Contact Method

The second day of school began with the teachers briefly explaining their teaching plans before diving into the first page of the textbook.

While attending class was optional, the teaching here was so lax that Konoe felt as if this wasn't a prestigious school. Students like Sudo practically slept through every lesson, and the teachers wouldn't even bother admonishing him if they noticed.

The students slowly tested the teachers' limits, but the teachers' seemingly bottomless patience led almost all of Class D to become increasingly unruly.

Some students secretly played on their phones, others openly took out tablets to read manga, some were eating snacks, and still others were chatting quietly.

Was this really a prestigious school?

Amidst this relaxed atmosphere, lunchtime arrived. The students dispersed, forming groups with the people they had just met to eat.

Hirata, a promising young man, stood up and said, "Uh... I'm heading to the cafeteria next. Anyone want to join?"

"I do!"

"Me too!"

Konoe had intended to respond to Hirata, but seeing the girls constantly gathering around him, he gave up. He also felt that approaching Hirata later would be easier.

"Uh... Ayanokoji..."

Hirata seemed to want some guys to go with him. The moment he opened his mouth to call Ayanokoji.

"Let's go, Hirata-kun," a Gal-style Girl grabbed Hirata's arm and pulled him away.

Seeing this, Konoe approached Ayanokoji. "If you don't mind, would you like to grab lunch together?"

Before Ayanokoji could respond, the girls beside him shot him surprised glances.

She looked like... Horikita Suzune. She seemed to have been on the same bus to school as Konoe.

She was a strikingly beautiful girl with waist-length Black Long Hair and Fox Eyes. However, she appeared very aloof, exuding a "don't talk to me" aura. Her long legs were often clad in Black Over-the-Knee Socks, making her an ice queen.

Being stared at by such a beautiful girl made Konoe's heart pound. Remembering that Horikita seemed to know Ayanokoji, Konoe asked, "Horikita-san, want to join us?"

"No, I prefer to eat alone," Horikita replied without hesitation in a cold tone, then immediately stood up and left the classroom.

Konoe had intended to be friendly, but being suddenly rejected made him feel a few degrees colder.

"Don't mind it, let's go," Ayanokoji comforted him.

"Are you Ayanokoji-kun and Konoe-kun?"

As Konoe and Ayanokoji were heading to the Student Cafeteria, they were suddenly called out by another beautiful girl. It was Kushida from their class.

She had shoulder-length brown straight hair and wore a very short skirt, giving off a girlish vibe.

"I'm Kushida from the same class. You haven't forgotten my name, have you?"

Konoe recalled a slightly awkward previous encounter but still responded, "Hello, Kushida-san."

"Hello," Ayanokoji nodded.

"Can I take up a moment of your time? I have something I'd like to ask Ayanokoji-kun."

"Do you need me to step aside?"

"No need, Konoe-kun. It's a small matter, and I actually have something to discuss with you too. Ayanokoji-kun, are you and Horikita-san close?"

Konoe also looked up at Ayanokoji, curious about this himself.

"No, I don't think we're particularly close," Ayanokoji replied.

"But Ayanokoji-kun is the only one who can talk to Horikita-san. I want to be friends with everyone in the school, so I went to Horikita-san to get her contact information. But... she rejected me," Kushida said, her voice trailing off sadly. "She said she wasn't interested in making friends with others."

Hearing this, Konoe felt a little better. He wasn't afraid of being rejected by Horikita, just afraid that she only rejected him.

"That's just her personality," Ayanokoji comforted her.

"But I want to be friends with Horikita-san. Can you help me?" Kushida took two steps forward, closing the distance to Ayanokoji. Ayanokoji raised his hands to signal for space, but Kushida grabbed them instead.

However, Kushida then realized Konoe was looking their way and quickly let go.

"I understand what you mean, but I only met Horikita yesterday, so I can't help you," Ayanokoji replied.

"I see... I'm sorry for asking such a strange question. But can we exchange contact information? Actually, that was my main purpose. Konoe-kun too." Kushida said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, we don't have each other's contact information either. What do you think, Ayanokoji-kun?" Konoe politely asked for Ayanokoji's opinion.

Ayanokoji nodded and took out his student terminal. The three then exchanged contact information.

"I'm a little surprised, though. I thought Konoe-kun was difficult to get along with. It seems I was overthinking it," Kushida said cutely.

"Why did you think that, Kushida-san?"

Seeing Konoe's genuine question, Kushida spoke frankly, "Because the aura around Konoe-kun makes it feel difficult to approach... I mean..."

"Cold?" Konoe interrupted.

"Haha... But now that I know Konoe-kun's personality, I think you'll be very popular with girls."

"Thank you," Konoe replied politely.

"Anyway, please take care of me, Ayanokoji-kun, Konoe-kun." Kushida looked very happy.

"Please take care of me, Kushida-san."

"Please take care of me..."

After exchanging contact information, Kushida left. Konoe thought that someone as popular as her must be very busy usually.