Without any other incident happening after that, we successfully arrived at the fast-food restaurant, taking over one corner or, to be more precise, four tables to accommodate our whole group.
I said we’re going to have fun and I mean it. But it’s in a sense of the ringlet girl becoming comfortable around everyone. That’s including Sumire, Umi as well as the other tag-along.
Initially, she clearly only accepted my invitation because of me. Befriending my girls or familiarizing herself with them wasn’t really in her plan.
That much was kind of understandable. For Marika, it’s enough for her to be with me. Anything else was irrelevant.
That changed a little after what happened. The biggest factor for it was Shizu or the helping hand she delivered out there.
For sure, not counting myself, it’s probably the first time for her to have someone other than her followers step up for her. Furthermore, Shizu wasn’t treating her as someone to worship like her followers do.
Thanks to that, the ringlet girl got a realization. She’s in a different environment than what she’s used to.
Hence, Marika has been able to say that phrase and accept the warm, welcoming smiles from Nami and the others.
And that’s why, instead of sitting with her, I let Shizu take care of the ringlet girl for me while I went to the counter to order for all of us.
I mean, it’s like killing two birds with one stone.
Shizu was kind of similar to Marika. Not in a sense that she’s being worshiped but the lack of genuine friends before meeting and opening up to me. Nami is her family. And the ones from their circle can barely be considered like that when they were all afraid of her. In short, rather than a close friend, she’s someone they deeply respected.
I know. She’s already on the path of change because of me and my girls but there’s no hurt getting another one, right?
Anyway, since this was a place where we would be served our orders once it’s done, I returned to them not long after.
And I wasn’t disappointed. No one was being left out, not even Sumire or Umi. They’re all having lively conversations, be it as a large group or just one-to-one.
At one table, Hana and Chii were sitting next to each other. Most likely, the latter was once again attempting to make the girl give up on denying their friendship. Across from them, An-rin and Kushii were keenly watching them in amusement while joining in occasionally by teasing Chii or taking a shot at Hana.
At another table, they’re also locked in their own conversations. Sumire was sandwiched between Saki and Arisa. The lively energy being exuded by the three was too strong. And fortunately, Sumire wasn’t overwhelmed by the two but instead equally enjoyed it. Across from them, Umi had a bright expression next to Maaya who similarly was looking enthusiastic with her conversation with the shy girl.
And lastly, the rest of them at the joined tables – Shizu, Nami, Hina, Izumi, Marika, and Kikuchi – looked like they were having a secret meeting with their hushed voices and silly smiles on their lips. Even the girl who thought she was a bundle of unreasonableness was having a good time.
Really, I could stand in one corner and watch them have fun like that and it wouldn’t be boring for me.
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let me be. Nami, having noticed my return, pulled me to their table. Almost instantly, the girls from the other tables turned their heads at me.
Obviously, I continued to be the core of our group. That’s why, I was once again doing what I always do.
Accommodating all of them.
First, I listened to their conversation and joined in before checking in to the other tables.
The food and drinks I ordered arrived while I was in the middle of that. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop me from fulfilling what I wanted to do for them.
Minutes passed like that and it clearly became more eventful than our karaoke session earlier. Some of them changed seats or conversed with the girls at another table. It probably made us stand out and got a warning from the manager of the place to not be too rowdy.
Anyway, introductions were once again initiated, more coherent than the quick introductions from earlier. While I wouldn’t say that everyone became friends right away, it’s safe to say that they’ve found themselves agreeing on a lot of things. Although honestly, more than half of those they agreed with were things related to me. And yes, the three tag-along didn’t raise any objections.
An-rin and Kushii were experts at socializing so there’s no problem on their part. As for the fujoshi, as long as she’s not with her like-minded friends, she’s also tolerable.
Naturally, I actively joined the conversations and I could feel my neck getting a bit strained from turning left and right several times.
It’s inevitable that they’d vie for my attention, after all.
Ah. Right.
I should mention that Kushii continued acting a little awkwardly around me. It even became a topic for them to discuss. As for the result, what happened a few days ago was brought up. The gyaru had yet to recover from that small interaction we had.
But if I had to pick one notable thing that happened apart from my usual sneaky doting acts to my girls, it would be the mention of the invitation to a sleepover for me.
An-rin, who was probably the most clueless among everyone in our group regarding the extent of our relationship, brought that up again. Perhaps, it’s a way for her to make me flustered.
The result? She’s successful.
As soon as that was brought up, everyone’s attention focused on it and I got put into the hot seat with the girls’ interrogative eyes drilling holes in my thick face.
I craftily made my way out of it by agreeing to all of them. Whether they would truly plan for it or just something they brought up to compete with the gyaru’s invitation, I don’t know. Nonetheless, even if I could just simply reject it, it slipped past my mind in the heat of the moment. I couldn’t take it back, right? Or I could but I don’t want to let them down.
Fortunately, it eventually just became good humor for all of us. I got teased by the girls but as usual, my teasing game was stronger so… they eventually folded against me.
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"It's my great pleasure to have met all of you today. I hope we can do this again someday. As some of you have already known, I am someone who's always surrounded by those who called themselves my followers. Even the people from my club are always careful around me, treating me like a princess not to be offended. Thanks to Ruki-kun, I have come to understand the joy of being in equal standing to everyone. I truly appreciate it.” Marika openly expressed her thoughts to everyone.
We’re now outside and since we only stalled it earlier, it’s now inevitable for us to separate here. I could’ve offered to send her home but I doubt I would be able to change her bodyguards’ mind. Maybe not today but I will do so in the future.
Besides, I couldn’t just ditch the other girls with me. So, the best I could do was to send her off with a genuine smile and not let her worry about anything else.
“I have only one thing to say, Kujou-senpai. We feel the same way.” Shizu replied to Marika. And her words already represented everyone.
Everyone was aware that it was unnecessary to make this too dramatic. It’s not like this would be their last time seeing each other, after all.
And so, Shizu’s words were enough to further establish their connection.
A while later, we watched the car carrying the girl drive away before we moved from that spot.
With the night sky approaching us, it’s also about time for us to conclude this very eventful day.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel