“They’re so cool,” I said.
The girls’ powerful voices seemed to reverberate all the way down to my bones, while the precision and tempo of their dance displayed perfect body control. An amazing performance like this couldn’t be achieved without diligent training and hard work.
“I saw this last year too, but it’s still really impressive,” Rose said.
“They’re definitely cool, but those outfits are too revealing for me…,” Lia said, looking uncertain.
“Well, I see no problems here,” I said.
According to Shii, the clubs most likely to get carried away with their recruiting activities were the ones people weren’t as interested in. Popular clubs like Cheerleading didn’t need to break the rules to attract a lot of applicants.
“Let’s move on,” I said.
But just as we were about to head to a different location…
“Oh, it’s Allen!”
…a girl who’d been watching the Cheerleading Club’s performance shouted my name. She and a bunch of other female students hurriedly swarmed me.
“I-I’m a big fan of yours! Could I get an autograph?!”
“P-please shake my hand…!”
“Umm, do you have a girlfriend?!”
The girls all forcibly tried to draw my attention. Their youthful energy was a sight to behold.
“Umm, I’m kind of busy with Student Council business right now…,” I said, using my work as an excuse. I tried to get away, but the next moment…
“Wow, your hands are amazing! They’re so big and rough!”
“And your stomach’s as hard as steel! How much did you have to train to achieve that?!”
“You look slender, but you’re actually a total beefcake!”
…the girls started getting handsy. The feminine scents of soaps and flowers permeated my nostrils all at once, making my head spin.
“H-hey, umm, could you maybe…?” I trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.
Just then, black flames and cherry blossoms exploded into the air nearby.
“You’re all first years, right?” Lia said.
“That’s not how you behave toward an upperclassman, now, is it?” Rose chastised.
They both smiled gently, projecting a strange aura that had nothing to do with their spirit power.
Those smiles are terrifying… Lia and Rose were clearly smiling, but there was no joy in their expressions at all. I could feel their anger all the way through to the marrow in my bones.
The first years cowered before their wrath…
“S-s-sorry…!”
…then scattered in all directions like spiders.
“Good grief… I can’t let my guard down for a moment.”
“According to the romance handbook, guys find younger girls attractive. I’ll have to stay on high alert.”
Lia and Rose had dead serious expressions on their face as they murmured something to themselves. They were scaring me a little, so I bluntly changed the subject.
“U-uhh… Let’s go check out the Swordcraft Club next!”
As we made our way toward the gymnasium, Lia spoke up.
“Oh yeah, Allen. Are you sure you don’t want to recruit for the Practice-Swing Club?”
“Hmm… Personally, I don’t really see the need to,” I replied.
I would gladly welcome any first years who wanted to join…but I didn’t have any desire to make signs or run campaigns to attract them. I was fine with my club remaining a place people who genuinely loved swordcraft found on their own.
“Really? Well, whatever you say, Club President,” Lia said.
“I guess we already have way too many people,” conceded Rose.
Once we arrived at the gymnasium, we changed into our indoor shoes and went inside to observe the Swordcraft Club.
“They’re just as energetic as last year,” I said.
Over a hundred club members were in the gym. They were giving the prospective applicants a taste of what they could expect if they joined the Swordcraft Club.
“Are you all ready? Let’s move on to a three-strike chain!” yelled a girl with a drum in the middle of the gym.
“““Hya! Hya! Hya!”””
The hundred-plus students in the gym swung their swords to the beat of the drum. As one, they raised their weapons, took a step forward, and swung down. The students’ fervor was palpable as they performed this move again and again.
…I remember feeling the same way the last time I was here, but this club’s a bit too rigid for me.
As I was ruminating on that thought, the girl with the drum called out again.
“Next up, free practice! Begin!”
“““Yes, ma’am!”””
The students broke off from their synchronized movements to do their own thing. Some checked their form in front of a mirror, some practiced moves from their school of swordcraft, and others pulled textbooks out of their bags.
…Huh? Did the Swordcraft Club used to have free practice?
I cocked my head in confusion as the girl in the middle of the gym noticed us.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Allen!”
It was Sirtie Rosette, an energetic third-year student with short brown hair and big, round eyes. I had heard that the previous president of the Swordcraft Club, Jean Bael, had appointed her as his successor at the end of last year, promoting her from vice president.
“It’s been a while, Sirtie. I figure I should ask you this just to make sure, but you’re not going to pull any more dirty tricks like you did last year to try to recruit new members, are you?” I asked, glancing toward the exit.
Last year, the Swordcraft Club had trapped me in the gymnasium in an attempt to force me to join them. The culprit behind that incident had been none other than Sirtie.
“Ah-ha-ha, that was a one-time thing. I won’t do anything like it again!” she said with a laugh. She was always in high spirits.
“By the way…did you change your practice routine?” I asked.
“Oh, you noticed? Nothing gets by you, Allen!” Sirtie said, nudging me with her elbow. “Sword forms are very important, of course, but I’ve come to wonder if fixating on them too much can be a bad thing. So I decided to use my presidency to implement a looser training schedule. The freedom of your Practice-Swing Club seems popular, after all.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I said. That flexibility spoke well of her.
We spent five more minutes watching the Swordcraft Club’s recruiting activities without observing any problems.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to worry about here,” I said.
“Yeah, everything seems on the up-and-up,” agreed Lia. “The first years look like they’re having fun, too.”
“Let’s move on, then,” said Rose.
After that, we went to the Mountaineering Club, the Swimming Club, the Art Club, and more without finding anyone breaking the rules.
“Everyone’s playing by the rules this year, huh?” I said.
“I’m baffled. I heard a lot of people stepped out of line last year…,” remarked Lia.
“I guess it’s a good thing…but something about it doesn’t feel right,” said Rose.
Right at that moment…
“What was that, punk?! You think we’re joking?!”
…we heard someone angrily yelling from the schoolyard.
“…That sounds like trouble,” I said.
“Yeah,” agreed Lia.
“It doesn’t sound friendly, that’s for sure,” commented Rose.
We nodded to each other, then raced to the schoolyard.