Chapter 33: Horikita Suzune: Unable to Understand
When Sakura Airi made up her mind to use this method, the corners of her mouth even turned up slightly.
However, a bigger problem soon struck. She had never invited anyone to a meal before. Usually, during lunch breaks, Airi was a loner who would pack her food and head straight back to her dorm to eat.
But... what reason should she use?
Should she mention him accompanying her to buy things yesterday? Would that reason be enough?
What if she added, "Thank you for helping me keep my identity a secret"? That felt far too intentional!
While Airi was locked in an intense internal struggle, the bell signaling the end of class suddenly rang. Katsuragi Keima stood up from his seat, preparing to call Elsie to go eat.
"Katsu..."
The name reached the edge of her throat, but Airi stopped abruptly. The act of inviting someone to eat was something she had never done. She lacked the courage to speak...
But... if she didn't say it now, she would miss her chance.
"Katsuragi-kun, would you like to have lunch together later..."
Just as Airi mustered her courage, a figure flashed through her peripheral vision. Horikita Suzune walked up to Katsuragi Keima.
"Katsuragi, do you have any plans for noon?"
"What do you want? You—"
"Then it seems you have no plans. Perfect."
Horikita didn't give Keima any chance to refuse, saying directly, "Come with me in a moment."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm treating you to lunch," Horikita said to Keima with total seriousness.
Ever since learning about the S-System from Chabashira-sensei and knowing that the class rankings could be changed, Horikita had made a decision. She absolutely would not accept being in Class D. She had to rise to Class A.
Horikita didn't know that transferring classes required 20 million points, so she had only one thought in mind: to do everything in her power to increase the Class Points. Currently, there was only one direct method.
That was to improve the class's academic performance.
Though school had only just begun, Horikita was already thinking about the midterm exams. The quiz on the first day had given her a certain understanding of the academic abilities of the students in her class. Some people... were truly beyond hope.
For example, people like Yamauchi Haruki and Sudo Ken. Horikita had observed their behavior. Not only were their quiz scores poor, but they were also the ones who most flagrantly disregarded class rules. Even today, they merely abstained from playing on their phones or sleeping; clearly, they weren't listening at all.
If things continued like this, those people would surely fail the midterms! Horikita absolutely could not accept being dragged down by them.
So, she decided to consult with Keima today. Even if she strongly disliked certain behaviors of his, she had to admit his academic ability was outstanding. Most importantly... Horikita had no friends. The only person she could actually talk to was Katsuragi Keima.
"Ah?!"
At that moment, hearing Horikita's words, Sakura Airi subconsciously let out a cry of surprise.
Wh-what? Why was Horikita-san suddenly inviting Katsuragi-kun to lunch? W-what should she do? Even though she was the one who invited him first... she didn't know if Katsuragi-kun had heard her...
Was there a "first come, first served" rule for something like this? Airi's brain was on the verge of crashing. She had never encountered such a situation, and her entire being seemed to wilt.
"What's wrong? Sa—Sakura-san?"
Hearing the sound Airi made, Horikita frowned and looked at her with confusion. In her eyes, Sakura Airi was like a transparent person in the class. Just a moment ago, she had almost forgotten the girl's name.
"N-nothing..." Airi quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. Right now, she just wanted to escape this classroom.
'I'll wait for them to leave first...'
"Katsuragi, let's go."
Horikita didn't think much of it and turned her attention back to Keima's face, her fox-like eyes projecting an incredibly serious gaze.
"I refuse."
"What?"
"You suddenly coming over to treat me to a meal... there's definitely nothing good behind it."
As Keima spoke, he turned his head toward Airi, who was currently trying to turn into an ostrich. "Besides, I already made plans to eat with Sakura-san."
"Eh?" Airi's head snapped back up instantly.
'Katsuragi-kun heard me just now?'
For some reason, hearing Keima speak like that made Airi feel a bit happy. However, her cheeks turned bright red from shyness.
"The two of you made plans to have lunch together?"
Horikita was stunned. What kind of combination was this? One was far too conspicuous in class. The other... had almost zero presence.
Horikita looked at Airi again, asking as if to confirm: "Is that true?"
Airi didn't dare look Horikita in the eye. To her, Horikita's gaze was too sharp. Just looking at it made her feel afraid. That feeling of being watched made Airi uncomfortable.
But even while staring down at her toes, Airi managed to let out a sound: "Mm..."
The voice wasn't loud, but Horikita heard it. She found it somewhat incomprehensible. Still, she shook her head.
"Fine. It doesn't matter even if Sakura-san is there. If Sakura-san can help out, that would be even better. Sakura-san, I'll treat you to lunch as well."
"Ah?" Now it was Airi's turn to be dazed.
Horikita-san was inviting her to lunch? Wh-why? Was it because of Katsuragi-kun? This was the first time Airi had ever been invited by anyone to eat together; she didn't even know how to answer.
"You, what exactly are you trying to do?" Keima said to Horikita with a look of distaste. This was already wasting his gaming time.
"I have some very important things to say, concerning the future of Class D."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You play games in class, which has docked quite a few Class Points. And looking at you, you'll continue playing in the future. So, you aren't unrelated to this matter..."
"I've already reached an agreement with Chabashira-sensei. Playing games won't dock Class Points from now on."
"Ah?"
Horikita had originally intended to use Class Points to morally blackmail Keima, only to find he had already taken action. She bit her lip, a trace of frustration in her eyes.
To get Keima to help, she had one last resort. But... she absolutely wouldn't do it unless it was the final moment.
But now, she had no choice.
"I'll buy you a game."
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