Hajime arrived home exhausted, today was an exhausting experience. He managed to survive Yuki's crazy attempt at shopping, while he managed to spend around five thousand yen on something, and he hoped for nothing he didn't need.
There were some loose ends left to tie up. Like Yuki... what's up with her? She was fun and such a strange combination, but at the same time she wasn't the same Yuki from school, more bubbly and energetic and almost... childish.
He shrugged it off and hoped to clear the air between them next time they met up, "Hmm, my wallet!" he panicked remembering he had stored it in the item box. 'Why do I keep forgetting that??,' Hajime questioned himself while scratching his forehead and sighing as he recalled the amount of money he stored in his pocket...well that problem was solved at least.
Slightly turning the handle of his room's door, creaks slightly as he enters and prepares for the night.
As the clock marked 7:23 p.m., Hajime decided to skip dinner and quickly closed his eyes and rested on his bed.
The only sounds that were emitted were his breaths and the soft noises of cars driving by below.
"Today was strange..." Hajime mused softly, before relaxing to the comfort of his bed.
Hajime then got a notification on his system notification him of two completed tasks,
[Mission 1: Get 10,000 yen in a day: 5000 points] (Complete)
[Mission 2: Make a friend: 2000 points] (Complete)
[Mission 3: Join a club: 2000 points] (Ongoing)
This was from the first day he got the system, Hajime never thought of completing two of the main tasks so quickly, however, this 'club' mission is something to worry about. He should complete it during the after-class meeting this week, What is it anyway? Hajime gets off the bed for a minute, he turns on the lights and looks through his book bag, taking out what is to be read on Monday. he then sees his school's pamphlet, he opens it out and begins to read over it.
In the middle part, sections were mentioning about school clubs. It seems like there are quite some well-known ones that were chosen to appear here. Hajime walks towards his PC and turns it on, might as well read over the School rules and regulations or what will be taught tomorrow and what will happen later.
However, Hajime couldn't push away the anxiety building up, he had made an oath to be better in this new life... The past shouldn't matter to him anymore. Yet Hajime cannot deny the fact that this has haunted him for years. His parents' leaving and abandonment issues were something that could shape a child from time to time, thankfully he wasn't completely driven insane by their presence and such. But he still blames himself for creating his bad luck and ill fortune.
For now, he can stay calm and keep moving forward. One step at a time, and it wouldn't be wise to rush things now.
'Hajime... Just calm down...' Hajime tried to reason with himself, taking a slow breath before exhaling.
Closing his eyes, Hajime started to visualize his goals once more in his head, he couldn't fall back now. This is a chance to start a new, to change everything about himself and his previous self.
'This will be fine...'
'I won't screw up...at least not this time
After closing his eyes and meditating, Hajime had forgotten how long he had been sitting on the chair, deep in thought, doing nothing in particular. Suddenly, he felt a headache go through him which led him to slightly curse. Shaking his head, he realized that the sun was already dawning on the place, he switched his computer off and returned to his bed, He had enough mental and physical fatigue of the day, and deserved rest. The moment his head touched the soft blanket, he took a breath and immediately closed his eyes, falling asleep.
The sound of an alarm fills Hajime's ears, suddenly filling him with irritation. Hajime grunts and sits up, looking around the room as his mind starts to function. He then rubs his forehead and groans, shaking off the unwanted dreams that plagued him last night.
'What a night. Wish I hadn't spent it on freaking studying.' Hajime thought, yawning as he stood up.
Taking a look at the clock, he could feel his heart sink in his chest. It was already ten, which meant school had started an hour ago.
"Crap! I'm so late!" Hajime exclaimed, quickly opening his wardrobe and putting on his uniform as fast as possible, not bothering to comb his hair or anything.
Not having any breakfast, Hajime quickly rushed out of his apartment, holding onto his backpack tightly.
Not having any breakfast, Hajime quickly rushed out of his apartment, holding onto his backpack tightly. "Let's get this over with," Hajime murmured to himself as he locked his front door.
When Hajime reached school, he spotted a girl in the Shimano Girls Academy uniform. She was staring at the school gate with an annoyed expression, her arms were folded and she leaned against a wall.
"Did she miss the train or something?" Hajime thought to himself, not realising that he was starting for too long.
Suddenly, the girl turned towards him and looked him right in the eyes. Hajime was surprised at her sharp gaze, and quickly averted his eyes before his embarrassment would take over.
'Strange girl...' Hajime thought to himself, trying to gather up his courage and walk in before he was late.
Makima only stared at Hajime as he sprinted into the school gates like crazy until finally reaching them without even breaking stride.
'So this is Akiyama High School, huh?' She smiles wryly while watching all these antics unfold and continues to look at the building.
Hajime sprinted through the hallway towards his classroom, not caring about the stares he was receiving from the passing students. Finally, he arrived at the door and casually walked in. Everyone was already in their seat except for him.
"Good to see you're joining us. Late for my class, I hope you weren't too distracted by your beauty sleep." Hiroshi-sensei the math teacher joked.
Hajime chuckled awkwardly and sat down at his desk.
Hajime chuckled awkwardly and sat down at his desk.
The rest of the day wasn't any easier, Hajime found it hard to concentrate during classes, as his mind seemed to be somewhere else. He kept thinking back to the mall, the strange woman he encountered and the mission he had forgotten until now.
'That club thing should be relatively easy...'
Hajime thought to himself, hoping to meet his goal and complete his mission.
Posters of many clubs were scattered all over the hallways, almost every corner. All of them seemed interesting, however, Hajime did not have the slightest idea which club to join.
Should he go for the track team? The swimming team? or should he try out for the manga club or the Archery club?
Each one seemed equally tempting, but he knew he couldn't afford to miss out on any good opportunities. Suddenly Hajime heard a snapping sound coming from behind him, It was a girl with a camera in her hand, who seemed to be smiling brightly.
She took the photo and giggled at Hajime.
'Who the hell is this?' He thought confusedly.
Just then, the girl spoke "You wouldn't mind posing for me, would you? You just looked so perfect in that position!"
Hajime sighed and shook his head. This was just getting more and more confusing. He observed her outfit and saw a small round orange badge on the left collar of her uniform, "You're a freshman aren't you?" he asked.
"Yes, I am. I'm called Minami Asano. Good to meet you! I'm part of the Photography club."
The girl answered, bowing at her senior, as per the culture of the school.
Suddenly, Hajime remembered about the third mission, and approached her with a bit of curiosity, "Is the photography club open to everyone?"
"Yeah, we're pretty laid back. As long as you're interested in photography and have a love for taking pictures, you're more than welcome to join."
Nodding his head, Hajime thanked her for the information and returned to his business.
A club... Now that he knew he had made his decision, he felt relieved.
This was something he had never done before, and it was thrilling him.
Hajime always disliked school events like this, but he figured that he didn't have much to lose, and it would probably be better to socialize and be part of a club rather than standing alone during the meeting.
Finally, the last class of the day ended and Hajime couldn't wait to see the photography club.