Horikita Manabu: I'll Make a Special Exception and Let You Call Me Big Brother!

Time flew by, and before they knew it, the appointed time for Ju Ji and the others to meet with Student Council President Horikita Manabu had arrived.

"You two really did show up at the same time, didn't you?"

"It was a coincidence, Horikita. Just a coincidence... Right, Ju Ji?"

"Ah... yeah, that's right."

The three of them had agreed to meet outside the dormitory. It was around nine in the morning, and the July sun was already blazing. Yet Suzune stood beneath it with an imposing air, as if the heat couldn't affect her at all.

"Suzune, you're here pretty early. There's still a while before we're supposed to meet."

Ju Ji's original plan had been for the two of them to leave early, then pretend they'd just run into Suzune when she arrived. But he hadn't expected her to leave even earlier than they had. The plan had gone up in smoke, so he'd come up with an excuse on the spot.

"Big Brother said he had something important to discuss, so I thought it would be better to leave early. Let's go now. And Ju Ji, put a little more energy into it. You're already dragging first thing in the morning. Are you planning to be like this all day?"

"Yes, I understand."

Seeing Ju Ji looking so listless, Suzune felt a little helpless. She remembered that he hadn't been like this before. If she had to guess when he'd started changing, it was probably sometime in the last couple of days. On top of that, Kikyo and Ju Ji seemed to have grown closer recently.

Suzune was sure something had happened between the two of them. But whenever she asked, they just brushed her off. For some reason, being the only one left in the dark made her feel rather annoyed.

They were meeting in the same student council office where Sudo had once faced his judgment. The student council president sat solemnly in the seat reserved for him, while Secretary Tachibana stood beside him as usual. Those two really were inseparable. They might as well get married.

Since it was the weekend, there was no one else in the student council office besides Horikita Manabu and Secretary Tachibana. His presence was so imposing that Ju Ji almost turned around and left, just in case he got dragged into some kind of trouble.

"Choose a seat and sit down."

"President... could you tone down the intimidating aura a bit? It's making Suzune and the others nervous."

"Sorry."

Apparently because of Secretary Tachibana's comment, Horikita Manabu's fearsome aura eased up a little. But why did the room still feel so serious?

Even so, Ju Ji and the others picked seats nearby and sat down, on Horikita Manabu's left, near the door. But why did it feel like they were about to attend some kind of emergency meeting?

"Since Suzune and I share the surname Horikita, you can just call me the student council president."

"President, wouldn't it be better to make things a little less formal and let them call you Manabu-senpai?"

"Sure. Call me whatever you like."

He said something as casual as a bit of friendly small talk with such a serious expression that Ju Ji found it strange. Horikita Manabu really was an odd person. But judging by the way he and Secretary Tachibana interacted, she was used to him by now.

"Then I'll call you Manabu-senpai. Manabu-senpai, why did you ask us to come here today?"

It was true that changing how you addressed someone was an easy way to grow closer. When Kikyo said it, she and Horikita Manabu really did seem like a senior and junior who'd known each other for a long time. If he got on the student council president's good side, maybe he'd enjoy quite a few advantages. In that case, he should try it too...

"Right, Manabu-sen—"

"No, Shinomiya. You should still call me the student council president. We're not that close."

So society really was all about appearances. Kikyo had easily grown closer to him, but when it was Ju Ji's turn, he'd been rejected without hesitation.

"President, don't play favorites just because of your personal preferences. Isn't that a little unfair to Shinomiya?"

"So, Big Brother, what was the important thing you wanted to talk to us about?"

Suzune, who was usually quite serious, had finally had enough of this pointless farce and interrupted them.

After Suzune cut him off, Horikita Manabu's expression finally turned serious again.

"It's nothing especially important. But it does matter to some of the people here. Before that, though, I'd like to see what you're capable of. Shinomiya, come with me to the gymnasium."

"No. Showing off what I can do won't do me any good."

"If you beat me, I'll give you a hundred thousand Private Points."

"Fine. Let's see who's better."

Ju Ji hadn't wanted to take part in this pointless contest. It would waste both time and energy. But Horikita Manabu was offering far too much to turn down. Outside the gymnasium was a practice track about 1,200 meters long, where students trained for running. Ju Ji and Horikita Manabu were now warming up at the starting line.

"Good luck, President!"

"Don't lose, Ju Ji!"

Kikyo and Secretary Tachibana seemed to have thrown themselves into this sudden entertainment. They were clearly very interested in seeing which of the two would win.

"Student Council President, you'd better not go back on your word if you lose."

"Of course. In return, you have to give this race everything you've got."

"Ready, set, go!"

At Secretary Tachibana's signal, the two men shot off from the starting line like arrows loosed from a bow, speeding down the track. At first, they were neck and neck. Ju Ji had never specifically trained for running, but years of martial arts training had left him in much better shape than the average person. And Horikita Manabu was keeping pace with him. It seemed he hadn't slacked off on his physical training.

"Sorry, but I can't lose when there's a hundred thousand points on the line."

"Is that so? Then try and stop me."

In the final hundred meters, Ju Ji threw all his strength into the race and used every martial arts technique he knew to generate power. At last, in the final moment, he overtook Horikita Manabu by half a stride. It was clearly Ju Ji's victory. He'd won a hundred thousand points—this was fantastic.

"Not bad, Shinomiya... no, Ju Ji. I acknowledge your strength."

"No, Student Council President. You're strong too. I almost lost."

The student council president looked a little out of breath, but he clearly still had energy to spare. Ju Ji, on the other hand, collapsed onto the ground as soon as the race ended. When it came to stamina, Horikita Manabu was the stronger one.

"Since I've acknowledged your strength, calling me the student council president feels a little distant. I'll make a special exception and let you call me Big Brother!"

"What?"