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The morning classes flew by in a flash.
Even though he had the High School Mathematics Knowledge pack as a foundation, his grasp on the other subjects was still painfully weak. Thankfully, there hadn't been any pop quizzes or random questions from the teachers, saving him from completely embarrassing himself.
"Yo, Kai, you're not eating with us?"
Seeing Kai grab his bento box and head for the door the second the lunch bell rang, Kakeru Tobe asked in surprise.
Beside him, Yumiko Miura and the other girls glanced over as well.
"What's wrong? Don't want to eat lunch with Yui?"
"Yumiko..."
With Yui's incredibly thin skin, she absolutely couldn't handle being teased so openly.
"Kai-kun probably just has some errands to run."
As she said that, Yui also looked over at Kai.
"Ha!"
Kai let out a light chuckle. Without a single trace of panic on his face, he replied in a completely natural tone.
"School just started, right? A friend of mine just entered her first year here, and she's got some pretty severe social anxiety. Her family asked me to look out for her a bit. Once she settles in and makes some friends of her own, I'll be off the hook."
"Oh, gotcha!"
Nobody suspected a thing. Looking after a younger friend or a relative's kid at school wasn't exactly a rare occurrence.
"You should hurry up and go, then."
Realizing that Kai actually had legitimate business to take care of, Yui immediately started urging him along.
"Yeah. I'll try to wrap it up quick and come back to keep you company."
"Y-You don't have to rush..."
But before she could even finish her sentence, Kai had already slipped out of the classroom.
Catching the incredibly meaningful smirks from Yumiko and the other girls, Yui shyly dropped her head.
"Must be nice!"
Seeing her close friend landing a boyfriend, Yumiko was naturally fully supportive.
————————————————————
By the time Kai made it up to the rooftop, he immediately spotted Yukino Yukinoshita. She was sitting there with her lunchbox, her expression as cold and aloof as ever. A gentle breeze swept past, causing her long black hair to flutter gracefully in the wind.
Yukino instinctively raised a hand, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"You're here."
Seeing Kai arrive, Yukino simply offered a quiet greeting.
"Ahem! Yeah!"
"Sorry for the trouble, Yukinoshita-san."
He was honestly a bit mesmerized. She truly lived up to her reputation as the school's untouchable Ice Queen. Sure, her figure was definitely lacking in certain departments, but her sheer facial aesthetics were absolutely god-tier.
Clearing his throat, Kai casually walked over.
"It's no trouble at all."
To be completely honest, eating lunch at school with other people was an experience Yukino had literally never had before. The reason she agreed to it yesterday wasn't purely out of the goodness of her heart, either.
People who were lonely didn't actually enjoy being lonely; most of the time, they just didn't have any other choice.
Did anyone seriously believe that deep down, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't want to make a few friends of her own?
"It seems Gotoh-san hasn't arrived yet. Do you think she isn't coming?"
Yukino didn't really know much about Hitori Gotoh. The only thing she knew was what Kai had told her—that the girl had crippling social anxiety.
Kai didn't say a word.
His gaze swept over a cluster of empty storage boxes sitting in the corner of the rooftop. He could clearly see a tiny, trembling foot poking out from behind one of them.
A knowing smile crept onto his face.
"Actually, I think she didn't just show up—I think she got here way earlier than both of us. Isn't that right, the person hiding behind the boxes over there?"
"Hmm?"
Surprised by his sudden declaration, Yukino turned her head to look.
"Eek!"
Being suddenly called out made Hitori let out an involuntary yelp, followed immediately by a loud thump.
In the very next second, Hitori weakly shuffled out from her hiding spot, clutching the top of her head in pain.
"G-Good afternoon!"
In reality, Hitori really had arrived incredibly early. The sheer excitement of actually having a friend kept her tossing and turning all night, and the absolute second the lunch bell rang, she sprinted straight up to the roof.
But immediately after getting there, the anxiety kicked in.
What if this whole "friends" thing was just a cruel joke? Would anyone actually want to be friends with a pathetic, single-celled paramecium like her?
A massive wave of self-deprecating thoughts completely overwhelmed her. The second she heard footsteps approaching, she instinctively scrambled for a place to hide. It was as if curling up in a dark, forgotten corner where nobody could see her was the only way she could feel safe.
"You really are an absolute idiot, Bocchi-chan."
Looking at the trembling mess that was Hitori Gotoh, Kai couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
Yukino instinctively nodded in agreement before immediately catching herself. 'Wait, calling someone an idiot is incredibly rude.' But then—
"Bocchi?"
She shot Kai a confused look. Wasn't her name Hitori Gotoh?
"Ahem!"
He had accidentally blurted out the nickname on instinct.
Kai quickly covered his tracks.
"Look at it this way—Hitori never really had any friends growing up, so she was always totally alone (hitoribocchi). Doesn't 'Bocchi' fit perfectly? So, 'Bocchi-chan' is the special nickname I gave her."
"Isn't giving someone a nickname based on them being a loner incredibly disrespectful?"
Yukino furrowed her brows. Who on earth literally calls someone a "loner" to their face? Wasn't that just straight-up bullying?
Given Yukino's rigid, justice-oriented personality, her reaction wasn't surprising in the slightest.
Kai just shrugged and gestured for Yukino to look at Hitori.
"Well, it looks to me like Bocchi-chan absolutely loves it."
"?"
When Yukino turned her head, she was greeted by the sight of Hitori practically glowing with sheer delight, stars in her eyes.
"Mhm! Mhm! Mhm! I love it! Please, keep calling me Bocchi-chan from now on!"
'This is amazing! Is this what having a nickname feels like?? A special nickname that only true friends use with each other! I finally have a friend who gave me a nickname! Uwaaaah! Kai-senpai, you are literally my God!'
She wasn't just thrilled on the surface; deep down, she was genuinely moved to tears.
"..."
Now it was Yukino's turn to be left completely speechless.
'Maybe I really am just completely out of touch with how people socialize nowadays.'
"Want me to brainstorm a cool nickname for you too, Yukinoshita-san?"
Kai looked at Yukino with an amused smirk.
"No thank you. I'm good."
She rejected the offer without a single microsecond of hesitation.
A nickname like that was the absolute last thing Yukino ever wanted.
"Fair enough. Looks like I'll just have to wait until you actually accept me as a true friend before I can give you one."
"..."
Friends?
Kai's casual remark left Yukino falling into a thoughtful silence.
Kai, on the other hand, just casually waved Hitori over.
"What are you waiting for, Bocchi-chan? Lunch break isn't going to last forever. Get over here and let's eat."
"O-Okay!"
She nodded blankly before quickly jogging over to join them.
The three of them popped open their bento boxes at the same time. Looking at Kai, and then over at Yukino Yukinoshita, a blissfully happy smile spread across Hitori's face.
This is incredible. Eating lunch surrounded by friends... this feeling is just the absolute best!
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