Commission

Listening to the string of words An Xiao uttered after being caught, Horikita Manabu's face darkened, and a vein throbbed on his temple, yet he still spoke to An Xiao: "Stay for a moment; there are some things I would like to discuss with you."

"Can we... make it quick?" An Xiao's gaze darted repeatedly between Horikita Manabu and Horikita Suzune standing behind him, his tone sounding somewhat weak as he asked.

Paying no mind to An Xiao's words, Horikita Manabu instead brought up something else: "As someone who knew most of the school's rules in advance, you should, to some extent, be aware of the immense power the Student Council wields in this school."

"Here, I can tell you clearly: the power held by the Student Council is far greater than you imagine."

"An Xiao, a freshman in Class B, keenly perceived the school's hidden rules on the very first day and obtained relatively detailed information through upperclassmen."

"This level of observation and initiative is truly excellent."

"It can be said that, despite being a student in Class B, you are actually more capable than most students in Class A."

Horikita Manabu finished speaking, and now it was An Xiao's turn to have a dark line appear on his forehead.

No, wait, it was just one thing I did yesterday—how does it feel like everyone knows about it by now?

First it was Hoshinomiya-sensei, and now here comes the Student Council President...

What a massive pain!

Rubbing his somewhat stiff face, he looked at Horikita Manabu, who stood before him as if nothing had happened, and Horikita Suzune, who stood to the side with her head bowed in silence. He felt both annoyed and amused.

Is this what you call... being a tsundere?

Sighing, he said with a touch of helplessness: "If you have something to say, President, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush."

"Let's skip the part about me and get straight to the point."

"Then, are you interested in being a 'teacher'?"

"Huh? What was that? A teacher?" An Xiao was a bit dazed by what Horikita Manabu had just said, but he reacted immediately: "You want me to be a teacher for your sister? Looking at her, her grades don't seem bad either, right?"

"It is not regarding her academics," Horikita Manabu corrected. "But rather, teaching her how to survive in this school."

"And while you're at it, keep an eye on her for me."

This was a thought that had just occurred to him; based on his understanding of his sister, if no one intervened, she would likely walk down a dead end, stepping into every trap along the way.

And judging by her performance just now, she clearly wouldn't choose to drop out easily, so Horikita Manabu had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.

"No, Brother, I can do it myself..." Horikita Suzune said, her emotions somewhat agitated.

"Quiet!" Horikita Manabu scolded coldly.

Ignoring Horikita Suzune, who had lowered her head once more, he simply stared at An Xiao.

Trouble, massive trouble!

An Xiao instinctively wanted to refuse, but before he could speak, his words were blocked by Horikita Manabu's next sentence.

"One hundred thousand points. Every month until I graduate, I will pay you one hundred thousand points as tuition for Suzune."

Horikita Manabu unleashed a point bombardment. An Xiao was hit. An Xiao took massive damage. An Xiao fell silent.

After pondering for a long time, An Xiao finally asked: "Pardon me for asking, but which class is your sister in?"

"Class D, first-year Class D," Horikita Manabu said, then looked at Horikita Suzune, who was huddled up like an ostrich to the side.

"Class D, huh..." An Xiao rubbed his chin.

Based on the information he had obtained earlier, Class D should be the worst class of all.

It was similar to the class of the upperclassman mentioned in the recording.

Rooted in his education from the past decade or so in China, and because of his own academic excellence, the schools An Xiao had attended were all top-tier institutions where the quality of students was very high; even the "worst" among them weren't actually that bad.

This had led to a cognitive error on An Xiao's part.

This is a bit troublesome!

An Xiao muttered to himself, though it wasn't about accepting the task regarding Horikita Suzune—after all, he didn't have to worry about her grades, the task wasn't that difficult, and there were plenty of points to be earned.

It was mainly because of the promise he had made to Hoshinomiya-sensei earlier...

Well, it's all Hoshinomiya-sensei's fault for giving so little; if she had offered more, An Xiao wouldn't be this hesitant.

After thinking for a long time, An Xiao finally said: "I can do it, but only for her personally, and it must not violate the interests of Class B."

"Of course." Horikita Manabu nodded, showing no dissatisfaction; instead, he let out a sigh of relief once An Xiao agreed.

He knew his own family best; his sister had significant issues, and having someone like this to guide her was the best possible outcome.

As for why he chose An Xiao...

First, before this, Horikita Manabu had conducted a fairly detailed investigation into An Xiao and had a certain understanding of his abilities and character.

Second, it was his general perception of Class B.

I hope you can bring about some change in Suzune.

Horikita Manabu thought to himself as he looked at An Xiao.

"By the way, remember to come to the Student Council tomorrow; you will need to sign the relevant agreement."

Horikita Manabu released his hand from An Xiao's shoulder, walked past him, and said softly: "Besides that, I will leave some administrative tasks for you."

Having said that, he walked away without looking back, not even asking for An Xiao's opinion on the matter.

Hey, hey, I don't recall ever saying I wanted to join the Student Council, so how did you just go ahead and decide that for me?

An Xiao's mouth twitched slightly as he complained inwardly, though in truth, he didn't have much reason to refuse.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, joining the Student Council seemed pretty decent, especially since he'd have someone backing him up.

Thinking this, An Xiao turned his gaze toward the corner, where Horikita Suzune had yet to snap out of her daze.

"Horikita-san, you heard him too. I look forward to working with you from here on out."

"Hm?" Still reeling from the words she had just heard, Horikita Suzune let out an instinctive hum. Only after realizing her brother had already left did she finally lift her head, which had been bowed for quite some time.

It was only then that An Xiao had the leisure to properly size up the girl before him.

Her hair, long enough to reach her waist, cascaded down her back. On one side, a thin braid tied with a white ribbon hung down over her left shoulder, complementing the iridescence of her eyes.

The aura she exuded was completely different from that of Honami Ichinose.

"Young lady, it's time to come back to reality."

An Xiao raised his hand and waved it in front of Horikita Suzune as he spoke.

"Your brother just sold you to me, you know!"