A week passed since the beginning of the new semester. As the new students were doing well fitting themselves in the new environment, it's the time to choose a club.
For reference, Kanade is in the science club, while Mio is in the art club. Both of his childhood friends are also in clubs, there is no reason for him to not join one... Except that he refused.
"Kei-kun, why are you not joining a club?" Kanade asked Keita who is about to go home from school.
"It's a pain to do something you are not obligated to do." Keita replied.
"But...!" Unable to rebut, Kanade couldn't say anything.
"Won't you talk to Mio-chan today?" Kanade said.
"Alright, I'll head there." Keita said. To Kanade's surprise, Keita even agreed to look for Mio.
"Nice, I've already talked to Mio-chan about persuading Kei-kun to join clubs in case he didn't... It seems like the plan is going well..." Kanade thought to herself.
"Are you thinking of anything?" Keita looks at Kanade straight in the eyes. His glances were so cold that Kanade even feels a bit chilly down her spine.
"Eep! Nothing!" Kanade responded.
"Well, let's go." Keita relaxed his face and then moved on.
"Are you feeling unwell recently?" Kanade asked.
"It's nothing, no need to worry that much." Keita replied.
"Is that about Ayumi-chan?" Kanade asked.
"Hmph..." Keita grunted, he hates it when people actually understood what he was thinking.
"It's alright, it takes time to recover those memories don't you think so?" Kanade said.
"But...!" Keita became emotional and his posture changed, yet before he could finish his words, he saw a soccer ball coming towards Kanade from behind.
"Ah, be careful! The ball!" Someone in the distance shouted. With Keita's reflex, he quickly pulled Kanade towards himself and turned around.
"Wha...?" Kanade couldn't even make up a response after all that happened, it happened very quickly. She noticed that she was held by Keita in the process, just a short while, she leans to his chest. The heartbeat was fast, just like hers.
"So this is Kei-kun's..." She thought herself. As she opens her eyes, she saw Keita's cold but concerned expression while lying down on the ground. Although the afternoon sun filters through his hair is slightly blinding, she squints her eyes in order to observe the expressions that Keita is having right now. Before any of them could say anything, another student came over, possibly the culprit of sending a ball flying over to the courtyard from the field.
"Ah sorry, we're in the middle of teaching to new recruits some skills then we thought that would amaze them. It's our fault, are you hurt somewhere?" The soccer club member came to them to apologize, only to find out that the girl they almost hit was Kanade.
"Oh no, it's Kujou-san! I'm so sorry, it's my fault, are you hurt somewhere?!" The panicking soccer club member reaches out to her for his hands to be slapped back by Keita.
"Get away from her." Keita scowled. His intimidating aura shocked the poor soccer club member and he bowed repeatedly for forgiveness.
"What about you go back and stop wasting time here?" Keita said bluntly.
"Oh you're right! I'm sorry!" The soccer club member said before he ran off into the field back to his members. The members probably saw how he ruined his own image, they might not see him in the same way afterwards.
"Are you alright?" Keita asked.
"I'm alright... How about you? There must be some impact done to your body during the fall. Show me!" Kanade urged.
"No, it's just a scratch." Keita covers his left hand as he said that.
"No, that's not okay!" Kanade snatched his hand over as he reacts in pain.
"Let's get you treated... You got hurt because of me." Kanade said as she walks back into the school.
"What a bother..." Keita thought as he follows her.
The hallways were noisy, as there were still people in the school. Recruitment campaigns all over the place, it's full of students walking around. We made it to the infirmary after a short walk up the stairs.
"Ah it's the two of you. I was wondering if any of you were injured since I heard you a while ago. Come sit down over here." The infirmary teacher said. The commotion even attracted attention from people who were on the third floor of the school building. Guess that guy has some good lungs to shout that loud when he's terrified.
"Alright... Some scrapes here and there, gonna disinfect them~" The infirmary teacher hummed as she worked on cleaning Keita's wounds.
"Mizuhara-sensei, is Kei-kun's wounds serious?" Kanade asked.
"Well, at this rate, he might die three years later." Mizuhara-sensei, the infirmary teacher responded in a stoic expression.
"WHAAAAAT?!" Kanade exclaimed, she even started bawling. Even Keita was shocked at this nonsense.
"Ahahaha! It's just a joke! He'll be fine after these wounds heal up." Mizuhara-sensei laughs as her prank worked.
"Young man, to have someone who values you this much, please do not ignore them." Mizuhara-sensei said to Keita. Although it just sounded like some old guy's philosophies, the way she said it, adds some weight into it. It sounds very serious as if Mizuhara-sensei have a mysterious backstory.
"Alright, you're good to go!" Mizuhara-sensei said as she packs up the bandages and some medicine used on Keita's wounds.
"Alright, let's get to Mio-chan then, she must be worried sick!" Kanade said as she drags Keita out of the infirmary.
"Ouch, no Kana-nee, stop pulling me like this!" Keita responds as Kanade forgot the fact that he was injured in the first place.
Silence returned to the usually empty infirmary room, as Mizuhara-sensei looked at a picture on her phone.
"Yuuma, I missed being a high schooler back then..." Mizuhara Rika, the infirmary teacher said to herself. The silence in the room is occasionally broken by the gusts out of the window, but for her, having a person she cared a lot in the past who is no longer alive is so regretful, that she wanted to experience her high school life again.