"Since Kikyo-san put it that way."
"Then let's analyze it a little."
Natsuki Subaru put down his utensils and smiled. "Kikyō Kushida, I wonder, what's your general impression of 'Horikita-san'?"
The person known as Suzune Horikita was actually very easy to understand once you grasped a bit of her inner personality and daily behavioral logic.
In Natsuki Subaru's view, Kikyō Kushida's initial strategy of 'catering to her interests' was not wrong in itself.
When making friends, aside from a very small number of exceptional people, what else can you do but cater to their interests?
It was just that Kikyō Kushida was too hasty. She went in headfirst without understanding Suzune Horikita at all, forcing herself into a very awkward position.
But that was also normal. Kikyō Kushida found it too easy to make friends, which made her lower her guard. Faced with a difficult character like Suzune Horikita, she still tried to make friends with a formulaic approach, taking things for granted.
"What's her general impression…"
"Hmm… Horikita-san seems very cold, not very sociable, bad at socializing, very serious about her studies, and seems to not care about anything around her…"
After hearing Natsuki Subaru's words, Kikyō Kushida tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face, and said, "...Basically, something like that?"
"A very superficial observation, but basically correct."
Natsuki Subaru nodded and continued his analysis, "However, relying only on the most superficial things is far from enough to become friends with Horikita-san."
"What's revealed on the surface is the result, not the cause."
Natsuki Subaru paused for a moment, thinking of his former self.
At this moment, sitting here analyzing Suzune Horikita with Kikyō Kushida, Natsuki Subaru felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if he wasn't analyzing Suzune Horikita, but his former, 'grandstanding' self.
"Strictly speaking, Horikita-san is not bad at socializing."
"Rather, she disdains engaging in what she considers 'meaningless' socializing."
"Regarding this, Horikita-san clearly has her own set of standards. In her view, things like casually chatting with friends or going shopping are all a waste of time."
Was his middle school self good at socializing?
The answer was yes.
Although Natsuki Subaru's behavior in middle school was unconventional, there was no doubt that he possessed social skills.
If he were to get serious, Kikyō Kushida might not even be stronger than him.
Merely relying on kindness was not enough to make Halibel, one of the top powerhouses in the other world, the 'Praiser', truly pledge her loyalty. Until the very end, Halibel regretted not having truly opened her heart to Natsuki Subaru.
However, just like the current Suzune Horikita, the middle school Natsuki Subaru also didn't want to engage in some 'meaningless' socializing. It was just that compared to Suzune Horikita's 'meaningless,' Natsuki Subaru's standard for 'meaningless' in middle school was different.
Suzune Horikita's definition of meaningless socializing was purely pragmatic and utilitarian.
Improving her own abilities and achieving her preset goals—in Suzune Horikita's eyes, any social interaction not directly related to this core objective and unable to bring about substantial improvement was meaningless.
Although Natsuki Subaru didn't know what Suzune Horikita's goal was, the point about self-improvement was correct.
Therefore, what Suzune Horikita required was absolute utility and efficiency.
As for the middle school Natsuki Subaru, he believed that any 'mediocre' socializing that couldn't highlight his 'specialness' and make him the center of attention was meaningless.
Natsuki Subaru refused to integrate into circles he considered 'ordinary'.
"Ooh~~~~~"
"I see, Subaru-kun's analysis really hits the nail on the head!"
After hearing Natsuki Subaru's analysis, Kikyō Kushida's face instantly showed an expression of realization.
Although the failure of the 'accidental encounter' plan had made Kikyō Kushida realize her previous strategy was wrong, she didn't know how to correct it.
To avoid further worsening her relationship with Suzune Horikita, Kikyō Kushida could only temporarily put the matter aside and give it some time to cool down.
But Kikyō Kushida had always made friends this way.
She had never met someone as difficult as Suzune Horikita, so Kikyō Kushida was also a bit lost.
She didn't know how to approach Suzune Horikita.
Today, it was just that she had nothing else to do and happened to run into Natsuki Subaru, remembering that over the past week he had actually managed to chat with Suzune Horikita occasionally.
So she came over to try her luck.
She hadn't expected to actually gain something from Natsuki Subaru.
"Mm."
"So, Kikyo-san's 'I want to be friends with everyone' and 'I want to create wonderful memories together' strategy is absolutely not going to work on Horikita-san."
"Horikita-san will unilaterally think your motives are impure, or that your actions are shallow."
As Natsuki Subaru's words fell, the smile on Kikyō Kushida's face stiffened for a moment.
However, it quickly returned to normal, with only a slight flicker in her eyes, as if he had hit a nerve.
Natsuki Subaru didn't care about the details of Kikyō Kushida's expression, continuing as if he hadn't seen a thing, "Ultimately, we can draw a conclusion. The key to establishing a connection with Horikita-san is not 'expressing friendliness.'"
"It's 'showing value.'"
"Showing value, huh?"
Kikyō Kushida was lost in thought.
Natsuki Subaru stopped talking at this point and continued to eat, leaving Kikyō Kushida ample space to think.
All in all, Suzune Horikita was just as Natsuki Subaru had analyzed, surprisingly easy to understand.
The only difficulty was how to show value.
If someone was inherently of no value to Suzune Horikita, then even if they understood what Natsuki Subaru had said, there was no way to 'capture' her.
Because that person, to Suzune Horikita, was inherently 'worthless'.
To Suzune Horikita, a 'friend' was perhaps not an emotional concept, but more like a 'kindred spirit,' an 'alliance' based on common goals or mutually beneficial value.
To become Suzune Horikita's friend, one must first prove they have the ability to be her ally.
A legitimate reason was far more useful than a hundred of Kikyō Kushida's 'let's be friends' or 'let's go shopping together'.
___
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