24 You Are Bad At It

Mendou: [A-Ah! I-It must be because it lacks emotion, right? N-No one can get it perfectly st the first try!]

For a second there, Miss Shiraishi's face was different. She was cold, harsh, and as if disgusted.

Just what is going on in her head?

Miss Shiraishi: [A-kun used that style, yet it was with emotions. Simply replicating it without any emotions is disrespectful.]

Najimi: [Oh, I-I'm sorry...]

Najimi quickly apologized with his eyes widened, realizing that Shiraishi was not happy about it.

If you think about it, Najimi is not in the wrong. He had simply mimicked whoever's work was on the posters, and with maximum effort, he tried his best to replicate that style.

Yet, it was a given that he wouldn't have any emotions in his writing.

It was something still far beyond what he can do.

She's in a trance about it, I should call her out.

Mendou: [Miss Shiraishi.]

Shiraishi: [A-Ah. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it like that!]

Mendou: [If you're going to ask for forgiveness, ask him. He's the one you should be saying sorry to.]

Shiraishi quickly apologized and bowed to me at first as I called her out, I guess it was supposedly a reflex but, it was common sense to apologize to Najimi.

Shiraishi: [I'm sorry, Najimi. I-I get riled up when it comes to calligraphy so... please forgive my actions. I'm an adult and I should know better than to do something like that.]

Najimi: [A-Ah. It's fine. I was just surprised.]

Najimi said he was surprised, but his eyes widened in shock after hearing the words "You suck." come out of her mouth.

I guess even his parents never told him that and only gave him compliments, but I think it would be in a way where his mother would be complimenting him because he was an offspring of her genes.

A narcissistic mindset and all...

Shiraishi: [Still, I'll apologize to you too Mendou. I shouldn't have shown you something like that.]

She apologized to me as well, but her hands held my shoulders, and her face was just a meter away from mine.

It felt like her breathing was irregular, and in that instant, I knew something was wrong.

Mendou: [I-It's fine! Hahaha! We all have our obsessions, right?]

I wrung away from her hands and stepped closer to Najimi who remained seated on his stool in front of the canvas.

Najimi: [Mhm.]

Mendou: [A-And also for our activities! I think we already found out ourselves! We'll be fine now!]

Shiraishi: [Oh. I see. Well then, I'll have to go now and finish up. Ah, where's Hoshoujo though?]

Mendou: [Ah, she's going to catch up soon. It looks like she's studying hard for the exams.]

Shiraishi: [I see. Alright then. Have fun in your activities.]

I waved and smiled as she left, yet she closed the door.

I felt a shiver down my spine.

She's cute and was just a woman in her early 20s but, that look on her face before...

It was an obsession.

It felt creepy and annoying, to be honest, but I felt fear from it. I, for one, shouldn't be even fearing someone like her.

I have magic, and she doesn't. But the thing is...

I can't use magic against humans!

She might be very repulsive but it's a strict rule for me to follow here!

Teleport was an exception since I was using it to protect her while she was unconscious so... this is a troublesome situation.

Not to mention, the picture from earlier...

Mendou: [I look a lot like that one former club member... huh?]

Najimi: [Mm?]

Mendou: [Ah. Nothing.]

The door would slam open again, and behind it was finally Hoshoujo.

Mendou: [Look who decided to show up.]

She was at the doorstep, but before going in, she stared at me for 4 seconds before going in, sitting on the chair beside Najimi.

Hoshoujo: [What's that?]

Najimi: [Calligraphy.]

Hoshoujo leaned on Najimi as he wrongs a new kanji, trying to write with emotions.

I was right behind the two, and seeing them lovey-dovey from this angle angers me since this is a massive hit for a third-wheeler like me.

They could freely do that since we're in an unmonitored club.

They're just casually flirting there so I had to relocate myself to the sofa and pick up a drawing book.

Mendou: [Hmph. Stupid lovebirds.]

I thought that I'd try writing as well, but as I tried to pry open the cover with force, it came off very easily.

Mendou: [It's already opened...]

It was opened, but it doesn't seem to be used.

I wrote something on the front and as expected...

Mendou: [I suck at writing.]

It's not just my handwriting, but I definitely can't even write poems.

I was about to take it away yet, I felt a small nudge on the end of the drawing book.

It was a bookmark, a hand-made one at that.

Mendou: [——?!]

To my surprise, the owner had the initials M and K, similar to mine.

Yet, as I turned it around, their name was there.

Mendou: [Momiji Katagiri.]

Their handwriting was surprisingly feminine.

Hoshoujo: [So, are we starting our activities now?]

Mendou: [Y-Yeah. That reminds me, how do we plan everything then, Club President, Najimi?]

Najimi: [If you address me like that, it's a bit embarrassing.

I pocketed the bookmark before standing up, walking back to them as we began to talk about the official activities of the club.

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Najimi: [So, in the next week, we should focus on studying. The club was created at such a late time so we can just study for now and after the exams, we will do a literature review of a book.]

Hoshoujo: [Alright.]

Mendou: [Ahaha... Sure...]

To be honest, I don't like reading books.

I get bored easily if they don't have pictures like manga and stuff.

I tried explaining that to Najimi before, but his first impression was that I was a guy who liked picture books for children——.

That was an insult that would hit people of my kind but yes, the genre is usually for teenagers and above!

Hoshoujo: [I'll ace the exams then we'll be able to freely do what I want since my mother promised me that.]

Hoshoujo was still latched unto Najimi's arms. She was like that since she came here.

I didn't expect that she would be that clingy since her personality was that of a demanding and condescending woman.

Was she always like this? No, it's the first that I am seeing this and it's quite uncomfortable.

Hoshoujo: [Can you stop staring? Your gaze is uncomfortable.]

Mendou: [I'd do just that if you guys wouldn't flirt so brazenly in front of me. It hurts my eyes!]

Najimi: [Now, now. Don't fight.]

I wasn't exactly staring at them but, seeing them flirt outright in front of me just hurts my feeling as a guy.

Of course! I'm a guy, and I'd want to get a girlfriend but, it wouldn't be possible for me since almost everyone in this school is far richer than me.

I'm sure there's someone who would still like me for who I am but, regarding their status, I doubt it would be easy.

Mendou: [Chee. I'll go out for a bit. You guys do your thing and... uh, don't worry. No one would hear you guys from outside if I just am on the lookout.]

I stood up and went to the doorway, teasing them before leaving.

Najimi: [Hear what exactly though?]

Hoshoujo: [———?]

They were both confused and puzzled at that innuendo. I can't believe that they don't know what I was trying to tease them with.

Mendou: [N-Nevermind! Just go and flirt all you want, geez.]

I left and closed the door.

Mendou: [Sigh... Not only my friends are troublesome, but even our advisor is also a bit suspicious.]

I could remember the image that I saw earlier that was on the shelf.

I resembled one of the members, yet his eyes looked a bit feminine. He was wearing a boy's uniform though, so I'm sure that he's a guy.

It shouldn't be more than a coincidence but, other than me, Najimi himself looked like the one in the middle who was wearing a pair of glasses, and besides that was a girl who looked like Hoshoujo, hugging the latter.

The only difference was that everyone was smiling and looked genuinely happy.

It was the only distinction that I could find in that photo, and I was sure that those three, weren't us.

That was no longer a coincidence, isn't it?

???: [Eeh? What're you doing 'ere?]

Mendou: [———!?]

I turned to my right. There was someone there.

It was Gotako Namako, the gyaru leader of the... gal group they have.

This was recent but apparently, I heard that she found her name to sound terrible so she began calling herself by a different name, Mayu.

There shouldn't be someone in the building at this hour except for us though. Most of the clubs are found in the other building.

Mendou: [——You lost?]

Mayu: [Waddaya mean? I'm not lost! I'm lookin' for the Literature Club.]

Mendou: [——Huh?]

We've just officially begun our activities and suddenly, people from other clubs started coming here to request things from us.

It's a good start but it's rather abrupt. Only Miss Shiraishi would be the one to inform the other clubs about our club so, she must be here for something.

Mendou: [Ah, we just started doing our activities. If you want something to be written or if you want to borrow a book, you can go back tomorrow. We haven't even checked what we have yet.]

Mayu: [Haah? Are you a member of the club? I'm not 'ere for that...]

Huh? Was I mistaken then? If I remember correctly, Mayu is part of the Manga Reading Club (totally because they're not doing anything except to real and slack off).

If she's not here because of that, then what is it?

Mayu: [I'm 'ere to join the club.]