Chapter 1: If you want to kill him, you have no excuse
"So... starting today, you're no longer a member of the Go-Home Club?"
After school, a boy wearing a black mask squinted his eyes as he spoke.
"Hey... can you stop looking so smug about it?"
In front of him, another boy with dead-fish eyes stared at him, speechless.
Although the mask obscured the other's expression, Hikigaya was certain that his face right now must be... quite something.
In Fusou, schools usually finish early in the afternoon and don't have evening self-study sessions. Because of this, there was no rush for Dan Shiji to pack up. After his companion slowly finished organizing his bag, the two left together.
"By the way, don't you have a club to attend? Why are you leaving with me?" Dan Shiji asked before they even exited the classroom.
"A club, huh... I'll just be a ghost member." Hikigaya spoke with his dead-fish eyes glaring as he walked straight out of the classroom without hesitation. However...
"P-Pingzuka-sensei..."
A sharp-looking woman, dressed in professional attire with a white coat draped over it, stood waiting at the door.
At this moment, Shizuka Hiratsuka was standing at the entrance of the classroom with her arms crossed, resembling a prison guard. If she had been wearing a military uniform and holding a whip, the image would have been complete...
"Hikigaya, it's club time. Also, I heard everything you just said..." She directed a dangerous gaze at Hikigaya.
The moment those words reached his ears, Hikigaya's face instantly turned pale.
Not good, I'm about to be taken away!
With this thought in mind, he cast a desperate glance at Dan Shiji beside him.
Noticing his gaze, Dan Shiji turned his face away, eyes fixed on a distant point as if desperately trying to disassociate himself from the situation.
A traitor!
Just as Hikigaya cursed him internally, Shizuka Hiratsuka spoke up:
"So, you must be the 'sick buddy' Hikigaya mentioned."
???
Hearing Hiratsuka's words, Dan Shiji's mind filled with question marks.
Wait, why am I involved in this?
"Uh... if Hikigaya doesn't have any other classmates to walk home with, then I suppose I'm the 'sick buddy' he mentioned." Dan Shiji adjusted his mask slightly as he spoke.
Hiratsuka nodded at his response before shifting her gaze back to Hikigaya. She revealed a dangerous smile.
"Let's go, Hikigaya. And don't even think about running."
Cold sweat slid down Hikigaya's temple as he tried to salvage the situation.
"Well, if we consider this from an educational standpoint that respects students' autonomy and fosters independence, then forcing students into activities seems quite debatable..."
"Unfortunately for you, school exists to train students for society. In society, your opinions won't matter, so you'd better get used to it now."
As Hiratsuka spoke, she clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles while giving Hikigaya a "kind" smile.
"You know what'll happen if you keep resisting, right? Stop making my fists work overtime."
"...Ugh, I got it..."
In the end, Hikigaya surrendered.
I can't let myself fall into her hands again...
Watching their interaction, Dan Shiji squinted his eyes and made a mental note.
However, reality soon proved that he was being far too naive...
Seeing Hiratsuka shift her attention toward him, Dan Shiji's internal alarm blared.
Danger! Danger!
Sure enough, Hiratsuka's next words left him utterly frozen.
"You, Dan Shiji, right? Go wait in my office. I'll deal with you after I'm done with Hikigaya."
After saying that, she pulled Hikigaya away, leaving Dan Shiji standing in the wind, utterly dumbfounded...
The Office
Sitting in the meeting room chair, Dan Shiji couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, so he began glancing around.
In Fusou Province, some schools equipped teacher offices with dedicated meeting rooms. Since Province Comprehensive High was a government-funded school, it naturally had the resources to install these rooms in almost every office.
Meeting rooms were usually constructed with four walls of soundproof glass, offering sound insulation comparable to the glass partitions in prison visitation rooms. Their layout was simple—just a desk and two chairs. Additionally, the door could be locked from the inside.
These rooms were primarily used for private or important discussions. Although Dan Shiji doubted that his conversation would warrant such a high-level setting, there was nowhere else to sit, so he had no choice but to wait here...
Before long, Shizuka Hiratsuka returned to the office.
Seeing her enter, Dan Shiji quickly stood up out of instinct.
"Dan Shiji, right? Given that your credits this semester are already stretched thin, I suggest you join a club."
After calling him over to her desk, Hiratsuka got straight to the point without any unnecessary nonsense.
???
Hearing this, Dan Shiji was confused.
If he remembered correctly, the last time he checked his credits, he still had 65—barely passing...
"Uh... if I may ask, can I take a look at my credit records?" Dan Shiji had a sudden ominous feeling.
"Of course."
Hiratsuka nodded and pulled out a thin booklet from a stack of books beside her. Flipping to the page with Dan Shiji's name, she pointed to the credits column, which had clear signs of being altered.
"See that? Your credits are insufficient for this semester. As your teacher, I had no choice but to find you something to earn some extra credits."
Dan Shiji took the record and skimmed through it. The muscles at the corner of his eyes twitched slightly. He was speechless.
Sure, 'If one desires to condemn, words will always be found.' But this... isn't this a little too blatant?! The tampering is way too obvious!
And how did my credits suddenly drop from 65 to 40 in just one week? I don't remember doing anything that would have cost me 25 credits...
Despite his chaotic thoughts, he didn't dare to voice any objections. Otherwise, he might soon experience Hiratsuka's fists firsthand...
"So... what kind of club did you find for me?" Dan Shiji decided to confirm her intentions first.
"Hmph, you should be grateful. I found you a club that's both easy and stable."
Hiratsuka crossed her arms, looking quite pleased with herself.
"So, which club is it?"
Dan Shiji wasn't interested at all. He had already planned to just sign up and become a ghost member.
"The Service Club."
Hiratsuka no longer kept him in suspense and revealed the answer directly.
???
Has the school environment become this progressive?
And why does this name sound so familiar?
"I feel like you're thinking something very rude right now." Hiratsuka narrowed her eyes at him.
"Ahem, of course not."
Dan Shiji immediately forced an awkward yet polite smile—though Hiratsuka couldn't see it through his mask.