"I think I joined another club before, didn't I? It was... the Manga Club?"
After saying goodbye to Kasumi Haruno, Alistair ignored the displeased look from Kazunari Kimura and quietly slipped out the door. He vaguely remembered joining a Manga Research Club and decided to check it out.
Back then, he was curious if there were any "gaps" in the manga and novels here, thinking that if there were, he could try the common method used by fellow transmigrators: becoming a plagiarist to earn money. Although he didn't remember most works, he had the concepts and could certainly try.
As it turned out, the Golden Rule arrived before he could become a plagiarist, so Alistair had dismissed those ideas. His current visit to the Manga Club was for two reasons: inspection and because there was a girl he had "defiled" who was currently "working" there. He couldn't just use her and throw her away after giving her her first experience.
The Manga Research Club was located on the other side of the first floor, so Alistair had to go downstairs. Alistair had come from the Student Council office, so he hadn't come up through this side of the first floor and hadn't passed the Manga Research Club earlier. The floors above here housed the Galgame Club, which was Yuri Shibasaki's ero-game club.
Alistair didn't want to provoke Yuri Shibasaki yet. At least, he didn't want to approach her until she sought him out. He felt that being constantly entangled with her would be troublesome.
The atmosphere of the Manga Research Club was more like a library. The difference was that most of the books inside were manga and books related to drawing techniques. Most club members sat quietly at square tables, reading, while another group was busy drawing with pencils in a far corner of the room, occasionally engaging in discussions. The ambiance was very harmonious.
Although Alistair opened the door as quietly as possible, he still drew the attention of some people. A few glanced up and then returned their focus to the manga in their hands. Others looked with a mix of fear and curiosity. They also quickly averted their eyes but kept occasionally sneaking glances at Alistair.
If Alistair had been more social, he could have deduced that the curious ones were all freshmen, while those who seemed indifferent were generally sophomores or seniors.
Not all students were heading to university. Many who were self-deprecating or knew their talents were insufficient and didn't want to work hard became more casual. Generally, attendance was counted as long as a teacher saw you, regardless of whether you left mid-way.
Therefore, many older students who had no desire to become delinquents or study hard would come to the Manga Research Club to borrow manga and novels to read in class, or go to the Film Studies Club Alistair had visited earlier to watch movies, or head to the Board Game Club on the second or third floor. These were excellent ways to pass the time. If their attendance was secured, they could just stay home and play games until graduation, after which they'd look for a job. This was a common situation here, making this school a source of entry-level workers as well.
"Hey, Rina, look! There's a really handsome guy coming over here! I haven't seen him before. He must be a freshman kouhai (junior). Should we go talk to him?"
A beautiful girl with wavy blonde hair tied in pigtails, named Miko, was also drawn to Alistair's entrance. Seeing him walking straight towards them, she grew excited. She pulled on the arm of the black-haired girl next to her, who was concentrating on drawing, and looked towards Alistair.
"Don't bother. I still have a little bit left to draw here. I don't want that woman rushing me again." Rina diligently drew the character in her hand, gently pushing away her friend's hand with her left hand. No matter how cute a kouhai was, he wasn't as appealing as her own "assertive big guy."
It was just that she had been caught recently and had to deal with that capricious woman's "work." She hadn't had time to look for that kouhai. She wondered if he had forgotten her, as he hadn't sought her out, and even though he had her LINE ID, he hadn't bothered to contact her. He was so clueless.
"Phew, finally done. Miko, we can submit this now... Miko?"
Rina finished the last stroke, put down her pen, and looked up to find her friend, only to see her chatting with a boy on the other side. She instantly rolled her eyes.
"Miko, who are you talking to? You look so happy..." Rina walked over, playfully tapping the shoulder of the blonde-haired, pigtailed girl, and looked down, speaking in an annoyed tone. She then glanced at the boy and froze when she saw Alistair's face clearly.
"Long time no see, Senior Rina. Would you like a drink?" Alistair smiled and handed her a bottle of strawberry milk he had "acquired" from the Film Studies Club, asking her.
"Uh, oh, thanks..." Rina subconsciously took the drink Alistair offered and mumbled her thanks.
"Huh? Rina-chan, you know Junior Koan? I was just about to introduce you. It seems you're quite mischievous, Rina-chan, secretly getting to know such a handsome kouhai behind my back! Tell me, are you already dating?" Miko, the blonde-haired, pigtailed girl, gently pinched Rina's cheek, pulling it lightly as she teased her.
"Absolutely. Senior Rina and I fell in love at first sight right at the beginning of the school year, and we started dating. We just haven't been together often because we've both been busy." Alistair played along with Miko's joke, smiling.
"???" Rina looked bewildered. He just admitted it? And love at first sight? That was more like sexual assault, except that the "bow" couldn't leave the "warlord" anymore. At best, it was a "one-night marriage."
Amidst her wild thoughts, Rina looked at Miko to gauge her reaction. Although Miko claimed she wanted to flirt with the kouhai, she actually preferred guys who were a year or two older. The fact that Miko suddenly found out she was dating the kouhai was bound to surprise her.
Rina, too, had initially preferred slightly older boys, which was how the two of them became close. Rina's "betrayal" would probably surprise Miko, and she might even start to distance herself.
"Hahahaha, I can't believe it, Rina, you betrayed me! You couldn't find a big man, so you went and corrupted a little boy! I'm truly disappointed in you." Miko giggled, pinching Rina's cheek again. She clearly hadn't taken Alistair's words seriously, only viewing it as a response to her own teasing. Her current actions were less about playing around and more about seizing the chance to fondle Rina.
Rina's whole body was very soft, a fact Alistair had realized during their first encounter. And this softness wasn't due to excess fat. Rina's figure was just right—not overly busty, but not thin either, the type of girl who was slightly curvy.
Unlike the softness that comes from the plumpness of other girls, Rina's body had a unique, cushiony feel. It was very pleasant to touch and soft to squeeze. As a result, Rina's body wasn't just coveted by various boys; many girls were "jealous" of it too. Being able to pinch Rina's cheek or cuddle with her was a supreme pleasure for many girls.
So, even though Miko wasn't sure why Rina looked slightly dazed, it didn't stop her from taking advantage of the moment to indulge in some "small pleasures." This was too good an opportunity to miss.
"I can't believe you even remembered to come see me. I thought you'd forgotten about your senpai." Realizing Miko hadn't taken Alistair's words seriously, and Rina didn't want to expose their relationship, she rolled her eyes and spoke to Alistair in a half-annoyed, half-joking tone.
"How could I forget? You were the one who brought me into the Manga Research Club, and you were the one who taught me about 'manga knowledge,' Senior Rina." Alistair replied with a big smile, deliberately emphasizing the words "manga knowledge."
"Oh, so that's how you two met. So, why did Junior come looking for our Rina-chan now?" Miko was too focused on Rina's soft cheeks to notice the nuance in Alistair's tone and asked casually.
"It must be because of that capricious person. He's probably here to check on the big project. Miko, didn't you notice? Junior Koan is the boy in the photo sent to our phones at noon! Don't tell me you didn't even look at that message." Rina tried to find a casual excuse to gloss over the conversation, but suddenly remembered something. She looked at Miko with a distant gaze, which made Miko feel a chill down her spine, and her hand, busy touching Rina, froze.
"H-How could I not? Of course I recognized the boy in the photo as Junior Koan! I just didn't connect it right away. Ahe-hehe." Miko withdrew her hand, looking innocent and trying to talk her way out with a cute laugh, but the gaze Rina kept fixed on her made her hair stand on end.
"What we've been modifying just now was the capricious person's new task! We had to adjust the main character's image based on Junior Koan's appearance! How could you forget that?" Rina's eyes narrowed slightly, showing a hint of dangerous intent. Alistair watched the two interact without saying a word. On one hand, it wasn't appropriate to interrupt their conversation, and on the other, it revealed to Alistair how capricious and quick Yuri Shibasaki was. The photo was taken in the morning, and by noon, she had someone change the character design without much consideration.
And the victims here were the worst off, especially Rina. She was almost done drawing when the "client" gave them a new brief, forcing them to revise the original plan. Adding to their misery, there was a slacker in the group, making the whole situation truly unlucky.
Rina, however, didn't seem to want to directly reveal the relationship between her and Alistair. That was fine. Alistair had Rina's LINE ID; he could talk to her later. He was just curious about Rina's thoughts, as she hadn't actively contacted him much recently despite having his contact information.