Club Establishment (2)
Elisha is a good kid. As the youngest who grew up surrounded by love, her personality is pleasant and her talent is exceptional. She appears only occasionally after Vern's death. Aside from the rare moments when you can receive her help during boss fights, she's a character you can't converse with. Or rather, couldn't converse with. She spent her days honoring the memory of her dead fiancé—the boy she'd grown up with like a sibling—with nothing but sorrow in her eyes.
Only after Vern died did the secrets surrounding him come to light, and the misunderstandings faded to some degree. Once the misunderstandings cleared, his actions finally made sense—after he was already gone. He'd deliberately distanced himself from Elisha and treated her coldly, all for her sake. By the time she realized it, it was far too late. She wanted to apologize, to clear the air, but the dead don't return. No matter how much you regret or grieve, you can never go back to that moment. That's why people live their present to the fullest. Time that has passed and people who have left never come back.
Anyway, it's true that I keep my distance from Elisha. Getting tangled up with my family won't do her any good, and sticking close to her would just look ridiculous. So I made sure we crossed paths as little as possible. Still, it seems she took it differently. Wait a second—we're already broken off, and we don't even meet that often. What exactly is she so upset about? I've been behaving properly lately, slowly improving my image without making it too obvious.
"Elisha, what exactly did I do to you?"
"Was asking to break off our engagement just so you could go around meeting other girls like the ones here?"
"...."
—Hey, what is she even saying? No, that's not it. Did it really look that way? Maybe because I've been going around recruiting club members, it came off that way.
"And every time you see me, you make that annoyed face and run away!"
—Hey, are you ignoring me now? Running away is true enough, but me making a face? My poker face should be flawless. Ever since I entered this body, I haven't been able to smile properly. My expression is always blank. It's like my facial muscles are frozen—I can't make a wide range of expressions. So I'm stuck with this cold impression whether I like it or not.
"And... also..."
—Is she seriously ignoring me right now? This is ridiculous. Elisha's face flushes as she vents her frustration, steam practically rising from her head.
—Crack.
Just then, an odd sound cuts through the tension as Silia steps between us.
"Haa. It's nothing important, is it? Why make such a big deal out of it?"
"W-what?"
"From what I heard, if you're broken off, you're basically strangers now. Whether he meets me or other girls shouldn't matter to you."
"What does that have to do with you?" Silia shoots back with a sarcastic tone.
"You're Luna from Class B, right? This is between me and Vern, so stay out of it."
So using the name Luna here was the right call. Silia must be her real name.
"No? He was talking to me about the club first. Weren't you just passing by? Why don't you keep walking? And stop ignoring what I'm saying."
Suddenly, the air between Silia and Elisha turns hostile. I can almost hear electricity crackling around them. But why is this happening? I push them apart with both arms, speaking up. They look like two angry Maltese dogs snarling at each other.
"Both of you, calm down. It's almost time for assembly, so let's wrap this up—"
"So, you're asking me to join? Fine. Whatever, I'll do it."
"What are you suddenly—! Can't you see I'm talking to Vern right now?"
"Ha. I was talking to him first. Who exactly is the one who butted in and kept ignoring me?"
Silia's tone is unusually aggressive as she addresses Elisha. Ever since we met last time, I'd noticed her grumbling and sharp way of speaking, but this seems like she's genuinely angry about being ignored. If it were me, I'd be pissed too if someone kept cutting me off mid-sentence. She was already annoyed with me since morning—getting ignored on top of that would definitely set her off. I need to mediate before this turns into a real fight. Neither of them seems to notice yet, but students are starting to gather around. If a fight breaks out here, it'll be bad for both Elisha and Silia.
"Both of you, that's enough."
"Ha, forget it. What a waste of a morning. Hey, the club... whatever. You handle it."
With those words, Silia heads back to her classroom. Now only Elisha remains. I should probably explain things to her later.
"Elisha, we'll talk later. Go back for now."
"Yeah, I guess I got a little worked up. I'll head back," she says before returning to her own class as well.
Once the girls leave, the gathered students also disperse to their seats. Looks like the situation has been resolved for now. Time for me to head back too. Alone again, I make my way toward the classroom. Assembly will start soon, so as long as I arrive on time, it'll be fine.
So that's what Elisha had been thinking. I suppose it does look bad if I start meeting other girls right after breaking off the engagement. Maybe I was the one who created the misunderstanding. That said, Silia is pretty scary when she's angry. I didn't realize it before because she usually just grumbles, but I might've poked the wrong bear. Still, I've secured the last member. Now all that's left is to actually form the club. We still haven't decided on a name or what we'll do as a club, and the reactions so far haven't been great. We'll also need to secure a club room. But at least the members are all gathered. Now I just have to wait for the protagonist to wrap up Act 1 properly. By now, he should be hanging around with the friends he made after the practical training incident. He'll handle it fine. Even without a light or dark magic user in the party, the protagonist is still the protagonist. He grows stronger the more he's cornered. And when he defeats the boss, he'll obtain the right skill for it. You could call it an awakening, in a way. Having the counter-attribute helps during攻略, but it's not strictly necessary. When he's pushed to the brink and the people around him are in danger too, the protagonist becomes even stronger. So there's no need to worry. However, Requiem will be watching for any chance to capture Silia. That's why I formed this club—to increase my contact with her as much as possible. Using the club as an excuse, I can keep her close. Classes are finally over. Time to go submit the club application.
....
"Vern Flame. There's already a swordsmanship club if you're looking to train. Are you fine with the overlap?"
The teacher working in the club affairs department asked. Overlap, huh.
"It's fine."
"Just asking for reference, but you've gathered all the members, right? You can't form a club without at least three people."
The teacher added the question in a tired, half-hearted tone, as if exhausted.
"I've gathered them all. Look, I have the signatures right here."
The teacher examined the documents I handed over and nodded.
"So the name stays the same?"
"Yes."
The name of our club is the Flame Training Club.
"Every member of the Flame family has terrible naming sense," the teacher muttered under his breath. He must be referring to Vern's other siblings. Makes sense—there are probably older brothers who graduated before Vern even enrolled. Anyway, the club was approved without any issues. Now all that's left is securing a room for club activities. Having a dedicated space means we can use it as storage or place other useful items, so it's best to get one. I asked the teacher in charge.
"Are there any rooms left for club activities? Anywhere is fine. Ah, I have the coins ready if needed."
The teacher cupped his chin in thought. After a moment, he spoke.
"Anywhere is fine, huh... There is one place that comes to mind."
"Then I'll take that one. I'll pay the cost."
"Forget it. What cost? Put your money away. I was planning to clean it out anyway."
As he spoke, he pulled something from a drawer and tossed it to me.
—Thud!
'This is... a key?'
"I'll mark it on the map, so find it yourself."
"Understood."
With that, I left the faculty office. Now that I have the room, the real work begins. First, I should go check out the club room. The protagonist always gets the same room, but mine won't be like that. I need to see it for myself. I headed toward where the club room should be.
....
—Creaaak.
I unlocked the door with the key and stepped inside. The room was located a bit away from the new school building. From the outside, it looked old and rundown. The paint was peeling, and the passage of time was evident. When I opened the door and went in, a familiar sight met my eyes. The dusty, empty interior was all too familiar to me.
"This place is..."
This was supposed to be the protagonist's room. I had a feeling when I looked at the map. Is it really okay for me to use it? Well, it doesn't matter—the protagonist will manage somehow. The condition isn't great, but I'll make the best of it. Normally, I should've paid coins for it, but since the facility is old and giving me another room would've been inconvenient for them too, they handed this one over. More importantly, I need to clean it. The surprisingly spacious club room had dust piled everywhere and cobwebs hanging from the corners. Even if it's free, the state it's in is pretty bad. If I want to use it properly, there are a lot of places that need fixing. Well then, time to start cleaning.