I Was Reincarnated As a Man who Steals The Protagonist’s Childhood Friend - 23 - Fujimoto Akira

As I glanced to see who had called us out, I noticed a guy slightly older than us, probably a third-year student. He had brownish hair and a face that sparked a sense of familiarity in me, though I couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Fujimoto-san, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be elsewhere?” Matsuda interjected.

“Matsuda-kun, you do realize that causing harm to your classmates can lead to trouble, right?”

“But, this guy–”

“Did I stutter, Matsuda-kun?” the brown-haired guy retorted with a challenging tone. This guy is…

“Tch…”

Naoki released his grip on my collar and stormed off, clearly still upset by the sudden intervention.

“Sorry about that, Takeshi. I guess he’s just not himself right now, as you could see from earlier.” he said, wearing a concerned expression.

“Fujimoto-san?”

Ah, yes. I remembered now. Fujimoto Akira. According to my memory, he’s currently a third-year student and the President of the Photography Club. Yes, that club that I am currently in. Basically, he’s Takeshi’s acquaintance. What is he doing here?

“Hey, hey, this isn’t our first encounter, Takeshi. Why the formal address? Just call me like you always do,” he said, casually draping his arm around my shoulder.

“Akira-san…”

“Now that’s more like it, Takeshi. Anyway, you’ve got some nerve showing up late to our first meeting in weeks since you’ve been gone.” Ah, so that’s why. I completely forgot about our supposedly meeting.

“S-Sorry. As you saw earlier, I was in a bit of a bind.” I apologized, still feeling the lingering effects of Naoki’s tight grip. I understood his frustration.

“If I hadn’t been there to watch your back, things might have gotten messy. But I’m just relieved you’re okay.” he reassured me. “Anyway, let’s get going. We don’t want to keep the others waiting.”

The others? Oh no. That meant she would be there too. I really didn’t want to face her right now, especially after everything that had happened a few days ago.

“Um, actually, Akira-san, maybe I should call it a day today.”

“Request denied.”

As Akira’s grip tightened around my arm, I realized there was no point in resisting. He was determined to drag me along, whether I liked it or not. With each step, I felt the weight of his insistence bearing down on me, both physically and mentally. Talk about a really bad timing.

“Come on, Takeshi, quit dragging your feet. We’ve got a club meeting to attend.” Akira urged, his tone tinged with impatience.

I stumbled alongside him, feeling like a reluctant participant in some bizarre tug-of-war. The hallways blurred as Akira led the way, his pace firm and unyielding. Despite my feeble protests, he showed no signs of backing down. In the end, I decided to give up and followed the president.

Finally, we reached the club room, where the door loomed before us. With a flourish, Akira swung it open, revealing the familiar faces of our fellow club members.

“Hey, everyone! Look who I found lurking in the halls.” Akira announced triumphantly.

I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of greetings and inquiries, my heart sinking as I spotted Kobayashi Hibiki’s exuberant grin and Nakano Hoshino’s curious gaze. It seemed fate had conspired to place me in the one situation I had been hoping to avoid.

“Takeshi! You’re back!” Hibiki exclaimed, bounding over to envelop me in a hug.

I winced at the unexpected force of her embrace but managed to muster a weak smile in return. Meanwhile, Hoshino observed the scene with interest, her eyes lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary, but after making eye contact with me, she immediately turns away.

Please hurry up with your meeting. This is really getting awkward. I thought.

As Akira cleared his throat to signal the start of the meeting, I felt a small glimmer of hope that perhaps I could escape the awkwardness of the situation. However, it seemed fate had other plans, as Akira launched straight into the agenda without skipping a beat.

“Alright, folks, gather around,” Akira began, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “I’ve got some news from the Student Council. They’ve assigned us the prestigious task of being the official photographers for the upcoming sports festivals.”

The announcement caused a hush of excitement to fall over the audience, and even I felt a tinge of excitement at the thought of possibly capturing the spirit and passion of the occasion.

“Our mission is simple,” Akira continued, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “We need to document every moment of the festivals, from the opening ceremony to the final match. That means we’ll need to split up and cover as much ground as possible.”

He glanced around the room, meeting each of our gazes in turn with a determined expression.

“Takeshi, Hoshino, you’ll be in charge of capturing the track and field events.” Akira said, gesturing towards us with a confident nod. “Hibiki, you’ll take the lead on the team sports like soccer and basketball.”

“Eh? But what about you President?” Hibiki curiously ask.

I’ll be as roving photographer, capturing the spirit of the festivals from every angle.”

“U-Umm…” Nakano raises her hand. “I am participating in a 100-meter dash and the relay race.” Nakano sheepishly says.

“Same here, Pres. I’m also participating in the relay race.”

“I see. I did not expect that one of our members joined the sports event, especially you Takeshi.” Akira mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Looks like we’ll need to make some adjustments to our assignments.”

As Akira’s gaze swept over the room, his expression softened with consideration. It was clear he hadn’t overlooked the logistical challenges posed by our involvement in the sports events.

He turned to me with a decisive nod, his brown eyes sparkling with determination.

“Takeshi, since you’ll be participating in the relay race, I think it’s only fair that you switch tasks with Hoshino.” Akira declared, his voice firm yet accommodating.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief at the change in plans, grateful that Akira had taken our individual circumstances into account.

“And as for you, Hoshino,” Akira continued, turning his attention to Nakano with a reassuring smile. “You’ll join me as a roving photographer, capturing the essence of the festivals alongside me. And if it’s Hoshino turn, then Takeshi would then switch places with Takeshi.”

Nakano then nodded in understanding.

“Alright, it’s settled then.” Akira announced, clapping his hands together with a sense of finality. “Let’s make sure we’re all ready to give it our all when the time comes. Together, we’ll show the world what the Photography Club is made of!”