Horikita Suzune's Birthday Party. / The Birthday Party's True Purpose.

"... If you're not satisfied, I can find a way to Gaga."

"Need not."

After realizing that the other party was not lying, the dissatisfaction on Kushida Kikyo's face finally disappeared, and a gentle and pleasant smile returned.

Gazing at the boy's gentle expression, she suddenly tiptoed and pecked Hashiba Hikaru on the cheek, her voice becoming sweet and affectionate, "If Hikari really wants it, you can come find me anytime~"

"Tch, bitch!"

Hashiba Hikaru rolled her eyes and tapped her on the head.

Chapter 570 Horikita Suzune's Birthday Party.

Having resolved Kushida Kikyo's questioning, Hashiba Hikaru Hashima returned to the classroom and immediately began reviewing her lessons. Final Exam were just around the corner, and she needed to work even harder.

After school, the boy went to the Student Council as usual. Just as he reached the corridor leading to the Student Council office, he ran into Horikita Suzune again. She must have been waiting there on purpose.

"Classmate Hashiba."

"Have you reserved your seats yet?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and led Horikita Suzune to the balcony next door. Since the birthday party was scheduled for 5:30, they should hurry up with their Student Council work today.

"Yes, I've already spoken with the restaurant manager. We're not inviting many people this time; a small private room will suffice."

Horikita Suzune and Hashiba Hikaru finalized the list of invitees. In addition to Horikita Manabu, the boy also asked her to invite several students from Class D.

"That's good. Let's go together later."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently. Since becoming the Student Council President, he has been considering another issue and expects to make a decision in the next few days.

"Um."

The birthday party guest list invited by Horikita Suzune included Hashiba Hikaru, Horikita Manabu, Hirata Yosuke, the head of Class D, and two girls who were in the same group as her at the Forest School: Matsushita Chiaki and Onodera Kayano.

The Student Council's work hasn't been too busy these past few days. Hashiba Hikaru entrusted a few people to advance his renovation plan for the Student Council offices. After the plan was shown to several key members of the Art Club, it's now taking shape, and the boy plans to announce it after the Final Exam.

After finishing most of the Student Council work, Hashiba Hikaru stamped the last document that required the Student Council's signature. He tidied up the documents, stood up, and stretched his joints.

"It should be about time."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the black-haired girl sitting not far away. The girl had also finished her work for the day and was now packing her schoolbag.

He turned around and gave his subordinates a few important instructions, then walked straight out of the Student Council office.

About a minute or two later, the black-haired girl caught up.

"What is Classmate Hashiba going to say to her brother today?"

Walking down the street, Horikita Suzune asked about it, she was a little curious.

"It's about some student Student Council matters, and Horikita-senpai is leaving the school soon, so I think you probably have something to say to him too."

The graduation ceremony for the third year is usually held after the end of the Third Semester. After spring break, in April, students like Nagumo will move up to the third year.

"I..."

A complex light flashed in Horikita Suzune's clear eyes. Even after gaining her brother's approval, her goal remained unchanged; she still wanted to strive for Class A.

However, after starting to date Hashiba Hikaru, the girl would unconsciously think of his face every day. Although she could control herself, she still felt that she couldn't tell her brother about this.

"Don't be too nervous. After all, you're siblings, and the bond between family members is very important."

Hashiba Hikaru gazed at the road ahead, her voice gentle, "Whatever you say, as long as Horikita-senpai understands your true thoughts, that's enough."

"I see."

Horikita Suzune nodded. Although she couldn't reveal her special relationship with Hashiba Hikaru, the black-haired girl felt it would be nice to explain her future plans to her brother.

The two walked for a while and soon arrived at the agreed restaurant. Just as they stepped inside, the boy saw a familiar figure.

"Horikita-senpai?"

The expressionless third-year student sat in the living room's rest area. When he saw Hashiba Hikaru and Horikita Suzune walking over together, he immediately looked over.

"You've arrived."

"Horikita-senpai is here really early. There's still some time before the agreed time, isn't there?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and agreed.

"I just arrived a little earlier than you, don't worry about it."

Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses. Although his expression was calm, Hashiba Hikaru noticed that the cup of tea on the other person's table had completely gone cold. In a heated restaurant, this was not something that could be caused by leaving it a little while earlier.

After a slight smile, the boy took the initiative to control the conversation.

"Horikita-senpai, today is Horikita's birthday, and she's very happy to have you here."

At this point, Hashiba Hikaru gestured with her eyes for Horikita Suzune to take the initiative to speak.

"Yes, Horikita-senpai... I'm glad you could come."

Although Horikita Suzune felt an instinctive nervousness when facing Horikita Manabu, the Hashiba Hikaru standing beside her helped the girl remain calm.

"Since it's a birthday, it's good to make it a lively occasion."

Horikita Manabu nodded, his tone still devoid of emotion, as if he didn't care at all. "Now that the host is here, let's hurry into the private room."

"That's natural. The cake probably won't arrive until six o'clock today, so we can have dinner first."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at her phone clock; it was only 5:40, and there was still some time before the cake arrived.

Led by the shop assistant, the three walked towards the reserved private room. Since there were only five people invited today, when choosing seats, Hashiba Hikaru let Horikita Manabu choose first, while he sat down next to the black-haired girl.

"We've already ordered the dishes in advance. Since it's winter now, we instructed the chef to wait until everyone arrives before starting to cook, so the food will taste even better."

Hashiba Hikaru explained the matter to Horikita Manabu, who simply nodded slightly and offered no further comment.

After a while, the other three invited students arrived. Although they were somewhat surprised by Horikita Manabu's appearance, under Hashiba Hikaru's smooth control, everyone quickly started chatting happily.

When the steaming hot dishes were served, everyone at the birthday party began to enjoy the meal.

Although the bespectacled third-grade boy was eating, he was actually secretly observing his younger sister's condition. He was observing the changes in Horikita Suzune over this period of time, but some information he gleaned surprised Horikita Manabu.

First, there's Horikita Suzune's mental state. Her originally aloof and arrogant personality seems to have changed, as evidenced by her taking the initiative to hold a birthday party. When her invited classmates talk to her, she doesn't show any signs of rejection. That's one point.

Secondly, Horikita Manabu noticed that his younger sister would often stare blankly at Hashiba Hikaru's profile.

What exactly happened?

Could there be some other relationship between them besides friendship?

Horikita Manabu kept his questions in mind until he saw Horikita Suzune pick up a piece of beef and put it into Hashiba Hikaru's bowl. The girl even blew on it, as if she was worried that the other person might get burned.

"..."

Such a thoughtful scene, when witnessed by the man, caused a cold glint to flash in his eyes.

Chapter 571 The Real Purpose of the Birthday Party

In the restaurant's private room, Hashiba Hikaru took the initiative to control the pace of the conversation while urging everyone to enjoy the food, creating a lively atmosphere for the birthday party that was only for six people.

"Final Exam are just around the corner, are you confident Classmate Hashiba?"

When Hirata Yosuke received the invitation to the birthday party, he was actually a little surprised, since Horikita Suzune never took the initiative to interact with the students of Class D. However, after arriving here, looking at Hashiba Hikaru, who spoke as if she were the master of the house, the person in charge of Class D had a few more insights.

"Not bad. Hirata's grades must be pretty good too. I wish you even better rankings."

Hashiba Hikaru Hashima stood up and refilled Hirata's glass with juice, her tone gentle.

"Classmate Hashiba. I will work hard."

Hirata Yosuke smiled and nodded.

"Everyone in Class D, keep up the good work!"

Hashiba Hikaru's gaze swept over the two girls from Class D next to her. They were both sitting to the right of Horikita Suzune, while Hirata Yosuke was to the left of the boy, and Horikita Manabu was sitting opposite Hirata.

"We also want to try our best, but unfortunately, many things can't be accomplished by wishful thinking alone."

Hirata Yosuke sighed. Due to his personality, even after being the class leader for so long, he still felt that he didn't have much control over the class.

Take your time.

Hashiba Hikaru put a piece of meat that Horikita Suzune had put in his bowl into his mouth. Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from the staff who delivered the cake.

"Hello!"

"Oh, you've arrived, right? I'll come out and get it right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Hashiba Hikaru smiled and said to everyone in the private room, "The cake has arrived. I'll go get it now. Please wait a moment."

"Yes, thank you for your Classmate Hashiba."

The three students from Class D who came to the birthday party today are all easy to get along with. Two of the girls were in the same group as Horikita Suzune during the Forest Training Camp, and they are closer to the black-haired girl than to the other girls in the class.

Hirata Yosuke has always been a kind-hearted person, and his tone is always very gentle.

The only one who put a lot of pressure on everyone was probably the former Student Council President, Horikita Manabu. He had no intention of explaining to the three students from Class D why he was there today. He just ate his meal in silence and didn't participate in any conversation.

After Hashiba Hikaru, who had been trying to lighten the mood, left to get the cake, the Hirata Yosuke was about to say something, but seeing Horikita Suzune's indifferent expression, he didn't know how to start.

"..."

After realizing this, it was Horikita Manabu who took the initiative to ease the atmosphere.

"Everyone, please feel free to relax and don't worry about me."

"Yes, we will. Thank you, Horikita-senpai."

Hirata Yosuke finally breathed a sigh of relief, just as Hashiba Hikaru returned with the cake.

"The cake has arrived, let's cut it!"

The boy walked into the private room with a big smile, carrying a very exquisite eight-inch cake. The transparent box allowed him to see the flower design on top of the cake.

Celebrating a birthday is just a simple social event, Hashiba Hikaru knows that Horikita Suzune doesn't care about it, but there are two reasons why she still urged her to agree to hold it.

The first thing is to prove to the students in Class D that he has a close relationship with Horikita Suzune, which will come in handy later.

The second reason was that he wanted to discuss some of the Student Council's future charter with the Horikita Siblings in the presence of both of them, since Horikita Suzune was quite capable and he could ask her to do some special things.

"Do the girls want more or less cream?"

Holding a cake knife, Hashiba Hikaru asked the three girls present with a smile.

"Less cream!"

The two girls from Class D spoke in unison, while Horikita Suzune calmly replied that either was fine; she didn't have a particular preference for sweets and could eat as much or as little as she wanted.

After distributing the cake to each participant, Hashiba Hikaru continued to maintain the celebratory atmosphere in the room, ensuring everyone could easily enjoy the group activity.

The gift-giving segment was the last item on the agenda. After everything was over, the three students from Class D took their leave, leaving Hashiba Hikaru and the Horikita Siblings in the private room.

"Now that everyone who was not involved has left, please tell me your real reason for inviting me here today, Hashiba."

Horikita Manabu placed the round paper plate on the table. He had only tasted a small piece of cake, demonstrating considerable self-discipline in his diet.

"Horikita-senpai is really efficient. I thought we'd have to exchange more pleasantries."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, took out two pre-printed documents from her bag, and handed them to Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu respectively.

"Take a look, everyone. This is what Nagumo left behind."

"Is that so?"

Horikita Manabu reached out and took the document, examining it closely. Horikita Suzune also looked at the document in her hand with the same seriousness. The way the two read documents was quite similar, no wonder they were siblings.

About five or six minutes later, the Horikita Siblings looked up at the same time, their expressions somewhat solemn.

"This is truly an extraordinary proposal. Has Nagumo already submitted it to the Chairman?"

Horikita Manabu reads very quickly. After memorizing all the contents of the document, he has a very strong ability to summarize and capture many key points.

"Yes, the Chairman has already filed it, but a decision on whether to implement it has not yet been made."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged and looked at Horikita Suzune sitting next to him. "Horikita- san, what are your thoughts after reading this?"

This document is actually the draft that Miyabi Nagumo had previously prepared to implement, which would present the individual abilities of all students according to quantitative indicators. Even after Miyabi Nagumo was expelled, the boy still attached great importance to this document.