Chapter 4

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Ayanokouji's POV

After we left the izakaya, I noted a few people glancing at us, but paid no heed to them. We leisurely strolled the mall once again, taking note of some more of the shops. Tokitou was especially enthusiastic about the sporting goods stores, looking at all the baseball-related apparel. I offered to stay with him while Nishino split off from us to go to the neighboring beauty product store to purchase mandatory cosmetics. I honestly should have gone with her, despite the trouble it would have caused. Tokitou went on a spiel about how the Yomiuri Giants were the best baseball team in Japan and the Hanshin Tigers could not hope to match up. Luckily, I had mastered the art of pseudolistening, learned from my time in the White Room. Listening to bureaucratic bullshit and the logistics of the White Room wasn't in my interest. If everything goes as planned, that place will...

Even though Tokitou wanted to get a cap or a jersey first, he listened to my previous advice and decided to postpone his potential purchases. We left the store and sat on a bench, waiting for Nishino.

"Hiroya, you said you saw a lot of troublemakers in this class, right?" I suddenly asked Tokitou, "How many did you recognize?"

"Well there's Oda Takumi. He's pragmatic and opportunistic, generally getting into conflicts when there's something to gain from it. It's strange seeing him without his usual hoodie and hat though. I guess he didn't want his shit getting smushed in his suitcase."

Unimportant, but okay

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Unimportant, but okay. That opportunistic nature is something I need to keep in mind.

"Ishizaki and his two cronies are here, Kondou and Komiya. Ishizaki often goads people into fighting and fights a little dirty—"

"I think you're all filthy," I jested.

Tokitou gave a little elbow shove to my side with a smirk.

"As I was saying, unlike Oda who's pragmatic in nature, Ishizaki's just wild and is opportunistic in fights. He's been known to sucker punch people to start a fight after feigning disinterest in one. Despite him being kinda dumb, he's a rather technical fighter for a delinquent."

This Ishizaki is nothing to worry about, then. He can be a useful asset, though.

"The magenta-haired kid is Ryuuen. I don't know much about him besides hearing that he's a troublemaker. He somehow gets off scot-free though. If everyone knows he's a troublemaker, why isn't there any shit connected to him? Who knows, he might actually be a decent guy."

From that vague description, that's clearly a lie. He does pique my interest in him. He has a solid build and he sounds sly.

"All— oh hey, Takeko," Tokitou had called out to the approaching girl with a small gift bag.

"Oya, are you approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" he suddenly asked.

What? Why would she run away from us? Unless Tokitou stinks or something. I obviously can't stink. No true masterpiece is a stinker.

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