Oh.
Shinohara, huh.
Oreki naturally knew that, right after school started, Karuizawa had hugged him, and Shinohara had witnessed it.
So.
What did Kushida want?
Even if Shinohara was unattractive, what did someone else's relationship have to do with her?
"She already told me her secret," Kushida said. "Listening to other people's inner thoughts feels pleasant and gives me a sense of satisfaction. But it also brings a lot of trouble."
"Once you've gained someone's trust, there's a high chance they'll tell you even more."
"So once she falls in love, she'll come to me with all sorts of relationship issues, and that's really annoying. For example, if a couple fights and the girl says she wants to break up, then if you advise her to do it, once they get back together, she'll tell the guy that you were the one who urged her to break up."
"Then you end up taking the blame."
"And if you advise her not to break up, she'll think you care about her."
"It really is... incredibly bothersome," Kushida ultimately concluded.
Was that so?
Seen that way, it really was troublesome.
Oreki did not have many friends, but if dating made things that troublesome, then it really was better for them to stay single.
But.
"Rather than saying that, you should wake up," Oreki said. "What you want is a sense of superiority, right? Have you considered getting a real friend?"
"Someone like Rio Futaba, who would come find you alone at two in the morning, risking her own safety, just because a friend called."
"Wouldn't that be great too?" Oreki said.
The Rio Futaba mentioned here was a character from a light novel Oreki had read.
She was the protagonist's friend.
Kushida was a little angel. To strike up conversations with different