After school, when I was about to go home, a junior girl from the newspaper club, Hisamori-san, spoke to me.
"Is that okay? I'm so happy to hear your story, Hoshimiya-san."
"Well, if you don't mind a normal conversation."
"I'd like to have a normal chat! Anyway, please come to my club room...I'm the only one still active, so there's no need to be shy!"
So we decided to move from the classroom to the newspaper club room.
However, I was guided to an empty classroom on the top floor. It was no longer a classroom, but a storage room, where many tools that are only used for cultural festivals and sports festivals were stored. In the corner, there was a desk and chair placed there as a token gesture.
"Sorry. We're a new club that was formed this year, so we were only able to borrow the storage room."
"It was made this year... so does that mean there's only one?"
"That's right!"
She's quite cheerful for being alone. She's a very lively girl.
Her honorific language is a bit quirky, or maybe even clumsy... It was kind of funny how even though she was in the newspaper club, she seemed like a passionate, athletic girl.
"Please, please, have a seat!"
"Thank you... but Hisamori-san won't sit down."
"I'm standing! It would be ridiculous to sit down when Senpai is here!"
"I don't really mind."
"Well... I was trained hard in strict club activities up until middle school, so I can't quite get rid of the habits I developed back then."
...It seems like he really was an athlete. Although I should say he was a former athlete.
It must have been a very strict club activity. Hisamori-san's face looked as if he didn't want to remember it, so I decided not to ask any more questions.
"So, when did you meet Hoshimiya-san... is that okay?"
"...Before I tell you, can you just listen and tell me what you're going to do?"
Well, enough greetings.
Hisamori seemed eager to get to the point, but he decided to make a point first.
"If you're going to cause trouble for Hime, I'll stop you."
She called herself a member of the newspaper club.
Generally, these newspaper club characters have a bad image of adding unnecessary exaggeration to scoops.
So I was on guard.
"Eh? I, I'm not a nuisance at all! Um, you think that of me? I'm shocked..."
...Ah, what?
Hisamori looked very sad.
Hmm. Maybe I just have a bad impression of it?
Maybe I was too influenced by manga and anime.
"The other day, Hoshimiya-san made a new discovery that was in the news, right? I covered the matter and interviewed her personally. While I was writing the article, I heard rumors that Ozora-senpai was close to Hoshimiya-san, so I thought it would be interesting to hear about her from a friend's perspective -- that's all."
Yeah, that's true.
Hisamori-san is a really good kid!
I felt ashamed of myself for assuming that the newspaper club was just about exaggerated scoops.
From what I've heard so far, it seems Hime had also heard about it beforehand, so it seems that was an unnecessary worry.
"Sorry. I guess I pryed too much..."
"N-no! Maybe I was being a bit too paranoid!"
Seeing Hisamori looking down dejectedly, my heart ached with guilt.
It seems that the newspaper club is not necessarily a mass media waste.