"I'm home~"
Amane's ahoge led the way.
Not getting yanked back meant the coast was relatively clear.
Only then did Amane poke her head in.
She whispered into the room. The lights were on, but no one answered.
She could vaguely make out something lying on the bed. Looks like Horikita had fallen asleep waiting for her.
In that case…
She'd dodged punishment again.
Hehehe.
Amane's grin nearly reached her ears.
Tiptoeing, Amane quietly crept into the living room.
The next second, a sharp pain shot through her hair.
Amane's heart sank.
"Are you coming home or are you committing a burglary? I thought a giant rat had gotten in at night." Horikita lifted Amane up to face her.
"Hehe, Suzune, you're still up? Staying up this late will give you dark circles, you know~" Amane tried to change the subject.
She seized the chance to glance at the bed; she could have sworn someone was lying there.
But looking closer, it was just her own brown bear pillow lying on the bed, with Suzune even thoughtfully tucking it under the covers!
What a sly woman.
I like it.
"Where's my coffee?"
Hearing it was about the coffee, Amane breathed a sigh of relief.
She handed over the canned drink she was holding.
"I went and bought it for you right away, Suzune…"
"Orange juice?"
Horikita eyed Amane suspiciously.
"Huh? Where's my coffee? That big can I bought…"
A memory of having fallen asleep suddenly resurrected itself.
Amane going downstairs.
First buying herself a can of orange juice to quench her thirst.
"So I bought orange juice after all!" Amane wore an expression of sudden realization.
She lightly tapped her palm with her fist.
"And it's half-empty… You didn't go sharing this with some other girl, did you?" Horikita's hand shifted into a chop stance.
"No, no! I drank that half, I forgot I was supposed to buy coffee…" Amane hurriedly explained.
If she messed this up, it could spell major trouble.
"Hmph." Horikita let out a light snort.
Then she downed the orange juice in one go. And tossed the can aside.
The can somehow landed perfectly in the living room trash bin.
"Wow! Suzune, you're amazing!" Amane immediately started clapping her hands together with a pattering sound.
But then a thought struck her.
Didn't that mean she and Suzune had indirectly kissed?!
Then… maybe a direct one would be okay too? Seizing the moment while Horikita was off guard, Amane lunged in for a kiss.
But Horikita, as if she'd known all along, pressed her hand against Amane's approaching face.
"It's the same every time. I don't even need to look at you to know what you're thinking."
"I just want to be closer to you, Suzune~"
Amane's level of shamelessness was truly something else.
To call a sneak attack kiss an act of intimacy.
"Intimate? Before we get to that, could you explain why you smell like Kushida?"
Gasp—!!!
Amane's face paled.
She'd been found out already?
As expected of Suzune!
"Kushida was so mean today! She was bullying Ayanokouji-kun. Good thing I showed up in time, otherwise Ayanokouji-kun would've… Waa."
Seeing Amane like this, even if Horikita felt some displeasure, she couldn't really say much.
If it was to help Ayanokouji.
Although Horikita's relationship with Ayanokouji was nothing special, she wouldn't stand by if he was in trouble. She was the one who had asked him to approach Kushida about this study session in the first place. And back when Sudo hit her, Ayanokouji had tried to intervene too.
Just based on that, it wasn't really a big problem for Amane to lend a hand when he was in a pinch.
But…
How exactly could Ayanokouji get bullied by Kushida?
Horikita keenly sensed something was off.
"How was Kushida bullying Ayanokouji-kun?"
Seeing Suzune inquire, Amane immediately switched to an indignant expression.
"Let me tell you, Suzune, Kushida was just awful today! She actually wanted Ayanokouji to touch her… here!" As she spoke, Amane demonstrated on Horikita.
"You mean… Kushida told Ayanokouji to touch her… chest…?" Horikita's voice rose a few notes.
She really disliked Kushida, but she couldn't imagine her doing something so shameless.
Letting a guy touch her so freely…wait.
"Are you sure Kushida was bullying Ayanokouji?"
If Kushida and Ayanokouji were already a couple, then even if doing such things on campus was a bit inappropriate, others wouldn't really have the right to say much.
Did Amane just interrupt something private?
"No way! Ayanokouji-kun had this unwilling look on his face at the time. It made my heart ache to see it, so I was forced to step up and save him!" Amane hugged Horikita and nuzzled gently against her chest.
Hmm.
Amane's explanation was a bit strange, but if Ayanokouji had refused, then Kushida's behavior was indeed over the line.
Suddenly.
Horikita thought of something.
What if Kushida was trying to frame Ayanokouji?
She shouldn't go that far, though…
He didn't know her secret.
There was no need for her to target such an inconspicuous guy.
The logic didn't add up.
Since it didn't add up, she'd set it aside for now.
There was something else she was more concerned about.
"Amane, how exactly did you 'save' Ayanokouji?"
Amane happily took Horikita's hand. She placed Horikita's hand on her own. Then pressed it against Horikita's chest.
"In other words, you took Ayanokouji's place, is that it?"
A kindly smile spread across Horikita's face.
"Mhmm, pretty clever, right! This way, I didn't hurt Kushida-san and I protected Ayanokouji-kun. Ahh, I sacrificed so much, waa."
"Amane, you truly had it rough."
"Yeah, yeah… Suzune, y-you calm down!! No, please! Don't! I'm just a kid! No!!!"
--+--
The next day.
Horikita, carrying both their backpacks, strode purposefully ahead.
"Amane, if you dawdle any more, you'll be late."
Trailing behind, Amane sported massive dark circles under her eyes.
Her gaze was vacant and lifeless.
"I'm not pure anymore."
"Stop saying such strange things. We just had a… thorough discussion about our feelings." Horikita said it with a breezy calmness, casually rapping her knuckles on Amane's little head.
"Waa waa."
The moment the two entered the classroom.
The eyes of the entire class instantly focused on them.
"Huh? Why is everyone looking at me? I'm gonna get embarrassed~" Amane's cheeks flushed slightly pink.
She shyly lowered her head. Seeing her like this, a good number of both the boys and girls averted their gazes.
Hirata glanced at Karuizawa.
Karuizawa didn't really want to speak up, but currently, she was one of the unofficial leaders among the girls in Class D.
While enjoying everyone's respect and trust, she also had to shoulder her share of responsibility.
"Amane-san, is it true that you hit Sudo-kun in the library yesterday?"
Hearing Karuizawa say that, Amane instinctively looked toward Kushida. Karuizawa shifted slightly, blocking Amane's line of sight.
"This isn't about anyone 'telling' on you. The student council just came by to inform us that you, Amane-san… injured Sudo-kun. Is it true?"
After Karuizawa finished her question, the class's attention immediately snapped back to Amane.
"Oh, Sudo? Yeah, I hit him."
"WHAAAAAT!!!!!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.