"Yo, Tetsuo, you coming to the cafeteria with us to get some grub?" asked Noboru.
"No, I brought lunch from home."
"Whoa, for real? Let me see." Noboru peeked into Tetsuo's lunch. "It's nicely packed with a balanced meal. Your mom must really care for you."
"Actually, my little sister was the one who made it for me."
"What?! For real? Your little sister can cook? How old is she?"
"She's twelve."
"Your little sister really did great on the omelets. They look tasty," said Shino as he smiled.
"Let's leave him here with his home-cooked meal. Come on, Shino, let's go."
"Well, actually, my aunt made lunch for me today, so I guess you're on your own, Noboru," said Shino awkwardly.
"Not you too! Goddammit, I'm going to look like a loner if I'm the only one from the team there… Wait! Makoto doesn't have a lunch," Noboru thought to himself.
"Don't you dare think about it. I'd rather be dead than be classified as your friend," said Makoto harshly as he walked out of the classroom, with Noboru following.
"Quit following me! I don't know you!" shouted Makoto.
"I'm not following you, idiot! We're both going to the cafeteria!" replied Noboru.
After finishing his lunch, Tetsuo decided to go for a walk. However, as soon as he reached the door, he noticed Sachiko standing there, waiting for him.
"I see you're finally done eating. Can I talk to you for a bit, Tetsuo?" asked Sachiko.
"What is it, Sachiko?"
"Just walk with me and you'll find out. Don't worry."
"This is… the student council room."
Tetsuo quickly turned around and tried to walk away.
"Now wait just a moment," said Sachiko as she grabbed his hand to stop him. "Remember that promise you made a while back when I was still trying to get you to join the student council?"
"What promise? I don't remember making one with you."
"We did make a promise. That day, I promised I'd try to understand why you love basketball—which I did—and now you have to uphold your end of the deal and spend a day with me at the council."
"Fine. Since I made that promise, it can't be helped," Tetsuo sighed, and both he and Sachiko entered the student council room.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be here during lunch, Sachiko, but I'm glad you came. Oh, and I see you finally managed to bring Tetsuo to me," said Hitomi with a smile.
"What's with that look on your face? Relax, it's not like I'm going to force you to join the council. The spots are already taken," said Hitomi.
"Well, actually, he will be an acting council member for us today," said Sachiko.
"Oh really? You don't say. Well then, if that's the case, I'll put this free labor to use," said Hitomi. "Here you go, Sachiko. This is the budget breakdown for the Robotics Club. Please get this paperwork to them as well."
"Right, I'll go ahead and do so now."
"And you, Tetsuo, have the most gruesome task of all—delivering these books to the literature club room. I know it's a lot, so you can make trips if you want."
"No, this is just fine. I'll be okay, thank you," said Tetsuo as he lifted the box filled with books and walked off.
"Wow… For someone so reserved, he's really strong," Hitomi thought to herself, surprised.
"Delivery for the Literature Club," said Tetsuo as he placed the box on the ground.
Tomoe, trying to ignore him, turned her back and buried herself deeper in the book she was reading. When Tetsuo called out to her one last time before walking off, she looked up, finally recognizing the voice and face.
"Oh, you're Tetsuo Kawaguchi, right? That weird guy who was at the window blocking my breeze," said Tomoe. "I didn't know you were part of the council."
"Actually, I'm not. I'm just fulfilling a promise I made to the vice president," said Tetsuo.
"Oh, I see. Well, that's noble of you. These are a lot of books… even for a group of people to read," said Tetsuo as he noticed a piece of paper on top of the stack.
"I'm the only one who reads here, unfortunately."
"Not to pry or anything, but is it because you're the only one in this club?" Tetsuo asked as he handed her the form he read.
"You're right. I'm the only member of this club. But it wasn't always like this," said Tomoe. "This is the fifth disbandment notice they've sent me since the start of the semester. I know that if the club doesn't have at least five members, it's not considered one, so they'll shut it down soon. This is the only place where I can be at peace, in solitude and silence, so I can hear my thoughts and imagine the stories in these books… but soon, I guess I'll have to give it all up."
"Why don't you just search for new members? There are a lot of first-years here," said Tetsuo.
"You're right. However, I'm not sure if their ears have been corrupted with rumors about me yet. If that's the case, they'll never join this club. I'll have no choice but to accept reality," said Tomoe.
"I'm not sure what happened that made everyone leave you alone in this club, and I know nothing about these rumors. What I want to know is… are they true?" asked Tetsuo. "Well? Are they?"
"They're not true. I would never do such a thing."
"Then why is it bothering you? If they aren't true, then they shouldn't stop you from recruiting anyone. If you know in your heart that you're not wrong, then you shouldn't feel this way. Do you have any printed membership forms on you?"
"Yes, I have about five."
"Okay, thank you," said Tetsuo as he took the papers from her and started filling one out.
"What? Why are you—?"
"I'm on the basketball team, so I might not have time for club activities after school. However, I can come here during lunch and read some books with you. So, I guess that makes me your first recruit," said Tetsuo. "Oh, and don't worry—there's no rule against being in two clubs."
"I have to go assist the president with some other clubs, but I'll definitely try to visit as often as possible. Oh, and I'll work on getting some new members for you."
"It's far more complicated than that, Tetsuo. These rumors are dangerous accusations, and you have no idea what they're about," Tomoe mumbled under her breath. "But… thank you so much for caring. You're really kind, Tetsuo."