"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Watanabe Tetsu reached out from under the covers, silenced the blaring alarm, and lay there for another ten seconds before finally sitting up.
It was Thursday morning, 7:15 a.m.
Half-asleep, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on his white shirt and slacks. Standing in front of the mirror, he adjusted his tie and slipped on the school blazer he hadn't quite gotten used to. He left the front unbuttoned—it looked cooler that way.
Truthfully, he was tired of buttoning it up every day; it felt restrictive, like a cage.
Tetsu began to long for the old hometown, where buses ran only every two hours. The school uniform there was just a shirt. Tie? Optional. Buttons? Who needed them.
Slung on his backpack and carrying the trash, he stepped out the door.
If he remembered correctly, his tie should be hanging on the old well in the backyard. He suddenly recalled this while tossing the trash into the bin.
Just after waking up, Tetsu's mind always wandered, often drifting into random thoughts—or even memories he thought he'd long forgotten.
"Ahhh…"
He yawned as he swiped his commuter pass and boarded the 7:30 train.
Getting off at Yotsuya Station, he climbed the long uphill path leading to Shinkawa Academy.
Though Tokyo sits at the southern end of the Kanto Plain near Tokyo Bay, it was far from flat; there were plenty of ups and downs.
His thoughts meandered like tangled vines, bringing him back to the girl from the Human Observation Club, Seino Rin. She was a peculiar mix—her existence felt like her figure: present, but barely, and yet also absent.
Tetsu shook his head, interrupting his aimless mental drift.
At the school gate, a line of students in tracksuits, all sporting crew cuts, ran laps around the school while chanting slogans.
The last in line shot Tetsu a playful wink—it was Kunii Shu.
"Shinkawa—"
"Keep it up!"
"Shinkawa—"
"Push yourself!"
Tetsu stood at attention, giving a solemn nod to the spirited, motivational life of the cram school.
"Good morning, Watanabe-kun!"
"Morning," he replied.
As he walked from the gate to the main building, classmates in pleated skirts and neatly tied ribbons greeted him along the way.
Being third in class and exceptionally good-looking, he drew attention. Were it not for his family's poverty, the weekly letters of admiration he received could easily have doubled.
Tetsu tossed his indoor shoes onto the rack, slipped his feet into them, and tucked the mysterious pink letters from his locker into his backpack.
Though he felt nothing for these letters, a new thought struck him: agreeing casually to a few requests could earn him plenty of points.
Arriving in the classroom with time before the 8:30 start, he bent over his desk to finish the submission he hadn't completed yesterday.
"You're early today!" Saito Keisuke greeted as he came in, clearly late.
Seeing Tetsu writing, he asked, "Homework not done? Want to copy mine?"
"No need, it's for a submission to the Literary Club."
"You? Interested in that stuff? Let me guess—" Saito set his bag down, sat in a vacant chair, and leaned over. "Cash reward if it gets accepted?"
"Nope. Besides, part-time work earns faster than writing."
"So… you joined the Literary Club? Submissions are like their entry exams, right?"
"It's not some writer's guild."
"Then why?" Saito tapped his head, pretending to have a sudden realization. "Because Koizumi-sensei told you to?"
"Does that fall under her authority?"
Saito gave up. "Then why? Are you nuts?"
"It's someone else," Tetsu said, crossing out a wrong word in his draft.
"Shu… has he finally come this far?"
Saito picked up Tetsu's eraser, removed the wrapper to reveal the pristine white rubber, and placed it upright on Kunii Shu's desk.
Tetsu looked up at the eraser like a white bouquet. "Saito, you're not far behind either."
"No way."
"I never lie," Tetsu replied.
Jokes aside, he explained that he had been instructed by the Human Observation Club to submit something to the Literary Club.
"Seino Rin?!"
Saito's voice was loud, and Tetsu instinctively asked, "You know her?"
"Kind of. But who here doesn't know her?"
"Well… me," Tetsu said.
"Sigh… Watanabe, you…" Saito hesitated.
Tetsu didn't understand. Was he implying he wasn't human?
Never mind. He cared more about how to end the last line of his submission.
Saito tossed the eraser in his hand, then said, "The 'flower on a high ridge'—that's Seino Rin. Shinkawa doesn't have a 'school beauty' title, but if we talk about the prettiest, it's definitely her."
"Really? Why haven't you or Shu mentioned her before?"
"Who dares talk about her? And even if you did, it wouldn't matter. She's too far above us," Saito said with a regretful smile.
Once you leave kindergarten, humans start subconsciously ranking themselves: the poor feel inferior to the rich, the unattractive shy away from pursuing the beautiful.
Saito's disappointment faded quickly. "But Watanabe… you actually dared to approach her?!"
"I just want to leave early."
"Stop pretending! Admit it—you're already smitten at first sight, aren't you? Even if it's impossible, I'll cheer for you in my heart!"
"Do as you like."
"I'll tell you what I know!" Saito lowered his voice. "Her family…"
Tetsu stared out at the blue sky, pen poised on the paper.
"Ah."
"Something's up?"
"I thought of it."
"What?"
He added a spirited haiku as the ending line of his draft:
"In my garden, small grass sprouts anew;Boundless skies await, green stretching through."
After morning classes, Tetsu went to the Literary Club to submit his draft.
The clubroom was small, but the shelves and display cases neatly arranged books and certificates. Unlike the Human Observation Club, which was cluttered with irrelevant items—some might call it junk—the Literary Club kept things tidy.
Tetsu caught his reflection in the glass. Clean and orderly.
"Please state your name, class, and type of work," said the registering member.
"I'm submitting on behalf of my club. Name: Watanabe Tetsu. Type… prose," he said, recalling the article he'd seen in the library publication.
"Alright, please hand over your manuscript. And which club are you from?"
"The Human Observation Club," Tetsu said.
"Human Observation Club?" The Literary Club member repeated, narrowing his eyes.
"Just like that other person!"
"That person's one thing, but this guy dares to submit a manuscript too?!"
"Allowed to exist? Is there fairness?!"
The murmurs behind him drew Tetsu's attention.
What was wrong with the Human Observation Club? Didn't the Literary Club put out the call for submissions themselves? Or was it that Seino Rin's privilege in founding the club irritated the Literary Club's "scholars"?
If it was the latter, he could side with "the people" on this one.
"Your name?" the registering member demanded, glaring.
"I already said—Watanabe Tetsu."
"The title of your work!"
Oh right, he hadn't given it one. Thinking… the library article was called Our Past…
"Our Future," he said, deciding on the title.
The clerk quickly wrote it on the manuscript and the registration sheet.
"All set!"
Tetsu nodded. "Thanks."
"Out! The Literary Club doesn't welcome your type!"
How did beautiful Seino Rin end up in the Literary Club?
With this question in mind, Tetsu returned to class.
As he entered, Kunii Shu shouted, "Watanabe! I heard from Saito—you joined Rin's club!"
He noticed other classmates watching.
"Yes," he nodded.
"The Human Observation Club… what do they even do?"
"I'm curious too. How does submitting to the Literary Club relate to observing humans?" Saito asked.
Tetsu shrugged. "Maybe we turn observations into reports and publish them via the Literary Club. Doesn't matter—as long as I can leave early."
"Can you skip club activities?" Saito asked.
"Only Friday after school. According to Rin, it doesn't take long."
Saito's face lit up. "Seems perfect for you. No wonder you joined. I thought you were really taken with her."
If Tetsu remembered correctly, he had explicitly said this morning he was only going for early dismissal. Still, Saito acted skeptical—until now.
Then Tetsu noticed the surrounding stares.
Ah, they were probably worried a rumor might spread: "Watanabe Tetsu joined the Human Observation Club to pursue Seino Rin."
Seino Rin, untouchable and beautiful. A poor boy like him daring to approach her would surely attract ridicule—people thinking he didn't know his social rank.
Tokyo people really understood how to read the room.
As Tetsu pondered this, Kunii Shu lowered his voice. "Hey, Watanabe, my friend, what are the conditions for joining?"
"…None, I think."
Tetsu wasn't sure. He hadn't experienced any formal induction.
"You want in too? You're in the baseball club. Even if the Human Observation Club only takes Friday afternoons, isn't that tough?"
Shinkawa students could join up to three clubs, but the baseball club already used mornings and after-school time.
Kunii Shu didn't care, wearing a lecherous grin. "Time's flexible."
"Hey!" Saito groaned. "You already have Yamaguchi Naomi! And Rin… you're dreaming!"
"What's it to you? I'm still in the baseball club!" Shu dodged the topic.
Men always want the pot before finishing the bowl.
Saito snorted.
The baseball club was the hot club at Shinkawa. Joining it meant being popular and capable—top picks for marriage, even professional prospects. But compared to a wealthy heiress, even a star baseball player wouldn't stand a chance.
Shu knew this, rubbing his crew cut. "I'm just accompanying Watanabe, nothing else."
Tetsu glanced at him. "You just want weekly close access to Rin."
"You get me!" Shu clapped the desk and led the way out.
"Where?" Saito called after.
"To the club building!"
"Now? Are you crazy?"
"Friends?"
"No. But if you treat us tonight, I don't mind going along."
"Fine, fine, hurry up!"
Saito laughed, patting Tetsu on the shoulder. "Let's go."
The three crossed the skybridge connecting the buildings and arrived at the Human Observation Club's room.
Shu froze at the door, lacking the courage to knock.
He pushed Tetsu forward, whispering, "You knock."
Tetsu had no feelings for Rin, so no shyness or inferiority. He knocked, received permission, and entered first.
The girl sat by the window, hands delicate like freshly peeled bamboo shoots, holding a hardcover book. The breeze from Tokyo Bay teased her long hair.
Her clear, lovely face showed no expression, only her mesmerizing eyes, which occasionally rippled with emotion as she read.
Shu and Saito were mesmerized.
"Seino, the Literary Club submission is ready," Tetsu said.
"Thanks," Rin nodded, turning a page.
"Also," Tetsu stepped aside to reveal the two others, "these classmates want to join the Human Observation Club."
Saito had no objections.
Rin placed a bookmark and set the book aside, surveying the two.
The room fell silent. Tetsu noticed Shu nervously swallowing, his face flushed.
Rin crossed her arms, seated yet somehow towering over them. "Answer one question. Pass, and you may join."
"No problem!" Shu answered loudly, like a baseball captain.
"You… fail."
Shu froze, stammering, "Huh?"
Rin's tone cooled slightly. "You came to the interview without reading the requirements?"
"Well… I…"
Shu was speechless, panicked.
Rin ignored him, turning her gaze to Saito.
"I've read them," Saito said quickly. He had caught some details when Tetsu explained earlier. Shu hadn't.
Before Saito could repeat them, Rin glanced at Tetsu and returned to her book.
They were dismissed. Tetsu read it in her eyes.
"Seino, Saito read them sincerely. You can ask him if you don't believe me," he said.
"I hate liars." Rin's voice was now completely neutral.
The aura she radiated said clearly: Do not disturb me. Waste of time.
Tetsu looked at the two. Shu's pitiful eyes pleaded, Please leave, I can't take it, while Saito shook his head, signaling to drop it.
"Sorry for the disturbance," Tetsu said.
Rin gave a barely noticeable nod. "Take care."
Shu bolted out, Saito followed, and as Tetsu turned to leave, Rin's voice called behind him:
"Watanabe-kun."
"Hm?"
She remained holding her book, backlit by sunlight, unmoving. "Do you like me?"
"Ah?" Tetsu was stunned.
"Answer." Rin offered no explanation.
"Yes, Seino, you're very cute."
Saying something nice couldn't hurt, right?
"You are worth further observation. Come to the club tomorrow after school. Close the door when you leave."
Tetsu had no idea what she meant by "observation value."
He was just an ordinary cram school student, and even with his advantages, he hadn't used them yet.
Still, he wasn't interested in probing her secrets. He turned, shut the door, and followed Shu and Saito out.