At a supermarket you could find anywhere inside Advanced Nurturing High School, U Amakusa was picking out some daily necessities.
The only thing was, his back looked a little worse for wear.
Of course, before coming in, U Amakusa had checked whether a certain girl with long, straight black hair was there. She wasn't in this supermarket.
"Sigh... Violent girl, I told you not to hit me in the face. This handsome face of mine..."
U Amakusa covered his sore eye, sighing as he put the items from the counter into his cart.
"Um..."
"Hm?"
At the voice behind him, U Amakusa turned around instinctively. What met his eyes was a...
Well, an utterly ordinary boy. He looked a little muscular, too.
What a stupid thing to say. He should've known from the voice that it was a boy.
U Amakusa wasn't expecting a chance encounter with a beautiful girl. Absolutely not.
"So it really is you, Amakusa. What a coincidence." The boy glanced down at U Amakusa's cart, then took an item from his own.
"Looks like you're here to buy toiletries and the like, too, Amakusa. In that case, I recommend this."
No, no, who are you? Do we know each other?
Of course they didn't, but the boy knew U Amakusa. No matter how much U Amakusa wanted to complain to himself, he had a pretty good idea where they'd met.
U Amakusa looked at the item he'd recommended. It was shampoo, but not entirely shampoo.
13-in-1?
You're telling me this thing is safe to use? Didn't you see that it says you can use it as gasoline? You'd really wash your hair with this?
"Hey, I don't remember your name, but I don't think you should use that thing you're holding."
With that, U Amakusa took the product he'd chosen from his cart and showed it to the boy, raising his chin proudly.
"...Amakusa, forgive my bluntness, but yours isn't any good." The boy shook his head and wagged his index finger.
"Huh? Why not?"
What nonsense. At least mine's better than your gasoline shampoo!
Unconvinced, U Amakusa held up his chosen shampoo and asked, "Then tell me what's wrong with mine, classmate."
"Amakusa, isn't yours just like mine? Five-in-one obviously isn't as good as thirteen-in-one. Thirteen is greater than five. That's common sense, isn't it?"
Naoki Shimizu shook his head scornfully, more vigorously than before.
"What do you know? It's not about how many uses it has; it's about whether they're practical. Mine can wash your hair, wash your body, do your laundry, work as toothpaste, and work as face wash. That's enough. Are you really planning to use yours as gasoline, classmate?"
"Mine can do all that, too, and it has other uses besides. Mine is obviously better. Just admit it, Amakusa."
"One more thing, Amakusa. My name isn't 'classmate.' You weren't paying attention during introductions, were you? My name is Naoki Shimizu. Remember it."
Once U Amakusa realized Naoki Shimizu was the friendly, familiar sort, he began to loosen up, too. U Amakusa was also the friendly, familiar sort.
"Isn't the point of introductions to remember the cute girls in your class, then have all kinds of chance encounters and build a harem?"
U Amakusa said it with such conviction that you'd think he really believed it.
Naoki Shimizu's hair covered half his face, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. But the next second, he suddenly grabbed U Amakusa's hand.
"Amakusa, so you're my long-lost brother from another mother!"
"?????"
Naoki Shimizu even dropped the word "classmate," gazing at U Amakusa with stars in his eyes.
"A kindred spirit! Amakusa, I think the same way! And you've already got one girl. I'm so jealous. Could you teach me a move or two?"
At that moment, U Amakusa's expression was exactly the same as Kamuro's had been not long ago: utterly disgusted.
Pulling his hand free from Naoki Shimizu's grasp, U Amakusa put his five-in-one shampoo into his cart.
"When did I get a girl? Don't make things up. I'm still a pure, innocent young man, okay?"
"Kamuro, didn't you two leave the classroom together, all close and everything? It was like you and Kamuro were declaring each other off-limits so no one else in the class would make a move on either of you."
What the ****? When did I do that? Is that what I meant?
Who started that rumor?! I put that violent girl Kamuro on the shelf a long time ago, okay?
"I didn't. I haven't. Don't make things up."
Naoki Shimizu hurriedly chimed in. "Yeah, yeah, exactly. Amakusa, just teach me a couple of tricks."
...Looks like there's no clearing this up...
U Amakusa answered half-heartedly, "Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Shimizu, just start with an armored Spiral Sphere, then use Substitution to summon someone and follow it up with Flying Thunder God. You'll win for sure."
"???"
"That's how Shimizu plays, isn't it?"
"?????"
Seeing Naoki Shimizu standing there utterly baffled, unable to respond, U Amakusa immediately felt much better.
U Amakusa patted Naoki Shimizu on the shoulder. "If you don't understand, that's good. I was talking about how to play a character in a game. As for what you were talking about..."
At just the right moment, U Amakusa stopped and met Naoki Shimizu's expectant gaze. His eyes gradually filled with pity.
"Sigh, Shimizu, you can't learn this. It's a matter of talent."
"Huh? Why?!" Shimizu grabbed U Amakusa anxiously, looking determined to get an answer.
"There are some things you're better off not knowing."
"Huh? What does that even mean?!"
"He means you're not handsome enough. You... look too ordinary. I'd say you're probably hovering right around average."
Naoki Shimizu and U Amakusa both turned to look in the same direction. Standing nearby was someone who looked handsome even in profile.
Not only did Naoki Shimizu know him, but U Amakusa did, too. Since he'd been mentioned in the original story, U Amakusa had paid attention during introductions.
He was Satoshi Satonaka.
That's right, the Satoshi Satonaka who topped the first-year girls' ranking of the most handsome boys.
Sigh, this is bad.
Why say it so bluntly? That had to hurt Shimizu's feelings. You should leave some room for others; you never knew when you might meet again.
Would they end up fighting...? Should I run?
U Amakusa was even considering making a run for it. Boys in the prime of their youth could be quick to lose their heads.
"Just because you're handsome, you think you're all that, huh, you bastard!" Naoki Shimizu clenched his fists, looking as if he was about to cry.
"Hmph. Sorry, but being handsome means I can do whatever I want."
The corners of Satoshi Satonaka's mouth curled up. He swept his right hand back through his hair from his forehead, clearly trying to show off his good looks.
Seeing the two of them interact, U Amakusa gave up on running. He didn't think their expressions suggested they were going to fight.
Huh? These two actually seem to get along pretty well.
"By the way, what happened to your eye?"
Is he a chuunibyou?
Satoshi Satonaka wondered silently.
Meeting Satoshi Satonaka's gaze, U Amakusa realized he was still wearing an eye patch—the mark of having been disciplined by that violent girl.
"Hey, Satonaka, isn't it a bit rude to ask him that so bluntly?"
Naoki Shimizu had noticed when he first spoke to U Amakusa, but he hadn't pointed it out or asked about it.
After all, they'd only just met. It wasn't their first time seeing each other, but it was their first time talking.
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