Dongfang Yi turned around stiffly. What he saw was—
A gentle girl everyone adored.
She didn't look threatening at all.
Her orange hair was neat and clean, her limpid eyes clear and affectionate. She lightly brushed the hair by her ear with her fair right hand, revealing soft cheeks with a hint of baby fat and a swanlike, snowy-white neck. Under the lights, her cherry-colored lips looked even more jellylike.
Maybe she'd be pretty refreshing, too.
She really was cute.
Well, she'd be even cuter if my C-rank Malice Perception skill weren't sounding the alarm.
"Long time no see, Kushida."
Dongfang Yi ignored the red dots flashing frantically on the system interface and entered battle mode without changing expression.
He had no idea how he'd managed to provoke her, but if he wanted to keep mooching off the princess, he'd better stroke her the right way first (calm her down).
[Malice Perception experience +10]
"Yeah, it's been two days. I've been so~ looking forward to seeing you again, senpai. I'm so happy we got to meet again."
Kushida pulled out the chair at the counter beside Dongfang Yi, gathered her skirt, and sat down gently.
It was designed like a bar counter, with seats specifically for customers who came alone, so they could chat with the staff.
After all... a single customer's money was still money!
Might as well take it.
Little Angel leaned forward slightly, looking as if she wished she could get even closer to Dongfang Yi.
The counter was just the right height. It let her set the milk pudding she'd brought with her on the surface, lightening her load a little and making it easier for her to move.
"I'm happy to see you again, too, Kushida."
Dongfang Yi kept a gentle smile, though his eyes unconsciously wandered across the counter.
Hm, just like the original described, smaller than Sakura's, but apparently far above Kamuro's. Quite impressive. I wonder if one hand could cover them...
Wait, why do I remember how big Kamuro's are?
On the other side, Kushida didn't mind his gaze, which was filled with curiosity about the unknown and a hint of aggression. Instead, she proudly thrust her chest forward a little.
She even rested both arms on the counter and discreetly pressed them together, making her soft, ample curves stand out more.
"Senpai actually feels the same way? I'm so happy." The girl played with the hair beside her ear, her cherry lips breathing out a sweet fragrance. "Say, sen~pai~, would you be willing to become my friend?"
"Friends? That's a word that feels very distant to me." Dongfang Yi sounded somewhat wistful, even a little nostalgic.
He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no, either, leaving himself plenty of room to maneuver.
Kushida Kikyo had expected that answer—or rather, in the short time they'd been talking, she'd already prepared herself for rejection.
She continued on her own. "I want to be good friends with everyone. I've always been working toward that goal. Every time I make a new friend, every time someone agrees to call me Little Kikyo, it makes me so happy."
"That's quite an ambitious goal, Kushida." Dongfang Yi smiled as he began choosing a coffee cup, preparing for the next step.
[Malice Perception experience +10]
"I know it's hard, but I keep trying. And, you know, I'm really grateful to you, senpai. You helped me on the bus, and you showed me the way when we enrolled. I was so happy back then. Really happy. It felt so wonderful to meet you on the very day I enrolled. So I really, really wanted to see you again and become your friend, senpai."
"Is that so? To be thought of so fondly by a cute girl like you is quite an honor."
Dongfang Yi maintained his warm smile, his tone carrying what sounded like genuine surprise and happiness.
[Malice Perception experience +10]
"But, you know, I looked for you for two whole days, senpai. Because of what you told me, I seriously searched the upperclassmen for two whole days. I even got to know the key members of every club, until I had to give up." Her voice was so sweet, but her eyes held not a trace of warmth, and her tone carried an unmistakable note of resentment.
"And then you turned out to be this~ close to me. Really... I was so surprised."
"Gulp." Dongfang Yi swallowed silently, his mind filling with complaints.
What's with the yandere act, Kushida? Aren't you supposed to be two-faced? Are you really the type to say what you're thinking so easily?
He calmly thought back to the original story and suddenly realized that she really did seem like the type to blurt things out whenever she was under pressure...
What are you, a one-use spider bomb or something?!
"Senpai, you toyed with me." Kushida squeezed her arms together even tighter. "That was so mean of you, playing with my feelings."
Dongfang Yi felt like a scumbag who'd deceived an innocent girl, and for a moment, he was overwhelmed with guilt.
"But even so, I still want to be your friend, senpai. I want us to chat together, eat together, and I want to learn more about you."
Um... are you sure you don't want to get something you can use against me so you can control me?
Dongfang Yi felt like the shop's air conditioner had started blowing colder air.
A little chilly.
"If sen~pai~ isn't willing, I'll be in a real bind. Say, sen~pai~, are you really unwilling to be my friend...?"
Kushida's limpid eyes followed Dongfang Yi wherever he went. Her voice was still sweet, enough to set anyone's imagination running wild.
Well, if you ignored the emphasis she put on "in a real bind."
[Malice Perception experience +500]
[Congratulations, Malice Perception has increased to B-rank]
I wish you wouldn't congratulate me at a time like this, System.
Dongfang Yi grumbled inwardly, silently considering how to handle the situation.
At this point, simply listening patiently probably wouldn't help.
If he didn't respond, the next thing out of her mouth would probably be something like, "If you're unwilling, I'll have no choice but to trouble you to drop out, senpai."
It couldn't get any worse than that...
Wait, over something this small, she wouldn't actually... stab me, would she?
A vague sense of danger welled up inside him. If he let Kushida keep steering the conversation and kept stepping on the gas toward the abyss, the consequences... gulp... probably wouldn't be pretty.
Still, things were only potentially a little bad right now. It wasn't a big deal.
Eastern Interpersonal Relationship Guidebook
Chapter Two, Article Fourteen: Never let yourself fall into the other person's rhythm during a conversation.
Chapter Three, Article Twenty-Eight: If a question is hard to answer, try answering with a question instead.
Before you continue