LIGHTNOVELONLINE 37: Nostalgic Club Activities
When the break ends, weekdays come again.
After the hectic Saturday finally passed and Sunday flowed by uneventfully, the usual Monday arrived as always.
Saying it’s the start of the week might make it sound somewhat pleasant, but there’s probably no day more disliked by many than Monday. Of course, I am no exception, and today I feel even less enthusiastic than usual, my body and mind sluggish, and motivation is nowhere to be found.
Well, it can’t be helped. After all, it’s Monday.
And so, I decided to take a nap… just as the fifth period began.
When I woke up, the homeroom session had long ended, and it was already well into the after-school period!
What? No way, this has to be a joke…
No matter how deeply I slept, I wish someone had at least woken me up for the homeroom session…
I bet Mr. Takatsuki noticed but deliberately left me alone…
Despite being strict in these matters, he’s supporting his deadbeat boyfriend. What is that about, I grumbled internally, glancing around the classroom.
My seat is at the back by the window. Without moving my head much, I can get a good view of the entire room.
As expected, there were no students left in the classroom. Not a single one besides me. Of course, Kamidama was not there either.
Given her previous behavior, she might have sat next to me or woken me up, but…
Well, it’s just as well, I thought.
From the start, I never understood why she approached me—there was no convincing reason that made sense to me; she just came close for no apparent reason.
She suddenly started interacting with me, so it’s inevitable that she would suddenly stop as well.
Stretching, I realized I felt a bit shocked by this.
It seems I had gotten more attached to Kamidama than I thought—well, that’s understandable in a way, given how overwhelming she was. It couldn’t be helped.
It wasn’t that I was easy; Kamidama was just too intense. Let’s leave it at that.
There’s no point in expecting much interaction anymore.
With a sigh that went unnoticed, I blamed the noisy bunch of keys in my pocket for it.
How many more doors do I have to open…? Well, normally it would take another two or three days, but…
I don’t have a reason to hurry, but since I have nothing else to do, I might as well get some of it done today… I thought, playing with the bunch of keys as I stood up.
At that moment, the door at the front of the classroom slid open with a loud sound, as if on cue.
I thought it might be a teacher making rounds, but the swinging ash-colored hair instantly dispelled that thought.
Blinking her hazel eyes, she smiled lightly and approached with a spring in her step, Kamidama placed her hand gently on my cheek.
“Good morning, you slept well. Here, have some water. You must be thirsty.”
“…Sorry. I seem to have misjudged you, Kamidama. Please forgive me…”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Don’t feel guilty and get depressed on your own! Geez, you really are a handful.”
“Alright, alright, it’s okay now.” Kamidama hugged me easily as if she was used to it.
Normally, I would resist with all my might, but today, my self-loathing was too strong for that.
I almost started thinking, “People leave so easily. It’s not worth getting close to anyone.” That was close…
A beautiful girl with mental issues might be okay, but me with mental issues? That’s beyond useless. It would be a total loss.
As I sighed deeply, Kamidama tightened her embrace.
It felt more like she just wanted to do it rather than to comfort me…
As I calmed down, tension began to take over, and I wanted her to let go soon.
Besides, it would be troublesome if other students or teachers saw us…
Not that we were doing anything wrong, but still, it would be problematic.
So, as I lightly wriggled, Kamidama met my eyes with a serious look.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I will never leave your side.”
“You really know what to say to make me feel better, Kamidama.”
“Of course, because I’m your bride.”
Kamidama’s words were as usual, almost terrifying in their simplicity, but somehow comforting. I realized with a shudder that I was finding reassurance in that.
Hey! This makes me look like an easy guy!
I thought I should turn the tables someday, but there didn’t seem to be many opportunities.
Well, maybe someday. I’ll show her that I’m a very serious guy.
“You’re thinking about something strange again…”
“It’s not strange, it’s serious. Anyway, thanks for waking me up.”
“Hehe, I didn’t want to wake you because your sleeping face is rare. I took a lot of pictures.”
“So it wasn’t out of kindness, just personal gain… Delete them all right now.”
“No way, these are my precious treasures. They’re even good enough to be my wallpaper.”
“Hey, do I need to bow my head and beg? Don’t worry, I’m good at apologizing.”
“If you do that, I’ll post your sleeping face in the group chat.”
“Please don’t.”
The moment I said that in a very serious tone, I felt a sense of tension, like dealing with a wild beast. All I could do was speak calmly.
Cold sweat trickled down my face. Seeing this, Kamidama sighed lightly.
“Well, you’ll get used to seeing your sleeping face soon.”
“Don’t predict a terrifying future! Honestly, there’s no benefit in bullying me.”
“I’m not trying to bully you…”
I wanted to ask what her intention was, but it seemed like poking a hornet’s nest, so I kept quiet.
Then, Kamidama looked out the window.
From the window facing the second ground, she probably saw the tennis club.
I remembered today was the girls’ tennis club day, and Kamidama suddenly said,
“Hey, Uraku, why don’t we start a club?”
I was taken aback and then laughed.
“What, Kamidama, do you want to join a club?”
“Not exactly, but I would join if you started one.”
“Here you go again, saying things that don’t make sense…”
When I was about to complain about not being interested in starting or joining a club, Kamidama pulled out a form.
I took it, and it said ‘Club Formation Application’ at the top.
“But I’m not interested in starting a club…”
“Really? But Mr. Takatsuki said he would be the advisor. Just now.”
“So that’s why you weren’t around… What a busybody.”
“But if it’s a club, we can stay at school longer, right?”
“…I see.”
That was a very convincing reason.
If it’s a club, we can stay until the final school bell without being scolded by the teachers.
Of course, considering Aika, it might be better to go home early, but given that I can’t immediately fit in with that household, the answer is unfortunately no.
The reason for my reluctance to go to that house isn’t really about Aika—it’s more about the Aimoto couple, and there’s nothing I can do about that.
Given that, starting a club seemed like a smart move.
It felt like I was being cleverly persuaded, but it made sense.
“Well, it’s not a bad idea…”
“Yes, I thought you’d say that. And for you, Uraku, I have a recommended club—”
“No, it’s fine. I already have an idea.”
“What?”
I realized that while it would look silly if I did it, Kamidama’s confused look was actually cute. I quickly filled out the form.
It was six characters in total, and I finished writing in a few seconds.
“‘Don’t Go Home Club’. Yeah, this feels right… What’s with that face?”
“Ahaha, nothing. I was just surprised because I was thinking of the same club. Let’s use the classroom we have lunch in as our club room!”
“No way…”
The moment when the idea of being in sync with her started to feel real. Kamidama blushed, clearly pleased, and I sighed, wondering what was going on.