Kikyo Kushida Wants to Make Friends

Linmu Fujimiya chewed on a Fujiya fruit lollipop, watching Kikyo Kushida hurry to catch up with him, and the urge to just slack off that had just surfaced in his heart deepened significantly.

The two walked side by side toward the school registration office, surrounded by other boys and girls dressed in the same freshman uniforms.

There were plenty of curious glances cast their way; after all, with his sharp, handsome features, cold expression, striking short white hair, and a tall, 178cm frame, Linmu was naturally eye-catching in a crowd.

(Not as much as half of you dear readers)

Add to that the lollipop he kept clamped between his lips, his slightly puffed-out cheeks, and those seemingly lazy, half-lidded eyes.

It created a peculiar, intriguing aura that drew many girls to steal glances and whisper things like "Who is that?" and "He's so handsome."

The registration process was simple: verify identity information, then collect dormitory keys and the student handbook.

When the staff member pulled up their files on a tablet and read out "Linmu Fujimiya, Class 1-D" and "Kikyo Kushida, Class 1-D," Kikyo Kushida's eyes lit up instantly.

A wide smile bloomed on her face, and she even gave Linmu's arm a light, excited nudge.

(man-Black Flash)

"Linmu-kun, we've both been assigned to Class 1-D! What a coincidence!" Her voice was sweet and full of energy.

Linmu, still biting his lollipop, gave a vague "Mm" in response, though his heart was filled with nothing but resignation.

To even end up in the same class... it seemed that living a quiet, slacker life in this school wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.

He took the materials and the cold metal key handed over by the staff, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the fine grooves on the key's head.

Right now, all he could think about was getting to the dorm to drop off his things and, if possible, taking a nap.

As for class fate or the bonds of friendship, to him, they were nothing more than troublesome matters that would likely lead to extra social exhaustion.

"Since we're both heading to the dorms to drop off our things, let's go together!"

Kikyo Kushida suggested with practiced familiarity, skipping to Linmu's side with a light step, her tone filled with such natural anticipation that it was as if they had been friends for years.

Linmu didn't refuse.

It wasn't that he was particularly happy about it, but simply because the dormitory building was in the same direction—it was on his way.

Going out of his way to avoid her would seem deliberate and require more effort, which went against his principles of slacking off.

He remained silent for the duration of the walk, the only movement being his tongue occasionally nudging the lollipop, rolling it against the inside of his cheek.

The sweet and sour fruit flavor slowly permeated his mouth, barely suppressing the faint irritation of being unexpectedly "tethered."

Just as noted in the student handbook, all freshmen were arranged in a relatively new dormitory building.

(The school built new buildings and a new track after I graduated)

The floors were strictly separated by gender, with the boys' floors on the lower levels (1-3) and the girls' floors on the upper levels (4-6). Each stairwell had a dorm manager's office, and the management appeared quite strict.

The path was bustling with freshmen carrying luggage or wearing backpacks, their faces a mix of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity.

Kikyo Kushida seemed to be a natural social butterfly, nodding and smiling at classmates as they passed by.

She even offered brief greetings like "Hello there," her innate affability on full display.

As they walked, she suddenly turned her head, looking at Linmu with burning, sparkling eyes, full of undisguised anticipation:

"Linmu-kun, since we're so fated, why don't we be friends?

My wish is to become good friends with every single classmate in this academy!"

Linmu's footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly, and he turned his head toward her.

The girl's eyes were curved into crescents, her smile so sincere it seemed capable of melting ice. Her gaze was clear; at least on the surface, there wasn't a hint of falsehood or calculation.

(Eating the lollipop suppresses my ability, so I haven't read the minds of any classmates in the academy yet)

If this were any other average adolescent boy, faced with such a sweet and cute girl's proactive and enthusiastic invitation for friendship, he would likely have accepted gladly, perhaps even feeling secretly pleased.

But Linmu was, at his core, a semi-hardcore slacker.

To him, making friends was something that required time, energy, and emotional investment to maintain—it was a "drain."

Back in the orphanage, because he couldn't fully shut off his telepathy, he had "heard" through the private thoughts, pretenses, and even malice in people's hearts far too early.

The result of seeing things too clearly was that he became increasingly lazy about maintaining interpersonal relationships that looked warm but were actually fragile or calculated.

Rather than struggling through hypocritical pleasantries that could turn sour at any moment, he preferred to be alone and quiet, saving his energy for things he truly cared about—like drawing, making desserts, playing games, or simply zoning out.

However, looking at Kikyo Kushida's expectant, star-filled eyes, the gentleness buried deep within him that didn't want to hurt others was acting up again.

The other party truly hadn't shown a shred of malice, and rejecting someone who sincerely (at least in appearance) wanted to be friends seemed a bit too heartless.

In the end, he just twitched the corner of his mouth, letting the plastic stick of the lollipop wobble slightly against his lips, and replied in his usual, lazy, nasal tone: "Whatever."

The answer was hardly a promise; it was practically dismissive.

But Kikyo Kushida acted as if she had received some grand validation. Her face instantly bloomed with an even brighter smile, and she immediately pulled her phone from her uniform pocket.

She moved so quickly it was as if she were afraid he might change his mind: "Then let's add each other! It'll be easier to look out for each other in class, and we can stay updated on any announcements!"

Linmu sighed silently in his heart, though his face remained expressionless as he obediently took out his phone, unlocked it, and pulled up his social media QR code.

The process of adding each other was quick. Looking at the new name "Kikyo Kushida" in his contact list, along with her cartoon avatar.

Linmu felt that the item on his slacker life plan—"Maintain minimal social interaction, preferably zero"—was likely going to be declared void on the very first day of school.

The two parted ways at the stairwell, each heading toward their own floor.

The dormitory arranged by the academy was a standard single room; it wasn't large, but it was fully equipped with a bed, desk, wardrobe, and small refrigerator, and even included a private bathroom.

The window faced south, providing good natural light, and the conditions were much better than he had expected for a student dormitory.

Lin Mu had no heart to carefully inspect or decorate the place.

He quickly hung a few frequently worn clothes in the wardrobe and placed his daily necessities within easy reach.

Most importantly, the tin box filled with various flavors of lollipops—milk, strawberry, grape, orange, and cola—was placed solemnly in the most conspicuous spot right in the center of the desk.

(Event Duration: May 1st to May 5th)