“What are you doing?”
While Enna was in her first year in high school, she sat adjacent to the window, drafting on a piece of white paper.
“I'm thinking of running a club. I already have a name.”
Millie peering over her shoulder took a closer look at the poster.
Enna drafted the header, and the club activities, alongside illustrations to make it seem friendly. It was fairly simple for a poster without any stand-out features. But what the club is about may seem concerning to others.
Millie spoke openly. “Is this a fanclub?”
There was no other way to describe it. Enna was drafting a fanclub for students to support her. Either financially, with donations or with other means of support. Instead of working for your own money, why not have students freely give their means of hard-earned money?
Enna was smitten with Millie’s gaze. “Yeah, it is. Since I don't have financial backing, why don't I get students to support me with my everyday needs? I'd rarely have to seek out if I wanted something, do I?”
“I don't think you know how fanclubs start.”
Millie explained. Whenever there's a student who is good at every subject, sport, and even with the teachers, students gravitate towards them because of their eccentricities. They'll usually have a high chance of choosing a thoughtful career path, regardless of the misconceptions. And in all cases, these students are drop-dead gorgeous. You could see the effort in their appearance.
When such a successful person is known, boys in their gossiping number collectively come together regardless of previous differences and form clubs showing appreciation without coming in contact with them personally. And in some cases, these students don't have to have high achievement numbers, simply because they fit a certain niche of attraction. Boys are simple-minded human beings, not to say they haven't been cases for the opposite sex. Boys will be boys, but also girls will be girls. The latter rather hide their complex emotions than make the world see how naked their love can be.
“Are you saying I'm neither of those things?”
Enna wondered what Millie's goals were as she explained this to her.
“Not exactly. But there's an unspoken rule that these clubs usually pop up out of nowhere. You, the object of worship or whatever, come out and create the club yourself, it's rare and practically unheard of. I expect people are going to give you weird looks, especially the girls. Your social standing will plummet if they heard about it.”
Enna examined the girls in her class. When the school year began, after Enna gave her introduction, the same students that were kind to her were supposedly going to stab her in the back. They weren't friends, but it'll make the atmosphere more stifling. All manner of acts popped up in her mind, most of them were unpleasant. Unpleasant was putting it lightly, but if they came to fruition, crying wouldn't be a pastime, but an everyday occurrence.
Enna balled her hands into a fist, close to scrounging up her paper. “Even if that's the case, I want free money.”
“I don't know how to feel about your resolve.”
Millie sighed. She probably knew that if she left Enna to her own devices, something unbelievable might happen. Her eyes forcefully closed, and she brought a contemplating hand to her temple.
“What's the name?”
Enna shifted the paper and feverishly explained all the details. She was very happy to win Millie's approval, but as she explained, Millie proposed some corrections. Some proposals are: Alter the goal to not make it seem obvious, get a good artist to work on the illustrations—probably for free if they’re one of Enna’s supporters, and how mass production by hand will hinder their studies.
After some progress—bouncing around ideas, the first bell of the morning chimed throughout the school grounds, putting a stop to their workflow.
***
“You want my help?”
Lunchtime has arrived. Both Enna and Millie were out under the cherry blossom trees talking with a third-year student. Sitting on a wooden bench with her bento in hand, she gazed curiously at the hovering students.
Enna had never met her before. But as Millie explained beforehand, after convincing her, they wouldn’t need anybody else to make the illustrations. It was Enna’s quick money-making scheme. She stood back, took a reserved position, and watched Millie wing the conversation. A quick reply came back.
“Is it for your club? Huh, I don't think I have time to assist with any more projects. Graduation is this month, you see.”
The end of March is graduation for the third-year students. Enna didn't know their plans, but it seems it'd consume most of their time. She didn’t lose hope, though. If she was following the conversion right, it seemed Millie hadn't reached the convincing part of the discussion. It’d be a coin toss on what she might say.
“I heard you’re having problems acquiring breadsticks,” Millie started.
Come again? What’s with this angle? Is this how she’s approaching this?
Off to a weird start, Enna listened intently to the conversation.
“Oh,” the third-year student said. “You want some fresh breadsticks yourself? Every lunchtime there was a rush to the cafeteria, and every time I'd arrive, none. It's all gone. They sold like hotcakes.”
Seasonally, there’d be a special menu item for purchase in the cafeteria. The hottest of them all was breadsticks. The reason for its popularity was that they were up for display, and at the same time class ended. They were steaming on display, sitting next to the non-equivalent menu items. Rumours say that some hadn’t gotten their hands on it since entering the school, while others privately ate theirs in secluded places.
The last week of March was the last chance for third-years who hadn’t got their hands on the seasonal menu item to finally acquire one. Or many, if they don’t feel like sharing.
“I could help you with that,” Millie continued.
“Really?! That'd be amazing! Wait, you don’t mean…”
“You catch on quick. An eye for an eye, what do you say?”
As the third year weighed her options, the breadless girl was later known as Petra. Millie worked her magic and her charms to falsely obtain the breadsticks from faint-hearted boys. Petra was overjoyed to obtain the breadsticks before graduation, whilst the scam boys walked menacingly searching for the deceiver throughout the school grounds. With acceptable illustrations in possession, the final hurdle to a quick money-making scheme was on the horizon. A fanclub some would call it.
***
Graduation Day.
Enna is a first-year student, but she still donned her sailor uniform and began frolicking amongst the showering cherry blossom petals on her way to school.
She held Millie’s hand at arm's length, whilst hastily pulling her along the scenic route. The start of a new chapter, and the end of a story. Not for Enna, though. This was just the beginning.
“Hey, can you slow down?” Millie suggested, breathing heavily. “We're not graduating, so we don't have to be early.”
After convincing Petra, they stumbled onto an empty room that was previously used by a sewing club. It was able to fit a band's worth of members—enough to satisfy Enna’s wish to start a Fanclub.
Today, on her way to school, she held the poster in her other hand. They were going to convince select teachers to start the fanclub. It won't be called fanclub, but if a teacher inquired about the full details, she might list the inner workers.
As the entrance of the school peeked over the horizon, Enna's god-like smile never wavered in the face of atheism.
“No. It’s all thanks to you. We must hurry, so we can start our religion.”
“Do you mean, scam?”
***
“Denied.”
Arriving in the staff room, and showing one of the selected teachers the poster, they instantly rejected the proposal. Enna’s Fanclub dreams ended before they developed, a fantasy that'll forever lurk in her mind.
“You can't say I told you so.”
Millie placed a consoling on Enna's head as she sulked on all fours.