Chapter 22: Transfer Student Club Activity Orientation

‘Did I… do something wrong?’

Was Aya bothered by me talking to Reina-senpai? They still had a strained relationship. I’d just been chatting with Reina-senpai after running into her on the school grounds…

Perhaps Aya had seen us from afar and felt uncomfortable. Reina-senpai, with her distinctive platinum blonde hair, was easily recognizable… Aya must have noticed.

‘Ugh… I feel bad…’

Maybe I should try to mend their relationship first. Sitting down in my seat next to Aya, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. Aya seemed to want to say something but was hesitating.

“Rina.” She finally spoke.

“Y-Yes?”

“You’re coming to the club orientation… right?”

“Of course!” I quickly replied.

Aya’s expression softened slightly.

‘Oh, was that all?’ I breathed a sigh of relief, unfolding the paper Aya handed me. It seemed my worries about her being upset with me were unfounded.

I was getting better at reading her subtle expressions. The paper contained a list of clubs participating in the transfer student orientation.

‘Wow, that’s a lot… which one should I choose?’

Takamari Academy was huge. And so were the club rooms. I’d read in the novel that former classrooms were now being used as club rooms, which meant they were spacious and often decorated like personalized dens, contributing to the high student participation rate.

There were supposedly forty or fifty clubs in total, big and small. Of course, today’s orientation only included the larger, officially recognized clubs.

Sports clubs like soccer, baseball, and basketball, arts clubs like music and art, even the drama club Rina had wanted to join. And, befitting an aristocratic school, there were also clubs like tea ceremony and horseback riding.

“Which club are you interested in, Rina?” Aya asked, looking at me cautiously.

I pondered for a moment, then tilted my head. “I’m not sure yet… I didn’t join any clubs in middle school… If I do join one, I’d prefer something low-key.”

Technically, that was my past life’s middle school experience. This body, the middle school Rina, had been student council president. So, she would have been involved in something like the student council.

“Low-key…” Aya seemed lost in thought.

Seeing her contemplative expression, I grew curious. “By the way, Aya, what club were you in?”

“I’ve been on the student council since middle school.”

Oh, right. Of course.

“That makes sense. You’d excel at anything, Aya.”

At my words, Aya’s expression flickered, and she looked away. It was brief, but I sensed a momentary vulnerability.

‘Did I… say something wrong?’

It was just a compliment, but her reaction was strange. She quickly regained her composure and smiled faintly. “I hope you find something you enjoy, Rina, without pushing yourself too hard.”

Her words, deliberately avoiding any mention of the student council, were strangely comforting. I smiled and nodded.

****

The final bell rang, signaling the end of classes and the start of club activities. Students who weren’t joining any clubs headed for the gates, while others made their way to their respective club rooms. And today, the transfer students were gathered for the club orientation.

“Alright~ shall we go? Aya, Rina, let’s go~”

“Y-Yeah! Let’s go.” I grabbed my bag, smiling awkwardly at Mizuki’s cheerful voice.

Aya quietly finished packing and followed us into the hallway.

The designated meeting place for the orientation was the courtyard in front of the old school building. When we arrived, several transfer students were already gathered, their faces filled with anticipation and nervousness. One of the second-year student council members, whose name I couldn’t recall, was busily organizing the lines.

“Alright, all new transfer students, please line up here~ Oh? Yukikawa-san and Asakura-san? Could you help me out here?”

“Certainly.”

I could sense the excitement buzzing among the transfer students, eager to experience Takamari Academy’s club activities for the first time. I tried to blend in with the crowd, but I could feel the subtle stares directed at me.

‘…They know who I’m with, don’t they?’

Aya and Mizuki. Their names alone created a distance between me and the other students. Some of them even looked at me with a hint of hostility, as if questioning why I wasn’t joining the student council. Why was I getting used to these stares…?

‘This is… different from the novel.’

In the novel, club members would swarm the entrance, desperately trying to recruit new members. But here, it was much quieter, more organized.

Perhaps my suggestion at the student council meeting, about having an interactive orientation, had been implemented.

“Alright, let’s divide into groups and start the tour!” the male student council member announced, and the students quickly formed lines.

“Group 1, follow me. Group 2, with Yukikawa-san. Group 3, with Asakura-san. And Group 4, with Tachibana-san.”

I ended up in Group 4, led by Tachibana-san, the second-year treasurer. I’d glimpsed her calm and collected demeanor during the student council meeting. Unlike Shirazuka-senpai, who had a hidden playful side, Tachibana-san was portrayed as thoroughly analytical and pragmatic in the novel.

“Hello, I’m Tachibana Kaho, and I’ll be guiding you through the club introductions. Group 4, please follow me.”

Click-clack. The sound of her shoes against the floor was surprisingly crisp and precise. Her posture was perfect, her voice clear and cool, just like her name.

There were four of us in the group. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, I smiled awkwardly, staring at my feet.

‘Just being without Mizuki makes this silence feel so awkward…’

Just a few days ago, I’d craved this quiet anonymity. Now, I missed the lively chatter.

‘Am I… getting used to this?’

From other club rooms, I could hear excited shouts and laughter, probably from the sports clubs.

Our first stop was the drama club. Of all the clubs…

The club Rina had longed to join in middle school, according to her diary. It was a strange coincidence that it was our first stop.

‘This was Rina’s dream…’

This was the original owner of this body’s dream. I quietly followed Tachibana-senpai into the drama club room.

The atmosphere inside was surprisingly warm and quiet. Unlike the other, more boisterous, clubs, the drama club members were calmly guiding the prospective members through the activities. Costumes and props were neatly organized, and a small stage, bathed in soft lighting, occupied one corner of the room. As expected of Takamari Academy, the stage was professional-grade.

“Welcome. Are you interested in joining the drama club?” a senior member asked with a bright smile.

I nodded slightly. “Yes, I’d like to try it out.”

On the table were scripts for monologue practice. The paper felt unfamiliar in my hands.

‘So… the original Rina isn’t resurfacing…’

I’d expected to feel something, a surge of excitement, a rekindling of her passion. But there was nothing, just a sense of awkwardness and detachment.

“Would you like to read a line?” the senior member asked gently.

I hesitantly opened the script. The stage direction read “(with emotion),” but my voice was flat and monotonous, like I was reading someone else’s words.

‘Was this… really what Rina wanted…?’

I remembered the entry in her diary. ‘When I get to Takamari Academy, I’ll definitely join the drama club. I’ll create my own stage.’

What had she been feeling when she wrote those words? After my lackluster performance, the senior member asked, “So, what do you think? Was it fun?”

I smiled awkwardly. “Yes… it was fun.”

The words felt hollow. I fidgeted with the script, a thought echoing in my mind.

‘…Something’s not right.’

This was supposed to be the original Rina’s dream, yet I felt nothing. It was like the emotional detachment of my past life.

This wasn’t for me. What path would the Rina from the novel have chosen? Unfortunately, she was a nameless background character, her story untold. Had she actually joined the drama club?

I put down the script and looked towards the stage, at the club members practicing their lines, at the other transfer students watching with interest. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. But… I couldn’t imagine myself among them.

The senior member, who had been so kind and patient, looked down, perhaps sensing my lack of enthusiasm. It seemed my true feelings had betrayed me.