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 owo people sitting ihe 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 turo the two cssmates 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 Css C, so they naturally reized their cssmate Horikita Suzune.

  However, they had never ied much with her—only aware that Kushida seemed to have a det retionship with her.

  "She's over in the café," Kushida said, pointing toward the gss 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 panions without a good excuse.

  "Wait a sed... isn't that Hashima Hikaru from Css 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 Iose-san?"

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

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

  After all, both Hikaru and Suzuop-tier in looks and well-known figures in their respective csses. Seeing them together like this rime gossip material.

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

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

  His satisfa level had never been higher.

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

  This has made her feel a loss of trol.

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

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

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

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

  "I think it's necessary to resider the possibility that they truly have evidehat could directly determihe 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, watg 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 ag, 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 sessioly, she opted for politeness.

  "Good afternoon, Kushida-san."

  As the two of them aowledged her presence, Kushida subtly sed 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 apologetie was fwless.

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

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

  What mattered was that Kushida saw it.

  Suzune, of course, did not uand 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 gnce. She had noted Suzune's cooperation.

  This wasn't normal.

  "Since when...?"

  [Upon notig your subtle eye tact with Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo believes that your retionship 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 ughter.

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

  "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 kly 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, s through a pile of letters.

  Eavelope 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.

  Sihe moment she entered Advanurturing High School, these letters had opped ing.

  At first, they were simple faers, expressing admiration from afar.

  But tely, the tone had ged.

  Instead of just saying they wao watch from a distance...

  Now, they wao meet her in person.

  Sakura hated this.

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

  But then, she remembered something.

  "Friends should be ho with each other."

  Hikaru had told her that.

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

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

  She would go to this arranged meeting—and she would tell the seo 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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