Part 2
The toast had ended, and the club was officially born.
However, no one had decided what to do next.
Jake, as always, was the first to break the silence with a ridiculous idea.
—All right! Now that we're all together, I suggest we play a game to get to know each other better!
Hina frowned instantly.
—Let me guess... something dumb like "Truth or Dare"?
Jake snapped his fingers and pointed at Hina with a grin.
—Exactly! How'd you know?
—Because you're predictable —she sighed, crossing her arms.
—Oh, come on —Akari jumped in with enthusiasm. —It could be fun!
—Pass —Shizuki replied immediately, not even looking up from her book.
Touma watched the situation with curiosity, but before he could say anything, Ellie spoke through his Astra Lens.
—Touma-sama, statistically, games like this always lead to an awkward question. I suggest abstaining.
—Too late, Ellie... —Touma muttered with resignation.
Still undeterred, Jake shifted his approach.
—Fine, fine! If you don't want to play a game, then let's just talk. I mean, we're a club now—shouldn't we get to know each other a little better?
Seeing that there was no escape, Hina sighed and decided to take control of the conversation.
—All right, but let's do it in an orderly fashion. Everyone can share something about themselves... something we don't already know.
—And who's going first? —Touma asked.
Everyone turned to Hina.
She blinked.
—Me?!
—Your idea, your rules —Jake said with a teasing smile. —Come on, club leader, set the example.
Hina sighed and settled into her seat.
—Okay... I'll tell you something —she said, straightening up a bit. —Touma and I have been neighbors since we were kids, and we've always been together, even through all of high school.
Hina smiled proudly before continuing.
—One time, I dragged him to the arcades in Akihabara and beat him in every game in a single afternoon.
Touma turned to her immediately with a look of outrage.
—That's not true!
Hina raised an eyebrow at him.
—Oh, really? We played more than twenty matches and you only won two.
—But I won two! —Touma protested. —That's not "every" game!
Jake burst out laughing while Akari looked at Hina in awe.
—You're amazing, Hina!
Shizuki, without lifting her gaze from her book, commented in her refined tone:
—Interesting. So your special talent is playing video games?
Hina blushed slightly.
—It's not a "special talent"... I'm just good at them.
—All right, next! Touma's turn —Jake declared, pointing at him like he'd been sentenced.
Touma immediately tensed, feeling everyone's eyes on him.
—Uh... well, I... —he scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable. —I'm more normal than you think.
He shifted a bit in his seat before continuing.
—I'm not someone special like you guys, but if I had to say something good about myself... I guess I'm pretty good with anything related to movies, anime, manga, pop culture in general...
—Oh, and I'm decent at arcades and batting cages too.
Hina, never missing a chance, jumped in with a teasing smile.
—"Decent," he says. You used to go every week and complain if you lost even one extra round!
Touma let out a small laugh.
—You're right... We also used to go to the movies a lot together, though Hina always fell asleep and snored in the theater.
—I didn't snore! —she protested, blushing. —I just closed my eyes to "listen better to the background music."
—Sure, sure —Touma replied, amused.
Jake laughed while Akari looked at him, impressed.
—That sounds like so much fun! We should go to the movies as a group someday!
From her seat, Mirai murmured softly:
—I... I'd like that...
Shizuki briefly lifted her gaze from her book, silently watching Touma.
Jake pointed at her.
—Your turn, Ice Princess.
Shizuki looked at him calmly.
—I'd rather not participate.
—That's not fair! —Akari protested. —We're all sharing something!
Shizuki sighed softly, as if she'd expected this.
—Very well...
She slowly closed her book and looked at everyone with a serious expression.
—When I was a child, I tried to make tea on my own... and ended up setting part of the kitchen on fire.
A heavy silence fell over the club.
Hina stared at her in disbelief.
—How the hell do you set a kitchen on fire while making tea?
—I poured too much water over the lit burner, caused a short circuit in the electric kettle, there was a small spark... and the rest is history.
Jake was still processing.
—Let me get this straight... you made a kettle explode?
Shizuki nodded without emotion.
—Correct.
—That's... impressive —Akari said, completely amazed.
—That's concerning —Hina corrected.
Touma was about to say something when, timidly, a soft voice came from the far end of the table.
—I-I... once... I fell asleep during a math test...
Everyone turned to look at her.
Mirai shrank slightly under the attention and quickly lowered her gaze.
—You fell asleep during a test? —Jake asked, surprised.
She gave a small nod, barely lifting her eyes.
—Y-yeah... I finished half of it, and... I got tired... —her voice trailed off— and I... I dozed off without realizing...
Akari leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table with interest.
—What about the teacher? Did he say anything?
Mirai slowly shook her head, her fingers nervously gripping the edge of her cup.
—N-no... he didn't notice... not until everyone handed in their tests...
A brief silence followed.
Hina looked at her with a mix of disbelief and tenderness.
—You're... incredibly absentminded.
Mirai shrank a little more, barely whispering:
—I'm sorry...
Touma looked at her with a small smile, noticing the faint tremble in her voice.
—You don't have to apologize, Mirai.
Jake gave a big thumbs-up, full of energy.
—Hey! Falling asleep in the middle of a test is a real achievement. That's a superpower!
Mirai gave a shy smile, hiding her face a little behind her cup as she took a quiet sip.
Jake clapped enthusiastically, a huge grin on his face.
—I love this club! Akari, your turn. Wow us.
Akari leaned forward, eyes sparkling.
—Let's see... hmm... I'm not going to tell you about the time I beat an entire karate dojo when I was eight. That's too boring.
Touma, Hina, and Mirai stared at her in silence for a moment.
—That's boring to you? —Touma muttered.
—Oh! I know, I know! —Akari exclaimed, raising a finger excitedly. —A few months ago, I entered a ramen-eating contest... and no one could beat me! I ate a ton! —she spread her hands as wide as she could—. Bowls this big!
Jake burst into laughter.
—I knew it'd be something like that!
Shizuki raised an eyebrow, still calm as ever.
—I sometimes wonder how someone so small can eat so much...
Hina narrowed her eyes.
—That's not even the most impressive part. Did she just say she beat a whole karate dojo at age eight and dismissed it as "boring"?
Akari scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed.
—Well... it wasn't a big deal. They just wanted to see who was stronger... and, well!
—And you beat them all? —Mirai asked in a quiet voice, a mix of awe and fear in her tone.
—Of course! Though my arms hurt for a week —she said, laughing like it was nothing.
Touma looked at her with a mix of respect and concern.
—I'm never underestimating Akari again.
Shizuki slowly closed her book.
—You'd do well to remember that.
Ellie whispered softly into Touma's ear, only for him to hear.
—Touma-sama, if a fight ever breaks out in the club... I suggest hiding behind Akari.
Touma nodded with absolute seriousness.
—Duly noted.
—All right, I think that's everyone for now! —Jake said, clapping his hands enthusiastically. —Time to pick a movie!
At that moment, a hand firmly landed on his shoulder.
—Jo, jo... Don't think you're getting off that easy —said Hina in a disturbingly sweet voice.
—I... huh?
A second hand appeared on the other side—this one cold as ice.
—You heard the uncultured girl. We're very interested in your little story —added Shizuki in her refined... and menacing tone.
Even Touma felt a chill down his spine.
Jake swallowed hard, raising both hands in surrender.
—Okay, okay! No need for violence. Especially you, Akari...
—Me? What about me? —she asked, mouth full of snacks, clearly confused.
Jake cleared his throat and sat up straighter, shifting into a more serious pose.
—As you already know, I'm a pilot. I love speed, the sky, engines... Most people think I come from a family of soldiers or racers. But nope. My parents are lawyers. And not just any lawyers—they work for NovaTech North America.
The group stared at him, surprised. Even Shizuki raised an eyebrow with faint interest.
—One time, when I was seven, we were staying at a countryside house near a lake. My parents were busy and... well, I saw my dad's car keys on the table...
—Let me guess... —Touma said, crossing his arms.
—Yup. It was a shiny, silver British luxury convertible... beautiful... and way too powerful for a kid. Let's just say I took it for a "little spin."
Akari covered her mouth with both hands, torn between excitement and horror.
—No...!
—Yes —Jake continued with a dramatic flair. —I hit a tight curve, and the car flew... straight into the lake.
Total silence.
—Did you survive? —Mirai asked, genuinely worried.
—Obviously! Look how handsome I am! —Jake said, winking.
—And what did your parents do? —Hina asked, horrified.
Jake shrugged.
—My mom screamed like she'd just lost a billion-dollar lawsuit. My dad didn't speak for two days... and since then, they never leave the keys out in the open.
Touma facepalmed.
—And this is the guy they trusted with a state-of-the-art mecha.
—Hey! I handled the crash like a pro! —Jake protested. —Never crashed a car again! Well... except for one more, but that one doesn't count.
Shizuki sighed.
—I suppose chaos runs in your DNA.
—Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment.
—It wasn't.
Jake smiled anyway, completely satisfied.