It's day three of my time here in the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
The class behaved well during the lessons, and I asked Sudou during lunch once again. This time, we were with Kushida's group. It's a good thing that Sudou isn't acting as obstinately as he would be due to my presence. Kushida and her friends were a bit scared at first, but when I started complimenting Sudou's unexpected gentle nature, he responded to meet those expectations. Everything seems to be going well for him... at least for now.
After our afternoon periods, Sudou hurriedly ran to his club.
"Later, Ayanokouji!" He waved his hand at me.
"Yeah. Good luck." I waved my hand in response.
"You've been getting along really well with Sudou-kun, huh?" commented Horikita.
"Don't suddenly appear behind me," I replied.
"I have something important to talk to you about." She went straight to the point.
"Sure. Let's go to my room then." I grabbed my bag and started walking outside.
"Uhm, Horikita-san. Can I talk to Ayanokouji-kun for a second?" Kushida ran up to me and asked.
"You don't need to ask for my permission. I'm not his owner." Horikita replied with quite the venomous tone.
"Okay... Ayanokouji-kun, is it alright?" Kushida turned to me. Wait, so I'm a second priority?
"Sure, is everything alright?" I said.
Kushida leaned in at whisper-distance. W-Woah... She smells nice...
"Are you close friends with Horikita-san?" she asked.
"Not really. We're just neighbors," I answered straight.
"Well, you see. My goal was to be everyone's friend, right? Horikita-san refused to be my friend and said she didn't want my contact info..." said Kushida, with a melancholic smile.
"You want me to be a middleman between you guys?" At least, I think that's what she's getting at.
"Yes! Exactly! Is it alright, Ayanokouji-kun?" Knowing Horikita, she might not like it. Do I need to refuse and take on the heart of a demon?
"I'll try my best," I replied on reflex. How can I refuse when you have such a cute expression?
"Thanks! Well then, I'll contact you later so we can talk about our plan of action." Kushida waved her hand goodbye. Right now, I can say that I am a happy man.
That's weird... I can feel a lot of looks towards Horikita and me. There were definitely boys among them, but most were girls...
I quickly messaged Hirata. I pressed the send button the moment we reached the hallways.
(14:32) [Why were our classmates staring at the two of us?]
Not even ten seconds passed before Hirata finally replied.
(14:32) [Apparently, a lot of the girls in our class were wondering if you and Horikita-san are dating each other.]
(14:32) [I see.]
(14:32) [Well, we're not, but that's for them to confirm. Thanks, Hirata.]
(14:32) [No problem.]
(14:32) [See you tomorrow, Ayanokouji-kun.]
Sigh... It was like that, after all.
"Do you want to start talking while we walk?" I suggested.
"I prefer to talk about my topics when we get to your room. However, I'm fine with engaging in idle talk, as long as they aren't pointless." Not pointless? Isn't that idle talk by nature...?
"Hmm. Well, for starters, have you made any friends? If you haven't yet, do you plan on making some?" I asked.
"I've told you before. I don't need friends... However, I respect your opinion, Ayanokouji-kun. That's why I will ask you. Why are you insistent in having me make friends?" Horikita looked me straight in the eye.
"You're strong, Horikita, in terms of determination. And based on what Chabashira-sensei said yesterday, you should be pretty smart. I thought of you as someone who can become a key member of Class D. You have a sharp sense, especially with what other people may think," I evaluated. "If someone like you fails to have at least one or two allies, the only outcomes I can think of is either self-destruction or fading into obscurity."
"I have thought about it... However, even if I were to follow your advice, I'm not exactly adept in making friends..." Horikita said, pondering her words with a hand on her chin.
"Those are just reasons that you would accept. What if my main reason for that advice is just me wanting to be friends with you? Would you accept me as your friend?" I turned to her.
"Well... What constitutes friendship, anyway...?" Horikita was visibly flustered with my question.
"Definitions, technicalities, nuances... You don't need to think about those. As long you think of me as a friend, and I'm the same, then we're friends. It's as easy as that." I answered.
Wow. I'm talking like an expert here, but I'm a zero-experience novice too. Those are just some of the sentimentalist dialogues that I've researched. They seem to be working well on someone like Horikita.
"I see..." Horikita continued thinking.
On our way to the dorms was a number of students who were greeting someone.
"Goodbye, Class Rep Ichinose!"
"Good work today, Class Rep Ichinose!"
Class Rep...? I closed my distance to this Ichinose person with Horikita on my tail. She was a very beautiful girl with long, light-pink hair...
"Excuse me. Are you the one they're addressing when they say "Class Rep"?" I asked without hesitation.
"Eh? Uh, yes...?" The girl was caught off-guard by our sudden appearance.
"Ah, my bad for suddenly asking like that. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, from Class D." After introducing myself, I looked at Horikita, who easily picked up on my signal.
"I'm Horikita Suzune, from Class D, too," said Horikita.
"Ahh, so you guys are in the same year! I'm Ichinose Honami, from Class B. Do you need something?" she asked, tilting her head.
"I was just curious. Are there normally class positions assigned for students? You see, our homeroom teacher has a bad habit of keeping some details from us, so I thought we might've been in the dark with this, too," I elaborated.
"Ahaha! Don't worry about it. You're not in the dark at all. This is just something that we of Class B decided on our own. It makes some things like assigning people for fairs and festivals easier. For formality's sake, we also have positions like Vice Class Representative, Class Secretary, and so on." Ichinose answered wholeheartedly.
"I see. Thank you for answering my sudden question," I nodded.
"Oh, sure. Wait, your name is Ayanokouji-kun, right?" Ichinose suddenly tried to confirm my identity.
"Yeah, why?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. Kushida-san and I became friends yesterday, you see. She mentioned your name in our conversation when we were talking about friends. She said you were her first friend. Is that true?" She poked me with her elbow while asking.
That's one sleazy expression... and she smells nice. Do girls always smell this nice?
"Well, I think so. We met on the bus, and we both didn't have friends when we enrolled here, so you can say that we're each other's first friend," I narrated.
"Ehh, that's so cool... And somewhat romantic." Ichinose said with a yearning expression.
Are girls into those kinds of stuff, after all? It's not a myth?
"Well, if you're gonna continue until we reach the topic of me and Kushida going out, then I'll say it in advance. There's nothing going on between us," I said.
"You catch on surprisingly fast, Ayanokouji-kun!" Ichinose responded with an exaggerated shocked expression, putting both of her hands in front of her mouth.
Well, you did just mention the word "romantic"... The way girls think... I can't predict them at all.
"Is she the reason why Kushida-san isn't your girlfriend?" She asked, looking at Horikita, who was indifferently listening to us the whole time. "Oh, but I apologize in advance if I'm wrong."
"Yes, you are wrong. There's nothing between me and Ayanokouji-kun." Horikita answered with a slight glare.
"I see. Then, I'll apologize again, Horikita-san." Ichinose lightly bowed with a smile.
"I can't really blame you, Ichinose-san. After all, it is a common assumption whenever you see two people of the opposite sex walking home together," said Horikita.
We talked with Ichinose for a few more minutes before a student she referred to as "Chihiro-chan" came forward and asked for her.
"I'm not going to ask whether there was a point to our conversation with Ichinose-san because knowing that it's you, I'm sure there was. However, please tell me, Ayanokouji-kun." Horikita suddenly asks me as we neared the dorms.
"Ichinose gave you the impression of someone on top of the social hierarchy, right? At the same time, she didn't seem aware of it. Those kinds of people tend to be the most honest and straightforward," I explained. "I would say that she's the safest option for an ally outside the class thus far. It was a great coincidence."
"You intend to make friends with our enemies...?" Horikita inquired.
"This is just a high school, Horikita. There's no need to treat everyone outside Class D with such blind hostility. Of course, it's good that you're not letting your guard down. I'm also taking into account the possibility of special exams where we ally with everyone in our year against other students in the higher years," I elaborated.
"That's... certainly a possibility. I didn't even think of that. Chabashira-sensei didn't really say anything specific about these special exams, did she? They could be virtually anything, and we could be in trouble if they catch us by surprise," added Horikita.
When we reached my room, I immediately opened the door and put my bag on the bed.
"Want a drink?" I asked.
"It's fine, I'm not thirsty or anything." Horikita refused. Well, I'm the same, so I guess I'll just sit on the bed for now.
Horikita borrowed the chair from my desktop computer and sat on it.
"So, what did you want to talk about first?" I started.
"Because of the lack of evidence, I can't really ascertain anything whether it would be how we were sorted in this school nor the true mechanics of the S-System. That's why I'm prepared to trust you, Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita. "I will believe your hypotheses about these matters. Chabashira-sensei already stressed it for me, and there really isn't anything we can do about our class placement at this point."
I can see the resolve in her eyes... This girl really wants to reach Class A.
"I see. I also want to aim for Class A. Since our goals align, then you can consider me your ally," I said.
"Thank you," Horikita continued. "About our class, I want to make countermeasures for the exams. As Class D students, I'm sure there will be a number of students in our class who'd do poorly in academics. I think we should do something about that."
"A study group would be the easiest and most efficient solution. I don't see why we need an alternative for it," I answered.
"Yes. A study group is indeed the way to go. We can decide on who the tutors are once we get to see the abilities of our most capable classmates. Of course, I will try my best to tutor anyone who needs my guidance."
"I don't know about that. What if they're doing so bad that their academic abilities are only comparable to that of a junior high school student?" I mused.
"That's ridiculous. Those students might be better off getting expelled then. They would only serve as a liability to the class," said Horikita, with a glare.
"But what if those exact students have abilities that they would not lose to others? For example, what if that student's Math scores were horrendous, yet their English scores are worthy of being a tutor?" I asked. "Let's also put their positives outside of academics. What if their exam scores are bad overall, but they are extremely athletic. We have Sudou, who seems to be exactly like that. Do you think expelling them would still be a good option? And if talking in class decreases our points in some way, how much do you think it would cost us if one of our classmates gets expelled?"
"You're... right," said Horikita.
"You need to stop thinking like that, Horikita. They're your classmates, not your pawns. If you think of your friends as tools, then it won't end well for you. Sure, it might work for some people. But I've judged you to be someone unfit to think like that. Of course, that's just my personal opinion."
What a hypocrite.
"You don't need to clarify your position, Ayanokouji-kun. I've already decided to give you my trust. I'm fine with being criticized by someone as intelligent as you." Horikita said with a somber tone, like someone who has admitted defeat.
"Will you start telling me compliments like those in the future? If yes, then I guess I should start getting used to them," I joked.
"It all depends on what you show me. I won't hesitate to criticize you back should I witness any blunders on your part," sneered Horikita.
"Sure," I replied. She didn't get my joke, did she?
After two seconds of silence, I noticed that Horikita was staring at me intensely.
"Ayanokouji-kun." She called out to me before I could say anything.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I would like to give you a small piece of advice..." said Horikita.
Her tone was pretty heavy. Just what kind of advice will she give me?
"Please be careful with Kushida-san..." she said, not breaking eye contact with me.