“Are you okay, Shin? Is there anywhere that hurts?”
“You were looking pretty out of it yesterday, but did you sleep well after that?”
“You stepped up for everyone yesterday, right? Seriously, you were so cool!”
“You were really cool! I couldn’t help but feel my heart skip a beat!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
The next day, I came to school as usual… but as expected, I was surrounded by a bunch of students from the very start of the morning.
Even though I said I didn’t want to stand out, there were even students from other classes in mine.
Well, at least the reason I’m standing out isn’t because of my strength, which is a small mercy.
‘Quite popular, aren’t you?’
‘Not happy about it at all.’
While I made small talk with the old man who teased me, I responded with a polite smile to the students who came up to talk to me.
In the midst of this, my savior Arthur showed up at school.
“Good morning, everyone. It’s about time you head back to your classrooms, don’t you think? We’re running out of time.”
With a cheerful smile, Arthur started urging the students from other classes to return.
Arthur’s influence as part of a marquis family helped send them back to their own classrooms.
“Thanks, Arthur.”
“You’ve become quite the popular guy. Well, you did take the hit for everyone, so it’s natural they’d feel a bit guilty.”
Well, it wasn’t for everyone. It was just for Hera.
If she hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have stepped up at all.
“By the way, changing the topic, club selections start today, right?”
Arthur’s words reminded me that something like that was happening.
In the original story, the protagonist wasn’t accepted into any club, so he ended up forming one himself.
I don’t really remember what it was called, but it had a bit of a cringy name, I think.
“Still… will he make his own club?”
“He might not… He’s gotten a lot stronger, so I think many clubs will be after him.”
“Yeah, probably…”
Seriously, he keeps messing with the story.
Just because he’s the protagonist doesn’t mean this world revolves around him.
“So, Shin, which club are you joining?”
“I’ll go with the martial arts club. I know the advisor, and honestly, my fighting style makes martial arts essential.”
The real reason, though, is because the martial arts club has the least connection to the story.
No matter how hard I try to recall, I can’t think of anything significant that the martial arts club did.
In other words, it’s the perfect club for someone like me who doesn’t want to stand out.
I’m not sure who the other members are since they weren’t mentioned in the story, but if it’s just a bit of hazing from upperclassmen, I can deal with that.
“And you?”
“I’ll be in the Spirit Magic Research Club. My brother is the club president, and he invited me to join.”
Oh yeah, I remember Arthur’s brother was also quite talented.
To become the president of a club, you have to be the most skilled member, so it’s not like in my previous life where you could just say, “I’ll do it.”
Conversely, if you’re talented, you have to take the role whether you want to or not.
“There aren’t any classes today, and it looks like everyone’s already gone. Should we head over too?”
Arthur’s words prompted me to glance around the classroom. Most of the students were already gone, and the hallways were filled with their voices.
“Yeah, we should go too.”
We headed down the hallway towards our respective clubrooms.
“——Excuse me. I’m Shin from Class 1-C. I’ve come to join the martial arts club.”
“Oh, Shin! Glad to see you made it through safely.”
When I opened the door to the martial arts club, I was greeted by Mr. Doban, the advisor, who was sitting and drinking coffee. His usually stern face softened a little with a smile.
He was genuinely happy to see that I’d made it, even though we’d barely interacted. He really is a great teacher.
“Thank you! I managed to pass somehow. So, can I join?”
“Of course! We’ve had fewer students joining the martial arts club recently, so you’re more than welcome!”
Indeed, looking around, there were no new first-year students in the martial arts club, so he must have been really happy. He even offered me coffee and some snacks to go with it.
While waiting for the seniors, who were supposed to arrive soon, we chatted about various things.
“——Sensei! The new recruit for the martial arts club——wait, no way, it’s the famous guy!”
The first to enter was a muscular senior who, upon seeing me, immediately grabbed my hand and started shaking it energetically.
I was completely overwhelmed by his overly friendly energy.
“Thanks for joining, Shin! My name’s Virgil! I’ve heard all about you! They say you bravely took on a stronger opponent for everyone’s sake! A hot-blooded guy like you is perfect for this club! I welcome you!”
“Good morning~~ wait, there’s really a new member!? I thought Mr. Doban was just joking because he was lonely!”
“You’re as sharp-tongued as ever, Eileen.”
“Aha, sorry!”
The lively girl, Eileen, who had just arrived, shrank under Mr. Doban’s glare after making a rather rude comment.
Aside from the two of them, no one else seemed to be coming.
Are these the only members?
“Mr. Doban, are these the only seniors?”
“Yes. There were 10 members last year, but now it’s just the two of them.”
“Yeah, unfortunately, there’s only us two third-years. No one joined last year…”
“Haha… Everyone’s scared of Mr. Doban, after all…”
“Sorry about that…”
Mr. Doban looked sad after Eileen’s blunt comment.
She has a habit of hitting people where it hurts, so I’ll make sure she doesn’t get any leverage over me.
Just as I was thinking that, the door to the clubroom opened.
“——Excuse me. I’m Hera Dragonslay. I’ve come to join the martial arts club.”
…
“———WHAT!?”
“No way…?”
Hera… Why did you come to this club?
In the original story, you were supposed to join the Spirit Magic Club, the largest and strongest in the academy.
That was a direct order from your parents, and you shouldn’t be able to defy them…
As I watched my beloved crush, who was flustered from being yelled at by the three of us, I quietly made coffee for everyone since the others were too out of commission to be of any use.
