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Akira watched Sudo's back disappear down the corridor.
These past two months, he always felt that everyone around him was quietly changing.
Not just Horikita, but even Ayanokoji seemed different from when school started.
The Ayanokoji from the beginning of school was more like a readily available tool. To put it unpleasantly, no matter who asked him to do something, he'd agree.
But just now, he explicitly demanded his own room card, and he flatly refused to be treated as a tool. This kind of sharp attitude would've been unimaginable two months ago.
This truly counted as a positive change.
After all, any normal person wouldn't tolerate so-called "friends" showing up with their spare key and righteously demanding help. Nor would they adopt a "this is what I deserve" attitude when the homeowner legitimately asked for their room card back.
In such a relationship, even if only one of those conditions was met, it couldn't be considered true friendship.
When encountering such "friends" or partners who always try to take advantage and take others' efforts for granted, one should avoid them if possible.
They're like vampires clinging to you, slowly draining your patience and energy.
"Shimizu-kun, want to go to dinner together?" Ayanokoji suddenly spoke, his tone calm but with a clear invitation. "My treat, as thanks for helping me get my room card back just now."
"Okay." Akira nodded readily.
He increasingly felt that Ayanokoji's actions were becoming more and more like a normal human, with no trace of the "pseudo-human" described in the intelligence.
Horikita was flipping through her math textbook, or more precisely, she was previewing the content the teacher would cover in tomorrow's class.
Unconsciously, she'd developed a habit of studying for a few hours after school every day.
Thinking back, this habit was likely learned from her brother when she first started junior high.
Now, it'd long been ingrained in her daily routine like an instinct: study after dinner, then sleep. During the day, it was wake up, study, eat, and after returning to the dorm, study for a while longer. If it was Saturday or Sunday, she'd study almost all day.
It cycled repeatedly, becoming a natural rhythm that didn't require deliberate maintenance.
But tonight, she was inexplicably restless and unconsciously glanced at the time on her phone—5:40 PM.
She'd already eaten dinner, which was still a meal she cooked herself.
Since that embarrassing incident last month, she'd been extra careful when selecting ingredients, and would specifically ask the store clerk if they were fresh.
She hadn't touched the more than one hundred thousand points in her account.
After all, no one could say when an unexpected situation might arise, requiring points urgently—just like this month, when all first-year students didn't receive their point distribution.
As soon as she thought of points, she couldn't help but recall the information fee she'd given to Akira.
Initially, she paid 80,000 points.
Later, Akira paid her back in two installments: one for 16,000, which was half a month's tutoring fee; the other for 100,000, of which 30,000 was for a month's tutoring fee, and the remaining 70,000 was hush money.
'So, Shimizu Akira took 80,000 points from me.'
'But I got 116,000 from him.'
'I got much more than him, a full 36,000 more.'
'Does this mean I made a profit?'
As the thought flashed, that inexplicable irritation in her heart seemed to fade a little.
Horikita was naturally pleased to have earned points from Akira.
After all, that person always had a calm and collected demeanor, exuding an impenetrable composure, making it as difficult as climbing the heavens to find his flaws.
Moreover, as far as she knew, Akira always only earned points from others and almost never engaged in losing ventures.
To have earned an additional 36,000 points from him this time was indeed a rare victory.
However, thinking of Akira, she suddenly remembered that he'd said he'd go see her brother after school to inquire about the point deferral.
She wondered what the two of them would talk about.
'Could those two be talking about me?'
This thought inexplicably popped into Horikita's mind.
For example, would Akira tell her brother about her embarrassing stomach ache last month?
But then she thought again, and it seemed unlikely.
Since Akira had promised her he wouldn't tell, he'd probably truly keep his word.
Since Akira was tight-lipped, her brother probably wouldn't bring up her matters on his own either.
She pondered further. Given the nature of those two, who disliked idle chatter, they'd most likely resolve the issue quickly, and then Akira would leave the student council.
Subsequently, he should probably go eat dinner.
But then the problem arose.
Since it was a quick resolution, eating dinner wouldn't take that much time either.
It was already 5:40 PM. Why hadn't Akira come over yet?
He'd clearly promised at noon that he'd come to her dorm, and she'd clearly told him the room number, 1201.
Horikita stared at the math problem in her textbook, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused, and her fingertips unconsciously tapped twice on the edge of the desk.
Suddenly, her phone chimed, and a message popped up.
'Could it be Shimizu Akira saying he'll be late tonight?'
Horikita almost instinctively grabbed her phone, but the moment the screen lit up, she froze. The sender was actually her brother, Horikita Manabu.
{Don't imitate me anymore.}
The moment she saw the message content, Horikita's face immediately darkened.
Why would her brother suddenly say something like that?
She hadn't done anything to embarrass him recently.
Just like now, she was diligently studying.
Could it be... related to Akira going to the student council?
Horikita frowned, the irritation she'd just suppressed resurfacing.
Her phone chimed 'ding-dong' again. It was a message from Akira: {I'll be there in about ten minutes. I encountered a small delay at the dorm entrance earlier.}
She first replied to her brother with {I understand}, then to Akira with {Got it}.
She continued to stare at the two messages on the screen for a while, suddenly noticing the difference between her brother and Akira.
Her brother never liked to say much, leaving her to guess many things. Akira was different. His messages always clearly explained the reasons, never requiring anyone to puzzle over them.
She thought for a moment, stood up, and checked the room again.
Because she'd specifically cleaned after school, the room was spotless. The trash can had long been emptied, the duvet cover on the bed was neatly arranged, without a single wrinkle.
After checking, she picked up her textbook again.
This time, her gaze on the pages was indeed much calmer than before.
Before five minutes had passed, there was a knock at the door.
Horikita immediately stood up and opened the door.
"Have you been waiting long?" Akira asked, seizing the opportunity.
"...Not at all." Horikita snorted softly, but her body unconsciously stepped back two paces, leaving space for him to enter.
Akira entered the room, his gaze unconsciously surveying Horikita's living space.
A girl's room was indeed very different from a boy's.
His nose first caught a wisp of sweet mango scent, likely from an air freshener.
The furnishings in the room were also completely different from his. Just in the kitchen area, there were many utensils—a rice cooker, a juicer, a frying pan... At a glance, it was much more elaborate than his room, which only had basic kitchenware.
However, what was most striking was the pie chart posted on the wall.
Apart from regular class hours, the chart was almost entirely filled with "study," leaving only six hours for sleep.
It seemed her brother was right. His sister maintained the same study intensity as her third year of middle school, even in high school.
"What're you looking at!" Horikita asked, arms crossed and a hint of wariness in her voice, her gaze on his back, which was fixed on the wall.
"Your daily schedule." Akira turned around, his gaze moving away from the chart on the wall.
"Do you have a problem?"
"Problem? I'd say it's peculiar! If a normal person isn't preparing for exams, why would they spend so much time studying like you?"
"My brother..." Horikita instinctively wanted to retort.
"Didn't your brother send you a message? Telling you not to imitate him, didn't you see it?" Akira looked at her dazed expression and added, "The meaning of that sentence is very clear—don't imitate his past study methods anymore. The president worked so hard back then because he was preparing for high school entrance exams in his third year of middle school, but you're only in your first year of high school now. Where's the pressure to get into a good university? There's no need to spend so much time slogging away at studying."
"Ah?... Was my brother's message... meant like that?" Horikita looked up, her eyes full of surprise, even forgetting to close her slightly parted lips.
Only after Akira's explanation did she feel as if a fog had suddenly lifted, finally understanding the deeper meaning of her brother's words.
So, he didn't want her to spend all her time on studying?
She'd been overthinking before, imagining her brother was annoyed with her again, even didn't want to talk to her anymore...
"Wait, what exactly did the president's message to you say?"
Horikita pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, then softly repeated. "'Don't imitate me from now on.'"
"Huh? Your brother's words are too strange." Akira frowned, remembering that Horikita Manabu had clearly said he'd stop her from her "embarrassing behaviors" at the student council earlier, so why did he send such a cryptic message? "It's no wonder you couldn't understand such a confusing text message."
Horikita felt that this person seemed to have said something disrespectful about her brother, and her rationality told her to immediately refute him.
But emotionally, she inexplicably felt a sense of agreement—many of her brother's text messages were indeed confusing.
This feeling of having someone on the same side as her was surprisingly not bad.
"Honestly, you also have a problem. If you don't understand, why not just ask clearly and openly? That'd avoid so many unnecessary misunderstandings. Besides, your imitation of your brother is a bit too deliberate."
Horikita's expression turned somewhat sour, her brows knitting into a knot.
Why was this person suddenly criticizing her again?
But the thought of refuting him, which had just surfaced in her mind, was suppressed by herself. She truly had no grounds to argue.
Spending sixteen hours studying every day, upon closer thought, seemed genuinely excessive.
"...I understand... I won't study for so long anymore." She pursed her lips and turned her face away.
Her brother had said so, and Akira always mocked her about it. She seemed to have no reason to persist anymore.
Speaking of which, during those sixteen hours, she mostly reviewed old knowledge or previewed new content, and often couldn't help but zone out in class.
"...Good." Akira, seeing her agree, didn't continue with any more unnecessary talk.
He knew that Horikita always kept her word.
"Then... let's get back to the main topic." Horikita cleared her throat, her tone a little unnatural. "You came to my place tonight, you must have another purpose, right? What exactly do you want to do?"
"...Heh heh." Akira couldn't help but chuckle softly.
See, he told her this classmate kept her word.
"Still holding hands, is that acceptable?" Akira thought for a moment and asked.
"Yes." Horikita replied without the slightest hesitation.
In her heart, she inexplicably let out a sigh of relief. Just now, she'd been secretly wondering how she'd respond if Akira made a more intimate request, such as touching or kissing.
She hadn't expected him to simply hold hands, just like last time.
'This person... seems to particularly like holding my hand.'
If it were somewhere else, she might've been reserved, but this was her own dorm, and a thought even flashed through her mind: if it was just holding hands, letting him hold them as much as he wanted was fine.
"Can I sit on your bed?" Akira asked.
"Yes." Horikita nodded.
After all, they'd be holding hands soon, so being closer would indeed be more convenient.
She subtly shifted half a step to the side, making some space for him.
When Akira sat down by the edge of the bed, the mattress slightly dipped.
Horikita could feel his sleeve brush against the back of her hand, and her heart inexplicably quickened.
"Alright..." He turned his head, his gaze falling on the space between them. "Now you can open your left palm."
"..." She said nothing, only instinctively extended her right hand half an inch toward him, then slowly opened her palm.
'Wait! Why do you have to open your palm to hold hands?!'
Before that thought finished, she felt her palm gently pressed by his, and the next second, her fingers were interlocked with his, one by one, firmly clasped together.
Horikita's heart suddenly pounded half a beat faster, as if something had squeezed it tight.
A scorching warmth emanated from where their palms met, and there wasn't a single gap between their intertwined fingers, more intimate than ever before.
"?...You?" She looked up, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice betraying a hint of imperceptible panic.
"Hm? Didn't you say holding hands was okay?" He turned his head to look at her, but his grip on her hand didn't loosen.
"But this seems different from last time in the classroom!" She pressed her lips together, not pulling her hand away immediately, but just asking a question in return.
"Horikita-san, that was a handshake last time." Akira emphasized his explanation. "This time it's called holding hands, so of course it's different."
He paused, looking at Horikita's awkwardness, and raised an eyebrow. Was he doing something wrong, or was her understanding of "holding hands" different from his?
"If you feel uncomfortable, then we can just stop?" He didn't want to force it. Such things were only interesting when both parties were willing.
"...Just like this!" Horikita suddenly looked up, her cheeks still flushed, but her tone conveyed an undeniable seriousness. "I said it was okay, and I won't go back on my word. Let's just do this."
Though she spoke with bravado, her gripped fingers quietly curled, giving a gentle squeeze back.
That subtle pressure in Akira's palm made his heart tingle.
Their clasped hands remained suspended by the edge of the bed, and neither of them spoke again.
Horikita could clearly feel the warmth of his palm, and the slightly itchy sensation when his fingertips brushed her knuckles, like tiny electric currents coursing through her veins, making her involuntarily tense her back.
She secretly glanced at him, only to find Akira looking at her too.
"What're you looking at?" She immediately turned her face away, her voice a little muffled.
He spoke plainly. "Aren't you upset after being lectured by your brother?"
"...I've never felt upset." She pursed her lips, not telling the truth.
Her heart was still pounding erratically, but that awkwardness from before seemed to melt away like moonlight, slowly fading.
Akira chuckled softly, no longer teasing her, just gently swaying her hand in his.
"Speaking of which." He suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on the schedule on the wall. "Since you won't be studying for so long anymore, what do you plan to do?"
Horikita was stunned. She really hadn't thought about that question.
Her past days were completely filled with studying, as if there was nothing else to do but solve problems and memorize books.
She blinked, her fingertips unconsciously tightening, gently clutching his fingers. "I don't know... perhaps exercise?"
"Exercise? Horikita-san, you're not imitating me, are you! Speaking of which, I heard from Kushida that you seem to know I go for a run in the morning. You're not secretly watching me run every morning, are you?"
"...Shimizu-kun, can you stop fantasizing? I wake up at six every morning and open my curtains promptly at six-thirty. There's no one outside the window except you, so am I supposed to open the window with my eyes closed?"
"Oh, then I misunderstood you. So, do you want to run together every morning from now on?"
"...I won't run with you."
"Is that so? I understand." He replied readily, without pressing further.
After that, the two fell into silence.
Their clasped hands rested quietly on the edge of the bed, only the warmth of their palms silently passing between them.
After about a few minutes, Akira suddenly spoke, breaking the quiet. "So, how long do you plan to let me hold your hand?"
Horikita only then came back to her senses, as if she'd forgotten about the time limit.
In fact, since just now, she hadn't been paying attention to the time, only feeling that staying like this, quietly, didn't seem so bad.
How could holding hands not have a time limit? Otherwise, with Akira's posture, he might hold her hand from now until school started tomorrow morning.
"Alright! I've completely fulfilled your request this time." She took a deep breath, abruptly pulled her hand away, her fingertips slightly red from the effort. "If you want a next time, then continue to help me get along with my brother."
What would be the next step after holding hands?
This question was fleeting, and she quickly furrowed her brow, as if to chase this unwarranted thought out of her mind.