Changes in the Affairs Between Class C and Class D

"Mm-hmm, I see. I understand."

An Xiao, sitting cross-legged on his bed, nodded after hearing Kikyo Kushida's explanation, though he felt a hint of surprise.

They had come because of the matter regarding Sakura.

To be precise, they wanted to apologize to Sakura for what had happened during the previous hearing.

After all, it was they who had asked Sakura to attend the hearing, yet she was the one who ended up being affected the most.

"In that case, it really has nothing to do with your class or Class C," An Xiao said, then looked at the two of them with some confusion. "But why come to me? Shouldn't you be going directly to her?"

"Hehe..." Kikyo Kushida laughed awkwardly. "We originally wanted to go apologize to her directly, but she runs off as soon as class ends. She's been avoiding us, and we can't reach her on her phone either, so we're at a loss."

"We heard from Ayanokoji this afternoon that he saw you two at the mall, so we thought we'd come and ask."

"And while we're at it, we wanted to know how Sakura is doing right now."

"Ayanokoji, huh... Speaking of which, why didn't he come?"

"He said he had some other things to ask Chabashira-sensei, so he went to find her."

"Oh~" An Xiao nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Horikita Suzune, who hadn't said much since they walked in.

"What about you? Given your personality, you shouldn't be the type to get involved in this kind of incident."

This was the point that made An Xiao most curious; he had been wondering about it ever since he learned from Sakura that Horikita had gone to see her.

After all, Horikita had previously come to ask him how to quickly acquire points to get herself promoted to Class A.

Judging by her dismissive and dissatisfied attitude and tone back then, she was unlikely to involve herself in such matters again, especially when the protagonist was Sudo, whom she had previously disliked.

"It relates to what you told me before. Unlike them, I am acting for my own sake," Horikita said candidly. "It is still unknown whether Sudo's expulsion would have any latent effects on the remaining members of Class D, so I will provide assistance within a certain scope."

That was... frankly a bit too blunt.

Looking at Horikita Suzune, who sat there with a calm expression, not feeling that she had said anything wrong, An Xiao felt a bit helpless.

Although over the past few months, it wasn't as if An Xiao hadn't taught Horikita how to interact normally with others—and he had finally managed to soften her personality just a little bit (perhaps because she got tired of his nagging)—the problem was that most people in Class D were, in An Xiao's view, barely human. With that preconceived notion, it was indeed difficult for Horikita to interact with them normally.

She fell into the category of having changed, yet not having changed at all.

An Xiao glanced at Kikyo Kushida, who was sitting on the other side, and sighed.

At least she had changed a little bit; she had at least let Kikyo Kushida in.

If it had been her from a few months ago, she most likely would have given up on coming to see An Xiao the moment she encountered Kikyo Kushida.

"As for the matter with Sakura..." An Xiao scratched his head, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Judging by the situation at the cafe earlier, the impact on Sakura was significant.

An Xiao had originally wanted to suggest they buy something related to photography, but then he remembered that Sakura didn't seem to want others to know about that, so he let it go.

In the end, An Xiao could only tell the truth.

"I can't think of any good solutions either. To be honest, this was only the second time I've ever met Sakura, and this time was just a coincidence."

"Is that so..." Kikyo Kushida looked disappointed, but she still smiled at An Xiao. "In that case, we'll just have to think of something ourselves. Our class has another hearing tomorrow, so we'll head back for today."

Kikyo Kushida stood up and was about to bow and take her leave, but she noticed that Horikita was still sitting there motionless, her gaze fixed on An Xiao.

"If it were you... what would you do now?"

"Are you asking me for the answer?" An Xiao grabbed a pillow from the side and hugged it, looking at Horikita with a hint of amusement. "This exam isn't over yet."

"And I've already told your brother, you, and Kikyo Kushida before: this is a matter between your class and Class C, and I will not be participating."

"No, at least I know you have the answer to this. And judging by your temperament, it's likely a 'suitable' answer," Horikita stood up and looked at An Xiao earnestly. "Since it exists, I will find it on my own."

"I will prove it to him." After saying that, Horikita Suzune left.

The room was suddenly left with only the two of them.

"Do you want to curse her now? She's already gone."

An Xiao shrugged and said.

"An Xiao, don't you mind? After all, it looks like you and Horikita have a pretty good relationship."

Looking at An Xiao sitting on the bed, Kikyo Kushida suddenly asked.

"A good relationship is one thing, and we can be considered friends, but with her personality, I wouldn't be surprised if there were many people cursing her behind her back," An Xiao said helplessly. "Of course, she doesn't care about that herself."

"You really do understand her well."

"I suppose, barely," An Xiao raised an eyebrow. "But come to think of it... did you two really not get into an argument before I arrived? You weren't like this when you met before."

"Last time was an accident!" Whenever Kikyo Kushida thought of the scene where she ran into Horikita in An Xiao's room, her tone rose involuntarily.

"No matter how much I dislike the other person, I will smile at them and maintain my principles for dealing with people in public. That is my way of survival!"

"Even if it's that person, Horikita!"

Even though she was still restraining herself, Kikyo Kushida's voice ended up being quite loud; she was basically shouting.

It really is exhausting.

An Xiao thought of his own face, which had gone stiff from smiling while making inquiries at the mall, and thought to himself.

"Do you feel a bit better now?"

"Heh~ I suppose I do feel a little better."

Upon hearing An Xiao's words, Kushida came to her senses and let out a soft chuckle.

"No wonder you can get along with someone like Horikita; have you had many girlfriends in the past?"

"Hey, hey, no need for personal attacks. I was technically helping you out just now, you know."

An Xiao's mouth twitched. He had no idea how Kushida managed to connect the topic to him having dated many people.

"Is that so?" A curve appeared on Kushida's lips. Her recent actions had indeed helped her relax, and her mood had improved significantly.

"Since you don't mind, why don't you join me in cursing her next time?"

"...I'll have to decline. There's a difference between hearing someone else curse and doing it yourself."

"Besides, to be honest, the words you use to curse Horikita are always the same few. I suspect that might be one of the main reasons why she doesn't care."

An Xiao said honestly.

"..." Kushida.

"You were quite eloquent earlier, so why are you like this now?"

Kushida's mouth twitched, and she let out a sigh.

"Sometimes, you really are quite similar to that Horikita, though at least you're a bit better."

"At least you're still human."