-10- Seems like a good person

After finishing the morning run, Hori returned to the dorm room, changed out of sportswear, took a cold shower, and then put on the school uniform to head to the classroom.

At this time, there were already quite a few people in the classroom.

No one noticed Hori entering the classroom.

Classmates chatted with each other as if they were already familiar with one another.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, however, still appeared disinterested, sitting at his desk, gazing absentmindedly at the cheerful conversations around him.

Observing this, Hori was somewhat puzzled.

"What are you doing?"

Upon hearing Hori's voice, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka slowly turned his head to look at him.

"Nanaya, right?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, in a tone even flatter than yesterday, responded, "I'm hesitating whether to strike up a conversation with someone."

Wasn't this the same situation as when they first met on the bus and yesterday in the classroom?

"If that's the case, why don't you go ahead and talk to them?"

"...I haven't acquired the skill to casually chat with others in a relaxed manner."

"...So, you don't even have the courage to make friends?"

"Thus, my years without friends are equivalent to age."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka engaged in this somewhat pitiful conversation with Hori, leaving Hori speechless.

"Well, do your best then..."

That was all Hori could say, bringing an end to this topic that could inflict heavy damage on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's inner self. He took his seat.

At that moment...

"Hello."

A very pleasant voice reached Hori's ears, prompting him to look up towards the front of his seat.

There, a girl approached.

"Do you still remember me?"

Speaking these words was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, emitting a friendly and gentle aura. Her facial expression was bright and lively, making her an adorable girl.

Looking at this girl, Hori felt somewhat stunned.

Because, indeed, he recognized this girl.

"You are Miss Kushida, right?"

The person was none other than the kind and cute girl who had helped an elderly woman on the bus yesterday.

The girl named Kushida Kikyou seemed genuinely happy about this, lightly clapping her hands together in front of her.

"Great! You remember me!"

Kushida Kikyou seemed genuinely delighted about this, her eyes squinting as she smiled.

This made the girl's cute face instantly more charming.

Each male student in the class was drawn to this, nearly releasing hearts from their eyes.

Of course, Hori, who elicited such a cute smile from Kushida Kikyou, also received the sharp glances of male students.

Even Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked over with a silent expression.

From this, it could be seen that Kushida Kikyou was destined to become the queen of popularity in this class and possibly the entire school.

Yet, such a girl showed a friendly and unguarded appearance, initiating a conversation with Hori.

"Please call me Kushida; adding 'Miss' feels a bit strange."

Kushida Kikyou let out a somewhat forced laughter, still quite adorable.

But in Hori's heart, there was only a question.

However, Hori, being straightforward, directly asked a question.

"Do you have something you want from me?"

At least, Hori did not believe his charm was great enough to make such a popular and adorable girl approach him voluntarily.

If that were the case, only the possibility of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" remained.

Unfortunately, this time, Hori guessed wrong.

"Well, uh..."

Kushida Kikyou, somewhat shyly, lowered her head.

This appearance was like that of a young girl confessing to her crush.

This made the stares from the surrounding male students even more uncomfortable.

Especially those male students who clearly harbored impure thoughts about cute girls were ready to rush forward, but they were promptly stopped by those around them.

In this situation, Kushida Kikyou gathered her courage.

"Actually, I've been wanting to talk to you since yesterday. But after Chabashira-sensei left, Nanaya-san also left the classroom at some point. You didn't even attend the opening ceremony, so I've been postponing this until now."

With a slightly blushing face, Kushida Kikyou stared directly at Hori, pitifully saying these words.

"So, can you please be my friend?"

This popular and cute girl was genuinely offering herself, requesting friendship from Hori.

"Don't be fooled by my appearance. In fact, my wish is to become friends with everyone in this school."

Kushida Kikyou made this slightly embarrassed yet sincere request.

"Could you help me achieve this wish?"

Could he?

Wasn't this request down to just one possible answer?

Looking at the male students around, each of them captivated by Kushida Kikyou's pitiful plea, Hori realized how badly they wanted to approach and talk to her.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, whether out of envy or for some other reason, had been observing this scene, unsure if he envied Hori for having a cute girl approach him or for someone actively seeking friendship with Hori.

Perhaps, Kushida Kikyou had already made quite a few friends in the class yesterday, capturing the hearts of nearly all the male and even female students.

Hori had to admit that Kushida Kikyou was indeed charming, not only with her sweet appearance but also her positive and sunny personality. Even her well-proportioned figure attracted a lot of attention.

Hori could foresee that soon, Kushida Kikyou's shoe locker would be filled with love letters from male students, receiving many confessions.

For such a charming person of the opposite sex to actively seek friendship, any guy would find it hard to refuse, right?

Unfortunately, Hori wasn't in that category.

"Is your wish to be friends with everyone?" Hori gazed at Kushida Kikyou, still questioning, "But was it necessary to look for me since yesterday? After all, considering my performance in class yesterday, only Ayanokouji and Horikita probably remember me."

Kushida Kikyou's words confirmed Hori's suspicions.

"Yesterday on the bus, Nanaya-san was the only one who gave up his seat for that elderly lady, right?" Tilting her head, Kushida Kikyou, in a delightful mood, continued, "Since that moment, I've wanted to be friends with Nanaya-san."

In other words, Kushida Kikyou meant to express this?

"Nanaya-san seems like a good person, and I'm sure we'll get along well."

In Kushida Kikyou's heart, Hori was smoothly labeled as a 'good person.'