A Victory Feast

"Still, Ayanokoji-kun, your room really is spacious. It looks like you haven't bought anything at all. But that's nice too. At least it looks clean."

The others made awkward small talk, one after another. Horikita hadn't wanted to come in the first place and had only been persuaded after much cajoling, so this just made her feel even more like an outsider.

So when it was finally her turn to speak, the whole atmosphere changed.

"Don't you think you're all getting a little carried away? We've only made it through midterms. There are still finals next time! And it's not like Shinjo can get the answers for us every time, either. If we want more Class Points and don't want to get expelled, we need to start studying harder now!"

"Huh?! You've got to be kidding. We just finished studying, and now we have to do it again? What a headache!"

Ike clearly couldn't accept the idea that studying wasn't a one-time thing.

"Can't be helped, can it? At least we still haven't found a way to increase our Class Points."

"Wait... Does that mean we won't get any personal points next month, either?!"

As much as they didn't want to accept it, that was the reality.

Kushida Kikyo was just about to encourage Ike out of habit when she noticed Shinjo sitting off to the side, lost in thought.

"By the way, Shinjo, I'm impressed you thought of that special way to use the points!"

"Ah! That's right! If it weren't for Shinjo, we definitely wouldn't be sitting here having drinks together!"

"Hahaha! Shinjo, you're my best friend now! If anyone gives you trouble, just tell me!"

Sudo slapped Shinjo on the shoulder with easygoing enthusiasm, but Shinjo looked baffled. Was Sudo, the thickheaded one, actually the sort who treated people differently depending on their status?

He could've sworn Sudo had just said Ayanokoji was his best friend.

"Well... hahaha... It just came to me in a flash. I think it's less that I deserve the credit and more that it was fate!"

Shinjo laughed awkwardly.

If Sudo now thought of Shinjo as a real brother, Shinjo could only think of Sudo as a cousin at best.

At least, if Chabashira hadn't paid, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to save Sudo.

"In that case, why don't you join us, too?"

As she spoke, Kushida held out her hand to Shinjo.

The gesture gave him a sense of déjà vu. He'd seen it just two days ago, when he'd made a deal with Ichinose on a bench.

"Join?"

Before Shinjo could say anything, the two guys who had crushes on Kushida immediately leaned forward to ask.

"Hey, Kushida..."

"Honestly, there's no reason to keep it a secret. We're all friends here, after all. The truth is, Horikita, Ayanokoji, and I have decided to work together and climb the ranks. We want to make it to Class A! So I hope you'll all join us and lend a hand!"

Everyone except Shinjo looked a little lost.

They knew their own abilities. Sudo might have a real talent for sports, but the other two were practically good for nothing.

Could they really make it to Class A?

Unless the school went crazy one day and reversed the rankings!

"Well... Kushida, we'd really like to join you. But Class A... isn't that a bit too... They're all ridiculously smart, right? We can't do it. That's a bit of a stretch for us~!"

"At least you know your own limits. If you don't study hard, we won't stand a chance—not even of making it to Class C, let alone Class A."

Just as Kushida was enthusiastically inviting them to join, Horikita poured cold water all over the idea without the slightest hesitation.

If Kushida had only invited Shinjo, Horikita would have supported her wholeheartedly.

But these three? To put it nicely, they were good for nothing. To put it bluntly, they'd be lucky just not to hold the class back.

If she and the others were defective products, Ike and Yamauchi were scrap.

At least, so far, she hadn't found anything useful in either of them.

"That's not entirely true, is it? Sudo's really good at sports, and Ike and Yamauchi must have their own unique strengths, too!"

"Kushida... Is that really what you think of us?"

Ike and Yamauchi were so moved they were nearly in tears... Wait, wasn't that someone's bedsheet they were using to blow their noses?

Sure enough, Shinjo could sense something like murderous intent coming from Ayanokoji beside him.

"If Kushida says so, what's there to turn down?! We'll do whatever we can to help!"

Sudo had been trying to win Horikita over ever since the other day, so he put on a tsundere act and said,

"Well, if anyone needs my incredible athletic talent, you can still say so~"

As he spoke, he made a point of looking over at Horikita.

But she only edged away from him in disgust.

"Forget it. I've never planned on relying on you. Just study hard. If you fail again next time, no one may be willing to buy you points."

"Hey! You really are a cold woman, you know that?"

But Sudo was only saying that for show. Horikita was his goddess now, and if she thought he couldn't be relied on, it was only because she hadn't seen what he could do!

So, to prove how capable he was and vent his frustration, he quickly picked Yamauchi out of the crowd, pinned him to the ground, and held him in a tight lock.

"This is so boring... Are all boys a bunch of idiots?"

"Hey! Could you watch what you say about everyone when you're making sweeping generalizations?"

Shinjo hadn't said a word the whole time, yet somehow he'd been caught in Horikita's area attack.

"So, what about you? Are you going to join us?"

Unlike with the others, Horikita genuinely hoped Shinjo would join her group. The evidence from several occasions had proved that he was a talent whose abilities were no less impressive than Ayanokoji's.

(Shinjo: I never said that. I'm mediocre at pretty much everything—piano, calligraphy, tea ceremony. How could I compare with the guy sitting next to you?)

"I think I'll pass."

At that, Sudo and Yamauchi stopped fooling around and looked at Shinjo, confused that he'd gone against the others.

Horikita had expected this. Not everyone had lofty ambitions; most people in their class probably just wanted to take it easy.

But she still wanted to try to persuade him, so she asked,

"Why? I think your intelligence could be a great help."

"I'm only good at coming up with little tricks. It's hard to put them to any real use. If you want to make the class better, I'd be happy to do my part. But if you're talking about climbing all the way to Class A... let me think about it a little longer."