"So, what do you think the purpose of the video was? Honestly I didn't get a clue," Shibata said. Currently he and a few other Class B students were having a small discussion around Ichinose.
"Yes, me too. All I saw was the club fair that was the highlight earlier, unless we include Ayanokouji-kun who manages to get along with his classmates," said Amikura. The others nodded at Amikura's words.
"You guys missed something," Kanzaki said calmly. They simultaneously turned to Kanzaki.
"Uh, which one?" Kobashi asked confused.
"Horikita," said Kanzaki curtly.
Amikura and the others were initially confused by what Kanzaki was saying, but after a while they finally understood.
"You mean her problem with Horikita-senpai? Isn't that a personal matter?" asked Amikura.
"If only things were that simple, try to remember how cold Horikita's personality was at the start of this school term and compare it to her current self who has become the class leader," explained Kanzaki.
"So you're saying that Horikita-san's coldness has something to do with her older brother?" Minamikata asked.
"Yeah, I don't really understand what their problem is. But I believe their relationship played an important role in Horikita's growth to become the class leader," said Kanzaki.
"I see, but I still don't understand why Horikita is the one in the spotlight. Didn't we see Ayanokouji's life?" Shibata asked confused.
Kanzaki sighed at Shibata's question, "Have you guys forgotten what Eve said earlier? We are not here to see Ayanokouji's life, but to see the life we have lived for a year at this school. It's just that we see from Ayanokouji's point of view."
"Ah, you're right. Sorry I forgot," Shibata said while rubbing his head.
"So that was the gist of the video just now, showing Horikita-san and her brother's relationship," said Hamaguchi. Kanzaki nodded.
They were silent for a moment, contemplating what they had just discussed.
"What do you think, Honami-chan?" Shiranami asked Ichinose who had been silent until now. Ichinose's friends stare at her in unison.
"Just as Kanzaki-kun said, the superior complex and the reason Suzune-san entered this school is closely related to her older brother. I think that's what Eve showed us that video for," Ichinose says.
"Do you know what happened to them, Honami-chan?" asked Amikura.
"Yes. Suzune-san said that her relationship with her brother was already bad even before she entered elementary school," said Ichinose.
"That far!? Gosh, what happened to them to make their relationship that bad," said Shibata who couldn't hold back his surprise.
"About that... ah, how about we keep watching, I'm sure the answer will show itself," Ichinose said hastily.
Kanzaki and the others knew that Ichinose was trying to avoid the question, but even so they agreed with Ichinose's words.
Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief that her friends understood what she was doing. Actually there is no prohibition on telling the past of her friends in the Ayanokouji group. It's just that she felt bad to tell it because some of them had dark pasts. Therefore Ichinose chooses to remain silent and let their past come out on its own.
Soon the five minute break was over and Eve was showing the next video.
Friends
"Friends? Is it possible to tell about Kiyopon who has made friends?" Hasebe asked tilting her head.
"Maybe. Last time he got an invite from Ike and the others," said Miyake.
Meanwhile Ayanokouji crossed his arms in thought.
"If it's like Haruka and Akito said, then this video will probably be boring. I don't remember doing anything important with them in the early days of this school."
"Kikyou-chan, do you want to stop by a café on our way back today?"
"Sure, let's go! Oh, but wait just a minute, okay? I want to invite one more person."
Kushida headed toward Horikita, who was putting her textbook into her bag. "Horikita-san, would you like to come with us to a café today?" She asked.
"Ah."
"Ah."
"Ah."
While everyone was watching, Ayanokouji, Horikita, and Kushida subconsciously let out small voices when they realized something. It was enough to attract the attention of those near them.
"What's wrong?" Karuizawa asked confused.
"Nothing, it's just that I remember what events will be broadcast this time," Ayanokouji answered.
"So this video will focus on the three of you?" Hasebe asked curiously.
"Yes," Kushida said somewhat awkwardly while turning to Horikita.
Horikita just sighed and rubbed her head "This is going to be troublesome."
"What do you mean, Suzune?" Sudou asked confused.
"Just watch," Horikita answered curtly.
"Not interested." Horikita threw Kushida's invitation back in her face, with no room for ambiguity.
"Very cold," muttered Matsushita.
"I think it's only natural that she would say that to Ayanokouji-kun since they make fun each other so much, but should she be that cold to Kushida-san? She only means well," said Shinohara annoyed at Horikita's cold attitude.
Satou wanted to say something but she held herself back from doing so, actually she wanted to defend Horikita but she realized that from an ordinary person's point of view, Horikita was the one in the wrong.
Couldn't you just lie and say you were planning to go shopping, or that you were waiting for a friend?
Many nodded in agreement with Ayanokouji's thoughts.
Despite the harsh rejection, Kushida kept smiling.
This wasn't a particularly unusual scene. Ever since the entrance ceremony, Kushida had regularly tried to invite Horikita to do fun things with her. I thought it would be nice for Horikita to accept an invitation at least once in a while, but perhaps that was just a bystander's selfish interpretation. No one had ever met with anything but rejection when they'd tried to invite Horikita.
"Eh? So this isn't the first time? said Kobashi slightly surprised.
"It seems she really wants to be friends with Horikita-san," said Amikura.
"I see. Well then, I'll try inviting you again another time."
"She still hasn't given up?" Ibuki raised her eyebrows in astonishment.
"Why the hell is she so insistent?" said Ishizaki.
Meanwhile Ryuuen was thinking carefully about Kushida's odd behavior, many thoughts were running through his mind but above all his curiosity was growing.
"What kind of past does Kikyou have that she would willingly lower himself to Suzune like that? From Suzune's body language, I could tell that she didn't know Kikyou's past, but she hated Suzune just because they were in the same school. Honestly it really makes me curious about what she has done in the past. Maybe this video can satisfy my curiosity."
Ryueen smirked as he thought of it all, he couldn't wait to see all the truth revealed.
"Wait, Kushida-san." Surprisingly, Horikita called out to Kushida. Had she finally given in? "Don't invite me again. It's a bother," said Horikita coldly.
However, Kushida didn't appear saddened. Instead, she smiled as she answered, "I'll invite you again."
"This is very strange. Kushida-san did say her goal is to be friends with everyone, but her stubborn behavior like this is not normal in my opinion," thought Matsushita.
Not only Matsushita, some people who had sharp minds also felt suspicious about Kushida's behavior. According to them, even though Kushida's intentions were purely to befriend, but her behavior towards Horikita would only produce the opposite effect.
Kushida then ran back to join her friends, and they left the hall.
"Kikyou-chan, just stop inviting Horikita-san. I hate her—"
A girl flinched when she heard her own words on the screen, she timidly and slowly turned her head back where Horikita was sitting. Luckily for her, Horikita seemed unaffected by her words.
Just before the door closed, I faintly heard one of the other girl's words. Horikita, who was right next to me, must have heard as well, but she gave no indication that she cared.
"You won't try to invite me places, will you?" she asked.
"Nope. I understand your personality well enough. It's pointless to even try."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
After Horikita finished getting ready, she walked out of the classroom by herself. I absentmindedly stuck around for a little while, but soon grew bored and got up. Time to go home, I thought.
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have a moment?"
Hirata, who was still hanging around, called out to me when I passed by. Unbothered, I responded to him softly. It was unusual for Hirata to notice me.
"Oh it's Hirata-kun," said an excited girl. Not only her, several girls were excited when they saw Hirata appear on the screen.
The boys snorted in annoyance and grumbled at the sight.
"It's about Horikita-san, actually. I was wondering if something was wrong. Some of the girls were talking about it earlier. Horikita always seems to be alone."
Maybe it wasn't Kushida especially. Perhaps Horikita was just the kind of person who strongly disliked company.
"Could you possibly tell her to try to get along with people a little?"
"Well, that's up to the individual, isn't it? Besides, Horikita isn't really making trouble for anyone else," I replied.
"You're right, of course. However, many people have voiced their concerns about it. I absolutely do not want any bullying in our class."
"Bullying? Isn't it too early?" said Hashimoto, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, it hasn't even been a month since school started," Kitou said.
"Maybe he really loves peace," Kamuro said.
In contrast to her followers, Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes when she heard Hirata's words. From what she heard, there was a trace of fear from Hirata's words. She was curious about it.
"Perhaps past trauma?" thought Sakayanagi as she looked back at the screen.
Bullying? Such talk seemed premature, but perhaps there were signs of it. Was he warning me, then? Hirata looked at me with the purest of intentions.
"Well, I think it'd be better for you to tell her directly rather than talk to me, Hirata," I said.
"You have a point. Sorry for bringing it up."
Horikita was always alone, day after day. If this continued, within a month she'd be like a tumor in our class. However, this was Horikita's personal problem and something I probably shouldn't involve myself with.
Horikita sighed, she realized how dire her former self was. Like Ayanokouji said, she would become a parasite in her class if she continued to act like that.
"If only this school was an ordinary school, I might never have realized my mistake. And also… I will never make up with nii-san," thought Horikita. She thanked this school deep in her heart.
After leaving class, I went straight toward the dormitory. Kushida, who was supposed to have left with a friend earlier, appeared to be waiting for someone while leaning up against the wall. Noticing me, she smiled like always.
"I'm so glad! I was waiting for you, Ayanokouji-kun. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?" she asked.
"Hah? Why is Kikyou-chan waiting for Ayanokouji?" said Ike in surprise.
"Dunno," said Miyamoto with a shrug. Hondou and the others shook their heads in ignorance.
"Yeah, sure…"
"I'll just ask you outright. Ayanokouji-kun, have you seen Horikita-san smile even once?"
"Horikita…"
"…Smile?"
Everyone subconsciously repeated Kushida's nonsensical sounding words. They then imagined what Horikita's smiling face would look like, but it was useless.
"Smile? Hah! That sounds impossible to me," Ibuki said with a snort.
"Suzune-san's smile is really beautiful, you know, Ibuki-san," Shiina said to Ibuki with a smile.
"Tch! I don't care," Ibuki replied as she crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Huh? No, not that I can remember."
"You know, I…I want to become friends with Horikita-san," she said.
"I think she guesses your feelings. At first, a lot of people tried reaching out to her, but now you're the only one."
"You seem to know Horikita-san pretty well, Ayanokouji-kun."
"It's not like I'm watching her or anything, it's just that you tend to learn a lot about the person who sits next to you."
Girls were girls, after all, and they'd been really eager to form groups since the first day of school. They were also more aware of cliques and social circles than guys, and in this class of about twenty people, four held the most influence. You could claim they put up a façade, that they weren't genuinely being themselves.
However, Kushida was the exception. She definitely held favor within each group, but more than that, she was tremendously popular with everyone. She was persistently warm and gentle toward Horikita, as part of her continued efforts to become her friend. That wasn't something an ordinary student could do. That was probably why everyone adored her.
"Of course, Kikyou-chan is a good person."
"Yes, she always helps us."
Kushida's friends gave their positive opinions of her, meanwhile Kushida only gave a strained smile.
"Didn't Horikita already warn you not to try again? I don't know what you can say to her next time," I said.
I knew that Horikita wasn't the type to mince words. If approached, she would probably respond harshly. To be honest, I didn't want to see Kushida hurt.
"He he, thanks for worrying about me, Kiyotaka-kun," Kushida said with a smile.
"Y-yeah," Ayanokouji replied stuttering slightly seeing Kushida's smile.
Sitting next to Ayanokouji, Karuizawa crossed her arms while pouting at the sight.
"Won't you…help me?" she asked.
"Uh…"
"So that's her goal, Kushida-san wants to ask Ayanokouji-kun for help to get close to Horikita-san," said Azuma.
"Yeah, maybe because only Ayanokouji-kun was close to Horikita-san in our class at that time," said Ichihashi.
I didn't answer right away. Normally, I would immediately agree to such a cute girl's demands. However, since I was the type to avoid trouble, I couldn't answer her. I didn't want to see Horikita hurt Kushida by saying something merciless. I thought I'd turn her down to avoid any later heartbreak.
"It's better that Ayanokouji refuses," said Kanzaki. Get the attention of his friends.
"Why? Wouldn't it be great to help her?" Amikura asked a little surprised.
"Indeed, but remember that Horikita doesn't like Kushida's willingness to befriend her. At this rate Horikita will likely hate Kushida, and not only that, if Horikita finds out that Ayanokouji is helping Kushida then Horikita will likely hate Ayanokouji too. There are many losses that Ayanokouji will get if he helps her," said Kanzaki explaining at length.
"That… makes sense," said Amikura with a complicated expression. She didn't want to admit it but what Kanzaki said made sense.
"Well, that's just my baseless observation, so I could be wrong," said Kanzaki when he saw the expressions of his friends.
"I understand how you feel, Kushida, but…"
"So that means…you can't?"
Cute + Pleading + Upturned Eyes = Lethal.
"Ugh… that was a deadly combo," said Ike.
"I don't think Ayanokouji will be able to withstand that," Hondou added.
"Well, I guess I don't have a choice. Just this once, okay?"
Karuizawa sighed in annoyance and nudged Ayanokouji with her elbow "How can you be melted by such teasing," she snapped.
"That's a normal reaction for all boys, isn't it?" said Ayanokouji defensively.
"Is that true? I can't imagine someone like Kouenji-kun doing that," Karuizawa said in disbelief.
"That…" Ayanokouji was speechless, he also couldn't imagine Kouenji reacting the way he did.
"I can't imagine either, Kiyotaka-kun," Kushida said supporting Karuizawa's words, pushing Ayanokouji even further into a corner.
"…"
Ayanokouji crossed his arms while racking his brains to get out of this situation but then he thought of something.
"Wait, why am I thinking so hard over a trivial matter like this."
Ayanokouji sighed and replied, "Well, you could say he's a special case."
"So you're basically just bragging." Karuizawa said sharply.
Meanwhile in Class A, Sakayanagi finds out it's an interesting case.
"Fu fu, so he can melt using that method," said Sakayanagi with amusement, then she turned to Kamuro, "Masumi-"
"I don't want to do it," Kamuro said quickly, interrupting Sakayanagi's words.
"I haven't said anything yet."
"Even so I still refuse."
"Unfortunately," said Sakayanagi.
"Really?! Oh, thank you, Ayanokouji-kun!" she cried. Kushida's face lit up.
She was cute. Even though I'd agreed to help her, I was still the kind of person who preferred to remain in the background. I shouldn't do anything reckless.
"So, what exactly are we going to do? Even if you say you want to be friends with her, it's not that simple."
Personally, I wasn't equipped to know how to make friends.
"You're probably right… Well, first I think we should try to make Horikita-san smile," Kushida said.
"Make her smile, huh?"
Smiling means letting your guard down in front of another person, even if just a little. Such a relationship could most likely be referred to as friendship. Kushida seemed to understand people well, especially when it came to making them smile.
"Do you have an idea how?" I asked.
"Well, I thought you could help me think of something, Ayanokouji- kun." She giggled sheepishly and lightly smacked her own head. If she were an ugly girl, I would have been totally turned off, but Kushida made it charming.
"He complimented her too much," Satou muttered under her breath, but still heard by Shinohara and Matsushita sitting nearby.
"He he, it seems someone is jealous," said Matsushita with a teasing smile.
"E-Eh?" Satou flinched, she was surprised to see her muttering heard by someone else.
"You're mumbling quite loud you know," said Shinohara.
"I-I see," said Satou nervously and embarrassedly.
"Don't you want to stop chasing him, Satou-san?" asked Matsushita. From what she knows is Ayanokouji likes Karuizawa, it might hurt Satou if she continues to chase that boy.
"No, I don't want to. My resolve is stronger now," said Satou confidently.
"Hah?"
Matsushita and Shinohara looked at each other in surprise at Satou's determination, just a few hours ago Satou had been doubtful about her feelings for Ayanokouji but now Satou's feelings are stronger than ever.
They both wanted to ask what had strengthened her resolve but resisted the urge as it might turn into a long talk.
"Smile, huh?" So, because Kushida had asked, I was going to help her make Horikita smile. Was such a thing possible? I wondered. I doubted it.
"If I've never seen Suzune's past, maybe I also doubt it," said Hasebe.
"Same, maybe it's a miracle we can see her smile," said Sakura.
"Well, anyway, after class, I'm going to try inviting Horikita out again. If we wind up back at the dorms, though, I'll have no idea what to do. Is there any place that she wants to go to?"
"Ah. Well then, how about Palate? I've gone to Palate often, and Horikita might have overheard us talking about it before."
Palate was one of the most popular cafés on campus. I had heard about Kushida and the other girls going there often after class. And if I'd heard about it, then Horikita must have also been aware.
"How about if you two went to Palate and ordered, and then 'bumped' into me by chance? Would that work?"
"Probably not. I think that might be expecting a little too much. What if your friends helped out, Kushida?"
The instant Horikita noticed Kushida's presence, she would probably get up and leave. I thought it'd be better to create a situation that would make leaving difficult. I told Kushida my idea.
"Ooh! That certainly sounds like it would work! You're so smart, Ayanokouji-kun!" she cried. Kushida nodded in agreement while she hung on my every word, eyes sparkling.
"Oh, no, I don't think my plan has anything to do with being smart. Anyway, that's what I was going for."
"I understand. I'm excited for the result!"
No, don't expect too much. That'll be trouble.
Some people laughed at that, but some were a little worried that the plan failed.
"If you try inviting her, Kushida, she'll probably refuse you outright. So, how about I invite Horikita?"
"So if it was Ayanokouji who invited Horikita, it would look natural, right? She won't suspect anything if she suddenly meets Kushida," said Ishizaki. Komiya and Kondou looked at Ishizaki in surprise.
"Woah dude, I'm surprised you even think that way," Komiya said.
"Are you really Ishizaki?" said Kondou.
"Tch, shut up! You think I'm stupid!" grumbled Ishizaki.
After their banter, Shiina decided to get into the conversation.
"I'm not sure their plan will go smoothly," Shiina said making Ishizaki surprised.
"Hah? Why is that?" asked Ishizaki. But instead of Shiina, Ryuuen was the one who answered.
"Suzune is a sharp person, if there's even the slightest mistake then the plan will fail miserably," said Ryuuen.
"Okay. I think that Horikita-san trusts you, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.
"Why do you think that? What proof do you have?"
"Well, I guess it just looks that way to me. She seems to trust you more than anyone else in the class, at the very least."
That doesn't mean I'm best suited for this task, though.
"That's only because I was able to talk to her, but that was a coincidence."
I'd just happened to be seated next to her on the bus. If that hadn't happened, then I probably wouldn't have talked to her.
"But don't you meet almost every person for the first time by chance? And then they can become your friend, or your best friend…or even your boyfriend or girlfriend, or your family."
"That's true."
I supposed that was one way to look at it. Coincidence had allowed me to talk with Kushida like this. Therefore, it was possible that Kushida and I might eventually become lovers.
Ayanokouji immediately broke out in cold sweat as his embarrassing thoughts were exposed not only to his class, but the other classes as well.
There were various reactions, some laughed at him, some felt sorry for him, and some didn't care. Most people laugh at him.
"Ha ha ha, Ayanokouji and Kushida-chan? Impossible, that's impossible," said Miyamoto laughing loudly.
"His dream is too far away," said his friend, laughing.
"You also think like that right, Kanji?" Miyamoto asked. But Ike's response was different from his expectations.
"Well, everyone has the right to think whatever, right? I don't see what Ayanokouji thinks is funny," Ike said.
"Hah!?"
Miyamoto and the others were surprised by Ike's relaxed attitude. They didn't know what had happened to him but they knew that this wasn't normal, since the usual Ike would have definitely made a fuss when it came to Kushida.
Meanwhile, awkwardness was occurring in Horikita's row of seats.
"S-So you thought about that, Kiyotaka-kun," Kushida stuttered.
"Sorry…" said Ayanokouji while looking at Kushida.
"I-It's fine, I was just surprised…" Kushida said. She instantly turned her attention away when her eyes met Ayanokouji's. She could feel her face hot and her heart racing, she then closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down.
But even so, her heart rate never slowed down. Kushida put her hand on her chest, "W-What happened to me?" she thought frantically.
Seeing Kushida's reaction was enough for the members of Ayanokouji's group to know what the girl was going through, they all simultaneously looked at Ayanokouji.
Ayanokouji himself was confused as everyone stared at him, he didn't know what was going on but it must be related to him. He could also see Miyake giving him a thumbs up.
While Ayanokouji was thinking, he was suddenly elbowed by Karuizawa from the side.
"What is it?" Ayanokouji asked confusedly as he rubbed his body that was stabbed by Karuizawa.
"Nothing," Karuizawa replied with a frown.
Classes had ended. The other students left for their various after- school activities, talking to one another about where they would go. Meanwhile, Kushida and I exchanged looks, signaling each other to go ahead with the plan.
"Hey, Horikita. Do you have some free time after class today?" I asked.
"I don't have any time to waste. I have to go back to the dormitory and prepare for tomorrow."
"Hah? She's getting ready for tomorrow?" Kamuro said not expecting.
"Gosh, I feel her life is so boring," said Hashimoto with a sigh.
Prepare for tomorrow? I was pretty sure all she did was study.
"I wanted you to go somewhere with me for a little bit."
"What are you after?"
"Do you think that by inviting you out, I'm after something?"
"Well, when you invite me so suddenly, I naturally have my doubts. However, if there is a specific matter that you wish to discuss, I wouldn't mind listening."
I didn't have anything to talk about, of course.
"Well, you know that café on campus? The one with a ton of girls? I don't have the guts to go there all by myself. I kind of get the feeling that guys are banned from entering there or something. Don't you?"
"I certainly can't argue that most of their customers seem to be women, but aren't men also allowed to patronize the café?"
"Well, yeah, but no guy goes there alone. Only if they're with friends who are girls, or if they're someone's boyfriend."
Horikita tried to recall what Palate was like, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.
"You may very well be right. It's unusual for you to express such a well-reasoned opinion, Ayanokouji-kun."
"But I'm still interested in it. So I wanted to invite you to come along with me."
"I suppose that's natural, since you supposedly have…no one else to invite, correct?" she asked.
"That makes it sound like I'm imposing on you, but yeah. Basically."
"And if I refuse?"
"Well, that would be that. I'd have no choice but to accept. I can't force you to give up your private time, after all."
"I understand. Your issue with the café is certainly accurate. I can't stay there for too long, though. Is that all right?"
"Sure. We'll be quick."
"Looks like the first step went smoothly," said Andou.
"Yes, but now on to the real exam," said Minamikata.
In my mind, I added the word "probably" to that last thought. If she knew that Kushida was involved in this, Horikita would probably have some strong words for me. I'd begun to think that, since I was able to talk to Kushida, I might be able to make friends with Horikita myself. Besides, whether it was a café or a lecture hall, Horikita always came with me, even as she complained about it. For someone like me, who had difficulty making friends, this was probably a miracle.
Some people also thought it was a miracle, because as far as they knew the old Horikita was a cold person, she didn't want to talk to anyone and didn't want to get close to them.
But her attitude is different with Ayanokouji, even though she doesn't want to talk to Ayanokouji but in the end she still talks to him, sometimes they make fun of each other, talk about trivial things, sometimes even Horikita wants to help Ayanokouji.
Could it be the effect of the two of them sitting next to each other or something? They don't know.
The two of us left the classroom and made our way to Palate on the first floor. Girls began to congregate there, one after another, enjoying their time after class.
"There are so many people here," Horikita said.
"Is this your first time doing anything social, Horikita? Oh, yeah, I suppose it would be. You're always alone."
"That's childish sarcasm," Mori said chuckling.
"Was that supposed to be sarcastic? How childish."
I'd meant to engage in some playful ribbing, but apparently that was impossible for Horikita. After we placed our order, we both got our drinks. I ordered the single serving of pancakes.
"Do you like sweets?" she asked.
"I just wanted to have pancakes."
I didn't particularly like or dislike cakes and stuff, but I needed a believable reason.
"There aren't any open seats, though."
"I guess we'll just have to wait a bit. Oh, never mind. There are some open seats over there."
I noticed that two girls quickly got up from their table, and I hurriedly went to secure our spot. Horikita passed around the table. I set my bag down on the floor, took my seat, and looked about casually.
"That's lucky for them, I hear the palate is always full," said Hashimoto.
"Yeah, indeed," Kamuro said. Even though she had no interest in that place but she still had some information.
"Their plan has failed," said Sakayanagi suddenly. Those sitting nearby immediately turned to look at her.
"Why is that?" Kamuro asked confused.
"Fu fu, just wait."
"Hey, I just thought of something. If the people around here see us like this, they'll probably think we're a couple…"
Horikita remained expressionless, or rather, cold. Being in such crowded surroundings was making me anxious. As I considered what was about to happen, my stomach started to hurt.
I thought I heard the two girls sitting next to me say, "Let's go," before grabbing their drinks and leaving. Another patron sat down immediately. It was Kushida.
"Ah, Horikita-san. What a coincidence! And Ayanokouji-kun too!" she said.
"She's good at acting," Ibuki said because she saw that Kushida's demeanor looked natural.
"Ku ku, if only you knew, Ibuki," Ryuuen said with a chuckle.
"Hah? What do you mean?" Asked Ibuki, but she was ignored by Ryuuen.
"Tch!" Ibuki clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Hey."
Kushida had given us a simple greeting, maintaining the ruse that this was a coincidence. Horikita regarded Kushida with narrowed eyes, then slowly turned her gaze toward me. Of course, this was something that Kushida and I had planned out in advance. Kushida's friends had already secured four seats for us ahead of time. When I arrived at Palate, I sent them a signal so that they could make two seats available. After some time, the other girls next to me left, giving Kushida a chance to come and sit down. As a result, our meeting looked like it'd come about via coincidence.
"Oh so that was included in the plan," Onodera said a little surprised.
"It seems so, usually it's very difficult to take a seat on the palate if we arrive late," said Mori.
"Did you come here together, Ayanokouji-kun? Horikita-san?" Kushida asked.
"Yeah, we just happened to. Did you come by yourself?" I asked.
"Yeah. Today, I—"
"I'm leaving," Horikita said.
"Hah?"
Everyone gasped at Horikita's words.
"H-hey, we just got here, though."
"You don't need me now that Kushida-san is here, though. Right?"
"Technically that's true, but I get the feeling she's just trying to avoid Kushida-san," said Matsushita.
"Why the heck does she want to get away from her so much?" said Shinohara very annoyed.
"Hold on, that's not a problem. Kushida and I are just classmates."
"You and I are just classmates, too. Besides…" She gave Kushida and me an icy look. "I don't like this. What are you plotting?" She'd seen through our plan and was trying to get me to admit it.
"A-Are they found out?" Inogashira asked a little worried.
"I think so," Miichan said.
"N-no, it was just a coincidence," Kushida said.
Kushida shouldn't have said such a thing. Asking, "What do you mean?" and acting ignorant of Horikita's prodding would've been the better response.
"So I've taken the wrong step, huh…" Kushida said.
"Yes, if you answer like that then the other person will dominate the conversation and corner you," Horikita explained.
"I see," said Kushida nodding.
"When we sat down earlier, I saw the two girls seated here were from Class D, along with the two girls seated next to us as well. Was that just a coincidence, too?"
"Oh, wow, really? I didn't notice at all," Kushida said.
"Also, we came straight here after classes ended. No matter how much those girls rushed, they could only have been here for about one to two minutes at the most. It was far too early for them to get up and leave. Am I wrong?"
"S-She could tell that far," Kobashi said in surprise.
"So that's why she was able to lead the class so far, I thought she was indifferent to her surroundings but she wasn't. She observed everything," said Amikura.
"Yes, Suzune-san is one of the existing genius students of our year, she should be able to figure out such a simple plan. Her only weakness is that she has a very high superiority complex," said Ichinose.
"If that weakness is removed, then she can become a very dangerous enemy," added Kanzaki. Ichinose nodded at Kanzaki's words.
"And now that weakness has been removed."
Ichinose got goosebumps at the thought.
Horikita was even more incredibly observant than I'd thought. Not only did she remember our classmates' faces, but she'd quickly grasped the situation.
"Um, well…" A bewildered Kushida signaled for me to save her somehow. Horikita noticed. Any further deception on our part would just make it worse.
"Sorry, Horikita. We planned this."
"So there is no choice but to be honest," said Satou.
"Yes, if they keep lying like that, Horikita-san might hate them both," said Matsushita.
"Didn't she already hate Kushida-san?" Shinohara asked.
"I don't think she hates her, Horikita-san just doesn't like being around people. But if it goes on like this, it's very likely that she really will hate Kushida-san," said Matsushita.
"Maybe Kushida-san should just give up," said Shinohara.
"Yeah, but seeing her persistence, I'm not sure she'll give up."
"I thought as much. I thought this whole thing was a little suspicious right from the start."
"Horikita-san. Please be my friend!" Kushida just came out and asked her directly, no longer trying to hide anything.
"I've already said this many times. I want you to leave me alone. I have no intention of becoming friends with anyone in class. Can you not understand that?" Horikita said.
"Always being alone is a very sad way to spend your life. I just want to get along with everyone in class."
"I wouldn't deny you your wish, but it's wrong to try forcing people into something against their will. Being alone doesn't make me sad."
"B-but…"
"Besides, do you think that I would be happy if you forced me to become your friend? Do you think that feelings of trust would arise out of something forced?"
"Well, at this point I find it impossible for them to be friends," said Shibata.
"Yeah, I agree. I didn't think that forced friendship would work," Hamaguchi agreed with Shibata.
Kanzaki remained silent listening to Shibata and Hamaguchi's conversation, to be honest he wanted to agree with them but something was holding him back.
"Why…?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Kanzaki turned a certain direction at Class C. More specifically towards the very back of Class C.
"Why are the two of them so close now?"
Kanzaki thought that while looking at Horikita and Kushida who were sitting close together, right now the two girls were chatting casually as if the events on screen had never happened.
Kanzaki quickly dismissed the questions, he thought that this relationship between Horikita and Kushida was important so it was explained in more detail in the video.
Horikita wasn't wrong. It wasn't that she couldn't make friends, but that she considered them unnecessary. Kushida wanted something, but Horikita would not reciprocate.
"It's my fault for not being clear enough with you, so I don't blame you this time. But if you try this again, please keep in mind that I will not forgive you."
As she said that, Horikita took her untouched latte and stood up.
"Horikita-san, whatever you say, I really want to be friends with you. When I saw you, I felt like it wasn't the first time we'd met. I wondered if you felt the same way," Kushida mumbled.
"Not the first time we met? Did they know each other before?" Kamuro asked.
"I don't know, but Horikita doesn't look like she knows her," replied Hashimoto, "Or she is pretending she doesn't know her," added Hashimoto in his mind.
"This is a waste of time. I find everything you're saying unpleasant." Horikita raised her voice, cutting Kushida off without mercy. Even though I'd told Kushida I would help her, I had absolutely no intention of butting in. But…
"I kind of understand your thoughts on the matter, Horikita. I've actually often wondered if friends are really necessary," I said.
"?"
Everyone was confused by Ayanokouji's words, they were confused because Ayanokouji had always wanted a friend so badly, but he was also unsure about that desire.
"I don't understand anymore," said Shinohara rubbing her head in confusion at Ayanokouji's words.
Matsushita looked at her friend with an understanding look.
"I understand how Shinohara-san is feeling. I find this Ayanokouji-kun unpredictable, he really wants friends but he doesn't have the will to do so. And now he wonders if friends are needed? Somehow that sounds… contradictory."
Matsushita sighed as she thought about it all. Maybe it took her some time to get to know a student named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"You're saying that? You've been trying to make friends since day one."
"I won't deny it. However, you and I are similar. I wasn't able to make friends until I came to this school. In junior high, I never knew anyone's contact information or hung out with anyone after class. I was always alone."
Everyone already knew that Ayanokouji had never had friends before, so it was only natural that he would always be alone. But there was something that confused them.
"Junior high school? Didn't he say he was just studying at home," Ishizaki said confused.
"Indeed, but Kiyotaka-kun has always felt uncomfortable talking about his past. Because of that he was forced to lie so that others would think of him as a normal student," said Shiina quickly explaining.
"But why did he say earlier that he was always studying at home, isn't that part of his past?" Ask Ibuki.
"Well, he didn't have any other choice, did he? His life will be watched by all of us, so he needs to tell a few things so that others don't misunderstand," said Shiina.
"I see..."
Ishizaki and Ibuki were satisfied with Shiina's explanation, they then looked back at the screen.
Shiina breathed a sigh of relief that her explanation satisfied both of them, in the distance she could also see Ichinose explaining something to her friends. Maybe Ichinose also gave the same explanation as Shiina.
Kushida was visibly surprised when she heard me say that, like she couldn't believe it.
"I think that partly explains why I was compelled to talk to you," I said.
"That's the first time I've heard something like that. However, even if you and I share some things in common, I think we took different paths to reach this point. You wanted friends but couldn't get them. I considered friends unnecessary, so I didn't make any. Saying we are similar would be incorrect. Am I wrong?"
"No. But telling Kushida that she was being unpleasant is going too far. Are you really okay with this? If you choose not to get along with anyone else, you'll be alone for the next three years. That sounds pretty painful."
Some people hoped Horikita would be touched by Ayanokouji's words, they themselves weren't sure they would survive these three years at school without friends. They hoped that Horikita would also feel the same way.
But…
"It will be my ninth year in a row of being alone, so I'll be fine. Oh, and if you include kindergarten, it would actually be slightly longer."
Everyone fell silent hearing the bomb dropped by Horikita, they needed a few moments to process the girl's words.
"S-She was alone all that time!?" stuttered Amikura, she was lost for words.
"Wait, since kindergarten… does that mean she's always been alone her entire life?" Shibata said unexpectedly.
In contrast to Ayanokouji who has always studied at home his whole life, Horikita studied at an ordinary school. Alone and without friends.
"Gosh, this is worse than I thought," said Matsushita with a sigh.
"To be precise, it's really bad. How had she lived all this time? I can't imagine it," said Shinohara.
"It's actually easy, she has made enemies everywhere," said Satou. From what she could see of Horikita's past, that girl had annoyed her classmates a lot because of her superiority.
"Oh, I can imagine that then," said Shinohara.
Everyone had formed their own group to talk about how dreary Horikita's life was, some of them even spoke out loud not caring whether Horikita was listening or not.
"Wow, you have become a celebrity, Suzune," said Hasebe to lighten the mood.
"I don't feel proud in the least," Horikita said with a sigh.
"Sorry, it's because of me that you say that," said Ayanokouji.
"You don't need to apologize, I'm taking all of this insult as punishment for my stupidity in the past," Horikita said.
The Ayanokouji group members didn't say anything and just nodded at Horikita's words, if Horikita herself didn't mind then they had no right to give their opinion.
Had she just nonchalantly dropped a bombshell? That she'd always been alone for as long as she could remember?
"Can I go now?" Horikita asked.
She sighed deeply and looked straight into Kushida's eyes.
"Kushida-san, if you don't try to force me into anything, I won't be rude. I promise. You're not stupid, so you understand what I'm telling you, right?"
With one final simple "Well then," Horikita left. Kushida and I remained in the noisy cafe.
"Well, that was a failure. I tried to lend a helping land, but it was pointless. I guess she's gotten too accustomed to being alone," I said.
Kushida wordlessly collapsed into her seat. However, she instantly recovered, and her usual smile returned.
"She recovered instantly after being yelled at like that," Kamuro said in surprise.
"It seems she has a strong mental endurance," said Hashimoto, whistling.
Meanwhile in the Ayanokouji group row, Hasebe asked something that made her curious.
"How did you really feel at that time, Kyo-chan?" Hasebe asked. The others also looked at Kushida, as people who knew her true personality, they were interested in her answer.
"Ah, back then… I was planning to run to a quiet place and vent my anger there," Kushida said bluntly, "But since Kiyotaka-kun was around at the time, I held it in. I don't want him to misunderstand me."
"Have you ever been found out, Kikyou-chan?" Sakura asked.
Kushida was silent at Sakura's question, then she slowly turned to Ayanokouji, "That's..."
Everyone also followed Kushida's gaze, and it didn't take long for them to catch her meaning.
"Eh, Kiyopon? Is that true?" said Hasebe surprised. She knew that Ayanokouji knew Kushida's true nature, but she didn't know how the boy knew it.
"Yeah, you can watch it later when Eve airs that part," said Ayanokouji, leaving no room for further questions.
"It's okay. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. It's true that I wasn't able to become her friend, but…I was able to learn something important. That's enough for me. I'm sorry, though. I feel like Horikita-san might hate you now because you helped me."
"Don't worry about it. I just wanted Horikita to consider the benefits of friendship." Thinking it'd be inconsiderate for the two us to hold up table space for four people, I moved to sit next to Kushida.
"Even so, I was shocked when you said that you didn't have any friends, Ayanokouji-kun. Is that true? I didn't think you were like that at all. Why were you all alone?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, it's true. Sudou and Ike are the first friends I've ever made. I still don't really know if that's my fault or the fault of the circumstances I was in."
"Obviously it's the fault of the circumstances he's in," Karuizawa thought indignantly. Not only her, the other members of Ayanokouji's group must also be thinking the same thing.
"But when you made friends, did it make you happy? Is it fun?" Kushida asked.
"Yeah. There are times when I find it annoying, but sometimes I feel like I'm happier than I was before."
Kushida's eyes sparkled as she smiled at me, nodding her head in agreement.
"Horikita has her own way of thinking. There's probably nothing that we can do about that."
"Do you really think so? Is it not possible to make friends with her?" she asked.
"Why are you desperate to be her friend? Kushida, don't you already have more friends than everyone else? There's no reason to focus on Horikita."
Now that is a million point question. Since they watched this video, they have been wondering why Kushida wanted to be friends with Horikita so much even though she already has many friends.
Several people straightened their bodies, perhaps this was their chance to find out the answers to those questions.
Even if it meant that she wouldn't be friends with everyone in class, she didn't need to try so desperately.
"I wanted to be friends with everyone. Not just the people in Class D, but the students from other classes, too. But if I can't become friends with one girl in my class, then that means I'll never achieve my goal…"
"Wow, friends with everyone. That's a very big goal."
"Kikyou-chan is really amazing."
"I'm glad to be friends with her."
Many students were amazed by Kushida's extraordinary will, although it sounds impossible but they have seen how Kushida doesn't give up on achieving her dreams.
But there were also some people who were suspicious.
"Is that your only goal? I'm not so sure."
Sakayanagi thought that while narrowing her eyes. She was one of the few people who wasn't swayed by Kushida's kindness.
Because she believed that no matter how pure kindness someone showed, there must be a speck of darkness hidden.
"Just think of Horikita as a special case. Your only option is to wait for a real coincidence to come along."
Not something forced, but a natural event that would connect the two of them. When that time came, they might possibly become friends.
Video ends.
Everyone sighed as they leaned back to release the tension that was happening on the screen just now.
"Natural events huh…" Miyake said while facing backwards.
"I prefer to call it 'God's help'," said Hasebe while looking at the two people who are the main focus in this video, Kushida and Horikita.
"He he, I agree. What do you think, Suzune-san?" Kushida asked while giggling.
"I thought so too, plus the intervention of a certain person," Horikita.
It wasn't difficult for them to guess the person in question, because they had seen that person's intervention first hand.
Thanks for reading!
I skipped the swimming lesson scene because I didn't see anything important there.
I was also planning on skipping this part but after re-reading it, I think this part is important enough to explain how tense the relationship between Horikita and Kushida is. Because they are both important characters in COTE, I decided to make this chapter.
That's all for now, bye.