Horikita Suzune Wants to Get Closer to Him / Horikita Suzune: What Does It Mean to Take Our Friendship Further?

"But facing that [White Room], won't it affect Guang's studies?"

Ichinose Honami thought about it and realized that if the new Chairman sent by the other side forcibly interfered with the students, it might cause irreparable consequences.

"Honami, don't worry about that. If it were really that simple, do you think such complicated procedures would be necessary?"

Hashiba Hikaru was very confident. Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School did not belong to any one person, but was supported by a complex network of power. If anyone could easily interfere, the [White Room] would not need to resort to framing to affect Chairman Sakayanagi's power.

"Oh well."

Ichinose Honami nodded, looked up into her boyfriend's eyes, and said in a slightly serious tone, "From now on, can I be involved in things related to light? I want to share the burden with you."

"...Alright, since Honami has said so, let's get to work." Hashiba Hikaru decided to grant her request for the time being. After all, being anxious and uncertain was troublesome, and he didn't want the girl to remain in a state of unease.

"Then, let's pinky promise: Guang must tell me about any important matters from now on."

Ichinose Honami extended her little finger, gesturing for Hikari Hashima to make Hashiba Hikaru promise, and it was only then that the boy noticed the silver ring shimmering on her right middle finger.

"Good."

Hashiba Hikaru spoke gently, his little finger lightly hooked with the other's, his eyes tender.

"From now on, please let Honami be my assistant. We'll handle more important matters together."

"Uh-huh!"

471

Chapter 471 Horikita Suzune longs to be close to him.

As the first weekend of the Third Semester came to a close, most students felt their school life was back on track, with everything remaining the same except for the more demanding academic workload.

After that small internal meeting, Hashiba Hikaru, Arisu Sakayanagi Arisu Ayanokoji Kiyotaka created a shared chat group to exchange information in a timely manner.

After all, the methods for the [White Room] need to be prepared in advance. In addition to working hard to gain a better understanding of the Student Council, the boy also needs to put in effort with his homeroom teacher.

He planned to talk to Hoshinomiya on Monday. Although the young female teacher seemed quite eccentric, Hashiba Hikaru still had a lot of influence with her because Class A had maintained its position as the top student in the grade for so long.

"And regarding Class C of the First Year, things might be a bit tricky."

Sitting in her seat, Hashiba Hikaru thought of Sakagami Kazuma, the homeroom teacher of Class C of the First Year who had appeared during the Uninhabited Island Exam. That man had a rather eccentric personality. Since he allowed Ryuen to use unconventional tactics, it meant that he took the class competition very seriously.

If we want to guard against the people sent by the [White Room], the most crucial point is to ensure that the four homeroom teachers of the first year know the truth. However, another key point is that Hashiba Hikaru is unaware of the specific authority that the homeroom teachers in this school possess.

This is the most crucial issue.

"I have a feeling things aren't that simple..."

The boy rubbed his temples, because these things were indeed too far removed from the lives of ordinary students; no one had expected such an illogical place as the [White Room] to exist.

"Hikari, what's wrong?"

When his girlfriend, who was sitting next to him, saw Hashiba Hikaru's troubled expression, she looked over with concern.

"I just feel that the solutions to these problems are a bit complicated, but where there's a will, there's a way."

Hashiba Hikaru forced a smile; although the situation was tricky, he was still quite confident.

"That's good. Just remember to tell me if you have any problems, I want to help you out."

The girl finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the other person smile.

"Yes, I know."

Hashiba Hikaru spent the weekend thinking about countermeasures. Although he felt that even if the [White Room] sent people, it might not have a big impact on Class A, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Sakayanagi Arisu important pawns after all. If he could get in touch with them in advance, it would definitely not be bad for him.

As Sunday afternoon approached, Hashiba Hikaru decided to take Ichinose Honami out for a walk to help her clear her mind.

Strolling along the winter streets, you can see that Keyaki Mall has recently opened many new shops. After all, in order to continuously provide services to students, the shops are being updated and replaced very quickly.

"Hikaru, how about we go to a clothing store? I've noticed you haven't bought any new clothes in ages."

Ichinose Honami had a bright smile on her face as she held her boyfriend's hand, clearly in a good mood.

"Sure."

Just as the two were about to enter an exquisitely decorated clothing store, Hashiba Hikaru caught a glimpse of a slender figure not far away out of the corner of her eye.

She was a young girl with black hair, exceptionally pretty, yet she maintained an indifferent expression. She was holding several books, as if she had just come from a bookstore.

It's Horikita Suzune.

After their eyes met, Hashiba Hikaru didn't speak to her. Instead, she was led into the clothing store by Ichinose Honami's hand. Just as he turned his head away, Horikita Suzune stopped in her tracks.

She had actually seen Hashiba Hikaru shopping with her girlfriend quite some time ago. After her last conversation with Kushida Kikyo, the girl had been reflecting on her stance.

Despite knowing that competing with others for a man is a strange thing, Horikita Suzune feels an inexplicable urge to get close to Hikari whenever she sees Hashiba Hikaru. She can't control it, and she doesn't even know why.

She had only come to buy a few reference books, but after seeing the couple passing by outside the glass door, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but follow them out.

"Shall we give it a try?"

The girl tightened her grip on her book and sat down on a bench for pedestrians to rest on. She planned to wait and see what Hashiba Hikaru had bought.

Time ticked by, and about half an hour later, a familiar figure finally emerged from the clothing store. Horikita Suzune immediately looked up.

The boy seemed to have bought a new winter coat; the simple style of the clothes accentuated his tall and slender figure, and with his handsome face, he attracted even more female gazes.

Meanwhile, Ichinose Honami next to her, had changed into a jacket in a similar style to Hashiba Hikaru's outfit. At first glance, they looked a bit like a couple's outfit, which, combined with the girl's already outstanding looks, made them look even more compatible.

As a famous couple favored by countless people, they are truly a perfect match.

After withdrawing her scrutinizing gaze, Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone. Since the girl and Ichinose Honami would only create an awkward situation.

After some thought, Horikita Suzune sent a message to Hashiba Hikaru. After finishing this task, the black-haired girl sighed and then got up to return to her dormitory.

On the other side, after hearing his phone ring once, Hashiba Hikaru quickly glanced at the screen but didn't open the chat window in front of his girlfriend.

Did someone send you a message?

Ichinose Honami held his hand and asked a question seemingly casually.

"It's Student Council matter; let's deal with it tomorrow."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently and continued walking forward naturally, while the pink-haired girl beside her only glanced at him and did not ask any further questions.

"Let's keep browsing, I actually have a few things I want to buy."

"Yeah, we've received a lot of points this month, and we haven't used the light much, have we? Don't be so frugal."

Ichinose Honami, her eyes crinkling with a smile, took her boyfriend's arm. She currently controls tens of millions of Private Points, with her own share exceeding one million, making her a true millionaire.

"Yeah, mainly because there's nothing I really want. Since we're already here, let's grab something."

Hashiba Hikaru doesn't have a strong desire for material things, but she naturally wouldn't resist anything that could improve her quality of life.

"Alright, let's continue our stroll then."

"Good."

The two continued walking down the street. The message that Hashiba Hikaru hadn't clicked on was actually a text message from Horikita Suzune asking to meet.

[Are you free tomorrow afternoon after you finish your Classmate Hashiba Student Council duties?]

I need to talk to you about something.

472

Chapter 472 Horikita Suzune: What Does Taking Our Companionship to the Next Level Mean?

Before they knew it, it was the second week of school. Hashiba Hikaru was supposed to talk to Chie Hoshinomiya today, but just before the first class started in the morning, the young female teacher brought everyone some new information.

The female teacher, whose real age was already hard to guess, was dressed in an even more beautiful winter outfit today. With a gentle smile on her face, she announced the school's new arrangements to everyone in Class A of the First Year.

"Well, I have something very important to announce today, so please be quiet for a moment."

As soon as those words were spoken, the previously noisy classroom fell silent instantly. Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami immediately fixed their gazes on Chie Hoshinomiya, who was standing on the podium.

"Dear students, the school will be holding an outing this Thursday. Please start preparing."

Chie Hoshinomiya announced calmly, "However, please note that everyone should bring their own workout clothes, as well as spare workout clothes and underwear."

"Besides that, since we're traveling by bus, there aren't many restrictions on what people can bring. Cell phones, books, snacks, and so on are all fine."

"You will have three days to prepare. The specific seating list will be announced then, so please pay attention."

After this was said, every student in Class A of the First Year instantly understood one thing: this was definitely another new Special Exam.

"Hiss!"

"Could this be a new Special Exam?"

"Yes, I think so!"

The classroom immediately became noisy. By this time, everyone had gone through several Special Exam, and the thought of leaving school for a group activity instantly brought back memories of the Uninhabited Island —not a pleasant one.

"Teacher, are we going to hold a new Special Exam?"

Someone raised their hand to ask a question.

"The specifics will be announced later; everyone just needs to have a general idea."

Of course, Chie Hoshinomiya wouldn't admit it directly. After all, unless the school explicitly stated beforehand that it was Special Exam, teachers couldn't budge an inch on such a matter.

"Then it must be true."

"We have to change into sportswear again; it can't be another Wilderness Survival, can it?"

After seeing Chie Hoshinomiya's reaction, everyone understood the true meaning. It seemed that a new competition was about to begin, and everyone had to give it their all.

"Well then, I'll be going now. Please prepare yourselves well. We'll meet at 8:00 AM on Thursday and depart on time."

After saying that, Chie Hoshinomiya left the classroom in her high heels, and the students immediately surrounded the seats of Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami.

"Everyone, please don't get excited. Now that a new Special Exam is coming, let's deal with it properly."

Hashiba Hikaru remained composed, having already experienced several Special Exam, and was used to how to handle the situation. The key was to convey confidence to everyone.

"In any case, we are still in a Lead, so please prepare well for this Special Exam."

Ichinose Honami spoke up from the side; as the class representative, she was already used to leading everyone.

"Well, with Classmate Hashiba and Ichinose, we're sure to keep winning."

"That's right!!!"

A united group makes it easy to create a harmonious atmosphere. The day's classes ended quickly, and as soon as the school bell rang, everyone immediately began preparing for their shopping trip, since everyone had a lot of Private Points.

After exchanging a few words with Hashiba Hikaru, Ichinose Honami, and the core group of classmates, he went to the Student Council; he still had to handle today's tasks.

However, when the boy arrived at the Student Council's office, he discovered a new problem: many of the seniors were also discussing this matter, and almost no one was keeping it from others.

"So... it's another comprehensive competition, similar to the Sports Festival, covering all grades?"

After listening to everyone's discussion for a while, Hashiba Hikaru returned to her seat. She glanced at the silver-haired girl who had arrived earlier and was sitting opposite her, and suddenly became curious about her decision.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, will you be participating in this school event?"

Hashiba Hikaru asked her directly, explaining that Sakayanagi Arisu had withdrawn from all her matches during the Sports Festival because she was indeed unwell.

No, it won't.

Upon hearing this question, Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head slightly, her tone very easygoing, "I'll be there this time too. I'm really looking forward to the match and exchange with Classmate Hashiba, after all, we're still rivals."

"That's good."

Hashiba Hikaru responded. Although they had a private collaboration, they were still rivals in the open class competition. Sakayanagi Arisu just gained control of Class B of the First Year. If they did nothing, wouldn't that give Katsuragi Kohei an excuse to attack?

After a while, when the beautiful black-haired girl came into view, Hashiba Hikaru smiled, filled with anticipation for their upcoming meeting.

Sitting opposite him, Sakayanagi Arisu became even more curious after seeing the boy's expression. She wanted to know why his mood had suddenly improved.

Around five o'clock, Hashiba Hikaru began to pack up her documents and materials. Perhaps because second and third-year students also had to prepare for special exams, the seniors left very early.

After packing everything up, Hashiba Hikaru didn't go to Horikita Suzune's desk. Instead, she walked straight out of the Student Council's office. There were plenty of places to chat in the building anyway, and talking in the Student Council would be too conspicuous.

After he stood for a while by the corner of the back door of a Multipurpose Classroom, he heard footsteps behind him.

"I'm here, Classmate Hashiba."

Turning his head, he saw Hashiba Hikaru and Horikita Suzune meet his gaze. Looking at her delicate and perfect face, he asked gently, "Horikita- san, did you call me out because you need something?"

"..."

Faced with the boy's question, Horikita Suzune fell silent for a moment. She tried hard to choose her words carefully, wanting to express her inner thoughts more accurately.