[Who is Kushida eating with?]
'As expected, I've attracted attention.'
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself, already aware that the focus of those around him was gradually shifting toward him.
[That guy... He's from our Class D, right? What's his name again? Kunio or something?]
'Hey, hey, even though I don't stand out much in class, the name you just said has nothing to do with me.'
[I'm so jealous! He's already eating with the most beautiful girl in our class! They look so close!]
'If you could hear her inner thoughts, you probably wouldn't be so envious.'
Saiki Kusuo sighed internally. As expected, someone like Kushida Kikyo was a terrible match for him. He didn't like this kind of attention.
He had already gotten the desserts he wanted from Kushida, so there was no need for further interaction.
"Kushida, Saiki! You're here!"
At that moment, a light and energetic voice called out from another direction. It was Ichinose Honami, the first person from another class that Saiki Kusuo had met.
Her personality was very outgoing. Although she had only just met Saiki Kusuo and Kushida Kikyo, she already considered them her friends.
The moment Ichinose Honami appeared, the voices in Saiki Kusuo's mind grew even noisier.
[Wow, another beauty!]
[Is she from Class B? I think her name is Ichinose?]
[Dammit, Kunio! How is this fair?]
'Hey, hey, who the hell is this Kunio you're talking about?'
Saiki Kusuo felt a bit helpless. Ichinose Honami's appearance had drawn even more attention to him. He hadn't expected to be targeted by such socially outgoing people so soon after arriving at school. He hadn't encountered many people like this before.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the source of the thoughts—three other members of Class D.
Sudo Ken, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji.
'I absolutely cannot get involved with these three.'
In Saiki Kusuo's mind, he had already categorized these three as being on the same level as primates.
"You two seem really close! Could it be that you're already~"
Ichinose Honami's face showed a meaningful smile as she asked, clearly fishing for gossip.
"Already together?"
"N-no, we're not!"
Kushida Kikyo's face turned red, making her look like a shy, innocent girl.
However, this pure appearance was just another act. In her heart, there was no way she would ever consider Saiki Kusuo as a romantic interest.
"It's just that I asked Saiki-kun to help me communicate with Horikita-san, to see if we could improve our relationship... But things didn't go well."
"Oh, is that so?"
Ichinose Honami raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Did you know each other before? Why is Horikita-san acting like this?"
When Ichinose mentioned "Did you know each other before?", Kushida's expression changed for a brief moment. Although it was only for a second, Saiki Kusuo noticed it.
On the surface, Kushida wanted to get closer to Horikita Suzune, but in reality, she wanted to use any means necessary to get Horikita expelled.
"I don't know. Maybe Horikita-san just isn't good at socializing."
Kushida shrugged, skipping over Ichinose's first question as if she and Horikita had only met after school started.
"I still want to do my best to bring the class together as a group."
"If that's the case, maybe I can give you some advice!"
Ichinose Honami immediately shared some of her experiences from Class B, hoping it might help Kushida.
In just one day, Ichinose had already become close with everyone in her class. Unlike Kushida's fake friendliness, Ichinose was genuinely warm and sincere.
However, Saiki Kusuo wasn't interested in any of this. He just felt a bit helpless as he watched the two of them start chatting. There was no way he could leave the table now.
...
By the time Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo finished talking, ten minutes had passed. For Saiki Kusuo, these were the longest ten minutes of his life. He could have done so much more in that time, but since he had eaten the desserts Kushida treated him to, he couldn't just leave.
"Saiki-kun, want to walk back to the dorm together?"
Kushida asked, her gaze focused on Saiki Kusuo. He immediately shook his head to decline.
Kushida Kikyo and Ichinose Honami could be considered beauties, and walking with them would undoubtedly attract attention—possibly even hostile stares.
Besides, Saiki Kusuo had other plans. He wanted to explore other parts of the school.
For example, the library. He had heard it had all kinds of books, and reading mystery novels was one of his few hobbies.
"See you tomorrow, Saiki-kun!"
Kushida waved at Saiki Kusuo with a smile before leaving with Ichinose Honami, looking as close as ever.
Before Saiki Kusuo could even stand up, Sudo Ken, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji immediately surrounded him.
"Hey, are you dating Kushida?!"
Ike Kanji, who was overly familiar with everyone, asked seriously, his eyes locked on Saiki Kusuo.
[Is Kunio really dating little Kushida?! I can't accept this!!!]
'Hey, hey, you don't even know my name, and you're already trying to talk to me? We've only spoken once since school started, and you've known Kushida for less than two days. How are you already calling her "little Kushida"? That's terrifying.'
Saiki Kusuo's gaze toward them became slightly more disdainful. However, to avoid causing trouble, he decided to explain.
"Haha, I knew it! You two are moving way too fast!"
Ike Kanji and the others laughed, holding their heads.
"Sorry, sorry! We didn't mean anything by it. We were just curious!"
'Just curious? What you were really thinking was, "Why would Kushida be with such an ordinary guy? Why not me?"'
Saiki Kusuo complained internally, his face expressionless.
This only confirmed that these three were no different from idiots.