Karaoke with Ten People

"That's terrifying, grilling me with questions the moment we meet. Am I some kind of criminal?"

On the way to the Student Cafeteria, Toru Hasegawa complained.

"Sorry, sorry. Well, you just give off that vibe that makes me want to get to the bottom of things," Masayoshi Hashimoto laughed it off.

So, it's my fault then?

Toru Hasegawa, who had just had an encounter with Airi Sakura that morning, reflected on himself, as he had felt the exact same sensation coming from her earlier.

"So, are you going to treat me to lunch?" Toru Hasegawa never missed an opportunity to freeload.

It had nothing to do with being rich or poor; it was just something he wanted to do out of habit.

Masayoshi Hashimoto knew he was in the wrong: "Of course. It would be my honor to treat Lord Hasegawa."

"Forget it, hearing you say that makes me want to pay for my own... Also, what's with that weird title?!"

Calling Arisu Sakayanagi Her Highness was one thing, but why call me Lord?

We're the same age, for crying out loud. It's so embarrassing, damn it!

"Oh? You don't like it?"

"Aside from that girl Sakayanagi, who probably doesn't care, nobody would like that, right?" Faced with Masayoshi Hashimoto's confusion, Toru Hasegawa decided to correct his misguided thinking.

"I see, I understand now." Masayoshi Hashimoto nodded. "Anyway, Hasegawa-kun, your lunch is on me!"

In the end, Toru Hasegawa had no choice but to reluctantly accept the other's kindness.

Who would turn down a free lunch? (Laughs)

After finishing lunch, the two arrived at Keyaki Mall to wait for Kikyo Kushida.

She had just sent a message saying she would be there soon.

At the same time, other students would be joining them as well.

Having been informed of this beforehand, the two naturally agreed with pleasure.

And then, Toru Hasegawa witnessed just how terrifying a person who "wants to be friends with everyone" could truly be.

"So many people?"

A rough glance revealed that, aside from the two of them and Kikyo Kushida, there were—

A girl with long, light brown hair who looked somewhat mature.

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A cute girl with shorter hair by comparison.

< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250330/1743333512-100434764-113171851.jpg" alt='Nene Mori'>

A gyaru-style girl with honey-colored hair tied into a high ponytail.

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A bright and cheerful boy.

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Honami Ichinose, whom he had just seen that morning, along with two girls closely surrounding her.

< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250330/1743333554-100434764-113171851.jpg" alt='Asako Amikura'>

< src="https://e1.kuangxiangit./uplos/chaptersnew/964/264132/250330/1743333561-100434764-113171851.jpg" alt='Chihiro Shiranami'>

"..."

It felt like something strange had snuck in, but that didn't matter...

The girl-to-boy ratio is way too high, hey!

Is this some kind of hallucination? If it is, please let me drown in it forever!

Honami Ichinose also spotted Toru Hasegawa. She turned her head away, looking a bit embarrassed, as if she hadn't expected to run into him here.

"Ichinose-san, is something wrong?" x2

Noticing the anomaly, the other two girls asked in unison, as this reaction was completely unlike the usual Honami Ichinose. Was there something going on?

"N-nothing!" Honami Ichinose waved her hands in a panic to deny it.

The two clearly didn't believe her excuse, but they had no reason to press further, so they had to let it go.

"I'm so happy everyone could make it." Acting as the lubricant for the ten people present, Kikyo Kushida clapped her hands and smiled. "Ah, standing in the middle of the path like this doesn't seem right. Let's save the introductions for the karaoke place!"

With that, the group of ten marched imposingly toward the school's karaoke facility. The largest room there was said to hold over 40 people, so fitting them in was a breeze.

Kikyo Kushida chose a medium-sized room and paid a large sum of points for it.

It seems that if you want to be friends with this many people, financial strength is an essential component.

Toru Hasegawa noticed this and expressed his concern internally.

Kikyo Kushida, this won't do, I'm afraid there will be problems by next month.

"Mm-hmm, we can sing while we introduce ourselves. Ah, of course, you can also just introduce yourself right here or choose not to introduce yourself at all."

Kikyo Kushida considered various situations and enlivened the atmosphere in a way that wouldn't make anyone feel troubled.

No one showed an uneasy expression, which was another point of her success; she was truly skilled at interpersonal relationships.

"I'll start, though I suppose everyone already knows me, right?" Kikyo Kushida said, tilting her head playfully as the karaoke accompaniment began to play in the private room at just the right moment. "I'm Kikyo Kushida from Class D. As for my wish... it's to be friends with everyone!"

An unrealistic wish spoken from the lips of Kikyo Kushida, yet it seemed to possess a magical quality that made everyone present believe in it firmly.

Aren't all the people sitting here powerful evidence of that wish?

Except for Class C, there were students from every other class sitting here.

As a song ended, the enthusiastic atmosphere continued as the microphone was passed along--

"I'm Honami Ichinose from Class B..."

"I'm Yosuke Hirata from Class D..."

Such self-introductions occurred every few minutes, allowing Toru Hasegawa to get to know quite a few students from other classes.

Among them was Yosuke Hirata, the leader of Class D whom Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had mentioned to him.

The other party truly radiated an aura that made people feel friendly, and a girl with honey-colored hair named Karuizawa sat beside him with a possessive air.

Have they already successfully started dating?

"Is this what youth is?" Toru Hasegawa sighed, and soon the microphone was passed to him.

"I'm Toru Hasegawa from Class A. A new school, a new beginning. My wish is to find the first girlfriend of my life here."

Similar statements would be treated differently depending on one's appearance and temperament. Kikyo Kushida blinked and smiled:

"Eh, could it be that Hasegawa-kun is not very good at dealing with girls?"

This made Toru Hasegawa recall the words Masumi Kamuro had said to him. He understood this truth himself, of course, but...

"Yes, that's why I'm very grateful that you invited me here, Kushida-san."

"I hope Hasegawa-kun can find his true love at this school." Kikyo Kushida offered her blessing, her outward actions making one involuntarily believe that this was her sincere heart.

Toru Hasegawa finished singing, feeling a bit shy; his singing level couldn't be called good, or rather, it was a bit terrible.

His self-introduction didn't cause any ripples, at least on the surface.

Time flew by, and an afternoon passed.

During this time, Kikyo Kushida fully utilized her strengths to keep the atmosphere lively.

Toru Hasegawa sometimes felt that he was an important person in her eyes, but he quickly dismissed that thought.

"A gentle girl... is she?"

After they parted ways, Toru Hasegawa muttered to himself.

He did not yet know how much of an impact today's event would have on his future school life.