Karuizawa Kei

At the end of the month, Konoe checked his phone messages.

Ayanokoji: "Today, the trio and I are going out with Kushida. Do you want to come?"

Ayanokoji might have realized Konoe wasn't very enthusiastic when he invited him last time, so he sent a message first to ask.

"I'll come," Konoe replied simply, wanting to take this opportunity to add the trio to his contacts. The girls, on the other hand, had readily given him their contact information when asked, except for Karuizawa.

Konoe didn't dare ask Karuizawa for her contact information because he always felt she harbored some inexplicable hostility towards him. She would often glare at him during class.

As soon as class ended, Konoe followed Ayanokoji and Ike outside.

"We're in the same class, but Kushida isn't with us," Ike noticed Kushida's absence.

"She said she had something to discuss with friends from another class. Kushida is quite popular, after all."

It seemed being a popular character wasn't easy either, Konoe mused.

"Could it be male friends?"

"Don't worry, Ike. I asked. The other person is a girl."

"That's good... that's good."

"Are you guys seriously trying to pursue Kushida?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Isn't that obvious? She's definitely my Soulmate."

Yamauchi nodded frequently and looked at Konoe, wanting him to state his position.

"...With such fierce competition, I'll pass, perhaps?" Konoe replied helplessly.

"Ayanokoji, you're probably talking about Horikita, right? She is indeed a Bishoujo."

"No, there's nothing between her and me."

"But you talk to her often, both in and out of class. Didn't you accidentally touch her hand? Or get close when picking something up for her?" Ike's questioning was aggressive.

"Sorry I'm late, thanks for waiting! Huh? Konoe is here too?"

Should I not be here?

"Why is Kushida calling you by your name, Konoe? Don't tell me..."

"Excuse me, Kushida, I hope I'm not intruding by coming along?" Konoe didn't respond to Ike and greeted Kushida directly.

"On the contrary, you're very welcome. Ah... I met a few classmates on the way and thought it would be a rare opportunity for everyone to hang out together, so I invited them. Is that okay?"

Kushida brought Hirata, Karuizawa, and two other girls with her. The two girls were:

Matsushita Chiaki, who often acted with Karuizawa, was also very cute and wore many seemingly expensive accessories.

Mori Nene, another girl who acted with Karuizawa, seemed to have better athletic abilities.

Ike and Yamauchi looked at Hirata with hostility, but Hirata seemed unfazed by their gazes, still exuding his usual sunny smile.

Ike was whispering something to Ayanokoji. The understanding Hirata saw this and said, "If we're disturbing you, perhaps we should split up?"

"N-no, it's fine? Right, Yamauchi?"

"Right... right, it's more fun with more people, right, Ike?"

Seeing their reactions, Konoe found it quite amusing.

"Of course, why should we have to consider the feelings of you three... four people?" Karuizawa replied matter-of-factly, including Konoe in her count.

"I'll get straight to the point. Hirata, are you dating Karuizawa?"

Ike asked directly, also to confirm his next target, as besides Karuizawa, there were three other girls left.

"Huh... where did you hear that?" Hirata seemed flustered, as if startled.

"See? It seems our relationship has been discovered after all!" Before Hirata could react further, Karuizawa tightly hugged his arm.

Hirata gave her a helpless look, scratched his cheek, and admitted they were dating.

Konoe looked at Ayanokoji, but Ayanokoji turned his head away. Konoe suspected Ayanokoji's information came from Ike, which he found unreliable, and Hirata seemed to be speaking against his will.

"Then does Kushida have a boyfriend?" Following the topic, Ike asked directly.

"Me? Unfortunately, no," Kushida replied in a cute tone.

Hearing this, Ike and Yamauchi couldn't help but smile.

"Where is our destination?" Konoe asked.

"We just started school not long ago, right? So we should look around and see the campus facilities," Ike replied impatiently, his tone somewhat cold.

This guy doesn't see me as a rival, does he... Konoe thought speechlessly.

He thought the atmosphere would be awkward with just aimless wandering, but Kushida chatted with everyone and naturally drew them into the same conversation.

Even Ayanokoji and Konoe, who didn't talk much, received a look from her, indicating she wasn't ignoring them but was considerate of their personalities.

Konoe concluded that she was a girl who was very good at reading the room and sincere about making friends.

They first browsed a clothing store Konoe often saw but had never entered. Hirata carried Karuizawa's bags; she spent around 30,000 points.

Wait, doesn't Hirata have to pay? Konoe bought nothing and followed them to a cafe.

"Everyone has adapted to the school, right?"

"This is a life like heaven, it's hard not to adapt. Rather, I want to stay here forever."

"Haha, it seems Ike is really enjoying campus life."

"But..."

Hirata was about to voice his opinion again, but Ike interrupted him.

"I know what you're going to say. We'll know the results tomorrow, right? Let's just relax today, okay?"

"But speaking of which, it's amazing that Ike and Karuizawa could get in. You guys look so dumb?" Yamauchi said this without fear of offending anyone.

As expected, Karuizawa glared at him, but she seemed to find talking to Yamauchi even more annoying, so she remained silent.

"Yamauchi, your head doesn't look too smart either," Ike retorted directly.

"This school's policy is to cultivate promising young people, so the school probably doesn't just look at exam scores. In fact, if they only looked at exam scores, maybe I wouldn't have applied either."

"Right, right, I'm exactly the kind of person the school is looking for," Ike said, crossing his arms and nodding in strong agreement.

Since Yamauchi could indeed be admitted, it meant the school didn't solely use academic performance as a criterion. However, Konoe couldn't quite figure out what kind of potential the school saw in the students, especially Yamauchi.

After the dismissal, someone unexpected approached Konoe.

Karuizawa Kei, Hirata's girlfriend.

"Is there something you need? Karuizawa-san, where's Hirata?"

"...Contact information," Karuizawa's quiet voice came.

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you ask for my contact information! You actively asked all the other girls, but you didn't ask me!" Karuizawa shouted loudly to cover her shyness.

"..." Konoe was momentarily speechless.

"Could it be... because I glared at you last time? I'll apologize, but I was talking to Hirata then, and you suddenly butting in was a bit rude, wasn't it? The girls in class sometimes discuss you and ask me if I have your contact information. You asked everyone for their contact details, right? It's a problem for me that I'm the only one without your contact information!" Karuizawa said, her face flushed red, looking a little wronged.

Konoe found it strange. Usually, girls like her had high self-esteem. It was just contact information; couldn't she manage without his?

"Karuizawa-san, I don't mean to blame you, but it's true that I felt a bit awkward because of what happened last time. Please exchange contact information with me."

Karuizawa was already Hirata's girlfriend, so Konoe decided to take a step back.

"Uh... well, it's good that you know. Anyway... let's just exchange contact information," Karuizawa replied shyly, not expecting Konoe to respond so sincerely.

"By the way, what do the girls in class talk about me?"

"Do you usually ask girls about such topics? Sigh... I can tell you specifically, but don't tell anyone else. Leaking girls' conversations to boys is a sign of untrustworthiness among girls."

"Oh... oh." It sounded quite serious.

"They say you're a bit handsome, and your aura is somewhat attractive to girls... That's just what they say, don't misunderstand!"

"What about you? Kei, what do you think I look like?" Konoe asked softly in a low voice, deliberately.

"Wh-what! I'm Hirata's..." Karuizawa's face turned bright red. She clearly hadn't expected Konoe to say that and didn't know how to respond.

"Haha, just kidding, Karuizawa-san. You told me at the beginning not to mind my expression." Seeing Karuizawa's reaction, Konoe couldn't help but laugh.

"Idiot!" Karuizawa yelled and ran away.

Konoe watched Karuizawa's retreating figure and smiled. It seemed interacting with people might not be such a boring thing after all.