Chapter 3: I Have Friends,You know?

The cafeteria was echoing with chatter and rustling as students passed by one another with trays in their hands. Masachika had come here with his friends for lunch,and they were in the middle of staring at the menu at the entrance while they pondered what they would order.

"Oh,hey.Look. They've got something new."

One item with the word new underneath it had caught Masachika's attention: mapo-tofu ramen, a simple dish of spicy mapo tofu dumped on top of ramen-and a godsend for someone like Masachika, who loved ramen and spicy food.

"Mapo-tofu ramen? So it's Chinese food topped with Chinese food."Takeshi Maruyama laughed; he had been friends with Masachika ever since middle school. Takeshi had a shaved head and was slightly shorter than Masachika.

"Takeshi, ramen technically isn't Chinese food,though."

"Wait.It isn't?"

"Nope. The word ramen itself is actually Japanese."

Hikaru Kiyomiya was the one who shared that piece of trivia. He had also been friends with Masachika ever since middle school. He was a delicate,beautiful, androgynous young man with naturally lght hair and eyes. He was one of the most gorgeous guys in the entire school, which was evident by the fact that every girl walking into the cafeteria gushed over him as they passed by.

"Have you two already decided what you're going to get?"

"Yep."

"Yes."

After exchanging brief nods, they walked into the cafeteria, then placed a handkerchief and some tissues on a table to claim their seats before heading over to the line for food. Once they put in their orders, they returned to their seats and began eating. Of course, it was Masachika's mapo-tofu ramen that became the focus of attention.

"Whoa... It's even redder than it was in te picture."

"That looks way too spicy."

"Not at all. It needs to be spicier if anything. Still tastes good, though."

Sitting across from Masachika, Takeshi and Hikaru watched in obvious disbelief as he slurped up his noodles, but Masachika himself was calm as could be.

"Hmm... Let me try some of your noodles."

"Ooh,me too."

"Sure."

"Thanks... What the...?! This is spicy as hel1!"

"Ack! It burns going down...!"

They dug into the ramen with their chopsticks, but the instant they took a bite,they frowned and reached for their cups.

"Okay, guys. You can't call something spicy if the steam doesn't make your eyes water," Masachika chided.

"That is a bizarre definition of spicy."

"You can say that again."

"Real spicy ramen burns your lips to the point where you can't even slurp them up like ordinary noodles."

"'Spicy'? Sounds more like feisty. Am I right?"

"I can't even imagine ramen that spicy."

"It would tear through your stomach, too, of course."

"The hell,man? Don't eat stuff that you know's going to give you diarrhea,"Takeshi replied promptly, when all of a sudden, there was commotion at the cafeteria's entrance. They instinctively looked toward the noise and saw three girls walk in.

"Oh, it's the student council... I don't see the president or the vice president anywhere, though. Still not every day you see three of them together like this.It's...Wow."

Takeshi gasped as he watched them walk by, his peers oohing and aahing the whole time. The guys were drooling over them while the girls looked up to them like idols.

"The Kujou sisters are so beautiful, aren't they?" Hikaru muttered softly as he looked at Alisa, who stood out the most due to her silver hair, and the slightly shorter girl walking in front of her. This girl, Maria Mikhailovna Kujou,was a second-year student and the student council secretary. She was Alisa's older sister by one year and was called Masha by those close to her. However,neither her hair color nor style were anything like her sister's. While Maria had fair skin,it was more like light compared with the average Japanese person's, unlike Alisa's almost translucent milky-white skin. Her shoulder-length wavy hair was light brown, and she had bright, chocolate-colored, gentle almond-shaped eyes.Her figure, including her baby face, was also closer to that of the average Japanese person. It was almost hard to tell which one of them was older at first glance when she stood next to Alisa, who had a slim, tall, and mature figure.However, one glance below Maria's face would clear up any misunderstanding.She had the body of an older sister. More specifically, she had huge breasts. And a huge rear as well. While Alisa had a figure that stood out from the average Japanese person's, Maria had an even more "feminine" body. Her voluptuous figure and inherently gentle personality and style gave her a very maternal appearance, which was unexpected from someone her age. In fact, she was even called Madonna by some of her peers.

"Maria is so cute. I'd love to get to know her."

"I heard she has a boyfriend, though,"chimed in Hikaru.

"Yeah,I know! Dammit! Who's the lucky guy?!"

Takeshi's dreamy expression instantly turned into a teeth-grinding scowl,causing Masachika to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Wait. Takeshi? 'Who's the lucky guy'? I thought you of all people would know."

"Not sure what you mean by 'you of all people,' but whatever. All I know is it's some Russian guy."

"Huh."

"I wonder if it's a long-distance relationship. I heard that Maria goes to Russia quite a bit."

Hikaru had a point. The Kujou sisters often went back and forth between Russia and Japan due to their father's work. Alisa had even lived in Russia until she was five, before coming to Japan for her first year of elementary school. She then went back to Russia during her fourth year and returned to Japan during her third year of middle school.

"I guess if they're long-distance, that means they've been dating for over a year now... I don't stand a chance."

"True... Besides, she's apparently turned down every guy who has asked her out so far because of this boyfriend."

"Takeshi wouldn't stand a chance, in any case,"chimed in Masachika,forcing his friend to confront this cold, harsh fact.

"Oh,shut up! Don't act all cocky just 'cause you and Princess Alya are close!" Takeshi furiously snorted.

"Yeah, I don't know about that. It's more like she puts up with me."

"Still better than her being completely uninterested in you. She barely talks to anyone, and if you try to approach her, she basically just cuts you off with some businesslike reply."

"Well, we have been sitting next to each other for over a year now..."

"Even then, man. I mean, I'm pretty sure you're the only person who can get away with calling her by her nickname to her face."

"Yeah,I guess..."

"Man...I wish the solitary princess would let me call her by her nickname,too..."

"Why don't you try, then? Be aggressive. She's your classmate, too, you know?" suggested Masachika. Takeshi grimaced as he waved his hand in front of his face.

"No way, man. I wouldn't even know how to approach someone that perfect."

"Doesn't mean you should be sneaking photos of her."

"Can you blame me? Look how beautiful she is," argued Takeshi with an air of innocence before Masachika's reproachful gaze. If it wasn't obvious already,Takeshi was one of the three guys who'd had his smartphone confiscated that morning for secretly taking pictures of Alisa. In fact, he was the ringleader of the group.

"Sigh... I could stare at her all day. She is legit eyegasm material. And her sister? Put those two together, and I'm gonna need an extra pair of underwear."

"Takeshi, that was seriously gross."

"Yeah, I legit threw up a little in my mouth."

Even Takeshi's two friends were disgusted by his euphoric expression as he gawked at the Kujou sisters, but Takeshi himself looked back at Masachika and Hikaru as if they were the ones with the problem.

"What? Don't tell me you guys disagree. I've never seen anyone as pretty as them in my life."

"I mean, I admit they're good-looking, but you shouldn't worship them.Alya's actually kind of funny once you get to know her...in more ways than one."

"'Ooh, look at me. I'm Masachika. I know thereal Alya.'Humblebrag much?"

"I wasn't bragging."

"So she's 'kind of funny,' huh? I'm impressed you of all people can say something like that with a straight face."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, Hikaru? Trying to tell me to know my place?"

"That's not what I meant. I was just saying how I admire that you could say something like that about someone who gets after you every single day."

"Oh..."

Masachika looked away and gave a slight nod. One of the reasons he was fine with Alisa scolding him every day was because she was right. But even more than that, it was because what she whispered to herself in Russian occasionally was always extremely sweet. Plus, Alisa wouldn't be scolding him all the time if she actually hated him to begin with. She would just ignore him...which meant that deep down inside, she probably enjoyed their exchanges. That was why Masachika didn't let her complaints bother him. He would never be able to tell anyone that, though.

"Anyway, how about trying to talk to her? Nothing big. You might be surprised to find you two have a lot in common."

"Yeah... But after what happened last year? I don't know."

Masachika nodded back at Takeshi with understanding. A young, beautiful transfer student had suddenly appeared last year like a comet. She, Alisa,instantly became the center of attention. Transfer students in general were extremely rare at Seiren Academy. The reason for this was simple: The entrance exam for transfer students was extremely difficult. Although the highly selective school was tough to get into already, the exam for transfer students was so hard that only a tenth of the current students, at most, could pass it. Nevertheless, not only did Alisa pass the entrance exam for transfer students, but she also got the highest scores on her midterms in her grade. Plus, she was beautiful. It would be more surprising if she wasn't the center of attention. But while countless guys and girls tried to befriend her, she always kept her distance and never tried to get close to anyone. In no time flat, people started calling her the solitary princess.

"If I'm going to try to make a move on one of them, it's going to be Yuki.By process of elimination, of course," claimed Takeshi while looking at one of the girls lined up to order food. She had long, black, shiny hair that went down to her waist, and while she was small in stature, she had a well-proportioned feminine body. It didn't appear to be as sensual as Alisa's or Maria's at firstglance. However, despite her dainty looks, she displayed elegance through her firm posture and graceful gestures as if to hint at a proper noble upbringing. She,Yuki Suou, was a first-year student and the student council publicist. She was the eldest daughter from a family of former nobility who had worked as diplomats for generations. She was genuinely one of the elites. Just like how students called Alisa the solitary princess, Yuki's peers referred to her as the noble princess due to her high social skills and refined behavior, making her the other "beautiful princess" on campus.

"Like, I know she's out of my league, but she's easy to talk to, so at least I still have a chance, unlike with Princess Alya."

As Takeshi continuously nodded to himself, Hikaru skeptically tilted his head.

"Do you really have a chance, though? Yuki is known for having turned down more guys than even Alisa."

"Mmm... Yeah... Maybe she's not looking for a boyfriend? Or maybe she has a fiancé already, just like real nobility? So, Masachika?What's the deal with her?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Who else would I ask? You two grew up together," argued Takeshi,emphasizing each word as his eyes smoldered with jealousy. Masachika sighed.

"She doesn't have a fiancé as far as I know. I don't know if she's interested in dating, though."

"Then go ask her."

"No."

"Why?! Come on! Be a friend!"

"Real friends don't use their friendship to pressure others into doing something."

"Oh. Yes, I agree with Masachika on that."

"Ack!"

Takeshi was immediately silenced by the verbal cross fire hitting him from every direction. When Masachika just happened to glance over at the food line,he saw that the three girls had begun looking for empty seats with their trays in hand. It looked like there was nowhere left to sit until all of a sudden, a student in the corner of the cafeteria waved someone over. After Maria said something to the other two, she began walking over to the girl waving, most likely her friend or classmate. The other two kept looking around the cafeteria until Yuki's and Masachika's eyes met. She recognized him right away and her gaze slid to his side where there were two empty seats at the end of the table.

Guess I know where they're sitting now.

Right as Masachika's gut told him that, Yuki said something to Alisa and started walking straight toward them, which flustered Takeshi and made him immediately straighten his posture.

"Masachika, are these seats taken?"

All eyes were on Yuki, so the sharp crease that appeared in Alisa's brow the moment those words left Yuki's lips went unnoticed.

"Oh,uh. No, they're all yours. You guys don't mind, right?"

"O-of course not."

"Be my guest."

"Thanks," she replied with a gorgeous smile before walking around to the other side of the table and sitting next to Masachika. Alisa then sat next to Takeshi, diagonally to the right of Masachika.

"I knew we'd order the same thing,Masachika."

Yuki also had a bowl of mapo-tofu ramen, which belied her upper-class vibe.

"Wow, uh... I didn't know you ate stuff like that, too,Ms. Suou,"stammered Takeshi nervously. Yuki took a hair tie out of her pocket and put her hair up into a ponytail with an awkward smile.

"You don't have to be so formal. It's not like we just met. We're classmates."

"B-but,like...Yeah,you're right."

"And of course I eat ramen. We don't eat it at home, but I often go out on the weekends for ramen."

"R-really? I guess I misjudged you."

Both Takeshi's and Hikaru's eyes were wide in astonishment after hearing how down-to-earth Yuki was, a departure from her ladylike image at school. She smiled even wider before elegantly beginning to slurp her noodles. Masachika waited until she was eating and shot Takeshi a look.You're way too nervous.

Speak for yourself. Maybe you are, but not me.

You wanna get to know her, right? How are you going to do that when you're trembling in your seat?

Sorry, but she's just out of my league.

Giving up already?!

As they conversed like this with their eyes, Yuki suddenly took a break from her ramen and exhaled deeply in satisfaction.

"This is really good, isn't it? I kind of wish it was a little spicier, though."

"Right? It needs more chili oil."

"I saw they had soy sauce and salt at the counter, but there wasn't any chili oil, unfortunately. The student council may need to have a talk about this during our next meeting."

"Way to abuse your power for self-gain," joked Masachika.

"I'm kidding," said Yuki, giggling.

Another unnoticed crease appeared in Alisa's brow as she quietly ate her lunch while listening to their friendly banter... The crease deepened until she eventually closed her eyes and consciously changed her expression.

"Are you two close?" Alisa casually asked.

"We're childhood friends, actually," said Yuki, grinning cheerfully after facing forward.

"Since childhood...?"

"We've actually been going to the same school ever since kindergarten.We've unfortunately never had class together, though."

"Oh..."Alisa nodded ambiguously, making it unclear if she was satisfied with Yuki's answer.

"What about you two? Are you two close?" asked Masachika.Alisa paused as if she didn't know the answer to that question, so Yuki decided to speak up instead.

"I guess you could say...we're still getting to know each other. I want to be friends with Alisa, at the very least," she explained while gently smiling at Alisa and tilting her head. Alisa, wide-eyed, didn't quite know where to look.

With her eyes averted, Alisa gave an odd reply. "...There's nothing good about being friends with me."

Yuki blinked a few times, but a smile soon played upon her lips once more."In other words, you aren't against the idea of us becoming friends, right?"

"Oh... Yeah,I guess?""Then let's be friends! We're both in the student council and the same grade, after all. Oh, hey! Do you think I could call you Alya,too? I always thought it was the cutest nickname whenever I heard Masha and Masachika call you that!"

"S-sure...Go ahead."

"Hee-hee! I can't stop smiling! You can call me Yuki or whatever you want,too,okay,Alya?"

"...Okay,Yuki."

Strangely enough, Alisa leaned away from Yuki, who was cheerfully giggling with her hands clasped together.

"I'm glad you two are friends now, but your ramen's gonna get soggy if you don't hurry," warned Masachika.

"Ah! I totally forgot about my ramen!"

Alisa watched with slight bewilderment as Yuki hurriedly ate her ramen;then she noticed that Masachika was staring, so she pouted awkwardly.

"So... Kuze... What have you been telling Ms. Su-Yuki about me?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing really... Just about how you always get mad at me and...that's about it."

"You make it sound like I'm always angry, but it's always your fault,"argued Alisa as the corner of her eyebrows curled furiously.

"Can't deny that," replied Masachika, lowering his head as Yuki giggled.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed,Masachika."

"Hmm?"

"Masachika always speaks so highly of you, Alya. He told me you're a really hard worker and how he really respects you."

"...?!"

"I never said I respected her."

"But you still unconditionally show respect for hardworking people. Am I wrong?"replied Yuki as if she were some all-knowing, omnipresent being.

Masachika awkwardly looked away before facing forward once more,staring at Takeshi and Hikaru as if to say, "Come on, guys. Say something."Hikaru and Takeshi exchanged glances, gave each other slight nods,then simultaneously stood up with their trays.

"Well,we're done eating, so we should get going."

"See you all later." Masachika tried to plead with his eyes as the two traitors started leaving.Hey?!

Sorry, but I can't stomach any more of this.

I'm not comfortable around women for prolonged periods of time.

They then averted their gazes and hurriedly left the cafeteria, rendering all of Masachika's begging for naught. With his eyes, burning with resentment,locked on their backs, he suddenly heard Alisa whisper in Russian:

"<Hmph. Unbelievable.>"

When he turned around, Alisa seemed to be pouting, and yet she appeared to be somewhat happy as well. Noticing Masachika's stare, she immediately looked down at her food and quietly continued eating. Having finished all his ramen even to the last drop of broth, Masachika decided to simply watch her eat, but when she glanced up and noticed, she mumbled in Russian:

"<Stop staring at me, you jerk.>"

Alisa lowered her gaze even more while absorbing herself in her lunch,which made Masachika feel all warm inside.

it.Ohhh. She must be embarrassed after hearing that I respect her. Now I get

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but watch. It wasn't because he didn't understand Russian or was dense. He simply felt compelled to use his secret weapon.

"Huh? What was that, Alya?" he asked.

"By the way, Masachika...," chimed in Yuki, who still didn't understand the situation but could sense something was off, "...did you think about joining the student council like I asked?"

Alisa's chopsticks froze; Masachika rolled his eyes as if to say,"This again?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested. Besides,didn't you already get some new members the other day?"

"We did, but they didn't last long..."

This year's student council had started about a month before, in the beginning of June. The student council at this school was slightly unique because students ran as pairs for the positions of president and vice president,and the two elected got to decide who the other members were and what they did. Therefore, the number of members changed every year, and the current positions being held were president, vice president, secretary (Maria), accountant (Alisa), and publicist (Yuki). These were the only five members. In other words,there weren't any general members.

"I thought you said you were only going to allow girls to join this year,since horny teenage guys would keep anything from getting done. What happened to the three people you mentioned last time we talked? Don't tell me they all quit."

"They said they weren't good enough..."

"Oh..."

Masachika could understand how they felt. The mostly-female student council was incredible in more ways than one. It didn't help that the vice president and Maria were considered the two most beautiful girls in their grade,just like the two "beautiful princesses," Alisa and Yuki, who were also members of the student council. That alone would make any girl feel self-conscious,and yet to make matters even worse, Alisa was at the top of her grade, and Yuki used to be the president of the student council in middle school. Having to see someone better-looking and more talented than you every day would be hell for any girl. Even a guy joining the student council with the intent of hooking up with one of the beautiful girls would feel disheartened and quit once he saw how much more capable they were than him.

"That's why I think you would be a perfect fit, Masachika. You're more than qualified, and I think you would work really well with Alya and me. Plus,you already proved you could do it when you were the student council vice president in middle school."

"...?!"

Alisa stared wide-eyed with shock at Masachika after hearing that tidbit from Yuki.He frowned.

"Kuze was the vice president?" Alisa asked.

"Yep. In middle school two years ago, I was the president, and Masachika was the vice president."

"Oh..."

"It was a long time ago, and I'm never doing it again," Masachika insisted.

Yuki smiled, though she was clearly vexed by Masachika waving his hand around in genuine disgust, and she tilted her head at Alisa, who was still staring at Masachika in astonishment.

"You might be surprised, but Masachika gets things done when he needs to...despite being like this most of the time."

"What's that supposed to mean? 'This'?"

"Hee-hee! I wonder that myself sometimes."Alisa pouted while listening to their friendly banter. She seemed bothered.

"<I know he can. Hmph.>"

But her Russian whispers didn't reach their ears.

"Anyway, I need to stop by the student council room before class."

"Oh,okay.See you after school."

"Yes,see you after school."

"Later,Yuki."

"Please give my proposal some thought, okay, MIasachika?"

"It's not happening!"

"Ha-ha-ha."

"Hey! What are you smiling for?"

"Oh, no reason. Have a good day."

After leaving the cafeteria, Yuki bowed gracefully and walked away while Masachika crudely waved her good-bye.

"You two sure are close," commented Alisa, her voice 20 percent colder and more piercing than usual.

"Is that surprising?"

"Yes,very. I can't believe you have a female friend," sharply jested Alisa,causing Masachika to raise an eyebrow.

"Wait. That's what surprises you?"

"Yes,and?"

"I mean..." Masachika looked at Alisa as if she had two heads, then he pointed at her. "You. You're a female friend."

"..."

She slowly blinked, her expression blank, and tiled her head inquisitively.

"...We're...friends?"

"Huh? We're not,then?"

"..."

Alisa fell silent for a few moments, seemingly taken aback by the unexpected question before suddenly turning to face away from him.

"No, we are. We're friends," she replied flatly as if she was holding something back. She then immediately headed in the direction Yuki had gone.

"Hey! Where are you going?" "I just remembered I had to stop by the student council room as well...Don't follow me," she succinctly demanded without even looking back as she left.

"What was that all about? ...Eh. Whatever. More importantly, I need to make those two pay for running away earlier...," Masachika ominously mumbled to himself and returned to his classroom alone.

There were rumors that afternoon that some students had seen Princess Alya skipping down the hallway and humming to herself, although those rumors never reached Masachika.