Suzune's Self-Imposed Isolation

"And then?"

The next day.

Inside the Class D classroom.

After listening to the girl recount yesterday's events, Xu Nuo asked curiously, wanting to know if his identity had been exposed.

However.

Horikita Suzune lay slumped over her desk, her head buried deep within her arms, her long, beautiful, jet-black hair splayed across the desk and obscuring most of her face.

"..."

There was no answer.

Her reddish-purple fox-like eyes were tightly shut, and she looked as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her body; she wore the expression of someone who had lost all will to live, clearly unwilling to speak another word.

Evidently.

What happened yesterday had dealt her a massive blow.

Her spirit was completely broken.

To put it simply, she had shut herself off from the world.

If not for the instinct for disciplined study being carved into her very bones, the girl would have even considered skipping class today.

After all.

She truly did not want to face Xu Nuo's disappointed expression.

He had shared the intelligence with her and even thoughtfully provided a method to monetize it, practically spoon-feeding the success to her.

Yet, she had managed to ruin everything.

A version of me like this.

It's only natural that I was assigned to Class D, isn't it?

Horikita Suzune's gaze dimmed, and her heart twitched with pain. She slowly tightened her arms, as if trying to drown herself in this boundless sense of inferiority.

"Tsk."

Xu Nuo clicked his tongue and did not continue to press her.

It was better to let the girl figure it out on her own; after all, Horikita Suzune was not the type to give up so easily.

Stubborn and obsessive.

That could also be considered one of her defining traits.

However.

He reckoned he hadn't been exposed.

After all, if he had truly been revealed, the girl wouldn't be reacting this way; at the very least, she would have said something.

Xu Nuo stopped paying attention to her.

Meanwhile.

The Class D classroom was rowdy, filled with the sounds of various conversations and discussions, the atmosphere exceptionally heated.

Two things.

Two major events had occurred yesterday.

They had become the hottest topics in the class today.

The first.

Sudo Ken had hit someone.

"Hey, hey, have you guys heard?"

"That guy Sudo actually hit someone in broad daylight, and it was a student from Class C, no less!"

"For real?"

"I saw the video; he seemed to have beaten the guy pretty badly..."

"Word is he was taken away by the Student Council and is currently under investigation. He might even get suspended or expelled."

"Serves him right; that guy always has such a fierce and menacing look on his face."

And the second.

Was the incident regarding the lecherous shop clerk being attacked.

"Hey, hey, have you guys heard? The staff member at the digital store was attacked last night."

"Of course I saw it!"

"I even read the post on the School Forum. They say all four of his limbs were crippled, and... that place was shattered into pieces."

"Oh my god... how terrifying..."

"It's said the surveillance cameras didn't catch a thing. There are no leads so far, and the victim has already left the school for medical treatment."

"Could it have been someone from the outside?"

"That's impossible, isn't it? The school claims their security is extremely strict..."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

Clearly.

Compared to a minor scuffle like Sudo Ken hitting someone.

The incident involving an adult staff member being attacked was undoubtedly more sensational and far more terrifying.

After all.

All four limbs were shattered.

And the fifth limb was ruined as well.

This level of violence had already transcended the scope of a typical campus dispute, carrying a bone-chilling cruelty, and the perpetrator was still at large.

Furthermore.

The girls' reactions were particularly intense.

After all, this incident had occurred so close to them.

It was frightening...

On the other side of the classroom.

"Hey, Yamauchi."

"Do you think Sudo will actually get expelled?"

Ike Kanji leaned in toward Yamauchi Haruki, lowering his voice as he asked, his tone laced with a hint of worry.

"Who knows."

Yamauchi Haruki shrugged, looking indifferent, though a gloating smile hung at the corners of his mouth. "Well, it has nothing to do with us anyway. That guy always liked to throw his weight around."

"So, how's that working out for him now?"

"Picking fights for no reason—he basically asked for it."

"That may be true, but..."

Ike Kanji scratched his head.

Although Sudo Ken did have a bad temper, the three of them were friends who hung out together, after all. He couldn't just sit by and watch him get expelled, could he?

"Don't you find it strange?"

"Why would those guys from Class C go out of their way to provoke Sudo?"

"They were definitely trying to bait him."

Hearing this.

Yamauchi gave a disdainful laugh and waved his hand dismissively.

"So what?"

"Getting provoked and throwing a punch just proves he's an idiot. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have fallen for it."

"You, man..."

Ike Kanji looked at him, speechless.

On the other side.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka silently observed the situation in the classroom. His brown eyes were as still as an ancient well, and his expression was so flat that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Sudo Ken...

The shop clerk...

He let these two matters pass through his mind.

Then, he stopped paying attention.

His thoughts.

Drifted back to yesterday afternoon.

At that time.

The air inside the private room of the cafe had nearly frozen.

"Who exactly,"

"is the person behind you!"

"..."

Horikita Suzune sat in the main seat, her face as pale as paper, unable to say a word. Her body was trembling slightly.

Her reddish-purple fox-like eyes had almost lost their luster.

Across from them.

There were three faces.

Ryuen Kakeru sat with his legs crossed, his dark red hair draped carelessly over his shoulders, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He issued that slightly oppressive interrogation.

However.

Horikita Suzune did not answer.

Her reddish-purple fox-like eyes stared straight at the ignored contract on the table, her gaze hollow and vacant.

"Hey, hey..."

"Playing deaf and dumb won't work."

Seeing this.

Ryuen Kakeru's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in his gaze as he glanced at the surveillance camera on the ceiling.

Immediately after.

He slowly shifted his line of sight, looking toward someone.

"Or is it,"

"That you are the mastermind behind the scenes?"

"Mr. Passerby?"

Meeting that suspicious gaze head-on, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained expressionless, his tone flat and innocent as he spoke.

"Me?"

"Sorry, I don't really understand what you mean. I just came along with Horikita-san for the transaction; I don't know much about anything else."

His usual robotic excuse.

There wasn't even a hint of inflection in his voice.

"Oh?"

Ryuen Kakeru's mouth curled, his eyes locked onto the Pseudo-Human, his expression as excited as if he had spotted prey.

"But why do I get the feeling..."

"That you are much more interesting than you look on the surface."

He was too calm.

Faced with this kind of situation, an ordinary student couldn't possibly remain so unruffled. This guy was most likely...

--That person!

"..."

At these words.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded with silence, maintaining an innocuous expression, though he sighed inwardly.

He hadn't expected.

That he would end up taking the fall for Xu Nuo...

Just then.

"Horikita."

Katsuragi Kohei, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up.

"Horikita Suzune..."

He slowly recited the name, his tone thoughtful, his bald head reflecting a sharp glint of light.

"I recall,"

"The Student Council President also shares the surname Horikita."

Katsuragi Kohei mused, his tone bordering on certainty.

Suddenly.

Everyone present was shocked!

Only Ryuen Kakeru, after his initial astonishment, immediately stared fixedly at Ayanokoji's expression, attempting to find a flaw.

Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

The memory cut off there.

In the end, the matter was left unsettled.

Horikita Manabu had successfully taken the fall for Xu Nuo, being branded with the accusation of favoritism, which left everyone feeling stunned.

Who would have thought, the thick-browed and big-eyed Student Council President...

To think he would actually pull strings for someone.

Back then.

Perhaps Horikita Suzune was wounded too deeply; in the face of their slander against her brother, she didn't even offer an explanation.

Thinking of this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head.

Forget it.

None of this had anything to do with him.

He only wanted to spend his three years of high school in peace.

(Holy crap!! As a newbie, I really didn't expect so many people to be reading this.)

(Thank you all for your kind support! Thanks to the big bosses for the tips! A huge thank you to "Milk-Ice-Cream-Loving Wen Sheng" for the God-tier verification! A million thanks, desu wa or2)