Chapter 8: Activities of the prestigious Classics Club (part 1)
Now that I think about it, what does the Classics Club do anyway?
The only students that do know what it does are no longer with the school, and I couldn't be bothered to ask the teachers about it. I could ask my sister about it, but unfortunately she's in Beirut.
Still, while it's rare to have a club that does not know what it does, there are plenty of clubs whose existence can only be classified as a mystery, so it's not something worth fretting about.
It has been a month since the resurrection of the Classics Club.
The club room — the Geology Room — was no longer a private space, but it was still a relaxing spot. It was a place where I could kill
some time after school whenever I'm feeling bored.
Satoshi might be inside. Or Chitanda might be inside. Or both of them might be inside. Or not. It doesn't really matter either way. We could choose to converse, or we could also choose to keep quiet.
Satoshi was the sort that could calmly endure silence to begin with, while our lady
Chitanda was the sort of graceful lady befitting of her image, as long as she doesn't let her curiosity explode.
Therefore, while unintentional, this club appears more like a leisure club than a
school club. Thus I do not get weary even amidst their company, since I was
never apprehensive of other people to begin with, though Satoshi does sometimes mistake that I am.
Today was a drizzly day, and I was inside with Chitanda. I was leaning back on a chair by the window, reading a cheap paperback
while Chitanda sat at the front of the room reading a thick book for some reason. One would say this was a sluggish afternoon after school.
Looking at the clock, I noticed only 30 minutes had passed. The time that was spent unconsciously was still short.
Although you could say I was feeling quite relaxed, that isn't exactly correct. Rather, it was because I was feeling nervous and stressful that entering into a state of relaxation was imperative.
I'm really just consciously trying to extend my energy saving mode for as long as possible, that's all.
The silence was only broken by the sound of pages turning and the raindrops outside.
"..."
I'm getting sleepy now. I think I'll go home as soon as the rain stops.
Thud!
The sound of a book closing was heard, as Chitanda, who sat in front with her back facing towards me, sighed and said, "How barren."
While she wasn't looking at me, it was clear she was speaking to me rather than to herself. Though I had no idea how to respond to her sudden comment.
Anyway, I'll try asking. "What? The crops in your family farmland?"
"Those have two crops."
Chitanda answered as though reading it out and turned around, "And they're semi-annual. So it's hardly barren."[1]
"As expected of a lady of a farmland owner."
"No, there's no need to praise me..." The sound of rain, followed by silence. "No, that's not what I was saying."
"You were saying something about 'barren'."
"Yes, that. It's barren."
"What is?"
Chitanda looked firmly at me, and then raised her right arm as though showing the whole room, "All this time spent after lessons. We don't seem to have any purpose or do anything productive at all."
Of course, this was merely a way to kill time, not to produce anything. I closed my paperback and looked up towards her, "Well, I'm all ears. Is there something you want the Classics Club to do?"
"Me?"
It was kind of a mean question, as not many people are aware what they themselves would want to do when asked directly. By
the way, I'm at least aware that I desire nothing.
However, Chitanda replied without hesitation, "Yes, there is."
"Hmm."
That's surprising. To answer yes right away. As I was about to ask what was it she was interested in doing, she explained, "Though that's for personal reasons."
In that case, there was no need to ask further. Chitanda then continued, "But we're talking about the Classics Club. So we should be doing something club related. We can't just sit around and do nothing."
"Very well, but we aren't even sure what the club's purpose is."
"No, there is a purpose."
Whether she's speaking with the authority of a club president or the aura of a prestigious clan member, Chitanda declared, "We will
publish an essay anthology this October in the Cultural Festival."
The Cultural Festival?
I had visited the Kamiyama High Cultural Festival before, so I was familiar with it. To put it briefly, it was the essence of youth
culture around this area.
And according to Satoshi, the Kami High Cultural Festival's Nodate tea ceremony is highly recommended for anyone interested in learning the art, while its break dancing
contest is a hotbed for future professionals.
Quite a number of arts-related clubs of various qualities would participate. During
her three years in highschool, I remember seeing my sister carrying a boxload of essay anthologies to school. So to speak, that was the crystallization of the rose-coloured
high school life.
As to how I feel about all this, I guess it's better for me not to say anything about it. Let's just say that I hardly felt anything at all, not even once.
However, an essay anthology, huh? I gave some thought to Chitanda's proposal, and asked a question that naturally came to
mind, "Chitanda, making an anthology is just an end result, and not the whole purpose of the club itself, isn't it?"
Chitanda shook her head and replied, "No, if the purpose of the club is the making of the anthology, then by creating the result we could achieve its purpose."
"What?"
"Like I said, if the result is the purpose itself, then all we have to do is aim for the result, right?"
Hmm, I raised my eyebrows. I think I get what she's trying to say, but isn't that tautology?
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