July 16th, 2:08 PM, Fukuoka City, Asakura Prefecture.

Summer has finally arrived in Japan, and the sun shines over Shintaku High School. Students without club activities leave the school premises, bidding farewell to their friends as they head home. Some walk, some ride their bikes, and, of course, the rich kids get picked up by their drivers.

Meanwhile, students in clubs or with cleaning duties remain behind at the school. Sports clubs train in their respective areas, the music club hangs out in their club room, and the student council members work in the council room.

However, there is a group who aren’t part of any clubs and don’t have cleaning duties, yet they stay at the school’s premises, specifically at the back of the school, standing around the incinerator... playing card games.

“Shit! I lost again!” shouts Kaguya as he throws his cards on the ground and sits back, his expression betraying his annoyance.

A chuckle can be heard from Ryuta. “Heh, not my fault that you’re bad at this game. Should’ve paid more attention to your rival’s movements!” he says, mocking Kaguya for his short attention span.

“Hey guys, it’s not a big deal… Kaguya-kun, I swear you’ll win the next round!” Shohei chimes in, trying to comfort Kaguya after his third loss.

Jun watches all this unfold as he fixes his glasses. “You guys shouldn’t be arguing over a card game—” Before Jun can finish his sentence, both Kaguya and Ryuta tell him to shut up, annoying Jun.