章節 109: Book Club Wisdom

"Yeyuhyah. I think Furuya should do this."

"No, no, no. This, this, this is what I read about in girl magazines a week ago."

"No, you guys are idiots. This is what the girl in the visual novel I recently played said yes to. Obviously it's optimal."

Reina shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I'm sorry about this. After I mentioned it offhandedly, they kept begging me to help. So now we're here," she said, glancing apologetically at Yasushi.

"Well, Furuya!?" the three boys of the book club chimed in unison, turning to Furuya, who looked utterly bewildered.

"Um… erm… I'm not too sure yet. H-how about you guys show me more options?" he stammered, his lips twitching with nervousness.

Yasushi's group watched the exchange from the side, their expressions a mix of curiosity and amusement. They were in the literature club's room, a cozy sanctuary lined with bookshelves and the scent of aged paper. The three boys from the book club had been relentless in their plea, begging Reina to enlist Yasushi's help to untangle Furuya's romantic dilemma, a conundrum that had grown thornier by the minute.

"Still, it's a miracle that Catherine isn't here," said Reina, her eyes scanning her friends.

"Xinyi decided to become 'busy' at the last minute and had Catherine help her do random things around the city, hence why they're not here," explained Jingliu, earning a nod from Reina.

"She's actually spamming me and Jingliu right now about ideas on where to go and promised to bring some food for later," added Yasushi, glancing at his phone.

Their attention shifted back to the three guys of the literature club. They had laid out a maid costume, a bunny costume, and a cat girl costume in front of Furuya.

"Choose! Which one would you like Miss Catherine to wear!?" all three exclaimed, their enthusiasm startling Furuya.

Furuya sat there, utterly dumbfounded by the situation, unable to find the words. He could only stare at them in disbelief. Before the moment could spiral further, Reina strode over and smacked each member on the head.

"Stop, you're making him uncomfortable. Also, where in god's name did you three get these!?" she demanded, her exasperation evident.

"I bought it," one of them mumbled.

"I stole mine," another confessed without a hint of shame.

"The maid costume is my mom's," the third added, his voice nonchalant.

Reina facepalmed, exasperation written all over her face. She walked away, shaking her head, unable to accept their answers. She couldn't fathom someone just stealing it, and the other taking it from their own mother.

"You have... interesting club members, Reina," Layena remarked, standing beside Jingliu, who sighed in disbelief.

"One bought it and two stole it. They're pretty wild, and I considered them tame otakus. I guess I was wrong. As long as it's part of their interests, weebs are willing to do anything, huh?" Yasushi said, looking at the trio with a sliver of respect, though tinged with incredulity.

He then turned his attention to Furuya, shaking his head. "You haven't done anything yet, Furuya?"

"No... we haven't gotten a chance to be alone and speak. I have baseball practice again, so being alone will be a bit harder. Although, I expect her to stay behind after school again," Furuya replied, his voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"It should be easy!" one of the members exclaimed, jumping up. He balled his fist and pointed to the ceiling. "A grand gesture!"

"Rejected," Jingliu, Reina, Layena, and Laura chorused, shutting him down instantly.

"Why not!?" he exclaimed, his shock evident.

"It's horrible, a bad idea. You'd be stupid to do so," Laura remarked, with the others nodding in agreement.

Still incredulous, he looked to Yasushi for support. Yasushi thought for a moment, then said, "Currently, I'd say it's bad too. You want grounded realism with patching things up between them, not some overblown thing that might push her away. Just be normal and talk, is what I'm saying, I guess?"

The guy flinched, then sighed. "Why can't real life be like anime…? This gesture would be openly accepted," he muttered, disheartened.

"Because real life isn't anime. Some things only work because it's anime. If applied to real life, people will see it as cringy or creepy," Yasushi replied, his voice calm yet firm.

He fell to his knees, throwing his arms wide in a dramatic gesture. "Life is too cruel. Time to go back to my moe games."

One of the other members, slightly chubbier and always prepared, pulled out a book. "Why not use this then? I sort of guessed we'd end up here eventually." He presented the book to Yasushi. The cover read, "How to Get a Girlfriend 101."

Yasushi stared at the title and cover, a mix of incredulity and amusement on his face. "Where did you get this?"

"Local bookstore. I asked the owner, and they gave me this. No idea how realistic or fantasy it is, but from the few pages I skimmed, they seemed realistic enough. Apparently, it takes advice from different people across the world," the guy explained, his tone earnest.

Yasushi hummed thoughtfully, opening the book and skimming the first few pages. He nodded slowly. "It's a lot more realistic than I thought. Sure, there are some slightly big gestures, but they make sense in the context they're given. It might work. Give it a shot, Furuya." He handed the book to his friend, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Furuya took the book hesitantly, his fingers tracing the worn edges of the cover. The room fell silent, each member contemplating the unexpected turn their conversation had taken.

Furuya sat there, his eyes moving steadily across the pages of the book while everyone else began to quietly talk among themselves. The three guys from the book club stared at him with bated breath, while Reina watched over them like a hawk, her gaze steady.

Minutes ticked by, and the room hummed with a low murmur of conversations. Finally, Furuya closed the book with a definitive snap, breaking the silence. He looked up, his expression resolute. "I have an idea," he declared, his voice firm. Rising from his seat, he handed the book back to its owner. "I need to prepare. I'd like some space, guys. I'll let you know if I need help, but thanks for everything," he said, and with that, he left the room.

Everyone watched him go, stunned by the sudden change in his demeanor. No one questioned it, though. Instead, they exchanged curious glances and whispered among themselves. The group lingered in the literature club for an extra hour, their discussions and speculations filling the room, before finally deciding to leave.

+-+

"What was that all about?" Jingliu asked as they played pool in their home, the dim lighting casting shadows across the felt.

"What was what about?" Yasushi stood to the side, confused by the sudden question from his girlfriend.

"The way Furuya reacted at the end and walked out," she clarified, aiming her shot and missing.

"Ah, that," Yasushi replied, stepping forward for his turn. As he lined up his shot and thrust the cue forward, he said, "He's always been like that. When he's really serious about something, he'll just be like that. Don't worry too much. That's basically his game face. He'll either win her back with this or fail miserably."

"So it's a fifty-fifty, like those gacha games?" she asked, sighing. Yasushi chuckled, agreeing with her observation.

Before their game and conversation could continue, Yinhaie walked into the room, a clipboard in hand with several pieces of paper clipped to it.

She walked over to Yasushi and handed him the clipboard. "I did a bit of digging and found what you wanted. It's nothing too bad, but it should be enough to put them down. The final decision is up to you. As mentioned, I have more footage with me too."

Yasushi took the clipboard, scanning the evidence Yinhaie had gathered. Jingliu walked over, peering at the detailed report. It listed the names, ages, family details, occupations, and other trivial information about the individuals who had graffitied the school.

Yinhaie pulled out her tablet and tapped the screen, bringing up various CCTV footage. The videos showed the teenagers buying spray cans, their faces clearly visible, and multiple angles from the night of the vandalism, confirming their involvement.

"Well, this makes it easier for us then. We can just get them in trouble and have them face the consequences," Jingliu remarked, nodding in agreement.

"…Do they have a history of retaliation?" Yasushi asked, his eyes still on the clipboard.

Yinhaie shook her head. "Not that I could find, but I would need a few more days before I can give you a concrete answer. What would you like to do?"

"Look into that, then we'll make a choice. For now, I'll put it aside. Thank you, though," Yasushi said, handing the clipboard back to her.

"Okay, I'll get to it then," she replied, bowing slightly before leaving the room.

"Why do you want to confirm this?" Jingliu asked, arching her brow as she leaned against the pool table.

"It's better to find out now if they have connections to what happened a few months ago, lest we want it all over again," Yasushi warned, his voice calm but firm.

"That makes sense. And from what we got before, one of them crosses paths with one of the new students who came along with Xinyi. They didn't cause much trouble before, though," Jingliu pointed out, her eyes narrowing as she recalled the details.

Yasushi nodded, considering her words. The room fell into a contemplative silence, the only sound being the soft click of pool balls as Yasushi took his shot, the game a distant backdrop to their more pressing concerns.