Uh, ah!
Hiri: why can't I move these damn bags? They are too hard to carry. My daddy knew how much I weighed before filling them. Oh my, if only I had an acquaintance that could help with these... It's exactly why I came here to study anyway, I get to meet acquaintances and rivals. Ooh, yeah! Okay, I should head to the dorms now!
Kata: stop! Don't move!
Hiri: huh?
Kata: don't move, you this pretty student of noun academy. Let me introduce you to the club of your dream, the newspaper club! Its the best club in Noun high school. You should join because you are pretty.
Kata, a young girl with pink hair, standing opposite to hiri. She wears a short wine skirt, a wine jacket with white shirt underneath it, but since her jacket is left unbuttoned, it is pretty noticeable. It's the school uniform of noun academy. She brings her hand forward smiling.
Kata: here, come with me. I will help you with the bags.
Hiri in his mind: she definitely has a different uniform, or is it me? It's the same colour and dress, but... something is off. Ah, no worries, its none of my business. I just need to find my way around here and do my things, humbly.
Hiri: okay. Thanks for the offer, but I will have to say no.
Kata: what?
Hiri: you see, I came to this school to study not to do friendly gossips with some fun group of people, even if that sounds good. I want to relax and score high.
Kata: you are rejecting our club?
Kata says, her face becomes pale, it feels like she's about to cry.
Hiri: yeah, not really. I ...
Kata: not really? You just said you won't join our club. That's rejection!
Hiri in his mind: now she's definitely gonna cry. Girls. Why is she so dramatic? I gotta run now.
Hiri: you see I got a little test today. So am leaving, don't feel bad! Bye.
Kata: a test? Hahahhaha!
Hiri: huh? Why is she suddenly laughing now? I thought she was about to cry. Weird.
Kata: you see, I gotta admit it, you are really naive, is this how you escape people you don't want to talk to? It's ridiculous! A test, yes. In Noun academy, students take tests the same day and if it's today, well, we are not having one. Now come with me let me, let me show you around.
Hiri in his mind: okay. Her attitude's suddenly changed. This is really weird, so weird. I wonder, does she always have grand gestures? She's great at talking unlike me with interactions, and she's also helping me too, so thanks. Are we acquaintances now?
The dorm, 47th room:
Kata: here is your room.
Kata says showing him the door as she brings her hands forward.
Hiri: umm. Thank you, I really appreciate your help, I couldn't have done it myself.
Kata: you mean you wouldn't have found your way to your dorm, when you literally have it written on your student's card? Come on, you are so naive. Hahaha! You are just too nice, you are giving me so much credit. Anyway, I need to go to my own room to check what's up. I will see you later. Bye.
Hiri: bye. she really is super funny, I don't understand her yet. Maybe it's just me or rich people are just weird. Rich people? Yeah, this school is the learning ground for rich students, they study here. Noun academy is only available for its listed eligible students 'rich or intelligent' am the latter or at least they say.
Hiri enters his room scanning the whole place as he moves quietly. its nice, he said.
Hiri: oh, this place is tidy. Its a two bedroom with soft sofas, the floor is tiled, the shower is working, the kitchen is well furnished, the bed is fluffy, it's nice with two pillows. The rooms are not too big, the one at my house is bigger but two of it is enough for three people like me. I like it. Gosh, the lamps, the wall clock, the items on this shelf. What are they? Who knows? Rich people stuff. Maybe this is how rich students live after all. It's not so different but yet it's still different.
Kata: hiri!
Hiri: huh? She's outside! Sigh. I thought she said she was going to her room? She's so fast or am just the lazy one who's always tired.
Hiri moves to the door and lets her in.
Hiri: kata.
Kata: ooh, wow. You have a nice room.
Hiri: yeah, I was just wondering who I am sharing it with.
Kata: sharing? Don't be silly, you stay here alone. This is a small room for one student, when you are in group or more, you share more and bigger rooms. You can only have three roomates though.
Kata said and winked.
Kata: come let me take you to meet my club mates.
Hiri: what? I thought I said...
Kata: it doesn't matter, you can meet them without joining, we like people like you, we will be friends with you, this is the fifth time someone rejected the club, which means the five out of its six members rejected the club at first too.
Hiri: so who is the leader?
Kata: me. I didn't reject the club cause I started it.
Hiri: oh. That's interesting.
Kata: impressed?
Hiri: not really.
Hiri said, rolling his eyes
Kata: glad you are liking it, let's run.
Hiri: ah, she's really lively.
The clubhouse: kitchen room, the unused one, located at the back of the school.
Hiri: it's a kitchen.
Kata: no it's our clubhouse. Knock, knock
Eno: get in. A slim young lady with black hair and glasses, she does not look pleased at kata but the pink haired girl does not really seem to mind.
Kata: yeah.
They entered the kitchen and it was completely different than hiri thought. It had zero kitchen appliances, it was decorated differently with lots of spaces, this is times five his two rooms, it looks like it was designed to have everything from living room equipments to the dinning room appliances, more, it has the club's news materials. Two girls sit beside a table playing cards, looking sadder than ever, while Kata picks up a game.
Hiri: oh.
Kata: hahaha, this is it. Do you like it, hiri?
Hiri: yeah, I do. Its looks nice.
Kata: am so glad you like it, am going to design it better for you.
Hiri: why me? And why the design? It's fine this way.
Lori: don't get to used to it, that's how the boss acts.
Hyori: yeah, she's always doing things like this, it's not unusual.
Hiri whispers to himself: The two sad girls speak, come to think of it, they both look the same. What the... Are they twins? Hiri places his hands on his chin wondering.
Kata: what can I expect from shady sisters.
Lori and hyroi: shady sisters?!
The two girls raise their head, clearly annoyed at kata.
Kata: come hiri meet the Lee sisters, hyori and Lori.
Hiri in his mind: hmm. They have the same brown hair, the same brown eyes, they have the same physique, slim and short, the same height, they are both about 5ft 3. They both have the same necklace on, they both look unpleased at kata, how do you differentiate them? Hmm, go it!
Lori and Hyori: nice to meet you, hiri.
Kata: nice to meet hyori and Lori.
Kata: um?
Eno: now that the introduction is done, we can have a beautiful conversation.
Kata: nope.
Hyori: why not?
Kata: we have not introduced you yet eno, now's the time for yours. Come here. This is eno. Kata says presenting Inoue.
Eno: sighs. Whatever.
Kata: act properly eno, you are ruining everything.
Eno: fine, am eno. Hiri, nice to meet you
Hiri: nice to meet you too, eno.
Kata: hit it.
Eno: now Hiri, listen carefully.
Hiri: okay.
Lori and Hyori chuckle, smirking vividly while staring at each other.
Eno: we capture everyone's shade in this school except for ours of course. We are very invasive, we do the job necessary to publish our content and it's a very successful line. Everyone loves to mock others, it means the school is full of rich people who love to flex, they might pretend to be just a little classy but they all love little talks about their opponents secrets, dirty ones infact. So in short you can call us business guys, you can call us "dirty jobbers" if you wish but the most important thing here is we get the job done.
Now to you, as a young student with zero shade published yet in this school, it's good until it isn't, you'll have one and who knows more, if you wish to stay alongside the other students, your shades will be revealed but if you stay with us, the school's news club, you will be left with no shades at all, except for the friendly ones at times because we don't publish our own inner shades. So do you or do you not wish to join the dream club in noun academy? The news club.