Chapter 82

The new semester has been going on for a week now.

I don’t have any friends.

It’s not really a big issue.

High school isn’t a place just for hanging out; it’s clearly for education, so it’s fine even without friends.

Even though public education is not only about acquiring knowledge but also about the socialization process to become an adult, I, having already lived a previous life, don’t need to learn how to make friends or how to talk to them—or any of that stuff. I’m already a full-fledged adult.

“Uh… do you want some marshmallows…?”

A rustling sound came from the seat in front of me.

No, wait. I’m not an adult—I’m a high school student.

So, shouldn’t I, as a proper high school student, try to make some friends? I don’t really need friends, but every time Yumina claims my neighboring seat and then disappears during breaks to chat with others, I feel a strange sensation.

It’s not because she leaves me alone during the breaks, though. She has a right to do that.

And it’s not because she and her friends go out to eat lunch together either.

If that were the case, I could eat with Doyugeon, who’s in another class. It’s not because Doyugeon gets unnecessarily burdened if he eats without including Yumina, and thus he declines for some silly reason.

Because of that, I end up eating alone without friends occasionally, but that can happen, right? Once I enter university, I’ll inevitably have to eat alone sometimes depending on the class schedule, so this could be considered an early university experience.

So, the fact that I don’t have friends isn’t due to such reasons. It’s simply because my mom suggested I try to make at least one more friend, and her worry deeply touched my heart as the filial daughter that I am.

“Hey, when are we going to get lunch…?”

Since I’m not exactly the filial daughter type, let me present another reason: usually, when students enter their first year of high school, they naturally wander around trying to make friends. So, like in my first year of middle school, some kids should be coming to me, right…?

But no one does.

Looking at how I appear, shouldn’t people have an urge to talk to me? Aren’t kids these days looking at themselves in mirrors?

If they approach me, I’d consider accepting them as friends after various screening processes. I didn’t have this intention on the first day, but thinking about it now, it feels like having one friend would be nice. Since high school friendships are important.

Friends from university often come with ulterior motives, and friends from elementary or middle school tend to change as they grow and mature, so the friends you call friends without giving it much thought are generally those you made in high school. Missing this opportunity would significantly hinder the establishment of interpersonal networks. Simply put, it would make it harder to make friends.

However, there needs to be a pool of candidates to choose from, right? Did I perhaps overstep too much during my middle school years? Upon reflection, I didn’t do anything major, and I lived as a model student without getting into serious trouble. Yet no one comes near me, as if rumors have spread around. What on earth…

What should I do about mom? I have the desire to make friends, but there is something wrong with these kids.

I could hear mom mentally responding, “Then there’s nothing we can do, I suppose.” Indeed. Since mom agrees, there’s nothing more I can do as her daughter. Pity.

I stood up from my seat, heading toward the cafeteria. Here I am, ready to eat alone again. Sad.

The girl sitting in front of me hastily shoved her marshmallow pack into her bag and followed me. Why is she tagging along?

She looked flustered as I glanced back at her while walking.

“Why, why?”

Despite her somewhat pushy attitude, she’s ever so slightly taller than me, which is rather irritating.

It’s been a week since she started following me around, and I have no idea why. Did she feel a sense of kinship because I showed up early on the first day? Though I wanted to ask if she also lacks friends, I refrained due to my kindly nature.

Perhaps I should consider her for the friend candidate pool, but unfortunately, she doesn’t make the cut. The reason is simple: I don’t like how she looks. Just as some people choose friends based on physical appearance, others can reject based on the same.

“Why is your hair white?”

“Because it’s naturally this way…?”

The school rules don’t prohibit dyeing hair, but wearing overly visible white hair isn’t encouraged either. However, with no teacher intervention, it seems her hair isn’t dyed. Yet her eyes are dark.

She lifted her short hair with her hand, showing the roots were also white.

“Did you get sick or something?”

“No, it’s just naturally this way.”

Could she be a mixed-race individual? Just as I thought earlier, I find her appearance unpleasant, so she’s out of the friend pool. White hair? No thanks. Schrödinger has already ruined my taste.

I took my cafeteria food and sat down. Today’s meal includes mixed-grain rice, four side dishes, beef stew, and kimchi (not counted among the side dishes). The nutritionist seems competent, as the taste is pretty good. Still, it would be better if the cafeteria offered buffet-style service. Is it due to nutritional balance? That’s disappointing.

After finishing the meal, I headed to the library. Wandering around and jotting down a list of books I might read someday was a great way to pass the time.

At the entrance, there was a recruiting notice.

Library club members wanted.

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

“Are you going to do this?”

She sounded excited. This could mean she’s found something she wants to do and is asking if I’ll join her.

“No.”

Why bother? The easiest way to change a hobby is to turn it into your job. The library club sounds nice, but you just need to overcome the fact that books get heavy when they pile up.

The girl looked deflated.

A club, huh.

Is it mandatory to join?

–

“Isn’t it?”

Yumina exclaimed.

“Club activities are an official subject that occupies regular class time. Its importance is beyond words. By setting and pursuing a common goal, you cultivate civic consciousness, escaping from the one-sided education focused on academic subjects to acquire the experience of being not only a knowledge user but also a producer through those conflicts.”

“None of those things concern me.”

I scribbled a flower on the club notice. A random doodle of circles leaves me unsure of what kind of flower it’s supposed to be. The flower probably doesn’t know either.

“But even someone like our young lady shouldn’t try to avoid joining a club!”

“Really?”

I threw that skeptical question at her, confident voice and all, causing her to flinch. She’s probably pondering whether she could bypass the club registration with her authority. As the party in question, I could answer that, whether or not it’s possible, mom won’t indulge such antics. It’s allocated as class time, and you can’t simply skip it. Though skipping class is something worth trying.

“At least joining a club can be fun.”

Doyugeon said. He’s in a different class, but it’s after-school hours, so he’s here in our classroom. It’s inconvenient because his class is the farthest. The sensation of a grandfather’s shadow looms, but that must be an illusion.

“Why do both of you assume I will try to abuse power? I don’t go that far, you know. Right?”

I turned to the girl in front. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Her reaction was slow.

“In times like these, you can answer truthfully. Our young lady doesn’t sabotage things like this. Probably.”

“Why did you add ‘probably’?”

“Anyway, even our young lady needs to join a club. It’d be best if we all joined the same club, and the best would be one that suits all of us. Ta-da!”

Yumina lifted a printout. It was an application to create a new club.

“Let’s make a club!”

Not bad. With the high school moving to a new city, the previously traditional clubs have dissolved, so creating a new one is a good choice. Personally, lying down among strangers claiming you don’t want to do anything feels worse than lying down among acquaintances claiming the same.

“Hold on. I’ve already submitted an application with some friends.”

Doyugeon spoiled the mood. He claimed the group had discussed and submitted the application as soon as it was open despite the teacher handing out the forms just moments before class ended.

“What is it?”

“Soccer Club.”

“If soccer requires a large number of members, don’t you need to gather enough?”

“Naturally, I’ve already gathered the necessary number and even got permission from the principal last week in case of overlapping applications.”

This is the week we started school.

Yumina folded her arms and groaned.

“With just three people, we don’t meet the minimum membership requirement.”

After pondering, she asked,

“Is it okay for our young lady to have non-friends in her club?”

“Anyway, there are no familiar people in our classroom, and the friends in your plan also aren’t familiar to us.”

Pointing at the girl, the girl wore an expression of shock, probably believing they were friends.

“Hmm. This one’s definitely a friend. Keep her in.”

Yumina patted the girl’s shoulder a few times. The standards for friendship seem lenient. Just a shoulder shrug.

“Let’s then recruit one more person who might ghost after showing initial interest in club activities, treating them as a phantom member.”

What a wonderful term.

“Thus, we have the people sorted.”

Her confidence in easily acquiring another member shines through. Is this the confidence of a mafia boss?

“Now, it’s time to decide our grand club activity! Woohoo!”

Yumina enthusiastically clapped her hands, signaling everyone to do the same. The girl in front enthusiastically joined in an animated manner.

I have ideas for clubs. Considering this is my second life, I wouldn’t have neglected thinking about clubs at the start of high school.

“Let’s simply go for the Horticulture Club.”

“Horticulture Club? That’s unexpected.”

“I have plants at home. Just bring them to the club and take care of them during activities.”

“Plants? Could it be succulents?”

By succulents, we mean pet plants made using gardening kits. Yumina’s is named after her succulent while mine is named green onion, with the species being Stucki, which requires very minimal maintenance. Water it twice every three months.

That’s it.

We’ll be fine just watering them during club time. We don’t need to water them every session, and it doesn’t consume much time, so we can simply do nothing for the rest of the session.

“That’s not horticulture!”

“Horticulture begins with watering!”

“You must be kidding; horticulture in the modern sense isn’t that.”

“You’re too picky.”

Yumina sighed and turned to the girl.

“Is there anything you’d like to do?”

“Me…?”

“Yeah. Just say whatever comes to mind. Anything. It’s brainstorming, so even wild ideas are fine.”

I noticed right now that Yumina’s voice sounds kinder than how she usually speaks to me…

“What I hope for… is deep sleep?”

“Deep sleep?”

That unexpected answer pleases me.

Yumina looked like she was deep in thought, caught between rejecting the idea as it’s out of line but unable to dismiss it because she herself stated that wild ideas were fine.

“Alright, let’s go for deep sleep. We can refine it as the ‘Sleep Research Club.’”

Noticing Yumina’s cue, the girl glanced up with a brightened face.

“But…”

Perceiving this might not work, Yumina spoke.

“No, think about it. You’re so busy. You have no time to waste your stamina on club activities. So let’s research how to save energy and have a diligent club activity with sleep research.”

Leading a magical girl organization and trying to enjoy a normal high school life is too ambitious.

Realizing this, she didn’t interfere as the printout was snatched to write ‘Sleep Research Club.’ Though unconventional, it’s a life free of regrets if viewed this way.

“That might not get approved, though.”

Unable to bear the situation, Doyugeon voiced his concerns. How naive. Turning something disapproved into something approved is called power.

And as expected, it sailed right through.

Other than receiving an apologetic glance from mom during an accidental encounter, it was a good outcome.

–

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