Hearing Horikita Suzune's speech, which was almost like "breaking the ice," Shikime Natsu did not answer immediately.
He simply looked at Horikita Suzune with a meaningful gaze.
"..."
Stared at so directly by this kind of look, Horikita Suzune felt uncomfortable all over.
Her cheeks burned slightly. She subconsciously straightened her back, and then glared back fiercely.
"What is with that look?"
"Nothing."
Shikime Natsu retracted his gaze, the corners of his mouth hooking up into a faint arc.
"I just feel... today's Horikita-san seems a bit different."
"Hmph."
Horikita Suzune let out a light snort. She didn't continue that topic, but instead turned her line of sight toward Sakura Airi.
"So... Sakura-san, what is your answer?"
"Ah, that..."
Sakura Airi reacted, a brilliant smile appearing on her face.
"My hobby is photography!"
"Whether it's landscape photos or portraits, I like them all very much!"
As she spoke, she blinked mischievously, her tone carrying a bit of confidence.
"If Horikita-san wants to take photos for memories in the future, you can find me anytime! I'm quite confident in my skills!"
"Photography, is it..."
Horikita Suzune nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, she had occasionally seen Sakura Airi stopping to take photos with a camera around the school before; this hobby fit her image quite well.
"I'll remember that."
Considering she had acknowledged Sakura Airi's hobby, Horikita Suzune once again let her gaze fall back onto Shikime Natsu's body.
However.
Before she could even open her mouth, she saw that the infuriating smile on Shikime Natsu's face had become even more brilliant.
For some reason, a bad premonition suddenly welled up in Horikita Suzune's heart.
Sure enough.
The very next second, Shikime Natsu's lazy voice drifted over:
"As for my hobby..."
He deliberately dragged out his tone, looking at Horikita Suzune's wine-red eyes, and spoke leisurely.
"Such a private matter, I will only tell my friends."
"Since the current Horikita-san is not yet my friend... then, regrettably, you are not yet qualified to know."
"..."
Hearing these words, Horikita Suzune felt as if several red tick marks instantly popped out on her forehead.
Horikita Suzune almost couldn't hold back a hiss of anger.
This guy... just what kind of nonsense is he talking about?!
If I don't understand you as a person, how can I become friends with you? This is fundamentally a paradox!
The current her had only managed to understand the steps of making friends with great difficulty.
First was exchanging names, then understanding the other party's interests and hobbies, and looking for common topics.
It was just like the self-introduction segment at the start of school; everyone would say "My name is XX, my interest is XX." The name was a form of address, while the interest was to attract people with the same interests.
The old her had scoffed at this, feeling such things were meaningless, and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to others' hobbies.
But now, she slightly understood the purpose of doing such things.
But...
This guy actually blocked this path directly!
This was like her mustering the courage to try and push open a door, only for the person behind the door to weld the lock shut directly, and then mock her through the door.
"Want to come in? Unless you are already inside!"
This was bullying people too much!
Shikime Natsu had taught Horikita Suzune at the very beginning that the first step to making friends was to reveal a smile, and then express one's goodwill. But... Horikita Suzune simply couldn't pull out any smile at all, and couldn't imagine that kind of scene either.
Herself like that would definitely look very stupid!
If she wanted to know Shikime Natsu's hobbies, she could also use points to purchase the info, but... Horikita Suzune was currently strapped for cash. Her private points for this month were zero again, so she had absolutely no way to buy intelligence from this greedy fellow, Shikime Natsu.
So...
Horikita Suzune sized up Sakura Airi at the side; she could only choose to inquire through Sakura Airi. She should know.
Of course, not in front of Shikime Natsu, otherwise this guy with a terrible personality would definitely pull some shenanigans.
From the first time they met, she had thought about staying away from this guy and not having too many interactions with him.
But unexpectedly, fate seemed to be playing a joke, making their connections become more and more frequent. This guy even got involved with her own brother.
"If you won't say it, then don't."
Horikita Suzune took a deep breath, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared fixedly at Shikime Natsu with her wine-red eyes, looking quite dissatisfied.
Hearing this, Shikime Natsu just smiled silently.
As expected.
Wanting this iceberg to undergo a major change was still a task with a long way to go.
He had merely teased her slightly, setting a tiny threshold, and she immediately chose to give up, shrinking back into her shell.
This personality was truly awkward.
However.
Just when Shikime Natsu thought today's topic would end here.
"However..."
Horikita Suzune stared into Shikime Natsu's eyes, saying one word at a time.
"Someday, I will make you say it with your own mouth."
Looking at the girl's serious eyes, Shikime Natsu froze slightly, and immediately, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.
"Is that so?"
He shrugged, his tone relaxed.
"Then I'll wait and see, Horikita."
"I look forward to your performance~"
"Okay, okay!"
Sakura Airi clapped her hands, her face overflowing with a happy smile.
"Since today is the first time everyone has come out to play together, then to celebrate this special day... let's take a group photo!"
"A group photo?"
Horikita Suzune paused for a moment. Aside from necessary ID photos, she had basically never taken any photos.
And... she didn't really understand if taking photos had any special meaning.
But well... Horikita Suzune didn't choose to refuse either. After all, she had just asked about Sakura Airi's hobby. Refusing directly now would be somewhat bad.
Sakura Airi handed the camera in her hand to the bookstore clerk at the side, requesting the other party to take a photo of the three of them.
"Could I trouble you to take a picture for us? Please!"
The clerk naturally agreed with a smile. Looking at the trio of Shikime Natsu, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion in his heart; he too had once had a period of youthful innocence.
Thus, the three stood in a corner of the bookstore, with neat bookshelves and soft lighting behind them.
"Umm... I want to stand in the middle!"
Sakura Airi claimed the center position without yielding.
Then, she pointed to her left.
"Natsu, you stand on this side of me."
She pointed to the right again.
"Horikita-san, you stand over there."
There were some petty thoughts within the girl's arrangement of this standing position.
Because according to this position, there was no barrier between her and Natsu; she could even use the crowding to get slightly closer. Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune was separated on the other side, unable to touch Shikime Natsu.
Although it was just a tiny detail, this was a territory right in the girl's heart that could not be conceded.
"Okay, look at the lens—"
The clerk shouted.
"Three, two, one."
Click.
The shutter sound rang out.
The image froze.
The girl in the pink dress in the middle had a brilliant smile. The boy on the left had a faint smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, his expression calm. And the black-haired, straight-haired girl on the right, although her small face was still taut, one could see she was a bit unnatural.
After taking the photo, today's itinerary was basically declared over.
On the way back, Sakura Airi and Shikime Natsu walked side by side in front, while Horikita Suzune said her goodbyes a step earlier.
"I didn't expect it..."
Shikime Natsu glanced at the pink-haired girl beside him, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.
"Today's arrangement was somewhat out of my expectations."
It wasn't just the arrangement of the flow, but more importantly, the effect.
Sakura Airi had actually managed to make Horikita Suzune realize the things she should master in making friends.
Even if it was just making Horikita Suzune actively ask "What is your hobby," this would have been a fantasy in the past.
"Hehe~"
Hearing Shikime Natsu's praise, Sakura Airi cocked the corners of her mouth proudly.
"I worked quite hard, you know!"
She said in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of seeking praise.
"In order to have a common topic with Horikita-san, I bit the bullet and finished reading a book like 'Crime and Punishment'! It was really so hard to understand..."
"And..."
"I knew that if we just simply went shopping and bought clothes together, it would be absolutely impossible to improve our relationship."
"After all, that is Horikita-san."
"Even if we behaved enthusiastically, as long as Natsu was present, there was a high probability she would just stand there like a wooden figure, acting as a silent third wheel."
"That is indeed the truth."
Shikime Natsu nodded.
Just now in the swimwear shop, Horikita Suzune's performance was indeed as Sakura Airi said; she was almost entirely out of the loop the whole time.
"Then how did you know... she would be moved by the matter of you... recommending books?"
Shikime Natsu asked curiously.
This required not only observational skills but also a precise grasp of the human heart.
"Well..."
Sakura Airi blinked, revealing a trace of a sly smile.
"Actually, I had observed her interactions with Wang-san slightly before."
"At that time, Wang-san also wanted to make friends with her, so she went to ask what book she was reading."
"But Horikita-san's reaction back then was obviously very impatient, and quite perfunctory too."
"So I thought... if I just went directly to ask if the book was good, she would definitely feel I was annoying too."
"But..."
"If I had already finished reading that book, and had my own insights, and then took advantage of some opportunity to say it naturally..."
"For a person with a personality like Horikita-san's, as long as she confirmed I finished reading that book—and that it was me, someone who looks like I have no destiny with that type of book, who finished the book she reads often—she would definitely care a little about me, right?"
"Actually, I was gambling too!"
Sakura Airi stuck out her tongue.
"After all, that is Horikita-san. Who knows what reaction she might make the next second? But luckily... I won the bet this time!"
After listening to this analysis, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but sigh with emotion again.
Sakura Airi's growth speed was indeed somewhat astonishing.
Not only had she learned to observe, but she had also learned to use information asymmetry to guide the other party's emotions and reactions.
"Airi."
Shikime Natsu suddenly asked.
"What exactly did you display during the entrance exam? To actually be assigned to Class D?"
Possessing such insight and ability to act, plus the fact that Sakura Airi's academic grades were actually quite good—her athletic ability wasn't good, but definitely not too bad either—no matter how one looked at it, she didn't seem like a Class D student.
"That..."
Mentioning this, Sakura Airi's expression became somewhat depressed.
"It was just... I displayed what I was like before Natsu came to Class D."
"I thought... keep a low profile, lower my presence, and pretend to be a gloomy plain girl who has absolutely no cooperative ability and only knows how to hide in the corner..."
"If I had known earlier that Natsu was in Class A... I wouldn't have done that! I definitely would have fought with all my might to enter Class A!"
Speaking of this, the girl's eyes revealed deep disappointment and regret.
"If only there was a chance to transfer classes..."
"But if one wants to transfer classes, one needs to accumulate 20 million personal points..."
"But in the current Class D... wanting to gather this sum of money is simply harder than ascending to heaven."
"Moreover, there are still guys like Yamauchi in the class... Sigh..."
Wanting Class D's Class Points to rise steadily and get twenty million personal points was an almost impossible task.
"So..."
Shikime Natsu looked at her somewhat indignant appearance.
"How do you plan to treat Yamauchi and those few people?"
"Depends on the situation."
Sakura Airi's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"If they really are incurable and will only drag everyone down..."
"Then find an opportunity to drive them all out of this school."
"Anyway, this midterm exam has already proven that the mechanism of expulsion exists, so in the future... there will definitely be more similar opportunities."
If they could only become burdens—burdens to her getting closer to Shikime Natsu—then Sakura Airi would discard these burdens without hesitation.
...
Soon, it was time to part ways.
"Then, Natsu, let's end it here for today!"
Sakura Airi stopped her steps, turned around, and waved her hand at Shikime Natsu.
"Next time there's a chance, let's come out to play together again!"
Then, Sakura Airi suddenly leaned close to Shikime Natsu's ear.
Warm breath brushed against his ear, carrying a trace of the girl's unique fragrance.
"Umm... Natsu."
She said with a light laugh, using a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Actually... next time you don't need to pick an overly conservative swimsuit for me either."
"That kind of bikini with very little fabric... I can wear it too."
"After all..."
The girl's voice became even more soft and enticing.
"My swimsuit... will only be shown to Natsu alone."
These words could be said to be quite direct and bold.
Shikime Natsu was slightly stunned, and immediately turned his head, happening to meet Sakura Airi's moist and moving eyes.
He smiled and didn't say anything, just nodding gently.
Sakura Airi's cheeks were slightly red, her eyes full of joy.
"Since we bought swimwear, next time... let's make an appointment to go swimming together!"
"Everyone together."
Sakura Airi spoke with a smile. This "everyone" naturally included other girls, but, the only boy was Shikime Natsu alone.
She knew Shikime Natsu had thoughts of opening a harem, and... even if she relied on various buffs, or even if she confessed first, she probably couldn't change Shikime Natsu's thinking.
So... she would first defeat the other girls, using her own advantages at the swimming pool.
____
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