Kushida Kikyo Takes Action / Sakura Airi Doesn't Play by the Rules
"Hikaru-kun should know that I really hate Horikita, right?"
"Know."
"What should I do if she falls in love with you someday?"
Kushida Kikyo turned her head and looked into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes. This was indeed something she was worried about. The girl had already decided that she would be tied to Hashiba Hikaru in the future and never be separated.
"This..."
Even if she doesn't reveal my past, I won't be friends with her.
"Regarding this matter, I actually have a simple consideration."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. As a pair with a long-standing entanglement, it was unlikely that Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo could get along amicably, but they could become a good pair of rivals and help each other improve.
"What are your considerations?"
"Since we can't be friends, being competitors isn't so bad, right? Don't you two still have a bet?"
Hashiba Hikaru raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, "I believe none of you are people who are unwilling to accept failure. Wouldn't having a goal help you climb higher?"
"You mean we're going to have a competition?"
"Yes, if we can't be friends, then let's be rivals."
"Is that so...?"
Kushida Kikyo paused for a moment, but then, as if she had just realized something, she suddenly grabbed Hashiba Hikaru's collar and said fiercely, "So you're definitely going to provoke Horikita in the future, right?"
"..."
371
Chapter 371 Kushida Kikyo in Action.
When the first rays of sunlight shone on the balcony in the early morning, the short-haired girl, who woke up very early, was already up.
Her daily routine is still very regular. In order to maintain a more graceful figure, Kushida Kikyo has put in a lot of effort in all aspects. In the past, it was to help herself become a more popular "little angel" in the class. Now, her regular routine is all to make herself more charming so that she can better attract that person's attention.
Standing in front of the sink, after washing up, the girl gazed at her pretty face, slightly lost in thought.
Her conversation with Hashiba Hikaru last time gave her many new ideas. Kushida Kikyo's concern was actually quite simple: Horikita Suzune's future attitude. What if that woman really fell for Hashiba Hikaru?
Should we try to get along with them amicably?
This was something she absolutely did not want to accept. After all, even without that dark history about the past, Kushida Kikyo still hated Horikita Suzune's arrogant attitude.
However, she was also a little worried about Hashiba Hikaru's thoughts. Maintaining such a sweet and intimate relationship with her was something Kushida Kikyo had never imagined before.
Back in junior high, the girl used to look down on her female classmates who were obsessed with their boyfriends, but now she feels quite uncomfortable if she can't see Hashiba Hikaru for a day, which is actually quite funny when you think about it.
If the other person really did develop such a connection with Horikita Suzune, or even liked her more than they liked her, it would be something that Kushida Kikyo would find fundamentally unacceptable.
What should I do?
After tidying herself up, the short-haired girl touched her hair and began to think about how to make changes. She had to come up with a suitable way to make Hashiba Hikaru lean more towards her side.
About ten minutes later, a figure slowly appeared in Kushida Kikyo's mind.
That girl was also a member of Hashiba Hikaru's "Harem," but compared to herself, she was more like a lackey of the boy, only reacting to his joys and sorrows, and had no opinions of her own.
If I can win her over, maybe I can get her on my side. That would give me more leverage. If one person can't do it, surely two people can?
After all, Kushida Kikyo is now extremely familiar with Hashiba Hikaru's preferences, and in this respect, Sakura Airi, like her, possesses very impressive qualities.
"I've chosen you, Sakura..."
Kushida Kikyo gave herself a friendly smile in the mirror. She had approached Sakura Airi several times before, and although their relationship was so-so, she wouldn't let the other woman reject her. The girl was confident she could handle the situation.
After leaving the dormitory, the short-haired girl quickly arrived at the classroom of Class D of the First Year. Although Hirata Yosuke had already started to encourage everyone to study hard for the Final Exam, the study atmosphere in the class was still not very good, and there were still quite a few people playing around.
Upon entering the classroom, Kushida Kikyo, who was very popular among the class members, immediately received many greetings. After smilingly responding to everyone's greetings, the girl's gaze locked onto the red-haired girl sitting in the corner of the classroom.
The other person had her head down, looking at the table, seemingly fiddling with her phone. Her pink glasses and long hair that fell to her forehead obscured most of her face, making it impossible for Kushida Kikyo to see her expression.
Soon, Kushida Kikyo prepared herself mentally. She walked directly to Sakura Airi's table and took the initiative to talk to her.
"Good morning, Sakura."
"Eh... Kushida? Good morning..."
Sakura Airi seemed surprised by Kushida Kikyo's greeting; she pressed her hand on the table, displaying an extremely astonished expression.
"Are you free this afternoon, Sakura? I'd like to have dinner with you."
Kushida Kikyo extended her invitation with a smile. If she wanted to increase her own leverage, she had to get Sakura Airi to take her side.
"Me?"
A look of doubt flickered in Sakura Airi's eyes. After making the changes, she was still somewhat socially anxious, but much better than before. At least she was no longer afraid to talk to people.
"Yes, I've always wanted to be good friends with Sakura, but I haven't had a good opportunity. Let's go out for lunch together this afternoon; it'll help us get closer."
Kushida Kikyo's tone was very sincere, and coupled with her charming and gentle expression, anyone else would probably have agreed long ago, but Sakura Airi was clearly still somewhat hesitant.
Because she was thinking about what Kushida Kikyo's purpose was, and her long-term close relationship with Hashiba Hikaru had taught her many things, the most basic of which was that no one would show kindness to you for no reason; the other person must have something in mind.
Can I think about it?
Sakura Airi didn't rule it out completely, but instead planned to send a message to Hashiba Hikaru to inquire.
"There's nothing to consider, is there? Or does Sakura have plans for this afternoon?"
Kushida Kikyo's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she considered what Hashiba Hikaru had said yesterday. That guy was supposed to be spending the night with Ichinose today, so it was impossible for him to have a date with Sakura Airi.
"This..."
Just as Sakura Airi was beginning to organize her thoughts, another blue-haired girl interrupted their conversation.
"Kushida, Airi afternoon. I remember she told me about it yesterday. How about you ask her out again next time?"
Hasebe Haruka had noticed this scene earlier, and in order to protect her group members, she decided to step forward.
"Is that so?"
Kushida Kikyo was startled. Her gaze swept over Sakura Airi and Hasebe, who was walking towards them. Were these two friends?
"I think I'm not mistaken, right, Airi?"
Hasebe placed his small hand on Sakura Airi's shoulder, and at that moment he noticed that the girl's expression had relaxed considerably.
"Well, my situation isn't actually that complicated. If... Kushida really wants to have dinner together, we can do it later."
Sakura Airi glanced at her phone screen; the boy had already given his reply.
Hashiba Hikaru: She shouldn't do anything, don't worry. Let me know if there are any problems.
"Then it's settled. Sakura should have my contact information, right? You can call me when you're done, and then we can go out for dinner together."
After hearing Sakura Airi's statement, Kushida Kikyo rattled off these words in rapid succession.
Within a week of the start of the semester, she managed to exchange contact information with all her classmates except Horikita Suzune, even though Sakura Airi was not very noticeable, she still managed to get her phone number.
"Okay, I understand."
Sakura Airi nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.
After Kushida Kikyo left, Hasebe immediately spoke up. Although she was aloof, she dared to speak out in this situation.
"Does Airi not want to have dinner with Kushida?"
"No..."
Sakura Airi shook her head. After the study group was formed, she spent more time with Hasebe and knew that she was a very good girl, loyal and cute.
"Is that so?"
The blue-haired girl looked Sakura Airi up and down several times, and only after realizing that she wasn't putting on a brave face did she finally feel relieved.
"Then go ahead, as long Airi thinks it's okay."
"Yes, thank you, Hasebe."
"Uh-huh?"
Hasebe crossed her arms, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
"Oh... Haruka."
That's more like it.
After Hasebe Haruka formed a study group with Sakura Airi and two other boys, she always emphasized the friendly relationship between them and encouraged everyone to call each other by nicknames or names. That's why she called Sakura Airi by her first name and asked her to call her by her first name as well.
After the blue-haired girl left with a smile, Sakura Airi continued to text Hashiba Hikaru, since she didn't know why Kushida Kikyo suddenly wanted to contact her today.
As afternoon approached, Kushida Kikyo left the classroom immediately because she had to go to Student Council work that day, while Sakura Airi returned to the dormitory with Hasebe.
Around 5 p. m., after confirming their locations on their phones, the two finally met up at a restaurant.
"Here I am, Sakura."
Because she had something important to say, Kushida Kikyo made a special reservation for today.
"OK."
After everyone took their seats, Sakura Airi was still a little reserved. After all, although she and Kushida Kikyo were classmates, they were not friends.
Sitting opposite her Kushida Kikyo was also a little nervous. It was the first time she had done something like this, and she really wanted to take control of the conversation.
"Um, I remember Sakura and Classmate Hashiba from Class A are good friends, right?"
After thinking for a moment, the short-haired girl decided to start with this topic.
"Uh, not really, we're just ordinary friends."
Sakura Airi couldn't directly admit that she had no intention of opening her heart to Kushida Kikyo.
"Yeah?"
Seeing the other person's expression, Kushida Kikyo smiled and uttered her next words, which were full of bait.
"But I heard from Classmate Hashiba that you two should be very familiar with each other, right? Could he be lying?"
"Huh?!"
Upon hearing this, Sakura Airi's expression changed slightly. She unconsciously clenched her small fists, feeling beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.
"This... I..."
"Don't be nervous, Sakura. Maybe I remembered wrong."
Noticing Sakura Airi's reaction, Kushida Kikyo was quite pleased. Since this girl was so easy to manipulate, the rest of the conversation would be much easier to develop.
"Is that so?"
Sakura Airi was already regretting going to the appointment; her primary thought was not to expose her secret with Hashiba Hikaru.
"Yes, let's get along well... Sakura."
372
Chapter 372 Sakura Airi, who doesn't play by the rules.
Inside the exquisitely decorated restaurant, as the dishes were gradually served, Sakura Airi and Kushida Kikyo began a smooth conversation, starting with Hashiba Hikaru as a topic of conversation.
Because Kushida Kikyo is a shrewd person, she was very good at manipulating Sakura Airi, who had very little social experience. At this time, it was purely a matter of information asymmetry, because she knew about Hashiba Hikaru's close relationship with her, but her partner was unaware of her relationship with Hashiba Hikaru.
Therefore, a short-haired girl can more easily reveal her purpose through indirect means, allowing Sakura Airi to gradually lower her psychological defenses.
"So you're a photographer? Did Classmate Hashiba take any photos of you?"
A faint smile played on Kushida Kikyo's face as she took the opportunity to learn about the circumstances that had brought the two of them closer.
"Yes, but not many, only a few."
Sakura Airi deliberately lied, since the other party had no way to verify it at that point.
"Can I take a look?"
Kushida Kikyo immediately showed a very curious expression, raising her hand in a pleading gesture.
"Uh, okay then."
Sakura Airi reluctantly accessed her phone's photo album. As a print model and Blog Idol, she had a strong aesthetic sense when it came to photos and meticulously categorized and managed them. To avoid any mishaps, she kept important photos in a hidden album, only showing ordinary solo shots to others.