Chapter 3: Social Anxiety Disorder?
"Are you saying that he needs to earn enough credits before he can join the Service Club?" Yukinoshita said, folding her hands and casting a scrutinizing gaze at Hiratsuka.
"That's right, and it also helps to increase the club's membership. It's pretty simple," Hiratsuka said, her gaze shifting uneasily to the side.
"Sensei, the Service Club isn't a place to just waste time, and I don't need a ghost member," Yukinoshita said with a furrowed brow, rejecting Hiratsuka's request outright.
"Uh... you don't need to worry about that. I'll make sure he doesn't become a ghost member. Also, adding credits isn't the main reason. The other reason, you'll see for yourself once you interact with him. This is also my request as a teacher," Hiratsuka said, flashing a somewhat ingratiating smile.
Shh...
After the sliding door opened, the classroom was left with just three people, and a heavy silence spread through the air.
In the end, Yukinoshita relented and agreed to let Dan join, accepting Hiratsuka's reasoning.
"Hello... I'm Dan Shiki from Class 2F," Dan said awkwardly, standing at the door of the club room.
Now, what kind of expression should I have? Beneath his mask, Dan's face shifted through several awkward expressions, finally settling into a polite, albeit embarrassed, smile.
Wait a minute, why am I even overthinking this? She can't even see my face.
Yukinoshita narrowed her eyes at him, then sighed indifferently, her voice flowing like a stream. "Please sit down and we can talk."
"Ah? Oh, okay," Dan stammered, his thoughts interrupted as he hastily reacted.
He walked to the back of the classroom, selected a chair from the pile of desks, and moved it next to Hachiman.
Then, he pulled out a pack of alcohol wipes and began cleaning the chair, causing Hachiman to twitch his eye in discomfort.
Once Dan had finished cleaning and seated himself, Yukinoshita spoke up. "So, Dan, do you know what the Service Club is for?"
"Uh, not really..." Dan responded quietly.
Although, based on the school rules, a club needs at least five members to form, while a fan club needs only three. Since this is the Service Club and not a fan club, there should be at least five members.
However, Dan had obviously overlooked the fact that only two chairs were set up in the room.
"The rich extend charity to the poor. That's what we call public service. Whether it's helping developing countries, providing food to the homeless, or helping boys who have poor luck with women talk to girls—reaching out to those in need is the essence of our club's activities."
Yukinoshita said this as she stood up and glanced at Dan. "Welcome to the Service Club. I'm glad to have you join."
Dan glanced at her for a moment, then looked away again. "So, it's basically volunteering, right?"
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know that when you talk to someone, you should look them in the eye?"
"Ah, sorry..." Dan hurriedly turned his head back toward her, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Although Hiratsuka-sensei mentioned you're here to earn credits, let me make it clear first. My club does not accept ghost members," Yukinoshita said, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at Dan.
"Okay, okay, I understand..." Dan quickly smiled nervously, nodding repeatedly, sweat trickling down his face.
Somebody, please help me, Hachiman!
Yukinoshita observed his reactions, and her thoughts began to shift.
I see now. Hiratsuka-sensei's second reason... it's social anxiety disorder (social phobia).
Meanwhile, Hachiman watched this interaction and felt a sense of deja vu, remembering when Yukinoshita had treated him the same way when he first joined the Service Club.
Recalling that Dan has social anxiety, Hachiman decided to step in. "Ahem, Yukinoshita, you..."
Hearing Hachiman's voice, Yukinoshita turned her head slightly and gave him a blank look. "What do you want to say?"
"Uh... isn't this a bit too much?" Hachiman gulped, prepared to risk it all.
"Oh? Is Hachiman seeing his own reflection in someone else?" Yukinoshita suddenly appeared to be in deep thought.
"Hey!" Hachiman shot back, clearly displeased. "I'm not as much of a wimp as him."
Dan: ???
"Wait a second, Hachiman, I can't pretend I didn't hear that," Dan immediately shot back, his face flushed with indignation. "It's not being a wimp, it's called 'following one's heart,' it's a sign of authenticity!"
Hachiman stared at Dan in silence, not wanting to engage in any further conversation.
Yukinoshita frowned and fell into thought again.
Something doesn't add up. He doesn't seem to have social anxiety disorder after all. Could there be another reason?
Thus, the room fell silent once more...
Dan began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as the atmosphere grew tense.
Just imagine, someone unfamiliar approaches you and tries to start a conversation, but because of your social anxiety, you're mistakenly seen as intentionally ignoring them. Then, just when you think it can't get worse, your friend walks in and starts talking to you, and suddenly, you're the social terror of the room.
Great, I'm definitely going to be misunderstood.
Afterward, Yukinoshita sat back down, lost in her thoughts.
Seeing that things had come to a standstill, Hachiman fell silent too.
So, what does this club actually do? Sitting on the chair, Dan nervously placed his bag on his lap.
Does that mean when there's no activity, I just sit here and do nothing? He thought, holding his bag close to his chest.
Wait, if there's no activity right now, does that mean I can do whatever I like?
Making a decision, Dan began to rummage through his bag.
Before long, he pulled out a thick book.
The book's cover wasn't particularly striking—it was a dull green, adorned with some grayish cloud patterns. Both the front cover and spine had the words Han Shu printed on them.
This Han Shu (Book of Han) was something Dan had ordered online just a few days ago.
Actually, his hobby of reading historical books had started when he was hospitalized. By then, he had grown tired of playing on his phone, and since he wasn't very familiar with his hospital roommate, Hachiman, he had reluctantly picked up his father's old copy of Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian).
And that was when he became hooked. After being discharged, he found a set of Records of the Three Kingdoms among his father's belongings.
So far, he had finished both Shiji and Three Kingdoms, and only just started Han Shu, having made it to the Emperor Wu section.
Dan's love for historical books had a clear origin. When his parents were still alive, they often bought him traditional classics like Hundred Family Surnames, Disciple's Rules, The Book of Songs, and The Songs of Chu. Books like these were scattered everywhere in his home.
In such an environment, Dan's proficiency in classical Chinese was naturally much better than his peers, so it was no wonder that he felt a sense of familiarity when reading historical books.