Among them, only Elsie was relatively popular, but she was Keima Katsuragi's younger sister, after all.
They were all the type to stay on the fringes of the class.
Airi Sakura, standing nearby, looked surprised. She hadn't expected Haruka Hasebe to say something like that.
But...
She wasn't wrong.
"Exactly. I think having someone you can talk to matters more than having lots of friends."
Shiina Hiyori replied softly, her purple eyes shifting toward Keima Katsuragi.
Airi Sakura noticed Shiina Hiyori's gaze and nodded along, murmuring, "Mm."
"I totally agree! Speaking of which, I never expected your study group to be so lively, Katsuragi. I thought it would turn into a little gaming club!"
Haruka Hasebe smiled at Keima Katsuragi, her words remarkably direct.
She had a very distinct personality, and the way she spoke and interacted with people depended entirely on how she felt.
If Haruka Hasebe disliked someone, she barely paid them any attention.
But if she thought someone was decent, she showed them her frank, lively side.
At least, based on her first impression, Haruka Hasebe thought the members of this study group were pretty decent.
They all seemed to be people without many friends in class.
"That would be nice."
Keima Katsuragi sighed as he spoke, then glanced at Elsie.
"Some people are pretty exhausting to tutor, after all!"
"Big Brother, why are you looking at me? I've been trying really hard!"
Elsie puffed out her cheeks, looking unconvinced.
"Elsie really has been trying hard."
Shiina Hiyori said gently from nearby, and Elsie proudly patted her chest.
Looking at the people in front of her, Haruka Hasebe narrowed her eyes slightly. These people really were different from the other idiots in class.
After a few seconds of thought, she smiled again and said,
"Then, can I join this study group?"
"Of course you can, Po-chan!"
Elsie nodded emphatically.
"Also, that thing we agreed on earlier! Should we start now?"
"I was originally planning to wait a little, but we can do it now, too."
"What thing?"
Keima Katsuragi's instincts told him that nothing good ever came of anything Elsie got involved in.
"Giving each other nicknames!"
Elsie suddenly put on a very serious expression.
"Po-chan told me that making friends always starts with calling each other by nicknames! So this afternoon, Po-chan and I gave each other nicknames!"
As she spoke, Elsie looked incredibly proud, as if the nickname she'd come up with for Haruka Hasebe were a masterpiece she'd poured her heart and soul into.
"So that's why you kept calling each other Po-chan and Elsie-chan."
"Since we're going to be together from now on, I've thought of nicknames for all of you, too."
"So that's what you were thinking about during those few seconds of silence?"
"Hiyo-chan, Airi-chan. How do those sound?"
Haruka Hasebe seemed eager to share her idea.
"This is the first time anyone's given me a nickname. I like it."
Shiina Hiyori nodded thoughtfully.
She wasn't very good at socializing, either.
Nicknames were probably one way to grow closer to someone.
"I..."
Airi Sakura lowered her head, unable to help thinking of her other identity.
Shizuku.
If she were really Shizuku, she could interact with them openly.
She could also bravely give Keima Katsuragi the present.
"Don't you like it?"
"N-no, I do like it."
Airi Sakura hurriedly shook her head.
"I-I just... th-this is the f-first time someone's given me a nickname... Th-thank you, Hasebe-san..."
"You can't call me that! If we're friends, using each other's surnames sounds too distant! You have to drop unnecessary formalities!"
Haruka Hasebe said with absolute seriousness.
Volume One, Chapter Fifty-Eight: A God's Nickname Is Naturally God!
Though they hadn't known each other long, Haruka Hasebe could tell that Airi Sakura was the type of person who was very bad at socializing.
So she thought she'd try to use this approach to grow closer to Airi Sakura and ease the pressure she felt.
"We can hold off on the nicknames for now, Airi-chan. At least call us by our first names!"
Haruka Hasebe held out her slender, fair fingers toward Airi Sakura.
"You were calling her Airi-chan just a moment ago, and now it's Airi. You really do whatever you feel like."
Keima Katsuragi muttered under his breath.
Listening to Haruka Hasebe, Airi Sakura could only nod in a daze. Mustering every bit of strength she had, she said,
"Ha, Ha, Ha... Haruka Hasebe!"
After saying her name, Airi Sakura felt as though she'd used up all her strength. Her whole body went limp.
But Airi Sakura felt a little happy.
It was the first time she'd called someone by their first name.
"Nicely done, Airi-chan!"
"She's Airi-chan again?"
"Next, you have to call the rest of us by our first names, too!"
Listening to Haruka Hasebe, Airi Sakura nodded, but her gaze unconsciously fell on Keima Katsuragi's face.
Call Katsuragi by his first name?
Airi Sakura's mind raced as she imagined what that would be like.
*...%＆
Her brain seemed to overload, nearly smoking, and her cheeks turned so red they looked ready to burst.
Airi Sakura hurriedly lowered her head and buried her face in her hands.
"Airi-chan, are you okay?"
"I-I-I'm fine..."
Only then did Airi Sakura take a deep breath, compose herself, and raise her head again.
"I-I understand! H-Hiyori... Elsie... K-K-Kei..."
Before she could finish, Airi Sakura's brain overheated again, and her head fell onto the desk like a ball.
"Airi-chan?"
"Maybe Airi-chan worked too hard studying just now! Let her rest for a bit!"
Elsie spoke from nearby.
"All right—then there's only one person left!"
Haruka Hasebe's gaze shifted to Keima Katsuragi.
"Give me a break..."
"How about Koma?"
"That's really not any better!"
Keima Katsuragi sighed helplessly.
After Haruka Hasebe joined the study group, the atmosphere had changed dramatically.
It was heading in a strange direction!
"Po-chan! Big Brother actually already has a special nickname!"
Just then, Elsie looked at Haruka Hasebe with a serious expression.
"What is it?"
Haruka Hasebe asked curiously.
Shiina Hiyori fixed her gaze on Elsie's face. Airi Sakura, who had nearly passed out, turned her head slightly, angling an ear toward them.
"Wait, wait!"
Keima Katsuragi seemed to realize what was coming.
"The God of Conquests!!!"
Elsie shouted Keima Katsuragi's nickname with immense pride.
"."
The instant he heard that, Keima Katsuragi pulled out his handheld game console and started playing.
He couldn't hear anything! He couldn't hear anything!
Keima Katsuragi had always thought of himself as the God of Conquests—
But Elsie shouting that name so proudly in front of people outside their circle was seriously embarrassing.
"Haha, I know that name."
Shiina Hiyori's lips curled into a smile.
"Oh?"
"After all, Katsuragi—sorry, should I call you Keima now? Keima's online handle is 'God'!"
Shiina Hiyori had no experience with this sort of thing, either.
She felt a little embarrassed, but with Haruka Hasebe guiding things along, she was gradually getting used to it.
Shiina Hiyori wanted to call people she was close to by their first names, too.
She just hadn't known how to express that. After all, though she was a little better at it than Airi Sakura, Shiina Hiyori was still less sociable than the average person.
"So you gave yourself the nickname God? That really suits you!"
As she spoke, Haruka Hasebe pressed her hands together and nodded at Keima Katsuragi.
"Amen, Amitabha. Bless me, God."
"..."
After Haruka Hasebe joined, the study group's atmosphere became even more relaxed.
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