After all, the other party wasn't an NPC in a game, but a living person—a sharp-minded honor student from Class B, with social skills Shimizu Akira couldn't hope to match.
Class A could uncover hidden rules, and Class D could sense when something was off. What made him think Class B couldn't do the same?
"This is getting more and more interesting..." Shimizu Akira murmured to himself.
He suddenly felt that this school was far more interesting than he'd imagined. Each of the four classes seemed to have strengths that couldn't be underestimated.
Sakayanagi Arisu, who loved playing mind games.
Ichinose Honami, a social genius.
Ryuen Kakeru, who believed in violence above all else.
Except for Class D, none of them seemed like pushovers.
When Shimizu Akira returned to his room, he noticed a lively commotion coming from Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's room next door.
Through the fairly thick wall, he could just make out the voices of several boys and girls talking.
He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, though.
Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow, feeling a little surprised. He hadn't expected the usually quiet and taciturn Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to be so popular in private.
He glanced at his phone. It was already eight in the evening.
The school rules were written in black and white in the Manual: "Boys are prohibited from staying on the girls' floor past eight thirty."
But the Manual didn't say a word about whether girls could stay in the boys' dormitory for an extended period.
There was clearly more than one person talking next door. It seemed likely that some friends had come over to hang out.
Probably Yamauchi Haruki, Kanji Ike, and the others.
Shimizu Akira was just about to take his key card out of his pocket when the door next door suddenly opened.
"Shimizu, we've been waiting for you!"
At the familiar voice, he turned around and saw Kushida Kikyou standing in the doorway.
She wore her usual fake smile, but there was an unmistakable note of insistence in her eyes.
"I heard you had something to do after school, so after dinner and karaoke, we came over to Ayanokouji's room to wait for you." She tilted her head slightly, her tone light. "I asked Ayanokouji, after all, and he told me you lived next door."
Shimizu Akira fell silent for a moment. Before he could respond, Kushida took a step forward. Her smile remained unchanged, but there was an unmistakable pressure behind it.
"I'm sorry. I know I might be coming on a little strong..." She lowered her voice slightly and looked him straight in the eye. "But no matter what, Shimizu, I absolutely need you."
Shimizu Akira hadn't expected Kushida Kikyou to be this persistent.
He'd only turned down one invitation, yet she'd come straight to his dorm to corner him.
And Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had told her where he lived?
I misjudged him this time. He always acts like nothing matters, but he sure doesn't hesitate to sell out his teammates. I was wrong about you, Ayanokouji.
"...All right."
After a moment's silence, Shimizu Akira finally relented.
After returning from the Student Council, he didn't have any plans for the evening anyway.
If he kept refusing, it would only seem deliberate.
"Great! I knew you didn't turn me down on purpose, Shimizu! There's no way you'd reject me! Hehehe~"
Kushida Kikyou patted her chest in relief, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile.
But in her slightly narrowed eyes, Shimizu Akira clearly caught a smug look that said, "Just as I thought."
Kushida Kikyou Wants to Reserve Me?
"Some of our classmates have already saved seats at the café next door, so we should get going." Kushida Kikyou clapped her hands briskly and turned to call into the room.
"You're finally back!"
"We've been waiting for over an hour."
At her call, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Yamauchi Haruki, and Kanji Ike came out one after another, followed by several girls chatting and laughing.
She brought more than a dozen people to wait for me in the dorm for over an hour...
Looking at the group, Shimizu Akira felt conflicted.
Kushida Kikyou's persistence had gone far beyond his expectations. She hadn't just come to his door herself; she'd even enlisted all these classmates to accompany her.
It was less an invitation than a kind of gentle coercion.
He noticed a few of the girls discreetly rubbing their sore legs after standing for so long.
Going this far... should I call it determination or terrifying?
"Shimizu, let's go together!" Kushida Kikyou moved closer and gently tugged at his sleeve with her delicate hand.
Shimizu Akira surveyed the group without showing his thoughts, meeting the envious gazes Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike were directing at him.
Their smoldering stares nearly burned two holes through him.
She's tugging at my sleeve? Is trouble about to come my way?
Aside from the convenience store, which was open twenty-four hours a day, all the other facilities on campus closed at nine in the evening.
Notably, the dorm cafeteria also stayed open until nine.
When Shimizu Akira and the others arrived at the café, it was still brightly lit.
Kushida Kikyou spotted Inogashira Kokoro from a distance and waved to her enthusiastically before leading the group over.
Since the café's tables only seated four, the group of more than a dozen had to take the sofas along the wall. The seats were arranged in a row, and they took four connected sections, which was just enough for them to talk as a group.
Kushida Kikyou claimed the central seat without hesitation, and everyone else began to sit down.
Yamauchi Haruki and Kanji Ike had originally wanted to sit at the same table as Kushida, but the girls had already taken those seats, so they had no choice but to slink over to the seats on the right.
Shimizu Akira deliberately chose an empty seat on the left.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was the last to choose a seat. After looking around and seeing that every other spot was full, he had no choice but to sit across from Shimizu Akira.
Once everyone had settled in, they picked up their phones and scanned the QR codes to order.
Taking advantage of the moment, Shimizu Akira looked across at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and asked as casually as he could, "Ayanokouji, did you tell Kushida that I live next door to you?"
"Well... I did... let it slip by accident." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka shrank back a little, looking somewhat flustered.
Shimizu Akira stared at him in silence, his eyes conveying nothing but wordless disbelief.
That act is way too fake.
Who was he putting on that timid act for? Was he afraid Shimizu would hit him or something?
With Ayanokouji's build, it was anyone's guess who would win if they actually fought.
As an actor, he wasn't even close to the Kushida Kikyou sitting beside him.
Meanwhile, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt a flicker of confusion.
Why is Shimizu looking at me like that?
He thought back to how their other classmates interacted with Shimizu Akira. Whether it was Yamauchi Haruki or Kanji Ike, they both tended to show a hint of fear around him.
To perfectly fit the role of an ordinary high school student who avoided trouble, he'd even taken the trouble to observe and imitate Yamauchi Haruki's words and mannerisms.
Why wasn't it working at all?
Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes slightly. "I'm surprised, Ayanokouji. I thought you were the type who avoided trouble at all costs, but you actually gave up your room voluntarily."
Ayanokouji lowered his gaze, his voice flat but carrying a hint of resignation. "...It wasn't voluntary. Kushida insisted on having you over tonight, no matter what."
Then he added, "Besides, I have a feeling that you're the main reason Kushida gathered everyone this time."
Shimizu Akira was taken aback.
I'm the target?
He instinctively believed the assessment.
After all, it was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka who'd said it—the seemingly unassuming man who always saw through to the heart of things.
He had no reason to lie to him.
"I understand. Thanks for the warning, Ayanokouji."
"...Don't worry about it. I was just saying."
Shimizu Akira suddenly thought of something and changed the subject. "By the way, Ayanokouji, why did you join Kushida's group?"
Ayanokouji's expression remained perfectly calm. "...Yamauchi and Ike dragged me here." He paused, then added, "They blocked the entrance to my dorm room."
Shimizu Akira nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Your friends forced you to come along."
His gaze drifted over Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's composed profile.
Come to think of it, Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Haruki really were among this mysterious boy's few social acquaintances.
Whenever Shimizu passed them in the hallway or at the cafeteria, he could always see the four of them together.
It was a baffling group.
Ayanokouji clearly had far more ability than an ordinary person, so why had he chosen to stay close to those two—especially someone like Yamauchi Haruki, whose character left a lot to be desired? Kanji Ike was at least straightforward and sincere, but Yamauchi... Shimizu couldn't be bothered to judge him.
"Friends?" Ayanokouji suddenly asked, his voice tinged with rare confusion. "How close do you have to be... to call someone a real friend?"
Shimizu Akira initially thought he was once again showing off in a roundabout way, but when he saw the genuine bewilderment in the boy's eyes, he couldn't help but freeze.
He wanted to give the standard textbook definition of friendship, but that felt too perfunctory.
After giving it some thought, Shimizu Akira summed it up. "I think when you feel at ease and comfortable around someone... that probably means you're friends."
At once, Ayanokouji replied, "...Then I guess Yamauchi and Ike aren't my friends yet."
"..." Shimizu Akira was at a loss for words. "If you want to make friends, you'd better stop saying things like that."
He thought to himself that Ayanokouji probably knew perfectly well he didn't feel at ease around those two.
What surprised him more was how sharp-tongued Ayanokouji could be.
The hurtful remark had come out without a moment's hesitation.
Shimizu Akira couldn't help feeling sorry for Kanji Ike. If he heard such a blunt judgment, who knew how he'd take it?
"Oh, right!" Shimizu Akira suddenly clapped his hands, as if he'd just thought of something. "Let me pay for the coffee this time, as thanks for the warning."
Ayanokouji's eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised by the sudden offer.
Kushida Kikyou Wants to Reserve Me?
Shimizu Akira had a good impression of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
He rather liked the other boy's unassuming, easygoing manner—though in some ways, that very modesty seemed more like a disguise.
A brief silence gradually spread between them.
Conversations between guys usually revolved around girls, schoolwork, games, or boasting to one another.
As for Shimizu Akira, he couldn't tell what kind of topic the other boy might be interested in.
I really can't find anything we have in common to talk about.
Shimizu Akira shook his head to himself, took out his phone, and scanned the QR code to order. He paid for Ayanokouji's drink as well.
Since caffeine in the evening might affect his sleep, he ultimately chose a refreshing mango juice.
About ten minutes later, the server brought out everyone's drinks.
Kushida Kikyou gave an elegant little cough and gently tapped the side of her coffee cup with her slender index finger.
Once everyone's attention was on her, she gave them her signature sweet smile.
"Thank you all again for gathering here today... and thank you so much for your votes and encouragement. From today on, we're..." After a slight pause, she continued more firmly, "a group bound together by fate!"
You're going with "bound together by fate," too? Shimizu Akira thought, as if she'd just hit on a key phrase. He couldn't help rolling his eyes to himself.
Before you continue