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Emerging from the gym, Ryu headed straight for the school gate.
"Hey, kid, you're not really leaving, are you?" Karupin asked lazily.
Ryu replied nonchalantly, "What can I do? They said the basketball club doesn't need anyone else. Do you expect me to beg them to join?"
Karupin stuck out its tongue. "Fine, whatever! I thought you were going to teach that guy a lesson!"
Ryu pouted. "I did think about teaching him a lesson, but even if I did, it probably wouldn't make a difference!"
"That's true. But if you just leave like this, that guy will probably take advantage of you! He'll probably cause you trouble again."
Hearing Karupin's words, Ryu said dismissively, "If that's the case, I'll teach him a lesson. With my current physique, teaching a middle school student a lesson is easy."
"Maybe! Don't be too careless, or you might get caught off guard," Karupin warned.
"I understand." To be honest, Ryu never took that jerk seriously.
Ryu was chatting with Karupin, exchanging a few words, completely unaware that someone was rushing towards him.
Thump…
He only felt a gust of wind rapidly approaching him.
Caught off guard, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and then collapsed to the ground.
Ryu felt pain all over his body.
As he recovered, he tried to get up, then realized something was pressing down on him.
He looked closely and saw a pink mass in his arms.
"Ouch…"
The pink mass wriggled a few times.
Then a pretty and cute face appeared.
Seeing this face, Ryu initial urge to scold her vanished.
This… isn't this Momoi Satsuki?
Their current position was extremely awkward. Ryu lay on the ground, his head slightly raised.
Momoi Satsuki lifted her head from Ryu embrace, their eyes meeting.
However, her body was currently pressed against his.
Karupin had jumped to the ground the instant Ryu was bumped.
Now, it stared at them with its large, round, sapphire eyes.
"I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to." Momoi Satsuki snapped out of her daze, realizing she had bumped into someone, and quickly began to apologize.
She hadn't said much before she realized that her posture was indeed somewhat embarrassing.
"Ah..." A scream pierced the air.
Momoi Satsuki quickly got out of Ryu embrace, her pretty face flushed red, almost as if it were bleeding.
Ryu also stood up and stretched his body.
"Hmm, thankfully, it's nothing serious."
Ryu looked at Momoi Satsuki, thinking to himself: This is Momoi Satsuki!
She really is a beauty.
Seeing Ryu staring at her, Momoi Satsuki said apologetically again, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you."
Ryu snapped out of his daze and waved his hand. "Never mind, I'm fine."
"Really? That's great!" Momoi Satsuki breathed a sigh of relief.
As if remembering something, she spoke up. "Oh, by the way, my name is Momoi Satsuki. What's your name, classmate?"
Ryu replied, "Shirogane Ryu. Remember to be careful next time. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Ryu walked past Momoi Satsuki, then, as if remembering something, turned back to look at Karupin on the ground. "Let's go, Karupin."
Karupin?
Momoi Satsuki was a little confused because she and Ryu were the only two people nearby.
Was he calling her Karupin? Momoi Satsuki was puzzled.
However, she quickly realized who he was calling.
Only then did she notice that there was a cat beside her.
This cat seemed to obey his commands.
Hearing Ryu call, Karupin trotted over to his feet.
Then, with a leap, it jumped onto Ryu shoulder. Seeing this, Momoi Satsuki's eyes lit up.
She didn't come to her senses until Ryu disappeared from sight.
A cat? Was it his pet? Huh? Strange, why would he bring a cat to school? Shirogane Ryu? Heh… what a weirdo.
But why does that person seem somewhat familiar?
Momoi Satsuki thought for a long time but couldn't remember.
She shook her head, thinking, Never mind, I'll go find Dai-chan first!
Then, she ran towards the basketball court.