Horikita as Friend and Foe

Warehouse 4.

Ayanokoji gazed at the flustered middle-aged man on the ground with an indifferent expression, his eyes looking as listless as ever.

It really was an unfolding of events without any surprises.

Ayanokoji furrowed his dark brows slightly and glanced at the girl on the floor.

Her eyes twitched, and her delicate body, curled up on the ground, trembled incessantly; she still dared not lift her eyelids.

"Sakura..."

Ayanokoji attempted to rouse her.

However, before the words could even leave his mouth, his peripheral vision caught a flash of cold light flying toward him.

He twisted his neck slightly, his left hand moving in sync, and he caught the hilt of the blade the instant it sliced through the air past his ear.

"Mon... monster!"

"Are the students at this school all monsters?"

The middle-aged man shrieked, his face filled with disbelief.

"Sigh."

Ayanokoji let out a soft sigh and took out his phone to check the time.

He couldn't help but complain internally about the efficiency of the Student Council.

If you don't have enough manpower, just recruit normally, for heaven's sake.

At this moment, the girl on the ground finally opened her eyes slowly.

As the world, blurred by tears, gradually came into focus, she saw a face that looked slightly helpless.

"Ayanokoji... kun?!"

"Why are you here..."

Ayanokoji lowered his eyelids as he looked at her without speaking; with the seal of his glasses gone, he recognized her at a glance as the person from the photo on the middle-aged man's body pillow.

He half-knelt down and used the small knife he had "picked up" to cut the ropes on the girl, untying her.

"Tha... thank you."

The girl said softly, only then realizing that her disheveled state had been fully exposed to the boy before her, and she lowered her head in shyness.

Not far away, the middle-aged man saw this scene, aimed for an opportunity, and scrambled to his feet, stumbling as he tried to run outside.

However, he had only taken a few steps before he was forced to retreat back to his original spot.

Outside the door, three students in school uniforms stood before him, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"What happened? You there, the boy, explain yourself."

The man in the center, wearing black-rimmed glasses, spoke with a stern expression.

"This clerk seems to have wanted to commit violence against this girl," Ayanokoji said flatly, acting as if he were merely an outsider.

"Do you have evidence?"

"No... no, he's spouting nonsense!" the middle-aged man interrupted, "I'm Shizuku-chan's... fan. That was just a fan meeting between an idol and a fan, right, Shizuku-chan?"

The man looked at Sakura with a desperate plea, but Sakura's cold gaze gave him a clear response.

"Heh... hehe, you don't have any evidence, do you? There's no surveillance here..."

"You can't just convict someone without evidence, Mr. President."

As if grasping at a straw, the middle-aged man's eyes regained a glimmer of life, and his voice began to grow confident again.

However, the next second, reality played another joke on him.

"I have it." Ayanokoji lazily raised a hand, walked over, and held his phone out in front of the black-haired man. "I happened to record it while passing by."

The black-haired man watched the content of the video, his expression becoming even more serious, while he also cast a peculiar look at Ayanokoji.

This man, upon seeing such a situation, didn't think of saving the victim first, but instead calmly recorded the perpetrator's crime...

Heh.

Horikita Manabu sneered inwardly, then walked up to the middle-aged man and showed him the phone.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Horikita Manabu said calmly, his tone sounding like a final verdict.

The middle-aged man was dumbfounded when he saw the video.

That gloomy-looking guy had actually arrived here before he even tried to lay a hand on the girl, hiding in the corner and filming the whole thing?!

This guy is the real pervert!

Tears began to stream down his face.

The next second, the middle-aged man lowered his head, finally recognizing the reality of his situation.

There was no helping it; he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.

"Take him away," Horikita Manabu said calmly, adjusting his glasses before turning to face Ayanokoji. "The verdict will be delivered in one day. Please wait patiently."

"Understood."

Ayanokoji nodded silently, his expression devoid of emotion.

He and Sakura then watched them depart.

However, after taking only a few steps, Horikita Manabu paused unexpectedly. He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto Ayanokoji's incredibly indifferent eyes. "You, come join the Student Council. The position of secretary is still vacant; if you come, it's yours."

?

As Horikita Manabu's words fell, Ayanokoji's brow furrowed slightly, baffled by the sudden invitation.

The two Student Council members beside him were also filled with astonishment.

The president truly has unique taste...

"Is there something special about this kid, my dear president?"

A handsome, blonde-haired man standing nearby couldn't help but ask.

Horikita Manabu did not respond, however, simply waiting silently for Ayanokoji's reply, his dark eyes deep and resolute.

"I apologize, but I don't have any spare time for club activities at the moment."

"Oh, is that so? That's a pity." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses and continued, "However, I can promise you that during my tenure, whenever you change your mind, the Student Council will always welcome you."

Shock! The two second-year members were stunned upon hearing this.

Is he really that fond of him?

Sakura Airi, who had been silent behind Ayanokoji, now wore an expression of surprise, her eyes shimmering.

Rumors in the school had long since reached her ears as a common student: the Student Council only recruited big shots or academic geniuses.

Could it be that Ayanokoji-kun is truly special?

"Hmm..."

"I will consider it."

Ayanokoji nodded.

That's right, the best way to respond in a situation like this is to advance by retreating; this gives the other party enough face while conveying one's own helplessness.

This was a tactic of maneuvering he had learned from a book.

In truth, he had absolutely no interest in the Student Council. It was exhausting and offered few benefits, running completely contrary to his philosophy of life.

Only a fool would join the Student Council!

Ayanokoji thought to himself.

Afterward, the busy Horikita Manabu had no time for further conversation. He offered a polite farewell and left with the two second-year officers.

Watching them gradually fade from view, Ayanokoji let out a sigh of relief.

Horikita Manabu was an all-rounder; the mere fact that he could discern his abilities was enough for Ayanokoji to remember his name.

A moment later, he thought of a classmate with the same hair color and somewhat similar features who spent every day looking at him with disdain, and he couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

They are both Horikitas, so why is the gap between them so vast...