"Some of us already grabbed seats at the café! Let's go~" Kushida clapped her hands cheerfully before turning to call into the room.
"Finally back!"
"We waited over an hour!"
At her signal, Ayanokōji, Yamauchi, and Ike filed out, followed by a gaggle of giggling girls.
(She mobilized a dozen people to ambush me at my dorm... for over an hour?)
Shimizu's expression soured.
This wasn't an invitation—it was a soft hostage situation.
He noted the girls rubbing their sore legs.
(Is this dedication... or insanity?)
"Shimizu-kun, let's go!" Kushida tugged his sleeve lightly.
Shimizu scanned the group—Yamauchi and Ike's envious stares practically burned holes through him.
(Why the sleeve pull? Trouble brewing...?)
Aside from the 24/7 convenience store, campus facilities closed at 9:00 PM—including the dorm cafeteria.
When they arrived, the café was still brightly lit.
Spotting Inogashira Kokoro, Kushida waved eagerly and herded the group toward a wallside sofa area.
With four-seat limits, they occupied four linked tables for group conversation.
Kushida claimed the central throne; others settled around her.
Yamauchi and Ike—hoping to sit with Kushida—found their spots usurped by girls and slunk to the right-side table.
Shimizu deliberately chose the leftmost empty seat.
Ayanokōji, last to pick, sat across from Shimizu—the only spot left.
As everyone scanned QR codes to order, Shimizu eyed Ayanokōji.
"Ayanokōji. Did you tell Kushida I live next door?"
"...I might've... slipped up." Ayanokōji flinched, feigning guilt.
Shimizu stared.
(This acting is painfully bad.)
(If we fought, I might lose—why the scaredy-cat act?)
Meanwhile, Ayanokōji puzzled:
(Why is Shimizu looking at me like I'm the weird one?)
He'd studied Yamauchi's mannerisms to perfect his "harmless loner" persona—yet Shimizu saw through it instantly.
Shimizu narrowed his eyes. "Surprising. I pegged you as the type to avoid trouble."
Ayanokōji's voice flattened. "Wasn't voluntary. Kushida insisted on tonight."
A pause. "...I think you're her real target."
Shimizu stiffened.
(Me?)
He trusted this assessment—Ayanokōji never spoke idly.
"Thanks for the heads-up."
"...Just an observation."
Shimizu shifted gears. "Why side with Kushida?"
"Yamauchi and Ike dragged me." Ayanokōji deadpanned. "They blocked my door."
(Ah, 'friends' coerced him.)
Shimizu's gaze lingered on Ayanokōji's blank expression.
Despite his abnormal competence, Ayanokōji hung out with these two—especially Yamauchi, whose ethics were... questionable. (Ike, at least, was honest.)
"Friends?" Ayanokōji suddenly murmured, genuinely perplexed. "What defines... real friendship?"
Shimizu expected dry sarcasm—but the raw confusion in Ayanokōji's eyes gave him pause.
He nearly cited a textbook definition, but that felt hollow.
"Maybe... when being with someone feels natural?"
Ayanokōji blinked, then: "...Then Yamauchi and Ike aren't friends."
"..." Shimizu winced. "Don't say that out loud if you want friends."
(He knows they're insufferable.)
More shocking was Ayanokōji's brutal honesty—zero filter.
(If Ike heard that...)
"Oh!" Shimizu brightened. "Let me treat you to coffee—thanks for the warning."
Ayanokōji's eyes widened slightly—genuinely startled.