The Tsundere!

When Bai Yuze left the dormitory, it was already afternoon.

He took out his phone to check the time and saw that it was three o'clock.

"Is it already this late? The opening ceremony should be almost over."

As Bai Yuze walked along, he heard a commotion.

He couldn't help finding it strange. The opening ceremony shouldn't have let out yet. Could there be other students who hadn't gone? Even stranger, his hearing seemed to have improved quite a bit.

Thinking it over as he approached, Bai Yuze hid behind a landscaped patch on campus and parted the grass with his hand to see what was happening.

He saw Horikita Suzune, who had been so arrogant that morning. Now, though, she looked like a child being scolded by her parent.

At the sight, Bai Yuze immediately remembered the scene where Horikita Manabu forced Horikita Suzune to withdraw. But compared with what he remembered, it seemed to be happening a little too soon.

"Could he be so afraid his sister might get hurt that he'd even skip something as important as the opening ceremony just to convince her to withdraw? What a pretentious tsundere!"

Bai Yuze didn't step in. Instead, he watched the scene unfold with an appreciative air. He had to admit, a real-life scene was far better than anything he could imagine from a book!

"Suzune, withdraw."

Horikita Manabu said coldly, not even looking at Horikita Suzune.

"I'm not the useless person I used to be! I'll definitely change!"

Horikita Suzune anxiously tried to defend herself, like an overworked employee trying to prove her worth to a capitalist.

"You still don't understand anything. This isn't some game of house."

Horikita Manabu had clearly run out of patience. His right hand clenched into a fist, as if it might shoot forward at any moment.

"I'll survive at this school! I won't be like I was when I was little—"

"Shut up!"

Horikita Suzune jumped at Horikita Manabu's shout and stumbled backward several steps until she had nowhere left to go.

"Looks like I haven't made myself clear enough."

Bang!

Horikita Manabu punched the wall beside Horikita Suzune, cracking it. As she stared at him in shock, he slowly spoke.

"At this school, only the strong can survive. The weak are only fit to be stepping-stones."

"Don't you want to prove what you're capable of? I'll give you a chance."

"Either withdraw quietly, or take this punch."

"Either way, dying by my hand would be better than dying at the hands of those things, wouldn't it?"

After saying this, Horikita Manabu began counting down. Leaning against the cracked wall, Horikita Suzune first looked conflicted, then closed her eyes.

Seeing Horikita Suzune looking as though she had given up, Horikita Manabu sneered.

"Heh. Is this what you call growing up? When faced with death, all you can do is close your eyes and helplessly wait?"

"Then... what should I do...?"

"What should you do?"

Horikita Manabu suddenly grabbed Horikita Suzune by the shoulders, looking like a madman, his face fierce.

"Fight back! Use your fingers to gouge out my eyes! Use your nails to tear off my flesh! Sink your teeth into me and bite off a bloody chunk! Do whatever you can think of to survive! Do you understand?!"

Horikita Manabu roared the last few words almost at the top of his lungs.

Watching this, Bai Yuze couldn't help shaking his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at this lousy school, driving the student council president to this. And this tsundere is such a piece of work. If he wanted to hit her, he would've done it already. I wonder if Horikita can understand how much her brother cares about her."

"I... I understand... But I really don't want to withdraw..."

Horikita Suzune replied shakily, but she still refused to leave the school.

"Fine."

As soon as Horikita Manabu said that, his whole body tensed. His waist drove his arm, his arm drove his fist, and with a whoosh, he swung it at Horikita Suzune's face.

Click!

Bai Yuze seized the chance to snap a photo, thinking he could make a quick profit from this!

As for Horikita Suzune's situation, he wasn't worried at all. First, the two of them barely knew each other.

Second, if Horikita Manabu had really wanted to hurt Horikita Suzune, he would've done it already.

Just then, Bai Yuze suddenly realized Horikita Manabu had vanished. A chill came from behind him.

As though his body had come alive, Bai Yuze's body moved before he could react.

He kicked backward with his right leg, aiming straight for Horikita Manabu's crotch. Horikita Manabu had no choice but to abandon his attack and defend himself. Bai Yuze used the momentum to roll aside, putting some distance between them.

Bai Yuze hurried to his feet, staring at Horikita Manabu as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Great, I got into trouble just for watching! Is this guy going to kill me to silence me?!"

Fortunately, Horikita Manabu made no further move. He simply stood there, sizing Bai Yuze up.

"I remember your name is Bai Yuze, right? The opening ceremony should still be going on at this time."

"That's right. But luckily it hasn't ended, or I would've missed the student council president forcing himself on a female student! After all, no matter how bold the student council president is, he'd only dare do something like this in private, right?"

"I'm telling you, you'd better stay away from me. Otherwise, your glorious deed will be all over the school in a minute!"

Bai Yuze pulled out his phone and quickly typed a text. It read: <Shocking! Student council president threatens female student for no reason!> He attached the photo he'd just taken.

"Heh! You've got quite a mouth on you, and your reaction just now was pretty quick, too. Suzune, is he your friend?"

Horikita Manabu turned to look at Horikita Suzune, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny and expectation.

"No... he's not my friend..."

Horikita Suzune still didn't dare meet Horikita Manabu's eyes. She could only shrink back helplessly, looking like a poor girl who wanted to confide in her family after suffering so much, only to have them pour cold water on her.

Bai Yuze caught a fleeting look of heartache and regret in Horikita Manabu's eyes, but Horikita Manabu soon returned to his usual cold expression.

"Heh. I suppose not. I actually imagined you might grow up."

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm still right here, you know? Could you show me a little respect?"

Bai Yuze protested. He'd had more than enough of this endless drama between an overprotective brother and a tsundere sister.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses and questioned Bai Yuze.

He was certain Bai Yuze wanted something. And if there was something he wanted, then they had something to negotiate.

"As expected of a smart guy. I like talking to smart people. You're way better than your sister."

Bai Yuze praised him without reservation. For some reason, he seemed to have complicated feelings about Horikita Manabu—something like jealousy, but also something like familiarity, and even a trace of... longing?