"I'm going to grab a drink... You two start eating first. Leave the important things to think about later. Want anything to drink?"
After finishing up the serious business, Kuroba Akira began eating by himself. Midway, feeling thirsty, he stood to fetch drinks, casually asking the two seated in front of him.
"Ah, no thanks…"
"Me neither."
The two girls still seemed to have little appetite, so Akira just shrugged with a brief "Alright then," leaving them behind as he went off to the drink station.
Besides smoking at work, Akira didn't have any particularly unhealthy habits. If he had to name one, it'd be his tendency to drink beverages like water.
Mainly because drinking just water felt too tasteless, like something was missing.
Since he'd rarely had the luxury lately, he intended to drink as much as he liked. The first time he'd met Class Rep, he hadn't even had enough money for a single drink, leaving a bitter memory.
When he arrived at the drink machine, a familiar voice came from behind:
"Eh? Isn't that Akira? What a coincidence! You came to eat here too?"
"Uh…"
Only a few people in this world called him "Akira" in such a familiar way—two were his fellow transmigrators at home, and the other one…
Sumitomo Ryouta.
Turning around, Akira saw Ryouta in ripped jeans and a black logo tee, grinning with pleasant surprise.
Never imagined he'd bump into this guy outside school... They really had fate, didn't they?
But Akira wasn't exactly thrilled to see him, mainly because Ryouta was naturally overly friendly—and a hopelessly curious busybody at that.
True to Akira's expectations, Ryouta immediately threw an arm around his shoulders with enthusiasm, eagerly questioning him:
"Why're you wearing your school uniform on a day off, Akira? You're just like my super-serious friend. Do you guys actually like wearing uniforms that much? I really don't get what's so good about them."
"..."
I like it. Got a problem with that?
"Are you here with your parents? Or did you come alone?"
Oh no, he's latched onto me. At this rate, he'd be stuck here answering endless questions.
To avoid being interrogated, Akira decided to answer a question with another question, steering the conversation back toward Ryouta himself.
"What about you? Who are you here with?"
As straightforward as ever, Ryouta took the bait and answered honestly:
"My friends, of course. I came out today to meet some old friends."
"Oh, the ones from class?"
"Nah, not school friends today... Well, actually one of them does go to our school, but she's from another class, and we haven't talked in ages."
Ryouta scratched his head, looking awkwardly embarrassed.
He suddenly remembered that previously, under the pretext of reconnecting with his childhood friend Anri Hitomi, he had deliberately ignored another childhood friend entirely. Looking back now, wasn't that clearly playing favorites?
Pretending he cared about all his childhood friends had just been an excuse. In truth, he'd still harbored lingering feelings back then. Ugh, it was embarrassing... Thankfully, he'd fully moved on by now.
"Oh? Don't tell me you're out on a date with Hitomi today?"
"No way, who wears a school uniform on a weekend date? That'd be way too weird."
Akira rolled his eyes.
Anyway, it wasn't like he could actually go on a date with Class Rep—was romance the only thing this guy ever thought about?
"I'm just eating out with friends today... Friends from outside school," Akira clarified briefly, not bothering to explain further.
"Ohh, did you escape too? I couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere anymore, so I slipped out to breathe."
"Is it a battlefield or something?"
"Of course not! Remember I told you last time about how Hitomi and I used to play with a few other kids when we were little? Those are the friends I met today—haven't seen them in years."
"Ohhh..."
Akira recalled the Four Heavenly Kings from Class Rep's childhood.
She'd mentioned later that their group back then consisted of three girls and two boys. After entering high school, she'd reunited with Ryouta and another girl... What was her name again? Takanashi or something?
Ryouta sighed deeply and began to complain bitterly:
"One of the girls—who went off to an all-girls school—organized today's gathering, but after we all arrived, she wouldn't say why. The whole mood's been pretty tense... Honestly, I have no clue why she suddenly wanted to meet up. After elementary school ended, we hardly ever talked... If she had something to say, she should just say it already! How am I supposed to guess what she wants?"
"Well… Good luck, I guess."
Akira had zero interest in their childhood drama, so he muttered something generic and prepared to head back.
But Ryouta suddenly grabbed him from behind in desperation, crying out:
"Wait, Akira, don't abandon me! Let me sit with you guys for a while—or you can come sit with us. If I don't have someone familiar there, I'm literally gonna die!"
"Aren't they your childhood friends? How aren't they familiar?"
"We haven't seen each other in like, three years! I have no idea what's up with them now! Even if we got along great as kids, once we split up, things rarely go back to the way they were!"
That much was true.
As an adult, three or five years felt like nothing, but when you were in school, three years felt impossibly long—enough to completely change relationships.
Especially with the major transitions between elementary, middle, and high school—if you didn't attend the same school, friendships inevitably faded.
But… what did that have to do with him?
"So annoying. Sort it out yourself."
"Wha! Akira, you heartless monster! Just help me out a little! Aren't we friends?"
Who said we were friends? You're the one who assumed we were friends in the first place… Well, fine. I'll reluctantly acknowledge you as one.
But Akira had zero desire to get involved in something that sounded like an obvious hassle. Still, Ryouta shamelessly clung onto him, so Akira had no choice but to drag this thick-skinned guy back to their table.
Seeing Akira return, Shiginomiya greeted him with a warm smile—but the moment she saw Ryouta following behind, her expression instantly turned icy cold. The switch took less than a heartbeat.
"You're back, Akira-kun… Who's this?"
"A classmate."
"Hey, friend! Hi, I'm Akira's best bud, Sumitomo Ryouta..."
Ryouta had intended to greet her cheerfully, but his words got stuck in his throat the moment he saw Shiginomiya's face, cutting off his introduction.
Ryouta had met plenty of beautiful girls before, both at school—like Anri Hitomi and Shiroi Shiori—and among his own circle of friends.
But he'd never seen a girl as stunning as Shiginomiya in real life before—only on TV. Like that actress everyone called "The Angel," who was apparently just a year older than him yet already a superstar.
In that instant, what flashed through Ryouta's mind was—
Wait... So Akira wasn't lying when he said he wasn't dating Hitomi! He's already got such a beautiful girlfriend!
Is Hitomi going to join me in the Broken Hearts Club now? Are childhood friends really all destined to lose?
His thoughts grew troubled. Did Hitomi know about this? And if she did, would she still stay close to Akira?
And if she didn't... should he tell her?
"To avoid misunderstandings—she's not my girlfriend," Akira clarified flatly.
"Oh, o-oh…"
Thank goodness… Looks like Hitomi still has a chance...
Ryouta secretly sighed in relief, grateful that Hitomi's romantic path hadn't completely ended.
But when Shiginomiya heard Akira's explanation, it felt like a knife plunged straight into her heart.
Even though it was the truth, hearing it from his mouth was painful—her face grew even colder than before.
"So you're Akira's friend, huh? Want to sit down?"
With mature ease, Tashiro Benika smiled and invited Ryouta to join them.
Upon noticing Benika, Ryouta returned to his normal self.
This older sister-type was beautiful as well, but compared to the girl sitting next to her, she wasn't quite as breathtaking.
Plus, Ryouta already had two annoying older sisters at home, so he was relatively comfortable around onee-san types.
She was probably Akira's sister, treating them to a meal. But what was the relationship between Akira and the other girl…?
He desperately wanted to ask, but it wasn't his place... Best to interrogate Akira later.
"Thanks, but I won't stay long—my friends are still waiting for me."
Yet just as he said that, another girl's voice came from behind.
"What's going on, Ryouta-kun?"
"Ah, nothing! Just bumped into a friend from school and said hi."
But the girl was already walking over, and Akira followed Ryouta's gaze toward her.
Leaving aside her looks, that school uniform seemed oddly familiar… Wasn't that the same sailor uniform Shiginomiya had been wearing before?
Were she and Shiginomiya from the same school?
The girl glanced at Akira first, then turned to Shiginomiya. Her eyes widened instantly in shock, stunned recognition lighting her face.
"You're... Shiginomiya Shion?!"
Eh? Someone who actually knew Shion?
Should he say the world was small… or just Tokyo itself?
---
T/N: TOKYOOOOOOOOOOO WHY ARE YOU TINY