Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662545387095/episodes/16817330667725828454
After the entrance ceremony, it was a weekday in April.
The campus was suddenly alive with a new wind of nervous first-year students.
First-year students were bewildered by the spacious campus.
First-year students looking curiously at posters inviting them to join clubs and club activities.
First-year students rejoicing at the reunion with their seniors.
I saw a few scenes that were a little different from the usual.
However, this did not change my life at all.
I was not approached by lost students, nor was I actively trying to recruit new students to the club. There are no juniors from my alma mater with whom I am close enough to be happy to see again.
The daily routine of attending lectures to earn credits has just begun.
The only thing that has changed is that the girl I used to help study for the entrance exam has become a junior.
However, she is in a completely different department, so we don’t see each other unless we have an appointment. In a large university with a large number of students, being in a different department is no different from being a resident of a different continent.
The lectures are completely different, so the classrooms are usually in different buildings.
Therefore, her entrance into the university was not enough to cause any changes in my life.
For the time being, that is.
“Don’t say that, join us.”
As I was walking along the outdoor pathway from the school building to the library to do some research, I heard a boy’s voice coming from around the bend in the planted path.
“Um……I’ll pass.”
It was a girl’s voice responding. The girl looked somewhat bewildered and was desperately refusing the boys’ advances or something.
Was she being picked on? I mean, this voice sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
“Don’t be shy ! Freshmen and upperclassmen get together at the New Year’s party, you know? It’s a good opportunity to make new friends at campus, so it’s in your best interest to attend !”
“”Ahaha……haa, what should I do……”
The girl is understandably troubled by the persistent invitations.
Encounter season.
The season when the warm spring weather makes people feel open and seek contact with others.
The campus is flooded with new students, and it is the nature of upperclassmen to feel a warmth in their hearts and a desire to watch over them. It is also the nature of young people to spot a person of the opposite sex whom they are attracted to as they follow him or her with their eyes, and to want to be brave enough to talk to them.
However, it is not advisable to push too hard without thinking of the other person’s inconvenience.
If the person you are approaching is someone I know very well, I would especially ask you to refrain from doing so.
I decided to intervene in the exchange out of a sense of moral obligation to protect campus morals and out of affection for the girl.
“Yamashina, you should leave it at that. Don’t bother Ari san.”
“Huh?”
First of all, I chided the owner of the familiar voice, a male student, Yamashina.
Yamashina stared at me with a blank expression until a hole appeared in his face.
“Erm……who are you?”
I know Yamashina. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s a well-known playboy on campus, and he’s an energetic boy who goes around hitting on all kinds of female students.
However, since he doesn’t have any friends, he doesn’t clearly recognize me. But we only met face to face once.
“Remember me? Kobayakawa from Boston. We spoke at a tea party last year, remember?”
“…………Ah, Kohayan, right ! You were next to Ryoko chan.”
I’m glad you remember me, but I’m just an extra for Ryoko. No, that’s fine, but don’t call me by a weird nickname. We’re not that close, and it’s the first time you called me that.
“Ah, it’s Kingo ! Good morning !”
“Good morning, Ari san.”
The one who peeked out from behind Yamashina’s body was Azekura Ari san.
She is a friend of mine who made her college debut with shiny long black hair and a red inner color. Or, you could say she is my fan. ……I’m embarrassed to say it myself.
“Ah, come think of it, Kohayan, were you friends with this girl? Do you feel like you’ve already started going out with her?”
“I don’t feel like we’ve started dating.”
“I see ! Then that’s OK !”
About what?
“Ari san, Yamashina was giving you trouble, wasn’t he? I know it’s hard to say this to a senior partner, but it’s okay to say you don’t like something you don’t like.”
“Hey, Kohayan !? Why am I bothering her !? I’m just inviting her because of the new circle party.”
“Circle? What kind of circle is this? If you’re planning to take Ari san to a strange place, I won’t forgive you, okay?”
Yamashina shrank his shoulders as he was glared at.
Every club and circle is in the midst of competition to attract new recruits, and upperclassmen are rushing to recruit first-year students regardless of where they are. Athletic clubs are eager to recruit experienced and physically fit members who are ready to compete, but there are also those who are pestering cute girls for a chance to meet them.
“It’s fine, it’s fine ! I’m not suspicious!!”
“That’s what all suspicious people say.”
“I really am not suspicious ! I’m in a travel group called [Silk Road.]”
“Oh, Silk Road.”
The name I knew for the first time, so the tension between my eyebrows relaxed.
“Kingo, do you know it?”
“Yes, I do. It is a large circle that has been around for a long time.”
“A travel club. I’d like to go there, but I’m a little nervous about it…….”
Silk Road is a large circle that has existed in Hokusei University for a long time. The main event is a group trip every summer and winter, and it is famous for being a lively place that is just like a university student. It is therefore a popular circle for new students.
Ari san, who is curious and active enough to go to live music clubs, seems to be interested in the club, but she is still uneasy about going to a new place for the first time.
“Speaking of which, Ryoko belongs to Silk Road, too.”
“I see……hmmm.”
Thanks to the mention of Ryoko’s name, Yamashina’s wariness about recruiting seems to have eased. But it could not be the deciding factor to join.
It’s not unreasonable. Even though they were so close, I could guess that Ari san was rather difficult to face with Ryoko now.
Apparently, by the looks of things, they don’t even keep in touch. But it’s not like they had a fierce fight, so once they see each other, they will probably get along again.
With this kind of reckless thoughtfulness, I decided to be nosy.
“Ari san, would you like to join me?”
“Kingo too?”
“Yes, I would like to join you. It would be a little awkward for you to go to a place for the first time by yourself.”
Ari san and Ryoko. They are both my friends, and they are quite a good pair, so I felt bad leaving them in a strange awkward situation.
Ari san hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head. It seems that she shares the same feelings as I do.
“So, Yamashina. Ari san and I will be participating in the Silk Road party.”
“Eh, Kohayan is coming too?”
“It’s good, isn’t it? There will be new faces from the second year, anyway.”
Silk Road is also famous for its so-called drinking servers, and non-members sometimes show up at drinking parties. In fact, I was even invited by Ryoko once. More to the point, my ex-girlfriend Yua was with me.
……Off topic. I know the ins and outs of that area, so I don’t need to hesitate to give a few orders.
But Yamashina was difficult to deal with.
“Hmm, it’s troubling. Unlike the normal drinking party, the new members’ party is mainly for first-year students, so I wonder if it would be okay to invite second-year students.”
“Don’t be so formal about it. We’re friends, right?”
“Eh, are we really that close?”
Don’t be so silly.
“It can’t be helped. Kohayan is a friend of Ryoko chan’s and I’m sure she’ll be flexible. I’ll ask her to be the organizer ! Yes, for Ari chan’s sake !”
“Ahaha……thanks.”
I know you think you’re doing me a favor, but it’s having the opposite effect on me, Yamashina.
Well, just like that, Ari san and I were invited to the welcome party of one of the university’s largest clubs.
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