Joining the Computer Club
—β Timeline—
Apparently, the president of the Computer Club came to school today. This means I can finally make contact. After doing some research, I learned that the president is a third-year student named Minezaki Awai-senpai. In my previous life, I only heard rumors about her and had almost no personal interactions. I didn’t even know she was the president of the Computer Club.
In my previous life, I never spoke with her directly, so the only information I have is based on fragmentary rumors.
Speaking of Minezaki-senpai, she’s the daughter of the president of a major pharmaceutical company. She exudes the air of a refined young lady with her long black hair and elegant demeanor, and her reputation is that of a graceful woman. While she’s popular among male students, she’s considered so untouchable that even confessing to her feels daunting. As a result, she’s usually alone. Her frail health means she often misses school, yet her academic performance is always top-notch. During breaks, she’s said to always be reading challenging books.
She’s like a heroine straight out of a fantasy world, a princess trapped in a tower. But can someone so fictional-seeming really exist? Being a middle-aged man inside, I can’t help but find such fantastical notions hard to accept.
It’s a sort of melancholy corruption of my own, but part of me wants to get closer to her true nature. Well, that’s something to figure out later. But for now, I should focus on making contact.
After finishing my analysis, I met up with Rika, and we headed to the Computer clubroom after school. We decided it would be better to join the existing Computer Club rather than recruit members and an advisor from scratch. Starting from zero is high-risk, high-reward. Clearing a high hurdle from the outset is tough, and even if we succeed, we might burn out and struggle to continue. It’s better to set the initial hurdle low, overcome it to gain satisfaction, and then deepen our bonds with the members.
Moreover, I found out our school’s Computer Club has participated in various high school competitions and even won awards. The club’s ace was apparently Minezaki-senpai.
If possible, I’d like to form a cooperative relationship with her.
Now, it’s just a matter of building a good rapport with her.
“First, we need to show proper respect to the president. We’re the ones joining the club later, after all. It’s important to create a win-win relationship. I want to hear what the president wants to achieve and cooperate with her as much as possible to build a good relationship.”
“As expected, you’ve thought this through, Senpai.”
“Yeah, showing respect to your seniors is essential, right?”
Incidentally, to maintain a club, there must be at least five members. We’ll invite Katsuya later and have him join, even if it’s just as a concurrent member. That’ll leave us with one more member to find. Ensuring a stable number of members benefits them too. Katsuya isn’t great at socializing but seems to have solid technical skills.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why would someone like a refined young lady join the Computer Club? I’ll have to ask her directly. Our dream of creating a game is simple to explain, at least.
In situations like this, it’s best to show sincerity while clearly sharing our information. That makes it easier for the other person to open up as well.
This is a technique I learned during my time as a working adult. When meeting someone new, you can build rapport by reducing their wariness and sharing your own information. Once they feel at ease, they’re surprisingly open.
Having been a working adult before returning to student life, I’ve found that my past experiences unexpectedly come in handy. I’ve heard that overseas students often travel the world or engage in volunteer work before entering university. It’s probably a similar concept. Human relationships in student life can become rigid, with little new stimulation or novelty.
In that sense, the work skills I acquired in my previous life undeniably helped make school life more enjoyable.
“Excuse me. We’re interested in joining the Computer Club.”
When we entered the clubroom, the refined young lady flinched in surprise.
“Eh, uh, uh, huh?”
Question marks seemed to float above her head as she flustered. Did our message to the advisor somehow not get relayed to her? Knowing she wasn’t good at communication, I had prepared carefully.
“Didn’t the advisor inform you? We visited the club while you were out sick, Minezaki-senpai…”
“I-I’m so sorry.”
Her sudden apology left us slightly bewildered.
“My name is Yaguchi Michitaka. I’m a second-year student who isn’t in any club yet, but I’ve recently taken an interest in computers!”
“Ah, I’m Takatsukasa Rika, a first-year. I’m Yaguchi-senpai’s childhood friend.”
Hearing about us seemed to calm her a little. She drank from a bottle of tea and visibly relaxed further.
“I-I’m the… president of the Computer Club, Minezaki Awai.”
Finally, she managed to say a complete sentence.
“We’d like to observe the club today. What kind of activities does the Computer Club do?”
I spoke politely but kept a casual tone to avoid making her too nervous.
“U-um, I’m sorry.”
She apologized again. Maybe she thought we looked puzzled.
“You don’t need to apologize so much—we’re just your juniors, after all.”
Rika said with a cheerful smile. She’s unexpectedly thoughtful and helpful as a junior.
“Exactly, please don’t be so formal.”
I added, backing her up.
“R-right… then, I’ll say it properly.”
We nodded, waiting for her response.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you join the club!”
““Whaaat?!””
We raised our voices in disbelief at her unexpected rejection.
—Awai’s Perspective—
I messed up. I turned away potential new members, even though they seemed like such good kids. They were considerate of me, too…
But I just can’t. A club with me as the president would never be enjoyable. I’d only make them uncomfortable.
That’s why I said no.
The teacher was looking forward to having them join, too. I feel bad. Why can’t I talk to people properly? Whenever someone stands in front of me, I freeze and can’t speak well. It scares me that I can’t understand what others are thinking.
Maybe that’s why I like computers. I don’t have to worry about their feelings. As long as I give clear instructions, they follow them without complaint or mood swings.
“Awai-chan, why are you always so nervous?”
“Oh no, I got paired with Minezaki again. I hate talking to her—it’s impossible.”
I remember things my classmates used to say about me.
Even my parents have given up on me.
The only time I can truly be myself is when I’m facing this computer.
“I really did like this club.”
The seniors who’ve graduated were kind to me.
They appreciated my skill in creating CG. They even teamed up with me to enter the National Computer Koshien, where we won an award for the visual category last year. They accepted me for who I was.
But with me in charge, this club is over. I feel sorry for the seniors, but I can’t burden the juniors with my issues.
I type scripts on the computer mindlessly. The sound of my typing is louder than usual.
After a while, I heard the door to the room open again. It must be the advisor. I bet she’ll be disappointed. She was looking forward to this. I need to apologize properly—it’s my fault, after all.
“Sensei, um, I’m so sorry…”
I’m too pathetic to even look her in the face. I bow my head, open my eyes slightly, and see the black slacks of a school uniform. Huh? Who is this?
I panic and look up, only to see that it’s Yaguchi-kun—the boy I just turned away.
“Senpai, I’m not the advisor.”
Takatsukasa-san, who had been with him earlier, wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“W-Why are you here…?”
“I asked Rika to head home first. I wanted to talk to you for a moment. Sorry if I startled you. Oh, I brought a warm drink. Would you like to take a little break?”
He hands me a milk cocoa, which is my favorite. He also brought some tea.
“T-thank you. I-I’ll pay you back.”
As I fumble to grab my wallet from my bag, he gently stops me.
“It’s on me today. Think of it as an apology for surprising you like this.”
He smiles kindly. That’s not fair. He even greeted the advisor politely and had made his intentions clear beforehand. I couldn’t handle the conversation well earlier, but she had contacted me during my break to say that two students wanted to join the club. I’d even secretly gotten a little excited.
Finally, maybe this lonely clubroom wouldn’t be so lonely anymore. The thought nearly brought me to tears. But when I thought about it calmly, I knew I couldn’t interact properly with these new members. Especially since one of them is a boy. The blood drained from my face.
To avoid disappointing them, I thought it best to reject them outright.
And yet, here he is—Yaguchi-kun, undeterred, standing before me again.
Sipping the cocoa helps me relax a little. My words begin to flow more easily.
To avoid spilling drinks on the school equipment, we move to the adjoining prep room.
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to have a proper talk with you, Senpai.”
“A talk about what?”
“Senpai, I want to live without regrets from now on. I’m serious about pursuing my dream of making games.”
“Games?”
“Senpai, in your first year, you dominated the scripting category at the National High School Computer Koshien. Last year, you even won in the visual category. Could you lend me your skills?”
He’s clearly done his research. I feel a spark of joy, knowing someone is so eager to join this club. It makes me happy to have my efforts—and those of my former teammates—recognized.
“Yeah, but that was only because I had the seniors with me…”
“That’s true, but don’t you want to create something again this year? You already know how fun it is to work with a team, right?”
His words strike a chord. How does he know that?
“But I… I can’t lead you. I’ll never be as capable as the seniors were. I’m bad at conversations, I don’t understand people’s feelings, and I barely even understand myself. I’m the president, so I should be leading and taking charge, but I can’t do that!”
My emotions get the better of me, and I end up spilling my feelings to a junior I’ve just met. But he doesn’t back down.
“Being president doesn’t mean you have to shoulder everything alone, Minezaki-senpai. We can support you in the areas you’re not confident in. Believe it or not, I’m a former company president, so I’m good at negotiations and coordinating with other clubs. I can even lobby the student council for an extra budget. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Senpai, you’re incredible at programming—please use your talent to support us!”
I’ve always hated myself. I hated how the things others found easy felt impossible for me.
“…”
I couldn’t say anything, so he continued.
“Also, Senpai, why have you been keeping this club alive all by yourself? You could just use your computer at home, right?”
“Ah…”
The words slip out before I can stop them. Why is that? I’ve never even thought about it.
“Doesn’t that mean you actually want to create something with others, Senpai? That’s why you couldn’t leave this clubroom filled with so many memories. Isn’t that right?”
Even though I barely understand my own heart, his words seep into me like water.
“Please, give us a chance.”
What an amazing junior he is… How could I refuse such an earnest, passionate request?
“Alright.”
And so, I welcomed new members into the club.
—Rika’s Perspective—
“Sigh, I wish I could’ve walked home with Senpai.”
A pitiful voice escaped me. I quickly glanced around, worried someone might have heard, but I was alone.
Senpai probably stayed behind to persuade the club president. And most likely, he’ll succeed.
I’m glad he’s putting in so much effort for us, but the thought of him being alone with another girl right now makes me feel a little down. Why am I jealous? It’s not like we’re even dating yet.
But when I found out he had a girlfriend back then, I cried all night. And when I learned she’d cheated on him, I was furious. After all, being by his side was the position I’d always dreamed of.
Just being in the same club as him makes me feel like I might melt with happiness. That’s what I thought at first, anyway. But now, we’re not just in the same club—we’ve eaten meals together and even held hands. Things I’d only ever imagined in my dreams have come true.
And now, my desire is growing. I want to talk to him more. I want to have dinner with him again today. I can’t suppress these indulgent feelings.
I’ve fallen for him so deeply it’s almost hopeless.
When I wasn’t interested in things like this, I thought love was just something that could easily come and go. You could fall out of love just as quickly as you fell into it… Love at first sight seemed impossible to me. There was no way you could fall for someone so easily.
“But I’ve fallen for Senpai.”
Feeling a little lonely, I could still sense my feelings for him growing stronger.
Since falling for him, my love hasn’t diminished; it’s only grown, steadily piling up. It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid of how far it will go.
“Rika!!”
There was no mistaking it—it was his voice. Overjoyed, I turned around immediately.
He didn’t hear me talking to myself just now, did he?
“Senpai, what’s the rush?”
I teased him slightly.
“Well, I just finished talking to Minezaki-senpai, and she said she’d be happy to have us join the club. She wants to hold a little welcome party for the three of us tomorrow after school.”
He must’ve worked so hard, yet he still tried not to take any credit, carefully considering Minezaki-senpai’s feelings too. I wish he’d show off his efforts, at least to me. But it’s that selflessness of his that I love so much—more than I can put into words.
“Oh, and here… She asked me to give you this.”
He handed me a letter, neatly placed in a pretty envelope.
“What’s this?”
“It’s an apology letter from Senpai. She said she felt bad about what she said earlier. She mentioned she’s better at expressing herself in writing or through emails.”
“I see. Can I read it now?”
Carefully peeling off the cute sticker, I opened the letter.
To Takatsukasa-san,
I’m sorry for rejecting your offer earlier.
I struggle with talking to people, and I didn’t want to disappoint you two.
But Yaguchi-kun told me I don’t have to shoulder everything alone. So, I’ve decided to take him up on that. And I plan to rely on you a lot, too, so be prepared!
P.S. I’m jealous you have such a wonderful boyfriend. Don’t let him go!
Minazaki-senpai is a completely different person in her letter. I couldn’t help but laugh—and feel happy, too.
And… being mistaken for Senpai’s girlfriend made me so giddy. I guess that’s how it must look to others.
I was feeling a little jealous earlier, but I’ve forgotten all about that now.
“Want to grab dinner again tonight?”
“Even though we’re meeting tomorrow too. Don’t you think you like me too much, Senpai?”
I teased him, and he gave me a wry smile.
Of course, I wasn’t entirely serious.
“Of course, I’ll join you. And I’ll help with the cooking tonight, too!”
And so, I decided to indulge in this faint sense of newlywed bliss.