Suzune Horikita Is in a Tight Spot. / Hikaru Hashima: I'll Make You Regret It!
[First Grade: Hashiba Hikaru]
"Ooooh ooooh!!!"
"It really is Classmate Hashiba! That's great! Now your name is known throughout the entire school!"
"That's amazing!!"
The students of Class A gathered around the boy to congratulate him. After everyone had finished speaking, Ichinose Honami, his girlfriend, slowly stepped to stand next to Hashiba Hikaru and took his hand.
"It's finally over, this Sports Festival."
The girl let out a sigh of relief; the fierce competition was over, and everyone could finally get some rest.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Honami."
Hashiba Hikaru squeezed the other's soft little hand. After he won against Horikita Manabu by a few milliseconds in the final match, the Second Year Kiriyama- senpai had already sent a text message accepting the result.
The next step is to compete with Miyabi Nagumo for control of the Student Council. Before Horikita Manabu steps down, he still has a lot to do.
"Please, Guang, always stay by my side and lead the class forward."
"I will."
301
Chapter 301 Horikita Suzune is in a predicament.
At 6 p. m., the Sports Festival, which had lasted all day, finally came to an end. After all the results were settled, the staff in uniforms began to clean up the venue, and the students were arranged to leave one after another. The once noisy stadium gradually quieted down.
After their resounding victory, the students of Class A of the First Year had been discussing when to hold Celebration Party. Hashiba Hikaru didn't want to interrupt their jubilation and decided to entrust the matter entirely to Ichinose Honami, as he had other things to do.
"Won't you discuss this with us?"
The pink-haired girl looked at the other person's quiet profile and asked with some confusion.
"I need to go to Ryuen to reclaim the two million points we won!"
Hashiba Hikaru shrugged and smiled, saying, "This matter should be resolved soon, so leave it to me."
"Don't you need me to come along?"
"This isn't a big deal. Our class's Celebration Party is much more important."
Hashiba Hikaru looked at her excited classmates and whispered to the girl, "Let Honami manage the discussion. It's okay if it exceeds the budget. Everyone has put in a lot of effort today, so we should reward them properly."
"Okay, I understand."
After being rejected by Hashiba Hikaru, Ichinose Honami did not show any disappointment. It was only after watching her leave that her expression changed slightly.
The girl kept recalling the scent she had smelled on her boyfriend earlier. Since she had decided to investigate on her own, she had to eliminate potential targets.
Who could it be?
Ichinose Honami's delicate brows furrowed slightly. After all, this concerned the girl's happy future, and she did not intend to confront Hashiba Hikaru before obtaining any definite clues.
"Ichinose, come here! We need to discuss where to hold the Celebration Party."
"Okay, I understand."
--
When Hashiba Hikaru entered Class D' s tent alone, she discovered that Ryuen Kakeru was not there.
"What about Ryuen?"
His gaze swept over the other students who were packing their things, but he didn't see the arrogant long-haired man.
"Ryuen has gone to the infirmary."
A boy from Class D with short hair, upon seeing Hashiba Hikaru, replied as if he had been expecting it, "He instructed that if it's Classmate Hashiba coming, you should go directly to the infirmary to find him."
"Heh, this guy's pretty good at ordering people around."
Hashiba Hikaru chuckled twice, not paying any attention to such a trivial matter.
After walking for five or six minutes into the school, he saw Ibuki Rei, Shiina Hiyori, and the tall Yamada- kun at the entrance of the infirmary.
"Oh, you're all here."
Hashiba Hikaru greeted the group with a smile.
What are you doing here?
Ibuki retorted rather rudely.
"Of course we're here to collect debts. You haven't forgotten about the bet, have you?"
Hashiba Hikaru's gaze passed over the people standing at the door of the infirmary and saw the scene inside.
To his surprise, an old acquaintance was standing inside.
The black-haired girl had her back to the door, while Ryuen Kakeru stood in front of the hospital bed, seemingly saying something to Horikita Suzune.
"How's it going? I heard your Sudoku club made quite a bit of money. If you give me two million, I'll make sure Kinoshita- kun doesn't pursue the matter further. That's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"
Hashiba Hikaru heard Ryuen Kakeru's voice, and her expression immediately became amused.
So this guy was planning to get two million this way? That's quite an idea.
"..."
Faced with Ryuen's request, Horikita Suzune fell silent. She seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of the decision, since earning points was not easy and the girl couldn't make the decision immediately.
Because the other person had their back to her, Hashiba Hikaru couldn't see her face clearly, but she could roughly imagine it.
At this moment, the boy also looked at the situation on the hospital bed. The agile Kinoshita classmate was lying there quietly, her right leg was wrapped in a thick bandage, and her condition did not look optimistic.
Was it the time I fell during the obstacle course race?
Hashiba Hikaru recalled the only match in which Horikita Suzune and her opponent made physical contact, but the situation was somewhat chaotic at the time, and Kinoshita did indeed finish last.
"If it's just an injury, it shouldn't require such a huge sum of points as two million. I can offer Kinoshita some compensation, around six hundred thousand."
Horikita Suzune's voice lacked confidence when proposing her solution, knowing that the other party might not compromise so easily.
Upon hearing her bargaining, Ryuen sneered, "I say... are you mistaken? This isn't the place for you to haggle!"
"After Kinoshita got injured, she lost the chance to win first place in the group, and she couldn't play in the subsequent matches. Do you know how much of a loss this was for our class?"
"Two million, no bargaining. Not only that, you also need to apologize to Kinoshita!"
Upon hearing this, Hashiba Hikaru, who had been watching the spectacle, suddenly smiled. He understood the current situation. After going through his thoughts in his mind, the boy waited for the right moment to make his appearance.
"Toshitaza?"
Horikita Suzune's expression changed instantly, and she immediately said that this was simply impossible.
"Heh, if you're planning to make a big fuss about this, you might end up not being able to handle it."
Ryuen continued to exert pressure, saying, "It's clearly your fault, yet you're putting on such an arrogant act. It's unbelievable."
"I'm giving you one last chance. Pay me the money and kneel in apology, and I'll let Kinoshita drop the matter."
The cold words represented Ryuen's warning. Horikita Suzune certainly didn't want things to escalate. If the other party made accusations, even if she was really innocent, the investigation process would definitely be reported to the Student Council.
The girl, who didn't want to trouble her brother, suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness. It was obvious that this was a premeditated trap, but she couldn't find a way to break the deadlock.
[Hateful...]
After a long internal struggle, Horikita Suzune seemed to have made up her mind. Just before she was about to speak, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Who?"
The girl turned her head warily, only to find a very familiar face.
"This is quite a show! Let me participate too!"
Hashiba Hikaru stood next to Horikita Suzune and looked at Ryuen Kakeru, saying, "So this is how you plan to get two million Private Points."
"This has nothing to do with you. Just wait on the sidelines!"
Upon seeing Hashiba Hikaru suddenly appear, Ryuen's heart skipped a beat; the other's arrival stirred up his previously confident mood.
"Hey, don't be in such a hurry. I'm a member of the Student Council. Of course I can intervene when you're discussing such important accusations."
After giving a brief explanation, Hashiba Hikaru looked at Kinoshita, who was sitting on the hospital bed, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the accusation you're making is that Horikita knocked Kinoshita, causing her to seriously injure her leg, which resulted in this situation, right?"
"Certainly."
Ryuen Kakeru looked at Hashiba Hikaru's face and realized that the other party was planning to cause trouble for him, so he hurriedly said, "Didn't you want points? Just stand quietly to the side and watch. I'll transfer the points to you after I get them."
"Of course not. As I've already said, I'm here as a member of the Student Council to help my fellow students solve their problems. It's my duty, and I certainly can't just stand by and do nothing."
Hashiba Hikaru wore a serious expression, but to Ryuen, it was just plain disgusting.
"Horikita, please tell me what just happened. It's very necessary."
The boy turned to look at Horikita Suzune's pretty face. Although his tone didn't change, he secretly winked at the girl.
"..."
After receiving such a blatant hint, Horikita Suzune suddenly felt that the powerlessness in her heart had found an outlet. After letting out a long sigh, she placed her small hands on her chest and slowly explained.
"After the Sports Festival ended, I received a message from my homeroom Chabashira-sensei, saying that someone had made accusations against me and that I needed to come to the infirmary to see Kinoshita."
"When I got there, I saw that Kinoshita's leg seemed to be badly injured. Then Ryuen explained the situation to me and asked me to pay two million points as compensation. You probably heard the rest, right?"
"I see."
Hashiba Hikaru nodded, then walked to Kinoshita's bedside. Her face was indeed pale, and not only that, her legs wrapped in bandages didn't look fake; she must have really been seriously injured.
"Kinoshita- kun, did Horikita really do your injury?"
"Yes, she suddenly moved closer during the obstacle course, and I didn't react in time, so I tripped over her."
Kinoshita's expression held a hint of anger. "Otherwise, I would definitely have gotten first place!"
"I see."
After finishing his questioning, Ryuen Kakeru Sho, already quite impatient, sneered, "Hey, Detective Hashiba, are you done asking? Can you give your conclusion now?"
"Look at what you're saying! If such an important matter is ended so hastily, it would be irresponsible to the safety of the students. Since Kinoshita- kun has been injured so badly, of course I have to get to the bottom of this!"
Hashiba Hikaru adopted a righteous and indignant expression, then turned to look at Horikita Suzune's pretty face.
"Horikita, after you tripped Kinoshita- kun, what was the condition of her leg?"
"I don't think it was that serious at the time; there must be something wrong!"
Having just received a suggestive look from Hashiba Hikaru, Horikita Suzune knew that the other party must have some ideas, and that it was best for her to quickly distance herself from the situation.
"Is that so?"
Hashiba Hikaru nodded again, then looked at Ryuen Kakeru's gloomy face and said, "It seems their testimonies don't match. What should we do? What do you think, Ryuen?"
~~~~~
302
Chapter 302 Hashiba Hikaru: I'll teach you a lesson!
Upon hearing Hashiba Hikaru Hashima's affected question, Ryuen Kakeru's expression turned quite unpleasant.
However, in order to complete this plan, the long-haired man did not immediately turn hostile, but coldly continued, "How should I know? Since Classmate Hashiba has said that you are a member of the Student Council, then this matter is naturally your responsibility to handle. I hope you can give us a satisfactory answer."
"That's natural, I won't favor either side."
The girl nodded, and after glancing at Horikita Suzune's expression, she continued, "Horikita- san, after you and Kinoshita- san fell down together, what were the details of what happened to her? Just a brief description will do."
"She seemed to cry out in pain at the time. When I stood up to continue running towards the finish line, I checked on her condition. At that time Kinoshita could stand steadily, not like she is now."
Horikita Suzune recounted the situation: because she didn't give up after falling, she didn't check the other person's wounds; otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
"So that's how it is."
Hashiba Hikaru nodded again and slowly analyzed, "You two bumped into each other for some reason. Horikita chose to continue, while Kinoshita had to give up due to leg pain, so she got last place."
"Yes... my legs were hurting so badly that I couldn't stand up at all."
Having just received a signal from Ryuen Kinoshita, Kinoshita took the initiative to continue the conversation.
Were you already in so much pain that you couldn't move at all?
Hashiba Hikaru pressed for an answer.