A new day, bright and sunny.
The sun shone high in the sky.
After skipping school for more than half a month, Ren Asakura was finally going back… and he was late.
He stretched lazily and sat up in bed.
Glancing at his phone, he checked the time.
"9 AM… Looks like I'm late. Eh, might as well skip today too."
Just as he was about to lie back down and sleep a little longer—
His phone rang.
Ding!
Seeing the name on the screen, Ren Asakura smiled.
The moment he picked up the call, an angry voice exploded from the other side.
"Didn't you say you were coming to school today?! Where are you?!"
Ren yawned, still half-asleep.
"Slept in. Figured I'd skip another day. At this point, what's one more absence?"
There was a brief silence before a furious roar came through the speaker.
"You damn problem child! Even if you're late, you still have to come to school!"
Ren sighed in resignation. "Okay, okay. No problem."
After hanging up, he went through his usual morning routine—washing up, getting dressed.
Putting on his school uniform, he headed out.
By the time he reached school, the gates were already closed.
So, he climbed over.
No embarrassment. No hesitation.
Arriving at his classroom, he knocked on the door and opened it in one motion.
"Teacher, I'm late."
Shizuka, who was in the middle of teaching, twitched slightly.
Saying that so righteously… is that really okay?
"Go to your seat. Now."
Ren flashed a wide grin.
"Got it. No problem, Shizuka."
If they weren't in class, Shizuka would have used her beloved iron fist on him.
Ren made his way to his seat and turned to his desk partner, Megumi Kato.
"Long time no see, Huihui. Miss me?"
Megumi's expression didn't change much, her voice as calm as ever.
"While you were skipping class, Sensei was pretty mad. You'd better be careful."
Ren grinned.
"No worries. If she hits me, it just means she cares."
Megumi tilted her head slightly, looking adorably puzzled.
"I have a feeling it might be more serious this time."
Ren gave her a thumbs-up.
"It'll be fine!"
At that moment, a piece of chalk flew through the air at high speed—
And struck Ren square on the forehead.
From the podium, Shizuka smiled… but there was no warmth in it.
"No chatting during class, Ren Asakura."
Megumi could only shake her head helplessly.
She returned her focus to the lesson.
With Ren gone, her "invisibility" had returned.
In class, she was a background character. Even in the Service Club, it was the same.
Her life had once again returned to its peaceful, uneventful state.
---
After suffering through Shizuka's "loving" iron fist, Ren Asakura made a solemn vow…
That he would definitely do it again.
Service Club.
The room was quieter than usual.
What was once a five-person club now had only two members left.
Hachiman Hikigaya and Yukino Yukinoshita.
Megumi Kato was there too, but with her almost nonexistent presence, it was hard to tell.
Yui Yuigahama, due to some personal matters, wouldn't be coming for a while.
Suddenly, the clubroom door swung open.
Ren Asakura stood in the doorway, grinning.
"Missed me, guys? I'm back!"
Yukino Yukinoshita, without looking up from her book, spoke in a cool tone.
"You're back? I thought you had completely forgotten to return."
Hachiman Hikigaya waved a hand lazily as a greeting.
"Where's Miss Dango? She's usually the most energetic one here—why isn't she around?"
Hachiman fell silent.
Yukino responded indifferently.
"It seems she had a fight with Hikigaya."
Hachiman put his book down.
"I don't think our relationship is even close enough for us to have a proper fight."
Yukino nodded.
"Then I suppose it's a war."
Ren Asakura scratched his head.
"A fight? Miss Dango is so gentle—she actually gets into arguments?"
"Alright, enough blocking the doorway."
Standing behind him, Shizuka lightly karate-chopped his head.
"Oww!"
Ren exaggeratedly rubbed his head.
"Shizuka, you can't just go around hitting people's heads—they'll get dumber."
"That wouldn't be a bad thing for you. You're already too smooth-tongued for your own good."
She walked into the Service Club, noting how quiet it was.
Megumi Kato followed her inside, found her usual spot, and quietly sat down.
The peaceful scene suited her well.
She then pulled a light novel from her bag.
"Love Metronome," by Kasumi Utako.
Ren leaned over.
"Oh, this is by that super popular female author!"
Megumi nodded.
"Yeah. It's really well-written. If not for you, I wouldn't have realized how interesting light novels can be."
Ren pulled up a chair.
"Words capture human emotions, while stories record imagination and experiences. A great story lets people immerse themselves in different lives—it's all about stepping into the protagonist's shoes."
Megumi nodded again in agreement.
On the other side of the room, Shizuka let out a frustrated sigh.
"Can someone educate these problem children? At least make them behave a little."
Yukino also looked helpless.
"Sensei, you're pushing such a difficult task onto a student. Is that really okay?"
Shizuka sighed, then suddenly remembered another club member.
"What about Yui Yuigahama? If she doesn't attend club activities, we'll have to consider it a withdrawal."
Yukino replied, "You should ask Hikigaya about that."
Hachiman: "...!"
Shizuka sat down, looking directly at him.
"If friends argue, just apologize already. I really don't understand you stubborn teenagers. Anyway, figure out a way to bring Yui back. She's still a member of this club, after all."
Yukino thought for a moment, then nodded.
As the club president, she was responsible for her members.
"Understood."
Shizuka nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, then it's settled."
She left happily—after all, pushing problems onto others was always the best solution.
Yukino fell into thought, considering how to handle the Yui situation.
Ren watched in silence, recalling events from the original storyline.
"I can't believe so much has happened while I was gone. Well, this is easy to solve. Old man can probably swallow his pride—his specialty is taking all the blame himself."
No point hesitating.
Teenage years only come once.
It's best to avoid regrets.
Ren suddenly stood up.
"Everyone, look at me! Look at me!"
The others turned to him.
With a cheeky grin, he asked:
"Hey, do you guys remember what's happening in two days?"
Yukino thought for a moment.
Before she could answer, Ren spoke up.
"It's Miss Dango's birthday! As her friends, shouldn't we prepare a gift?"
Yukino's eyes flickered with realization.
"I see… Ren Asakura, you're more thoughtful than I expected."
°°°
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