This was the most unforgettable lunch for Suzune!

In fact, Ayanokoji's worries were misplaced. After arriving at the classroom, Kikyo Kushida had already returned to her usual self, leaving no one able to detect any change in her.

This state of affairs continued until noon.

"Ju Ji, let's eat lunch together. If you don't mind, how about Horikita joins us too? I accidentally made two extra portions while cooking today. Let's all eat together."

"Well, let's do that. What do you think, Suzune?"

"No... I... well, come to think of it, eating together once in a while wouldn't be bad."

Suzune had instinctively wanted to refuse, but after seeing Ju Ji agree without hesitation, she suddenly changed her mind. Perhaps she couldn't even explain the reason herself, but she didn't regret the decision she had made.

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

"Horikita is actually going to have lunch with Kushida? Are they really that close?"

"Kikyo's homemade bento... I want to try it too."

"Give it up, you don't have that kind of luck."

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

"Kushida? That's impossible. She has such a friendly attitude toward everyone."

As expected, anything involving Kikyo became a topic of discussion in the class, and with the addition of Suzune, whose appearance could be considered the best in the class, this phenomenon would likely continue for some time.

Just like that, the group arrived at the rooftop of the school building. Usually, there would be a couple or some friends eating here, but for some reason, there wasn't a single person today.

"It's a discount day at the cafeteria, so many people went to buy the deluxe set."

The deluxe set in the school cafeteria was so luxurious that even those in Class C (like Ju Ji), who had plenty of points, wouldn't normally want to buy it. Therefore, whenever the cafeteria had a discount, it was exceptionally crowded.

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

"Wait, Kikyo, come with me. I have something to tell you."

"Alright, then let's make it quick. Otherwise, we'll keep Horikita waiting."

Following in Ju Ji's footsteps, the two returned to the school building and gently closed the rooftop door.

"Kikyo, why didn't you let me tell Suzune about us dating this morning?"

"That? What a boring topic. Of course, I was thinking of you. I heard from Horikita that your dream is to build a harem. If we told her about us, how could that dream ever come true?"

"That's just a dream, after all; there's a difference between that and reality. Right now..."

Seemingly to stop Ju Ji from speaking, Kikyo moved her body close to his.

"Listen, when I tell you to remember that you are my possession, it's not because I want to restrain you. I will make that dream come true for you, but I need to be the one to choose the candidates. And you don't have the right to refuse."

"Suzune and I..."

"Are just friends? I'm tired of hearing that excuse. Can you deny that you have feelings for Horikita? So, just listen to me on this matter."

It would be impossible to say that Ju Ji truly had no feelings for Suzune. Moreover, Kikyo was filled with an aura that made it impossible to refuse. Only now did Ju Ji fully understand what the system meant by "true." It was his own inner, genuine thoughts. So, Kikyo had likely known his true feelings all along.

"There's no helping it, then; I'll listen to you."

"That's right, that's a good boy."

Perhaps choosing to use the Friend System to randomly apply Permanent Hypnosis on Kikyo was the best choice, or perhaps it was the worst. Of course, such a standard of judgment was entirely defined by Ju Ji himself. At the very least, it was a good choice for him right now.

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

"Sorry, what Ju Ji and I were talking about took a little longer. As an apology, how about I feed this octopus sausage to Horikita?"

Kikyo approached Suzune affectionately with a smile and opened the bento box. Using the prepared chopsticks, she picked up an octopus sausage and held it out to Suzune's lips.

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

"In that case, how about letting Ju Ji feed you?"

"...Hurry up. Didn't you say you wanted to feed me? Make it quick."

As expected, even Suzune had completely succumbed to Kikyo's friendly offensive. But what was that strange silence when Ju Ji was mentioned? Perhaps only Kikyo knew. That's right, even Suzune herself probably didn't understand it.

But this scene of two girls getting close was something I wanted to keep watching forever. It was just too sweet. Especially seeing two people who absolutely shouldn't have been close together like this; the feeling was even more addictive.

"That's enough, look, Ju Ji is already drooling from hunger!"

Before they knew it, half the food in the bento box had disappeared. Actually, Kikyo had only intended to feed her one bite to start with, then use that as an excuse to feed Ju Ji. But after seeing Suzune's embarrassed yet unable-to-refuse expression, she couldn't stop.

"Ah, that idiot."

"Kushida, what did you just say?"

"Sorry, because you looked so cute, Horikita, I couldn't help but tease you a little. Forgive me. Ju Ji, don't just stand there, come over and eat with us."

Seeing Ju Ji fall into that inexplicable state, Kikyo had accidentally let slip words she usually only said when facing him alone. Fortunately, her voice wasn't loud, and she covered it up perfectly. Before her goal was reached, she didn't want to show her true self in front of Suzune.

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

"Kikyo, didn't you bring spare chopsticks? Those are the ones I used."

"Sorry, I was in a rush this morning and only brought one pair."

For the first time, Suzune felt that beneath Kikyo Kushida's angelic smile, there seemed to be some sort of malice hidden. Yet, unexpectedly, she didn't find herself particularly bothered by it. Could it be that something was wrong with her?

"Next, it's Ju Ji's turn to feed Horikita-san."

"No, that's really a bit much."

"I must decline."

"You two are really something. We're friends, aren't we? This kind of thing is nothing. Hurry up, I'm next. Lunch break is going to end soon. I haven't eaten a single thing yet. Can you really bear to let me go to class hungry?"

A pleading tone, a cute pose, topped off with an upward-glancing gaze. It was a finishing blow! For Suzune, this might have been the most shameful and unforgettable lunch she had ever had. She made a silent vow to herself that she would definitely bring a spare pair of chopsticks next time...