Vol. 4: Chapter 15 - Unfamiliar Group

"You're late," said the cute girl wearing casual clothes.

"My bad."

"Well, whatever."

Karuizawa Kei and I met up on the 7th deck, by the bookstore. She arranged a meeting with Morofuji on the 10th deck, and since her friends would be there, Karuizawa asked me to accompany her, as well. The conversation will be unpredictable, so taking me instead of Hirata was the best idea.

"Have you told them about this?"

"The other girls? Yeah, I have."

Karuizawa began to talk about how she explained the situation to her friends.

She skillfully painted herself in a mature light, telling everyone that Manabe and the other two had been verbally harassing her about being a bully and a hypocrite due to that incident with Morofuji. Of course, Karuizawa didn't deny her fault.

So to make them stop "annoying" her, she decided to apologize. After all, Karuizawa recognized that she was in the wrong for being harsh and mean to Morofuji.

The key thing about this was Karuizawa's attitude towards the act of apologizing. She had to make them believe that this wasn't a big deal to her.

"It's just an apology. 'Not like I'm being forced to apologize for something I didn't do," she shrugged. "That's what I told them."

As expected, she earned the praises of her friends for being mature. Karuizawa saw her own mistake and decided to apologize out of her own free will. That's how it was on paper.

"Nothing less from you, I guess."

"Duh, of course."

Quite a few students were spending their time on the Sun Deck because of the pool area. The two of us continued walking forward until we reached the meeting place. It was a pretty hidden area near the corner of the Sun Deck. Manabe's group was waiting with Morofuji Rika.

"So you came, after all." Manabe crossed her arms with a glare.

"Huh? I'm not a hypocrite like you guys. Of course, I'd come." Karuizawa bit back without batting an eye.

Morofuji shyly hid behind Manabe. She was quite terrified of Karuizawa, understandably so.

"You're Morofuji-san, right?" She shifted her attention towards the frightened girl. "Ah, I remember now. You really were the girl I pushed out of that line."

"Yeah, she's been a lot more reserved when dealing with other people because of you," said Yamashita.

"Excuse me? Sorry, but I wasn't talking to you." Karuizawa gave her a side glance before turning back to Morofuji. "Well, the point is; I was wrong. I got carried away because we were having fun. That's why I'm apologizing right now. I'm sorry."

Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu narrowed their eyes as she stared at her. Maybe they weren't fully convinced that Karuizawa's apology was sincere.

"I totally forgot about this incident so I guess you could also thank your friends for reminding me. So, do you accept my apology?" Karuizawa's expression was gentle. Even if Morofuji rejected her apology, she was willing to accept it. As long as she managed to apologize, her end of the bargain had been completed.

"U-Uhm... I'm sorry if this became a bigger deal than it should've been... I'm okay now." Morofuji meekly replied.

"I see... Thanks for being understanding." Karuizawa sighed with a shrug.

To me, it looked like Karuizawa was happy for Morofuji. She had friends who could lean against when things like these happened. Of course, I can't really know for sure just how genuine their friendship is. After all, it reached a point where Manabe and the other two just used the incident as an excuse to air out their envy.

"So, is our business here done?" I asked.

"Well, almost." Karuizawa slowly approached the three girls and—

*Slap*

Karuizawa's dainty hands struck Yabu's cheeks with force.

"That's payback for last night," she said.

Yabu held her face in surprise.

"Nanami-chan!"

"Nanami!"

"Karuizawa, you-!"

The situation instantly turned grim. Manabe and Yamashita were immediately enraged, and Morofuji flinched in shock. Meanwhile, Karuizawa didn't seem bothered at all.

"Well? Would you say that I'm in the wrong this time, too?" she asked.

Manabe and Yamashita couldn't respond. After all, it was Yabu's fault for slapping Karuizawa first.

"I-It's fine, Shiho-chan, Saki-chan..." Yabu eyed Karuizawa with a sharp look. "I got carried away last night, so I guess this is fair. Sorry, Karuizawa..."

"Hmph, apology accepted." Karuizawa snorted lightly in response.

That slap cemented her status onto them. She reinforced the fact that her weak attitude last night was nothing but an act.

"Let's stop this, Shiho-chan. She already told us that it's the best course of action. We can't afford to trouble the class any longer."

"She"? Is Yabu talking about Ibuki?

"You're... You're right," replied Manabe. "C'mon, let's go."

The four of them left without any trouble. As soon as we got left alone, Karuizawa grabbed the sleeve of my shirt. When I turned my head around, she was panting slightly with beads of sweat on her forehead.

"You alright?"

"Yeah... My bad. It's just that, I still can't forget how they bullied me last night, and that was the first time I've ever slapped someone..." Karuizawa's voice was mixed with a faint quiver.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"You've done well-"

I reflexively raised my hand to pat her head. Good thing I stopped myself before doing so. I've been too accustomed to doing it for Kikyou.

"Hm?" Karuizawa cocked her head curiously, wondering as to why I was staring at my hand.

"Well, it's almost time for lunch. I'm assuming you have plans?" I asked, shifting the topic.

"Yep, with Hirata-kun."

"Alright, I guess I'll see you later then."

"H-Hey, wait! Don't just walk out on me." Karuizawa grabbed the hem of my shirt in a panic.

"What?"

"Geez, we can at least head down to the 9th deck together," she pouted.

"Oh, okay."

The two of us got off the elevator and finally decided to separate around the food court.

"I'll be going on ahead."

"Thanks for today, Ayanokouji-kun..." Karuizawa expressed her gratitude with a demure appearance.

"Sure. Call me if you need any help," I replied, before turning around.

I thought to myself as I left. I didn't have any plans for lunch. And since I already declined my friends' invitations beforehand, I guess I'll have no choice but to eat alone. I wonder if there are any good places around here...

Oh...

"I guess nothing hurts with trying," I muttered.

As a sheltered boy, I never had the chance to eat in any fast-food chains.

There were a couple of fast-food chains back at the campus, but I haven't been to this particular one.

"Oh? If it isn't Ayanokouji."

There were some students inside and one student from a particular group noticed my unassuming entrance. It was Class A's Hashimoto Masayoshi.

He was currently eating with three other Class A students: Satonaka Satoru, Motodoi Chikako, and Rokkaku Momoe.

"Did you just come in first? Or are you really not with anyone?" he asked.

"I'm alone. Is that weird?"

"Ahaha, no, no. Well, I guess it's pretty rare for you to be alone, but it's not weird," replied Hashimoto.

Rare, huh? I guess that's a fair description.

"So you're Ayanokouji-kun? It's nice to finally meet you." Satonaka smoothly joined the conversation.

Man— from his looks to his demeanor... It's easy to tell that he's a social elite. Now I understand why Satonaka ranks higher than Hirata in the "hot guy" rankings.

"Ah, why don't you sit with us, Ayanokouji? There's a free seat over here," offered Hashimoto.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want to disturb your group." I shook my head in response.

I thought I managed to escape safely, but the reality wasn't so simple.

"Well, I'm quite alright with you joining us." Satonaka turned towards Rokkaku and Motodoi. "Is it okay with the two of you?"

"Sure~!"

"Yep, I'm totally fine with it."

While they didn't look uncomfortable with the idea, I sure was.

"You're welcome here, Ayanokouji. Come eat with us," urged Hashimoto. "Ah, but feel free to decline. You might not feel too pleasant about eating with an unfamiliar group."

I can easily decline him, but it's not like I'm taking my order out of the restaurant. And since there were no single seats, eating alone would be much weirder after saying no to their offer. Coming up with another excuse would just make me sound awkward.

What a dilemma...

I didn't really have a problem with sudden events like this, but that's because I was already comfortable with my classmates, same with Ichinose's class. So if a friend group from Class A or D invites me, I'd obviously feel out of my comfort zone.

Alas, because of my position as Class B's leader, I must embrace the fact I've become an elite when it comes to social status... However, my social skills could hardly keep up.

"I see. If it's not a problem, then I'll take you up on that offer," I replied.

After bringing my food to the table, I sat beside Hashimoto, who still had most of his meal left untouched. I briefly observed the other three's meals and saw that they had about the same amount. It seems like the gap between the times of our arrival wasn't much.

"Thanks for the food." I quietly muttered before digging in.

With their accommodating personalities, Satonaka and Hashimoto instantly barraged me with questions.

"I'm kinda curious. I can imagine some of your friends inviting you out for lunch, so I wanted to ask why you've decided to eat here alone," mused Hashimoto.

I guess declining all of the invitations turned out to be a mistake.

"Is this one of your favorite places, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Motodoi.

"Not really. It's actually my first time eating here," I replied.

"Ehh, that's kinda surprising," commented Rokkaku. "But... it's not like I eat here that often, so I guess I can understand."

"Well, I wanted to try out some new places by myself. And to be honest, it feels refreshing to explore the ship alone." I don't know if Hashimoto would be satisfied by that answer, but it's quite the common excuse.

"Whoops, I'm sorry if I interrupted your alone time." Hashimoto apologized in a slightly comical manner.

"Not really. Being with a new group feels refreshing, too."

"Hm? Are you saying that you're tired of your old group of friends?" joked Satonaka.

"Of course not..." Playing the tsukkomi, I replied with a lazy sigh.

The girls laughed at our exchange. So far, so good. Nothing socially disastrous has happened yet.

"By the way, Ayanokouji-kun..." Rokkaku addressed me with a curious smile. "Is it true that you're dating Kikyou-chan?"

"Ohh... Momoe-chan, you just went at it, didn't you?" said Motodoi.

Why am I not surprised by this question?

"Ohh. Way to go, Ayanokouji," Hashimoto nudged me with his elbow.

"I'm actually curious, as well. Some girls in the class have been talking about it," followed Motodoi.

"Quite a number of Class A guys have a crush on Kushida-san, so the topic interests me, too," added Satonaka.

Well, I guess this wasn't something that I should be shocked about given Kikyou's immense popularity and massive social clout. That said, I need to tell them the truth.

"We're not dating," I replied with a simple sentence.

My answer bewildered them, which was perfectly understandable. The closeness that I had with Kikyou wasn't something that any other male student could hope to have. So from an outsider's perspective, it certainly feels like our relationship is beyond that of a platonic one.

"Ehh... Color me surprised..." said Rokkaku.

"Oi, oi, are you serious, Ayanokouji? Kushida Kikyou's a fine woman, you know? If you don't act fast, I might just steal her from you," teased Hashimoto.

Even if he was obviously joking, Motodoi couldn't help but react. I noticed the faint look of shock in her eyes.

"Eh? I thought you were going for Ichinose-san," commented Satonaka.

"Nah, I changed my mind. She's pretty, but I don't think our personalities would mesh well. And as much I hate to admit it, I don't think my charms would work on her." Hashimoto shook his head with a shrug.

It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to down yourself like that without sounding forced or unnatural.

"Hahaha, I see, I see. But Kushida-san also seems like the type of girl that you won't be too compatible with."

"Hey, you're hurting my feelings here, Satoru."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

While the two guys were bantering, Rokkaku asked me another question.

"If you're not dating Kikyou-chan, is there anyone else that you're interested in?"

"Not really. I'm not as amazing as someone like Ichinose, so leading the class is enough of a stress-inducer for me. I don't have time to think about anything else."

"Oh, is that the case? Hmm, I guess class leaders have it hard..." Motodoi followed up with another question. "But... your leadership aside, aren't your grades among the best in our year?"

According to Chabashira-sensei, I was the actual best earlier this semester. But I'm pretty sure Sakayanagi had overtaken me after the final exam. Subtly worsening my grades to the lower 90's would further support my "stress" excuse.

"I hope so. I'm studying hard, after all. How about you two?"

I finally managed to bounce the question back.

"Well... I'm studying normally, I guess. This school is harsh on failures, after all." Rokkaku sheepishly poked her cheek with a finger.

"I'm in the tennis club, so my attention is also divided, but I think I'm doing alright," answered Motodoi.

"I see. I guess that's to be expected from Class A students."

Rokkaku Momoe and Motodoi Chikako— I got to know them a bit more before the two guys finally continued interrogating me. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel like an outsider. However, they didn't make that feeling obvious to me. Both Hashimoto and Satonaka kept the atmosphere lively while Motodoi and Rokkaku showed genuine interest in what I had to say. Of course, I tried my best to reciprocate their efforts to keep the conversations going.

Around half an hour passed before the five of us finally finished up.

"We're heading down to the 6th deck. How about you, Masayoshi?"

"Well, I'm thinking about that right now." Hashimoto turned to me with a smirk. "If you don't have any plans, wanna hang out with me, Ayanokouji?"

I immediately got what he was trying to imply. Of course, I wouldn't want this chance to get wasted.

"Sure."

"And that's that. I guess I'll see you later, Satoru. It was fun hanging out with you too, Motodoi-san, Rokkaku-chan."

I also exchanged farewells with the three of them. It seems like the number of my acquaintances from Class A has increased.

Now then, I'll make good use of the chance that this rest day has presented me.