The rooftop at the top of the Teaching Building was not deserted, but a small garden, where some rare flowers were planted.
Near the flowerbeds, many benches were placed for people to rest, but unfortunately, not many people were willing to come here during lunch break. From Ayanokoji and Saotome's perspective, they could only see Hanatemari Kazura alone.
She was indeed eating her bento on the rooftop, as the girl had said.
She placed the bento box on her soft legs, holding the bento with one hand and a pair of chopsticks with the other. However, she didn't seem to have much appetite; the bento was mostly untouched.
She was staring blankly at the flowers in front of her, seemingly in a daze.
"Hey, did you see it? Is it the one you gave her?"
Ayanokoji and Saotome did not show themselves directly, but hid and observed in secret.
Saotome stroked her chin, pondering for a long time, trying her best to recall what the gift she had given her looked like.
"Hmm... it doesn't look like it, it really doesn't," After a while, Saotome Meari nodded decisively, "The hairband she's wearing is definitely new, and it has no similarity to mine except for the color!"
Meari also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it was fortunate that it wasn't.
If the cheap item she gave to Hanatemari had really been worn on her head all this time, she wouldn't know how to face Hanatemari—a female homosexual was by her side?
Meari believed herself to be a girl with normal preferences; if Hanatemari were really like that, she would definitely stay far away.
Thankfully, it was just a misunderstanding.
Since it wasn't, there was nothing to worry about.
"Hey, Hanatemari, why are you eating here?" Saotome Meari was the first to emerge from her hiding place and walked towards Hanatemari Kazura.
Hanatemari Kazura instinctively looked up, saw the golden figure approaching her, quickly put her bento aside and stood up, her joy outweighing her surprise.
"Meari!? How did you know I was here?"
"Well... I didn't respond to you earlier, and I felt a bit guilty, so I came to find you."
Saotome turned her face away, feeling a bit guilty: "Sorry, I shouldn't have been silent before. I was just a bit shocked."
"It's okay, Meari, it's fine if you don't respond to me. After all, I'm just a weakling..." Hanatemari showed a sad smile.
"..." Saotome didn't know how to respond to that, so she quickly found a new topic: "Why did you come to the rooftop to eat? Isn't the school cafeteria food very cheap?"
"That's right, the cafeteria food is very cheap, but I don't have any friends, so going alone would seem very lonely..."
Hanatemari picked up her bento, a fawning smile reappearing on her face: "Meari, do you want some bento? I made it myself this morning."
"No, I'm full from eating at the cafeteria," Saotome instinctively refused.
Seeing Hanatemari's expression turn a bit awkward, she quickly tried to remedy the situation: "I really am full. To celebrate the victory, Ayanokoji and I ordered several dishes at the cafeteria, and there was still some left over. If you don't believe me, ask him."
As she spoke, she kept winking at Ayanokoji.
"Oh, right, right."
Ayanokoji casually hummed in agreement and walked to the railing of the rooftop, gazing into the distance.
He knew the school was large when he read the school's introduction, but only by seeing it up close from a high vantage point could he truly appreciate the vast area the school occupied.
Supermarkets, gyms, student apartments, the Club Building, cinemas, football fields, stadiums... and many other buildings whose purposes were unclear.
What attracted Ayanokoji's attention the most was a corner of the school, where a white tall tower was surrounded by countless white flower bushes.
Was that 'Avalon' built by someone? Ayanokoji stared at it in a daze.
Hanatemari had been chatting with Saotome for a while. Seeing that Saotome didn't seem to reject her, she gathered her courage again.
Hanatemari bowed her head, just like a boy confessing to his beloved girl behind the small grove after school, bending at a ninety-degree angle and shouting, "Meari, can I be your friend!?"
"...You can," Meari did not remain silent this time. She spoke.
"Really?" Hanatemari looked up in surprise, her joy evident on her face.
"I can be your friend, but I have one condition."
"What condition?" Hanatemari was already prepared in her heart. Even if Meari asked her to jump from here, she would probably do it without hesitation.
"Break free from being a Stray Cat," Saotome said directly.
"Eh?" Hanatemari was stunned, not expecting Saotome's request to be this.
"Don't you feel angry being called a Stray Cat every day? I would hate it. And, I also hate my friends being treated like that."
Saotome paused and continued: "I've already talked to Aiura Kokoro, she won't bully you anymore, but I want more than just not being bullied."
Saotome took a deep breath, her eyes sharpened, and she placed her hand on Hanatemari Kazura's shoulder, saying earnestly:
"To avoid being treated like a fool again, we will stand above others. If this academy determines status through gambling, then let us win through gambling!"
"Meari is truly amazing..." Hanatemari murmured, seemingly stunned by Saotome's declaration.
After a moment, she smiled: "Okay, I will definitely help Meari achieve this goal!"
"Tsk," Saotome clicked her tongue, seemingly displeased with her answer.
"Didn't you understand? I said 'we', we will be the winners!" Saotome emphasized the word "we."
Her pupils seemed to burn with a spark of indignation: "I don't care if you have a people-pleasing personality or dependency issues, from today onwards, you will get rid of these flaws!
"One day, we will make everyone in this entire academy look up to us! We will also be the winners!"
Saotome Meari made a grand declaration.
It was the first time Saotome had said so much to someone else, but she couldn't help but say these words.
She didn't want Hanatemari Kazura, the person she had once desperately wanted to become, to be so humble—just like her past self.
She wanted to become a winner, taking Hanatemari Kazura with her, to stand at the top of the academy.
Saotome extended her hand towards Hanatemari: "Well? Are you willing?"
This was the first time she had extended her hand to Hanatemari, and it might be the last.
She was not disappointed. Hanatemari, with tears in her eyes, excitedly grasped Meari's hand: "I am willing, I will work hard to escape being a Stray Cat and stay by Meari's side!"
Although her answer still left Saotome Meari somewhat dissatisfied, it was fine... as long as she had the spirit to break free from being a Stray Cat.
Saotome sighed softly, feeling inexplicably happy.
This could be considered her making peace with the past, making Hanatemari, a person she once disliked, her friend.
Friend?
Suddenly, she realized something and quickly turned her head, finding Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaning against the railing not far away, holding his phone, smiling as he looked at her.
Had all her arrogant ambitions been heard by him? Would he think her words were foolish?
Saotome's face instantly turned red.
Wait, why was this guy pointing his phone at her!?
Saotome quickly ran to Ayanokoji's side and glanced over. Sure enough, this guy had taken several photos of her at some point, capturing all the moments of her reconciliation with Hanatemari!
"Hey, why doesn't your phone make a sound when it takes pictures!" Saotome impatiently slapped Ayanokoji's arm: "Who told you to take these photos?"
Meari wasn't angry, just a bit embarrassed. Why did this guy take pictures of her without permission!? It's not like she wouldn't allow it, but couldn't he give a heads-up before taking them? What if she looked bad in the pictures?
She still cared a lot about her image.
"Sorry, sorry... If the phone suddenly made a sound during a candid shot, wouldn't that ruin a beautiful scene?" Ayanokoji smiled, put away his phone, and did not delete the photos.
Although phones sold in Japan cannot disable the shutter sound when taking pictures, money makes the world go round, and getting a specially made phone was not that difficult.
"I really liked your statement, but have you thought about how you're going to make money?" Ayanokoji put away his smile and asked seriously.
This was the biggest problem facing Saotome.
Saotome didn't pursue Ayanokoji to make him delete the photos. She turned her face and stood side by side with Ayanokoji at the railing, her gaze sweeping across various parts of the school.
She said softly: "In this school, isn't there only one way to quickly earn money? That is gambling."
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