The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint chatter of students moving through the hallways. Conversations blended into an indistinct hum, background noise in the grand scheme of things. Nothing felt different.

Students milled about, chatting, laughing, filling the halls with the usual meaningless noise. Everything was just as it always was.

And that was good. That was great, actually.

Because it meant I could go about my day without thinking about anything out of the ordinary.

There was nothing to think about.

Absolutely nothing.

With that firmly decided, I stepped into the classroom, my gaze already scanning for my intended target.

Hirata had just entered, his usual composed presence naturally drawing attention. He greeted a few classmates as he passed, his easygoing smile effortlessly smoothing over the morning atmosphere.

Perfect. I needed to talk to him about—

"H-Hey, Horikita!"

…

I barely managed to stop myself from sighing.

An obstacle had appeared.

And not just any obstacle. A particularly obnoxious one.

I turned, already regretting it. And there he was. Yamauchi Haruki.

A classmate so insignificant I hadn't even bothered to check his stats before.

Yet here he was, standing before me like a poorly written tutorial boss whose only purpose was to stall the player.

Worse still, he wasn't alone.

Next to him was Ike Kanji, another loudmouthed NPC whose presence I had tolerated only because there had been no other choice.

I took a slow breath. Be calm. Be polite. Do not let them waste your time.

"…Yes?" I asked, keeping my voice flat.

Yamauchi grinned, the kind of grin that immediately set off every warning alarm in my mind.

"Wow, it's rare for you to talk first. Usually, you just glare at people until they go away."

That was not true.

I blinked at him, unimpressed. "Did you need something?"

Ike let out an exaggerated laugh, elbowing Yamauchi in the ribs. "See? I told you she'd be all cold and scary as usual."

Cold and scary?

What part of this is scary?

I was literally just standing here.

I wasn't even pretending right now.

Yamauchi, completely oblivious to my growing disinterest, leaned in slightly. "C'mon, you don't have to be so serious all the time. We were just wondering—"

I didn't bother to hear the rest.

ㅤ

Skip

Skip

Skip

ㅤ

I was already standing next to Hirata.

He blinked at me in mild surprise, his ever-gentle expression softening as he turned toward me.

"Oh, Horikita-san," he said with his usual warmth, his posture relaxed but attentive. "Did you need something?"

His tone was polite as always, carrying that distinct air of consideration he extended to everyone. The kind that made people naturally gravitate toward him.

But before I could answer, a faint voice echoed from somewhere behind me:

"Wait… what just happened?"

A voice came from behind me, bewildered.

"She totally ignored you, dude! Hahahaha!" the other one cackled.

I ignored it.

Instead, I turned my attention back to Hirata.

After a few weeks in March, I had managed to raise his Favorability Points high enough that he saw me as more of a friend than just a classmate—a distinction that, frankly, not many people in this school could claim.

Though, for the sake of preserving peace, I could only hope that Mii-chan wouldn't hold it against me.

I mean, not that she had anything to worry about.

It wasn't like I had any intention of raising Affection Points with Hirata even if the system did decide to throw them into the mix.

Mii-chan was my friend, and besides...

Building some kind of reverse harem wasn't a real gamer move.

"Horikita-san?" Hirata's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "You seem a little deep in thought."

Ah. Right. Conversation.

"I was just wondering," I started, smoothly transitioning topics, "how things are going with the class. Have you had any success uniting them?"

Hirata's expression shifted slightly, his usual smile dimming just a little, still present, but touched with something more thoughtful.

"There's progress," he admitted, though there was a weight behind his words. "But it's not as easy as I'd hoped."

He paused as if choosing his words carefully, before continuing.

"There are a lot of different personalities in our class. Some are naturally cooperative, but others… well, they struggle to see the bigger picture. Even if I can get them to agree on something in the short term, their priorities don't always align in the long run."

Ah. Classic NPC herd mentality.

I nodded, urging him to continue.

"Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Sudou-kun, for example…" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're not bad people, but their approach to things is very self-centered. They don't fully understand how their actions affect the class as a whole. Though Sudou-kun seems to have changed a bit."

Oh! Some good news!

Hirata's voice remained steady, never shifting from that peaceful, measured tone of his. "Then there are people like Kushida-san, who can naturally bring people together, but… not everyone trusts her completely."

Interesting.

I knew that Kushida was universally adored, but to hear that cracks were already forming in that perfect image? That meant something.

"Then there's Ayanoko—"

ERROR: INVALID TOPIC. AUTO-SKIP ACTIVATED.

I cut off the thought immediately and forced myself to focus.

"Sounds exhausting," I said, giving Hirata a considering look. "You don't have to shoulder everything yourself, you know."

Hirata smiled, though it was one of those 'I appreciate it, but I'm still going to do it anyway' kind of smiles.

"It's alright," he said. "If I don't do it, who will?"

A valid question.

And, of course, because he was Hirata, he meant it sincerely.

His self-appointed role as 'Class Peacemaker' wasn't just for show. He truly believed in helping others, even when it was inconvenient, even when it was a thankless job.

…That was an admirable trait.

Annoying, sometimes. But admirable.

"You should be careful, though," I said, shifting my weight slightly. "If you push yourself too hard, people might start taking you for granted."

Hirata blinked, as if genuinely surprised by my concern.

Then, he let out a quiet chuckle. "I appreciate the advice, Horikita-san. I'll keep that in mind."

"No, it's..."

For some reason, that made me feel like I had just given him the correct dialogue option for bonus experience points.

There were plenty of characters in this game with a high Charisma stat.

Ichinose Honami, for one. The type of person who could rally an entire class with nothing but a smile and a few kind words. Then, of course, there were the antagonists, those whose Charisma was just as high but used for far less noble purposes.

And yet…

If I had to choose my favorite character—the one I always would choose as my party member when taking the Class A, B, or C routes—it wouldn't be any of them.

It would be Hirata.

Despite being in different classes, he was somehow the most approachable of them all.

Even more than Ichinose.

That was basically the highest compliment I could give to a normal character.

…Not that I planned on saying it out loud.

And yet—

Hirata suddenly smiled even brighter at me, his warm, golden-boy energy practically radiating in waves.

PING!

[You gained 15 Favorability Points with Hirata Yosuke.]

"Thank you, Horikita-san," he said, his voice effortlessly kind. "I hope you have a great day."

…Huh.

Did he just sense my thoughts?

A terrifying possibility. But considering his high Charisma stat, I wouldn't rule it out.

Just as I was processing the terrifying possibility that Hirata could read minds, I heard the distinct sound of heels clicking against the floor.

A boss battle? No, the atmosphere wasn't heavy enough for that.

Then—

"Oh, there you are, Horikita-san!"

The unmistakable voice of Karuizawa Kei rang out, carrying that effortless confidence she always had. And, as expected, she wasn't alone.

Behind her, following in a tight formation, were three other girls.

PING!

[Party Members Identified]

—Shinohara Satsuki.

—Satou Maya.

—Matsushita Chiaki.

So they really are her companions.

It was rare to see Karuizawa without her party members trailing behind her. In any other game, they'd be the type to fill up cutscenes with unnecessary dialogue while the main character was forced to listen.

…Which probably meant I was about to get dragged into one now.

Karuizawa grinned and tilted her head slightly. "We were planning to head to Keyaki Mall after school. Thought maybe you'd wanna come with us?"

A flag.

A social flag had just appeared.

…Deny. Deny. Deny.

"I'll pass." I started to cut her off immediately, but—

"Wait, wait, you don't even know what we're doing yet!" Karuizawa barreled forward, ignoring my rejection like it never happened.

Shinohara crossed her arms. "Yeah, don't be so cold, Horikita-san."

Satou nodded enthusiastically. "It'll be fun! We're going shopping, obviously, but we were also thinking of—"

She started listing things off, too quickly for me to process all of them!

Something about checking out new accessories, stopping by a dessert café, and—oh. Trying on cute clothes.

I could feel my energy bar depleting, and yeah, it existed in the game but was only important during the sports festival.

Karuizawa clapped her hands together as if wrapping things up. "So, Horikita-san? Sounds fun, right?"

I opened my mouth to reject her again, but then—

My eyes flickered toward the back of the classroom.

The seat near the window.

I immediately looked away.

…Right. I'd rather not deal with that right now.

"…Fine."

Karuizawa's grin widened, satisfaction flashing in her eyes as she effortlessly took control of the situation.

She shifted her weight to one side, arms crossed in that casual yet authoritative way that only someone like her could pull off. Everything about her—the confident tilt of her chin, the slight bounce in her stance—screamed that she was used to getting her way in Class D.

Not in an overbearing way, but in a way that made people just... go along with her.

It was impressive, in a way.

Annoying, but impressive.

As soon as I gave in, Karuizawa clapped her hands together again, clearly pleased with herself. "Great! Let's go, then!"

Behind her, Shinohara smirked like she had expected this outcome from the start. Satou beamed, clearly excited. And Matsushita… well, she just gave me a knowing smile I didn't fully understand.

"See you after classes!" Karuizawa took the lead immediately, turning on her heel as she practically skipped ahead, her three 'party members' naturally falling into step behind her.

…Was this a mistake?

Possibly.

But at least it wasn't as bad as the alternative.

Just as I was about to start mentally preparing for whatever social event I had just signed myself up for, a sudden realization hit me.

I forgot to greet Mii-chan.

Considering everything, that was practically a critical failure in my etiquette.

I turned toward her, clearing my throat slightly. "Ah… Good morning, Mii-chan."

She didn't react immediately.

Her eyes remained fixed on the direction where Karuizawa had just disappeared, her expression strangely... blank.

Too blank.

It was the kind of look that made me instinctively cautious.

"…Mii-chan?" I tried again.

Slowly, her gaze shifted to me.

"Ah! Good morning, Horikita-san!" she finally said, her tone seemingly as chirpy as ever. But there was something… off.

But her usual warmth felt muted.

Like the friendly atmosphere between us had just taken a minor hit.

…Was it because of Hirata?

Or was it because I was getting dragged away by Karuizawa's group?

I suddenly felt like I had stepped on a hidden landmine. One that hadn't gone off yet, but was just waiting for the worst possible moment to explode.

I hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Mii-chan… are you mad at me?"

Mii-chan blinked, then quickly shook her head, her expression alarmingly innocent. "No, no! Of course not, Horikita-san. How could you even think that?"

…Somehow, that didn't make me feel any better.

She let out a small sigh, shifting slightly in her seat. "I just… I guess I feel a little left out. Karuizawa-san didn't invite me." Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. "It looks like she doesn't like me for some reason."

…Oh.

I glanced at her again, catching the way her eyes lingered on where Karuizawa had been, the void in them still unnerving.

If Mii-chan ever looked at me like that…

Yeah.

I'd probably be scared too.

Still, there wasn't much I could do about Karuizawa's choices. And Mii-chan, despite her slightly unsettling aura just now, wasn't actually trying to guilt-trip me.

So, smartly, I nodded. "I see."

Her expression softened a little, and she waved a hand. "Ah, but don't worry about it! I hope you have fun, Horikita-san."

"…Thanks," I said, though 'fun' wasn't exactly the word I'd use for whatever awaited me.

The conversation settled after that, just in time for class to begin.

For now, the landmine remained unexploded.

Hopefully, it stayed that way.

Mii-chan is a really scary character.