In an overlooked corner, Horikita Suzune ignored all the noise around her and focused on solving the difficult problem Makoto Nishikado had assigned her.
Horikita Suzune had never understood what Kushida Kikyo was thinking, much less the reasoning behind some of her actions.
At first, Horikita Suzune had tried to solve the problem like a reading-comprehension exercise, but all she got were some very strange answers.
She treated every word and deed of Kushida Kikyo's as a passage to analyze, examining it word by word and sentence by sentence.
But the results were poor. Her answers were bizarre and completely off track.
After all, reading-comprehension exercises in school mostly dealt with literary works and life philosophy. They rarely touched on the complicated, delicate subject of teenagers dating.
Some reading-comprehension questions were so difficult that even the author might not know the answer.
"Understanding someone really is difficult."
Horikita Suzune was at a loss. She had no idea where to start.
She looked up at Makoto Nishikado, hoping he would give her a hint.
"With what you know now, Horikita, you have enough information to reach the right answer."
"If you can't solve it, that means you haven't made enough progress."
Makoto Nishikado offered no hint. Instead, he decided she still needed a push and piled on the pressure.
"...I'll definitely figure it out!"
The goading worked like a charm on Horikita Suzune. She immediately threw herself back into a subject she was completely unsuited for.
After thinking for quite a while longer, Horikita Suzune suddenly remembered that night.
Makoto Nishikado had butted into the conversation between her and her brother, and her brother had even asked him to look after her.
At first, Horikita Suzune had refused. She didn't think Makoto Nishikado was that much better than she was.
But