Nao nodded in agreement.
"That's probably the case. And judging by that little girl's condition, she must have gone through something really terrible..."
But her serious demeanor didn't last even two seconds before she grabbed Jojiro by the collar and questioned him.
"And what about... Zhiend? Do you have a problem with him?"
"Cut it out! You're still thinking about that in this situation? Who's the real student council president here, you or me?"
Hakuto stepped in between their arguments. Right now, the bigger picture was more important; petty quarrels could wait.
"Hah? You delinquent idiot, we still have unfinished business."
"Violent girl, are you looking for a fight?"
Weren't you just saying you'd put the little squabbles behind you? Why are you arguing again?
After a long while, the situation finally got back on track. Nao looked at the little girl sitting on the stairs, clutching her head, and shared her thoughts.
"Having this kind of ability must be tough on her…"
"A person's outward appearance and their inner thoughts can be completely different. Many so-called gentlemen, warm and refined on the outside, are actually disgustingly filthy inside."
"And from the way she looked just now, she's obviously struggling with the burden of her ability."
"So, what do you plan to do? Be a kind, big sister and comfort her? Stay by her side?"
"Something like that... But we can't have too many people around her. We don't want what just happened to repeat itself."
Saying this, Nao glanced at Jojiro.
Receiving her gaze, Joujirou quickly responded, "I'm great at comforting people."
"Hah? I really don't want to hear your filthy thoughts."
Then, Nao turned to Yusa.
"Nishimori... You should probably sit this one out."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same."
As a popular idol, Yusa clearly wasn't suited for this task. Wherever she went, fans would gather in droves.
And if the media ever caught wind of Yusa's inner thoughts, that would be a massive scandal.
"So that means you're going alone? Alright, everyone, dismissed! Go home!"
Hakuto said excitedly. If he didn't have to be part of this mission, it was practically like getting a day off—and he loved days off!
But Nao quickly threw cold water on his excitement.
"You! You're coming with me."
"You're joking, right?"
Hearing Nao's words, Hakuto thought he must have misheard.
After all, the two of them were born incompatible, destined to clash no matter the situation.
"What? If something unusual happens, I won't be able to handle it alone. Besides, this is a great opportunity to strengthen our friendship, don't you think?"
"Strengthen? Friendship? Here, take my middle fingers!"
"Oha~"
Nao launched a flying kick at Hakuto, but this time, he dodged it perfectly.
As if! The only reason he got hit last time was that he was completely off guard.
Now that he was prepared, there was no way he'd get kicked again! If he did, he might as well go stand on the street like a fool!
Despite his complaints, Hakuto still obediently followed Nao to meet the mind-reading girl—after all, he was getting paid.
Nao and Hakuto approached the little girl, exchanged a glance, and then sat down on either side of her.
"Hey there, mind if we get to know each other? My name is Shiratori Hakuto, and she's Tomori Nao."
The next second, Hakuto heard Nao's inner monologue.
[What a lame way to start a conversation...]
[Can you control your thoughts for once?]
[Hah? You think this is something I can just turn on and off?]
While they were bickering in their minds, the girl in the knitted hat responded to Hakuto's words.
"My name is Iori..."
"What a cute name. Well, now that we've exchanged names, we're officially friends!"
[As expected from a professional.]
[Shut up!]
[I'm keeping quiet, see?]
Hearing the word "friend," Iori suddenly started shaking her head vigorously, clutching her head as if recalling something unpleasant.
"No... Everyone around me always ends up arguing... Just like you two did earlier."
"That's not true. We were just playfully teasing each other. We're actually really good friends."
As she spoke, Nao patted Hakuto on the shoulder.
"Right? Hahaha~"
"Yeah..."
[Don't break, don't wither away~]
Hakuto tried his best to suppress his urge to retort, distracting himself by humming a catchy tune in his head.
Iori hesitated, then asked, "Really?"
Nao confidently patted her chest. "Of course!"
[Yeah, right!]
Hakuto finally lost control of his thoughts!
Naturally, Nao caught on to this slip. The next second, she took action in her own way.
"Ada!"
"Again?"
Of course, Nao's method was a physical one, but this time, Hakuto blocked her punch perfectly.
"See? You two are fighting again."
Hearing Iori's words, Nao withdrew her hand and shook her head dismissively.
"No, no, this is just friendly banter between friends."
Saying that, she threw a glance at Hakuto.
Nao: [Say anything weird, and you're dead.]
Hakuto: [Hey, hey! Your thoughts are showing.]
Nao: [So what? Just some friendly communication between friends.]
Hakuto: [Walking alone through the dark alley~]
Seeing that Hakuto didn't mess up, Nao turned back to Iori with a smile.
"See? We're really good friends. We wouldn't argue over something like this."
Hakuto: [Loving you for standing tall~]
"But that brother over there is still singing..."
"Oh, don't mind him. It's just a little hobby of his."
"Yeah, yeah, just a small hobby."
Hakuto quickly agreed. At this point, just singing wasn't enough to suppress his urge to roast everything—he needed something else to do.
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