Uesugi Sakura glanced at the watch on his wrist.
12:12:23
Lunchtime.
"Let's go to the cafeteria."
Uesugi Sakura stood up and walked towards the door, followed by Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro.
At the cafeteria, after queuing for a while, Uesugi Sakura ordered a 450 yen fried chicken rice bowl.
The entire cafeteria had a nice environment, with plenty of glass used in construction, making it very bright.
It looked more like a beautifully decorated restaurant than a cafeteria.
"Uesugi, have you thought about it? Do you want to join our Uniform Research Department?" Tsubokawa Takahiro ordered a 380 yen Fuyu Udon, which also came with a miso soup.
"Compared to that weird club, our Photography Club is more suitable for Uesugi. After all, what girl would refuse a handsome guy taking pictures of her?" Goto Iwao took a bite of his 500 yen raw beef rice bowl.
"Do you think Uesugi would join your Photography Club?" Tsubokawa said.
"Would Uesugi join your Uniform Research Department?" Goto was undeterred.
"The Uniform Research Department, besides making an illustrated guide to submit to the Literature Department, is completely a slack-off club where you can leave early at any time." Tsubokawa Takahiro patted his shoulder, "Just for that, your Photography Club is a complete loser."
Goto Iwao patted his back, using an old father's tone: "Everyone knows at school that your Uniform Research Department is perverted, incomparable; trust me, I'm right."
"Some people might be perverted, but that doesn't mean everyone is," Tsubokawa brushed his hand away.
"Are you the chiefs?" Uesugi Sakura wasn't interested in what they were saying, "You just joined the clubs and are desperately trying to pull me in, are you short on people?"
"This is for your own good, Uesugi. Besides the two of us, who else would want to bother with you?"
"Thanks for the concern, but unfortunately, I've already joined a club." Uesugi Sakura continued to eat his food; eating was most important.
"Huh?!"
Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro looked astonished and paused their eating.
"Uesugi, you voluntarily joined a club. Is the world ending?"
"The world ends daily—earthquakes, meteors, viruses, Magic Girls, nothing is surprising. This was a mandatory order from the class rep." Uesugi Sakura thought they were overreacting.
Goto Iwao didn't buy into Uesugi Sakura's nonsense: "You listen to the class rep? She's asked you several times before, and it was useless."
"There's a saying, [Sit on a rock for three years to feel its warmth], the class rep's perseverance moved me, and I've made some changes. It's a simple and ordinary thing."
"Hmm, makes sense." Tsubokawa Takahiro nodded seriously, deep in thought.
"Makes sense, my ass, Uesugi is from Tokyo, can you trust what he says? It's all lies."
And Goto Iwao added,
"Still, we from Osaka, honest and simple."
"Nara is not bad either."
"Saitama is the most backwater."
Tsubokawa Takahiro strongly agreed: "Yes, Saitama is full of flat chests."
Uesugi Sakura was filled with black lines, suddenly this conversation turned regional; if any students from Capital City heard it, it would escalate into a spit battle, even a fight.
The regional stereotype jokes fill all of Japan, often used as jokes among friends during meals.
Among them, people from Capital City are particularly smug, their words seem to carry a self-important sourness.
They believe they are the inheritors of historical culture, preserving the thickest cultural atmosphere.
They think Osaka, Nara... these places are bumpkins, with no culture at all.
However, people from Capital City wouldn't say it outright, instead joking with a smile:
Xxx also has its merits, but compared to Capital City, there is a fundamental difference. To give an example, it's like the difference between a paper-mache palace and real 24K gold shining brightly.
But almost universally they agree on deriding Saitama and Gunma, because they think these places have no distinguishing features other than being densely populated.
Besides rural, just flat chests.
There are even a series of emoticons that originated from this.
Uesugi Sakura had no interest in participating in this regional battle, which would inevitably turn physical and, according to Kamigoe High School's rules, a fight would definitely lead to expulsion.
He quickly finished his meal before Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro got too excited in their discussion, especially if students from Capital City heard it.
That would be bad.
After finishing their meals quickly, Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro stopped their discussion and finished eating.
Classes still continue in the afternoon, and there isn't much time at noon, so after eating in the cafeteria, the group headed to the classroom.
"By the way, Uesugi, I still don't know which department you joined." Goto Iwao asked.
"I think it's the Literature Department." Tsubokawa Takahiro speculated.
Walking ahead, Uesugi Sakura replied, "It's the Kyudo Club."
"The Kyudo Club? Why is it the Kyudo Club? The Kyudo Club has a lot of rules! And not many people. But it's not bad, the girls in Hakama are very classy. Can you get a few Line contacts for me?" Goto Iwao leaned closer to Uesugi Sakura.
"Sure."
"Really?!" Goto Iwao didn't expect Uesugi Sakura to agree so readily, "You wouldn't be plotting something, would you?"
"No."
Tsubokawa Takahiro said: "Goto, Uesugi is the typical popular guy in our class—handsome, good at studies, and has a cute childhood friend, like the perfect light novel protagonist template."
"Hanamaru classmate? Ah—! Why did you have to bring that up!" The more Goto Iwao thought about it, the more upset he got, "Damn Uesugi! Why do you have such a cute girl living next door to you, why don't I have that!"
"Didn't you add so many Line contacts? Are none of them pretty?" Uesugi Sakura asked, knowing that his and Hanabi's daily walks to school together wouldn't be unknown to these two gossipers.
"Can that even compare! I want someone who can wake me up every day, go to school with me, go home together—a childhood friend like that! Ahh, damn popular guys! Why do you have such a cute childhood friend!"
Goto Iwao's gaze turned resentful, "Uesugi, do you know how many classmates are jealous of you?"
Tsubokawa Takahiro looked at Uesugi Sakura, who was taller than him, and asked, "Uesugi, is something wrong with you?"
"Why suddenly say that?" Uesugi Sakura didn't get what he meant.
"You know classmate Hanamaru is very popular in the class, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"Such a cute girl, and so easy to talk to, it's strange if she's not popular." Goto Iwao suddenly chimed in, staring at the side of Uesugi Sakura with a peculiar look.
Tsubokawa Takahiro continued: "Do you know that many classmates want to pursue her?"
Pursue?
Really? Uesugi Sakura hadn't encountered a confession scene with her.
"Many?" he asked the two.
"Many." Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro watched Uesugi Sakura's expression and nodded emphatically.
"Many is many." Walking through the corridor, Uesugi Sakura seemed utterly indifferent.
"Aren't you worried?" Goto Iwao questioned.
"Worried about what?" Uesugi Sakura retorted.
"Why do I feel like you're a blockhead," Tsubokawa Takahiro said, "Of course, worried your childhood friend would be taken away, I really don't know what you're thinking."
"..."
Uesugi Sakura paused for a second, then continued, "She and I are not in that kind of relationship yet."
Tsubokawa Takahiro couldn't understand why any pair of childhood friends would be in that situation, waiting for fate to strike?
He asked from behind, "Uesugi, you don't like her, do you? Such a good girl, and you're so close to her, why don't you pursue her?"
Why not pursue...
Too familiar, familiar to the point where he knew what position she slept in.
Uesugi Sakura, without looking back, said, "I've told you, you wouldn't understand."
Then he stopped talking.
"As long as you say, I will definitely understand." Goto Iwao patted his shoulder, but Uesugi Sakura didn't respond.