Kiyotaka stared at the two girls alternately, while thinking of what he should do at the moment. Currently, he was caught in the middle of two girls who didn't like each other for different reasons, and he couldn't think of anything he could do that would work out for both sides.
Kikyo hated Suzune because of the possibility that she knew about her past, while Suzune disliked Kikyo for another reason entirely. He was unsure what it was, but it's probably because she didn't like the other's lively and energetic personality. Either way, these two can't see eye-to-eye and to make matters worse, the system saw them both as his heroines.
This clearly spelled 'bad news' in all capital letters.
Suzune stared at Kikyo for a moment before turning towards Kiyotaka, pointing to the empty chair beside him. "Do you two mind if I sit here?" she asked.
The young man only shrugged, while Kikyo shook her head and smiled. "N-Not at all, Horikita-san!"
As Suzune sat on the chair beside him, Kiyotaka figured that he should keep his mouth shut starting now. With these two together, one could say that it's a straight-up recipe for disaster. The system wasn't even doing anything right now, meaning he was completely on his own. Maybe it's for the best if he leaves too, but he should ask them before he does such a thing.
"How long have you been listening?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl beside him.
"Ever since Kushida-san asked you for help," she replied.
"Then she knows that Kushida wants to be friends with her. If she's not outright rejecting it now, then Horikita's open to talking about it, at least... will she agree to it, though?" Kiyotaka thought, trying to get a read on the girl based on her demeanor at the moment. "I see. Should I leave then?"
Suzune shook her head, folding her arms across her chest. "No, your presence won't be a bother."
Kiyotaka then took notice of the fact that he and Kikyo had drinks of their own, while their other companion had nothing. Not wanting to make her feel that she was being left out, he decided to offer the same to her. "Want me to buy you something to drink?"
She shook her head again, keeping her gaze locked towards Kikyo, as if she was trapping the girl in place. "There is no need. I don't feel hungry, but thank you for the offer."
Kiyotaka nodded, choosing to back out of this conversation now. Will these two be friends or not? He honestly had no idea. The only thing he could do right now is watch and hope that this won't end badly. Whatever happens from here on out, it'll be up to these two...
"Now then, Kushida-san. Why should I even hear you out? Is there a good reason why?"
Kikyo didn't say anything for a while. She only stared at Suzune as if she was contemplating something but behind that mask she had, Kikyo was fuming. This wasn't how she wanted things to go! She wanted Kiyotaka to help her befriend Horikita since those two were obviously friends, but now that plan is up in smokes with the girl's unexpected arrival while she was still talking to him. Now she's left with no other choice but to talk to Horikita herself, without even a moment of preparation to figure out her next move.
She wanted to curse Horikita in her mind for ruining her plans without even knowing it, but shook that thought off. This was just an unforeseen circumstance that she was unprepared for, something that she should have prepared for ever since she came up with this plan. Kikyo only blamed herself for not thinking about this possibility and preparing for it ahead of time.
"That's because..." she finally spoke after a minute of staying silent, flashing her usual smile and showing no hint of her annoyance. "That's because I want to be friends with you, Horikita-san."
