"Shizuka-san is clearly very attractive, why does she always meet such strange men?"
"Right?!" For some reason, Hiratsuka felt very comfortable chatting with this junior of hers.
"Always meeting strange men, really bad luck."
Looking at Shinnosuke in front of her, Hiratsuka had a strong urge to invite him out for drinks until they were drunk tonight.
Wine meets a confidant, a thousand cups feel few; words don't match, half a sentence feels like too much.
Whether it was because Shinnosuke didn't look like a playboy, or because under his guidance, she poured out all the anxieties in her heart.
Hiratsuka's mood was very good at the moment, and she liked him more and more.
If it weren't for the sudden phone call that interrupted Hiratsuka's invitation, she actually wanted to invite Shinnosuke for ramen tonight, and then go to an izakaya for a few drinks.
"Hmm hmm, the student list is out? I'll be right there, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Hiratsuka sighed slightly regretfully. The merger of Sobu High with Shuchi'in Academy, plus the approaching start of school, meant more and more matters she had to handle.
"Shinnosuke, add me on LINE, next time if I have time, I'll treat you to ramen!"
"Alright!"
Shinnosuke's real goal was just to get Hiratsuka's contact information. He had already made plans with the Kasukabe Defense Force; if Hiratsuka really invited him for ramen, it would be very troublesome.
On one side were his childhood friends, on the other was the system task; it was very difficult to choose.
"I'll go first, work matters need to be resolved immediately."
Hiratsuka's way of acting was cool and decisive, without any unnecessary lingering. She waved her phone at Shinnosuke, gesturing to contact her via LINE later, then left directly.
After Hiratsuka left, Shinnosuke returned to Kazama and Bo side.
"Damn it! Shin-chan! You're actually so skilled!"
Kazama was very heartbroken; Shinnosuke was too skilled, wasn't he?
Most of Kazama's time was usually spent on tutoring and various interest classes. Although he was popular in middle school, in reality, his cold attitude in class was just an act. He was still an innocent young man who hadn't even held a girl's hand!
"Hahaha, I just saw she looked a little worried, so I chatted with her for a few sentences."
"You…"
Kazama wanted to say something but finally shook his head. Shinnosuke had always been like this; nothing had changed.
"Just be careful, I saw her car keys, it was a luxury car, maybe she's from a wealthy family."
Shinnosuke nodded, not continuing this topic. After chatting with Hiratsuka for a while just now, he already had a rough estimate.
"Nene and Masao have arrived."
Bo looked at his phone and immediately changed the subject.
Hearing Bo words, Kazama also took out his phone.
Sure enough, Nene and Masao had also arrived at the meeting place and were heading to this cafe.
"Let's chat here for a bit, then go for dinner!"
This gathering was organized by Kazama, and he also found the restaurant. It was a restaurant with a decent atmosphere and the price was also quite affordable, as they were all still students and didn't have much pocket money.
Nene and Masao soon arrived. The changes in both of them weren't too big; among the members of the Kasukabe Defense Force, the change in Shinnosuke was the biggest.
Sakurada Nene had long red hair and wore a long pink dress. She looked like a cute beautiful girl, but Shinnosuke, who knew her very well, knew that Nene's personality wasn't as cute as her appearance.
Masao beside her was the shortest among all the boys, and he was much fatter than when he was in kindergarten. He looked like a standard otaku.
However, Masao was still very persistent when it came to manga, constantly practicing his drawing skills. Whether he could successfully become a mangaka in the future was unknown.
"Shin-chan, you've gotten so tall!"
Nene and Masao were surprised to see Shinnosuke's height. The development speed of teenagers during puberty was indeed fast, but Shinnosuke's level was a bit too much, wasn't it?
"Shin-chan, I didn't expect you to become this handsome now."
Handsome could be divided into many types. Shinnosuke's handsomeness was a bright and healthy handsomeness. Because his physical condition far surpassed ordinary people, every move he made exuded a healthy charm that was very deadly to girls.
But because they were too familiar, Nene, who knew Shinnosuke's personality very well, would never possibly like him.
The more familiar childhood friends are, the easier it is to become the loser; it wasn't just a saying.
"Didn't expect Shin-chan to become such a sporty handsome guy after growing up, but Kazama actually became an otaku…"
"What!"
Although Nene's murmur was very soft, Kazama still heard it.
"I'm not an otaku!"
In Japan, otaku wasn't a good term. Most of the useless Heisei generation were otaku. From the energetic Showa men to the Heisei generation who didn't work, didn't socialize, and only locked themselves at home, causing the entire Japanese society to quite look down on otaku.
At least Kazama felt that he, who always got the highest grades in school, was still very popular and not a gloomy otaku.
"Yeah yeah yeah…"
Nene naturally knew Kazama's personal hobbies and didn't comment further.
"It's been so long since we last gathered, don't fight!"
Masao was still the same as before, kind and timid, not wanting everyone to quarrel.
But in reality, being able to quarrel like this when meeting actually showed that their relationship was good.
"Everyone is still the same, it's a shame our high schools aren't the same."
He didn't have many friends, and Shinnosuke didn't socialize much at school either. A few close friends were enough for him; he didn't like joining small groups.
"Your high schools are too amazing, our grades weren't good enough!"
Nene's grades were better than Masao's, but even so, getting into Sobu High alone was unrealistic, let alone Sobu High after merging with Shuchi'in Academy.
After a few people gathered in the cafe, there wasn't the slightest bit of awkwardness. Although they hadn't been together for several years in middle school, their relationship was still very good.
After sitting in the cafe for a while, they went to the restaurant that Kazama had booked. While chatting, they discussed future plans.
"I still want to be a mangaka!"
Masao clenched both his fists, as if he had already made up his mind to become a mangaka.
"Most otaku dreams are like that, if not a mangaka then a novelist, a job that can make money without needing to go out."
Shinnosuke's sarcasm made Masao's expression stiffen.
"But most of the time, that kind of fantasy is fake. The talent needed to become a mangaka and novelist is very rare; most people don't have it. The end result is getting lost in this fantasy and becoming a hikikomori who relies on their parents."
Masao's whole body turned gray, as if all his life's spirit had been drained.
"What Shin-chan said is right. If Masao still clings to this unrealistic fantasy, he'll most likely become a hikikomori."
Another blow from Nene hit Masao's chest, making it even more painful.