On the fourth day at the forest school, it was the weekend, and there were no classes scheduled for today.
Miki Yamamura woke up early; they still had to prepare breakfast themselves.
Having taken home economics in middle school, she wasn't a complete novice and could manage to whip up this meal.
However, given yesterday's experience, Miki Yamamura was more cautious today, frequently glancing at the students in her group, especially the delinquent Shiho Manabe.
Just from appearances, the difference between bad students and good students was quite obvious in Miki Yamamura's eyes.
Shiho Manabe was the epitome of a natural-born delinquent—rude, outspoken, and with an arrogant attitude, always looking mischievous.
Miki Yamamura worried about what Shiho Manabe might do to her today; although they had gotten along well last night, the students from Class C were looking at her strangely.
As a qualified former delinquent, Shiho Manabe didn't cook; she stood by, arms crossed, directing everyone.
Of course, that was an exaggeration; she could only boss around a portion of the students, while another group completely ignored her commands.
The girls from Class B, for instance, didn't take kindly to Shiho Manabe; the fact that they weren't being openly sarcastic was already quite polite.
Compared to the boys' atmosphere, the girls seemed to be getting along well, but the boundaries of their respective circles were quite clear; it was obvious who would be excluded.
Miki Yamamura was responsible for washing vegetables on the side, but just as she finished washing them, someone accidentally bumped into her, and the vegetables she had just cleaned fell to the ground.
"You scared me! Why are you blocking the way? You should've said something when you saw me coming!"
The Class C girl complained rudely to Miki Yamamura, her expression clearly displeased.
Miki Yamamura opened her mouth slightly, wanting to retort, as she had been washing vegetables right there and hadn't blocked anyone.
However, the words that came out were an apology.
"What good is saying sorry? It's so annoying! You're so clumsy, and now the vegetables are on the ground; it's all your fault!"
"I-I'll clean them up."
"Even if you clean them up, I won't eat food that's been on the ground!"
Faced with the aggressive girl, Miki Yamamura felt at a loss, her hands gripping her clothes tightly.
Although she didn't want to cry, tears were already welling up in her eyes.
"Hey, enough already! It was clearly you who bumped into her."
A girl from Class B couldn't stand it any longer.
"Don't joke around; she was standing here without saying a word. Who knew someone was here?"
The other girl was quite confident, as this was Ryuen's directive, and Shiho Manabe was also present.
"Heh, you upper-class students love to form little cliques, calling it cooperation, right?"
"You're going too far!"
"What have we done that's too much? If someone affects our grades, we'll be the first to be expelled!"
"…"
This left the Class B students speechless; if that was the case, it was understandable for them to be strict with outsiders, but it was still quite unpleasant.
"Stop arguing and finish cooking quickly."
Shiho Manabe looked at Miki Yamamura, "And you, better be careful."
In Miki Yamamura's eyes, this was definitely a warning with ill intentions.
Thus, she felt even more dejected.
…
After breakfast, Miki Yamamura, feeling heavy-hearted, finally made her way to the cafeteria.
At this time, the cafeteria should not have been open, yet a few figures were visible inside.
Although Miki Yamamura was somewhat reluctant about Kaoru's insistence, she thought that if she didn't go, she might be bullied by him, so she decided to show up.
"Good morning, Miki!"
Haruka Hasebe was the first to notice Miki Yamamura, waving at her with a smile.
"Hehe, I never thought our group would gather again like this."
Beside her was Airi Sakura, whom Kaoru had specifically asked her to forcibly bring along.
Across from them, Kaoru also spotted Miki.
Her usual side ponytail, paired with an expression of uncertainty that made her seem cold and unapproachable, gave off an aloof aura.
But with just a little observation, one could quickly detect the fluster and forced composure in her eyes.
She was like a hard candy—wrapped in stiff, icy packaging, still tough and grating when first tasted.
Yet as time passed, the sweet fragrance unique to a girl would gradually emerge, soft and delightful.
"G-Good morning."
Miki walked up to Kaoru, her gaze darting around furtively.
There wasn't a single soul nearby.
"No one will disturb us until lunchtime."
Kaoru motioned for her to sit beside him, but the girl didn't take the hint, instead choosing a seat next to Airi Sakura.
Perhaps the familiar presence of someone similar gave her a fleeting sense of security.
"Don't worry, this guy's loaded. The teacher initially refused him, so he just bought four hours of exclusive use—and there's coffee too!"
Haruka Hasebe's tone was full of envy.
"No wonder the teacher said Personal Points are useful. So this is what they meant."
"It's not that exaggerated. I originally wanted to go to the girls' dorm, but they said they'd have to send someone to supervise me."
Kaoru sounded slightly displeased.
Haruka blinked.
Was this guy serious?
"Ahem. Actually, the reason I called you all here today is to discuss something with you."
Kaoru softened his tone, though his expression remained serious.
"Though I'm sure you've already noticed it yourselves."
Haruka pondered for a moment. "Is it because we never hang out like the popular kids do?"
"H-Hanging out… maybe we shouldn't?"
Miki cautiously voiced her opinion.
"Why not?"
Haruka was puzzled. "Do you have plans, Miki?"
"N-No, it's just… I'm not suited for outings."
Miki stammered, feeling herself sinking into gloom.
An overwhelmingly dark aura radiated from her—even now, she was still disliked by others.
Unaware of the details, Haruka turned to Airi. "Airi, you don't want to go out either?"
"I…"
Airi stole a glance at Kaoru's expression before deflating. "I-I'll go with whatever everyone else decides."
One vote against, one abstention. No doubt about it—their lack of social gatherings had clearly made their relationships this stiff!
Just as Haruka was about to insist on her idea, Kaoru murmured, "What I meant to say was—none of you have any friends, right?"
Thud!
In an instant, all three girls—including Haruka—were utterly devastated.
"A-Ahaha, who said I don't have friends?"
Haruka tried playing dumb. "Kaoru, don't project your own issues onto others. I hang out with Kikyo and the others sometimes."
"The one who told me that intel was Kikyo."
Kaoru delivered the blow mercilessly.
"Guh…" Hasebe Haruka's face flushed red, "It's all because of your stupid hanging stunt! She was depressed for an entire year!"
"How could someone who's depressed possibly make friends?!"
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