Chapter 89: The Team's First Gathering
After school that day, in the Year 1 Class B classroom.
"Ugh, it's finally over. I'm exhausted."
Chika stretched like a cat, then twisted around in her seat to look at Asuna behind her.
"So, Asuna. How was it? Feeling confident?"
"Mm… I'm not sure."
Asuna smiled, neither agreeing nor denying it.
"The questions felt pretty straightforward, but this is Shuchiin Academy. Maybe everyone thought the same, so I can't really guess my ranking."
"Eh? Straightforward?"
Chika froze for a beat, then her face crumpled into exaggerated despair.
"I talked to people at lunch and everyone said it was hard. You thought it was easy? So you're actually a top student? Wuwuwu, you betrayed me!"
Asuna laughed, helpless.
"What betrayal? And anyway, Chika, you're a pure course student. Your grades should be amazing too, right?"
Chika sighed dramatically, then explained with surprising patience.
"Pure course is pure course, but it doesn't automatically mean good grades or personal ability."
"In the end, 'pure course' and 'mixed course' mostly refer to family background. Like me and Kaguya… saying it out loud is kind of embarrassing, but basically, girls ordinary people would call 'rich daughters' have been at Shuchiin since childhood."
"And mixed course students who transfer in later usually fall into two categories. One is admitted because they're genuinely outstanding, either through grades or a specific talent, even if they come from what people call a 'commoner background.'"
"The other is… people who donate a huge amount to the school and buy their way in. A lot of pure course students look down on that group as nouveau riche and insist they don't belong here."
She shrugged.
"And that's where the 'pure' and 'mixed' labels turned into a little hierarchy of contempt."
Chika's smile turned bright again.
"On that point, I'm the same as Asagiri. I think that whole mindset is childish and arrogant. It should've been thrown out ages ago."
Asuna had been listening seriously, but the moment she heard that last line, her cheeks warmed.
"What do you mean, 'the same as Asagiri'…"
"Hmm?" Chika tilted her head, wearing an innocent, sweet smile, then dropped a bomb with the ease of breathing.
"Is he not your Asagiri?"
Asuna choked.
Chika continued, completely unbothered.
"Then can I ask him for his contact info? I kind of like guys with that aggressive vibe."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"There it is." Chika grinned like a detective who'd just cracked the case. "That panic. That's possessiveness, and when you're possessive over someone… that's what people call love!"
Asuna sighed and smiled weakly.
"The love detective is back."
"Of course!"
Then Chika looked thoughtful, leaning closer as if sharing gossip.
"But did you hear? Your Asagiri and my Kaguya are competing for first place this exam. Results come out tomorrow. Who do you think wins?"
Before Asuna could answer, a slightly jealous voice cut in from nearby.
"Hmph. 'Her Asagiri'? What is this, a Pokémon trainer duel?"
Chika looked up.
Kotoko stood there in her white beret, cane in hand, glaring. Asagiri was beside her, calm as always.
"Oh, Kotoko." Chika greeted her brightly, then stood up. Just before leaving, she leaned to Asuna's ear and whispered encouragement.
"Go for it. As your friend, I believe you can definitely beat this rich loli. Five billion yen is nothing compared to your charm. Fight!"
Once Chika left, Asuna looked at Kotoko's obvious jealousy, and for some reason, guilt bubbled up again. Even her voice dropped.
"Kotoko…"
"Don't."
Kotoko cut her off instantly, then lifted her chin with a huff.
"Let's go. We're eating before we head home. You two were awful last time, going shopping without me. You're treating me to dinner."
Asuna exhaled, relieved.
Even if Kotoko looked annoyed, she was still… Kotoko. And no matter how short their time together, they were companions who'd faced life and death side by side.
"Taking you along?"
Asagiri chuckled.
"If Asuna and I go out with you, won't it look like young parents taking their daughter shopping?"
Kotoko snapped back, offended on principle.
"You two are just too tall! This is a normal build!"
"Mm." Asagiri nodded as if agreeing, then added in the flattest tone possible, "So says Kotoko, whose height with shoes is one meter fifty."
"That's not a 'note,' that's you calling me short!" Kotoko stomped, then glared with fresh jealousy.
"And why do you call her Asuna, but you add 'student' for me? No, no. You have to call me…"
"All right, Kotoko."
Asagiri said her name once, clean and direct.
Kotoko froze. A blush crept across her cute face. The girl who'd been baring teeth a second ago instantly turned docile, voice turning coy.
"Hmph. I was going to make you call me 'dear' or something… but just my name is… barely acceptable, I guess. Relationships have to move step by step. I'm still a slow and traditional girl, you know."
Asuna stared, then couldn't help herself.
"You? Slow? Traditional? The moment you see him, you're like a boiling kettle. And you're calling that slow?"
"Heh." Kotoko laughed coldly, then said it with absolute sincerity. "If I weren't slow, I'd already have kids with him by now."
Asuna went blank.
"…You're unbelievable."
Beside them, Asagiri added calmly, "I have no objection."
"Go away." Asuna shoved his shoulder lightly, flustered and annoyed. "Don't act crazy with her here."
Then, testing the waters, she asked, "By the way… if the three of us are hanging out, shouldn't we invite Kato too?"
Kotoko blinked. "Who? Kato? Your friend?"
Asuna fell silent.
Kotoko chuckled, covering her mouth. "Relax, I'm kidding. Call her. My plan for a solo date with Asagiri is dead anyway, so we might as well go as a group."
"You're seriously the same as ever…" Asuna sighed, then pulled out her phone and called Megumi.
Once the call connected, she smiled.
"Hello? Kato, Asagiri, Kotoko, and I are going shopping and having dinner. Are you free? We'd like you to come along."
Megumi's voice was as gentle and unhurried as always.
"I just finished school and was about to go home. Shopping and dinner together… that sounds fine. Where should we meet?"
"I'll message you the address."
"Okay. See you later."
…
After arriving on the shopping street in Shibuya, Asuna and Kotoko scanned the crowd with matching confusion.
"Kat said she arrived… so why don't I see her?" Kotoko muttered.
While the two of them searched, Asagiri simply walked toward a spot not far away and lifted his hand.
"Kato, over here."
"Utsunomiya."
Only when Megumi stepped forward and reached Asagiri did Asuna and Kotoko finally notice her.
It was strange.
She was wearing her Private Toyogasaki Academy uniform. No special styling, no effort to stand out. And yet with fair skin, balanced proportions, and delicate features, Megumi was undeniably beautiful.
She should have been eye catching.
Instead, until she walked right up beside Asagiri, Asuna and Kotoko hadn't noticed her at all, like her presence slid off people's eyes.
That level of low presence was almost unreal.
"Wait, something's off…"
Asuna suddenly caught a detail. She frowned at Asagiri, jealousy peeking through her tone.
"What did you just call Kato? You called her by her first name. That's way too familiar."
Kotoko nodded aggressively at her side. "Exactly! Too intimate! Absolutely not!"
"Hm."
Megumi looked between them with the calmest expression imaginable, tilted her head slightly, and spoke in the same tone someone might use to read instructions.
"Should I be acting shy because he called me by my first name? Like covering my face and spinning around, or blushing while secretly glancing at his profile, then quickly looking away when he looks over?"
Asuna didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Kato, you're always unnaturally calm at the weirdest times. And doesn't 'shyness' lose all meaning when you announce it first, or deliberately perform it?"
Megumi blinked once, still perfectly composed.
"…That's true."
.....
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