"Hee hee, I'd say today went pretty smoothly."
"I successfully exchanged contact info with most of our classmates, and I also got to know some students from other classes."
Kikyō Kushida nodded, giving Natsuki Subaru a general summary of her achievements for the day.
It had to be said, Kikyō Kushida's social skills were quite impressive. She didn't limit herself to just her own class; she was able to quickly hit it off even with students from other classes with whom she had almost no interaction.
Based solely on what she had shown so far, Natsuki Subaru believed that Kikyō Kushida was a student with considerable ability in this so-called 'meritocratic' academy.
"Most?"
"You mean there are still students in our class who haven't exchanged contact info with you, Kikyo-san?"
Natsuki Subaru had a rough idea of why Kikyō Kushida had sought him out at this moment.
From the initial impression Year 1, Class D had given Natsuki Subaru today, the only one who would likely ignore Kikyō Kushida's request for friendship was the Horikita-san sitting next to him.
'What was her name again?'
'It was Horikita… hmm, Suzune Horikita.'
Suzune Horikita. Because she sat right next to him, Natsuki Subaru had a slight impression of her—a girl who had deliberately wrapped herself in the armor of a porcupine, and was most likely related to the school's student council president, Manabu Horikita.
Manabu Horikita's control over his expression was perfect; during the entrance ceremony, his gaze hardly ever rested on Suzune Horikita. But as someone related, Suzune Horikita's performance was very unsatisfactory.
"Yeah, it's Horikita-san, who sits next to you, Subaru-kun."
"I see her all alone, and it doesn't seem like she has any intention of making friends, so I got a little worried…"
Seeing Natsuki Subaru so easily and proactively steer the conversation toward her target, Kikyō Kushida quickly nodded and said, "After all, we have to stay in this school for the next three years. If she's always alone, she's bound to get lonely, right?"
"And besides, I want to be friends with everyone…
"Subaru-kun, you sit next to Horikita-san now. Maybe you can help me…"
Without any beating around the bush, Kikyō Kushida got straight to the heart of the matter.
To put it plainly, Kikyō Kushida's biggest objective for the day had ended in failure.
Suzune Horikita was not as easy to approach as Kikyō Kushida had imagined. At this point, Kikyō Kushida felt she couldn't handle it on her own and needed Natsuki Subaru's assistance.
Natsuki Subaru, however, didn't stop eating. While eating his meal, he replied, his words slightly muffled, "Kikyo-san, are you asking me to be your wingman for making friends?"
"Wing… man?"
Kikyō Kushida didn't get it at first and froze for a moment.
"That's right, a wingman."
"To put it simply, it's like an aerial battle. Kikyo-san is the lead plane, responsible for the main target, carrying out the offensive against the primary target, Suzune Horikita. And I will act as your wingman, Kikyo-san."
Natsuki Subaru swallowed the food in his mouth and explained with a slightly serious tone, "My main duty is to provide support for you, the lead plane, from the side. For example, helping you create an opportunity to talk to Horikita-san."
"Yes, that's it!"
"Subaru-kun, you really understand me so well!"
After hearing Natsuki Subaru's explanation, Kikyō Kushida ecstatically grabbed Natsuki Subaru's hand.
She leaned her body forward slightly, shortening the distance between herself and Natsuki Subaru, creating a hint of an intimate atmosphere.
This tactic was practically invincible when Kikyō Kushida used it on boys her age.
She barely had to do anything to make boys her age fall for her and be at her beck and call.
'Oh, I understand you far more than you can imagine.'
Natsuki Subaru looked at the Kikyō Kushida before him and gave a nonchalant smile.
From the moment Kikyō Kushida had walked over with her tray and sat next to him, Natsuki Subaru already knew her purpose for seeking him out. It was nothing more than to further their relationship, probe him, and at the same time, win him over.
Probing him because, earlier in the day when they first enrolled, he had hit upon the secret Kikyō Kushida kept hidden in her heart. Kikyō Kushida was a bit unsure if Natsuki Subaru might be someone in the know, like Suzune Horikita might be.
Winning him over was because he sat next to Suzune Horikita.
If she wanted to get close to Suzune Horikita later on, Natsuki Subaru could potentially be of some help.
And setting those two points aside, Kikyō Kushida also held an extremely high degree of curiosity about the secrets of her 'friends'. Natsuki Subaru's series of actions on the bus, like borrowing a phone, had also piqued Kikyō Kushida's curiosity.
"But, compared to me, there should be a more suitable target, right?"
"Even though I sit next to Horikita-san, I didn't say a single word to her today."
Natsuki Subaru let out a soft chuckle and said, "On the other hand, Ayanokōji-kun was able to exchange a few words with Horikita-san. Compared to me, who has had zero interaction, Ayanokōji-kun should be a more suitable choice, don't you think?"
"Mhm!"
"I'm planning on asking Ayanokōji-kun too."
Hearing Natsuki Subaru's analysis, Kikyō Kushida continued to nod and said, "It's just that I ran into you first, Subaru-kun. Tomorrow during the lunch break, I'll go ask Ayanokōji-kun for his help."
"No matter what, I feel that with you as my wingman, Subaru-kun, the probability of me becoming friends with Horikita-san is really high."
"I don't even know how to thank you, Subaru-kun."
"Hahahaha, after all, no matter what, I am Kikyo-san's number one~ friend~"
Watching Kikyō Kushida putting on all sorts of performances in front of him, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but laugh out loud and said, "As your number one friend, it's only normal for me to help you strategize, isn't it?"
If interacting with Hiyori Shiina was like a crystal-clear spring flowing through Natsuki Subaru's heart, allowing him to feel a long-lost sense of tranquility, then Kikyō Kushida was the other extreme.
Interacting with Kikyō Kushida was as if Natsuki Subaru had found a very interesting toy.
Although it couldn't bring him the long-lost tranquility that Hiyori Shiina could, it allowed Natsuki Subaru to shift his focus and temporarily forget—forget the things that troubled him.
It was a very poor substitute.
This was also why Natsuki Subaru, despite not sensing a single trace of a 'genuine article' in Kikyō Kushida, was still willing to invest a certain amount of patience in her.
Because Kikyō Kushida was just that interesting.
___
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