Chapter 23: Club Recruitment Day
Tuesday was the club recruitment day.
As a devoted believer of the Go-Home Club, Sakurai would absolutely not change his belief easily; he would remain forever loyal to the club.
The clubs at Shuchiin could be divided into two types: sports clubs and cultural clubs.
Sports clubs included the soccer club, the kendo club, and the archery club that Shinomiya Kaguya had joined, while cultural clubs included the Supernatural Research Club, the Literature Club, and the Board Game Club that Fujiwara Chika had joined.
If the students at Shuchiin were divided according to their clubs, they could be categorized into three types——
At the top of the pyramid——the sports clubs, the middle of the pyramid——the cultural clubs, and at the bottom of the pyramid was undoubtedly the Go-Home Club, which referred to students who didn't participate in any clubs and went home immediately after school.
This was the social hierarchy of Shuchiin.
Of course, members of the student council could to some extent be exempt from being pulled into this hierarchical structure.
Early in the morning, while pushing his bicycle and walking along the sidewalk near the school gate, Sakurai sneezed.
Pollen allergy, a common condition in Japan every year—according to statistics, about 40% of the population suffers from it.
Even someone with supernatural powers like him got pollen allergy; what a strange weakness.
"Hey! Hurry up and put your clothes back on! The skirt length isn't right either! Did you roll it up, senpai?" At the school gate, Iino Miko loudly scolded a blonde-haired gyaru-dressed girl.
(⩺_⩹)
Hearing that, Sakurai looked over.
It was Hayasaka Ai; she had been stopped.
Looks like Ai-chan wasn't as smooth as she always claimed to be.
"This isn't the first time you've dressed like this! Last time you even ran off! Hayasaka-senpai!" Even though Miko was performing her duties as a disciplinary committee member, she still respectfully called her "senpai."
This time, there was absolutely no way she would let her get away!
Last time, with just one blink, the other person had disappeared from her sight.
Truly a stain that couldn't be erased from her career as a disciplinary committee member!
"Yo~ Ai-chan~"
༼ Ɵ͆ل͜Ɵ͆ ༽ﾉ
Sakurai smiled brightly, approached the gate, parked his bike, then waved to greet Hayasaka Ai.
After finishing the gesture, Sakurai curiously looked at Miyako.
"Hmm? Isn't this the disciplinary committee member?"
"You two!!" Miko couldn't believe it.
（ ▽д▽）
The two people she hated most, the two people who always violated the rules, were together in one place!
Was today the end of the world or what?
Sakurai suddenly put on a face like he'd had a great realization, then rummaged through his bag and took out a stick of Umaibo.
"Here."
ε(´｡•᎑•`)っ 💕
"Sakurai-senpai! Are you trying to bribe me again?"
(≖_≖ )
"No." Sakurai shook his head.
Then he handed her the Umaibo, "It's just a little concern from a senpai to a kohai-san. I figured since you always come this early, you probably haven't eaten properly."
(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Iino Miko looked at him with suspicious eyes and muttered, "I did eat properly, no need. But thank you anyway."
(¬`‸´¬)
After speaking, she glanced to the side, "Hey! You over there, your collar is crooked!"
⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾
Seeing that the male student fixed his collar, Miko looked elsewhere again.
Huh? Ehhh!!!
Hayasaka-senpai had disappeared!!
Ai-chan: ε=ε=ε=ε=┏( ￣▽￣)┛
"Where's Hayasaka-senpai? Sakurai-senpai, did you see her?" Miko looked around left and right.
"Hmm." Sakurai rubbed his glabella.
After thinking for a while, he replied, "She probably fell into that deep hole called love?"
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"What? Senpai? Did you—" Iino Miko hadn't finished speaking before seeing Sakurai Saki wearing his uniform very properly.
"I made a point to dress properly today. Miko-chan, do you have anything to say?" Sakurai said innocently.
"M-Miko-chan? What is that?" Iino Miko repeated.
(,,>﹏<,,)
"Nickname," Sakurai replied simply.
This guy, he's seriously a pervert, isn't he? It's only the second time they met and he's already giving her nicknames?
But today he really had buttoned his uniform all the way to the top, and there wasn't a wrinkle on his clothes.
Even Iino Miko couldn't immediately nitpick him for violating any rules.
But still!
"Hayasaka-senpai got away again."
Sakurai looked into the distance and saw Hayasaka 'Joestar' Ai waving at him from the path leading to the bicycle parking lot, confirming that she had indeed fled.
He turned to the small, cute disciplinary committee member and said, "Miko-chan, I'll head off now."
ヾ(＾ ∇ ＾).
"Sakurai-senpai, goodbye!" Miko politely replied, then continued looking for other people's violations.
(„• ֊ •„)੭
That girl was really diligent, completely different from someone like him—a true dried fish type.
Sakurai walked his bicycle over to Hayasaka Ai.
"Ai-chan, where did you go yesterday? Last night you suddenly stood me up."
As soon as she heard that topic, Hayasaka Ai's expression changed.
Where did she go last night?
Of course, she went to help Kaguya-sama cram knowledge about sex.
Just thinking about the bizarre questions the innocent young lady asked made Hayasaka Ai feel embarrassed.
What's the average size of a 'sausage'?
How could it possibly fit into a 'bread'?
How do men and women make a 'hotdog'?
Crap, her face was starting to heat up.
(>/////< " )
Seeing her expression, Sakurai said nothing, assuming she had done something shady the night before.
Lately, there had been a lot of high school girls becoming sugar babies, using their bodies to earn money for cosmetics and trendy items.
"Ai-chan, make sure to take care of your health," Sakurai said with concern.
"Sakurai, you better take care of your own health," Hayasaka Ai replied, immediately realizing he was silently implying something about her. "Don't end up being a rental boyfriend and giving your whole body to someone."
<(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>
"I didn't go be a rental boyfriend yesterday—I went to tutor someone, the one I told you about last time."
"The quintuplets, huh? You're really lucky, Sakurai-chan~" Hayasaka Ai teased.
"By then, you might run into a 'lucky pervert' event~"
(≖⩊≖)
Lucky pervert?
That kind of trashy plot where you open a door and suddenly see a girl bathing in the bathroom?
Hmph, like that would ever happen to him.
"Those five sisters—allow me to be blunt—is there even a single tutor in this world who could endure them?" Sakurai blurted out a question from the depths of his soul.
"Umu, probably doesn't exist."
As the maid of the Shinomiya household, Hayasaka Ai was extremely well-informed about school gossip.
She knew almost everything about those girls' personal information.
Even their food preferences, favorite colors, what they liked or disliked—Hayasaka Ai knew it all crystal clear.
After investigating all of them, Ai-chan made a preliminary assessment of the five sisters — [a bunch completely lacking any threat]!
If capturing Sakurai Saki were a battlefield, and Sakurai Saki was the flag standing at the center of that battlefield, then she and secretary Fujiwara would definitely be the two candidates closest to seizing that victory flag.
Those five sisters? Hmph, they didn't even qualify to enter the arena!
Sakurai wouldn't like girls like that! At least, not in the short term!
Even if those girls wanted to butt in later, she and Fujiwara Chika would have already settled the match—there wouldn't be any room left for them!
( ･•`ツ´•･)┌θ☆(ﾉ´ᗒoᗕ)ﾉ
In short, Hayasaka Ai didn't see those five sisters as threats at all.
'But this guy's never said he likes me—just what is he thinking about me, anyway?' Hayasaka Ai looked at Sakurai's back as he walked his bike and pondered.
She had to find a chance to probe whether he had someone he liked.
And whether… that person was her!