eyesore that is me, Saki Shiotani? My brain already jumps to irrational thoughts of my trauma repeating once again.

I’m so stunned all day that time goes by in a blur. Before I know it, I’m riding the bus home and walking up to my house afterwards. When I get inside, I toss my stuff aside and look at the list of clubs I have to join. There’s a couple pages I can look at to find one. I’m definitely not making a new club… No one would join and I’d have to join one that’s already established anyway.

There’s sports clubs, study clubs, clubs about the occult, and clubs about other specific hobbies. One of the hobby clubs is about kendama, that wooden ball and cup toy… Are there really that many people who are serious about that game?

After going through all the clubs, I don’t want to join any of them. I don’t want to be involved in any of these activities… I guess a study club wouldn’t be bad. But the idea of sitting in a small clubroom, sitting across from random students while we study in silence… The air would be suffocating. I don’t want to be that close to the other students, and I’m sure they think the same way about me.

That’s when I notice the club at the very bottom of the list. It says “library studies.” So is it a study club, or specifically a club where you study the library? Who would want to study the library? Does that mean they try to read all the books there or maybe map out the layout of the room? This club seems particularly strange, even when compared to the occult clubs. But because of that, it might just be perfect.

I like the library. When I visited it in my first year, it was quiet and calm. It’s a large room with tables and couches scattered throughout the room. You don’t have to be too close to anyone else if you don’t want to. You can even hide among the bookshelves and never encounter another soul until you leave. The library clerk is a volunteer student who barely looks at you whether you enter or leave or even check out a book.

I pull out the blank club application behind the list of clubs. I just have to fill out my name, class, and what club I want to join. Then when I submit it to the student council, I can join the club. Maybe this new experience won’t be so bad. I did what I could to pick the best club. There’s nothing more I can do.

I told father about my day at dinner. He looked confused as to what the library studies club even was. I’ll most likely find out more when I go. I already see it being a place to study or read random books though. It should be pretty laid back.

After school, I realized that my habit of waiting for everyone to leave the classroom before I leave too could get me in trouble if I’m late to my new club. I submitted my club form in the morning and saw a glimpse of hottie number four, vice student council president, Shoji Iwasaki. He quickly left the student council room as I was walking in, seeming like he was extremely busy. His green eyes are brighter in person.

The student council president was more beautiful than I imagined with black hair curled at the tips flowing down to her shoulders, shining pearl earrings in her ears, big chestnut eyes, and the green uniform that all of the girls wear. Somehow my uniform looked dingy compared to hers even though it was exactly the same. Even her hair is more beautiful than mine. She’s really so gorgeous… Her smile even exudes confidence.

I’m still thinking about her beauty now at the end of the school day. But clubs begin now and I should hurry before I’m really late.

When I arrive at the library, all is quiet. The student behind the checkout desk when you walk in is on his phone with earbuds in, paying no attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, another student approaches me. He looks very tired with eyebags behind his glasses.

“Are you a new club member?” he asks me.

I quickly nod in response.

“Alright. What we do here is simple. We stay in the library to study its interior. We do that by reading books and sitting at each table and couch, a different one for every new day. Think you can do that?”

I quickly nod again.

“Good. We usually stay until five unless you need to go home earlier. At least try to stay an hour so the student council doesn’t think you’re a ghost member.”

I nod once more. After he’s said what he needed to, he wanders back among the shelves. I wonder how many times he’s had to say that for his explanation to sound so tired…

As I glance around the library from the door, I don’t see many students. But the others could be hiding among the bookshelves. I should find a book myself.

I enter the labyrinth of shelves. I read some of the titles of the books I pass by. I’m not quite sure what genre these are. As I walk further, I come across fantasy titles that are familiar to me. I used to read some in the past. My old friends and I used to love this series… We would stay up during sleepovers to talk about it… It’s almost funny how quickly things can change after a major incident.

I avoided going to the same high school as my old friends. I didn’t want to see them again. Not sure if I do now either. I know they were scared, but I was even more so… It was cruel to abandon me even if they’d be the next target… I’m sure there was a better way to handle the situation. I wish we had figured it out before it broke us apart. I wish we hadn’t thought that the situation was so hopeless that there was nothing we could do anyway…

Out of a sense of nostalgia, I reached for one of the books in front of me. That’s when I saw another hand grab the same book. I instinctively turned to see who the hand belonged to.

The student before me had cold blue eyes with glasses in front of them, short black hair, a black stud in his left ear, and was wearing the boy’s blue uniform. He glared when our eyes met. I was frozen.

“Do you really want this book?” he asked.

His tone was rude and intimidating. His eyes made me think he was looking at an insignificant insect even though they were looking right at me. Fear overtook me and I couldn’t move a muscle.

“Hello? Are you deaf?” he tried to get me to answer. “If you don’t want this book, then back away.”

I tried to come back to my senses. The book… He just wants the book… He’s only angry because he wants the book. When I realize that, I quickly let go of it and back away as fast as I can.

“Finally. Find a different book. Or read this one when I’m done with it instead.” Once he had the book in his hands, he walked away without another glance back at me.

That was… the third hottie, Yuasa Kitahashi… He’s overwhelmingly intimidating when you meet him in person. What was the student council president thinking when she said he’d tutor you if you ask him…? There’s no way he’d do something as kind as that.