"Wanting to be friends with everyone is no easy task."
"Are you really prepared for that, Kushida-san?"
Natsuki Subaru looked at Kikyo Kushida with a hint of a smile.
Although the world was still colorless and she was speaking to him with a mask on her face, compared to the nobles of various nations he had to face during his time as the Purge King, she was rather refreshing.
Plus, after several resets, he had indeed spent some peaceful time in this modern society. He wasn't as on-edge as he was right after he first arrived.
Natsuki Subaru didn't mind chatting with Kikyo Kushida now.
"Eh?"
"Why would you suddenly say that, Natsuki-kun?"
Hearing Natsuki Subaru's words, Kikyo Kushida froze for a moment, not quite processing them.
"Because, while friends do create wonderful memories..."
"...they don't only create wonderful memories. There will be some that aren't so pleasant, won't there?"
A faint, weary but calm smile still hung on Natsuki Subaru's face as he said, "If you have too many friends, it might just become a considerable burden. Don't you think, Kushida-san?"
"..."
As Natsuki Subaru finished speaking, Kikyo Kushida's expression clearly stiffened for an instant.
Kikyo Kushida's reaction made Natsuki Subaru thoughtful. Generally, a reaction like that meant he had hit a nerve.
In other words, Kikyo Kushida had been betrayed by her friends in the past.
'Betrayed, huh?'
'What a nostalgic experience.'
Natsuki Subaru chuckled inwardly. It reminded him of a certain 'friend'.
His fall to his current state was not unrelated to the 'betrayal' from this 'friend'. If he weren't in a completely new world now, Natsuki Subaru, having calmed down, would still be a little curious about his former friend.
Curious as to why he had been so disingenuous, holding such an attitude toward the person he was back then.
'What is with this bastard?!'
'Could it be that he, like that bitch, knows about my past?'
'Damn it, damn it! Why is it, even after I switched to a school so far away, this shit is still haunting me?! Damn, damn, damn!'
'No, I should test him a little more.'
Kikyo Kushida forcibly suppressed the irritation in her heart.
For a moment there, Kikyo Kushida truly couldn't hold it back. However, having spent three years of middle school as an emotional dumping ground for her friends, Kikyo Kushida possessed very solid composure.
"Of course I'm prepared."
"So, Natsuki-kun, would you be willing to be my first friend at this school?"
Kikyo Kushida pleaded with Natsuki Subaru directly.
Not only did she refuse to let Natsuki Subaru affect her emotions, she went on the offensive against him.
'She really knows how to use her assets.'
'She'll at least be the type to become very popular among the male students.'
Natsuki Subaru watched Kikyo Kushida, nodding slightly to himself and giving her an excellent rating.
Not bad.
With that emotional control and ability to improvise, Natsuki Subaru believed Kikyo Kushida already had the potential to become a 'king'. If she were placed in the Kingdom of Lugunica and obtained the status of Dragon Maiden...
...you never know.
In any case, based on Natsuki Subaru's understanding, Emilia and Felt would definitely not be able to outplay Kikyo Kushida.
"Are we not friends already?"
Natsuki Subaru asked in return.
"It's just that always calling you Natsuki-kun feels a bit distant."
A faint blush appeared on Kikyo Kushida's face as she said shyly, "So, if we're already friends, can I call you Subaru-kun from now on?"
"Of course, you can also just call me Kikyo-san."
After speaking, an expectant look appeared on Kikyo Kushida's face.
"Of course you can."
The same weary smile remained on Natsuki Subaru's face as he said, "Kikyo-san."
...
Natsuki Subaru didn't chat with Kikyo Kushida for too long. Soon, they arrived at the student gymnasium for the entrance ceremony.
The entire academy didn't have many people. Natsuki Subaru estimated that there were four first-year classes with forty students each, meaning the whole school, with all three grades, had only about four hundred and eighty people.
And yet, for only four hundred-some people, the number of surveillance cameras throughout the school was absurd.
While idly chatting with Kikyo Kushida just now, Natsuki Subaru hadn't forgotten to observe his surroundings—an almost instinctive behavior for him.
Always observing his surroundings, constantly summarizing the current situation.
This was true even after having lived back in modern society for over a year.
'How lucky.'
'I'm in the same class as a dangerous person.'
Natsuki Subaru glanced at the expressionless boy right beside him.
Back on the bus, sitting in the back row, a single glance was all it took for Natsuki Subaru to label this expressionless boy as dangerous. As for Kikyo Kushida, who was in the same group as him, Subaru paid her no further attention.
Although it had only been a short while, Kikyo Kushida had already blended in with the girls around her, demonstrating excellent social skills not just with boys, but with girls as well.
To Natsuki Subaru, Kikyo Kushida was merely a pet to amuse himself with when he was bored. Teasing her a little was enough.
Natsuki Subaru refocused his attention on the student council president on the stage.
The entrance ceremony speech was now nearing its end. From start to finish, Natsuki Subaru only remembered one key phrase from the entire speech: this academy believed in only one thing—'meritocracy'.
Since they had explicitly stated it was an academy of meritocracy, Natsuki Subaru certainly wouldn't assume it was a simple contest of academic ability. There had to be more to it.
In fact, the moment he entered the school, Natsuki Subaru knew something was very wrong with this academy.
'But it doesn't matter.'
Natsuki Subaru didn't care about these things.
The only reason Natsuki Subaru had enrolled this time was simply to fulfill the last wishes of his 'parents' in this world.
The 'him' of this world was no different from his previous self; for some reason, he had become a shut-in who was weary of school. And the deceased 'parents' of this world, much like his original parents, had made efforts to comfort him.
Having arrived in a brand new world, the current Natsuki Subaru had no goals and no plans.
The gray world left Natsuki Subaru in a nihilistic state of mind.
Fortunately, Natsuki Subaru had set two goals for himself. The first was to search for something 'genuine', and the second was to properly experience school life for once.
___
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