Someone once suggested that believing is like placing a bet with coins of hope.

In other words... believing means taking a risk.

You gain something if you win, but you lose something if you fail.

As with any gamble, we try to make sure we win and then bet a coin.

But, as with any gamble, there's no guarantee of victory.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

And that's how you increase the number of coins you have.

But if you keep losing, you don't want to continue gambling.

It's then that you realize

that, if you don't gamble, you don't have to lose anything.

Not gambling on anything is the same as not believing in anything.

Not believing in anything is the same as not involving yourself in anything.

And not involving yourself in anything is the same as not existing.

Therefore, she didn't exist.

The one coin she had in her heart was the last one.

If she lost it, she'd disappear.

...That was why she was hesitating to make a bet.

She had been running, trying not to get involved in any type of match, because she was afraid of betting it by accident.

But just like in a game of poker,

she could lose her coin by folding.

She tried not to lose her last coin... but that meant she was going to lose it eventually, anyway.

There was something she didn't know.

Actually, I didn't know it at the time either.

The more coins bet into the pool... the higher our chances of winning this game.

In other words, the more frightened we are, the more we'll keep losing the game before us.

It's just like carrying a portable shrine.

It's impossible to carry such a heavy thing by oneself.

But when people put their strength together, they can lift it easily.

There's a clear borderline between 'too heavy to lift' and 'easily lifted'.

It's just like how the balance on a scale tips with just a little weight.

The big, heavy shrine before us couldn't be lifted.

Everyone tried their hardest to raise it, but couldn't.

I didn't help because I was sure it couldn't budge.

I don't participate in games I know I can't win.

So I didn't bet my coin.

...But,

that was wrong of me.

Maybe the portable shrine could have been lifted if I joined.

For the longest time, I'd been pretending to be a bystander.

I always thought I was there just to find out if my coin was worth betting or not.

But that was wrong!

I'm not just an onlooker, nor should I be a bystander.

I should have participated!

The game I've been facing doesn't look like a game I can win.

It doesn't look like a game that's worth betting on.

But by betting on it, or by participating in it, or by believing in it, the outcome might change.

To gamble on something is the same as to believe in something.

To believe in something is the same as to be involved in something.

To be involved in something is the same as to exist.

Therefore, she existed.

"Okay everyone, homeroom is starting!!

No more chitchatting!

Class rep, go ahead!"

"All rise!

Bow!"

"Good morning!!"

"Sit down!!"

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

It's an ordinary morning.

The only difference is that it started a little later than usual.

Chie-sensei normally arrives in the classroom right away, but she's a little late today.

Why was she late for homeroom?

The rumors were already stirring about the classroom before she arrived.

Chie-sensei gave a cue, and a girl peeked in the room timidly.

"......Au au au..."

"This is a new student, Hanyuu Furude-san.

She's going to be joining us starting today."

"""Woooow!!!!"""

The voices of welcome, delight, and surprise all mixed together and filled the classroom.

"Furude?

Is she related to Rika-chan?"

"......Yes, she is.

She's my distant relative."

"My, that's quite a surprise even to me!!

I was uninformed that Rika had relatives."

"Hey, this ol' man didn't know either!!

Well, the three families are rather complicated...

I wouldn't be surprised if I had distant relatives myself."

"But she sure does look related to Rika-chan!

Hauuu, what a kyutie!!"

"......Au au au..."

All my classmates had gotten excited.

The new girl looked rather intimidated by it all.

Rika-chan is rather carefree, but this Hanyuu seems like the complete opposite.

She's more like a shy woodland animal.

...The exact type that Rena loves.

...Look, see.

Rena is ready to swallow her whole...

"Okay, Hanyuu-san, please introduce yourself.

Settle down, everyone!

Go ahead, Hanyuu-san."

Chie-sensei left the podium and encouraged Hanyuu to take over.

The even greater pressure of the silence left her standing there timidly for a little bit.

...Well, that's understandable.

It's very nerve-wracking to watch, though.

"...Um...

Au au...

Uhh, I'm Hanyuu Furude.

...Uhh...

au au...

I'm Rika's relative..."

"...Meep~!

She's my relative.

Please be nice to her."

Rika-chan can tell that she's too nervous to introduce herself.

She's right to break the silence.

Pressuring her like that isn't fair.

...Which is why I decided to make it more lively.

"You're called Furude, just like Rika-chan, huh?

Now we have two Furudes in this class."

"Then how about we call her Hanyuu-san?

If we call her Furude-san, Rika might think we're addressing her, don't you think?"

We generally call each other by our first names here.

She's one of us starting today, so we should call her by her first name too.

"Okay, it's decided!

We'll call you Hanyuu!

I'm Mion Sonozaki, the class president!

Call me Mion, okay?"

"Oh ho ho ho!!

I am Satoko Houjou.

Very pleased to meet you, Hanyuu-san!"

"Ah, um!!

I'm Daiki Tomita!

My parents run a tofu shop! Please come by anytime!"

"I, I, I'm Suguru Okamura!

Please ask me if you don't know anything..."

"Hello!!

Let's be friends, okay?

What grade are you in?"

Our classmates fell over each other to introduce themselves.

Everyone tried to get her to remember their names so they could be friends. A friendly atmosphere swelled in the room.

I've only just transferred recently myself, but this is exactly how it was on my first day too.

I remember how nervous I was, and how much I appreciated this as a result.

I know more than anyone how nerve-wracking it is to be a new student.

I should look after her!

"I agree.

We'll have to help her blend into the class quickly."

"Right, you were a new student last year, huh?

Were you nervous on your first day too?"

"Yep.

But Mii-chan and the others were so nice to me that I got used to the class pretty quickly."

"Well, yeah!

To welcome a newcomer to the village is one of the Three Families' important duties."

"You only mention the Three Families when it suits your purposes.

But it's true that you all helped me get used to such a different environment."

"In that case,

doesn't that mean it's your turn to look after her, Kei-chan?"

"Yeah, I thought so too!

Rena was a new student, but she looked after me when I got here.

So it's my turn to look after the next new student!!"

A new student always dramatically changes the atmosphere of a class.

Even my attitude has changed.

We decided to gather around Hanyuu during lunch break.

"Okay!!

Remember, you can only ask Hanyuu one question each, okay?

Why don't we ask her some personal questions so we get to know her better~?

Let's see, who'll be the first to go~?"

"Uh, uh, uh, uhh...!

Um... what is your favorite food?"

"...Au, I like sweets.

My favorite kind are cream puffs."

"Oh, that's wonderful!!

I love cream puffs too!

There's a very good sweets shop in Okinomiya.

I'll take you there sometime."

"Okay boys, did you all hear that?

If you want Hanyuu to like you, get her some cream puffs, okay?

Not the cheap ones though. Get her something expensive!!

Let's see, who's next?!

If there's no one else, I'll ask what color her underwear is today!"

"...Au au au!"

Everyone kept asking Hanyuu questions, and she looked all panicky again.

I guess this is like a traditional ceremony for a new student.

I remember this is exactly how my first day went.

Mion and Satoko seem amused, so it must be the same for them too.

I noticed Rena watching the scene before her with a distant look in her eyes.

She's probably remembering her first day too.

"Are you recalling what it was like?"

"...Eh?

...Ah, yeah.

Ahahaha."

"Were you thinking about something else?

You aren't thinking about taking Hanyuu home, are you?"

"H-Hau?!

No way!!

I'm not thinking that since Hanyuu-chan likes cream puffs,

and since I have some good cream puffs at home, that she should come over or anything like that!

Hauuu!!

I'm taking her home with me!!"

"Ahahahahahahaha, if she doesn't come to school tomorrow, it'll be your fault, Rena!"

"Hau, that's mean~.

Ahahahahaha."

As we watched Hanyuu and our classmates have fun, Rena and I laughed together.

"...Hey, Keiichi-kun.

This sure is great, huh?"

"Yeah, it is.

It's great to meet a new classmate."

"Ehh......

no, not that...

I mean...

I think I've seen her a few times before."

"Hanyuu?

Maybe you saw her when she and her family came to look at the area before they moved here.

You sure have a good memory, Rena."

"...No, it's not like that...

...Hanyuu-chan has been here for a long time... She's been right beside us all the while, watching us play together.

...For ages now.

...Huh?

Is it just me?

Didn't you notice, Keiichi-kun?"

"...No, I haven't seen her before.

So are you saying that you've met her before, Rena?"

From what I can see, this is the first time Mion and Satoko have met Hanyuu.

If she's been that close to us, like Rena said, it's impossible that none of us would remember her.

"Are you sure?

Besides, Hanyuu is a transfer student.

She couldn't have been here in this village that often."

"...Hmmm...... do you think so?

I swear I've seen her pretty often..."

"It's your imagination.

Even Hanyuu just said she was living far away before she moved here."

"...Hmmm...

...But I've seen her before...

...Hau."

Rena looked like she was trying to remember more.

It's probably one of those deja vu experiences.

Although it is the first time you see something, it feels like you've seen it before.

"Oh well, just forget about it.

She's here now, right?"

"Yeah, you're right.

Yeah.

She always seemed so eager to join us... So I'm glad that she's one of us now.

Aha ha ha ha ha!"

Rena smiled with tears in her eyes.

When I looked over at her, Rika-chan was wearing the same expression.

...It made no sense to me why those two looked that way.

But as soon as Satoko came over and pulled a prank on me, I forgot all about it.

"""See you laaaateeer!!"""

These are the words that signal the best time of the school day.

As soon as the last period ended, my classmates ran out of the room.

Hanyuu was popular all day today.

She's Rika-chan's age, so all the lower-grade students gathered around her.

Older students like me and Mion didn't have a chance to get close to her.

"Well, I'm sure they'd rather have a new student who's their age than a scary-looking older guy."

"Ahahaha.

That's right, you looked so scary at first, Keiichi-kun! It was probably because you were nervous."

"Hey, hey, that's mean!

I was trying to be friendly so I could get along with the class..."

"You were far from friendly!

You slapped me upside the head on your first day, Keiichi-san! Don't you recall?"

"That's because of how I was treated on my very first day!!

There was a thumbtack on the seat of my chair and even a frog in my desk!!!"

"We heard there was a new student in the teacher's office, so we went to take a peek.

We saw you there, and you looked so nervous that Satoko must have thought she had to do something to help you relax."

"Oh ho ho ho!

As your elder, I was being considerate, you see?"

"Tsk! That's impossible!"

Although, that blackboard eraser trap sure did help to ease my tension.

But Satoko will be so pleased with herself if I tell her that,

so I'll never admit it.

"Hanyuu-chan must have gone home with everyone else.

I'm sure she's still popular even after school."

"Ahahaha.

Still, your first day at a new school is always really exhausting.

I'm sure she'll sleep very well tonight."

"I'm quite sure too.

Oh ho ho ho!"

"Okay, everyone!!

It's been a while, since I've been busy with work quite a bit lately!

It's time for a club meetiiiing!!!"

"I've been waiting for this!!

It's been so long that I've gotten rusty!"

"......Meep~!

I've been bored because I haven't rubbed a loser's head in a while."

"Hauuu!

I won't lose!

I won't be holding back just because it's been a while!"

"Heh heh heh!

You sure have pent-up frustrations, huh?

Great, that makes things even more interesting!!"

"Heh heh!

Everyone's motivated, huh?

You better watch out! I'm in top form today!!

Mion, you're going to wish you went to work instead!!"

Mion's had to work quite a bit lately because her uncle's shop is short on staff.

So we haven't done any club activities for a long while.

For us, club activities are the main reason we come to school!

In a way, we live for these few hours after school.

If there are no club activities, there's no point in coming here at all.

So it only makes sense for us to be excited about getting to have a meeting again.

"I guess none of us will be satisfied with an ordinary game...

Heh heh heh!

What should we play?"

Mion looked into the club locker.

I'm always curious about what's in that locker and how much of it there is.

I swear there's more in there than it can realistically hold.

Just then, we heard the door open.

"...Oh?

Hanyuu-chan?"

"...Au.

...H-Hello."

"What are you doing here?

Did you forget something?"

I thought she had already gone home.

Did she forget her lunchbox or something?

It's not that big a deal to forget a textbook, but you can't forget a lunchbox.

"...Au au au au..."

"Hm?

Hanyuu, what is it?

Are you looking for something?"

Hanyuu looked at us apologetically.

What is it?

Are we in the way?

She kept staring at us timidly.

Hmm?

Are we sitting in Hanyuu's seat?

No, that's not it.

"What is it, Hanyuu-chan...?

Can we help you? Can we?"

"...Au au au..."

Rena talked to her, but there was no communication to be had.

Almost like trying to have a conversation with a stray cat.

...What is this?

Hanyuu was fixated on something.

I followed her gaze, and found Rika-chan.

Hanyuu's apologetic gaze was directed at Rika-chan.

"......Meep."

"...Au au au..."

"......I won't say anything.

If you want it, you need to say it yourself, Hanyuu."

"......Au au au..."

With that, I finally figured it out.

Hanyuu wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to say it, so she wanted Rika-chan to say it for her.

But Rika-chan told her to say it herself.

In other words, we need to listen to what Hanyuu has to say.

We patiently waited for Hanyuu to speak up.

But when I think about what happened this morning, I realize this kind of silence makes her even more nervous.

Rena, noticing that, talked to her in a sweet tone of voice.

"What is it, Hanyuu-chan?

Can you tell me?

I'll help you."

"......Au au..."

"Hm?

What is it?

Can you say it one more time?"

"......Au au au au."

"Hmm, hmm.

......Hm...

Eeeeh?!"

Rena raised her voice.

"What? Let this ol' man know too.

What is it?"

"Eh, ahh... Are you sure?!"

"What could it be?

Please share it with us all."

"Ahh, well...!"

"...I... I want to join your club...!"

"""Eeeeeeeeh?!"""

Hanyuu said it loudly, as if to shake off her embarrassment.

"Ha, hahahahahahahahaha!!

Now that's a surprise!

Where did you hear about us?"

"Au au au...!

I want to join...

I want to join your club..."

"......Very good. You did a great job.

Clap, clap, clap☆."

Rika-chan must have known that Hanyuu wanted to join the club all along.

Mion folded her arms with a smile and stared at Hanyuu as if appraising her. Needless to say, Hanyuu was intimidated.

"Hmmmmmm,

you're awfully reckless, jumping into mortal peril by choice.

...But our club isn't just any old club.

Only a select few are allowed to join, and that's only after passing a gruesome trial.

Just because you want to join doesn't mean you can, you know...?!"

"Ah, look, Hanyuu-chan...

Mii-chan's club might look fun, but...

hau, you know... it's not that easy."

"...Au, I already know that..."

"You have to win,

otherwise you don't know what might happen...

Are you sure you're aware of that?"

"...Au, I won't lose...

...B-Besides..."

Hanyuu swallowed once and said what was on her mind.

It sounded like a big thing to say for her, as though it had a much deeper meaning.

"I used to hate to lose, so I always ran away from every game.

But running away is even worse than losing.

I can win only if I continue to fight, despite the pain of failure.

...That's something I've learned."

"...Hanyuu."

When Mion realized that, although she looks timid, Hanyuu is actually very courageous, she grinned.

Looks like she's grown fond of her.

"Well, well.

She's got guts!

How about it, Mion? Why don't we let her try, huh?

Let her take the entrance exam!!"

"Hmmm...

Heh heh heh!

It usually takes more than a few weeks to determine if one is even qualified to take the exam, yet she wants to take it on her first day...

Hmmm, what should I do? Heh heh heh!"

Mion pretended to be stubborn, but in reality, she was simply playing with her.

If she actually didn't want her to join, she would have refused her right away.

Of course, if Hanyuu was bothered by this kind of intimidation, she wouldn't be able to survive in this club.

"Just like Rena and Satoko said,

our club is relentless!

Winning should be your utmost goal.

Always aim for first place.

And if you come in last, you will wish you were never born."

"...Au au au!

I'll do my best..."

"Ahahahaha.

The punishment for losing is actually kinda fun too."

Hanyuu-chan, you've been watching the whole time, huh?

You've been wanting to join for the longest time, huh?

...I got the feeling that Rena had just mumbled something like that.

"Come on, Mion, let her try.

I got in by going through that too, you know."

"Quite true.

Let us see what Hanyuu-san is made of!"

"Ahaha, have fun, Hanyuu-chan!!

....I won't hold back, okay?"

"I-I... I won't hold back either..."

"......I'll only give you my best, Hanyuu."

"...Au au au au!"

"Very well!!

Hanyuu Furude, you're on!! You're allowed to take the entrance exam!!

Okay, then...!

We'll have to choose a game that Hanyuu knows how to play...

Hmmm, what would be good?

...Oh!!

...Heh heh heh!

What about this?"

Mion threw a deck of cards onto the desk.

Does this mean...?!

"We'll play a game that everyone knows!!

How about Old Maid?"

"...Au, th-that's fine...!"

Here she goes. This is exactly what I had to endure when I went through this entrance exam.

This is...

the marked tile deck!

"Oh ho ho ho!

That's a very enthusiastic response!!

However... our club's version of Old Maid is a little different, no?"

Most of the cards have scratches on the back, so by memorizing the scratches, you can tell what card it is.

In other words, the more you've played this game, the better you are at it. This is simply our way of being mean to newcomers.

"Ha-Hanyuu-chan, you can do it!

This is a trial...

hauu..."

"...Go for it, yay."

This sure brings back memories.

I had to go through this too...

It just happened recently, but I still feel so nostalgic!

"However!

That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!

Just like how merciless they all were when I did the exam,

I'll put everything I've got into this!

Right, everyone?!"

"Prepare yourself, Hanyuu-san!!!"

"Here we go!!

If you want to join, let us see what you've got!!!"

"...R-Roger...!!"

"Heh heh heh!!

I'll call your hand from the right, okay?

Ace,

three,

four,

seven,

Jack,

and Queen!!"

"It's too late to hide now!!"

"Au au au au!!"

"Sorry, Hanyuu-chan, this is the Ace of Spades, right?

I'm out!!"

"Mwahahahaha, do you get it, Hanyuu?

This is the entrance exam for our club!!"

"...Meep.

Keiichi is putting his leftover grudge from his own entrance exam into this game."

"Come on, Kei-chan, are you sure you should be saying things like that?

Hanyuu, take Kei-chan's card on the right, that's what you need to win."

"...Au!

I'm done!"

"Whaaaat, that's not fair!!

Okay, I'm dead serious now!!

How dare you make me mad!!

Hanyuu, do you want to go home on a leash, wearing shorts with a tail on them on your first day?"

"My, my!!

I think you would look better in them, Keiichi-san!!"

"Hauuu, yes, yes!!

And I'm going to take him home with me!!"

"I-I'll make him do that punishment...!"

"Heh heh heh!

That's a great idea, I'm in too!!"

"Hey, you guys, why are you picking on me, huh?

Fine then!!

I'm going to make all of you do it!!"