A Monster's Influence: Route B

Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Ayanokouji's POV

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of classes. Many of my classmates were conversing about whether they should go to the club fair or not. Ichinose was talking with a group of girls that seemed to be ever-expanding, while Shibata and Hamaguchi were busy trying to convince Kanzaki and Beppu to come with them. Personally, I didn't want to bother going to the fair; there were too many people. Being around a classroom full of overly-chipper people was stressful, draining a lot of my energy. Perhaps when I graduate from this school, I'll live the rest of my life in the mountains as a sage, away from civilization. However—

"Himeno—" I started before I was immediately cut off.

"No, I'm not interested in joining a club. I don't really feel comfortable singing in such a setting, and I'm not sure if the exercises will mess up my vocal training. I'd rather just run through my daily vocal exercises my instructor taught me in my room," she replied.

"I haven't asked you anything yet,"

"What did you want to ask?"

"Are you interested in joining a club?"

—being able to tease Himeno was worth the agony and suffering. She threw out a hand that gripped my face, squishing my cheeks. I couldn't make such an expression, but I tried conveying a smug look with my eyes.

"Oi."

She looked irritated for a moment, narrowing her eyes before her lips started twitching. Eventually, her stern facial expression shattered and she couldn't help chortling in glee. Her sweet laugh was like the sound of bells to me. Though I still felt cold, a comfortable feeling spread through me. I wanted to feel more of that feeling. That means more teasing was eminent in her future. I saw the looks of confusion my classmates had as they stared at the two of us. For some reason, Ichinose looked at us with an expression I couldn't explain. Was it...mischief? I internally took note and decided to be cautious around Itazuranose*. I decided to wave them off and most of them returned to their previous conversations, even though I had a feeling someone was still watching us.

"Anyway, I'm going to check out the club fair for a bit. Maybe I'll find something interesting there?" I looked at Himeno through my peripherals and waited for her to say something. She looked like she was having an internal struggle of sorts. After a minute, she decided to speak up.

"Geh, fine, I guess I'll come with,"

"Oya? But I thought you didn't want to come?" I asked teasingly.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't really care about it. It's just that I'd rather talk with someone I know rather than just be by myself," she finished, face tinted a little pink while she looked off to the side, rubbing her arm.

"Alright, let's go. Would you want to go with the group or just the two of us?"

"I'd rather we go at our own pace,"

"That's fine by me."

Timeskip

The crowd waiting for the fair was primarily comprised of Class A and Class B students, with some Class C and D students at the seams. It looks like most of the Class C and D students were less interested and would rather focus on other matters that they believed was worth their attention. That's perfectly fine, anyway. Props to them for not doing what they didn't want to do. That is the essence of freedom, after all. Himeno and I were separate from our class, lounging on the steps. We occasionally participated in the group chat regarding matters that interested us, however. A violet-haired girl had walked up to the podium, setting her papers down on the stand, before she spoke up.