Chapter 131 Kushida, I'm with Hikigaya
"What can the two of us possibly settle by brainstorming here? Let's leave whatever it is until tomorrow..."
Hikigaya wanted to pull away and leave.
"No!"
Horikita Suzune grabbed his arm tightly with both hands, saying with a look of displeasure: "You, you're fine with accompanying other girls, so why is it that when it's my turn, you're in such a rush to escape?"
"Sigh~ then what do you want to say?"
Hikigaya looked helpless. At the same time, he glanced at his arm where five finger-marks had been gripped into his skin and couldn't help but snark: "With grip strength like that, it seems your body has fully recovered."
"Naturally." Horikita Suzune looked proud.
'Hey, hey? For a girl, having high grip strength isn't exactly a compliment!'
"It's not what I want to say, it's what you have to say. With your insight, you must have already seen some clues regarding the VIP." Horikita Suzune spoke with total conviction.
"I thank you for thinking so highly of me, ha."
Driven by lack of choice, Hikigaya had to surrender some information: "If you want to find the pattern for the VIPs, you first need to obtain more information about the group members—ideally the names of everyone in every group."
There are twelve groups, and each group contains students from every class. Getting the names shouldn't be difficult. However, even this was enough to stump Horikita Suzune, simply because her popularity in Class D was terrible.
"If you can't do it, you could consider asking Kushida-san for help. I think she would be very happy to help you." Hikigaya guided her intentionally.
"..."
Horikita Suzune's brow furrowed tightly; she was clearly very unwilling to deal with the latter.
"What? You can't even do that?"
Hikigaya raised an eyebrow, intentionally using reverse psychology: "Horikita, as long as you still want to lead the class to move up, Kushida's power is indispensable."
"Why do I feel like you're just trying to shake me off like a burden?" Horikita Suzune stared at him with a somber gaze.
"You're measuring the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a scoundrel." Hikigaya looked righteous.
'Why are you blurting out the honest truth like that?'
"I'll believe you just this once..."
Horikita Suzune took out her phone, preparing to contact Kushida Kikyo. This actually surprised Hikigaya a bit: "Horikita, when did you add Kushida's contact info?"
"She pestered me so much before that I eventually added her, though I blocked her later."
"Blo... you're really something." Hikigaya looked appalled.
The act of blocking a contact, in the context of real-world socializing, is no different from a break-off or a declaration of war!
What Hikigaya admired even more was that after blocking someone of her own accord, she could—without any embarrassment—pull them out of the blacklist and even dare to proactively send a message to invite them out...
Hikigaya could imagine just how "spectacular" Kushida Kikyo's expression would be upon receiving a text from Horikita.
"She says she's going to take a shower." Horikita Suzune frowned.
"It's only after seven; what 'shower' is she taking?!"
"Based on my—I mean, a friend's experience—that's just an excuse the other party uses to reject you!" Hikigaya almost accidentally let his own dark history slip out again.
"You've been rejected like that by a girl before?" Horikita Suzune looked surprised.
'No, so now you suddenly understand human hearts? If you really understand the ways of the world, I'd appreciate it if you'd see through it without calling it out!'
"And then? How did you get the person out afterward?"
"I said, it was a friend of mine..." Hikigaya refused to admit it.
"Ah, I see. I want to know now how... how that 'friend' of yours got the girl to come out afterward."
'When did this girl become such a gossip?'
"M-my friend is a shy person; after being rejected, he stopped asking. But there was a meddling handsome guy who insisted on helping him, claiming everyone could come out and play together. As a result, the girl agreed instantly." Hikigaya's face darkened, as if he were recalling a very unpleasant memory.
"I see... I understand now." Horikita Suzune nodded as if she half-understood.
"What do you understand? Also, why are you taking a picture of me?" Hikigaya looked dazed.
"Didn't you say it?" Horikita Suzune said. "Right now, Kushida-san doesn't want to see me, so I just need to pull out the person she does want to see to lure the snake out of its hole."
Horikita Suzune sent the photo over. The content of the text was also very simple, just a few words: [I am with Hikigaya right now.]
"Are you crazy?!" Hikigaya's forehead was covered in black lines. "Why would Kushida want to see me..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the moment of "face-slapping" arrived swiftly!
Ding~ It was an almost instant reply.
Kushida Kikyo: [Horikita-san is so humorous... Where are you guys!]
"See, she's anxious." Horikita Suzune suddenly stared at him with a subtle gaze.
"No, you've misunderstood..." Hikigaya opened his mouth. "Maybe she's just afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid that you'll tell me things about her past."
"Her past? I've never paid attention to it."
"You say that, but Kushida doesn't trust you."
.
,
,
In less than five minutes.
Kushida Kikyo came rushing into the cafe, panting as she stared at the two of them.
"How about a drink of water to rest?" Hikigaya ordered a glass of ice water for her.
Kushida Kikyo took the ice water without hesitation, downed it in one go, and then sat down in the seat right next to Hikigaya. This action made Horikita Suzune's eyelid twitch.
"Ara ara~ since when did you two start? I'm not interrupting your date, am I?" Kushida Kikyo maintained her smile.
Hikigaya was just about to say it wasn't a date, but Horikita Suzune beat him to the punch: "You are already interrupting."
Kushida Kikyo's expression distorted slightly: "Then should I leave?"
"Now that you're here, don't be in a rush to go." Horikita Suzune spoke to keep her there.
But why did those words sound like they carried a mysterious "main wife" aura? Summoned at a whim, dismissed at a whim!
"Cough cough~ Kushida-san, Horikita is looking for you because she wants to ask a favor." Seeing the atmosphere heading toward a strange place, Hikigaya quickly steered the conversation back on track.
"What is it?"
Kushida Kikyo was fuming inside, thinking that this bitch was clearly asking for a favor, yet still felt the need to give her a "power play" demonstration.
"I want Kushida-san to help me get a list of all group members." Horikita Suzune didn't hold back either, stating her goal directly.
"A list of all group members... that's a very difficult thing to do."
In reality, it wasn't difficult at all. With the "Little Angel" Kushida's network, she could easily collect the names of all members with just a few words. But she didn't want to help Horikita at all!
"Kushida-san, I know that on the surface you want to be friends with me, but in reality, you hate me, right?" Horikita Suzune used her usual "straight ball" approach.
Upon hearing this, Kushida Kikyo immediately fell silent.
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