The Best Is Having You Here

"Thank you."

Hachiman Hikigaya took the cup of water from Sakura and thanked her.

Sakura gently shook her head. "I should be the one thanking you. After all, you've helped me so much."

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Hachiman deliberately chose not to speak first, intending to see how Sakura would react.

She looked somewhat uneasy, unsure how to break the stiff atmosphere, and lowered her head to stroke her newly repaired camera.

Her reaction made Hachiman chuckle softly. Shaking his head, he decided not to tease her any further.

"Teacher Sakura, it's time for you to teach me photography."

Hachiman said it with a smile, and Sakura froze at his form of address.

"Huh?"

"What? Are you going back on your word? You clearly said you'd teach me how to take pictures."

Hachiman put on a disappointed expression, looking like he was heartbroken and in need of comfort.

How could Sakura detect the teasing in his words? Her hands flailed up and down in panic.

"I-I-I... I didn't mean that!"

She defended herself like that, and her flustered appearance had a uniquely adorable quality to it.

Hachiman watched her quietly with a gentle gaze. Sakura explained herself for quite a while before noticing that the sad expression had long vanished from his face.

Even after realizing that Hachiman had been teasing her, she could not bring herself to get angry.

That was both her flaw and her strength.

"Could you give it to me for a moment?"

Hachiman held out his hand. Sakura hesitated briefly, then placed the camera in his palm.

"Thanks."

Hachiman fiddled with the camera. To be honest, he had never used one before, so he could only clumsily figure it out as he went.

Unable to keep watching, Sakura quietly explained how to use the camera to him.

"Oh, wow. Sakura, you're amazing."

Once he understood what the camera could do, Hachiman became a little excited.

Sakura responded shyly, quietly watching the focused Hachiman.

As they said, men were the most handsome when they were serious. To Sakura, Hachiman was exactly like that right now.

"Hey, hey."

Hachiman suddenly called out, snapping Sakura out of her daze.

He held the camera high above his head and aimed it at them from the usual forty-five-degree angle.

"Three, two..."

"Eep? Chee... cheese..."

Sakura panicked again, looking at the lens and then at Hachiman, not knowing which one she was supposed to face.

"Cheese!"

Suddenly, Hachiman leaned his face closer. The distance between them shrank, and they could both feel each other's breath.

Sakura's cheeks quickly flushed red, and she bashfully closed her eyes.

With a click, the camera captured a photo.

The corners of Hachiman's lips rose unconsciously. He pulled back to their original distance, looked at the photo displayed on the camera, and held it out before Sakura.

"What do you think, Teacher Sakura? Are my photography skills pretty good?"

Sakura shyly opened her eyes and looked at the photo on the camera.

The boy wore a sunny smile, while the girl was too shy to look directly at the lens.

It was such a wonderful photo. So many people wished they could have a photo like this during their school years.

Sakura had once thought that something like this would never happen to her in her entire life.

But today, Hachiman had shattered that thought.

"Yes, Hachiman, you're really amazing."

The sun was bright today, the night was beautiful, and I was happy.

Sure enough, having Hachiman by my side was the best.

The weekend arrived, and the students finally had time to catch their breath.

Although school hours in Japan were fairly relaxed and classes did not last that long, regardless of their length, students trapped in them still found them as agonizing as prison.

After the two incidents where they had been framed, trust within Class D had increased considerably, and the class was slowly moving in a better direction.

So far, Horikita had come up with solutions for both the framing incidents and the midterm exam. She was gradually earning everyone's trust and beginning to show the qualities of a Class D leader.

Though she herself did not seem to like it very much.

Everyone in Class D was gradually growing, all striving desperately to shed the label of defective products.

Even Sakura, after going through this incident, had begun stepping out of her own world and reaching out to the outside world. She now had quite a few friends she could talk to.

As he reflected on Class D's situation, Hachiman arrived at the café.

Come to think of it, why did these people always have to meet at cafés whenever they wanted to talk? The initial novelty had gradually worn away, and he was starting to dislike such bustling places.

Hachiman found the three of them in the café and walked over.

"You're too slow. Can't you fix that habit of always being late?"

Horikita could not help making a jab at him.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he defended himself.

"I was only one minute late..."

"That still counts as late!"

Her unquestionable tone left him speechless. Horikita really was willful.

"It's fine. Hurry and sit down, Hachiman."

Across from Horikita, Ichinose, whose temperament was completely different from hers, smiled and invited Hachiman to sit.

"Thanks."

Hachiman sat down beside Horikita. Across from him, next to Ichinose, sat another boy.

Hachiman recognized him. He seemed to be Ryuji Kanzaki from Class B.

That pairing was fairly common. Clearly, Kanzaki probably served as something like a strategist in the class.

He was a little similar to Hachiman, quietly helping the leader without seeking credit, only willing to put in the work.

"Go ahead. What was your purpose in calling us out?"

Horikita did not seem to want to waste time and asked directly.

Even Ichinose felt a little embarrassed by her personality.

Not wanting to be urged again, Ichinose stated her purpose.

"You mean you want to promote cooperation between Class B and Class D?"

Horikita raised her brows, intrigued by Ichinose's proposal.

What Ichinose wanted to discuss was nothing more than the fact that they had also noticed the hidden tests within this school. They wanted to strike first and find an ally to join forces with.

Whether things would develop in the direction they expected later or not, at least their cooperation would exist from the very beginning.

"Yes. I think our cooperation this time went well, so I'd like for us to continue developing it."

She was probably referring to how she had taken the lead in helping Hachiman and Sudo find evidence.

Although Hachiman did not know why they had called him over for something this important.

Did he really have any value in knowing about this?

Horikita took a sip of coffee and began weighing the pros and cons of the matter.

It was obvious that Class B's only possible partner was Class D.

Class A was far too arrogant. They did not even think highly of Class B.

Class C's absolute leader, Ryuen, did not look like the type who would agree to cooperate.

Thus, Class D was their only choice.