A Visit to His Home

At 9 p.m., the lights outside the dormitory were bright.

Horikita Etsuka took out his key and unlocked the door.

He casually took off his red suit jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door, then flopped onto the bed.

He stared at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.

This school is bound to be all about class competition. I don't have a base of support yet, but after what happened at the karaoke place, Nakanishi Jiro should firmly take my side...

What had happened with Nakanishi Jiro had been an accident to begin with. Etsuka had merely gone along with it and accepted him.

Horikita Etsuka had suffered from ending up in the wrong class, but he had made connections with the upperclassmen as a result. It was a blessing in disguise.

Without an advantage from the start, I can't take part in the class competition.

Still... it would be a lot easier if I could completely bring Ichinose around to my side.

Ichinose Honami was currently the most popular person in Class 1-B. If Horikita Etsuka could control Ichinose, things would be much easier for him.

Going by the personality Ichinose has shown so far, she should be easy enough to control.

Horikita Etsuka decided to pursue both options: expanding his own group while trying to get closer to Ichinose.

Ding-dong!

Just then, a message notification sounded on his Student Terminal.

Horikita Etsuka tapped the screen and saw a message.

Horikita Suzune: "Etsuka? Have you seen our brother?"

Etsuka: "Yeah, I saw Big Brother."

At that moment, Horikita Suzune's room was quiet, filled only with the sound of her soft breathing and her fingers swiping across her phone screen.

Horikita Suzune wore a white yukata, its collar slightly open to reveal a large expanse of pale skin, smooth and delicate as fine jade.

She sat upright on the edge of the bed, her legs together.

Her gaze fixed on the phone screen as her slender fingers rapidly typed.

Horikita Suzune: "What did... our brother say?"

Horikita Etsuka's lips curved slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

Looks like Sis still cares a lot about Big Brother's opinion.

Horikita Etsuka: "He said we should study hard and keep improving every day."

At that answer, Horikita Suzune's brows furrowed slightly. She was clearly dissatisfied.

Horikita Suzune: "Etsuka, I'm not joking around with you."

There was a hint of seriousness in her tone, as if she was displeased with Horikita Etsuka's attitude.

But Horikita Etsuka didn't take his sister's displeasure to heart.

Horikita Etsuka: "Sis, just ask Big Brother yourself. There's no point asking me. I'm going to bed. Good night."

Horikita Suzune hesitated briefly, then tapped the call icon on her phone without a second thought and dialed the number.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The ringtone sounded in her ear. Once, twice, three times... But just as it rang for the fourth time, the other person suddenly hung up.

Horikita Suzune's brows furrowed slightly. She clearly hadn't expected that to happen.

Still, she didn't hesitate for long. She quickly typed a message in her phone's text interface.

Horikita Suzune: "You actually hung up on me?"

After sending it, she immediately sent another message.

Horikita Suzune: "Horikita Etsuka, I'm not joking around with you."

After sending the messages, Horikita Suzune stared intently at her phone screen, waiting for a reply.

Before long, a new message appeared on the screen, from Horikita Etsuka.

Horikita Etsuka: ( ﹡ˆoˆ﹡ )

At the sight of the emoji, Horikita Suzune's lips twitched involuntarily.

It was a simple expression, yet it made her face darken.

Her anger flared instantly. She wished she could reach through the screen, storm over to Horikita Etsuka, and punch him twice!

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Ever since summer vacation began, Horikita Suzune had eased up on keeping Horikita Etsuka in line. She hadn't expected him to get so bold as to hang up on her.

Horikita Suzune suppressed her anger and didn't send any more messages.

She knew she'd only be making a fool of herself if she kept at it.

After thinking it over, she decided to pay him a visit tomorrow.

The next morning, after greeting the regular NPC, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, in the elevator, Horikita Etsuka headed to the classroom with him.

"Good morning, Himeno."

"Good morning, Horikita." Himeno Yuki sat upright at her desk, holding a long baguette and eating it expressionlessly.

"Why do you look like you're suffering while you eat?" Horikita Etsuka teased.

Himeno Yuki shook her head helplessly. "I don't think breakfast ever tastes good, no matter what."

"Really? Breakfast..."

"Wait, breakfast?"

Horikita Etsuka sat down and looked at the baguette in Himeno Yuki's hand, momentarily taken aback.

Oh no. I was so busy chatting with Hamaguchi Tetsuya on the way here that I forgot to buy breakfast.

It's all Hamaguchi Tetsuya's fault!

He instinctively looked at Hamaguchi Tetsuya, sitting in front of him. To his surprise, the other boy pulled snacks out of his desk?!

Hamaguchi Tetsuya suddenly felt a chill. He rubbed the back of his head and murmured, "Huh? What's going on? It feels chilly, even though it's summer."

Just as Horikita Etsuka leaned over his desk, ready to rest, a pale hand holding a piece of bread reached out in front of him.

"Here, you haven't had breakfast, have you? This doesn't taste very good, so I'll share half with you," Himeno Yuki said calmly.

Horikita Etsuka looked up at Himeno Yuki and smiled. "Then I won't hold back. Thanks, Himeno."

Seeing Horikita Etsuka's sunny smile, Himeno Yuki couldn't help blushing. She quickly turned away and ate the other half of her bread.

"Um... hurry up and eat. Class will start soon."

After all, Himeno Yuki was just a young girl. She couldn't withstand Horikita Etsuka's sunny smile.

Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the morning was over and it was time for lunch.

"Man, I haven't had class in ages. I feel like my brain's going to grow," Nakanishi Jiro said naturally as he walked up to Horikita Etsuka.

"Yeah," Horikita Etsuka agreed with a nod.

He hadn't paid attention in class, of course. He'd spent the whole morning thinking about his plans for what came next. He could always catch up before exams, so he wasn't worried about them.

As Kanzaki Ryuji gathered the books on his desk, he glanced toward Horikita Etsuka in surprise. He didn't understand how the two of them, who had been at odds just last night, had gotten along so well today.

Could this be one of Horikita Etsuka's schemes?

After what had happened the previous night, Kanzaki Ryuji had developed a certain admiration for Horikita Etsuka. So whenever something happened that benefited the other boy, he immediately wondered if it was part of his plan.

"By the way, Etsuka, what do you want for lunch today? I found this amazing deluxe set meal. I can treat you," Nakanishi Jiro said, hands on his hips.

"Oh? Is that so? Then let's—" Before Horikita Etsuka could finish, a clear voice interrupted him.

"Etsuka, come out for a second."

Horikita Suzune stood by the back door, arms crossed, waiting with a stern expression.

Hearing the voice, Nakanishi Jiro looked over. He saw a pretty girl with long, straight black hair standing at the door, her expression carrying a hint of anger.

"Whoa, Etsuka, you got a girlfriend already?" Nakanishi Jiro exclaimed.

At once, some of the students who hadn't left the classroom turned to look at Horikita Suzune outside.

"I knew it. Horikita's so handsome, he was bound to get a girlfriend."

"Yeah, but that girl looks pretty angry. Did Horikita do something to wrong her?"

The murmurs reached Horikita Etsuka's ears.

Even Himeno Yuki looked at Horikita Etsuka in surprise.

Horikita Etsuka didn't offer any explanation. He simply stood up, covered his face with a rueful smile, and said, "Sis, why are you in my class?"