Vol 2 Chapter 45 – Tora! Tora! Tora!

In the room the student council prepared for us, we four members of the Modern Culture Research Club sat in chairs at a long table in interview format. Opposite us was just one person.

“Thank you for having me.”

A girl who bowed her head politely, yet whose entire being screamed I’m a gal at the top of the class hierarchy. Tachibana Torako. The four of us still hadn’t decided what to do with her. It bothered us. What bothered us, well, we wanted to keep our world closed to just the five of us including Kajiwara-kun. We didn’t want some gal barging into the introverts’ den with an “Excuse me, coming through!” That said…

“Thank you for having us.”

Courtesy came first. To avoid being rude, we four bowed our heads to her as well. Now then, what to do? As club president, I’d have to take charge first.

“Your name is Tachibana Torako-san, correct? First, your performance on the entrance exam was remarkable. I acknowledge that.”
“Thank you very much.”
“However—”

I was about to say “however,” but then I hesitated. The thing is, I never actually thought someone would pass the entrance exam. So I hadn’t thought about what issues to examine or assess from here on.

“Well, I’m struggling with what to do. I honestly never expected anyone to actually pass the entrance test. Though I’m the one who issued the passing grade.”

I scratched my temple with my finger and spoke honestly. I wanted to see her reaction to that.

“Well, it was a test designed to fail people. I never thought my childhood acrylic painting would come in handy.”

Torako-chan answered calmly without showing any anger. Yeah, she didn’t seem short-tempered.

“Do you attend an art cram school or painting class or something?”
“My parent makes a living in art. Not that they’re trying to push me down the same path or anything. They probably just wanted to pass their skills on to their child.”

She waved her hand dismissively. I see, I see.

“Your parent is an artist?”
“They’re barely making enough to support one daughter.”

Intellectual property from one’s parents, know-how, craftsmanship. There were various ways to phrase it, but essentially cultural capital. So she was the type who inherited that sort of thing. Since I came from an ordinary family of otaku, it was somewhat hard for me to imagine her home environment.

“Hmm.”

Though the genre was different, I unconditionally respected people who were good at drawing. Creating beauty from nothing was among the highest abilities granted to humans. And Torako-chan was incredibly skilled at acrylic painting. Enough that even I gasped in admiration and passed her.

“I’ll be frank. I heard you’re targeting Kajiwara-kun.”

If she simply wanted to draw manga with us, I would’ve welcomed her with open arms and three cheers. Hell, I wanted to absorb her skills myself.

“Well, of course. What would a high school girl accomplish by moving without desire?”

But as you can see, she openly declared she was targeting Kajiwara-kun. Well, naturally. We were holding this entrance exam precisely because we wanted to keep Kajiwara-kun to ourselves. Of course, we genuinely wanted to let Kajiwara-kun enjoy otaku activities without any worries. So then, how should I handle her? That was the problem.

“But it wouldn’t be a lie to say I’m interested in manga and otaku activities. Though I’ll admit my initial motivation was finding topics to talk to Kajiwara-kun about.”

Yeah, an honest kid. Frankly, I didn’t dislike her. If this were just my club—just Takahashi Chihiro’s club—I’d probably let her join. The two of us could probably become friends. That’s what I thought, but…

“Question! Do you have confidence you can get along with introverts?!”

Hatsune raised her hand energetically and threw the question at Torako-chan. That’s the thing. This wasn’t just about wanting to keep Kajiwara-kun to ourselves. First and foremost, extroverts and introverts were incompatible.

“What specifically do you mean by getting along? I’m honestly confident in my communication skills.”
“But you’ve never associated with nerds before, have you?”

Could she properly build a relationship with someone timid and nervous—Emma, for example? Would she show disgust when we said incredibly creepy things as otaku? That was the kind of problem we faced when trying to include anyone outside our nerd circle. Hatsune seemed concerned about that area.

“For instance, can you get along with Emma-san, who absolutely refuses to make eye contact with me?”

This Torako-chan sure spoke bluntly. Well, I mean, that’s true, but still.

“I have confidence I can respect you all as my seniors!”

Here, Torako-chan pulled something from her bag. She thrust it vigorously before our eyes. That doujinshi was—

“That’s our circle’s latest issue. How did you get it? We haven’t done a reprint yet.”

Segawa-chan showed an exasperated expression. No, seriously, how? That should’ve been completely sold out thanks to Kajiwara-kun’s efforts. Unless she already had otaku friends, it should’ve been difficult to obtain.

“My mother had it! It was under her bed, so I borrowed it without asking!!”
“Your mom’s an otaku?! Don’t go rummaging under beds!!”

Hatsune shouted. She had a tsukkomi disposition.

“I especially thought Takakura-senpai’s work was wonderful! The perverted violence! I personally think the desire to be kidnapped and then cherished is valid!!”
“Um… thank you?”

Torako-chan praised Emma’s sexual proclivities at an incredibly loud volume. Watching Emma nervously give a confused response, I realized something. Ah, we’re going to lose this. We’re probably going to lose. She’s an incredible find. Beyond acknowledging her communication skills, her tactics were excellent. She didn’t neglect preliminary research, her personal judgment was outstanding, she overflowed with energy, and she knew exactly where to strike at our hearts.

“…”

Hatsune fell silent with a displeased look. No no, we’re probably going to lose this. So far, I couldn’t find any flaws. Did she satisfy the requirements as a creative otaku for the Modern Culture Research Club? No problem—she could become a great otaku. Could she build relationships with existing members? No problem at all—she’d probably respect us as her seniors. Would she accept our eroticism? She was undoubtedly a pervert herself—no problem whatsoever. Then the last remaining issue was—

“Well, my turn. Draw.”

I made a phone call. I thought it best for us four to discuss this, but that alone wouldn’t be enough. Not only because we’d lose at this rate, but nothing could be settled without the person in question.

“I’m calling Kajiwara-kun here too.”

He was probably alone in the club room right now, seriously practicing figure drawing. I called him on my smartphone to summon him. A summoning spell in card game terms. Now then, whether to accept this Tachibana Torako-chan or not—all judgment should be left to him at this point.