Sakura Airi's New Friends

Another morning arrived, and one by one, the students made their way to the Class 1-D classroom.

Sakura Airi sat alone at her desk, her head slightly bowed as she quietly watched everyone form little groups on their own. She couldn't help feeling a little envious, but more than anything, she felt a fear that had sunk deep into her bones.

It's okay... Having Shiraishi-kun is enough for me... Sakura Airi quietly reassured herself.

Before long, her thoughts began to run wild again.

How should she ask Shiraishi-kun to come out and take photos next time? Was he free this weekend? Would asking him for help twice in one week be too much? Would he get tired of her and start to hate her?

Head lowered, Sakura Airi was lost in worry and unease. Just then, a lovely figure quietly came up beside her.

"Good morning, Sakura-san."

"Huh?!" Sakura Airi jumped, then realized it was Kushida Kikyo, Class D's angel, who wanted to be friends with everyone.

Kushida Kikyo was one of the few classmates she'd ever spoken with. At the start of the school year, Kushida Kikyo had approached her and asked to exchange contact information. But Kushida Kikyo had so many friends that they rarely had a chance to talk afterward. They only exchanged greetings when they happened to run into each other.

"Good morning, Kushida-san..." Sakura Airi took a breath and greeted her in a small voice.

"Sakura-san, I've noticed you always sit here by yourself. Let's chat." Kushida Kikyo returned to her seat and carried her chair over.

"Ah..." Faced with Kushida Kikyo's enthusiasm, Sakura Airi didn't know what to do.

"By the way, Sakura-san, you're the famous online idol 'Shizuku,' right?" Kushida Kikyo leaned close to Sakura Airi's ear and whispered.

"W-what?!"

Sakura Airi jolted, and her glasses slid right off her face onto the desk. She hurriedly picked them up and put them back on, her voice trembling slightly.

"How did you find out about that, Kushida-san...?"

"Shiraishi-kun from Class A told me." Kushida Kikyo gave her a pure, innocent smile.

"Shiraishi-kun? Why would Shiraishi-kun tell you about me?" Hearing Shiraishi Makoto's name eased some of Sakura Airi's anxiety, but she still had plenty of questions.

"Yesterday, in Shiraishi-kun's room, he asked me to look after you. He said it wasn't good that you didn't have any friends in class." Kushida Kikyo's casual remark sent Sakura Airi's thoughts into turmoil.

"Sh-Shiraishi-kun's room?"

"Oh, didn't you know? Boys usually can't go to the girls' floors, but girls can easily go to the boys' floors." Kushida Kikyo shared this little fact with an expression that said it was nothing special.

"I-is that so?" Sakura Airi's spirits suddenly sank. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes, and after hesitating for a long while, she finally gathered the courage to ask in a small voice, "Then, Kushida-san, are you... are you and Shiraishi-kun together?"

Kushida Kikyo neither confirmed nor denied it, only giving a faint smile. "I went to Class A to borrow money before, and he lent me tens of thousands of Private Points. He never even hurries me to pay him back. Otherwise, I'd still be worrying about that huge debt."

"I-I see." Sakura Airi managed a strained smile, a sour ache and unease rising in her chest.

"By the way, Shiraishi-kun said you helped him with something, and that might expose your identity." Kushida Kikyo changed the subject and asked curiously, "So what exactly happened?"

But she didn't know much, either. Shiraishi-kun had only told her he needed some photos to sell to upperclassmen.

Sakura Airi was just about to answer when she realized something was off.

Why hadn't Shiraishi-kun told Kushida-san?

No, wait. Were Shiraishi-kun and Kushida-san really dating? If they were, shouldn't Kushida-san know what happened?

For some reason, Sakura Airi suddenly saw the flaw in it all.

Although Kushida Kikyo always acted close to Shiraishi Makoto, she had never once said outright that they were a couple.

"Sorry, I don't really know, either. Shiraishi-kun didn't tell me." Sakura Airi lowered her head and spoke softly.

"I see. All right, then." Seeing that Sakura Airi couldn't tell her anything, Kushida Kikyo stopped asking and began carrying out the task Shiraishi Makoto had given her.

She had to interact with a lot of people in her day-to-day life, so she couldn't keep an eye on Sakura Airi all the time. Shiraishi Makoto had also said that all she needed to do was help Sakura Airi make a few friends she could talk to.

Kushida Kikyo thought for a moment and came up with someone who seemed like a good choice.

"Shiraishi-kun is worried that you don't have any friends in class and that it'll be a problem if your identity is exposed later, so he asked me to help you make some friends here." Kushida Kikyo relayed Shiraishi Makoto's instructions. "I can think of a few people who'd be a good fit. Come on, I'll introduce you to them."

"Ah..." At the thought of talking to other people, Sakura Airi instinctively felt resistant. But realizing it was what Shiraishi Makoto wanted, she bit her lip and gave a small nod.

"Shinohara-san, could I bother you for a moment?" Kushida Kikyo led Sakura Airi over to a girl in the class.

"Oh, Kushida-san. What can I do for you?" Shinohara Satsuki asked curiously when she saw who it was.

"Well, I noticed Sakura-san has trouble communicating with others, so she hasn't made many friends even though it's been two months since school started. Could I ask you to include her in your activities and look after her?" Kushida Kikyo smiled sincerely, bowed slightly to Shinohara Satsuki, and made her request earnestly.

"Sakura-san?" Shinohara Satsuki had only the vaguest impression of the quiet girl in her class.

She turned her head and saw Sakura Airi hiding behind Kushida Kikyo, her head lowered, timid and awkward the whole time.

"Sure, leave it to me." Shinohara Satsuki was technically part of Karuizawa Kei's group and wasn't especially close to Kushida Kikyo. But when a classmate needed help, she was willing to do all she could.

"Thanks for helping me out, Shinohara-san." Kushida Kikyo patted her chest lightly and let out a breath of relief. "You know how I have to deal with so many people every day, so I can't properly look after Sakura-san. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it." Shinohara Satsuki smiled and waved a hand, then stood and came over to Sakura Airi. "Hello, Sakura-san. I'm Shinohara Satsuki. If you don't mind, you can hang out with us from now on."

"Let me introduce you. This is Sato Maya, and this is Matsushita Chiaki." Shinohara Satsuki introduced Sakura Airi to the friends she usually spent time with.

Sato Maya and Matsushita Chiaki came over, too, and waved to Sakura Airi. "Hello, Sakura-san."

"H-hello. I hope we get along." With so many people watching her, Sakura Airi curled her fingers nervously, but still managed a polite reply.

"Don't worry. You'll feel less nervous after spending some time with us." Shinohara Satsuki smiled, took Sakura Airi by the hand, and led her over to their seats.