Ring, Ring, Ring!
"Agh! How annoying!" Yuto grumbled, dragging himself out of bed to silence his blaring alarm. His black hair was a tangled mess, and prominent eye bags spoke volumes about his disdain for early mornings. He despised waking up early, especially on hot, humid summer days when the sun felt like it was melting his skin.
His roommate had already left for the day, leaving Yuto alone in the dorm room. Fortunately, classes for the first-year students hadn't started yet. They had one more week and a couple of days before their schedules were finalized.
I wonder what Nao's doing right now? Did she manage to find her dorm?
Yuto mused with a faint smile before quickly pushing it aside.
I'm sure she'll be fine.
___________
"Hachu-!"
Nao sneezed loudly onto her pajama sleeve.
"Are you sick, Naoko-san?" Ema asked, her brows furrowing in concern.
"I'm good, it's probably just someone talking behind my back" Nao replied, looking down at her breakfast.
"Do you usually drink coffee, Takane-san?" she asked, glancing at the girl seated across from her.
"It's a habit of mine" Ema replied. Looking down at her coffee, however, her gaze seemed distant, it felt like she was out of it as if she was looking at something else, something that was not there.
"How adult-like. I envy that" Nao remarked, observing her food. It was sunny-side-up eggs with sausages and a piece of toast.
"I'm not that mature," Ema replied with a soft laugh. "There's nothing to envy." She mumbled.
"It's great that they deliver breakfast to our rooms, I can't imagine going out early in the morning for breakfast at the cafeteria!" Nao said, happily taking a bite of the sausage.
"Yeah, it's convenient. " Ema responded.
After finishing breakfast, she cleaned her plate and got ready. It was now a quarter-past eight in the morning. She said, "I'll be going now!" to Ema and headed downstairs to wait for Yumi, Shiro, and Kuro at the spot where they'd parted ways the day before.
____________
Three people were waiting in front of the dormitories, under a small tree. Shiro and Kuro sat on the large concrete flower pot, while Nao stood beside them.
"Sorry, did you guys wait long?" Yumi asked, arriving as the last one. The time was now half past eight.
"Not really, I arrived not too long ago" Nao responded. She wasn't lying; she'd arrived just fifteen minutes before Yumi. Shiro and Kuro seemed to have waited longer than her, but she didn't want to mention it.
Shiro cast her head down, she trembles, and looks at Yumi in the eyes, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction as she scowls and pouts at her.
"You did! You made me and Kuro wait for thirty minutes in this hot sun!" Shiro grumbled.
"Don't exaggerate. It's not that bad" Kuro said, earning an annoyed, red-faced look from Shiro.
"Listen here, you—" Shiro's response was cut short as she tripped over a stray basketball, falling headfirst to the ground.
"Are you okay, Shiro?" Yumi bent down, brows furrowed.
"Yumi-chan! Kuro's bullying me!" Shiro latched onto Yumi, sticking her tongue out at Kuro, causing Yumi to sigh.
"Come on, you two, don't be like that. Let's make up with each other!" Yumi scolded them, causing Nao to giggle. She found their interactions amusing.
__________
The sky is clear and the sun shines brightly, its heat causing Nao's t-shirt to stick uncomfortably to her skin. They stood in front of the entrance to the club buildings, debating which one to visit first. They had decided to explore the indoor clubs first, as the majority voted in favor of it, with a 3:1 win. Kuro was the lone dissenter, wanting to try the outdoor sports clubs despite the scorching heat.
"Now then, which one should we try first?" Yumi asked her hand on her chin, tilting her head to the left.
"Let's go to the cooking club!" Shiro suggested enthusiastically, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she wiped off the drool on her mouth.
"Does anyone have any objections?" Yumi asked, glancing at Kuro, who seemed about to protest but was preempted by Shiro.
"No? Then let's go!" Shiro exclaimed, thrusting her fist in the air.
Kuro reluctantly went along with her whims, and they headed for the cooking club, located in the far corner of the club building.
__________
The cooking club room sprawled out, its walls painted a pristine white, The central focus of the room is the cooking stations, equipped with stovetops, ovens, and microwaves, while an array of cooking utensils filled the space.
A delightful aroma of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air, wrapping them in a warm embrace.
"What a pleasant smell!" Yumi exclaimed, taking in a deep breath, savoring the enticing fragrance that surrounded them.
A senior member of the club noticed their arrival and approached them with a friendly smile. "You guys must be freshmen. Want to give the club a try?" he asked, extending a warm invitation to them.
"We would love to try it out!" Naoko exclaimed with enthusiasm. Although she typically appeared shy and reserved, her eyes now sparkled like stars when passion gripped her.
They all proceeded to don aprons provided in the clubroom—Nao in blue, Yumi in yellow, Shiro in pink, and Kuro in gray. Nao even took the precaution of tying her long brown hair into a neat ponytail to keep it from interfering with her cooking.
Fun and chaos ensued in the clubroom, with Shiro making a colossal mess, as was her custom. Nao's culinary skills shone through, yet Kuro and Yumi displayed a prowess that bordered on mastery.
"This Cheesecake tastes heavenly!" Nao praised, her taste buds dancing in delight as she savored the delectably sweet dish before her.
"It's not that great," Yumi replied, her humility on full display, though there was a glint of pride in her eyes.
"You have some cream on your face, Nao-san," Shiro pointed out, unable to contain her laughter at Nao's clumsiness.
Nao flushed red as she promptly wiped away the cream with her handkerchief.
After their enjoyable session at the cooking club, they ventured to the art club.
The room was about the size of a standard classroom, it featured cream-colored walls adorned with various paintings.
One painting in particular caught Nao's attention, It was a painting of a desk with utensils on top of it, accompanied by a white flower inside a vase, and the background seemed to be the inside of a classroom.
The composition of the piece makes it so your eyes focus on the flower, and the meaning conveyed from the props is clear and profound.
I wonder which senior drew this?
"Nao-san what are you looking at? " Shiro asked, startling Nao who was completely in her world.
"It's nothing too spectacular, but I can't help but be drawn to this piece. " Nao responded still looking firmly towards the painting.
"I see, " Shiro said not understanding its appeal.
Yumi and Kuro finally finished talking to the senior for the trial period.
"Hey, you two! Come here let's start painting~" Yumi called out to them excitedly.
Despite their lack of painting experience, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. As they happily swirled brushes in vibrant colors, their enthusiasm got the better of them. Paint splattered onto their cheeks and hands, leaving colorful streaks as evidence of their artistic endeavors. Thankfully, the aprons provided by the club protected their clothes from any accidental spills or mishaps.
Just like the cooking club, where aprons were required to keep their outfits spotless, the painting club had thoughtfully provided these protective garments. With the aprons on, they felt a sense of freedom, able to fully immerse themselves in the world of painting without worrying about the consequences of their artistic exploration.
As they continued to laugh and create, the mess only added to their enjoyment. Each unintended splatter became a part of their shared experience, a reminder of the joyous chaos they had unleashed on the canvas. They laughed uncontrollably as they compared their colorful cheeks and hands, taking pride in the evidence of their creativity. The paint-covered cheeks and hands became a symbol of their adventure, cherished memories etched in color.
At the end of the day, they may have made a mess, but it was a beautiful mess. It was a mess that represented the sheer joy they had experienced, the laughter they shared as they left the painting club, after thoroughly washing their cheeks and hands that were stained with vibrant splashes of color, they couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to make such happy, messy memories.
"I don't think we'll be able to check all of the clubs out, we don't have much time, It's already noon. " Kuro said.
"I agree, at this rate, we can only check two to four more clubs before sunset," Yumi replied.
"Hm... then where should we go? " Nao asked.
"How about we decide it with some good old classics rock, paper, scissors? " Shiro suggested with a smug.