Watching the shake of Horikita Manabu's head, Amane fell into thought.
Was she really not wearing any padding?
But then why does it feel different?
Amane and Horikita had shared plenty of intimate moments. They'd even bathed together.
You could say they knew each other's "cup size" inside out.
But it didn't take long for Amane to notice a secret. Horikita felt different to the touch during the day compared to at night.
In the daytime, the sensation was something like an inflated volleyball—firm and springy.
Ahem—this was intelligence Amane had acquired at the cost of suffering some violent reactions.
At night, though, it was more like a water-soaked sponge. It was hard to believe Horikita wasn't wearing something extra.
But if even her own brother said so, maybe she was just overthinking it.
What a shame.
Horikita never gave her enough time to carefully confirm. Otherwise, she'd surely have uncovered the mystery!
"Well, good enough for now. Here's my ID."
Amane pulled a small slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Horikita Manabu.
He took it and looked.
Good grief—it was her student ID number.
With this, he could send her a friend request.
It was also the only way to transfer money to her.
Did normal people carry this around with them?
By Horikita Manabu's common sense, probably not.
Unless…
This little one had made up her mind to squeeze money out of him from the moment she left her room. Otherwise, there was no way she'd just happen to have a slip with her ID ready to go.
How bizarre.
What Horikita Manabu clearly didn't know was that Amane had gotten into the habit of handing out her ID freely, all to add more cute girls to her contacts.
Aside from a very small number of exceptions, she was already friends with every girl in her class.
Even the most prickly one, Karuizawa, had fallen to Amane's charm. So, pulling this thing out came as naturally to Amane as a salesperson handing out a business card.
"I'll be off, then. Don't forget to note what the money's for—I don't want to receive some shady, unexplained transfer."
Amane put emphasis on unexplained.
Horikita Manabu made a resigned face. "You're overly suspicious. When I, Horikita Manabu, promise something, I keep my word."
"We'll see."
Amane felt entirely unmoved by his cool declaration.
Then, hands in her pockets, she turned smoothly and…
Tripped.
As it turned out, keeping your hands in your pockets when you stumble makes it pretty much impossible to regain your balance.
But Amane treated Horikita Manabu to a display of her superb body control.
The moment she fell, she rolled right along the ground and stood up smoothly—even giving a proud flick to the stray hair that had popped up to survey the situation.
And she kept her hands coolly in her pockets the whole time.
Horikita Manabu wasn't sure what to make of this girl.
"An interesting one." That was probably his assessment of her. He hoped to see more of her lively side in the future.
Right now, she gave off a much more comfortable vibe than during their negotiation. But in this state, she didn't exactly come across as the sharpest tool in the shed.
Once Amane rounded the corner of the dormitory, she immediately rubbed her arm.
During that ground roll, she'd landed on it several times, and a pebble had dug right into it.
"Should've skipped the showboating. Hmm… maybe I should get pants with pockets? Would that help?"
Luckily, she was wearing a bodysuit and tights today—otherwise, she might've had a wardrobe malfunction.
Amane brushed the dust off her clothes and stepped into the elevator.
She pressed the button for floor 12.
Soon, she was outside Horikita's door.
Should I go see Suzune?
Today, she'd deliberately teamed up with Horikita Manabu to put on a little act. The goal was for Horikita Manabu to borrow Amane's voice to point out Horikita's flaws—with Amane adding a touch of personal grievance on her own.
It's just—being given the cold shoulder like that really didn't sit well with her.
It wasn't because she couldn't do without Horikita.
Thinking it over, Amane decided it might be better not to see Horikita just yet.
If Horikita really was trying to shake her off, it'd be pretty pathetic to go eagerly running over.
So, Amane decided to run a little test.
She deliberately made her footsteps heavier, then took out her key with its big cluster of keychains, swiped it against the door—
Click.
The sound of the door unlocking.
Then she slammed it shut with force.
At the same time, she quickly slipped back next to Horikita's door.
Since her door opened outward to the left, if Horikita came out to check, she might not spot her.
Even if she did…well, so what?
It wasn't like Horikita was so furious she'd try to bite her on sight.
With her mind made up, Amane reined in her presence, leaned her whole body against the wall, and waited to see what would happen next.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck her.
She'd been talking with Horikita Manabu for quite a while.
It was already almost 10 p.m.
By this hour, Horikita should already be getting ready to sleep on schedule.
What if Horikita hadn't even heard her little performance?
Wouldn't that make her look like a total idiot?
Just as Amane was about to head back, Horikita's door opened.
Horikita, in her pajamas, stepped out, gazing fixedly at the door on the right.
She stared for about five or six seconds, then walked toward Amane's room.
Through the gap near the door hinges, Amane saw Horikita raise her hand as if to knock—but her expression shifted several times, and in the end, she lowered her hand again.
"Hah…"
Horikita sighed softly, then returned to her own room, closing the door behind her.
Only when the sound of footsteps inside faded away did Amane let out a relieved breath and gulp fresh air.
So Horikita wasn't as cold-hearted as she appeared.
Which meant…there was still room to turn things around, right?
But—was Horikita not really angry to begin with? Or had Horikita Manabu's words shifted her attitude, making her hold on to Amane, her one and only friend, to prove her worth to her brother?
Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Early the next morning, Amane pushed open her door, a sandwich in her mouth and milk in hand, and nearly bumped right into Horikita, who was also holding bread and milk.
Their eyes met for an instant, then quickly darted away. Maybe they were both running a bit late—the elevator was empty except for the two of them.
But neither said a word.
The silence lasted all the way down to the first floor.
Finally, Horikita was the first to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Good morning, Amane."
"Good morning, Horikita-san."
Hearing that form of address, Horikita froze for a second.
Then she realized Amane was speaking to her.
In Horikita's memory, only back at the start of the school year had Amane used such a distant way of addressing her.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Horikita had stopped walking, Amane glanced back curiously.
"It's nothing. It's just… you calling me that so suddenly felt a little unfamiliar."
Horikita's voice held a tinge of… sadness?
"But weren't you the one who told me to call you that, Horikita-san?"
The faint smile on Horikita's face instantly stiffened.
That's right.
She had been the one to insist on that form of address just yesterday.
So this was how it was—creating distance was so much easier than building closeness.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.