Kotaro Katsura... No, not just him—even Mai Sakurajima had a thoughtful look in her eyes. Perhaps it was because she had gone too long without interacting with people her own age, or perhaps because she had already endured society's beatings... Mai had forgotten that this was precisely the age to be bold, unrestrained, and fearless. Maki Nishikino—or rather, Muse—had reminded her of that. School idols, huh?
Mai Sakurajima seemed to have understood something else from them...
"That sounds so exciting..." But what did this have to do with Sogo Doma? He spoke in an utterly flat tone, "Losers who refuse to accept defeat repeatedly challenging the winner—doesn't that sound way more exciting than that whatever-whatever?"
"That whatever-whatever..." Utaha Kasumigaoka's eye twitched. When it came to ruining the mood, who could compare to Sogo? Besides, "Why don't you just say what it is?"
"Never, never giving up after defeat!?" Yet at the same time she spoke, Maki Nishikino also blurted out.
"Don't overthink it..." Facing their nearly simultaneous questions, Sogo Doma remained entirely unfazed. "I was just casually making an analogy—or rather, a comparison..."
"Maki-chan is really amazing..." But before he could finish, Honoka Kosaka couldn't help speaking up.
"Wow..." Sogo Doma once again said in that flat, reciting tone, "So this is comrades affirming one another? It really is much more exciting than that whatever-whatever, except..."
"So..." This time, not only Utaha Kasumigaoka, but even Mai Sakurajima and the rest of Muse couldn't take it anymore. "What exactly is that whatever-whatever?"
"Huh?" Sogo Doma froze. "Why are all of you focusing on such strange things? Shouldn't you be..."
"Who's the strange one here?" everyone said, speechless. "If you don't want us focusing on it, then stop replacing everything with 'whatever-whatever'..."
"Then let's call it non-burnable garbage instead..." Sogo Doma tilted