I just hope to live a leisurely life in the world of anime.

###Chapter 322 Another Unpleasant Encounter###

"Thank you so much for your help today. I'm Sudo, you mentioned you were in our class, right?"

"Ah, yes, Sudo, nice to meet you. My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

I was slightly surprised that he actually knew a little bit of basic manners.

"Okay, I'll return the money to you in the classroom tomorrow."

After paying for Sudo's student ID which he had left in his dorm and who didn't have the money to pay, Sudo, who had just thought I was someone else's person and had been yelling at me, gave a half-hearted apology and a half-hearted thank you, nodded, and walked away with his instant noodles.

The incident where Sudo couldn't find his student ID and was blocking the line, preventing others from paying, came to an end without causing too much of a stir, and the store returned to its peaceful state.

only……

I shrugged, not even knowing why I'd gone over to ask what was wrong and help him. You know, I've always been a recluse; I should have just pretended not to see him and walked away.

Never mind, let's go buy some things first.

My gut feeling tells me that I won't get the money I just paid him back tomorrow.

I first went to the area where toiletries were placed, but what I saw were familiar faces again.

"...yet another annoying coincidence."

"Don't be so wary. Anyway, did you come to the convenience store for something?"

Just before that, I didn't see Horikita there. In fact, I didn't really expect her to be there, since her first words were full of disdain.

Even so, I still tried to find topics to talk about. We'd be deskmates from now on, seeing each other all the time, and I didn't want the atmosphere between us to be too awkward.

She didn't respond to me, but continued selecting items.

Hmm... She neatly and efficiently picked up shampoo and a bunch of other daily necessities and threw them into the basket. I looked at them and thought she had just picked them randomly, but it turned out she was specifically looking for cheap items.

"I thought girls were more particular about shampoo."

"It depends on the person, because you never know if you'll need the money urgently in the future."

Another unexpected development: Horikita responded!

Of course, along with the response came a cold stare that seemed to say, "Can you please stop peeking at what other people are buying?"

I sighed. The person had such an unapproachable attitude that it was impossible to have a conversation with them, so I started picking out the items I liked.

However... some of the items nearby even had the word "free" on them.

Each item can be claimed a maximum of three times per month...

Is this to help students who have run out of points? That's too indulgent. I was a little confused, but I didn't think about it too much because Horikita, who was next to me, took the initiative to talk to me for the first time.

"I never expected that you, who talked about being an escapist with me at the school gate, would actually go out of your way to fawn over that guy and become his lackey?"

"That guy"

She saw it too, was it referring to Sudo?

"It was just something I did because I was a classmate. It was more like making friends than trying to curry favor."

"Shouldn't most people, judging by his appearance, keep their distance from him when making friends?"

"Why? Because he looks like a delinquent, but he doesn't seem like a bad person. And aren't you afraid of him?"

I also picked up the shopping basket next to me to put the things I was going to buy.

"Because I have no reason to be afraid. If he tries to use violence against me, I can fight him off, so I have nothing to fear."

I turned my head and looked her over.

Hmm... So, what you mean by "repelling" is pepper spray? I don't think her petite body could possibly defeat Sudo.

Of course, Sudo probably wouldn't fight her, since he's a guy too.

"I really admire your personality to be able to stare at someone of the opposite sex so brazenly and nonchalantly on the first day you meet them."

Perhaps I had been looking at her for a while (though I didn’t think it had been that long), because she sighed with a mixture of disgust and aversion.

"...I also always feel that you tend to speak ill of people you've only known for a short time."

Should I feel aggrieved now, since I was misunderstood? I swear I wasn't thinking anything bad when I looked at her.

“I like stating facts, don’t I?” she countered, turning her gaze back to the shelves.

That's really a terrible attitude...

But am I really that bad? Maybe I am...

"Speaking of which, you, who always claim to be an escapist, actually take the time to introduce yourself properly."

"Uh……"

Stop bringing up "escapists" all the time! Maybe I was just joking with you last time!

And let's not even talk about giving a disastrous self-introduction in the morning!

Although that's what I really thought, I knew that if I said it out loud, it would probably ruin my relationship with my deskmate.

"It's precisely because I'm an escapist that I made a point of introducing myself properly, hoping to blend into that kind of situation without standing out too much, even though it was a bit of a failure..."

But why don't you introduce yourself properly? Through the self-introductions organized by Teacher Anshu, you can build better relationships with your classmates and make new friends.

I came up with a plausible excuse to brush off her question and then threw it back at her.

In fact, after the controversy surrounding Teacher An Shu's "beauty" subsided, many students exchanged phone numbers and other contact information with each other.

If it were Horikita, she'd probably be the most popular! Although she can't compare to Anshu-sensei, she's still a cute and pretty girl. If she had a gentler personality, she'd be perfect.

It's a bit of a shame to think about it. But it seems girls really do have an advantage in these situations, because nobody asks me to exchange phone numbers, and my phone's contact list is still empty.

"Because it's not necessary."

###Chapter 323 Willfulness###

(' "unnecessary"

"I have no intention of making friends at all, and I have a problem with that."

I shook my head, not surprised at all, but rather finding it quite normal.

This matches my impression of Horikita.

Everyone has their own thoughts, and we cannot and have no right to deny them.

Thinking about it carefully, although we didn't have much contact, Horikita was the rather aloof type.

Is this tsundere (a person who is easily offended or swayed)?

No, that's already considered arrogance and haughtiness.

Like that guy from Kogenji, except that Kogenji also has a serious case of narcissism.

It's a miracle that she's standing here and talking to me like this.

The last miracle was when she told me her name.

Hmm...maybe last time she just told me to end the conversation so she could read in peace and not bother me anymore.

But without a doubt, this time, it's a miracle.

As we chatted and selected items, the voices of other customers suddenly reached my ears.

It's over there at the snack counter behind me.

"Rem, Rem, this, I want this too!!"

"No! Sister, if you buy so much, you might gain weight this month!"

"It won't happen next month! Rem, Rem~"

"No, even if my sister looks at me with those pitiful eyes... okay, just this once..."

"Then let's buy some more, okay..."

"Absolutely not! We'll buy more after we finish eating!"

The two girls were speaking quite loudly, which made most of the customers, including myself, look over instinctively. We saw two girls who looked exactly alike except for their hair color arguing in the snack storage area. The pink-haired girl was looking down and asking something of the younger sister in front of her.

"But I'm buying this for my owner to eat!"

"elder sister!"

"Okay, okay, I won't buy it anymore..."

The girl, who seemed to be the older sister, sadly put the snacks back in their place, causing her younger sister, who was pushing a shopping cart nearby, to sigh heavily.

"Hmm, let's buy some more then. We can buy the rest after we finish eating. I need to go back and cook! I can't waste any more time!"

"I know! Rem is the best! Hehe, I haven't spoiled Rem for nothing!" The older sister hooked her arm around her younger sister's shoulder and rubbed her face against hers, looking very affectionate.

"elder sister……"

If I heard correctly, they did just use the word "master," right?

master

I repeated it quietly, somewhat puzzled.

After the two girls finished selecting their items, they headed towards the checkout counter.

I turned my head back, ready to count whether I had bought enough daily necessities, but I was surprised to find that Horikita next to me had also turned around at some point, staring blankly at the back of the twin sisters who had been carrying them.

"They have such a good relationship..."

She murmured something, but I didn't hear it all; I could only make out the words "feelings" and "good".

"Horikita," I called out in surprise, because I noticed that her expression was full of envy.

"……Um"

She then snapped out of her daze, paused for a moment, and her face turned cold again.

"I've made my choice, I'm leaving."

This is the Horikita I know! I guess that expression on her face just now was just an illusion...