Sakura Airi Understands Where She Stands

"Wow."

Upon seeing the photos on the other person's phone, Kushida Kikyo exclaimed in amazement, but as she looked at the photos, her feelings underwent a subtle change.

Hashiba Hikaru is a quick learner, and during her training with Sakura Airi in photography, she progressed rapidly, resulting in some truly outstanding photographs.

For example, the picture that Kushida Kikyo is looking at right now.

In a corner of the school after the rain, a red-haired girl in casual clothes tilts her head to look at the camera. She's not wearing glasses, which makes her already delicate and pretty face look even more beautiful. She has an outstanding figure and is full of charm.

Through the content of this photo, you can see the look in Sakura Airi's eyes when facing the camera, a look that Kushida Kikyo is very familiar with.

"They're really beautiful! Did Classmate Hashiba take all these photos for you?"

Kushida Kikyo felt inexplicably annoyed because the other person hadn't taken any photos of her yet.

"Yes, Classmate Hashiba has improved really quickly."

After putting her phone away, Sakura Airi clutched it tightly in her hand. She had been very nervous ever since Kushida Kikyo started looking at the photo album, because hiding the photos in the album was extremely important, and every extra second increased the risk of exposure.

"Judging from this, Classmate Hashiba and Sakura are really close."

Kushida Kikyo smiled slightly. Now that the conversation had progressed this far, she felt the time was right and it was time to get to the "main course."

Photos, right? Everyone has them, right?

"I also have a photo of Classmate Hashiba here. Would Sakura like to see it?"

What kind of photo is it?

Sakura Airi was well aware that Kushida Kikyo could never help but show interest when it came to matters concerning Hashiba Hikaru.

"This is the one."

The short-haired girl, speaking softly, scrolled through her phone's photo album to the picture she had taken while Hashiba Hikaru was asleep, and slowly pushed it in front of Sakura Airi.

"This..."

Upon seeing the contents of the photo, Sakura Airi's pupils constricted sharply, because the content was quite shocking: it showed a boy embracing a girl as they fell asleep, their profiles revealed by the posture and the small patch of skin showing only under the blanket, indicating that neither of them was wearing clothes.

Yes, the boy is Hashiba Hikaru Sakura Airi has been longing for, and the girl who opened her eyes and smiled at the camera is Kushida Kikyo, who is sitting opposite her. She is smiling as she watches the red-haired girl's expression change drastically.

"You... Kushida... what do you mean by this?"

Sakura Airi's feelings were quite complicated at this moment. After becoming so close to Hashiba Hikaru, she always thought of herself as the second most important person after her official girlfriend Ichinose Honami. But it was obvious that the relationship between Kushida Kikyo was now able to produce this photo, and the boy was equally complicated.

"It doesn't mean anything. My relationship with him is probably the same as Sakura's, right?"

Kushida Kikyo's words shattered Sakura Airi's heart once again, causing the pink-haired girl's expression to waver instantly.

"What... what does this mean?"

Sakura Airi felt sweat beading on her back. She really couldn't understand what Kushida Kikyo was up to. If she and Hashiba Hikaru had such a close relationship, why was she looking for her today?

"Don't be too nervous, Sakura. I came to see you today to ask for your help with something, and also to get to know you a little better."

Kushida Kikyo squinted and chuckled softly, as if she already had the girl in front of her completely under her thumb.

"You need my help? What does it entail?"

Sakura Airi forced herself to calm down and asked the question.

That's it...

After hearing the other party's statement, Kushida Kikyo quietly expressed her own thoughts. After she finished speaking, Sakura Airi was shocked again. She stared at the short-haired girl in front of her in disbelief, not understanding why the other party would come up with such an idea.

Two people together? That's just ridiculous.

"Sakura, please calm down for a moment. This is just my initial idea. I've already explained the reasons to you, and I hope you can understand my thoughts."

"Classmate Hashiba is already quite popular, and if things continue like this, he'll only have more and more girls around him. Since we're classmates, we can naturally form a team together, which will give us an advantage."

Do you understand what I'm thinking?

Kushida Kikyo spoke earnestly, then offered a new bait. "Doesn't Sakura want Classmate Hashiba to have more time to spend with you? If you do that, I believe he'll be moved."

"..."

Faced with this unexpected promise, the red-haired girl's eyes were filled with very complex emotions. It was the first time she had learned that Hashiba Hikaru was in close relationships with other girls besides herself and Ichinose.

Kushida Kikyo's suggestion did indeed make her waver. After all, Airi Sakura Airi Hashiba Hikaru's popularity, and as the number of people increased, the time she could get would naturally decrease.

This is a very real problem.

"So, what do you think, Sakura?"

"I..."

Sakura Airi pondered for a while, and after a long time, she slowly uttered her answer.

"I... have decided to decline Kushida's offer."

"?"

The pretty, short-haired girl was completely surprised. She couldn't understand why this guy, who had just shown interest, would give such a response now.

Are you trying to fool me?

373

Chapter 373 Sakura Airi understands her place.

With December fast approaching, students of all grades are nervously preparing for the upcoming Final Exam. As an important test to bring the second semester to a close, everyone is putting in their best effort to review and hoping to achieve the best results.

After dinner, Hashiba Hikaru went to Sakura Airi's dorm; this was his first visit of the week.

Upon seeing the familiar red-haired girl, she immediately rushed over as soon as the door opened, clinging tightly to the boy's chest.

"Hikaru, good afternoon."

"Hmm, good afternoon Airi."

Stepping into her familiar dormitory, Hashiba Hikaru looked around at the furnishings. In fact, nothing had changed much, except for the many picture frames on the walls, all made by the girl herself, each displaying a different photograph, showing that she was still diligently working on her photography skills.

"Has Hikaru already eaten dinner? Would you like to have some more?"

After receiving a text message from Hashiba Hikaru Sakura Airi immediately started tidying up her room and hasn't eaten anything yet.

"Has Airi not eaten yet?"

The boy glanced around the room; he didn't smell any food and guessed that the other person hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"Hmm, I'm just getting ready to cook..."

The red-haired girl felt a little embarrassed by the other person's gaze. She wanted to maintain a perfect image and didn't want the other person to think she was lazy.

"Then I'll cook for Airi. What would you like to eat?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, got up to put on her apron. Actually, Sakura Airi didn't cook at home very often; most of the time she bought food from outside and brought it back. The apron was also bought by herself.

"Anything is fine, as long as it's something that involves light."

"Then let's make the simplest coffee omelet rice."

The boy observed the contents of the refrigerator and quickly decided on the menu.

"Um."

After making the decision, Hashiba Hikaru began to prepare the ingredients in front of the stove; he was already quite skilled at this.

When he was with Ichinose Honami, he would mostly sit and wait for the meal to be served, while when he was with Sakura Airi, the boy would cook most of the time, creating a unique cycle in a sense.

After the curry was put into the pot, Hashiba Hikaru felt Sakura Airi suddenly hug her waist and press her head against her back.

"Airi, what's wrong?"

Hashiba Hikaru controlled the heat, her expression slightly puzzled.

"Do you remember when I went out to eat with Kushida a few days ago?"

Since Sakura Airi revealed her answer that day, Kushida Kikyo has been quiet for a long time and hasn't contacted her proactively during this period.

"I remember, didn't you say we'd call it a day after dinner? Nothing should have happened, right?"

The boy noticed something was off about Sakura Airi's tone and asked, somewhat concerned.

"Actually, there are some other things, but I didn't explain them to Guang in time."

Sakura Airi pressed her face tightly against Hashiba Hikaru's back, inhaling her scent, which made her feel warm.

"Really? So Airi has decided to tell me now?"

"Um."

"Let me finish cooking first, then we can talk while we eat."

Hashiba Hikaru sped up her cooking; it seemed this was no small matter, otherwise Sakura Airi wouldn't be so conflicted.

About ten minutes later, the steaming hot omelet rice was served on the table. After serving it to Sakura Airi, Hashiba Hikaru poured herself a glass of juice.

"Airi, you can eat something first. We have plenty of time."

"Uh-huh."

After eating a few bites, Sakura Airi seemed to gain courage from the warm food. When she put down her spoon, she looked up at the boy opposite her.

"Is Airi going to speak now?"

Hashiba Hikaru took a sip of water with great interest, a smile playing on her lips.

"Okay, now I'll say it, so please listen carefully."

Sakura Airi took a deep breath. She had been organizing her thoughts in her mind while she was holding Hashiba Hikaru. After all, this matter was very important to the girl, and she couldn't make a decision easily.

"Then you tell me."

So, in the following time, the red-haired girl recounted her conversation with Kushida Kikyo at the restaurant that day. After she finished speaking, she noticed that Hashiba Hikaru's expression gradually became strange, and she even looked dumbfounded at the end.

"That's it. I didn't agree to Kushida, and then I came straight back."

After saying her last words, Sakura Airi stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face.

"Hiss..."

Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his forehead. He had no idea that Kushida Kikyo, that idiot, would do something like this without his knowledge. No wonder she had been acting strangely at the Student Council these past two days; it turned out to be because of this.

"Do you just think what I did was right?"

Sakura Airi took a bite of her food, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Yes, it's her suggestion that's outrageous. Airi doesn't need to force herself at all."

Hashiba Hikaru sighed.

The next moment, he looked at the docile girl in front of him and asked hesitantly, "After Airi found out about my relationship with Kushida, didn't you feel uncomfortable?"

No.

Sakura Airi shook her head, a smile appearing on her pretty face. Although she was indeed surprised when she first learned about this, the girl knew she had no right to do so; if anyone should be angry, it should be her official girlfriend, Ichinose Honami.

"No?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked at the red-haired girl opposite him with a complicated expression. Although he had expected it, her calm response still surprised him.

"Yes, if we really want to be clear, both Kushida and I were Stealthy Cat... We have no right to blame Hikaru, right?"

Sakura Airi curry rice with a spoon, her tone gentle.

"There's no need to say that, Airi. I'm the one who makes the decisions, so of course I have to take responsibility for them."

Hashiba Hikaru sighed softly. He knew that Sakura Airi wouldn't accept this so easily, or rather, apart from Kushida's extremely rare personality, there probably weren't many girls who could easily accept this kind of thing.

"Anyway, Hikaru and I will always be together, so there's no need to argue about who's right and who's wrong."

Sakura Airi squinted her eyes. She was actually very clear about her own position; not competing or fighting was the best approach.

"Okay, I understand."

A smile finally appeared on Hashiba Hikaru's face. He reached out and patted Sakura Airi's head, his tone much gentler. "I'm really grateful that Airi can tolerate my willfulness."

"It's clearly Hikari who has always tolerated my willfulness."

"Haha, if we keep going on like this, we might not reach a conclusion until tomorrow."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged. His chat with Sakura Airi had definitely cheered him up. The road ahead was long; he'd keep trying.

"That..."