"Teacher, I'd like to know what it means to force us to join a club without asking for our opinion?" Juggler adjusted his collar with a graceful flick.
He had made his move against Teacher Hiratsuka.
"Making you join the Service Club is your punishment for not writing proper essays!"
Teacher Hiratsuka brilliantly parried Juggler's attack!
"But everyone has the right to choose for themselves, don't they? Surely... our beautiful Teacher Hiratsuka wouldn't be so disrespectful to her students, would she?"
Juggler shifted into a wicked smile, continuing his assault on the elder unmarried woman.
After a moment of silence, Teacher Hiratsuka simply bypassed Juggler's words entirely and looked at Yukinoshita Yukino instead. "Anyway, I'll leave these three problem children in your care. Consider this a request from me."
"I refuse. Making me stay with these three creepy guys—I don't think my personal safety can be guaranteed," Yukinoshita's exceptionally firm voice echoed through the classroom.
The three of them glanced at Yukinoshita and remained silent, since there really wasn't much to say.
"Rest assured, while their appearances might be a bit creepy, you can still trust their character."
"Since Teacher Hiratsuka has put it that way, I'll accept this request." Yukinoshita stroked her long hair, sighed, and agreed.
"Then I'll leave the three of them in your care, Yukinoshita." With that, Teacher Hiratsuka had already turned around and left.
Gongcheng Yuandu poked Juggler in the waist and asked with curiosity, "That club... seems like... it hasn't been approved... huh?"
"During the first break, I handed a copy to the student council. They'll consider it, and the rest requires you to pull some strings."
How sinister!
Teacher Hiratsuka would definitely be furious if she found out!
Is it really okay to oppose a teacher like this on the very first day of school?
But none of this really had anything to do with him, did it?
"The three of you, don't just stand there. Find yourselves a chair and sit down." Shifting her gaze away from the three, Yukinoshita went back to the book in her hands.
Exchanging a look, the three of them each pulled up a chair and sat down not far from Yukinoshita, after which the classroom lapsed into an atmosphere called silence.
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the other two, who had no intention of continuing the conversation, and finally asked the crucial question himself: "So, what kind of club is this anyway?"
"Take a guess?" Yukinoshita raised her head, shifting her gaze from the book to Hikigaya.
"Literature Club?"
"Why do you think that?"
...
Through the exchange between the two, Juggler and Gongcheng Yuandu learned the purpose of the Service Club.
It was roughly an organization similar to volunteers.
To put it simply, helping others and finding joy in it.
"Teacher Hiratsuka's request is to change your distorted personalities and help you make friends..."
Hearing this, the three figures in the distance exchanged glances, but still suppressing their mutual disgust, they threw their arms around each other's shoulders and huddled together, looking as if they were saying, "We have friends, we are friends."
"Self-deception is not a good habit, you three creepy guys."
Seeing right through their disguise in a single glance, Juggler simply broke away from the group.
Thus, the three of them silently sat back down in their chairs.
"It seems the three of you have some self-awareness. In that case, changing you won't be such a difficult task."
Seeming to approve of them, Yukinoshita nodded, then stood up and walked over to the window. "But truly changing a person isn't a simple matter, let alone three people? This is a long-term request."
"If you find it troublesome, I can leave right now." With that, Juggler had already reached the door. The moment he pulled it open, he slammed it shut again, then returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
?
The other two looked at him in confusion.
At that moment, the door was pushed open, and they turned to see Teacher Hiratsuka walking in with her arms crossed.
Turning back to look at Juggler, the two of them seemed to understand something.
They never expected Teacher Hiratsuka to enjoy eavesdropping.
"It seems the job of correcting these three is going to be tricky." She came up beside Yukinoshita and looked out the window with her.
The aloof beauty offered no reply, while Gongcheng Yuandu spoke with his slightly peculiar accent, "I don't think we... need to change. If it's just about... making friends, I think the three of us... can become each other's companions very well. If the goal is to chan...ge our personalities, this endeavor is... quite useless."
"Because Juggler and I only transferred into Shuchiin today, and personality requires a long time... of observation."
"As for Hikigaya, I suppose the teacher knows his personality—after all, his first year of high school was also spent at Shuchiin."
Hikigaya's deadpan eyes slowly drifted toward Gongcheng Yuandu. He felt he had been somewhat offended, yet he had no counter-argument to offer.
He was indeed as Gongcheng Yuandu had said: his homeroom teacher in his first year was Teacher Hiratsuka, and in his second year... as well.
So, there wasn't much wrong with that statement.
"...How about a match?"
Teacher Hiratsuka looked at Gongcheng Yuandu, and he looked back at her. The two of them simply locked gazes.
"...If you're interested."
This time she didn't force others the way she had before.
"I already have a club, Teacher."
Thinking of the club Juggler had applied to establish in his name, he scratched the back of his head.
"In your personal capacity."
"Then forget it."
Silence.
Teacher Hiratsuka suddenly felt lost.
This script shouldn't be right, should it?!
Shouldn't it be someone issuing a challenge, the passionate youth fervently accepting it, and then working hard for it?!
Huh?
She stared at the boy, her eyes full of confusion.
"...Putting aside the fact that once the club is established I'll need to organize club activities, on a personal level, I have a lot of things to take care of myself. Helping people and all that... for someone like me... is still a bit too much to ask..." the boy explained calmly, though by the second half of his sentence, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face.
"Pull yourself together!" Teacher Hiratsuka slammed a hand onto his shoulder. "How can you resign yourself to degeneration in such a fine youth! Sweating away in the days of youth and doing something meaningful is what someone your age should be doing! There will always be someone supporting you all the way, won't there?"
He seemed unwilling to reject the teacher's kind intentions.
Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, he felt as though he were once again bathing in the sunshine...
In the end, the boy accepted the match, agreeing to set up his club right next door to the Service Club so as to facilitate better communication.
The prize for the match: the winner could make the loser do one thing within their power.
...
Teacher Hiratsuka left, and shortly after, a girl arrived, with a head of pink hair and an energetic expression.
"Eh? Why are Hikki, Dudu, and Guko here too?" The girl's words successfully plunged the two males into silence.
Why only two?
Gongcheng Yuandu was currently cleaning his hearing aid, so he couldn't hear the girl's words.
Seeing her walk in, he simply waved and greeted her.
He had seen the girl before because they were in the same class, though he didn't know her name.
Juggler and Hikigaya Hachiman seemed completely unaware.
"Ah, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita greeted Yuigahama Yui with a cool tone.