The Consequences of Provocation

"Don't talk nonsense, we're siblings," Nakanishi Jiro, the first to misunderstand their relationship, immediately said with his hands on his hips to the people around them.

"Uh..." Everyone looked at Nakanishi Jiro's sudden change in attitude, speechless. He had been egging them on just a moment ago, but now he had flipped his stance immediately.

"Sis, did you need something from me?" Horikita Etsuka walked over to the entrance and said.

"Yes, let's go to the cafeteria first." As Horikita Suzune spoke, she reached out to grab Etsuka's arm.

If they were at home, she would have grabbed Horikita Etsuka by the ear, but things were different now. They were at school, and in front of so many people, she still wanted to give her brother some face.

Horikita Etsuka had no choice but to be dragged away, helplessly waving his hand at Nakanishi Jiro: "Uh... I'm going to eat with my sister. You'll have to treat me another time!"

The cafeteria was quite crowded, and Horikita Etsuka felt uneasy while eating. He looked up, feeling a bit guilty as he stared at Horikita Suzune, who was sitting across from him, watching him intently.

"Sis, aren't you going to eat?"

Horikita Suzune didn't answer immediately; she just lifted her proud chin and said softly, "You eat first."

Horikita Etsuka glanced at his sister and then shoveled the food into his mouth quickly. After all, food is the fuel of life. Just as he finished the last bite, Horikita Suzune spoke coldly:

"Why did you hang up on me?"

Horikita Etsuka struggled to swallow the last mouthful of food, then gave a sheepish smile:

"Sis, it was almost 10 o'clock, you know. I wanted to go to bed early."

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and nodded slowly. She then asked indifferently, "What did our brother tell you?"

Horikita Etsuka awkwardly scratched his cheek: "I said he didn't say anything. Sis, do you believe me?"

"Do you think I would believe that?" Horikita Suzune remained with her arms crossed, her black pupils seemingly interrogating him.

Horikita Etsuka could handle himself with ease in front of anyone, but when facing his sister, he was completely suppressed.

"Horikita Etsuka, I'll give you 3 seconds."

"3..."

"Big brother said you don't understand the difference between being lonely and being aloof." As soon as he heard the countdown, Horikita Etsuka confessed immediately.

"The difference between being lonely and being aloof?" Horikita Suzune was slightly stunned: "What does our brother mean by that?"

Horikita Etsuka blinked: "Sis, do you want the truth? But you have to promise not to get angry."

Horikita Suzune said: "Go ahead. I don't think I'm that easy to anger."

Horikita Etsuka nodded and said: "My personal interpretation is that you're being too pretentious, Sis. You always want to accomplish everything by yourself, and it feels like you're just not thinking things through."

With a dark expression, Horikita Suzune reached out, pinched Horikita Etsuka's cheek, and pulled.

Feeling the cold fingers on his cheek, Horikita Etsuka winced and said: "Sis, didn't you say you wouldn't get angry?"

"Oh? Did I? But I'm really not angry," Horikita Suzune said seriously: "I just think my little brother is so cute. This is just a simple display of affection."

"Af... affection??! Since when does affection involve a sour face?"

The corners of Horikita Suzune's mouth curled up into a cold, fake smile: "Didn't I just smile?"

As she spoke, she increased the pressure of her grip.

"Hiss—Sis, I was wrong, I was wrong. I shouldn't have added my own commentary."

Horikita Etsuka immediately admitted his mistake.

Horikita Suzune finally released her fingers. She put one hand on her hip, picked up her tray with the other, stood up, and looked down at Etsuka:

"I'm not eating anymore. Let's go back together."

"Oh? Is this the defective product Suzune from Class D?"

Before Horikita Etsuka could answer, a long-haired boy with a violent expression walked over slowly with his hands in his pockets. He was followed by a sturdy boy and a girl with short blue-green hair. They radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Horikita Suzune frowned as she looked at the newcomer: "What 'defective product'? And who gave you permission to call me Suzune?"

The long-haired boy smiled slightly:

"Heh, Suzune, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ryuen Kakeru from Class C."

Seeing the man's shameless attitude, Horikita Suzune didn't bother correcting him about her name; she knew he would keep calling her that regardless. So, she asked the question she wanted answered:

"I don't know who you are, and I don't care. But what do you mean by 'defective product'?"

Ryuen Kakeru lifted his arrogant chin and spoke slowly:

"What a fool. Haven't you realized that everyone assigned to Class D is an idiot or a moron? Calling you a 'defective product' is already giving you too much credit."

Horikita Suzune's heart pounded. She had considered various possibilities, but she had never thought that the class assignments weren't random. Recalling the perverts and the girls who called themselves 'gals' in Class D, she found herself vaguely believing his words.

However, she still feigned composure and said:

"Do you really think I'll believe whatever you say?"

Horikita Suzune wanted to bait more information out of him.

"Heh." Ryuen shook his head: "How truly foolish. Do you think you can provoke me into telling you the whole story just by saying that? You think too highly of yourself."

The sturdy boy beside him chimed in: "That's right. A defective product is a defective product; they don't even believe the truth when they hear it."

The girl with short blue-green hair on the side didn't speak; she just crossed her arms and watched the show.

"Impossible." Horikita Suzune said with a firm expression: "If classes were assigned based on ability, there is absolutely no way I would be in Class D!"

"What's impossible about that? Have you still not realized your own shortcomings?" Ryuen Kakeru countered.

Horikita Suzune's knuckles turned white as she gripped her tray.

She recalled the conversation she had just had with Horikita Etsuka.

"Big brother said you misunderstood the difference between being lonely and being aloof."

However, she quickly adjusted her mood and raised her head to face Ryuen directly: "So? Do you have some kind of objective?"

Ryuen laughed out loud and said:

"Haha, Suzune, I don't have any objective. I'm just here to eat, and I saw you, so I said hello. That's all. Isn't that right, Ishizaki?"

The sturdy boy next to him, Ishizaki, nodded in agreement with an extremely arrogant expression:

"Since you admit you're a defective product, that's fine. Otherwise, if you can't figure out your own standing and still have this much arrogance, then you really are trash."

Even in her current rational state, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but clench her fists, wanting to land a few punches on the people across from her.

Ryuen Kakeru looked at Horikita Suzune's clenched fists, leaned over, and sneered:

"What? Was I wrong to call you a defective product? Are you still thinking of using violence to make us shut up?"

"Hey, defective product from Class C, what did you just say?" Horikita Etsuka slowly stood up from his seat, his pitch-black eyes sizing up Ryuen Kakeru.