Before long, both of their drinks arrived at the table.
Ryunosuke was kind enough to order drinks for Ai and Manami who had only been standing all this time. The two of them finally also sat down and drank together.
Ai seemed to have no sense of awkwardness at all, immediately sitting beside Ryunosuke, right across from Arisu.
Arisu didn't mind, she instead gave a teasing comment.
"Morishita-san seems to like you very much, Akasaka-kun~"
Ryunosuke lifted his coffee and smiled resignedly. "We just feel compatible with each other, like true friends."
"Perhaps in the future, this will become an inseparable bad fate."
Ai held her coffee with both hands, sipped it a little carefully, then stuck out her small tongue.
"Bitter! This thing isn't good to drink."
Ai then glanced toward Ryunosuke, specifically toward the Flat White drink in his hand with a longing gaze. After all, the drink Ryunosuke ordered was in the sweet drink category.
Without hesitation, Ryunosuke pushed his untouched Flat White toward Ai, and exchanged it with Ai's already-sipped coffee. He didn't care at all about gender differences or the concept of indirect kissing.
Ai also accepted it casually, as if not caring at all. She was like a lazy little cat, leaning on the table while sticking out her tongue to lick the Flat White in the glass—truly resembling a lazy cat.
Ryunosuke boldly reached out his hand and stroked the girl's purple-mixed-with-blue hair. Ai didn't resist, but instead let him do as he pleased.
This scene truly stunned Arisu and Manami who were watching from in front of them. Seeing Ai so obedient under Ryunosuke's hand, both of them showed strange expressions.
Manami who was beside them couldn't help but comment. "You two are very close, why not just date?"
Ryunosuke and Ai were startled simultaneously. They glanced at each other, then answered in unison:
"That's fine."
"I don't want to!"
"Huh? (x4)"
The one who said didn't want to was Ryunosuke, while the one who said it was fine was Ai.
Ai didn't expect to be rejected; she felt she wasn't bad-looking. On the other hand, Ryunosuke also didn't expect the girl would agree—truly beyond expectation.
Arisu covered her mouth while laughing softly. "Morishita-san just got dumped."
Ai who felt depressed began biting the straw and blowing bubbles into her drink; clearly she was sulking. Ryunosuke felt a bit awkward and immediately gave an explanation.
"I have a big debt outside. Before that debt is paid off, I'm not considering entering into a romantic relationship."
"If not, that would be very unfair to the woman's side."
"Ara ara, I didn't expect Akasaka-kun to have such a high sense of responsibility." Arisu said in a teasing tone.
"But don't worry. The Morishita family is very wealthy. Your small debt is to the Morishita family like just one feather on top of nine oxen."
Facing Arisu's teasing, Ryunosuke stirred the coffee in his glass with a spoon. His shadow was reflected on the coffee's surface.
"I don't want to become a man who only relies on a woman's wealth (soft rice eater)."
The atmosphere instantly became quiet. That sentence truly stunned the three girls in front of him. Manami was the first to react; she immediately laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, you're so funny, Akasaka!" Manami laughed while holding her stomach, even her tears almost came out.
Ryunosuke's face began to heat up from embarrassment. "Why are you laughing? What's funny? I don't understand where the joke is!"
"I just don't want to live off a woman's wealth, am I wrong?"
Arisu also laughed softly. "Akasaka-kun does have a sense of responsibility, but after you know Morishita-san's family lineage and how rich they are, will you still say the same thing?"
Hearing that, Ryunosuke felt confused.
What's the big deal? Just because they're rich they can buy him?
Sakayanagi seemed to understand Ryunosuke's thoughts and snapped her fingers. Ai immediately understood and began introducing herself.
"Akasaka-kun, allow me to introduce myself again."
"My name is Morishita Ai, the only daughter of the owner of Morishita International Co., Ltd."
"This company is in the world's top 500, focused on Virtual Dive technology research and development of various large-scale games."
"We also do research on robotic exoskeleton frames to help people with disabilities regain function of their limbs."
"Our company has won international awards such as Germany's iF Design Award, America's IDEA Award, and Japan's Good Design Award to improve the quality of Japanese consumer consumption."
"We also received the G-Mark Design Award held by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, which is known as the 'Oscar of Eastern Design'..."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ryunosuke immediately interrupted. His heart began to not be able to handle hearing it.
My God! What kind of family background is this? He had just rejected a "rich woman." Was it too late to regret now?
Ai seemed to see the man's thoughts. She put her hands on her hips proudly while raising her head high.
"It's too late to regret now. This girl won't deign to eat back the grass that's been thrown away."
Ryunosuke immediately went limp and lay face down on the table, shedding fictional tears of regret.
"In the past there was true love in front of me, but I didn't appreciate it. If God is still kind enough to give me another chance to live off a woman's wealth..."
"I would definitely say three words to that girl: I love you."
Arisu laughed freely. "Akasaka-kun's love is truly cheap. In that case, shouldn't you also say it to me?"
"Because my family background is no less than Morishita-san's."
"Me too." Manami also raised her hand and chimed in. "Kamuro Manami. My family owns a biological hospital. Although not comparable to the two of them, the market value still reaches tens of billions."
Ryunosuke looked at the three beautiful girls in front of him in shock.
Right now, for him, whether they were beautiful or not was no longer important. Even if they were three ugly wild boars, he would consider them as beautiful as Diao Chan.
Manami furrowed her brow, sensing evil intent. "Are you thinking something bad?"
"Ahem, ahem!" Ryunosuke coughed awkwardly and immediately changed the topic.
"I'm just shocked hearing your backgrounds. But by the way, in this school, is everyone at your level?"
Arisu laughed softly and answered Ryunosuke's curiosity.
"Rest assured. In this school, you can consider them as just ordinary students."
"They were all forced by their parents to this school to be educated into qualified successors."
"Whatever happens in this school, even if they receive unfair treatment, they won't sue for anything. Because their goal is to produce successors, not to raise spoiled social trash."
"If they can't even survive in this school, then their parents have to consider having a second child."