>14< Everyone's Surprise

Chapter 14: Everyone's Surprise

At the entrance of Sobu High School, a girl with long black hair, dressed in a white blouse and jeans, stood quietly in the shadows, engrossed in a book.

"Yahallo, Yukinon!" Yui exclaimed cheerfully as she arrived at school, waving energetically at Yukino.

"Good morning, Yuigahama-san," Yukino replied, having become almost immune to the intimate way Yui addressed her.

"Yukinon, really, just call me Yui!" Yui playfully pouted, wrapping her arms around Yukino's and affectionately pulling at her.

"Alright… I understand, I understand, Yui," Yukino sighed, the slight upward curve of her lips showing that she didn't mind too much.

"So, Yukinon, what's this club activity about?" Yui asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Um, the content of this activity is probably…" Just as Yukino was about to respond, a boisterous female voice interrupted her.

"Wait, Yukino! Let's wait until everyone has gathered before explaining the details of the club activity."

Seeing Shizuku arrive, Yukino turned to Yui and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to follow Hiratsuka-sensei's lead then."

"Eh--" Yui sighed in disappointment.

"Wait, everyone? Are many people coming this time?" Yui turned, looking puzzled.

"Yeah, there will probably be about a dozen of us," Yukino replied.

"Wait, isn't this our club activity?" Yui questioned, her curiosity piqued.

"Sort of, it can be counted as an activity for your Service Club, but as for what we'll be doing, it's a secret!"

Yui rolled her eyes at that.

"Honestly, if it weren't for the credits, why would I be out here in this heat during summer?" A slightly spoiled voice interjected from the side.

Recognizing the familiar voice, Yui turned to see Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina, and she happily greeted them.

"Yahallo, Yumiko-chan, Hina-chan!"

Yumiko's mood brightened upon seeing her. "Good morning, Yui!"

Then, one by one, a few more people arrived. Hikigaya Hachiman showed up with his sister, and to everyone's surprise, the two brilliant prodigies renowned for their talents in the sciences and arts—Ogata Rizu, the mechanical genius known as "Thumbelina," and Fumino Furuhashi, the literary beauty dubbed the "Sleeping Beauty" of the literature forest—also appeared.

After explaining the subjects they were planning to apply for, it became clear that Rizu, who was completely unversed in the arts, was preparing to apply to a liberal arts university, while Fumino, who was not skilled in the sciences, aimed to enter a science university. To improve their chances of acceptance, they had decided to participate in school activities for extra credits.

Upon hearing this, the group couldn't help but feel speechless. After all, under normal circumstances, one would aim for their strongest area as a pathway to higher education, making the process much easier.

As it neared 10 o'clock, only Zaimokuza had yet to make an appearance.

Shizuka, becoming increasingly agitated, stomped her foot and said, "That guy Zaimokuza wouldn't actually ditch us, would he?"

"Well, it's not impossible. He might have stayed up all night playing games again," Hachiman added with a hint of sarcasm.

Shizuka, more annoyed, dialed Zaimokuza's number several times, but each time went unanswered, which only heightened her frustration.

"Alright, Hiratsuka-sensei, please calm down," a rational voice spoke up from behind her.

"Oh, is that you, Kirisu-sensei? Please take the kids and head out first. You can explain the details of the activity to them on the way. I'll wait here a bit longer." Despite her complaints, she still believed her students wouldn't let her down.

"Understood. Let's head out then, everyone." Mafuyu gathered her group members and was just about to get them into the vehicle when a loud roar of motorcycle engines suddenly filled the air.

A figure clad in a loose blue windbreaker, with a white shirt underneath and wearing a motorcycle helmet, sped towards them. The sharp screech of brakes rang out, prompting everyone to cover their ears.

"Hey, how do you drive like that?!" Shizuka, already frustrated by Zaimokuza's lateness, found a target for her anger and launched into a tirade.

The helmeted figure silently removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face with striking silver hair and deep brown eyes, causing several girls in the vicinity to blush slightly.

"Ah, I almost arrived late! Sorry about that, Hiratsuka-sensei," the unfamiliar young man said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Huh? Who are you?" Shizuka replied, looking at him in confusion.

The young man's expression shifted to one of realization as he introduced himself, "I'm Zaimokuza!"

Instantly, the atmosphere went quiet.

"Ha!!!" Those who recognized Zaimokuza were utterly stunned, their expressions reflecting disbelief.

"Y-You're Zaimokuza? Are you serious?" Shizuka stammered, her finger trembling as she pointed at him.

"If you're him, I'm never going to find a girlfriend!" Hachiman exclaimed.

It was impossible! The Zaimokuza who had once been chubby like a pig was now this handsome guy? They hadn't seen him for just a few days; how could such a drastic change happen?!

"Do you want me to prove it to you?" Zaimokuza asked, unsure of how to confirm his identity.

Suddenly, he remembered that only three people knew about the Service Club's first commission, so he turned to Shizuka and said, "Hiratsuka-sensei, I remember that I was the one who posted the first commission for the Service Club. Isn't that right?"

Shizuka froze, quickly recalling that only Yukino, herself, and Zaimokuza knew about the first commission.

To confirm his claim, she directly asked, "What was the content of the first commission?"

"It was to help me with my mild social anxiety," Zaimokuza replied, a confident smile on his face. "How about that? Does this prove it?"

"That's true," Yukino chimed in, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Zaimokuza. He responded with a smile, causing a faint blush to appear on her cheeks.

"Really? You are Kuza!" Yui exclaimed in surprise, confirming his identity.

"Really, really," Zaimokuza said, feeling a bit exasperated by the repeated confirmations.

If everyone knew what he was thinking, they would probably beat him up. After all, it was just a matter of a few days apart, and this once portly figure had suddenly transformed into a handsome guy. It was almost like a magic trick!

After several rounds of disbelief and testing from the group, they finally confirmed that the incredibly handsome guy before them was indeed Zaimokuza.

Zaimokuza walked straight up to Hachiman, casually hooking an arm around the frail-looking boy. "I heard you said that if I was Zaimokuza, you'd never find a girlfriend. Is that true?" He finished with a teasing grin.

Hachiman immediately broke out in a cold sweat, avoiding eye contact as he stuttered, "No way, you must be mistaken! Haha, just a misunderstanding, ahahaha…" His laughter came out forced and awkward.

Meanwhile, Hachiman's little sister, Komachi, watched in surprise, realizing that her socially awkward brother knew someone he usually claimed was a 'normie'.

"Hey, is Zaimokuza-oniichan a friend of yours?"

Seeing the curious expression on Komachi Hikigaya's face, Zaimokuza recalled that he had learned about her from anime but had never met her in real life. He pretended to be puzzled and turned to Hachiman, maintaining a playful demeanor.

After breaking free from Zaimokuza's grasp, Hachiman cleared his throat and introduced them. "This is my little sister, Hikigaya Komachi."

"Wow, you actually have such a cute little sister! That's quite surprising!" Zaimokuza exclaimed with a smile.

Hearing the compliment, Komachi blushed and smiled. "No way! Zaimokuza-oniichan is the one who's amazing! Being so handsome and still being friends with my socially awkward brother is quite a feat!"

Hachiman rolled his eyes at his little sister's adorable demeanor. "Yeah, well, I used to be a complete outcast just like him."

"Really? No way! Zaimokuza-oniichan looks like a star; there's no way he could have been an outcast!" Komachi exclaimed in disbelief.

Instead of immediately answering, Zaimokuza smiled and pulled out an old photo from his phone, handing it to Komachi.

As she looked at the picture of a chubby young man, confusion washed over her face. She glanced between the photo and Zaimokuza, unable to believe what she was seeing. "This... is this the same person?"

"Yes, that's me from just a few days ago. The date is at the bottom, see?" Zaimokuza replied.

Komachi examined the date on the photo, then compared it with today's date, confirming that the Zaimokuza in the picture had indeed been taken just days prior. She returned the phone to Zaimokuza, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"So, Zaimokuza-oniichan, what method did you use to become so slim? Do you have any secrets?"

The people present all perked up their ears, eager to hear the secret. After all, maintaining a slim figure was something that almost everyone paid attention to.

Zaimokuza sensed their little movements and felt a mischievous idea forming in his mind.

"Actually, this method is really simple…"

The crowd became even more serious, leaning in to listen.

"The method is… a secret!"

At his response, the group fell into exasperation, and Shizuka angrily punched him in the stomach.

"Bang!" The others turned to see Shizuka clutching her hand, half-kneeling in front of Zaimokuza with a cute and exaggerated cry of pain.

Zaimokuza crouched down to look at Shizuka and teased, "What a cute cry of pain, Hiratsuka-sensei."

Shizuka's face flushed with embarrassment. Whether it was anger or shyness was anyone's guess.

"What's with you? You somehow lost weight in just a few days and even ended up with abs?" she demanded.

Zaimokuza joked, revealing the truth. "Oh, I went to Sardinia, killed two gods, and acquired their powers, which changed my physique!"

At this, the crowd rolled their eyes, and Shizuka retorted, "You're having a serious case of chuunibyou again. You really are Zaimokuza. If you had said you were captured by some shady scientists and subjected to experiments where they injected you with a serum, that would sound more convincing than this god-slaying story."

What they didn't know was that what Zaimokuza had said was indeed the truth.