"Sorry, sorry! I'm late!"
Just as everyone was getting engrossed in their conversation, Kushida Kikyo's sweet voice swept over them like a spring breeze, instantly perking up Ike Koji and Yamauchi Haruki.
"Whoa! Kushida!"
"We've been waiting for you!"
Ike Koji and Yamauchi Haruki made no effort to hide their excitement, turning their overflowing anticipation into loud shouts.
Yet the very next second, both Ike Koji and Yamauchi Haruki froze.
Not only Ike Koji and Yamauchi Haruki—even Fang Li and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka were somewhat surprised.
That was because the people approaching from the school building were not just Kushida Kikyo.
Indeed, Kushida Kikyo had said that she would be bringing some friends along later.
But no one had expected that the "friends" Kushida Kikyo meant would be these two people.
"Hello, everyone."
The one who politely greeted everyone present was a handsome boy with an elegant air and a courteous smile constantly on his face. He was obviously the sort of sunny, refreshing guy girls liked.
"What? So the class's unpopular duo is here too?"
Unlike the former's polite, sunny elegance, the one speaking in a somewhat displeased tone was a girl with long hair tied into a lengthy ponytail. She was no less pretty than Kushida Kikyo and just as sweet and cute, but she had tied her uniform jacket around her waist, giving off an entirely frivolous gyaru vibe.
At the sight of those two, Ike Koji and Yamauchi Haruki cried out at the same time.
"H-Hirata!?"
"Even Karizawa is here!?"
That was right.
The boy and girl who had come with Kushida Kikyo were none other than the central figure among the boys and the central figure among the girls in Class 1-D.
One was Hirata Yosuke, a soccer club member who ranked second on the handsome