novelraw Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Chapter 61
"So what you're saying is, any student who hasn't joined a club has to be talked into one? Two-sou." Yua Lina tapped her chin, lost in thought, then snapped her fingers.
"Feels like we're walking straight into a harem anime. The club-less protagonist gets dragged by a teacher into a club packed with quirky beauties, cue blissful daily life—five-bams."
Hashimoto pushed up his gleaming glasses, a knowing smirk curving his lips.
"Could you dial down the otaku stench?"
Ashley pinched her nose and waved a hand in Hashimoto's direction as if fanning away a foul odor.
"The memo from Student Affairs says anyone already handling student-council or Discipline-Committee work is exempt. Besides, you're in the Computer Club, remember? Your harem dream's dead. Five-myriads."
Monday afternoon, right after elective classes. Yuanyue Academy, club-building, Mahjong Club room.
Soft light spilled across the square automatic mahjong table where four members of the student council sat.
Yan Huan propped his chin in one hand, smiling faintly at their banter.
"Anyone want osmanthus jelly?"
"Osmanthus jelly? Is that a Longguo snack?! Gimme, gimme!"
Yua Lina's eyes lit up; she licked her lips like a starving little monster.
Yan Huan speared a cube with a toothpick and fed it to her. She broke into a blissful, dopey grin.
"Thanks, President, but I'm cutting sugar this month."
Hashimoto glanced at Ashley and snorted.
"You started that last semester. A week later you were inhaling cake again, and you haven't lost a single gram. Give it up, Ashley—it's hopeless."
Still, he accepted the jelly Yan Huan offered. "Thanks."
Before he could take a bite, Ashley stomped on his foot under the table. Hashimoto's face twisted in a silent howl.
"Sss!!"
Yua Lina puffed her cheeks, giving a tearful thumbs-up.
"Soo good! Where'd you get these? I'm ordering a crate!"
"A friend's parent brought them from Longguo, so probably not sold in Linmen."
In truth, An Le had handed him the box at lunch. With Club Wars looming, Yan Huan had spent the day fielding calls and emails, but he'd still slipped away to see her. Seeing how busy he was, An Le had simply passed him the sweets and promised to catch up later. Now, with electives over and club time finally free, she'd already gone home. An Le belonged to the "go-home club," another student on the must-recruit list.
"Aw, man... I'll check Rainforest Market later."
Watching Yua Lina's heartbroken pout, Yan Huan rested his cheek on his hand and asked,
"Besides the handful handling student affairs, almost everyone's in a club already. Guess which group still has trouble joining?"
Yua Lina tilted her head, clueless. Hashimoto and Ashley exchanged knowing looks—the answer obvious.
The isolated ones.
The next second Yan Huan placed a 1,000-point chip in front of his concealed hand.
"This blanket policy is messy, and messier still because we—Student Council—have to enforce it. Getting every last student into a club is easy enough normally; you can always quit later.
"But Club Wars start soon. Every member must compete, which makes things... delicate. Riichi."
Yua Lina, mid-sneak of another jelly cube, went pale. She stared at Yan Huan's serene smile.
"R-Riichi again?! I haven't even called a tile yet!!"
She chewed her lip, fingers fluttering over her hand, then pushed out a safe tile with trembling resolve.
Hashimoto chuckled, scanning the discard pond.
"You've seen the President's blitz before—one-dot."
Ashley sighed in sympathy.
"Good news: Student Affairs postponed Club Wars ten days. We still have twenty-plus to figure something out."
Yan Huan drew, inspected the tile, and set it down.
North wind.
Back to Yua Lina.
She grew more nervous; Yan Huan always played speed mahjong with her, especially fond of slapping down riichi sticks. Every draw felt like defusing a bomb.
"This one... no, this one... whatever! Seven—seven-mani!!"
Eyes squeezed shut, she slammed the tile onto the table, then recoiled as if it might explode.
She peeked at Yan Huan; finding him only smiling, she exhaled.
Another round survived.
Heh.
She giggled.
Then Yan Huan, apparently waiting for her to open her eyes, pushed his tiles forward with a demonic calm.
"Ron. Riichi, red dora, round-wind yaku—three fan, 40 fu, 5,200 points."
"Ughhh!!"
Yua Lina puffed her cheeks, on the verge of tears.
"President!!"
Yan Huan merely crooked a finger; grumbling, she began counting chips.
Click!
The door burst open, revealing Sakuramiya Hitomi's unreadable face. She carried a paper bag. Behind her stood Takasago Mitsuki—tall, statuesque, fanning herself with a folding fan inked in bold calligraphy:
"Invincible in a Hundred Battles."
The fan half-hid her face, showing only crescent eyes.
"My, my, Young Lady Sakuramiya, try not to scowl every time you visit. The council treats this room like a second office; only you insist on killing the mood, same as ever."
Sakuramiya turned, smiling sweetly.
"While I can't play mahjong, I've no prejudice against it. My expression simply reflects the stench wafting from certain individuals."
Snap!
Mitsuki closed her fan, revealing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Sakuramiya met her gaze without flinching—sparks practically crackled between them.
As Hashimoto had warned, the two were oil and water. Sakuramiya had even named her frailest, dullest cat "Mitsuki."
Yan Huan, who'd only wanted a quiet game, felt the mood curdle.
After electives he'd come to unwind; Hashimoto had "something to discuss," so Yan Huan invited him to the mahjong room. Then Yua Lina dropped by, then Ashley—until half the council was seated at the table.
Sighing, Yan Huan rose.
"Takasago sis, Sakuramiya's here on council business. Since you've dubbed this our second office, may we borrow the room?"
Mitsuki glanced at him, fan fluttering.
"Use it as long as you like, dear President. Just remember—you promised me a game with the three sempai next time."
"Next time for sure."
Satisfied, Mitsuki swept out with a final glance at Sakuramiya.
Sakuramiya stepped into the shadows.
Hashimoto, who'd been gossiping about her that very morning, shot up and politely closed the door.
Sakuramiya surveyed the room: Yua Lina grinning like an idiot, Hashimoto avoiding eye contact, Ashley pretending to be wallpaper.
She sensed she'd shattered the cheerful mood.
She opened her mouth to apologize—
Yan Huan stood and spoke first.
"Perfect timing, Sakuramiya's here—help me teach these three a lesson. Three-on-one isn't fair."
"What?! You're the one who's been one-shotting all three of us, President!"
"That's right, that's right."
Sakuramiya Hitomi blinked, glanced at Yan Huan's easy smile, and waved both hands. "I'll pass. I can't play mahjong."
Yan Huan simply stretched out a hand. "No worries, I'll teach you. Guaranteed mastery."
"......"
Hitomi hesitated; her fingers trembled ever so slightly.
But the impulse was fleeting. The next second she opened her mouth to refuse again.
Yan Huan had already seized that flicker of interest. He caught her wrist and drew her under the warm pool of lamplight above the mahjong table.
"All right—President and Vice-President of Yuanyue Student Council versus the three of you!"
Flustered, Hitomi sat at the table. She stared at the tiles dealt to her and began arranging them in a flurry.
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow. "You actually do know how to play, don't you?"
"I know the basics, but I'm lost when it comes to yaku or scoring."
"Got it. I'll coach you through one round and explain as we go..."
He leaned closer, pointing at a tile she had lined up. "Lucky draw—discard this one."
"......"
Hitomi pressed her lips together; her mind had gone blank. She could only follow Yan Huan's instructions.
He's... too close, President. Wait, no.
Those girls keep barging in—last week it was Ye Shiyu and Spencer, this week it's An Le and Bai Yi.
They're already messing with his head while I'm still stuck trying to spark a little romance with my superpower.
Fine. Consider this pre-battle relaxation.
With that thought, Hitomi straightened her back and let her shoulder drift imperceptibly closer to Yan Huan.
Why does the President... smell so good?
A strange, indescribable scent—utterly captivating. She wasn't sure. Maybe one more sniff—
"Vice-President, it's your turn."
Hashimoto spoke carefully, snapping her back to reality.
The sudden interruption made her glare at Hashimoto so sharply he almost melted.
"Eek!"
Realizing her rudeness, she quickly averted her gaze. "Sorry, Hashimoto..."
Cheeks flushed, she stared at the tiles and asked Yan Huan, "P-President, which... which one should I play?"
"This one."
Yan Huan tapped a tile, then added, "By the way, Sakuramiya, what brings you to the mahjong club? Something urgent?"
"Yeah, yeah," Yua Lina chimed in, "you hate this place."
At that, Hitomi suddenly remembered. She pulled a folder from her paper bag.
"The principal's office sent this list of students who haven't joined any clubs. It pairs them with recommended clubs based on the interests they listed at the start of term."
Ashley blinked. "Simplifies things. We just have to introduce each student to the recruitment officer of their suggested club. The school's backing gives us an excuse."
Yan Huan flipped through the file covering several major clubs.
Yuanyue's sports clubs dwarfed the cultural ones in both budget and size—when it came to competitions, they were the ones who had to step up.
This year's Club Wars would likely be won by the Track-and-Field Club.
They were numerous, and their newly elected second-year captain, Owen, had competed in countless meets—rumor had it he was a monster.
Yan Huan's gaze stopped on a highlighted name:
Aria Spencer – recommend Track-and-Field Club.
The red text and the principal's stamp left a faint whiff of conspiracy.
Whatever the case, both she and Bai Yi would show up tomorrow for the study group—time enough to probe then.
"Let's contact the recruitment officers for each club. For Track-and-Field, the liaison is Hua Zhaofeng..."
Hashimoto raised a hand mid-draw. "President, I'll handle Track-and-Field."
"You know him?"
"Well... elementary-school classmate, not exactly close. The guy has zero athletic talent, but he's tight with Captain Owen, so he just does odd jobs for the club."
Hashimoto grinned and leaned in for gossip.
"And get this—he's a total simp for Park Seo-mun in Class C. Keeps confessing, keeps getting ghosted, still won't give up."
"Boring," Ashley yawned, discarding a tile. "Just have Yua Lina handle the rest. She knows every club anyway."
"Eh?! That's unfair! I protest!"
"You drop by every club every day," Ashley said with a smirk. "Just tack it on."
Before Yua Lina could argue, Yan Huan—guiding Hitomi's next discard—offered sweetly, "How about a box of osmanthus cakes next time?"
"Deal! Yay!!"
Yua Lina wasn't the sharpest tool, nor the least gluttonous. A single sentence had her floating.
Grinning, she slapped down a red dragon.
The other two immediately covered their faces, speechless.
Yua Lina blinked at Hashimoto. "Your turn, Hashimoto. Wait, don't tell me—"
Ashley waved a hand. "Yua Lina, promise me you'll never play for real money. They'll literally cut off your hands."
"Whaaat? That bad?"
Hashimoto mirrored Ashley's face-palm. "We're deep into the endgame and not a single honor tile has shown. President—sorry, Vice-President Sakuramiya—is clearly building a monster hand, and you just fed her. That's suicide."
Hitomi looked puzzled. Only Yan Huan stretched across her faintly blushing face and shoulder to push the winning tile.
"Ron. Big Three Dragons, limit hand. No need to count, Yua Lina—your sticks won't cover it. You're bankrupt."
"Huh?! I— President!! Waaah!!"
Meanwhile, outside the school gates, An Le walked along the pavement.
Since she belonged to the go-home club, waiting for the school bus took too long; she usually took the bus then the subway.
Today, busy as Xiao Huan had been, she'd still managed to hand him the dessert she'd prepared.
Hehe...
"Handing over one box of osmanthus cakes makes you this happy?"
On her shoulder, Xiao Muzi flicked its tongue.
"W-well, it's something, Xiao Muzi. When we were little, Mom always made osmanthus cakes for Xiao Huan. They're hard to find in Linmen—only relatives send them."
"Yeah, yeah. Rather than that, when are you two finally going to hook up?"
"H-hook up?!"
An Le's face exploded in red. She spun toward the snake, flustered.
"W-what are you saying?! We just found each other again today. He was busy—no time to talk properly—and you're already—"
"Ugh, so troublesome."
An Le couldn't be bothered with the little finger perched on her shoulder and kept walking, backpack bouncing against her hips.
All she wanted was to hurry home and boot up the new galgame she'd bought yesterday. She'd been too wired after reuniting with Xiao Huan to even switch her computer on, so today—
**Beep-beep!**
A snow-white luxury car had rolled up beside her without her noticing and gave a polite double-honk.
An Le blinked, half turning, just as the rear window slid down and Spencer's face appeared.
"You heading home, huh?"
"Huh? Y-yeah."
"On foot?"
"Of course not! That'd take forever—I live in Luoqiao District. I catch the bus, then transfer to the metro."
"Luoqiao... where's that?"
Spencer furrowed her brow, gave the question a good three seconds of barren thought, then gave up. She flicked the door open with a huff.
"Get in. Driver'll take you."
"Ah? No, I—"
The refusal died in An Le's throat at Spencer's impatient glare.
"...Okay. Thanks. But you live in Jinghe District—this is a huge detour."
Once An Le was inside, Spencer flopped back against the roomy leather seat, fang flashing in a grin.
"No biggie. I'll just crash at your place for a bit."
"Wh-what?!"
"Not allowed?"
"It's... it's not that. But the round trip will take ages. Won't your family—?"
Spencer's expression dimmed for a heartbeat. She closed her eyes, shrugging.
"Whatever. Nobody's home anyway. Just me."
"Oh..."
An Le pressed her lips together, sensing she'd stepped on a landmine. She shuffled awkwardly, then heard a crinkle of plastic behind her.
Something back there?
She craned her neck. A black tote had toppled over, and a manga had slid halfway out.
*Pure White Ballet?*
Her face exploded into crimson. She whipped back toward Spencer, voice quavering.
"Sp-Spencer! How come you—?"
Spencer opened one eye, smirked. "What, reading that? You read the same stuff. Those things you bought at the Linmen Game Expo weren't any different."
"That's... No, wait, how do you even *know* all this now?"
Yesterday Spencer hadn't known a BL tag from a price tag. She'd thought *Bound Dragon* was some kid's picture book about puppies.
Spencer scoffed and sat up straighter. With a proud flick, she jabbed her thumb at her own chest, fang gleaming.
"Hey, I'm not the old Aria Spencer anymore! I've *leveled up*—mastered every page of that manga!"
"Huh?!"
*Don't level up in the wrong direction, you dummy!*
An Le's silent scream echoed in the plush silence of the speeding car.