Kotaro stood frozen in shock.
"American Football Club! Join us for a barbecue during the welcome party!"
"Light Music Club! We're super laid-back!"
"Tennis! It's the sport of college students!"
Flyers, flyers, flyers—his vision was overwhelmed by a sea of them.
Mountains, mountains, mountains of college students with gleaming eyes.
A massive wave of voices, voices, voices crashed over him, pounding into his entire body.
Is this... what it's like to be recruited as a freshman...?!
As soon as he stepped out of the auditorium after the entrance ceremony, he was swept up in a frenzied storm of recruitment. It felt like he'd been suddenly thrust into a raging tempest. An unfamiliar place, unfamiliar clothes, and now this artificial hurricane of human voices.
I'm not the only one shaken by this, am I?
Looking around, I saw that most of the freshmen were utterly bewildered. There was only one path for us to follow, flanked on both sides by university seniors who shouted enthusiastically while handing out flyers. I bet these seniors were using their loudest voices of the entire year right now.
Whoa!
With my hands held out like a forklift, flyers kept piling up. Looking ahead, I saw a male student about ten meters ahead, staggering under a mountain of flyers. Poor guy, I thought, but I couldn't laugh. He was just a few dozen seconds ahead of me.
If I trip in that state, it'll be mortifying... How can I... Oh, right.
Apparently, if you walk down the middle of the path, you get flyers from both sides. Kotaro subtly shifted to one side, managing to keep the pile of flyers on his hands to a minimum.
Looking up, I saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Perhaps due to the strong wind, their glistening petals hung suspended in the air. But when I lowered my gaze, I saw flyers of every color being blown around by the wind or skittering across the ground. It was like a cherry blossom snowstorm above and a flyer blizzard below. The flyer I nearly stepped on with my leather shoes read "Hot Yoga Circle." Isn't that just yoga? I wondered, tilting my head in confusion, as I somehow managed to navigate through the storm of recruitment efforts.
"Phew..."
Finally, when the stream of recruiters had dwindled, I took a deep breath. Even though I'd walked along one side of the path, the mountain of flyers piled in my arms was now too vast to count. The student dormitory was about 500 meters from the lecture hall. A short walk, but there was no way I could carry all these flyers back with me.
Someplace I can put these for a moment...
I scanned my surroundings, my lower field of vision obstructed by the mountain of flyers I was carrying. I wanted to put them down on a bench or something, even if just for a moment, so I could pick out the ones from circles that interested me.
As I looked around nervously—
"Hey, freshman. Looking for something?"
"Hm?"
A clear, lovely voice rang out. It was such a pleasant voice I wanted to listen to it all day, but I wasn't even sure if it was directed at me. I glanced around. No one was there. Oh, so they were talking to me... I thought, but then I realized I couldn't find the owner of the voice.
"Freshman. I'm talking to you. Looking for something?"
"Hmm...?"
Still clutching the mountain of flyers, I continued scanning my surroundings. The voice was so captivating that it could draw people in just by speaking. But the owner of the voice remained nowhere to be seen.
A beautiful voice, never revealing its owner. It's just like...
"A fairy...?"
"Like hell it is!"
With a spirited retort, a slender arm shot out in front of me, and a new flyer was firmly placed at the very top of Flyer Mountain. The paper bore the words "Social Welfare Research Society."
"Seriously... everyone keeps calling me a fairy, a hobbit, a koropokkuru, and all that..."
(He didn't actually say the last part...)
He took a few leisurely steps back, and I finally recognized the owner of the clear voice.
He's so short—I thought he was a middle school student, or even an elementary school student. Yet his features were strikingly refined, cool, and dignified, completely incongruous with his stature. His eyes had a slightly feline quality. His hair was dyed a light brown, with long bangs framing two small ponytails.
Upon closer inspection, her hair revealed subtle shades of color, creating a soft gradient that shimmered in the spring sunlight. Perhaps because it was such a warm day, reminiscent of summer, she was dressed in a sleeveless blouse and a long skirt—a charming, almost maidenly outfit. The blouse was gently pushed up by her soft, curvaceous chest, creating a figure so alluring it nearly compelled him to stare.
Oh... my...
The spring sun, the clamor of the welcoming festivities—everything faded away in an instant.
It felt as if he were gazing at a painting centered around her.
All sound seemed to recede, leaving him completely focused on her, his every nerve devoted to taking her in.
He was smitten.
Kotaro's mind and heart were struck by a force he'd never experienced before. Her diminutive stature was in stark contrast to her strikingly balanced features. And those impossibly soft-looking breasts.
He'd had a vague suspicion ever since moving into the student dormitory and observing his college roommates...
Are universities really full of such beautiful people...?!
In my eighteen years, I'd seen plenty of cute girls. But this was the first time I'd met a woman who possessed both a beautiful face and an overall adorable aura—like a demon armed with a club, or maybe two demons in one. Either way, she was incredibly charming.
"Hmm...? What's wrong with you? You've been spacing out."
"Huh?! Oh, no, nothing, sorry...!"
Sensing my discomfort, Senior leaned in closer. Her gaze softened, and her charming allure intensified. My body instantly flushed with heat. Still clutching the Flyer Mountain, I smoothly turned halfway around, and her cheerful, bubbly laughter floated back to me.
"You're quite interesting. If you don't mind, let's... well, first, let's find somewhere to sit."
"I'd appreciate that..."
Seeing Kotaro burdened with a mountain of flyers, she smiled wryly. Oh boy. Her expressions were so rich and varied, yet all of them were adorable. Could this be a recruitment drive for a shady circle? she wondered. Is this what they call a "beautiful trap"...?! But the name "Social Welfare Research Society" suggested it was probably safe.
More importantly...
"Alright, let's head over to that bench over there."
"Y-yes!"
I want to talk to this senior more! The desire to engage with her easily brushed aside all her other concerns.
*****
The two of them sat side by side on the bench beneath the cherry blossom tree. They placed the Flyer Mountain between them, and she marveled at how he'd managed to carry such a massive stack.
"Ugh... this is a lot of flyers again this year," the senior said, tapping the mountain of flyers with a wry smile. Her dangling feet looked so cute.
"Are you handed this many flyers every year?"
"Yeah, it was crazy when I joined too. But they seem to be a little considerate of the girls, since I didn't get this many. The circles that clearly only have guys would put out their flyers and then pull them back, saying, 'Oh, sorry about that!' when they saw me coming."
"I see..."
I suppose they're being considerate of the girls, I thought. But with someone as petite as Senior Misaki, there's a limit to how much she can carry. They must be especially thoughtful of women like her.
"Did you just think something rude?"
"N-no, of course not!"
A faint shadow crossed her stern face. It wasn't rude exactly, but I had been thinking about her small stature. I denied it vehemently to avoid shortening her lifespan.
"S-Senior, why are you recruiting here?"
Kotaro hastily changed the subject. He had been recruited about five minutes after the recruitment line broke up, at a fork in the path where most freshmen were taking a different route. She was there precisely because he was looking for a place to rest.
"Yeah, it's tough handing out flyers at those festival-like events."
"I see..."
"Who said, 'She's so small she'd get lost in the crowd, ha ha ha'?!"
"I never said that!"
She seemed quite sensitive about being called small. I'll have to be careful about that in the future.
"Anyway, we're allowed to recruit in this area," the Senior said, gesturing around. Looking around, Kotaro saw several other men and women targeting freshmen just like the Senior was. Good work, everyone.
"Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Misaki. Hibiya Misaki."
"Senior Misaki..."
Even her name is beautiful... The clichéd thought crossed my mind, but it was undeniably true.
"In my department, they usually call me by my last name or first name. Social Welfare... Oh, you mean the Social Welfare Research Society? There, they call me all sorts of nicknames... Hey, who calls me 'Fairy Penguin'?!?"
"Are you emotionally unstable or something?!"
She seems to have a habit of walking straight into landmines.
For a moment, I thought she might be a little difficult to handle, but then I noticed her cutely pouting and exclaiming, "Honestly!" She doesn't seem as angry as her words suggest. Even her way of getting upset is adorable. Judging by this, I figured she must get teased in her circle, but then again, it's no wonder she's in that position—she's just that cute. Beautiful, yet a bundle of charm.
"So, what's your name?"
For a moment, a popular movie scene flashed through my mind.
"Uh... my name is Kagaya Kotaro."
"Hmm, that's quite long."
"What?!"
Stunned by this sudden, inexplicable criticism, I was still reeling when she—Misaki—gave an apologetic smile, her fingers fluttering. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I'm not rejecting your name. It would be terribly rude to your parents."
"O-okay..."
"It's just a bit too long to call you that. Five characters, you know?"
"It doesn't change the meaning, does it?!"
Ignoring Kotaro's pained retort, Misaki crossed her arms and muttered adorably, "Hmmm..." After a moment, she looked up at him and grinned widely. "Kotaro."
"Huh?"
The name was called without the final elongation, sounding somehow childish. Her cool and composed demeanor contrasted sharply with her childlike cuteness, and the slightly youthful way she addressed him. These conflicting charms bombarded Kotaro's mind in rapid succession. She's beautiful, cute, adorable. What... what is this impossibly perfect creature?
As he stood frozen in astonishment, Misaki leaned in close. She gazed up at him with concerned eyes.
"Kotaro? What's wrong?"
"Uwah?!"
He let out a scream he'd never uttered before, arching his back. Even through the mountain of flyers, Misaki's face had suddenly loomed closer, and a faintly sweet scent wafted toward him. Whether it was perfume or shampoo, he couldn't tell. Either way, it was a wonderful fragrance—so intoxicating he wondered if she was even human.
"...So, are you really a fairy?"
"But why did that happen?!"
Patsch! She gently tapped my head, then immediately began stroking my hair tenderly. The unexpected intimacy made my heart race wildly.
"Kotaro, you make such strange noises."
"No, I've never made a sound like that before..."
"Guess we'll have to stick with the nickname 'Strange Sound Beast' then?"
"I absolutely hate that!"
Misaki burst into laughter. The senior who was much shorter than me doubled over, clutching her stomach and kicking her legs. Even her small ponytail bounced along. She was so cute and petite. Cute and petite. But the way she held her stomach drew attention to her full chest, and I nearly got caught staring before hastily averting my gaze.
"Haaah, you're so funny, Kotaro. Well then, welcome to the club!"
"Wait, you can't skip so many steps! I haven't even observed a meeting yet!"
Kotaro hastily corrected himself, and Misaki raised an eyebrow, chuckling, "Oh? Really?" Her gesture was reminiscent of an actor from an old Western film.
"Are you interested in the Social Welfare Research Club?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, well..."
To be precise, he wanted to say, "I'm interested in you!" But of course, he couldn't say that. So...
"...Yeah. A little bit."
There was no other way to answer in this situation. This university was huge, with over 2,000 students in each year. If they parted now, who knew when they'd have another chance to talk like this?
"Ooh, really?! Awesome, Kotaro!"
Misaki, completely oblivious to Kotaro's intentions, laughed heartily and patted his shoulder. With the mountain of flyers between them and her short reach, she had to stretch her arm out comically, which was endearingly cute. I really want to talk to her more, he thought.
"Alright, then right away..."
Misaki, now in high spirits, hummed a little tune as she rummaged through her small bag. Her voice is so pretty... I thought, spacing out, until she abruptly thrust her smartphone screen right in front of my face.
"Cats are cute, aren't they?"
"Right? They're my family's cats, but... wait, no!"
The lock screen showed two cats lounging contentedly in the sun in the living room. Misaki corrected herself, flustered, and fiddled with her phone. Her flustered, hurried movements were still adorable.
"Here, my contact info!"
She showed me the friend request screen on her messaging app.
"Huh... Wait, you're okay with this?"
"Well, I need it to send you all the upcoming recruitment schedule details without missing a beat, right?"
"Purely for business!"
"What, you want to call me?"
"Ugh?!"
Misaki grinned mischievously, shaking her smartphone screen back and forth. My face burned instantly.
"Yes! I do!"
"Ugh?!"
My enthusiasm got the better of me, and I blurted out the truth. Now it was Misaki's turn to turn bright red. Even her small ears, peeking out from her light brown hair, flushed crimson, and her gaze darted around like a pinball. Seeing my Senior, usually so composed, flustered even more than me, I felt a sudden warmth.
"Uh, um... so, uh... were you serious just now? Were you really serious?"
"Then I'll show you my QR code."
"Listen to what people are saying!"
She smacked me lightly. Then, as usual, she stroked my hair.
"...Sorry, I got carried away."
"O-oh, so you're apologizing, but I still don't know if you're serious or joking..."
Misaki pursed her thin lips, shifting them awkwardly. This topic was mortifying, but she didn't want to resort to the lie, "That's not true!" She just wanted to muddle through it somehow.
"Well, never mind..." Misaki said with an embarrassed expression, scanning Kotaro's QR code.
"First, there's the freshman welcome party today. You're coming, right? Kotaro, you're always the lone wolf anyway. You've got nothing better to do, right?"
"That's a terrible assumption!"
But he was right. He'd already made a few friends during the pre-enrollment departmental welcome events, but he'd planned to go alone at first. Being so accurately read left him a little frustrated.
Misaki sprang to her feet, clasped her hands behind her back, and spun around with a flourish. The gesture was so cinematic that he involuntarily held his breath.
"Well then, I'm looking forward to it! I'll send you the location, time, and ransom amount right after this!"
"What was that last part?!"
Misaki laughed heartily at Kotaro's retort, waving her hand airily as she left. He felt strangely drained, but the encounter had been far more enjoyable than exhausting. University is amazing, he thought, touched. To think someone like her goes here...
*****
Later that day, he rode his bicycle around the university area, checking out local shops. Though he intended to cook most of his meals, he figured he might as well find some good restaurants while he was at it. I should have asked for recommendations... he thought, but he stumbled upon a traditional set meal restaurant that had been in business for over twenty years. He ordered the standard fried chicken set meal, and both the portion size and flavor exceeded his expectations. To top it off, it was cheap—a classic student hangout. Vowing to return, he patted his full belly and stepped out of the restaurant just as a notification arrived on his phone.
The sender was "Hibiya Misaki-senpai."
I opened the app at supersonic speed.
"Hey. Have you eaten lunch yet?"
(A message from a senior at university, not just any senior, but someone incredibly beautiful and cute... And her greeting is just adorable...)
In high school, I'd exchanged messages with girls before, but never anything like this with a senior. I patted my slightly overfull stomach and got lost in the moment.
"Yeah, I ate a big lunch."
"Karaage set is delicious, right?"
I quickly scanned my surroundings. Am I being watched by a drone camera? I wondered, entertaining unnecessarily high-tech suspicions.
"How did you know?"
"Reading half-formed sentences in text is so uncomfortable..."
"Don't make fun of me, I'm about to cry!"
(Cat laughing emoji)
She's laughing at me. But the emoji is so cute.
"There aren't that many places open around here for lunch. So when you say 'a proper meal,' it's immediately obvious you mean that one place."
"Wow, that's impressive."
"You can respect me a little more, you know?"
I imagined Misaki leaning back with her hands on her hips, smugly puffing out her chest. So cute.
"Alright, now for official business."
"You switched gears so suddenly..."
"Meet me in front of Building B of the humanities faculty building at 6 PM today!"
"Um... any landmarks?"
"There's a bakery. The bread is delicious."
Even her clipped, one-word replies are adorable.
"Ah, I think I've got a general idea of where it is."
"Good. If you're really lost, feel free to contact me. I'll make sure to block you properly."
"Why are you disowning me on the day we first met?!"
I could almost hear Misaki laughing heartily on the other end of the smartphone.
"Well then, I'll talk to you again tonight."
"Okay!"
(Cat wagging its tail emoji)
(Cat waving its paw emoji)
Our conversation ended with an exchange of cat emojis.
"...I wish I could have called her..."
I'd expected it to end after two or three exchanges, but before I knew it, we'd been chatting for quite a while. And it was fun. A phone call would have been even more enjoyable, and meeting in person would have been even better.
"...What should I do until evening..."
I'd planned to enjoy a solo stroll, but now that I was so looking forward to seeing Misaki, I couldn't focus on anything else.
*****
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