Soul for a Girlfriend?

"Group study?" I was a bit shocked because it was actually a good idea. That way I can spend time with her too, and she wouldn't feel like she is wasting her time instead of studying.

"Yeah." He nodded with a serious look on his face. Even though I could tell that he was being sarcastic about this.

"It's a good plan, but where will we study?" I asked him.

"We can study at Reina's place." Gaisen answered instantly. He was excited about studying together or shipping me with Reina? I thought about the latter probably.

"The way you said that, it seems like you have done a group study with her before." I said, as he replied to my previous question like she had an answer prepared for it.

"Yeah actually me and Koi go for studying before exams." He said, pointing at Reina and Kizhashi with his eyes. My gazes shifted towards them and it looked like they were laughing among themselves. Though I quickly turned away before either of them noticed me staring at them.

"Ah, she studies with you and Yasurouka-san?" I said with much sarcasm in my voice that Tsūmen looked at me in confusion.

"Yeah, we help her with the parts she has difficulty understanding." Gaisen said with a smile.

"Ehh, you never helped me with my studies." Tsūmen complained and pouted like girls do.

"It's because you never asked me for it." Gaisen narrowed his eyes at him. I could tell by the cringe he was feeling by the expression on his face.

"Valid point…" Tsūmen nodded, and both of them awkwardly stared at each other for some moment before Tsūmen broke the silence with, "Still, you should've asked me."

"Oh...give me a break." He said with an irritated voice. Tsūmen was laughing as he successfully pissed him off.

"She is a dumbass." I said that, pointing that comment towards Kizhashi.

"No she isn't… where did that come from?" Gaisen looked at me in confusion and Tsūmen chuckled.

"Nevermind." I just shrugged.

"They both hate each other." Tsūmen always found our mutual hate quite hilarious, although we didn't even talk with each other.

"I can tell… she also trash talks about him sometimes." Gaisen was chuckling too.

"Well… I would love the group dynamic with these two." Tsūmen said, implying the scenario of our group study. Even though it was not confirmed yet whether or not the group study will happen because she might not like me and Tsūmen joining them.

"So, I hope Yasurouka-san doesn't have any problems with me and Tsūmen showing up at her place to study." I asked my genuine concern, looking at Gaisen.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" He glanced at me with a cheeky smile on his face.

"I will, at lunchtime." I nodded, because I will have to talk to her either way. Also, I'm pretty sure that she also has something to tell me about. 

There wasn't much time remaining in the lunchtime, and soon the bell rang too. Time really passes by when you're doing but talking crap with your friends. Gaisen stood up from the desk and was about to talk with Reina about this plan.

Tsūmen also packed up his books inside his bag and followed Gaisen to their bench. I also tagged along with them. I looked towards Reina and she was staring at Kizhashi as she was talking about something.

"Yahho! Gai-kun, Tsūmen-kun" Kizhashi noticed them approaching and greeted them. Her eyes gazed at me and she acknowledged my presence. "...and that person too."

"Oh... didn't notice you there." I retorted in a plain tone.

"Haha" She rolled her eyes with that sarcastic laugh.

"Oi Reina." Gaisen tapped on her shoulder as she turned around and looked at him.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"We will do our group study, right?" Gaisen asked in a way that implied that their plan was already confirmed.

"Ah, yeah, I completely forgot about that too Rei-san." Kizhashi nodded as she seemed to recall about this matter too.

"Yeah… actually about that… I don't think we will do it this time." Reina looked at Kizhashi and then back at Gaisen with a polite smile on her face.

"Eh? Why?" Kizhashi asked, frowning her eyebrows in confusion.

"I'm not feeling like it, that's why." Reina replied in a straightforward tone which was a bit rude compared to the way she usually talks.

"What's with… did something happen?" Kizhashi's expression changed instantly as she heard that tone and asked Reina seriously.

"No no… I'm... just not in the mood for group study. You can study at your house or Gaisen's." She shook her head in denial and suggested an alternative way to them.

"So you won't join us?" Gaisen asked politely in a soft tone. Seems like he was also taken aback by the way she was behaving.

"Nope." she answered, nodding her head left to right.

"Are you good?" I decided to take part in this conversation and indirectly start my conversation with her.

"Really… I'm fine." She looked at me for a moment and answered. The hesitation in her voice wasn't as clear as the dubious look in her eyes.

"You don't sound fine." I retorted back, even though I know asking her in that moment will be useless because she won't speak a word.

"What does fine sound like?" She rolled her eyes and asked jokingly, with a chuckle.

"Like me." Tsūmen laughed. He was silent so far, but as soon as he found a chance, he slipped in with a lame joke of his. Actually, lame would be an understatement for how bad his jokes are.

  "Oh… shut up man." Gaisen scolded him and face palmed himself.

"You guys will join too?" She asked me.

"Yeah we did plan to join, but it seems like that won't happen now." I replied in a laid back tone.

"Eh... why?" She asked in confusion, but I was taking conversation in the exact direction I wanted it to.

"Since you said you won't study with us." I replied

"Areh… you can study at anyone 's place." She said in an annoyed voice.

"Rei-san, come here for a moment." Kizhashi was looking at Reina for quite some time now. She calls her to the side to talk so that we can't overhear them.

"Well, it seems like Operation Saishi x Reina was a major fail." Tsūmen say in a low voice so that they can't hear us. How ironic, that the girls and the boys were talking about stuff that the other one won't shouldn't be listening to.

"Yeah, actually I didn't expect things to turn out like this." Gaisen sighed.