After spending the afternoon with Jane, Jean, and Tenerife, the four eventually went their separate ways and returned to their own responsibilities.
When Knox arrived back at his room, he immediately noticed a folded note resting neatly on top of his desk.
"Hm?"
Picking it up, he quickly skimmed through its contents.
Apparently, Rick had gathered everyone for a study session in one of the empty classrooms and invited Knox, along with the rest of Group 8, to join them.
Seeing that, Knox let out a quiet sigh before turning around and heading toward the building Rick had mentioned.
Along the way, the academy remained just as lively as ever. Second-year students could still be seen making one final push to recruit first-years into their clubs.
As far as Knox remembered, tomorrow was the final day for freshmen to submit their club applications.
Hmm...
Should I join one...?
It wasn't as though Knox had never considered it.
He simply hadn't found one that genuinely interested him.
Maybe the Music Club?
...I heard there's even an official club dedicated to my novels.
Should I join that?
Or maybe I should join Simon's club instead. It'll make keeping an eye on the protagonist... ahem, I mean, following the main storyline much easier.
...Or should I just establish a new club myself?
Sigh, so troublesome.
Before long, Knox arrived outside the classroom Rick had mentioned.
Knock.
Knock.
"Hm?" Cindy's voice came from inside the classroom.
"Who is it?"
Knox cleared his throat.
"Ahem, excuse me! Your 'GoFood' has arrived!"
[Author's Note: GoFood is an Indonesian food delivery service, similar to Uber Eats or DoorDash]
Before anyone inside could respond, the classroom door suddenly swung open.
Standing before him was an exceptionally beautiful young woman with long black hair and striking crimson eyes.
"Huh, Lorain?"
"Knox!" Lorain's face immediately lit up.
"You're finally here! Come in, come in! I even bought lots of snacks for you!"
Before Knox could say another word, Lorain had already grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the classroom.
A few seconds later...
Knox found himself seated right beside her. At first, Knox had been surprised to see Lorain here.
Then another familiar face entered his sight.
"...What the?"
"Serene?!"
"Hehe~"
Serene rested one cheek against her hand before smiling sweetly.
"What? You don't want me here?"
She let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Urgh... you've broken my poor little heart."
She glanced meaningfully at Knox.
"Perhaps... some delicious homemade snacks made by the White Devil would be enough to heal it~"
"Bah."
Lorain immediately snorted.
"You're only thinking about food. No wonder you're getting chubby."
The smile on Serene's face froze.
"Excuse me, you barbaric woman."
Serene slowly turned toward Lorain with an unusually gentle smile.
"Are you blind?"
"Chubby?"
"Which part of me looks chubby?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Or perhaps there's something wrong with your eyesight?"
"If that's the case, how about donating your eyes to a stray dog?"
"Heh." Lorain merely scoffed.
"All I hear is the pitiful complaint of someone who's jealous because I'm the one who gets to eat Knox's homemade cooking."
She smiled triumphantly.
The next second, the two of them immediately began bickering again.
Watching the now-familiar scene unfold before him, Knox slowly turned toward Meilyn.
"Oi, Meilyn."
"Hm?"
He pointed at the two girls who were already arguing loudly.
"Did you have a change of heart? How come you suddenly allowed Serene to come here?"
Knox smiled mischievously. "Did you get hypnotized by her again?"
A vein visibly twitched on Meilyn's forehead "Hypnotized again?! You...!"
Her face flushed red as she stared at Knox in disbelief.
Meilyn pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"And for your information, I never allowed her to come! She forced her way in herself!"
At that moment, Rick suddenly took off his school uniform jacket and tossed it onto the table.
"Anyway, back to what we were talking about..."
As soon as he reached into one of the pockets, everyone immediately understood why.
One flyer.
Then another.
Then another.
By the time he finished emptying every pocket, dozens of colorful club flyers had been piled onto the table.
"This club season is seriously the only time of the year when second-years actually treat us first-years like human beings."
"They're not just treating us well," Simon said curiously. "They're practically desperate. Why are they trying so hard to recruit freshmen?"
Rick chuckled before rubbing his thumb against his index finger, making the universal gesture for money.
"Isn't it obvious? Funding."
"The number of new members directly affects how much budget a club receives from the academy. Sure, some first-years eventually drop out or get expelled, but the funding reduction isn't that significant. So every club's strategy is simple."
He casually reached into his back pocket before pulling out yet another flyer, looking genuinely puzzled.
Rick glanced at the paper in his hand before scratching his head.
"...Seriously, how did this even end up in my back pocket?!"
Everyone couldn't help laughing.
"And there's something else you should keep in mind."
Meilyn rested her chin on one hand as she joined the conversation.
"Some clubs act all friendly during recruitment season, but once it's over, they start treating first-years like free labor. So don't even bother looking at suspicious clubs. It's much safer to join one of the more established ones."
Knox nodded slightly. That much matched what he had heard before.
"So?" Rick leaned back against his chair.
"Since we're already talking about clubs, where did everyone sign up?"
Cami immediately raised her hand. "I joined Sadam, the Haematology Research Club!"
"Ah, that one." Simon gave an understanding nod.
"I'm joining the Pure Magic Research Society," Meilyn said. "I'm from the Ivory Tower, after all. Besides, pure magic is the foundation of Darkness Elemental Magic. I figured studying its roots would probably give me plenty of inspiration."
Rick proudly puffed out his chest.
"Huhu! As for me, I started my own club."
"...Seriously?"
"What kind of club?" Simon asked.
"The Rochester Startup Support Club!"
"...Ugh." Meilyn immediately frowned.
"Did people actually join that? Don't you need at least three members before a new club can even be approved?"
"Easy." Rick waved dismissively. "I just told students who weren't interested in joining any club that I'd split the club funding with them if they signed up. Worked like a charm."
"...You're cheating the system again."
"I prefer to call it working smarter."
Cami laughed before looking toward Simon.
"What about you?"
Simon shrugged. "I'm still thinking."
As he answered, he casually picked up another potato chip covered in bright red chili powder before tossing it into his mouth.
Meanwhile, Knox, who had mostly been listening to the conversation, rested his chin on one hand.
Hmm...
Music Club...
The Honkai Impact Club...
Maybe Simon's future club...
Or should I just create one myself...?
Shaking those thoughts aside for the moment, Knox turned toward the three members of Group 8 sitting beside him. "What about you guys?"
Cindy immediately shot both hands into the air. "Me! I've already decided! At first, I wanted to join one of the Necromancy-related clubs, but they were all way too rigid! So I decided to join something more fun instead."
She grinned from ear to ear before proudly announcing, "An Adventure Club!"
Merida, who had been quietly listening with her usual sleepy eyes, lazily shrugged. "...As for me, I'm still considering a few options."
Knox then shifted his gaze toward Claudia. For some reason, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact with him, occasionally glancing away whenever their eyes were about to meet. Before he could ask anything, Cindy noticed it as well and immediately put on a mischievous smile.
"Hehehe~ Clara, don't be shy. Come on, tell everyone." She deliberately dragged out the last few words before adding, "...Or should I say it for you~?"
"Cindy!" Claudia's face instantly turned red. Letting out a small sigh, she finally gave in. "Alright... Actually, I joined two clubs..."
"Huh? Two clubs?" Knox blinked in surprise, and judging from everyone's expressions, he wasn't the only one. Joining a single club was already demanding enough, so hearing that someone had voluntarily joined two naturally caught everyone's attention.
"Well... the first one is the Poison Research Club."
"I see." Serene nodded with a smile. "That's a pretty reasonable choice for you, Clara."
Knox leaned forward slightly. "Then... what's the second one?"
Claudia suddenly fell silent again. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the hem of her sleeve as though she were gathering enough courage to say it aloud. After several long seconds, she finally took a deep breath and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I... joined..." She hesitated one last time before blurting it out. "...The Knox Aznable's Works Research Society."
The entire classroom instantly fell silent. Nobody spoke for a few seconds, almost as if everyone's brains had stopped working after hearing those words.
Then...
"Pfft..."
"HAHAHA!"
Serene was the first to lose the battle against her laughter. Cindy immediately followed, laughing so hard that she had to hold onto the table for support, while even Merida quietly covered her mouth as her shoulders trembled from suppressed laughter.
"...What club did you just say?" Knox asked with a completely bewildered expression, wondering whether he had somehow misheard her.
While some people were still laughing and others were trying to process what had just happened, Lorain was the only one who reacted completely differently. She simply nodded several times before looking at Claudia with genuine approval.
"Hmm. That's a very good choice, Clara."
"...A good choice?" Rick repeated with a strange look.
"Of course." Lorain answered without the slightest hesitation. "It's a club dedicated to Knox."
That only triggered another round of laughter throughout the classroom.
Once everyone had finally calmed down, Knox decided it was best to change the subject before Cindy found another excuse to tease Claudia.
"How about you two?" he asked as he looked toward Lorain and Serene. "Have either of you joined a club yet?"
Surprisingly, both of them gave almost the same answer.
"I'm already busy enough," Serene replied with a relaxed smile. "Besides, I haven't found any club that interests me yet~"
"Me neither." Lorain crossed her arms while leaning back in her chair. "Most of them look boring to me."
After saying that, she suddenly turned toward Knox, her eyes lighting up with interest.
"How about you, Knox? Maybe I should just join your club."
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone's attention immediately shifted toward Knox. Feeling the weight of every gaze in the room, he could only scratch the back of his head and smile awkwardly.
"...Don't look at me like that. To be honest, I haven't joined any club either. At least for now, I'm leaning more toward creating my own club, just like Rick."
"Huh?" Cindy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You're making your own club?"
"I've decided then!" Lorain declared without any hesitation. "I'll join your club, Knox!"
"Stupid woman." Serene rolled her eyes. "Knox hasn't even said what kind of club it is. Not to mention, the club doesn't even exist yet."
Before the two of them could start another argument, Knox quickly answered, "Well... maybe a Light Music Club?"
"Light Music Club?" Even Merida looked slightly interested this time.
"Yep." Knox nodded. "To put it simply, it's basically a band club."
"Alright!" Lorain immediately leaned forward. "Knox, where's the application form? Give it to me. I'll fill it out and join right away!"
"Huh?" Serene looked Lorain up and down before raising an eyebrow. "You, Gorilla Woman... can you actually play music?"
"Heh." Lorain scoffed proudly. "Of course I can. Knox has been teaching me ever since we were kids."
For the first time, Serene looked genuinely surprised. It only lasted a moment before her usual teasing smile returned to her face.
"That's actually unexpected. Anyway~ your club sounds interesting, Knox. Count me in too."
"Huh?!" Lorain immediately pointed at her. "Why are you joining my and Knox's club?! Can you even play an instrument? Besides, do you really think we'll accept you?"
"Hehe~ Of course I can." Serene chuckled confidently. "I'm actually quite proficient with several instruments, although I specialize in the piano."
She then smiled smugly before continuing, "Besides, the one who decides whether I get accepted or not is Knox, not you. And don't forget, a new club needs a minimum number of members before it can even be established. If it's just you and Knox, do you really think the club can even be approved? Idiot."
"What did you just call me, you vixen?!"
Under everyone's amused gaze, the two of them immediately resumed their usual bickering. Meanwhile, Knox could only rub his temples and let out a helpless sigh.
"...I haven't even created the club yet. In fact, I haven't even decided whether I'm really going to make one."