The final day of Golden Week was upon us. All five of the crime crew had gathered at the gates of Kirinoki High School, just a fifteen-minute bike ride from Tsuwabuki. It was one of those fancy schools with a unique curriculum: First-years all took business classes, and from the second year on, students divided themselves into specific, career-oriented courses like information or finance. They even had cool stuff like IT, but I’d sworn off a future in tech after destroying the family computer one time just by clicking the wrong link.
The place kinda gave me weird vibes too. Didn’t like seeing students at school on a holiday. A statue of Hermes looked down on me coldly.
The president patted me on my shoulder. “I’m going to exchange pleasantries in the staff room. You all go on ahead to the drama club.” Then she went off toward the school building, grocery bag of senbei in hand.
“Where to, Yanami-san?” I asked.
“Back of the workshops, apparently. First floor. The club uses an empty classroom. It’s all ours.” Yanami looked up from her phone and glanced around.
Asagumo-san waved to us. “This way! Follow me!” She scurried off without even waiting. Someone was excited.
Yanami and Shiratama-san started moving first. I trailed behind them.
“Is this a good friend of yours?” Shiratama-san asked her.
“Yup. We’re food buddies. I traded a map I made of all the best ramen spots to get us this room, actually.”
A “food buddy.” They were probably a good person. Far more patient than me.
We eventually came to an old, three-story building. I was a little intimidated, to be honest, but clearly the others weren’t because they went right in. Through dim hallways, we came to a classroom labeled “Drama Club.”
“I’ll just knock,” I said.
“Comin’ in!” blurted Yanami, and in she went. Rude.
Instantly, a stuffy wave of dust and paint hit my nose. Handmade, plywood backdrops and set pieces lined the walls of the ex-classroom. Cardboard boxes stuffed with props littered the floor, and there were about enough costumes on racks to last a lifetime.
In the back was a couch, from which a yawning girl sluggishly stood. “Yanamin, good to see ya. Eatin’ good?”
“Heya, Nina. Actually on a diet these days.”
Yanami and the girl called Nina (who was very clearly and confusingly Japanese) hugged. She had perpetually half-asleep eyes and, to put it bluntly, struck me as a very simple soul.
I waited for a chance to cut in, then said, “Uh, I’m Nukumizu, from the Tsuwabuki literature club. Thanks for letting us—”
“Nukumizu-san? So you’re the guy.” She stared at me. And stared. And stared some more.
“Uh…”
“Oh, sorry. I’m the vice president of the drama club. Niina. That’s ‘nii’ from the kanji for ‘new,’ ‘na’ from veggies.” Niina-san (not Nina) offered her hand.
Was I allowed to touch a girl I’d just met? I glanced at Yanami for approval before taking it. Felt something hard against my palm. “A key?”
“For the room. We do rehearsals in the gym, so this place is only used for changing and storage.” She glanced between me and Yanami. “Anyway, laters. Good luck, Yanamin.” Then she left.
Now there went someone with their head on straight. Surprising, given she was in Yanami’s circle.
She nudged me with her elbow. “Chill, right? The ‘na’ in our names are the same kanji. That’s how you can tell she’s one of the good ones.” But her eyes never left the floor.
“What’re you looking at?”
“You think that food she left’s been there three seconds?”
“I’m gonna say yes. Plus, you’re still on a diet.” I picked up the empty box and searched for a trash can.
The room was in a bit of a state, but it was an ordered chaos. The schedule on the blackboard looked recently updated too. Green flag. These guys were an actual club that did actual club things.
“Very nice,” Asagumo-san muttered, fiddling with her laptop on the floor next to Shiratama-san. “Basically no electrical interference.”
“What, uh, are you doing exactly?” I asked.
“If this is to be our headquarters on the day of, there are certain contingencies I must plan for.” She jumped to her feet, forehead glistening with enthusiasm. “Come, Riko-san! We must be as the great King Bluetooth and pave our way through the world of electromagnetism!”
“I don’t know what literally any of that means, but sure!” Shiratama-san hurried after Asagumo-san as she scurried out of the room, antenna in hand. I worried for our impressionable newbie.
Yanami sure was interested in the trash all of a sudden.