Maka stepped out of the back door of the passenger's side of Tsubaki's car, overlooking their house as Black Star sped up the driveway. This was the second time she had been invited over there in the past two weeks, but she did not mind it one bit. The Nakatsukasa residence was always a warm and lively place to be. Tsubaki emerged from out the driver's side door, and waited for the passenger door opposite hers to open, before locking up the car. Crona stepped out of the passenger seat, while Soul just went out the back door on the driver's side.
"To think we'd need a second car if you didn't get your license over the summer," Soul said. "Wait... oh crap, was it legal to drive a car full of just other teens at your age?" he asked. Tsubaki paused for a bit.
"We didn't see any cops, so we're good!" Black Star shouted, knocking on the door for a solid fifteen seconds straight. A short woman in her mid-to-late forties answered the door. Her black hair was tied up in a low braid, and contrasting the five teens' predominantly black school uniforms and Black Star's football uniform, she was wearing a white blouse with a light blue pencil skirt. "Mom!" Black Star shouted with glee, hugging the woman.
"Welcome back, Black Star, Tsubaki," Mrs. Nakatsukasa said, as Tsubaki and the others walked up the driveway. "Oh, you brought Soul, Maka, and this must be Crona," she said, looking at the group. Black Star let go of his foster mother as the other four teens approached the front steps.
"It's nice to meet you, Crona," Mrs. Nakatsukasa said, holding out a hand for Crona to shake. Crona just looked at her outstretched hand for a bit.
"Um, nice to meet you as well," Crona replied, only moving out one arm from their side, not to shake hands, but to lightly grasp their other wrist.
"Oh, not a hand-shaker, I see?" Mrs. Nakatsukasa pointed out. "That's quite all right," she added. "Why don't you all just come on in?" she asked, stepping out of the doorway to let everybody in."Black Star, I thought you would have taken off your football uniform after practice."
"Ah, yeah, I was distracted trying to scout someone for show choir," Black Star replied, setting his football helmet on the living room table. "But I think he's in, or at least gonna check it out tomorrow."
"That's great news!" Maka exclaimed, taking off her shoes at the door and setting them next to the others' pairs.
"Tsubaki, Black Star, your father won't be long coming back from work," Mrs. Nakatsukasa replied. "I've just started making spaghetti for everyone," she added. "Are you kids okay with spaghetti?" she asked. Crona looked over at her, their interest piqued.
"Yes," they replied, sounding a bit perkier than usual, as the others affirmed their positive opinions towards having spaghetti that night.
"Is there anything I can do to help prepare?" Tsubaki asked.
"No, but thank you very much for the offer," Mrs. Nakatsukasa replied.
"You're welcome," Tsubaki said.
"Hey, wanna see my room?" Black Star asked Crona. "Come on!" he exclaimed, walking off down the hall. Maka, Crona, Soul, and Tsubaki followed Black Star down the hall to the end, where there were two staircases, one leading to the upper floor and one to the basement level. Tsubaki pointed Crona upstairs where the bedrooms were, and they all went up together to a landing with a door on one side, a rather large balcony closed off by two glass doors, and another short hallway with four doors. At the end of the hallway, there was a wall shelf adorned with three framed photographs. One of Black Star on the right, Tsubaki in the middle, and on the left, a young man with sunken eyes, his black hair tied up in a low ponytail. He was the only one not smiling in the series of photographs.
"The first door on the left is the bathroom, the second one is my room, Black Star's room is across from the bathroom, and across from my room is Masamune's," Tsubaki said.
"Masamune?" Crona asked.
"My older brother," Tsubaki replied. "He... he's already grown up and out of the house," she added, scratching her nose. "His room just hasn't been reused yet."
"Is this him?" Crona asked, pointing to the leftmost photograph. Tsubaki nodded. Black Star flung open the door to his room.
"Hey, get in here, I broke out Cards Against Humanity," he said. Tsubaki flinched a bit before shushing him. "It's not like Mom knows I stole it from Masamune's room in the first place. Or that he even owned it."
"That's why I'm making sure she doesn't know!" Tsubaki replied. "We could get in serious trouble playing this," she said, as Maka and Soul went into Black Star's room. The room was spacious, with a small closet and twin-sized bed. There were a few pieces of dirty clothes on the floor, despite the basketball hoop over the laundry hamper. There was a large area rug over the hardwood floor to create a soft surface, ideal for sitting with friends and playing cards on. Black Star was seated in such a manner as to obscure the box.
"Deal me in," Soul said, as Crona walked in and took a seat on the rug. Tsubaki begrudgingly arrived, sitting between Black Star and Soul, as Black Star began dealing out white cards. The remaining white cards were set facedown in a pile, and black cards were in another pile, with one, faceup, set out where everyone could read it. "_+_=_"
"Oh, this is a good one," Black Star said, as everyone picked up their hands. Soul looked as if he was trying to reign in laughter at one of the cards he had. The horrifically surprised look on Crona's face clearly indicated they had never played a game of Cards Against Humanity in their life. Maka tried to hold back laughing, not at her cards, but at that expression.
"Looks like you got some good cards, Crona," Tsubaki said. "Do you know how the game works?"
"No," Crona replied.
"It's simple," Black Star said. "Just match up white cards to black cards, depending on what the black card says. Then you draw new cards to replenish your hand, and whoever's judging this round picks out the winning cards. The game continues until one of us hits a certain number of points, decided by the group beforehand," he explained. How about we play for ten points?" he asked.
"Sure," Maka replied. "I'll judge first," she added. Everyone else looked at their hands, and set down three cards each. Black Star looked like he was going to erupt with laughter at any moment. Maka took a deep breath, and looked at the submissions.
"Okay, here we go," she said. "Poor life choices plus waking up half-naked in a Denny's parking lot equals another shitty year. Cuddling plus a murder most foul equals multiple stab wounds. Finger painting plus vigilante justice equals a zesty breakfast burrito. And science plus the power of the Dark Side equals some god-damn peace and quiet. I think I'm gonna pick that last one."
"Are you serious?" Soul asked. "What's not to love about zesty breakfast burritos?"
"You were just getting rid of cards, weren't you?" Maka asked in return, as Black Star and Tsubaki drew new cards. "Okay, who played the Dark Side?"
"That was me," Crona replied.
"That means you're judging now," Black Star said, passing "_+_=_" to Crona as the next black card was drawn. "How did I lose my virginity?" he asked, looking at the card, as Maka put her card down. Black Star put one down as well.
"I'm worried about the outcome of this one," Crona said, seeing the almost demented grin on Tsubaki's face as she put her card down. Soul scanned his hand one more time, before putting a card down.
"This is gonna be good," Black Star said, as Crona picked up the cards.
"Oh my gosh..." they muttered. "Do I have to read these out loud?" they asked, as somebody knocked on the door. Everyone looked right at the door with varying degrees of fright on their faces as it slowly creaked open to reveal Mrs. Nakatsukasa. She looked at the group, not noticing what they were doing.
"Your father just got back," she said. "Do you guys want marinara or alfredo on your spaghetti?" she asked.
"Marinara's fine," Tsubaki said.
"Okay then," Mrs. Nakatsukasa replied. "I'll let you know when it's ready," she added, slipping out of the room.
"I thought we weren't allowed to play this," Crona said, taking a few breaths to try and calm themself.
"Yeah, but Mom never gets mad at anyone while guests are over," Black Star replied. "Tsubaki and I are probably going to get a lecture after you three leave if she noticed what game this was," he sighed, as Tsubaki was putting cards away in a hurry.
"Is she harsh when guests aren't here?" Crona asked.
"What? No," Black Star replied. "She's super sweet and caring all the time, like any normal mom."
"Yeah," Soul added, vouching for his friend. "Mrs. Nakatsukasa's the greatest. She always makes sure to make us all really good food, she listens to us if we need anything, and there were a few times she consoled Maka back during the initial feelings she had spawning from her parents' divorce. We're all family to her, and she treats us equally well, like family should," he said.
"Yeah, she's also helped with homework, always been there when we're feeling down, she took us to school every day until I got my driver's license," Tsubaki listed, shoving the Cards Against Humanity box under Black Star's bed. "She's done so much for all of us."
"Oh, um, yeah, like any normal mom," Crona said, as Soul's phone started ringing. Guys, you're making them feel guilty for saying that, Maka thought. But I do really love Mrs. Nakatsukasa. She's the second best mom I've ever seen, only after my own Mama.
"Hello?" Soul asked. "Oh, I really thought Mom or Dad would've told you I'm over at Black Star and Tsubaki's, why wouldn't they? Bye," he said, hanging up.
"Who was that?" Maka asked.
"Yeah, you got a sibling you hid from us for three years?" Black Star asked. "Well, about three months in Crona's case, but you know what I mean."
"I... uhh..." Soul nervously began, looking around the room. The surroundings had not noticeably changed since he had been over the week before, and the only real abnormality to him was the regretful look on Crona's face, so there was nothing much for him to really point out as a distraction without putting anyone else on the spot.
"Yeah, I do," Soul sighed, sounding dejected. "An older brother named Wes. He's a violinist, but he recently got laid off from his orchestra, and now he's crashing at home for a few weeks until he gets his life together, waited on hand and foot by not only our family's staff, but my goddamn parents. He's a selfish jerk, but he's the family favorite, so what can I do but quietly resent him while everyone ignores me?"
"How much of a selfish jerk?" Black Star asked, eyes lighting up with intrigue.
"Forget it, I've already said enough," Soul replied, walking towards the door. "I have to use the restroom," he said, walking out. So that's who Wes is.
"So, um," Tsubaki began, "who's this guy you're trying to scout for show choir?" she asked Black Star.
"Kilik Rung," Black Star replied. "He's in a few classes with you two, right?" he added to Maka and Crona. "You guys know him?"
"Yeah, but we haven't talked much yet," Maka replied, looking at Crona, who was trying to regain their composure. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Crona replied, shaking a bit. "Um, I... I think I might actually try out tomorrow," they said, trying to change the subject. "The leads for the competition will have already been picked by then, so if they actually want me to get in, I won't have as much pressure," Crona replied.
"Hey, can we hear what you've got for your audition so far?" Black Star asked, leaning in towards Crona with eager eyes.
"I don't really have any idea for what I'm going to do," Crona replied, inching away from Black Star.
"If you're out of ideas, Soul knows how to play 'Bring Me to Life' by Evanesence on piano, so if you know how to sing that..." Maka began, until Soul flung open the door.
"I do not!" he protested. Maka gave him a smug look. "Okay, maybe I do," he sighed. "I definitely do." Soul became more weary-sounding as he spoke. "I can even sing the guy's part if you want me to."
"That's not really necessary, I... I don't even know the words to that song," Crona replied. "Or even what it is," they said. Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki all looked at Crona with shocked expressions. Soul immediately got out his phone and started searching through his music library.
"How do you not know that song?" Black Star asked. "Everyone with your type of personality knows that song!"
"What type of personality are you even talking about?" Crona asked in return, as the song began playing from Soul's phone. The regrettably familiar lyrics took Maka back to seventh grade, when Soul listened to it nonstop. That song which sparked a dark month with Soul trapped in the epicenter, Maka and Black Star, but Maka especially, stuck as witnesses to the horror it spawned. Thankfully, Tsubaki had already entered high school at that point, mostly spared, but for Maka, it only left what could have been unpleasant, annoying memories, if it was not so hilarious for her to mock.
"Nope, never heard that before," Crona said. "It's really bad, can you turn it off?"
"Crisis averted!" Maka beamed, joy emanating from her face. She threw her arms around Crona. "Thank you," she whispered in their ear. Be thankful you went to a different middle school. You were the only one of us truly spared.
"Um, you're welcome," Crona replied, as Soul turned the song off. "I guess both of us hate it," they added, naive to the events of two years prior.
"No, she likes it," Soul said, poking Maka's cheek. Black Star chanted "You like the song, you like the song," poking Maka's other cheek. She was getting progressively more pissed. If you keep doing this, I swear, I'll kill you both, she thought.
"What are you two doing?" Tsubaki asked.
"We found her weakness," Black Star replied. "She is not gonna stop hugging Crona, no matter how annoying we get," he proudly proclaimed. Maka let go of Crona right as Black Star said that.
"Run. Now." Maka said. Tsubaki managed to calm everything down after that, and the five teens just played cards until dinner was ready.
They made their way down the stairs to see the dining table set for seven, with heaping plates of spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce and meatballs waiting for them. After a quick introduction between Tsubaki's father and Crona, dinner began. Maka took the first bite, the taste of a piping hot meatball, seasoned perfectly, entering her mouth. Black Star began shoveling bites of spaghetti into his mouth, showing a lack of table manners that tonight, was unique to him. He felt no shame.
"Slow down, Black Star, there's no rush," Mr. Nakatsukasa said. Black Star just gave him a perplexed look before finishing the entire plate within three minutes. He walked back over to the kitchen, as everyone else was still eating normally. Maka took another bite of the spaghetti, the savory tomato and basil flavor of the marinara sauce that clung so perfectly to every noodle of the spaghetti making her question how any one human being could be able to make it this way. If this is what the spaghetti over here is always like, she thought, BlackStar and Tsubaki must live in spaghetti heaven. And no wonder Tsubaki's a good cook, if this is the result of the person who teaches her. Black Star peeked back into the dining room from the kitchen door.
"Mom, where are my seconds and thirds?" he asked.
"I didn't think you were bringing three guests over for dinner, so there isn't any extra spaghetti or meatballs left," Mrs. Nakatsukasa replied. "There's some apples in the fridge if you're still hungry," she added. Maka heard the fridge door slam after a few seconds, and Black Star came back with three apples. The boy was known for eating a lot, and Maka could see why, considering how amazing the food was here.
"Can someone please pass the parmesan?" Tsubaki asked. Maka handed the small bowl of freshly grated parmesan over to her. Tsubaki sprinkled a bit onto her pasta, before setting the bowl back down in the middle of the table, where her father grabbed it to put more on his own plate.
"So, how was school, everyone?" he asked.
"It was great!" Black Star replied. "I got a better grade than I thought on my pop quiz, the potatoes at lunch were really good, and I threw a football farther than anyone else at practice!"
"I learned a lot of very interesting things in class, and I got to hang out with Liz in the library during the afterschool period, so overall I had a great day," Tsubaki said.
"I got a perfect score on the beginning-of-the-year quiz we had for History," Maka added. "Looks like I'm going to be at the top of my class for another year if I keep going at this rate."
"Some kid a few tables over blew milk out of his nose at lunch," Soul said. "On purpose. I thought this was high school, not elementary," he sighed.
"I forgot the combination to my own locker, and my lunch got stolen from me before I could even get to the table," Crona said. "But Maka shared hers with me, and it was something that I liked much better than I was originally gonna have, so it worked out," they added, taking another bite of pasta. A soft smile spread across their face as they looked down at their food.
"Huh, I just realized I had never seen you smile before today," Soul said. "Maka's right, it is really nice."
The next school day was so far going well, with the second week coming to a close. As far as Maka was concerned, high school was still fun and exciting, and would remain that way all semester. And that feeling remained all day, even as Maka, at the end of her last class, took Crona's hand, and the two went off together towards the doors of a room that was quickly becoming familiar.
"I have our twelfth member!" Maka, Black Star, and Harvar all shouted, as they entered the choir room. The rest of Spartoi turned over to look at them, eight teens and one faculty advisor eager to see who would launch their team into competitive eligibility.
"This is Kilik, I snagged him from the football team," Black Star said, his arm around Kilik, who gave a sheepish grin.
"I brought Ox from Mathletes," Harvar said. Kim glanced at the sunlit glare of Ox's mostly bald head, an exasperated look on her face, but right as he returned the glance, she looked back over to Jackie and whispered something to her.
"I brought Crona, and they aren't in any other clubs at the moment," Maka added.
"Okay, let's see what they're made of," Spirit said. "Which one of you would like to go first?" he asked.
"I will!" Ox replied. "This is a song I wrote myself," he said. "It is called 'Ode to a Diehl: An Acrostic in Song'."
"Oh, Lord," Kim groaned. Ox stood where everyone could see him, and looked directly at Kim.
"K is for Kim, the most beautiful girl in the world, I is for I am in love with you," he sang, atrociously off-key and horribly nasal, "M is for my magnificent angel, D is for a darlingness so true, I for incredible devotion in my feelings, E is for eternal happiness whenever I look by, H is for how perfect you are, and L for this never being a lie."
Ox had made eye contact with Kim the entire time he sang this. And at this point, Harvar appeared to be filling up with regret at bringing Ox in, because not only would Ox have embarrassed himself, but he sounded absolutely terrible while doing it, only pulling him further and further into the abyss of shame. But judging by the look on his face, Ox didn't seem to be feeling any at all. Hiro stepped up to Ox, a smug look on his face.
"So that's all you got, huh?" he asked, trying to act tough.
"I can dance, just give me some room," Ox replied. He stepped back a single step with only his right foot. Ox set his backpack aside, before doing a pivot turn, facing away from the group, before moonwalking a few steps into the center of the room. Tell me he's not, Maka thought, as Ox started doing some weird interpretive dance stuff with his arms. Then Ox did a backflip, and during the landing, spun out into a pirouette that went on for at least ten rotations before Ox turned it into a high jump which landed with a kick. He did a shimmying motion with his shoulders while taking a few steps to the side. And then to the other side, before he stopped. All of this was without any accompanying music.
"I apologize for the unrehearsed mess, please take me into consideration for the twelfth slot," Ox said.
"Thank you, Ox," Spirit replied, looking dumbfounded. "Kilik, you're up," he added.
"I heard you guys were doing some songs from classic musicals, so I will be doing the first verse of 'Jet Song' from West Side Story," Kilik said, before beginning the first verse. Kilik's voice was strong, powerful, and pleasant-sounding, hitting a slightly gruff sound on a few notes. Unfazed at singing in front of a crowd, he hit every note of the short verse he sang perfectly.
"If you came in on the initial audition, we could've given you a lead role in our set," Spirit said. "Welcome to Spartoi, Kilik."
"Thank you, Mr. Albarn," Kilik said, walking over with Black Star to two chairs, where the two boys sat down and began chatting. Black Star sounded even more animated and enthusiastic than usual in his praise of Kilik's audition. I guess he really likes this new friend of his, Maka thought, smiling.
"And Ox, you seem very versatile in your dancing ability, so we'd love to have you here as a backup dancer," Hiro added.
"Thank you, Club President!" Ox shouted with glee. He ran right over to sit with Kim, who moved over to the empty chair on the other side of Jackie.
"Okay, we've got one more person left, right?" Spirit asked, looking over at Maka and Crona. Maka held both of Crona's hands and gave them an eager look.
"You're gonna do great," she said, walking back off to the three rows of black and white chairs, and sitting in the front row. Crona stepped out from the doorway to a place overlooking the seats, but still standing against the wall. All eyes were still on them, as they took a sheet of paper out of their backpack. They held the piece of paper in one hand, with their backpack straps resting against the opposite forearm.
"I... I didn't really have an idea on what song I was going to audition with, so I thought maybe I could just use one of my poems and kind of put it to a tune," Crona said, taking a deep breath. Their voice began to sound shaky with the first stanza, and they did not take their eyes off the paper, even for a second. Their voice stabilized, keeping at a soft tone, and a pitch that was neither too high or too low. But the general sound was nowhere near unremarkable, in stark contrast to their usual speaking voice. I had no idea they had the voice of an angel, Maka thought, starting to pay attention to the words they sang, wondering if what they wrote would provide any more insight to a side they did not normally want to show in person. But the words were dark and dreary, though abstract, and were dragging the whole room down. Even Black Star and Patty's enthusiasms were dwindled. The atmosphere of the room became thick with gloom, until the only sound that could be heard was a beautiful, soft voice, and even that drained its last sound of hope by the end. Crona looked out to the crowd and their melancholic faces. Liz was even crying a bit.
"I wish I hadn't been born," Soul said. Black Star, Ox, Jackie, Spirit, Patty, and Kidd echoed that statement, one by one. Liz leaned onto Tsubaki's shoulder and whispered something to her. Tsubaki put an arm around her and held her close.
"Was I really that bad?" Crona asked, looking out with such a vulnerable stare, like they were about to cry. There was a deep regret in their eyes as they awaited the answer.
"No, not at all," Spirit replied, tears streaming down his face as he stood up. Maka stood up as well, walking over with her father to her trembling friend. "That, that was beautiful," Spirit added. "Despite being the bleakest and most saddening thing I ever heard in my life, it was beautiful."
"Are you okay?" Maka asked. Crona hesitated for a second.
"I'm fine," Crona replied. "Now that I think about it, that poem was too personal to use," they whispered. "I think I might be depressed."
"Crona, that's kinda concerning, please talk to the counselor," Maka said. I thought it was just an abstract poem, not about anything in particular. "The poem's not bad though, and your voice was beautiful," she added, before leaning in really close to them. "If you need me for anything, I'll be here," Maka whispered into Crona's ear. She held them close. "You weren't bad, it was just really emotional," she said.
"I'm actually amazed at what you were able to do with everyone's emotions," Hiro said, walking up. "Mr. Albarn, are we getting a third new member today?" he asked, turning to Spirit.
"Yes," Spirit replied. "Crona, you're in," he added, before turning back to face the crowd. "Now, does anyone have any pictures of cute pets or something to get this room happy again before we start prepping for the preliminaries?"
"I have a puppy," Kim replied. "I found him as a stray last year and nursed him back to health," she added.
"Ooh, so you're not all abrasive?" Ox asked. "That soft side makes me feel like I have a cha-"
"No," Kim interjected. "Ox, you've been at this for three years, let it go. I am not interested."
"Yeah, but have you seen the fedora I just bought?" Ox asked. "I heard it's what all the American boys are using to be more attractive."
"So you are British..." Soul noted.
"A fedora'll make you less attractive, Ox," Kim added.
"Can I see your dog?" Spirit asked.
"Oh, sure," Kim replied, pulling her phone out of her bag. Everyone but Maka and Crona gathered around to see, with the latter still in the former's embrace.
"It's a fluffy white puppy!" Patty exclaimed.
"I have video," Kim added.
"Maka, come look at this!" Soul called out. "It can do tricks."
"Okay," Maka replied, letting go of Crona. I guess I can look at a different cute thing for a bit, she thought. The pictures and videos of Kim's puppy worked wonders on returning the joyful atmosphere to the choir room, and the group was ready for the beginnings of their competitive preparation in no time.
"As most of you know, we are doing a preliminary competition at the end of November," Spirit said. "We're not getting the announcement of venue and opponents until next month, and with fourteen members, we are now two over the minimum count for competing. So we are now officially eligible!"
The team cheered.
"Hiro and I are going to file everything over the weekend, so all we need is for everyone to sign their names onto this list to signify we have the proper member count," Spirit explained. "Any order is fine, I just need you all to get your names on there."
Hiro passed out the list, and people began to sign it as Spirit kept explaining things.
"We have a theme this year, and it's 'Classic Musicals'," Spirit said. "All three of our songs are from either Grease or West Side Story, and auditions have already been held and roles have already been chosen, so without further ado... we have Kidd and Black Star doing 'Grease Lightning', Liz and Patty doing 'A Boy Like That', and Kim and Harvar doing 'Summer Nights'!"
The first week of preparations was rough and rocky, with the lack of experience among many of the members being very apparent. Black Star kept drowning out Kidd's vocals, Patty just couldn't focus on her choreography, and Kim and Harvar had not quite mastered the timing for playing off each other's vocals.
"It's only the first week, everyone, don't get too discouraged," Spirit reminded everyone at the end of Friday afternoon. "We may have some problems at first, but all teams do."
"Not me," Black Star whispered to Maka.
"Black Star, we need to be able to hear Kidd's voice too since this is a duet," Spirit said.
"That's right, Black Star," Kidd added. But before Black Star could make his rebuttal, an ominous yet familiar silhouette appeared at the other side of one of the choir room doors.
"All right, assholes, guidance counselor says I have to join a stupid arts club!" Ragnarok shouted, flinging open the door to the point where the hinge nearly broke. Crona gasped in horror. "What's that, surprised to see me?" Ragnarok asked.
Maka could not believe her eyes at what was happening.
"I've got the note and everything," Ragnarok said, noticing Spirit's expression of disbelief.
"You have to audition just like the rest of us," Spirit replied.
"Come on, you gotta show us what you got," Hiro added.
"I ain't taking orders from a wimp like you," Ragnarok snapped at Hiro. He took a seat in the front row. "I don't even care if you don't let me do any activities, I just gotta pretend to be in this club just to get Miss Mjol-nerd off my back."
"Okay, watching is fine, but you actually gotta do something to be added to the club roster," Spirit replied. Maka felt someone squeeze her arm really tight, and looked over to see Crona, almost trembling. "Alright everyone, we're gonna do practice for 'Summer Nights, so get the chairs in position!" Spirit called out. All the girls and Crona each picked up a chair and took them to an empty spot in the room, arranging the chairs in such a formation so that it looked like they were around a rectangular table. The boys took seats in the regular seating area to mock bleachers. Kim and Harvar sat like they were the centers of their little groups, and rehearsal began.
And two days later at the next meeting, Ragnarok showed up again.
"This may be a lame and shitty club with no talent, but I guess if it can help me kill time, I'm signing up," he said. "Don't worry, faculty advisor, I got Hiro to do everything official yesterday," he added.
"Where is Hiro?" Maka asked, looking around the room for him. It's unusual for the club president to skip out.
"I'm here!" Hiro replied as if on cue. His face was a bit swollen on one side. "And I... I couldn't be happier for us having fifteen members!" he added, rubbing the swelling.
