บท 31: Enthusiast Club

At home, Li Tian's curious parents had bombarded their youngest sons with an array of questions.

"How were the classes? Was it too difficult?"

"Did you make any friends today?"

"Did Xi Xi and Mei Mei take good care of you in school today?"

"Were you nervous? Is the allowance enough for you?"

"Has anyone tried to bully you?"

"Do you need mom and dad to go and speak to your teachers to take good care of you?"

Both Li Xi and Li Mei felt a little jealous of their brother but knew why their parents were so concerned. After all, this was the first time Li Tian had entered a school with other people. Moreover, he was studying alongside students that were six years older than him.

"Mum, Dad, I'm fine, really. Big bro and sis took me to try out the school's famous pork cutlet sandwich, which was very tasty. I also made a friend in class; his name is Hong Yao and he seems to be a big fan of Uncle Li Kang. Tomorrow, Hong Yao said he was going to show me around the school's clubs and societies."

"That's good to hear." Li Xian felt relieved after hearing that her little boy was doing fine in school. Li Tian had purposely omitted their conversation about Jiu Lian Xiang as this would only add on additional worry to his mother.

…

The next day's lessons ended in a blink of an eye for Li Tian. He had been binging anime since morning and was excited to continue watching when he got home. Before then, every Tuesday, students in Ningguo High School No.1 had to participate in a club or society. Some clubs may mandate students to participate in multiple days of training, while others have more flexibility and you could choose to join more than one club or society. As such, today, Hong Yao was going to show Li Tian around so that he can choose what he was interested in.

The first stop in their journey was obviously the Strategies Club, which was spearheaded by Hong Yao himself. As much as he tried to persuade Li Tian to join, especially after finding out that he had studied the art of strategy since he was young, Li Tian wanted to try out something new. If there was nothing that interested him, he would just enter Hong Yao's club and then watch anime there.

The next few stops were to the Swords and Sabers Club, Brawlers Club, Spears Club, all the other combat-oriented clubs. Li Tian did not even bat an eye to these as he was not interested in fighting. With that, they proceeded to check out the Lifestyle clubs that were also very similar to the departments in the Universities of Hua. Li Tian thought to himself, 'Why was everything in school about studies and learning? Isn't there something cool?'

Just as he was thinking that, Hong Yao brought Li Tian to a more shoddy part of the school's clubs and society building. Clearly, there was not much investment placed in whatever club he was brought to. There was a dusty sign that wrote, 'Enthusiasts Club'. Li Tian bobbed his head to the side as he did not know what this meant. "Enthusiasts Club. What do they do?"

"Well, other than the combat and lifestyle clubs and society, the school did allow for students to create their own unique kind of club and society. There are only three other clubs including this one that was opened by students. As for this club…"

"Bang!" The sliding door opened to reveal a guy with curly frizzy hair. He was looking down and so Li Tian and Hong Yao was not able to capture his face. When curly haired guy looked up at the tall and short duo, his eye's blinged with excitement. "Ah! You must be freshman's wanting to join our Enthusiasts Club! Welcome welcome!"

"Welcome…" Behind him a girl with short hair and was sucking on a lollipop, leaned back on her chair to great the two.

Before Hong Yao could correct the two, the curly-haired guy had pulled in both of them and sat them down in a chair. He started to give an introduction of the club.

"Gentlemen, prepare yourselves for an epic journey into the dazzling world of the "Anime Enthusiasts Club," the place where your wildest, animated dreams come to life! I'm the Captain of Otaku Enthusiasm, Kong Huo Yu and this is my Vice Captain of Anime Coolness, Lin Xi Xi!

Are you ready to dive headfirst into the epic battles of shonen anime? Get ready to unleash your hidden powers, and remember – friendship is magic! Our club is like the anime 'Glue Boy's Adventures', where bonds are unbreakable, and our spirits are as strong as Glue Boy's flames!

Or maybe you're more into the intricate, mind-bending plot twists and mind-melting mysteries of psychological anime? Buckle up because our club's discussions will leave you questioning reality and sanity, just like the characters in 'Big Jack'!

And for all you romantics out there, we've got more heart-fluttering, tear-jerking shoujo dramas than you can count. Our club meetings are like a giant, collective swoon-fest, as we watch star-crossed lovers find their happily-ever-afters just like in 'The Princess and The Bee'!

So, if you're an anime enthusiast and ready to explore the wildest corners of your imagination, join us at the "Anime Enthusiasts Club." We're not just fans; we're borderline CRAZY about anime, and we can't wait to share that passion with you! Embrace the madness, folks, because this is where the otaku magic happens!"

Clap clap clap clap clap. Lin Xi Xi clapped expressionlessly after hearing the 'heartwarming' speech from her captain. At the end of the speech, Kong Huo Yu had ended on standing on the table, heaving heavily. Hong Yao's mouth had remained open since the start and was about to try to get him and Li Tian out of this mess. Before he could say anything, Li Tian spoke up first.

"I will be more than willing to join you on this adventure, captain!"

"WHAT!?!?!" Hong Yao jaw dropped even further.

Ignoring Hong Yao, Kong Huo Yu approached Li Tian as he placed his hands on his shoulder. "I'm glad you feel this way about my club. It is with my greatest honour that I, Kong Huo Yu, the seventh captain of the Anime Enthusiast Club, accept, you… Um may I have your name?"

"My name is Li Tian."

"Accept you, Li Tian as the newest member of the Anime Enthusiast Club! I now don you with the honorary badge of our club! From now on, you can proudly walk along these corridors and spread the gospels of our club!"

"Thank you, captain!"

By the time the welcome ceremony was over, Hong Yao had fainted from shock. What did he just witness? It took a few shakes from Li Tian to wake him up.

"Hong Yao, would you like to join the Anime Enthusiast Club with me too?" Li Tian asked with sparkling eyes.

"Um…" Hong Yao tried to avert eye contact with Li Tian. He did not know what to do. "I'm not very familiar with anime myself. I'm afraid I will be a burden in this club."

"What nonsense! Newcomers of anime are always welcome, right captain?"

"Of course! Only those that are not willing to even try anime in the first place are the spawns of the devil! We accept anyone that is willing to give anime a try!"

6pm. Hong Yao and Li Tian left the Enthusiast Club room. While Li Tian walked out of the room wearing the anime badge proudly, Hong Yao was slouched over, walking dispiritedly along the hallway. On his uniform, there was a second badge beside the Strategies Club badge. It was the Enthusiast Club badge. He had unwittingly agreed to sign up to join them as a recruit. He, the captain of the Strategies Club, had suddenly become a junior in a club which he had no idea about. The entire three hours of the club was spent watching 'The Princess and The Bee' from where Li Tian had stopped just now.

"Li Tian…"

"Hmm?"

"Do I really belong in that club?" Hong Yao asked gloomily, "Unlike you three who clearly enjoy anime to a great extent, I felt like I was the third wheel the entire time."

The two did not stop walking even though no words came out of Li Tian's move. By the time they had reached the school gate where Li Tian's car was waiting for him, Li Tian finally opened his mouth. "As the great Enthusiast club captain once said, 'We accept anyone that is willing to give anime a try'. So long as you are willing to give it a shot, nothing else matters! Besides, you joining the Enthusiast Club does not mean that you are not part of the Strategies Club. You can pop by the room anytime you feel like watching anime!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Li Tian waved to Hong Yao as the car drove off into the distance. Li Tian's words stuck to Hong Yao deeply. It was true that he did not have as much passion as the other three in anime. However, this does not mean that he needed to quit the club because of it. It was surprisingly quite enjoyable to watch them discuss about the animation style and plot of the anime in detail. Going back home, Hong Yao decided he shall stick with it. What he was unaware of at the time was that this decision of his would be etched into the annals of history as the inception of a mega cult.