Chapter 2

【Character: Kobayashi Ayumu]

【Charisma: 5]

【Pass]

This is indeed a real-life game, where looks are highly valued.

Watanabe Tetsu put away the panel and walked to the bulletin board in front of the club building.

"April 25th, Friday, the Wind Ensemble will perform in the auditorium, welcome all teachers and students to attend!!!"

"Photography Club urgently needs models, free photography!!!"

"Literary Club is soliciting contributions for the club magazine!!! You can submit directly to the Literary Club or via email. Email: ******"

Watanabe Tetsu glanced over these promotional flyers, looking for which clubs were still recruiting members.

"Show your youth, strengthen your body, the Track and Field Club welcomes your participation!"

"The Soccer Club is waiting for you!!! Let me tell you a secret: there's a cute female manager!!!"

"The Wind Ensemble needs two tuba players, males preferred, no instrument experience required! Our club aims to compete in the Tokyo competition, so don't waste your time if you just want to coast!"

From the information on this bulletin board, the Wind Ensemble is undoubtedly a highly motivated and passionate high school club.

At 4 a.m. in Tokyo, practicing alone at sunset, tears of joy, regret, or remorse on the field... Watanabe Tetsu could already see their future.

It sounds like this is what youth should be like.

Unfortunately, although Watanabe Tetsu was born in the countryside, he has no strength at all. Even if he could endure the weight of the instrument, he might not be able to play a complete piece, let alone produce a sound.

He decided not to be a burden.

"Human Observation Club, recruiting members.

Activity: Observing humans;

Activity Time: Anytime;

Member Requirements: Quiet, not enthusiastic about socializing, those with a habit of leaving early are preferred."

Although he hadn't read the student handbook, Watanabe Tetsu was sure that the Human Observation Club did not align with any school spirit.

Is it a club or a hobby group?

A hobby group is an organization that, although it has an activity room, does not meet the requirements to be a club, receives no funding from the student council, and operates on passion alone.

In any case, he decided to check it out first; relying solely on imagination wouldn't accomplish anything.

Watanabe Tetsu turned and glanced at the bulletin board, memorizing the location of the Human Observation Club.

At noon, there were few people in the club building, but as he passed the third floor, he heard the sound of horseplay coming from a classroom at the stairwell.

On the fifth floor of the club building, in the corner, was the activity room of the Human Observation Club.

Watanabe Tetsu knocked three times on the door, and when someone inside said to come in, he pushed the door open.

The classroom was spacious, but the space for people to move around was very limited—boxes, spare tables and chairs, cabinets, and even a faded globe were piled up around the room.

The remaining space had a long table, which was placed against the wall to save space.

A girl was sitting at the end of the long table closest to the window, writing something. Next to her was a neatly packed lunch box.

"Human Observation Club?" Watanabe Tetsu asked.

"Yes." The girl continued to write, keeping her head down.

"Is it a hobby group or a formal club?"

"Club."

"Can I leave early?"

"Yes."

"Can I join now?"

The girl looked up, and for the first time, the two of them clearly saw each other's faces.

The girl was wearing a white shirt with a spring beige sweater over it. The bow at her collar was neatly tied, unlike the loose ones of other girls.

Her face was as beautiful as a cherry blossom blown in by the wind through a white gauze window, with long, shiny black hair that made Watanabe Tetsu think of a 0.5mm pencil lead that had broken during math class.

She had a slender waist and a small chest.

Almost instinctively, Watanabe Tetsu used the [Scanner].

[Character: Kiyono Rin]

[Age: 15]

[Intelligence: 8]

[Charisma: 9]

[Stamina: 3]

[Information: Observing various types of people, but not very interested in it. Just doesn't have anything she likes to do. Dislikes liars and talkative people.]

[No dating history, can be pursued]

Watanabe Tetsu was somewhat surprised.

Although his charisma is only 8, in real life, he hasn't met a man more handsome than himself—partly because his social circle is small.

This girl, Kiyono Rin, had a beauty that was almost at the limit of human perfection.

"I've never seen a boy in this school who dares to stare at me like this." Kiyono Rin's lips curled slightly, but there was no smile, only disdain and mockery.

Even so, her cherry-colored lips made him feel at ease.

"Sorry." Watanabe Tetsu's gaze passed through the [Panel] and met hers directly.

With the intention of being polite since he was asking for something, he continued, "I've never seen someone as beautiful as you, Kiyono-san. I got lost in your beauty."

After hearing this, Kiyono Rin rested her chin on her hand and thought deeply.

Watanabe Tetsu had the excuse "You're so beautiful, I've heard your name from friends" on the tip of his tongue, but he was thinking about whether to go to the library to take a nap or directly report to Mr. Koizumi that he had joined a club after quickly resolving the club issue.

"Do you like boys?"

"You... what?" Watanabe Tetsu quickly corrected himself, surprised at the girl's question.

Is she a yaoi fan?

Is the Human Observation Club actually about analyzing all the boys in the school, pairing them up in her mind, and gaining psychological satisfaction from observing them?

Kiyono Rin ignored Watanabe Tetsu's expression and said more firmly, "Answer me."

"I don't like boys." Watanabe Tetsu said.

The girl fell into deep thought again, this time for much longer. Although there was nothing else to do, Watanabe Tetsu didn't want to waste time waiting.

He said, "If I can leave early, I want to join the club now."

Whether the Human Observation Club is a yaoi fan club, pairing up who with who, has nothing to do with him. He just wanted to join in name only and leave early.

"Okay." Kiyono Rin's face returned to normal, and she nodded. "Although you like to lie, you have value to be observed. I'll allow you to join temporarily. Here is the application form."

"I really don't like boys." This was the one thing Watanabe Tetsu wanted everyone to remember.

Kiyono Rin lost interest in Watanabe Tetsu and picked up her pen to continue writing. "You can leave early, but you must attend club activities. Also, come to the club every Friday. Don't worry, it won't take too much of your time."

"Club activities?"

"Currently, we submit articles to the Literary Club. The deadline is this Friday after school."

"What does this have to do with human observation? Also, I'm not good at writing articles."

Kiyono Rin didn't look up and coldly said, "If you're not good at writing, write a resignation letter."

I haven't even joined yet... Watanabe Tetsu looked at the blank application form in his hand.

Forget it, the submission doesn't have to be accepted. He could just write something when he had time, which was much better than wasting two precious hours in other clubs.

Watanabe Tetsu filled out the application form and, seeing that Kiyono Rin was still writing, left it on the desk and left the activity room.

He went straight to the library and didn't sleep.

"Excuse me, do you have past issues of the Literary Club's magazine?" Watanabe Tetsu asked the librarian on duty today in a low voice.

"Wait a moment, I'll check for you."

"Thank you."

A moment later, the librarian's gaze moved from the computer. "Section D, the second shelf from the left, at the bottom."

Watanabe Tetsu thanked her again.

There were many issues of the club magazine, suggesting a tradition of publishing one each year, roughly.

Watanabe Tetsu flipped through them casually and found an article written by a second-year student observing freshmen. He then outlined its structure and wrote an article observing seniors from the perspective of a freshman.

Submitting this wouldn't work; he had only glanced at the Literary Club's submission notice, which required a certain word count.

He needed to add some flowery and profound vocabulary, and write a couple of haikus about the future and the past.

After organizing his thoughts in his mind, Watanabe Tetsu gradually felt sleepy. Looking at the old clock on the library wall, he saw that there was still half an hour before the first afternoon class. He pushed the magazine aside and laid his head on the table to take a nap.

He didn't care whether his submission would be accepted or published in the magazine.

The warm spring breeze of late April occasionally brushed against Watanabe Tetsu's face with the unsecured pages of the magazine. Each time, he changed to a more comfortable sleeping position.