Kapitel 98: -97- You could also try making friends
After parting ways with Ichinose Honami in the corridor, Hori and Kushida Kikyou walked into the classroom of Class D.
"Kushida-san! Good morning!"
"Good morning! Kikyou!"
As always, Kushida Kikyou was popular, and as soon as she entered the classroom, she was greeted by various people.
Kushida Kikyou responded enthusiastically one by one, creating a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom.
As for Hori, who walked beside Kushida Kikyou, the students of Class D were already accustomed to him.
Even though the boys in the class, led by Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, still looked at him with envy and jealousy, Hori ignored them as usual.
All of this seemed no different from the usual daily routine of Class D.
However, real change was lurking.
This change manifested itself in the next moment.
"Good... good morning, Nanaya-san."
Sakura Airi, who arrived in the classroom before Hori, sat at her desk and nervously greeted him as he walked in, mustering courage despite her anxiety.
Her voice was very low, and her tone was not very smooth, but Sakura Airi didn't shy away from it, looking at Hori and giving him a shy greeting.
This greeting could be considered quite inconspicuous.
However, because of Hori's arrival with Kushida Kikyou, the attention of many people in the class was also drawn to him.
Therefore, Sakura Airi's greeting immediately surprised the entire class.
Presumably, no one expected that Sakura Airi, who usually kept a low profile and sat quietly alone at her desk, would greet someone, let alone greet someone of the opposite sex?
Not to mention, the person Sakura Airi greeted was the notoriously solitary Hori.
How could the students in the class not be surprised?
Even Kushida Kikyou looked at Sakura Airi with surprise, with an expression of complete astonishment.
Of course, the real surprise was yet to come.
"Morning."
Facing Sakura Airi's nervous but courageous greeting, Hori couldn't help but show a faint smile, nodding in response to her greeting.
Seeing the smile on Hori's face, the entire Class D students opened their mouths wide.
The Nanaya Hori, who usually didn't show any emotions to anyone, actually showed such a smile?
What's going on?
Even Kushida Kikyou looked at Hori in astonishment, looking a bit dazed.
With Kushida Kikyou's perceptiveness, she couldn't fail to notice any difference in Hori's smile from usual.
It was a smile that he had never shown to anyone before, extremely natural.
Looking at Hori like this, Kushida Kikyou even had such a thought.
(Oh, so he can smile like this too.)
That was Kushida Kikyou's first impression.
And at this moment, Hori had already started chatting with Sakura Airi.
"Is your camera fixed?"
"Not... not yet. I'm planning to go to the electronics store after the break."
"Are you okay going alone?"
"It's... it's fine... well, maybe not..."
"Then, I'll go with you after the break."
"R-really!?!"
"...Sure, I mean, you seem a bit too excited though?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
Blushing, Sakura Airi lowered her head, causing Hori to chuckle.
Watching the interaction between Hori and Sakura Airi, the students in the class were completely baffled.
"Kushida-san, what's going on?"
"What's happening between Nanaya and Sakura?"
"Did something happen between those two?"
The girls in the class, driven by gossip, gathered around Kushida Kikyou, extremely curious and asking questions.
To this, Kushida Kikyou could only show a puzzled expression.
"I... I don't know what's going on either."
It would be more accurate to say that Kushida Kikyou was also curious, wondering what was happening in front of her.
The boys were even more unbearable.
"When... when did those two become so close!?"
"Could they be secretly dating?"
"Don't be ridiculous... how could that be..."
"I absolutely refuse to believe it!"
"How could that annoying Nanaya have a girlfriend, it's impossible to accept!"
The boys became inexplicably angry.
Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were even worse.
"That damned Nanaya, not only is he involved with Kikyou, but also with Sakura..."
"What's so great about that guy? Both Kikyou and Sakura are like this!"
Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were even more furious than the other boys.
"...How did this happen?"
As a result, even Ayanokouji Kiyotaka muttered to himself.
This taciturn guy must be feeling a bit unbalanced, right?
"...Even though I've been trying so hard to make friends..."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sighed to himself.
As fellow loners, Hori could easily build relationships with others without doing anything, while he had put in a lot of effort, no wonder Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt emotional.
On the other hand, Horikita Suzune, after glancing at the situation, spoke to Hori, who had stopped talking to Sakura Airi.
"So, the camera earlier belonged to Sakura-san?"
It seemed that Horikita Suzune only noticed the important details.
"Did something happen between you and Sakura-san?"
The straightforward girl asked without beating around the bush.
But...
"Why? Are you curious too?"
Naturally, Hori didn't answer the blunt question, but glanced at Horikita Suzune and replied casually.
And surprisingly, Horikita Suzune didn't deny it.
"I am curious indeed." Horikita Suzune said while flipping through her book, "I'm curious about what happened to make you change like this."
Horikita Suzune's words made Hori's eyes flicker slightly.
Change...?
Indeed, that's right.
In the eyes of others, the always solitary Nanaya suddenly improved his relationship with someone, showing no signs of rejection at all. The change should be quite obvious.
If not, the students in the class wouldn't be so surprised.
But Hori still wanted to say.
"Change... is a good thing compared to staying the same." Hori said, "At least, as a defect in Class D, if I don't want to change anything, then I'll always be just a defect."
This statement, heard by Horikita Suzune, should be very harsh.
Because, Horikita Suzune hasn't undergone such changes yet.
The girl who regards aloofness as her faith still hasn't progressed.
That's also a fact.
Just as Horikita Suzune was speechless, Hori, in a very casual tone, blurted out a stunning secret.
"Otherwise, you could also try making friends with Sakura. Being friends with that famous idol 'Shizuku' is a rare opportunity, you know."
These words resounded clearly throughout the classroom.
As a result, the whole class fell silent.
The next moment...
"W-what---!?"
Exclamations echoed throughout the classroom.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein