The Girl Named Horikita Suzune

Things like entrance ceremonies were boring no matter where you were.

Standing in rows in the gymnasium and listening to some middle-aged man—whether the principal or someone else—ramble on, Hoshino looked around, bored out of his mind.

There were four first-year classes, A through D, with forty students in each. Hoshino had thought about looking for Arisu in Class A's line, but with Classes B and C in between, it was hard to see anyone from A.

Just by appearance, there was one student in Class C who really stood out. He had dark skin, looked over 1.9 meters tall, and was built like a small mountain. His skin tone alone made it obvious that he wasn't purely from Sakura Country. Even if he was mixed-race, he seemed to have inherited more from his foreign side. Of course, he could also have been an exchange student.

Speaking of exchange students, Class D had one too: a girl from Huaxia named Wang Meiyu. She was very petite, and her voice sounded so childish that it made you wonder if she was really a high school student.

But people from Huaxia were generally clever and good at studying, so she might have been academically stronger than most of the class.

Hoshino wasn't too concerned about academics. He was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone his age in an exam.

His main thought about Wang Meiyu was: So, not all girls from Huaxia wear their hair in buns after all.

The entrance ceremony ended before Hoshino realized it, as he got lost in his own thoughts.

Next came some free time.

He could have gone straight back to the dorm, but Hoshino decided to look around campus first.

Advanced Nurturing High School had been built on an artificial island. Its campus was enormous. Students weren't allowed to leave during term, but in exchange, the school had plenty of facilities, including karaoke, a movie theater, and cafés. It was practically a complete shopping district.

For the sake of his future school life, he needed to get familiar with the facilities.

"Hoshino."

Someone called out to him.

"You're... Sato and... Shinohara, right?"

He called out the two girls' names as though he wasn't quite sure. They seemed pleased.

"Hoshino, you remembered my name."

"Thank goodness. I was worried I'd get your name wrong. That would've been so rude."

Sato Maya and Shinohara Satsuki were both girls from Class D. Even though school had only just started, they were already moving around together, and now they were striking up a conversation with a boy. Was it because they were proactive and sociable, or because they were so innocent they hadn't thought anything of it? Judging by the situation, Hoshino guessed it was the latter.

"Um, Shinohara and I were thinking of going to the shopping center. Do you have any plans, Hoshino? Want to come with us?"

"Well, I was thinking of heading back to the dorm..."

At Hoshino's words, Sato's expression visibly fell, while Shinohara's barely changed.

I see. That's obvious enough.

"But since you invited me, Sato, I'd be happy to come along, if you don't mind. I could use a few essentials, too."

"Really?"

Sato's face immediately lit up.

She was so easy to read. Almost suspiciously so.

Still, at this early point in the school year, it was highly unlikely anyone would set a trap for a classmate whose name they could barely remember.

The three of them headed toward the shopping center together. Hoshino walked on the left, Sato was in the middle, and Shinohara was on the right.

Chatting with the two of them didn't take much effort. He only had to go along with whatever they said. At first, Sato did most of the talking, but eventually Shinohara warmed up and joined in.

Near the shopping center, they came across an unexpected group.

It was a gathering of several Class D students, with Hirata and Kushida clearly at its center. The others were two boys named Ike and Yamauchi, and two girls named Karuizawa and Mori.

It was easy to see how the group had formed.

They ran into each other, exchanged a few brief greetings, and soon joined up. Hoshino managed to slip away from the girls, but Ike and Yamauchi immediately latched onto him.

"Hey! I mean, you... um..."

"...Hoshino. Hoshino Akira."

If you wanted to talk to someone, you should at least remember his name first.

"Hoshino, what's your deal? You've got two girls with you!"

"We're just shopping for things we need. We're classmates, so isn't that pretty normal?"

"That's not normal at all!"

Ike seemed completely unable to accept it.

"No, Hoshino's got a point. Back in middle school, I went out with two or three girls all the time."

Yamauchi seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He spoke with a serious expression.

Hoshino recalled what Yamauchi had said during the introductions: how he'd once made it to a national table-tennis competition in elementary school, and how he'd been his middle school baseball team's fourth ace pitcher. He nearly burst out laughing.

After Hoshino explained, Ike and Yamauchi seemed to accept that he was walking with the girls. Naturally, their attention then shifted to Hirata, who had been surrounded by girls the whole time.

Hoshino didn't join in. He quietly put some distance between himself and the two boys, then headed toward a less crowded aisle.

"You're..."

A black-haired girl stood in front of a shelf of kitchenware. She was the girl who'd left early without taking part in the introductions. At Hoshino's voice, she glanced his way coldly, then turned back as though she hadn't seen him.

"Uh, we're classmates, aren't we? Isn't it a little rude to pretend you didn't see me?"

"Being classmates doesn't mean anything. I don't know you, and I have no intention of getting involved with you."

Her voice was clear and pleasant, but she kept selecting kitchen utensils as she spoke, never once looking his way. Her attitude was quite rude.

"As classmates, whether you like it or not, we're already involved with each other, aren't we?"

"Classmates and all that—it doesn't matter. Or are you going to start preaching about how classmates should work together and move forward? How foolish."

"I wasn't going to say that, but I don't want you treating me like an idiot, either."

As he spoke, Hoshino walked over to her. The girl shot him a sharp look.

"What? Don't glare at me like that. I want to buy kitchenware, too."

She made no attempt to hide her annoyance as she clicked her tongue, then ignored him again. It seemed that although she was the aloof sort who didn't want to get involved with others, she wasn't rude enough to forbid someone from coming near her.

"You've picked out quite a lot of kitchenware. Do you like cooking for yourself?"

"It's rude to pry into someone else's business."

"I only glanced at what's in your basket. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

It wasn't as though most people considered the contents of their shopping baskets private.

"By the way, you left before the introductions earlier, didn't you?"

"I decided they wouldn't benefit me, so there was no need to attend."

"Don't say that. It's not a bad thing to get to know your classmates a little better."

"When the need arises, I'll find out what I need to know. I'm only rejecting introductions, which are inefficient."

It seemed she was the type to maintain only the bare minimum of social connections.

As far as Hoshino was concerned, it was her choice. It wasn't something he needed to approve of or criticize.

"Fine. I think I've got a rough idea of what you're like. I'll be direct: I want to know your name."

At Hoshino's words, the girl furrowed her brows slightly and looked at him with displeasure.

"I thought you wouldn't resort to being so pushy."

"I don't think this counts as pushy. Besides, I figured you'd prefer this kind of direct approach."

"I do hate beating around the bush, but hearing you say that still annoys me."

"My apologies, Your Highness."

"...My name is Horikita Suzune."

She paused, but still gave him her name.

"I'm..."

"Hoshino Akira, right? I heard you introduce yourself earlier."

"Looks like introductions aren't completely useless after all."

"Hoshino Akira. Overconfident, conceited, shameless, and slick-tongued. That's roughly the impression you've given me."

"I'm sorry to have left such a bad impression."

"You don't look the least bit remorseful."

"I am shameless, after all."

Horikita gave a loud "Hmph," picked up her basket, and walked away.

For now, he'd leave her be.