Encountering Horikita Suzune

In the end, the lunch break dispute concluded in this manner.

About a third of the students, mainly those with mid-to-low academic ability and members of the Katsuragi Faction, lined up at Katsuragi Kouhei's desk to register for the study group.

The remaining two-thirds packed up their things and left the classroom in twos and threes, as if the argument had never happened.

Though Class A had shown signs of division for some time, it now formally split a month after the start of the school year.

Kazehara Tetsu took in the entire scene without surprise; his real target lay elsewhere.

After school, Kazehara Tetsu neither returned to the dormitory nor accepted anyone's invitation.

He went straight to the library.

He found a quiet, window-facing reading table and sat down, a stack of books already piled on it.

Relying on his "Eidetic Memory" ability, he absorbed knowledge from the books like a high-speed scanner.

"Hmm..."

Just as he planned to rest and give his eyes a break, his gaze fell on another figure not far away.

Horikita Suzune.

She was here too.

Her black hair, cool profile, and meticulous posture.

A thick stack of reference books sat before her, her pen moving swiftly across her notebook, producing a soft "scratching" sound.

Her concentration was astonishingly high, as if nothing around her mattered.

Kazehara Tetsu closed his book with a faint "snap."

Then he stood up, carrying a few books, and walked toward Horikita Suzune, his footsteps sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet reading area.

He reached the bookshelf beside Horikita Suzune and returned the books to their places one by one.

"Quite the hard worker, aren't you, Horikita?"

A sudden voice rang out near Horikita Suzune's ear.

Horikita Suzune's writing motion came to an abrupt halt.

She looked up at the uninvited guest standing by her table.

"Can I help you?" Her voice was as cold as her expression, like ice.

"Nothing much. Just a little surprised to see a D-class student working so hard." Kazehara Tetsu leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed.

"That's none of your business." Horikita Suzune lowered her head, ready to continue her calculations, with no intention of conversing with him.

"It really isn't."

Kazehara Tetsu's tone remained light. "But what about you? The flawed products of D-class—your class is full of 'geniuses,' isn't it?"

"..." Horikita Suzune's pen tip stopped on the paper.

Kazehara Tetsu continued on his own. "Interesting, isn't it? Failing to reach Class A is failure. This school rule is like a cruel elimination match. For you D-class students, that must be the sword hanging overhead, right?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Horikita Suzune finally looked up again.

"Nothing. Just a Class A student, from the victor's perspective, expressing some sympathy for the loser." Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, but his words cut deep.

"After all, you're a class with zero points! Your class is full of students the school has judged as 'flawed products.' Do you really think, with no external help, relying on your own efforts alone, you can drag this rabble all above the passing score?"

"Shut up!"

A trace of uncontrollable anger crept into Horikita Suzune's voice. "What happens in our class is none of an outsider's business!"

"I'm stating a fact."

"Horikita Suzune, you're smart, and you work hard. But your biggest problem is pinning your hopes on a bunch of trash that can't be saved. Do you think your enemy is other classes?"

"You're wrong. Your real enemy is right inside your class. It's those idiots who still haven't realized how serious this is. The threat of the midterm exam isn't D-class's greatest danger. What about after you get through one midterm? There'll be another, and what makes you think you can change other people's minds? Sleeping in class, wasting points recklessly, unable to stop it... All your efforts, your dream of catching up to your brother, will vanish in an instant."

Horikita Suzune's fingers gripping the pen turned white from the pressure.

Every word Kazehara Tetsu said seemed to come from the fears deep in her heart.

The chaotic state of D-class, those pig-like teammates—that was the root of her anxiety.

And above all, the most important thing was that she couldn't rise to Class A... couldn't earn her brother's recognition.

"You investigated me?" Her voice was filled with chill.

"Think what you want... D-class right now is a bomb. Some students hate the rule-breakers for causing the point shortage, while others are in an easily triggered state. They'll never admit fault. If someone blames them for dragging the class down, they absolutely won't tolerate it... That way, the inside will collapse."

He spread his hands. "That's all I have to say. Good luck, Horikita. Hope I still see you chasing your brother's shadow around school after the midterms."

With that, he didn't linger, turning and walking toward the library exit without a backward glance.

Horikita Suzune remained seated in her rigid posture, but her pen had already slipped onto the notebook.

She stared at the dense math formulas before her, but couldn't read a single one.

In her mind, Kazehara Tetsu's words echoed over and over.

Internal collapse...

Yes, that was the most terrifying part.

An uncontrollable bomb, buried right in one's own camp, could go off at any moment.

Kazehara Tetsu walked out of the Library. Outside, only a sliver of red remained in the sky; it looked like it would be dark soon.

The cool evening breeze blew against his face, bringing a refreshing clarity to his mind, which had grown a little overheated from reading for so long.

Just as he reached the bottom of the steps outside the entrance, he happened to run into another group coming the other way.

Katsuragi Kouhei was at the front, followed by a dozen or so Class A students, both boys and girls.

Katsuragi Kouhei's footsteps paused. His gaze briefly met Kazehara Tetsu's line of sight.

There was no expression on Kazehara Tetsu's face. He merely gave a slight nod as a greeting, then brushed past them.

Katsuragi Kouhei said nothing either, leading his people into the Library.

Back at the Dormitory Building, Kazehara Tetsu took out his room card and swiped open his door.

The room was pitch black. He casually pressed the switch on the wall, and the Lights instantly illuminated the entire space.

He took off his jacket, tossed it onto a chair, and walked straight to the fridge to grab a bottle of ice water.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, making him feel much more alert.

Just as he was screwing the cap back on and about to turn around, he suddenly noticed a bulge on his bed. The blanket was covering it, but Kazehara Tetsu could clearly tell it was a person.

He walked over and yanked the blanket off.

Kamuro Masumi.

She was lying there, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel.

"You're back." Her voice carried a hint of lazy huskiness, her eyes staring straight at Kazehara Tetsu.

After Kamuro Masumi had come to Kazehara Tetsu's room several times, he had used the excuse of losing his room card to get a replacement.

And with that room card in hand, Kamuro Masumi had come to his room again and again.

"Want it again?"

"Mhm..."