CBGBE 07

Chapter – 07

Friends

A few minutes of walking with the three of us.

We climbed to the top floor of the slightly dusty old school building and finally caught sight of the clubroom sign.

**”Bun-shu Engei-bu”** (Literature & Handicrafts & Gardening Club)

“That’s still such a weird name.”

“I think so too.”

“Eh, really?! I actually quite like it!”

The reason for this bizarre club name was that there used to be three separate clubs—the *Literature Club*, the *Handicrafts Club*, and the *Gardening Club*—but each had suffered from declining membership.

To survive, they merged together, resulting in this name.

I inserted the rusty key into the lock and turned it with some force. Forcing open the poorly fitted door, a room with a decidedly retro atmosphere spread out before us.

“Alright, what should we do today~!”

Higashikawa dropped his bag on the desk and plopped down onto one of the unnecessarily numerous chairs. Kotori, unfamiliar with the clubroom, looked around with clear curiosity.

“Just sit wherever.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Kotori sat down primly, diagonally across from Higashikawa. They’d only just met, so it couldn’t be helped, but the awkwardness was palpable… Well, neither of them can read a room, and neither has any friends, so I suppose it’s unavoidable.

“So, what should we do? Wanna play a board game?”

“Oh, sure! Let’s do it!”

“You got it.”

I rummaged through the bookshelf, looking for a decent board game that could be played by three people.

“Let’s go with this.”

“Great choice! Alright, everyone take your seats!!”

I sat down at the “birthday seat” and started pulling items out of the box with Higashikawa. Kotori, who had been watching us with a puzzled look, finally spoke up.

“Um… this isn’t a board game club, is it?”

“No.”

“Nope.”

“You’re supposed to be a literature, handicrafts, and gardening club, right?”

“Right.”

“Yep.”

“…Come to think of it, I don’t see any books, handicraft supplies, or shovels anywhere.”

“There’s a shovel here.”

“And a tailor’s chalk pen too!”

“Why do you have *some* of the things? What is this club? It really is weird.”

Well, of course merging three clubs with completely different activities would result in a weird club.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter what we do. Honestly, the teachers’ official stance is that they’d prefer if we do nothing at all. Playing board games and stuff is way healthier and better, isn’t it?”

“Is that really the way to look at it…”

Kotori sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? About the ‘After-Festival Incident.'”

“Ahhh, that.”

I suppose it’s only natural she’d want to know more once she came to this clubroom. It’s not something we’d bring up ourselves, and few people know the full details anyway.

“But there’s not much to say, really? It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Big deal, my foot. You guys blew up the schoolyard.”

“Well, that’s not quite accurate.”

The story of how the Bun-shu Engei-bu and its members suddenly became famous. Feeling nostalgic, I began to speak, recalling what happened half a year ago.

“See, after the last culture festival, they got rid of the campfire at the after-festival. For safety reasons or whatever. So they decided to hold it quietly in the gymnasium instead, but the seniors were apparently really against it.”

“I remember seeing them gathering signatures every day.”

“Still, the campfire got cancelled in the end, and one of the seniors who took it hard was the former club president.”

“Aaah, Hiyori-senpai~ Good times! I wonder what she’s up to now!”

“I saw her fishing by the riverbank the other day.”

“So on brand!!”

I could see us getting sidetracked talking about Hiyori-senpai, so I steered the conversation back.

“Well, she was a weird senpai, as you know. As the culture festival approached, she suddenly announced, ‘I’m going to set off fireworks!’ She got some acquaintances to help and made her own homemade fireworks. And a ridiculously huge one at that.”

“Man, that genuinely felt life-threatening.”

“Anyway, they set it off in the schoolyard during the after-festival, and…”

“It exploded, huh.”

“Yeah.”

I seriously felt my life was in danger back then. It wasn’t powerful enough to injure anyone, but the sound was so loud it caused a huge commotion.

“That’s the ‘After-Festival Incident.’ It’s not really such a big deal, is it?”

“If making and blowing up homemade fireworks isn’t a big deal, then I don’t know what is.”

Kotori said this with a look of exasperation. Well, I suppose in the small world of our school, it might have been a major incident.

“Man, things were rough after that. We were there too, so we got punished, and when we came back from suspension, we were treated like some kind of explosives maniacs.”

“That’s not entirely wrong, is it?”

“Well, I guess not.”

Thanks to that, the Bun-shu Engei-bu was looked upon with suspicion, but none of the members cared in the slightest. Honestly, everyone who joins a club with such vague activities is a bit weird to begin with. Even without this incident, we’d have been looked at strangely.

“Anyway, I’m glad it wasn’t done out of malice. Otherwise, I’d be dating a terrorist.”

“I mean, people probably already see me that way.”

Between you and me, apparently some people think it’s fitting that a weirdo like me, involved in that incident, is dating a weirdo like her. I almost admire how naturally Kotori is perceived to be on the same level as a bomber.

“If this makes people stay away because they think my taste in men is terrible, that’d be perfect.”

“At this rate, it doesn’t look like any other guys—or even girls—are going to come near you anyway.”

“That’s… well, can’t be helped.”

Kotori drooped just a little. As I thought, she doesn’t hate getting attention from the opposite sex—she just hates being *approached* by them. She doesn’t actually dislike socializing itself.

Even Kotori, like any normal high school girl, wants friends.

But, well, she doesn’t know how to make them, and she doesn’t show it at all, so there’s no way she’d make any just by being ordinary. Not unless someone’s a real glutton for punishment.

“Hey, Higashikawa.”

“Wha, what’s up all of a sudden?!”

“Be friends with Kotori.”

“Eh, what?!”

“Wha—F-Fuyunose-kun?! What are you suddenly saying?!”

“What do you mean? I’m introducing you to a friend.”

“That’s not what I’m asking—”

“Wa-wait, can I really be friends with her?!”

“…Huh?”

Cutting Kotori off, Higashikawa said this eagerly.

All I can do is set up the situation.

Honestly, the only meddling I can do is to create this opportunity.

“I’ve always wanted a cute girl friend! I mean, I want friends in general, actually… B-but, you know, just normal friends are fine! No, even weird friends are okay… Fuhehe!!!”

…Crap, maybe I misjudged the choice of person.

“A-a friend…”

W-wait, is she actually moved by that?!

“Alright, Kotori-chan, let’s be friends!!”

“…When you ask so earnestly, it’d be rude to refuse.”

“Okay, yes! Awesome~!!!!”

Higashikawa leaned over the desk and hugged Kotori. Kotori squinted shyly, but she didn’t seem entirely displeased.

“Good for you, Kotori.”

“…Hmph.”

She looked away, and a smile slipped out of me.

I wanted to quip, “What kind of way to make friends is this?!” but I figured as long as she made one, it was all good.

—

**Preview**

A new series has begun.

*”I went out of my way to enroll in a high school where no one knows me, but the girl I helped, Suzukaze-san, just won’t let go.”*

Please take a look. I’ll do my best.