The Course of the Special Exam

Suzune looked Etsuka over, then nodded with satisfaction.

Etsuka now looked like a grown man, though he still had a hint of boyishness about him, which only made him look more handsome.

"Hey, sis, you didn't come all this way just to bring me clothes, did you?" Etsuka asked tentatively, leaning forward.

At that, Suzune immediately looked displeased. She smacked Etsuka on the arm, then folded her arms and gave him an accusing look.

"Are you saying that whenever I come to see you, I always want something?"

She knew that was pretty much true, but couldn't Etsuka at least say something nice?

Whenever you show up, it's never good news.

Etsuka grumbled inwardly, then put on a cheerful smile. "Of course not, sis. Every time you visit, you make my humble abode shine! This place wasn't anything special before, but when you walk in, I feel like its value goes up!"

Flattery could get you anywhere.

That was how Etsuka survived in the Horikita family. Master the art, and you could charm your big sister into treating you like her own child!

And Etsuka was working hard toward that goal.

Suzune rolled her eyes at his flattery.

She knew Etsuka was exaggerating, but he was saying nice things, so what could she do? You didn't hit someone who was smiling at you.

Putting that aside, Horikita Suzune let out a long sigh.

"Etsuka, after just the first Special Exam, our Class D has already fallen apart. If we'd waited any longer to submit the Secret Key, the class might've broken up completely."

"Hm?" Hearing Suzune turn to the serious matter, Etsuka slowly sat up straight. He asked, puzzled, "Was Ryuen behind it?"

"Ryuen wasn't the only one. I suspect Class A was involved, too." Horikita Suzune's expression turned serious.

"After Ryuen spread the rumors, Shinohara was the first to suspect that Sudo had leaked the Secret Key. After a huge argument, the whole class gradually began shunning Sudo. Even Kanji Ike and Yamauchi, who used to hang out with him, started keeping their distance."

As his sister recounted Class D's miserable ordeal, Etsuka picked up the sunflower seeds on the table and started cracking them.

Suzune glared at him, then pretended not to notice and continued.

"At first, Sudo didn't care. But once the whole class really started isolating him, he did everything he could to prove he was innocent."

"But it was too late. He'd already dropped the ball at the start. No matter how much he explained, nobody in the class believed him—except Hirata, of course."

"But Hirata's voice alone was too weak to make a difference. When Sudo couldn't take it anymore, he went to Ishizaki from Class C to explain things for him. Maybe Class A had encouraged him to do that, too."

"But when Ishizaki came to our class, he didn't explain anything about Sudo. Instead, he loudly claimed that lots of people in Class D had been bought off, using the spy reward system. So those idiots actually believed him and started seeing everyone around them as a spy."

"At first, the girls suspected and accused the boys. Then the boys started suspecting the girls, until Hirata showed..." Suzune paused abruptly.

"...a side of himself he shouldn't have shown. That was what finally put a stop to it."

The more Etsuka cracked sunflower seeds and listened, the more entertaining it got. It was like watching a long-running drama. He got to learn what was going on and enjoy the show at the same time, so he pressed her for more.

"What happened next?"

Horikita Suzune seemed to remember something and furrowed her brows.

"Even though things calmed down, people still suspected one another behind the scenes. Then the girls started suspecting me."

"Oh?" Etsuka stopped cracking seeds and asked tentatively, "Was it because of my relationship with you?"

Suzune slowly nodded.

"Because of my relationship with you, they guessed that I'd revealed our class's Secret Key to you, and that you'd then sold it..."

As Etsuka listened, his expression gradually grew serious. The girls' relationships probably weren't as easy as his sister made them sound. He could imagine what they were saying behind her back. Being ostracized by the girls at school couldn't have been easy.

But...

Etsuka looked at Suzune.

At least Sis likes being on her own anyway. She can handle that much.

Sure enough, Suzune said, "I don't care what they say about me, but it got in the way of my search for the spy."

As she spoke, the crease between her brows relaxed.

"Still, Karuizawa came forward later to help me. She also said I'd already found out Class C's Secret Key."

"Once everyone understood a little more, I told them I wanted to find the spy and submit the Secret Key. Most of them supported me."

"So, after talking it over, everyone decided to open the Anonymous Chat System and look for the spy."

Etsuka nodded. That made sense. The Anonymous Chat System identified people who were spies, after all.

Suzune continued.

"Before we even started, Kushida stepped forward. Her Student Terminal showed that she was the spy."

"Either way, the spy would eventually be exposed, so it didn't make much difference who came forward first."

"I don't think she did it for the class, but she said she was doing it for the class and all that."

"Then you submitted the Secret Key right away, and that's why the Special Exam ended?" Etsuka asked.

"Right." Suzune nodded, then looked at Etsuka again. "That's the story you wanted to hear, but it's not what I wanted to talk about."

Horikita Etsuka understood at once. He furrowed his brows and asked tentatively, "Sis, do you think there's something wrong with Kushida?"

"Exactly." Horikita Suzune's expression was cold, and her voice was completely flat.

"When the boys and girls were at odds, Kushida seemed neutral, but she was actually guiding both sides and stirring up conflict. And..."

Suzune slowly clenched the fist resting on her thigh.

"She was the first to bring me up. She said, 'By the way, Horikita's younger brother is in Class B. Could we ask him to help us?'"

Etsuka thought it over, his brows drawing together as well. He rubbed his chin. "That still doesn't make sense, though. You and her haven't had much contact, have you?"

"No." Horikita Suzune looked completely serious, her tone certain. "I'm sure I've never had any conflict or dealings with her."

"Then what's going on?" Etsuka frowned. "If you've never interacted, it can't be because you know about her high—"

Suddenly, Etsuka seemed to realize something and stopped. He looked at Suzune, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

Suzune also furrowed her delicate brows and looked at Etsuka.

Their eyes met. They both seemed to understand why.

Because if they'd never interacted, there was only one possibility:

"Something from high school..."

Etsuka and Suzune spoke at the same time.