Several days later, the club recruitment week began.
During this time, quite a few things happened.
For example, Shiba Tatsuya, representing the Second Course students, was appointed as a disciplinary committee member in place of Morisaki Shun from the First Course, who had violated regulations by using a CAD.
Next, both the student council and the discipline committee became extremely busy due to the club recruitment week.
Since he hadn't accepted the discipline committee's appointment, Mahiro was invited by Erika to check out the club recruitment events together.
However, though they had agreed to meet, when he arrived in front of Classroom E, Erika was nowhere to be seen.
"Did she leave first?"
Muttering to himself, Mahiro activated the tracking function on his mobile terminal.
The campus map clearly showed a slowly moving red dot.
It seemed she still had her terminal on and wasn't too far away, heading in the direction of the club recruitment booths.
The field was packed with tents, and looking out the window, even the pathways between buildings were completely filled—it looked just like festival day with all the open-air stalls.
"They're really going all out..." Erika habitually murmured to herself.
Noticing her current behavior, she almost impulsively laughed out loud.
She had always been prone to talking to herself.
But after the entrance ceremony, this habit had become much less frequent.
Truth be told, during middle school and even earlier in elementary school, she had often been alone.
It wasn't that she disliked crowds—if anything, she was good at socializing.
With her vibrant personality and striking looks, she could quickly get along with anyone.
Conversely, once relationships formed, she would just as quickly distance herself. She couldn't be with others from morning till night or always move in groups.
Analyzing the situation herself, she realized it was because she wasn't particularly attached to interpersonal relationships.
Close friends had called her "enlightened," likening her to a carefree cat, while former friends who had fallen out with her described her as "lonely at the top."
Though boys constantly swarmed around her, none could stick around for long.
Perhaps she had inherited her mother's style.
Free-spirited, doing as she pleased, unbound by conventions—that had been her motto since childhood.
"Though it's my motto, lately I might be acting a little strange."
Objectively speaking, Erika felt she had been appearing around a certain boy more often than usual recently.
She had even taken the initiative to invite him to check out clubs together—something she would never have considered before.
Fortunately, she had casually stood him up.
She had thought that within less than a week, she might grow bored of him as usual.
But at the same time, she also wondered if this time might be different...
...
...
...
When Mahiro arrived at the club recruitment area, he couldn't help but frown at the bustling crowd ahead.
Honestly, he wasn't comfortable with—and even disliked—noisy, crowded environments.
With so many people around, the constant chatter was irritating.
Especially with all the mixed smells in the air.
If possible, he'd prefer to remain a quiet, handsome loner.
However, his attention was soon drawn to a dense crowd forming around one spot on the field.
A group of girls had gathered as if fighting over something, while a few others outside were vigorously promoting their club with flyers.
The girls were grabbing someone's shoulders, slender arms, even wrapping around their waist.
If this were between opposite genders, it would absolutely be a scene requiring police intervention.
From a distance, the girl being fought over seemed to have quite a good figure—tall and slender, like a model.
Until he saw a flowing mane of fiery red hair.
"Erika?!"
That's right—the person being fought over was none other than Erika!
Perhaps it was her exceptionally striking appearance that had attracted so many senior students, each wanting to recruit her as their club's mascot or as a poster girl for promotional purposes.
And so, the situation had escalated into this.
It had turned into a full-blown battle—a war over Erika.
"Hey, wait, let me go! St... stop it!"
Erika didn't want to hurt these seniors, so she hadn't used much force to break free. As a result, by the time she tried to leave, she was already completely surrounded and effectively trapped.
Only weak gasps escaped her lips.
Yet, as her words faded, through the gaps in the crowd, she faintly caught sight of a familiar figure rushing toward her.
"Yotsuba... is he coming to save me?"
For no reason, this thought sprouted in Erika's heart.
And indeed, it was so.
Mahiro, who had already charged into the crowd, was enveloped by a massive surge of psions. Then, he stomped the ground fiercely!
The released psions formed a magical storm that swept outward, striking the students forming the human wall before they could even react. Many were knocked unconscious by the impact.
The rest stumbled and fell, causing the encircling wall to collapse completely.
Seizing the moment, Mahiro dashed in.
At the same time, Erika, spotting him, stretched her arm out desperately from the circle of her seniors.
Mahiro grabbed her hand and pulled her free from the crowd.
"Let's run."
Before anyone could react—even Erika herself—he bent down, scooped her up by the legs, and cradled her in his arms, sprinting away from the crowd.
With steps as deft as magic, he weaved through without touching anyone, successfully escaping to the shaded side of the school building.
Only when he set Erika down did he realize just how badly those seniors had roughed her up.
Her hair was completely disheveled, her jacket half-torn, her brand-new uniform wrinkled, and her undone tie still clutched in her hand.
The collar of her uniform, now loosened without the tie, gaped slightly, revealing sun-kissed yet still fair skin.
And the delicate lines of her collarbone...
"Don't look!"
Noticing his gaze, Erika hastily clutched her collar and turned away, adjusting her clothes.
The rustling of fabric filled the air as the girl's voice followed.
"...Did you see?"
Though he couldn't see her face, he could easily imagine her flushed cheeks.
But Mahiro had the right to remain silent.
"You. Saw. It?!"
Erika's voice rose sharply, tinged with indignation.
The rustling stopped—she had probably finished fixing her clothes.
Still, since she insisted, he saw no point in hiding it.
He shrugged.
"I saw it. Very clearly. Off-white lace. Suits you."
"Idiot! Forget it!"
Hearing his detailed description, Erika, humiliated and furious, spun around and kicked him hard in the shin.
Though the soft toe of her shoe didn't hurt much.
After the kick, she turned away again, her back to him.
Though her movements were quick, he could still catch a glimpse of the tears brimming in her eyes.
How innocent—women of this era.
In his past life, they practically flaunted it, like those so-called "North American succubi."
A moment later, Erika's muffled voice came quietly.
"But... thank you for saving me..."