Chapter 89: Sakura Airi Wants to Take the First Step

The bustling shopping district was crowded with people, the noise of chatter filling the air.

Yet, Kushida felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

Her gaze remained fixed on the two people sitting inside the café.

The girl across from him seemed to be deep in thought, while the boy held his coffee in hand, wearing a gentle smile as he looked at her.

These two...

Kushida maintained her usual angelic smile as she turned to the two classmates shopping beside her.

"Hey, I think I just saw Horikita-san. Do you two want to go say hi?"

"Huh? Horikita-san?"

"Where is she?"

Both girls were from Class C, so they naturally recognized their classmate Horikita Suzune.

However, they had never interacted much with her—only aware that Kushida seemed to have a decent relationship with her.

"She's over in the café," Kushida said, pointing toward the glass window. "And look, she's sitting across from someone."

Although she was dying to go over and probe Hikaru right away, she had to maintain her image. She couldn't just ditch her companions without a good excuse.

"Wait a second... isn't that Hashima Hikaru from Class A?"

The two girls suddenly perked up, as if they had just made a groundbreaking discovery.

"Are they... on a date?!"

"But I thought Hikaru-kun was dating Ichinose-san?"

"That's just a rumor! I heard they're not actually together."

As soon as the topic of romance came up, the two Class C girls became lively, excitedly discussing the possibility.

After all, both Hikaru and Suzune were top-tier in looks and well-known figures in their respective classes. Seeing them together like this was prime gossip material.

"Maybe... hehe," Kushida chuckled, keeping up her pleasant act—but internally, she was boiling with rage.

Meanwhile, inside the café, Hikaru was staring at the new system notification that had suddenly popped up.

His satisfaction level had never been higher.

[Kushida Kikyo has witnessed your private meeting with Horikita Suzune.

This has made her feel a loss of control.

Kushida Kikyo's stock price has decreased by 20 points. Current stock price: 80.]

"Damn, that was effective. As expected from Suzune's number one hater."

Hikaru chuckled internally but didn't glance back outside. Instead, he calmly took a sip of his coffee and returned his focus to Suzune.

"Well, Horikita-san, have you come to any conclusions?" he asked, his tone casual.

"I think it's necessary to reconsider the possibility that they truly have evidence that could directly determine the nature of this altercation," she replied seriously.

Her analytical approach was still sharp—despite her aloof nature, she had no issue accepting logical arguments.

"Is that so?" Hikaru nodded, watching as Suzune's brows furrowed slightly in thought. "I have another perspective—"

Before he could finish, a bright, cheerful voice suddenly interrupted.

"Wow, it really is you two! Horikita-san, Hikaru-kun!"

A short-haired figure approached their table, her expression full of surprise.

"I thought I was seeing things for a moment," Kushida said with a delightful smile.

Here we go.

Hikaru could barely suppress his amusement at her Oscar-worthy performance.

"You really are good at acting, huh?"

Still, he couldn't afford to break character, so he greeted her warmly with a pleasant smile.

"Good afternoon, Kushida-san."

Suzune, seated across from him, looked slightly taken aback. However, given that she had attended several of Kushida's study group sessions recently, she opted for politeness.

"Good afternoon, Kushida-san."

As the two of them acknowledged her presence, Kushida subtly scanned their expressions before feigning realization.

"Ah... did I interrupt something?" she asked, quickly putting on a flustered look.

"I'm so sorry! I got a little excited when I saw familiar faces and just walked over without thinking."

Her apologetic tone was flawless.

"No worries," Hikaru replied smoothly. "We were just discussing something simple. Isn't that right, Horikita-san?"

As he spoke, he deliberately shot a glance at Suzune—whether she understood the cue or not didn't matter.

What mattered was that Kushida saw it.

Suzune, of course, did not understand whatever subtle message Hikaru was trying to send. But since she had no reason to deny it, she simply nodded.

"Yes, just a casual discussion."

Kushida, however, was not fooled.

She had seen that glance. She had noted Suzune's cooperation.

This wasn't normal.

"Since when...?"

[Upon noticing your subtle eye contact with Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo believes that your relationship is deeper than she initially thought.

Kushida Kikyo's stock price has decreased by 20 points. Current stock price: 60.]

Hikaru could barely hold back his laughter.

"God, Kushida, you are too easy to manipulate."

"You two sure are close," she said with a sweet smile, though there was an unmistakable edge to it.

"Well then, I won't bother you any longer~! Please, carry on with your chat," she added cheerfully, as if nothing were wrong.

Before leaving, however, she shot Hikaru a deep, scrutinizing look.

Hikaru knew exactly what that meant.

"Oh, she's definitely showing up at my dorm tonight."

"Bring it on, Kushida. I'm ready for you."

---

Meanwhile, Elsewhere...

In the privacy of her dorm room, Sakura Airi sat on the floor, sorting through a pile of letters.

Each envelope was in different colors, some pink, some white, others a deep red.

None of them had her real name on them.

Instead, they were all addressed to her alias—the name she used as a blog idol and gravure model.

Since the moment she entered Advanced Nurturing High School, these letters had never stopped coming.

At first, they were simple fan letters, expressing admiration from afar.

But lately, the tone had changed.

Instead of just saying they wanted to watch from a distance...

Now, they wanted to meet her in person.

Sakura hated this.

She was already afraid of interacting with people—this just made it worse.

But then, she remembered something.

"Friends should be honest with each other."

Hikaru had told her that.

If she truly wanted to be his friend, she couldn't keep hiding this part of herself.

She had already found the courage to take the first step.

She would go to this arranged meeting—and she would tell the sender to stop.

And once she had resolved this, she would tell Hikaru everything.

Sakura took a deep breath, gathered up all the letters, and steeled herself.

It was time to take a step forward.

~~~

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