Chapter 8

In the hallway where the sunset streams in, only one set of footsteps echoes.

「Huh… Was it always this empty?」

The club activity building is where the rooms for cultural clubs are gathered.

Last year, when I came here, it was more lively.

But now, it’s deathly quiet.

Only the sound of my own footsteps echoed.

Well, if I think about it calmly, it’s not common for cultural clubs to be active from the first day of the new term.

I thought this as I glanced at the empty classrooms.

In high school, most people who join cultural clubs are either prioritizing studies for university entrance exams, don’t want to join sports clubs, or are ghost members who don’t really want to belong anywhere but just register for the sake of it.

In other words, there are few clubs that are as diligent in their activities as sports clubs.

Moreover, cultural clubs don’t have the habit of daily activities, at most three times a week.

Since they are relatively inactive, naturally, no new students come to observe, resulting in silence.

This is the phenomenon I’m experiencing right now.

By the way, the student council room is also in this building.

But I’m not interested in the student council.

Somehow, I can’t shake off the strict image associated with student councils.

They probably wouldn’t tolerate someone like me who only shows up on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

So, I ruled it out as a candidate for observation from the start.

I walked further, but still couldn’t find any clubs in session.

With it being this quiet, maybe no one’s doing anything today.

I may as well come back another time…

Just as I was about to give up and go home.

「Hmm? I sense someone…」

There was a shadow in the multipurpose room ahead.

A club activity?? I wonder what they’re doing……

Drawn by pure curiosity, I entered the classroom.

〇

「Uhn… there we go…」

As I approached the source of the presence, I saw a girl standing on a desk, stretching to do something.

Eh… what is she doing……? Cleaning?

I might be seeing this scene for the first time.

A girl alone in an empty classroom, dusting the ceiling.

She seemed so focused that she didn’t notice me entering the room.

Should I call out to her?

I could speak up suddenly, but there’s a chance she might fall in surprise.

I hesitated because I didn’t want to cause her injury.

Even though I shouldn’t have anything to feel guilty about, I’m now walking while trying to suppress my footsteps as much as possible.

However, I’m not a ninja, so a high-pitched sound of my shoes rubbing against the floor inevitably occurred.

Startled by that sound, she turned her head towards me with the reflex speed of a haunted house visitor.

「W-Who are you…?」

If she hadn’t been on the desk, she might have stepped back. She was so surprised that I, as the listener, could sense it.

A member of the opposite sex she’s never met before is here without making a sound.

It might be harder not to be cautious.

「I-I’m not suspicious at all!」

「All bad people say that. I’ve just confirmed it by looking at you now.」

「No, no, I’m really not! I just came to observe club activities!」

「Does that mean you’re a first-year student?」

「No, I’m a second-year though…」

「That makes it even more suspicious. I should run to the student council, no, better yet, the staff room…」

「Please, don’t do that! I-I have a legitimate reason. I’ll explain everything properly!」

「Umumumu… But you’re still suspicious.」

The girl didn’t stop being suspicious, but I somehow managed to get her to listen to me.

「Haa… Alright. But please wait a moment. I’m busy cleaning the ceiling right now.」

「It’s rare for a cultural club to be cleaning on the first day… Did the advisor tell you to do it?」

「No, I’m doing it voluntarily. Since the room wasn’t used at all during spring break, I thought dust might have accumulated… And besides, when you clean, don’t you feel a sense of accomplishment, or rather, doesn’t it feel refreshing and pleasant!?」

「I get that!」

「Right!!」

I never expected to find someone who thinks the same way as me here.

──Light Novels──

──Read Here──

The girl seemed happy to find a kindred spirit, and she dusted with enthusiasm.

Looking at her, I felt a sense of familiarity.

「Come to think of it, I didn’t ask your name. What’s your name?」

「Geez… When asking for someone’s name, you should introduce yourself first, you know?」

「You’re right. Sorry, I’m Yamanaga Takumi from class 2-A.」

「I’m Samejima Eri from class 3-E.」

「Samejima? Could it be…」

There’s someone famous with that surname in this school.

「Y-Yes… I don’t know if this is correct since were are twins, but my older sister is the student council president.」

Bingo. There’s definitely a resemblance.

Eri-san has black hair in a ponytail and is a bit petite.

Her older sister is tall, so they don’t resemble each other much in that aspect, but they both have very straight postures and brown eyes, so there are actually quite a few similarities.

「I see… Your sister is the student council president. Eri-san, weren’t you interested in the student council??」

「……」

「Something wrong?」

「Eri-san…」

「Ahh, was that too familiar? Sorry.」

I don’t talk to girls my age much, so I’m not sure about these things.

「No, no, it’s not a problem at all. It’s just that I’m not used to being called by my first name…」

「I see, I’m glad I didn’t make you uncomfortable.」

「It’s perfectly fine.」

「……」

There was a brief silence.

「…About what we were talking about earlier.」

「S-Sorry! Right… I was interested because my sister has been in the student council since her first year, but I’m not good at speaking in front of people or showing leadership to guide others, so I gave up.」

「You don’t seem that way though…」

The current Eri-san seemed very natural. No one would believe that this person isn’t good at speaking in front of others.

「Fufufu… I’m only able to talk because it’s just a small group. If about three more people came, my mouth would be completely zipped…」

Eri-san says with a self-deprecating laugh.

Seeing Eri-san laugh, I wondered if she might have low self-esteem.

「Well, I guess that’s enough for now… Yamanaga-kun, sorry to keep you waiting. Although we’ve already been talking for quite a while, may I ask about these circumstances you mentioned…?」

「Well… I’d love to talk about it, but…」

「??… What’s the matter?」

「I’ve been thinking this whole time, but there’s no need for you to listen while standing on the desk, is there??」

「T-That’s true… I’ll get down.」

As Eri-san said that and was about to descend, she suddenly stopped.

「Something wrong…?」

「I-I completely forgot I was wearing a skirt…」

「Ahh……」

Actually, I had thought about it too. This girl, even though she’s wearing a skirt, just climbs up on the desk like that, she’s kind of defenseless, isn’t she?

「Y-Y-Y-Yamanaga-kun!???」

「What is it…?」

「Y-You’re not… seeing under my skirt, are you…?」

「Don’t worry… I’m not looking.」

A few seconds after I said that. Her cheeks suddenly flushed.

Because she realized the true meaning of my words.

「…! R-Really??」

「I swear to God, I’m not looking. It looked like I might see, so I was trying my best not to look that way.」

「I-I see. I was wondering why you weren’t making eye contact at all… S-Sorry… Did I make you go to all that trouble…?」

「No, it’s not like it was any trouble.」

In fact, since I approached Eri-san, I hadn’t made eye contact once and was looking in a completely different direction.

Of course, to prove my innocence to Eri-san.