Horikita Manabu Invites Kujo (Thanks to Shuke 504,288,9)

Kujo knew nothing about Ryuen's actions or the matters involving Ichinose and Sakayanagi.

He simply began, over one school day after another, to slowly adjust to life with a girlfriend.

The initial passion of their romance seemed to grow familiar with the passage of time.

Still, on their days off, he tried inviting her on dates.

Kujo: [Hiyori, I want to go out with you.]

Hiyori: [...Now?]

Kujo: [Yeah, but not to read.]

Hiyori: [You're mean.]

Shopping mall.

"What's this?"

For their first date, Kujo had chosen a gift for Hiyori:

"Lutein. It's good for your eyes. Don't you like it?"

"I do, but why are you carrying an eco-bag, Kujo?"

"Don't people around here always bring one when they shop? Besides, it's such a waste to pay extra for a bag after buying something."

"A waste... That's what I should be telling you. Kujo~ stop buying me things all the time, okay? You're already out of points, so you can't—"

Hiyori drew out her words, deliberately emphasizing them to Kujo.

"Af~ford~ it, right?"

Kujo often bought Hiyori lots of little gifts.

He did it almost every time they went out, and this time, she couldn't help reminding him again.

After all, Hiyori knew Kujo didn't have many points.

Later,

Kujo and Hiyori went shopping.

After several days of studying the matter, Kujo had figured out how to reduce the frequency of Hiyori getting embarrassed during their dates.

First, he had to wear his uniform, so he'd at least look like a student.

Then he had to wear sunglasses, to reduce the chances of making eye contact with the girl.

For that, Kujo had specifically asked Albert to help him choose a pair.

His efforts had paid off.

After spending several days together,

Hiyori had gradually grown comfortable with being a little physically affectionate with Kujo.

For example, taking pictures together.

"Smile, Kujo."

The sun was too bright, and Kujo's smile looked stiff.

"Kujo, my legs are getting tired from standing on tiptoe."

Kujo smiled.

Hiyori often used all sorts of almost unfair tactics to make Kujo do what she wanted.

There was no doubt that when it came to figuring out how to handle the other person, Hiyori was far ahead of Kujo.

And while the girl was still editing the photo beside him,

Kujo saw a familiar figure approaching them from a short distance away.

If he could help it, Kujo absolutely did not want to see this person right now.

But the other person clearly had a specific target in mind, and was walking straight toward Kujo.

"President Horikita, it's a pleasure to run into you in a place like this."

Kujo stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Hiyori, and addressed the approaching Horikita Manabu.

"Run into me? That's an interesting way to put it, Kujo. Aren't so-called chance encounters always carefully planned?"

The person who had arrived was Horikita Manabu.

As the student council president of this school, the leader of Class A of the Third Year, and currently the most famous person at Advanced Nurturing High School, he had made a lasting impression on the first-years.

Anyone would have described Horikita Manabu as composed, an honor student, and talented at everything.

Kujo was also surprised that he had managed to find him.

He couldn't think of anything he'd done that would warrant this important figure coming to see him in person.

In the original story, Horikita Manabu had very little screen time.

He rarely took action himself, and people had even described him as "impressive in theory, but not as good as Miyabi Nagumo in practice."

His first appearance was when he discovered Ayanokoji's hidden abilities and invited him to join the Student Council.

Though Kujo didn't know the specific reason Horikita Manabu had sought him out,

he understood that if Horikita Manabu had come to see him, he must have already looked into him. It was even less likely to be a chance encounter.

In the silence,

Horikita Manabu shifted his gaze to Hiyori behind Kujo.

Hiyori also noticed the Student Council president looking at her, and introduced herself.

"I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class C of the First Year."

Horikita Manabu returned the greeting.

Japanese schools had an unwritten hierarchy between upperclassmen and underclassmen.

Lower-year students were generally expected to respect their seniors, whether in clubs or in their everyday school life.

Especially in the case of a respected position like Student Council president.

Basic courtesy was only proper.

After they had exchanged greetings, the three stood in silence for several minutes.

There were surprisingly fewer students than usual in the shopping mall, most likely because the weather had grown warmer.

Horikita Manabu glanced at his watch. The minute and second hands briefly aligned, and then he spoke.

"I know a place with good coffee. Would you like to come?"

This was an invitation from the Student Council president of their school.

Even in the not-too-distant future, it would make for an interesting story to tell an ordinary student.

"Since it's an invitation from you, President Horikita, I'll accept."

Then Hiyori took Kujo by the sleeve and followed slowly behind him.

Horikita Manabu led Kujo and Hiyori to an upscale-looking café in a loft.

If this place had been outside school, Kujo wouldn't have felt even the slightest curiosity about its interior, even without checking the average price per person.

High-end establishments could be recognized by a few things:

Excellent service, prices that were just the right amount of expensive, and few customers.

But if they were going to have a private conversation, this seemed like a good place.

Once they entered,

the three of them began placing their orders.

Kujo took a look. Hiyori had chosen the cheapest cup of coffee.

Okay.

Kujo's finger slid all the way to the bottom of the ordering app, and he decisively selected the most expensive cup of coffee on the menu.

That way, the two of them could balance out the average cost per person.

Perfect.

Horikita Manabu didn't seem to mind at all.

A rich guy was a rich guy.

Or...

Could the Student Council expense even this?!

But Horikita Manabu had also chosen the cheapest option, which made Kujo sense that something was a little off.

After that,

the three of them didn't speak.

Kujo peeked at what Hiyori was doing.

She sat quietly beside him, reading a book.

Her small, portable books were easy to carry. When Hiyori didn't bring a schoolbag, Kujo usually carried her books for her.

When the coffee arrived, it was steaming hot.

Kujo was afraid of burning himself, so he decided to let it cool first.

Hiyori, on the other hand, seemed to have no such weakness. She closed her book, then gently slipped a hand into Kujo's arms.

Did you really have to undo your cuff buttons before drinking coffee?

Hmm?

Did you really have to savor the aroma of the liquid coffee beans first?

Kujo kept learning.

During the quiet wait,

something felt wrong.

Hiyori felt that something was wrong.

Why weren't Kujo and President Horikita doing anything?

Why weren't they saying anything?

Hiyori noticed that the spot where they were sitting was in the blind spots of several cameras.

There was no one else in the hall.

The three of them were the only students there.

The server was standing nearby as usual, but wasn't watching their table.

The perceptive Kujo must have noticed all this already.

Then what was President Horikita waiting for?

The sound of turning pages came clearly to her ears.

The fragrance of the beans still lingered on her lips.

The quiet atmosphere was frightening, but Kujo was by her side.

Hiyori thought it through calmly.

When she was alone with Kujo, her head always felt hot.

But when there was a third person present, her thoughts became especially clear.

Realizing that they probably weren't speaking because she was there, Hiyori set down her cup.

"Kujo, don't you dare damage my book."

After saying that, Hiyori left the loft.