With a lot of regrets, I arrived at the clubhouse.

There was no one outside. The place almost felt deserted. I guess no one was here yet. Well, how could they? Today was the first day of recruitment and most of the first years were held back by all kinds of seniors at the school entrance. I'd gotten lucky and- well, maybe I wasn't so lucky either.

Selene knocked on the door, still holding me like a potato bag.

'Here comes the grueling paperwork part.' I sighed to keep my sanity. Hopefully, this will end quickly and I'd be on my way.

After a minute the door opened. "Surprise!"

It was a party inside. The holo-banner read, 'Welcome newbies.'

There were sprays, glitters, balloons, and every other party-themed thing you'd imagine.

Cake, hats, food, music everything. But there was one problem, it wasn't my birthday.

I knew they were doing this for the newcomers but, really, just me? All the other first years were in one corner while I was the only one being treated like this.

As a result, I was getting all sorts of murderous glares from my fellow year mates. But the seniors looked at me with affectionate eyes, especially the girls. I guess they were the prime target of Blaze, so this was expected.

'Still, a whole party just for my sake?'

If they'd done this while also having all the newbies come in at once, instead of just me, this might not have been seen as anything other than a welcome party. But maybe I was just being a bit too picky.

So I went with the flow and put up a smile. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

'No, you can't forget about the assignment!' OOPS, almost forgot about it again.

I couldn't run away now. I couldn't let all their efforts go in vain.

'I'll try to enjoy as much as I can and then silently take my leave.'

So I made a compromise instead.

"This way." Selene led me towards guys who were clearly older than me.

I had no choice as she was still holding my hand. Well, at least I was on my feet now. But still being dragged like a kid?

"Meet…." I didn't catch their name. "They are the third years of our club. All three are veterans so feel free to ask them anything." Selene showed her teeth. That was one big grin.

"Hi, I'm Jintel." It was awkward but I shook hands with all three of them.

Though they were seniors, they treated me well. They were also very polite.

"Next, as you can see, the rest are second years, even the captain himself." Selene swiped her hand across the room. I did see loads of guys, but I didn't see the captain.

Everyone in particular just looked at me with smiles. Everything felt a bit too welcoming.

Now that I took a good look, this was a bit different from that feast a few days ago. There was more food and more importantly, they had maple syrup this time. So without a doubt, I grabbed a bottle of syrup for myself. There was plenty. I didn't even pay attention to Selene anymore. I couldn't afford maple syrup with the little pocket money I got, so this was like finding the lost treasure of Atlantis.

I still didn't know if it existed or not though.

With a smile that'd shame the devil himself, I went for the pancakes. But there was one problem. There were no cakes. The smile crumbled faster than lightning.

'What the hell?'

What the hell indeed.

Even just a second ago, there was plenty, but now it was all gone. Even the normal cakes were gone.

Selene chuckled. "It's always like this with desserts. It's very unpredictable. And since we have too many members and some even go for seconds…. Don't let it bother you." Selene put her hands over my shoulder and leaned on me from the right, grinning the entire time. I guess she knew I was a sucker for free stuff.

I sighed and just drank the syrup on its own, one sip at a time. It was too sweet and I was just killing my teeth. But I was really frustrated if nothing else.

Seeing my disappointment and stress drinking, she just giggled some more.

If this was my party, then the least they could have done was to keep some food for me, right?

"So, you're a member here?" I asked Selene.

It was bothering me for quite a while now. Selene was the one who started all this club drama. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have fought that snort king. Speaking of that guy, I actually hadn't seen him after my fight that day with Blaze.

I never got to thank the guy.

I hadn't seen Eve either lately. I still hadn't thanked her for letting mom and Elsa stay there. Though personally, I didn't really want to meet her.

"Nope. I just give a hand sometimes." Selene gave me a victory sign and struck a pose. Why was she so proud of this?

With another sigh, I looked around. Eve wasn't around. But I did see two faces I recognized. Those two being Dan and Ariel. Ariel held a piece of cake in my direction as if inviting me. Was she paying attention when I was dreading over my loss of cake? But I knew better: I couldn't give in to temptation. It was very painful to let that cake go though.

But there were a few faces that I really didn't want to see again. Those being, the transfer students. Why the hell were they here?

I guess it did make sense. If they were transferring just for me, then they'd try to be where I was. But the thought sure didn't make me feel good. The redhead who could use shadows was glaring at me with a lot of intention though, while the others were just enjoying the food, occasionally glancing my way.

"So, won't I have to fill in the forms, get permission, and all that stuff? Let's get this over with. I have studies, remember?" I reverted back to my original goal to distract myself from all the incoming glares.

"Oh, those are all done. I already took permission from Lady Sylvia. And Eve filled in your form. Everything is good to go." Selene closed her eyes and struck another victory pose.

'So I'll have to get into this club whether I like it or not? Wait, isn't that fraud?'

"How can-"

"If you're wondering that how could she fill your form then don't. We already know much about you and we were just trying to make this process a bit less complicated for you. All you have to do is." She paused to make her sound more dramatic. Could she have not done that? This was just dragging on and I had things to do. "Is win!" She giggled a bit. "And also, you'll have to sign the document or it won't be accepted." The last part was probably more important though.

I guess she was being serious about this. "Well, that's the plan." I was planning to win from the start. For the sake of the choco- ahem…." Anyway, where's the captain? I'll pay my respects to him and be on my way. As I said, I have to finish an assignment."

"Pay respects? It's not like he's dead." She chuckled quite loud. "Anyway, let's go over there then." Again, she started pulling me around. Just what god in their right mind thought of giving this girl such strength and such stupidity at the same time?

***

I met the captain and signed the documents necessary for joining. Things moved fast. The Maple syrup was a bit too sweet. It was probably sweetened a bit too much. Well, at least it was free. And before I knew it, I finished it with a little tingling from my teeth. 'Too much sugar for one day I guess.'

"Anyway, thanks for everything. I'll come back tomorrow. I've got something to do now, so-" So I wanted to get out of here ASAP.

The captain was in front of me and he was going to explain some rules to me. But I didn't really have time today. Besides, I could always just learn these things tomorrow anyway.

"Now, now, there's no need to hurry." Someone wrapped her hands around my neck. Her breath was on me. I recognized the voice and I certainly didn't want to be near her.

"Ah, we meet again." I turned my head like a badly oiled machine.

The girl was holding me loosely but I got the impression, she could have strangled me at will. It was one of the transfer students. The one with red hair and horrible common sense.

"Yes, it must be fate." She was smiling, but it was frightening

"You two know each other?" Amie walked towards us, with a drink in her hand. I forgot that these guys drank.

"We met-"

"Yes, we're fated to be together." The girl didn't let me finish and pressed her chest firmly against my back, hugging me tighter in the process.

Under ordinary circumstances, this might have been an otherworldly sensation, but now, I was too afraid to even move my muscles.

Things got very awkward, very fast.

"Can you please let go of me?" I chose my words carefully and spoke with a subtle tone. Of course, I could have yanked her off. But I didn't want to create a scene at this party and I certainly liked to keep my neck as healthy as possible.

"Okay." She almost seemed sad. Honestly, I didn't get this girl. And not to mention she let go of me without a fuss. I really didn't get this girl.

With a sigh of relief, I carefully surveyed the surroundings. Of course, there were occasional stares, but other than that, this wasn't causing any unnecessary drama.

"Alright, I guess I'll be leaving now. Thanks for the party and later." I waved and turned around. The more I stayed here, the more things would get awkward.

"Be sure to bring your sword tomorrow and try to make up some time. The compatibility procedure would take some time." The captain yelled a bit louder than usual.

I just waved.

***

Though there were stares and whatnot, no one really tried to interact with me. Not even the transfer students. I guess everyone was wary of me.

The seniors did smile and act polite but even they didn't talk more than necessary.

But it was better this way. I didn't really want to deal with them either.

As I passed through the club doors, all the sounds from the party became distant. It was a party for me, and yet I couldn't enjoy it. I felt a little sad about it. But finishing that assignment was top priority for me.

If I could finish everything in due time, try my best, and get that job then every day would have been a party anyway. Well, I most certainly hoped so.

So with a smile, I headed for the dorms. At least that's what I would have done if two guys weren't waiting for me just outside the clubhouse.

One guy, one girl, both blondes. They were quite similar in looks. 'Siblings?'

The way they were staring at me, meant they had business with me. And the fact that they were transfer students, definitely gave my hypothesis at least some ground.

"We need to talk," the boy started.