What choice would Shikime Natsu make?
Amikura Mako's heart tightened. If this were a date, if they were a couple, then at this moment, he should choose 'Lovers.'
But... they weren't a couple.
Moreover, this was only their third meeting, and during their first meeting, Shikime Natsu hadn't even remembered her, a fact she found rather regrettable.
When he chose 'Friends,' Amikura Mako felt a pang of disappointment, quite a deep one.
But this was normal. Their relationship hadn't progressed that far yet...
Still, it was truly regrettable!
'Why couldn't they be like long-lost friends reuniting?'
'If that were the case, their relationship would already be much deeper, wouldn't it?'
After they made their choice, a small card popped out. Shikime Natsu picked up the note and unfolded it.
"Current Status: You are travelers walking side by side on the same path, sharing the same scenery, breathing the same air, yet always separated by an invisible wall. The word 'Friends' is the comfort zone that protects you, but also the gentle cage that binds you."
The simple words seemed quite profound, and Amikura Mako read them with a serious expression.
'Was friendship a gentle cage? Indeed, as friends, they might still have opportunities to go out and spend time together. But... if their relationship remained just friendship, it might never progress further. That was certainly not what she wanted.'
Her mood was quite complicated.
"Shikime-san, can I have this?" Amikura Mako asked, her slightly pleading gaze making it hard to refuse her.
"Of course," he replied, nodding and casually handing the note to her. 'After all, it wasn't something he particularly cared about.'
"Thank you!" Amikura Mako said. After all, this was a souvenir from her first outing with Shikime Natsu. She wanted to treasure it.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go grab some lunch. My treat," Shikime Natsu said with a generous smile. 'His points were meant to be spent on things like this.'
"Then... next time, I'll treat you!" Amikura Mako had initially thought to refuse, but her mind quickly processed the situation. She agreed, then proactively invited him for their next outing. 'Who says girls become stupid when they're in love?'
She felt quite clever.
"Mm, no problem," Shikime Natsu nodded. 'He didn't know what was up with these girls, each one wanting to treat him. But... he certainly didn't dislike it.'
"Mm!" Seeing him agree, Amikura Mako couldn't help but smile. She had successfully secured their next date. 'Where should they go next time?'
She needed to carefully prepare for the next date. That meant new clothes. Fortunately, she had brought quite a few nice outfits with her. Otherwise, buying clothes at school would cost a lot of personal points, and she was already a bit short on points.
Not only had she spent points on buying information, but she had also given some points to Ichinose Honami to prevent possible dropouts.
After a simple lunch, the two parted ways.
Amikura Mako secretly returned to the game center and entered their information into the fortune-telling machine. When choosing their relationship, she nervously looked around, ensuring no one was watching before feeling a slight relief.
Even though she was just retesting herself, she felt an inexplicable sense of guilt, which she found quite exciting.
'Then she chose 'Lovers.''
'She just wanted to see the difference between 'Friends' and 'Lovers.''
She successfully convinced herself.
"You have just embarked on a brand-new map together, where every path shines with novelty and sweetness. The warmth of holding hands, the heartbeat of eye contact, are the initial and most precious treasures of this journey. Your hearts are filled with joy, mixed with a touch of cute anxiety about how to make this happiness last."
Amikura Mako's thoughts drifted with the note's content, imagining that if their relationship became more intimate, it would definitely be just as the note described: holding hands, eye contact, hugging—even kissing!
At this thought, her face flushed, becoming as red as a steamed bun.
'No, no, Amikura Mako, you can't have such indecent thoughts!'
Amikura Mako.jpg
But... she truly wanted that kind of relationship with Shikime Natsu. Amikura Mako buried her head in the little penguin, hoping to hide her intense shyness.
'And... what about the 'Family' relationship?'
She also wanted to know, but the shame in her heart kept her from having the courage to click on it. Just choosing 'Lovers' had made her blush; if she chose 'Family,' she might faint!
'She was such an easily embarrassed person!' But... 'thinking about such things still made her blush.'
....
After parting ways with Amikura Mako, Shikime Natsu returned to his dorm and started reading. Each book was worth one thousand yen, and re-reading them was perfectly fine. 'Of course, the biggest 'problem' was that he had a photographic memory.'
After reading a book just once, he basically remembered every symbol, let alone the entire plot. Fortunately, even with his speed-reading, the one thousand yen per book still accumulated.
'That was great. After coming to this school, he'd probably become the richest person in Japan—no, in the world.'
He chuckled lightly. 'Making money was too easy.'
'Coming to this school had truly been great. It had paved the way for his future. Now he lacked nothing!'
'If he had followed the usual path, he didn't know how many years of mortgage he would have to bear just to buy a house. He didn't want that kind of pressure at all.'
He didn't allocate too much time for his reading because next he had to meet another problem girl.
'Yes, the thorny kind.'
At 1:30 PM, Shikime Natsu arrived at Keyaki Mall. By this time, the mall was noticeably busier than it had been in the morning.
Most students were in casual clothes, and the overall atmosphere felt livelier. While the school uniforms here looked decent, seeing them constantly could get tiresome.
Shikime Natsu went into the karaoke parlor and rented a room. Now, all he had to do was wait for Horikita Suzune to arrive.
Today's "practice" was making friends. When Horikita Suzune found out, her expression had been quite resistant. But... Shikime Natsu liked that resistant expression. In fact, he liked it even more when she resisted.
___
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