This Happened in the Very First Class? (Continued)

And then gave it to a classmate?

Manabu Horikita felt a sense of unreality for the first time.

"I, I, I just—I promised..."

Suzune Horikita seemed to have been possessed by Airi Sakura's language system. For a long while, she couldn't manage to say a single sentence.

"Horikita knows I like playing games, so she gave me a game cartridge. She also talked with me earlier about how to improve the class's grades. She may be full of flaws right now, but she's also grown."

Keima Katsuragi walked up to Manabu Horikita, stopping less than a meter away, and spoke calmly, without a hint of deference.

"Getting into Class A is impossible for her right now, but you can't guarantee that Horikita won't manage it in the future, can you?"

"Do you have that much faith in her?"

"I wouldn't say I have much faith, but even a one-percent chance is still a possibility, isn't it?"

"Katsuragi..."

Suzune Horikita's mind, which had nearly shut down, gradually cleared. Only then did she realize that Keima Katsuragi was speaking up for her.

The streetlamp cast its dim yellow light over Keima Katsuragi, but the gaze behind his glasses was strikingly serious.

Suzune Horikita had never seen Keima Katsuragi like this before.

He was always serious when talking about games.

But she could feel that these were two entirely different kinds of seriousness.

"If she keeps going like this, she'll never grow any further,"

Manabu Horikita said, his voice full of disappointment.

"But that's also a problem with you as her older brother,"

Keima Katsuragi replied.

"What did you say?"

Manabu Horikita's expression grew stern, and his gaze fell on Keima Katsuragi like a sharp blade.

An ordinary person would probably have been frightened just by meeting his eyes.

But Keima Katsuragi's expression didn't change in the slightest. He simply continued:

"You care a lot about your little sister, but you don't know how to say it outright. Instead, you keep using words like these to tear her down. That'll only have the opposite effect."

"I'm guessing you want your sister to find her own path. You could just tell her what you really think, but you don't. In that respect, you're not as good as your sister. At least she'll say exactly what's on her mind."

"Come to think of it, you siblings are really awkward. This could've been settled by just having a proper conversation, but you've turned it into this. If you want to keep going, I don't mind. Just consider me a passerby."

Keima Katsuragi had no qualms about criticizing Manabu Horikita, and his words even made the latter's eyes widen slightly.

Keima Katsuragi was the first person to talk to him like that.

And...

This was the first time they'd ever met, yet Keima Katsuragi had immediately seen how he really felt about Suzune Horikita?

Manabu Horikita didn't know that Keima Katsuragi had already encountered plenty of characters with similar setups in games, so he'd seen right through the siblings.

Whatever the reason, though, Manabu Horikita found himself increasingly curious about Keima Katsuragi—

At that moment, Keima Katsuragi seemed to have lost interest in the two people in front of him. He lowered his head and returned to his game.

Manabu Horikita suddenly clenched his fist and swung it at Keima Katsuragi's face.

Keima Katsuragi didn't dodge. He stood perfectly still, his eyes focused on the screen.

Manabu Horikita's fist stopped a centimeter from Keima Katsuragi's face.

"You're not going to dodge?"

Manabu Horikita asked. He'd only wanted to test Keima Katsuragi.

"Why would I? There's a security camera right beside us, and the school rules explicitly forbid fighting. As the Student Council President, you wouldn't make such a basic mistake."

Keima Katsuragi replied calmly, without even looking up.

Manabu Horikita studied Keima Katsuragi. For the first time, he felt as if someone had seen right through him.

Suzune Horikita had heard their exchange. She looked up and finally noticed the security camera nearby.

"Keima Katsuragi, you really are a very unusual student."

Manabu Horikita withdrew his hand, the corner of his mouth lifting in what was barely a perceptible smile.

"Would you like to join the Student Council? We happen to have an opening for a secretary—"

"I refuse."

Keima Katsuragi didn't hesitate for a moment.

"Then why are you refusing?"

"If I joined the Student Council, it'd be harder to play games, wouldn't it?"

"?"

Volume One: Chapter 46: Suzune Horikita攻略 Mission, in Progress

A flicker of surprise crossed Manabu Horikita's eyes.

For a second, he even thought he'd misheard.

But he simply shook his head and said:

"Never mind. If you ever change your mind, come find me. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future, Keima Katsuragi."

After saying this, Manabu Horikita turned slightly and looked at Suzune Horikita.

"Suzune, I didn't expect you to have a friend."

His expression seemed different from before.

"I..."

"And quite an unusual friend, too. Treasure that."

Without waiting for Suzune Horikita to respond, Manabu Horikita left.

Keima Katsuragi didn't look at Suzune Horikita. He stayed focused on his game and started walking away.

"Wait, Katsuragi!"

Just as Keima Katsuragi was about to leave, Suzune Horikita hesitated for a moment, then called his name.

"What?"

"Sorry you had to see that. But... thank you..."

Suzune Horikita pressed her lips together as she spoke.

Keima Katsuragi had indeed spoken up for her.

And...

Keima Katsuragi seemed to have voiced what her brother, Manabu Horikita, truly felt.

Manabu Horikita hadn't contradicted him.

That helped ease the knot in Suzune Horikita's heart a little.

She'd always treated Manabu Horikita as her goal, constantly trying to catch up to him.

All she'd gotten in return was Manabu Horikita growing ever more distant.

That had led Suzune Horikita to misunderstand and think she simply hadn't done well enough, so she'd tried even harder to catch up to him.

Only just now had she realized she'd been wrong.

So...

Was that what her brother had meant?

But when she remembered that Keima Katsuragi had been the one to say it, Suzune Horikita suddenly felt embarrassed.

It wasn't annoyance, nor was it frustration.

Suzune Horikita couldn't quite figure out what she was feeling.

But she realized something, too.

Maybe she'd never really understood Keima Katsuragi at all.

"Don't thank me. I told you, I was just passing by."

"Passing by? This isn't the way back to the dorms."

"I was just wandering."

Keima Katsuragi still didn't look up.

"If that's all, I'm leaving."

"Wait."

"What now?"

"Are you busy later?"

"Yes."

"Doing what?"

"Playing games. I still have several I haven't played! Because of Student Council stuff, I lost more than an hour of gaming time tonight!"

Hearing Keima Katsuragi's answer, Suzune Horikita wasn't surprised. It was a very "Keima Katsuragi" response.

"Then you're free. Let's talk for a bit."

"I'm not free."

"I did give you a game today, didn't I?"

"Wasn't that something you promised to do in the first place?"

"Besides, you just took the opportunity to give me a good scolding. I get the feeling you had a bit of a personal grudge. I haven't settled that score with you yet."

Suzune Horikita glared at Keima Katsuragi.

"I suppose I can talk for a little while."

Keima Katsuragi sat down beside Suzune Horikita on a bench.

It was late, so there weren't many people around.

"Katsuragi, were you serious about what you said to my brother earlier?"

Suzune Horikita turned to look at Keima Katsuragi's profile.

"Or were you just trying to get me out of a tight spot?"

He was completely absorbed in his game.

Suzune Horikita had to admit that, though he looked every bit like a game-obsessed geek, Keima Katsuragi was fairly neat and well-groomed.

Unlike the stereotypical otaku, Keima Katsuragi looked clean-cut.

She hadn't paid attention to that before.

"Does it matter?"

"It matters."

Suzune Horikita repeated herself, her expression turning serious.

"First of all, I wasn't trying to get you out of a tight spot. You'd have to be in trouble for me to get you out of it, and you weren't. Your upperclassman looked like he might hit me, but he had no intention of actually doing it."

Keima Katsuragi's fingers didn't slow as he spoke.

"Also, the possibility of you getting into Class A is zero at this stage. There's no doubt about that."

"You..."

Suzune Horikita lowered her head, a hint of defiance still in her eyes.

"As for what happens in the future, I can't say. Whether a new possibility exists depends entirely on you."