Here you go.
"Are you free during lunch? Do you want to eat together?"
During break-time, Horikita came up to me and asked.
"An invitation from you is unusual. I feel suspicious."
"It's nothing unusual. I just feel like it."
Now that makes me even more apprehensive. It's pretty likely that she has some ulterior motive and would try something shady to get me to help her with it. It's better to just straight up reject her now.
"Sorry, but I am busy now. Also, you need my help regarding the three idiots, right?"
A surprised expression on her face confirmed that I was indeed correct. And she should know that there are other capable people for the job she wants to be done.
"Yes, it's about them. I am going to tutor them and you just need to gather them up."
"Me? But there are better people than me for the job like Kushida and she would help you immediately."
Especially after seeing the whole scene she caused in the plaza and her frequent attempts through me to get in contact with Horikita had failed miserably. This was a golden ticket for Kushida and would likely please her immeasurably. A suspicious behaviour in my opinion and something that I would have to dig deeper into.
But that's a thought for later.
"Not her. I feel like she hates me and I don't particularly like her either."
Oh? Is she suspicious too? I guess that Kushida has a different attitude towards Horikita than others, since she still tries to be friends with Horikita while she already has abandoned any hopes of friendship with other loners like Sakura, Okitani and Ijuin.
"If you hate Kushida, then that's just your personal opinion interfering with this. Be rational and just ask for her help."
She looked a bit frustrated at the accurate statement but nevertheless accepted it.
"Fine. I will think about it."
Departing with a farewell, I went towards the door where Kuroko was standing, waiting for me.
"What did she want? She looked a bit more annoying than normal."
"Nothing really. She just wanted my help and never expected me to deny her."
"Huh, I guess the rumours about her personality were not far from the truth."
Rumours? I never cared for rumours except when they were intriguing or amusing. But I would be lying if I said that I wasn't interested to hear about them.
"What kind of rumours are there about her?" I asked with a curious tone.
"Some say that she was a delinquent in middle school while some say that she is a criminal on the run who decided to hide in this school. There are many others but these two are the most popular of all."
Her personality is not very appealing to others, is it?
Anyways, a delinquent was plausible but a criminal on the run? That's hard to believe. She may be scary but she was not immoral enough to be a criminal.
But, now that I think about it, this school is a perfect place for a 15 year old criminal to hide until the heat dies down outside. This school was completely sealed off and would work as a hiding place for a criminal since nobody would think about hiding from the law in a government school.
A sudden sound suddenly broke me out of my thoughts as I looked beside Kuroko to see him on the floor with another guy fallen beside him and a bunch of scattered papers around him. Looks like someone had been unable to see Kuroko and collided against him, again. Sighing, I helped him to his feet as the other guy too got to his feets with an intimidating look to him.
Looking towards the other guy, he appeared to be about average height and had shoulder length magenta hair with matching eyes to pair with it. An intimidating look in his eyes, he observed us with a smirk on his face as he got to his feet, his annoyance hidden.
"Oi! Look where you are going. You two are from class D, right?"
Raising an eyebrow minutely at his annoyed tone, I spoke up.
"We are sorry for that. Also, please be careful and look around while walking."
A surprised expression on his face, he recovered quickly and smirked back.
"Kukuku, interesting. What are your names?"
Staring confusedly, Kuroko responded back to him.
"I am Kuroko Tetsuya and he is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Who are you?"
"Kukuku, I am Ryuuen Kakeru from class C. And why are you both so expressionless? Show some expressions on your face because it looks like I asked for your kidney or something."
Slightly annoyed, Kuroko responded back as he started to move towards the cafeteria.
"And you need to get a better pair of eyes before you start colliding with any more people."
Gazing at him in surprise due to the retort, I caught up to him with a last glance at Ryueen. If I was correct about him, we wouldn't be seeing him for the last time today.
Oh well, that's a problem for later. What was more concerning was the bunch of papers he was carrying. A glimpse was enough but if it was true, then it could be harmful if the Sensei acted normally and kept forgetting to inform us about it.
"Putting aside the fact that you seemed annoyed at him, did you see the papers he had in his hand?"
Glancing at me for a second to see my expression, he replied back after a sigh.
"It's nothing. His aggressive attitude just reminded me of a person that I dislike a lot. Anyways, the paper was more important. Why would they be given an updated syllabus? Is the syllabus different for each class?"
"I think the best thing would be to just ask Sensei."
"I should probably do that. Isn't the study group at 5 today? I will go to sensei and confirm it before that."
Nodding in affirmation I followed him to the line in the cafeteria, while looking at the price menu. All were around the 400 points mark except a rare few which cost 800 points. These were a bit too expensive for the average class D student though.
Selecting a light meal for 300 points, I approached a table all the while pondering about the bad feeling I had regarding the encounter with Ryuuen. Shaking it off as mere discomfort, I sighed and took a bite.
It honestly didn't matter who Ryuuen was or what he wanted to do. All he has to do is not interfere with my actions.
[Timeskip]
Glancing around, I was met with the sight of dozens of groups of students scattered around in tables with a mountain of books in front of them. Study groups from different years were all seated, some making notes while some read from books.
A rare few were buried in books unrelated to studies as if they had no fear of exams. How I envy them.
Taking out my phone and noticing the time, I looked around for a certain pair of siblings. They would probably be here since it was only 30 minutes before the starting time.
Spotting them near a table on the first floor of the library with a stack of books and papers in front of them, I approached them swiftly.
Raising a hand in greeting, I sat on one of the many chairs surrounding the table.
"Hello Ayanokouji-kun" greeting me with a smile, Miyuki looked up from the paper she was reading. Tatsuya on the other hand was a bit lacking in tact.
"Aren't you a bit too early Ayanokouji?"
Before I could respond back to him, Miyuki spoke up again.
"Sorry about my blunt brother but isn't the study session starting at 5? It's still 20 minutes till then."
"I was bored so I came early."
Nodding in response, she went back to reading the book as I looked around. Spotting a vending machine that was in the library, I stood up and approached it, ignoring the confused look from the siblings which vanished as they saw the vending machine I was walking towards.
Selecting 3 cans of fruit juice, I swiped my student card as 600 points were deducted from it. Approaching the table I handed both of them one as I opened mine.
"It's on me. Neither of you have to pay back."
"Oh! Thank you Ayanokouji-kun."
"Welcome."
Glancing at me, Tatsuya accepted the drink and spoke up.
"Do you have enough points to give us drinks like this? You were spending rather carelessly this month compared to the previous month."
Taking a sip, I responded back.
"I have enough points to last a while."
"That's what you said the last time I asked the same thing."
Shrugging, I refrained from responding and looked around.
Tatsuya, meanwhile, continued the conversation with a different topic with a small smirk on his face.
"By the way, I went to sensei a while ago to confirm the new syllabus in writing and just happened to ask her regarding the students in our study group. Can you guess what she said about you?"
Miyuki, who was reading the book, looked up curiously at us.
Glancing towards Kuroko who had just come and was settling into the chair beside me, I stiffened slightly at what he was intending. Nevertheless, I responded back innocently.
"Did she perhaps sing praises about me?"
Smiling at my response in amusement, he responded back.
"That would have been amusing to hear but no. It was more about how inconsistent your answers were. In her words, your question 5 was answered flawlessly, which was the most difficult question in the paper. Meanwhile your answered question 10 wrong, which had a correct answer rate of 76% throughout the school."
Sighing, I responded back while ignoring the looks from the other two.
"It was a coincidence, nothing intentional about that."
Tatsuya accepted the answer but his smirk widened a bit as he continued putting me in a corner.
"I suppose I don't have to ask what happened in your admission test results then?"
Shrugging, I responded back.
"It was a coincidence, nothing else. Also, isn't it an invasion of my privacy for sensei to be able to tell my information like this?"
"It is but I had to pay 10,000 points for all the information."
That doesn't make you any innocent, Tatsuya. Nevertheless, I sighed and responded back, changing the topic .
"How do you have points to spare for these types of things?"
"There are some clubs where you can compete for points. I just risked a bit and won nicely. Also, don't change the topic."
Miyuki, who was listening till now, intervened in our conversation.
"It's fine if it's intentional too. Ayanokouji-kun can help us this way if we need it."
Giving a thankful look towards Miyuki I leaned back into the seat and finished the can of juice, relishing in its coolness as I crushed it.
Standing up and putting a book in my seat to repel others from it, I approached the dustbin near the vending machine. Dropping the crushed can in the trash can, I glanced towards the vending machine as something caught my eye.
Looking at it clearly, it was a different flavor of juice can. There seemed to be 6 types of flavors of these juice cans. Trying to resist my curiosity, I turned away from it but stopped after thoroughly thinking it over and regretfully took out my student card.
If curiosity was a sin, then the devil would definitely be jealous of me.
Selecting the most vibrant of the flavors, I swiped the student card and headed back towards the table which was almost full by now with only 3 seats empty. One of which was clearly mine.
Greeting the others who had arrived which included another boy and 4 other girls, bringing the total count up to 9 students. I could recognize all but 3 of them and I had only talked to half of the students here. Fortunately this wasn't as awkward as I had expected as there were already some small groups of friends among the group.
Sighing, Tatsuya kept down his phone and looked up towards the classmates. Glancing at Miyuki, he nodded before facing back to the others.
"Okay, everyone. We will be starting the introduction since the two left are held back a bit. First of all you must be confused about the size of this compared to the other groups. That's because this group is supposed to be two individual groups under me and Miyuki but we combined it for easier management."
Pausing slightly, he continued after a second.
"Now, since it's only been a month in this school, you all must not know each other. So I should at least point out who each student is along with a trait for everyone to remember. Is that fine?"
Hearing voices of confirmation, he continued without hesitation as if he expected the answer.
"As you all should probably know, I am Shiba Tatsuya, one of the tutors of this group. Next to me is my sister Shiba Miyuki who is the second and last tutor of this group."
Glancing towards the girl beside Miyuki, he gestured in her direction.
"Beside Miyuki is Matsushita Chiaki, who can easily be recognized due to her hair color. After her, there is Satou Maya and the white haired girl next to her is Azuma Sana followed by two empty seats which should be Hasabe Haruku, the blue haired girl from our class and Miyake Akito, the maroon haired guy who sits behind me. He is held back a bit due to his club."
Pausing slightly for everyone to digest the introductions, he continued.
"After those empty seats, there's Kuroko Tetsuya, the blue haired guy who sits beside me in class. He is easily overlooked so look carefully. Finally, there's Ayanokouji Kiyotaka who sits behind Kuroko and diagonally to me in class. It would be easier to recognize him as the guy who was a second away from the world record in 50 m freestyle a week ago."
Did he really have to add that? Ignoring the surprised and awe-filled glances towards me, I spoke up.
"Please don't exaggerate. I am still far away from the world record."
Sighing, he replied back without hesitation.
"You were less than a second away from the world record. That's pretty close if you ask me. Anyways, we are not here to sing praises of you. This group is created for improving and maintaining better grades than the surprise test, which would also help our class ranking quite a bit. Now, are there any questions regarding all this?"
Glancing around the table he studied each person, silently waiting for a question to arise.
A white-haired girl who I remember was Azuma Sana, raised her hand with a slight grin. Observing her, it could be said that she had a cooperative and overly cheerful personality. Her grin also had her appear a bit devilish, which just made Tatsuya a bit cautious than normal.
Slightly perturbed due to her grin, Tatsuya gestured her to speak up.
"Are you and Shiba-san twins or siblings?"
Looking at her in exasperation, he replied back.
"I was asking if there are any questions regarding the study group, not this. But, to answer your question, no I am 11 months older than her, so we are siblings."
Glancing towards the two students coming towards the table, he gestured towards the only two empty seats.
"You two are thankfully not too late. It was just the introductions that you both missed. You can catch up later."
Looking at all the classmates gathered, he continued.
"Anyways, where was I? Oh, right. Regarding this study group, it will be a bit different from the other groups. Half of those who are here have some strange coincidences in their results, while the other half needs improvement in their results. You all are by no means dumb like the three idiots who are causing trouble over there."
Pointing towards one of the corners of the library, a group of 5 students could be seen. And judging by their expressions, the study session was a mix of frustration at Horikita combined with annoyance from Sudo accompanied with occasional short bursts of seduc... ahem, I mean patient sympathies by Kushida.
And the occasional shining rays of foolishness from Ike and Yamauchi raised doubts about how they were accepted into this school.
Seeing their condition, the brown haired girl who I remember was Matsushita Chiaki, commented with a small smile.
"Yeah, I don't think we are that hopeless."
"I agree with you on that Matsushita-San. We haven't fallen that far. I sort of pity Horikita-san for her situation."
Interrupting the conversation before it became contagious, Miyuki took the lead this time as Tatsuya leaned back with a smile.
"What nii-san wants to say is that there are some coincidences in a few of the student's marks which could cause some rumors to rise from the other classes which will be potentially harmful for us. Hence this group will help those students get better than they got in the surprise quiz so as to not cause the other classes doubts."
That was a different but indeed correct point of view. The other classes would definitely take advantage of our weak points so it was better to guard them carefully. Or get rid of them permanently.
But that's something that has a low chance of happening. First of all the classes are not that well connected with each other yet for them to share such potentially harmful information. And it would be a big risk for any class if the rumours were proved false and punishment was awarded to the one who started it.
Anyways, glancing at the slightly raised voices that could be heard from the corner of the library, or more specifically, from Sudo, I sighed and spoke up.
"That's indeed correct Shiba-san, but we need to go through this carefully and not just accuse the ones who are coincidentally involved in such events or it could lead to various outcomes. One of which can be seen in Horikita's group right in a few seconds."
Looking towards the group in question, many of the classmates eyes widened in surprise as Sudou suddenly grabbed Horikita's collar and spoke something before leaving the library angrily. The other two idiots too left after him with a few words of their own while Kushida and Horikata too got up, the former apologizing while the latter looked at their leaving backs with cold indifference.
I suppose I overestimated Horikita when I considered her as a potential tutor candidate. The only thing she did was discourage them even further.
Was the situation even salvageable?
Anyways, I will have to deal with that later.
Sighing, Tatsuya spoke up after looking away from the mess of a study group.
"That will be taken care of later, so don't worry about them failing and losing points for our class. But Ayanokouji is right. We will also look over that later but for this session, you all will be giving a small 30 minutes test of 15 questions which will help us determine how caught up with the syllabus you are. ."
Pausing slightly, he took up the sheets of paper in front of him and passed them around.
"Now, this is just a small test for today and please do it sincerely. It is based on the new syllabus too, if that's one of your concerns. Also, don't despair if it is a bit difficult. Those who have paid attention in class nowadays will easily get over 50 percent in this. Just try your best to finish it within the time limit. Any questions?"
Sighing, I took the paper passed to me from Kuroko. Glancing at it, the questions seemed easy at first except for a couple in the last which looked simple at first but were quite difficult in truth.
Looking around, none of them looked too frustrated at the paper, meaning they too found it not that difficult, and the time limit was not that threatening either. MCQ questions were not that threatening to any of them.
Still, I would have to be a bit more careful, seeing as Tatsuya could guess my intentions quite correctly. Looking over the questions, I picked out the easier one hidden throughout the paper and decided to complete around 65% of the question for safety purposes.
It wouldn't do me any good to get 50% again.
Glancing upwards I noticed a familiar person approaching our table. Looking towards Kurooko, he too was confused as to why the person was approaching us.
"Sorry to disturb you guys but has your syllabus changed too? Because class A and B have a new syllabus, so I expect it to be for the whole year."
Glancing at Kuroko and Tatsuya, I decided to respond back. It was better to be friendly with class B since class C was presumably ruled by a Tyrant and class A would be too egotistical to deal with class D students like us. Class B was the best choice to have an alliance with as they had a good reputation and we were quite friendly with some of their students too.
"Our syllabus also changed a bit along with class C's syllabus too. So it's probably for the whole year too. I don't think that they will change it any more so you don't have to worry that much. Although it's a surprise to see you tutor people. I didn't take you as a teacher, Akashi."
I responded back honestly as Akashi smirked at my statement.
"I didn't expect that I would be tutoring people again, so it's a surprise for me too. And I am a pretty good tutor, if you are curious. You could just ask Kuroko. I used to tutor him and a few others back in middle school for studies and basketball."
As most of the students in the group looked at Kurko in surprise, he responded back while confirming Akashi's statement.
"Akashi-kun is a spectacular teacher as far as I remember. Just please don't tutor them the same way you used to tutor us. I don't think that they can handle that."
Gesturing towards Kuroko, he smirked, pleased at the reply.
"Don't worry I am not using that method. It does bring back nostalgic memories, though."
Pausing slightly, he continued speaking, this time directing it to me and Tatsuya.
"I can see that Tatsuya is the tutor but I certainly didn't expect you to need any tutoring. You appeared to be quite intelligent when we first met."
Shrugging, I replied back, while Tatsuya smirked at me with a look that clearly said how obvious my situation was.
"I am pretty good at athletics but I can't handle studies that well. Hence my presence in this group."
Glancing at me doubtfully, he nevertheless accepted the answer.
"Thanks anyway. See you guys later as I am pretty busy right now. Bye."
Turning around, he went towards a small group of 5 people he was most probably tutoring.
While the brown haired girl who I think was Satou Maya, sighed dreamily as she spoke up.
"He looks as cool as they say. Doesn't he, Asuma-san?"
"Yeah, his ranking is well earned. Also, Kuroko-kun, did you really go to the same school as Akashi-kun?"
Pausing slightly, I repeated her sentence in my mind as Kuroko responded back.
Ranking?
"Yeah, we were pretty close during the first two years but became distant due to some issues. He is a really good tutor too as I just said."
Slightly excited, she responded back with an onslaught of questions.
"If he used to tutor you then you might have also met with the other generation of miracles. Are they as good as him? I also remember seeing you talking to Kise-kun during the swimming class too. Were you close to the others as well? He also said that you were taught basketball too but you are not as famous as they are. Did he stop or something else happened? "
Slightly uncomfortable, he replied back anyways.
"Yeah, I was close to them too till the third year. Although they are good, they are not as good as Akashi-kun. They all are better than Kise-kun, though. And about being taught, I stopped in the third year when they became really popular but I did play in a few matches in the second year and a few in the third year too."
Staring at him doubtfully, she questioned him again.
"I don't remember seeing you in any of their games. Did you really play?"
"You most probably did not notice me playing in any of the matches. I was the rumored Phantom player, if you know about him. It's all in the past anyway and I stopped a year ago."
A few of them had recognized the term 'Phantom Player' but before they could drill him any further, I vocalized my own query.
"You mentioned a ranking of some sorts regarding Akashi. What did you mean by that?"
Caught off guard by my question, the girls looked at each other in surprise and embarrassment as Tatsuya groaned at my question.
"You should tell them as you revealed it, Azuma-san."
"Eh! but Sato san you were the one to start the conversation which made me accidentally reveal it. You should be the one telling them."
Seeing them argue as to who would reveal it, Tatsuya sighed and spoke up.
"Are either of you going to tell or I should tell them along with my biased opinion?"
Sharing looks of confusion with Miyake and Kuroko, I gestured to him to speak as the girls panicked. Hasabe suddenly put her pen down with a released sigh and interrupted him as he was just about to speak up.
"It's no point hiding it anyway but what they mistakenly revealed is that there is a ranking list of the boys made by the girls in which they ranked him quite high. It was the 1st or 2nd rank I think."
Ranking boys?
Now I understand why Tatsuya was so exasperated about it. Sharing a look with him and the other two boys, it was understandable that we all had the same opinion about it too.
"He was 2nd in the ranking, with the 1st place taken by Kise-kun, Hasabe-san. What I don't understand is how Tatsuya-kun knows about it. And why is he so displeased about it when he is in 3rd place too."
Sighing as looked at Matsushita's direction, he replied back with a slightly annoyed tone. "Miyuki told me about it. And I am not that annoyed about it. I just find it insulting to many other boys. I honestly don't care what ranking I have. It's more about the fact that there's a ranking list."
I spoke up after him seeing as many of them still had a confused expression on their faces save a couple of them who seemed to have understood what he meant.
"What he wants to say is that it matters one about how the other boys would feel in this situation. Just imagine how you would feel if the boys made a ranking list comparing your looks. That should explain his reaction a bit better."
Seeing as an annoyed expression appeared on their face before morphing into an understanding one.
"I would be annoyed ab... oh! I understand what you mean now, Ayanokouji-kun."
Nodding, Tatsuya leaned back in his seat as the girls looked at each other, conversing somehow with their eyes.
"But it's still interesting to look at. By the way Ayanokouji-kun, do you know you are ranked pretty high?"
Looking at the girls' direction in surprise, I leaned forward a bit as Miyake nodded in approval.
"I expect him to be pretty high. Probably in the top ten to be honest."
Looking at him in surprise, both the girls nodded in affirmation as Satou spoke up.
"You guessed right, Miyake-kun. He was in the 7th ranking in the first month but jumped to the 5th rank due to his performance in the swimming class, which was amazing by the way. Have you ever gone faster than that or that was your fastest?"
Ending with an excited expression, she leaned forward in my direction with an eager expression on her face while I digested her words.
5th place?
I didn't expect to be this high in rankings.
Putting that in the back of my mind, I responded back so as to keep the conversation flowing.
"That was the fastest I have been. It was pure adrenaline, to be honest."
Hoping to stop her questioning which was a bit uncomfortable, I gave her a modest answer.
But she still didn't back down and answered as exuberantly as before.
"But I remember that you weren't even breathing heavily after the race."
Seeing as she wasn't going to budge, I decided to resort to teasing.
"You were paying attention that closely?"
Catching her off guard, I watched her face turn scarlet as most of them chuckled at her mishap. Stopping after a few seconds, Tatsuya spoke up addressing the whole group with a small smirk.
"You two can flirt later, just finish the paper for now. If any of you have finished the paper, you can submit it to either Miyuki or me. Also leave your phone number with Ayanokouji before you leave so we can form a chat group with all the ones here."
As Satuo stuttered with her reply, I glanced at Tatsuya confused as to why he wanted me to stay back after everyone. Anyways, handing him the test paper back, I picked another blank sheet of paper and passed it to Kuroko with the silent request of writing his number in it and passing it again, something which he thankfully understood.
Getting up, I ignored the curious looks from the group as I approached the vending machine for the third time throughout the day. Picking a different flavor than before, I swiped my student card at the appropriate spot as the sound of a can rolling down came from the machine.
Sugar was seriously addictive for me.
A deep regretful sigh later, I approached the table which was almost empty save for a lone Matsushita who was probably waiting for Miyuki to finish arranging the test sheets. Greeting me with a smile, she glanced at the can in my hand curiously.
"Isn't that your second can in half an hour?"
Sitting on a chair as Tatsuya looked at the can in my hand in disbelief, somehow conveying an entire question without opening his mouth once. Shrugging at him in reply, I took a sip from it as I filled my name and number in the list which was passed on to me and figured out a suitable reply to Matsushita which was unfortunately interrupted by Tatsuya who spilled the beans.
"That's his third one in half an hour, Matsushita-san. He really loves sugar I guess."
Glaring at him slightly, I replied back defensively. "It's been a while since I had this much freedom and sugar."
Chuckling faintly, Matsushita joined the conversation. "Freedom and Sugar sounds like a good name to be honest."
Nodding slightly, I agreed with her. "That does sound like a good autobiography title."
Passing the paper to Tatsuya who folded it and placed it on top of the other test sheets, I watched as Matsushita and Miyuki got up and headed to the direction of the door before looking back to the table.
"Bye Ayanokouji-kun. See you later, nii-san."
Returning the farewell, I looked towards Tatsuya to see him open his phone, ignoring my presence. Surprised at his attitude which was obviously intentional, I expressed my thoughts aloud.
"So.."
Leaving the sentence unfinished, I gazed at him silently, probing him to continue. He glanced in my direction with an innocent expression on his face.
"Hmm?"
Sighing again in exasperation, I repeated my query again, but more clearly. "Don't play dumb Tatsuya. It doesn't suit you. Why did you want me to stay back?"
"I never implied that you had to stay back." Replying back with a smirk, he continued evading the topic which was really unlike him.
Well then, two can play the game.
"So you don't mind if I leave, then?"
Smirking slightly, he replied back, all the while keeping an eye on his phone. "About that..."
Suddenly fixing me with a dark, intimidating glare, he continued the sentence before as the environment became tense. "I do mind, actually."
Slightly surprising at the twist, I met his glare head on, adopting a bored look as I leaned back on the chair. "Out with it then. What do you want?"
Looking at me darkly for another second, he chuckled as suddenly as before, bringing a complete change to the environment again, for the second time of the day.
"I knew you were not as normal as you tried to act. It makes me more comfortable now, knowing that." Smirking slightly, he completely changed the topic.
More comfortable?
How did that make him more comfortable than before? Now that he knows how hard it is to intimidate me. My curiosity must have somehow reached him as he explained himself.
"You see, my family is a bit involved in the military. At least enough for me to be familiar with the name Ayanokouji. I was just curious if you were the same as the one I know about."
Military?
It looks like someone now recognized my family name from the military relations made by that man throughout his life. This was the second person to know about me and it was two more than the number of people whom I wanted to know about me .
And it was really unnerving to not know about someone when they know you very well.
Sighing, I responded back, noting the increasing number of times I sighed today.
"And what are you going to do with that information?"
"Nothing, really. Well, as long as you don't reveal anything I mistakenly said today. It's not like it would cause any problems for us but it would be fairly annoying."
Agreeing with him on that, I stood up and took a glance towards the darkened window. Looking around the library was almost empty save for a few random lone people. Curiously, I turned to Tatsuya, who had followed me to a standing position.
"So, does that include you telling your sister about it?"
"She will know about it even if I hide it. So it's a bother trying to hide it from her. And she can keep secrets too, no worries there."
Contemplating it over, I just shrugged and for the fourth time of the day, went towards the direction of the vending machine. Selecting two of the remaining flavors, I swiped my student card and handed one of the cans to the classmate beside me, who looked at me in amazement.
"Dude, Seriously? This is your fourth one in an hour. Thanks, though."
"Chill, it's fine. I have a high metabolism rate."
Sighing, he took the can and opened it before taking a sip before widening his eyes in surprise at its taste.
"Actually, I understand your addiction. This is delicious. But I am slightly scared that you might sell information for a tub of ice-cream or something."
"Of course not. My starting price is a yearly supply of ice cream at the very least."
"Hey!"
Ignoring his exclamation followed by a chuckle, we left the library and followed the path to the door, passing through the hallway. It was honestly a surprise that we could take stuff like these out of the library and into the corridors. What if someone spilled ketchup by mistake in the corridors?
The last thing I needed was a rumour about a mass murderer hiding in the school.
[Timeskip]
Not being able to sleep, I got up and exited the room silently and proceeded towards the elevator.
"Hmm?"
The elevator was on the 7th floor. Feeling curious, I looked at the CCTV monitor on the inside of the elevator. It was Horikita in her school uniform.
"... Well, there's no need to hide myself, but..."
I didn't want to be annoyed this late at night, so I hid myself behind the vending machine. The elevator reached the first floor.
While being wary of her surroundings, Horikita exited the building. After she disappeared into the dark, I quietly followed her swiftly.
Hiding myself again after turning the corner, I glanced at her to see her approaching a figure in the dark. Smirking slightly, I took out my phone and quickly pressed the record button. I really need to organize my recordings neatly, if the amount in the first month were of any indication.
Horikita had stopped moving in front of the other person's figure.
"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me all the way here."
Lover's quarrel? I didn't expect this from her.
"I'm different from the useless me that you know. I've come here to catch up to you, nii-san."
"Catch up to me, huh."
Nii-san? I couldn't see the person she was talking to, but it looks like it's Horikita's older brother.
Shame. I was hoping for some drama.
"I heard that you are in class D; it doesn't seem like anything's changed in the last 3 years. Because you've always been looking at my back, you've never been able to see your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was another one of your mistakes."
"That's—that's wrong. I'm going to rise up to class A. And then—"
"That's impossible. You'll never reach class A. And if they ever did rise up, you would just make it difficult for them. This school isn't as easy as you think it is."
"I will absolutely, absolutely reach class A..."
"I already said it's impossible. You're a really unreasonable younger sister."
Horikita's older brother took a step forward. From my hiding spot, I could see his form more clearly.
It was the student council president.
There was no emotion in his expression, as if he was looking at an existence that didn't interest him at all.
He grabbed his younger sister's wrist and pushed her against the wall.
"No matter how much I avoided you, you are still my younger sister. If people start to learn about you, it is me who will be disgraced. Leave this school immediately."
"N-no...I will, I will absolutely rise up to class A...!"
"Foolish, really. Do you want to relive the painful experiences of the past?"
"Nii-san—I will—"
"You have neither the power nor the qualifications to aim for class A. Understand that."
Horikita's body drew forward, as if he was about to take action. The situation looked dangerous.
Sighing, I took a step forward just as the elder Horikita's closed fist reached the younger one's stomach.
" And who might you be?"
Looking at his own arm, he looked at me with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"A-ayanokouji-kun!?"
"Trying to hurt your own sister, are you? It's also concrete here so if she fell, it would be extremely harmful. Just because you're siblings doesn't mean you can do anything you want."
"It's not admirable to eavesdrop."
"Neither is it to use force on others."
"That's what I should be saying."
It was silent while he glared at me.
Suddenly his eyes caught on to the camera.
"Stop recording and I will release her."
"Sure."
Glancing towards the phone, I quickly pressed the stop button as the sound of something traveling through the air at quick speeds greeted my ears. Seeing an opportunity, the president had aimed for my face with a quick backhand.
Feeling danger, I instinctively leaned backwards. A nasty attack with a thin body. Furthermore, he aimed for my vitals with a sharp kick.
"Hey!"
It was easy even for any beginner to see that it had the power to make me lose consciousness in one hit. With a confused look, he let out a breath and again focused as he aimed a kick, this time at my legs hoping to throw me off my balance.
Quickly backing off, I looked towards him to see a confused look which slowly turned to smirk.
"Good reflexes. I didn't think you would avoid every single one. You also understood what I was trying to do. Were you taught in some way?"
Finally stopping his attacks, he asked me a question.
"Yea, I did piano and calligraphy. In elementary school, I even got the championship in a music competition."
"Are you also in class D? What a unique boy. Suzune."
Letting go of her arm, he slowly faced me.
"Suzune, is he your friend? I'm honestly surprised."
Speaking up before Horikita could deny it herself, I expressed my honest opinion.
"Of course not. I just saw something suspicious so I followed her."
Smirking at my immediate response, he glanced at me again with a sharp look in his eyes.
"Oh, you are the one who is famous for almost breaking the world record, right?"
"Yes and you must be the student council president."
Nodding, he gestured towards the phone in my hand. "What do you want for that?"
"Hmm. How about two?"
Sighing, he nodded in affirmation. Internally smirking, I looked towards the corner and spoke aloud.
"You two can come out too."
Immediately turning towards the direction I spoke too, both the elder and the younger Horikita expressed their surprise at the sight greeting them. The latter was still silent due to the farmer's treatment, thankfully so. Dealing with her now was not good for me.
"Hello, Akashi and Tatsuya. I assume you too both have similar situations like me."
Greeting me from behind the SCP, they confirmed my statement making the elder Horikita sigh regretfully.
"Two for each of you will be fine, right?"
Smirking slightly, both of them agreed to the deal. Tatsuya meanwhile glanced at me from the corner of his eye, asking a silent question about the younger Horikita.
Nodding subtly, I put the phone back into the pocket as the elder Horikita started walking in the direction of the third year dormitory.
"You three can come any time tomorrow to the student council room to collect the points. This year is going to be really interesting by the looks of it. I will look forward to it."
Pausing slightly, he looked towards Akashi as if he just remembered something.
"You are Akashi from class B, right? Follow me. We have to discuss your application to the student council."
Glancing at the younger Horikita who looked the most vulnerable I had ever seen her, I gestured to the two of them to follow me to the nearby benches. We had to discuss a lot with her, starting with the miserable performance she displayed while tutoring the three idiots.
Seeing my stubborn and silent position, Tatsuya took the opening position.
"Are you really ok with how the study group went?"
We had to do this carefully as we probably wouldn't get another chance to fix things for her. This exam was the last chance for her to show her speciality since we would be busy from next month with the other classes attacking us in this 4 way free for all. She would either be improved or cast aside.
Seeing as the final choice was in her hands, we had started things off rather nicely. Patience was the key here.
Or so we thought.
"Why are you asking me that? It's none of your concern and I don't want to deal with such selfish people like you two. If those three are expelled then it's their fault, not mine."
Scowling at us, she stood up, looked around a bit and then proceeded towards the dormitories.
Seeing her leave this way without even listening, Tatsuya sighed. She had walked away from her final chance at proving her worth to the class.
"The three idiot's situation is still salvageable, right?"
"Yeah, I think. Paring them with Kushida and handing them over to one of the groups would be better for now. Kushida herself is good at studies unlike what she says, so she wouldn't cause the new tutor any problem too."
Sighing regretfully at the loss of a potentially brilliant tutor, I stood up and looked around. Catching my eyes from a few meters away was a vending machine.
Repeating the same process the fifth time in a day, I handed a can to Tatsuya who just stared at me in amazement as he accepted the drink.
"Don't tell me that's your fifth can today."
Taking a sip and unconsciously relaxing at the chilling feeling spreading through my throat, I proceeded to the dormitories.
"Don't worry I won't tell you that."
Chuckling slightly at my response, he followed me towards the dormitories, putting the situation regarding the three idiots to the back of the mind. Things would play out well for us in the end anyway.
Word Count = 7551
A.N.= Things are hectic including exams in my end too. Meanwhile In the DE universe, Ryuuen seems to have an eye on our phantom and mc. How do you think it will play out?
Also Horikita may seem unreasonable to most but to me her actions were in character since Kiyo and Tatsuya just straight up blackmailed and robbed her dear brother.
And sorry for not posting last week. It really is difficult to write for longer intervals. I don't know how the guy Paimon (or whatever he is right now) does it.
Any ideas are appreciated, don't hesitate to ask questions and Follow and Fav if you like it.
That's all.
Bye.