Kai was now walking toward the shopping center with his three companions. They were all quiet, so he decided to start a conversation.
"So, let me introduce you. Sakura, these two are Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Horikita, Ayanokoji, this is Sakura Airi."
They exchanged greetings.
"You know, Horikita was scared to walk around alone with two boys, so she was the one who suggested we invite you to join us."
Horikita glared at him coldly.
"Oh, Horikita, what's with that glare? It's giving me chills."
"Who are you saying was scared?" she snapped.
Kai played ignorant. "What are you talking about? I was just talking about how beautiful the weather is today. Right, Ayanokoji?"
Ayanokoji nodded slightly.
"Man, didn't I already tell you that you need to get better at expressing yourself? Start by using words like 'yes' and 'no' instead of just nodding and shaking your head."
Kai had a goal, which was to teach Ayanokoji how to better express himself.
"By the way, does anyone want to buy anything other than groceries?"
"I want to buy a camera," said Sakura quietly.
"If you want to buy a camera, does that mean you engage in photography?"
"Yes, it's a hobby of mine."
"That's cool. My hobby is archery. I've been practicing since I was nine. I'm thinking of joining an archery club, if there is one, of course."
Kai then turned to Horikita.
"Horikita, are you starting to mimic Ayanokoji by staying quiet all the time?"
Horikita's brows twitched.
"Oh, are you getting angry because I was right?"
"You are not right!! I'm quiet because I don't have anything to talk to you about."
"Okay, so the problem is that you don't have a topic to talk about. I see. Then tell me about your hobbies."
Horikita was baffled. What she meant was that she didn't want to talk to him, so how did he come to the conclusion that she simply lacked a topic? Still, she decided to answer.
"I like to cook."
"Cooking, huh? Wouldn't have guessed."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, really. You just strike me as the kind of young lady from a wealthy family who has servants to do things like cooking and cleaning, so it's a surprise that you can cook."
"How did you even start liking cooking?"
Horikita took a deep breath. This guy was so irritating. Couldn't he be quiet for a minute?
"We do not have any servants at home, and I am not some rich young lady. I started cooking because my parents were rarely home, so I had no one to prepare my meals. After some time, I started liking it, especially because it's the only thing I'm better at than my brother."
"Interesting. So you have a little sibling rivalry going on?"
"Not really. I already know that I'm not on my brother's level. He's a person I admire the most."
Kai smiled. Horikita hadn't realized it yet, but she was talking a lot more than she usually does.
While they were chatting, they slowly arrived at the mall.
__________
When they arrived at the store, Kai decided to warn everyone.
"When buying things, you should choose the cheapest ones."
"Why is that?" asked Sakura.
"Ah, I forgot that you weren't there when I was talking about the hidden rules of this school. I'll tell you more about it later, but for now, just know that we won't be getting 100,000 points next month."
"Why are you so sure about that?" asked Ayanokoji.
"Good to hear you talking, Ayanokoji. As I said, I'll explain in more detail when we're done shopping. We can go to karaoke to talk about this in private."
"Didn't you just say that we shouldn't spend our money meaninglessly?"
"Then, Horikita, if you don't want to go to karaoke to talk, would you rather go to my dorm?"
"I must applaud your bravery. Most girls wouldn't dare go to the place of someone they just met for the first time."
Horikita had to admit that he had a point, but why did he have to sound so irritating, as if he was making fun of her?
"Okay, we'll go to karaoke, but I will absolutely not sing. You will just explain what you need to explain, and that's it."
"Fair, I guess. I only suggested karaoke because it's a place where we can talk privately. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of singing either, and I can't picture Ayanokoji singing. Sakura is probably too shy to sing as well. Of course, if any of you want to sing, I wouldn't mind listening."
....
"As I thought. Let's just go shopping. And Sakura, if you want to buy a camera, don't choose the most expensive one. It doesn't have to be the cheapest either, you just need to aim to have at least 50,000 points by the end of the month, and you'll be fine... I think. Personally, I'll aim to retain at least 70,000 points by the end of the month. You all should set a limit on how many points you spend."
"Thanks for the reminder."
"It's no big deal, Sakura. We're friends, aren't we? Now, let's go shopping already. Ayanokoji, you come with me, and you two girls can shop together. But Horikita, please try not to be too bossy around Sakura."
"Hmph, I'm not bossy. Let's go, Sakura."
"Let's meet up here in one hour!" Kai shouted after them.
"You're really good at socializing," said Ayanokoji.
"Are you sure it's not just you being bad at it?"
"I am bad at it, but I can still tell that you're good at it compared to the average person."
Kai rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, whatever you say. We should get going, or we won't be able to buy everything we need by the time we agreed to meet again."
"True."