Absolute Choice Ayanokoji

9. Perfect Flaws

How had this occured?

Well, I arrived at the school building considerably earlier than usual. This was caused by my desire to explore some more of the campus, especially the gyms. Like everything else at ANHS, there was nothing found wanting at the gym, a huge room filled with excellent equipment.

Not wanting to return to my dorm, I decided to slowly approach the classroom in my spare time. It was during this journey that I encountered Kushida.

I knew I would be completely outmatched by Kushida's "stroking", but gave an attempt at it nonetheless.

"Yes, that's true. Do you generally come to school this early? If not, is there a special reason you are here?"

Though my message contained more total strokes than Kushida's, her strokes required less words. If Kushida had spoken as much as I did, her total strokes would be more. Her ratio of strokes per word was greater.

Internally, I tried to visualise an "overstimulated" Kushida.

Kushida giggled. Perhaps she had considered me a loner who had difficulties with socialization. I cannot say that I have fully escaped that descriptor, but I had certainly made progress.

"I'm usually a bit early, Ayanokoji-kun, but not so much that I feel sleepy. I want to be the best version of myself for my friends!"

Kushida put a finger to her chin, as if in thought. I imagined that Kushida's cuteness could awaken protective instincts in many people. The care she had for her friends was certainly remarkable. She spoke with a pensive expression on her face.

"Ayanokoji-kun, would you like to be a robot? Sorry if it's a little silly, I was just curious..."

"A robot? What kind of robot?"

"Well, you know, you could do things automatically, without needing to be conscious. Not a mopping robot of course, haha! Like you could be good at everything, since you have a perfect memory, and you would never feel sad since you don't have emotions. Yeah, stuff like that."

Kushida blushed, a little embarrassed by the description she gave.

Meanwhile, I looked at Kushida with fascination. How did she think of this question? For some reason, Kushida's robot sounded like someone I knew, and the similarities caused me some discomfort.

"Oh, and you could probably get more sleep! You could shut off all your body except for your legs and keep sleeping while you walk to school...Yeah, that sounded a lot better in my head, sorry..."

So it was just a coincidence. I felt relieved. I spoke to Kushida calmly, my lips almost creating a smile. Perhaps it would work after a month of training.

"I would postpone the decision until I hear the perspective of a robot. Being a robot might sound appealing, but it is possible that such a being would have problems far worse than a regular person's issues."

"Huh...That's an interesting way to look at it. You know, Ayanokoji-kun, you seem like a pretty...amazing guy. You're very athletic, but you're also really smart too. And you have this aura...like no matter what happens, you'll always be calm."

What intense stroking. Kushida really is a monster. It was true that I had profited a lot from the swimming session. Not only had I somehow won the tournament, but I had also won the chest measurement bet, with Kushida winning by default due to the absence of Hasebe and Sakura. The statement on my intelligence was more of a stretch. If I had to say how smart I was, the most accurate assessment would be average.