"Hey! Kotaro! Over here!"
Misaki, holding a crudely homemade wooden signboard, waved enthusiastically. Her small body bounced up and down, her twin ponytails swaying in rhythm with her surprisingly ample breasts, which jiggled almost dangerously.
This is bad. She's already too cute...
Kotaro desperately fought the urge to melt into a puddle, managing a polite smile as he approached her. Having been told to use the campus bakery as a landmark, he'd found her without much trouble.
"You're early. It's still twenty minutes before the meeting time."
"Uh... yeah... well..."
He couldn't possibly say he'd wanted to see her face as soon as possible.
"You're full of energy!" Misaki grinned widely.
In this ulterior motive-laden situation, her bright smile made his stomach twist into knots. Still, looking up at her, he had to admit she was undeniably adorable.
Misaki glanced at the wooden sign, which bore the words "Social Welfare Research Society" written in large letters with a magic marker on a broadsheet of paper. She pursed her lips and let out a cute, "Oh?"
"Does this pique your interest? It's the Circle's property, you see. Aside from recruitment season, it spends most of the year gathering dust in the storage room."
"The latter part of that information is just sad..."
I felt a twinge of sympathy for the sign. I wished it could bask in the sunlight while it could—though it was already evening.
"This is where we're supposed to gather the freshmen, but I only managed to snag Kotaro. I wonder how many others the other Circle members will recruit..."
Misaki murmured, hoisting the sign's handle onto her shoulder. It was almost like she was treating the poor thing like a criminal on the run.
"Being recruited is easy enough, but recruiting others is tough work, isn't it? I could tell just from watching today."
"Exactly! It's exactly that!"
"Well, this is my first time being on the recruiting side, too..." Misaki began, suddenly sounding like a working woman on a Friday night, ready to unwind.
"When you're on the receiving end of recruitment, you're basically showered with attention, right? But when you're the one doing the recruiting, you start noticing things like, 'Oh, this kid isn't really interested in our club,' or 'They're just here for the free food.' It's pretty disheartening."
"I see... Wait, what? The Social Welfare Research Society started their recruitment that early?"
Today was just the day of the entrance ceremony. The way Misaki talked, it sounded like they'd been recruiting for weeks.
"Ah, today was our first proper recruitment drive. Everything I said earlier was just a wild fantasy."
"You're such a weirdo!"
Her fantasy sounded so realistic it felt oddly vivid.
"Well, there are plenty of fun things too, I suppose. At least I got to meet Kotaro."
"Huh...?"
"In the sense that I found a sacrificial lamb who seems even easier to tease than me."
"That's the worst!"
I figured that even if I joined the Social Welfare Research Society, the Senior would still get teased, so I kept my thoughts to myself.
"Ooh? Looks like they brought the others too. Hey!"
Misaki waved enthusiastically. The wooden signpost swayed dramatically with her motion, and I hastily dodged to avoid getting hit by its sharp corner.
*****
So this is what a welcome party is like...
Kotaro sat restlessly in the front row of the university lecture hall.
Today's welcome party was scheduled to include a mock regular meeting followed by a meal. Five freshmen, including Kotaro, sat in a row, while the seniors positioned themselves behind them, encircling the newcomers. Why am I so nervous? he wondered. He glanced back and met Misaki's gaze. She grinned mischievously and gave a small wave. Though there were other attractive and cute people among the freshmen and seniors, he was surprised to realize he was completely focused on Misaki.
"Um, hello, freshmen."
"Is that 'good afternoon' or 'good evening'? You're mixing them up, rep!"
"Shut up!"
The slightly nervous senior immediately drew a teasing remark. It was that warm, familiar atmosphere you only get among close friends. That brief exchange already seemed to have eased his nerves a little.
"I'm Fukushima, the representative of the Social Welfare Research Society, and I'm in my third year. So, today—"
Fukushima, the self-proclaimed representative, went on to explain the day's agenda in more detail. The meeting would mainly involve activity reports and discussions about future projects.
The Social Welfare Research Society, or "Society" for short, primarily operates in four groups: childcare facilities, disability welfare facilities, elderly care facilities, and school volunteer groups. Since this was also an introduction for the new members, Fukushima assured us they would provide more detailed explanations and reports than usual.
The Circle, a large group of nearly 100 members, split into smaller teams to present their reports. They used projectors, distributed handouts, and shared private video links from streaming sites—each presentation was clear and informative.
"Okay, next is the school volunteer... Hobbit Group. Please come forward."
"Who's a hobbit?!"
After the reports from the children's home and disability welfare facility, a chuckle rippled through the room, as if to ease the tension. Misaki stood up, bracing her hands on the desk, but her expression betrayed no anger. It seemed to be a well-established ritual. They're such a close group... The atmosphere in the classroom was almost enviable.
Five students, including Misaki, stood at the podium. Misaki stood in the center, holding her resume, but based on height alone, she looked like the only child mixed in with adults.
"Okay, we're currently volunteering at the affiliated junior high school near the university. It's probably hard to imagine, but what we're doing is academic support, so for now, just think of us as helping junior high school students with their studies."
Misaki smiled. "Apparently, there are quite a few things students feel they can't ask their teachers about, but they feel comfortable discussing with us."
Next to her, a freshman girl looked dazed by the gentle smile on Misaki's composed face. I know, I know... she's absolutely lovely, the girl nodded inwardly.
Misaki's group only presented an oral explanation, but her clear, beautiful voice flowed so smoothly that the new information easily stuck in my mind, even though it was all completely new to me. Senior is so smart... I thought, feeling a vague admiration.
"That's it. Any questions?"
Misaki scanned the classroom. Her explanation had been very clear, but I'd been too distracted, staring at her. I wanted to ask a question to make a good impression, but nothing came to mind.
Just as the other freshmen seemed equally bewildered, a lively voice called out from the back of the classroom: "Yes! Yes!"
"Yes, you there."
"Did you ever get mistaken for a Junior High School student?"
"Oh, absolutely! The Vice Principal even asked me, 'Why are you the only one not in uniform?' Did that happen to you, too?"
The classroom erupted in laughter at this familiar banter. The other freshmen chuckled, but they were also surprised by Misaki's quick change in demeanor.
After that, they kept asking questions like, "Why don't you try blending in with them in your uniform?" As soon as I returned to my seat, I smacked the seniors who had been questioning me with my resume. Everyone seemed to be having fun.
But...
Misaki was certainly short. Despite her small stature, her face was surprisingly mature. Her speech was refined and poised; even if she could blend in physically among junior high school students, anyone who interacted with her even briefly would probably realize she wasn't one, I thought.
*****
After the meeting, we went to a family restaurant for a group meal. The large group of fifteen seniors and five freshmen split into four tables. Misaki naturally came along, so I wished, "Please let us be at the same table..."
"Here, Kotaro. Come sit here."
"Senior...!"
Misaki guided me to the same table with a surprisingly masculine tone. There were four seniors at the table, including her. Thanks to her skillful mediation, we all enjoyed ourselves without any awkwardness.
Even here, Misaki's small stature was teased, but everyone seemed to know the limits. It wasn't just her; they teased the other seniors too, so it wasn't singled out. I thought, There's something affectionate about that.
...But still...
The more I looked at her, the more I thought how purely beautiful Misaki was. Not only was she pretty, but she was small and cute. And her chest was big. Isn't she invincible? I found myself staring at her the whole time. Since she was sitting across from me, I kept getting lost in her. Trying not to be obvious, I glanced at her now and then while we chatted for about an hour.
*****
Back at the dormitory, I couldn't settle down, so I went out for a walk. The area around the university is dark, so I strolled leisurely through the brighter student residential streets. It was cooler at night than during the day. Good thing I put on my parker... I thought as I walked, when my phone notification sounded.
"Huh...?"
It was a message from Misaki.
This in itself is wonderful. She's exactly the person I most wanted to hear from. I can only say I'm overjoyed.
But—
(A phone call...?!)
Instead of sending a message through the chat app, she's actually calling using the app's built-in calling feature. Shaken, I nearly drop my phone. I take deep breaths—su-ha, su-ha—trying to calm down, but it's no use. I can't settle my nerves at all.
Still completely forgetting my calm state from just seconds ago, I answer the call.
"Hahaha! This is Kaga! What can I do for you?!"
"Ugh?!"
My rapid-fire greeting earns a perfect score of zero for how a guy should respond to a woman he's smitten with.
Cough, cough... I hear her coughing on the other end of the line. Her voice is slightly high-pitched, just as lovely as I remembered.
"So this is what happens when I half-jokingly call you... You're such a character, Kotaro. Seriously."
After catching her breath, Misaki bursts into laughter. Our conversation at the dinner party was fun, too, but I realize now that talking one-on-one like this is the most enjoyable.
"Are you alright right now?"
"I'm fine. I'm just out for a walk."
"Oh, I see. Oh, and behind you..."
"Huh?!"
I hastily turned around. The dark alleyway was devoid of streetlights. I hadn't been thinking about it before, but suddenly I felt terrified.
"Hey, hey, stop that! You're freaking me out!"
"Heh heh heh, sorry, sorry. As an apology, I'll tell you a local ghost story."
"Wait, you don't even know where I am right now, do you?!"
"Right, you're right. How about I start with the ghost stories from the dormitory where Kotaro lives? There are tons of them."
"Stop it!"
"Well, I'm actually scared of scary stories myself, so I definitely won't tell you any."
"What kind of self-sabotage is that?!"
"By the way, just mentioning scary stories just now made me a little nervous."
"Huh? Senior, behind you..."
"Stop it!"
Despite both of us being genuinely a little spooked, we laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
"Kotaro, how was the welcome party?"
The warm tone made it clear this was the main topic.
"It was fun. Even when they teased Senior, there was a kind of affectionate vibe to it."
"Ugh... Yeah, it's a pretty fun place. I'm amazed no one goes overboard with the teasing. So, did anyone harass you today?"
"Huh? No, I'm fine."
"Sexual harassment?"
"I told you, I'm fine!"
"Right... So it was just 'alcohol harassment' then?"
"We drank wine at a family restaurant, right?!"
Misaki burst into laughter. I felt like I was being toyed with, but the sensation was strangely comforting.
"Ah, right! The next welcome party is the day after tomorrow at my place. You're coming, right?!"
I blurted out a quick agreement. What an unbelievably one-sidedly awesome event!
That's a little too much, even for me...
Kotaro regretted raising his voice when Misaki chuckled mischievously.
"Kotaro, you're so funny. Seriously... why don't you come over to my place tonight? Just crash."
"W-what?!"
"I'm kidding, dummy. I'll call you again later. Goodnight."
"Ah...!"
The call ended before he could respond. The high beams of a car passing on the dark road blazed across his vision, erasing the lingering afterglow.
"...Her 'dummy' is just too cute..."
He murmured, staring at his phone as it returned to the home screen. The way Misaki's voice delivered that adorable insult... He didn't think he had any masochistic tendencies, but he found himself wanting to hear that kind of scolding from her again and again. Did I just discover some weird kink? The thought made him feel a little flustered.