Even so, being constantly dragged down like this... felt even more disgusting.
"I have nothing to explain to you." She swayed as she stood up, rubbing her eyes, which had grown a little blurry from being pressed down for too long.
Ignoring Hirata Yosuke in front of her, she turned around and walked straight toward Yamauchi Haruki, under everyone's gaze.
Horikita Suzune was healthy.
As far as Academic Ability and physical fitness went, she was confident she could hold her own against most people.
Let alone Yamauchi Haruki.
"Hey, you—what are you trying to do?" As if he had sensed what she was thinking, Yamauchi began to back away.
The person in front of him was only a girl, but for some reason, he felt as if Hirata, with his dark expression from earlier, were standing there.
"If you want an explanation..."
As the words left her mouth, Horikita's long leg swung into the air, and her swift, powerful strike landed squarely in Yamauchi's stomach.
"—then this is your explanation."
A Popsicle, Please
"Ugh—"
The heavy blow struck his vulnerable stomach and sent his stomach acid churning. If he hadn't skipped breakfast, he probably would have thrown up everything he'd eaten that morning.
Yamauchi's face twisted in pain. The blow had hit a weak spot so suddenly that he couldn't react, and he didn't even have the strength to fight back. All he could do was clutch his stomach and crouch on the floor, trembling.
Horikita didn't follow up with another attack. Instead, she turned to look at the camera, which had faithfully recorded every last bit of their disgrace. Then she turned back to her classmates.
"I don't owe anyone an explanation, and I don't have to take responsibility for anything." If it were her brother... No, if it were the person behind the diary, perhaps that was what he would say.
She casually pulled a tissue from Kanji Ike's desk and wiped her indoor shoe as if cleaning off something filthy. Then she crumpled the tissue into a ball, tossed it onto Yamauchi, and took a deep breath before continuing:
"In the end, you don't want an explanation from me."
"You just want someone to blame for the zero rating."
"But I'm sorry. I won't be that person." With a cold expression, Horikita turned around and walked around Yamauchi as if he were garbage. Then she opened the door at the back of the classroom.
Before leaving, she paused and glanced back. "And I'm going home early today."
"That's all."
Horikita disappeared through the doorway, and Class D fell into dead silence.
"..."
"Hahaha." The one who finally broke the silence was Koenji Rokusuke, who seemed to have finished filing his nails. "Horikita girl did well. She's more interesting than I expected."
"You, on the other hand, are utterly boring."
"I should make my exit, too. You can carry on looking for a suitable scapegoat." Rising from his seat, Koenji casually left the classroom as well.
With Kushida Kikyo gone, three seats in the classroom now sat empty, even though it wasn't yet time for class to end or for lunch break.
"..."
The others who remained exchanged silent looks, unable to say a word.
The empty, tree-lined avenue was unexpectedly spacious. A few fallen leaves rustled, and a gentle, slightly cool breeze swept away the heat brought by the sunlight as noon drew near.
Horikita Suzune wandered along the avenue, lost and directionless.
She had kicked Yamauchi Haruki in a fit of anger and left the classroom after making such harsh remarks.
But she didn't really know what she was doing.
Class D's rating had already fallen to zero, with nowhere further to drop. No matter how chaotic the class became, whether she kicked Yamauchi, slept through class, skipped lessons, or went home early—
None of it would have the slightest effect.
The cameras would faithfully record everything.
The Advanced Nurturing Survival Rules in the diary had said that she needed to stay alert to any device that could record her words and actions.
So she would remember the cameras, and she would remember what it had said.
But... then what?
What was she supposed to do?
Should she try to save up Twenty Million Personal Points and transfer to another class?
By now, it would probably be difficult for her to move forward alongside the people in Class D.
But if she wanted to transfer... where would she get the money?
She hadn't received a single point this month. If she hadn't already bought most of the things she needed, and if her dorm hadn't come with kitchenware, the little over ten thousand points she had might not even have lasted through the month. She would have had to eat the cafeteria's wild vegetable set meals.
Even getting by now was this difficult. Twenty million was a number she could only dream of.
"..."
Horikita Suzune had never imagined she would have to worry so much about money.
She'd thought that if she did everything as well as her brother, she wouldn't have to worry about something as vulgar as money.
But she hadn't managed to do everything as well as her brother, and she couldn't stop worrying about money, either.
She had achieved nothing.
She walked without purpose, turning this way and that with no direction. Gradually, figures appeared in the empty surroundings, but she had no idea where she had ended up.
...But it didn't matter.
Wherever she ended up, she ended up there.
Horikita Suzune didn't know where she was. She hadn't looked closely or given it any thought.
She'd simply started to feel tired, and there happened to be a bench by the roadside.
Someone seemed to be sitting on one end, but she couldn't be bothered to care.
She turned, gripped the hem of her skirt, and sat down. Relaxing, she leaned her tense back against the bench and let out a long breath.
"Ha..."
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the sunlight warm her cheeks through her eyelids.
"..."
Her breathing slowed, and she relaxed completely—so much so that she nearly forgot someone was sitting beside her.
"Eek—" Suddenly, something icy poked her cheek from the side, making her let out a startled squeak.
Her body jolted, and her mind cleared at once. She quickly turned her head toward the source of the cold sensation.
A popsicle...?
A perfectly wrapped, icy-cold popsicle, just the thing to cool off with in summer.
No, the point wasn't whether it was a popsicle. The point was who had offered it to her.
Following the popsicle with her eyes, Horikita soon saw the person behind the hand holding it out.
Horikita Suzune: "...?"
She thought she recognized him.
If she remembered correctly, he was the guy who had made a scene in the gym when she'd reunited with her brother. He'd put her brother in an awkward position, then left with him afterward.
"Want one?" Asakusa Toru waved the popsicle in his hand and tilted his head. "Might help clear your head."
"..."
There was a bit of a breeze, but unfortunately, the bench wasn't shaded by any trees. As noon drew closer, the sunlight grew increasingly fierce.
It was getting a little hot.
Normally, she shouldn't accept food from strangers, but... he seemed to know her brother.
So it should be fine to take it.
Besides, the wrapping looked intact, and there were people nearby. It wasn't as if she had to worry about it being poisoned.
Surely no one would dare drug something at Advanced Nurturing High School...
Horikita Suzune thought through all that, and in the end, she chose to accept the popsicle.
"Rip..." She tore open the wrapper without much thought, and wisps of cold air began to rise.
After hesitating for a moment, she stuck out her tongue and gave it a small lick.
It was sweet and icy.
Surprisingly, it made her feel a little calmer.
My Brother Called Me a Huge Dumbass
"Is that how you eat it?"
The popsicle's owner frowned in disapproval.
"Put it in your mouth." As soon as he said it, Asakusa Toru reached out and shoved the whole popsicle into Horikita Suzune's mouth.
"Mmph—" The icy cold instantly filled her mouth. Her lips and teeth briefly stuck to it as its surface began to melt, and the water coating it let the popsicle slide straight down her throat.
Her mouth was suddenly blocked, and the popsicle even went down her throat. The chill sent a jolt through her head.
She hurriedly pulled it out and glared at the reckless Asakusa Toru.
"What are you doing!" she blurted out, sounding almost like she was pouting. In the sunlight, her usually chilly face seemed surprisingly lively.
Faced with the girl's accusation, Asakusa Toru didn't seem bothered at all. He casually explained, "If you eat it like that, in a few minutes, you'll be dripping sticky sweet stuff all over your hands. It's disgusting."
"If you want to take your time, keep it in your mouth. At least it won't drip everywhere."
Asakusa Toru's reasoning made sense—so much sense that Horikita Suzune couldn't think of anything to say in response.
Her anger was abruptly stifled. All she could do was pout, turn away, and put the popsicle back in her mouth.
She had to admit, it was sweet.
Her delicate tongue curled around the melting ice, and trickles of sweet liquid slid down her throat.
Before long, only the wooden stick remained in her hand.
Horikita raised the stick and gazed at the surprisingly clear sky. The rigid thoughts in her mind seemed to begin thawing.
"...Your name," she muttered softly.
Her voice was so faint that, if the surroundings had been even a little noisy, it might have been impossible to hear.
But Asakusa Toru's hearing was decent.
"Asakusa Toru," he replied.
"Asakusa... Toru?!" Horikita whipped around and stared wide-eyed at the man beside her.
So he was Asakusa Toru?
The Asakusa Toru the diary had mentioned—the one who had made an information deal with Ryuen of Class C early on?!
Until now, Horikita Suzune hadn't known his name. But now, she finally did.
In that instant, all sorts of chaotic thoughts filled her mind.
Why was he here? Why had he offered her a popsicle? What was he trying to do? What did he want?
Then, after a brief mental storm, she came to this conclusion...
"Are you here to make fun of me?" Horikita Suzune stared straight at Asakusa Toru. She bit her lip, and a hint of grievance rose in her heart. "I'm my brother's sister. I thought I'd stopped being the useless person he used to see me as, yet I still ended up in Class D. I couldn't see through the school's true nature, and I couldn't even understand other people's hints."
"In the end, this is all I have to show for it. I've become someone people use to shift the blame, and I don't even know what I should do..." As she kept talking, Horikita Suzune felt that the little grievance in her heart was quietly growing.
Before you continue