-24- Central figures

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

Just as everyone was getting into the conversation, the sweet voice of Kushida Kikyou blew in like a spring breeze, energizing Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki.

"Oh! Kikyou!"

"We've been waiting for you!"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki expressed their excitement without reservation, shouting out their anticipation.

However, the next moment, both Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki froze.

Even Nanaya Hori and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked surprised.

The reason was that it wasn't just Kushida Kikyou coming from the school building.

Indeed, Kushida Kikyou had mentioned she would bring some friends along.

But nobody expected that her "friends" would be these two.

"Hello, everyone."

The first person to greet everyone politely was a handsome young man with an elegant demeanor, wearing a polite smile that showed he was a type favored by girls, exuding a sunny and refreshing vibe.

"Oh, it's Hirta and Karuizawa!"

"It's Hirata and Karuizawa!"

Yes.

The male and female who came with Kushida Kikyou were none other than the central figures of the male and female groups in Class 1-D.

One was the second-ranked on the handsome ranking, just below a student from Class A, a soccer club member highly praised by girls—Hirata Yousuke.

The other was a girl who wielded great influence in the female group, though maybe not as popular as Kushida Kikyou, she was still quite attention-grabbing, capable of mobilizing all the girls in the class, the gyaru girl—Karuizawa Kei.

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki's reactions were understandably huge.

If the two of them were considered the unpopular group in the class, then the male and female in front of them were the most popular group in the class.

Both sides were a stark contrast.

"Why... why are you here!?"

"Yeah!"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki seemed to take several steps back, as if they were intimidated.

In response, Hirata Yousuke and Karuizawa Kei reacted differently.

"I was invited by Kushida-san to come here. She said we should occasionally engage in activities outside of club activities, so I asked the senior members of the soccer club for permission to come and gather with everyone. Did we trouble you?"

Hirata Yousuke seemed confused and concerned, despite Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki's rude reactions, he didn't get upset, and even seemed to care about their feelings, showing he was a very righteous and kind person.

Compared to Hirata Yousuke's mild and polite demeanor, Karuizawa Kei was much less polite.

"Say, we were invited by Kushida, not you, so we don't need to consider your opinion, do we?"

Karuizawa Kei stared over with a very unfriendly attitude.

In fact, compared to Hirata Yousuke's gentle and elegant personality, Karuizawa Kei's reputation in Class D was mixed.

Although she was cute, her behavior gave off a high-pressure feeling. As a gyaru character, it was said that her points were mostly spent on clothes, accessories, and dressing up. She seemed to have a lot of authority among girls, but her reputation among boys was quite extreme.

But it had to be said that Karuizawa Kei gave people the impression of being not easy to mess with.

Especially for boys like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, under the pressure of her high-pressure attitude, they immediately became nervous.

The two could only gather around Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and start whispering.

"I-I didn't expect such troublesome characters to show up..."

"Karuizawa is one thing, at least she's a cute girl, but why did Hirata come along?"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki gritted their teeth in frustration.

This puzzled Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"I think Hirata is a good guy. Is there a need to dislike him so much?"

This was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's sincere question.

Unfortunately, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't know that sometimes, emotional reasons are more important than rational ones.

At least, that's what Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki said.

"If there's a handsome guy like him around, won't our presence become weak!?"

"All the girls' attention will be focused on Hirata! How are we supposed to flirt with girls!?"

"Moreover, Kikyou is here too. With Hirata around, how can we stand out!?"

"What if Kikyou falls for Hirata? What do we do then!?"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki exclaimed excitedly, leaving Ayanokouji Kiyotaka speechless for a moment.

In the end, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka could only say this.

"But, as far as I know, isn't Hirata already dating Karuizawa?"

In other words, Hirata Yousuke already has a girlfriend, so there's no need to worry about other girls liking him.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wanted to convey this.

Unfortunately...

"I'm telling you, just because he has a girlfriend doesn't mean anything, right?"

"Besides, looking at Karuizawa's appearance, she must have had her share of men since middle school. Comparing that second-hand dirty girl to the cute Kikyou, anyone would choose Kikyou!"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki said things that would definitely infuriate the person in question.

Nanaya Hori watched this scene and could only be grateful that he didn't get too close to these guys.

"No wonder these two guys are unpopular..."

Having a bad personality is one thing, but their thoughts are extremely dirty. They are simply the embodiment of dirty desires. While there's nothing wrong with it, being so blunt and shameless, it's no wonder they're unpopular.

At this moment, Kushida Kikyou began to feel uneasy.

"Um, did I do something wrong?"

Kushida Kikyou asked cautiously.

The voice that stimulated the protective instincts of boys made Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki straighten their backs instantly, hastily shaking their heads.

"No no no! Kikyou didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yeah! Since it's Kikyou's invitation! There's nothing wrong with it!"

The two of them said with a mixture of sincerity and insincerity.

"Is that so?" Kushida Kikyou felt relieved, smiled brightly, and clapped her hands, saying, "Then let's go!"

So, the group started heading towards Keyaki Mall.