Singing praises of youth—Bai Mo couldn't claim he had no such thoughts; that would be lying to himself.
But perhaps such things still depended on fate, right?
After all, he couldn't exactly expect a beautiful girl to fall from the sky and instantly fall in love with him, or run into some alien princess while taking a bath, could he?
At Bai Mo's complaints, Tozuka Fuyu was barely holding back the corners of her lips.
Thus, after lecturing Bai Mo for a while, she let him leave on his own.
By the time Bai Mo arrived at the classroom, the first class was already halfway through.
Since Bai Mo's seat was at the back near the door, he managed to slip in through the rear entrance without drawing too much attention.
However, after class ended, quite a few people who had noticed Bai Mo were giving him strange looks.
In their eyes, someone tall and burly like Bai Mo, who was already late on the second day of school, definitely seemed like a delinquent.
Bai Mo didn't mind this, though.
Meanwhile, Kato Megumi, who had been moved to the seat in front of him, turned around and asked curiously, "Bai Mo-kun, did you oversleep this morning?"
"Not really," Bai Mo waved his hand dismissively. "I went to get some things tested this morning, and the place was a bit far. Even riding my motorcycle, I was still late."
"Is that so?" Kato Megumi nodded slightly and didn't press further.
However, while Megumi fell silent, Bai Mo found her unusually intriguing.
If his memory wasn't mistaken, Kato Megumi seemed to be the heroine of a certain anime, right?
Just like Hirasawa Yui in the same class!
But he couldn't quite recall the specifics of the anime.
Given Megumi's faint presence and her tendency to appear and disappear mysteriously, was it some kind of assassination or combat anime? Was Kato Megumi a hidden assassin?
He scrutinized Megumi's smooth arms but couldn't detect any signs of trained strength.
Could this be the pinnacle of a legendary assassin's ability to blend in?
Faced with Bai Mo's unabashedly scrutinizing gaze, even someone as emotionally detached as Kato Megumi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Why was this guy staring at her like that?
"Bai Mo-kun… why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ah, sorry," Bai Mo snapped out of his thoughts. "It's just that Kato-san's presence feels so faint, almost like a ninja from movies or TV shows! This kind of skill to conceal one's existence is really something to admire."
After all, the idea of being invisible sounded pretty fun.
Yet, in response to Bai Mo's words, Kato Megumi unconsciously clenched her fists.
Though she had grown accustomed to this kind of life since childhood, who knew if the girl secretly longed for a normal life too?
"Bai Mo-kun, having too low of a presence isn't a good thing, you know. If you're constantly overlooked, one day, perhaps no one will remember you at all."
"That's true, but someone as cute as Kato-san is bound to be remembered, right? At the very least, I've already remembered you—after all, you're my first friend in Japan!"
"My… first friend?" The corners of Kato Megumi's lips seemed to rise by two pixels. "Bai Mo-kun is also the first friend who's talked to me this long without getting my name wrong."
"Haha, well, I once admired someone named Kato Shin'ei, and the name 'Megumi' is pretty easy to remember anyway."
Of course, there was no such person as Kato Shin'ei in this world, so Megumi didn't inquire further.
As Bai Mo and Kato Megumi chatted, a figure suddenly leaned in.
"Hey, hey—Bai Mo, Bai Mo! These are cookies my sister Ui made. Try some!"
Looking at the box of cookies placed in front of him, Bai Mo turned to Hirasawa Yui, who had approached. "This isn't another thank-you gift, is it?"
"Ehehe~" Yui twisted shyly. "That's right! Just saying thanks didn't feel sincere enough, so I asked Ui-chan to help make some cookies as a token of gratitude!"
"These cookies were made with all my heart! Ui-chan only helped a tiny, tiny bit! Come on, try them, try them!"
Not wanting to refuse Yui's kindness again, Bai Mo picked up a cookie and took a bite.
"Not bad at all. These are on par with the ones sold in stores."
"Right, right? Ui-chan's cookies are super delicious!" Seeming to realize she'd slipped up, Yui coughed awkwardly. "But this time, I made them, so they might be just a teensy bit less good."
Bai Mo chuckled at Yui's self-praise but didn't comment. Instead, he pushed the box of cookies forward.
"In that case, Hirasawa-san, Kato-san, why don't you try some too?"
"Eh, is that okay?" Yui asked happily. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Ui-chan said these were a thank-you gift for you, Bai Mo-kun, and told me not to eat them~"
Well, you've already given yourself away several times now.
But Bai Mo didn't mind. "Go ahead. Sometimes, sharing delicious food makes it even tastier!"
"Mmm!" Yui unceremoniously stuffed two cookies into her mouth. "Then at lunch, I'll let you try the bento Ui-chan made for me too, Bai Mo-kun! There's fried shrimp today—it's super yummy!"
"Oh, and Bai Mo-kun, from now on, just call me Yui, okay? Otherwise, it feels kinda weird."
Faced with the naturally sociable, cheerful, and slightly airheaded Hirasawa Yui, Bai Mo found it hard to dislike her.
"In that case, you can try mine at lunch too. I made a bento for my sister on a whim this morning, so we can swap."
"I brought a bento too," Kato Megumi interjected softly.
Watching Bai Mo and Yui's lively exchange, the usually indifferent Kato Megumi felt an uncharacteristic ripple of emotion in her heart.
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T/N:
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