Akiyama Shin Is Cheating?! Taking Horikita Manabu for All He's Worth?! I'll Protect Suzune-chan!

Clean water streamed from the faucet, rinsing soap suds off the plates. Horikita Suzune's movements were a little awkward, but she washed every dish with utmost care.

She had rarely done this kind of housework before, but doing it here at Akiyama Shin's place didn't bother her.

Just as she drained the last plate and prepared to put it back in the cupboard, the Terminal in her pocket suddenly vibrated.

She dried her hands and took out the Terminal for a look. A new friend request was displayed on the screen.

The moment she saw the requester's name and profile picture, Horikita Suzune froze.

The picture showed a black-haired boy with glasses and a stern expression. The requester's name was—Horikita Manabu.

My brother...?

He sent me a friend request?

An indescribable rush of joy surged through her, making her heart skip several beats.

Since enrolling, she had thought countless times about contacting her brother first, but each time she had backed down because of her timidity and her fear of embarrassing him.

She had always felt that until she achieved something worthy of pride, she had no right to face her brother, who was like an imposing mountain.

But now, her brother had reached out to her first!

She suppressed the smile threatening to spread across her face, doing her best to maintain a calm expression.

But a ripple of emotion inevitably stirred in those usually cool eyes.

She quickly accepted the request, her heart pounding as she waited to see what her brother would message her.

Meanwhile...

Akiyama Shin sat at the table, seemingly browsing his Terminal. But from the corner of his eye, he saw Horikita Suzune freeze for a moment, then try desperately to hide her delight, only to let it show anyway.

He barely had to think to guess who could have provoked such a reaction from Horikita Suzune.

Horikita Manabu...

It seemed the Student Council President had finally remembered he had a little sister in Class D.

Akiyama Shin calmly analyzed the situation.

Thinking back to the Gymnasium earlier that day, he remembered how angry Horikita Suzune had been when he showed disrespect toward her brother.

Although she had held back and hadn't directly said that Horikita Manabu was her brother, Akiyama Shin had already figured out their relationship.

She seemed to have been deliberately avoiding the subject...

Was she afraid of embarrassing her outstanding older brother?

She saw her brother as someone she had to catch up to, yet felt inferior and timid because she was currently labeled a defective.

So she didn't dare face him openly?

That complicated state of mind...

It certainly suited her stubborn, proud nature.

In that case, Horikita Manabu's decision to contact her now was unlikely to be a simple sibling reunion.

Given Horikita Manabu's stern, severe manner and his deep understanding of this school's rules, he must have known what being assigned to Class D meant.

The more likely reason he had approached Horikita Suzune at this point was to give her a harsh wake-up call.

Would he put her down verbally?

Or even... take things further?

Would he use this to make her understand just how weak she was and how cruel things were for Class D, thereby spurring her to fight harder?

Or... would he make her give up?

It was a typically Spartan approach to education: break someone down to make them grow. Horikita Manabu didn't necessarily dislike Horikita Suzune.

Perhaps the opposite was true. He might have chosen this seemingly cold approach because he wanted Horikita Suzune to stop relying on him and truly grow through her own efforts.

Still...

A glint flashed in Akiyama Shin's eyes.

This seemed like a perfect opportunity for him to take Horikita Manabu for all he was worth.

Whether he insulted her or actually intended to teach his little sister a lesson, as long as Akiyama Shin got evidence—like an audio recording or a photo—he could expose the Student Council President for bullying a first-year student, even if she was his own sister...

Once the story got out, it would deal a heavy blow to his reputation and the Student Council's authority.

Given Horikita Manabu's rationality and how much he valued his current position, he would definitely choose to pay to make the problem go away.

Another sizable haul of points!

With that thought, Akiyama Shin didn't hesitate. He stood up.

"I'm heading out for a bit."

He said it to Horikita Suzune, who was still staring at her Terminal as if waiting for a message, then headed straight for the door.

Horikita Suzune answered automatically, her thoughts still completely absorbed by the shock of her brother suddenly contacting her. She barely noticed what Akiyama Shin had said.

Akiyama Shin opened the door and hurried out.

There was no way he was going to do something as despicable as follow Horikita Suzune. Horikita Manabu would never let her bring someone else to meet him. Even if Horikita Suzune wouldn't do that, Horikita Manabu would surely have taken precautions.

So the question was...

How could he find out where they were meeting?

The school was huge... He wasn't some kind of human radar.

Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune had already left the dormitory, her face bright with delight. Akiyama Shin stood silently in a blind spot near the dormitory, watching her.

All he had to do now was wait until Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu reached their destination, then follow whatever clues he could find to catch up a little later.

That way, he could take them by surprise.

Ten minutes later.

Akiyama Shin left the dormitory and started thinking about where Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu might have gone.

Then, not far away, he spotted two familiar figures: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Ken Sudō.

Two boys in school uniforms, who looked like upperclassmen, stood opposite them.

Something seemed off about the atmosphere.

"Hey, Class D. Don't you watch where you're going? You bumped into someone. You think you don't have to apologize?"

One of the upperclassmen spoke in a flippant tone.

Ken Sudō looked furious. He clenched his fists and retorted, his neck craned forward.

"You're the ones who suddenly turned the corner! Why should I apologize?!"

The other upperclassman scoffed and looked Ken Sudō up and down, his eyes full of disdain.

"Hmph. Defectives from Class D really are defectives. Not only are you useless, you don't even have basic manners?"

"Defective?"

Ken Sudō froze for a moment, then grew even angrier.

"What the hell did you say?!"

He made as if to charge forward, but Kiyotaka Ayanokoji grabbed him and held him back.

"Sudō, calm down."

Ayanokoji's voice was as calm as ever, but his grip was firm.

Defectives... Class D...

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's mind raced.

The upperclassmen's words seemed to confirm one of his suspicions.

The classes hadn't been assigned randomly. Some kind of standard had been used, and Classes A, B, C, and D had different rankings.

Class D was considered defective. That further confirmed his theory that the school had an internal system of competition.

So when they said the school was based on merit, they likely didn't mean academics and physical fitness alone.

Could it include an assessment of overall ability?

He silently analyzed the situation, piecing together the fragments of information. Seeing that Ken Sudō was being held back by Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, the two upperclassmen pursed their lips disdainfully. They didn't press the matter and turned toward the dormitory.

"Boring."

Akiyama Shin had witnessed the whole thing. Hearing the upperclassmen call Class D defective didn't faze him at all; it was simply a fact.

And although their behavior had been provocative, they hadn't actually revealed any concrete rules.

Even if he wanted to use it to make trouble and score some points, he had no grounds to do so.

He shook his head, ignored them, and walked over to Ayanokoji and Ken Sudō.

Ken Sudō was still grumbling indignantly.

"Ayanokoji! Why'd you hold me back? Guys like that need to be taught a lesson!"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji let go and calmly explained.

"If you hit them, it'll be considered an act of school violence."

"If the school records it, it could affect your personal evaluation and even drag down the class."

"You still want to join the Basketball Club... and become a starter, don't you? If you get a reputation for violence..."

"That would probably cause a lot of trouble, wouldn't it...?"

Hearing that, Ken Sudō still looked displeased, but his anger had clearly cooled.

Basketball was his dream. He couldn't throw away his chance over a moment of impulsiveness.

Just then...

They noticed Akiyama Shin approaching.

"Akiyama?"

Ken Sudō looked surprised.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji also looked at Akiyama Shin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Akiyama Shin skipped the pleasantries and asked directly:

"Have you seen Horikita Suzune?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji thought for a moment, then pointed in a direction.

"I think I saw her heading that way earlier. She was moving pretty fast, like she had somewhere urgent to be."

The direction he pointed was the path leading to the relatively quiet area behind the school buildings.

"Thanks."

Akiyama Shin thanked him and immediately hurried off in that direction. Watching him disappear into the distance, Ken Sudō scratched his head and asked in confusion,

"Hey, Ayanokoji, do you think Akiyama and Horikita... are they actually dating? He's in such a hurry to find her..."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji answered without expression.

"I don't know."

But he watched the direction Akiyama Shin had disappeared in, looking thoughtful.

Akiyama Shin...

He seemed to be plotting something.

Following the direction Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had indicated, Akiyama Shin walked along a campus path that was growing dim.

Night had fallen completely, and the streetlights had begun to come on, casting hazy yellow light over the empty area.

The farther he went behind the school buildings, the fewer people he saw, and the quieter it became.

At last, near a corner behind one of the school buildings, he heard voices in the distance.

One of them belonged to Horikita Suzune. Her voice sounded cool but was tinged with barely restrained excitement.

Akiyama Shin immediately slowed his steps and approached as quietly as possible. At the same time, he deftly pulled out his Terminal and started recording, then hid in the shadows around the corner.

"Brother..."

"I followed in your footsteps and came to this school..."

Horikita Suzune's voice held a rare, almost jubilant emotion.

"I'll work hard and catch up to you!"

But the response was a voice so cold it held not a trace of feeling.

"This is a school where ability comes first."

Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses. The gaze behind the lenses swept over Horikita Suzune as if she were a defective product, and his tone was full of undisguised contempt.

"Coming to this school and ending up in Class D, the defective class... You've completely disgraced me."

He paused, his voice growing even harsher.

"You'd better not let anyone know we're siblings."

All the color drained from Horikita Suzune's face. She stared at her cold, distant brother in disbelief, then lowered her head, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt.

Hurt.

Resentment.

A profound sense of disappointment washed over her like a tide.

She had already begun to realize that this school's rules might be tied to the classes' evaluations.

But she couldn't understand why Class D had to be branded with such an insulting label as "defective."

It was true that she'd seen some people in Class D today who were lazy and had no filter.

But she was confident her academic ability, athleticism, and overall capabilities didn't warrant being placed in Class D!

And what about Akiyama Shin?

Akiyama Shin had incredible insight and had seized several million points in a short time. Could he really be called a defective, too?

She refused to accept that!

There had to be some unknown factor the school had considered when assigning the classes, or perhaps, like Akiyama Shin, she had some kind of flaw that hadn't yet been discovered. That had to be why she had been placed in the wrong class!

Her pride made her want to argue. She raised her head, trying to explain some of her current thoughts and observations.

She wanted to share her opinion of Akiyama Shin, too, and prove that Class D wasn't completely hopeless.

"Brother, Class D may indeed have a lot of problems, but not everyone is... And I've realized that this school's rules seem to be..."

Her words came out a little disjointedly. She didn't reveal everything Akiyama Shin had said, but she did convey some of her own thoughts and observations. As Horikita Manabu listened to his sister, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

Suzune... seemed to have grown a little?

Had she finally learned to observe and think?

And she had mentioned Akiyama Shin... It seemed that boy really had made an impression on her.

However, his expression didn't soften in the slightest. It grew even colder as he cut Horikita Suzune off.

"A defective product is still a defective product. No number of excuses can change that fact."

In a tone that was almost cruel, he delivered his final ultimatum.

"At your current level, staying here would only be a waste of time. You'd bring shame on me, too."

"Drop out. If you leave now, there's still time."

"Drop out?!"

Horikita Suzune jerked her head up, her eyes wide with shock and fierce resistance.

"No! I absolutely won't—"

Before she could finish, Horikita Manabu's gaze sharpened. Without warning, he raised his hand and struck straight toward her abdomen with a fierce, swift blow!

His palm moved incredibly fast!

He clearly had no intention of holding back!

Horikita Suzune had never expected her brother to attack her without warning. Her face went deathly pale, and she squeezed her eyes shut, her body rigid with fear.

At that critical moment!

Click!

A sharp shutter sound rang out abruptly!

At the same time, a blinding white flash burst from a dim corner, illuminating Horikita Manabu's cold face and Horikita Suzune's terrified expression.

The intense light made Horikita Manabu falter. He instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes.

The sudden interruption made Horikita Suzune open her eyes, too. She turned toward the sound and the flash.

In the shadows around the corner, Akiyama Shin stood holding up his Terminal, a faint smile playing on his face.

"Akiyama... Shin?"

Horikita Suzune murmured, her mind struggling to catch up. Horikita Manabu slowly lowered his arm. When he saw that it was Akiyama Shin, he paused for a moment, then immediately understood what the other boy was after.

As expected... He'd finally found his opening.

Ever since their brief exchange of glances at the Gymnasium, Horikita Manabu had known that Akiyama Shin was no ordinary person.

He had also sensed that Akiyama Shin would eventually find a way to gain something from him.

He just hadn't expected their first clash to come so soon, or in this manner.

And Akiyama Shin had clearly figured out the relationship between him and Suzune long ago.

Before coming here, Suzune had confirmed that she was alone. Given her personality, she wouldn't lie about something like this.

That left only two possibilities for how Akiyama Shin had found them so precisely. One was that he had been following Suzune the whole time, but that seemed extremely unlikely. Judging by his earlier behavior and Suzune's description of him, he wasn't that sort of person. The other was... that he had deduced from certain details that Suzune was coming to meet him, and guessed that he might resort to some extreme method of teaching his younger sister a lesson. So he had come specifically to gather evidence.

Either way, it showed how frighteningly perceptive and decisive he was. And instead of immediately making the evidence public, he had recorded it first and only then revealed himself.

That meant he wanted a deal.

In that case...

Horikita Manabu made up his mind in an instant.

His gaze fixed directly on Akiyama Shin as he spoke without preamble, as if he had already settled on a price.

"Two million Personal Points."

"Delete the photos and the recording."

Akiyama Shin raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Horikita Manabu to be so direct—to name his price before Akiyama Shin had even started making demands.

What a clever man...

Dealing with clever people was so much easier!

It seemed Horikita Manabu had anticipated that something like this might happen, and understood the value of the evidence.

Horikita Suzune, standing nearby, was completely stunned. She looked from her impassive brother to the smiling Akiyama Shin, unable to understand this sudden turn of events.

Her brother... was paying Akiyama Shin?

To get him to delete the photos and recording he had just taken?

Why?

Akiyama Shin said nothing. He simply operated his Terminal, brought up a payment QR code, and showed it to Horikita Manabu.

Horikita Manabu didn't hesitate. He took out his own Terminal, scanned the code, entered the amount, and transferred the points.

[Ding! Your account has received 2,000,000 Personal Points.]

The pleasant notification rang out especially clearly in the silent night.

After confirming that the payment had come through, Akiyama Shin nodded with satisfaction and promptly deleted the photos and recording he had just taken, right in front of Horikita Manabu.

"Pleasure doing business."

He spoke in a casual tone.

Horikita Manabu watched him until he was certain the files had been deleted. Only then did he speak again, asking the one question that mattered to him most.

"I have just one question."

His sharp gaze seemed to bore through Akiyama Shin.

"Why are you here?"

From their brief encounter at the Gymnasium to catching him in the act here, Akiyama Shin had shown abilities far beyond those of an ordinary first-year student. He hadn't just seen through the rules; he knew how to use them. He could even read people's minds and predict their behavior with uncanny precision.

Suzune clearly hadn't known he would come.

And he had found this secluded spot in such a short time. That meant he hadn't been searching blindly. He must have had a clear line of reasoning that led him here.

Had he been with Suzune just now?

Had he read certain clues, worked out that she was coming to meet me, and predicted that a conflict might occur?

That level of observation, reasoning, and timing was frightening.

More importantly, he had chosen to get involved this way instead of stopping me outright. That meant he understood the reason behind my actions. He might even be using me to achieve his own ends, while also protecting Suzune to some extent.

This boy was far more calculating than he let on.

Under Horikita Manabu's probing gaze, Akiyama Shin offered no complicated explanation.

He merely answered in a somewhat flippant tone that left no room for doubt. His response made Horikita Manabu understand at once—and sent Horikita Suzune's cheeks blazing red.

He curled his lips slightly, his dark red eyes glinting beneath the streetlights.

"From now on—"

"I'll take good care of Suzune-chan."

Those words were like a stone tossed into a still lake, sending immense ripples through Horikita Suzune's heart.

She jerked her head up to look at Akiyama Shin, her face instantly turning scarlet, the blush spreading all the way to her ears and neck.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably. A confusing rush of embarrassment, surprise, and a flutter she hadn't even noticed in herself rose within her.

Wh-what was he saying?!

Who needed him to protect her?!

And... and calling her Suzune-chan...

Yet instead of erupting in anger as she'd expected, Horikita Manabu seemed to soften his stony expression by the tiniest amount when he heard that answer.

He looked deeply at Akiyama Shin. His gaze seemed to hold scrutiny, appraisal, and perhaps even a hint of approval.

He said nothing more, and didn't look at his sister again. He only gave Akiyama Shin a slight nod.

Then he turned without hesitation and disappeared into the shadows deeper inside the school building.

Only Horikita Suzune remained, wide-eyed and still blushing, alongside Akiyama Shin, who looked utterly unruffled and had just added another two million points to his account.

The evening breeze swept past, carrying a chill, but it did nothing to cool the flustered confusion in Horikita Suzune's heart.

She looked toward where her brother had disappeared, then at Akiyama Shin beside her, who seemed to have done nothing more than a trivial favor. Her mind was still struggling to catch up.

Th-this is it? We're done?