Club and Afterschool Activity (1)

The school bell rang, signalling the end of school.

Yes, school is finally over now. After hearing the last bell, I cleared my desk and put my things into my backpack. Then Kazuki approached me.

"Valdo, why were you hanging out in the canteen during the last break? Do you feel uncomfortable in class now because of her?" he asked.

"Yes, she's annoying, but I also feel uncomfortable in the canteen," I replied.

"Why?" Kazuki asked.

"She follows me to the canteen, buys the same food as me and also drinks, I don't know what she wants from me," I explained.

"Maybe she's interested in you," Kazuki suggested.

"'Bro, don't make things up. I don't want to be with her either," I retorted.

"Why not? She's smart, she's pretty and she has a nice body. Except for her behaviour, but that's not a problem. She's perfect just the way she is," Kazuki argued.

"You! Masochist! I'm not like that. I want a gentle girl, with a pure and innocent heart, someone who cares about me. Not someone like her, who comes and starts talking rudely to me. She also uses violence," I expressed my frustration.

"Stop daydreaming, you're the only one who can't handle a girl, stop being a loser," Kazuki said because he had a girlfriend. She was a pretty girl from another school.

I rarely see them together, but then again, he's not a loser like me. Oh well, why should I lower myself like that? After all...

"Shut up, I'm not a loser, so I guess I'll just ignore her," I said.

"Ignore it? Really? You're so cruel. Girls have their own way of showing their love to guys. Just accept it," Kazuki insisted.

"No, I don't want to, but why do you care so much?" I asked, curious about his sudden interest.

"If you get together with her, we can have a party, so..." he digressed, hinting at a tradition.

We have a tradition here that when someone gets engaged or gets a girlfriend, they usually have a party the day after. I don't know the origin of this tradition. When I entered school, one of the seniors said this to me.

"Oh, so you're like Fuyuki, secretly eyeing my money," I teased.

"No, no, I swear I'm not like that," Kazuki retorted.

"You're lying," I retorted playfully.

"No, I'm not," he insisted.

At that moment, Konohana approached us and said in a curious tone, "What are you guys talking about?"

Kazuki waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's normal, Valdo is a tsundere, he won't admit that he likes her."

"Nonsense! He's lying," I interrupted while pointing at Kazuki.

"No, I'm not lying, you're the one who doesn't know anything," he retorted.

Konohana grinned mischievously and said, "Hehe, I don't know if Valdo is really interested in women now? In the past, he always talked about how women are just the same as men"

"Oh no, please don't expose my dark secret, I'm also attracted to women but not in a romantic way," I joked.

"You're still as clueless as ever. By the way, how long have you known Ayame? She's a very mysterious woman. She never talks to anyone. Even when people try to talk to her, she just ignores them as if she doesn't care. Just like the other girls," Konohana shared her observations.

"No, we only met once, and that's it. It was just a coincidence," I explained, trying to downplay the relationship between Ayame and me.

"I don't think it's a coincidence because I've never seen her talking to someone before," Konohana insisted.

"Now that you mention it, I've never seen her talk to anyone either. Valdo is probably the first person she's ever talked to, and she actually responded to him. I've tried talking to her, but she ignores me," Kazuki added.

"Yes, she's always like that. It's a little annoying. I want to be friends with her too, but she ignores everything I try. You're probably the only person who's never chatted with her so far," Konohana said, expressing her desire to get in touch with Ayame.

"No, she just annoys me whenever we meet, and I don't talk to her as much as you think," I clarified, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

Glancing at my watch, "Oh, it's already 2pm, time for club activities," I said.

"It's not usual for you to come to the club today. Is it the end of the world?" Kazuki commented sarcastically.

"No, I just need some refreshing after yesterday's incident. My mind is running in circles, and I can't think of anything," I replied.

"Alright then, do what you want. Go now," Kazuki ignored me.

"Gee, don't be mad at me. I just want to freshen up," I teased.

"Yeah, yeah, just go, I don't miss you," Kazuki retorted.

With that, I left the classroom and headed for the club room.

Konohana turned to Kazuki and asked, "Kazuki, do you think Valdo has been acting strange lately?"

"What do you mean by strange? He's always weird every day," Kazuki joked.

"No, it's not like that. I mean, his behaviour has suddenly changed. Usually, he doesn't care about the club, and sometimes he goes straight home because of his mother," Konohana explained.

"Maybe he got permission to be late, or maybe he just wanted to hang out in the club room," Kazuki speculated.

They exchanged glances and shook their heads, not sure what to say about my recent behaviour.

When I was walking in the corridor, I saw some people wandering around the school with no apparent purpose. Peeking through the classroom window, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Ouch, those two lovebirds are in class again, even in the evening."

Not explicitly, but it still hurt my eyes and feelings. It felt like a normal day, meeting people dating in every classroom. I don't mind if they just talk to each other, but watching them flirt with each other is really annoying.

Continuing down the corridor, I arrived at the Game Development Club, where members worked on game projects. Or at least, that's what they were supposed to be doing. I eavesdropped at the door, but there was no sound.

What was going on? There was usually at least one person swearing every day, and it could be heard from outside the club room. Well, I guess I'll just go in.

"What are you doing stupid fucking midlaner! Ping! Ping! Ping the enemy" The only person in the club room swore in front of me.

As I mentioned a few seconds ago, someone started swearing. It was my senior, Takumi. He may be humble and kind, but he's very lazy.

Despite being lazy, he is good at making games and has even participated in game development competitions. One of his games, "Shoot Evil and Win," proudly displays a poster in his room, stating that it is the "Winner of the High School Game Development Project."

The title may be funny, but the execution of the game is very creative. He earns money from the game every month, as major companies have bought the rights.

Senior Takumi also funded all the game development activities in the club, even buying a high-spec computer with his own money, somehow managing to avoid the scrutiny of the student council.

"It was a beautiful day. I walk in, and someone is already swearing in front of me," I comment with a hint of sarcasm.

"Valdo, long time no see. You don't usually come to the club. Usually, you go straight home after school. Did you get kicked out of your house?" Senior Takumi teased.

"No, senior, I'm here to refresh after doing some things," I explained.

The club room atmosphere feels reminiscent of an old internet cafe, albeit quieter.

"Are you done playing matches?" I asked, asking if he was done with the previous match. Sometimes I couldn't join in if he was already in a match.

"Yes, I'm done. We lost badly. I didn't expect them to be so tough," Senior Takumi replied, expressing his surprise at the opponent's strong performance.

"Be patient, senior. I'm here now, so let's go," I assured him.

"Let's go," he agreed.

Senior Takumi was the only senior I knew who was always easy to convince to do anything, unless it involved spending money.

Despite being wealthy from his previous job, he is still a cheapskate and prefers free things. He was guaranteed to get into the best university in the country and get the perfect job, but his dedication to the game was second to none.

While looking at me, Senior Takumi asked, "Ranked or casual?"

I stretched my body, feeling a little sore from not playing MOBA games for some time. MOBA is a type of game where 5 people together fight against 5 other people, whoever destroys the enemy base first, is the winner.

"I'm up for a ranked match."

Senior Takumi nodded in agreement, understanding my preferences better than my best friend. At least in the context of the club, he was closer to me than the other members.

"Let's play!" I declared, putting on my headset and immersing myself in the game with Senior Takumi.