It's a Chastity-Reversed World, But It's Different From What I Imagined? - 25

Chapter 25: Club Observation Day 2 – Cultural Clubs

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I had made two mistakes. The first was choosing to stick with Seiya, who was immensely popular with the girls. Even though I had wanted to build a sports club harem, almost all of the girls swarmed around Seiya instead of me.

That was only natural, though. Seiya wasn’t just a super-handsome guy. He was also someone who had always treated girls kindly. He was the easy choice.

So what should I do today?

“Hey, we’re going to look around the clubs again today, right?”

“Seiya, let’s go separately today.”

“Eh?”

I decided to take the initiative. At this rate, Seiya would definitely ask me to go around with him again. If that happened, I wouldn’t get my fun, flirty club activities with the cultural club girls.

“Ehh~ but Yoru, you’re my only friend.”

“What about Kuramine?”

I had learned in the student council room that Kuramine didn’t have any friends. That was my second mistake. Because I was around, the protagonist and the heroine hadn’t been able to grow closer. This could help resolve that issue between them. And more importantly, it was the perfect excuse to push the heroine and protagonist together.

“U-Um, Kuramine-san?”

When Seiya and I both said her name, Kuramine snapped her head around so fast it almost made a sound.

“We-Were you talking about me?”

Her facial muscles twitched awkwardly as she forced a smile, clearly she had been eavesdropping.

“Kuramine-san. If you don’t mind, would you go around the clubs with Seiya?”

“M-Me going around the clubs with Seiya-kun?!”

Her nostrils flared wide. She really did look good, but…Every little action made her come off as someone who was awkward.

“I-I-Is that okay?”

“Seiya, you don’t mind, right? You heard what we talked about in the student council room.”

I leaned in and whispered the second part in Seiya’s ear. 

“Kuramine-san doesn’t have any friends. If you reject her here, she would be seriously disappointed.”

“Yeah. Kuramine-san, if you’d like, shall we go together? Yoru can’t join us today.”

“I-I-I will gladly accompany you!”

Her words came out jumbled, but maybe in its own way that could be seen as cute.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Cultural girls might be physically weaker compared to sports girls….

But don’t underestimate them.

I added in my heart.  After all, this was still a chastity-reversed world. Even cultural girls surely carried the impulse to throw themselves at a boy. In fact, since they were more prone to imagination, maybe they held those desires even more strongly.

The question now was—which club would make it easiest to get close to the girls? As the pamphlet had shown, Aoba High had more cultural clubs than one could count. The very first club I chose was…

“Welcome, and thank you for visiting our Cooking Club.”

““““Thank you very much!””””

Yes, I had chosen the Culinary Research Club, better known as the Cooking Club. The dream was to laugh and chat with apron-clad girls as we cooked together. Our hands would touch during food prep, our teamwork would deepen our bond…. And maybe, just maybe… Maid outfits and naked aprons…

…

………

…………………

Wait a second—why is this happening?

“We will now commence the First Cooking Club Food Battle! The champion will earn the right to have Yoru Kurose-sama taste their dish!”

It had started innocently enough when I told the roughly thirty members that I was here to observe. That should have been fine. But the moment I said “observe,” they set up a luxurious chair and table fit for a king, told me to sit, and dimmed the lights.

And just like that, the food battle began. Before I knew it, there were girls acting as commentators and announcers. 

What the hell!!! I came here to cook together and get closer, not to be treated like some judge!

“Fufufu, Club President. Today, I’ll finally overthrow you.”

“Mami-san. I can’t let myself lose to you just yet.”

Before I knew it, this had turned into a battle between the Cooking Club president and the first-year ace, Mami!!!

“Commentator Kaise-san, how would you compare their skills?”

“Announcer GKO-san, in terms of raw ability, Club President has the experience. But in terms of achievements, Mami-san stands strong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Club President has led this club for three years, winning countless food battles to earn her place. But Mami-san has real achievements—she grew up in a family that runs a long-established Japanese restaurant, building skills from an early age. This may look like just a cooking showdown, but in truth it’s a battle between women for a man’s stomach! In other words, this goes beyond a mere food fight. It’s about who can capture Yoru Kurose-sama’s heart through his stomach!”

The commentator struck a dramatic pose, while the defeated members began sobbing.

No, wait, I haven’t even tasted anyone’s cooking yet!

“The match is decided!”

“Ugh… Mami-san, you…”

“Club President. I’m sorry. But a match can be cruel.”

The president collapsed after tasting Mami’s dish and Mami raised her hand in victory.

“W-What an outcome! The president admitted defeat from sheer deliciousness and collapsed!”

“This is what a true contest looks like. This is the true meaning of victory!”

The commentary made less and less sense. Mami, the first-year, placed her dish before me.

I don’t want to eat something that knocked someone out…

When she lifted the lid, a beautifully arranged acqua pazza was revealed. Dozens of eyes stared at me. Unable to resist the pressure, I put a bite into my mouth.

“Ah… It’s delicious.”

The words slipped out naturally.

“Yes!!!”

Mami raised her fist, tears streaming down her face, and fainted.

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After leaving the Cooking Club, the cultural club girls’ competition to impress me only escalated.

In Calligraphy Club, they unveiled a massive kanji of my name, “Yoru.” In Choir Club, they sang a hymn dedicated to Yoru Kurose. And in a joint project between the Science, Robotics, and AI Development Clubs, they presented “Android Yoru.” That one just freaked me out.

The two hours before sunset had been so intense that there was no trace of the flirty paradise I had envisioned. It seemed cultural girls were more desperate to show off their talents than anything else. Eventually, I couldn’t even tell what was going on.

Exhausted, I sat resting in the hallway when I saw members of the sports clubs jogging past.

“So Yuuna runs outside too, huh?”

The swim team members were jogging in tracksuits instead of swimsuits. Before I knew it, my eyes were following the figure of my childhood friend. Since entering high school, our nightly interactions had dwindled to simple exchanges like “good night.”

Is she avoiding me?

Back in middle school, Yuuna would sometimes hit the wrong remote button and turn off the TV by accident. At times like that, when I caught glimpses of her skin, I became suddenly aware of her femininity. Now that she was so busy with her club, I told myself not to bother her, so I rarely spoke up.

But is that really okay? 

To me, Yuuna was the closest person I had. Back in middle school, when no one else would talk to me, she was the only one who did.

“But what should I even say to her?”

I watched Yuuna’s back as she ran further and further away.

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