"Ryo! Stop handing people strange things!"
Before Mutsuki could even respond, Nijika snatched the clump of grass right out of Ryo's hand.
"Tch..."
A look of dissatisfaction crossed Ryo's face. If she had managed to get Mutsuki to take it, she might have secured a sponsor for today's breakfast.
"It's been a while, and yet here you are, back to eating grass," Mutsuki said with a light chuckle, clearly unfazed by the display.
"I'm supplementing trace elements required by the human body!" the "Trash" Ryo declared with an air of absolute solemnity, all while continuing to chew on a stray root.
"Just admit you blew all your money again. Stop being so stubborn," Nijika interjected, her eyes narrowed as she ruthlessly exposed her friend's lie.
"Since when is buying tickets considered 'blowing money'?" Ryo shot back, refusing to back down.
"You bought tickets at that price? I really think we need to have a serious talk about your concept of money, Ryo," Nijika said, beginning her lecture.
"Where else am I supposed to find MyGO!!!!! tickets right now?" Ryo actually had a point. "They're all in the hands of scalpers. You think they're expensive? Everyone thinks they're expensive!"
"Fine. Then keep eating grass. I hope there's enough of it to keep you full," Nijika replied, crossing her arms and putting on a cold, indifferent face as she saw her friend remained unrepentant.
Hearing this, the grass-chewing Miss Ryo's expression stiffened. She was genuinely broke this time. Without Nijika's "emergency subsidies," she really might starve to death!
It wasn't long before Ryo's gaze shifted, landing heavily on Kamijou Mutsuki.
"What kind of Live are you running? You're truly leading people to ruin!"
The girl suddenly gripped Mutsuki's shoulders, her expression intense and bordering on agitated.
"It's too much! Why did you have to organize this Live? Do you have any idea that I don't even have money for breakfast now? Doesn't your conscience hurt, seeing how much misery you've caused me?"
"Not at all."
A split-second response.
"...I don't care. It's all Mutsuki's fault."
Seeing that Mutsuki wasn't biting, Ryo decided to just force the issue.
"Buy me breakfast!"
She reverted to her usual listless expression and held out her hand toward him.
"Breakfast?" Mutsuki replied with a light chuckle. "I think you look like a breakfast!"
"If you agree to treat me," Ryo said, quickly pivoting her strategy when the direct approach failed, "you can have a photo of the world's most beautiful girl—Miss Ryo."
'Damn, she knows she's cute.'
"Hey! Don't start making strange transactions just for the sake of breakfast!" Nijika interjected, looking utterly exasperated. "And besides, there's no way Kamijou-kun would agree to... right?"
The slight hesitation at the end of her sentence suggested that, in her mind, Mutsuki's image had already degraded to that of a "weirdo" on par with her best friend.
"Of course," Mutsuki replied with a reassuring smile. After all, he wasn't Soyo; blue hair didn't have any special "critical hit" effect on him.
"I want a photo of Nijika!"
"Deal!" Ryo instantly grabbed Mutsuki's hand.
"You two have had quite enough!"
Nijika, her face flushed red, forcibly pried their hands apart. In the end, to prevent a certain "trash" Ryo from actually selling her photos, Nijika resigned herself to paying for Ryo's breakfast.
Miss Ryo, was this part of your plan all along?
As for Mutsuki, he ended up being "forcefully" sold a photo by Ryo anyway, as a sort of down payment for a future dinner. It was just a regular candid shot, but she looked striking in it. If he sold it to a certain "Kit-aura" enthusiast, he'd probably make a killing.
"Ryo and Kamijou-kun really get along well, don't they?"
PA-san, who had been watching from the side, spoke up with a teasing smile. "It's my first time seeing her so perfectly in sync with someone."
From her perspective, Mutsuki clearly had a soft spot for Nijika, but his dynamic with Ryo was undeniably smoother. The relationships between young people these days were truly a puzzle.
"Actually, I think my relationship with PA-san is even better~"
Mutsuki wasn't some light novel protagonist who would turn beet-red just from a little teasing by an older sister figure.
"Oh? So it's not Ryo you like, but a big sister like me?"
PA-san gave her lip a seductive lick. She didn't have the lip piercing from the anime, but the gesture was still incredibly alluring. "Careful with your words, young man. A big sister's love isn't something you can handle easily~"
'Wait, did a sports car just run over my face?' Nijika's cheeks were burning. How did the atmosphere turn so "mature" all of a sudden?
"Changing your affections so quickly... what a terrible man."
Just as the tension reached a peak, Ryo suddenly put on a look of deep resentment. She spoke with a sigh, then promptly held out her hand to Mutsuki again.
"Money. Breakup fee!"
It was clear: she was truly, desperately broke.
"No money. How about we just don't break up instead?"
Faced with Ryo's sneak attack, Mutsuki counter-attacked by aiming straight for the opening.
"I don't want the money anymore. Let's definitely break up." Ryo's expression shifted instantly as she crossed her arms defensively. "How about I introduce you to Nijika instead?"
"Hey!" Nijika snapped. Why did their bickering always result in her being used as a bargaining chip? She didn't ask for this kind of "participation award"!
"Then... Kita?"
"Don't drag innocent outsiders into this either!"
If Kita-chan heard that, she'd definitely cry!
In the end, it was Seika who finally stepped in, subduing the two "trash" characters with her fists.
Meanwhile, over at Tsukinomori Academy...
"Mutsumi-chan,"
Soyo found Mutsumi, who was busy watering her cucumbers.
"Do you have a moment to chat?"
"Soyo?"
Mutsumi looked a bit surprised. While the misunderstandings between them had mostly been cleared up recently, and she no longer intentionally avoided Soyo, the atmosphere between the two remained somewhat delicate.
"I remember you're quite fond of this, right?"
Soyo wore her usual perfect smile as she handed over a carton of mango juice, acting as if nothing had ever happened.
"Shall we go over there and talk?" Soyo suggested, pointing toward a nearby gazebo.
"..."
Mutsumi naturally couldn't refuse Soyo's kindness, allowing herself to be led to a seat across from her.
"Speaking of which, I heard that Sakiko seems to have moved into your place recently..."
As soon as they sat down, Soyo couldn't wait to start fishing for news on "Customer Service Saki."
"And she's working as a maid at your house... is it some kind of roleplay?" Soyo held onto a sliver of hope that the "Maid Sakiko" story was just a lie Mutsuki had told to tease her.
"It's not roleplay. It's... work."
Mutsumi had seen a bit of the LINE exchange between Soyo and Mutsuki the night before, so she wasn't surprised that Soyo knew.
"I see..."
Soyo maintained her smile, though she couldn't stop her fingers from fidgeting nervously.
"So, last night... did Kamijou-kun do anything to...?"
Since Maid Saki truly existed, did Mutsuki actually make her "warm the bed" last night? Was he really that impatient?!
.......................