Suzune Horikita's Resounding Victory!

"Suzune, do you want to have lunch with me today?"

"Answer."

"We can talk over dinner."

Kitagawa Ryo smile as he admired Horikita Suzune's expression.

"Good."

Horikita Suzune took several deep breaths before she could barely regain her usual composure.

[Class D has taken the bait]

Ryuen Kakeru coldly watched Kitagawa Ryo's performance and sent a text message on his phone:

[Class B Grouping Preparation]

Chapter Fourteen: Horikita Suzune's Great Victory!

"Liang, when I was learning to cook yesterday, I accidentally used sugar instead of salt. I didn't expect the final dish to be so delicious."

The gentle female voice carries a faint sweetness, as if a small piece has been torn from a light, fluffy cotton candy; it is the unique timbre of Shiina Hiyori.

"You can learn to cook gradually, don't rush it. Be careful, the kitchen can be a dangerous place."

In the narrow, silvery-white space, Kitagawa Ryo pressed the number four on his finger and responded softly, completely ignoring Horikita Suzune who seemed about to speak but hesitated.

"I'll definitely be careful. I recently bought some kitchen utensils specifically for beginners, and they even gave me a little apron with a pink bear pattern."

Although I really want to complain that the pink apron is impossible to keep clean, Kitagawa Ryo isn't such a spoilsport.

"Mmm, it'll definitely be super cute."

Stepping out of the elevator, Kitagawa Ryo inserted the key into the lock to open his room door, and said, holding his phone between his shoulder and arm:

"I have something to do today, I'll hang up now."

"Oh."

"Then, then... whenever Liang is free, I'll try my best!"

Even over the phone, you could feel the other person's energy. Ever since she ate Kitagawa Ryo's dessert last month, Shiina Hiyori has added a hobby called "cooking" to her studies. Perhaps she has suddenly become interested in this, or perhaps she is simply looking for a topic to talk about between the two of them.

"Good luck! I'm really looking forward to it!"

Kitagawa Ryo hung up the phone and turned a puzzled look to Horikita Suzune, who was lingering in front of her room.

Why don't you come in?

"I only agreed to have a meal with you, I didn't agree to anything else, did I?"

Horikita Suzune looked warily at Kitagawa Ryo, who had already changed into indoor shoes. It wasn't that she was afraid to enter the boys' dormitory alone, but rather that in her previous interactions with Kitagawa Ryo, she had sensed that, for some reason, the leader of Class C seemed to have always held a... strange attitude towards her that she couldn't define.

It was as if she had offended the other party before, but it wasn't just simple revenge; sometimes it even revealed a subtle sense of disappointment and frustration.

"Of course, I called you in here for dinner."

Kitagawa Ryo sat casually on the sofa and said:

"I just suddenly don't want to go to the Student Cafeteria today. There are ingredients in the kitchen, Suzune should be able to cook, right?"

Horikita Suzune had lived alone for a long time and certainly possessed excellent cooking skills, but this was the first time she had cooked for someone else. She frowned and said:

"This exceeds the conditions I agreed to; I can refuse it."

"How about 10,000 Private Points?"

Kitagawa Ryo seemed to have Horikita Suzune completely under his thumb, and even leisurely turned on the TV.

[10,000 Private Points]

For Class D, which had zero Class Points, this was a considerable sum of money. However, in Kitagawa Ryo's words, it seemed like just a bone he casually tossed out on a whim, waiting with a smile for Horikita Suzune to take the bait.

"Call..."

I promise you.

Horikita Suzune didn't feel like she was at a disadvantage; in fact, she felt she had gained a lot. After all, it was just cooking a meal for the other party, and the ingredients had already been prepared by Kitagawa Ryo. As long as she did this, she could get 10,000 points. Thinking that this was the result of her bargaining, Horikita Suzune even showed a rare smile.

Once in the kitchen, Horikita Suzune quickly got into the swing of things. She took out a hair tie from her pocket and gathered her previously loose hair into a long ponytail. She rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and, without any hesitation, picked up Kitagawa Ryo's usual apron and put it on, then skillfully tied a knot behind her back.

"Pfft."

Kitagawa Ryo suddenly burst out laughing. Horikita Suzune turned around and looked at him questioningly. A comedy variety show was playing on TV, so it seemed that his laughter was also because of the TV program. After closing the kitchen door, Horikita Suzune began to select ingredients to cook.

"I kind of miss it."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't pay any attention to what was on TV. He was just watching Horikita Suzune put on an apron and tie a knot with her hands behind her back. Suddenly, he remembered that in the last simulation, in order to change Horikita Suzune's twisted idea that she could do everything by herself and therefore didn't need friends, he immediately suggested that she wear his jacket with a zipper inside out and try to zip it up when she was alone.

As a result, Horikita Suzune tried her best, her face turning red, but she still couldn't zip up the zipper on her back.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, Kitagawa Ryo first opened the right drawer of his desk, but quickly closed it. Instead, he pulled out a stack of printed papers from the left drawer, put them in a file folder, and then opened his phone to deploy the remaining steps. Only then did he relax and let out a long sigh, pretending to continue watching TV.

"Dinner is ready."

Horikita Suzune was quick, returning with plates and bowls about thirty minutes later. Since Kitagawa Ryo hadn't given any specific instructions or requests, Horikita Suzune simply prepared a meal. The main dish was a plain cream stew, and the side dish was frozen dumplings that Kitagawa Ryo had bought at the supermarket a few days earlier, which Horikita Suzune had pan-fried. The miso soup used radish strips, and the staple food was unremarkable fried rice. Because Horikita Suzune's cooking skills weren't quite up to the point where the egg mixture completely coated the rice grains, she used the simplest method—frying the eggs first, then adding the rice. Although the fried rice wasn't cooked to perfection, it looked quite good, and the pan-fried dumplings had a nice color. Overall, it was a rather simple meal.

However, when Kitagawa Ryo turned on the light above the dining table in the living room and sat down opposite her, Horikita Suzune was still a little caught off guard. She didn't seem to have expected that the two of them would be so close. Unlike the spacious dining area of Student Cafeteria, although they were eating at the same table, the fact that the location was now a room made Horikita Suzune feel a little awkward.

The last time she cooked for two people... it seems like it wasn't the last time.

When Horikita Suzune ate at the same table with her brother, she hadn't yet learned to cook. After she learned to cook, she no longer had the opportunity to eat with him.

She gently scooped up some rice with a spoon and put it in her mouth to chew. The Matoba her childhood was like an ancient road where she had once walked, but now it had been completely submerged, as distant as a daydream on the horizon, with the moss of time blocking all the gaps.

The two ate their meal in silence, each with their own thoughts. They were as tacitly in sync as old friends, even finishing their food at roughly the same time.

"Your conditions have been fulfilled."

Horikita Suzune even took the initiative to clean the tableware. Only after the clean plates and bowls were put back in the cupboard did she gracefully loosen the hair tie, letting her long, black hair cascade down like a waterfall.

"Yes, here's what you wanted."

Kitagawa Ryo did not make any further demands as Horikita Suzune had anticipated. Instead, he generously handed the answer on the table to Horikita Suzune.

How can I believe the authenticity of this answer?

After receiving the answer, Horikita Suzune casually flipped through a couple of pages, seemingly without any pretense, but she still stared intently at Kitagawa Ryo. After being tricked so many times, she found it hard to believe that Kitagawa Ryo would actually hand over the correct answer to her so easily.

Whether you believe it or not is your business; the answer has already been given to you.

Kitagawa Ryo didn't waste any more words:

"I have other things to do, Suzune, you can go now."

Horikita Suzune glanced at Kitagawa Ryo again, seemingly trying to glean some clues from his expression, but the other remained unchanged, revealing nothing at all.

Filled with suspicion, Horikita Suzune had no choice but to leave with the answer key. She planned to study it carefully when she got back. With her academic ability, she was confident that she could spot any tricks Class C might try to sabotage the answer key.

Just as Horikita Suzune, holding the answer, stepped into the elevator to return to her room, a sudden phone call instantly disrupted her plans.

The caller was an unfamiliar number; at least, Horikita Suzune didn't have that person in her contacts.

Hello.

"I am Ichinose Honami. Are you Horikita Suzune?"

Ichinose Honami? I think she's the class representative of Class B, but I don't usually interact with her much.

Horikita Suzune frowned and asked:

"It's me. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Did you just get a copy of the 'Midterm Exam answer key' from Kitagawa?"

"..."

Before Horikita Suzune could figure out how to answer, Ichinose Honami had already sensed the shift in the tense from her tacit agreement, and she quickly said:

"That answer is fake!"

"So, you overheard Ryuen Kakeru and Ishizaki Daichi from Class C plotting something an hour ago?"

Taking a small sip of her coffee, Horikita Suzune cast a suspicious glance at Ichinose Honami across from her.

"Yes, this morning when I passed by the Special Building, I overheard the students from Class C discussing how to deal with Class D."

Ichinose Honami nodded very seriously:

"This answer key is a fake answer they prepared beforehand. Although the solution to each question is correct, the key points and scope of the questions are wrong."

Upon hearing Ichinose Honami's words, Horikita Suzune didn't immediately open the file folder to confirm; instead, she asked suspiciously:

"Why did you remind me? Even if Class C really is trying to frame Class D, what does that have to do with your Class B?"

"I just feel there's more to this than meets the eye."

Ichinose Honami, who originally wanted to have a peaceful exchange, had her hopes dashed by Horikita Suzune's decisive words.

Ichinose Honami understood the meaning behind Horikita Suzune's words, and tilted her head with a smile:

"You mean something like secretly plotting to hinder Class C or Class D?"

Ichinose Honami gave an expression that seemed to say, "What a pity."

"You don't need to be so wary, do you? Besides, I really just want to help your Class D."

"I cannot understand your motives and thoughts."

Horikita Suzune turned her gaze to the window.

"Why should Class B help Class D, especially since you, as the class monitor, have to come and remind them personally?"

"This shouldn't be related to whether Class B or Class D, right? You never know when or who this kind of framing will happen to. Because this school makes classes compete with each other, life is always fraught with the danger of disputes."

I think this isn't the first time this has happened, right? Class D must have suffered a blow from Class C before, right?

Ichinose Honami offered her explanation, and seeing that Horikita Suzune remained silent, she didn't mind and continued:

"If the liar keeps winning, it will be a very troublesome problem. Besides, now that I know all about it, I personally cannot just sit idly by."

"I hope everyone can get along amicably while competing. It may sound naive, but it's truly my honest opinion."

"This might seem hypocritical to you, but I don't think I'm carrying such a heavy burden. I'm just acting according to my conscience."

After Ichinose Honami finished speaking sincerely, Horikita Suzune finally nodded reluctantly.

"Considering the current point difference between Class C and Class B, it's actually reasonable for Class B to seek an alliance."

Horikita Suzune stood up and replied:

"Although I believe I can figure out Kitagawa Ryo's design after studying the answer, I still appreciate your reminder."

As soon as she finished speaking, she left without hesitation. However, Ichinose Honami did not show any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, she was somewhat glad that she had Salvation Class D from Class C's scheme. If Class C's plan had failed this time, they might have given up their continuous harassment of Class B students in the future.

With this in mind, Ichinose Honami drank her hot cocoa and smiled brightly.

On her way back to the dormitory, Horikita Suzune started flipping through the answers. Just as Ichinose Honami had said, the answers were all correct. If you weren't familiar with the exam scope and key points, it would be easy to be fooled.

But--

She held one of the test questions in her hand, a slight smile curving her lips.

One of the most important test points within the exam scope, which she repeatedly emphasized the students in Class D should memorize, was the subject of a question on induction and Francis Bacon. However, there wasn't a single question on these topics.

Just as she said to Ichinose Honami, even without her reminder—

She, Horikita Suzune, was also able to find the flaws in this answer through her own abilities.

Moreover, when she went to Kitagawa Ryo's house to cook earlier, she noticed something: when Kitagawa Ryo opened the left drawer to take out the answer, she opened the right drawer, looked through something, and then closed it. This, combined with the confident demeanor of Yamawaki from Class C that she met this morning and the seemingly plausible "fake" answer in his hand, made her think of this.

Horikita Suzune could be certain that Kitagawa Ryo definitely had the real answers to the midterm exam, and they were very likely in the right drawer of his desk.

What troubled Horikita Suzune was how she could obtain the real answer.

It must be said that Horikita Suzune's mind was quite quick; after recalling the events of the day, she already had a plan:

"Is there something you need, Suzune?"

Kitagawa Ryo opened the door, still half-asleep, as if he had just woken up from a nap.

"I left a hair clip in your kitchen around noon. Could I go in and look for it?"