Hiyori Makes a New Friend

The library.

After Kujo and the others left the field, the sky had already turned quite dark.

Kujo had not forgotten his promise to Hiyori.

Since they had agreed to read together, Kujo followed Hiyori into the library.

"Kujo-kun, it's that book right there."

Maintaining silence while reading in the library was a rule Hiyori had always strictly followed when she was alone.

When it was the two of them, Hiyori had devised a way to communicate without speaking.

Hiyori would gesture with two numbers, signaling Kujo to find the book on the shelf in front of him by counting the rows and columns based on her hand signals.

Every time Kujo found the book based on the numbers she gave, he would reach for it and then turn back to confirm with her.

However, Kujo-kun could be careless at times.

Whenever she saw Kujo reach for the wrong one, Hiyori would gently tug on the corner of his school uniform.

Kujo-kun got it right this time.

Hehe.

It's nice to be tall.

When reading.

Kujo usually wouldn't sit across from or next to Hiyori; he would sit in the seat behind her.

Separated by a distance just wide enough for one person to squeeze through, the backs of their chairs would rest against each other.

This was because Kujo would unconsciously look at Hiyori while reading.

Hiyori would also notice Kujo's gaze every single time.

Once their eyes met, the two would feel incredibly awkward, and they wouldn't be able to focus on their books at all afterward.

That was why, only when they were in the library, they chose to date back-to-back.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Hiyori felt Kujo leave his seat and walk to a spot further away.

After Hiyori regained her focus, she continued reading.

Before long.

A girl leaning on a cane pulled out the seat in front of Hiyori, smoothed out her school skirt, and sat down ladylike.

"May I sit across from you?"

"Mm."

Hiyori closed her book and turned her gaze toward the girl sitting opposite her.

Is that Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A?

Shiina was good at remembering names.

She recognized the girl in front of her.

Is Sakayanagi planning to find Kujo-kun for something?

Is there something that cannot be asked of Kujo-kun directly, something that must be obtained through me?

Hiyori was not a girl who was ignorant of the world.

On the contrary, she was more observant than anyone else.

Since this school had a competitive system, Hiyori naturally cared about the situation in other classes.

Hiyori did not want to become a burden to Kujo.

At this moment, someone had appeared beside Sakayanagi without her noticing.

It seemed to be Yamamura Miki, who was also from Class A.

The other girl handed a book to Sakayanagi.

Just by the color scheme of the cover and the thickness of the book, Hiyori had already guessed the title.

But the moment Sakayanagi opened the book, Hiyori confirmed it once more.

Wow.

Is Sakayanagi actually a fan of pure literature too?

She must be a good person.

Yamamura hurried away from the two of them.

Sakayanagi looked at Hiyori, whose eyes were sparkling with stars, and then spoke to her in a soft voice:

"I usually come here when I have nothing else to do. It's so good to meet you, Shiina. Would you like to be friends with me?"

Receiving this invitation for friendship, Hiyori was momentarily flustered.

Her previous wariness was swept away, replaced by shame for having made such rude assumptions about the other girl.

"Yes... please, let's be friends."

Watching Hiyori's awkward reaction, the smile on Sakayanagi's face deepened. She lightly touched her lips with her index finger and reminded her, "Keep it down, okay?"

Hiyori nodded while cautiously glancing around, relieved that they hadn't disturbed anyone else.

"Sakayanagi, actually, I really love the book you're holding."

Hearing this, Sakayanagi gently stroked the cover of the book before saying to Hiyori:

"I'm used to waiting. The time spent waiting is long, so I read during my leisure hours. The protagonist of this book is someone similar to me; they aren't omniscient or omnipotent, and they have all sorts of flaws, yet they always strive for a result they know is impossible. As for the final ending, I wonder if it was fortunate or unfortunate?"

The book in Sakayanagi's hands was a mystery novel, but it also contained a unique emotional arc.

Hiyori's eyes lit up, and she immediately began exchanging thoughts with Sakayanagi.

The fact that she had found a friend of the same age and grade who shared her interests made Hiyori very happy.

After chatting for ten minutes.

"Shiina, I'm very happy to be your friend. I have some things to attend to, so I might have to head off now. You can keep this book for a while; I'll come to get it later. Also, could you recommend a few more to me?"

Hiyori hurriedly gave her phone number to Sakayanagi.

Sakayanagi, however, said she had forgotten her phone and would contact her later.

Afterward, Sakayanagi left alone.

When Kujo returned to his seat, he only saw Hiyori clutching her phone, looking expectant.

After Kujo asked, Hiyori briefly described what had just happened.

"You made an unexpected friend, then?"

Hiyori nodded, a satisfied smile still lingering on her face.

Kujo looked at the book Hiyori was holding; it wasn't the one he had taken from the shelf earlier.

Hiyori hadn't brought her school bag today, so this book must have been brought by Sakayanagi.

If Ichinose was the type who excelled at reading the atmosphere, capable of putting herself in others' shoes, and a master at using language and mood to her advantage, then Sakayanagi was a schemer who excelled at gathering information, knew how to leverage her own strengths and weaknesses, possessed patience, and was the type to constantly lay the groundwork to achieve her goals.

In just one month, the amount of time Hiyori spent in the library and the number of books she borrowed had already surpassed the school's records.

With such a vast information base, analyzing someone's preferences wasn't difficult.

Hiyori would always stay by his side.

Therefore, in the future, she would inevitably come into contact with all kinds of geniuses at this school.

Kujo looked at the girl immersed in her joy.

Deep down, Kujo felt dissatisfied once again with the cruelty of this school.

In Kujo's eyes, they were all just children.

Yet, they were being forced to compete in this school.

Forget it.

It's always a good thing for Hiyori to have more friends.

The more bridesmaids in the future, the better, right?