"Welcome back, Masachika-sama."
"Yuki-san, I'm back."
As those words faded, I approached her for a bear hug.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, you have no idea how much I missed you."
And that was the truth. My brilliant idea hadn't turned out to be so brilliant after all. The quest specified that I needed to survive for 30 days; there was no mention of shortening that time after defeating the area bosses.
To make matters worse, my tactic backfired. In my attempt to lure them out quickly, I had turned the forest into almost a wasteland. The war between the monsters escalated, with goblin shamans copying my style and becoming arsonists while the spiders spread their poison everywhere. By the final week, the place resembled the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.
The wolves' territory was slightly better, but only because they had become more ferocious, killing enemies left and right and leaving their carcasses to rot. It was the only area that still resembled a forest, albeit permeated by the stench of blood and rot. I couldn't even take a bath in a nearby river—it was more blood than water!
I pulled away from the hug, and Yuki-san began to speak.
"What would you like to eat? I can make something simple—"
"No," I interrupted her. "I'm taking a shower first, and then we'll go out to eat. The louder the place, the better."
"I understand. I'll change my clothes then."
I nodded and sprinted into my bathroom, discarding the clothes I had on for 3 Shards. They were beyond salvageable.
---
Yesterday's dinner was magnificent—not because of the average food, but due to the therapeutic hustle and bustle that surrounded me, which I found refreshing as a social person.
Today, I had something different planned. Although I had been living here for almost a month, apart from Alya, Yuki, and Yuki-san, I hadn't made much effort to meet new people. The organization of the dance, teaching Yuki-san, and managing my company consumed most of my time.
Sure, I knew most people in the neighborhood, but it's different.
After that wonderful dinner, I came up with an idea that would combine my two interests. I took some blank sheets of paper and wrote down my plan:
"Searching for Friendship.
Tomorrow at 10 a.m., Café *****.
Free drink and a tutoring session in any subject as a sign of friendship!"
I posted these flyers in various spots around town where people would likely see them and not feel inclined to remove them. It may have seemed like a silly method, but it was something I enjoyed, especially since it was quirky. Yuki-san, wanting to become a "normal girl," was eager to join in and daydreamed about how friendships would blossom from this initiative.
Finally, we arrived at the café we had chosen, a stylish ten minutes late. After walking in, I ordered some drinks and scanned the room for the table of people who had shown interest in my proposition.
I spotted three individuals seated together: two guys and a girl, all with my flyer on their table.
One guy was dressed sharply in branded clothing, had a ripped physique, and while he looked like he could be a gangster, I could tell that wasn't really the case.
Opposite him was the other guy, who fit the stereotype of a "textbook" man, exuding a calm demeanor that showed no judgment towards the other. The girl, a blonde who at first glance resembled a gyaru, was surprisingly different from the norm. Rather than being glued to her phone or chatting loudly with trendy slang, she appeared calm and collected.
What intrigued me most was my innate sense telling me that they were interesting individuals, like characters from an anime.
With that thought in mind, I walked over to their table, wearing my best smile.
"Nice weather we have today, right?"
Everyone turned to look at me, and the first to respond was the wealthy gangster.
"...Yes... anyway, are you the one who wrote the flyer?"
"Yes, Masachika Kuze at your service." I leaned into my theatrical side and bowed like an actor after a performance, then glanced behind me. "And this is Yuki Yokoya. We are new around here and interested in getting to know the people."
Like a maid, Yuki bowed toward them, muttering, "Pleasure to meet you."
The gangster became serious and nodded in our direction. "Arata Shiunji."
The blonde, who internally didn't fit the gyaru stereotype, followed suit. "Saki Ayase."
Then it was the turn of the last guy. "Yuta Asamura, it's a pleasure."
"Now that the introductions are finished, what do you want to do first?" I asked. "I want to get to know all of you, but I would prefer to have the lesson first, so we have more free time later."
"Fine by me," Arata said.
"Okay," Saki replied.
"No problem," Yuta chimed in.
Yuki-san didn't have any objections either, so we decided to begin. Everyone was ready to study, but this time it felt more typical than usual. Be prepared—it might be a bit challenging.
---
**(POV Arata)**
What does Oka think she is, barging into my room like it's her own? She slaps a flyer in my face, demanding that I go to this meeting. It's not something I'm interested in! The only reason I'm here is that Seiha said it would be beneficial to know someone who could help me improve my grades.
So, I walked into the café and found two people sitting at a table, the flyer lying on top.
"Hello, did one of you write this?" I asked.
"No, we are still waiting for him," replied the blonde.
I took a seat across from them, and we waited. And waited. And waited some more. I was ready to get up and head home; the silence was becoming uncomfortable. Then, he arrived.
Even among my family, where all my siblings have their quirks, he seemed different. How can I put it? He was more extravagant than anyone I knew. From what I could tell, he came from a wealthy family. Although he wasn't wearing branded clothes, the fabric of his shirt and trousers was clearly of high quality. The girl sitting behind him also didn't appear to come from an ordinary background.
Maybe that's why they set up this odd meeting; they didn't want to form friendships based on wealth. If that's the case, then I'm not unfamiliar with it—being the child of Japan's greatest entrepreneur and an heir, I've experienced my share of such superficial relationships.
After we introduced ourselves, we dove right in, starting with Modern Japanese at Ayase-san's request, followed by Math since that was my worst subject—still, I was managing a score over 50, mind you.
What I expected to be a relaxing study session turned out to be anything but! I was struggling—forty-five minutes in, and my mind felt like it was going to explode!
"All right, now let's move on to Math!"
How can he be so energetic while the rest of us feel like we're dying? Even Yokoya-san, who came with him, looked almost passed out.
Seriously, who the hell is he?