Suzuki Toru ignored Totsuka Yahiko and said to Katsuragi Kohei, "The Student Council will announce the list of new members next month. Give me an answer by the end of the month at the latest."
He had originally expected Katsuragi Kohei to deliberate for a long time, but to his surprise, the latter made up his mind the moment he finished speaking.
"No, let me give you my answer now." Katsuragi Kohei looked at Suzuki Toru with a serious gaze. "I accept your terms, Suzuki."
Suzuki Toru nodded at this, not asking why.
He then operated his phone to send a message to Horikita Manabu, and before long, a reply came back from the other side.
"You're accepted, Katsuragi-kun." Suzuki Toru turned the chat interface toward Katsuragi Kohei, where the most prominent text content confirmed exactly what he had said.
"It seems to be real..." Totsuka Yahiko leaned in, saw it clearly, and was completely stunned.
Katsuragi Kohei saw it even more clearly; he stared at the screen for a long time, speechless.
In class yesterday, Suzuki Toru's performance hadn't been particularly eye-catching; he had seemed more like a student being called upon by a teacher, giving off a sense of helplessness.
Regarding the explanation of Private Points, Katsuragi Kohei had assumed he was a relatively sharp student with decent reflexes and thinking.
However, Suzuki Toru had now completely shattered that impression.
If he hadn't happened to go to the Student Council office, he might not have known even now that Suzuki Toru had joined the Student Council.
Not only was he able to join the Student Council, but he could also get others to join as well.
This was no longer an ordinary student; no matter where he was placed, he would be exceptionally outstanding and prominent!
More importantly, Katsuragi Kohei suddenly realized another, more terrifying issue.
"Suzuki, may I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"How many Private Points did you have before?"
"Over a million."
"..."
It was completely certain now; this was a man who surpassed him.
Moreover, it was very likely that he was a cut above Sakayanagi Arisu, in every sense of the word.
Katsuragi Kohei suddenly felt a sense of ambition; with a monster like this in the class, he couldn't imagine any possibility of Class A losing.
It wasn't as if someone could get Suzuki Toru expelled, right?
On the same day.
In the Class D classroom.
Facing the teacher's lecture, most of the students were busy with their own things; the number of people playing on their phones, sleeping, or whispering to each other was too high to count.
As for the situation below the podium, the teacher seemed to turn a blind eye, continuing to lecture as if they were alone.
Horikita Suzune felt that these people were beyond saving.
However, no matter how hopeless they were, she wouldn't meddle in other people's business.
After class ended, Horikita Suzune took out a book by Dostoevsky, flipped to the page where she had left a bookmark last night, and continued reading as if no one else were around.
"Hey, Horikita, do you want to eat lunch together today?" a boy next to her asked.
"Forget it, because your group is too vulgar," Horikita Suzune replied without even lifting her head.
"Although I won't deny that, are you going to eat a bento today as well?" the other person pressed.
"The supermarket has free ingredients; one can make a nutritious bento using those," Horikita Suzune explained as if reciting a formula.
Although the school had issued one hundred thousand Private Points, Horikita Suzune wasn't the type of girl who spent excessively.
Since there were free ingredients, why not take advantage of them?
The boy peered at her reaction, seemingly wearing an envious expression.
"That expression of yours is disgusting, Ayanokoji." Horikita Suzune cast a rather cold gaze at him.
This boy's name was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. On the day of the entrance ceremony, she had ridden the same bus as him to Advanced Nurturing High School, so they had a bit of a connection.
Because they were assigned to the same class and were desk neighbors, Horikita Suzune would occasionally respond to him with a sentence or two, but that was as far as it went.
Seeing her reaction, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka immediately shifted his gaze and stopped talking, fearing she might stab him with her compass again.
At that moment, a girl suddenly walked up to Horikita Suzune, causing her to subconsciously frown.
The girl's name was Kushida Kikyo, an inexplicable person who had announced on the first day that she wanted to be friends with everyone, while simultaneously pestering her relentlessly.
Not long ago, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kushida Kikyo had tricked her into going to a cafe together, claiming that they felt she always acted alone and looked too lonely, and that they wanted to be friends with her.
Horikita Suzune didn't feel that being alone was lonely at all; the concept of friends didn't have much meaning to begin with.
Before entering this school, she had never made friends, never added anyone's contact information, and never hung out with classmates.
Well, ever since kindergarten.
Just as Horikita Suzune was about to reject Kushida Kikyo, she heard the latter say with some embarrassment:
"Horikita-san, I happened to run into an acquaintance of yours on the road earlier and chatted for a bit. He wants to meet with you; when are you free?"
In an instant, Horikita Suzune's entire body stiffened.
Could it be her brother?
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Chapter 28: You Disappoint Your Brother Too Much
Although she hadn't told anyone, she did have an older brother, and he happened to be at Advanced Nurturing High School as well.
During the club orientation, Horikita Suzune had kept her eyes fixed on her brother the entire time.
A third-year senior, the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu.
Perfect and beyond reproach, Horikita Suzune had once felt inferior just watching Horikita Manabu on stage.
However, it was no coincidence that the siblings had met here.
Ever since she learned that Horikita Manabu had been accepted into Advanced Nurturing High School, Horikita Suzune had sworn to follow in his footsteps.
As expected, Horikita Suzune successfully enrolled in Advanced Nurturing High School this year, becoming a fellow student of Horikita Manabu.
With that, Horikita Suzune was satisfied; as for joining the Student Council or anything else, she couldn't be bothered.
If it weren't for the fact that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had some self-awareness, Horikita Suzune wouldn't have bothered with him either.
Because socializing was an extremely boring and tedious endeavor, and no matter how unforgettable a friendship might be, it was ultimately just a fleeting moment in life.
She had many things to do and needed to focus her precious energy on herself.
Therefore, Horikita Suzune did not need friends.
When Kushida Kikyo approached her with a smile on her face, Horikita Suzune refused her flatly without a second thought.
Even regarding Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Suzune had warned the boy not to count her among his friends.
No matter what happened, Horikita Suzune felt that her stance toward the two of them would never waver.
Well, that was how it was supposed to be.
"To be honest, I'm a bit surprised. I didn't expect Horikita-san to have acquaintances at this school." A gentle smile appeared on Kushida Kikyo's face as she observed Horikita Suzune's reaction.
"You saw him?" Horikita Suzune tried her best to mask her expression. "When was this? What did he talk to you about?"
This reaction was truly easy to read, and Kushida Kikyo smiled broadly.
"After shopping for clothes with Komi and the others yesterday, I ran into Suzuki-kun on the way back to the dorms. If he hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you two knew each other."
Huh, Suzuki-kun?
Horikita Suzune's previously tense expression faltered in confusion. Who was this guy? Wasn't she talking about her brother?
"I don't know him."
In an instant, Horikita Suzune returned to normal, her expression turning icy.
"Eh, isn't he your friend?" Kushida Kikyo looked somewhat surprised.
"I have always been alone; I don't have such things," Horikita Suzune said coldly. "In the future, if you run into people like that, treat them as liars. Please don't disturb me with this again."
"But Suzuki-kun said he is friends with your brother, and that he knows you too."
As soon as the words left her lips, Kushida Kikyo noticed that Horikita Suzune had stiffened again, her reaction even more intense than before.
"...Do you know who my brother is?"
"Suzuki-kun said the Student Council President is your brother. That's right, isn't it?"
Horikita Suzune fell silent, her hands gripping her book involuntarily.
Beside her, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to have heard something as well, casting a subtle glance in their direction, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Horikita-san?"
Kushida Kikyo called out tentatively, only to see Horikita Suzune suddenly close her book and look up at her with a blank expression.
"If I heard you correctly, you just said he wants to see me? When? Where? Did he say anything else?"
Taken aback by her pressing questions, Kushida Kikyo hesitated. "Suzuki-kun didn't tell me much, but he said if you have time, you can meet after school today. He'll be waiting for you behind the gymnasium."
"Fine. Tell him I will be there as promised," Horikita Suzune replied, believing herself to be quite calm.
Kushida Kikyo gathered her courage and asked, "Horikita-san, would you mind if I came with you?"
"No." Horikita Suzune denied her request without a moment's thought.
However, Kushida Kikyo wasn't angry; instead, she maintained her smile.
"Alright then, let's go out and have fun together another time when you're free."
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