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"That's so pitiful."
Beside him, Hitori Gotoh instinctively chimed in, looking at Yukino Yukinoshita with genuine pity in her eyes.
"..."
'What do I do? I'm starting to regret coming out here to 'save' someone.'
Catching the hostile glare Yukino was shooting her way, Hitori jumped in fright. Like a startled hamster, she immediately ducked behind Kai.
Damn!
Feeling Hitori instinctively press against his back, Kai had to admit—her figure was absolutely ridiculous. Compared to her, Yukino Yukinoshita was practically flaunting her wealth, having secured her very own private runway at such a young age.
"Ahem!"
On the surface, Kai let out a totally straight-faced cough and gently patted the back of Hitori's hand. "Relax, Hitori. We're friends now. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"..."
Hitori's pupils literally vibrated, This feeling of being protected by a friend...
[You are my absolute God!!!]
[Is this what the divine looks like? He's so bright, so blinding! To think that a single-celled paramecium like me would actually get protected by a friend one day... This feeling is absolutely incredible! Hehehe!]
[It's decided. I definitely need to upload a few more guitar videos online so I can afford my friendship fees!]
As the internet-famous "Guitar Hero," Hitori's actual income was nothing to scoff at. Covering a basic friendship fee was more than within her budget.
Just the thought of keeping Kai around as her permanent friend made Hitori let out an involuntary giggle.
"Hehe! Hehehe!"
"..."
Sure enough, even if she was a top-tier beauty, laughing like that made her sound like a total creep.
"I-I'm so sorry!"
Snapping back to reality, Hitori frantically apologized.
[I'm doomed. Why did I just laugh out loud?]
[Kai-senpai is definitely going to be completely disgusted with me and revoke my friendship privileges!]
Imagining Kai staring at her with utter revulsion and saying, 'Sorry, Kouhai, but being friends with you is just too embarrassing. Let's pretend we never met,' Hitori felt her entire world instantly turn bleak and gray.
"Kai-senpai, please..."
She had finally managed to score a friend; she wasn't about to lose him just like that.
Smack!
"Ouch!"
Knowing full well that Hitori's internal theater ran on overdrive, Kai delivered a swift karate chop to the top of her head before she could spiral any further, watching as she grabbed her head with both hands and let out a yelp of pain.
Kai cut straight to the chase.
"You're not listening, Hitori-chan. I already told you we're friends now. You should be calling me Kai, or at least Kai-kun."
"K-Kai-kun!"
Realizing that Kai wasn't about to cut ties with her, Hitori couldn't stop herself from breaking into another goofy giggle.
Yukino Yukinoshita...
Right now, the absolute most speechless person in the universe had to be Yukino Yukinoshita standing right in front of them.
Watching Kai and Hitori banter like nobody else was even in the room, Yukino suddenly felt incredibly out of place. 'So, am I just a prop in whatever weird roleplay you two have going on?'
"Are you absolutely sure this guy is your friend?"
Just to be safe, Yukino directed the question straight at Hitori.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah!"
Hitori blanked for a second, then nodded frantically, looking absolutely terrified that hesitating for even a fraction of a second might cost her the only friend.
"..."
"I apologize. That was incredibly rude of me."
As the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, Yukino had always firmly believed in absolute justice. Right was right, and wrong was wrong.
With total sincerity in her voice, she offered Kai a formal bow of apology.
"Don't sweat it. You were just trying to do the right thing, Yukinoshita-san. It just proves you're a genuinely good person with a kind heart."
Hearing Kai praise her like that, Yukino kept a stoic face, but the slight, almost imperceptible upward twitch of the corner of her mouth gave away her improved mood.
"By the way, Hitori, lunch break is almost over. You should head back to class first. I've got a few things I need to discuss with Yukino."
"??"
Yukino found it a bit strange, but remembering how rude she had just been, she stayed rooted to her spot instead of walking away.
"Then I..."
Hitori looked incredibly reluctant. She had finally made a friend, and she absolutely did not want to separate from him this soon.
"I've got a few things to take care of today, but let's grab lunch up here together tomorrow."
Guessing exactly what was running through Hitori's mind, Kai offered her a warm smile.
"Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!"
Eating lunch with a friend was a luxury Hitori had been dreaming about since practically the dawn of time.
Getting a solid confirmation, Hitori nodded happily, though she still looked a bit clingy as she finally turned to leave.
Seeing this only cemented Yukino's belief that these two actually were friends. Maybe whatever she walked in on was just some bizarre inside joke between them. After all, nobody could possibly be stupid enough to literally pay for friendship, right?
"Yukinoshita-san."
Once Hitori was gone, Kai dropped the playful demeanor and leveled a serious look at Yukino.
"I'm sure you noticed the issue with Hitori just now."
"???"
'Issue? What issue? I didn't notice anything.' A flash of genuine confusion crossed her normally cold and collected face, but Kai just kept right on talking.
"That girl has crippling social anxiety. She's been like that since she was a kid. She's terrified of making friends, and she walks on eggshells just trying to hold a basic conversation."
Thinking back to how Hitori had just acted, she really was incredibly timid. She had barely even looked up at Yukino once. Surely, Yukino wasn't that terrifying, right?
"So, if the opportunity ever comes up, I'm hoping you could talk to her more, Yukinoshita-san. Maybe teach her a few things."
'Teach her what? How to make friends? I don't even know how to do that myself!'
But there was absolutely no way Yukino Yukinoshita would ever admit something like that out loud.
"What makes you think I would ever agree to that?"
She's going full tsundere. Even though her tone had clearly lost its icy edge...
"Because I think you're a genuinely good person, Yukinoshita-san. If you see someone who needs help, you're the type who would step up and lend a hand."
And Yukino really was a good person. If she wasn't, she never would have gone on to create the Service Club later down the line.
Sure enough, hearing Kai say that made the faint smile on Yukino's lips grow just a fraction wider.
"Fine. I accept your request."
"Awesome. You really are a lifesaver. Since that's settled, you should come eat lunch with us up here tomorrow."
Eat lunch with other people?
Outside of family, that was an experience Yukino Yukinoshita had literally never had before.
But meeting Kai's expectant gaze...
For some inexplicable reason, Yukino found herself nodding in agreement.
"Alright."
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