COTE: Ayanokouji's Return
By : tobi7th
...
Chapter 33
Chapter 33 - A Pawn
I've always considered myself as a superior student.
Whatever it was academics or sports, I was always at the upper ranks.
Many people were jealous of me and many disliked me because of my attitude.
But I was okay with this.
No, it would be better to say that I didn't care about that.
I threw away every distraction in order to pursue my goal - to reach the same level as my brother and be recognized by him.
As long as I could arrive at that destination, nothing else mattered to me.
Now that I've become high schooler, this mindset didn't change.
I thought that there's no need to change.
But...
The reality was harsher than I thought.
I was sorted into Class D, which was supposed to be the class for defects.
Such assessment was unthinkable for me.
Why was I of all people considered as defective?
I couldn't figure it out.
But that also gave me some ideas how could I become closer to my brother.
He was a Class A student.
That's why I decided to reach Class A as well.
Maybe then he would notice me.
Maybe then I would stop being his inferior sister.
But my classmates were really hindering that pursue.
Although it was unthinkable for me, there were people in my class, who may struggle to even pass test.
When I heard that all-nighter before midterms would be enough to pass, I got a great headache.
How was it possible for someone like that to even get accepted to this elite school?
I sighed, while being deep in thoughts about our current situation.
?: "That's quite a deep sigh, Suzune. Are you okay? Could it be... those days started?"
I glared at the boy, who just made a rude remark towards me.
More than anything else, I couldn't help but feel irritated by a certain individual.
It was my seatmate, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
He was a person I couldn't stand the most in my class.
The boy was storming my peaceful life on every occasion.
Starting from him scaring me by playing ghost and taking my lips, while I was trying to get my revenge.
And it was actually happened in the front of my brother!
That was the worst possible reunion.
Then, he guided me to bet with him and by winning he gained the right to go on dates with me for the rest of our time in the high school.
And when I've tried to regain my freedom, he took advantage of my own methods to gain blackmail material on me.
Not to mention that he tortured me by hitting my butt.
I couldn't forgive him for that.
But the possibility for me to turn the tables around was decreasing rapidly.
Not knowing why, he gained recognition of my brother at great speed and became one of his potential successors.
He managed to obtain something I yearned for so easily.
I couldn't understand why and how brother made such a decision.
The boy was nothing like my brother.
I thought that I could finally gain some footing against him after our scores on the surprise test were revealed, only for that hope to shatter with the revelation of my homeroom teacher.
I found out that he may even be smarter than me.
As if the entire world was opposing me.
Suzune: "We have a deal, don't you remember, Kiyotaka-kun? You aren't supposed to bother me until the summer break."
On top of that, because of that stupid bet, I needed to call him by his name.
I was opposing it to the best of my abilities, but the boy was relentlessly reminding me about it, so I gave up finally.
As long as I thought that the word 'Kiyotaka-kun' was actually a curse, it wasn't that bad to call him that.
Kiyotaka: "Being worried about you and bothering you are two different things."
Suzune: "In your case, it's the same."
Kiyotaka: "How cold. Well, as long as you are okay, then that's okay. Just don't overwork yourself too much."
He looked away from me.
I couldn't help but clench my fist.
After our talk at the May 1st, the boy was endlessly poking me with my lack of contribution to the class.
It pissed me off to no end, but I couldn't really refute it.
After all, our class score had nothing to do with my actions.
But I was currently trying to change this situation.
To be precise, I was forced to make a move.
After Kiyotaka-kun's revelation, our class learned that we couldn't leave alone any unskilled academically students, unless we wanted our Class Points to drop to zero.
Hirata-kun have made a big study group, which managed to gather three out of the seven endangered students.
Surprisingly, Kiyotaka-kun also made a smaller group, which included Sakura-san, another person with possibility of expulsion.
Which left three students unattended - Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, also known as Idiot Trio.
Those three had the worst scores, if we exclude Kiyotaka-kun's stupid result.
At first, I thought that they would join some group, but their irresponsible behavior made it clear that they weren't going to cooperate easily.
I couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want help when being in such dire situation.
According to what I've overheard from the brown-haired boy talk, they didn't like popular boys and refused to join the study group because of their petty envy.
How childish.
But since there wasn't anything that could be done about it, I decided to give it a try myself.
The problem was how to invite them.
Asking them openly out to for study group with me could make them have some inappropriate thoughts that I'm interested in one of them.
Just the thought of it gave me goosebumps.
If only I could find someone, who would assemble them for me.
Someone like a pawn, who would act as I ordered him.
I scanned the class in search of a potential candidate, but it was futile.
I didn't know much about my classmates, so finding some person, who could be easily manipulated, was impossible.
I was about to sigh again, but knowing my seatmate, he would bother me again because of that, so I endured.
In the end, there was nothing else I could apart from trying to do it alone, so I decided to act during lunch break.
Sudo-kun, Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun left the classroom a moment after the bell rang.
Right now, only those three didn't care about studying, so they were avoiding staying in the classroom for long, where people were looking at them with contempt.
I was also one of them, but currently I needed to take care of them for my own sake.
Suzune: "You three, wait for a moment!"
The boys stopped and looked back.
There was some surprise on their faces, when they recognized who called them.
Ike: "Horikita-chan? What's up?"
Suzune: "I have something to ask you. Are you really not going to join Hirata-kun's study group?"
Ike: "Hirata's study group? No. I wouldn't be able to stay in such environment. And studying is boring. I'm planning to cram the day before midterms. It should be enough."
Yamauchi: "Yeah, me too. It would be just annoying."
While I'd heard them saying it before, I still couldn't believe my ears.
Did they really think something like that would help them pass?
Suzune: "I see. Then what about Ayanokouji-kun's study group?"
Since the boy wasn't nearby, I wasn't using his name.
There were already some rumors about us, so I didn't want someone to catch me calling him like that, when I didn't have to.
Ike: "That group, huh? Well, it does seem better than Hirata's, but Yukimura is the one overseeing that group, right? I can't stand that guy, in a different way than Hirata and Ayanokouji. So no."
Yamauchi: "Damn it. I've heard that Hasebe and Sakura joined that group. Ayanokouji, that lucky bastard..."
Was his head filled with nothing but perverted stuff?
For a second I thought about backing down, but in order to reach Class A, I needed to step up.
Otherwise, I was sure that a certain brown-haired boy would call me useless again.
Suzune: "So you are refusing to join their study group? Then how about creating your own study group? I could tutor you guys."
Ike: "What?! You want to teach us, Horikita-chan?!"
Ike-kun became suprised and excited.
Suzune: "Yes. I can't image you three passing midterms while cramming on the day before the midterms. It's highly likely that you will be expelled like that, which would hinder our class to reach Class A. That's why I will help you study."
Sudo: "What did you say?!"
Sudo-kun instantly became angry and glared at me.
The other two also made sour expressions.
But I was unfazed.
I already had an experience with people treating me like that because of my honest words.
Suzune: "I'm saying that you three are the biggest contenders to be expelled if that's your attitude. That's why I'm willing to help you guys."
Sudo: "It has nothing to do with you. Rather than studying, I need to focus on my club."
Suzune: "Didn't I just say that it actually does? If anyone of you was expelled, our class would lose all Class Points. The possibility to reach Class A then would drop greatly. That's why it's my business as well. I don't want you to drag me down."
Sudo: "Do you think you can just come and speak to us whatever you wanted?"
Suzune: "Did I speak incorrectly? You guys should be aware of that as well at this point. In fact the entire class is aware that's why they are looking at you guys with contempt."
The three of them narrowed their eyes.
Sudo: "You..."
Ike: "I'm sorry, Horikita-chan, but I'll pass. Study group is just not my thing."
Yamauchi: "Yeah. I only did badly because it was a surprise test. At the midterms I will show you my real abilities."
Was it stupid to even expect something from them?
?: "Horikita-san? And Sudo-kun, Yamauchi-kun and Ike-kun?"
I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
I turned around and saw a classmate of mine, Kushida Kikyo.
Ike: "K-Kushida-chan?!"
Suzune: "Kushida-san, what are you doing here?"
I couldn't help but narrow my eyes while looking at the girl.
Apart from Kiyotaka-kun, she was the second most annoying student on my list.
The beige-haired girl was trying to befriend me several times, despite my warnings that I didn't want to.
But there was also another reason why I was wary of her.
Because of her past and the rumors I'd heard about her.
Sometimes I got a cold feeling while dealing with her.
It's just my intuition, but I still believed that it's better to stay away from that girl.
Kushida: "I was on my way to the cafeteria, when I saw this unusual group, so I decided to check up what was going on. I'm sorry. Am I a bother?"
Ike: "Of course, you aren..."
Suzune: "Yes, you are a bother, Kushida-san. Would you mind going away? I'm currently discussing something with those three."
Kushida: "I-I see... I apologize for being curious. It just... I overheard somehow that you are discussing creating a new study group. Is that true?"
Suzune: "So not only you decided to bother us, but you were also eavesdropping?"
Kushida: "A-Ahaha... It just happened... I truly apologize..."
Suzune: "If you are really sorry about it, then please leave, Kushida-san."
Kushida: "I see. Then I won't take more of your time. Have a nice lunch break."
Kushida-san left with a forced smile.
Seriously, why did she even come here for?
I turned around, only to see a disappointed look on the faces of the boys.
Suzune: "Well then..."
Ike: "I'm sorry, Horikita-chan, but if we don't hurry, there won't be any good seat in the cafeteria."
Yamauchi: "Yeah, it's gonna be troublesome. We must go."
Sudo: "Tch..."
The three of them left me quickly.
I sighed.
Normally, I would just think of it as a waste of time and didn't care anymore, but the vision of losing the rest of our Class Points was preventing me from doing so.
But the problem that they weren't willing to join my study group remained.
What to do?
Kushida: "Umm... Horikita-san..."
While I was contemplating about the issue, Kushida-san once again approached me.
Suzune: "Kushida-san. Did someone ever tell you that you were seriously annoying?"
Kushida: "I'm sorry. But I just couldn't ignore this. You were actually planning to form a study group for the sake of Sudo-kun, Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun, right?"
Suzune: "Since you have already overheard that, then there's no need to ask."
Kushida: "I just thought that it's the first time that Horikita-san was actually doing something for the sake of the class."
This person...
Suzune: "Did you bother me for the second time in order to say something like that? I'm not doing it for the sake of the class. It's for myself. If those three were to be expelled, our Class Points would be gone and the chances to reach Class A would decrease greatly."
Kushida: "I see. But it's still nice to see Horikita-san trying to interact with the others. I admire people like you. I don't have confidence to a start study group on my own."
She smiled brightly, but the feeling that she was hiding something remained.
Especially considering the rumors I've heard about her in our junior high.
I was trying to not waste my time on her and think about possible solutions to the current problem.
I needed to make those three join my study group somehow.
If only someone could make them change their minds without any catch.
...
...
Suddenly, the thought occurred to me.
A really troublesome thought.
But considering the situation I was in, what choice did I have?
I looked at Kushida-san.
Suzune: "Kushida-san, you were going to the cafeteria, right? How about eating together?"
Kushida: "H-Huh?! Y-You are inviting me, Horikita-san?!"
Kushida-san became astonished by my change in attitude and sudden proposal.
Suzune: "I guess you already have some plans, right? Then forget it."
Kushida: "What? No, no, no! I don't mind at all! It's just... It's really unusual that you invited me, Horikita-san."
Suzune: "I can treat you to vegetable meal set, if that's okay with you."
Kushida: "Of course, it is... Eh? Wasn't those meals for free?"
Suzune: "It's a joke. I will buy you whatever you want."
Kushida: "I-I see... Ahaha..."
Suzune: "Of course, you can reject it, Kushida-san."
Kushida: "No, no... I will go with you, Horikita-san."
Successfully luring Kushida-san into cafeteria, I bought her the meal she wanted without batting an eye.
We sat down with our meals.
Kushida: "Thank you once again for your treat, Horikita-san."
Suzune: "It's no problem, Kushida-san. Please eat."
She was looking nervous and uneasy, not knowing what was going on.
Unfortunately for her, she already had fallen into my trap.
I waited until she took a first bite.
Suzune: "I know this is rather sudden, but I want to talk to you about something."
Kushida: "Huh?"
Suzune: "Will you listen to me, Kushida-san?"
Kushida: "Of course."
Suzune: "Ever since Chabashira-sensei announced that students could get expelled on the midterms, our classmates started to study diligently in order to not fail. But there are still a few, who disregard it and act like it's not their problem, despite being endangered."
Kushida: "You mean Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun and Sudo-kun, right? I'm also worried about them."
Suzune: "I'm not worried about them. I just don't want to lose the chance to reach Class A because of their stupidity. I was hoping they would join Hirata-kun's or Ayanokouji-kun's group, but they didn't."
Kushida: "It's really saddening me to see them like that. I wish everyone would get along with each other."
I looked at her with contempt but decided to not waste time on her delusions.
Suzune: "That's why I was thinking about tutoring them myself, but unfortunately, they didn't agree to that as well. Seriously... What's their problem..."
Why did my classmates like to give me headaches?
I was so speechless.
Kushida: "I see. So that's what it was about."
Suzune: "Yes. I have some trouble bringing them together in order to study. That's why... As a payback for treating you for this lunch, I want you to convince them into studying under me."
Kushida: "E-Ehh? Payback? What do you mean, Horikita-san?"
Suzune: "You are eating the food that I treated you to, right? Which means that you are currently in my debt, Kushida-san. And I want you to pay me back by bringing those three to my study group."
Kushida: "But... Wasn't it you, who invited me, Horikita-san?"
Suzune: "That's true, but I've never said that it was out of the goodwill."
Kushida: "That's..."
Suzune: "Now, what are you going to do, Kushida-san? Cooperate? Or make me your enemy?"
Kushida: "Enemy?"
Suzune: "Yes. Do you think I didn't know that you and Ayanokouji-kun were in cahoots at that time when you asked me to be friends? But I'm willing to forgive you for that, if you cooperate."
Kushida: "So you noticed, huh? I'm sorry, Horikita-san, I just tried to..."
Suzune: "I'm not interested in that. The only thing that I want is to hear your answer. Will you do it or not, Kushida-san?"
Kushida: "A-Ahaha... In other words, you want my help into assembling your study group, right?"
Suzune: "That's incorrect, Kushida-san. It's you, who want to help me assemble my study group."
Kushida: "Eh? Isn't that similar?"
Suzune: "Absolutely not. I wouldn't lower myself into asking someone for help. I just generously will let you pay me back by allowing you to cooperate in my plans just this once."
Kushida: "..."
Kushida-san seemed speechless, while finally understanding my goal.
I definitely wouldn't accept the help of this girl nor did I want to owe her anything.
My aim was a one time deal between us without giving her any openings.
Once she gathered the boys, her role would end.
Suzune: "So?"
Kushida: "I get it. If it would help Sudo-kun and the others, I will cooperate with Horikita-san."
Suzune: "I knew that you would reach the right answer, Kushida-san."
Kushida: "If it's alright with you, could you allow me to join this group as well?"
Suzune: "I refuse. You had one of the best scores in the class, so there's no need for you join us in studying. Inviting extra people would only create more confusion and time spent."
Kushida: "I see. I guess it's fine. I will help you, Horikita-san."
I thought that she would put up more resistance, but Kushida-san accepted it quite easily.
Suzune: "I appreciate it, Kushida-san."
Kushida: "Then, would you mind swapping phone numbers? I could report to you when I will convince the boys and the details about study group meetings. Unless you have a better idea, Horikita-san."
I had some suspicion, but Kushida-san's proposition wasn't unreasonable.
Suzune: "Fine. But know that if you text me about some useless, unimportant stuff, I will block you."
Kushida: "I wouldn't dare, Horikita-san. Thank you."
And so, we exchanged our phone numbers.
Kushida-san looked happily at it, then she left me in good humor.
It made me uncomfortable to get her involved, but I didn't have much of choice.
In order to reach Class A, I could only involve her in this matter.
Soon, I witnessed how effective she was.
In the evening, I received a few messages saying that Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun and Sudo-kun agreed to join the study group and I could start tomorrow after the classes.
I appreciated her speed, since I wouldn't need to interact with her anymore.
The next day, I went alone after the classes to secure a table at the library.
A few minutes later, familiar faces appeared, but...
Kushida: "I've brought everyone!"
Kushida-san was also among them.
There was also one more unexpected visitor, a classmate named Okitani.
Okitani: "Kushida-san have told me about this study group. I scored thirty-nine points on the test, so I'm actually worried. Will it be alright to join you? It's a little difficult to join the other study group."
Considering his score, there was some foundation to his worries.
While I didn't like that this wasn't discussed with me earlier, I had no actual reason to refuse him.
Suzune: "As long as you will promise to work hard on your studies, I don't mind."
Okitani: "Oh, okay. Thank you, Horikita-san."
The boy smiled with relief and sat down.
We were supposed to start, but I saw Kushida-san was also trying to sit down.
Suzune: "Kushida-san. Didn't we make a deal yesterday? You are..."
Kushida: "I actually need to confess something, Horikita-san. I actually did so good at that test by pure coincidence. There were a lot of multiple-choice questions, right? I just got lucky, while trying to guess the ones I didn't know. In truth, my own score would be around Okitani-kun's. So please, let me join this study group as well."
Kushida-san smiled with embarrassment, as if she really confessed some awkward secret.
Suzune: "..."
That girl...
I was naive in thinking that she gave up.
To think she patiently waited until last moment to make her way into my group.
I didn't believe that she was actually in any danger, but I didn't have any proof of that.
Since I already allowed Okitani-kun to join, refusing Kushida-san's request may discourage him, which could be troublesome.
Bringing him over was probably a part of her plan and I fell for it.
Now I had no choice.
How sly and deceitful of her.
She was just like Kiyotaka-kun.
Suzune: "Fine."
Feeling annoyed, I agreed to her participation.
At the very least, I managed to form the study group.
With this, the danger of losing our Class Points would disappear.
And I could finally contribute to the class, making that guy shut up.
...
Or so I thought, but after a few minutes I discovered that I was still naive.
Suzune: "I'm sorry, but you guys are far too ignorant and incompetent. I seriously shiver while thinking about your future."
I sighed with amazement.
None of the boys understood anything about the exercises I prepared, and they were even asking questions that made me wonder how did they graduate from junior high school.
It wasn't even question, if I managed to tutor them everything on time.
Sudo: "Shut up! It has nothing to do with you!"
Suzune: "That's where you are wrong, Sudo-kun. Your performance on the midterms may affect me and the entire class. That's why we gathered here."
Sudo: "Say whatever you want. Academics will be useless in the future for me, so I don't need to study. Aiming to become a pro basketball player will help me a lot more."
Suzune: "Someone who doesn't want to try his best in studying think that can become a pro basketball player? That's funny. To be honest, after what I have seen of you so far I doubt that you are even taking those basketball practices seriously. You are a natural troublemaker. If I was your club adviser, I would never let you on the team."
Sudo: "What did you say?! I dare you to repeat!"
Sudo-kun lost his temper and grabbed my collar forcefully.
Those types of people are always like that.
Thinking that if they turn violent, everything would go their way.
Suzune: "You want me to repeat? No problem. I don't think someone with your attitude could be a pro basketball player. Do you honestly think such a childish dream would come true? Look at the reality. The current you at most could spend your days toiling away at some pitiful part-time job, while wondering if you will have enough money to last for the rest of the month."
Sudo: "You!"
Sudo-kun clenched his fist and took a stance to punch me.
Kushida: "Sudo-kun!"
Kushida-san with terrified expression grabbed his arm quickly, fearing that he really would attack me.
That made the boy halt his movements.
Sudo: "Tch. I thought that it was weird for someone like you, who is always alone, to put this study group together. You probably just wanted to call us stupid."
Suzune: "I don't need to use such an excuse. You are stupid."
Sudo: "You little... Do you really think that I won't hit you?"
Suzune: "Go on then. Don't tell me you are holding back because of my gender?"
Sudo: "Grrr... I quit. There's no need for me to endure something like that. The next time you will talk to me, I will seriously smack you."
Sudo-kun stopped grabbing me and started to pack his things.
Ike: "I'm quitting too. You might be smart, Horikita-san, but I can't hang with someone who talks down to me."
Yamauchi: "Me too, me too."
Suzune: "So you don't care if you are expelled or not?"
Ike: "There's no guarantee that we would be expelled, right? I've always managed to pass thanks to all-nighters and there was no problem."
Suzune: "Interesting. Didn't you come here because you couldn't study?"
Ike: "..."
Ike-kun's face darkened.
Without uttering any words, he started to pack as well.
Yamauchi-kun followed the suit.
Okitani-kun looked at each of us, confused what to do, but in the end he also left with others.
The only one, who stayed, was Kushida-san.
Kushida: "Horikita-san... No one is going to study with you if you act like that."
Suzune: "True, it seems like I have wasted my time in vain. I assumed that they were at the very least on the level of junior high graduate. To think their knowledge and mindset was still on elementary school level. There's nothing we can do with people like that."
Kushida: "What do you mean?"
Suzune: "I mean that it's better to get rid of deadweight, while the game have just began. It will be also a good warning for those, who will barely pass. Of course, it's troublesome to lose all of our Class Points, but considering the level of those three, it's practically inevitable outcome."
That's the conclusion I reached after watching them.
Even if I didn't give up on them, they wouldn't be able to pass anyway.
In rare case that they would pass barely, the same problem may appear on another test.
It was better to get rid of those deadweights and try harder with only capable people.
Kushida: "That can't be true, Horikita-san. I'm sure if we teach them properly..."
Suzune: "Kushida-san. You overstepped the boundary the moment you joined this study group. I hope you shall know your place right now."
Kushida: "I see... But... I'll work out something myself. I definitely don't want everything to fall apart so quickly."
Suzune: "Do you really feel like that, Kushida-san?"
Kushida: "Is it wrong? I don't want to abandon Sudo-kun, Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun."
Suzune: "That's not it. What I meant is that I don't think that you actually want to save them. Rather... Why did you really come here for, Kushida-san?"
Kushida: "H-Huh? W-Why would you say something like that, Horikita-san?"
Suzune: "Did you actually come here to sabotage me or something?"
Kushida: "What do you mean? I don't understand. How can you be so comfortable, while speaking such hostile things, Horikita-san? That's... really sad."
Hanging down her head, Kushida-san left the table.
I watched her until she exited the library.
That person definitely had some hidden agenda here, but it felt a bit different from her previous approaches.
After a few minutes, I also left the building.
Feeling heavy about the future, I walked towards the dorm.
It could only be miracle for our class to avoid expulsion, which means that in the next month, we would end up with zero Class Points.
Would I be able to reach Class A with something like that?
But what other choice did I have?
Gathering twenty million private points seemed even less possible.
This was such a terrible situation.
Suzune: "I wonder what my brother would do..."
In order to walk the same path as him, I needed to become Class A student.
But I couldn't see the road ahead of me.
I returned to my room and took a bath.
Just when I left the bathroom, my phone vibrated, signalling that I received a message.
I furrowed my eyebrows.
The only people, who had my number were Kiyotaka-kun and Kushida-san.
Considering the situation, neither of them would be welcomed to bother me right now.
I sighed, while reaching for my phone.
But the second I noticed who sent it, the blood in my entire body froze in instant.
'Meet me today at nine p.m. at this location.'
It was a message from my elder brother.
He was using his Student Council account to send it to me.
I read the same sentence over and over again, while panicking inside.
Brother was asking me to meet him.
After what happened a month ago, I was sure he wouldn't meet me voluntary, unless I finally managed to impress him.
But since nothing praiseworthy happened in meantime, I was sure that it wasn't going to be friendly meeting.
Nevertheless, I needed to go.
Suzune: "It's okay... I'm going to be okay... I'm not the same as before..."
I repeated those words at least ten times, while waiting at the appointed time to arrive.
There was nothing I could focus on, so I was just waiting.
Finally, the moment to leave had come.
I pushed the button of the elevator, while once again thinking about the situation.
My brother never texted me like that before, which made me very nervous.
He was practically avoiding me in junior high school.
This was going to be our second meeting, since I started going to this high school.
The first one was a disaster.
A complete disaster.
I imagined many different scenarios about meeting him, but not in my wildest dreams I would expect a scene that occurred.
Everything was that boy's fault.
If only he wasn't here, I wouldn't disgrace myself like that.
Now that I thought about it, my life in this school had always some of his presence in.
This discovery made me very annoyed.
I didn't need it at all.
It was alright to be alone.
I was used to it and didn't plan to change.
There was no need for me to think about anything else apart from improving myself.
I exited the dorm and went towards the place of the meeting.
Suzune: "?"
Feeling as if someone was observing me, I turned around, but didn't see anyone.
I continued to walk, while being wary of my surroundings, but didn't notice anything suspicious.
Suzune: "It must have been my imagination..."
Throwing away distracting thoughts, I quickened my steps.
Finally, I arrived at my goal.
My brother was already there.
He just stood near the wall and was looking at the sky.
My body trembled slightly.
Apart from growing taller, he didn't change at all, but I was sure he was even more amazing than before.
I really missed him.
He was my pride and my goal.
I timidly walked closer to him.
Manabu: "..."
Suzune: "..."
Despite knowing that I was here, he still didn't move in any way.
It made me even more stressful.
Suzune: "G-Good evening, brother."
My greetings made him move finally.
He looked at me with cold eyes.
Just that small gaze of his made my heart jump.
I instantaneously looked down, not daring to meet his vision head on.
Manabu: "Good evening, Suzune."
He greeted me back and didn't say anything more, while observing me.
That frigid vision of his didn't change at all as well.
He always looked at me like that, when he was being dissatisfied with me.
Remembering this feeling after two years made me not able to utter any words.
Manabu: "I believe that I've said it before, but I will still repeat it - I didn't think that you would follow me this far, Suzune."
His words matched his gaze in terms of coldness.
Knowing that silence would bring me just more of his anger, I decided to speak up for myself.
Suzune: "I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, brother. I came here to catch up to you."
Manabu: "Catch up to me, hmm..."
I've tried my best to stubbornly withstand his vision.
Manabu: "A bold claim for someone who was placed in Class D. I suppose nothing has really changed in the last two years. You have always been fixated on following me, and as a result you never noticed your own flaws. Choosing this school was a mistake."
Suzune: "T-That's not true! I'll show you, brother. I'll reach Class A right away and then..."
Manabu: "Hearing you speak such nonsense just made me more sure that you are being delusional here. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think. On what basis did you make this statement?"
Suzune: "I... My abilities are the biggest proof here. I'm definitely not someone, who should be in Class D. There must have been some kind of mistake."
Manabu: "That's ridiculous. I'm sure that there was no mistake here. It's only you, who don't understand your situation. Again."
Suzune: "That's not true..."
Manabu: "If you really had abilities, then why your class stayed in Class D after last month? What's the reason for that?"
Suzune: "That's... That's because my classmates were doing whatever they wanted to that we have lost so many points."
Manabu: "And what did you do to try and prevent that?"
Suzune: "I..."
Manabu: "So you did nothing, right? I'm sure you didn't even try to talk with anyone in your class for the entire month. As always, you mistake independence and isolation."
My brother sighed.
His face showed disappointment.
Suzune: "T-That may be true, but there are many students in my class who fit the description of defective. I don't think there's a need to befriend them, while aiming for the top. They would only drag me down."
Instantaneously, my brother's vision became even more ice-cold.
Manabu: "So you think you could reach Class A alone?"
Suzune: "That's right. Even if the class drags me down, I could still emerge as an elite alon..."
Before I managed to finish the sentence, he grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall.
I felt some pain from my back, but I endured it.
Manabu: "No matter what you've heard or what you are going to do, I'm sure it won't work for you. But the fact that you are my younger sister still remains. The more people will learn about your existence, the more humiliation I would need to endure."
Suzune: "I-I..."
Manabu: "This is my final warning. Immediately leave this school."
With a serious, darkened face, brother passed his verdict on me.
This was the second time that he'd told me to leave the school in earnest.
Not only he didn't acknowledge me after such a long time, he was even trying to throw me away without hesitation.
Suzune: "I can't do that... I will show you that I can reach Class A, even if it kills me."
My stubbornness was my last line of defense.
I may be powerless, but my resolve to be acknowledged by him didn't waver.
Manabu: "How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past so much?"
Our visions crossed and in just a moment I understood.
My words and actions had never moved him in the slightest.
Nothing really changed.
In his eyes, I was still the same.
This realization made me even more painful.
I was trying to endure it, but I was reaching my limit and water started to form in my eyes.
What should I do?
What could I do?
Suzune: "Brother, I..."
Before I could finish my sentence, my brother acted again.
I closed my eyes, preparing for the pain.
But it never appeared.
?: "Horikita-senpai, that's one hell of performance you are about to do here. This kouhai is astonished to the core."
Suddenly, a familiar voice resounded nearby.
A brown-haired boy arrived at my field of vision, grabbing my brother's hand.
Suzune: "K-Kiyotaka-kun?"
Not only me, but also brother became surprised by the boy's presence here.
Since when was he there?
How much did he witness?
I had many questions.
Kiyotaka: "Hello there, Horikita-senpai, Suzune. It's a lovely evening today, so I decided to roam a bit around the school. To think I would witness such a scene during my walk. I'm totally surprised."
Despite his words, the boy's face didn't look surprised at all.
Manabu: "Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "I believe throwing your sister to the ground would be even less admirable deed, senpai. You do realize that the floor here is concrete, right? It would hurt as hell. Are you sure you want to treat Suzune like that?"
Brother was trying to get rid of the hand that was holding him, but couldn't.
Manabu: "Let go, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "Why should I?"
Both of them glared at each other.
Suzune: "Please stop, Kiyotaka-kun..."
My classmate focused his vision on me.
This time, he really looked surprised and his grab loosened.
As if waiting for him to do so, my brother instantly tried to attack the brown-haired boy's face.
Kiyotaka: "Woah there..."
Kiyotaka-kun quickly avoided the move, but brother instantaneously aimed a sharp kick at him.
My seatmate once again managed to evade the attack in the last moment.
However, that still wasn't the end of it.
Making himself into a position, brother extended his arm and opened his hand, probably trying to grab his opponent.
He was halfway through, when Kiyotaka-kun's made a similar move and slapped his hand away, nullifying the possibility to catch him.
My brother took a step away from the boy and didn't attack him anymore.
On his face painted seriousness and confusion.
I was surprised as well.
Brother held a fifth dan rank in karate and a fourth dan rank in aikido, yet his attacks didn't land at all, which would suggest that my classmate could be as strong as him.
No...
That was impossible...
There's no way someone two years younger than my brother could be his match.
He was the strongest.
It must be a coincidence.
Manabu: "You have some pretty good reflexes, Ayanokouji. To think you would evade all of my blows so easily."
Kiyotaka: "Good reflexes, my ass, Horikita-senpai! You two siblings are acting exactly in the same way! Is it some Horikita Family trait to first attack, then ask questions?!"
Kiyotaka-kun asked with annoyance in the voice.
Manabu: "It seems like you could understand what I was trying to do quite well. Have you been taught?"
Kiyotaka: "Yeah, piano and calligraphy were always my favorite subjects."
What kind of answer was that?
The boy was being rude as always.
Manabu: "I see, that's interesting."
Brother didn't seem disturbed by Kiyotaka-kun's answer or attitude, and kept his cool appearance.
Manabu: "It seems like you have witnessed a disgraceful act of mine."
Kiyotaka: "I'm starting to get used to your Horikita Family shenanigans thanks to Suzune."
He looked at me with some smile.
My mind went back to the scene of our kiss and the scene in my room.
My cheeks started to feel warmer, while I remembered of the pain my butt has suffered at that time.
I decided to remain silent and just glared at him.
Brother also looked at me for a moment before returning his vision to the boy.
Manabu: "I see. I'm honestly surprised you stayed close to Suzune despite her character. And it seems like you two are on the first name basis."
Suzune: "Brother, that's..."
I was trying to explain the situation, but I couldn't find the right words.
After all, I would need to admit that I've made a bet with the boy and that he had a blackmail material on me.
There's no way I could say it to my brother.
Kiyotaka: "She isn't that bad as long as you know how to survive her wrath. We got a little closer in the past month. Just a little, though..."
While I was thinking hardly what to do, I suddenly heard a small chuckle.
My vision went towards that sound and saw my brother's expression became soft.
It was something that I never saw on his face in recent years.
I couldn't help to become astonished by his change of attitude.
For some reason, his mood seemed light, totally unlike when he was facing me.
What was going on?
Manabu: "I see. Then, let's get down to the important matter. Would you mind deleting that recording you are currently making?"
Hm?
The recording?
Kiyotaka: "Oh, you noticed, huh? As expected of you, I guess."
Kiyotaka-kun took out the phone from his pocket.
That bastard...
He was resorting to the same trick again.
I couldn't help but glare at him.
This was bad.
He had some blackmail material on my brother.
Kiyotaka: "Quite a nice video this is. Student Council President tried to assault not one, but two junior students. You noticed early, didn't you? That's why you attacked me."
Manabu: "You are right. I had some suspicion. To think you would be so prepared."
Kiyotaka: "Thank your sister for that. It's thanks to her that I awakened as a filmmaker."
Kiyotaka-kun's words made my brother to turn towards me.
I looked down.
It's my fault.
If only I was paying more attention.
That feeling of being watched earlier wasn't my imagination.
I should have thoroughly checked out everything, whatever it was in my room back then or now.
The boy currently had blackmailing material of not only me but also my brother.
Manabu: "I see. It seems like many things happened in the past month."
Kiyotaka: "There wasn't any funny business involved. That much I can guarantee to you. You can ask Suzune if you want."
Manabu: "There's no need. Since I can't get the recording from you forcefully, then state your price, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka: "Ah, but there's still chance that you could get it forcefully, isn't it? Now that there's no recording involved, we can stop holding back, don't you think?"
Kiyotaka-kun's eyes flashed with dangerous light.
Manabu: "What?"
Kiyotaka: "Let's start round two, President."
Just when my mind managed to understood what he was talking about, the brown-haired boy quickly moved towards my brother.
Kiyotaka-kun threw a punch towards his opponent's stomach at great speed.
Brother barely managed to avoid it, but his stance wasn't stable and with this opening, a kick landed successfully against his left side.
Some pain painted my brother's face, but he managed to quickly regain his posture.
My seatmate didn't stop at that and attacked with another kick, which was blocked.
I looked at it with amazement.
Could it be that he thought that he was on the same level as my brother and got cocky after a few avoids?
But it was a lucky event for us.
As long as brother beat him up, we could get his phone and delete the recordings, and maybe even those voiced bets would vanish.
Just thinking about it made me feel some excitement.
Go, brother! (A/n: Ike, Nii-san! \(*o*)/ )
Defeat him, brother!
My brother grabbed his opponent's leg after the guard, then attacked with his own kick.
Kiyotaka-kun managed to block it, then let himself free from the grab.
My brother once again closed the distance between them in order to grab him again.
Kiyotaka-kun seemed to anticipated that move and was about to perform a kick first.
My brother put on the guard.
That's when I noticed a smirk on the brown-haired boy's face.
Halfway through his kick, the brown-haired boy caught his own leg, then changed the trajectory of that kick, surprising my brother.
This time, brother didn't manage to act in time and his stomach got kicked from the unguarded side.
But Kiyotaka-kun didn't stop after that.
My neighbor took advantage of brother's lack of focus and with great speed he grabbed the other's arm, then he threw my brother at the ground.
Manabu: "Ugh..."
I heard a small groan from pain.
Despite just witnessing the scene, I didn't believe what I'd just seen.
Did my brother... just lost?
He was beaten in just few seconds by someone younger than him...
Impossible...
The boy, who was nothing but an annoyance to me... who bothered me to no end... who harassed me several times... who was in Class D just like me...
Such he knocked down my brother, who was invincible since my youngest days... whom I looked up to... who was my goal and pride...
How... could it happen?
My mind was refusing to acknowledge such an outcome no matter what.
Kiyotaka: "What do you think about concrete at our school, President? Very painful?"
Kiyotaka-kun uttered some mocking words, while walking slowly towards his opponent.
Suzune: "What do you think you are doing, Kiyotaka-kun?!"
I couldn't help but get angry.
If brother really lost, then our fates would be miserable.
Kiyotaka: "This? Let's say that Student Council is checking the roads in the school."
Suzune: "Huh? Are you kidding me?"
Kiyotaka: "Well, mainly you are right, but I really wanted your brother to experience concrete, so that he could make a better judgement the next time he will lose patience with you."
Suzune: "What?"
No way.
Did he throw brother because he was trying to do the same to me earlier?
For such a reason...
My brother stood up slowly.
Manabu: "To think you would be this strong, Ayanokouji. No... You were still holding back, didn't you?"
He was still holding back, while fighting against brother?
That's ridiculous.
It couldn't be true.
Just how could such a thing be possible?
Kiyotaka: "After all, I just wanted you to know this about myself. It seemed like you would try to attack me again, if I let my guard down. I'm glad we managed to reach a quick understanding about power difference here, senpai."
Manabu: "I guess so. I will remember it. So? State what do you want, Ayanokouji."
My brother sighed slightly.
It seems like he was in pain.
I clutched my hands.
The situation was dire.
We were totally at his mercy.
The boy smiled slightly.
Kiyotaka: "I don't need anything from you. Getting to fight you seriously was enough. You can delete that video. Here."
He held his hand with his phone in front of brother.
...
Eh?
W-What?
He just let go of the blackmail material without asking for anything?
Him?
I couldn't believe my eyes.
My brother also didn't take the phone immediately and observed him suspiciously.
Manabu: "What do you mean by that?"
Kiyotaka: "Nothing seriously. I only took that video, since Suzune was acting suspiciously. If anything happened, I could use it as a proof of what really happened. Since this case concluded rather smoothly, I have no use of it. Please think of it as a token of my friendship with you."
The boy made a harmless face.
We looked at him, but couldn't discern his motives.
Finally, my brother reached for the phone.
After a moment, he gave it back to my classmate.
Manabu: "You are really a fascinating person, Ayanokouji. With you around, things truly became interesting."
Appreciation could be felt from my brother's voice.
I looked at my seatmate.
To think he could act like that as well.
Kiyotaka: "It's not my fault that you were living a boring life, President. If you want, we can hang out some times after the school."
My brother chuckled.
His expression turned light again.
Manabu: "I guess it may not be bad to meet sometimes. How about becoming my sparring partner? I feel that I've become rusty recently."
To think my brother could utter such words without any care.
He seemed a little different from what I've remembered.
Was it because of the boy next to me?
Kiyotaka: "You have guts to say it after being beaten by me. I guess it's fine. But remember that you won't be able to get away from it easily."
Manabu: "I wasn't planning to."
The atmosphere between those two became cheery.
I felt as if something stung my heart.
I became depressed.
What was the biggest difference between me and Kiyotaka-kun?
Kiyotaka: "By the way, the reason you meet with Suzune tonight was because you were at the library earlier, right? You must have witnessed the scene of your sister study group and its miserable end. That's why you were so pissed off. Suzune really failed back then after all."
Eh?
Brother was there, when I tried to tutor?
And he witnessed how they all left me?
Manabu: "As expected of you, Ayanokouji. You are right. I was quite surprised when I saw her alongside other students. For the first time, I thought that something may actually changed. And then I saw how they left, obviously angered by her. It was such a let-down."
Let-down...
That's all he could feel after witnessing that scene.
No wonder he wanted to meet with me.
It was in order to scold me for my failure.
Kiyotaka: "While I understand why you would think like that, don't you think she should receive some points for early stages? Someone like her, who don't have any friends, managed to gather the worst students and was trying to teach her without any coercion. While it ended up as disaster, that's still some improvements."
Manabu: "If it ended up as disaster, then it's better if she never actually tried it. I'm sure you are troubled by the results as well, don't you, Ayanokouji? You were there as well, after all."
Kiyotaka: "So you noticed me, huh? Yes, I also witnessed it. It was horrible, and the aftermath would be troublesome to repair. But that's exactly why I stopped you. The girl needs to clean up her mess, so I couldn't let you damage her."
What?
What did he mean by that?
Manabu: "You still want her to clean up this? She will only make even bigger mess."
Kiyotaka: "Maybe... Or maybe not. It depends on her attitude."
Manabu: "I didn't think of you as an optimist, Ayanokouji. How unexpected."
Kiyotaka: "I just think that she still can do it."
Manabu: "I'm not interested in such fairy tale."
My brother looked at me.
Manabu: "I still think that you should drop out. But since Ayanokouji stopped me, I will hold on this judgement for some time. Struggle all you want, Suzune."
Giving me his words of judgement, my brother started to walk away.
It felt like he would really make me drop out, if not the boy near me.
But I wasn't going to let it get to me.
I reformed my determination to be recognized by this person.
Suzune: "I'm going to drag myself into Class A even if it kills me."
I let out those words as my farewell to him.
I was sure he wouldn't meet me in a long time after this.
Brother didn't react in any way and left, leaving the two of us alone.
I glared at the brown-haired boy.
Suzune: "Was it really a coincidence that you were here?"
I wanted to leave, but the situation was peculiar, so I needed some answers.
Kiyotaka: "Ah, wait a minute, Suzune."
Suddenly, the boy took out his phone from his pocket.
Suzune: "What are you... Mmm!"
Before I could finish the sentence, Kiyotaka-kun put his finger on my lips.
Kiyotaka: "Wait a moment, Suzune."
Then, he started to call someone.
I looked grudgingly at him.
Kiyotaka: "Tachibana-senpai, good evening... Yeah, I know that it's late, but I have something to tell you."
Tachibana-senpai?
Who was that?
Kiyotaka: "You see, I just have met with President, and it seemed like he slipped on the staircase and hurt his back... No, I'm not deceiving you... Yes, he is alright, but his back is probably painful, so I thought that he may need some medicaments tomorrow, maybe an ointment or something..."
W-What the hell was he saying about brother?!
Why was he announcing that he got hurt?!
Kiyotaka: "Yeah, yeah... That's why I thought about you... Since it's his back, he may not be able to reach some parts, so why don't you help him with that?... Are you sure? The poor guy may be painful, and you don't want to help him?... Ah, please don't shout so loudly, my ear is ringing..."
Was he actually worried about brother's injury?
I noticed that my brother had some problem with his back, but I didn't think much of it.
Kiyotaka: "I'm not joking, he really got hurt... You won't lose anything by just bringing it, right?... Well, maybe some other female student would be of help to him then... Later, don't come crying to me if someone took the lead... You know exactly what kind of lead, senpai. President may be a blockhead in that field, but you can't let your guard down... Yeah, it's reasonable to take care of him like he is taking care of us... Well then, see you tomorrow at the school. Remember about your favorite kouhai in the future."
The boy ended the call and looked at me with a smile.
Kiyotaka: "Sorry to make you wait, Suzune... Oh, that's kinda naughty."
Kiyotaka-kun looked at his finger that was still on my lips with some grin.
I moved away quickly from that pervert.
Suzune: "What was with that call?"
Kiyotaka: "Oh, I felt sorry about hurting your brother, so I called a nurse for him."
Suzune: "You shouldn't make a gossip like that about my brother. His reputation may drop."
Kiyotaka: "Don't worry, Tachibana-senpai is someone trustworthy. She will pamper him to no end."
Suzune: "Who is this Tachibana-senpai?"
For some reason, I couldn't help myself and asked about the girl.
After all, it seemed like she was quite close with my brother.
Kiyotaka: "Do you remember the purple-haired girl, who was an organizer of club fair? That's Tachibana Akane-senpai, who is also your brother's secretary."
There really was a girl like this.
So she was my brother secretary, huh?
Kiyotaka: "Why the long face, Suzune? Don't tell me... You don't want your brother to be close with some other females? Is it jealously?"
Suzune: "Do you want to die?"
Kiyotaka: "I see, I see. I was being inconsiderate here."
I wanted to punch his face so badly, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to harm him after what I saw.
Suzune: "Why were you here, Kiyotaka-kun? Was it really a coincidence?"
Kiyotaka: "What, do you think that I'm stalking you or something?"
Suzune: "Considering your timing, it's not impossible."
Kiyotaka: "I'm not so bored, Suzune. While being outside, I spotted you and I thought that it was weird, so I went after you."
Suzune: "That's stalking."
Kiyotaka: "Considering recent accidents, every student that is outside at this hour could be considered suspicious. As a member of Student Council, I have an obligation to check out such a situation in order to preserve the peace of the students."
Recent accidents?
Suzune: "That's just an excuse."
Kiyotaka: "Really? You were almost assaulted by your brother just now... I wonder what would happen if I didn't appear."
Suzune: "That's... not your business, Kiyotaka-kun."
Kiyotaka: "You are saying the same thing as your brother. As expected of siblings."
I was sure that he said it to mock me, so I ignored that remark.
Suzune: "You are really strong. What kind of martial arts do you practice?"
Kiyotaka: "I'm master of piano and tea ceremony."
I furrowed my eyebrows.
Suzune: "You said calligraphy before."
Kiyotaka: "That too. And I'm also quite good at cooking."
The boy puffed out his chest in pride.
So he wasn't planning to answer seriously me.
Suzune: "I don't understand you."
Since a serious conversation wasn't possible, there was no need to stay here.
Suzune: "I'm going back. I don't want to create any more weird rumors."
Kiyotaka: "True. There's already more than enough rumors about us, Suzune."
Suzune: "..."
Ignoring him was the only right option here.
Kiyotaka-kun chuckled.
Kiyotaka: "By the way, you have made quite a shameless statement for someone, who just a few hours ago pushed our class on the verge of having zero points."
I stopped in my tracks and looked at him.
Suzune: "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Kiyotaka: "I mean that you have said that you would reach Class A even if it kills you. I didn't hear such a hypocritical words in long time. You actually didn't mean that one, did you?"
Suzune: "Of course, I mean every word of that."
Kiyotaka: "Really? The princess, who gave up on their classmates on the very first study group meeting uttered seriously that she would work her hardest to reach Class A? Please..."
So that's what he was talking about.
Suzune: "It's not my fault. They are on the elementary school level in academics. What could I do?"
If only they were better, I wouldn't struggle so much.
I seriously couldn't see how they would reach the level needed to pass the midterms.
Kiyotaka: "So you decided to abandon them, even at the cost of the rest of our Class Points?"
Suzune: "It's pointless to teach endangered students, who are beyond saving. We would reach zero Class Points anyway, so why bothering ourselves with them? If you feel otherwise, then why don't you try to tutor them yourself?"
Kiyotaka: "Even if right now I would try to reach them, thanks to the certain someone their willingness to join any study group probably dropped greatly. Since you lost the motivation to teach them yourself, then at least don't make things worse."
Suzune: "Could it be that you really think that they could pass?"
Kiyotaka: "What if I would say yes, and it's actually quite easy? What are you going to do then, Suzune?"
Suzune: "Quite easy? I want to see that."
Kiyotaka: "Considering the situation, you will not only see it, but also pay a price for it."
He was speaking with confidence, as if he was sure of his words.
It made me uncomfortable.
I learned how much trouble it would take for those three to reach a satisfactory level.
And yet the boy before me seemed confident.
Suzune: "What do you mean by that?"
Kiyotaka: "Oh? You want me to spill the beans right now, Suzune? Don't you want a surprise later?"
Suzune: "I'm just concerned about your words. What kind of price would I need to pay for everyone to pass?"
If someone else would say something like that, I would disregard it.
But because if was Kiyotaka-kun's words that I had a bad feeling about it.
Kiyotaka: "So you want to hear it, huh? What to do... Maybe if I get a kiss..."
Suzune: "Tell me or get lost..."
Kiyotaka: "Fine, fine. Let me explain it to you. On that surprise test, in order to pass you needed to get at least thirty-two points, right? Do you know why?"
Suzune: "Why would I know why the school did that?"
Kiyotaka: "Then, one more question. Do you know the average score of our class?"
Suzune: "I don't. I'm not interested in such things."
Kiyotaka: "Then, let me tell you. Our average was 64.4 points."
Suzune: "That's why I'm sayin..."
Wait.
If that was the case...
Suzune: "!"
I suddenly found out what he was trying to say here.
Suzune: "Are you saying that our passing grade was actually calculated by halving our class average score?"
The boy just nodded his head with a smile.
Suzune: "Do you have any proof of that?"
Kiyotaka: "I have friends in different classes. Every class had different passing score. After a small investigation, I found out the correlation between them."
I was starting to see what he wanted to say.
Suzune: "I see. That's interesting find."
Since the passing grade was something dependable on our scores, it also meant that we could manipulate it to a satisfying degree.
As long as we reach an agreement within the class, bringing out the best result was possible.
Suzune: "So you are thinking about decreasing our score to make the others pass?"
What a sly way of doing things.
No matter how much I disliked him, I couldn't deny that he was quite capable.
Kiyotaka: "Did you figure it out? I guess you are smart, after all."
I didn't like that jab of his, but I decided to let it slide.
Suzune: "But it's still difficult. It's hard to say how much we would need to decrease our scores even if endangered students would do their best."
Twenty-five points may be risky, but around twenty points would be possible if the endangered students really managed to study to some extent.
Kiyotaka: "Hm? What are you talking, Suzune? Isn't it obvious at this point that we need to make our average score zero?"
...
Huh?
Kiyotaka: "There's no need to calculate what kind of score the worst students would get. The only result with 100% possibility of passing would be to get our classmates to not write anything apart our own names on the midterms."
...
Suzune: "Are you crazy?! You want the entire class to give back empty sheets?! We would be a laughingstock of the entire school! Also, do you realize that those scores would be on our report cards?! It's not a reference test like before! I could still consider decrease of my score, but this? No way!"
By finally understanding what he meant by me paying the price, I got angry at him.
His method could really help out the class, but to outrightly ask everyone to get zero points was ridiculous.
Kiyotaka: "But thanks to that no one would be expelled, and we wouldn't lose any Class Points."
Suzune: "..."
He was right.
Since the average score would be zero, everyone would pass no matter what, which means that we wouldn't have reduction of Class Points.
But that also meant that I would have zero on my report card.
Starting from elementary school I always had high scores on every test.
And now, I would get not average or low score, but zero?
That was something unthinkable for me.
But if I won't agree to this, our class score would be pummeled to zero.
Zero Class Points or individual zero at my test.
Such a dilemma...
Kiyotaka: "Oh, it seems like you figured it out, Suzune. Yes, you need to consider what's more important for you right now - your individual achievement or our class score."
Kiyotaka-kun smirked at me.
He was totally enjoying the situation.
Suzune: "You are quite confident, but there's no telling if our classmates would agree to that."
Kiyotaka: "Of course, they would. Most of our class would welcome such a thing easily. And even if they would disagree, I'm sure Kikyo and Hirata would persuade them. The only problem would be people like you, who are smart but not flexible."
I wanted to disagree, but he was right.
Considering our classmates' mindset, most of them would be persuaded without any resistance and the rest would be persuaded by people like Hirata-kun or Kushida-san.
There was almost no one, who would protest.
Then, I thought about a certain student.
He would put some resistance just like me, wouldn't he?
But he was currently...
Suzune: "Could it be... the reason why you invited Yukimura-kun to your study group?"
Kiyotaka: "Oh, you figured it out fast. Yes, I was sure Yukimura would have the same opinion as you. That's why I approached him in order to befriend him. Once he starts to socialize himself with the others, he may agree much easier."
He was right.
Since Yukimura joined his study group, I was sure the brown-haired boy would persuade him.
Suzune: "But there are still others..."
Kiyotaka: "You sure don't know the situation in the class, huh? The only troublesome people to my plan are Yukimura, Rokusuke and you. I will take care of Yukimura and Rokusuke would agree if we offer him some private points. So it's only you."
If what he said was true, then his plan would definitely succeed.
Suzune: "What if I still didn't agree?"
Despite that, I still didn't feel convinced and opposed him stubbornly.
Kiyotaka: "The princess, who just say that she would reach Class A even if it kills her?"
I glared at him.
I was sure that he was going to repeat those words every time I would disagree with him.
Suzune: "That's because I don't see how that would benefit our class. You can't be seriously thinking that we would be getting zero on every test."
Kiyotaka: "No. I'm almost sure that this is the only time something like that would work. The school is not that stupid. The challenges ahead definitely would be harder."
That's true.
If getting zero on every test would be passable, then it would be pointless for this school to be called school.
Suzune: "You've said that you aren't interested in the class competition, but you are thinking ahead?"
It was bothering me how prepared he was, despite claiming that he didn't care about the class competition.
Kiyotaka: "It's easy to see something like that, whether I care or not. It's not like it costs me greatly to voice my opinion as long as I'm sitting at the sidelines."
Suzune: "I don't understand you. You aren't acting as someone, who wouldn't care."
Kiyotaka: "You don't have to. At this moment, you probably should start worrying about yourself and the mess you have left behind."
Suzune: "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Kiyotaka: "I meant your study group, Suzune. Are you really okay with how it went?"
Suzune: "What's there to consider, when you already found a solution? And I stopped to care even before that."
Kiyotaka: "I'm speechless by how wrong you are... Shouldn't you be trying to gather your study group once again especially now that you know that there's solution?"
Suzune: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kiyotaka: "Think about it. You gave up on them, because you became convinced that there's no way to tutor them to appropriate level in such short amount of time and they would be expelled. But with the solution I just gave you, there should be enough time right now to show them how to study before the next test. That way they would be more willing to join study group in the future and teaching them would be less burdensome."
After thinking about it that way, he may be right.
Even if we manage to avoid expulsion this time, the main problem wouldn't vanish.
But since we extended time limit, the possibility to change appeared.
Suzune: "Wouldn't they be actually reluctant to study, since there would be a precedent of passing without doing anything?"
Kiyotaka: "Yes, that's true. That's why you should tutor them right now with the intention to make them pass no matter what. Even if they would pass by my method, the time you spend on them wouldn't be wasted. And there's still the possibility that they would pass after all. Since you don't want to get zero on midterms, you should be more than enough motivated, right?"
In other words, he wanted me to teach them like I didn't know about such method.
Clever.
It wouldn't be so stressful for me to tutor them, while they would still try their best to study.
But considering what I saw of Sudo-kun and his friends, it was still no small matter.
I also didn't like how he was just pushing those three at me.
Suzune: "If that's the case, then help them yourself. You have a study group as well."
Kiyotaka: "So you are dumping your problem on me, when you didn't achieve anything, and you still have the guts to say to your brother that you would reach Class A? How exactly are you going to do that? By making me piggyback you?"
Suzune: "You!"
Every time he opened his mouth, he was mocking me.
He was such a hateful person.
Kiyotaka: "You don't even realize how flawed your thinking are, Suzune. You not only didn't help the class, you even created a negative impact. Those three that you wanted to tutor won't easily agree to join any study group thanks to you. Do you even understand that?"
He looked at me with deprecation.
I started to feel irritated.
Kiyotaka: "You may be angry and dissatisfied, but it's only your fault, you know. You may have some good intention at the beginning, but your personality ruined it quickly. You think of yourself as a superior student, but in the end you are just as flawed as any other Class D student."
Suzune: "You think... that I'm the same as Sudo-kun and his group? It's obvious that we aren't equal when you look at our test scores."
Kiyotaka: "That's certainly true, when you look at the academics alone. But Chabashira-senpai already have told you that's not all, right? Let's say that the next challenge would be sports. Between you and Sudo, who do you think would contribute more to the class? I'm sure you are aware how physically-gifted he is."
Suzune: "That's..."
Kiyotaka: "What about if the next challenge would be some social event? Do you think you could muster enough communication skills than Ike? I'm sure you would be below average there. As for Yamauchi... Well, there's still chance that he has potential in some field..."
I wanted to refute him, but I couldn't.
It was true that Sudo-kun possessed good physical abilities.
And it was also true that I wouldn't be much of help in some social challenges.
But...
Suzune: "It's just your speculation of yours."
That was right.
This was school, after all.
Academics should still be the top priority here.
Kiyotaka: "Then, let's talk about the facts. The solution that I reached assumes that our class would avoid decrease of our Class Points. Even if those three wouldn't study at all, they would still pass. But because of you, those three would be reluctant to try and improve with the help of the others, which could be the big problem in the future. On top of that, Sudo was so angry at you that he even considered punching you. What if they decided to bully you out of their spite? Something like that would reduce our Class Points as well."
Suzune: "I dare them to try..."
Kiyotaka: "That's not the point. You should prevent them from doing something like that. I have found the solution, where our Class Points won't be reduced, but your actions made it into a situation, when no change to our Class Points after this month would be luxury."
Suzune: "Then, you should interfere. You are Vice-President, aren't you?"
Kiyotaka: "Do you seriously want Student Council to interfere in this matter? I want to see your brother's face, when he will receive the report stating that you got bullied by classmates."
My body couldn't help, but tremble.
If something like that would happen and my brother would find out about it...
In my mind appeared his cold expression.
I needed to avoid doing something that would decrease his opinion of me even further.
Kiyotaka: "You created the study group for yourself not the others, right? Then, it's the same right now. If you manage to tutor them properly, then demerits of today would vanish. There's also a chance that you would actually make it to the midterms, and we wouldn't need to implement zero points strategy, which would also be a big plus for you, right?"
He wasn't wrong.
If I could, I would like to prevent getting myself zero on the midterms and gained some Class Points.
But to reach to those three again after all that...
Kiyotaka: "What, still don't wanna? Or are you thinking that you won't be able to gather them again. You can just use some of your cards, you know."
Suzune: "My cards?"
Kiyotaka: "I mean, your assets. You are an attractive girl, Suzune. Offer them a kiss or something, and they will not only gather willingly, but also study like their lives would depend on it. At least I would be react like that."
That pervert...
He was nothing better than those three.
Suzune: "Do you want to die, Kiyotaka-kun?"
Kiyotaka: "I'm only giving you advice. It's your mess, so it's only right for you to clean it. Otherwise, you are nothing more than a deadweight, who knows how to talk big."
I gritted my teeth in annoyance.
There was no one I disliked more in my entire life than this person.
I was always on the shorter end, when facing him.
Suzune: "You are rather talkative for someone, who wants to sit on the sidelines, Kiyotaka-kun. What's your goal? Why are you trying to convince me?"
Trying to make at least a slight resistance against him, I asked about his motives.
After all, the boy was contradicting himself.
Kiyotaka: "You may not believe me, but I am quite fond of you, Suzune. And you are the sister of my friend. On top of that, if those three really decided to bully you, my workload would increase. I don't want that. Since you lack in planning power, I will help you out this time."
He was right, I didn't believe him.
The only believable words of his seemed to be about increasing his workload.
Suzune: "You think that I'm lacking in planning power? You must be joking. I refuse such a help."
I didn't need help from anyone.
Kiyotaka: "That's fine with me. It's not me who wants to reach Class A even if it kills me. I'm also totally fine with having zero on my report score. And I don't need acknowledgement from Horikita-senpai. Mainly because I already have it. So it's totally fine for you to do nothing, Suzune."
I felt as if every sentence of his pierced my heart.
I seriously couldn't stand this guy.
Kiyotaka: "You have two roads ahead of you. Either you won't do anything, be isolated and bullied by our classmates, and receive zero on the midterms, either you will do something about your image, help the idiots, and hope that it will be enough for them to pass on their own strength. Ah, you can also try to find the third solution. But considering what I saw of you until today, it's probably impossible."
Even if I wanted to refute him, I couldn't find the right argument.
Considering everything I'd just learned, trying to minimize the damage to the class was a priority, especially for me, who was aiming for Class A.
That bastard knew it too well.
His plan was good, and his reasoning was impeccable.
But...
Suzune: "I don't like it. It seems like you are trying to use me here. Do you want to make me your puppet?"
The feeling that he was manipulating me appeared in my mind a few days ago, but I never could confirm it.
He was mocking me, as if trying to make me take action.
And once I did it and failed, he was still insisting that I should continue, while showing me a solution.
As if from the beginning, he knew how everything would turn out and what to do.
Was it really coincidence or did he plan all of this?
This thought started to bother me.
I watched him carefully, trying to catch every change in his stance.
But the boy just smiled.
Kiyotaka: "You can think whatever you want, Suzune. Do you have any other choice apart from the ones I presented to you? You can just stand still or move straight through this road. Rather than a puppet, your situation seems more like that of a pawn in chess, don't you think so?"
A pawn?
Did he just call me a pawn?
That's what he'd called me?
Suzune: "You bastard... So you are admitting it?!"
I could feel my blood boiling.
At that moment, my wish to punch his face was on the same level as reaching Class A.
Kiyotaka: "If I wanted to use you, I would directly order you with the recording I have. Your brother only deleted the one from today. But I'm leaving the choice to you. You can come up with a different strategy, if you disagree. Two days before the midterms I will ask you what do you think about my strategy before announcing it to the class."
I glared at him.
The boy was challenging me right now.
Even if he didn't mean to, that's how I interpreted it.
His strategy guaranteed no change in our Class Points and no expulsions.
If I wanted to defeat him, I needed to come up with something even better.
Suzune: "Fine. Let's talk at that time. I will show you that I'm not anyone's puppet nor pawn."
I took this challenge head on.
There's no way that I would allow anyone to call me a pawn and get away with it.
Knowing what I had to do, I started to walk away.
Kiyotaka: "Good luck, Suzune. Both me and your brother have big hopes for you. Otherwise, why would he be so angry at you and meet you tonight?"
My heart trembled slightly, when I heard his words.
No, it's just deceit.
There's no way my brother would think like that.
After distancing myself from the boy, I put out my phone.
My hand wavered a little, but I had no choice.
Even if I didn't like it, I really needed to gather those three idiots again.
They were the key to this challenge, after all.
And right now, she was the only option I had.
I tapped the call button.
After a moment, my call was answered.
[Kushida]: Good evening, Horikita-san. It's so surprising for you to call me this late... Did something happen?
Suzune: "Good evening, Kushida-san. Actually, I have something I would like to discuss with you."
To be continued...