The vibrant energy of Club Recruitment Day continued to surge through the corridors of Sakura High. First-year students wandered from booth to booth, laughter and chatter echoing as music played from different corners of the school. It was a day where possibility hung in the air like the scent of sakura petals on a warm spring breeze.
In the heart of the excitement, Kojima Sayori, her golden twin-tails bouncing with every step, had her arms crossed as she gazed around the club booths with a calculating expression. Her orange eyes sparkled with mischief and curiosity—not at the booths, but at someone specific standing by the literature-themed displays.
Katsuragi Kokoro.
There he was, holding a flyer from the Literature Club, seemingly deep in thought. Sayori grinned to herself.
This is the perfect time…
If he really is the K.K. Raven I admire… I'll make him slip up just enough to confirm it.
With her usual dramatic flair, Sayori marched straight toward him, brushing past several stunned onlookers.
"Kokoro-kun!" she called out, voice chipper and loud enough to catch the attention of everyone nearby. "I've made a decision! You shall escort me on my club tour today!"
Kokoro, frozen mid-step, slowly turned to face her. "Eh…?"
The corridor fell into a stunned silence.
Some of their classmates from 1-A, already clustered near different booths, turned their heads.
"Wait, what?"
"Did she just say… escort?"
"No way… Kojima-san?! With him?!"
A first-year girl from Class 1-B whispered to her friend, "Isn't she that cute loli-looking girl who ranked top of the entrance exam?"
"Yeah—and she's talking to that tall black-haired guy from 1-A. Kokoro, I think?"
"Is this a date? Are they dating?"
"No, no—he looked too shocked. Look at his face, he's turning red."
Indeed, Kokoro's eyes were wide, his cheeks rapidly coloring. "Uh… Kojima-san, why me? Aren't there others—?"
Sayori ignored the murmurs and his flustered reply, looping her arm around his with surprising strength. "Because I have divine intuition! And I believe you'll be the best club partner today. Besides, aren't you curious about the clubs too?"
"I-I mean, yes, but…"
"Then it's settled!" she beamed, already pulling him forward.
Watching from the nearby Music Club booth, Watanabe Mika paused mid-conversation with a senior. Her lavender eyes tracked Kokoro and Sayori as they walked away. For just a moment, something unreadable flickered across her face.
A second-year student beside her noticed her stare. "Mika-chan? Is something wrong?"
She blinked once, softly shaking her head. "No… just spacing out."
But her fingers lightly gripped the edge of the music booth's table, her eyes lingering on the pair.
Back in the corridor, 1-A's students were losing their minds.
"I did not see this coming," Kenta muttered, eyes wide. "Is Kokoro secretly a ladykiller?"
Genji leaned over to Minoru, whispering, "You think he used his deep, mysterious aura?"
"Nah, he probably just got swept up in the tornado that is Kojima Sayori," Minoru replied, yawning.
From a nearby bench, Nakajima Rei sipped his juice box lazily. "I give him ten minutes before he collapses."
"Five," said Fujimoto Riku, arms crossed. "She's way too energetic."
As Kokoro was led around by Sayori, he tried to recover his balance both physically and mentally.
"Sayori-san… this isn't really a date, right?"
"Huh?" she tilted her head innocently. "Of course not! Unless you want it to be."
"..."
This is getting out of hand.
But why does it… feel kind of nice to be included like this?
Sayori continued to chat with him enthusiastically, throwing in random topics—ranging from her favorite game skins to manga plot twists—and every now and then subtly prodding Kokoro's opinion on certain stories suspiciously similar to K.K. Raven's work.
Kokoro, caught between flustered and clueless, kept replying in vague ways, not realizing she was probing him with a smile sharper than it looked.
The school's club festival raged on around them, but in that little bubble of chaos, something else quietly blossomed—perhaps curiosity, or perhaps the spark of something more complicated.
___________________________________________
The hallway of Sakura High was nothing short of a festival. Posters, streamers, loud music, flashy displays—each club had gone all out to entice the new blood. The sunlight through the tall windows washed over everything in golden glow, making it feel like a vibrant school fair.
First Stop: Photography Club
Sayori pulled Kokoro to a booth with framed pictures arranged like an art gallery.
"Hey there! Interested in capturing beauty with a lens?" asked a third-year girl, her DSLR slung around her neck.
"Capturing beauty, huh? Then take a picture of me," Sayori said with a dramatic pose.
"We'd need a wide lens to fit your ego," Kokoro mumbled.
Sayori elbowed him, pouting. "Tch! You wound me, Kokoro."
"Hehe, you two are funny," the club rep laughed. "We take applications after a sample shot. Want to try?"
Kokoro took the camera. Sayori struck a new pose. "This angle, make sure the light hits my eye just right. I'm giving mysterious magical girl vibes."
"You're giving me secondhand embarrassment vibes," Kokoro said, snapping a surprisingly well-composed shot.
"Whoa, you've got steady hands! You sure you're not secretly a photography nerd?" the rep asked.
Kokoro chuckled nervously. "Uh... not exactly."
---
Second Stop: Film Club
The booth was playing a dramatic trailer featuring explosions made of soda bottles and paper mache aliens.
"We're making the next big student film! Want in?"
Sayori's eyes sparkled. "Kokoro, I can totally see you as a tragic anti-hero with a dark past. Or maybe a silent assassin who loves cats."
Kokoro raised a brow. "I'd be the guy dying off-screen during the opening credits."
"Nah, you'd be the tortured soul the audience ends up falling for," Sayori said dreamily.
The club's director chimed in, "We do scriptwriting too. Either of you write?"
Sayori's smirk twitched. She glanced at Kokoro. He panicked and looked away.
"He writes poems! Deep ones about rain and loneliness," Sayori teased.
"I do NOT," Kokoro shot back.
The club members cackled. "You two are a riot! If you change your mind, our door's open."
---
Third Stop: Cooking Club
The booth was like a food stall. Students in aprons handed out samples.
"Care for some strawberry mochi? Freshly made this morning!"
Sayori took a bite. Her face melted. "Mmm! It's like sweet, chewy love!"
Kokoro nodded. "It's really good."
A club member said, "We welcome members of all skill levels. You get to eat everything you make!"
"I burn water," Kokoro confessed.
"I once exploded an egg trying to boil it," Sayori added proudly.
"...You two might need supervision," the chef-senpai said, laughing.
"Or helmets," Kokoro muttered.
They stopped by a vending machine.
Sayori handed Kokoro a bottle of melon soda. "For the brave knight accompanying a princess."
"Does the knight get hazard pay?"
She chuckled. "You secretly love my company. Don't deny it."
He looked away, sipping quietly.
---
Fourth Stop: Gaming Club
It was chaos. Students screamed at arcade setups and handhelds. One boy was dressed as a fantasy knight dueling in a VR headset.
"I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE!" Sayori declared, running to a console.
Kokoro watched her demolish a third-year in a fighting game.
"You're scarily good at this," he muttered.
"I'm a max-level being, remember?"
A sweaty senior bowed. "Please join our club. We need your divine gaming powers."
Sayori patted his head. "Only if you give me tribute."
---
Final Stop: Anime & Manga Club
The booth had wall scrolls, figurines, and displays of student-made manga. Kokoro was stunned—especially by a particular girl seated at the center, surrounded by older students.
Pink hair. Pink eyes. Glasses. Curves that made some nearby guys stammer.
It was the girl from the grocery store alley.
She saw Kokoro. Her eyes lit up. She smiled, then waved gently.
Kokoro froze.
Sayori, sipping her soda, followed his gaze. Then she froze. Her pupils shrank.
"Wait... what?" she whispered.
The pink-haired girl stood, walking toward them. Sayori leaned close and muttered to Kokoro, "You... you PLAYER!"
Kokoro stammered, "I-It's not what you think! I-I just met her in a grocery store—!"
Sayori whipped her head around to him. "Wait. A girl like that hangs out in a grocery store?! What kind of anime is this!?"
The girl's voice was calm and mature. "Hey, I remember you. Didn't expect to see you here."
Sayori raised an eyebrow with a hint of amuse and mischief plastered on her face.
Kokoro wished the vending machine would explode and give him an excuse to run.
---
The club rep gestured to a table of sample manga. "If you're joining, you need to either draw, write, or critique."
Sayori leaned forward, her smirk returning. "So, Kokoro, wanna show them how poetic your rain poems are?"
The pink-haired girl looked between them. "Poems? Oh? Are you a writer too?"
Kokoro could only sigh with a tired, ugly face because of Sayori's teasing.
----
The hallway bustled, but in this little triangle of tension, everything stood still.
Sayori watched Kokoro with a sly glint. The pink-haired girl smiled, eyes curious.
Sayori smirked. "This is it. If he's really the K.K. Raven I admire…"
And Kokoro... Thought what a troublesome day it is.