Because she had to come back to change the lock, Hiyori's unwavering reading time ended early. Naturally, she had no intention of going out again. Holding her terminal, she sat in front of the mirror, occasionally checking the emails and messages from the other girls.
Most of them were simple words of thanks that didn't require a reply, saving Hiyori a lot of trouble. But some of the more enthusiastic girls sent messages, like Kikyō Kushida, Xiao Qiao, and Ichinose, and Hiyori replied to each one of them.
Time passed quietly.
Knock, knock, knock~! That night, after finishing dinner and taking a bath, Hiyori Shiina changed into her casual clothes. As promised, she went to room 1208 and knocked on Ibuki's door.
Click~! "Who is it?" Her neighbor, Kei Karuizawa, opened her door with a look of confusion.
Behind the partially open door, the girl stood with one arm across her chest. A faint blush was visible on her skin, which was half-wrapped in a bath towel. Her light brown hair, cascading down her back, was still slightly damp, clearly indicating she had just gotten out of the bath.
Seeing her appearance, Hiyori Shiina apologized in a gentle tone: "Sorry to bother you."
Seeing Hiyori's soft and gentle demeanor, Kei Karuizawa's lips parted instinctively. A moment later, as if remembering something, she averted her gaze unnaturally and complained, "Seriously, who comes knocking on doors this late at night?"
Noticing her small gestures, Hiyori Shiina watched the girl with a gentle gaze and thought with an inner smile, "This girl seems to be quite dishonest with her feelings."
Hearing this, Symon chuckled. "Another tsundere?"
Hiyori wasn't entirely sure and didn't give a definite answer. Just as she was thinking about how to soothe her, the door in front of them suddenly opened.
A moment later, Mio Ibuki was already standing in front of Hiyori. The blue-haired girl, dressed in a white shirt and hot pants and wearing a pair of sandals, raised an eyebrow and stared down Kei Karuizawa, saying coldly, "What's it to you? Mind your own business!"
Clearly, Ibuki had overheard Kei Karuizawa's rather rude comment.
Seeing Ibuki's aggressive attitude, Kei Karuizawa's pupils couldn't help but contract. Forcing herself to look calm, she turned her head away and huffed, "You're disturbing me. Is that reason enough?"
With that, without waiting for Ibuki's reply, Kei Karuizawa slammed her door shut with a bang.
"Tch, just what you'd expect from someone in Class D."
Mio Ibuki clicked her tongue, then turned to meet Hiyori's smiling gaze and casually warned, "Hiyori, you shouldn't get involved with people like that."
"I understand."
Hiyori responded in her gentle tone, but inwardly she was puzzled. "Ara, that girl just now seemed to have a timid personality. Why would she speak in such a thorny tone? We could have gotten along just fine."
Symon responded with a laugh, "You'll get used to it. Don't forget your school's class placement rules. With Suzune Horikita as the prime example, she's still within the realm of human comprehension, for now. Besides, her looks and figure are quite nice."
"Mmm... She certainly is a cute girl." Recalling the girl's just-out-of-the-bath appearance, Hiyori Shiina made that assessment in her mind.
Normally, she would consciously avoid any sensitive areas, but she couldn't help it if someone opened their door and gave Mr. Ghost a nice view. She couldn't be blamed for that.
As she thought this, Hiyori glanced at Ibuki's T-shirt, hot pants, and sandals. After silently deciding never to visit another person's room again, she smiled and said, "Aren't you going to invite me in? This is my first visit, I'm really looking forward to it."
Ibuki averted her gaze, pulled the door open, and led Hiyori inside. A bit unnaturally, she said, "Come in. There are slippers inside."
"Thank you, I noticed."
Saying this, Hiyori changed into a pair of brand-new, sky-blue slippers. After entering the room and sitting down, she hugged the new little pillow Ibuki had given her to cover her skirt. While Ibuki was preparing some snacks, Hiyori took the opportunity to look around the room—
The room's overall style was simple. The blanket and bedsheets were neatly folded. Aside from the school-provided furniture and appliances, there were only a few small personal items. The layout was still mostly the same as it was at the start of the school year, with almost no changes.
On the small desk sat a somewhat blurry printout of a midterm exam paper, which she had clearly been diligently memorizing before Hiyori arrived.
After seeing everything through Hiyori's eyes, Symon couldn't help but tease, "Judging by the style of this room, I feel like this girl has a bit of my old flair."
Hiyori Shiina smiled at his words. She wiggled her toes in the slippers and squeezed the small pillow in her arms, saying softly in her mind, "You can't say that. Besides, Ibuki-san is surprisingly full of feminine charm, and she's very thoughtful."
Symon thought for a moment and agreed, "I won't deny that. At the very least, she is indeed preparing seriously."
While the two were chatting, Ibuki brought over some snacks and placed them on the small table in front of the girl. She also brought two cups of instant coffee and said in a calm tone, "This is all I have. I don't know how to make tea."
"Thank you very much."
Hiyori Shiina accepted it and, with a smile, started a conversation: "Ibuki-san, were you memorizing answers just now? Are you having any trouble?"
"Well, yes..." Ibuki scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed. "The answers to those few science problems are hard to memorize. There are too many symbols."
A smile flashed in Hiyori Shiina's eyes as she said gently, "You don't need to memorize science problems. You just need to remember the correct answer and understand the process of solving it. I can help with that."
Saying this, Hiyori Shiina asked Ibuki for a pen and paper, called the girl over to her side, and after picking up the exam paper and asking a few questions, began to explain the problem-solving methods to Ibuki...
An unknown amount of time passed. When Ibuki's attention occasionally shifted to Hiyori, a thought suddenly surfaced in the mind of this girl who was always tense and unsure how to communicate with others:
"Do I have a friend now?"
—By the desk, the girl's gentle explanation was interrupted by that faint whisper.
Looking up in confusion and realizing Ibuki had accidentally said it out loud, Hiyori Shiina thought for a moment, then broke into a smile and said gently, "If you want to be friends... then of course~"
Ibuki averted her gaze slightly. "Thanks..."
...
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