They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

It's really troublesome dealing with women.

……

No, after trying to recall this part, I really can't remember anything at all.

I shook my head, frowning in annoyance.

Why did you meet that woman, and what happened afterward?

I have absolutely no recollection of it.

A month has passed since that incident, and I have roughly figured out the situation regarding myself and those around me.

If you ask me what I look forward to most about becoming a student, it would probably be "the legitimacy of youth"?

Although when students are mentioned, people always say that a student's main job is to study.

But the subtext of this kind of thing is that students can have a lot of side jobs, right? And the kind of side jobs that aren't driven by a strong purpose... like anime clubs, detective clubs, service clubs.

But it's different for working professionals. If you ask a working professional what kind of side hustle they want to do, all their side hustles are aimed at making a living, or making a better living.

This ability to do things without any ulterior motives, purely out of "what I want to do," is probably something that only happens at this stage, right? Just thinking about this makes me unable to suppress the joy of being a former corporate slave.

Huh? You're asking me why I didn't act sooner, instead of rambling on and on about random thoughts?

Ah, actually, it's because...

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The girl with glasses came out of the music room and spoke to me in a calm tone, seemingly not at all embarrassed.

"That's alright. I'm here today to inquire about the process of joining the music club."

"You're Ning Ruoyu, a junior from Class F of Grade 11, right? Well, this is actually a bit troublesome."

When I heard the other person not answer my question first, but instead emphasize my name, I knew I was in trouble.

"Please say."

"Well, it's already the next semester, so recruitment has practically ended a long time ago..."

"Excuse me, but I remember that clubs at our school can accept new members at any time, right?"

My high school, Linwai High School, is the second-ranked high school in this second- or third-tier city called Lucheng.

Since it cannot compete with Lucheng High School, which is the top high school in the city, in terms of exams, it has taken a different approach, emphasizing the multifaceted development of students and diverse career paths. This is in line with the country's current confidence in its top-level education and its open academic atmosphere.

So logically speaking, it shouldn't be difficult for students to join a club. In fact, it would be strange if there weren't any students in the school who joined clubs.

"Tsk."

The other party made no attempt to hide their impatience with me.

"That rule is mainly to help small clubs that don't have enough members and can't get classrooms and funding. Our music club has too many members every year, which is a headache."

"So it seems the most important reason is me?"

"Eh?"

Perhaps not expecting me to be so blunt, the bespectacled senior looked somewhat embarrassed.

"How...how could this be?" She had that complicated expression on her face, like someone who had just spoken ill of you in front of their colleagues, only to be caught red-handed by you.

"Actually, it's still a matter of procedure," she said with a forced smile.

“I see from your records that you seem to have joined other clubs before. Our club has a lot of training, so I don’t really recommend that you fill out the form to join.”

Does such a thing exist?

"Yes, it seems you're affiliated with the school's Light Music Club. Since they're both music clubs, we wouldn't want to poach members from other clubs."

The senior student wearing glasses was smiling like that, and it was clear that she was very pleased to have found such an excuse.

……

As I left the music club's activity room, the setting sun cast its rays upon the art building, turning it a crimson hue.

The sounds of training and cheers from sports clubs could be heard from time to time on the playground, making the school, which had already finished classes, seem less deserted.

That's probably why I don't start exercising early.

Even though I want to participate in some things, my outstanding achievements are well-known throughout the entire Linwai School, whether in class or school.

Even if things were going well before, once the other person hears that I am the legendary "Ning Ruoyu", their expression will change drastically, just like that bespectacled senior, and then they will show a look of disgust.

Even last time, when the basketball team's starting forward heard that I had come to inquire about joining the team, he rushed over with his friends. To my surprise, he questioned me about whether I had added his girlfriend's contact information when school started, and he was still pestering me until last month.

So I went from being flattered to having my pupils tremble with shock.

You're asking me? How would I know?

Finally, without saying a word, I directly found the contact information and deleted it in front of them, which finally quelled this unnecessary disaster.

Please, have mercy on me.

With that in mind, I arrived at the "Light Music Club" activity room that the senior student had mentioned.

Honestly, I can't imagine what kind of club could accept someone like me from before. With this question in mind, I pushed open the classroom door.

Actually, joining arts-related clubs wasn't high on my list of things to do again. It was only because most sports clubs seemed to be under a "restriction order" that I had to choose another acceptable direction.

But after hearing the music flowing from this practice room, I suddenly felt—

"My God, that's exactly how I played!"

"...?!"

The music stopped abruptly, leaving me wanting more. I quickly gestured in that direction to indicate my purpose.

"Sorry to bother you, I am a member of this club."

First, I wasn't stupid enough to throw "Ning Ruoyu" at him directly. Second, bluffing is a basic skill for every gigolo.

Even the most incompetent gigolo, when showing off, must have an absolute confidence that says, "Besides me, who else could you possibly choose, my dear?" That's why I spoke of this as if it were a matter of course.

At least make a good impression upon first meeting to prepare for asking for favors later.

If it's a regular club, there probably won't be any problem, right?

"Ning Ruoyu?"

Hey hey hey, it's a disaster!

...No?! How could this possibly go wrong?!

I was genuinely stunned when I heard the other person call me by my name so directly and accurately.

Could this be some kind of anti-fans of my confession wall?

Even through the piano lid, you can guess who I am just by listening to the sound?!

"Hmm. It's a very nice melody. Did I disturb you?"

Reverting to the poker face I had when a customer discovered I was underage, I casually brushed aside the topic of my identity, initiating the conversation while maintaining appropriate social distance.

Faced with such heartfelt praise, most people would follow the principle of not slapping a smiling face and politely exchange a few words.

I couldn't figure out the other person's identity in this gang, so this was part of the intelligence gathering process, and it was also a necessary courtesy.

However, soon the piano lid that had been blocking my view was closed, and the other person's profile was revealed to me.

How to put it? It's a face as exquisite as a work of art. Pale red lips and a delicate nose, coupled with eyes as deep as classical music, and long, pale purple hair tinged with orange-red in the sunset, always give one the stunning impression of seeing a superbly crafted doll.

Eh, a doll...?

Before I could react, the other person had already picked up a shoulder bag from the windowsill and walked towards the door.

"Um? Excuse me?"

"..."

Ah, are you just ignoring me?

Watching the other person push open the door and leave, leaving only their back view, I realized once again what kind of status I really had in this school.

What happened a month ago might not have been an isolated incident at all. Rather, in comparison, the girl named An Yu was actually quite polite to me.

What kind of self-manipulation is this?

I smiled bitterly to myself, looked around the practice room that the previous user had inexplicably placed there, and sighed.

Let's wait for the other members.

……

However, no one else used the practice room until the end.

Although there were some equipment such as a piano and drum set on the table, I ultimately decided against trying to use them myself, as I had no experience in this area—after all, if I broke them, the issue of compensation would be very troublesome.

After finishing my homework (which wasn't much) in this spot, I tidied up the classroom a bit and then left alone.

Although today's youth plan also yielded no results, at least I've taken the first step.

After returning home, I tidied up the rented room a bit.

Judging from the chat history on the original owner's phone, he seemed to have had a fight with his family about whether or not he should move out during high school, and in the end, he stubbornly moved to a small community outside the school.

While I feel sympathy for his family, I'm also secretly pleased to be able to enjoy this time alone.

And just as I was watching the anime series where five girls resolved their inner conflicts, four crying and one laughing as they completed their performance, and I was moved to tears—

Heaving sounds came from the room on the left. It was still an ensemble performance.

"Dong dong."

I frowned and knocked on the wall.

The soundproofing in these student rentals is terrible; it's so bad that even flushing the toilet can vibrate your pillow. I hope the university students next door can be a little more considerate of the feelings of these underage students.

However, my tapping had no effect; instead, it only made the other side's "chorus" rise and fall even more, and there was even a faint rhythm of them tapping on my side of the wall.

"Ah! Ah! No, stop it~ The neighbors, the neighbors will feel it..."

So am I also part of your play?

I switched the tablet to an indescribable video, pointed the speakers at the other wall, and then kicked the bed board hard every now and then, making a bigger noise and for a longer time than the other side.

Then, after a long while, a clear, delicate shout came from the other side.

"Silly Dog, look at what they're doing!"

Soon, an even more defiant "scream" came from the other side, reminiscent of the heroic and stubborn fighting spirit of burning one's lifeblood in a fantasy novel.

"Are you guys ever going to stop?!"

Finally, this endless "military competition" annoyed my neighbor on the other side, who stood on her balcony across the iron bars and yelled at me.

"Yeah, is this ever going to end?!"

I quickly followed them out and vehemently condemned the actions on the left.

"Eh?"

The neighbor on the right was probably surprised that I would run out, and paused for a moment.

The sky was gloomy as I spoke to her indignantly.

"It's so noisy, isn't it?"

"Oh, um, yes."

She looked a little confused, but still agreed with me. "That's so inconsiderate."

Perhaps sensing the anger emanating from the two rooms, the "trembling melody" on the other side finally quieted down considerably. Soon after, I heard the sound of the other person closing the door and leaving.

win.

My neighbor and I exchanged a knowing smile, but soon I noticed a hint of unsettling surprise on her face.

"Ning Ruoyu from the first year of high school?"

"Who is that? I'm sorry, you may have mistaken me for someone else. I graduated from high school a long time ago."

I said it without changing my expression, and then went back to my room amidst the other person's apology.

...I'll go to the police station tomorrow to see if I can change my name and start anew.