Arts Club!!

"Wow, a lot of things have changed here," Jiho murmured, settling into one of the beat-up chairs. Zoan wandered around, noting the newspapers strewn across the floor and the walls half-painted in pastel pink.

"I'm Jovi Maristella, by the way!" the girl with pink highlights said, extending her hand to Jiho. They shook hands, Jiho's grin widening. "Choi Jiho, but just call me Jiho!"

Jovi giggled, her excitement palpable as she held Jiho's hands. "Then you can call me Jovi or Mari—either works!"

"So, are you interested in joining the Art Club?" Jovi asked, her eyes sparkling. Jiho chuckled awkwardly. "Well… I just joined the badminton club," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Jovi's face fell. "You do? Aw… I really thought you were here to join my club. I haven't made any flyers yet, and the club opening is just around the corner," she said, her enthusiasm dimming.

"My friend Zoan doesn't have a club yet," Jiho added, raising a hand. Zoan, startled, snapped her head toward them. "But I don't draw," she interjected. Jovi, undeterred, rushed over and grabbed Zoan's arm, pulling her closer to Jiho.

"Then join my club! You don't have to be good at drawing because I'm here to teach the basics!" Jovi exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. "Hi again, I'm Jovi Maristella from Class 2-3!" She saluted, and Zoan couldn't help but stare.

"Zoan Porifera from 2-1," Zoan replied, nodding. Jovi's eyes widened. "Class 2-1? Those… those smart ones?" she gasped, turning to Jiho, her eyes nearly bulging.

"Same here," Jiho said, a bashful smile creeping onto her face.

Jovi clasped her hands together. "Ah, I used to be in class 1-2 until I accidentally set our classroom on fire," she admitted, causing Jiho to stare at her awkwardly.

"So that was you… the fire almost spread to our room…" Jiho trailed off, inching her chair further away from Jovi.

"Wait! Don't leave yet! It was an accident!" Jovi exclaimed, grabbing Jiho's chair and dragging her back. "I need Class 1s in my club! Surely people would join!" Jovi pleaded, her expression earnest.

Jiho stood up, turning to Zoan. "Me and Zoan are going to think about it!" she declared, cutting off any arguments before dragging Zoan out of the room.

"Should we join?" Jiho asked, looking at Zoan, who raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you asking me? I'm not interested in joining any clubs," Zoan replied, crossing her arms.

"Joining clubs means extra points," Jiho countered.

"Count me in," Zoan said quickly, surprising Jiho as she stepped back into the room. Jiho let out a confused squawk.

"I'm joining the club," Zoan declared, plopping down in a chair as Jovi clapped her hands together excitedly.

Jiho followed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll check if I can withdraw my application from the badminton club and join you as well," she said, her tone resigned.

Jovi's eyes lit up. "This is great! You guys can help me set things up! The room is pretty beat up, but I think we can make it work," she exclaimed, her excitement palpable. She was elated to finally have members from Class 1!

—

Working with Jovi wasn't what Zoan had expected. With Jiho withdrawing her application from the badminton club, they both found themselves helping Jovi set up the art room.

They painted the walls, requested a new table and chairs from the dean's office, and even planned to ask the art teacher to guide Jovi. After all, every club needed a teacher to be complete.

"So, you're telling me the art teacher hasn't accepted your letter yet?" Jiho asked, stacks of papers littered the table as they reread Jovi's letter to the dean, noting their lack of a teacher.

Jovi nodded; her expression shameful. "She said she was busy, but then she got sick! I don't know what to do. Tomorrow is the club opening day. I've been working on the flyers for a while now, thinking of sticking them up on boards and giving them away tomorrow," she said, scratching her head.

Her messy bun looked precarious, held together by a pencil, and she often scratched her head when frustrated.

"We haven't even asked for a stand for the club opening," Zoan added, focused on cutting papers, a lollipop stuck between her lips as she prepared posters for the event.

Jovi sighed, lowering her head as she grabbed her laptop to type another letter to the dean. "Try using the school symbol as the heading next time and keep your letter formal. Please stop using slang on every sentence you write," Jiho reminded her, her hands moving quickly as she wrote.

"Okay, got it," Jovi said, nodding vigorously. "I'm so glad I have you guys here; I would've been lost without you both," she mumbled, and Jiho grinned. "It's kind of fun to build something from the ground up," she replied.

They continued chatting quietly, with Zoan listening on the side, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she watched them laugh together.

Cleaning up the room didn't take long. Zoan had already placed the items they would need tomorrow in a large box before putting it on the shelf. They dusted and mopped the floors for good measure.

"You know, we could ask Ms. Atiro to be our temporary lead supervisor for the club," Zoan suggested as Jiho wiped down the table.

"Oh yeah! We could! I heard she often stays at school to ensure everything is okay," Jiho smiled.

"Yeah, let's ask Jovi about it. For now, let's lock up the room. Jovi, do you have the keys?" Zoan asked the girl who was busying herself at the other side of the room. Jovi nodded, fishing the keys from her belt and jingling them for good measure.

As they walked out, Jovi locked the door. "Me and Zoan are thinking of getting our homeroom teacher as our club supervisor," Jiho said, turning to Jovi, who looked at them in surprise.

"Really? But aren't homeroom teachers usually the busiest because they handle their class's work and scheduling?" Jovi tilts her head, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Ah, well, I'm sure Ms. Atiro won't mind. Besides, if we don't have a teacher to lead us now, I doubt they'd let us advertise our club tomorrow," Jiho replies with a shrug.

"It's fine; we'll work things out. For now, we can go talk to Ms. Atiro while you close up and make sure everything is secure," Zoan suggests. Jovi nods enthusiastically.

"Alright! Have a safe trip home you guys!" she waves, and Jiho waves back with equal excitement.

"See you tomorrow!" Jiho calls out as she follows Zoan, who has buried her face in a book again. Jiho giggles, watching her mutter words under her breath. "You know, I don't think I've seen you relax when you're here," she chuckles softly.

Sure, Jiho also gets caught up in her studies, but she always makes time for herself. She learned the hard way how bad burnout can be after pushing herself too hard in middle school and ending up sick.

"I relax at home; don't worry. I just—well, I have to take things seriously here," Zoan replies, scratching the back of her neck. Jiho nods in understanding.

"Of course, you wouldn't be in Class 1 if you weren't so smart," she teases the taller girl, who rolls her eyes.

"Aish, not that smart thing again! I told you, I'm just decent," Zoan protests.

"Sure, when the test results come out next week, we'll see. I know you're the top one… Ahh, imagine what Ving would say… No one takes the first rank aside from her," Jiho says, scratching her cheek as they stop in front of a door.

"Wow—well, I hope I get second rank then," Zoan replies, moving to knock on the door, but it slides open, and they come face to face with Ving.

"Ving! Hi!" Jiho waved, but Ving regarded them with an odd look. "Jiho, Zoan, what are you two doing here?" she asked, suspicion flickering in her gaze. That suspicion faded as she noticed the paint stains on Jiho's hands and the dust clinging to Zoan's skirt and hair.

"Ah, we're actually just here for Ms. Atiro. What about you?" Zoan replied, peering over Ving's shoulder to see Atiro seated at her desk, typing away.

"I only passed our attendance for today. Ms. Atiro is a busy woman. What's your business with her?" Ving crossed her arms, her tone a mix of curiosity and caution.

Jiho perked up, her excitement bubbling over. "We were hoping to ask Ms. Atiro to be our temporary lead supervisor for the Art Club. We don't have anyone to guide us yet," she explained.

Ving considered this, her arms still crossed. "Alright, I'm sure she would accept," she said, stepping aside to let them in.

"Thank you!" Jiho chirped, while Zoan simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Ving stared at Zoan for a moment before looking away, leaving Zoan with a furrowed brow as she followed Jiho, who was already engaging with Atiro.

"Ah? Of course I can do it! I'd gladly help my students," Atiro said, her voice warm and inviting. Jiho bounced on her heels, her excitement palpable.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Atiro! Jovi will be so happy!" Jiho exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Alright, you two, it's already 5 PM. Jiho, don't you have a job to get to?" Atiro asked, concern etched on her face.

Jiho yelped, her eyes widening as she nodded furiously, realizing she had almost forgotten. It was a bit embarrassing, but the thrill of their club's progress momentarily overshadowed everything else.