It had to be said — the girl named Yukino Yukinoshita was incredibly serious when she worked. Watching her from the side, that sharp and elegant profile gave off a kind of cool, striking charisma.
The girls from the Light Music Club couldn't help sneaking glances at her while whispering among themselves.
"She looks so capable!"
"And she's so pretty too! But she kind of seems cold… do you think she's hard to get along with?"
"This 'Service Club' sounds like one of those 'We'll-handle-anything' kind of places."
"Respect!"
Yukino Yukinoshita kept her expression perfectly calm, as if she hadn't heard their chatter.
But from the faint twitch of her ears, Lin Zhi could tell she was definitely listening carefully.
"What do you think, Nozono?"
Ritsu Tainaka crept up beside Lin Zhi and whispered cautiously.
"This is something for the club president to decide," he said with a smile.
"If I could decide, I wouldn't be asking you!" Ritsu puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
Still, since Lin Zhi wasn't going to make the decision for her, she couldn't exactly strangle him into doing it.
"So… you think we should refuse?" she muttered uncertainly.
Lin Zhi chuckled. "That's up to you."
"Ugh! Why did I have to be the president in the first place?! Nozono, how about you take the job instead?"
"We can talk about that after you make your decision."
"Hmph! In your dreams!"
"I've decided!" Ritsu rolled her eyes dramatically, then turned to the cool, composed girl not far away. "I'll agree — but Yukinoshita-san has to make sure the club meets the member requirement."
Lin Zhi thought he saw Yukino exhale slightly, her shoulders relaxing just a bit.
"I'll take care of that," she said, her voice still cold and even.
"Well then, I guess my job here is done."
Seeing that the two sides had reached an agreement, Shizuka Hiratsuka — who had been sitting off to the side — let out a long sigh of relief and clapped her hands together.
If the Light Music Club had refused, there really would've been nothing she could do.
To be honest, her request was a bit unreasonable to begin with. If Yukino hadn't been Haruno's little sister — and if she weren't a junior Shizuka personally cared about — she would never have gone this far to help.
Now that the issue was settled, a small smile appeared on her face.
However—
"There's one more thing!" Hiratsuka said, turning toward Yukino. "A club needs at least four members. If you can't reach that number within a month after founding it, the club will be disbanded, Yukino."
Yukino blinked, then gave a small nod. "I understand."
"And that goes for you too, Light Music Club," Hiratsuka added, shifting her gaze. "You've only got three registered members right now. If you don't get a fourth within a month, you'll be disbanded as well."
Whoosh.
Both Tsumugi Kotobuki and Mio Akiyama immediately turned to look at Ritsu Tainaka, whose face had gone pale.
"Ritsu!" Mio snapped. "Don't tell me you forgot to submit Nozono's application form again?!"
"Ahaha, about that… my bad!"
Ritsu laughed awkwardly, hoping to brush it off — but under Mio's intense glare, she finally bent forward in a perfect ninety-degree bow, a motion that was disturbingly practiced.
Mio sighed in exasperation. "Ritsu, could you please take these things seriously for once? You're the one who dragged everyone into forming this club — how can you be so careless about it?"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Ritsu apologized over and over, sneaking desperate looks at Mugi and Lin Zhi for help.
Thankfully, Mio had enough sense not to humiliate her in front of guests. After scolding her for a bit, she ended the topic with a curt, "Just hurry up and hand in Nozono's form."
Hiratsuka watched the entire exchange with an amused smile. "Well, looks like my job here really is done. I won't bother you any longer."
She stood, brushing off her hands. "But remember — focus on your club activities, alright?"
Her eyes flicked toward the table, where tea and snacks were still laid out, and she gave the Light Music Club girls a knowing smile.
Mio immediately flushed red, but the other three pretended not to notice, glancing around as if they hadn't heard a thing.
"You girls really are a handful," Hiratsuka sighed, rubbing her temples. "And just so you know, I'm not joking. Every club has to show some kind of result from their activities — otherwise, not only will you lose your club funds, you might get disbanded."
"Club funds?!" Ritsu's eyes lit up instantly.
Whack!
The "righteous fist of justice" promptly came down on her head.
"Can't you focus on the important part?!" Hiratsuka growled, black lines forming on her forehead. "The issue isn't the funds — it's being disbanded!"
"Yes, ma'am! Got it, ma'am!" Ritsu winced, rubbing her head and surrendering on the spot.
"Anyway, that's all from me," Hiratsuka said, dusting off her hands again. "If I remember correctly, the school festival's coming up soon. If the Light Music Club can't put together a performance, you'll likely end up on the disbandment list."
She gave them a meaningful smile that instantly made the entire club break into cold sweat.
Before leaving, Hiratsuka turned her gaze toward Lin Zhi.
"And you, Nozono — don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're surrounded by girls. Don't even think about it."
Then she leaned in slightly and whispered, "Between us, that petite little Yukino might look delicate, but she's strong. And even though she's, well… not exactly blessed in certai— cough!"
The temperature in the room dropped sharply under Yukino's icy stare. Hiratsuka stopped herself mid-sentence, coughed twice, and quickly regained her composure, face turning solemn again.
"Ahem. Anyway," she said, addressing the trembling Light Music Club members, "that Yukinoshita girl is a master of Aikido. One throw from her, and you'll wake up in the hospital."
"Professor Hiratsuka!"
Yukino finally snapped, her frosty gaze fixed on the teacher. Are you sure you're not describing yourself instead?
"Heh-heh. Well then, everyone — take care!"
With an awkward laugh and a cheerful wave, Hiratsuka Shizuka slipped out of the Light Music Club room, leaving the rest in stunned silence.
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