The Delinquent Shimizu-san Sitting Next to Me Has Dyed Her Hair Black-Chapter 1Volume 2 .2 - Shimizu-san and Joining the Club

Shimizu-san and Joining the Club 2

“Right, Daiki-kun doesn’t know Yousuke. Go ahead, introduce yourself!”

“Yes, my name is Yousuke Sakata, a third-year student and the student council president. Also, I’m the troublesome Ai’s childhood friend. I know you might be confused about being brought here all of a sudden, but please take care of me (yoroshiku).”

I see, the reason I felt I’d seen Yousuke before was because he’s the student council president.

Moreover, being Ai-san’s childhood friend suggests he has some connection to Shimizu-san and likely knows her well.

It makes sense then that he would call Shimizu-san by her first name.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

As soon as the introduction was over, Yousuke bowed deeply.

Surprised, I also bowed back in a hurry.

“Both of you, no need to be so formal. It’s not a blind date! Let’s be more relaxed!”

Upon hearing Ai-san’s words, both Yousuke and I lifted our heads.

“You’re too laid-back, though.”

“Flexibility is important, Kei. It reduces the risk of injury when you’re active.”

“That’s not the kind of flexibility I’m talking about.”

“We’re getting off track again. For now, all three of you, please sit in the available seats.”

“Right. Come on, both of you, sit down, sit down.”

After Ai-san took a seat next to Yousuke, Shimizu-san sat across from Ai-san, with a desk between them, and I sat across from Yousuke.

“So, where should we start… Hondō, what has Ai told you so far?”

“Um… I haven’t heard anything at all.”

Yousuke’s disapproving gaze is directed at Ai-san.

“I told you to give a brief explanation on the way here.”

“I’ll do better next time!”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t remember you ever making a difference… Well, whatever. Let’s start from the beginning then.”

Yousuke’s gaze shifts from Ai-san to me.

“Daiki-kun, where do you think we are?”

“Yes? …isn’t this an empty room?”

I was a bit surprised by the sudden question, but I decided to say what I was thinking.

“Well, you’d think so, but it’s a bit different. Kei, you know where we are, don’t you?”

With a slightly annoyed expression, Shimizu-san took a moment before replying.

“…It’s your club room.”

“Ding-ding! Correct! This is the Astronomy Enthusiast Club room of our school!”

“Astronomy Enthusiast Club? (天文同好会)”

I blurted out without thinking.

I didn’t know our school had such a club.

“It’s no surprise you don’t know. Our club is pretty low-key since there are only three members.”

“I mean, why is it an Astronomy Enthusiast Club, not an Astronomy Club?”

Shimizu-san voiced the question that I had been pondering.

“We’ll explain that in detail later. I want to get to the main point first.”

“In the end, why were Hondō and I brought here?”

“It’s to recruit the two of you into the this Astronomy Enthusiast Club.”

“…why do you need to recruit Hondō and me?”

“There are two main reasons.”

Yousuke’s expression seemed to have turned a bit more serious than before. It’s as if a switch has been flipped.

“The first reason is to avoid the risk of disbanding the club. Currently, there are three members in the Astronomy Enthusiast Club including Ai and me. Ai and I are seniors, and we will have to leave the club once the second semester ends. The minimum number of members for the club is two, so if things remain as they are, the club will be disbanded when the second semester ends. At first, I thought it was inevitable…”

“I will never allow that to happen! As long as I’m still alive, I will not let it be disbanded!”

“…Ai has been like this for a long time. Well, I also have a sentimental attachment to this place, so I want to keep it alive if possible.”

“I see. So, what’s the second reason?”

“That is… because I want to do astronomical observations from the school rooftop!”

“Huh?” “What?”

Both Shimizu-san and I spoke simultaneously.

The topic seemed to have jumped too far, making it hard for us to understand.

“You’ve skipped too many details. We can understand from that explanation alone.”

“Really? In that case, Yousuke, can you explain properly?”

“I was planning to, even without you telling me….Well, the ultimate goal is to observe the stars from the school rooftop.”

“Just observe the stars however you like. What does that have to do with us joining here?”

I was also curious about that.

What’s the connection between observing the stars from the rooftop and needing more members for the Astronomy Enthusiast Club?

“I’ll explain it step by step. First, what do you think is needed to observe the stars from the rooftop?”

“What… A telescope and the key to the rooftop?”

“What do you think, Hondō-kun?”

“I also think we’d need the key to the rooftop.”

Indeed, I recall that the rooftop of our school was usually locked, and students generally couldn’t access it.

“That’s right, the key to the rooftop is essential, and to borrow the key, permission is required to use the rooftop.”

“If you know that, why not just get permission and observe the stars?”

“It’s not that simple. The rooftop is not authorized for use by individuals or hobby clubs.”

So it seems. Accessing our school’s rooftop is harder than I thought.

“Then maybe you might as well give up?”

“No, there is a way. While individual students or hobby clubs can’t get permission, if we become an official club, there’s a possibility. It might depend on having an adult supervisor, like a faculty advisor.”

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t do stargazing on the rooftop as an Astronomy Enthusiast Club, but if we become an official Astronomy Club, we might be able to.”

“Is there a way to change from a hobby club to an official club?”

“Yes, at our school, if there are more than five members and a faculty advisor, it can be recognized as an official club. Well, to be precise, there are other requirements like having a specific purpose and a place for activities.”

Listening to Yousuke’s explanation, I finally understood why we were being recruited.

“In other words, you need two more members to turn the Astronomy Enthusiast Club into an Astronomy Club, and that’s why you want us to join?”

“That’s pretty much it. We already have a potential faculty advisor, so the only issue is the lack of members. That’s why, for both the club’s survival and for stargazing on the rooftop, we really want you two to join.”

“Thanks for explaining, Yousuke! Do you both understand the reasons we’ve invited you?”

“Yes, I think I’ve mostly understood.”

“Same here.”

“Any questions? I’ll answer anything within my knowledge.”

“Can I ask one?”

If I’m joining the club, there’s one thing I need to know.

“Go ahead, ask away.”

“On weekdays, I can’t stay at school too late. Will that be okay?”

During the week, my parents often come home late from work, so I usually prepare dinner.

It’s fine if it’s just me at home, but I have a younger sister, Teruno.

I want to ensure dinner isn’t delayed too much for her sake.

“Don’t worry about it. We don’t have a fixed activity time, and you can come and go as you please. Both Ai and I often have student council activities and aren’t always around, and another member sometimes misses due to committee work. In fact, the reason he’s not here today is because of committee duties.”

“I see… In that case, I think it won’t be a problem.”

If I don’t have to return home too late, there’s no particular reason to decline.