"Some classmates have already reserved seats at the cafe next door, so we should head out too." Kushida clapped her hands cheerfully and turned to call out to the room.
"You're finally back!"
"We've been waiting for over an hour."
Following her actions, Ayanokoji, Yamauchi, and Ike successively walked out of the room, followed by several giggling female classmates.
'They actually brought over a dozen people and waited for me in the dorm for over an hour...'
Akira looked at the group of classmates before him, his emotions subtly complex.
Kushida's persistence far exceeded his imagination—not only did she personally come to block him, but she also mobilized so many classmates to accompany her.
This kind of display, rather than an invitation, was more like a gentle coercion.
He noticed a few girls secretly rubbing their aching legs from standing.
'To go to this extent... should I say it's too persistent, or too terrifying?'
"Shimizu-kun, let's go together!" Kushida slowly approached, her delicate hand gently tugging his sleeve.
Akira calmly looked around, meeting the envious gazes of Yamauchi and Ike.
Their burning stares almost seemed to burn two holes through him.
'Pulling my clothes? Could some trouble be coming my way...'
Aside from the 24-hour convenience store, all other facilities on campus closed at nine in the evening.
It's worth mentioning that the dormitory cafeteria also operated until nine in the evening.
When Akira and his group arrived at the cafe, the lights inside were still brightly lit.
Kushida spotted Inogashira from afar, immediately waved enthusiastically, and then led the group slowly toward her.
Due to the four-person seating limit in the store, the dozen or so people had to choose the sofa area against the wall. This row of seats was arranged side-by-side, and they occupied four connected seats, barely allowing for collective communication.
Kushida unhesitatingly chose the main seat in the center, and the others took their seats one after another.
Yamauchi and Ike originally wanted to sit at the same table as Kushida, but found the seats already occupied by the girls, so they reluctantly moved to the seats on the right.
Akira deliberately chose the empty seat on the left that no one had taken yet.
Ayanokoji, who chose last, looked around and found all other seats occupied, so he had to sit in the seat opposite Akira.
After everyone was seated, they all picked up their phones to scan codes and order.
Taking advantage of this interval, Akira turned his gaze to Ayanokoji across from him and asked casually, "Ayanokoji-kun, did you tell Kushida-san that I live next door to you?"
"That... it was indeed me... who accidentally let it slip." Ayanokoji flinched slightly, a hint of trepidation appearing on his face.
Akira stared at him in silence, his eyes full of speechlessness.
—He's faking it too much.
Who is this timid act for? Is he afraid that he'll actually resort to violence?
Given Ayanokoji's physique, if it really came to blows, the outcome would be uncertain.
In terms of acting, he was miles behind Kushida sitting next to him.
At the same time, a hint of confusion arose in Ayanokoji's heart.
—Why is Shimizu looking at me with such a speechless gaze?
He secretly recalled how other classmates in the class interacted with Akira: whether it was Yamauchi or Ike, they would unconsciously show a hint of fear when facing Shimizu-kun.
To perfectly blend into the role of a "trouble-avoiding ordinary high school student," he'd even deliberately observed and imitated Yamauchi's words and actions.
Why wasn't it working at all?
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's quite a surprise, Ayanokoji-kun. I thought you were the type who hated trouble the most, but I didn't expect you to actually offer your dorm room."
Ayanokoji lowered his gaze, his voice flat but with a hint of helplessness. "...It wasn't voluntary. Kushida-san insisted on treating you tonight no matter what."
Then, he added, "Also, I have a feeling that Kushida-san's true purpose for gathering everyone this time is mainly you."
Akira was startled by his words.
'The target is me, after all?'
He instinctively believed this judgment.
After all, it was Ayanokoji speaking—the man who seemed low-key but could always see through to the essence of things.
There was no reason for him to deceive Akira.
"I understand, thank you for the heads-up, Ayanokoji-kun."
"...Don't worry about it, I just said it casually."
Akira suddenly thought of something and changed the subject. "By the way, Ayanokoji-kun, why did you join Kushida-san's side?"
Ayanokoji's expression remained calm and unruffled. "...Yamauchi and Ike dragged me here." He paused, then added, "They blocked my dorm door."
Akira nodded thoughtfully. "I see, so you were forcibly dragged along by your friends."
His gaze thoughtfully swept over Ayanokoji's calm profile.
Now that he thought about it, Ike and Yamauchi were indeed the mysterious young man's few social contacts.
Whenever in the corridor or the cafeteria, he could always see the four of them gathered together.
Such a combination was truly perplexing.
The person before him clearly possessed abilities far beyond ordinary people, so why would he choose to maintain close ties with those two—especially Yamauchi, whose character was questionable? Ike was at least honest and sincere, but Yamauchi... he couldn't be bothered to comment.
"Friends?" Ayanokoji suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a rare hint of confusion. "To what extent... can one be called a true friend?"
Akira subconsciously thought he was listening to the other party feign humility again, but when he saw the genuine confusion in the young man's eyes, he couldn't help but be stunned.
He wanted to bring out the standard definition of friendship from textbooks, but then felt that it would be too perfunctory.
Akira pondered for a moment and concluded. "I think, when you feel natural and comfortable with someone... that's probably what a friend is."
Upon hearing this, Ayanokoji responded almost reflexively. "...It seems Yamauchi and Ike aren't my friends yet."
"..." Akira was momentarily speechless. "If you want to make friends, it's best to say less of that kind of thing in the future."
He secretly mused that the other party also knew deep down that he wasn't comfortable with those two.
But what surprised him even more was Ayanokoji's level of sharp-tonguedness.
This hurtful comment had come out without a second thought, without even a moment of hesitation.
Akira couldn't help but feel for Ike—if he were to hear such a blunt assessment, he wondered how he'd feel.