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After teasing the ever-calm Kato Megumi a bit, Andrew didn't see any real reaction on her face.
Even her "bothered" expression barely showed any difference—still that delicate little face, peaceful and natural as ever.
You really had to wonder if she was just expressionless by nature.
Or maybe she was the classic "three-no" girl—no words, no emotion, no expression. Like nothing in the world mattered enough to make her react. Totally composed at all times.
She was cute though, which made Andrew even more curious—if he messed with her more, would she finally show some emotion?
Plus, Kato Megumi was kind of special—people around her just instinctively overlooked her.
With a talent like that, she'd make a killer assassin.
"Andrew, are you into soccer at all? You seem like you've got good stamina—you look like someone who's into sports,"
Just as he was deep in thought, Hayama Hayato came over with a friendly smile.
He'd clearly seen Andrew's great performance in PE and was trying to recruit some athletic talent for his club.
But Andrew just waved his hand dismissively, looking totally uninterested."Sorry, Hayama-kun. I'm a proud member of the 'Go-Home Club.' Not into soccer at all."
"Aww, that's a shame. So you're not planning to join any club?"
"Not necessarily. Are there any clubs filled with cute girls? If there are, I might reconsider."
"Uh… as far as I know, the Cooking Research Club has a lot of girls. But they only accept female members."
Hayama gave an awkward smile, which earned him a dramatic eye-roll from Andrew.
"Do I look like a girl to you? Yeah, skip that one. What else is there?"
Hayama shrugged helplessly."I guess the tennis club, then. Our classmate Hotozuka's in that one too."
"Ayaka Hotozuka ? That's a cute guy, not a girl. I'm out. Any other options?"
"Nope, not really. Those are the only clubs that stand out right now. If you're looking for lots of pretty girls, you'll probably have to check with the second-years."
"I mean, school just started, right? Most people are technically in the Go-Home Club. They haven't joined anything yet."
"But next week, every club's going to be holding recruitment events. If you're interested, you could check them out then—who knows, maybe you'll find something you like."
Andrew waved him off with a casual "We'll see," then added offhandedly:"I've got writing to do. No time for clubs."
He had zero desire to be some flashy school presence like Hayama.
If he had that kind of energy, he'd rather spend it cuddling his little angel Mahiru at home. Soccer? No thanks.
"Hey, Kato, are you in a club?"
Suddenly, Andrew reached out and poked the waist of the girl sitting in front of him.
Kato Megumi raised an eyebrow, turned to look at him, and gave him a weird look.
She thought Andrew had no sense of boundaries—who just pokes a girl like that?
Still, even though it felt strange that someone actually touched her, she decided to answer his question.
"Nope. Even if I joined one, people would probably forget by the next day. I'd just become a ghost member no one remembers."
Her tone was flat as always, but Andrew picked up a slight tinge of bitterness.
He chuckled and said, "Well, in that case, why don't you join my club?"
"Eh?" She tilted her head. "But you're not in a club, are you? Sorry if this sounds rude, but I overheard what you said to Hayama-kun."
"Who says I can't start my own club? Since I couldn't find one I liked, I figured I'd just make one myself."
Andrew laid it out without hesitation and looked her dead in the eye."So, what do you say? Wanna join?"
"Hm… I don't really mind, but… I'm not a 'beautiful girl.' Your dream club seems like the kind that's full of cute girls, right?"
Megumi's tone was calm, but there was a faint trace of insecurity underneath.
Andrew put both hands firmly on her shoulders and said seriously:"Nope. You are a beautiful girl. Why would you even think otherwise?"
"Uhh, so if I'm hearing this right… you're complimenting me?"
"Yup. You heard right. So join up—or else!"
"…"
Megumi was speechless.Was this an invitation or a threat!?
"…Alright, fine, I'll join. But when are you actually applying to start the club? And what does your club even do?"
She was a little happy though. After all, someone had just called her a beautiful girl.
Even if Andrew seemed kinda shady and had this weird, pervy gleam in his eyes, it still felt nice to be noticed.
She'd always been the one people ignored or forgot. And while she never said it out loud, deep down she did want to be popular.
But with her "special" condition, just being remembered was already a miracle—popularity was a pipe dream.
She'd learned to accept her fate. After so many years, she'd gotten used to being invisible.
Seeing her agree, Andrew lit up with a satisfied grin.
"Good choice—uh, I mean, welcome to the Offline Gaming Enthusiasts Club!"
"Offline Gaming… Enthusiasts Club? So like, we play games together or something?"
Megumi raised her hand with innocent curiosity, like a kid asking a question in class.
"Exactly! Playing games is part of it. But the real goal is to create and sell games—make money, get rich, and live our best lives!"
"Wow, sounds impressive." Megumi clapped lightly, but her voice was so calm it came off kinda half-hearted.
But that didn't bother Andrew one bit.
As long as she joined, he was good.
Once there was contact, there'd be chances—opportunities to get closer, to "innocently" stick together.
But to start a club, you needed at least three members. He decided he'd recruit Mahiru Shiina next.
How could his club exist without his little angel Mahiru?
Oh, and they needed a faculty advisor too. That would be Mafuyu Kirisu, no question.
Meanwhile, Hayama Hayato had been listening in on the whole conversation and was totally speechless.
So this guy didn't join any clubs not because he wasn't interested…
But because none of them had pretty girls in them?!
And now he's just creating his own club, then pulling cute girls into it?
Damn… the guy's good.
But—Kato Megumi? Now that he was really looking at her, she was actually pretty cute. Why hadn't he noticed before?
Hayama found her a bit… off. He instinctively looked away.
If even he hadn't registered her existence until now, that was probably a red flag. Best to stay away.
And anyway, the last thing Hayama wanted was to be in a club full of beautiful girls.
He had zero intention of dating in high school. Honestly, he'd always had a thing for Haruno Yukinoshita and wasn't planning on entertaining anyone else.
As for Yumiko Miura? He only saw her as a friend.
She made the perfect human shield.
With Miura around, no other girl would dare confess to him.
"..."
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