["Meet me at the Service Club room. Someone needs our help. - Yukino."]
Third period ended, and the classroom buzzed with students packing up, voices rising and falling in the usual chaos. I sat at my desk, the message from Yukino looping in my mind.
Straight to the point, as always.
The Service Club wasn't exactly my favorite haunt, and "someone needing help" didn't exactly thrill me. I almost ignored it. But curiosity, a nagging itch, won out. I stood, grabbing my things without much enthusiasm, and headed for the door.
Alya caught up with me in the hallway. "You're going to the Service Club, right? I'll come with you!"
I shook my head. "Go ahead. I'm grabbing a coffee first."
She pouted but didn't argue. She jogged off, skirt swishing. Mahiru, quiet as ever, followed, her calm presence balancing Alya's energy.
I watched them go, feeling a strange detachment. Friends, yes, but I wasn't in the mood. I drifted toward the vending machines, slid some coins in, and pressed the button for black coffee. No sugar. No cream. Simple. Uncomplicated. Like me.
The can thumped down. I took a slow sip, the bitterness steadying me. When was the last time I'd even spoken to Yukino outside of class? If at all, our exchanges had been brief, clipped, like measured words thrown to someone unworthy of excess.
People were complicated. Coffee wasn't.
The message nagged. The Service Club prided itself on helping others, I found it naïve. People didn't change; their true nature always surfaced. Still, I wondered, what did Yukino want? What was this about?
I cracked open the can, sipped again. The bitterness triggered a flicker of memory: soft hands wrapped around a hot mug, black hair falling over a calculus workbook. The image vanished before I could grasp it. My head… was a mess.
Caffeine sharpened my senses.
At the end of the hall, the Service Club door waited, its window fogged, faint scratches marring the glass.
I pushed it open.
Yukino sat at the head of the battered table, sunlight catching her hair and turning it a deep blue-black. Her posture was rigid,almost painfully so. Alya sat beside her, knee bouncing nervously, eyes flicking between Yukino and me. The moment I stepped in, both fell silent.
Two more girls were in the room.
"Crying baby?" I muttered under my breath.
"Yahallo~! Aiko-kun! Wait, why that nickname!?" Yui Yuigahama's cheerful voice shattered the tension.
I ignored her, scanning the room. The new face: a girl with a bob of flaxen hair, bangs draped over one eye, honey-colored eyes wide and nervous.
Yukino's gaze locked on me, serious, carrying an urgency I couldn't place. "Thanks for coming, Aiko. This is Iroha Isshiki. She's the one who needs our help."
I took a seat, eyes flicking to Iroha. She fidgeted with her skirt hem, nervous energy radiating off her. What was her angle? People always had one.
"Iroha Isshiki, huh? What do you want?" My voice was flat, uninterested.
She looked up, wide-eyed, pleading. "I-I need your help, Aiko-senpai. I want to be ready for my future boyfriend. Maybe you could… help me with that?"
The room shifted. The girls looked at her like she'd just thrown a grenade. The air thickened with unspoken emotions.
I narrowed my eyes. Was this a joke? A trap? People hid their true motives behind smiles.
I leaned back. "You want me to… teach you how to date?" My tone was blunt, bordering on cruel. High schoolers playing at love bored me.
Iroha didn't flinch. "Just advice. How to act, talk…"
Alya snorted. "Most guys would kill for a girl to ask that straight up," she said, eyes flashing warning at Iroha.
"Isn't it something you just… know? Like breathing?" I asked.
Iroha's lips twitched, hurt and embarrassed. "Not everyone's a natural, Aiko-senpai! Some people need practice." Her voice trembled; I wasn't sure if from nerves or frustration.
The tension in the room hummed with jealousy and judgment, all aimed at her.
I struggled to picture anyone needing my advice on this. The whole thing felt ridiculous. Still, all eyes were on me, waiting: play along or call it nonsense?
"Maybe practice on a dog," I said flatly.
Her face froze, then briefly contorted with raw emotion before she forced a smile.
"You're so mean, Aiko-senpai~!"
"I don't know what you want, Iroha. What your game is. But love, relationships, they're pointless human constructs. They mean nothing."
No one reacted outwardly, but Yui giggled, bouncing her knees; Alya smirked, sharp canines on display; Mahiru stayed quiet, her gaze steady.
Iroha's eyes filled with tears. She gripped her skirt tighter. "B-but I thought… maybe you could help me understand. I don't want to be alone. I want to be loved… to love back. To have someone to share my life with."
I softened, just a little. She was naive, but sincere. I thought I saw something like affection in her eyes. Didn't mean a thing.
I wasn't sure what had snapped in me, some misfiring synapse, or the pressure of everyone staring, but I found myself lacing my fingers behind my head and considering it logically.
Yui's voice cut through, too loud, too bright. "Relationships aren't pointless, Aiko-kun! They're the best part of living!"
"Do you believe that, Aiko?" Yukino asked quietly. "That love means nothing?"
I doubted it. Best part of living was avoiding people and their expectations. But watching Yui bounce with conviction was… entertaining, in its way.
"Maybe you can enlighten me," I said, monotone.
Yui beamed like I'd given her the world. "Okay! Let's make Aiko believe in love! We'll all help Iroha train for her boyfriend! Everyone's involved!"
Alya snorted but her smirk faded when she caught my eye. Yukino gave a subtle nod, as if this was always the plan.
Iroha blushed deep red but met my eyes. "W-would you like to… go out with me?"
Suddenly, my head throbbed.
"Senpai~ Would you like to… go out with me?"
There was a split second where everything settled, and I saw an older Iroha, longer hair, eyes glistening, holding out a lunchbox covered in pink and sparkles. Her voice was the same sideways dare. Laughter behind my back, dull sting of expectation. She turned away, hiding her face.
Maybe caffeine, maybe sickness, maybe the universe mocking me.
But that feeling, comforting. Familiar. Like a half-remembered dream, a memory just out of reach.
I must've made some noise because everyone stared.
Iroha's hands fluttered. "A-are you okay, Aiko-senpai?"
"I don't date," I said, but it sounded like a question.
Iroha's face brightened, thought I was just tsundere or whatever, and she pushed, "It's just practice! Like, a training date!"
Alya made a quiet, almost predatory sound. Mahiru's gaze sharpened, something cold hiding beneath. The room held its breath.
Absurd idea. But the look in Iroha's eyes was hard to ignore.
I sighed, rubbing my temples to shake off déjà vu. "Fine," I muttered. "One practice date. But don't expect anything."
Iroha lit up, hope replacing nervousness. "Thank you, Aiko-senpai! You won't regret it!"
Yui clapped excitedly. "This'll be so fun! We should all plan it!"
Alya rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "If we're doing this, let's do it right. A proper date."
Yukino nodded seriously, a hint of approval. "Agreed. We should take it seriously."
Mahiru finally spoke softly, "Maybe start with something simple. Café, park walk."
As they hashed out plans, I leaned back, watching with detached amusement. The whole thing still felt ridiculous, but there was something sincere in Iroha's eyes that made me nod along.
I don't know what bothers me more: that they're plotting my social demise, or how easily they slip into it like this is second nature. If I had my way, I'd never have to do this. Just stare out windows and drink coffee in peace.
Yet here they were, Alya picking at her cuticles, Yui sketching bubble-letter itineraries, Mahiru subtly angling her seat toward me, Yukino watching like a patient predator. This wasn't just about Iroha's "practice date." It was about something deeper, loneliness, boredom, the urge to fix what's broken inside me by opening it and seeing what spills out.
They projected their hopes onto me like costumes left in a heap. They want me to play the part, confirm what they think about themselves, and me. The worst part? I do it. Sometimes the only way to end the circus is to get on stage.
As Iroha left the room, quiet settled. I turned to Yui, still glowing with enthusiasm.
"So, you're the second member?" I asked, piecing together the group's dynamics.
Yui nodded, ponytail bouncing. "Yep! I joined after Yukino. Wanted something meaningful. This club feels like that."
Mahiru added softly, "A place to be ourselves and help others do the same."
"And what do you both get out of it?"
Yui's smile softened. "Connections. Helping others, seeing how we impact lives, that's fulfilling."
Yukino agreed, "Growth, personal and collective. We learn as much as those we help."
"How do you decide who to help?"
"People come to us with problems, or we notice someone. Then we decide together how best to support them."
Their sincerity caught me off guard. Part of me wanted to argue: connections are nets that trap you, 'meaningful' means slow strangulation.
But I said nothing. I just nodded.
"And if someone doesn't want help?"
Yui giggled. "We don't force anyone. It's always their choice."
I wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying.
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