Kaoru took a sip of his drink, watching the visibly restless Miki Yamamura.
Her plate was barely touched, and she had been spacing out earlier.
"Can't I be looking for you?"
Perhaps because he was staring at her so intently, Miki fidgeted uncomfortably before whispering.
"Why me?"
Compared to Kamuro Masumi or Arisu Sakayanagi, Miki couldn't think of any reason Kaoru would seek her out.
She wasn't fun at all.
"Because we're friends. Or do you not consider me a friend anymore, Miki?"
Kaoru studied the girl beside him.
His proximity seemed to make her shrink into the corner, as if he were some kind of dangerous figure.
"N-No! I've never thought that!"
Miki waved her hands frantically before hesitating, cautiously gauging his reaction.
"But… don't you have a girlfriend?"
Kaoru tilted his head. "I do. What does that have to do with us hanging out?"
'Oh no. This guy is a blatant scumbag.' Miki's expression turned despairing in her mind.
Who in their right mind would ignore their girlfriend to chat up another girl?
Especially since Miki had seen Kaoru kiss Asahina with her own eyes.
He was definitely cheating.
"If having a girlfriend means I have to distance myself from my friends, that'd be pretty tragic, don't you think?"
Miki had to admit that sounded unrealistic.
She pouted slightly—it wasn't that she disliked Kaoru, but she had no idea what he was planning, and that made her uneasy.
"Has Sakayanagi given you any instructions?"
Kaoru was curious about Arisu Sakayanagi's stance.
Did she realize that the girls' group was also one of their opponent's targets?
Miki shook her head.
After assigning her to this group, Sakayanagi had left her alone.
Miki wasn't sure whether she should seek her out—usually, Arisu was the one giving orders.
"No wonder you're here by yourself."
Kaoru rummaged in his pocket and pulled out two cookies.
"Here, take one. Don't be shy—they're freebies from the school. If you don't take it, you're missing out."
Aside from the main meal, the school also provided drinks and snacks as dessert.
Kaoru could spot bananas, apples, grapes, and other fruits—but the lines were long, so he decided not to bother.
Miki was about to refuse, but seeing Kaoru's unyielding expression, she reluctantly accepted the cookie.
Miki Yamamura quickly pulled her hand back, her cheeks flushing red.
She had let her guard down.
She really shouldn't have accepted his kindness—this guy was way too good at taking advantage.
She was a little angry, but she didn't dare show it.
What if Kaoru got angry? He might grab her chin and steal her first kiss, just like he had done with Asahina.
That kind of thing was terrifying.
Miki Yamamura wasn't ready for it at all!
"Don't be so nervous. We're friends."
Kaoru bit into a biscuit. "By the way, have you seen Airi and Haruka? Aren't you teaming up with them?"
Of course, Miki still remembered the two he mentioned—they had been teammates in the same Study Group back then, and neither of them had particularly bad grades.
However, though both were the type who didn't have many friends, Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi left different impressions on her.
The former was clearly the type who did as she pleased, simply not wanting to make friends.
As for Sakura Airi, she gave Miki an eerily familiar feeling—exuding an extremely gloomy aura, as if she were another version of Miki herself!
"N-No… We were all directly assigned by Sakayanagi-san. She said she'd lead us to first place."
Speaking of this, Miki's voice was filled with trust in Sakayanagi Arisu.
Though Sakayanagi was a bit arrogant—deep down, she didn't see ordinary people as equals worth conversing with—her intelligence and emotional intelligence were both formidable enough to make the girls in the group follow her arrangements on the surface.
On top of that, Sakayanagi was one of the few girls who could stand against Kaoru, Katsuragi and Ryuuen, which earned her quite a bit of popularity.
Actually, Suzune Horikita was gaining popularity too.
The girls in Class 1-D seemed to recognize her efforts to contribute to the class.
"I thought you'd all hate her. Was I wrong?"
Kaoru was surprised, but this really was just his misconception.
In his eyes, Sakayanagi was cunning and deceitful, usually acting like a brat.
Yet, in front of most people, Sakayanagi could maintain the dignified aura befitting a young lady.
Not to mention, her frail persona naturally earned her sympathy points.
Miki stayed silent.
Kaoru could badmouth Sakayanagi behind her back, but she didn't dare.
"We have the rest of today and tomorrow off. Did you bring anything fun, Miki?"
Kaoru was a little frustrated.
He had only brought a few novels to kill time. "It's just exams—why even give us a break? At first, I thought we weren't allowed to bring anything, so I even handed in my phone."
Seeing him make such an expression suddenly, Miki froze for a moment before stifling a laugh.
"What're you laughing at?"
"N-Nothing! I didn't bring anything either, actually."
"So we're the only two idiots here?"
"Ugh…"
Miki realized belatedly—no wonder some people in her group were playing cards.
She had thought the teachers would confiscate them, but there wasn't even any punishment.
"I can just sleep early."
Miki didn't know how to play cards, nor did she plan to join in.
Since there was nothing else to do, she might as well sleep early.
"What about during the day?"
Kaoru asked, "Do you sleep during the day too?"
This question stumped Miki.
She wrinkled her little nose, racking her brain for a solution.
"Since none of us have anything to do, why don't we hang out tomorrow?"
Kaoru remained expressionless.
"Even at the forest school, I think there must be a place where our Study Group can hold a secret meeting."
"Huh?"
Miki let out her signature foolish sound again.
"Secret meeting?"
"Right. You, me, Airi, and Haruka—we haven't seen each other much since winter break, have we?"
Under Kaoru's gentle persuasion, Miki Yamamura nodded subconsciously.
"Even friends will drift apart if they don't meet up for a long time. So, how about this: after breakfast tomorrow, we'll meet up here in the cafeteria."
Kaoru delivered these words in a tone that brooked no refusal, causing Miki's eyes to widen.
"Eh? W-wait, I—"
"I'm done eating, so let's stop here for now. See you later."
"Huh?"
Miki stared at Kaoru's retreating figure, her lips slightly parted as she stood frozen for a long moment before finally snapping out of it.
'This person is really weird.'
It's the first time she's met someone who forces her to attend a gathering.
Still, recalling the Study Group back then, though Miki had been somewhat reluctant, the atmosphere Kaoru and Hasebe created was so comfortable that it made her realize—this was how friends were supposed to talk.
Unconsciously, a faint smile crept onto Miki's face.
But when she spotted a figure not far away, she quickly wiped it away—it was a fellow student from Class C.
She thought they might come over to pick a fight, but their expressions stiffened slightly before they averted their gaze as if they didn't recognize her.
That afternoon, Miki returned to the dormitory without encountering any incidents like the one in the morning.