Ichinose Honami : Route D

Chapter 4.1 : Club Fair

3rd April, 2023 4.30 p.m.

Ichinose Honami

We spent the remainder of the time following lunch in courses, as scheduled.

Karuizawa-san contacted me after class and asked if I wanted to accompany Hirata-kun and her to the club fair, which I agreed to.

"Are you planning on joining any clubs?" I asked our whole group. I had a feeling that most of them would say no, but it won't hurt to ask.

"No. We were just joining with Hirata-kun, who is joining the soccer club." Satou-san gestured at Hirata-kun.

"Do the rest of you plan on joining clubs?" When I inquire, they shake their heads saying no.

"But you are going to join the Student Council, aren't you, Ichinose-san?" Mori-san inquired.

"I am, but I'm not sure whether they will accept me," I said.

"They would be quite foolish not to accept someone like you." Hirata-kun said.

"Hm. You think?" When I heard his response, I responded with a smile.

"Yes, Ichinose-san, you are a kind person, and Student Council needs people like you." He stated.

"I see. Thanks Hirata-kun," I replied.

After that brief interaction, we arrived at the gymnasium, where the club fair was being conducted.

"As predicted, there are a lot of people here." I whispered as I peered around the gymnasium at the sea of students. While the majority are first-year students, there are also second- and third-year students among them. However, the majority of them may be observed clustering around the stage or the club application area, indicating that they have not come to join a club.

After some time of waiting, a purple-haired senpai emerged on stage with her hair wrapped in two buns and began the club fair.

"Thank you all for waiting, first-year students. We will now begin the club fair. A representative from each club will explain their function. My name is Tachibana; I am the student council secretary and the club fair's organizer. It's nice to meet you all."

Following Tachibana-senpai's jntroductory comments, representatives from each club rapidly lined up on a stage. It was a varied group of people. The club representatives ranged from beefy athletes in judo outfits to students clad in stunning kimonos. There were physical clubs such as judo, basketball, and soccer, as well as academic clubs such as math or literature.

After all of the club officials had finished their statements, they exited the room and proceeded to the reception area, where new members would be welcomed. There was just one guy standing, and everyone was staring at him.

Every club except Student Council has announced itself, although it is not compulsory, but at many schools, student councils introduce themselves at the conclusion of the club fair, so he might be the council's representative.

He seemed to be approximately 170 cm tall, so he wasn't particularly tall. He was slim and had shiny black hair. He wore pointed spectacles and had a calculated, penetrating look. He stood quietly in front of the microphone, looking around at the first-year students.

He didn't say anything. Maybe he was going blank? Or maybe he was so anxious he couldn't speak?

"Do your best!"
"Did you forget to bring your notecards?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

First-year students threw insults at him. The upperclassmen, on the other hand, stepped on stage quietly and without trembling. He didn't appear to mind the laughing or comments. When the laughing had reached a peak, it abruptly stopped. He wore an apathetic expression.