Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in

Mikage Touji's gaze softened.

So you're the victim of that blond senior, huh...

"Is there something you need from me, Horikita-senpai?" Driven by a shred of pity, Mikage Touji's attitude turned gentle.

"Nagumo said that after I graduate, his opponent will be you. I wanted to confirm whether, if he ever tries to impose his rule over Kouiku, you would be capable of stopping his recklessness." Horikita Manabu got straight to the point.

"And how exactly do you intend to confirm that?" Mikage Touji narrowed his eyes.

"Like this." A reverse punch shot out instantly, heading straight for Mikage Touji's face.

"Yare yare, is such a reckless test really okay? You are the student council president, after all."

Releasing his spirit silently, Mikage Touji watched the incoming fist and helplessly sidestepped to dodge it. However, judging by the muscle tension, Horikita Manabu had clearly held back; while it looked like a direct strike to the face, he could have easily diverted the punch at the moment of impact.

Missing his first strike, Horikita Manabu instantly pushed off with his thigh, increasing his speed further as he threw a clean side kick aimed at Mikage Touji's waist.

"If I get hit, I'll end up bedridden. Don't make me call my senpai to teach you a lesson."

Mikage Touji took a small step back, dodging Horikita Manabu's attack once more.

"You actually tried to follow up with another kick? Is this what the student council president is like? By the way, are you practicing karate? Or aikido? Or perhaps both?"

Mikage Touji continued to chat as if they were just passing time, but Horikita Manabu ignored him, continuing his assault.

After a few exchanges, Horikita Manabu, having failed to land a hit, stopped and pushed his glasses back up, as they had gone crooked from the movement.

"Truly impressive. You seem to have seen through my movements completely. Why didn't you counterattack?"

"Because I don't know how." Mikage Touji, a transmigrator who considered himself a civilized student, replied honestly.

"I see." Horikita Manabu didn't seem to believe his excuse and pulled his phone from his pocket. "What is your account number?"

"Huh?"

"My apology for the trouble. You were right; a student council president shouldn't be attacking students."

One minute later, Mikage Touji looked at the notification of 500,000 points hitting his account with sparkling eyes, then cleared his throat and looked at Horikita Manabu with a serious expression.

"Actually, I could spar with you all day."

"No need. I've already tested your capabilities, and you've passed the standard exams in other areas as well. Nagumo was right; you are indeed an opponent worthy of him. Although Nagumo has already invited you, I will ask just in case: are you interested in joining the student council?"

"I refuse."

"I see. That is a pity." Seeing that Mikage Touji had no interest, Horikita Manabu did not press the matter further.

"Actually, you could stop Nagumo-senpai, couldn't you?"

Over the past few days, he had heard various rumors about this student council president—that he had held the position since his first year and was hailed as the most outstanding president in the history of Kouiku. Judging by that title, the general consensus placed Horikita Manabu above Nagumo Miyabi.

"It's meaningless. The student council will eventually have to be handed over to him anyway." Horikita Manabu replied indifferently.

Mikage Touji raised an eyebrow. Nagumo Miyabi being a creep was one thing, but why was Horikita Manabu like this too? Their philosophies were so diametrically opposed, yet they still acknowledged each other's abilities?

"Speaking of which, it seems you don't intend to take in any first-year students at all?"

"Ah, that includes Katsuragi Kōhei from your class. They are all excellent, but I am certain they cannot defeat Nagumo. To be safe, I'd rather not drag them into the student council's conflicts." Horikita Manabu nodded and glanced at Mikage Touji once more. "However, if you are behind Katsuragi Kōhei, Nagumo shouldn't have any interest in bothering him."

Are you trying to use Katsuragi to indirectly pull me into this conflict? Mikage Touji understood the subtext of Horikita Manabu's words.

"Do as you like." In any case, that blond guy was constantly sending him harassing texts anyway; trading that for a student council position wouldn't be a loss.

"However, Horikita-senpai, you aren't as upright as you appear on the surface, are you?"

"Anyone who has survived in this school for three years develops such schemes."

Horikita Manabu did not refute Mikage Touji's words and took out his phone to check the time.

"There is still work to be done at the student council. Let's end it here for today."

"I won't see you out."

Mikage Touji had no ill will toward this benefactor who had gone out of his way to deliver money to him. It could only be said that after witnessing Nagumo the creep and the various types of humanoids in Class D, Mikage Touji's threshold for the bizarre students at Kouiku had been raised infinitely.

Since the path back to the school building and the path to the student council were the same, the two had to walk together for a distance.

Then, another figure blocked their path.

Her waist-length black hair fluttered in the wind, and a pair of straight legs wrapped in black knee-high socks emerged from beneath her white pleated skirt.

This ice-cold beauty, whom he had met in the teacher's office a few days ago, showed a sense of bewilderment that didn't match her temperament when she saw the two men suddenly appear before her.

Mikage Touji looked at the ice-cold girl staring intently at Horikita Manabu, then back at Horikita Manabu, who was staring at her with an expressionless face.

He seemed to remember this girl was named something like Horikita... Tomiko?

Horikita... Horikita Manabu?

"Looking for you?" Mikage Touji turned his head to look at Horikita Manabu.

"She is... my sister." Unlike the tone he used when speaking to Mikage Touji just moments ago, his voice was filled with a sense of detachment.

The two siblings looked like they had things to say, and he, the third party, didn't seem to belong here. Possessing self-awareness, Mikage Touji carefully bypassed the two and took his leave first.

"Suzune, I didn't expect you to follow me all the way here."

Suzune? Wasn't her name Tomiko?

"Brother... I am no longer—"

"You are exactly the same as you were three years ago. I can tell just by looking at you."

"No, that's not it. I came to this school specifically to catch up to you."

"And you ended up in Class D? What a useless sister you are."

"Th—this must be some kind of mistake. I will definitely promote to Class A, and then—"

"Naive. I can state with certainty that you will never reach Class A!"

The sound of the argument faded as Mikage Touji walked further away.

Mikage Touji found a bench and sat down, taking a fierce gulp of cola to vent his frustration over failing to receive his Pokémon.

What a strange pair of siblings. Mikage Touji could sense that Horikita Manabu clearly cared about his sister, yet he maintained such a cold expression when facing her—

"Coo..."

Mikage Touji turned his head instantly. The Fat Pigeon, which had flown away earlier, had folded its wings and was now perched on the back of the bench, peering toward the direction of the Horikita siblings.

Does this pigeon actually enjoy gossip?!

Mikage Touji's mouth twitched as he watched the fat bird, whose eyes had become inexplicably bright and alert.

At this moment, it was completely oblivious to the fact that a guy with ill intentions was staring at it with burning intensity.

"Coo..." (Wow, they're fighting!)

The Fat Pigeon flapped its wings happily, its cooing filled with excitement.

What? They're fighting?

Mikage Touji's attention immediately snapped back to the Horikita siblings.

Looking from afar, Horikita Manabu had his hand hooked into a claw, striking toward Horikita... no, wait! Horikita Suzune.

Only...

Mikage Touji's eyes narrowed.

What are they doing? Breakdancing?

Horikita Manabu's moves looked fierce, but he clearly had no intention of landing a heavy blow. Most of his strikes didn't even touch Horikita Suzune. Compared to the swiftness he showed when dealing with Mikage Touji earlier, this was nothing more than playing house...

As for the other one, it was even more absurd; she didn't even think to fight back, just standing there and taking the hits in silence.

Stop it, you guys aren't going to kill anyone like that!

The fight—or rather, the one-sided domestic violence against the sister—lasted only a short while, ending with Horikita Suzune falling to the ground and Horikita Manabu stopping his assault.

The short-lived drama was over before it even began.

"Sigh—"

"Coo—"

Two sounds of regret rang out. The head of the human and the head of the pigeon both drooped, then simultaneously looked at each other.

A sense of emotional resonance spread between them.

Some things don't need words; they can be understood through a mere glance.

Kindred spirits (pigeon)!

Ding! The intimacy between Wild Pigeon and Mikage Touji has increased!

After staring at each other for a few seconds, the Fat Pigeon, satisfied that it had found a like-minded companion, pecked Mikage Touji's palm twice and fluttered away.

It had to go to the docks to get some fries!

Not long after, Horikita Manabu walked past him without a word, pulling out his phone as usual.

Ding! 300,000 points have been deposited!

Mikage Touji nodded at him silently and drew a finger across his lips, as if zipping them shut.

Everything was understood without a word...

Chapter 36: The Horikita Family Affairs

A few minutes later, Horikita Suzune walked past Mikage Touji with her head hung low, looking like a completely different person from the cold, aloof girl who had walked into the office earlier.

Although she didn't seem to have any physical injuries, the damage to her heart was likely severe.

Seeming to notice Mikage Touji, who had been walking with Horikita Manabu earlier, Horikita Suzune stopped in her tracks, clutching one arm with her other hand as she stood there.

Mikage Touji took another swig of cola, looking at her in confusion.

That conflicted expression, wanting to leave but unable to move...

Could she be waiting for me to start a conversation?

Just then, Mikage Touji's phone suddenly vibrated, and the screen lit up.

[Horikita Manabu: I am telling you to take her to get her wounds checked.]

Damn! I thought you'd left, but it turns out you were hiding in some damp, dark corner peeping, right?

Also, it seems like you were the one who beat her into this state, weren't you? Is this some kind of weird fetish? Or are you actually a twisted sister-complex?

Come to think of it, you and that blond senior are really two of a kind. Not only do you have to act out an annual tear-jerker drama with him, but you also have to perform an annual domestic violence soap opera with your own sister.

However...

A cold sneer appeared on Mikage Touji's face as he tapped on his screen right in front of Horikita Suzune.

[Light, When Will You Return: Senior, my time is very precious. Every day I have to pit my wits against my arch-rivals and rack my brains for the progress of my class. I even only scored nine points on my Japanese exam; to avoid expulsion, I have to go to tutoring every single day.]

To summarize: I'm very expensive, you need to pay more!

A moment later, the transfer notification from Horikita Manabu arrived fashionably late.

[Ding! 200,000 points received!]

[Light, When Will You Return: No, wait, why are you giving me even less? You're the Student Council President, and this is your sister! Is your sister more important, or is money?]

[Horikita Manabu: Being the Student Council President doesn't mean I have an abundance of points.]

Mikage Touji stopped just as he was about to continue haggling. He watched the message on his phone screen with a twitching mouth; the sense of poverty leaking between the lines...

Could it be... that this one million was actually his meager stash of private savings?

This Student Council President is doing a pretty pathetic job. Mikage Touji had heard that the blond senior already possessed points in the tens of millions.

Thinking of the miserable life of a man with no money in his pockets, Mikage Touji felt a pang of sympathy.

[Light, When Will You Return: How about... I transfer some back to you?]

[Horikita Manabu: No need. Since the transfer has already been made, it means I have agreed to this transaction; there is no reason to take it back. If possible, help me knock some sense into Suzune...]

[Light, When Will You Return: Sorry, getting involved in other people's family business is outside my scope of work. It looks to me like you two are both enjoying it quite a bit—one willing to hit, and the other willing to take the beating.]

[Horikita Manabu: Suit yourself. Just remember to take her to get checked out, and don't tell her it was me who asked.]

[Light, When Will You Return: ok]