There was still quite some time before noon.
"Um... Amakusa, who are we waiting for?"
"You'll find out soon."
As soon as he spoke, U Amakusa spotted a pretty girl in the distance, looking around.
"Hey, Ichinose! I'm over here."
U waved at her, drawing the attention of Ichinose's group.
Ichinose was someone U had invited over. He had asked her for a favor, purely on his own initiative.
After he explained the situation in detail, Ichinose readily agreed.
U wanted Ichinose to befriend Sakura and help her overcome her social anxiety.
That wasn't his only reason, though. He also wanted to give Sakura a place to belong in Class B.
Sakura couldn't stay in the chaotic Class D.
The kind, welcoming group led by Ichinose in Class B was the best choice for Sakura. There was a good chance U would transfer her there eventually.
Aside from Ichinose, Class B had no capable leader, and Kanzaki wasn't up to the task of leading the whole class.
Class B's only strength was its warmth and unity. That was its only strength.
"Ah, Amakusa's here. Is this Sakura?"
"Yeah, that's right. Sakura, this is Ichinose from Class B."
As he spoke, U brought Sakura out from behind him so Ichinose and the others could get to know her.
"Um... hello... Ichinose."
"Hello, Sakura! It's so nice to meet you," Ichinose replied cheerfully.
"These are Yume Kobashi, Mako Amikura, and Chihiro Shiranami. They're all good friends of mine!"
Sakura lowered her head.
Ah... they're so dazzling...
Amakusa... why did he bring me to meet them?
"Sakura, I hope you can make more friends. I promise they're all wonderful people."
The girls beside Ichinose curiously tugged at her. They all knew Ichinose was waiting for a friend.
But they hadn't expected that friend to be him.
The girls huddled behind Ichinose and whispered among themselves.
Yume Kobashi: "The friend Honami's waiting for... is that legendary Amakusa?"
Mako Amikura: "I think so. I've seen a picture of him, but he looks even more handsome in person."
Chihiro Shiranami: "Why did Honami-chan ask him to come?"
Mako Amikura: "No idea. But having a handsome guy around isn't so bad, right?"
Yume Kobashi: "No, no, that's not the point! Look how close Amakusa and that girl Sakura are. Isn't he pursuing Kamuro?"
Mako Amikura: "He's two-timing!?!"
Chihiro Shiranami: "Hmph, as expected, boys think with their lower halves. Honami-chan is the best~"
Ichinose heard every word, but seeing how close U and Sakura seemed, she didn't know how to explain things on his behalf.
All she could do was laugh awkwardly and hope U wouldn't take it to heart.
"Ahaha..."
U couldn't quite make out the girls' whispers, but even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
He had never hidden how he felt. He liked Sakura, and he liked Kamuro.
"Ichinose, would I be so lucky as to join all you lovely ladies for a stroll?"
"I don't mind. What about you all...?"
"I'm fine with it too~ Amakusa is easy on the eyes, after all." Mako Amikura smiled and raised her hand.
"I can agree, but I want to ask Amakusa something first."
Chihiro Shiranami was the only one who hadn't spoken up. She hadn't wanted to agree, but seeing Ichinose's hopeful look, she finally gave in.
"If Honami-chan agrees, I'm fine with it."
"Thanks. What did you want to ask, Kobashi?"
U looked at the girl with short, light-blue hair. He already knew what Yume Kobashi wanted to ask.
She wanted to know what was going on between him and Sakura. Even though they'd just met, she intended to ask him in front of everyone.
She wanted to find out whether he was a two-timing jerk, since Sakura looked like an easy girl to fool.
"I heard you're pursuing Kamuro. Um... is that not true? Are you dating Sakura?"
The question cut straight to the heart of the matter. She wanted to know which girl U was really interested in.
But would that actually get through to him?
"We're not dating, but I, U Amakusa, like Airi Sakura."
The steam queen had just made another contribution to global warming. She'd imagined all kinds of answers, but never expected U to come right out and say it.
"Amakusa! Ah, uuu..."
After that, things became much simpler. Ichinose didn't even need to help; two girls from her group joined Sakura's circle of three.
Only Chihiro Shiranami remained with Ichinose. The other two, Mako Amikura and Yume Kobashi, now orbited Sakura.
They kept asking Sakura how she'd won U over. Her cheeks flushed as she stammered, unable to come up with an answer.
Sakura didn't even know what U liked about her. It wasn't as if she had any good qualities.
What was it about her that attracted him?
"Could it be because of these?"
Yume Kobashi bent over and narrowed her eyes at Sakura's two ample curves.
She didn't know what Sakura looked like under her bangs and glasses, so she suspected it was because of her chest.
"Oh~ That's very possible." Mako Amikura bent over to get a closer look too.
"P-please, don't do that!"
Sakura blushed and crossed her arms over her chest, blocking their view.
...Maybe that really is possible?
No, no, Amakusa...
After thinking it over, Sakura still wanted to come up with an excuse for U, but she couldn't think of one.
Yume Kobashi leaned close to Sakura and gestured with her hand. "Hey, Airi-chan, what's your bust size?"
"W-what...?"
"What's the big deal? We're all girls. Mine's 76, by the way."
Mako Amikura understood what they were talking about too.
"Mine's 77, one point bigger than Yume's."
"M-mine... is... 96..."
Sakura's voice was so quiet that it was almost inaudible. If Yume Kobashi and Mako Amikura hadn't seen her lips move, they might have thought she hadn't said anything.
"What, what? What did Airi-chan say?"
"96!"
Her voice was still soft, but the two beside her heard what she'd said this time.
Their eyes widened.
"Yabai, yabai! That's incredible!"
"Yeah! I thought Honami-chan was already the human limit, but there's someone even more impressive. She's a whole 'point' bigger than Honami-chan."
"Mako! What are you saying?!"
Ichinose suddenly shuddered, her face flushing as she hurried over to stop the conversation.
Ah... I get it. One 'point,' huh?
U hadn't heard Sakura say 96, but he knew exactly how big she was.
The cheat ability's charm at work.
Ichinose abruptly turned to look at U, who was walking behind them. Her azure eyes fixed on him as if demanding an answer.
Did you hear?
U instinctively shook his head.
No.
Ichinose didn't press him further. She knew he had heard.
If you hadn't heard, how would you know what I meant?
U merely shrugged. He didn't mind at all. Maybe someday I'll get to measure yours myself.
Watching the happy girls, U smiled without realizing it, though at the same time he felt sorry for them.
This was Advanced Nurturing High School. Their so-called unity, kindness, and trust meant nothing here.
This wasn't some hot-blooded manga.
"Pervert. Lecherous guy."
The words beside him brought U back to reality. They were a line someone often said, but the voice didn't sound the same.
U looked over. The short-haired girl was Chihiro Shiranami.
In Chihiro's eyes, U had obviously heard everything. Now he was standing there thinking about who-knows-what, wearing a sleazy grin.
U glanced discreetly at the four girls ahead of them. None of them reacted.
They wouldn't have heard Chihiro anyway. She'd spoken quietly on purpose, and the four girls were too far ahead to make out her words.
She seemed like a somewhat gentle girl, but when it came to Ichinose, she became unexpectedly forceful.
Chihiro didn't give U a chance to retort. She quickly caught up and walked alongside the others.
I wonder if Chihiro was already in love with Ichinose at this point.
U wasn't sure, and he didn't plan to use his Information Glasses to find out. He only smiled, sighed helplessly, and shook his head.
"Good grief."
Before you continue