The corridor on the first floor of the West School Building always seemed exceptionally quiet at this time after school.
The Literature Club's Clubroom was located at the very end of this corridor, and the "Literature Club" on the wooden door plate had a slightly old feel.
Imaizumi Keita and Yanami Anna arrived at the door one after the other.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door panel three times, neither too lightly nor too heavily.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was no response from inside the door.
Imaizumi Keita placed his hand on the doorknob again and gently turned it downward.
The knob turned all the way, but the door didn't budge an inch; it was clearly locked from the inside.
"Looks like we're the first ones here."
Imaizumi Keita let go of the handle and leaned against the adjacent wall, speaking in a flat tone.
Yanami Anna stood beside Imaizumi Keita, hands behind her back. "By the way, are Literature Club activities usually this casual?"
"I'm not sure either," Imaizumi Keita said, looking toward the window at the end of the corridor. "I haven't really been here before."
The two stopped talking and waited quietly.
The only sounds in the corridor were the cicadas chirping from outside the window and the faint tapping of Yanami Anna's shoes against the floor.
About two minutes later, just as Yanami Anna was getting bored enough to start studying the old cracks in the wall, a timid voice came from behind them.
"U-um... e-excuse me... please let me through..."
Both of them turned around at the same time.
Koma Chihana was standing behind them. Because they were so close, her already dull eyes were filled with bewilderment.
Her gaze lingered on Imaizumi Keita for a brief moment, but when she saw Yanami Anna beside him, her entire body visibly stiffened.
Koma Chihana wanted to open her mouth to ask about Yanami Anna's presence, but in the end, she couldn't muster the courage.
She quickly lowered her head and squeezed through the gap between the two, fumbling a key out of her pocket to unlock the clubroom door.
During the entire process, she didn't look up at them once.
After pushing the door open, Koma Chihana slipped inside without even a greeting, heading straight for an inconspicuous chair in the corner of the room.
Once seated, she pulled a book from the shelf and flipped it open, using the pages to completely shield her face, showing no intention of communicating.
Watching Koma Chihana's behavior, Yanami Anna showed a look of understanding typical of an Outgoing Person.
So the girls in the Literature Club are this type...
"Let's go."
Imaizumi Keita's voice pulled Yanami's thoughts back as he stepped into the clubroom.
The space inside the clubroom wasn't large, and the air was thick with the slightly musty scent of paper.
Three walls were occupied by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed with all sorts of books.
The only window faced the courtyard, and the light from the setting sun filtered through, casting a bright patch on the floor.
Yanami Anna didn't bother Koma Chihana, who was hiding behind her book, but instead began examining the bookshelves with interest.
"Wow, there are so many books here... There are even this many light novels."
Her fingertips brushed along the rows of spines, searching for any titles that might interest her.
Imaizumi Keita only gave the shelves a casual glance before his gaze quickly returned to that corner.
He looked at Koma Chihana, who was shielding herself with a book and trying her best to pretend she was air, a hint of curiosity appearing on his face.
Then, carrying his school bag, he walked straight to Koma Chihana's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"...!"
He didn't make much noise sitting down, but for Koma Chihana, who was already intentionally tracking Imaizumi Keita's movements, it was nothing short of a shock.
"W-what... are you doing?!"
"Komari-san."
Imaizumi Keita spoke calmly.
Hearing Koma Chihana's startled voice, Imaizumi Keita looked steadily at the bunko book blocking her face.
"You really are pretending to ignore us."
Koma Chihana's hand holding the book stiffened.
"Don't you think it's a bit rude to treat me like air?"
Imaizumi Keita continued, his tone unreadable. "After all, you were the one who called me here."
Silence reigned behind the book for a long while before a rustling sound finally came.
Koma Chihana lowered the book just a tiny bit, revealing a pair of eyes that were still darting away, as she stammered in her defense.
"I... I was just... a-according to the President's request... p-passing on a message..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, as if it would cut out at any moment.
"A-and... Imaizumi-kun... d-didn't say... you'd bring someone else... along..."
Having finished her defense, Koma Chihana even managed a protest against Imaizumi Keita's unilateral decision.
"She's my friend, Yanami Anna."
Imaizumi Keita's tone remained calm as he pointed toward Yanami, who was watching curiously. "She's here to check out the Literature Club; she might join later."
This explanation left Koma Chihana completely speechless. She seemed to have no idea how to handle the situation and chose to escape by burying her face in the book again.
"Hello, Komari-san."
Yanami Anna, on the other hand, acted quite poised. She walked over proactively with a friendly smile.
"I'm Yanami Anna, a classmate of Imaizumi-kun. I've never been in a club, so I was curious and followed him to take a look."
She was about to say something more to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Just then, a new figure appeared at the clubroom door.
"Oh, you guys hit it off right away~"
A girl wearing glasses and sporting twin braids stood at the door with a gentle smile, stepping inside as she spoke.
Koma Chihana, who had been hiding in the corner, immediately emerged from behind her bunko book and hid behind the girl in glasses, staring at Imaizumi Keita with a troubled look.
"We did not!" Koma Chihana retorted to the girl in glasses.
"Eh, did I misunderstand?"
The girl in glasses patted Koma Chihana's hair and smiled at Imaizumi Keita. Then she noticed Yanami Anna, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.
"Hello everyone, I'm Tsukinoki Koto, a third-year and the Vice President of the Literature Club. You must be Imaizumi; long time no see."
After Imaizumi Keita nodded, Senior Tsukinoki turned her smile toward Yanami Anna and asked for her name.
"And this student is..."
"Hello, Senior!"
Yanami Anna immediately gave her a bright smile and introduced herself.
"I'm Yanami Anna from Class 1-C. I'm interested in the Literature Club, so I asked Imaizumi-kun to bring me along for a visit."
"A visit? Welcome, welcome!"
Upon hearing that someone new was interested in the club, Senior Tsukinoki's eyes lit up, and she suddenly grabbed Yanami's waving hand.
"We in the Literature Club very much welcome new members!"
"Especially a girl as cute as Nanami-san. If you join, the President will be very happy."
"Eh?! Really?!"
Seeing Senior Tsukinoki's uncharacteristically excited behavior, Yanami Anna's original intention to join suddenly felt like a bad idea.
Does the Literature Club usually get no attention?
For a new member to make the Vice President this excited...
It gives off a bad vibe...