With my experience at the Archery Club booth still fresh in my mind, I made my way to the last club on my list: the History and Arts Club.
Unlike the previous clubs, this one didn’t seem to draw as much attention. The students around the booth appeared to be engaged in calm conversations, their interests ranging from various forms of art to historical research.
As I approached the booth, I was greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere that seemed to be filled with passion. The students there seemed genuinely excited about sharing their passion for history and the arts.
“Welcome, Mister Freshmen.” At that moment, a cheerful voice echoed inside my ears, making me unconditionally turn to the source. “Do you want some chips?”
There stood a girl who had a bright smile on her face. Her hair was a unique shade of purple, a color that was both striking and elegant. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, exuding a sense of curiosity and kindness. Her presence seemed to radiate a warm and happy aura, immediately putting me at ease.
She had an aura of comfort that made her approachable and friendly. Her entire demeanor seemed to suggest an open-minded and easygoing personality.
Her face was simply said to be beautiful, as well as her body. Combined with her innocent aura, she could probably take the hearts of many men around the academy, which she did.
Since she was a named character in the game.
The small chip crumbs around the corners of her mouth showed that she was eagerly eating chips.
“Hmm? Mister Freshmen? What is the matter?” As she spoke once again while looking at me, I was woken up from my thoughts.
“Nothing. I apologize if I seemed rude.” I answered, slightly bowing my head. Looking at someone without answering while they were trying to talk to you was not good behavior.
“You don’t need to be so stiff. It is fine…..” She said, waving her hands. “But, do you want chips?” she added while passing the chips in her hands to me.
“No.” But I refused. Since I didn’t like chips too much, they contained too much fat in them.
“Why? Just take it.” But, the girl before me persisted as she constantly approached me while shoving the pocket of chips to me.
“No. I don’t want to.”
“But why? Doesn’t everyone love chips?” She looked genuinely surprised as she heard my answer.
“I don’t.”
“How? Everyone I gave chips to always took them.” She took a moment to ponder with her fingers on her mouth. “Ah, right! It is because you haven’t tried them yet.” And the conclusion she made was this.
‘I can’t.’ I really wanted to slap my forehead, but I held it in. The students around us were watching us with clear smiles on their faces, enjoying the scene.
“No, I tried them. But I don’t want to eat.”
“Just eat once. Please, just give it a chance.” She instantly approached me, her blue eyes looking at me from slightly below. Since she was not that tall, she only came to my chest height.
“Sigh…..Thank you.” Deciding that it would be too much if I refused, I grabbed the chips with a sigh.
Dealing with this girl was really hard.
“Nihihihi….” Hearing her chuckle, a small feeling of warmth appeared in my chest.
But, following that, the same memory of that time came, making me remember why I was here. The feelings of anger and hatred returned instantly.
“Hmm?” Seemingly surprised by my shift of expression, she asked. “Ah! Right, I forgot to introduce myself.”
Turning back once again, she spoke with a cheerful tone. 𝑂𝚟xt.𝒞𝓞𝐦
“I am Maya Evergreen.” Her eyes were shining, clearly expecting a reaction from me.
“Atron Natusalune,” I answered, again bowing my head. “Pleased to meet you, Senior Maya. The first rank of the first-sophomore year.”
Hearing my words, she clearly had a knowing expression as she nodded her head.
“Nihihihi…That’s right….Everyone knows me.” She mumbled to herself in a low tone, but I was able to hear it since she was a little too close.
Opening the distance a little bit, I grabbed the application form and handed it to Maya.
“Here, this is my application form. Can you help me with the application?” I didn’t want to deal with this shiny girl more since her actions were a bit overly happy, for my own preference. I just wanted to get this over with and leave.
She took the form with a grin, seemingly unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm. “Of course! I’d be happy to help. We’re always excited to welcome new members who share our passion.”
As she filled out the necessary information, I watched her handwriting, neat and deliberate. It was a stark contrast to my own hurried and utilitarian style of writing.
That was to be expected since I didn’t pay any attention to how I wrote.
“There you go,” she said, handing the form back to me. “Now you just need to wait for the message about the orientation.”
“Thank you,” I acknowledged with a nod and was about to leave.
“So, what got you interested in the History and Arts Club?” Maya asked, curiosity evident in her tone.
“It seemed like a different perspective,” I replied simply, not offering any more details. Conversations like these were not something I did care about since the reason I was here was widely different from what they were expecting.
“That’s great!” Maya exclaimed, her eyes shining with genuine enthusiasm. “We explore various historical eras, engage in art projects, and even organize debates. It’s a wonderful way to broaden your horizons and learn new things.”
“I see,” I replied, my tone remaining flat.
Maya’s response was everything I had expected. Her excitement for the club was infectious, but I found it difficult to match her level of enthusiasm.
“If you have any questions about the club or anything else, feel free to ask me,” Maya said, her smile unwavering.
“I will,” I responded, offering a small nod.
“Well, I hope to see you at the orientation,” she said cheerfully.
“Yes,” I replied, feeling a mixture of relief and anticipation that our interaction was coming to an end.
‘This woman is too uncomfortable to deal with.’ With that, I left the club fair and made my way toward my dorm.
In the end, I needed to train, and that was it.
However, while I was leaving, I felt a squinting gaze coming from the sides as someone was glaring daggers at me.
Turning my head, I expected to see Irina there, but differently, it was not her. It was Sylvie.
‘It seems she is still mad at my words.’ I thought. ‘Though, it doesn’t matter.’
Just like that, I turned my gaze forwards and made my way to my room. However, that squinting gaze hadn’t left me.
******
‘What a strange person.’
Maya thought to herself, looking at the departing figure of the young freshmen. It was the first time she saw such a reaction from a person she had encountered.
And that was for a reason.
‘Does he really not like chips?’
She thought. All the people that she offered chips accepted that without saying anything, so she thought everyone liked chips.
However, there was one thing Maya was forgetting, or rather, she had even no idea about.
It was the fact that she was one of the most people in this academy. Since she was the first seat of the second-year students as well as the renowned ‘Most Beautiful’ girl in the academy, she was naturally a goddess in most people’s eyes.
That was the case regardless of gender since even the girls couldn’t bring themselves to hate her, knowing her good character and helping personality.
But Maya was rather clueless about this, being the airheaded person she was.
‘He looked gloomy… Did something happen to him?’ She asked herself. That weird person just now looked extremely gloomy, like he was carrying extreme pain.
‘Well, I can learn about it later. He said he wanted to join our club.’ She thought happily.
At that moment, the voice of her friend came behind her.
“What was with this guy? Why did he need to be this rude?” It was her friend, Amelia, approaching her from behind.
“What do you mean?” Maya asked, not understanding. ‘Was he rude?’ She asked herself. He even apologized first, and she could see he was sincere.
Well, for her most, it was a common occurrence since the time people looked at her with a daze when they had met for the first time. She didn’t think it was because of her beauty, but her friends knew.
“How dare he refuse the offer of my beloved Maya!” Amelia jumped over her, hugging her from behind. “Nobody has the right to refuse such a cutie!”
“Stop it~ It is embarrassing, Amelia.”
Maya’s words seemed to be lost on Amelia as she continued her playful antics. “Oh, come on, Maya! You’re irresistible. Who could say no to you?” She pounced on Maya’s cheeks with her index finger.
Maya blushed slightly, pushing Amelia away gently. “Please, Amelia, don’t tease me like that.”
Amelia laughed heartily, giving Maya a playful nudge. “Don’t be so shy, cutie. Anyway, you’ve got a new member of your History and Arts Club. Lucky guy.” She mumbled as she made a grumbling expression. “I will need to be careful…..Men are like wolves.” She muttered to herself.
Maya blinked in confusion. “Lucky guy? What do you mean, Amelia?”
Amelia grinned mischievously. “Come on, Maya. You’re the star of the academy. It’s no wonder he wanted to join your club. I mean, who wouldn’t?”
Maya’s expression remained one of genuine bewilderment. “I don’t understand, Amelia. What does that have to do with anything?”
Amelia’s grin only widened. “You’re so cute, Maya. Sometimes, I wonder if you’re just acting like an airhead.”
“Hey, don’t call me like that! I am not an airhead!” Maya protested with a pout on her cheeks.
KYU!
“Sigh…..You really don’t have an ounce of idea about your destructive power.” Amelia mumbled with a sigh, trying to stop the blood pouring from her nose.
Just as they were about to continue talking further, they spotted a person that was coming towards them. It was a girl with Golden Blonde hair and green eyes. It was the first time they had seen this girl, but Amelia’s radar immediately picked her up.
‘This girl is a beauty.’ Her eyes that she had perfected to pick up and choose beautiful girls immediately concluded. Even though the girl had glasses on her eyes, she still looked innocent.
At least until they saw the atmosphere surrounding her.
‘Is she mad at something?’
The girl looked annoyed as she walked. Of course, being the perfect girl analyst she is, Amelia immediately picked the reason up.
‘She must have had a fight with her boyfriend. Hehehe….The more cuties, the better my harem will get…It will be fun to steal her from the boyfriend, hihihihihi!’
She smirked under her breath as she saw the opportunity. She really wanted to scream to the gods and thank them for giving such an opportunity to her.
Though her senses picked one thing simply wrong, it was the fact that the girl had a boyfriend. But nobody was perfect after all.
Maya, on the other hand, didn’t have Amelia’s ulterior motives. She simply saw a fellow student and offered the girl a warm and friendly smile. “Hi there! Would you like some chips?” She held out a packet of chips to the girl with her usual cheerfulness.
The golden-haired girl looked at Maya with a slightly squinting gaze as if she was trying to assess something.
Maya tilted her head to the side, wondering why this girl was looking at her like that. “What’s the matter?” Though she was also familiar with those gazes as well. “If these chips are not to your liking, I have spicy ones, chilly ones, more crispy ones.” She immediately approached the girl, looking at her with sparkling eyes.
“Um… no, thank you,” the girl replied, her tone a mix of surprise and bewilderment. She seemed slightly overwhelmed by Maya’s cheerfulness as her annoyance and squinting gaze was long gone away.
Amelia tried her best to hide her amusement at the girl’s reaction, not quite able to shake off her earlier assumptions. She glanced at Maya, wondering if the usually airheaded girl had sensed anything off about the situation.
Maya, however, simply tilted her head with a friendly smile, undeterred by the girl’s response. “Come on, try some…. They are really delicious.”
“Umm….I do-”
“Come. They are really good.”
“Ple-”
It was the start of Sylvie’s nightmare of Chips….
Today she had learned there were 300 different chip types in the world and dreamt about chips chasing her in her sleep….