Aren't You Going to Order?

The bell rang right on time to end the school day, instantly setting the noisy classroom free.

As promised, Kazami Saku brought Kiyotaka Ayanokoji along and headed to the on-campus Paresa Café with Suzune Horikita, who had already compromised and agreed to come. Sunlight spilled through the corridor's glass windows, dappling the floor with light and shadow. The three walked side by side, the atmosphere not exactly friendly, but peaceful enough. Suzune Horikita did not say a word the entire way. Clearly, she was only there to honor her offhand promise, with no intention of relaxing or having fun.

Before long, the three reached their destination. Paresa Café lived up to its reputation as the campus's most popular social media hotspot among girls. Its decor was elegant, its atmosphere laid-back and comfortable, and most of its customers were girls visiting in groups to check the place out.

When they arrived, a booth for four happened to open up. The three took their seats and quietly waited for what came next.

Then the café's glass door was gently pushed open, and a sweet-looking girl slowly walked inside.

Kikyo Kushida scanned the booths. The moment she spotted Kazami Saku, Suzune Horikita, and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, she greeted them and sat down.

For a moment, the four stared at one another. The air froze, and awkwardness engulfed the entire booth.

The deathly silence lasted several seconds, with no one saying a word.

In the end, Kazami Saku, whose mental fortitude was the strongest, bit the bullet and broke the silence as though the coincidence before them could not have been more natural. "Aren't any of you going to order? Just sitting here is boring."

Beside him, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji silently raised his eyes, a faint trace of admiration flickering through them.

He was somewhat impressed by Kazami Saku. In such an awkward situation, with holes all over his story, the guy could still strike up a conversation without batting an eye. His mental fortitude was truly top-tier. An ordinary person would have been at a complete loss by now.

Suzune Horikita did not buy his cover-up at all. Her expression was icy. "I told you beforehand. I'm leaving once I finish my drink."

"Yeah." Kazami Saku could only answer awkwardly, already foreseeing the outcome.

Sure enough, Suzune Horikita casually ordered an Americano and remained silent the whole time. Resting her chin on one hand, she quietly gazed out the window, taking no part in the conversation and deliberately avoiding Kikyo Kushida's repeated attempts to talk to her.

In less than five minutes, she finished her coffee and left, brisk and decisive, without the slightest reluctance.

There had been zero communication and zero interaction throughout. Kikyo Kushida's plan to grow closer to Suzune Horikita, break the ice, and become friends had ended in total failure.

Watching Suzune Horikita put down her cup and prepare to leave, Kikyo Kushida's eyes filled with disappointment, but she could only force herself to keep smiling.

Kazami Saku really wanted to say, Girl, if it really isn't working, why not just give up?

The four-person café gathering ended hastily, and everyone got up to leave. Kushida silently walked away, filled with regret, while Kazami Saku was intercepted by Suzune Horikita, who had stepped out of the café ahead of him.

Ayanokoji wanted to say something, but after Horikita shot him a glare, he very wisely left, completely ignoring his dear friend's desperate pleas.

Seriously, aren't you a little too scared of Horikita? Though she really is pretty scary.

The light around the corner was cool and dim. The girl stood straight with her arms folded, staring at him coldly, the oppressive air around her frighteningly heavy. She had clearly waited there specifically to settle the score.

Kazami Saku's back stiffened slightly. With his survival instincts working overtime, he spoke first, his tone sincere and innocent. "Horikita, hear me out. If I told you all of this was a misunderstanding and a coincidence, would you believe me?"

Suzune Horikita curled her lips coldly, not yielding in the slightest. Every word had an edge. "Do you think I'd believe such a flimsy excuse?"

She advanced on him, methodically exposing his lies. "You said yourself that this place was so popular it was almost impossible to get a seat. Yet somehow, there just happened to be a table for exactly four of us, and we just happened to run into Kushida, who came straight over to us? There's no such thing as a coincidence that perfect."

"It wasn't coincidence. It was fate!" Kazami Saku struggled desperately, trying to talk his way out of it. "Didn't we already prove that the two of us share a bond destined by fate?"

He might have been better off not mentioning fate. The moment he did, Suzune Horikita's temper flared completely.

A vein twitched between her brows, and her voice was filled with exasperation. "Being put in the same class as you-as all of you-isn't fate to me. It's an outright curse."

With that, she raised a hand slightly and loosened her wrist, her gaze razor-sharp. "All right, enough nonsense. Ready for a beating?"

Kazami Saku: "..."

Danger alert!

Without the slightest hesitation, Kazami Saku turned and bolted. He ran faster than he ever had in his life, trying to escape Suzune Horikita's clutches. As far as he was concerned, a boy's physical abilities would absolutely overwhelm those of the slender, frail-looking Suzune Horikita. He was guaranteed to win if he ran.

But the very next second, harsh reality slapped him across the face.

The footsteps behind him were rapid and steady, pressing closer with every step as the distance shrank rapidly. In just a few seconds, Suzune Horikita actually caught up with Kazami Saku's all-out sprint, without looking strained in the slightest.

Kazami Saku's eyes widened as he screamed inwardly, Impossible! How is she so fast?!

Suzune Horikita might be fast, but her stamina won't hold up. I still have a chance.

To salvage his dignity, and to buy time to avoid a beating, Kazami Saku shouted with feigned composure as he sprinted, "To make it this far at a full sprint and match my speed, you must have some ability! For now, I shall permit you to become my opponent!"

His answer was Suzune Horikita's mounting fury and an even faster pursuit. The girl's expression darkened, her anger boiling over. She no longer wanted to waste another word on this weirdo.

It was a very cruel fact: Kazami actually could not outrun Horikita.

Seeing that she was about to catch him, Kazami Saku switched into absurd survival mode and shouted in a deep voice, "The forbidden power sealed deep within my soul! You mustn't touch me!"

He spoke at top speed, making things up with a perfectly straight face. "It's a curse of bad luck unique to me! Anyone who touches me will suffer one misfortune after another in the days ahead! Nothing will go their way! Whatever you do, don't hit me!"

Naturally, such an utterly ridiculous excuse could not possibly fool Suzune Horikita.

The next second, a soft thud sounded, and Kazami Saku took a solid, forceful blow to the back.

It had to be said: Suzune Horikita really did hit hard. She had not held back in the slightest. It was a very literal warning punch.

Kazami Saku stopped and clutched his back, sucking in a breath from the pain and bitterly regretting his actions.

I'm done for. Escape failed. Curse excuse failed.

He silently swore to himself that he would take this bitter lesson to heart.

Next time, no matter how much Kikyo Kushida wheedled or pleaded with those cute eyes of hers, he would absolutely never get involved in her attempts to befriend Suzune Horikita again!

Suzune Horikita was far too fierce, far too brutal.