Volume 2 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

Chapter 1 - Biped's Bubbling List Of Friendly Familiarity

The prince was confused.

"Set up a tent? Me? That's far too outlandish for my noble status!"

Those were his honest, true and unfiltered thoughts.

A simple tent wouldn't do for someone of his status, would it?

But that assumption would be proven wrong quickly once the prince realized his fatal error.

That even he, someone noble and elegant, needed a simple tent at times.

No egregiously decorated palaces, no diamond adorned carriages—

Just a humble tent to recover one's energy.

The prince thought and thought. His head churned.

And, finally, he made a decision.

Turning towards the raven-black knight, he opened his mouth:

"Let me set up my tent somewhere else."

---

It was break time after first period. The bell rang, Kawamura-sensei dismissed us, and everyone wandered over to hang out with their respective group of friends...

Is what would have happened if I hadn't volunteered myself. I glanced to the side and noticed Izumi was still sitting in her chair, big eyes focused on mine. Mimimi, Takahiro, Hinami and Nakamura made their way towards me. Takei stomped through the classroom like a bulldozer, pushing anyone in his way to the side like they were bowling pins, and once he reached his destination, wildly grabbed the edge of my desk with his hands.

Hm? Hinami's standing farther away from me than anyone else...

"Guys—" I didn't even manage to utter one sentence before someone else cut me off.

"Dude!!" Takei screamed. "You're definitely gonna lead us to victory, right?!"

I internally hoped Takei's mood would return down to earth. That grin on his face made it really hard for me to continue in any meaningful way.

"I'll try my best," I said, clasping my hands under my chin. I readied myself for the incoming barrage of inquiries.

Takahiro quickly glanced at me, then smiled deviously. "You know, I kind of expected this."

"You did?" I asked him curiously. Takahiro didn't know about any background deal as far as I knew. Or someone unintentionally leaked some intel... No, she wouldn't make such a careless slip-up—that's why I agreed to it in the first place.

"Yeah, just a gut feeling, you know?"

He gave a short, vaguely mocking and mysterious laugh, but I couldn't detect any trace of malice behind that gesture. With his hands in his pockets, Takahiro shot a glance at Hinami, then looked back at me.

Then, as if they were following Takei's energetic entry and Takahiro's smooth follow-up, the other visitors started chiming in.

"Come on, Ayanokōji-kun! I'm sure you're good at, like, managing and setting stuff up!" Izumi's beaming smile showed its power in full brilliance. I feared I'd get overwhelmed by her excitement.

"Where did you get that impression from?"

It wasn't outright wrong, but she was definitely pushing her own narrative. Sure, I may have "helped" her out that one time, but that was all.