New Club Member

It had been almost a week since Akari had left. Since then, Akane and I had hardly spoken to each other, except for a few greetings. Riku had also been very busy lately, so I went to school alone.

It was hard for me to contact Akane or suggest that we go to school together, since Akari was usually the one who wrote to her and acted as a bridge between us.

When I arrived at school, I noticed Akane with two friends from her class. One of them had long pink hair draped over her shoulders in the front, while the other had short brown hair that reached her shoulders. I didn't know them well, but we greeted each other sometimes.

Their names were Hina Akiyama (the girl with the pink hair) and Hana Hayashida (the girl with the brown hair).

Akane seemed absorbed in her conversation with her friends and didn't notice me as I passed by. I refrained from greeting her, not wanting to distract her.

It looks like it won't be easy to interact with Akane without Akari, unless Riku takes the initiative, I thought.

As for Riku, he started spending more time with other girls and going on dates, which really surprised me. I thought he was interested in Akari, but as soon as she was gone, he started going out with other girls again. It was strange, but I didn't ask him anything, I didn't want to pry.

Soon these dates began to consume all his time again.

Although we still hung out at school since we were friends, neither he nor I were close to Akane, who wasn't particularly eager to hang out with us either. I had a feeling that our little group was starting to drift apart.

While I was thinking about it, I saw Riku at school with a girl who had green hair gathered into high twintails. I had seen him with different girls a lot lately.

Determined not to distract them, I decided to change my shoes. 

The hallway was half-empty, with only a few students and the vice principal standing nearby, talking in a circle.

Among them was the student council president.

"The principal will be away for a few weeks. So if you have any questions, feel free to contact me," the vice principal said.

It was not easy to describe him; he seemed to lack any distinctive personality traits. He was always serious, his speech was always formal, and he had an aura of coldness about him. Still, I wouldn't call him grumpy or unfriendly, more like neutral...

"Got it," the student council president replied and moved on to another topic.

I let the rest of the conversation pass me by as I walked away from them after changing my shoes.

Leaning against the wall further down the hall, I waited for Riku to arrive.

A few minutes later, when he finally approached me, I asked, "Another fan?"

"Uh-huh," he replied casually.

I just grinned at his answer. "So, she confessed to you?"

I knew as well as anyone that he didn't even have to chase girls, they confessed their love to him themselves, so I wasn't surprised.

"Nah, she asked me out."

"Are you going?"

"Yup. This Saturday."

"Pfft. That's tomorrow. Aren't you tired?"

"Nah. How can I say no to such nice girls?" he replied, his smile lacking any real enthusiasm.

There was no real interest behind that smile.

Although he had gone on dates with many girls, he hadn't found one he would go on a second date with. He didn't hold hands with any of them, he didn't kiss them, and he didn't take the opportunity to get to know them better. His relationships with girls never went beyond the first date. So I couldn't understand why he kept doing it.

Sometimes it seemed to me that he was hanging out with these girls not out of any real interest in them or the dates themselves, but as if he was doing them a favor.

There was a time when I suspected that he might be interested in guys. However, I had seen him reject guys more than once, and I had also noticed erotic pictures of girls in his cell phone. So that theory didn't hold up either.

But the most important question still remained: Why did he start going out on dates with other girls again if he was interested in Akari?

I really couldn't understand his actions. Why did he keep agreeing to these dates?

In the end, though, it didn't really matter. It wasn't like he was cheating on these girls or breaking their hearts.

With these thoughts swirling in my head, I walked with Riku down the crowded hallway to our classroom.

Suddenly I stopped abruptly.

A girl I had never seen before appeared as if out of nowhere and stood right in front of me as if she had been waiting for me.

I hadn't noticed her at first, lost in my own thoughts.

The girl stood with her hands behind her back, looking at me with obvious interest. Her long bangs hid her forehead and slightly covered her eyelids, giving her an air of mystery.

Standing next to her was a guy I vaguely recognized. I think his name was Iwasaki?

"Oh, hi," I greeted him, turning to face him.

"Hi," he replied awkwardly.

The girl tilted her head and looked at Iwasaki curiously. "Hey, you never mentioned that you knew him?" she inquired.

He just smiled awkwardly. "We don't really know each other. Just names," he explained.

After a brief pause, the girl turned her attention back to me. "Well... Never mind. I have business with you," she said, looking at me.

"Business?" I asked, puzzled.

I had never met this girl before and had no idea what she could possibly want from me.

"You're a top student on the tests, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

A faint satisfied smile played on her lips.

"Come to the second floor after class. We'll be waiting for you in the hallway."

"Why?" I asked. 

I couldn't understand her intentions. Was she from the student council?

"You'll find out," she replied cryptically.

With that, she turned to the guy who was with her. "Let's go," she said, and they walked past me.

"And what was that?" Riku asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I have no idea myself...," I admitted.

Really, what was that all about?

I racked my brain trying to remember if I had met this girl before. But I was sure I hadn't.

It didn't matter, though. I would find out her intentions after class.

***

A robot carrying a bag walked down the cold, deserted street at night. There was no one around, and only its mechanical, monotonous footsteps filled the silence.

Rustling...

The robot paid no attention. Perhaps it was just the wind.

A sudden sound...

The robot stopped and turned its head, but it was too late.

The bag slipped from its hands, spilling its contents onto the cold asphalt.

Once again, the surroundings fell into an empty, eerie silence...

Only the robot's body lay on the pavement, its limbs and head torn off and broken.