-973- Want to be friends?

Aiba.

This is just her surname.

The girl's full name is Aiba Asagi.

As mentioned earlier, she is Rozen's classmate, a girl with a presence that's hard to determine whether it's high or low.

She has exceptionally well-defined features and outstanding academic performance, ranking second in the first year of junior high, just below Rozen, in several tests. She is a girl who is often praised by teachers.

However, her low presence is attributed to her behavior in the classroom. She always appears inconspicuous, rarely speaking or interacting with anyone. She sits silently in the corner of the classroom, either playing with her phone or manipulating the laptop she carries with her.

Wearing glasses most of the time adds a touch of plainness to her already well-ordered appearance, making it almost impossible for anyone to form a deep connection with her.

Now, this seemingly unapproachable girl is sitting alone on a bench in the affiliated hospital of MAR, shedding tears.

Moreover, her glasses are nowhere to be seen, revealing a face that is overly neat but now looks pitiful due to the tear stains.

"You..."

Rozen involuntarily stopped and spoke, a mix of hesitation and surprise in his voice.

"...!"

Aiba Asagi, as if just realizing what she was doing, quickly wiped away her tears. However, she didn't avoid Rozen's gaze and stared straight back at him, as if in confrontation.

"Why are you here?"

Aiba Asagi questioned with an unexpectedly assertive tone, challenging in her words.

"Me?" Rozen smiled slightly and said, "Akatsuki's sister is hospitalized here. I came to check on her."

"Is that so?" Aiba Asagi seemed skeptical but indifferent. "You're quite enthusiastic about your classmates. You even come to visit someone's sister who's in the hospital."

This statement contained some provocation and sarcasm.

But Rozen continued to smile.

"Maybe." Rozen admitted Aiba Asagi's words candidly. "So, it's normal to ask when you see a classmate crying in the hospital, right?"

Upon hearing this, Aiba Asagi was first dumbfounded, then retorted.

"I didn't cry!"

The girl, contrary to the impression she gave, refuted in a stubborn and defiant tone.

"No, you did."

Rozen pointed it out directly.

This ignited Aiba Asagi's anger.

"I didn't!"

Aiba Asagi emphasized again.

"No, you did."

Rozen calmly confirmed.

"I said I didn't!"

Aiba Asagi's eyes carried a hint of threat.

"I said you did."

Rozen completely ignored her.

"You..."

Aiba Asagi was so frustrated that her nose was crooked.

But strangely, this made Rozen burst into laughter.

Looking at this girl in front of him, who was completely different from the impression she had given before – so assertive, fierce, and resistant – Rozen had only one thought.

"So, this is your true personality?" Rozen said with a smiling expression, "Quite different from how you are at school."

This statement made Aiba Asagi snort.

"You're the one who's completely different at school, right?" Aiba Asagi frowned and said, "Aren't you the noble boy who has all the girls at school wrapped around your finger? What? Was that all an act?"

Aiba Asagi's words carried a hint of malice.

Unfortunately, Rozen ignored her.

"Everyone has a side that others don't know, right?" Rozen said nonchalantly, "Is it strange to maintain an image for classmates you've recently met and aren't familiar with?"

"Maintaining an image? You went overboard with that, didn't you?" Aiba Asagi gave a judgment similar to Kojou's, but then strangely asked, "Then why did you show your true self in front of a classmate like me, who you're not familiar with at all?"

This should be Aiba Asagi's question.

If Kojou were here, he would probably have the same question, right?

But...

"Since I saw this so-called not-so-familiar classmate crying in front of me, can I continue pretending?" Rozen said matter-of-factly.

"You...."

Aiba Asagi fell silent again.

This made Rozen shrug, sitting down beside her.

As for his hands, two bottles of drinks appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Here," Rozen handed one bottle to Asagi.

"Where did you pull out these two things from?" Asagi took it, still in a daze.

"It's magic, spatial control type. Haven't you seen it before?" Rozen pointed to a nearby vending machine, saying, "I just transferred things from inside."

"...Isn't that stealing?" Asagi was almost dumbfounded, then surprised, "So you can do magic? Are you a mage?"

"Is it that strange?" Rozen smirked, "My sister is Minamiya Natsuki, the government-assigned national attack mage. It's normal for me to know magic, right?"

"That makes sense." Asagi realized.

In the outside world, someone proficient in magic would cause a sensation, but in the demon sanctuary where even non-human entities walk openly, having a mage wasn't a big deal.

"If those infatuated girls in school knew about this, they would be even more infatuated."

Asagi chuckled mischievously.

It was an unpolished laugh, completely overturning her usual image of a quiet and high-achieving student.

However, Rozen had no right to criticize Asagi for that.

Rozen could only say one thing.

"If those 'not-so-familiar classmates' in school knew you're like this, you'd definitely make friends."

Rozen said so.

"Friends...?"

Asagi's eyes widened slightly, as if hearing something unbelievable.

Seeing this, Rozen also smiled.

"How about it?" Rozen smiled, "Want to be friends?"

The implication was clear, and Asagi naturally understood.

"What a clumsy pick-up line."

Asagi said, but she also smiled.

However, this time it was not the unpolished smile; it was a very sincere, cheerful, and as if dispelling some darkness smile.

On that day, Rozen and Asagi talked until late at night.

In this situation, Rozen knew two things.

Breaking the curfew would surely make him uncomfortable today.

And today, Asagi's birth mother passed away in the hospital, which was the reason she silently shed tears on the bench.

But Rozen and Asagi became friends on this day.

That was indisputable.

////Tomorrow will be a extra busy day for me, Just in case if I didn't update tomorrow, I'll update more the day after tomorrow. And sorry for the less update too, just got home, too tired.////