Hayato turned his head and saw an orange-haired guy.
Behind him, three girls followed in a grand procession.
Actually, a JK with a cat-like mouth was the first to wave and greet him,
"Oh, Kobayashi, we meet again wwwww, we have such good fate."
These three girls were the Kurashiki Reina trio.
As for this boy...
'Who is it?'
Nanao Akane blinked her eyes, questioning Hayato with her gaze.
She didn't have a very good feeling about this orange-haired man. His hair was a choppy cut, and combined with this hair color, he looked somewhat energetic, and he also had earrings on his earlobes, a perfect image of a 'delinquent thug'.
Nanao Akane was not a social butterfly, and she was not very willing to deal with such people.
So she grabbed Hayato's arm and hid behind him.
Only then did she notice that next to this boy, Kurashiki Reina was standing, grumbling unhappily.
Is it Kurashiki Reina's... boyfriend?
Nanao Akane had once heard Kushiro Arisa mention to her that "Reina's boyfriend is an extraordinary character, it's hard to say if he's involved with the underworld"—from his appearance, it's highly likely that the phrase "hard to say" could be removed.
But Nanao Akane didn't quite understand.
Kurashiki Reina was a prestigious young lady after all. Even if she dressed like a gyaru normally, she didn't really need to associate with such thugs from the underworld, did she?
Hayato, on the other hand, stared at this very friendly-looking guy for a long time, frowning deeply, thinking about a very important matter.
...Sorry, he really couldn't remember this guy's name.
Follower Number One seemed to sense Hayato's difficulty. She said, "Hachiya-kun, it seems you and Kobayashi have a great connection, meeting him so easily."
"Mr. Bee Arrow, it's a pleasure to meet you," Hayato immediately said.
"Hahahaha, indeed." Hachisuka Hidemichi didn't think anything was wrong at all and laughed, "After all, he's Reina's friend, so it's normal to notice him in a crowd."
...Kurashiki Reina originally wanted to say 'no', but after looking at Hayato, she felt a headache coming on, and she couldn't even be bothered to explain.
In fact, she was the one who spotted Hayato first.
She paused and looked, and only then did Hachisuka Hidemichi, who had been focusing his attention on her, follow her gaze to find him.
Kurashiki Reina was originally tired of greeting Hayato, but Hachisuka Hidemichi insisted on bringing her over.
Hachisuka Hidemichi's idea was actually very simple.
He had a very bad impression of Hayato, who had tricked him twice the first time they met... Since he had previously had a good impression of Reina, he would bring Reina over to show off in front of him.
Hachisuka Hidemichi thought triumphantly, this brat is probably gnashing his teeth in anger under his covers about him taking Kurashiki Reina away.
Kurashiki Reina cast a cold glance at Hayato, then shifted her gaze back to Hachisuka Hidemichi's face.
Something must have happened between Mother and Hayato for Mother to think so highly of him...
Thinking of this, Kurashiki Reina's teeth started to itch again.
To be honest, Kurashiki Reina didn't want to go out on another date with Hachisuka Hidemichi today. As the two followers said, it really wasn't interesting.
She was provoked by her mother, Kurashiki Reika.
Kurashiki Reika's demands on Kurashiki Reina usually weren't too strict; for example, average grades were fine, and there was no need to learn any young lady's arts to cultivate temperament.
But from a young age, Kurashiki Reika strictly regulated what she could and could not do.
If it were criminal acts, that would be one thing, but many hobbies were also strictly forbidden by Kurashiki Reika, for example, being a model... Kurashiki Reika actually didn't forbid her daughter from pursuing a 'professional model' career, but the problem was that she could only work for magazines published under White Lily.
As the young lady of Shirayuri Company, every time she went for a photoshoot, she was treated like a princess. Neither the Female staff nor the Photographer had any demands on her.
This made her feel no 'work' reality, as if she were just enjoying herself.
Kurashiki Reina was unwilling to stay in such a greenhouse, so she left Shirayuri Company and privately signed a contract with 'X Times Fashion Magazine'.
By the time Kurashiki Reika heard about it, it was already too late.
Given Kurashiki Reika's financial standing, it was naturally not a problem to buy her daughter out. Although the breach of contract fee was not a small sum, it was merely a drop in the bucket in front of her.
But Kurashiki Reika did not force a termination of the contract; instead, she chose another path.
She bought 'X Times Fashion Magazine'.
Kurashiki Reina signed a three-year contract with that magazine, so in the end, she could only stay under Shirayuri Company, which severely triggered Kurashiki Reina's rebellious psychology.
Hachisuka Hidemichi was also like this.
Kurashiki Reika didn't like Hachisuka Hidemichi and wanted Reina to break up with him, but she stubbornly refused.
Kurashiki Reika thought Hayato was better than Hachisuka Hidemichi, but Reina deliberately did the opposite.
Anyway, she couldn't see where Hayato was better than Hachisuka Hidemichi...
In terms of looks... Ugh, Hachisuka Hidemichi wasn't ugly, even a bit handsome, but Hayato... But Kurashiki Reina considered herself not a superficial girl who judged by looks.
In terms of height... Hmm, Hachisuka Hidemichi wasn't short, at least 175cm, but Hayato... But both were taller than her, and Kurashiki Reina thought there wasn't much of a difference.
In terms of grades... Hmm, Hachisuka Hidemichi dropped out of high school, Hayato was first in his grade... But studying? What's the point of studying? Education isn't necessarily useful in society.
In terms of family background... Ho! Yes, family background. Hachisuka Hidemichi's family background was much better than Hayato's. The Bee Arrow family was at least...
Finally, she found a place where Hachisuka Hidemichi surpassed Hayato. Kurashiki Reina wanted to try hard to convince herself that this was why she felt Hachisuka Hidemichi was more outstanding than Hayato.
But, no.
Kurashiki Reina genuinely felt that 'family background' could not be a reason for 'excellence'.
"Hey, do you like me?" Kurashiki Reina suddenly asked.
Hachisuka Hidemichi, asked so abruptly, was stunned for a moment, then replied ecstatically:
"I like you! Of course I like you!"
Hachisuka Hidemichi had long grown tired of Kurashiki Reina's coldness; this was a rare initiative from her.
It seems Reina also wants to properly disgust this brat. Hachisuka Hidemichi thought, but still smiled kindly at Hayato, "Sorry, Reina is sometimes just so insecure."
"Understood," Hayato said.
Hachisuka Hidemichi was even more satisfied. This brat seemed calm, but he was probably already incredibly jealous.
Kurashiki Reina, however, paid no attention to Hayato's reply.
She had successfully convinced herself.
Hachisuka Hidemichi liked her more than Hayato.
Therefore, Hachisuka Hidemichi was more outstanding than Hayato.
Let you not like me.
Kurashiki Reina gritted her teeth.
Let you not like me!
She repeated it in her mind.
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