Come to Think of It, Kushida Is Such a Kind Girl! / Kikyo Kushida: "I Hope I Can Be Friends with Everyone."

So cute.

This was the first time Hachiman had ever... been looked at by a girl like this.

Uh.

What was going on? Class D not only had Hirata, but now there was also Kushida the little angel?

Kushida Was Really Kind!

Hirata was the kind of person who acted like a reliable good guy, while Kushida was also someone with strong social skills.

The reason was that among the classmates in the class group Hirata had created, some had been continuously pulled in by Kushida.

Being able to do that meant, first, that she had obtained administrator status in the class group, and second, that she had already gotten everyone's contact information.

That was how she could add people to the group.

Therefore.

Kushida was also one of those socially successful types.

People like that were hard for someone who lurked in the shadows like Hachiman to deal with, yet strangely enough, he found that... getting along with her was not a problem.

Probably because... Kushida was looking at him pitifully with moist eyes.

Her friendliness seemed to have been maxed out.

It was hard to refuse her.

"By the way, Kushida, are you heading to the Shopping Street?" Hachiman asked.

"Mm-hm. Everyone went to the Shopping Street and found out that points can be spent directly like money." Kushida nodded.

"And I went back to the dorm to take a look. Although the beds and bedding have been prepared, there are still some daily necessities I need to buy."

There was no denying that. When living away from home, a person needed all sorts of miscellaneous items.

From clothes, desks, and chairs to toothpicks and tissues. And if one planned to cook for oneself, there would be even more things to buy.

And Kushida was going to the Shopping Street.

I see.

That meant they would be separating soon.

Hachiman had originally intended to go to the Shopping Street himself to buy some things.

But a sudden sense of crisis arose in him, and he decided to first gather some information from the upperclassmen.

Teachers like Chabashira-sensei had apparently been issued gag orders, but as long as everyone was living on campus in a closed environment, there would surely be some things or phenomena from which information could be obtained.

Though that was what he thought.

"Then, Kushida, could you give me... a copy of everyone's contact information?" Hachiman said.

"Huh?"

Kushida blinked cutely.

She seemed to be asking what he wanted it for.

"I'm a very solitary person, so I hope I can make friends here," Hachiman said.

That was actually a lie. Hachiman wanted to do Chabashira's assignment.

His deal with Chabashira was that he would investigate the profiles of the students in the class, and she would pay him 200,000 for each student. She would also grant him permission to directly exchange points for cash.

Setting aside whether he would investigate all thirty-nine students one by one, simply looking into one or two profiles would still be a decent reward.

Hachiman wanted to give it a try.

And to do that assignment, he first had to know information about the students in the class. As for his social skills... if he really had any, Komachi would not need to worry.

So if he could start with someone like Hirata or Kushida, whose social skills were maxed out.

It would be much easier.

Because both Hirata and Kushida... seemed easy to approach.

But right now, he only knew Hirata, and to Hirata, he was merely one of thirty-nine classmates.

That could be seen from how Hirata had been replying to messages from classmates the whole way to the dorms with Hachiman.

He cared about everyone.

The reason he had paid attention to Hachiman was also because he was worried that Hachiman might become isolated.

He had made the other person worry about him.

So Hachiman did not really want to trouble a student like Hirata.

Kushida gave him the impression that she was easier to approach.

Of course, he was also somewhat shaken.

Because Kushida was cute, and probably no one disliked spending time with a cute girl.

So, could she grant this request...?

"You want to make friends..." Kushida tilted her head.

"So it really isn't possible?"

Hachiman also knew that abruptly making such a request would put her in an awkward position.

"It's not that I can't. I'm just a little surprised, because that was originally my dream too," Kushida said. "I want to become friends with everyone and make wonderful memories at this school."

She had said as much during her self-introduction in class.

[My name is Kikyo Kushida. My goal is to become friends with everyone here. I want to make lots of memories, so please come talk to me often.]

And then she had obtained the contact information of so many classmates.

Kushida really had been working toward that goal.

But even classmates might not be willing to give someone their contact information.

So Kushida had already gained a little popularity.

"And is there anyone Hachiman wants to make friends with?" Kushida continued.

"Um... not at the moment," Hachiman said. "I just thought that if I got everyone's contact information first, then I could contact them later if I found someone I wanted to be friends with."

That explanation did not really hold up, because if he wanted friends, there was no need to get so many people's contact information.

"I see..." But Kushida seemed to pause for a moment. "All right."

She said, "I can tell you the contact information of the classmates."

"But before that, can you agree to one condition?"

"Can you become friends with me?" Kushida asked.

As she said that, she looked at him with sparkling eyes.

The fact that she had proposed a condition showed that she was smart. As expected, she had seen through his lie about wanting the class's contact information in order to make friends.

But... even though she had seen through it, she was still willing to hand over the contact information.

And the reason was... that she wanted to obtain his... friendship.

Kushida wanted to be friends with him.

And the price was rather high.

After all, someone wanting to obtain the contact information of everyone in the class was not an ordinary matter. It might be used for some other purpose.

When he thought about it that way, it was quite frightening.

So if something happened, Kushida, as the one who leaked the information, might have to take the blame.

In other words, even if she had to bear that risk, Kushida still wanted to be friends with him?

Hey, hey, hey.

Realizing that, Hachiman was somewhat surprised.

Because.

If he were an ordinary boy, he would probably misunderstand and think Kushida had a very favorable impression of him right now.

And that kind of thing.

Stay strong, Hachiman.

This was only friendship, not dating. Do not casually believe in a girl's kindness.

He absolutely could not misunderstand.

"Although I would like to become friends with Kushida," Hachiman said, "my standards for friends are somewhat strict. The kind that lasts a lifetime—helping each other, confiding in each other, and treating friends as something important. The kind where, when the other person asks for help, you rush in without hesitation."

"Ahaha..."

Kushida's expression did not change.

"Hachiman needs that level of friendship..."

"Then that will be difficult." Kushida made a cute expression.

Yeah.

How could it be so easy to find a true friend?

Ordinary things like eating together, chatting, or even going to the restroom together were just socializing. They could not be called friendship.

Hachiman knew that his way of thinking differed from that of his peers.

Rather, he was not interested in their socially active lives... He did not believe that kind of youth was youth at all.

Still, he could not tell from Kushida's expression whether she had just mocked his definition of a true friend.

But in reality, the conversation suddenly grew cold. The two of them had already left the elevator and the first-floor lobby, arriving outside the dormitory.

Kushida continued toward the Shopping Street, while Hachiman was preparing to head toward the school building.

"Did you forget something in the classroom, Hachiman?" Kushida asked.

"Not really." Hachiman nodded. "I want to look around the campus. The school suddenly gave us this kind of treatment, and the expenses must be enormous. It just feels unreasonable."

"I asked Chabashira-sensei earlier, but it seems the teachers have been issued gag orders."

"So I want to try my luck with the upperclassmen."

Oh.

I see.

Kushida nodded. She had originally been about to head to the Shopping Street to shop, but suddenly turned around and grabbed Hachiman's sleeve.

"Then can you take me with you?"

Kikyo Kushida: I Want to Be Friends with Everyone

Kushida was cute, and her voice was sweet as well.

"Can you take me with you?"

She looked at him with pleading eyes. Looking closely, he could see that her pupils now reflected his figure.

Then, perhaps noticing that he had not reacted, she changed from merely holding his sleeve to cupping his left hand with both of hers.

After enclosing his hand, she gently raised it.

It was a startling gesture.

It was the first time in his life that a girl had touched him so intimately.