"Hmm… it's only three thousand, but that's still not bad!"
Ritsu Tainaka crossed her arms as she looked at the envelope on the table, sighing in satisfaction.
"Yeah, not bad at all," Akiyama Mio agreed with a nod. After all, she had once saved up enough to buy her bass all on her own.
"So that makes eight thousand yen total, huh? Still quite a ways to go though…"
"Hey…" Lin Zhi suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
He looked at them helplessly and said, "We won't really know the price until we go to the music store, right? Not every instrument costs the same."
"That's true… Alright then! It's decided!"
Whoosh!
Everyone turned toward Ritsu, who was practically radiating energy.
With fiery enthusiasm, she hopped up on the table, threw out her arm dramatically, and declared, "Everyone! Our first official club activity has been decided!"
"Time: This weekend!"
"Objective: The music store!"
Ritsu's excited voice echoed through the clubroom. But as her words faded, an eerie silence followed.
No one responded. Not even the newest member, the always-spacey Yui Hirasawa.
Huh? That's weird… why isn't anyone reacting?
Ritsu turned around, puzzled, only to find four pairs of stunned eyes staring back at her.
Especially Lin Zhi—when she looked his way, he suddenly turned to the window, pretending to be casual.
And it was so obviously an act that even Ritsu could tell. His face was red. Red!
Wait… why is he blushing?
A breeze blew through the open window, and suddenly Ritsu felt a chill up her thighs.
She followed Mio's wide-eyed stare and saw her reflection in those trembling pupils—her skirt fluttering, revealing a flash of white beneath.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A scream loud enough to pierce eardrums shook the entire club building.
It was this very scream that would later give birth to the infamous campus legend of the Howling Witch.
"D-done for… I'm finished…"
Ritsu lay face-down on the table, dead-eyed, glaring daggers at Lin Zhi, who was calmly sipping tea as if nothing had happened.
And to be fair, he really was innocent this time.
If anyone was at fault, it was Ritsu herself. In fact, in some countries, he could've technically accused her of indecent exposure.
After all, when a guy does that in public, it's called harassment. But when a girl does it? People call it fanservice.
Ahem. Strictly speaking, it was fanservice—courtesy of the club president herself.
"I've told you before, Ritsu," Mio said, her face bright red as she scolded her friend, "a girl should really—"
"Ahhh! Stop chanting, Mio!" Ritsu suddenly shouted, covering her ears and shaking her head frantically. "So what if he saw? It's not like he hasn't seen me in a swimsuit before!"
Her words trailed off, and then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Right! That's it!"
Ritsu seized on the thought as if it were salvation. Sure, she was a bit of a tomboy, but she was still a girl—and deep down, she was embarrassed.
But now she had found the perfect excuse.
There's no real difference, right?
Mio blinked, momentarily thrown off. Then she frowned and started thinking seriously.
Is there actually a difference between being seen in panties and in a swimsuit?
She thought about it…
Then she blushed…
Then she screamed.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
The sound was even louder than before—and that, too, would become part of the Howling Witch legend.
"W-what happened?!"
Ritsu, dizzy from the sonic assault, looked around frantically—until she spotted Mio crouched under the table, trembling.
"Mio! What's wrong?!"
Mio was squatting on the floor, hands over her head, her face pale with horror. "Th-that means… people saw me at the pool too?!"
"Uh…" Ritsu froze.
If she said yes, Mio might never go swimming again.
But if she said no, she herself would feel guilty as hell.
Lin Zhi watched the scene unfold, shrugging helplessly.
How is that my fault? What, do I have "scapegoat" written on my forehead?
Still, not wanting to stick around and risk Ritsu's wrath, he decided to make his exit.
"Well then… if there's nothing else, I'll be heading out."
Grabbing his bag, Lin Zhi walked to the door—but paused and looked back at Ritsu.
"Oh, and… thanks for the tea."
"Huh?" Ritsu blinked. Then her face went bright red.
"LIN ZHI, YOU'RE DEAD TOMORROW!!!" she screamed down the hall.
From the stairwell came his faint reply: "Then I just won't come tomorrow!"
"You wouldn't dare! If you don't show up, I'll go to your class and tell everyone you seduced me and ran off!"
"…You win."
Mihua Town.
By the time Lin Zhi left school, the rain had dwindled to a light drizzle. Along the street, cherry blossoms fell softly under the rain's touch.
The narrow lane could barely fit a single car, puddles scattered along its surface, each one dotted with pink petals.
Holding an umbrella, Lin Zhi walked quietly toward his apartment. The rain had nearly stopped, and he was only a few steps away—no need to bother putting it down.
Despite the "benefit" the club president had unintentionally given him, he didn't feel the least bit flustered.
Is it because Ritsu just doesn't have that kind of charm? he wondered.
Sure, she was a bit of a tomboy—but when you really looked at her, she was undeniably cute.
"Hehe."
A soft laugh drifted to his ears. Lin Zhi looked up to see three girls walking toward him. At first, he didn't think much of it—but then he realized he'd met two of them before.
As they drew closer, one of the girls looked a bit flustered. Lin Zhi didn't pay it any mind—
Until he noticed a car speeding up behind them.
On a dry day, it wouldn't have been an issue—but on a rain-slicked street full of puddles, that was another story.
The car's tires sliced through the water, sending up sprays of muddy rain.
"Watch out!" Lin Zhi shouted.
The girls turned at the sound and quickly stepped aside.
The car whooshed past, splashing up a wave of water—
But before it could drench them, Lin Zhi lunged forward, swinging his umbrella out to the side.
Whoosh!
The spray slammed against the umbrella and cascaded harmlessly to the ground.
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T/N:
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