The scorching sun in the sky is so hot that it makes people sweat uncontrollably. The sound of singing cicadas can be heard in the near distance. Although they are noisy, the summer vacation won't feel the same without this sound.
During the summer vacation, not all students are able to hide leisurely from the heat at home with their air conditioners. Some clubs still have club activities during the vacation, and the gardening club is one of them. If the plants are left unattended during the summer vacation, everyone will be greeted with a terrible scene when school starts again.
Hana Ninomiya is the only member of the gardening club, and I can't bear to let her take care of the plants alone in the sweltering heat, so I also come to help her take care of the plants when I have time.
[player]Hmm, which potted plant did Ninomiya just say I shouldn't give too much water? I can't tell them apart since there are only a few small sprouting buds... Ninomiya, which of these two pots is the camellia?
[Hana Ninomiya]...Sigh.
[player]Ninomiya?
[Hana Ninomiya]Oh! PLAYER, did you just say something to me?
[player]Yeah, I asked you which of these two pots is the camellia.
[Hana Ninomiya]It's the one on your left. Sorry, my mind wandered and didn't hear you just then.
[player]No problem. Are you feeling unwell? Shall we take a break?
[Hana Ninomiya]Okay.
I move two chairs over and put them under a tree with a lot of shade for Hana Ninomiya to rest for a while.
[Hana Ninomiya]Ah...
Hana Ninomiya's condition improves after drinking some water. She shakes the bottle of her drink and stares at the liquid inside, but her eyes aren't really focusing on it. Lately, her mind wandered like this from time to time. Sometimes, she sighs secretly with a distressed look on her face, as if she is worried about something.
[player]Is something troubling you, Ninomiya?
[Hana Ninomiya]...It's not actually a big deal. I'm just worried about the recruitment of new club members after school starts. The summer vacation ends in a few days, but I'm not ready for it yet.
[player]The gardening club is recruiting new members? That's a good thing. You won't have to do everything by yourself anymore, Ninomiya. You'll need to try harder to find more helpers.
[Hana Ninomiya]I really will need to try harder. The vice president said that the gardening club will be shut down if we don't recruit any new members.
[player]That sounds really serious... Huh? Wait a minute, why are things suddenly so serious that the gardening club will need to be shut down?
Although I agree that Hana Ninomiya needs to find some more helpers, the gardening club's activities have always gone well, so there shouldn't be much impact even if no new members join for a while.
[Hana Ninomiya]The vice president has his own considerations, and what he's thinking is reasonable too... In short, I'll need to think of a way to recruit new members in the short amount of time remaining.
What will happen to the potted plants if the gardening club is shut down? I have a lot of questions like this to ask Hana Ninomiya, but I know it will only add to her stress if I ask them now. I guess I should help her think of a way to recruit new members first.
[Hana Ninomiya]Hmm? PLAYER, your phone is vibrating.
I pull out my phone and look at the screen. Joseph sent me a text message.
[Joseph](Text Message) Hi, partner! My flight wasn't delayed today. I'm already at the mahjong dojo!
[player]Oh... That's right, Joseph and I are supposed to meet at the mahjong dojo today.
Joseph and I agreed to play mahjong together after he comes back after finishing the filming of his show, and I was planning on meeting up with him after helping Hana Ninomiya today.
[Hana Ninomiya]Have you made plans to play mahjong with someone? You should go if they've already arrived.
[player]But we haven't finished doing everything we need to do here today.
[Hana Ninomiya]Don't worry. I asked Nana to meet up with me here. She'll help me.
[player]...Okay then. In that case, you should rest in the shade for a little longer. Be careful of heat stroke.
Although I'm still worried about member recruitment and want to help Hana Ninomiya think of some ideas before I leave, I better accept her kind intentions since she said I should go first.
I clean the dirt from my hands at a nearby sink. When I return to pack my things, I see Hana Ninomiya sitting there frowning while in a daze again.
[Hana Ninomiya](whisper) How annoying... Things have been going well with just me anyway...
Am I thinking too much about this? It sounds like Hana Ninomiya isn't that interested in member recruitment.
Soon after I leave the gardening club, I see a familiar figure about to leave the school in the near distance.
[player]Vice president, are you also working overtime here during the vacation?
[Ren Kisaragi]Why are you here?
[player]The gardening club doesn't have enough people, so I've come to help out.
[Ren Kisaragi]Oh, I see. Don't forget to register your departure time when you leave.
[player]W-Wait! Don't leave so quickly. There's something I want to ask you.
[Ren Kisaragi]My cousin needs to see me urgently, so make it quick.
[player]I also need to meet someone, so I'll get right to the point. Aren't you rushing too much with the gardening club's recruitment? I even heard that the gardening club will be shut down if no new members are recruited.
[Ren Kisaragi]Asaha High School requires all clubs to meet a minimum member requirement before they can conduct activities. I'm just following the regulations.
[Ren Kisaragi]The recruitment period was already over when Ninomiya rebuilt the gardening club, so she was allowed to conduct club activities alone due to special circumstances. Now that the new semester is starting, she'll naturally need to recruit new members.
[player]But the recruitment of new members is something that depends on fate. Can you give her more time? Does it have to be resolved at the beginning of the semester?
[Ren Kisaragi]The beginning of the school semester is the best time to recruit new members. Do you think she'll be able to recruit new members if she misses this golden period?
[Ren Kisaragi]Since Ninomiya has rebuilt the gardening club, it's her duty as the club president to recruit more members and run the club smoothly. Since you've come to help her a few times, you should know very clearly that it's unrealistic for her to do everything in the club.
[Ren Kisaragi]Isn't Ninomiya always saying that she wants to make herself more noticeable to others? However, based on her current situation, she's still one of those students who doesn't fit in. She won't manage to achieve what she wants by just working hard at the mahjong table while refusing to spend any effort on group activities of the club.
Although Ren Kisaragi is stating his rational views coldly, I can hear that he also cares about Hana Ninomiya in his own way.
Whether it is to share the workload of the club or expand her social circle to make herself more noticeable, like Ren Kisaragi said, it isn't a bad thing for Hana Ninomiya to recruit new members. However...
[player]I have another question. What has Ninomiya said about the recruitment of new members? Has she mentioned anything along the lines of... not wanting to recruit new members?
[Ren Kisaragi]No. I reminded her about this before the summer vacation started. She said she will think carefully about the recruitment of new members during the vacation.
[player]I see... Sorry, I ended up asking you about so many things.
[Ren Kisaragi]That's okay. If that's all, I'll be heading off first.
[Ren Kisaragi]...And remember to register your departure time.
[player]Is there something on my face that says "I won't register my departure time"?
Since Hana Ninomiya told Ren Kisaragi that she'll think carefully about the recruitment of new members, did she mumble that complaint to herself when I left because she is anxious about not being ready for the recruitment?
I guess that makes sense though. It is inevitable that she'll feel a little anxious as it's getting closer and closer to the start of the semester. It's been a while since the summer vacation started. If she discussed this with me earlier, we would have had more time to think of a solution.
[player]Anyway, it's useless to think about that now. I'll go online and search about recruitment-related matters after I get home tonight so I can give her some ideas when we meet next time.
Several days later
During my break while helping out at the gardening club, I take out the notebook I brought with me.
[player]Ninomiya, what ideas have you got about the recruitment of new club members so far? If you haven't got any yet, we can discuss it while we're resting.
[Hana Ninomiya]Eh? I-It's okay. This matter is quite troublesome, so I'll just take my time thinking about it. You've already given me a lot of help.
[player]It's easier to come up with ideas when there are more people thinking. There isn't much time until school starts again, so we should think of something now so that we can enjoy the rest of the vacation with peace of mind.
[player]I won't be able to come over and help out as much later, so you won't need to work so hard if you manage to recruit more members. I'll also feel more at ease.
[Hana Ninomiya]...I understand.
[Hana Ninomiya]You're right... You can't come all the time. In fact, I've been causing you a lot of trouble all this time...
[player]Ninomiya?
A trace of disappointment flashes across Hana Ninomiya's face, but before I can think deeply about it, she turns to enter the clubroom and takes a laptop out of the room.
[Hana Ninomiya]I've drawn a poster for the club recruitment over the last few days. Can you take a look at it for me?
[player]Okay, it's a good idea to use a poster to attract new students to learn more about the club... Eh?
Hmm... displayed on the screen is a poster that is somewhat confusing. The words "the gardening club is recruiting new members" are clearly visible, but... I can't seem to identify what is drawn on the poster.
[Hana Ninomiya]PLAYER, what... do you think about it?
