Volume 2 Chapter 1 Shirogane Aqua, Discovering Maturity in a Classmate
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It seems that a magazine featuring photos of me and Toa-chan is selling quite well. The people from the confectionery company seem pleased as well. According to Ako-san’s story, there have been talks about continuing to do advertisements for their products in the future. Regarding that matter, I am scheduled to have a discussion with Ako-san and my family soon.
I never expected things to unfold like this back then, but for me, who was thinking of pursuing idol activities in the future, it was like a stroke of luck. The question is whether I should do these idol activities through a personal agency or join a major agency… Each option has its merits and drawbacks. For example, with a personal agency, there are no restrictions on my speech or actions, but initially, there may not be significant opportunities, and there are limits to what I can do. If anything happens, I have to take responsibility myself. On the other hand, if I join a major agency, there will be restrictions on my speech and actions, but in return, the agency will take care of some failures, handle large-scale job offers, and basically handle everything besides work. Personally, I’m considering joining a major agency because doing it alone would be tough, but the problem is that I don’t have any connections with agencies right now.
”Maybe I should consult with Ako-san…”
Ako-san works for one of the conglomerate group companies, a major advertising agency. If she’s working at an advertising agency, she should have connections to entertainment agencies as well. As I was thinking about that in the classroom, Mayuzumi, who sits two seats ahead of me, approaches me.
”Shirogane, can I talk to you for a moment?”
”Hm? What’s up, Mayuzumi?”
Mayuzumi sits down at the neighboring seat and lifts his glasses up. Then, he leans closer and speaks to me in a low voice, as if checking the surroundings.
”It’s about the club activities. Have you decided where to join?”
Ah… come to think of it, I haven’t decided on a club activity yet. The girls should have already made their decisions on which club to join, so it’s about time for us to decide too. I like being active, so I was thinking of joining one of the sports clubs. However, as you know, there are very few boys in this world, and it’s rare for boys to engage in any sports. Therefore, even if I join a sports club, there won’t be a spot for me as an athlete, and I can only be a manager. Being a manager may have its own rewards, but personally, I think it would be interesting to join a cultural club. Besides, if I were a manager in a sports club, I would surely feel the urge to play myself, and that would be difficult for me.
”Well, actually, I’ve been thinking about visiting several cultural clubs starting from today. Sugita-sensei allowed me to do a trial membership, so if you’re interested, Mayuzumi, why not join too?”
”Thank you, Shirogane. I’ve been considering joining a club as well, but being a first-timer, I couldn’t make up my mind.”
Ah, I see. Come to think of it, in this country, it’s common for boys to be in the Go-Home club since they don’t join any other clubs by default. I’m a special case, but Mayuzumi, who’s considering joining a club, might be a rare type in this world. I wanted to support Mayuzumi’s spirit of taking on challenges.
”By the way, can I ask which clubs you plan to visit?”
”Ah, well, in that case…”
I suddenly felt a presence and glanced around. The girls in the class were chatting without even looking our way. However, their behavior seemed incredibly unnatural. They were definitely trying to eavesdrop on our conversation. Realizing that the girls were listening in, I whispered quietly to Mayuzumi’s ear.
…
…
After school.
I knocked on the door of the classroom where the first club activity was taking place.
”Excuse md.”
As I opened the door, Mayuzumi and I were greeted by a woman wearing a kimono.
”Oh… Shirogane-kun, welcome.”
The woman in the kimono turned towards us. The phrase “standing like Chinese peony, sitting like a Chinese tree peony, and walking like a lily (the idiom of very beautiful)” could be used to describe her. The person welcoming me was my classmate, Kurogami Uruha-san. Although Kurogami-san should be the same age as me, she appears much more composed. And based on my previous life, and sometimes during our conversations, I feel like I’m interacting with someone older. This feeling is even more so when she’s wearing a kimono instead of her usual school uniform.
”Shirogane-kun, you brought Mayuzumi-kun along. I’m glad.”
Kurogami-san gently touched my arm. It was a subtle body contact, but the pressure of her kimono against my arm, revealed a significant swell of her ample bosom. Wait a minute, this is not an appropriate level of allure for high schoolers. I took a deep breath and looked at Kurogami-san’s face again. Then, Kurogami-san returned a gentle smile with an aura of kindness that makes men want to rely on her. Wait… Something’s off. I’m sure this was supposed to be our high school’s tea ceremony club. Did I accidentally end up at some club in Ginza?
”Ah, ahaha… Nice to meet you, Kurogami-san.”
I gently released my arm from Kurogami-san’s embrace. That was close… If I had stayed in that position, I might have been captivated by the mature charm, almost like that of a married woman. My mother is also quite beautiful, but her character… or rather, only towards our family, she has a sloppy face, which makes her look younger than her age. In that aspect, Kurogami-san’s aura is that of a seasoned warrior. If I showed even a moment of vulnerability, she would undoubtedly devour me. Huff… despite being repeatedly warned about being too trusting by my family, even I could sense that this was dangerous.
”Hehe… What a shame.”
Kurogami-san’s expression when she said “what a shame” looked very cheerful. After exchanging greetings with Mayuzumi, Kurogami-san gently slid open the fusuma (sliding door) to the tea room set up in the clubroom. As she did, the gaze of the female students inside the tea room all turned towards us.
”Club president, welcome back.”
Huh? Club president? Kurogami-san is in the same year as us, right? Oh, maybe the club president came from behind us? I quickly glanced behind, but my eyes only met Mayuzumi’s who was standing behind us.
”Shirogane-kun, why did you suddenly turn around? Mayuzumi-kun seems surprised too.”
”Oh… Well, when they said ‘club president’ just now, I was curious…”
”Oh, by the way, I haven’t told you yet, have I? I’m sorry. Actually, even though I’m just a first-year student, I’ve been given the opportunity to serve as the club president of this tea ceremony club, thanks to the kindness of my seniors. There are still many areas where I need to improve, but I would be happy if you could tolerate me a little.”
Huh? What…? A first-year student as the club president? Is that even possible? There were quite a few female students in the clubroom, even if it’s not a large number. Come to think of it, Kurogami-san is the only one in traditional Japanese clothing, while the other female students are in their uniforms. Perhaps the idea of a first-year student serving as a club president might be a common sense in this world.
”Shirogane… Just to make it clear, your reaction is only natural. It’s not something you would normally hear, a first-year being the club president.”
I knew it! I almost fell for it… When I returned my gaze to Kurogami-san, she returned the same gentle smile as always. For some reason, I became afraid to further investigate, so I laughed it off and decided to completely ignore the matter.
”Hehe, never mind that. Since you both came all this way, please have a seat.”
We were urged by Kurogami-san to enter the tea room and we sat down on the tatami mats, sitting in the formal seiza position. As I sat down, I made a small voice, saying, “Excuse me, nice to meet you today,” to the girl sitting next to me.
”Ah…”
Perhaps she was surprised by me suddenly talking to her because her voice choked up. I noticed the gazes of the dozens of girls behind her. They were staring at me with a somewhat restless atmosphere. I unconsciously waved my hand in response to their gazes.
”Ah, ah…”
Seeing that, one of the female students covered her mouth with both hands and started shedding tears. Oh no! It’s a habit from my days as an idol trainee. When I receive someone’s gaze, I unconsciously respond with a big smile or wave my hand. Perhaps these girls in this world are not accustomed to interacting with men, so sometimes my waves make them cry. Well, that makes sense… I need to reflect on the fact that my unintentional actions might have frightened them. Then Kurogami-san appeared silently from behind and whispered in my ear.
”Oh… To make our lovely girls cry like this, Shirogane-kun, you’re a worse man than I thought.”
”Huh… Oh… No, well, it’s not like that, really.”
Seeing my flustered reaction, Kurogami-san murmured softly, “I understand.”
”Some women are not accustomed to men… you know.”
Kurogami-san gently placed her palm on the back of my hand and blew a sweet and bewitching breath behind my ear.
”But I, I truly adore that mischievous side of yours, Shirogane-kun.”
Gghh, I can’t win… On that day, these words were deeply engraved in my heart. Kurogami Uruha, a mysterious and mature classmate of mine who serves as the club president of the tea ceremony club, even though she’s a first-year student in Class 1-A. She has an unbelievable allure and understanding beyond what I would expect from a classmate. And it would be some time before I truly got to know the real her.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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