"So, how was it? Your class, Tsugumi-kun."
"To be honest, with a few exceptions, it was full of people that made me wonder why they were even allowed to enroll."
Having finished the entrance ceremony, Sakayanagi and Saitou were having lunch in Sakayanagi's room.
"Oh, that's surprising. My class has a lot of interesting people, to varying degrees."
"Mine's just awful. I even wondered if I'd come to a school for idiots by mistake."
Saitou sat on a cushion at a small, foldable table, while Sakayanagi sat at the study desk that came with the room.
"More to the point, why did you make me cook? Wouldn't a family restaurant be better? We've got plenty of money now."
In the kitchen, a wet knife and frying pan were placed on the dish rack. All of them were fairly expensive items that Saitou had chosen.
"I prefer Tsugumi-kun's home cooking to eating out. Besides, I can't have any noise interrupting this fun time."
"...I see. So, Arisu-chan, what did you see here?"
It was an abstract question, but it was easy for Sakayanagi to understand what it was referring to.
"I think coming here was the right choice."
This was another vague response, but upon hearing it, Saitou seemed to understand its meaning and lay down on the floor in exhaustion.
"Is there a route where I can peacefully mess around with girls without any interruptions?"
"That's impossible. Firstly, I don't need a dog that wags its tail at others when it already has a master like me."
"Who's a pet? And why are you the one holding all the cards?"
Saitou put his hands on the floor and stared at Sakayanagi in exasperation. In the middle of this, Sakayanagi, who had finished her meal, suddenly stood up from her chair. Saitou instinctively reached out to help her, but Sakayanagi stopped him with her left hand, smiling faintly and in a good mood.
"What is it?"
"Oh, nothing. I just found it a little amusing that you unconsciously tried to support me."
"Annoying."
Saitou muttered and turned his head, stretching out his legs, but the next moment, his cheeks were cupped by her hands. Surprised by the cold touch, he looked forward and saw Sakayanagi standing astride him, who was lying with his legs stretched out. Due to the height difference, Saitou's head was right around her navel. As she stroked his cheek, Sakayanagi spoke in a low voice.
"I'm kidding. I was happy. I could feel the time we've spent together."
"...Hold your cane. It's dangerous."
The cane she always held was hooked on her right wrist.
"You can support me then. Well, I suppose... let's do this instead."
"Hey, you..."
Sakayanagi then plopped down around his hips, and the soft sensation of her well-shaped backside was naturally transmitted to him. Saitou tried to raise his voice in protest, but it fizzled out as his cheeks were cupped by her hands once more. Then, at a distance close enough to feel the warmth of her breath, Sakayanagi stared intently at Saitou's face. A few seconds of silence passed before she opened her mouth.
"You have beautiful skin. What kind of skincare do you use?"
"...Can you let me go now?"
"Oh, my apologies. Then, please close your eyes for a moment."
Saying that, Sakayanagi gently tilted Saitou's head to the side. The moment he closed his eyes with a suspicious look and was about to open his mouth, a small, soft sensation ran across his left cheek.
"Seriously?"
Sakayanagi leaned her face close to Saitou's left ear, put a finger to her lips, and whispered softly.
"You'll have to wait for the rest. Return this when you're ready to spend your life with me. I'll warn you, if you do something disrespectful like cheat on me, I won't forgive you."
"...Got it. But why now?"
"It's to bait you. This school seems to have a lot of attractive girls."
"You don't have to do that..."
Seeing his reaction, Sakayanagi smiled in satisfaction and tried to move away, but a firm arm wrapped around her back, embracing her. They were so close that they could clearly hear each other's heartbeats.
Sakayanagi's eyes widened for a moment at the strong but gentle hug. However, seeing Saitou bury his face in her neck, she wore a look of exasperation.
"...What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing. You just smell good."
He said, sniffing loudly and exaggeratedly, and began to gently stroke her earlobe and the back of her neck with his fingertips.
"..."
"It's a mix of familiar fabric softener and shampoo, with a faint smell of sweat that's even more e-"
"That's enough."
"Ow!?"
Sakayanagi pulled on Saitou's ears with both hands and quickly stood up. She was aware that her heart was beating faster, but she said in a sharp tone, as if to drown it out.
"I was almost swept away. You truly are a man who leaves no room for carelessness."
"Well, they say you should be bold in life, right? I'll save the kiss for later."
"No. Are you trying to throw my resolve down the drain?"
"Kuh..."
With that uninspired atmosphere, the two finished their meal.
----------
"So, what's our plan?"
I, Saitou Tsugumi, who tried to ride a big wave, had my ears destroyed. No, I don't think any guy wouldn't make a move after being treated like that.
Anyway, let's get down to business. When we made our promise this morning, we just met up to get daily necessities, but this is different.
"For now, let's gather information. The fact that we'd get 100,000 points every month is a fairytale, which was proven by our shopping trip just now."
"Yeah, I guess."
What we found while we were out were free items with a limited quantity.
"As far as I can remember, they were all necessities, like toothbrushes, bandages, and disposable razors."
"That's a bit too lenient for a relief measure for students with a habit of wasting money."
"If my prediction is correct, I think there will also be free items at the school cafeteria."
"Ugh, that's awful. The sense of inferiority must be insane."
Not being able to eat properly because you have bad grades... the stares from others must be unbearable. And there probably won't be any cute girls who would hang out with a student like that.
"Right now, we only have information that our points will decrease. Should we try asking some upperclassmen?"
"Even if there's a gag order, we don't need them to tell us with their mouths. I heard there's a board game club at this school. Let's go and greet the upperclassmen sometime."
You want to beat them at chess to throw them off and then steal information... Poor seniors of the board game club, whose names I don't even know.
----------
School day two, during lunch break. I, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, was about to take a big step.
"Um, I'm going to the cafeteria now. Anyone want to come with me?"
Hirata stood up and said something like that. I'm impressed by this guy's way of thinking, his normalcy. If it were me yesterday, I'd have been happy that a savior had appeared and followed him, but now I have a best friend, Saitou Tsugumi.
Tsugumi was fumbling through his bag, which was fortunate since he hadn't noticed Hirata's voice. If it was just me and Hirata, I'd definitely go with him. There are lots of girls there, too.
"H-hey, Tsugumi-"
"Saitou-kun! We're going to the cafeteria with Hirata-kun, wanna come?"
"... "
Maybe I underestimated him. The popularity of a handsome guy with the communication skills to back up my spectacularly failed self-introduction. What the hell? Why are they only inviting Tsugumi and not even looking at the others?
... This is probably a lost cause. No guy would refuse an invitation from that group.
"Ah! Sorry, Karuizawa-san. I made a bento."
A bento? And he made it himself?! My estimation of Tsugumi as a human being is rising.
No girl would be indifferent to a guy, a popular one at that, who makes his own bento. Indeed, a large group of girls had gathered around him, forming a circle.
"What?! That's amazing, Saitou-kun, did you make that yourself?"
"Yeah. I bought the ingredients at the mall yesterday. See, it's pretty good, right?"
I heard the sound of the bento box opening and the girls' exclamations of admiration. By the way, I couldn't see anything because of the crowd.
"So, I'm sorry. How about we go tomorrow?"
"Yeah! Okay!"
After that exchange, the girls left the classroom. The way he firmly made a promise for another day... I can feel the difference in our levels.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, you should've gone with them."
"He wanted to eat with you so badly, it was embarrassing to watch."
I heard that voice from next to me. It's so embarrassing, I wish she'd stop.
Tsugumi heard Horikita's words and apologized, looking like he understood.
"Oh, I see. Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun, I didn't notice."
"No, Tsugumi, it's not your fault. It's okay."
Oh well. I'll go to the cafeteria alone.
"If you want, how about we go to the convenience store and buy something to eat in the classroom? I forgot to bring a drink. But if you prefer the cafeteria, that's fine."
"...! Let's go! No, please go!"
I felt a halo glowing behind Tsugumi. Maybe I was that starved for a meal with a friend.
"Alright, let's go."
I followed Tsugumi out of the classroom. My face must be relaxed and a mess right now. Going shopping with a friend in high school is a commonplace thing for most people, but it was something I'd always yearned for. I hope it's okay for me to feel this way.
"Oh! Tsugumi-kun and Ayanokouji-kun!"
A beautiful girl suddenly called out to me. It was our classmate, Kushida. This is the first time I've seen her from the front, and my heart is beating so fast.
"Oh, Kushida-san. Weren't you going to the cafeteria with everyone?"
"I'll join them later. I wanted to talk to you two for a bit..."
Since she said "you two," I guess she has something to talk to me about too. Tsugumi is talking to her like they already know each other, but I've never spoken to Kushida before. I mean, if I'd talked to a beautiful girl like this, I'd definitely remember it.
"Me too?"
"Yeah. I was wondering if you two were close with Horikita-san."
It seems her business was with Horikita, not me. That's a little sad.
"Oh, yeah. You know, I want to get to know everyone in the class as soon as possible, right? So I've been going around asking for everyone's contact info. But... Horikita-san turned me down."
That girl, what a waste. If there was a girl this proactive, she should've just given her contact info. Then she might have gotten along with the class.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you and she were talking in front of the school on the day of the entrance ceremony, right?"
Considering we were on the same bus, it's not strange that she saw me and Horikita meet.
"What kind of person is Horikita-san? Does she talk a lot when she's with friends?"
She kept asking me various questions about Horikita, but I had nothing to say.
"Horikita-san is the type who's not good at socializing. I wouldn't recommend actively trying to get involved with her."
I agree. She's not the kind of person who would be kind just because Kushida is a girl... Although, maybe it's because I talked about her pubic hair yesterday.
"Why do you want to know about Horikita?"
"Well, remember how Horikita-san left the classroom during the self-introductions? It doesn't seem like she's talked to anyone yet, so I was a little worried."
"It takes guts to walk out during a self-introduction. It's definitely in character, though."
Tsugumi nodded in admiration as if remembering the situation... no, no matter how much she sticks to her principles, I don't think that's something to praise.
As I mentally retorted to Tsugumi, who was a little off, I thought about the beautiful girl in front of me. I think she said during her self-introduction that she wanted to be friends with everyone in the class.
"I understand, but I just met her yesterday, so I can't be of any help."
"If Ayanokouji-kun doesn't know, then I know even less. Ayanokouji-kun was the one who gave me the chance to talk to her."
"Ohhh... I see. I thought you two were from the same school or had been friends for a long time. I'm sorry for asking such a strange thing all of a sudden."
"It's totally fine. I bet Ayanokouji-kun was happy to talk to a cute girl like Kushida-chan, right?"
He's passing that to me now! That's a high-level move for me, Tsugumi!
"Ah, yeah. Is there anyone who wouldn't want to talk to Kushida?"
"Th-that's not true! But thank you both! It was our first time talking, Ayanokouji-kun, right? It's nice to meet you again."
She held out her hand, and I hesitated for a moment, but I wiped my hand on my pants and then shook it.
"Nice to meet you too..."
Maybe something lucky will happen today. Actually, too much luck is coming my way, which is a little scary.
After that, I stopped by the convenience store, bought some bread, and went back to the classroom with Tsugumi. I moved my seat back and attached it to his. Wow! It's kind of moving to actually do it.
We started eating and talked about various things. It feels like Tsugumi is the reason I'm able to do everything I've ever wanted to do. I can't thank him enough. Now, if only I had a girlfriend...
"...Hey, Tsugumi, have you ever had a girlfriend?"
"What's with the sudden question? Well... I have, but it's not a very interesting story."
Yeah, I guess so. I can't imagine a world where Tsugumi isn't popular. As we were talking, Horikita, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"It's too much to ask Ayanokouji-kun for consistency in his stories. He's probably desperately looking for a topic right now."
"This guy... he only gets talkative at times like this...!"
It's even more annoying because she's right.
"What? Do you want to hear about my love life, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Yeah. I want to learn from it."
"If you don't fix your listlessness and occasionally tactless remarks, you'll never have a girlfriend, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Can you just be quiet...?"
As I said before, Horikita's toxic words are the type that hit you with a basic truth. If there was a ranking for "Bosses you don't want to have at work," she'd be number one. I think this is called logic harassment. I wish she'd stop pushing her sense of justice on me like some kind of naval admiral. It's not like I can talk back.
"It's not going to be much help, you know?"
"...Is that even possible, that it's not helpful?"
He groaned, showing a rare lack of coherence. After about five seconds of hesitation, Tsugumi opened his mouth and told me about his love life.
"I had my first girlfriend in first grade. The most memorable thing was when her mom said, 'You can't stay that skinny!' and made me eat a ton of food. It's so nostalgic."
"You used to be skinny? That's surprising. I thought you ate well since you said you've been exercising since you were little."
"Hahahaha... Well, after that, I dated about 20 people over the six years of elementary school..."
Huh? I think I just heard something strange.
"...20 people?"
"Yeah. We'd date, break up, and then I'd start dating someone else right away. Relationships in elementary school just kind of fizzle out."
"I-is that so? How was it in middle school?"
Contrary to his flippant tone, Tsugumi's eyes looked distant.
"It was pretty much the same in middle school. By then, I was dating some upperclassmen and high schoolers too."
"That's a world I can't even imagine..."
"You have a good face, Ayanokouji-kun. It'll be easy if you just fix your shyness."
Tsugumi said that, but I won't be fooled. These kinds of compliments from handsome guys are usually lies. First of all, fixing my personality is already difficult, and even if I suddenly became as flirtatious as Tsugumi, people would be grossed out.
But would Tsugumi say something like that? No, I won't doubt my best friend!
"I-is that so? For reference, what should I fix-"
"I don't think it's possible for Ayanokouji-kun."
"...I wasn't asking you, Horikita."
She just had to butt in at a time like this.
As I was trying to figure out how to respond to Tsugumi, who was giving a wry smile, music started playing from the speaker.
"Attention all students. There will be a club activity orientation in the first gymnasium at 5 PM today. All students interested in club activities, please gather in the first gymnasium. I repeat, today-"
Club activities, huh? I've never joined one before.
"Oh, perfect timing. Let's go together, Ayanokouji-kun."
...Tsugumi really is my best friend!
============
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