Lunch time.
Most students took out their packed lunches and went to find friends to share a table.
However, perhaps because of Kawasaki Saki's presence, others subconsciously avoided this area when looking for a place to sit.
This worked in Tanaka's favor.
Since no one came to share a table here, he didn't have to give up his seat.
Thinking of his predecessor, every lunch period was either someone trying to take his seat or someone sitting nearby, making him feel slightly out of place.
So his predecessor would retreat to a quiet corner and eat alone.
Looking at it this way… maybe he should thank Kawasaki Saki for creating a little slice of peaceful territory just for him.
Tanaka took out the lunch box his mother had prepared and ate slowly.
[Hmm… the rice is a bit hard since it's cold.
The side dishes are fine: fried chicken, sausages, lettuce…
They're all foods that taste decent even when cold.
Still, maybe it would be better to replace the rice with bread, pastries, or something similar.
But here, bread is either spread with butter and jam or made into sandwiches.
Speaking of which, in almost every school convenience store in anime, fried noodle sandwiches are sold, and they're quite popular.
I haven't tried one yet… maybe I should.
If the fried noodles are hot and freshly cooked, with sauce, wrapped in bread, it would taste amazing.
But if the fried noodles are cold, soft, and sticky, combined with bread… it probably wouldn't taste good.]
…
Lunch ended.
Tanaka spent the next two afternoon classes in a daze.
At three o'clock, the bell rang—not the class-ending bell, but the final bell signaling the end of the school day.
Once classes were over, most students had joined clubs and now headed to their activities.
Those who hadn't joined clubs either went straight home or chose to hang out with friends, shopping or singing karaoke.
Some even used the time to work part-time and earn a little money.
For example, Saki Kawasaki, who had been sitting in front of Tanaka, packed her things and left, probably heading to work.
Watching her back as she walked away, Tanaka sighed helplessly.
Today, he hadn't found a single opportunity to speak with her.
He had spent the entire day watching the floor, hoping she might accidentally drop a pen or eraser so he could pick it up and start a conversation.
But the chance never came.
Tanaka packed up his belongings and left the classroom.
He didn't feel sad about Kawasaki's departure, as he planned to find Yukinoshita Yukino next.
After a full day of school activities, Tanaka had also encountered several main characters from the story:
Yuigahama Yui, Miura Yumiko, Totsuka Saika…
But he hadn't met the male protagonist, Hachiman Hikigaya.
Thinking about another key character, the schoolgirl Isshiki Iroha, Tanaka began to understand.
The original story took place in the second grade, but they were still first-year students.
This explained why he was in the same class as Kawasaki Saki.
According to the original story, Hachiman Hikigaya had been hit by Yukinoshita's family car and hospitalized when trying to save Yuigahama Yui's dog at the start of the school year.
Now, a month had passed since the school year began, and Tanaka hadn't seen Hachiman—he was probably still in the hospital.
In that case, he needed to find Yukinoshita Yukino.
…
After wandering around the school for some time, Tanaka still couldn't locate the Service Club.
"The Service Club hasn't been established yet," he thought.
He circled the building where the club was supposed to be, but there was no trace of it.
"Should I just give up?"
Tanaka lifted his schoolbag, ready to leave.
"Wait a minute… this is the office building."
The office building had five floors. The school's teachers didn't need that many rooms, and the top two floors were mostly empty.
"Could it be here?"
With nothing to lose, Tanaka entered the office building.
The first three floors were for teachers, which he didn't intend to visit, so he went straight to the fourth floor.
After searching, he finally found a room tucked away at the far end of the fifth floor.
[Service Club]
"Finally… not easy, not easy."
Seeing the familiar sliding door, Tanaka was touched, nearly on the verge of tears.
He now understood why, in the original story, every request for help came through Shizuka Hiratsuka.
In such a remote location, ordinary students wouldn't come here on their own.
If Yukinoshita Yukino opened the Service Club elsewhere, passersby might be curious and come in.
Here, the Service Club needed a reputation—without it, no one would show up.
It was understandable; the club was new, with only one member.
The school hadn't assigned a club room.
It was Shizuka Hiratsuka who allowed them to use this empty space.
Tanaka took a deep breath, pushed away his complicated thoughts, and knocked on the door.
There was a pause.
Ten seconds passed, and just as Tanaka began to think no one was inside, a cold voice called out:
"Come in."