Suzune, spend the afternoon with me!

"Suzune, do you have any time this afternoon? How about coming with me?"

Because he had spent the previous night hanging out with Kikyo, Ju Ji was already waking up near noon. Fortunately, Kikyo wasn't a true demon and didn't force him to stay up until the next day, letting him rest at three in the morning instead.

However, the online game they played on their handheld consoles was actually quite fun; it seemed to be called Sword Art Online. It wasn't like the novel he had read in the past—a holographic game without a logout button—but just a regular online game. Still, the gameplay was quite interesting, and it seemed like quite a few people in the class were playing it. He would continue playing it next time he had the chance.

"Ju Ji, over here... So, the friend you mentioned was really Horikita? Wouldn't it have been easier to just say so?"

"No, at the time, I wasn't even sure if she would actually come."

The place where they had agreed to meet was the school cafe. Ju Ji and Suzune had run into each other on their way out. Furthermore, he hadn't expected Suzune to actually agree to such a pointless social outing.

Could it be that she was starting to try and change, wanting to take the initiative to make friends? A beauty like her would surely make friends quickly.

"Ju Ji, Horikita-san, let me introduce you. This is Ichinose-san from Class B. And this is Horikita-san, whom I've always wanted to get along with. I just hadn't succeeded until now, thanks to Ju Ji helping me invite her out."

"To think there's someone who could reject your charm, Kikyo-chan, that's truly interesting. And this cute boy must be the close friend you mentioned, Kikyo-chan? It really is better to see him once than to hear of him a hundred times."

Sitting next to Kikyo was the nominal leader of Class B, who had pinkish-gold hair. In terms of appearance, she was a beauty who didn't lose to Horikita. She looked strong, but from what Ju Ji understood, she also had a fragile side. She seemed to have a dark past as well, though he had forgotten the specifics.

Both Ichinose and Kikyo were masters of social interaction; there was no harm in getting on good terms with her. Perhaps he could obtain information about other classes through her. This was exactly what Ju Ji lacked; without outside intelligence, any so-called strategy was just working in a vacuum.

"Ichinose-san, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let's get along well."

"So, where are we going to hang out... You didn't think about it at all, did you?"

Unlike Ju Ji, who had a goal of befriending Ichinose, Suzune got straight to the point.

"Well, since we're already at the cafe, let's order something first. I'll have a latte. What would you like?"

"Hi! I'll have a cappuccino!"

"I'll have a latte too, with extra sugar."

"I don't mind, just the same as Ju Ji."

Usually, the person who proposes the outing is the one who pays. Although there were three ladies present, Ju Ji should have been the one to pay, but that wasn't his style, nor would he ever do such a thing. It could only be sacrificed by Kikyo.

However, Suzune's mind didn't seem to be on the outing at all. Did she even have the awareness that she was out to have fun? If she wasn't going to enjoy herself, wouldn't this be completely meaningless? What exactly did this person come here for?

"Speaking of which, congratulations on successfully promoting to Class C. The leaders this time were Ju Ji-kun and Suzune-chan, right? Do you have any plans for the future? Oh, and if you don't mind, you can call me Honami."

As expected of Ichinose, she immediately used the method of changing how they addressed each other to shorten the distance between them. Was this the lingering charm of a popular person? Still, it was too embarrassing, so please allow Ju Ji to refuse.

"I'll pass on that, Ichinose-san. As for our next goal, it's probably to promote to Class A. Everyone in this school should have that thought, right?"

Hmm, as expected of Suzune. She refused the perfect opportunity to get closer to Ichinose without hesitation. One had to know that Ichinose's charm was so terrifying that in the original story, it even attracted a female classmate to confess to her.

"What about you, Ju Ji-kun?"

"Well, spare me from suddenly using nicknames for girls, Ichinose-san. My goal is about the same as Suzune's; I want to promote to Class A, but if I could make more friends on top of that, it would be great."

By voicing the thought of "wanting to make more friends," the friendly Ichinose-san would probably help him. Then, perhaps he could "fleece the sheep" of the Class B students or even the entire grade. After all, wasn't it better to have as many Friendship Points as possible?

"Wanting to make more friends? Then perhaps I can help. In that case, how about our two classes form an alliance? After all, the goal of promoting to Class A isn't something that can be achieved in a short time. If our two classes help each other, we can avoid many accidents. Besides, I don't want to be hostile toward Kikyo-chan. How does this suggestion sound?"

"An alliance? That seems like a good choice. What do you think, Ju Ji?"

"It might be good, but we aren't actually the leaders of the class. We still need to ask for the opinions of all the members of Class C (Ju Ji). However, I am very much in favor of the alliance. I will give you an answer as soon as we have a result. In that case, let's exchange contact information."

"Is that so? Such a thing really can't be decided immediately. Let me know as soon as you've decided. Also, the former leader of Class C (Ryuen), Ryuen, is a presence not to be underestimated. He might make a move recently, so you'd better be careful."

Ichinose seemed to have an inexplicable confidence that the two classes could successfully form an alliance. She was already treating them as allies, even sharing important intelligence. Although Ryuen was completely crushed by Ayanokoji in the original story, that was only because Ayanokoji was too strong. For Ju Ji, he was indeed a tricky opponent.

That they would make a move recently was within Ju Ji's expectations; it would have been strange if they hadn't acted by now. Before, perhaps the class hadn't been reorganized yet. But since she could obtain such precise information, Ichinose must have planted a spy in Class C (Ju Ji). No, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call them a friend in her eyes.

Because the phones issued by the school also had infrared functions, exchanging contact information only took a moment. The number of people in Ju Ji's address book had finally reached six; truly a joyous occasion.

The moment she opened her phone, Ju Ji clearly saw the massive amount of Private Points on her screen. As expected, the Private Points of the entire class had all been gathered under her. This ability to gain trust was truly terrifying. He couldn't help but wonder if Kikyo and her were of a similar type? Both were able to easily gain the trust of others, which was why they could become friends so quickly.

"Thank you for the reminder, I will be careful. However, please let me know immediately if there is any relevant information."

In the original story, the two classes had already formed an alliance, so it shouldn't be that difficult to facilitate one now. Therefore, he accepted Ichinose-san's help without hesitation...