A guy with spiky orange hair stood firmly by the hallway window on the second floor. His light brown eyes stared into the drifting clouds, lost in thought. Slung over his shoulder was a gakusei kaban, the familiar weight doing little to ground his exasperated mood.
"Sigh... Yesterday was a total failure. We got separated and didn't accomplish anything."
He scoffed, the annoyance in his voice vanishing as quickly as it came.
"This school is full of weirdos..." he muttered. "But from what I've heard, they're just a bunch of weaklings. Conquering this place should be a matter of time."
"Conquering this school isn't that easy, senpai."
A soft voice gently broke his train of thought. Kenji turned around, startled, to find a slim girl with pink hair standing behind him. She smiled sweetly—harmless at first glance—but then abruptly splashed water on him with the tumbler she was holding.
"Kazama-senpai! It's not easy, because this school has me—the Aquatic Cherry Blossom, Mizukami Sakura! Ahahaha! "
'Damn girl...' Kenji gritted his teeth in frustration. 'I forgot about them... The girls in our club are all freaks.'
Feeling drained, he set down his Gakusei kaban and leaned back against the hallway railing. 'The others haven't arrived yet... It's my first time being alone with her.'
Kenji glanced sideways, watching Sakura set up a game console. Though they were in the same club, they rarely interacted. Kenji didn't associate much with others. For him, understanding girls like Sakura was akin to deciphering the meaning of pi—a path leading straight into the secrets of the universe.
'It's not just Sakura... They're all like this. If it weren't for Shin, maybe I would've quit the club by now.'
Resting his chin in his palm, he prepared to leave.
"Kazama-senpai, how about a game? " Sakura suddenly appeared behind him, eyes gleaming like the morning sun. Her catlike gaze was hard to resist, but Kenji stayed firm.
"Go play by yourself. I'm going home."
Her next words, though, piqued his interest.
"Come on... If you win, I'll tell you secrets about the girls," she said with an innocent smile.
"Information...?"
Kenji recalled his humiliating defeat at the hands of Chitose. He was the type to hold grudges—and he still hadn't let that one go. He'd once asked Shin if he had a chance of beating her, but even Shin couldn't give a clear answer. So maybe this information could help him find a weakness.
"...Fine."
"Yaaay! " Sakura beamed like a kid getting her first gift from Santa Claus. Her joy was pure and unfiltered.
"Let's play a fighting game, Kazama-senpai! " she said, selecting a disc from her collection.
'Choosing a game I'm good at? This should be a free win.' Still, something felt off. 'Unless... She's really good at this? '
But to his surprise, he beat her easily. It wasn't even close.
"You're so weak! " he sneered. "Even a fifth grader could beat you. Are you holding back 'cause I'm your senpai? "
Unbothered, Sakura unclogged her tumbler and poured water over her head. Steam rose around her like a volcano doused mid-eruption.
"Chitose-senpai looks amazing when she takes off her clothes."
Kenji choked on air. "What the hell kind of info is that!? That's useless! "
"I still have more water, Kazama-senpai. Let's keep going," she said ominously. Her gleaming eyes dimmed beneath her bangs—now looking like a hentai protagonist—but Kenji still didn't take her seriously.
Second round: she lost again.
"Roka-senpai's figure is pretty amazing too..."
"That's definitely a lie!! " Kenji screamed. "You're just screwing with me! "
Third round. Another loss. This time, she even poured two bottles of water on herself as a power-up.
"By the way, Kazama-senpai... I have a great figure too."
"I don't need to hear that crap! " Kenji shouted, now exhausted. "I'm done! You keep losing and giving me garbage info! "
As he prepared to shut down the console, she stopped him.
"Truth is, Kazama-senpai... I'm actually a genius."
Kenji gave her a flat stare. Ridiculous. If Shin were here, he'd probably laugh at his opinion—and believe Sakura instead, since he thought she might be an alien anyway.
"Quit spouting nonsense."
"I'm not lying," Sakura said as she combed her hair back, her expression calm. "I'm good at sports and academics."
Kenji scoffed. "Yeah? Win a match first before you say that."
They started the next round.
He didn't even last five seconds.
A relentless, unstoppable combo killed him before he could react.
"Do you believe me now, Kazama-senpai? "
"That was just a fluke! "
But five matches later, the result hadn't changed. Every time, he was comboed to death. Not even a chance to breathe.
"So, genius girl," he muttered, now irritated and sweaty, "why are you even in this club? Did someone blackmail you into it, or what? Hard to believe you'd waste your time here when you could shine elsewhere."
It was an odd question, but Sakura accepted it with a smile.
"Nothing special, senpai," she replied. "I don't like working hard, but I enjoy watching others work hard. This club lets me do both."
"You're saying they work hard? That's ridiculous."
"Of course... Chitose-senpai always does her best as student council president. Roka-senpai too—she tries her hardest as club president, even if she doesn't get results."
Then she looked at him directly.
"That's why I don't like you, Kazama-senpai."
Kenji flinched, her words like a fang straight into his chest. Brutal.
"W-What are you talking about? "
Sakura only smiled gently.
"You say you want to conquer the school, but you haven't done anything. It's easier for you to do things for others than for yourself, isn't it? You're getting too comfortable in this club, Kazama-senpai. But if you stop here, you'll never reach your goals."
"I bet on it."
Kenji fell silent, her words hitting harder than any combo. He stared at the floor, deep in thought, her voice echoing in his mind.
For the first time in a long while… he started to question himself.
An awkward silence lingered between Kenji and Sakura.
Then, without warning, Roka barged in, carrying a large box in her arms.
"It's finally done! " she declared proudly, approaching them with sparkles in her eyes. "The game I created! "
Without waiting for a reaction, she placed the box on the table and continued excitedly.
"This game is based on a scenario I came up with for Chitose! It's a four-player game…"
She then dove into a lengthy explanation about her "sci-fi adult-themed game," which, in reality, was just a glorified children's dice game—only with a pornographic twist. In this game, the players act as couriers of adult content, and the number of "deliveries" they make is determined by the roll of a die.
Essentially, it was Sugoroku… but with adult labels slapped all over it.
Kenji stared blankly at the components, unimpressed.
"…Isn't this just a dice game with a setting? " he asked, deadpan.
Roka visibly deflated, like a balloon slowly losing air.
Still, Kenji offered a few words of praise. "Well… you're doing great, anyway."
Roka's mood lifted a bit.
"Are you leaving, Kazama-san? " she asked as he began picking up his Gakusei kaban.
Kenji gave a firm nod, stepping away toward the exit—but he stopped halfway, glancing over his shoulder.
"By the way… I won't be coming here again. I think I've already settled things with you guys back in the F.F.F.E.S."
With those parting words, he walked off in silence.
Roka watched him go, a strange tension in the air. She couldn't quite place what was wrong between him and Sakura, but it lingered heavily. Just as the atmosphere settled, Shin suddenly appeared from the doorway—making Roka jump in surprise.
"Shin-san! " she squeaked. "Where have you been!? You haven't been showing up to the club much lately."
"Oh? Sorry about that. I've had some important matters to attend to," he said casually, before shifting his gaze toward Sakura.
She met his eyes with a sly smile.
"Long time no see, Shin-senpai. Ahaha! " she chirped as she stood up and wrapped herself around his arm like a snake, her grip suspiciously firm—as if trying to devour her prey.
Then, in a whisper only he could hear, she murmured, "What are you planning, Shin-senpai? It's quite dangerous, you know?"
As expected of an alien like her—nothing escaped her keen senses.
"I didn't have much of a choice," Shin replied quietly, eyes trailing to the hallway where Kenji's figure faded in the distance. "You're the one who provoked him, after all."
"Hmm...? " Sakura tilted her head, puzzled. She didn't fully grasp what he meant but had a vague idea. Kenji would probably pick fights here and there, but she hadn't expected it to go this far. She always thought of him as half-baked—never someone who'd act on impulse.
Meanwhile, Roka tugged on Shin's sleeve.
"Since when did you two get so close? " she asked suspiciously.
"Oh, we're not," Shin said, trying to shake Sakura off. "She just finds it fun to pester me."
Sakura clung tighter.
Before things could get weirder, Shin quickly shifted the topic.
"By the way, Roka—I heard you made a new game. Want to play it together? "
Roka's expression brightened instantly, joy blooming across her face.
"Sure!"