On the way back.
Kushida Kikyo had no intention of paying Uesugi Hara any attention. Instead, she walked ahead, chatting with Sakura Airi.
Ayanokoji didn't want to deal with Uesugi Hara right now—or rather, he didn't want Uesugi Hara dealing with him. So he moved closer to the two girls and chimed in now and then.
Uesugi Hara, the one being snubbed, didn't feel awkward at all. If anything, he was perfectly content, listening to them chat from the back of the group and feeling pretty good about himself.
He didn't mind Airi getting to know other people. In fact, he hoped she would spend more time with them.
After hearing Kushida complain about Airi last time, he'd realized just how lonely Airi was in Class D.
When he spent time with her, he could clearly tell that Airi didn't like being alone. She desperately wanted things to change; she just couldn't take that first step herself.
He could help her, but he had to be careful how hard he pushed.
He didn't want Airi to depend on him. What he wanted was for her to become independent. What he wanted was... for Airi to become as optimistic and confident as Shizuku-chan.
Ever since they'd enrolled, the school had been forcing students to climb higher and compete with one another. Class Points, Private Points, failing exams and getting expelled, conflicts between Classes C and D, all those rules...
In that respect, the school was like the White House, just not as cruel.
He'd looked into the upperclassmen's situation. For instance, Horikita Suzune's brother, Horikita Manabu, was in a class that supposedly had the most outstanding Student Council president since Advanced Nurturing University was founded. Yet that class still had fewer than forty students.
The school probably wouldn't hold an exam