Chapter 52 And you don't want to be separated from me either...
Oh? Isn't this the legendary classmate team building activity? They have such a good relationship!
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who was invited, showed a very well-behaved smile. With the classroom background, he looked like an honest and obedient student.
However, everyone in the class had already suffered at his hands to some extent (?), and would never be deceived by the appearance brought by that baby face.
Wang Ma Xiaoji was only pretending to be asleep, but he had obviously heard what his classmates, whom he had equally named "my favorite," were saying.
Who would have thought that these classmates who seem to have a great relationship now were actually like a bunch of loose sand just a few days ago, and couldn't even get everyone together in the class?
That's really fast progress. But sometimes, friendships do form very quickly. Like… back in Saiki Academy, wasn't that the case too?
Moreover, the students in 1-B have already known each other and spent some time together, and none of them are so isolated that they are completely unable to communicate or interact.
In addition, there were quite a few social terrorists in the class, so everything became logical under Yukizome Chisa's influence.
Hmm—no matter how you look at it, it's a pretty good development, right?
But...maybe he's overthinking it, or maybe...
With a cute smile, Wang Ma Xiaoji seemed very interested in the team building activity that was about to begin that evening, and he kept asking about the details.
"Hey, have you guys decided where to go? Is everyone going? Are we walking, taking a car, or should we have Kozo make a Gundam to take us there?"
“I know that place! I know it very well.”
"Hehe, of course it's because I recently led some of the organization's underlings there to do some really shady things that would be impossible to talk about! That's why I know so much about the situation there. Little Nine-Headed Dragon, who also works in the underworld, should understand, right?"
"Waaaah... Waaah, don't be so mean... It's so scary. I was just trying to help everyone find a shorter route, and this is how I get treated... It's so unfair... Does everyone hate me that much?"
...If this continues, it feels like it will never end.
Many students were easily led astray by Wang Ma Xiaoji, subconsciously following the topics he kept throwing out. And since the students themselves were all highly individualistic, their personalities were reflected in their words, and so… the conversation gradually veered off course towards the moon in this back-and-forth exchange.
However, there are still some normal people in the class who are not easily led astray, or who realize their mistake not long after being led astray.
"Wait a minute. Haven't we all forgotten something?"
After listening for a while, "Ultimate Photographer" Mahiru Koizumi pointed out the problem.
The girl with short red hair, who sometimes gave off a motherly feeling due to her gentle and responsible personality, said, "Ohma-kun hasn't explicitly said 'I'm going' yet, has he? What are you thinking?"
Kazuichi Souda scratched his head: "Huh? Is that so? But he asked so many questions, so he must mean he wants to go together."
Wang Ma Xiaoji beamed, "Huh? No, I'm not going."
The other students in the class: "..."
Was it just my imagination? The classroom, which had been noisy just moments before, suddenly fell silent for a second, and even the background music (?) disappeared.
Mioda Yuifuki, who was only playing an instrument and not singing, looked around in bewilderment: "Huh? What's going on? My hand suddenly stopped uncontrollably! Is this the legendary 'invisible hand'? Is the world going to end?!"
"No, that's not true. It's just that Wang Ma said he won't be coming tonight."
"Oh!! So if Ji-chan can't come, it will bring the end of the world?!"
"...How did you come to this conclusion?"
Let's leave aside the other side, which has become lively again.
Wang Ma Xiaoji patiently explained, "Oh dear, everyone's looking at me like that, I'm getting a little shy... I was just checking in on your plans. This is what you call classmate affection~ I only did this because I like everyone, okay?"
"Is that so...?" After hearing this explanation, Kazuichi Souda scratched his chin with his finger, half believing it and half doubting it. "But why do I feel like you're just teasing us on purpose?"
"Hehe, we've been spotted!"
Wang Ma Xiaoji admitted it quite frankly.
However, before he could withstand the wrath of the other Super High School Level students, the purple-haired boy quickly suppressed his smile, abandoning his previous carefree demeanor and becoming serious in his voice.
"However, I really have something to do tonight, so I can't join you guys. I'm not lying about that."
"and--"
Wang Ma Xiaoji paused, his expression becoming even more serious.
"That's a matter of life and death, so I have to go. Besides, there's someone waiting for me, which means I have a prior agreement with him... I don't intend to break my promise for the time being."
Is it true or false?
The others exchanged bewildered glances after hearing Wang Ma Xiaoji's explanation.
Although Wang Ma is known to lie about eleven out of ten things he says, he's still their classmate and hasn't done anything particularly outrageous. If he gets into trouble, everyone will definitely be willing to help him.
As expected, Wang Ma Xiaoji, with his unusually serious and earnest demeanor, was so solemn it seemed he was about to embark on some bloody and turbulent path of no return: "That's right, tonight..."
He paused deliberately.
"—We're going to a haunted house to exorcise the ghosts!"
Other students: "..."
Believing you're going to perform a ritual to release ghosts is less likely than believing you were caught up in infighting, typed "GG," and then traveled here!
*******
"—That's it! It's a rare event, but I can't go, and now everyone's looking at me with suspicion! If my classmates dislike me, it'll definitely be all Kazuo Kozue's fault!"
After successfully meeting at the central square of Hope's Peak after school, just like the day he first met Yukimi Chisa, Ohma Kokichi sat on a bench in the square, complaining to Tsukino and Chiya about what happened in class that afternoon.
"My problem?" Tsukino and Chiya took a bite of the bread they were holding. Logically, shouldn't the blame be placed on the ghost of the Sarayashiki or Aurora, who was suspected of causing the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?
The bread was bought by Wang Ma Xiaoji from a convenience store in the south campus of the school. The south campus is where Hope Peak undergraduate students live, and in addition to undergraduate dormitories, there are many shops where you can buy daily necessities.
Of course, the shops offer a wide variety of high-quality goods. After all, it's a place that caters to undergraduates who are considered "ultra-high school level" students.
In contrast, preparatory students don't usually get to eat bread this good... oh, except for cases like this where an undergraduate helped buy it for them.
This is dinner for tonight.
Tsukino and Chiya finished eating one piece of bread and reached into their shopping bag to take out another. At the same time, they heard the voice of Ohma Kokichi, who was also holding a piece of bread.
"yes."
The purple-haired boy spoke with certainty.
"Because Kazuo Kozuki is a paranormal expert, it shouldn't be a problem if I skip work for one night, right? After all, Kazuo Kozuki should be able to handle things on his own."
"If that's the case, I can happily go out and play with my new classmates and then come back to find that 'Yay! The incident at the Yashiki Mansion is over and I've survived another day.' Wasn't that the case with the Indians at Uncle Yashiki's place before? ...Huh? This is the first time I've tasted this flavor, and it actually tastes pretty good."
After refuting the claim so many times, Tsukino and Chiya, who were too lazy to repeat lines like "I'm not a paranormal expert," simply said, "Hmm..."
After all, when supernatural beings leave their mark on humans, they don't care about the other person's identity or age. Among the Indians of the past, there were many children who were still quite old. Therefore, when Kazuo Yashiki was choosing companions to explore supernatural events, he would generally try to choose adults, leaving the children to wait at Kujo House.
Therefore, there are cases where children stay in the Kujo Mansion without venturing to the scene of the strange incident, and then the mark naturally disappears after the Yashiki and his companions, who went to investigate the strange event, resolve the matter.
but……
Knowing that Wang Ma Xiaoji hadn't finished speaking, Tsukino and Chiya didn't interrupt rashly. Instead, they continued eating their bread and signaled to the purple-haired boy with their eyes that they were listening and asked him to continue his performance.
Sure enough, Wang Ma Xiaoji, who was also eating bread for dinner, chewed and swallowed for a while, then opened the soda on the chair and took a few sips before continuing the conversation.
"But compared to that, Kozuki and this place are definitely more important. After all, our game starts much earlier, and it would feel like a loss if we missed the chance to unravel the mysteries surrounding Kozuki because we went out to play."
"and--"
"Kozuki Kazuya doesn't want to be separated from me either, does she?"
Upon hearing this, Tsukino and Chiya, who were folding the empty plastic packaging with their heads down, subconsciously looked up and turned their heads to look. But even he couldn't discern anything from Ohma Kokichi's smile at this moment.
It's inevitable to encounter this situation when dealing with liars who can lie without batting an eye. It's precisely because they utter ambiguous statements that it's easy for others to discern their truthfulness and true intentions.
Even if it was originally feigned, it can be presented as genuine. Even if it was originally genuine, it can be pretended to be feigned when brought up again later.
This is the feeling that some people experience from Tsukino and Chiya on a daily basis... Of course, it's only "some people," since unlike Ouma Kokichi, who would tell any exaggerated lie, many people don't actually know that Tsukino and Chiya are often just seriously fooling people on a daily basis.
One can only say that a blank expression is incredibly deceptive.
But now, as if the tables have turned, Tsukino and Chiya have personally experienced this feeling that's hard to distinguish between reality and illusion, and he feels that it's indeed true...
—It's really interesting.
"Eh, thinking about it this way, I really am a heinous criminal. What if, after we go to the Sarayashiki tonight, Kozuki no Kazu is only thinking about me and doesn't care about fighting monsters anymore? I don't want to lose such a useful and free paranormal expert like Kozuki no Kazu, so I had no choice but to come along—Waaaaaaah, I don't want Kozuki no Kazu to die!"
Undoubtedly, there are still loopholes in Wang Ma Xiaoji's words that can be refuted. If they were pointed out, the topic could probably continue to be discussed and joked about.
However, Tsukino and Chiya did not refute it, but simply accepted the accusation that "it is all Tsukino's fault," which actually did not contain any dissatisfaction.
The black-haired boy picked up the last piece of bread and nodded slightly as if in agreement: "I see, then there's nothing we can do."
The new bread in my hand tastes the same as the previous one, but it seems to be a little sweeter.
tasty.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com