Apology

"Sudou will come to apologize to you tomorrow. When he does, just give him an easy way out."

"Sudou might be straightforward, but he doesn't have any other bad habits, and he values loyalty. Most importantly, winning him over costs almost no effort."

In fact, even before the study session ended, Sudou was already regretting it.

Not long after leaving, he contacted Suzuki Tsubame via his phone to probe Horikita's stance.

Because of his family situation, he didn't want to leave this place.

If he left now, his dream would be completely over.

"Win over Sudou?"

Horikita frowned.

That guy had a simple mind and a strong body.

Aside from causing trouble, she couldn't figure out what use Sudou could possibly be.

This was exactly what Suzuki Tsubame worried about—that she might think Sudou was useless and deliberately make things hard for him.

Sudou was already insecure. If she didn't show him any kindness now, he would definitely explode again, and then reconciling would be difficult.

"Suzune-chan, don't underestimate Sudou. Sure, he has a bad temper and low intelligence."

"But his physical ability ranks among the top five in the class."

"Last month's exam was on virtue, this month's is on intelligence. How long do you think it'll be before the physical exam?"

Physical exam?

Horikita suddenly understood.

Right, if even a behavioral exam had come out, could the physical exam be far behind?

Horikita nodded, and her cool voice rang out again.

"I understand. I won't make things hard for him."

A teachable child.

Suzuki Tsubame stroked his non-existent beard.

The sea breeze swayed, and waves tumbled and rolled.

The early summer sea breeze still carried a hint of chill.

"Suzune, are you cold?"

Horikita's body was healthy, but she was very sensitive to the cold, as could be seen from the Uninhabited Island Exam.

Her earlobes were slightly red—probably from the cold.

"A little."

Just as I thought, Suzune is especially sensitive to the cold.

Even though her physical constitution wasn't low, was it because she was a cool-toned beauty?

Suzuki Tsubame took off his school blazer and draped it over Horikita.

His own physique had already reached the human limit.

Back in the day, blowing in the sea breeze like this for half an hour would have definitely given him a cold.

"Let me warm you up a bit more. Can't let you catch a chill."

This guy actually had some gentlemanly manners. Horikita felt a warmth in her heart.

Aside from her mother, even her father and brother had never cared for her like this.

Just as Horikita reached her hands out toward Suzuki Tsubame, he crouched down.

Mm... the touch was cool, firm yet smooth, soft and elastic—truly a fine pair of legs.

Speaking of which, Horikita had studied so many things; human aesthetics must have been among them.

Suzuki Tsubame here thanks his future in-laws.

Just as Suzuki Tsubame was diligently warming Horikita up, the girl took offense first.

"Thump!"

That was definitely the sound of a good head.

"Ouch!"

It didn't actually hurt. He was faking it, naturally to let Horikita vent her anger.

Horikita wasn't really angry either. She knew very well how great her own charm was. If she had a slightly better personality, the most popular girl in Class D wouldn't be Kushida.

Time slipped by quietly.

The next day.

Kushida was indeed quick to act. There was no shortage of probing gazes from the front rows toward Horikita's seat.

It seems everyone already knows what happened yesterday.

Suzune herself appears completely unconcerned, paying no heed to the stares around her.

As class approaches, Sudo finally arrives late, all by himself.

Entering through the back door, he doesn't pause at his own seat at all, walking straight to Horikita's desk.

His tall figure completely blocks Horikita from view, and the classmates can't help but break out in a cold sweat for her.

Hirata Yosuke is already on standby, ready to rush forward and stop Sudo without hesitation at the slightest sign of aggression.

As one of the main characters in this incident, Sudo is visibly nervous, his face flushed bright red.

He struggles to steady his breathing, trying to calm himself down.

"Horikita, I couldn't control my emotions yesterday. I'm sorry!"

Another classic perfect 90-degree bow.

Whether it's gratitude, apology, asking for help, or even a confession, the people of this island nation are always keen on bowing and kneeling.

His words come out fast—looks like Sudo rehearsed a lot last night.

Horikita reaches out to help Sudo up, her tone sincere:

"About what happened yesterday afternoon, I was in the wrong too... I shouldn't have said those things to you. I hope you can forgive me."

Her expression is a bit stiff; she really isn't suited for this kind of people-pleasing.

Fortunately, Sudo doesn't mind.

He scratches his head, embarrassed, and says:

"You were right yesterday. I'm really not that smart."

Self-awareness is a good thing. Compared to Yamauchi, Sudo is far better.

Thinking this, Suzuki Tsubame chimes in from the side:

"Sudo, the knowledge in a person's brain isn't something you're born with."

"If you're willing to learn, getting smarter is just a matter of time."

With that, he subtly shoots Horikita a look.

Horikita catches on and turns to Sudo:

"Suzuki's right. As long as you're willing to study, you can come to me with any questions you don't understand."

"Thank you, Horikita."

Sudo's gaze is full of gratitude, then he turns to Suzuki Tsubame, speaking earnestly:

"And Suzuki, thank you too."

"From now on, if there's ever anything you need me for, just say the word. As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."

The recruitment goes surprisingly smoothly.

In truth, if you understand Sudo well enough, you'd know why he acted this way.

Ring, ring, ring...

The bell for class rings.

The classroom falls quiet again, and Sudo returns to his seat.

Everyone in the room exchanges glances.

No one can figure out why Sudo, with his explosive temper that goes off at the slightest provocation, would apologize publicly.

And the other party is the aloof, arrogant Horikita Suzune.

Of course, that's just everyone's imagination. Only Suzuki Tsubame knows what these two are really like.

Suzuki Tsubame is currently observing Kushida Kikyo. She sits upright, wearing an unchanging smile from start to finish.

But he notices that the moment Sudo apologized, she started working her jaw muscles.

She's training quite diligently; Suzuki Tsubame can't help but worry about her oral health.

Class time is dull and tedious.

Finally, the morning lessons end.

Usually at this time, the gyarus head to the cafeteria together, and the Three Idiots and the rest of the class do the same.

Suzuki Tsubame and Horikita go back to the dormitory to eat, leaving Sakura alone in the classroom most of the time.

But today, Suzuki Tsubame happens to want to go see Sakayanagi, so he doesn't walk with Horikita, and he catches another good show.

"Kushida, can you lend me some points? I spent too much last month. Just two thousand points, please."

Karuizawa clasps her hands together, hoping that Kushida Kikyo, one of the class's nice guys, can spare her some points.

As for whether she'll pay them back?

She borrowed them with her own skill—why should she return them?

"Uh, well... okay."

Kushida Kikyo didn't let her down. If she hadn't lent the points, someone with Karuizawa's temperament would definitely spread rumors sooner or later.

Still, her smile seemed a bit forced. Looked like she was about to lose it again.

Having borrowed the points, Karuizawa didn't choose to catch up with her friends. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Sakura Airi in the corner.

Sakura sat alone in her seat, head down, nibbling on a small bun she'd bought that morning.

Her mother must be a great cook. Considering she didn't even dare to go to the cafeteria, it was amazing she'd grown this big.

The key point was that she hadn't suffered from malnutrition because of it—which was pretty incredible.