"I..."
Horikita Suzune wanted to say something,
But she also knew her words were not convincing.
Nevertheless.
Horikita Suzune still said in a weak voice.
"I didn't do those things on purpose... I understand the consequences now... Even you won't trust me one more time?"
""
Hikigaya scratched the back of his head.
It was the first time he had seen Horikita Suzune looking so frail.
He could feel that Horikita Suzune wanted to change, but whether to believe her was another matter.
Speaking of which.
He basically knew nothing about Horikita Suzune; in the Student Council, it was mostly just business.
Just a few encounters.
And the things Horikita Suzune had done in various exams.
Just these things were enough to sentence Horikita Suzune to death; no matter what kind of person she was, she wasn't the type one could approach rashly.
But.
Should he trust her one more time?
At least Horikita Suzune wasn't as inscrutable as Ayanokouji.
She even seemed a bit foolish.
Thinking of Horikita Manabu's evaluation of this younger sister, the possibility that she was influenced by Ayanokouji was not low.
"By the way..."
Hikigaya was a bit concerned: "Why did you choose this timing to tell me these things? Shouldn't you be preparing for the exam?"
Hearing this, Horikita Suzune's smile couldn't help but turn a bit bitter.
"Because I'm not needed anymore."
The reason regarding Ayanokouji was secondary; as long as others heard she was involved, they would express their decision not to participate.
Different from the coldness at the start of school, now it was deliberate exclusion; no matter how hard she worked, it could not be changed.
"Uh..."
Looking at the somewhat dejected Horikita Suzune in front of him, Hikigaya's mouth twitched:
"You mean you're using me to kill time?"
"Eh?"
Horikita Suzune froze for a moment,
Pondering for a moment, she instead mocked herself.
"Maybe, but what I thought was that the class doesn't need me anymore, so I can take some time to do some of my own things..."
"Is this what you wanted to do?"
"What's so strange about it? I'm also an adolescent girl, it's normal to be interested in romance. Before, I just didn't have much time, and there were reasons like my position..."
No time.
Hikigaya could understand that.
Besides looking after her own studies, she had to tutor Sudou and others and formulate exam strategies.
Even if her time management were perfect.
Horikita Suzune didn't have time to do much else.
Even if she did a lot, if the way she helped the other party was wrong, it was all for naught.
"But..."
Hikigaya met Horikita Suzune's gaze, feeling somewhat puzzled.
"Even if I agree, your surrounding environment will get worse by then."
""
Horikita Suzune froze again.
Even if the two dated.
The people around her would definitely exclude her even more.
Although Karuizawa, Hasebe Haruka, and others were there, she was clearly being treated differently.
"It doesn't matter..."
Horikita Suzune said, slightly embarrassed:
"We can hide this relationship for now, how about it?"
"..."
Hikigaya looked Horikita Suzune up and down.
Her face was exquisite, her skin white as mutton-fat jade, and black over-the-knee socks wrapped around her straight and rounded beautiful legs.
"Since you've put it that way, from my standpoint, I have no reason to refuse, not to mention you are indeed very beautiful..."
Hearing this.
Horikita Suzune's cold, pretty face couldn't help but flush with a hint of red.
Many people had praised her for being beautiful before.
But for some reason.
Hearing the praise from Hikigaya alone caused her heart to flutter and pound.
However.
Hikigaya changed the subject.
"It's just that I have a question I can't figure out."
"Even though this is your situation now, with your assets, finding a boyfriend shouldn't be hard, right? Why go to this extent?"
This was also the truth.
Even though Horikita Suzune was currently being excluded by everyone.
With her appearance, if she were willing to give something up, the number of "simps" rushing forward wouldn't necessarily be small.
Even though it's nominally a confession and dating, in reality, it's no different from being "friends with benefits"...
Even if she had feelings for him, she shouldn't have to go to this extent; she was obviously hiding something.
Hikigaya also wanted to test Horikita Suzune's reaction based on this.
Of course.
The other party could naturally lie.
But Hikigaya was no fool; clumsy lies are easy to see through, and if that happened, there wouldn't be a shred of sympathy left.
Facing Hikigaya's gaze, Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment.
She decided to tell the truth.
"I want to build a good relationship with Karuizawa and the others... and then reintegrate into the class..."
"You still haven't given up?"
"I won't give up!"
""
Feeling Horikita Suzune's determined gaze, Hikigaya was momentarily stunned. To be honest, success was impossible...
Horikita Suzune herself was not money.
Naturally, it's impossible for everyone to like her, and after doing such things, staying out of each other's lives is the best outcome.
"There's no need for you to speak up, I'll find a way myself."
Horikita Suzune lowered her head and spoke sincerely.
Although if Hikigaya spoke up, Karuizawa and the others would give some face, Hikigaya would also bear the responsibility accordingly.
If something happened, it wouldn't affect Hikigaya and the others.
She had feelings for Hikigaya, and on the other hand, she wanted to mend the relationships within the class; the two were not in conflict.
She wanted to use Karuizawa and the others as a breakthrough point.
To mend the relationships within the class again.
However.
Hikigaya still felt it was impossible...
Karuizawa and the others' current relationships with everyone else were not that great; they mostly acted as a trio of Karuizawa, Haruka, and Kushida.
It was just that others felt a sense of indebtedness toward Hasebe Haruka.
So they didn't say much.
Thinking of using Karuizawa and the others as a breakthrough for easing relationships was almost unrealistic.
However.
As a classmate, Horikita Suzune probably knew this even better.
It's just that there was no other way.
Not giving up.
This could be considered one of Horikita Suzune's rare strengths.
"It will be hard..."
"I know..."
Seeing this, Hikigaya added one more thing.
"For now, let me say this: no matter what you want to do, don't involve kei and the others, and even more so, don't hurt them."
"..."
Horikita Suzune couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
When would the other party care for her like this...
But this was all because of her actions, which made it difficult to be convincing.
"Don't worry, I will be obedient and won't hurt anyone again."
"That's good."
Hikigaya breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Since she wanted to change, there was nothing to stop her; ultimately, it depended on Horikita Suzune's performance.