"I have to admit, you've managed to catch my attention."
Horikita Suzune folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against a cafeteria chair.
"I'll be clear in advance: if this is a confession, give up on it immediately!"
Her purple-red eyes held no hesitation, no trace of shyness.
"Why does it have to be based on my confession to you…" Hikigaya couldn't help but mutter. Clearly, this was a literary meme in action.
"Because my brother said…" Horikita Suzune paused and tucked a strand of hair from her forehead. "I've been cute since I was a child."
Wow. How can someone say something so narcissistic without even blinking?
"What? Are you suspecting my brother of lying?" Her gaze sharpened.
No, isn't that the point?
"No, continue…" Hikigaya's eyelids twitched as he suppressed his urge to complain, motioning for her to go on.
"From childhood to now, almost every boy who approached me had a good impression of me. So my brother made a rule that any boy wanting to pursue me in the future must pass his test!"
A look of pride appeared on Horikita Suzune's face. Is this… something to be proud of?
"Sister control?" Hikigaya suggested, smirking.
"Don't use such strange words to describe my brother!" she snapped.
"I think it's fair."
Hikigaya mentally agreed. If it were him, he'd also use every means possible to keep harmful males away from his sister.
"Please don't act like you're on par with my brother!" Horikita's glare was sharp, laden with dissatisfaction.
Please, don't compare yourself to him.
"Your expression is really irritating… forget it."
Horikita Suzune sighed, realizing she'd said too much for today. Her face returned to its usual cold mask. "So, what do you want from me?"
"Can't…I just come find you?"
"We're sit together, after all."
Hikigaya placed an order on his phone: Black tea.
"Don't act on your own…" she warned.
Moments later, the waiter brought two cups of black tea. Horikita Suzune inhaled the aroma and her eyes sparkled. "So this is your… [effort]… just barely passing."
Hikigaya winced at the 2,000-yen-per-cup Ceylon Highland black tea.
Horikita didn't respond, simply lifting the cup and sipping. A trace of dark brown tea remained on her pink lips, and she instinctively licked it. Noticing Hikigaya staring, she hummed softly. "Well… turns out my brother was right."
"…." Hikigaya buried his face in his hands. In that moment, memories of the short-haired girl from his dream and the reluctantly accepted morning kiss flashed through his mind. Ridiculous. Fantasize in front of others? Really?
Just as the silence between them thickened, a voice intervened.
"Horikita-san, what a coincidence~"
Kushida Kikyo appeared, her smile angelic, and sat down beside Horikita. She clasped her hands carefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't interrupt your date, did I?"
"It's not a date."
Hikigaya looked up. Didn't she ask him to ask her out?
Kushida: I asked you to ask her out, not to date her!
"What does that mean?" Horikita's eyes narrowed. She caught the glance exchanged between the two.
"…Hate it~ Really just a coincidence~" Kikyo blinked innocently.
Horikita, unimpressed, said bluntly: "You've been bothering me since yesterday. I don't know your purpose, and I have no interest in you!"
Kikyo's signature smile froze.
Horikita sipped her tea one last time, shot Hikigaya a final glare, and left.
"I won't give you points for the black tea."
"Consider it the price you paid for tricking me out!"
Only Hikigaya and Kushida remained.
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-san. I've made Horikita-san dislike you too."
"It doesn't matter." Hikigaya shrugged. To be honest, he didn't care at all about Horikita's opinion. It was better to finally put his unrealistic dream to rest.
Disappear, Suzune Horikita.
Kikyo blinked, surprised that Hikigaya didn't chase after Horikita. "Hikigaya-kun has done a great job~" she said. "By the way, I can still promise you one thing."
Even though getting close to Horikita failed, eliminating other obstacles was still valuable.
"Really?" Hikigaya's eyes flickered with mild surprise. He had assumed she'd discard him after failure, but she kept her promise. No wonder she's called the "little angel."
"Hehe~ I'll be embarrassed if you praise me like that."
Oh, man. Kikyo sneered inwardly. Horikita might not be attracted to this dead-fish expression, but… what if? Better to strike now than regret later. She wanted to take everything from Horikita. (💀🙏)
Come on, dead-fish eyes! Invite me on a date! In front of Horikita!
"Since Kushida-san is so enthusiastic, I'll say it directly."
Hikigaya requested her help to get contact information from other classes.
"…." Kikyo's smile froze.
"Wait…Hikigaya-san?"
"You mean… I'll help you get the contact info of girls from other classes?"
Ignore your own class, focus on others? Are you kidding me? Kikyo's thoughts whirled. Am I not pretty? Answer me!
Hikigaya nodded absentmindedly and added: "It doesn't have to be a girl. A boy works too."
"Hikigaya-san likes boys?" Kikyo's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about?" Hikigaya quickly denied it. Then, adopting a serious tone, he said: "I just want to make friends… You know, Kushida-san. I've been ostracized in Class D, so I can only find people from other classes. That makes sense, right?"
***
Short chapter lol