Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! Chapter 27

Over the next two days, she managed her spending quite well, keeping her daily expenses within 1,000 points.

However—

A record on the fifth day made her fingertips pause.

Transfer to Shimizu Akira: 80,000 points Deluxe set meal: 1,000 points Transfer to Shimizu Akira: 100 points

These three expenditures instantly slashed her balance down to 13,000 points.

She stared at the screen, silent for a moment.

Her fingertip traced lightly over the record for the deluxe set meal—that was something Horikita Suzune had offered to buy for Shimizu Akira of her own volition. As for the 100 points for the miso soup, that was merely to settle a debt of gratitude.

"So... is it Shimizu Akira who took the majority of my points?" she whispered to herself, though there was little anger in her tone, replaced instead by a hint of self-mockery.

Thinking about it carefully, this transaction was indeed a losing deal.

One of the pieces of information she had obtained in exchange for those 80,000 points had been treated as mere gossip by Kushida Kikyou at school today.

In other words, what she had paid a high price for back then was nothing more than the information regarding the class sorting based on ability.

Strangely, Horikita Suzune couldn't bring herself to blame Shimizu Akira.

The first thought that surfaced in her mind was instead: had she been too rash?

After all, from beginning to end, the other party had never forced her.

It was she who had approached him, and it was she who had willingly transferred those 80,000 points.

What was even more ironic was that she hadn't anticipated at the time that she would face the predicament of paying class fees just a few days later.

Horikita Suzune had never once considered asking for those 80,000 points back.

She knew very well that if not for Chabashira Sae's interference today, Shimizu Akira would never have provided that information to Class D for free.

It had been a fair, clean transaction—the content was clear, the process transparent, and no one could find a single fault with it.

But what truly bothered her was a deeper issue of pride.

"I must never be looked down upon by him..."

The moment this thought flashed through her mind, she felt as if she could see Shimizu Akira's eyes, filled with surprise.

Just imagining that scene made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles, her breathing quickening involuntarily.

Compared to the massive loss of points, this feeling of being looked down upon by Shimizu Akira was even harder to endure.

"These 25,000 points... when it comes down to it, they are also a tribute to Shimizu Akira."

Although nominally it was Chabashira Sae who had fronted the million points, tracing it back to the source, these class fees were essentially flowing into Shimizu Akira's pocket.

Thinking of this, she suddenly realized an absurd fact—all the points in her account, after circling around, had actually ended up in that person's hands.

"80,000 points for information... 25,000 for class fees..." Her fingertip slid rapidly across the terminal, suddenly stopping at a certain record, "Right! I also have that 5,000-point bonus from the swimming lesson..."

These numbers were calculated rapidly in her mind, finally settling on a sum so precise it was startling—105,000 points.

Horikita Suzune's recent income happened to be exactly 105,000, and the points Shimizu Akira had taken from her also totaled 105,000.

There really wasn't a single point left!

This number was too perfect, so perfect it felt almost intentional.

The annoyance that should have welled up in her heart was replaced by a more complex emotion.

Horikita Suzune's fingertip pressed lightly against her lower lip, and the image of Shimizu Akira's perpetually composed demeanor surfaced clearly in her mind.

This feeling of being completely seen through was too familiar, so familiar it made her chest tighten.

—It was just like playing chess, where one unknowingly has all their moves controlled by the opponent.

It might just be a coincidence, yet it was so perfect it felt like a meticulously designed script.

This terrifying level of control made her involuntarily think of the person who always stood on high, looking down at her.

"He's really... just like my brother..."

Horikita Manabu—that brother who had been held up as a model for her since childhood, always holding her to harsh standards. If not for following in his footsteps, she would never have chosen this school.

Her fingertip unconsciously wound a strand of her long hair.

This long, black hair was in itself a silent vow.

Back at the pool, Shimizu Akira hadn't been wrong at all.

She was just... not yet willing to admit it in front of the person who always saw through everything.

That day when Kushida Kikyou had belittled Shimizu Akira right in front of her, she hadn't been able to stop herself from speaking up to refute it.

Because she knew better than anyone—just how hard that seemingly ordinary guy was working.

At 6:30 in the morning on the second day of school, when she pulled back her curtains as usual, she had seen that figure running on the track.

The school track was one kilometer per lap, and Shimizu Akira ran ten laps every single day without fail.

This habit had continued from the second day of school until now, never once broken.

As Horikita Suzune thought of her brother, her gaze fell involuntarily onto her phone screen.

At the very top of her contact list, beneath the name "Horikita Manabu," the message she had sent after school was still displayed:

Horikita Suzune: Brother, now that I have also joined Advanced Nurturing High School, I will prove it to you! I am no longer the person I was back then; I will show you my resolve!

048 You just gave me sixteen thousand points! Why are you slandering me again!

The message status had shown "Read" for several hours.

Just as she was about to give up on waiting, the screen suddenly lit up—

Horikita Manabu: Come find me behind the first-year dormitory.

This prompted Horikita Suzune to change into her uniform at top speed, but she stopped abruptly before opening the door.

Because her phone had suddenly vibrated again.

Shimizu Akira: Good evening, Horikita-san.

This message made her fingertips freeze instantly.

Shimizu Akira had taken the initiative to message her?

Outside the window, the night had deepened.

Receiving a message from a member of the opposite sex at this hour made her nerves tighten involuntarily.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the door and the screen several times, and finally, her fingers tapped out a line:

Horikita Suzune: What is it? I am very busy, please state your business directly.

The moment she pressed the send button, she let out a soft breath.

This was already an exceptional response—had it been anyone else, she wouldn't even have bothered to leave them on read.

Shimizu Akira: Do you remember our last transaction?

Her fingertips tapped lightly, replying briefly and with restraint:

Horikita Suzune: I remember.

The next second, a new message popped up—

Shimizu Akira: I intend to refund you 16,000 points.

Her breathing hitched imperceptibly.

Refunding points?

Her gaze subconsciously swept toward her own balance—9,900. Adding this 16,000 would be just enough to make up the 25,000 for the class fund...

Horikita Suzune: What do you mean? What are the conditions?

The other party replied quickly.

Shimizu Akira: Do you remember the rules I mentioned? I once told you that information fees come with a 20% discount. You paid 80,000 last time, so by the rules, I should refund you 16,000.

After a slight pause, he added another line:

Shimizu Akira: This is not meant as charity.

Horikita Suzune stared at that final sentence, her fingertip resting unconsciously against the edge of the screen.

So that's it...

He was simply fulfilling the terms of the transaction, nothing more.

It was neither pity nor some ulterior motive.

But a subtle sense of incongruity spread in the depths of her heart.

He clearly calculated this perfectly...

This feeling of being precisely looked after was, unexpectedly, not something she found repulsive.

But proud as she was, she would never allow herself to accept a favor unilaterally.

In the dialogue box, she had originally typed a line: I cannot accept your points directly, I will pay you back double next month—

But empty promises like that are meaningless; I might not even have 50,000 points next month.

She pursed her lips and deleted the second half of the sentence, character by character.

In the end, what she sent was the most practical return she could offer at the moment:

Horikita Suzune: I cannot accept your points directly. I will help you tutor your Japanese! Your Japanese grades are ridiculously bad; this will be an equivalent exchange.

The other end of the screen replied quickly:

Shimizu Akira: Fine! That would be a huge help to me as well.

Shimizu Akira: Speaking of which, I am currently taking a walk near the dormitory, and I just saw your brother.

Only upon seeing this did Horikita Suzune suddenly realize that she had kept her brother waiting for a long time.

Moreover, Shimizu Akira was taking a walk near the dormitory?

She barely had time to reply to Shimizu Akira before she slammed the door shut and ran out.

Behind the dormitory, by the time Horikita Suzune arrived at the meeting spot, Horikita Manabu had already been standing there for a long time.

The words she had prepared beforehand swirled in her throat.

Thinking of how Shimizu Akira might appear suddenly at any moment, she subconsciously blurted out that very unfamiliar address, "President Horikita, did you need something from me?"

"Suzune..." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses. "You're actually calling me President?"

"I had assumed," he said, walking slowly toward her, "that you would be as eager as you were in the past to show me those... insignificant changes."

He emphasized the last word heavily. "Completely disregarding the distance that should exist between a student and the Student Council President."

"It seems..." Horikita Manabu came to a stop in front of her, a look she had never seen before flashing in his condescending gaze, "you have finally begun to understand the proper boundaries in interpersonal relationships."

This tone, bordering on praise, made Suzune's heart warm.

"Brother... I am no longer..." she started to say instinctively, but the moment the title left her lips, she saw a chilling coldness flash in her brother's eyes.

Horikita Manabu took half a step back, looking at her with eyes full of utter disappointment. "Are you planning on spouting that nonsense again? ...So, it was just my imagination after all."

Suzune felt a sense of suffocation.

Her brother's voice was soft, yet it pierced her eardrums like an ice pick.

"I heard you were placed in Class D." He sneered. "Exactly the same as three years ago; you only ever stare at my back, yet you cannot even see your own greatest flaw. Choosing this school seems to be yet another failure on your part."

"...I was placed in Class D, there must be something wrong with the placement system..." Suzune began to defend herself without a second thought.

Horikita Manabu's voice suddenly rose.

"Enough!"

He stepped forward abruptly. "Are you still making excuses for yourself at this stage? Still questioning the placement system? How utterly foolish! Is it only after suffering some hardship that you will be willing to reflect on yourself?"

Horikita Suzune's shoulders flinched involuntarily.