Horikita Suzune: "What Do You Want Me to Do?" / Ichinose Honami and Kiryuin Fuuka

"Then I'll thank you on behalf of Kikyo, Horikita."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. In fact, based on his understanding of Horikita Suzune, as long as he explained things to her clearly, she would not have taken the initiative to reveal these things. It was just that Kushida Kikyo herself was too nervous about these matters, so she always used a method that left no room for compromise to solve the problem.

"You're welcome. If Kushida keeps his promise, I won't go around telling everyone what I know."

This statement acted as a reassurance, making it clear to Kushida Kikyo what the other person was thinking. However, given her personality, she naturally wouldn't thank her; she simply remained nestled in Hashiba Hikaru's arms without saying a word.

"How about it? Isn't this a pretty good result?"

The boy stroked Kushida Kikyo's pretty face, gently lifting her chin. "This is much easier than the method you thought of. You can rest assured now, right?"

"... Hmph, I'll keep my word."

"That's good."

"Um."

Enjoying the warmth flowing through her heart, Kushida Kikyo subconsciously straightened up, quickly bringing her small face closer to Hashiba Hikaru.

"?"

Horikita Suzune was still thinking about how to end today's meeting, but suddenly she saw the two people opposite her start kissing, and she could even hear the faint sounds.

"You..."

The black-haired girl's expression changed. She suddenly stood up from the chair and glared angrily at the two people sitting on it.

However, this time it wasn't the long kiss that Hashiba Hikaru and the girl usually shared; they separated after only a few seconds. When Kushida Kikyo turned her head with a charming smile, she found Horikita Suzune standing there watching them the whole time.

Just as she was about to tease the other person, she caught a startling fact through the direction of the black-haired girl's gaze.

Horikita Suzune, the person I was just looking at wasn't her.

Instead... it's... Hashiba Hikaru!

In that instant, Kushida Kikyo's face turned frosty. After glancing at the boy who was touching his mouth, she shouted loudly at Horikita Suzune.

"Don't look at my man!"

407

Chapter 407 Horikita Suzune: What do you want me to do?

With Kushida Kikyo's sudden, sweet shout, both Hashiba Hikaru and Horikita Suzune were clearly startled. The boy first glanced at the short-haired girl in his arms, then looked up at Horikita Suzune's pretty face.

However, as one would expect, she was quite arrogant. Even in this situation, after a brief moment of stunned silence, the black-haired girl quickly regained her indifferent expression and met Kushida's gaze with deep intensity.

"Sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying Kushida."

"Haven't I made myself clear enough?"

Kushida Kikyo sat in Hashiba Hikaru's lap, her thighs wrapped around his waist, her tone icy, "You were staring at Hikaru-kun's lips just now, weren't you?"

"... You've mistaken me for someone else."

Horikita Suzune offered a curt explanation, but her eyes held a slightly unnatural glint.

"It is clearly you, you wouldn't be...?"

Just as Kushida Kikyo was about to press for more information, Hashiba Hikaru interrupted her.

"Stop fooling around, it's not a big deal, listen to me~"

"Snort!"

Hashiba Hikaru's comforting words weren't just verbal; he also gently stroked her back. Feeling this tenderness, Kushida Kikyo simply snorted and obediently didn't press the matter further.

"Now that our bet is over, you can leave, right?"

After cuddling in the boy's arms for a while, Kushida Kikyo looked at the black-haired girl sitting opposite her. She didn't want to stay in the same space with her forever.

"That's true. I'm not comfortable being in the same space as Kushida. If I could, I would have said goodbye long ago."

Horikita Suzune straightened her school uniform and said calmly, "But I have a bet with someone else here that has nothing to do with Kushida. I can't leave until it's over."

"There's one more person?"

Kushida Kikyo was quick-witted; she immediately locked her gaze on Hashiba Hikaru and demanded sharply, "Hikaru-kun, you have a bet with this woman?"

"Yes, my bet with Horikita is also related to grades, but we're comparing total scores, not individual subjects."

A smile appeared on Hashiba Hikaru's lips as she looked at Horikita Suzune and asked, "Horikita- san, what's your total score?"

"788 points."

Horikita Suzune announced a very good score, which was first in Class D.

"I should have won that bet, that's a great result."

Upon hearing her score, Hashiba Hikaru took out her phone to show the pictures she had taken in the classroom. Her score was 791, 3 points higher than Horikita Suzune.

"..."

After confirming the other person's score, the black-haired girl, who was quite confident in her grades, had a hint of disappointment flash in her beautiful eyes. Although she had made many mistakes in the Special Exam, Horikita Suzune had never been one to admit defeat when it came to test-taking skills.

But now the facts are clear, and she has no room for explanation.

"I lost."

Horikita Suzune's voice was very low as she admitted defeat.

"It's okay, I was just lucky. Horikita's score is already very high."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and comforted her, but soon felt her soft flesh being pinched at the waist.

"Hiss... Stop, stop, stop."

What are you doing?

The boy looked down at the short-haired girl in his arms, who was wincing in pain.

"Hmph, since Hikaru-kun won, you're not allowed to comfort her. Let this woman taste defeat too!"

Kushida Kikyo seemed to be seeking revenge for the humiliation she had just suffered, and now that she saw Hashiba Hikaru win, she was very happy.

"Can't you just talk to me properly? Why did you pinch me?"

Hashiba Hikaru rubbed her lower back. To be honest, it really hurt when she pinched there. Even though her physical abilities had been enhanced, she still couldn't resist the girl's small hand.

"I just wanted to remind you who you should really care about."

"... Fine, fine, you've got to do it."

Hashiba Hikaru had no choice. After he apologized, Kushida Kikyo smiled with satisfaction and took the initiative to massage the spot where the boy had been pinched.

But at that moment, another sentence rang in the short-haired girl's ears, asked by Horikita Suzune.

"Since I've lost, please make your request to me Classmate Hashiba."

Horikita Suzune stared at the other person's face, as if she had made up her mind, "I can accept anything!"

"???"

Sensing something was amiss, Kushida Kikyo didn't retract her hand from Hashiba Hikaru's waist. Instead, she stared intently at his face again and asked coldly, "What do you mean? You can still make demands? What exactly is your wager?"

"Well..."

Hashiba Hikaru was somewhat speechless. Just as he was pondering, the girl opposite him unexpectedly began to explain.

"My Classmate Hashiba and I made a bet: after this wager, the loser would have to unconditionally grant the winner one request—anything, as long as it wasn't related to the class competition."

This explanation, though it sounded quite normal, instantly took on a different meaning in Kushida Kikyo's eyes.

What does it mean to make demands unconditionally?

Isn't this a classic shoujo manga plot?

Using this method to close the distance and gradually transform from rivals into lovers is a common trope in works of art.

"Hehehe, so that's how it is."

Her voice grew colder, Kushida Kikyo's eyes shone brighter. She wrapped her arms tightly around Hashiba Hikaru's waist and asked in an incredibly "gentle" tone, "Then I'd like to ask Hikaru-kun, what request do you want to make of Horikita?"

"Well... I haven't thought about it yet. Can we talk about it later?"

"No!"

"Can."

Two distinct voices rang out in the dormitory, followed by Horikita Suzune's cool voice. "This is a private matter between me and Classmate Hashiba, it has nothing to do with Kushida, right? You have no right to decide my thoughts."

"Snort..."

Kushida Kikyo ignored Horikita Suzune's voice and stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru, saying, "Hikaru-kun, just ask her for something now. Just ask her to run an errand for you."

"Running errands?"

"Yes, since it's unconditional, running errands is the most convenient option."

The short-haired girl whispered in his ear, "I don't have any of that stuff in my bedroom anymore. I used it all up last time, and it's not going to work out today. Hikaru-kun?"

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru full of exasperation, rubbed his temples. He knew, of course, that today was not a safe day for Kushida Kikyo, and that he would definitely need to take precautions if he were to do those things.

But why should Horikita Suzune buy it?

Isn't that a bit strange?

"Or maybe we should just forget about it, I can go buy it myself."

Hashiba Hikaru thought for a moment, then declined the rather outlandish request, continuing gently, "Let's tell her when I've thought it through; she might have some interesting ideas."

"Then you can forget about spending the night here!"

Kushida Kikyo threatened him with a cold expression.

Hashiba Hikaru was taken aback at first, then a delighted smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Really? It's a deal!"

408

Chapter 408 Ichinose Honami and Kiryuuin Fuuka.

Although she deliberately made a joke to Kushida Kikyo, Hashiba Hikaru ended up spending the night in the short-haired girl's dormitory after seeing Horikita Suzune off, since she was already there.

"I heard that Honami has been hanging out with a Second Year student lately. Is this Hikaru-kun's arrangement?"

Kushida Kikyo lay on top of the boy and asked him about it.

"Yes, Honami said she wanted to help me, so I had her go with Kiryuin- senpai to take care of the matter."

Hashiba Hikaru rested her head on her arms. This was a very sudden turn of events, but it had produced many unexpected results.

For example, after Ichinose Honami joined the project, her free time was taken up a lot. Although she could still spend a few nights a week at Hashiba Hikaru's dorm, she had to do chores most of the time.

"What is Honami doing for you?"

The short-haired girl still had a faint blush on her face, and her voice was a little hoarse, which sounded strangely charming.

"It's Student Council matter. After all, the second semester is almost over, and we can prepare for many things in advance."

"Can I help you too?"

"No need, there's really no need for so many people to get involved. After all, too many people make us a bigger target and easier to be noticed."

Hashiba Hikaru stroked her soft, pretty face and whispered.

"Hmph... then forget it."

Kushida Kikyo didn't press the issue, since she wasn't particularly interested in these things. She would have agreed if Hashiba Hikaru had asked for help, but since she didn't, she let it go.

"Yes, Kikyo just needs to focus on her work in the Student Council. You'll learn the inside story when the plan is put into action."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. All his preparations were to counter Miyabi Nagumo's reform plan, not because he was afraid of him, but to keep the initiative in his hands.

Horikita Manabu has only one semester left before graduating. In order to gain more autonomy, this is a necessary path, after all, the Student Council here is completely different from Student Council of ordinary universities.

"Okay, I understand."

Hashiba Hikaru opened her System Panel. Ever since Kushida Kikyo's stock price rose to 300 points, it hadn't changed for a long time. Even though the intimacy between the two had been increasing, it just hadn't improved.

Perhaps it just needs the right opportunity.