NOVEL NEXT Chapter 111
Isn’t this a bit of an abuse of power?
“Ah, and Kayanoh-san received an invitation from the cheer squad. What will you do about it?”
I was obviously planning to refuse the cheer squad invitation.
“Well… the seniors wanted to meet you in person and talk…”
But because the opponent was a senior, I couldn’t just go home; instead, I had to head to the science room where the seniors were waiting.
If they wanted to invite me to join the cheer squad, they should come find me instead of making me move like this.
No matter how I think about it, isn’t this an abuse of power?
Do the seniors really not know what ‘three visits for a single request’ means?
Of course, even if they visited me thirty times, I’d still refuse.
But at least there’s one good point: the meeting place isn’t the (old) science room, but the science room.
If they had taken over my sanctuary, the (old) science room, I might not have been able to bear it…
“Huaah…”
Arriving in front of the science room, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Uh, um… is it okay if I, um, come in?”
“Ah, yeah. Come in!”
Even without opening the door, the loud voices inside filled my head with thoughts of just wanting to go home.
But if I really went home now, I’d be that delinquent who ignored the seniors’ invitation and went straight home starting from tomorrow.
Of course, considering my mental age of a 40-something middle-aged man, I could endure that level of stigma, but if it led to me contacting Mom, that would be troublesome.
So, let’s just put up with it this time.
The thought of running away and getting called by the teacher tomorrow is definitely not scary at all.
“Ah, um, hello….”
With a click, the sliding door of the science room opened.
Inside sat nearly ten students.
“Uh, are you 2-A Kayanoh Mina?”
“Ah, yes….”
And sitting in the middle was none other than…!
Well, it was someone I didn’t know.
Of course, it’s only natural since the only people I know in high school are my classmates in my own class.
Anyway, sitting in the middle was a senior, who seemed to resemble our class’s ultimate socialite, Tateyama, scratching her head with a smile.
“I’m sorry to surprise you by calling you suddenly. We should have come to see you in person.”
“Ah, it’s, um, alright….”
“Then I’m glad. You heard from the class, right? Would you like to join the cheer squad for this sports festival?”
“Um, about that….”
Sorry, but I’ll have to refuse. Just as I was about to say that.
“I heard a lot about you from Haru. 1-A… or now 2-A, right? The ice princess of 2-A.”
“…Huh?”
“Honestly, I thought that was just Haru’s exaggeration… but it seems it wasn’t.”
Haru.
The Haru I know must be our class Tateyama, right…?
“Uh, um, is Haru… Tateyama-san?”
“Yep. That’s right. She’s a junior who I’ve been close with since middle school. I never thought she would follow me to high school though.”
I finally understood why I got invited to the cheer squad.
Honestly, it’s kind of strange, right?
No matter how eye-catching I am as a super beauty, I have no friends in class, and after class, I go straight home.
There was no way my name would be known around school.
Being a super beauty might make you famous in a novel, but in reality?
Suddenly, out of the blue, I receive an invitation from seniors I don’t even know?
No matter how I think about it, I couldn’t grasp it, but it turned out the culprit was Tateyama.
…Well, that’s not particularly important.
It doesn’t really matter who dragged me here; what matters is that I intend to refuse the cheer squad invitation anyway.
Of course, there was a time I briefly longed to join the cheer squad and make new friends.
But I’ve already realized that it doesn’t suit me at all.
To borrow a line from a romantic comedy manga.
Joining the cheer squad doesn’t make you popular and lead to new friends; it’s because you’re popular that you join the cheer squad to make new friends…!
In other words, joining the cheer squad is out of the question for me.
“Haah… I’m really sorry, but joining the cheer squad is a bit…”
“Well, should I tell you about the benefits of joining first?”
“…Huh?”
There are benefits to joining the cheer squad?
…Of course, I have no intention of joining, but it wouldn’t hurt to listen to the benefits.
“First, you won’t have the obligation to participate in the sports festival events. There’s cheer practice, and it would be tough to practice for the events. Of course, if you want to participate, that’s fine, but you’ll have to join the group events.”
“Uh, really?”
“Yeah. And the second benefit is that you can sit in the front row on the day of the sports festival, and finally, on the day of the sports festival, the student council will give the cheer squad snacks first.”
…The second and last benefits don’t interest me at all.
The first one is somewhat intriguing, though.
In our high school, all students have a duty to participate in at least one event during the sports festival, and if that obligation disappears, it’s pretty attractive to me.
Last year, I didn’t even want to participate in the obstacle race…
It’s not just because I dislike exercising; it’s that feeling when everyone’s eyes are focused on you while you’re running.
Honestly, I was already thinking about which event I should participate in this year so that I wouldn’t attract too much attention, so the prospect of not having to participate due to joining the cheer squad sounds good.
Of course, I still have to participate in group events like tug-of-war or throwing balls, but that doesn’t really matter.
In fact, being excluded in group events would probably draw even more attention.
“Hmm…”
But cheer practice means I’ll have to stay in school longer after classes, right?
And just joining the cheer squad would probably attract more attention as well…
It’s a tough choice…
As I was pondering that, the blonde senior sitting in the middle spoke again.
“Ah, and this might be a special privilege just for Kayanoh-san… Kayanoh-san, I heard you always go straight home after class? If you join the cheer squad, you don’t have to worry about joining our practice. You can just go straight home.”
“…Huh? Is… is that true?”
“Yep. Actually, we’ve already started our cheer practice, and I never thought you would come, so I just casually mentioned to Miyauchi that it was like, ‘Just let her know,’ type of situation. So if you join, you can just go straight home, and on the day of the sports festival, you just have to wear the costume we provide and sit at the back.”
No way.
Is the cheer squad… a rookie organization?!
“Then I’ll join…”
With these benefits, it’d be foolish not to!
“Really?! Thank you! Ah, but just in case, can I get your Line ID?”
“Uh, yes…”
After sharing my Line ID with the blonde senior Hinoshita, I was able to head straight home.
Joining the cheer squad is utterly fantastic!
And I had no idea what consequences this choice would bring until the sports festival day…
★
“Haah… So the ice princess thing wasn’t a lie, huh…?”
As Kayanoh left the classroom, Hinoshita let out a big sigh.
And the friends and juniors sitting around her nodded in agreement, as if they shared the same thoughts.
“I never imagined there would be someone in school who could talk so confidently and coldly in front of a senior. It seemed like she didn’t even know who you were.”
“Haha, Koyama, that’s ridiculous. There’s no way a high school student around here wouldn’t know about seniors…”
Hinoshita Karen was the most famous student at Shiodome Private High School.
And not for any bad reason.
She was well-known for being an upright and justice-driven student.
In fact, with her belief that weak justice is evil, she mastered countless martial arts, from Hapkido to Karate, Judo, Kendo, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Jiu-jitsu, so even the most delinquent male student couldn’t disregard her solely because she was female.
No, rather, they reached the point of avoiding her altogether.
So much so that among the delinquents around, there was a saying: “If you encounter Hinoshita, run away immediately.”
Additionally, she partnered with the police to capture all the bikers around the school and managed to rehabilitate them, making her the undeniable top celebrity at Shiodome High School.
The emotions in the gazes of students watching her varied from admiration to fear, to the point where they couldn’t be fully expressed in words.
Yet, for Hinoshita, a current student of Shiodome High, not to know her?
That was literally nonsense.
“Well, that’s not the important thing, is it?”
Hinoshita thought, recalling the impression Kayanoh had just left.
In terms of appearance, yes. She was undoubtedly cute enough to be called a doll.
With a small stature and light brown hair flowing down to her waist, you could tell just by looking that it was soft.
Could she be mixed race? It felt like that when she had those mysterious emerald green eyes.
Smooth skin and distinct features.
Her overall figure was also well-balanced without excess fat, and her modest bust showcased her charm despite her small stature.
At first glance, she might appear like a cute girl radiating a warm and gentle vibe.
However, the atmosphere she emitted was anything but warm.
Her emerald gaze showed utter indifference to who the opponent was, and her voice radiated a frigid chill.
In front of her, even Hinoshita—an embodiment of justice—couldn’t help but shrink slightly.
But, as she had just mentioned, that wasn’t what was important.
Ultimately, Kayanoh had come to her and joined the cheer squad.
That was the only thing that mattered.
“The cheer squad this year will surely be more fun than last year, and that’s what matters, right, everyone?!”
“Wooooo!!!”
The energy in the science room surged.
In a corner that Kayanoh hadn’t noticed, there was a whiteboard that said:
[Offer Victory to the Ice Princess!]
And next to it, a giant throne was illustrated.
And, of course, Tateyama, after learning about Kayanoh’s personality, didn’t mention Kayanoh to Hinoshita anymore.
Tateyama had thought that would only burden Kayanoh.
In other words, within Hinoshita’s mind, Kayanoh’s information was frozen in last year, and the reason she invited Kayanoh to join the cheer squad and came up with this plan was.
“I hope Kayanoh-san can join the cheer squad next year!”
“Is that why you find that classmate of yours so appealing, Haru?”
“Yes! You’ll see how cute and awesome she is; even the seniors will notice right away! Just sitting quietly at the back will inspire everyone!”
“Hmm… I see.”
Thanks to Tateyama’s remarks, things turned out this way.
Ironically, Tateyama completely forgot that she had said such things last year.