Don't you guys dislike me?

Watching his figure gradually walking away, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally believed that Yuichi was a lost lamb.

With a clang, the vending machine finally spat out the cold drink.

"Oh, right! Someone saw me when I kicked just now!", Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her legs in panic.

If the machine is damaged, it will make her already poor family even worse off.

"We need to find a chance to talk to him!"

…………

Tomoya Horie, who had just returned from the toilet and shook off the water on his hands, saw Hoshino Yuichi coming out from the back of the library.

"Stupid You, didn't I ask you to buy me food? Why are you running behind the library?" Tomoya Horie asked with a puzzled face.

The original owner is not a person with poor sense of direction. If he told Tomoya the truth, he would probably become suspicious.

"A friend came to chat with me for a while." You said it half-truthfully.

Horie Tomoya's eyes, which were not big to begin with, narrowed into a slit, and he murmured, "Is that so..."

"Hurry up and go to the cafeteria, or there will be no food."

Yuichi walked quickly ahead, not wanting to delve deeper into the topic.

At this moment, Horie Tomoya turned around as if he sensed something, and happened to see Kasumigaoka Utaha walking out stealthily from the back of the library, looking a little guilty.

He felt guilty, of course, because he was afraid of being seen by another person destroying school property, but in Horie Tomoya's eyes, it had a different meaning.

Tomoya Horie glanced at Hoshino Yuichi who was reluctant to say more, and also looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha who was looking around, and immediately imagined the secret love affair that he dared not make public.

He trotted after Yuichi, patted Yuichi's shoulder with a big laugh, and asked quietly:

"You, do you have someone you like?"

When he asked this, Yuichi subconsciously recalled the sweet smile of Tachibana Haruna in his mind, the thought of wanting to get close to her and hug her every night, and when he carried the drunk Tachibana Haruna into the bedroom, the closeness of their body temperature and skin made Yuichi's eyes become confused.

Is this considered love? The original owner's love and the throbbing in his heart at this moment seemed to have merged together long ago, so let's count it...

Hoshino Yuu nodded.

Horie Tomoya's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Yuichi really likes Kasumigaoka Utaha, but because of Inoue Jun's pressure on Kasumigaoka Utaha, the red string of their marriage was cut off. After all, it is normal that Yu's family cannot compare with the capital of the Inoue family...

But who told you that you are my best friend? Then I will just expose myself this time.

Tomoya poked his waist with his elbow, waved his hand, and said boldly:

"Don't worry, idiot Yuu, let me help you this time with all my heart and effort!"

"Hmm? Did you misunderstand something?"

Hoshino Yuichi looked at Horie Tomoya with a strange expression, as if he had taken the wrong medicine.

But Tomoya gave him a look that said, "I understand everything," and then he stopped talking sullenly.

…………

Coming out of the cafeteria, Yuichi was about to ask Tomoya to buy a cup of fruit tea when he noticed the girl hiding in the corner and spying on him.

Why do you follow me at school? Youyi's mouth twitched.

Horie Tomoya seemed to have noticed the gaze, and immediately leaned over to Yuichi's ear and said teasingly:

"You, I didn't expect you to be so popular. Just when one leaves, another one comes."

"Don't worry about her."

The more Yuichi acted as if he didn't care, the more Tomoya felt that something was fishy, ​​but he still put his thoughts aside and began to plan a good show for the evening.

…………

As soon as school was over in the afternoon, Horie Tomoya dragged Yuichi for a stroll, and it was Tomoya who paid the bill. Facing his always stingy best friend, Yuichi was not polite. In addition to his generosity, Yuichi vaguely smelled something unusual.

7. Start of the social gathering

Yuichi and the other person kept shopping until eight o'clock in the evening. It was already dark and the sky was safe. Both the street vendors and the shopping mall buildings were lit up with their own colorful lights.

As the saying goes, "A man who eats good things shall be grateful to him; a man who receives good things shall be grateful to him." Yuichi, who wanted to go home, was half-dragged and half-pulled by Tomoya to a hotel. The high-end and low-key decoration, and most of the people coming in and out were urban white-collar workers in suits, all reflected the style and grade of the hotel.

Horie Hotel, the most famous business hotel in Meguro Ward, is obviously not something that ordinary high school students can afford.

"Fatty, this is not a place you can afford."

Yuichi's feet were rooted to the spot, and even Tomoya couldn't push him away.

"Don't worry, my dad is quite familiar with the boss here." Horie Tomoya smiled innocently, patted his chest and said confidently.

"Forget it. I've already cooked dinner at home. It would be a waste if I don't go back."

Horie Tomoya knew that Yuichi said this to save face for him.

Moved by the scene, Tomoya became more determined to help these star-crossed couple tie the knot. A strong sense of mission suddenly arose in Horie Tomoya's heart.

"Well... I'll tell you the truth! I'm actually somewhat close to Senior Ino-senpai. He's treating us to today's meal. We just need to go in and eat and drink for free."

At this point, Horie Tomoya narrowed his eyes obscenely and said with a smile.

"OK then……"

Yuichi nodded slowly, but what convinced him was not Tomoya's words, but that familiar and wretched smile, which made him feel very safe.

…………

Hoshino Yuichi followed Tomoya into the box.

Seeing the two people push the door in, Inoue Jun, who was sitting in the main seat, was obviously stunned. Who are these two? Why didn't he have any impression of them? However, seeing that they were wearing the Hane High School uniforms, he did not drive them away.

His face was filled with a calm and confident smile. Just when he was about to ask a question, Horie Tomoya took the initiative to ask. His obese body and chubby face gave the people present a feeling of friendliness and harmlessness.

"Senior Ino-senpai, long time no see!"

Horie Tomoya's familiar attitude made Inoue Jun look puzzled.

"Seniors, have you forgotten about me? During your last game, the assistant of the basketball club fell ill. I was worried that the seniors wouldn't be able to drink a sip of water after the game in such a hot weather, so I ran to bring a box of water to the players and put it in the lounge."

"Senior, have you forgotten?"

The fat on Tomoya's face trembled as he spoke, and his small eyes stared at Inoue Jun honestly. He said it with a smile, but there was a hint of subtle grievance in his words.

Seeing how serious he was, Inoue Junya noticed the eyes around him, which made him recall the last basketball game.

The assistant for the last game was indeed sick and asked for leave, and the box of water that Horie Tomoya mentioned was also delivered after their game, but that was before last summer vacation, so how could he remember it?

Inoue Jun looked Horie Tomoya up and down carefully, stroking his chin and muttering:

"I remember... the person who brought water last time wasn't as fat as you, right?"

Horie Tomoya thought for a moment and suddenly exclaimed:

"Ah! The one who brought the water was my friend Yuichi."

Tomoya pulled the confused Yuichi over and said cheerfully:

"Senior, you know that with my size, I would be exhausted from moving things around, so I paid for it and my friend did the work. He was the one who moved it to the lounge."

Feeling a sudden poke in the waist, Hoshino Yuichi lowered his head intentionally, using his bangs to cover his conspicuous purple eyes, and echoed:

"I moved to the lounge, but I left so as not to disturb you. Do you still remember me?"

Yuichi, his eyes hidden by his black hair, smiled and pointed at himself.

It seems like there is? And it seems like there isn't... Soon, Inoue Jun gave up thinking. He didn't come here today to dwell on such old memories. It didn't matter whether there was one or not, as long as it didn't disturb him from taking down Kasumigaoka Utaha.

In a flash, Inoue Jun put on an expression of sudden enlightenment, patted the two men on the shoulders, blamed himself for being forgetful, and asked the two men to sit down to thank them for the water for the game.

For some reason, Horie Tomo did not choose to sit with Yuichi. He stuck to Inoue Jun like a dog-skin plaster and chatted about random topics.

This forced Youyi to bury his doubts in his heart. The original owner's memory did not contain the plot that Tomoya mentioned at all. In his memory, during the sports festival when the game was held, the two of them were hiding in the library to slack off.

Helping the senior carry water? Not even saying a few words to the senior after carrying it, trying to get close to him? How could such a thing as doing good deeds without leaving a name happen to them...

Hoshino Yuu looked at the people present with boredom. They were basically all students of Hane High School, but they were now wearing proper clothes, the boys in suits and the girls in dresses. The clothes made them look more mature.

Judging from their immature faces and the casual manner of their speech and behavior, they are just young boys and girls just starting out.

The dignified and elegant clothes on them give off a sense of disconnection, which is ultimately a poor imitation of adults.

After one look, Yuichi lost interest.

At this moment, the door was pushed open and a beautiful figure came in slowly. At this moment, all the boys present were attracted by her and could not recover for a long time.

"Kasumigaoka-san, everyone is waiting for you~"

Inoue Jun was exerting invisible pressure on her, and Kasumigaoka Utaha was too lazy to even pay attention to him and prepared to find a place to sit down.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t know anyone here. But that’s true, even in the class, there are only a few people she can talk to. Geniuses have always been lonely.

Her beautiful eyes looked around and suddenly lit up, then she pretended to sit down casually.

Her seatmate was Yuichi Hoshino.

In order to whet Inoue Jun's appetite, Kasumigaoka Utaha specially wore the most common school uniform to attend the social gathering, but even so, it was difficult to conceal the charm exuded by this high-class flower.

Even the most ordinary school uniform is enough to outshine the girls present, no matter how fancy they dress up.

When Kasumigaoka Utaha sat next to Yuichi, she seemed to be able to hear the barely perceptible sighs of the boys around her.

As expected, Horie Tomoya's expression made Yuichi feel strange. Today's Tomoya was completely different from his usual simple-minded self. Could it be that he was the type of person who was rough but also meticulous?

Inoue Jun, who saw Kasumigaoka Utaha sitting opposite him, seemed to have expected it, but he didn't care and continued to host the topic at the dinner table.

A scent of air flowed past his nose, elegant and sweet. Hoshino Yu turned his head and heard Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly speaking:

"Don't tell anyone about what happened this morning."

Her tone was cold and commanding.

8. Retreat to advance

Hoshino Yuichi thought carefully about his experiences in the morning, but he couldn't find anything that required the great Kasumigaoka Utaha to come and remind him.

"What happened this morning?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked into his eyes with her charming eyes, and seeing that Yuichi didn't seem to be lying, she said:

“It’s best not to remember.”

He turned his head and stopped talking.

It was precisely this shake of the head that inexplicably reminded Yuichi of the scene when Kasumigaoka Utaha was discovered kicking the vending machine in the morning.

"It shouldn't be about kicking the vending machine..."

Hoshino Yuichi muttered to himself, and every word he said was heard by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

He definitely did it on purpose!!!

Before she finished speaking, the girl suddenly turned around, her beautiful wine-red eyes filled with disgust towards Youyi. She just said she didn't remember, and when she turned around, she told the story again. This was clearly teasing her!

Just when Kasumigaoka Utaha was thinking about how to be sarcastic to him, Hoshino Yuichi spoke first:

"If that's the case, don't worry. I would have forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. I don't have the habit of talking about it everywhere."

Yuichi's plain words blocked Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth when she was about to speak. For a moment, the words were stuck in her throat but she couldn't say them out, which made her extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, the other party didn't even want to look at her. Obviously, this matter was not worth mentioning in the other party's eyes. Then who was she showing her anger to?

Utaha Kasumigaoka felt like she was hitting cotton. The worries in her heart were resolved in a strange way, but she still felt a little depressed.

The conversation at the dinner table was still going on, and the dishes ordered by Inoue Jun had almost been delivered.

After the meal started, except for Inoue Jun who took the lead, everyone else spoke in groups of three or four. Inoue Jun was not bothered by this and was even a little secretly happy.

No one cared about what was happening outside the group, so Inoue Jun took the opportunity to sit next to Kasumigaoka Utaha, and of course, Horie Tomoya followed closely behind him.

Hoshino Yuu was enjoying his dinner with a focused mind. Maybe it was because he didn't have to endure the psychological torment of Tachibana Haruna being around him, but he felt that today's dinner was particularly delicious.

The purpose of attending a social gathering is to find a mate. Under the dim light, they had no appetite for food. After taking a few bites, they began to strike up conversations. Those who progressed quickly even started touching each other under the table.