The usually deserted clubroom had suddenly gained an unexpected visitor. She stood gracefully in front of Shirase, a sweet smile on her face, perfectly polite.
"Did you need something?" Shirase met her gaze calmly.
Isshiki Iroha took a soft breath, as if mustering courage. "Um, the soccer club's former manager stepped down, correct?"
"That's right."
"Then… I'd like to apply to become the new manager."
"Are you serious?" Shirase finally showed some genuine interest.
"Absolutely," Isshiki replied with unwavering certainty.
"Isshiki-san, do you actually know what a soccer manager does?"
"Yes," Isshiki said smoothly. "Managing equipment when there's no match, supporting members during regular training, scouting opponents' information, and compiling statistics after each game..."
Clearly, she'd come prepared. Her words flowed smoothly, leaving Shirase no room to find fault.
So he replied, "Well, if you truly want to be manager of our nearly-defunct soccer club, I'll inform our captain right now. Honestly, I think he might be moved to tears."
"Is it really that serious?" Isshiki blinked in surprise.
With complete seriousness, Shirase explained, "The day our last female manager quit, the captain spent an entire afternoon gazing at the setting sun, tears rolling down his face at a precise forty-five-degree angle, sighing tragically about how his youth might vanish with that day's sunset."
"…"
Isshiki's expression grew complicated.
She didn't believe someone like Shirase—known around school as the "aloof prince"—would lie, which meant this soccer club was possibly a bit more problematic than she'd imagined.
But honestly, that didn't really matter.
After quickly filling out the form, she did her best to control the excitement bubbling up inside. She then gazed hopefully at Shirase. "By the way, doesn't Hayama-senpai usually come to club activities?"
Oh, well. She was still just an adolescent girl, after all—unable to resist revealing her true intentions this quickly.
Shirase kept a neutral expression. "He rarely participates. Actually, that's not accurate. Practically all of us rarely participate, given our current…"
He didn't finish his sentence, merely gesturing at the empty room.
Isshiki understood immediately.
She gently pressed further, keeping her voice casual. "Then… do you know what Hayama-senpai usually does during this time?"
"Do you like Hayama Hayato?" Shirase suddenly asked bluntly.
Isshiki was momentarily stunned by this brutally straightforward punch.
She opened her mouth, lips parted softly, trying to find words to deny it—but faced with Shirase's utterly calm face and indifferent gaze, her planned response died in her throat.
"Forget it. I was just curious," Shirase casually dismissed, dropping the awkward topic.
Whether Isshiki truly liked Hayama or was merely attracted to his popularity had nothing to do with him.
He'd only asked out of mild curiosity, wanting to see how she'd handle being caught off guard.
"Ah… okay." Isshiki mechanically nodded, thinking to herself that Shirase-kun really was as difficult to interact with as the rumors said.
Compared to the other popular boy's sunny warmth, this sharp contrast left her feeling even more off balance.
She decided it'd be better not to clarify her feelings for Hayama now.
Gathering her composure, Isshiki noticed Shirase texting the captain, so she sat down nearby to continue filling out her form.
"Huh? Why is there fruit in the clubroom?" Just as she picked up her pen, she noticed a bunch of bananas sitting on a nearby table.
Shirase casually grabbed one. "The captain bought them. Originally, he hoped fruit would improve potential recruits' impressions of the club, so he prepared apples and bananas."
Isshiki quickly caught on. "But since practically no one joined, all the apples ended up getting eaten, right?"
"Nope," Shirase shook his head seriously. "Because the soccer club was so miserable, the captain got increasingly upset and eventually ate all the apples himself."
"…"
Isshiki laughed dryly. "The soccer club… seems really interesting."
"Doesn't it?" Shirase agreed absently, leisurely peeling his banana.
"Well, looks like you won't be bored during club activities today, Shirase." A familiar voice drifted in from outside.
Shirase and Isshiki both turned their heads. Nakano Nino stood at the doorway, holding two bottles of juice, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"Yo-ho, Shirase-kun!" An energetic Nakano Yotsuba popped out cheerfully from behind her.
Shirase's face lit up with surprise. "You came to keep me company again?"
Nino chuckled lightly, her eyes flicking meaningfully toward Isshiki, whose face clearly brimmed with curiosity. "Don't you already have a cute girl here keeping you company? If I stay, wouldn't I just be disturbing you two?"
Yotsuba poked her head out from behind Nino's shoulder, genuinely amazed. "Oh wow, there really is someone here—Isshiki-san from our class! Eh? You even prepared bananas…"
"This banana is just for eating," Shirase immediately clarified, holding it up innocently.
All three girls in the room fell silent.
Nino frowned, looking suspicious. "If the banana isn't for eating… what exactly were you planning to use it for?"
"Don't sweat the small details," Shirase smoothly changed the subject. "Isshiki-san came here today because she wants to join the soccer club as our new manager."
Nino's eyes softened instantly. She understood what he was really saying: there's nothing between me and Isshiki-san.
But outwardly she still protested. "Funny, I don't remember asking you about that at all."
"You didn't," Shirase admitted, "but your expression was screaming 'misunderstanding,' so I thought it was necessary to clarify."
Nino shyly averted her gaze. "Really? Too bad I don't care about your soccer club anyway."
Yotsuba nodded vigorously behind her. "Yeah, yeah, Nino's never cared much about soccer. She's just here today to bring you some juice, Shirase-kun!"
Nino's face flushed bright red as she shot a fierce glare at her sister.
"Eh? Did I say something wrong?" Yotsuba tilted her head cutely, looking as innocent and clueless as possible.
Watching Yotsuba, a thought suddenly crossed Shirase's mind: Looks like an adult, but her mind's still a child. Detective Conan at your service. (Not.)
"Thanks a lot." Shirase took the strawberry juice from Nino's hands. His fingers brushed the bottle and instantly felt a cool sensation. "Oh, and you even got it ice-cold—my favorite."
Blushing furiously, Nino stayed silent, pretending to glare at Yotsuba in annoyance.
Isshiki quietly put down her pen, her eyes quickly darting back and forth between Shirase and Nino.
Is this just my imagination…?
Why do I feel like there's definitely something going on between these two?
And… is it just me, or did Shirase-kun's voice just get gentler?