"Good. At least you know what's good for you. Since you're so sensible, let's talk about another big deal worth twenty million." Yagami Shizuka beckoned Horikita Manabu over, motioning for him to sit beside him.
"Don't be shy. Come sit down first. The ground's cold, and sitting on it could make you sick." Yagami Shizuka invited him to sit nearby, his manner respectful but his words playfully teasing.
Horikita Manabu walked over uneasily. If Yagami Shizuka demanded two million points in exchange for that video, there was nothing he could do about it.
He cursed himself for not taking Sakayanagi Arisu seriously. He regretted it deeply.
But Yagami Shizuka didn't mention what had just happened at all. Even a dying camel was bigger than a horse, and he didn't want to make an enemy of Horikita Manabu for real.
Yagami Shizuka helped him sit down. "There's actually another way to get Horikita Suzune into Class A."
A glimmer flashed in Horikita Manabu's eyes, and his whole body shifted.
"You know what this method is. All you have to do is give me twenty million points, and I can get her to transfer into my class."
"Why do I have to give you twenty million points? I could give them to her—" Horikita Manabu stopped abruptly.
"What would she think if you gave her the points directly? Would she still come? You have to consider the whole picture. You can't give her the points directly, and you absolutely can't let her find out about this."
After a pause, Yagami Shizuka continued, "It's different if you give the points to me. I can recruit her into my class, so there won't be any rift between you and your sister."
"She can get into Class A through her own efforts. If she can't, then she's simply not capable."
"Do you believe that yourself? As her brother, do you really not care about her at all? If you didn't care, would you have met her here? Would you have stood downstairs in the cold for half an hour?" Yagami Shizuka countered forcefully.
Right on target.
He'd hit every mark. Most importantly, he even knew how long Manabu had waited downstairs. Just how long had he been crouching there?
I stood for half an hour. Doesn't that mean you were crouching there even longer?
Yagami Shizuka continued persuading him. "I don't believe you don't want your sister to graduate from Class A. This is something that will affect her whole life. What if she ruins her future in a fit of spite and regrets it later?"
"Even if she can't graduate from Class A, I'll still..."
"What will you do? Take care of her? Wouldn't it be better for her to rely on her own efforts? And you do have the ability to help her now, don't you?
"What if you don't help her, and her failure to move up a class makes her lose control and worsens her emotional state? What if she goes crazy?
"Will she be able to face you afterward? Do you know how much she'll suffer?
"Help her with one word now, and you might have to help her for the rest of her life. Think it over."
Horikita Manabu fell silent and began to reconsider.
He knew Yagami Shizuka's suggestion was the best solution. He had a way to help his sister graduate from Class A. It would be self-deception to pretend he wouldn't do it.
If it weren't for his sister's personality, he would have liked to give her the care she deserved.
He had actually doted on his sister when she was little. That was what had spoiled her, and by the time he tried to help her change, it was already too late.
Yagami Shizuka went on, "It wouldn't be wise to give me the points now and have her transfer over, either. And we can't make it too obvious. My class obviously can't have that many points right from the start.
"So you can give me your answer before graduation. Think of it as buying her insurance. You have two options.
"The first is to have her join my class next year. I can lead her to a Class A graduation. If you don't trust me, there's another option: in the latter part of her third year, if she can't make it into Class A on her own and doesn't have enough points to transfer there, I'll use the points you give me to help her.
"You understand, right? By then, if that class is Class A, we'll have that class help her."
After a long silence, Horikita Manabu asked, "Why are you helping us? What's in it for you?"
"Of course I see potential in her. You underestimate your sister. She's strong. With the right guidance, she'll become a gem.
"Her transferring over would also weaken her current class.
"And I'm not helping you for free. There's a risk. If I fail to recruit her, or if she's capable of beating me to Class A, I won't return the twenty million.
"That twenty million points is the insurance you're buying for her."
Horikita Manabu fell silent again. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he ought to thank Yagami Shizuka.
"You seem very concerned about her class."
"That's right. I didn't think you'd notice. That's why I said you're buying insurance for her. No matter how much I promise, I can't predict the future. You can choose whether or not to trust me."
After thinking it over for a while longer, Horikita Manabu made up his mind. "When I graduate, if I still have enough funds, I'll give you my answer."
"Good. Thanks for doing business with me. Looks like we had a very pleasant chat." Yagami Shizuka stood up. "Don't worry. You'll be able to come up with the twenty million by then, because I'll help you."
"Then that's settled. See you, President! Good night!" Yagami Shizuka waved to Horikita Manabu and left.
Watching him go, Horikita Manabu sank into thought. The boy had only been at the school for a month, yet he was even more level-headed than the Student Council president himself. And Manabu had been played.
"Kids these days..."
And some of them were crazy, too!
Monday arrived in no time.
During the break, Horikita brought Tachibana Akane to the first-year Class A.
At first, everyone thought he was there to question someone again.
He walked straight into the classroom, stopped beside Yagami Shizuka's seat, and bowed a full ninety degrees to Sakayanagi Arisu. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been rude to you or disrespected you at the Student Council meeting last time. Please forgive me."
"Isn't that the Student Council president?" a girl whispered.
"It really is! That arrogant Student Council president—how could he possibly apologize to someone?"
"It looks like he's apologizing to Sakayanagi Arisu. What did he do to her?"
Whispers spread through the classroom.
Only Katsuragi Kohei knew what had happened that day, but even he was completely baffled. The Student Council president hadn't done anything particularly unusual. It was just that Sakayanagi Arisu had gotten angry when they returned.
And the reason Sakayanagi Arisu had gotten angry was that the Student Council president had thought more highly of Yagami Shizuka than of her.
Was that really enough to warrant an apology?
Horikita Manabu's actions left many people questioning everything they thought they knew.
Had they not woken up properly today? Why was the Student Council president here, apologizing to someone?
Even Sakayanagi Arisu herself was stunned, unable to understand why the Student Council president was apologizing.
All right, she admitted that she'd been in a terrible mood that day. She'd thought she'd be praised at the Student Council meeting, only for the president to tell her she wasn't worthy...
If she wasn't worthy, why had he called her over?
Just to insult her?
She'd almost forgotten about it after all these days, but now it had all come back to her.
She glanced at Yagami Shizuka, thinking this might have something to do with him. Otherwise, the Student Council president wouldn't have come all the way here.
Just as she was about to ask what was going on, Yagami Shizuka beat her to it with a smile. "What's wrong, Arisu? Did he do something really awful to you?"
"You don't know?"
"How would I know if you don't tell me?" Yagami Shizuka asked in reply.
Before you continue