Horikita's Unusual Behavior

The final bell of the school day rang, and the classroom grew noisy. Hoshino slumped over his desk, feeling somewhat exhausted.

After a day of "fermentation," the voices discussing Hoshino had finally quieted down, granting him a moment of peace.

There was still a little time before his duties at the Student Council began, and since he had nothing else to do, Hoshino decided to head over early.

He stood up, grabbed his school bag, tucked in his chair, and walked through the aisle between the desks, heading toward the classroom exit.

"...Congratulations, Secretary Hoshino..." A familiar voice rang out as he passed by Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji had his math textbook and workbook spread out in front of him, appearing to be doing homework, but he had already set down his pen and was looking at Hoshino with interest.

"...Ayanokoji, why are you joining in on this too?" Hoshino stopped and looked at Ayanokoji, his face showing a hint of helplessness.

He was speechless; he was just passing by, and he still had to be reminded of it again? After the scene Sotomura made this morning, Hoshino felt a sense of social death—he was terrified! It was just too embarrassing.

Social death is one of those things that actually feels okay when it happens, but the scary part is the urge to die all over again every time you think about it. Hoshino had been trying to ignore it, but this just deepened the impression.

However, Hoshino... Secretary? That title didn't sound too bad!

"...Sorry, sorry."

"...By the way, Ayanokoji, there's actually something I want to ask you." Since Ayanokoji had initiated the conversation, Hoshino decided to continue, pulling out the chair in front of Ayanokoji and sitting down.

"Oh? What is it?" Ayanokoji put away his playful tone.

"...What happened between you and Student Council President Horikita?"

Ever since he spoke with Student Council President Horikita a few days ago, Hoshino had been quite curious, but since the Student Council President had acted like he didn't want to talk about it, Hoshino had to keep his curiosity to himself for the time being. Since he had the time, why not do a little "gossiping"?

"Uh..." Ayanokoji fell silent, seemingly unsure how to answer, his eyes darting toward Horikita.

At this moment, although Horikita wasn't looking their way, anyone with a keen eye could tell that her mind was no longer on the book in her hands.

Wait, why are you looking at Horikita, Ayanokoji? Hoshino had a strange expression on his face. Could this actually be related to Horikita?

This is... too exciting!

"...Why are you two looking at me?" Horikita pretended to have just noticed them and looked over.

"..."

"..."

The three of them fell into a sudden silence. Shouldn't Ayanokoji be the one to answer? Why did he stop talking too?

"It's just... you and the Student Council President..." Before he could finish, Horikita glared at him fiercely, and Ayanokoji instinctively shut his mouth.

"Continue! Keep going!..." Hoshino, wanting to see the drama unfold, egged Ayanokoji on.

"Uh... you'd better not dig into this matter..."

Realizing the "man-eating" look in Horikita's eyes, Ayanokoji remained firm and brushed off Hoshino's question.

"...Fine..."

These people were so inconsiderate. Was it really that hard to let someone enjoy a bit of gossip?

"Horikita, is the Student Council President your brother?" To be honest, although Student Council President Horikita had answered this question for him, his attitude was just too... To be safe, Hoshino decided to ask Horikita herself.

"...Yes." Horikita's expression visibly darkened.

What kind of relationship did these two siblings have?

Hoshino had always wanted a younger sister since he was a child. Aren't younger sisters wonderful? If he had a sister, he would definitely spoil her rotten!

"Uh... sorry..."

He didn't know what to say now. It felt like every time the Student Council President was mentioned, Horikita began to waver. Was it an inferiority complex? Hoshino wasn't sure.

"It's nothing."

"...Hoshino, how does it feel to join the Student Council?" Seeing the atmosphere turn stiff, Ayanokoji thought for a moment and tried to ease the tension.

"It's alright. Everything else is fine, it's just that the Student Council work is quite heavy." Hoshino let out a long sigh.

"Isn't that fair? Along with gaining power, you have to shoulder corresponding obligations. Otherwise, why would the Student Council President put you in the position of secretary? Surely not to let you slack off?"

"...You make a lot of sense, I'm speechless!" Hoshino retorted.

Horikita, off to the side, just listened silently to Ayanokoji and Hoshino, her gaze somewhat resentful and also a bit lost.

"...Are you wondering why your brother didn't choose you? Why he didn't want you to join the Student Council?..."

"..."

Hoshino studied Horikita's face, trying to guess her thoughts. But there was no reply; Horikita just looked up at Hoshino with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, suddenly giving off the vibe of a "little girl."

"...You don't have to be so insecure, you know? Maybe there's some special reason why your brother didn't let you join the Student Council." Although Hoshino couldn't think of any reason, looking at Horikita like this, he felt a bit... "frustrated by her lack of resolve"?

After all, Horikita's brother was the Student Council President. If Horikita wanted to lead Class D, there would definitely be interactions in the future. If she wavered every time she encountered the Student Council President, how could she lead Class D to rise?

As a member of the Student Council and a subordinate of the Student Council President, Hoshino couldn't just stand by and watch.

"What reason?"

"...The duties of the Student Council President aren't just about the Student Council. Have you ever thought about why this school, which prioritizes ability above all else, requires the class to advance together?"

"Hm?"

"If it were a simple contest of individual strength, wouldn't that be better for cultivating talent? After all, once you enter society, you have to venture out and navigate it on your own... Given how things are now, you should understand just how formidable the Student Council President is! Ultimately, your brother only kept you out of the student council to protect you. If something happens, the Student Council President is the first in the line of fire and has to shoulder significant responsibility; it's very easy to become a target for everyone."

These were Hoshino's guesses mixed with a bit of deduction, lacking any real evidence, but given the current situation, Hoshino could only tell Horikita a slightly fabricated version of the truth.

"...Doesn't that just mean my abilities still haven't gained my brother's recognition?"

"...Is that what I meant?" Hoshino felt a bit dizzy, realizing all that talk had been for nothing. "...Have you ever considered that perhaps your brother only turned this school into what it is because he knew you were enrolling?"

"..." Horikita fell silent.

"Have you ever actually had a proper conversation with President Horikita? If you don't believe me, you can go ask him yourself." Hoshino spoke with absolute conviction.

Horikita didn't respond further. After silently lowering her head to ponder for a while, she picked up her bag and left without a word, leaving it unclear whether she was actually going to find the president.

"...Are you sure you won't be found out?" Ayanokoji, who had been silent for a long time, watched Horikita's retreating figure with skepticism.

"...How should I know? I'm not worried about being found out; isn't it enough as long as they can communicate properly? You know they don't actually hate each other, right..."

Hoshino's goal wasn't to truly persuade Horikita, but simply to make his final words sound more convincing. After all, their relationship as siblings wasn't something a mere classmate or subordinate like Hoshino could resolve. Since he couldn't solve it, wasn't it enough to create the conditions for them to talk? As family, they didn't truly despise one another, so there had to be a way for them to communicate!

He had accepted a favor from the president, and it was something Chabashira desired, so there was no loss—it was killing three birds with one stone! Even if he had guessed wrong and his efforts were in vain, it didn't seem to matter much.

There are some things you will only regret if you do nothing at all.