COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

In the past few days since returning to school, Kushida Kikyo has been trying to get closer to Hashibara-senpai and gather information. Kanda Shuichi was very touched.

Even though it had nothing to do with her, and she wasn't close to Miyake, she was still so dedicated. It felt like he owed her a big favor.

So, Akito, you better let me boss you around in the future!

Although Kushida focused on Hashibara-senpai these days, she didn't neglect maintaining relationships with classmates.

---

"Actually, next Wednesday is Inogashira's birthday. If possible, should we celebrate for her?"

Inogashira, the girl they met during lunch, looked simple and cute.

No wonder you don't have enough points with so many friends.

But Kanda Shuichi wasn't really interested in such things.

Japanese people, for special reasons, often follow religions. Besides Christianity and Buddhism, there are many strange sects, often called cults.

Although many people don't follow these sects, they still take birthdays very seriously.

After Kushida mentioned birthdays, Kanda Shuichi remembered his own birthday was on February 1st, still some time away.

"But I don't really want to go."

Kanda Shuichi didn't hide his thoughts, but it was all in vain.

"I'll come find you later."

You just want to drag me out of my room, don't you?

What's wrong with letting me stay in the dorm, enjoy the air conditioning, and live a lazy life?

Just as Kushida said, within ten minutes, she knocked on Kanda Shuichi's door, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and skirt.

It feels like she comes here every day. Opening the door is a hassle. Should I give her a spare room card?

"You're really fast."

Opening the door, Kanda Shuichi, just getting up from bed with messy hair, yawned.

"Did you just wake up?"

Kushida Kikyo asked, a bit unsure.

"Yeah, I stayed up late reading a novel last night."

After letting Kushida Kikyo in, Kanda Shuichi grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Guys usually take less time to shower than girls, especially in summer. It's basically just using body wash and rinsing off with cold water, maybe spending a bit more time washing their hair.

So, about ten minutes later, Kanda Shuichi came out with wet hair.

He didn't always use a hairdryer after washing his hair, especially in summer. He just used a towel to dry it enough so it wouldn't drip.

"Aren't you going to dry your hair?"

Sitting on Kanda Shuichi's bed, Kushida looked at his damp hair.

"Uh, it's summer, it'll dry once I go outside, right?"

"No way! If you don't dry it, you might get a headache."

As she spoke, Kushida took a hairdryer from the desk drawer and patted Kanda Shuichi's computer chair, making her intention clear.

Since she went to this extent, it would be rude for Kanda Shuichi to refuse, so he sat down in the chair.

Kushida plugged in the hairdryer, and with one hand, she combed through Kanda Shuichi's hair while using the hairdryer with the other.

In just a few minutes, Kanda Shuichi's hair was dry.

"Good, remember to dry your hair every time after washing it."

Kushida smiled, satisfied with her work.

"Okay, okay. By the way, isn't Inogashira's birthday next Wednesday? Today is only Sunday, right? We still have three days, no need to rush."

"Of course, we need to prepare the gift in advance. Otherwise, three days will pass quickly while hesitating. Shuichi, have you never had a girlfriend?" Kushida asked, putting away the hairdryer.

Kanda Shuichi remained silent, and Kushida seemed a bit pleased.

"Let's go then, the sooner we buy it, the sooner we can rest!"

Ah, he changed the subject, which means I was right.

Before even leaving the room, just standing at the door, Kanda Shuichi felt a wave of heat. It was not even ten in the morning, and the weather was already so hot.

He grabbed a wristband hanging on the wall above the shoe cabinet and put it on his left wrist.

Of course, it wasn't for wrist protection; Kanda Shuichi used it to wipe sweat.

When they reached the dormitory lobby, Kanda Shuichi realized that Kushida wasn't the only one going shopping. She had also called some friends, like Karuizawa...

And two others, one named Matsushita Chiaki and the other Shinohara Satsuki? The three were sitting on the lobby sofa, chatting happily, not noticing Kanda Shuichi and Kushida had come down.

He thought if there were others, it would be Wang Mii-chan, since Kushida was close to her. But she wasn't there, and Karuizawa was.

"I didn't see Wang Meiyu. Didn't you invite her?"

"Mii-chan and Karuizawa don't really get along."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yeah, Mii-chan actually has a crush on Hirata, but Karuizawa suddenly became Hirata's girlfriend, so Mii-chan has never liked Karuizawa."

I see, what a complicated situation. This reminds Kanda Shuichi that just by dating Hirata, Karuizawa has made quite a few enemies.

Maybe I should remind her, so she doesn't unknowingly make more people dislike her.

Since I promised to look out for her, I should do these things.

"Good morning, Karuizawa, Matsushita, Shinohara."

Kushida walked up to them and greeted them first.

"Ah, good morning, Kushida." Karuizawa responded and then noticed Kanda Shuichi approaching.

"Huh!? Kushida really brought Kanda out? Are you two in that kind of relationship?"

The girl named Matsushita noticed Kanda Shuichi and looked surprised.

"Ahaha, actually, we talked a lot during the test on the ship, so Kanda isn't that hard to get along with."

Kushida tried to play dumb.

Kanda Shuichi took this opportunity to join them and said in the friendliest tone possible, "Hello, it's impressive you came out in this hot sun."

"Good morning, Kanda. About that, hehe, I brought a sunshade." Matsushita Chiaki proudly took out a beautiful sunshade from her bag.

"Ah! Let me borrow it later."

...

Maybe because they weren't familiar with Kanda Shuichi, after greeting each other, he was quickly left aside.

Kanda Shuichi observed the three girls. He didn't know much about them before, but this brief interaction revealed their characteristics.

Karuizawa Kei, though strong-willed, cared a lot about her small group and thought things through thoroughly. Matsushita Chiaki seemed to go along with the other two, acting as a mediator. As for Shinohara, Kanda Shuichi thought she was just an ordinary person.

As for Kushida, Kanda Shuichi already knew her well, so there was no need to analyze her.

After chatting for a bit, the group of four girls and one boy headed to Keyaki Mall Shopping Center.

"Have you decided what gifts to buy?"

Kanda Shuichi wasn't interested in their girl talk. He was more interested in when he could go back. Shopping with one girl was tiring enough, let alone four.

Sorry, I can't handle it!

"Yeah, there's a shop in the mall that sells gifts for girls. We're planning to check it out."

That's good. Having a destination makes things easier. If they can't decide on a gift, I'll just use my money to buy everything they're unsure about.

Besides the gift for Inogashira, the rest can be gifts for them.

Kushida has helped me a lot and is still working hard, so it's only fair to reward her.

Karuizawa Kei, as the owner, occasionally needs to soothe the other person's emotions to prevent them from feeling abandoned and causing trouble.

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