"You can't bully Yoshino." Just as Kousaka Honoka joyfully wanted to hug Yoshino, an unfamiliar voice came.
This strange voice made the trio look left and right, but they didn't see anyone else talking to them.
"Who's talking? There's no one here..."
Scratching her head, Kousaka Honoka wondered who had just spoken.
There was clearly no one there. Could it be a ghost? Thinking of this, Kousaka Honoka's face instantly turned pale.
"I feel like you've misunderstood something, but Shiina is right here, don't look anywhere else!"
This time, they finally noticed where the voice was coming from, and the trio's gazes instantly focused on Yoshino's left hand.
"Finally noticed Shiina, have you? It wasn't easy. Before you want to be friends with Yoshino, you should ask for my permission first." She put on an 'I'm the boss' look, with her hands on her hips and her head held high.
"So how can we be friends with Yoshino?"
Minami Kotori looked at Shiina with interest. Is this ventriloquism? Let's see what challenges there are, since Yoshino is so cute.
"Are there challenges? Oh! I'll do my best!" Kousaka Honoka shouted energetically.
"First, you've already failed." But Kousaka Honoka was sentenced to death before she even started.
"Eh? Why? You're eliminating me before I even started, I'm not convinced."
Kousaka Honoka pouted unhappily, even though she had spoken with such sincerity.
"You look like the kind of person who easily causes trouble for others. If Yoshino becomes friends with you, she'll definitely be dragged into troublesome situations later, so you failed." Waving her hand, Shiina indicated that she could go play somewhere else.
"No way. How could I cause trouble for others? Don't, don't talk nonsense."
If your eyes weren't so shifty before saying that, I might have believed you, girl.
"Honoka, don't lie. You really do easily cause trouble for others. I just didn't expect it to be so obvious that others can see it now." Sonoda Umi stated, "That's just the kind of person you are."
"Ah haha~ Little Umi, it's not as serious as you say… but Honoka, you haven't exactly *never* caused trouble for people either."
Minami Kotori thought for a moment and realized that, from childhood until now, Kousaka Honoka really had gotten into quite a bit of trouble.
So, she couldn't help her now either.
"How could this be? You, you're all bullying me!?"
Kousaka Honoka made an 'I'm hurt' expression, covering her face with her hands and crying out.
"Um, are you okay? Shiina was just joking with you. Classmate Kousaka, please don't mind her."
Yoshino saw Kousaka Honoka looking like she was about to cry, so she couldn't stay silent.
But their relationship wasn't very close yet, so she could only offer some verbal comfort.
"No, Yoshino-chan. You can't do that!"
So, weren't you crying just now? Where are your tears? Why couldn't she see them?
"You also said we're friends now, so you can't call me Kousaka-san anymore."
"Th-then, what sh-should I call you?" Yoshino's cheeks were slightly flushed as she awkwardly looked away from Kousaka Honoka.
Isn't calling someone by their first name only for people who are really close?
"Just call me Honoka. We're the same age."
Although Kousaka Honoka said she couldn't actually tell that Yoshino was the same age as her.
"Mm, we're all friends now. So you can call me Umi or Little Umi, Yoshino."
"You can call me Koto or Kotori."
The three looked at Yoshino expectantly.
Yoshino's little heart pounded from their gazes, her eyes flitting between the three.
"Uh, Kousaka, no, not that. Honoka." She said in a small voice after being glared at.
"Mm!"
"Uh, Little Umi."
"I'm here."
"K-Kotori."
"Mm!"
All three smiled contentedly, but someone was unhappy.
"You guys actually dare to ignore Shiina! I haven't even spoken yet! How can you just decide things like this yourselves? I think you probably have a problem that hasn't been solved yet, right? Look at what you were thinking about in class just now. Don't try to push Yoshino into a pit." It was simply as if they had no rabbit in their eyes, these guys.
"Yes, there is indeed something we need to do now."
After all, they had just decided to work together to solve the school's 폐교 crisis. Kousaka Honoka and the other two had already decided to become school idols like A-RISE to attract students to the school.
"But don't worry, Yoshino. Even if I, Kousaka Honoka, am someone who often causes trouble for others, I am also someone who solves those troubles. Although I might need help from others in the process."
Kousaka Honoka scratched her head a little sheepishly, shaking her head with a wry smile.
"Mm, Honoka, it seems you still have some self-awareness."
Sonoda Umi nodded, very satisfied with Kousaka Honoka's self-reflection.
"You guys have such a good relationship."
This kind of bickering felt even more impactful when seen in person than in the anime from her previous life.
"...Mm, after all, we're childhood friends."
"Although Honoka is sometimes disobedient, I'll reluctantly help her."
"Little Umi, that's not a nice thing to say."
As a result, they seemed to be on the verge of arguing again.
After just declining Kousaka Honoka's invitation to have lunch together, she arrived outside the Student Council office.
"This… this is the Student Council office?" She swallowed, calming her nerves a bit.
In the morning, Toujou Nozomi said she wanted to introduce herself to Ayase Eli.
She asked her to come to the Student Council office during her lunch break.
"Oh oh, this door now leads to the Russian old rogue's territory. Yoshino, you need to be careful, that's the legendary combat nation." She said it as if Ayase Eli was a Saiyan.
"But they should already be here now, so first take a deep breath and relax." Exhale ~ Exhale... "Oh, I knew Yoshino was already here. As expected, the cards' guidance was correct."
Before she could finish exhaling, the door opened, almost making her choke.
"Don't be nervous, Yoshino. Eri-ri is a good person. You don't have to worry about her bullying you."
Giving her a 'good person' card immediately, is that really okay?
Before she could recover, Toujou Nozomi pulled her in. Upon entering the Student Council room, she saw Ayase Eli sitting in the main seat.
"You, are you the Yoshino that Nozomi has been talking about these past few days?"
She opened her eyes, and a full sense of authority washed over them, making Yoshino somewhat scared and hide behind Toujou Nozomi, looking like a 'shivering newbie'.
"Don't scare her, Eri-ri." Toujou Nozomi glared unhappily at Ayase Eli, making her instantly lose her composure.
"Sorry, I accidentally, for some reason, suddenly had the urge to tease this child. I played a little prank." Ayase Eli cutely stuck out her tongue, indicating she wouldn't do it again.
"Then let's introduce ourselves now. I'm Ayase Eli. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshino."
This was Yoshino's first meeting with Ayase Eli.
Author's message:
Because of the people in the group, Fuhai plans to stay up late tonight to write tomorrow's update. Now, I wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve.