Class C: Civil War

"Hirata."

"Hm? What's up, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I require your assistance. I have no idea what to grab, I'm stumped."

"I'm sure they know you mean well, anything's fine."

"So, I could give Mii-chan what I'm wearing now?" Mori had insisted that I stay in the ridiculous outfit until we had finished at the very least. I was almost convinced she was going to force the thing on me at checkout as well.

"Okay. Maybe not anything." He said after giving me another once over.

"Now you realise my plight."

"You could pick a dress like the one she had earlier."

"I thought of that, but it would defeat the purpose, right? I'd mark points down if I did that." I also wanted to avoid the awkward situation of asking a girl her sizes. If it were more general clothing I could make a decent estimation.

"And you don't want the forfeit."

"Exactly. Offer your wisdom Hirata-sensei."

"...Maybe think about what you'd like her to wear? That could help." She was half-Chinese, and I did have some interest in traditional Chinese clothing. Though, I very much doubted it was either stocked here or a particularly good choice for this occasion. Mostly because Mii-chan seemed like the modest type, her dress earlier reflected this. Cheongsam or similar dresses tend to reveal quite a bit of the leg and upper thigh.

"I don't know anything about women's fashion, I'd probably pick something ridiculous, and I don't know if Mii-chan will laugh it off like others." That was the reason Mii-chan had requested Matsushita's assistance earlier, besides I had a reason for asking Hirata specifically.

"I suppose it is rougher on the girls, isn't it? How do you want me to help? I can't pick the full outfit if that's what you're asking, it defeats the purpose of the game."

"I understand. I just wanted to see if you had any preferences for women's clothing."

"I don't particularly have a preference to what the girls wear." An exemplary statement from a popular boy like Hirata. It didn't help much in this circumstance.

"I meant, if you had a girlfriend or something what would you want them to wear? Ideas might help me gather an outfit." Not really, I was doing something sneaky instead. I had noticed Mii-chan's affections and was spurred on by her determination, if I could do something to help that it was no large effort on my part. I was playing the so-called wingman now. A new role for me.

"I mean, so long as it fits the person then it's fine right?" Hirata said as if he had practiced this line infinite times. Being indirect is my schtick, find your own thing.

"I didn't realise you could cheat these questions as well."

"It's a real answer Ayanokouji-kun."

"No fantasies or distant thoughts of what a future girlfriend might wear?"

"It sounds like you're more invested in my love life than I am." He said baffled, looking over a few t-shirts on the aisle.

"Ah, I see how it is... You're allowing me to take last place so that you decrease the chance of paying the forfeiture, shrewd." A devil lurks beyond that easy smile.

"Hahaha! You've foiled my schemes, that free lunch shall be mine." He said in a false mocking tone.

"Hey, c'mon it's a safe space here. Just let all those nasty desires come out into the open, we won't judge you." Kondou came from behind a clothing rack with the other two boys in tow. The girls were busy talking amongst themselves a few aisles away.

"Excuse me?" Hirata was genuinely mind-boggled by what they were inferring.

"C'mon! There's gotta be at least one or two outfits that you've imagined a girl wearing. Coffee date, trip to the pool, walk in the park... Bedroom date." Kondou nudged his elbow into Hirata a few times at the mention of the last location.

"Eh..." Whilst he still had a magnanimous smile it wavered slightly upon hearing Kondou's assertions.

"See he's speechless, he must be thinking about them!" Komiya added. Hirata seemed to be calculating the possible routes to escape this conversation without participating his thoughts.

"I mean for me it's all about cardigans. Sweaters, hoodies that's the good stuff!" Ishizaki revealed out of the blue. That was much more wholesome than I was expecting.

"Where's the excitement in that?" Kondou lightly tapped him on the head.

"You fool. It's the cozy comfy aesthetic. It's cute, it's huggable. You know when girls bunch their hands up in the sleeves, that does it for me. And for some reason even though everything's covered, it kinda gives that hidden eroticism factor to it, right?" Hidden eroticism factor? Is that some kind of sixth sense for men? As alien as all this was to me, I could still find myself agreeing unquestioningly. I think that had less to do with any specific clothing and just the prevailing thought; any clothes or even no clothes, both are good.

"I can't be the only one, don't you lie straight to my face!"

"Nah, he's got a point. Comfy wear is good, you know like oversized t-shirts, pyjamas or even joggers. That kind of stuff's pretty good too." Komiya came to the aid of his friend. "However, gentlemen. Ishizaki's choices; these are all wonderful, but they all pale in comparison to this. What completes all of these outfits? What completes the dress? What sits atop the precipice?" Komiya began speaking more formerly as if he were conveying the next greatest thesis.

"This again..." Kondou sighed exasperatedly.

"The answer my good friends. The humble hat." Komiya rest a baseball cap atop his head as he said so.

"Pffft. Hats are you being serious right now? That's unique even for you Komiya." Ishizaki didn't seem to agree, even finding the very notion laughable itself.

"Ignorance. You laugh now because you don't understand the importance of the hat. Hair is said to be more important to a woman than her own life." The importance women put on their own hair was quite extensive, it was usually why they spent much more on domestic goods like shampoo and conditioner. But why would covering it make it more appealing...

Oh, it's a metaphor. That's pretty apt for Komiya. It just shows what the human condition is capable of when the topic is something you're interested in.

"Enlighten us to your teachings, Goblin-sama." Kondou barely bowed his head.

"What is the sundress without the sun hat? It is but stark naked without its bosom brother. Therefore, the outfit cannot exist without it." I didn't fully agree but I could understand the point. It was like the icing on a cake. By itself they can exist just fine, but by comparing the existence with and without the other, the answer becomes obvious.

"Okay then, what about the classic sports look. Tracksuit, or even shorts and t-shirt." Kondou posed another problem to Komiya.

"You fool. The tomboy look isn't complete without the baseball cap. The reveal of the hair is what accentuates the femininity when the borderline between masculine and feminine is brought into twilight. Extra points if a ponytail comes out the back slit."

"I apologise. I was not familiar with your game." Ishizaki said whilst nodding in appreciation.

"I agree he has some good points. But it all falls apart now. The pyjama-comfy problem." It seems like Kondou was expecting this all along.

"Hahaha! You think of me as unlearnt after all this time, Reo? I have squashed that problem."

"...So, this is just a conversation you guys have normally?" Hirata seemed to be talking to himself more than any of the other boys.

"Let's hear it."

"For one the night cap. Even in a bygone age, one can't underestimate the power of the night cap. It kinda gives that vintage feel, ya know." Did anyone even use these anymore?

"No. In fact that's now outlawed. You collect nothing from go, instead head straight to jail." Kondou actively took offence from the very idea.

"Hold on! Hold on. What about a sleeping mask?" This was just getting into accessory territory rather than hats.

"...Go on."

"Well, some girls wear them to get to sleep easier, the pyjama fit is kind of complete with it right?" I mean in what context are you even seeing the girl in pyjamas, I couldn't imagine it was every day that a situation like I had with Ibuki comes up... Unless it does? Actually, were they even pyjamas? You could certainly use them in place as pyjamas, they were comfy enough for it. But... What the hell am I even doing? I'm slowly losing my mind...

"Hmm. That's not really a hat though. Looking like disqualification to me." Kondou said exaggeratedly turning away.

"No! The true power comes when they lift the sleep mask up and rest it on their hair. It's practically an ornament for the head!" That would mean treating hair clips, hairbands and headdresses the same as hats though... I'm getting too invested in this... Even the scenario is all over the place, this would require sleeping in the same bed as the person, not only would this entail a romantic relationship in most cases, but there were strict rules against this in the school directory. I mean it isn't exactly like they could encourage illicit relationships between students.

"Hmm, but the star power is lacking if they never reveal their hair, so it doesn't have the same impact. Plus, it's not even a hat we're talking about anymore." He circled back around to look Komiya in the eye.

"...Fine! It doesn't work for pyjamas, sue me. It still works for 99.999999% of all other outfits. The point is it hides more of the body for an exaggerated reveal. Think. If it was always there, then the reveal means nothing doesn't it? The true beauty and splendour of seeing the female figure is because it is hidden away! What point would there be, no what enjoyment would there be in seeing the female form if it were always on display? I propose that the female body remains enticing because it is veiled beneath all manners of fabric. As the hat is the pinnacle, the very top echelon item of which a woman can don it is also the absolute most important piece of clothing over all!" I could try and point all the holes in his argument for a long time. And believe me there were plenty to choose from. But in this moment, all I wanted to do was applaud. His thesis was complete. Top marks, might I add. I wonder if this was the greatest contribution to humanity that Komiya would ever produce...

Wow, that's a dark thought. I wish the best for your future Komiya.

"..."

"Plus... A sleeping mask is literally a blindfold. I mean... I don't have to say anything more, do I?"

"...Yeah, that about settles it. Kind of stupid to even argue against it when you put it that way." Kondou relented. There was no winning in an argument with an idiot, only the birth of a new fool.

"Thank you. Thank you." The two shared a firm handshake. Before Hirata and I could slink away to safety the two of them locked onto us like hawks.

"Now you two. C'mon we spilled ours. You've got to have something, anything. We won't judge, promise." After hearing their compelling arguments, I felt that their judgement probably wouldn't matter in the long run considering they had a full-blown debate over it.

"Hiraataa~ C'mon. Just one thing."

"...Just one? Fine. O-Ov..."

"Yeah?"

"Overalls. L-like the stuff that country girls wear." He said almost unsure of his own answer.

"Overalls? Oh, you mean dungarees. Ooh! That's a top-class pick. I underestimated the prince over here, he has good taste. Yeah, someone like Kushida-chan wearing it. That could be pretty nice." He pat Hirata on the shoulder, in response Hirata lightly scratched his cheek with a shy smile on his face. His smile never felt especially forced before, but I couldn't help feel this was restrained slightly less than the other occasions.

"Just you left Ayanokouji."

"As much as I'd like to contribute, it seems as if my choice has already been picked."

"Hah?! Don't think you're getting out of this after getting me involved." Uncharacteristically Hirata did an about turn and grabbed me by the arm, preventing me from running off to grab the outfit I had in mind.

"No escape. Share your secrets, Ayanokouji." The four of them all said simultaneously, scaring me slightly. I was almost sure that wasn't rehearsed.

"Uh, I mean skirts are fine." It seemed like a safe pick, I mean we see the girls in them pretty much every day, it was fitting in a way.

"I have a feeling you're just thinking about the uniform now." Never mind I've been discovered. Why are these guys so astute when it comes to anything involving the opposite gender?

"Hey, he totally is! That's cheating. That isn't a real outfit that's just a fetish!" Komiya cried out. I hoped the same guy who had so elaborately waxed poetic about hats would share enthusiasm for all manners of clothing. Instead, it seemed he was an elitist in manners of perversion.

"Aren't all of them fetishes?" I wondered aloud. The amount of fervour they had shown for any of these clothing items made either definition of the word fitting.

"It's totally different!" I failed to see just how that was the case.

"I mean none of us have girlfriends, so they're all based in delusion..." Hirata was probably the closest to having a girlfriend though that didn't seem to be set in stone yet. All the more reason I should give Mii-chan the opportunity whilst she has the chance. With how aggressive Karuizawa was she might have to step up her game a bit.

"...Your words cut deep Ayanokouji." Ishizaki fought back shallow tears as he gripped my shirt by the collar. Please don't get tears on my Hawaiian shirt, they might force me to buy it.

"Have you guys got your picks ready, yet? We only have a few minutes left on the timer." Kushida said from a few rows away.

"Crap! Got it!" Ishizaki finally let go of my shirt to fumble around the store for his own outfit. I believe he was choosing for Kushida... That might be difficult to get the measurements right... Apologies in advance Kushida.

I made my own move to grab what would be Mii-chan's outfit, I only hope it would be to Hirata's standards. Not that I think he'd show disappointment even if it wasn't. Of course, the lingering hope that it would score highly enough to save my wallet was also in the back of my mind.

From a distance I noticed Mii-chan being led around by Karuizawa, who seems to be taking charge of her outfit for Hirata.

"Hirata-kun should be wearing something like this. Look, pass me that." Karuizawa basically snatched the clothes from her hand. I imagine there was immense disappointment on her side that she hadn't been given the opportunity to dress up her future beloved. I could interfere but it wasn't really my place. Ideally, I'd leave it to Mii-chan to defend herself. Though it was probably a tad too early for such a step in her development.

With the timing of a prince from fairy tales, Hirata had arrived and protected the maiden all by himself. Vanquishing the evil princess with a stalwart flick of his sword. "Karuizawa-san, the choices were determined by lot. It wouldn't be fair to ignore that."

"But I wanted to pick something for Hirata-kun. I know something that would fit so well!" Karuizawa was close to throwing a tantrum.

"I understand but it wouldn't be fair. We can do that another time, for now let Mii-chan make her own choices." Always placating both sides, I wonder if the prince ever got tired of advocating for such balance.

"B-But I... Fine. Sorry. Mii-chan I got a bit ahead of myself."

"O-Oh- it's no problem at all Karuizawa-san. I understand you were just trying to help." I was sure the romantic thoughts in her head probably tripled after that interaction. Watching someone fall head over heels in real time could be pretty interesting. Who knew?

A few minutes passed as we grabbed the last items of our outfits. The sizes should be right, I did get a spot of help from Matsushita for it, just in case. I didn't cheat, I handpicked the items myself the size was the only thing she verified.

First was Kushida.

"C'mon out Kushida-chan!"

"...I think this shirt might be the wrong size..." Kushida pulled back the curtain to reveal her in a t-shirt and some sports shorts. Despite the overly large nature of the t-shirt, it still clung to certain parts of the body. For some reason that actually made it lewder. The print on the front of the t-shirt was also stretched a bit when accommodating her anatomy. Well, at least it wasn't too small.

Needless to say, 10/10.

"Votes in."

"Guys, you can't just vote 10/10 because she's built like a damn fertility statue." Damnit. There goes my vote.

"Mori-san!" Kushida exaggeratedly covered herself, pulling the curtain to a close once again.

"Ishizaki-kun, why are you picking something like that?" Matsushita asked with a measure of authority in her voice.

"What's the problem? The print looks cute, and the material felt comfortable. Was it a bad pick?" I felt bad because he genuinely seemed confused at the question.

"Hmmm... You're on thin ice buddy." Matsushita looked at him with a certain air of inscrutability.

"I apologise! It would help if someone explained why I needed to though!" Dazed and confused Ishizaki quickly kowtowed to the overwhelming might of the girls. That's rough buddy.

Needless to say, he was disqualified and nearly terminated from this realm.

Next was Shinohara.

"Shinohara-chan!"

"...Seriously who picked this, I look like a guy." Wearing baggy pants, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap she turned to the group with a sour look on her face.

"Ooh! Nice. Looks good on you, Shinohara-chan!" Komiya shouted without any condescension.

"I can't tell if he's mocking me."

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the brain power to mock you even if he wanted to."

"Shut up Reo, smartass." Kondou nudged Komiya's shoulder a few times whilst they looked over the outfit. I suppose it helped having friends in high places, I only hoped my assistance would be as helpful for Mii-chan, even if she didn't ask for it.

"...Well, it's actually pretty comfy. I might take it for loungewear."

It received passing marks, Shinohara's more plain features compared to other girls actually helped in that regard. Not that I would ever say that to anyone's face, I quite enjoyed still being able to breathe.

Unfortunately, I was next.

Matsushita handed me quite a few items of clothing, addressing all manners of cues and other information I didn't feel was entirely necessary for a small game like this. I suppose she was enjoying herself.

"Ayanokouji, remember what I said?" I still didn't understand the point of taking a jacket if you had no intention of wearing it.

"Don't leave us waiting all day." I could Karuizawa's voice from behind the curtain. I shouldn't leave the queen bee waiting much longer.

At least it was better than whatever Mori had chosen for me. I pulled back the curtain ensuring that I had followed the advice Matsushita had given me. Fold up the sleeves along the forearms and carry the jacket underarm, left hand in my pocket whilst securing the jacket against my arm and body allowing it to hang but not fall. Fashion has a lot of nonsensical rules, doesn't it?

"Matsushita. Please marry me." Mori said with stars in her eyes. She had a flair for the dramatic.

"Mori-san, you need to stop saying things that cause a misunderstanding!" Satou acted the straight man to Mori's endless tomfoolery.

"Wow, he looks really good. Shows what Matsushita-chan can do."

"You ever modelled before Ayanokouji-kun?"

"No. Never." I would never describe what I had done before as modelling. I was more like an exhibit in a living museum.

"Hmm. You have good posture, good body composition. Not too muscular or fat, just right. If only you could smile a bit that might make it perfect." Matsushita examined me as if I were some sort of merchandise rather than a thinking feeling human.

"Impossible. I'm too nervous."

"Oh well, it works with this outfit."

"That's why you picked darker colours!" Satou shouted excitedly. Colour choice was important as it could impart emotions and suggestions upon the person viewing them.

"It gives him that dark and mysterious feel, right? The brooding look." It felt beyond strange to have strangers comment on my appearance as if I wasn't currently in the room or capable of hearing their every word.

"You should buy them! It's the sort of outfit that never goes out of style, plus you could wear them in any season with the jacket." I felt it might be a bit too formal for some occasions, but it was a pretty seamless outfit, and it had good reviews from pretty much everyone here. Even a few of the shop staff had looked over at times to judge the outfits. Apparently, games like these weren't bad for business so they didn't have an issue with us doing this.

"How much did it all cost, Matsushita-san?"

"..." Matsushita just looked away, whistling to herself.

As I was curious myself, I flipped the price tag of the coat alone in view.

...That's impossible. Perhaps, I looked past a decimal point... There's no way.

"No wonder he looks good, it'd bankrupt him just to buy the bloody thing!" Satou grabbed Matsushita by her shoulders.

"In my defence nobody said anything about buying the outfit." She wasn't wrong, but it still felt a bit cheap.

"Yeah but, come on." Shinohara had spoken up for one of the few times during our outing. She was almost never the first person to point something out. It felt like she played it safe. Much the same as I did.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help myself. He's got like model genetics, I wanted to see how good it looked!"

"Ooh! Hear that Ayanokouji-kun, she thinks you're looking hot!"

"I never said that! He just looks objectively good, that's all. That's not a crime to say!" How am I supposed to react in this situation?

"It's up to vote! Disqualify Matsushita-san, all in favour say I." Karuizawa raised her hand from the crowd. "Oh, Ayanokouji can overrule it if he wants to. But you have to buy the full outfit in exchange." She ruled with an iron fist.

"I." I've never moved my hand so quickly. I folded immediately like a leaf in the wind.

"Traitor! Though, I can't blame you. Haah... Fine but go easy on me. Please."

"How many desserts do you think we should order?" Satou asked the other girls.

"All of them." Kushida said immediately with a sickly-sweet smile on her face.

"Even Kushida-chan?! Too cruel."

Well, that was already two slots filled. I just need to make sure I wasn't last place now.

The other outfits went by in a flash, most of them somewhat fitting for the person they had chosen, the most intriguing was Komiya's choice for Mori which was; against everyone's expectations actually quite good. He had chosen long dark jeans with a light tank top fitted with some dark sunglasses and a small black fiddler's cap. I guess we should've had more trust in the guy that wrote a thesis on the importance of hats. Mii-chan's turn was last which built up a strange sense of trepidation within me.

"Mii-chan, expose yourself!" Mori shouted boisterously.

"Mori-san, could you not say something outrageous for at least two minutes?!" Satou once again gave into Mori's antics.

"D-Don't laugh..." Mii-chan drew back the curtain to reveal some overalls and a long-sleeved white t-shirt underneath them. Well, they fit. That was good at least.

"Kyaa~ It's so cute! Give us a twirl, Mii-chan." Hmmm... Yeah, this is problematic. I mean it doesn't look bad or anything. But yeah, this is an issue...

"Oi, Hirata. Jailtime." Kondou said whilst shaking his head.

"Huh?" Hirata immediately fell on defence as the three boys approached him.

"Hey Hirata, I heard you like 'em young." Komiya said in an exaggerated fashion, I almost felt that he might break into song should he be given the opportunity.

"We're the same age."

"See how that holds up in court buddy."

"It was Ayanokouji that picked them." Which may have been a blunder on my part. Honestly, I was just trying to give Mii-chan an unfair advantage, but I may have made a grave mistake instead. It wasn't that the outfit looked bad per se, but it did seem like she had regressed in age a little bit.

"She looks like an elementary schooler." Ishizaki mentioned without missing a beat. I didn't want to say it so clearly. Definitely shouldn't let him near Mii-chan or she could be devastated by those words.

"Aww! It's so cute, let me take a picture! It's like something my little sister might wear. C'mere little sis!" Mori grabbed a hold of Mii-chan from behind, wrapping her slender arms around her waist in a tight hug.

"Mori-san, stop it that tickles! Kushida-chan, save me!"

Mii-chan was continually evading Mori's clutches whilst the votes were tallied. I didn't get to hear how Hirata thought of them, but at the very least I was safe from the forfeit. Though a heavy glare was being levelled at me by the elementary student a few rows away. Scary.

With the scores collected we had the three losers chosen; Ishizaki and Matsushita by disqualification. And Hirata due to an underwhelming choice for Komiya, though Komiya seemed happy enough with the clothes. He was particularly interested in basketball, so he played to his interests.

"Ayanokouji-kun, what is this?" The approximation of anger could be seen on Mii-chan's face now. I wouldn't have thought it possible for such a shy and temperamental girl to show such viciousness.

"Do you not like it?"

"...It makes me look like a child." I didn't want to be caught disagreeing with something so obviously true, so I relented.

"My bad. I was trying to do you a favour with it. Hirata said that he liked those kinds of clothes, so that was what I chose."

"W-Why would it matter wh-what Hirata-kun likes?" She said whilst attempting to reestablish eye contact with me. Though she was stuttering so bad I doubt she had seen no less than three copies of my image swimming in her vision.

"You like him, don't you? Romantically." Her face immediately flushed a deep crimson, and she looked off towards the floor.

"..."

"You were trying to hide it?" I didn't think it was possible for her to get any redder, but she visibly shrunk even further into a ball, likely to prevent the crimson shame across her face being viewed by others.

"..."

"..."

"Apparently not very well..." She muttered quietly. She must've got carried away when trying on that dress. I would've thought asking Hirata personally how it looked was a clear sign of interest.

"...If its any consolation I don't think he's realised yet." Or will let on that he does anyway.

"...It was that obvious?"

"I can't speak on if the others have realised. But if anything, I think its admirable."

"Huh?"

"Too many people lose out on opportunities like this for fear of failing or changing the relationship they already have with their unrequited feelings. I think fighting for it is worthy of praise. There's nothing wrong with knowing what you want and working for it." Of course, I couldn't speak to the depth of her attraction or even if it were formed entirely by surface level attributes, but even if that were the case there's nothing particularly wrong with that. There was a level of shallowness involved in romantic attraction, pretending it wasn't there was tantamount to a bald-faced lie. That being said there still needed to be a deeper layer to a truly fulfilling connection or at least that was my understanding of what a relationship entailed. A mixture of both the shallow and deep was necessary, someone that found value in the way you carried yourself in the world and accepted the side that you shunned from the world. I imagined it was much more difficult to find that sort of person than people thought.

"...Am I not wrong for getting in their way? Aren't I just a shameless girl?" She sighed deeply whilst peering over her arms at Karuizawa who was currently dragging Hirata by the hand.

"Depends. Are they already a couple?"

"...I don't think so."

"Then I wouldn't say so. 'All things are fair in love and war.'"

"...Some things are still immoral."

"I agree. But I don't think you can dissuade others from approaching people they're attracted to just by making a claim on them. We aren't the same as animals, more than mere pheromones and a mating dance are required to choose a partner. Hirata has yet to say yes, I'd say you still have a chance."

"...Really?" She had opened up a bit from the turtle shell she had formed. A small smile lift the edge of her lips as her eyes glistened slightly. Never looking up from the floor. They did say that there was no sight more beautiful than a woman in love. Even though Mii-chan was in the eave of her maturity I could understand where such a turn of phrase came from.

"Ayanokouji-kun... If I were to meet you wearing it, would you like it?" Even though I knew she was asking in lieu of Hirata, it was still fairly stimulating for a girl as cute as Mii-chan to be asking that of me.

"I'm of the same mind as Hirata. So long as it suits the girl and they enjoy wearing it, anything's nice. I suppose that isn't a satisfying answer, is it?"

"...Not really."

"In which case I think so long as you bring that infectious smile of yours along any man would be lucky to accompany you. That'd be my answer." Of course, an actual date entailed more than turning up or looking a certain way, but those weren't the words she needed to hear right now. Right now, she needed the confidence to even approach Hirata anything more was putting the cart before the horse.

"...Playboy." She looked deadly unimpressed by my rehearsed line.

"Eh... Guess you have to be Hirata to get away with lines like that."

"Hirata-kun would never be so-so..." Mii-chan seemed to dissolve into a puddle where she was sat. The delusion alone was strong enough to overheat her. Her innocence was rather intriguing.

"Did you just imagine him saying it? Did it make your heart skip a beat?" I was genuinely interested in just how she felt about her overactive imagination. Unfortunately, she had just taken my words as teasing.

"Ahhh! Be quiet, be quiet. I'm not listening. Lalalalalala!" Both of her hands had risen and propped up against her ears, she had even closed her eyes in the face of my assault. Walking away towards the other girls at the till.

I let the rest of the evening go by in peace. Matsushita, Ishizaki and surprisingly Hirata were responsible for the price of our dinner. He had made the choice of sports clothes for Komiya, which he was probably happy for being a basketball junkie. But it wasn't exactly the glamorous dress up that the others were envisioning, meaning particularly lacklustre scores. Although, I think Hirata had planned to take part in the forfeit no matter what.

I found myself wondering what his main motivation was. He presented himself as some sort of entity of control and reliability, pretending he had no preferences. But through Kondou's persistence he had shown a preference for clothing, even something as simple as that proved he had interests that lay outside his responsibilities. Perhaps by interacting more with them I could come to understand. Perhaps even watch the blossoming seeds of a new love that might sprout between Mii-chan and Hirata. Or even witness the interesting love triangle that might erupt between those two and Karuizawa. I suppose only time could tell.

I was out of my comfort zone, quite obviously. But it wasn't an entirely wasted evening. A few of us had even decided to buy some of the outfits that were suggested, obviously I didn't pay out the ludicrous sum that Matsushita had envisioned. But it seemed like a waste not to buy anything... This was the first time that I had gone out with friends as a group, so I wanted a memento for the occasion. My mood rose slightly as I clutched the bag a bit tighter in hand. I didn't want to wear it out or dirty the product. Instead, I think I'll place it somewhere in my room. With little to no decorations or intention to change the layout of the room it lacked personality. But if there was one thing, I wanted...

A shelf. A collection of thoughts and memories from my time in this school.

As those thought bubbled to the surface, I placed the small clothing on the shelf... Hmm. Perhaps that was a strange place to store a hat... Should I do something different with it? Should it be in the centre or at the edge of the shelf? There wasn't anything else to accompany it for now... Ahhh... Forget it, the main part is that it's there.

A reminder.

That I am...

A master baiter.

I'd have to find out what was so funny about that one day.

---

Word count: 5680

There were a few more interactions I wanted to include but the chapter was dragging along for a while now, might include them in a side story chapter from a different POV or something along those lines.

Chapter was a bit all over the place, to be honest I'm just playing around with the different characters, trying to fit some different traits where they seem natural. That's probably why plenty of them seem different from how they're portrayed usually. For one Mori basically has no character so in this she's essentially a manic pixie dream girl to bring some levity to the environment.

Hirata, I think never gets a genuine bond with any other male character partially ignoring Ayanokouji. For me this is the opportunity he gets by interacting with a group of other boys from a different class. He doesn't have to try and control them in the same way he does his own classmates so he can let go a tiny bit and maybe make a genuine friendship with other guys. God knows he needs it.

The others are basically in character, I think. Karuizawa wouldn't be as pushy because she hasn't secured Hirata yet, so she can't take unnecessary risks. Matsushita is pretty level-headed, Shinohara is a social parasite that uses other people's popularity as a shield. Satou is basically flavourless, kinda just there. Not offensive but also doesn't really do anything.

Kushida is Kushida, she lives in this balance of the perfect friend. Which means in reality she has to be constantly active in conversation and participate in the jokes. I dunno about you but the way she's portrayed at times doesn't make her seem like an interesting friend to have. She's basically helpful but also incredibly emotional and preachy at the best of times. Don't care how attractive she is plenty of people would get tired of that shit soon enough. Instead, I wanted her to participate in banter and only regress to preaching when it's necessary for her own goals. Though I suppose that might be because whenever we see Kushida it's because she's a plot device for manipulation and the like.

Anyway, that's it for my ted talk. As always, I hope you all enjoyed be sure to let me know your thoughts below.

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Until next time.