There was nothing wrong with that alone.
If he wanted to raise Horikita's affection for him, then he had to do things in front of her.
She had to be able to see and experience them. He absolutely could not use some kind of secret devotion. She was a block of wood; if he did not say it, she would never try to guess his feelings.
And regarding that—
He somewhat understood why Kushida had worked so hard when he asked her to spread the rumor that day, even blatantly showing Horikita how hard she was working.
Because Kushida already knew what kind of person Suzune Horikita was.
Unfortunately, Horikita was too cold, and the Kushida train still could not conquer her.
"This is because your thinking isn't delicate enough, Horikita," Hachiman said. "What do you think would happen if Sakura found out I'd seen her photos?"
"?"
"She'd feel embarrassed, right? If someone saw such incredible photos of herself, she might start overthinking things. It might even lead to a relationship," Hachiman said.
"Something like that could happen?" Suzune Horikita seemed to be hearing this for the first time.
It could.
For example, you were always alone. Then, after entering middle school, everyone bought cell phones, so you bought one too. But nobody exchanged numbers with you. Then, while a pretty and cheerful girl was exchanging numbers with others, she noticed you and exchanged numbers with you as well.
It looked like a trivial matter, but different people understood it differently.
Some people might start caring about that girl because of it, then enter their own adolescence.
If he continued, it would probably become a dark history.
Hachiman stopped there.
He somewhat understood why Komachi had always wanted him to interact with others and acquire creatures known as friends.