In winter, Forest Path is not warmed by the afternoon sun.
Kazehara Tetsu put his hands in his pockets, and his breath condensed into fleeting white mist in the cold air.
Miyabi Nagumo next to him did not maintain the absolute sense of oppression like Gymnasium did, but walked with a careless pace.
The two said they wanted to "look around", but their eyes never stopped for a moment on the passing facilities, Dormitory or Cafeteria.
"Na, Kagihara."
Miyabi Nagumo's voice broke the monotonous rhythm of footsteps.
He didn't turn his head, and still looked at the winding road ahead, as if he was just asking casually.
"Do you have any relationship with Horikita Manabu Senpai in private?"
This is not unfounded speculation.
In this school, the "Karmic Connection" across grades is often the Core Driving Force that drives the development of events.
A freshman who has just entered school for less than a year dares to publicly name a third-year student absolutely Leader on that occasion. If there is no connection between the two, anyone will find it strange.
"Not at all."
Kazehara Tetsu answered simply and neatly. He also did not look at Nagumo. His face maintained the kind of calmness that made Nagumo feel subtly uncomfortable.
"Except for having a few acquaintances on Sports Festival and being a kind of Symbolic Recognition as Student Council President, I basically have no interaction with him in our private lives."
"Hey..."
Miyabi Nagumo stopped, turned around, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked Kazehara Tetsu up and down, as if assessing the authenticity of this sentence.
"Since I have no personal relationship, I have not received any instructions from him."
"Then why did you choose him?"
"You should be very clear, right? Kagihara. I have only one purpose in coming to Forest School this time... which is to pull the man called 'Strongest' off the altar in full view of the public."
A twisted and fanatical smile appeared on Miyabi Nagumo's face, which was the ultimate desire to destroy beautiful things.
"I have prepared everything. Whether it is Second Year Rule or the tactics for the third grade. I could have used means in This Exam to give him a taste of defeat."
"But..."
His smile suddenly faded and his eyes turned cold.
"But you tied the two of us together."
"Members of the same group cannot compete and can only cooperate. You are not just 'teaming up', you are directly cutting off the fun of hunting for me."
This is what Miyabi Nagumo is really unhappy about.
He doesn't care about Points, he doesn't care about winning or losing, what he cares about is the pleasure of destroying it with his own hands.
And Kazehara Tetsu's move "Forced Peace" made him punch the cotton with a long-awaited punch.
Faced with this accusation that was almost a question, Kazehara Tetsu just shrugged.
"Didn't I already mention the reason in Gymnasium? Nagumo President."
"Just to win."
"Gathering Strongest's talents together is the shortest path to victory. Isn't this the 'Might Makes Right' that This School taught us?"
"As the proposer of Mixed Grand Group, I have the obligation to ensure that our group gets first place. And you and Horikita Senpai are the safest 'Double Insurance'."
An extremely utilitarian, extremely reasonable, yet extremely boring answer.
Miyabi Nagumo stared at him for a few seconds, and finally let out a sneer.
"Ha."
"That kind of high-sounding reason can be saved to deceive those Brat."
"Myself? For victory? I don't believe it at all."
"You have no desire for 'Points' at all. That kind of thing is just a tool for you, not a purpose."
"Associating someone like you with such nonsense as 'for the benefit of the class' is simply an insult to me."
Miyabi Nagumo Although arrogant, his intuition is frighteningly sharp. He can smell the breath of the same kind... the greed for manipulation hidden under the calm surface.
Silence spread on Forest Path for a while.
The wind blew through the treetops, making a rustling sound.
Miyabi Nagumo seems to have no intention of letting Kazehara Tetsu go.
Since the frontal attack has been defended, let's attack from another angle.
"Right."
"Speaking of which, you and Horikita Manabu's Younger Sister... that first-year girl named Horikita Suzune have had a lot of interactions recently, right?"
"And I heard... that you were somewhat involved in many incidents."
"Could it be..."
He deliberately prolonged the end of his voice, tilted his body towards Kazehara Tetsu, and lowered his voice, as if he was telling an ulterior secret.
"Have you fallen in love with that iceberg beauty?"
"You want to please the future 'Brother-in-law', so you go out of your way to help Horikita Senpai in This Exam? Do you use this method to increase your favorability and pave the way for entering Horikita Family in the future?"
Although this speculation is full of the vulgar taste of Nagumo, it is surprisingly logically logical.
For women.
This is a universal reason, no matter how outrageous, that is enough to explain all abnormal behaviors of men.
Kazehara Tetsu stopped.
He looked at Miyabi Nagumo with an "I understand you" expression on his face.
Miyabi Nagumo This is trying to find his weakness through this kind of provocation.
As long as he shows a hint of shyness, panic or anger, Nagumo will use Horikita Suzune to control him.
Unfortunately, this assumption is fundamentally wrong.
"You don't have to think too much, do you?"
"During this particular exam, too much speculation will only interfere with judgment. No matter what my motivation is, the result is that you and Horikita Senpai are in the same group. This fact will not change."
"And..."
Kazehara Tetsu glanced at Nagumo lightly.
"If that kind of baseless scandal reaches Horikita Senpai's ears, I'm afraid it will only make him think that you are just showing off your words out of boredom, right?"
"Cut..."
Seeing that Kazehara Tetsu just gave out a dull response no matter how hard he hit it, Miyabi Nagumo felt dull for a while.
"If you don't want to say it, forget it."
Miyabi Nagumo put away his gossipy face, put his hands behind his head, and looked up at the gray sky.
"It's so boring."
"I originally thought I could take advantage of this opportunity... but now it's better."
"The following time is destined to be a boring time."
"The 'pleasurable thoughts' that could be carried out were forcibly interrupted."
Miyabi Nagumo turned his head and looked at Kazehara Tetsu, with a hint of dangerous warning in his eyes.
"Hello, Kagihara."
"Since you deprived me of my fun, you'd better pray that something interesting happens in the next few days."
"Otherwise..."
"If I'm too bored, I might not be able to help but cause some destruction inside this Large Group to relieve my boredom."
This is not a threat.
For a being like Miyabi Nagumo, even if he is on the same boat, as long as he feels unhappy, he will not hesitate to Drill Through the bottom of the boat.
Everyone drowns together... Anyway, he has enough Points to buy his life.