This was the first time Kaoru Mitoma had seen the two of them together face to face.
One was all smiles, radiating the youthful energy typical of their age, while the other listened with keen interest, occasionally chiming in with a comment.
Both were exceptionally striking girls, yet their images were entirely different.
Kushida Kikyo came across like a friendly classmate seated nearby, always eager to share her experiences.
Her innocent, adorable smile made people instinctively want to get closer to her.
Moreover, this little angel had an exquisitely delicate face, her porcelain-like skin glowing with a flawless, smooth luster—so tender it seemed as if it could be bruised with a touch.
Her petite nose practically begged to be pinched, and her soft lips kept chattering away, occasionally breaking into a giggle.
When certain topics came up, she would display just the right amount of tender empathy, offering gentle words of comfort.
With her extraordinary emotional intelligence, she never let the atmosphere turn awkward, nor did she ever make others feel uncomfortable.
A woman could probably play with men as easily as training a dog, Kaoru silently mused.
Hasebe Haruka, on the other hand, didn't possess such exaggerated approachability.
At first glance, she gave the impression of being somewhat hard to approach.
But after a brief exchange, one would quickly realize her emotional intelligence might not be any lower than Kushida Kikyo's.
If it were Horikita Suzune, the conversation would likely have turned awkward by now, and Airi Sakura certainly wouldn't have been able to keep up. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel_fіre.net
Only Hasebe could sit here so effortlessly, chatting animatedly with Kushida.
Kaoru noticed that whenever Hasebe encountered a topic she wasn't comfortable with, she would subtly steer the conversation away or simply drop it altogether, smoothly introducing a new subject to avoid any awkwardness.
Anyone meeting her for the first time would probably be instantly distracted by the 'pikachu' on her chest, making it hard to notice her little conversational maneuvers.
That said, Kaoru had to admit his eyes had indeed been momentarily captivated—she was really big, even larger than Kushida, and likely no smaller than Ichinose Honami.
"Hasebe-san, aren't you going to the library today?" Kushida asked casually.
"There's a book I want to buy, so I'll be stopping by the bookstore later before heading back to read," Hasebe replied, stirring her coffee.
She had added quite a bit of sugar, and the steaming cup seemed to emit a sweet, rich aroma.
"All by yourself again?" Kushida said. "I'm free right now—want me to come with you?"
"I'd love to say yes, Koko-chan, but what about the person across from you?" Hasebe teased her, her gaze shifting pointedly towards Kaoru.
"I told you, Mitoma-kun and I just happened to run into each other here," Kushida denied, her cheeks flushing red on their own accord.
She had probably rehearsed this expression quite a few times.
"How suspicious," Hasebe said with a knowing smirk. "This is the first time I've seen you make a face like that, Koko-chan."
Kaoru interjected them, "I'm a bit curious—you two seem really close?"
'Koko-chan, just hearing it feels different. It's not like others calling her Kikyo-chan—this is a special nickname, almost like an exclusive pet name.'
"Hasebe-san and I occasionally hang out together," Kushida Kikyo said with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"But we get along really well, so I'd say we're pretty good friends."
"Speaking of which, Koko-chan still keeps calling me 'Hasebe-san'," Hasebe said with a somewhat resentful look.
"Even though I've told her it's fine to just use my first name."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry! I'll be more careful!" Kushida immediately apologized while subtly glancing at someone.
"Seems I was overthinking it. I always thought Hasebe-san didn't have any close friends," Kaoru Mitoma remarked, observing their affectionate interaction.
"Even if you're handsome, isn't that a bit rude to say about a girl?" Hasebe pouted slightly.
"Though I don't share many interests with classmates, Koko-chan is different."
Kushida secretly flashed Kaoru a victory sign—this was the natural charm of an angel.
Unaware of their silent exchange, Hasebe proudly added, "Actually, besides Koko-chan, I have another very close friend."
"She's standing right in front of you."
Kaoru looked at Hasebe across the table.
She deliberately straightened her posture, chest nearly touching the table, chin slightly raised with pride.
"Surprising. This friend looks just like you."
"What do you mean 'looks like me'?" Hasebe glared before continuing.
"No matter who it is, your first friend should always be yourself. Only by understanding yourself can you make a second friend."
Kaoru was taken aback—she wasn't just a ditzy girl with big breasts after all.
"Is this wisdom Hasebe-san gained from books?" Kushida's eyes sparkled.
"Strictly speaking, I read books precisely for moments ," Hasebe said sternly before immediately cracking up at her own seriousness.
"After getting to know Hasebe-san better, could I become your friend too?" Kaoru asked.
Hasebe glanced sideways before readily agreeing.
"Sure! We can be friends right now. Actually, I'd love having a Class A friend. Would you treat me sometimes?"
"No problem. I can pay you a monthly friendship fee," Kaoru winked.
Hasebe nearly spat out her coffee.
A "friendship fee" sounded terrifying—like she was some bully extorting classmates.
"N-no need! I was just joking."
"Ahaha, Mitoma-kun's jokes are really something..."
After chatting awhile, Kaoru seized the moment to suggest exchanging contact info, which Hasebe naturally agreed to.
Thus, they smoothly became connected friends.
Finishing her coffee, Hasebe decided not to intrude further and soon left the café—likely heading to the bookstore.
"So you're still stuck at this stage? And here I thought you'd already started licking boots." Kushida Kikyo grinned playfully as she looked at Kaoru.
"I thought you said you wouldn't help me?" Kaoru was well aware that if Kushida hadn't greeted her first, or if she had shown even a hint of displeasure earlier, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
"I wasn't helping you. She already saw me—I couldn't just ignore her, so I had to greet her first." Kushida sighed.
"That's the part I hate the most. I have to react immediately and can't show even a trace of unhappiness, or else they'll start suspecting right away."
"But you looked like you were genuinely happy." Kaoru could tell from Kushida's reaction—though her smile was somewhat performative, she might not actually dislike it.
Even if she deliberately crafted her approachability, some things required deceiving herself first.
In response, Kushida simply shot him a glare.
"Only a creep would stare that closely."