A few weeks has passed, and I gained a habit of visiting the student council room for lunch every day I attended school. Ake was always the only one there, and each time she had covered all the glass before I ever arrived.

  “Where are the other student council members?” I had asked once. “I never see anyone here but you.”

  “They all eat their lunch in the cafeteria.”

  “Why don’t you…?”

  “Because I got to keep a watch on you, silly.”

  That’s what she told me.

  Now I’m once again eating here, munching on some sandwiches Mia made me. After hearing the details about what happened, she insisted on making my lunches for me every day since I wouldn’t be able to enter the cafeteria.

  I had attempted to decline, as gods have no actual necessity for nutrition. As long as we have mana and we rest from time to time, we never need to eat.

  But, of course, Mia was rather persistent on her insistence. And her food is really good, so I humbly accepted.

  “You look like you’re enjoying that, Yoiya.” Ake said with a smile as she gazed at my face munching on the sandwiches.

  “M-m-mmia ish good cewk.” I muttered, with my mouth full of food.

  Ever since that day, Ake had began to call me Yoiya just like Mia and her coworkers would. I never did manage to find out why, though.

  “By the way, Yoiya.” She spoke softly, poking my cheek with her index finger teasingly. “It’s been nearly a month since you started school here. Have you found any clubs you’re interested in?”

  I shook my head.

  I was interested in them, but a number of the clubs made no sense to me or involved physical activity.

  ~With my godlike strength and speed, participating in physical activity would probably be a horrible idea. So it’s better that I refrain from such occurrences.

  As a result, I never participated in Physical Ed class either. The coach seemed to had heard the rumors about me so he never forced me to.

  ~For once, those awful legendary transfer student rumors did me some good.

  “What about you, Ake?”

  “Well, technically you could say student council duties count as club activities.” Ake replied.

  Ake leaned back in her chair, sipping on an apple juice box as she stretched her arms.

  “Well… if none of the clubs interest you, maybe you should try visiting the library again. Sometimes, you don’t know what you like until you stumble into it.”

  “The library?” I repeated.

  She nodded. “It’s quiet, calm, relaxing. And Mashiro’s often there during this time. Actually she’s there almost all the time.” Ake looked a bit stressed for a moment. “Anyways, she’s rather energetic but she means well.”

  I looked at Ake skeptically, remembering Mashiro’s chaotic, dramatic mischief from before.

  Ake smiled at me knowingly, as if reading my thoughts.

  “Just give it a try. If she does anything that makes you uncomfortable, don’t worry. I always got your back.”

  Her assurance was gentle, encouraging. So, though I may find the concept of getting along with that girl challenging, her suggestion was even more difficult to refuse.

  “I guess I could give a try…” I murmured.

  Ake’s smile widened. “Good.”

  Ake checked the time on her phone, then stood up and began gathering her things.

  Lunch was nearly over.

  “You should finish up,” she said, slipping her juice box into the trash. “If you go to the library after school, Mashiro will definitely be there. She practically lives in that place.”

  I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich.

  “…Is that a good thing?”

  Ake laughed softly — a warm, breathy sound that made the room feel lighter.

  “For you? Maybe. Mashiro’s… a lot. But she’s also the kind of person who drags people into things they didn’t know they needed.”

  She paused, then added with a teasing tilt of her head:

  “Kind of like how I dragged you in here on your first day.”

  My face warmed as I looked away in embarrassment.

  “I-I wasn’t dragged…”

  “You absolutely were,” she said, grinning, almost laughing.

  The bell rang, echoing through the halls.

  Ake walked toward the door, then glanced back at me with that same gentle, steady expression she always wore when she was trying to reassure me without making a big deal of it.

  “Think about it, okay? The library. Mashiro. Maybe even a club.”

  Her smile softened.

  “You deserve to find something you enjoy here.”

  She left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

  I sat there for a moment, staring at the now-empty lunchbox Mia had packed for me.

  ~The library… Mashiro… a club…

  Could I really…?

  I closed the lid and stood up. Checking around to make sure nobody was watching, I quickly pointed at the container.

  “Pocket.”

  A small spatial tear opened beneath it, swallowing the lunchbox before sealing shut without a trace.

  Perhaps I could.

  Maybe… If I just tried, like she told me to.

  …

  I stood at the library door. Classes were over for the day, Ake was busy with her student council duties and on top of all that, Mia just texted me this she’d be home late.

  “Sorry, lil bro! The girls are making me work overtime today to make up for what happened earlier this month. I’ll be over to pick you up as soon as I can! Please be careful!” Is what she had sent me on this little device she gave me called a phone.

  ~How does this thing work again? I got Ake to teach me but… It’s still so confusing… All these buttons and ‘apps’...

  “Huehuehue. Why, now is that a wild transfer student I see in the hall?”

  “Hm?” I looked to my side to see the small golden-haired girl. There was something round in her hand.

  ~A ball?

  “Today’s the day I catch you for sure! This rare spawn is mine for the taking! Hiyah!” She threw the ball at me like one of the students from the baseball club.

  “Eh?”

  The ball seemed to fly towards me in slow motion— or at least, it was slow to me.

  I quickly tilted my head to dodge it, and it flew by my head.

  “Crtical fail!? What terrible luck!” Mashiro said, dropping to her knees in that familiar nonsense overdramatic way.

  Mashiro slammed her fists onto the floor, her hands shaking as she wailed.

  “Uh… Are you oka-” I began to say.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Why!? Why does the RNG hate me today of all days!? Finally, the five star, super, super rare ally shows itself on the droptable and I fail! Ah, the misery. What a total gacha nightmare.” She wailed.

  “What? RNG…? What in the voi-” I muttered.

  She shot upright instantly, eyes blazing with determination as she stood and raised her palm to the ceiling light as if to grasp it.

  “This must mean the universe has betrayed me! It must be conspiring against my recruitment arc! But I refuse to give up!” She then pointed at me. “This isn’t over yet, Yuru-kun!”

  ~Recruitment… arc?

  Seeing my confusion, she grinned and laughed. “Huehuehue. Legendary transfer, you may have dodged my Pokeball of Destiny—”

  “That was a baseball. And… aren’t you going to pick that up?” I pointed behind me with my thumb.

  She rushed over and picked up immediately, then rushed back to face me once more. “--But you cannot dodge your fate!” She continued, ignoring both me and obvious pause entirely. “For I, Mashiro the Magnificent, shall guide you to your true calling!”

  She spun on her heel and flung the library door open with a flourish.

  “Follow me to paradise, my young apprentice. There is much to be learned here. Huehuehue.” She entered the library with her hands to her hips in absolute confidence.

  ~Why does she talk like this?

  “Come on now, Yuru-kun. Before I lose my momentum!”

  With a resigned sigh, I followed her inside.

  …

  As I entered the room, a light breeze brushed against my face.

  The single window on the opposite side of the room was open and the overhead blinds covered the rest of it, which meant no reflections.

  ~Good. I haven’t had a dream in awhile either.

  In the room, the desks were pulled together and there sat another girl.

  Her long black ponytail and blue eyes reminded me of somebody, but who?

  ~Serbi? From the cafe? But she’s an adult… This is…

  An unfamiliar hand grabbed my shoulder, followed by an unfamiliar voice. From touch and sound alone, I could tell it was masculine.

  ~Danger.

  I grabbed the wrist and slung them over me and into the floor.

  Before me now was a tall boy, dressed in the same uniform as I. Both his hair and eyes were black.

  “Agh…” The boy muttered.

  Realizing what I had just done, I quickly let go of his arm.

  “S-sorry!”

  “Wow, you’re pretty strong, Yuru-kun! Where’d you learn something like that?”

  “It… It was a reflex.”

  “Ugh… Remind me never to approach you from behind again.” The boy groaned as he stood to his feet.

  “You’re as impressive as ever, too, Kuro.” Mashiro said, leaning over the boy as she looked down at his face.

  “Aha. Say what you want, Mashiro, but that hurt like hell.”

  “Well, they say cats have nine lives. Huehuehue. As expected of my familiar.” Mashiro grinned.

  “If that’s the case, I just lost one… and I already told you I’m not your familiar.” The boy ‘Kuro’ rubbed his shoulder as he stood to his feet.

  As I listened to them converse, a piercing gaze hit me from the side. It reminded me of the angel’s from my dream, and I turned to see the black-haired girl staring at me with suspicion.

  ~Crap.

  “Ahem.” Mashiro cleared her throat. “Allow me to introduce my club members! This boy here that you so kindly slammed on the floor is my familiar, Raneko Kuroshin.”

  “I said I’m not your familiar.” Raneko repeated himself as he sat across from the girl at the tables.

  “Yeah, yeah. Honestly, you should be honored to be my familiar. Anyways, the girl over there is Eliba Cerubi. She’s your typical honor student slash allstar athlete. She’s pretty quiet so pay her no mind.”

  “Right…”

  ~Cerubi? Like Serbi Cerubi?

  “Uh… You don’t happen to know a Serbi Cerubi, do you?” I looked to the girl quizically.

  She gave me a quick glare, but it quickly subsided.

  “Yes. She’s my sister. I heard that Mia Yuruichi is your’s. I hope we can get along.”

  She spoke in a rather monotone voice and her facial expression remained fairly blank. It was unnerving to say the least.

  “There should be one more…” Mashiro said, her voice trailing off as she looked around. “I guess she’s outside again, huh.”

  “Outside?”

  “Ah, right. Rea tends to spend her time reading outdoors. If you want to meet her, just look outside the window.” Raneko said with a gentle smile.

  Heeding his words, I began to walk to the window. The window was quite large, so it was big enough to crawl through mostly standing at my size. I took a step outside, and looked around.

  There I saw her. A small doll-like figure surrounded by short stacks of books that could only be described as feminine and—

  “Cute.”

  “Hm?” The girl looked up at me, a piece of bread in her mouth as she held open a book that she was reading.

  Her hair was a pale blonde, similar to Mia’s, and her eyes were hazel like Ake’s. Her facial expression was gentle, soft, yet stoic.

  “Rea. Come inside and introduce yourself.” Raneko peeked out the window and smiled at her.

  The girl blushed at him and gave a nod.

  “Okay.”

  She followed Raneko back through the window. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts and followed them back inside.

  Rea sat next to Raneko and stared at me intently.

  “My name is Rea. Rea Dola. Are you… new?”

  Rea’s eyes lingered on me — not suspicious like Eliba’s, not mischievous like Mashiro’s, nor was it amused like Raneko’s.

  Just… curious.

  “Yes.” I said quietly. “I started last month.”

  She nodded slowly, as if processing this information with great care.

  “...Welcome.” She said at last.

  Mashiro clapped her hands together and threw out confetti.

  ~Magic!?

  “Great. Now that introductions are done, let’s begin today’s meeting!”

  “Wait- Hang on– where did that confetti come from?”

  “Huh? My pocket, obviously. What ya talking about, Yuru-kun?”

  “Please forgive Mashiro if she overwhelms you.” Raneko spoke up. “She is an expert at theatrics and party tricks.”

  “Party tricks?”

  “You know? Sleight of hand, misdirection, levitation with super thin wires and stuff like that?”

  “Oh…”

  ~So it wasn’t the kind of magic I’m familiar with… The leylines in this world do seem pretty nonexistent, as does its mana field… It’s making it hard for even me to access my mana. I suppose magic wouldn’t exist here with them being that weak.

  “Anyways, back to our daily meeting! Allow me to explain what we do here, Yuru-kun. Here we read books, drink tea, and bully Kuro.”

  “That last part isn’t a rule…” Raneko muttered.

  “It is now! I wanna see how many lives cats really have! Is it really nine? I gotta know! Don’t you want to know, my dear Watson?” Mashiro grabbed me and pulled me close, linking her arm with mine as she grinned.

  “No, I’m pretty sure that’s a myth. Even amongst the more feline go-” I quickly cut myself off. “I mean… Yeah sure…”

  Eliba stared at me intensely with even more suspicion. It was clear to me I couldn’t afford to mess up or feel comfortable here but—

  Rea tugged gently on Raneko’s sleeve.

  “...Tea?” She asked.

  “Yeah, yeah.” He sighed but smiled again. “I’ll pour it.”

  As he stood, Rea looked back at me — soft, steady, and strangely grounding.

  “...You can sit with us… if you’d like.” She said.

  —Her presence made me feel at ease.

  Rea’s invitation hung in the air for a bit. It was soft, simple, and strangely heavy.

  “...Okay.” I finally replied.

  I took the empty seat beside her.

  Mashiro immediately slammed her palms on the table.

  “Excellent! The party has assembled! What once was a squad of four has evolved into the ultimate quintet of weird book otakus!”

  “That’s not how clubs work.” Renako muttered as he poured tea into delicate porcelain cups. “And Yuruichi isn’t part of the club yet officially.”

  “Fret not. I already submitted the paperwork with his name on it.”

  “You forged his signature?” Renako and Eliba looked at her intensely.

  “N-no, no. O-of course not. I was joking! Joking!” Mashiro held up her hands in surrender.

  Quickly she darted over to the side and pulled out a piece of paper and placed it in front of me.

  “Quick, sign this for me, Yuru-kun, won’t you?”

  I looked at the paper. I could understand what it said but—

  ~Surely they don’t mean for me to imprint my mana signature on it. Magic doesn’t even exist here. So…

  I looked up at Mashiro.

  “What’s a signature?”

  Rea had accepted her cup with silent gratitude, holding it with both hands as she gently blew on the steam. Her movements were small, careful — almost ritualistic.

  She took a sip of the cup and then glanced at me.

  “...Do you like tea?” She asked.

  “Huh? I… don’t know. I never had any before.” I admitted.

  ~After all. I’ve only drank milk since I came to earth. And back in the Void, we only had Ener’s wine to drink.

  She blinked once, then slid her cup a little closer to me.

  “...You can try mine. Also…”

  She leaned over into me a bit, pointing at a blank space on the paper.

  “...You simply write your name here. That will do for now.”

  “Oh… Uh… Thanks…” I picked up the cup by the handle with one hand, taking a sip as I wrote my name with the other.

  My chest had tightened, but it wasn’t painful; simply strange.

  Mashiro gasped dramatically.

  “Our doll princess Rea offered you HER tea!? That’s like… a confession in Rea-language!”

  Rea’s face turned pink instantly.

  “It’s not…” She whispered in protest.

  Raneko sighed. “Mashiro, stop narrating other people’s lives.”

  But Mashiro’s grin only grew wider.

  And for the first time since entering the room, I felt something warm settle in my chest.

  Maybe…

  Maybe Ake was right.

  Maybe I could find something I enjoyed here.

  Something of worth.

  Something more to fill the darkness I carried for so long.