Kushida and Horikita Meet

That night, what Kushida had said earlier did not come to pass.

Logically, An Xiao should have been happy about that.

But at this very moment, An Xiao wished that what Kushida had said earlier had actually happened.

Even though he was standing at his own doorstep, An Xiao felt like an outsider, huddled in a corner and shivering.

Standing there like a lowly lackey.

How on earth did things end up like this!!!

Half an hour ago.

An Xiao had dragged his exhausted body back to the door of his dormitory.

"Why couldn't I just hold back at that moment!"

"Hold back! Just hold back!"

The mere thought that Kushida would be coming over soon made An Xiao feel like his whole world was falling apart.

Although An Xiao didn't mind Kushida's other side, for some reason, she seemed to have a special obsession with bad-mouthing Horikita.

From her face to her figure, from her personality to her conduct...

She could go on for hours.

While some people might think that listening to a beautiful girl curse is a form of enjoyment, An Xiao was not that kind of person!

Besides, you can't just enjoy it for hours on end!!?

"Sigh~ I'll just take it one step at a time." An Xiao muttered to himself. Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob and before he could even apply pressure, the door swung inward. A very familiar girl with long, straight black hair appeared before his eyes.

"I heard you come back a while ago. Why were you standing at the door for so long?"

"..." An Xiao.

Taking a deep breath, An Xiao managed to force a smile and said.

"Horikita, can I ask you something?"

"How did you end up in my room?"

"Didn't you give me your room key card last month?"

"But didn't I take it back already?"

"..." Horikita Suzune.

Horikita didn't speak, but her gaze drifted involuntarily to the side.

"Your walls... are quite nice."

Aren't the walls in the school dorms all uniform?

An Xiao felt a bit weary, but he didn't say anything more.

This is the sister of my boss and benefactor. This is the sister of my boss and benefactor. This is...

After silently repeating this sentence to himself several times, An Xiao's mood finally calmed down. He went to the living room, grabbed a chair, and sat down while hugging the backrest.

"Speak up, what do you want with me now? Didn't you go back already? Isn't the study group going well lately?"

"It's not about the study group." Horikita shook her head, pulled up a chair as well, and sat down in front of An Xiao.

"Chabashira-sensei came to see me. She wants me to lead Class D so that we can rise to Class A."

See who? See this girl Horikita? Did I misjudge her?

Several question marks popped into An Xiao's head following Horikita's words, making him unable to help but look her over a few more times.

"What are you doing?" Noticing An Xiao's gaze scanning her up and down, Horikita gave him a look of disgust.

"Nothing, just feeling a bit emotional." An Xiao withdrew his gaze, suddenly feeling that it wasn't without reason that Chabashira-sensei sought out Horikita.

After all, the two of them were quite similar.

Otherwise, who else would, after being caught hiding information, immediately go and tell someone to lead Class D to Class A?

It was both contradictory and abstract.

It was exactly the same as some of the things Horikita did at times.

"Were you just thinking about something very rude?" Horikita frowned and asked, but she didn't dwell on it. Just as she was about to continue, there was a knock on the door of An Xiao's room.

"Is someone else looking for you?" Horikita said, moving to open the door.

But An Xiao, remembering who else might be coming tonight, broke out in a cold sweat.

"W-wait, I'll open it myself."

An Xiao hurriedly stood up and pressed Horikita back into her seat just as she started to move, then walked to the door.

Carefully opening a crack in the door, An Xiao was just about to speak when Kushida pulled the door wide open, walked straight into the room, and shut the door behind her, all while continuing to talk: "Why did you take so long to open the door? Also, do you know that this girl Horikita today again..."

Kushida's tirade stopped halfway through as she saw Horikita Suzune standing right behind An Xiao, looking at her with an expressionless face.

The scene suddenly fell into a heavy silence.

"It's getting late, so I'll head home now." An Xiao carefully crept toward the doorknob, but just as he was about to press it, a hand suddenly clamped down firmly on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going? / Don't you dare!"

In the living room, An Xiao looked at the two girls, neither of whom showed any expression, and felt increasingly restless, though he was screaming internally.

I've really brought this upon myself! Anyone, please, come save me!

"Heh, An Xiao, you're usually so fond of smiling, why aren't you smiling now? Can't think of anything happy?"

Kushida was the first to break the silence, sneering as she looked at An Xiao, but her gaze immediately snapped back to the impassive Horikita Suzune sitting before her.

"So, why exactly are you here!"

Because of what happened at the door, Kushida no longer felt the need to keep up appearances with Horikita, her words turning sharp and venomous.

Hearing Kushida's words, Horikita frowned, gripping the cup of tea in her hand as she said indifferently, "It seems someone needs to get their stomach pumped. Eating too much trash has made your speech just as filthy."

"What did you say!"

"Oh, it seems that along with your stomach, your hearing has also deteriorated from all that trash."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing, both of you!"

Seeing the argument between the two escalating, An Xiao quickly interrupted.

The two finally quieted down.

"But this is fine, too," Horikita suddenly said. "At least today I know for certain that you truly hate me; my instincts weren't wrong after all."

"That's right, I hate you the most. Would you like me to tell you the reason?" Kushida said with a cold laugh.

"No need. Knowing that much is enough. At least in the future, I can be completely unrestrained when dealing with you."

Horikita stood up and glanced at An Xiao.

"It seems we can't continue our conversation tonight. I will come to find you again when I have time." After saying this, Horikita shot one more look at Kushida before taking her leave.

"Are you going to keep cursing her?"

"What do you think?" Kushida rolled her eyes and retorted irritably at An Xiao.

"But this isn't going to end so simply this time." Kushida leaned in close to An Xiao, grabbed his collar firmly, and pulled him toward her. "Let's put my business with Horikita aside for a moment; it seems you and I still have some unfinished business, don't we?"

An Xiao wanted to retort that it had nothing to do with him, but looking into those eyes staring him down, he thought of something and finally gave in with a sigh.

"Then what do you want?"

"What do you think?"

"...How about I make you more desserts in the future?"

"...When I want to eat, I'll decide the type of dessert. Also..." Kushida released An Xiao's collar, her face returning to its usual gentle and energetic expression.

"Whenever I want to curse Horikita in the future, I'll come to your room. Remember to open the Gate of Opening for me."

After saying this, Kushida straightened her clothes and headed toward the door.

Watching Kushida's retreating back, An Xiao shivered. Suddenly thinking of something, he hurried to the kitchen, took out a small lump of yellowish pastry, and handed it to Kushida.

"Whenever you feel like cursing Horikita, just eat a small piece of this. After you finish it, if you still want to curse, come find me. I promise I won't refuse."

Kushida curiously weighed the item An Xiao had handed her in her hand.

"Are you sure? Is this thing really that magical?"

"Guaranteed. But the only requirement is that you take small bites when you eat it. It's best to chew it slowly, little by little, with a bowl of water nearby."

"Fine then. By the way, what is this pastry called?"

An Xiao looked at Kushida, remained silent for a moment, and then spat out a few words.

"Yellow Cake."