"Making friends? That request is a bit sudden for me."
Horikita took a small sip of coffee.
Then she looked at Kushida.
Kushida's eyes were full of sincerity.
But the more sincere she was,
The more Horikita felt something was off.
Unsolicited kindness.
If someone were to say Kushida came without any ulterior motive,
Horikita wouldn't believe it even if you beat her to death.
"You're right... it is a bit sudden, but I really want to be friends with Horikita-san. I hope Horikita-san can give me this opportunity."
Kushida held Horikita's hand.
"Sorry, I thought about it and for now, I don't have any plans to make friends."
Horikita subtly pulled her hand back.
She'd have to wash it when she got back.
Otherwise, Amane would be unhappy again.
"Why doesn't Horikita-san want to make friends?"
Kushida was a bit curious about Horikita's social approach.
In a closed boarding school,
If one didn't make friends,
It was almost like completely isolating oneself.
If one didn't have a few friends or join a clique at the beginning of the school year,
It would be very difficult to integrate into the class's social activities later on.
"Perhaps I personally prefer quiet."
Horikita answered the question calmly.
In other circumstances, this statement would have been a decisive blow to an idiot who so rashly came to make friends.
But now, for some reason,
Kushida, instead, smiled and pointed at Amane.
"I don't think Amane-san and quiet..."
The words Amane and quiet.
One couldn't say they were completely unrelated, but they were certainly not related at all.
She was noisier than cicadas in summer.
Constantly calling out "Suzune, Suzune."
It was almost driving her crazy.
Every time she intended to give her a harsh scolding,
Seeing her silly smile, Horikita couldn't get angry.
Who would hold a grudge against an idiot?
Over time,
It seemed... she had gotten used to it.
If there were a day without Amane's calls,
She might even feel a little unaccustomed.
"She's an exception."
"Then can't I be the second or third exception?"
"No."
Horikita refused quite quickly.
Kushida's smile gradually faded.
Horikita-san tilted her head, watching Amane-san and the girl opposite her chatting happily.
Amane-san was not only gesturing wildly but also frequently making the girl opposite her cover her mouth and chuckle.
This fellow.
He must have put all his talent into that big mouth of his, huh.
Amane-san chatted with Shiina Hiyori while secretly observing Horikita's situation.
After noticing the two of them had fallen silent,
she brought her empty parfait glass over to Horikita's side.
"Suzune~"
"Take it."
"Alrighty."
Amane-san casually picked up the parfait that Kushida had ordered for Horikita.
Could she really eat two servings?
Kushida looked at Amane-san with some concern.
It wasn't that she was worried about the points.
It was just that such a large serving
was enough to fill an adult male.
For high school students, it was a portion for a couple.
Would Amane-san be okay eating this much?
Only after seeing Amane-san start eating heartily
did Kushida shake her head in disbelief.
Dating Amane-san must be very expensive, wouldn't it?
"Suzune, want to eat together?"
"No."
Horikita-san rolled her eyes at Amane-san.
Just eat it quickly, that's all.
Why so much fuss?
"Let's eat together, or else it'll be awkward with just me eating and the two of you watching."
Amane-san said, picking up a chocolate biscuit stick from the parfait.
Then, while biting one end, she pointed the other end towards Horikita-san.
"Amane, you, what are you doing? You don't mean you want me to..."
Horikita-san had a bad premonition.
"This is the Pocky Game, right? Does Amane-san want to play this game with Horikita-san?"
Kushida's face immediately turned red.
Because Kushida's surprised voice was a bit loud just now,
everyone in the cafe turned their attention to them.
People are curious.
If a couple were playing this game,
they would at most glance at them, curse them as a lovey-dovey couple who deserve to die, and then ignore them.
But if two girls were playing, it would attract a large crowd to watch.
As for the reason...
Does it even need to be said?
Seeing more and more people gathering to watch,
some had even started taking photos.
Horikita-san's first reaction was to flee.
But she was held down by Kushida.
"Horikita-san, you can't run away now."
Horikita-san looked at Kushida's serious expression, somewhat puzzled.
"I never agreed to play such a childish game with this idiot in public."
Being watched while having intimate contact.
Isn't that something only a social terrorist (social phobic) could do?
How could she, a socially awkward novice with social anxiety, possibly do that?
"But if you run away, what about Amane-san? She'll definitely be laughed at for not getting a response, won't she?"
Kushida's words made Horikita-san sit back down.
She knew Kushida was right.
Since Amane-san intended to play this game,
she must have been certain that Horikita-san would play with her.
Once Horikita-san left,
this fellow...
might get upset, wouldn't she?
What an annoying person.
Snap.
Horikita-san, as if in a fit of pique, bit off a large chunk right away.
This drew many people to take photos.
Amane-san showed a triumphant smile.
She took a small bite.
Horikita-san rolled her eyes at Amane-san.
Even playing this game, she's still playing tricks.
Horikita-san also copied Amane-san, taking a tiny bite.
Snap.
Snap.
The chocolate biscuit stick in the middle kept getting shorter.
The breathing of the people around them had already started to quicken.
Soon, they would witness an exciting scene.
Oh no, it was a thrilling scene.
Snap.
Amane-san took another small bite.
The entire chocolate biscuit stick was now less than a fifth of its original length.
Horikita-san, her face red, took a bite.
Both of them could already feel each other's breath.
Thump-thump.
Horikita-san felt her heart rate accelerating.
She started to regret it.
She should have refused earlier.
Now she could only do that in front of everyone.
Seriously.
Annoying!
When they got back, she would spank her until her butt bloomed!
Horikita-san thought fiercely.
Her angry gaze made Amane-san's heart suddenly jump very high.
When they got back...
Would her butt really be spanked until it bloomed?
Amane-san thought with some fear.
Then she took another bite.
The distance in the middle had narrowed so much that if Horikita-san took just one more bite,
their lips would touch.
Snap.
Horikita-san hesitated for a moment, then bit down anyway.
Their noses bumped into each other as a result.
Shiina Hiyori silently picked up her phone.
All the surrounding noise completely disappeared.
Everyone quietly raised their phones.
They intended to capture the exciting moment that was about to unfold.
Amane-san moved.
After her soft lips touched the last small piece of chocolate biscuit stick,
they also touched another soft thing.
Soft.
But it wasn't as sweet as she had imagined.
They say a girl's lips are sweet.
Now it seemed that was a lie.
Hmm.
It probably also had something to do with Horikita-san drinking coffee, right?
Eh?
Horikita-san's face seems very red.
I shouldn't tease her anymore.
Amane-san touched and then pulled away immediately.
Before Horikita-san even had a chance to react,
she had already clearly savored her.
Then, with a finger, she gently pinched Horikita-san's chin, mimicking the actions and tone from a manga she had read.
"Suzune, you taste really good."