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"Forget it. Just stick with me for now. We'll head to your place after school," Kai said.
"Well, if you insist, I suppose..." Before Mai could finish her sentence, Kai was already walking away at a brisk pace.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
This man lacks even a shred of gentlemanly grace. Doesn't he know how to treat a lady? Then again, she mused, if Kai acted like a typical, polite guy, she probably wouldn't find him interesting. She smirked and jogged to catch up.
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Mai had been a little curious about how Kai acted at school. She figured he would be totally different from the powerful Sorcerer she saw last night. But after just ten minutes, she already wanted to unsee what she'd witnessed.
"Yahallo!"
"Kai-kun!"
As soon as Kai sat down in the classroom, Yui Yuigahama and Yumiko Miura were right by his side.
Out of Yui's view, Yumiko quietly slid her hand over to touch his under the desk. Yui didn't notice a thing, but Mai, sitting across from them, saw everything.
"Scumbag," Mai spat.
Kai maintained a perfectly composed expression, casually enjoying the attention of two gorgeous girls at once. Keeping his options open while stringing them along—he was a textbook player.
Too bad no one else in the classroom could see or hear her. She could scream it at the top of her lungs and receive zero reaction.
As for Kai? He didn't give a damn... He was entirely absorbed in the company of the two beauties.
'This jerk!!' Watching him enjoy all the attention and ignore her insults left Mai speechless.
But considering his adamantium-thick skin, expecting him to care about her opinion was a fool's errand.
Still, she wasn't really angry. She'd seen much worse in the entertainment world—this was nothing. Her frustration came from somewhere else.
Last night, he'd pushed her against a wall and kissed her. Now, he was acting like a perfect gentleman with these girls. Did he not like her anymore? She felt a strange, bitter mix of emotions.
Realizing where her thoughts were going, Mai quickly slapped her cheeks to snap herself out of it.
'What the hell am I thinking?' She didn't need this guy's attention.
While she tried to calm herself down, Mai didn't notice the quick look Kai gave her. He saw how flustered she was and couldn't help but smirk a little. He thought teenage girls were easy to read.
He wasn't in a hurry with Mai. He figured she would be his eventually.
Right then, Kai noticed someone staring at him. He turned his head and locked eyes with Hina Ebina. He caught a flicker of conflict swimming in her gaze.
"Ebina?"
"Huh? Ah!" Startled out of her daze, Hina jumped. "N-Nothing!"
Hina frantically averted her eyes.
Kai didn't push the issue. He vaguely remembered her—another anime heroine and a certified beauty.
She was also the girl Kakeru Tobe used to have a huge crush on. But after the Cursed Spirit, Tobe's interests had completely changed. There was no chance he'd go after her now.
"..." Kai looked across the room. Tobe was stuck to Hayato Hayama's side, and they were almost never apart. He clearly wasn't interested in Hina anymore.
The rest of the class had no idea about the supernatural stuff. They just thought the boys were being extra friendly... No one guessed the real reason.
"Oh, right! Kai, let's go to the amusement park this weekend!" Yumiko suddenly suggested. "I heard a new one just opened in Tokyo called Tropical Land. It's supposed to be amazing. We should all go!"
"Oh! I've hardly ever been to an amusement park!" Yui's eyes lit up with excitement.
Yui's family was a little different. They were pretty comfortable, but her mom was the only one working. Her dad died in an accident when she was young, so her mom raised her alone.
She could only remember going to an amusement park once as a kid. Getting to go now, especially with her boyfriend, felt really special.
"If you want to go, let's go," Kai agreed, smiling as he gently ruffled her hair.
Tropical Land??
The name triggered a cascade of memories. It sounded really familiar. If he remembered right, that was where Shinichi Kudo from Detective Conan was given a pill and turned into Conan Edogawa. That's how the whole series started.
So this crossover world had Detective Conan in it too? He hadn't checked before. But thinking about how weird the Conan timeline was, with snow one day and summer the next, or summer break starting right after the semester began, he wondered if that chaos would show up here too. It was a funny idea.
"Yay!" Yui cheered, her face splitting into a radiant smile at his confirmation.
"I'll book the tickets right now!" Yumiko announced, already tapping rapidly on her phone screen.
"Right now? The weekend is still a few days away," Kai pointed out.
"You have no idea," Yumiko sighed, clearly frustrated. "Tropical Land is super popular right now. Everyone wants to go. If we don't book early, we won't get tickets!"
"I see." Kai nodded in understanding.
As Yumiko worked on booking tickets, Kai looked over his shoulder and saw Hina sitting a row behind them. Her face was slowly falling into disappointment.
"Book four tickets instead," Kai instructed.
"Huh? Four tickets?" Yumiko blinked at him in confusion. Kai, Yui, and herself made three. Why did they need an extra? Was someone else coming?
"Idiot," Kai shot her a deadpan look. "Did you forget there's another member of your clique sitting right behind you?"
"Huh?"
Yumiko suddenly realized what she'd done. She quickly turned and met Hina's eyes. Since Hina was right behind them, she'd heard all their excited plans. Of course she'd want to come too. It wasn't really about the rides—it was about not being left out.
Even though Yumiko acted bossy and like the Queen Bee, she was very loyal and had a big heart. She always treated Yui and Hina the same.
"Sorry, sorry! Hina, you have to come with us this weekend!"
"W-Will I be intruding?" Hina asked, surprised to be included. She wanted to go, but looked from Yumiko to Kai, worried she'd end up as an awkward third or fourth wheel on their date.
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