Hiyori Shiina spent a very pleasant afternoon with Natsuki Subaru.
Furthermore, Hiyori Shiina also experienced something completely different from usual.
In her life before this, Hiyori's daily routine had no ups and downs. She had no friends and she very much enjoyed the time spent reading quietly alone. Nor did she feel bored with her current state of life.
However, this did not mean that Hiyori Shiina refused to experience a new daily routine. For example, going to play a locked-room themed physical game with Natsuki Subaru this afternoon was very interesting.
It caused Hiyori's emotions, which were mostly calm, to fluctuate significantly and become active.
'However, thinking about it this way, it really does seem very easy to misunderstand.'
At night, back in her own dorm room.
Lying on her bed, Hiyori Shiina felt a burst of blushing as she thought about what happened during the day. If not for those words from Kikyo Kushida, Hiyori wouldn't have felt anything was amiss.
But after Kushida's reminder, the relationship between herself and Natsuki Subaru was indeed very easy for people to misunderstand.
'A date...'
'Watching a movie together, strolling the streets, playing a locked-room game together... these are very normal activities between friends... right?'
Hiyori suddenly pulled up the quilt, covering her somewhat burning face.
'But, if one were to say these aren't activities for ordinary friends, but for a more intimate relationship, it doesn't seem unjustifiable...'
'Moreover, what did Natsuki mean by what he said to me today? What is that special thing?'
After rolling around on the bed for another half-circle, Hiyori finally calmed down slightly again.
Subconsciously, Hiyori reached out and touched the student terminal resting on the bedside table. Opening the contact list and looking at the contact noted as 'Natsuki Subaru', Hiyori hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not click on it.
'Would sending a message now seem a bit strange?'
Turning off the screen, Hiyori lay back down. Looking at the ceiling, she began to think.
What exactly is the thing that Subaru feels she might have in the future, but doesn't have right now? Vaguely, Hiyori felt that this so-called thing was very crucial. Perhaps it was related to some of Subaru's psychological issues she had perceived before.
As the person who could be said to have the closest relationship with Subaru in this school, Hiyori had sensed that heavy feeling about Subaru very early on. It was just that if Subaru didn't want to talk about it, Hiyori had no way to probe further.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have given Subaru that novel so seriously before. Essentially, it was just to say some words to Subaru from a new perspective through that novel.
*
Subaru's dorm.
"Did you finish watching the movie, Kushida-san?"
"How was it? I think it was quite a wonderful movie."
Looking at Kikyo Kushida, who had come to his dorm at night just as he expected, Subaru simply smiled.
During the expulsion of Haruki Yamauchi this morning, from the gaze Kushida cast toward him, Subaru knew that Kushida had quite a few thoughts about him. She probably felt that if he could expel Yamauchi, he might also be able to expel Suzune Horikita.
After all, she had been trying for almost two months without any signs of success. Perhaps by learning a thing or two from him, she could make some new progress in the matter of expelling Horikita.
"It was indeed a movie of very good quality."
"There were many twists, leaving one somewhat amazed."
Kikyo Kushida leaned back against the door panel, sizing up Subaru who was sitting in front of the desk. Perhaps because there was no need to pretend here with Subaru, Kushida's voice was very authentic and cool, lacking that deliberately cultivated sweetness from usual. Under the dorm lights, Kushida's eyes appeared exceptionally deep.
"It's just that, Subaru-kun, compared to those fictional stories on the silver screen... I am, as expected, much more interested in things happening in reality."
Only a few steps away from Subaru's desk, Kushida sat directly on Subaru's bed and said, "Subaru-kun's actions were truly decisive. It's only the second month, and you already expelled that disgusting guy, Haruki Yamauchi."
"With one less disgusting guy around, it can more or less make me feel slightly more relaxed."
"My mood has become a little better."
Kushida casually complained to Subaru. If the person who displeased Kushida the most in Year 1, Class D was Suzune Horikita, then the second most displeasing was naturally Haruki Yamauchi.
It wasn't just a level of displeasure; seeing him gave her a feeling of nausea. Now that Subaru had gotten Yamauchi expelled, in Kushida's view, it was truly something that gladdened the heart. With Year 1, Class D losing such a piece of work, even the air felt a few degrees fresher.
"After all, I had just enough points on me, and Yamauchi-kun happened to give me the opportunity."
"It was just a matter of convenience. Spending a few personal points to let Yamauchi-kun switch to a different school to study."
Hearing Kushida's words, Subaru smiled and said, "To be honest, I think that Yamauchi-kun being able to escape from this academy so smoothly is not an unfortunate thing."
Contrary to most people's views, Subaru felt that Haruki Yamauchi was very lucky. At least, he could survive.
If not for the fact that the scope of this academy was too fixed, the surveillance was too abundant, and the personnel were not complicated at all, Subaru had ten thousand ways to make Yamauchi disappear without a trace. Now that he had left Subaru's line of sight, Subaru wouldn't pay Yamauchi any more heed unless necessary—it was absolute good luck.
"Putting it that way, being expelled by you was actually an honor for Haruki Yamauchi?"
Hearing Subaru's answer, Kushida sneered and said, "However, only by graduating from Class A can one enjoy those things the school promised at the beginning."
"In that sense, under the premise that it's clearly unlikely to become Class A by graduation, dropping out early is indeed not necessarily a bad thing... provided that Yamauchi was a guy with good academic ability."
One point Kushida had to admit was that this academy she was in was a massive pit. Dropping out early might not be a bad thing.
Especially for those with good academic ability, like Suzune Horikita. Even if she couldn't graduate as Class A in the end, it didn't mean Horikita had no future. Horikita could still get into a good university relying on her powerful academic ability.
But very regrettably, Haruki Yamauchi was not such a student with very good academics. Therefore, for Yamauchi, leaving this school was a huge loss. The finely furnished dorms, the free food and drink, the free daily necessities—these were all things that would make Yamauchi's heart ache.
"So, is there something specific you came to find me for suddenly today, Kushida-san?"
Subaru looked at Kushida, who was chatting with him about random things but avoiding the main point, and shook his head slightly.
"I imagine Kushida-san wouldn't run to my room just to talk to me about these topics."
"Or could it be... you successfully became friends with Horikita-san?"
"Because you were particularly excited, you couldn't wait to share the joy with me, your 'Friend No. 1'?"
As he spoke, Subaru began to laugh. Because of his behavior of 'touching a sore spot', Kushida's originally relatively calm expression instantly became somewhat unsightly. It was evident that regarding the matter of Suzune Horikita, Kushida had made zero progress.
Even the study group from a while ago hadn't brought her relationship with Horikita any closer.
"Currently speaking, I haven't made any progress with that fellow Horikita."
Hearing Subaru bring up Horikita—the very pot she didn't want boiled—Kushida's expression collapsed. Just thinking of Suzune Horikita made Kushida feel somewhat annoyed. After Subaru's analysis for her last time, Kushida had been lying dormant like a venomous snake, preparing to deliver a fatal strike at the truly critical moment.
She had originally thought this midterm exam would be a turning point, where she could improve her relationship with Horikita during the exam period and then find a way to expel her. As a result, no matter what she said, Horikita acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. It truly pissed Kushida off to no end.
"However, I naturally didn't come this time purely to talk to you about these things."
"I just came over specifically to confirm some things with you."
"What is the situation with you and Hiyori Shiina coming out for a date today?"
Kushida stared dead at Subaru and said, "You wouldn't tell Hiyori Shiina about my affairs, right?"
"Or, to put it another way."
"In the future, you might fall in love. You wouldn't tell your future romantic partner about my affairs, right?"
This was the thing that made Kushida truly feel uneasy. Even though she had briefly probed Subaru and Hiyori in the afternoon, when night came, Kushida still couldn't resist running to Subaru's dorm to confirm further.
Kushida was very satisfied with her current life. Except for a very small number of individuals, Kushida had become good friends with almost everyone in the class, and had even started expanding her circle of friends to other classes. She had even begun spreading toward the upperclassmen.
Kushida had many, many good friends and knew many, many secrets that couldn't be casually spoken of outside. This was all what Kushida enjoyed exceptionally.
Before coming to this school, because her outlet for venting was discovered, Kushida had already been ruined in the outside world. No one would be friends with her anymore, and certainly, no one would share so-called secrets with her. For Kushida, this was simply a fate worse than death. That was why this series of events occurred.
"I see."
"Kushida-san is worried I won't be able to keep the secret between us and will let a third person know?"
Hearing Kushida's words, the expression on Subaru's face didn't change; he continued smiling gently.
Kushida's logic of action wasn't complicated. Just from that somewhat deliberate 'chance encounter' in the afternoon, Subaru could already guess most of Kushida's thoughts. It was nothing more than feeling that his relationship with Hiyori Shiina was a bit too intimate.
Since almost no secrets exist between people who are relatively intimate, Kushida feared that because of his very close relationship with Hiyori, he would tell Hiyori about what happened that night.
So in the afternoon, Kushida had thrown a straight ball directly, probing whether the relationship between Subaru and Hiyori was the kind of lovers' relationship she speculated.
"That's right."
"I still haven't washed that piece of clothing you pressed against my chest."
Kushida threatened seriously, "I just came to earnestly exhort you: do not tell others about what you saw that night. Otherwise, I will tell the school that you wanted to force yourself on me."
"I hope it won't come to this step with you in the end."
"You don't have any friends. Hiyori Shiina might be one of your few friends, but I have many friends. When the time comes, everyone will definitely be more willing to believe me, not you."
"Although, I do indeed have no interest in telling others about such things..."
"But Kushida-san, I should have told you before, right? This kind of thing has no way of threatening people."
Looking at Kushida who was acting as if it were a grave matter, Subaru shook his head somewhat helplessly. It was only because Subaru was somewhat interested in Kikyo Kushida—feeling that she had a promising future and might one day see her own essence clearly, stop performing completely meaningless disguises, and directly display her truest self to the world—that he tolerated this.
If it were anyone else, Subaru would have, at the very least, flipped a coin.
Moreover, in a government-supported school, a school filled to the brim with surveillance, pulling something like this was completely asking for trouble. Even without Subaru tossing a coin, the matter wouldn't blow up very big. At most, it would just cause Subaru's reputation to suffer a little loss.
But Subaru had no reputation to begin with, and it was even more impossible for him to care about others' evaluations of him.
"You might not care about these things."
"But, you just need to know that if you gossip about my affairs, I will report to the school that you assaulted me, and that's that."
One couldn't tell from Kushida's voice whether she was disappointed or slightly relieved. After saying this, Kushida took a slight breath, and her voice returned to its usual sweetness as she said, "However, hearing Subaru-kun say this personally, I feel much more at ease~"
"After all, Subaru-kun is my important 'Friend No. 1', right!"
"Between friends, the most important thing is trust, isn't it?"
Kushida blinked her big, spirited eyes.
"I believe Subaru-kun will definitely keep the secret for me, just like... I will also keep secrets for Subaru-kun."
___
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