"At five PM Japan Standard Time today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No. 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No. 1. I repeat..."
The second Akira exited the faculty office, there was a school-wide announcement.
Clubs played an important role in Japanese high schools. They were the place where students banded together and did something on their own without faculty intervention.
Naturally, ANHS also had clubs, and the facilities provided to them were the best—even when compared to the top high schools in Japan.
Originally, Akira was part of the game club in his school. It might sound odd for an educational institution to support students playing games, but as long as you have enough members, you can create your own club in Japan. Frankly, teachers didn't really care about what students did in their after-school time anyway.
Akira would've joined a club if any heroine was in one—he wanted to increase their infatuation as soon as possible—but sadly, none of them were in any club, so it'd just be a waste of his time.
...
"There are more people here than I expected."
After classes had ended, Horikita and Ayanokoji went to the gymnasium. Nearly all freshmen were present. They stood near the back of the room and waited for the fair to begin.
"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, the student council secretary and the club fair's organiser. It's nice to meet you all."
After Tachibana delivered the opening remarks, representatives from each club quickly lined up on a stage. It was quite a diverse crowd. The club representatives included everything from burly athletes in judo uniforms to students dressed in beautiful kimonos.
"Hey, if you want to get a fresh start, why not try joining an athletic club? The judo club looks good, doesn't it? That upperclassman looks kind, and I'm sure he'd encourage you," Horikita said to Ayanokoji.
"What do you mean 'kind'?! He looks like a gorilla! He'll kill me for sure!" Ayanokoji replied.
"He'll probably talk passionately about how easy judo is."
"Even if I wanted to join, the athletic clubs all look really intimidating. I get the impression they don't accept beginners."
Ayanokoji and Horikita continued their bickering talk for a few minutes before a girl dressed in archery gear stepped onto the stage and started introducing her club.
"Hello, my name is Hashigaki, the captain of the archery club. Many students may be under the impression that archery is an old-fashioned, simple activity, but it is actually a fun and rewarding sport. We welcome beginners with open arms. If you're interested, please consider joining."
Following Hashigaki, the senior students introduced their respective clubs one after the other. Every time one club finished, the next sprang up. The first years talked among themselves about their thoughts.
As the upperclassmen finished their introductions, they walked off the stage and headed toward an area where some plain tables had been set up—probably a reception area designed to accept new members.
Eventually, everyone walked off until two people remained.
Ayanokoji was familiar with one of them, but he had no idea what that guy was doing on stage. Horikita's eyes were instead fixated on the other one—her brother, Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Manabu stood in front of the podium, calmly looking at the first-year students, not saying a single word.
"Do your best!"
"Did you forget to bring your note cards?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The first-year students hurled comments at him. However, he stood on the stage calmly, without trembling. The laughter and comments didn't seem to faze him. He stood there with an apathetic expression.
"What's with this guy?" remarked an astonished student.
He simply stood there, quiet and motionless, staring fixedly at the crowd.
The relaxed atmosphere gradually changed, and things took an unexpected turn. It was as if some chemical reaction had taken place. An unbelievably tense, quiet mood gripped the entire gymnasium. Even though no orders had been given, the silence was so terrible that it seemed to have gagged everyone. Not a single student looked able to open his or her mouth. The silence continued for about thirty seconds or so.
"I'm the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu."
"The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years. Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We generally do not accept students involved elsewhere."
He spoke in a soft tone, but the tension around us was so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife. He had managed to silence over a hundred new students in that spacious gymnasium. Of course, it wasn't his position as student council president that granted him this deference. That was simply Horikita Manabu's power. His presence dominated everyone around him.
"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naive outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity of this school. It is the student council's right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this."
He didn't pause even once during his eloquent speech. Immediately after finishing, he passed a look toward Akira and walked off the stage.
Now it was his turn.
Akira stepped toward the microphone. Thanks to Horikita Manabu, the atmosphere in the gymnasium was tense—dead silent, even—and that made it all the easier for Akira to capture everyone's attention the moment he opened his mouth.
"Well, that was scary, wasn't it?" he said in a cheerful voice, slicing through the heavy silence. "Let's give a round of applause for the student council president, everyone."
The effect was immediate.
Akira's warm smile seemed to have melted the cold tension in the air. The crowd erupted into applause, many students following Akira's lead before they even realized it.
"Now, those of you who already know me must be wondering—what's a first-year like me doing up here on stage? Could there really be a club that chose a freshman as their representative?"
He let the question hang for a moment before smoothly pivoting.
"But before I answer your question… I'd like you all to answer one of mine: Why do we even take part in clubs?"
He looked out over the crowd, voice calm and steady.
"You might say, 'Clubs help us build discipline,' or 'They're a way to find like-minded people—maybe even discover something new about ourselves.' Those are fair answers… but I think the real reason lies deeper."
He placed his hands on the podium and his eyes turned sharp.
"My answer? We join clubs to grow. Not just as individuals… but as a group."
"I believe the true purpose of clubs—any club—is for its members to develop together, side by side. Whether it's chess, judo, or literature, you grow not alone, but as a team."
"But let me tell you something that's been bothering me since I got here."
The gym fell silent again, everyone's ears perked up.
What could possibly be troubling such a bright young man?
"You can't grow just by gathering as a group. You need something else—something vital that I find sorely lacking in most of the clubs at this school."
"That something… is competition."
The word echoed throughout the gym like a challenge.
"Maybe that's why the members of the judo, karate, and aikido clubs all look like weaklings to me."
A murmur ran through the crowd, then erupted into a wave of disbelief.
"W-What did you just say?!"
It didn't take long for the clubs to react. Some students stood up, others glared from the front row. No one took kindly to being called weak—especially not in front of the entire school, and by someone younger than you to boot?
Clearly, they were enraged.
Akira let the commotion rise for a moment… then raised one hand.
"And so, I'd like to propose a simple challenge."
His voice dropped slightly—more serious now, yet still laced with confidence.
"One-on-one. Right here. On this stage."
The murmurs stilled. Everyone was listening.
"I challenge the captains of the Judo, Karate, and Aikido clubs in front of the entire school to a fight."
The crowd was riled up, excitement filling their hearts. A first-year student challenging third years to a fight? Are they living in an anime world or something?
"If you win, I'll give you every single point I have. But if I win… you'll have to match my bet."