We're supposed to meet here, I think?

Oh, Hello...! Sorry to keep you waiting.

You must be Mochizuki. Have you been told what the cleanup committee does for beautification week?

Yes. We look out for litter, like lunchboxes or wrappers that may've been left behind, and see if students are throwing away their trash properly.

That's right.

Okay, let's start.

Yes, I'm ready.

(She's cool and decisive... And if I remember correctly, she's the vice captain of the badminton club too... She's so impressive...)

The benches here look like they're being kept clean.

Yeah. There's no litter around... Aha.

Ah, that was delicious.

Hey, hold on a second. Yes, you.

Huh? Um, yes!

Always cover your disposable lunchbox before throwing it away, or at least put it in the bag it came in.

U-Umm...

The garbage bins at school aren't covered, so if a box is left exposed, the odor might attract flies and other pests. Please make sure to put it in a bag before throwing these away.

Oh, I see...

Understand?

Y-Yes, ma'am! I'll be more careful next time!

Alright, we're done for today.

Good work, today.

Yes. And thank you for letting me tag along!

Um... I just wanted to say that I was impressed by the way you delivered your warning back there.

Oh, really?

I mean... Someone has to say it, right?

Also... You helped me back there too.

I did?

Don't worry about it. I'm looking forward to being paired up with you for another patrol.

(She's so cool. Hmm... Actually, she reminds me of someone...)

(Oh, right... She's a lot like Shiho.)

Sigh...

C'mon! Cheer up already!

You can't mope around like this forever.

I know, but...

Is something wrong?

Hey, Honami. Oh, it's nothing major. She just had a fight with a senior club member and I'm trying to comfort her.

Don't cheapen it like that!

This is a serious matter for me, okay?

(They're both in the badminton club, right?)

Would you like to talk about it? If you don't mind of course...

Okay... Well, this girl was really breathing down my neck. I mean, it was my fault that I kept making the same mistakes over and over again but...

She just kept saying, Where are you looking? or, Get your head back in the game! But she could've been a little nicer, right?!

That does sound a little harsh...

Actually, I was kind of surprised too since it was the vice captain saying all these things.

Huh?

(The vice captain as in... The one from the cleanup committee?)

(Her saying those things? My impression of her is that she speaks her mind but...)

(Is she being misunderstood? Like Shiho tends to be?)

Actually, maybe...

Gasp!

(I thought I was over that after finally learning to be more honest with my friends...)

You okay, Honami...?

Yes, I'm fine...

(That's right. I'm fine now.

I can say what I mean...)

...

Actually, I kind of know the badminton club's vice captain because we're both in the cleanup committee.

We talked the other day too and I just can't imagine her acting like that. Could it be that she meant something else when she said that?

Huh? She might've meant something else?

Oh, right...! Didn't she talk about your opponent's style or tactics or something after she asked, Where are your eyes?

But I guess you didn't hear that part.

You were already pretty upset by then...

I-I didn't hear anything like that at all...

In that case, you could always ask her again or maybe see if someone heard what she said back there. Then you'll definitely understand what she was trying to say.

Good work today, Mochizuki.

Yes, thank you.

And thank you for the other day too. My clubmate understands what I was trying to tell her now.

Oh...

I wanted to tell her to watch the opponent closely and try to predict her next move, so that it's easier to come up with a counter.

But, well... It kinda fell flat.

Sigh... I never choose the right words.

I guess I have to watch what I say too, huh?

Anyway, I'm off to the club now, so... Bye!

Okay, bye!

Thank goodness. They figured things out...

Hehe. I'm glad I mustered up the courage to speak up...!