Afternoon.
Walking alone on the way to the gym, Horikita Suzune told herself more than once to stay calm.
He was just one of her brother's friends. There was nothing special about him.
Horikita Suzune had encountered similar situations a few times before, probably because people were curious about her as his younger sister.
After all, her brother was an outstanding person, so it was only natural that people would be interested in his sister.
In principle, Horikita Suzune shouldn't have paid any attention to this sort of thing.
But Advanced Nurturing High School was a closed-off school, and she had no idea how Horikita Manabu was doing there. Two years had passed with nothing but silence between the siblings.
That was why Horikita Suzune wanted to know how her brother was doing here and learn more about him.
Perhaps because she was so eager, Horikita Suzune had forgotten to ask Kushida Kikyo one very important question.
Who exactly was this so-called Suzuki-kun?
Kushida Kikyo wanted to know that, too.
In a corner Horikita Suzune didn't notice, two furtive figures followed closely behind her.
Kushida Kikyo and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
There was no denying it: they both wanted to see what would happen next.
Especially since Kushida Kikyo had said she wanted to get to know Horikita. She had promptly dragged along an apparently reluctant Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and the two of them had followed.
"Isn't this unfair to Horikita?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked. "She probably wouldn't let us spy on her from the sidelines."
"It's fine. I talked it over with Suzuki-kun. He'll help me become friends with Horikita, too." Kushida Kikyo's eyes sparkled.
If Horikita Suzune finds out we're following her, she'll beat me up, not you, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought sensibly, but he didn't say it aloud.
"By the way, who's Suzuki-kun?"
"Huh? You don't know him, Ayanokoji-kun?"
"Is it strange that I don't?"
"Ahaha, that's not what I meant. He's actually pretty famous among the girls. Everyone says he looks like some celebrity."
So he's another handsome guy, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought.
At that moment, Kushida Kikyo suddenly pulled him into a nearby corner, then motioned for him to look ahead.
"Look, that boy is Suzuki-kun."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka followed her gaze and saw a boy standing in front of Horikita Suzune. He had delicate features and a calm, expressionless face, like the aloof heartthrob girls talked about.
He looked difficult to approach. He probably wouldn't make a good friend.
Just as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was thinking this, the boy finally spoke.
"Do you have the Student Council President's contact information?"
It was a strange question, but Horikita Suzune still answered.
"Not at the moment."
The boy nodded thoughtfully, then said something utterly shocking.
"Suzune, drop out."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kushida Kikyo both froze, to say nothing of Horikita Suzune herself.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Horikita Suzune frowned, too taken aback to even object to the way he'd addressed her.
"I mean exactly what I said." Suzuki Toru spoke calmly. "As the Student Council President's younger sister, you've disappointed your brother. Instead of staying here and embarrassing yourself, you might as well drop out early. It would be better for both you and the Student Council President."
Horikita Suzune stared at the boy in disbelief. How dare he say something like that?
Part 29: You're an Embarrassment. Drop Out.
Suzuki Toru took a quick look at the girl before him. There was nothing to criticize about her appearance. She was full and curvy where she ought to be, and slender enough to fit in his arms where she ought to be.
She wore the school uniform, with slim legs showing beneath her skirt. Her little feet were hidden inside her shoes by black knee-high socks, leaving nothing to see.
[Want to lick Horikita Suzune's feet raw], [Want her and Kushida Kikyo stacked on top of each other], [Force her to make friends], [Want to see Horikita Suzune looking unwilling, tears streaming down her face], [Touch her thighs], [Squeeze her boobs], [Make Horikita Suzune...]
Even though he'd seen the wishes written on her before, they still left him a little stunned.
Still, Suzuki Toru only had to make a few choices.
When she heard him say "drop out," Horikita Suzune's expression slowly shifted from calm to disbelief. She could no longer hide how shaken she was.
Especially when he said that Horikita Manabu was disappointed in her as his younger sister. Suzuki Toru saw her face turn terribly pale, a hint of weakness flashing in her eyes.
"Does my brother want me to leave?" Horikita Suzune forced the bitter words from deep in her throat.
Suzuki Toru replied calmly, "Let me introduce myself first. I'm Suzuki Toru from Class 1-A, a first-year like you. Yesterday, the Student Council President personally invited me to join the Student Council."
Horikita Suzune looked at him in surprise, unable to figure out what he was after.
"Aren't you my brother's friend?"
"Of course I am. Why else would I join the Student Council?" Suzuki Toru played a little trick. "That's exactly why the Student Council President and I are disappointed in you, Suzune."
Horikita Suzune pressed her lips together. "I'm not the same person I used to be. I came to this school to catch up to my brother. There's no way I'm dropping out."
Suzuki Toru looked at her as if she were an idiot, wearing a helpless expression as he sighed. "You still don't understand the situation? As the Student Council President's younger sister, you're a Class D student. If people find out, you'll make him lose face."
"What's wrong with Class D?" Horikita Suzune frowned. "It's just a class. I got excellent entrance exam scores, and I won't fall behind in the future."
"I never thought the Student Council President's sister would be an idiot. I guess his opinion of you was right after all."
"Did you come here just to say all this?" Horikita Suzune was indignant. The fact that she'd followed Horikita Manabu to this school was already proof of her excellence.
But Suzuki Toru only said coldly, "Give it up. At this school, being placed in Class D means you're trash. Only Class A is recognized by the school and everyone else as a class of excellent students."
Horikita Suzune froze. Were all the students placed in Class D really trash?
"Seeing how completely clueless you are makes me feel sorry for the Student Council President. He started out in Class A, and after two years of fighting, he still holds on to its position. He also took over the Student Council."
"But his younger sister is a Class D student. The first time I heard about it, I thought I'd misheard. When I asked the Student Council President to confirm it, he seemed just as unwilling to accept the truth."
"Since you don't know, I'll explain. Before students enroll, the school assesses their ability and assigns them to classes accordingly. The best students go to Class A, those who barely pass go to Class B and Class C, and only the failures are placed in Class D."
"So, Suzune, you're a defective failure."
With that, Suzuki Toru delivered his final verdict.
Horikita Suzune's thoughts fell into chaos. She bit her lower lip, trying several times to argue with Suzuki Toru, but she didn't know what to say.
His claims were unlikely to be false. She could quickly get an answer by checking with her homeroom teacher or an older student. Suzuki Toru had no reason to lie.
But if he wasn't lying, didn't that mean she really was trash, just as he'd said?
"Something must have gone wrong somewhere. I got excellent marks on both the written test and the interview. There's no way I'm a bad student!" Horikita Suzune's voice grew heated as she tried desperately to prove herself.
Suzuki Toru said nothing. He took out his phone and played a recording he'd prepared in advance. It was a conversation he'd recorded with a listening device in the Student Council office.
"By the way, does the Student Council President have a younger sister?"
"You've met Suzune?"
"I have, but I find it a little strange. If she's your younger sister, why isn't she in Class A?"
"She lacks the aptitude in certain areas. It's not surprising that she isn't in Class A."
"..."
At first, Horikita Suzune didn't understand what he was doing. But the moment she heard the familiar voice, her expression stiffened.
"You should be able to hear that clearly. I recorded that conversation right in front of the Student Council President." Suzuki Toru promptly turned off the recording to avoid revealing anything. "He told me that Suzune wasn't suited to this school. I still remember his expression. You've disappointed him."
Horikita Suzune was struck by a thunderous shock.
"If you don't believe me, I have the Student Council President's contact information. You can call him and confirm it for yourself." Suzuki Toru shoved his phone into her hand.
Horikita Suzune reflexively looked down. One of the contacts was labeled Horikita Manabu. She was so startled she almost dropped the phone, as if it were burning hot.
Seeing this, Suzuki Toru's lips curled up slightly. Maybe today he really could force himself on this girl.
"I-I'm not trash. The school must have made a mistake. I'll get into Class A soon and prove it to you!" Horikita Suzune's thoughts were in disarray. She couldn't think about anything else; she could only shout herself hoarse, as though that could change things.
"The school couldn't have made a mistake. And how are you going to get into Class A?" Suzuki Toru asked coolly.
His words seemed to give Horikita Suzune something to grasp. "Do you know how to transfer to Class A?!"
"I do. But why should I tell you?" Suzuki Toru asked in return.
Horikita Suzune was left speechless, but she reacted quickly.
"It doesn't matter if you don't tell me. I'll ask my homeroom teacher. She'll know."
So she's not completely stupid after all, Suzuki Toru thought.
"Don't be naive. If she would tell you, why didn't she explain it to you at the start of the school year?"
Seeing Horikita Suzune's stunned expression, he knew he'd guessed right. Not just Class A, but the other classes hadn't been told what was going on either.
The school wasn't deliberately hiding anything or actively explaining it. It had simply left everything there, as if to say, Look if you want to; if not, don't.
However, the school did forbid teachers and older students from revealing information, especially anything about the exam rules.
"It's simple. This is paid information. Even I had to spend one million Private Points to learn about it," Suzuki Toru said without batting an eye.
Wait, had she heard that right? One million Private Points!?
Horikita Suzune was stunned. Hadn't they been told everyone only had one hundred thousand Private Points?
And where had he gotten one million Private Points?
Part 30: Never Underestimate a Poor Girl
"How do you have so many Private Points?" Horikita Suzune wondered, perplexed.
She even suspected that Class A might be different from the other classes, with special privileges when it came to Private Points.
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