Horikita Does Not Need Friends

Time seemed to stand still as the two stared at each other. Neither seemed to have any intention of making a move.

Horikita neither refused nor agreed, and an inexplicable atmosphere began to permeate the air. The heavy atmosphere made Ju Ji's palms start to sweat slightly.

"Horikita?"

Ju Ji was the first to break the heavy silence, unable to help himself. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the atmosphere between them was a bit strange. It wasn't as if he were confessing his feelings, so why was he so nervous?

"Ah... sorry, I was distracted. How pathetic, Shinomiya, are you trying to take advantage of the situation to touch a girl's hand?... However, I accept your request.

But we are only in a relationship of mutual assistance; do not act particularly intimate in class... that would be very troublesome for me."

Horikita turned her head slightly and gently took hold of the right hand Ju Ji had extended. Perhaps due to a lack of experience in interacting with men, her face looked a little flushed. Of course, it was also possible that it was just the glow of the setting sun.

"Hahaha!"

"What are you laughing at?"

"No, it's just that I feel like, Horikita, you actually have such a cute side to you. If you showed it more often, you wouldn't be so friendless like this... Pfft!"

He just felt—truly, he just felt—that Horikita was quite charming at this moment. It was as if she had shed her hard outer protective layer, and what remained inside was just a cute girl. He didn't need to think about it; he knew his heart was pounding wildly right now.

If only this cute girl hadn't given him a powerful elbow strike, it would have been perfect; it hurt a little. The intense pain radiating from his abdomen made him unable to help but kneel on the ground. Horikita really didn't hold back at all.

Not only that, she looked as if she were satisfied, a refreshing smile appearing on her face. This was the first time Ju Ji had seen such a thing as a smile from her. It let him know that Horikita was, in fact, capable of smiling.

She herself didn't seem to be aware of it.

He always felt that since coming to this school, the women he met were all very skilled at violence; he didn't know if it was just his imagination.

"Shinomiya, I've said it before, I hate the way you talk... Next time, I will sanction you without hesitation; it's a pity I didn't bring a compass today. But I don't hate a person like you, and aren't you just like me, without any friends?"

At this moment, Horikita, much like Ju Ji had just done, extended her right hand to help him up. Although it was her fault that Ju Ji ended up in this state to begin with.

"Who says I don't have friends? My contact list is full of people like Ayanokoji, Hirata, Kikyo, and even you, Horikita."

"Having contact information doesn't count as being friends, and almost everyone in the class has Hirata and Kushida's contact info. You haven't even spoken more than a few words to Ayanokoji. But you and Kushida seem to call each other by your first names; have you known each other for a long time? Perhaps this is just her charity; after all, her personality is so gentle that she wouldn't refuse even if someone called her by her first name. And I already said I'm not your friend, so why are you counting me in?"

Seemingly wanting to mock him, Horikita kept searching for loopholes in his words and successfully found the crux of the matter. As Horikita said, it was indeed unusual for the two of them to call each other by their first names in class. But she was the only one who noticed this and asked about it.

Then, she drew her own conclusions and looked at Ju Ji with pity. It was no wonder she thought that way; the two didn't seem like a good match. Perhaps because of Ju Ji's existence, the relationship between Horikita and Kikyo wasn't as rigid as in the original story. Although they hadn't become friends as Kikyo had hoped, the relationship wasn't that stiff either.

Horikita was like a child frozen in ice, ruthlessly rejecting everyone's attempts at contact. But once that protective layer was broken, one would find that she was actually quite easy to get along with.

"Perhaps so... Oh no, I can't find my dormitory key card. I clearly put it in my pocket."

Having finished what they needed to do, the two intended to head straight back to the dorms to rest. It was at this moment that an unexpected situation occurred.

"Did you drop it while we were touring? You're so careless. I really should reconsider our partnership."

"Don't mock me at a time like this, Horikita. Shouldn't you be comforting me?... Wait, did I put it in my uniform jacket? Let me make a call and check."

...Beep... Beep

"Hello, Kikyo. Is my dormitory key in my jacket?... Okay, I see... Hmm, see you in a bit."

"What jacket? You pervert, have you finally given in to your urges and targeted an innocent, harmless girl? I should probably call the police first. No, if I do that, I'll lose my partner; is it better to keep it hidden for now?"

"It's not like that, it was just a small accident."

After some time spent persuading her, and even resorting to using his [Hypnosis] ability, he finally made Horikita believe his explanation, avoiding the crisis of being taken away by the police. Hmm, this woman wasn't joking; she really would have called the police.

"That's good. I don't want to personally send my future partner to the police. See you tomorrow, then."

Hmm, it seems I should be careful in front of Horikita from now on. Does this person really not consider the possibility that the two of them could be friends? Is his character really that untrustworthy?

Lost in self-doubt, Ju Ji didn't notice the slight upturn of the corner of Horikita's mouth after she turned away.

Unlike Horikita, who lived on the 12th floor, Ju Ji's dormitory was on the 4th floor, room 403. The door to the room wasn't tightly shut as expected, but slightly ajar. If it were anyone else, their first thought would be that a thief had broken in.

But he knew it was Kikyo inside his room, because he had locked the door properly before leaving, though he had forgotten to check if he had the key. That was his own carelessness.

Opening the door, Kikyo was lying on his bed, holding her smartphone and seemingly chatting with a friend; her clothes were slightly disheveled. Perhaps because it was a bit hot, she had unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt.

The white slime seemed to be on the verge of popping out under the pressure. Seeing Kikyo in such an unguarded state, it seemed she really didn't intend to treat him as an outsider anymore.

"Kikyo, this is a bit inappropriate, don't you think? I am, after all, a physically and mentally healthy male. You should be a bit more mindful of your image in this room."

Hmm, this was better for both him and Ju Ji.

Perhaps for Kikyo, this room had become a place for her to let her guard down. He knew this because her face was gloomy, rather than wearing that angelic smile.

"Ha~ you've finally returned. How was your date with Horikita?"