Kuroba Akira felt a chill run down his spine at the class rep's eerie smile—it was the kind of look that made you feel like a venomous snake had locked onto you.
How can someone say something so terrifying with such a gentle expression...?
"Um, class rep, we only met yesterday. Isn't that a bit much to be saying already? Lifelong friendship isn't something you just declare—it's something that has to stand the test of time."
Akira had never believed that friends were the kind of people who stayed with you for life. That role belonged to family. Even a spouse might not be able to manage that.
And besides, most friends made during school eventually drift apart after graduation.
No matter how close you once were, the moment you live in different places, the relationship naturally begins to fade.
That's why life was like a train ride—at every station, new people boarded, and few stayed with you all the way to the end.
But Akira's answer clearly didn't sit well with Anri Hitomi. She didn't want to be the only one treating someone as her best friend, only to find that feeling wasn't mutual.
Feelings between two people should be like arrows pointing at each other—mutual and reciprocal. Only then could they last.
"Kuroba-kun, the way you're talking is kind of upsetting me, you know."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Anri reached out and snatched the chopsticks from Akira's hand. He stared at her, confused, his mouth still half open.
What's going on? She's not going to let me eat now...?
He'd done his part, hadn't he? Played the listener, let her vent her emotions. Shouldn't she be feeling better now? Why the sulking?
Was it because I pushed back on that 'lifelong friends' line?
But come on—declaring someone your lifelong best friend after only two days? That was even weirder than love at first sight, or that old tale about exchanging heads. At least those were rooted in instinctual impulses. They made some sense.
"Since you don't think we're close friends yet, Kuroba-kun, that just means we don't know each other well enough."
"Uh-huh..."
"So starting now, I'm going to feed you. That's how I show I care about my friends."
"Oh... wait, what?"
We're doing a feeding play now? Isn't that something cringey couples do...?
There wasn't anyone around watching, sure, but it was still embarrassing—not that I care.
Food's the priority.
And with that, Akira shamelessly opened his mouth, waiting for the class rep to spoon-feed him.
"Ahh~"
Anri had been planning to use the classic "Say 'ahhh~'" to fluster him, but he beat her to it.
"I really admire how shamelessly true to yourself you are, Kuroba-kun... Since you want to eat that badly, you'll have to answer a few questions for me, okay?"
Here it comes...
But she could ask whatever she wanted. As long as it wasn't about the transmigration or his talent-copying ability, he didn't have much to hide.
"Yes! Ask away! I'll answer anything!"
"I think friends should care about each other, so since I just told you about my childhood friend group, don't you think it's time for you to share, too? You must've had some close friends growing up, right?"
So she wanted to hear about his past.
But Akira genuinely had nothing to share.
He'd been a corporate drone before transmigrating, and he didn't have any memories from his current body's childhood.
"I didn't really have any childhood friends or anything like that."
Hearing this, Anri visibly brightened, popping a fried shrimp into his mouth.
But Akira knew that answer wouldn't be enough. So he thought back to something he'd remembered during his confrontation with Sumiya Ryouta.
"Well... if I really had to say... I did like a girl back in middle school."
"..."
The pressure in Anri's grip on the chopsticks tripled. The poor utensils creaked in protest.
"But I never confessed. We lost contact, and honestly, I don't even remember her name anymore..."
"Where is she now?"
"I don't know."
"Do you still like her?"
"Not really. I guess I liked her back then, but now? Nothing."
"I see..."
"Yeah, that's probably the only thing from my past worth mentioning... I can't remember anyone else at all."
To Akira, his school life from his previous world was over a decade ago. Those memories were far too distant, barely more than fragments now.
And it's not like you can recall them by force. Usually, it takes running into an old friend, exchanging a few words, for those long-buried memories to stir again.
Anri nodded, placed the last piece of chicken in his mouth, and then tossed the now-snapped chopsticks into the bento box. She began tidying up.
Akira, meanwhile, let out a contented sigh.
Now that's a satisfying meal.
Once everything was packed up, Anri naturally slid over to sit next to him and asked, full of concern:
"Kuroba-kun, does your hand still hurt?"
"I mean... shouldn't you be more worried about the one who got hit instead of the one who did the hitting?"
"Force works both ways, you know. Your hand might've taken just as much of the impact. What if you sprained a finger?"
"My hands aren't that fragile, okay? Ryouta, on the other hand, got a full nosebleed."
"Ryouta-kun has plenty of people to fuss over him. He doesn't need me. If I tried, it'd just come off as fake, and I'd probably get hated by the girls who like him."
"Whew... girl relationships really are complicated."
"Besides, at school, I'm probably the only one who cares about you."
"There's still Kobayakawa-sensei."
"Oh, come on, Kuroba-kun. Of course your teacher cares—it's her job. But my concern comes from friendship."
"Riiight..."
"Show me your hand. I'll massage it for you."
"Isn't that a bit much...?"
"Kuroba-kun, are you going to reject a friend's kindness?"
"..."
Nope. Can't resist. She'll go full yandere mode at any second.
Akira obediently extended his right hand, earning a satisfied smile from Anri. She wrapped both her hands around his and lifted it to eye level. Then she gently blew on it and chanted:
"Fuuu~ fuuu~ pain, pain, go away~"
"...You just wanted to say that line, didn't you, class rep?"
"Hehe. This is my first time doing this for someone, you know. I've always wanted to try it. So, Kuroba-kun, you've taken yet another one of my firsts."
"Could you not phrase it so suggestively...?"
"Oh, and I've never licked someone's wound either. Want me to lick yours next? I've got a very nimble tongue, you know. I can tie a cherry stem in two knots."
"There's no bleeding and no wound. What exactly are you planning to lick?"
"Hmm... your palm?"
"..."
So this is about yesterday, huh? When I kept staring at her palm for ages.
By now, Akira had begun to realize—Anri Hitomi was showing a weird kind of fixation on the word friend.
It was like she needed him to admit that he saw her as his closest friend. And she was doing everything in her power to make him say it.
It seemed like a childhood loss had made her particularly obsessive about friendship.
When it came to someone she recognized as a true friend, Anri was willing to go to any lengths.
To give everything, without holding back.
---
T/N: ah i see the synopsis now, all these girls... aren't right in the head... DOESNT MATTER WOMEN RULE
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