The sun was high up in the sky, shining brilliantly. There weren't many clouds; the sharp rays passed through.
The school premis was quiet, Akira easily heard the sound of ocean waves surrounding the artificial island.
He was waiting for Kushida in front of the student dormitory.
His wait didn't last for that long as he heard people's voices in the distance. It was Ayanokoji, Ike, and Yamauchi.
"Are you guys seriously going after Kushida" Ayanokoji asked, It seems like they are talking about relationships, who likes who, the usual teenage bs.
"Of course. She's my dream girl." Ike replied and Yamauchi nodded in response.
"You're interested in Horikita, aren't you? She's definitely beautiful, I gotta say."
"No, I'm not. Really."
"Really? Didn't you guys sneakily exchange looks and nonchalantly touch fingertips? You know, something bittersweet and yet kind of irritating?"
"Hey guys look." Before Ayanokoji could clarify his relationship with Horikita to Ike, he was cutoff by Yamauchi as he pointed his fingers towards Akira.
"Aargh, It's him." Ike's face contourted, as if he smelled something foul. "I can't believe Kushida will invite a guy like him."
"Right? I don't know what's so good about him either," Yamanuchi perfectly matched Ike's energy "He seems like the type of douchebag who will breakup with a girl immediately after having sex with her."
Ike's expression immediately changed to horror, yamauchi's words ignited the imagination inside his head. He turned toward Yamauchi and Ayanokoji and panickly said "We must protect Kushida from him!"
"No, not just Kushida we have to make sure no poor girl is led into a trap by him!" Yamauchi instantly agreed.
Ayanokoji on the other hand took a few steps away from them, expressing his disagreement "I think we should leave the choice of who Kushida wants to date to herself."
"Ayanokoji! How can you say that!?" Ike didn't seem to appreciate his words much. "Are you just gonna sit and watch as he 'ruins' all the girls in our school."
At this points Akira stopped listening to their conversation. They were just envious of the attention he seems to be getting. If it was really up to him, he would'nt date any girl in this school.
He might be in the body of a 16 year old, but mentally he was an adult. So the school girls are like children to him.
But things were not in his hand, he needs to finish the task.
He has to survive.
"Sorry for being late, but thanks for waiting!"
A few moments later Kushida arrived with a few more people.
"Oh, no worries, Kushida-chan! Hey, wait a second, why are they here?!" Ike cried.
"Oh, I just happened to run into them on the way, so I thought I'd invite them along. Was that not okay?"
Kushida had brought Hirata and his girlfriend, Karuizawa. There were also two other girls, Matsushita and Mori, who always hung around Karuizawa.
"Hey Akira-kun! I hope I hadn't had you waiting for too long." Kushida turned to Akira and apologised.
"It's alright, I haven't been waiting for too long." Akira replied.
"Ohh, Hirata's here too! Great!" Ike forced a laugh, trying to act as if just noticed Hirata. "With you around, we can really keep an eye on… certain people." He cast a sharp glance at Akira.
Hirata tilted his head in mild confusion. "Eh? Keep an eye on who?"
"Never mind, Hirata-kun." Karuizawa quickly linked arms with him, shooting Ike and Yamauchi a warning glare. "Don't drag us into your weird paranoia. We came here to have fun, remember?"
"R-right, Karuizawa-san," Yamauchi muttered, shrinking slightly.
Kushida, either oblivious or deliberately ignoring the tension, clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Alright! Since everyone's here, let's get going! We'll head into Keyaki Mall and figure out what we all want to do there."
Her smile was dazzling, like always, effortlessly disarming the awkward atmosphere. Matsushita and Mori giggled, whispering to each other as they glanced at Hirata and Karuizawa, while Ike and Yamauchi shuffled behind, clearly sulking.
Despite being at some distance Akira could clearly hear what they were talking about.
"Kushida actually managed to bring Kazama-kun to an outing huh?"
"Yeah, looks like rumors are true, he has a crush on her."
Kushida must've planned all this while inviting him to this date.
But despite being used by her to increase her popularity, Akira didn't mind.
[28%]
The infatuation has steadily increased and reached interest levels, Kushida probably has a thing for simps. Ike must be her ideal type.
Akira finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with subtle dissatisfaction. "So, Kushida. Where exactly are we going?"
"Ah, right!" Kushida turned to him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Well… it's not just the two of us, Akira-kun. It's more of a group outing, you know? The more, the merrier! (≧▽≦)✧"
?
What's the meaning of these words? He just asked her where they were going, how is 'it's a group outing' has anything to do with it?
Everyone seemed quite confused would Kushida's response.
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly, though he hid it behind a faint smile. "I see. A group outing."
Kushida leaned in closer, her expression earnest. "I'm really sorry if you thought it was just us. I didn't mean to mislead you."
For a brief moment, Akira considered brushing her off entirely, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He was well aware of what she was trying to do, she was trying to shift and manipulate the group opinion, trying to make him look like a pursuer for her.
"It's fine," he said at last, his voice smooth. "Let's just go."
Relieved, Kushida's face lit up again. "Yay! Thanks, Akira-kun. I knew you'd understand!"
The group began moving toward the mall. Kushida naturally took the lead, chatting happily with the girls, while Hirata and Karuizawa walked close together. Ike and Yamauchi trailed at the back, grumbling under their breath, occasionally shooting jealous glares at Akira. Matsushita and Mori were gossiping amidst each other. Akira and Ayanokoji seemed to be the only guys alone.
The group outing had broken into smaller cliques of students talking amongst each other as they made their way towards Keyaki mall.
"I'm just going to ask you, Hirata. Are you going out with Karuizawa?" Ike asked point-blank to determine whether or not Hirata was his enemy.
"Uh…where did you hear that?" Hirata asked. As expected, he looked a little surprised, or even panicked, by that question. "Oh, guess you figured it out, huh? Yeah, we're dating."
Karuizawa latched onto Hirata's arm before he could say anything. Hirata just lightly scratched his cheek, as if signaling resignation.
"Seriously?! I'm so jealous that you're dating such a cute girl like Karuizawa!" said Yamauchi, feigning envy. You'd think that lying while being unaware that you're lying would be easy, but it was surprisingly difficult.
"Kushida-chan, do you have a boyfriend?" Ike managed to shift attention over to Kushida without missing a beat. Pretty clever, huh?
"Me? Oh, no, unfortunately," she said.
Both Ike and Yamauchi clearly rejoiced, breaking out in massive grins. Their joy leaked out for everyone to see. Although it was possible that Kushida was hiding the fact that she had a boyfriend, she'd basically confirmed that she was available.
"Oh, no, I'm crying…"
"Don't cry, Yamauchi! We're finally almost at the summit!"
Akira however stared right at Hirata without blinking.
Unlike everyone else here, he was aware of the real situation between Hirata and Karuizawa. Both of them, suffering from their past traumas, were the perfect match for each other. Hirata on one end was in regret of abandoning his friend in need and Karuizawa was bullied severely in the past.
In a way both of them were the perfect match for each other. A little too perfect infact.
In the novel They continued their fake relationship until the cruise ship arc where Ayanokoji instigated the fake bullying event on Karuizawa.
Akira was about to do something similar, but for now his target wasn't Karuizawa. It was Hirata.
"Hirata, let's check that one out! I've been wanting to see if they have the new season's designs." Karuizawa's tone was casual, but her body language was all possessive. She clung to Hirata's arm like she was making an announcement to the entire group.
Hirata smiled patiently, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Sure, We'll look together."
The girls, Matsushita and Mori, exchanged knowing looks, then trailed after them, half curious and half amused. Karuizawa puffed up proudly, as though she were leading her own entourage.
Kushida clapped her hands lightly. "Well then, why don't the rest of us head to the café across the street? It'll be nice to sit down and talk while we wait." Her cheerful voice masked the faint awkwardness of the split.
Ike and Yamauchi immediately agreed. Ayanokoji, as usual, slipped into the group without protest.
Everyone naturally assumed Akira would join them too, after all, Kushida had invited him. But to their surprise, he moved in the opposite direction.
"I'll go with them," Akira said casually, sliding his hands into his pockets. His eyes briefly flicked toward Hirata, who had already stepped into the boutique with Karuizawa.
Kushida blinked, her smile faltering for just a second. "Eh? You're not coming with us, Akira-kun?"
She hadn't expected Akira to go against her wishes, she was quite irritated from the inside.
She'll probably be smashing the railing quite violently after this.
"Later," he replied, tone unreadable. Without offering further explanation, he followed Hirata and the girls into the boutique, leaving Kushida behind with a dark gaze.
Ike muttered under his breath, "What's he doing over there with them…?" But Kushida quickly distracted him, ushering the rest of the group toward the café.
Ayanokoji on the other stared quitely at Akira's leaving figure, his thoughts unknown.