This Was the Most Unforgettable Lunch of Suzune's Life!

In truth, Ayanokoji's concern had been misplaced. By the time Kikyo arrived in class, she had already returned to her usual self, and no one could tell that anything had changed.

She stayed that way until lunchtime.

"Ju Ji, want to have lunch together? Horikita, would you like to join us too? I accidentally made two extra servings while cooking today. Come eat with us."

"Then let's eat together. What do you think, Suzune?"

"No... I'll... Actually, sure. It might be nice to have lunch together for once."

Suzune had been about to refuse on instinct, but when she saw Ju Ji agree without hesitation, she suddenly changed her mind. She couldn't quite explain why, but she didn't regret her decision.

"That's great! I know a nice spot."

"Horikita's having lunch with Kushida? Are they really that close?"

"I want to try a lunchbox made by Kikyo herself, too."

"Forget it. You're not that lucky."

"By the way, is Shinomiya cheating on someone?"

"Kushida? No way. She's friendly to everyone."

As expected, anything involving Kikyo became a topic of conversation in class. And now Horikita was joining them, a girl who could easily be called the most beautiful in the class. This would probably keep people talking for a while.

The group made their way to the rooftop. There were usually one or two couples or friends eating there, but for some reason, there wasn't a single person around today.

"The cafeteria's running a discount today, so a lot of people went to get the deluxe meal."

The cafeteria's deluxe meal was so lavish that even the students in Class C, who had plenty of points, usually didn't buy it. That was why the cafeteria was especially busy whenever it offered a discount.

"That's great. We have the whole rooftop to ourselves."

"Wait, Kikyo, come with me. I need to talk to you."

"Okay, but let's make it quick. We don't want to keep Horikita waiting."

Following Ju Ji, they returned to the school building and quietly closed the rooftop door behind them.

"Kikyo, why didn't you let me tell Suzune this morning that we're dating?"

"That? What a boring topic. Obviously, I was thinking of you. I heard from Horikita that your dream is to build a harem. How could that dream come true if we told everyone about us?"

"That's just a dream. It's different from reality. Now..."

As if to stop Ju Ji from speaking, Kikyo stepped closer to him.

"Listen, when I said you were mine, I didn't mean I wanted to tie you down. I'll help you make that dream come true, but I'll choose the people. And you don't get to refuse."

"Suzune and I..."

"Just friends? I'm tired of hearing that excuse. Can you really deny that you're interested in Horikita? So just let me handle this."

It was impossible to say that Ju Ji wasn't interested in Suzune. And Kikyo had an air about her that made it impossible to refuse. Only now did Ju Ji fully understand what the system meant by "true." It meant what he truly felt in his heart. Kikyo had probably known his true feelings all along.

"I guess I don't have a choice. I'll do as you say."

"That's more like it. Good boy."

The Friend System's randomly selecting Kikyo for Permanent Hypnosis at the start might have been the best choice—or perhaps the worst. Of course, Ju Ji was the one deciding by what standard to judge it. At least for now, it seemed like a good choice to him.

"You two are so slow. If you don't hurry, lunch break will be over."

"Sorry, Ju Ji had a lot to say. To make it up to you, how about I feed you this little sausage?"

With a smile, Kikyo stepped up to Suzune and opened the lunchbox. She picked up an octopus-shaped sausage with the chopsticks she'd brought and held it to Suzune's lips.

"Kushida, don't you feel embarrassed saying that?"

"In that case, how about Ju Ji feeds you?"

"...Hurry up. Didn't you say you wanted to feed me? Get on with it."

Even Suzune had completely succumbed to Kikyo's friendly advances. But what was with that strange silence when Ju Ji came up? Perhaps only Kikyo knew. No, maybe even Suzune herself didn't understand it.

Still, he wanted to keep watching the two girls cozying up to each other forever. It was so sweet. Especially seeing two people who should never have been so close sitting together like this—it made the sight even harder to resist.

"Isn't that enough? Look, Ju Ji's practically drooling from hunger!"

Before they knew it, half the food in the lunchbox had disappeared. Kikyo had originally planned to feed Suzune just one bite, then use that as an excuse to feed Ju Ji. But after seeing how embarrassed Suzune was, yet how unable to refuse, she couldn't stop herself.

"Ah, that idiot."

"Kushida, what did you just say?"

"Sorry, Horikita, you were just too cute, so I couldn't help teasing you a little more. Forgive me. Ju Ji, don't just stand there dazed—come eat with us."

When Kikyo saw Ju Ji lapse into that strange daze, she accidentally let slip the kind of words she usually only said when they were alone. Fortunately, she hadn't spoken loudly, and she managed to cover it up perfectly. Until she achieved her goal, she didn't want to show Suzune her true self.

"Now it's your turn, Ju Ji. Come on!"

"Kikyo, don't you have an extra pair of chopsticks? Those are the ones I used."

"Sorry, I was in a hurry this morning, so I only brought one pair."

For the first time, Suzune felt that there might be some kind of malice hidden beneath Kikyo's angelic smile. But surprisingly, she didn't hate it. Was something wrong with her?

"Now it's Ju Ji's turn to feed Horikita."

"No, that's a bit much."

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse."

"You two, honestly. We're friends, aren't we? This is no big deal. Hurry up—the next turn is mine. Lunch break's almost over, and I haven't eaten a thing. Do you really want me to go to class hungry?"

The pleading tone, the cute pose, and the upward gaze. A guaranteed knockout! For Suzune, this was perhaps the most embarrassing and unforgettable lunch she'd ever had. She vowed to bring an extra pair of chopsticks next time...