Shinjo and the Real Shinjo

"Please, help yourself."

To show off his hospitality, Shinjo had even brought out the tap water and butter cookies he usually couldn't bear to touch.

"Whoa... You're unbelievably stingy!"

Akane Tachibana frowned at the disposable paper cup in front of her.

"You can't even bring yourself to fill my cup with tap water?!"

"Since we're on opposite sides, I'd love to treat you properly, but what if someone with ulterior motives saw us and accused me of bribing a high-ranking Student Council member?"

Shinjo sighed, looking completely innocent.

"Bribing me, my ass! You said you'd treat us to tea. Where is it?"

"Well... I didn't expect to run out of tea bags, too. So, when will the new month's budget be approved?"

Akane Tachibana was almost out of breath. If Manabu Horikita hadn't remained completely unperturbed from start to finish, she would've turned around and left long ago.

"You've got some nerve asking us for more money?!"

"Akane."

"President, this guy is just too much!"

Manabu Horikita knew that as well as anyone.

But he'd learned long ago just how shameless the man in front of him was. Taking him seriously would only send his blood pressure through the roof, so the best way to deal with him was not to take the bait.

"You've been running the Odd Jobs Agency for a month, and you've completed all the jobs I assigned you on time. So of course I'll approve the funds when they're due."

"Long live the wise president!"

"The school has been keeping an eye on your Odd Jobs Agency ever since you made such a big commotion last time. You know what I mean, right?"

Shinjo shrugged. He'd expected this, since he'd often been called in for a chat while working at the Odd Jobs Agency outside school, too.

"So, before long, I'll be summoned by someone?"

"That remains to be seen. But even if it happens, it'll probably be a little later. Your Odd Jobs Agency has only just opened, and you haven't done anything particularly..."

Manabu didn't need to finish. He trusted Shinjo to understand.

Since Manabu hadn't intended to stay in the first place, he motioned for Akane Tachibana to leave with him.

But Akane seemed determined to get her revenge before they left. She downed four cups of tap water, then took an entire box of butter cookies with her. On her way out, she stuck her tongue out at Shinjo.

"You stingy junior! No wonder you'll never make a dime!"

Almost as soon as Manabu had left, Suzune Horikita arrived at the Odd Jobs Agency with Ayanokoji and knocked on the door.

"Please, have a seat. Sorry, but all I have is tap water. That stingy Akane Tachibana-senpai ate all the butter cookies."

Suzune Horikita said nothing and went straight to the chair Manabu had occupied. Ayanokoji followed suit and sat beside her.

The three of them stared at one another. Shinjo couldn't get a read on his visitors, so he didn't know what to say.

About five minutes passed.

"Um..."

They spoke at almost the same time. When Shinjo and Horikita realized the other had something to say, they both swallowed their words.

"You..."

"Never mind. You're the guests, so you can go first. Oh, and if you're going to say something like, 'I never expected you to be the one running the Odd Jobs Agency,' don't bother. I never tried to keep it a secret, and bringing it up now would be pointless."

Suzune Horikita wasn't one to beat around the bush. She took over the conversation.

"Can I ask if your Odd Jobs Agency is really as amazing as they said in the presentation? That you'll do anything for money, and so on?"

Put simply, there wasn't much wrong with describing it that way.

But saying they'd do anything for money was a bit too broad, wasn't it?

"Um, let me clarify. Our Odd Jobs Agency has four basic principles. Aside from those, we'll do anything for money."

To avoid explaining the rules to every customer, Shinjo had recently printed the four principles on a large sheet of paper and firmly stuck it to the blackboard behind him.

Ayanokoji followed Shinjo's gesture and looked over. What he read made the corner of his mouth twitch.

So the Odd Jobs Agency seems like a pretty free place. If you don't want to do something... you can just refuse?

"Then what did the Student Council President mean when he spoke to you alone earlier? Have you already found a clue that could help Sudo?!"

Were they still pretending she had nothing to do with Horikita-senpai?

Well, it wasn't his business. It took two to tango, and there was only one explanation for a sibling feud this intense: both of them were incredibly stubborn.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't. The only information I have is what I got from Kushida. Our classmate Sakura might have witnessed what happened. Other than that, I really have nothing."

"I... I see... That makes sense. If you had a clue, we wouldn't have needed to come ask you. After all, that guy considers you his friend."

Shinjo fell silent for a moment. He felt he should make things clear to her. If he put it off, it might be harder to explain later. Principles were principles.

"Horikita, since we're classmates, I'd like to correct one mistake you've made."

"A mistake?"

Ayanokoji recalled what Chabashira had said before: Shinjo was Shinjo, and the Odd Jobs Agency was the Odd Jobs Agency.

"Right. Everyone knows Sudo and I are friends. Honestly, I don't mind having another simple-minded, brawn-over-brains friend, but that's as far as it goes."

"What... do you mean?"

"It's simple. I think the most important thing for people to do is take responsibility for themselves. If someone else wants to take responsibility for you, that's their business. But Sudo hasn't earned that from me. In other words, I'll help him find a witness, but that's about the same level of help I'd give Ike or Yamauchi. Don't expect me to prop up a crumbling building."

Horikita seemed to understand now. She quickly straightened up and asked,

"Y-You mean you don't care at all if Sudo gets suspended and the class loses points?!"

"It's not that I don't care at all. But Sudo and I barely know each other, and he's not that important to me. So helping him is the same as doing something for the class. And if that's the case, I'll only put in as much effort as an average classmate. I absolutely won't go beyond that."

Ayanokoji thought, Just as I expected.