01

I joined the games club at my school because I was bored. There's nothing more to it. I didn't join because I had a friend in the club, nor because I found the club's activities interesting, nor because I wanted to. It was better than being bored, that's all. It was between joining a club and dying of boredom. I merely chose the lesser of two evils. That's not to say the games club is bad, nor is it to say that boredom can't be helpful. Personally, however, I found joining a club to be a bad prospect. Myself joining a club, I should say.

If other people want to join a club because they think it would be fun or what have you, then all the power to them.

It's not that I was indifferent about joining a club, and I joined out of boredom. No. I likened the situation to choosing the lesser of two evils because I didn't want to join a club. I spent enough time at school already. I was deterred by the idea of a club adding more time to that.

Boredom can be helpful. When you're extremely bored and you feel like you have nothing to do, this is false. You have plenty of things you could do. Go outside. Read a book. Wander in your thoughts. Write something. Organize your room or home. Cook something. Challenge the devil to a game of blackjack. There are more than enough things to do at any time. Boredom isn't the product of not having anything to do. Boredom is the product of knowing there are plenty of things to do but lacking the motivation or desire to do anything. Apathy breeds boredom.

It's okay to do nothing. Sometimes it's nice to just breathe. But that's not the same as boredom. It's not that bored people do nothing because they don't want to do anything. They do nothing because of their unwillingness and lack of motivation to do anything, so they make the excuse 'There's nothing to do', and bring the suffering of nothingness upon themselves.

But just as boredom is easily born from apathy, inspiration can easily be born from boredom. While you're trying to convince yourself that you have nothing to do, you might realize that you actually do have things to do, and that alone can spark the motivation to do something.

That much is true, but I didn't want to sit around and be bored until that motivation comes. I become bored of being bored. And so I don't like boredom.

I don't like clubs either, but I considered which would be less mentally taxing, and which would make me less bored: Joining a club or boredom itself? Yeah, I don't need to answer that one.

So I chose the lesser of two evils. I set out for the games club. I arrived at their classroom shortly after the day's final bell. Three times I hit the back of my hand against the wood door. My knocks echoed back into my face.

"It's open." I'm told by the woman on the other side of the door.

The door was not open. I had to open it.

"I suppose 'come in' would be more fitting, but it's too late now. Anyway, welcome. You are?"

"Looking to join the games club. That's a long kiseru pipe you're smoking there. Are you allowed to do that at school?"

"No, my pipe is just two inches longer than the allowed pipe length for smoking as stated in the school handbook."

She considered herself a bit of a comedian.

"Teachers get away with smoking indoors. Noted. While I'm on the subject of nitpicking your appearance, how did you change into a yukata so fast? The last bell rang about three minutes ago."

She claimed she had been wearing it the whole day. "I don't believe you," I said. "There's no chance a pink yukata is permitted attire for teachers. No teacher would choose to wear that to work if they could, I'd even say."

"No respectable teacher."

Maybe don't self-deprecate so easily! Especially about your job, while you're on the job! It's fine to be critical of yourself but it's a bit early to lay this on me. You're making me feel bad for you.

"You're feeling bad for me, aren't you? Don't. I wasn't trying to garner sympathy. I might not be respectable, but that doesn't mean I don't get respect."

"Do you?"

"Not really."

That sounded about right, as rude as it is. She seemed like she was going for the 'Cool teacher' thing in an oriental aesthetic, but she didn't exactly nail it. "Is this a classroom? There's tatami everywhere and no chairs." I continued my chain of questions.

"Any room can be a classroom when a good teacher is present, so right now this is just a regular tatami room. Most students never find this room, so, I don't know, surprise? Look, are you here to join the games club or not?"

Regardless of your intent, the casual self-deprecation is making me feel bad about you! I feel like I have to console you!

"Don't even think about it. Yes or no, are you here to join the games club?"

She knew I was thinking about it!

"...That's what I said."

"Could've done without the interrogation. Welcome to the games club. Don't regret this."