"Fine, whatever you say!"
Matsushita Chiaki had given up trying to argue. No matter what she said, Sato Maya would surely take it as proof that she was too embarrassed to admit she was shy.
"I knew it!"
Looking at Matsushita Chiaki's defeat, Sato Maya lifted her chin proudly.
"Then why don't we just invite him to come with us? It'll give Chiaki a chance!"
Karuizawa Kei, who had been listening for a long time, finally chimed in.
"Huh!? There's no need for that! Besides, he's already left."
Matsushita Chiaki glanced at Gojo Satoru's now-empty seat and immediately refused.
It's already embarrassing enough that you've got the wrong idea about me. If I go up to the person himself, I'll die of embarrassment.
Matsushita Chiaki was already so mortified she felt she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with her toes.
"It's fine! We'll just catch up with him. He only just left, so he can't have gone far."
Sato Maya said something astonishing again, then grabbed Matsushita Chiaki's hand and ran off.
Seeing the two of them take action, Karuizawa Kei quickly followed.
It is not fine! It's absolutely not fine!
With Matsushita Chiaki's hand being pulled along, all she could do was silently rage in her heart.
"Gojo-kun! Wait a second!"
Hearing the call from behind him, Gojo Satoru stopped.
He turned around and saw three gal-style high school girls running toward him.
"Huff... G-Gojo-kun, you walk so fast! You only left two minutes before us, but you're already outside the school building!"
Finally catching up with Gojo Satoru, Sato Maya stopped, let go of Chiaki's hand, and praised him between gasps.
Looking at the three of them, Gojo Satoru was a little confused.
Why would they come looking for me? We haven't really interacted these past few days, and they look pretty eager.
He was confident in his own charm, but that was only when he took off his blindfold. As he was now, he couldn't imagine having three beautiful girls crowd around him.
"Is there something you need?"
At Gojo Satoru's question, Karuizawa stepped forward and answered.
"I'm Karuizawa Kei, from your class. These two are Matsushita Chiaki and Sato Maya. They're in our class too.
Do you have any plans this weekend, Gojo-kun? If not, would you like to come with us to the Amusement Park?
Some of the rides can be dangerous without a boy there to keep us company, and you're so tall—you'd definitely be able to protect us, right?"
"Yeah, exactly! Like the Haunted House and the Roller Coaster. If we went with just girls, we wouldn't dare to really let loose and enjoy ourselves!"
Seeing someone else start the conversation, Sato Maya quickly chimed in.
???
Gojo Satoru was even more confused after hearing that.
The Haunted House made some sense, but did it make any difference whether there were boys along for the Roller Coaster? What, if it broke halfway through, was he supposed to rescue them?!
Though, he supposed he could do that. But they had no idea what he was capable of.
He glanced at Matsushita Chiaki, who had silently retreated behind the other two, and became even more convinced of his suspicion.
Something was off! Twelve out of ten off!
Watching Gojo Satoru remain silent, Karuizawa and Sato began to panic!
Had they rushed things so much that they'd scared Gojo-kun? Chiaki was already hiding behind them, too embarrassed to speak.
If Matsushita Chiaki knew what they were thinking, she would surely have been shocked.
You're only realizing that now? Do you ever think before you act?
Feeling the strange atmosphere, Matsushita Chiaki was ready to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Why did two idiots like them have to be my friends?!
"Satoru-kun!
How could you cheat on me behind my back?!"
The shocking words brought all four of them back to reality. They looked toward the voice and saw Kamuro Masumi standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Gojo Satoru!
Class 1-A, back at 16:20.
Unlike Class D, the students remained orderly even though class was nearly over. Nobody was dozing off or distracted; everyone was focused on the teacher's lesson.
Kamuro Masumi kept her eyes on the teacher at the front of the classroom, but her thoughts had long since wandered elsewhere.
Why hadn't that guy contacted her yet? Since they'd exchanged contact information, she hadn't received a single message from him—just transfers, over and over!
He was the one who'd said something that could be misunderstood. That was why she'd run off.
Had he forgotten about her? He still had that video he could use to threaten her.
Should she send him a message?
No, no!
She didn't even know what to say. If she contacted him first, wouldn't that show she was thinking about him?!
Who would think about a jerk like that?!
She was only worried he'd send that video to someone!
That was right! That was all!
She wasn't thinking about him. She was just afraid of getting expelled!!
"Ring, ring, ring~"
When the bell rang, Kamuro Masumi immediately took out her phone to check. Seeing that the chat was still empty, she thought,
Ahhh! He still hasn't contacted me!
She slumped over her desk and buried her face in her arms.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Is something on your mind, Kamuro-san? Why do you look so down?"
At the sound of the voice, Kamuro raised her head. Sakayanagi Arisu had already made her way over with the help of her cane and was looking at her with a smile.
What a pain.
"Nothing."
Thinking this, Kamuro replied coolly, not wanting to get too involved with her.
Although the school year had started less than a week ago, the class's central figures had already emerged.
Katsuragi Kohei and the girl before her had clashed, each taking one side and standing in opposition. As a result, the "Sakayanagi Faction" and the "Katsuragi Faction" had formed.
Having two leaders in one class—it was ridiculous, wasn't it?
Still, both of them were quite capable. Katsuragi Kohei was tall and imposing, did well in his studies, and carried himself like a person of high status whenever he spoke. Many people admired him.
Sakayanagi Arisu, on the other hand, was short and frail, suffering from a congenital heart condition. She needed a cane to get around.
But she had fair skin, a cute face, striking silver hair, and a name that seemed to come from some wondrous realm—Arisu, or Alice. Her grades were outstanding, her temperament calm and collected, and her intellect seemed unfathomable. Her classmates in Class A trusted her deeply.
On one side stood a tall, imposing leader; on the other, a delicate, frail-looking girl.
But Kamuro Masumi didn't like either of them—neither the bald guy who spoke as if he were above everyone else nor the girl before her, who always wore a strange smile. Especially not that gaze, as if it could see right through everything.
That made her something of an odd one out in class, though a few other students hadn't joined either faction.
She didn't know why Sakayanagi was always watching her. Her grades weren't particularly good—in fact, they were pretty bad—but Sakayanagi seemed eager to bring her into her faction.
"Oh? Is that so? But I've noticed that you've seemed distracted these past few days, Kamuro-san.
You keep your eyes on the front of the classroom, but your attention doesn't seem to follow. The teacher has already moved on to the textbook, yet your gaze hasn't shifted.
And every time class ends, you're the first to check your phone. Are you waiting for a particular message?"
Sakayanagi Arisu laid out, one by one, all the unusual things Kamuro Masumi had been doing over the past few days.
This is why I can't stand you! Always acting as if you can see through everything.
Kamuro wasn't surprised by Sakayanagi's powers of observation. Instead, she grumbled to herself. After all, Sakayanagi had already proven to the class that, aside from physical ability, she excelled in every area.
"It's nothing. I just can't focus on studying. Otherwise, my grades wouldn't be so bad."
Kamuro Masumi put on an impatient expression.
"Really? Then what does that have to do with checking your phone the moment class ends?"
Sakayanagi continued to press her.
"What does that have to do with you? Checking my phone is my business!"
Before you continue