This Happened in the Very First Class? (Continued)

After hearing those words, Suzune Horikita looked at Keima Katsuragi thoughtfully again, but said nothing.

Keima Katsuragi continued speaking.

"Your flaws are obvious. You're self-righteous, withdrawn, arrogant, and sharp-tongued..."

"You!"

"And you let other people influence your emotions too easily. You're beautiful, but you have this kind of personality."

Suzune Horikita opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but she suddenly had no idea how to respond. She fell silent again.

He'd been verbally attacking her, only to suddenly say something so inexplicable.

At that moment, she couldn't help recalling the conversation between Manabu Horikita and Keima Katsuragi from earlier.

Could she really have been wrong before?

She had seen the people around her as burdens.

Come to think of it, the school year had only just begun, and she hadn't gotten to know anyone else at all.

But...

While Suzune Horikita was struggling with her thoughts, Keima Katsuragi's voice sounded in her ears again.

"But, Horikita, you don't need to change anything."

"Huh? You just said a whole bunch of bad things about me, and now you're telling me this? What exactly do you mean?"

Suzune Horikita frowned at Keima Katsuragi. She couldn't understand what he meant at all.

"What I said really is a list of your flaws, but they're also your defining traits."

Keima Katsuragi suddenly put down his handheld console and turned to look at Suzune Horikita.

Their eyes met. The sudden eye contact made Suzune Horikita freeze for a moment, and her gaze instinctively darted away.

"Don't worry about other people. Just do what you believe is right and act for the sake of your ideals. There's nothing shameful about that. Being true to your individuality, Horikita—that's your third strength."

"You..."

Suzune Horikita looked back at him.

This guy...

Why did he suddenly say something so inexplicable again?!

Honestly!

They were very close to each other just then, and Keima Katsuragi could even feel Suzune Horikita's soft, rapid breathing.

"You absolutely cannot tell anyone about what happened tonight!"

"Got it, got it."

Volume One: Chapter Forty-Seven: Untying the Knot—Suzune Horikita's Unknown Side

"There's one more thing, Katsuragi."

Suzune Horikita seemed to have thought of something and asked curiously.

"What?"

"You made that kind of agreement with Teacher Chabashira. Doesn't it worry you at all?"

"What should I be worried about?"

"The terms of the agreement are quite demanding. Setting aside the class rankings, even just avoiding expulsion in the official exams won't be easy."

"It's not that bad. After all, it's only about not being expelled in the official exams. That shouldn't be too difficult. If a normal person passes, there shouldn't be any problem... It's worth it if I can play games in class."

After saying that, Keima Katsuragi's expression stiffened slightly.

Maybe this wasn't so simple after all...

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

Keima Katsuragi immediately shook his head.

"What if you fail?"

"Even if someone really does get expelled, I'd only have to return the points I got earlier. The points I spent are far fewer than what Teacher Mashima offered, so there's no way I'd lose out."

Keima Katsuragi said,

"Rather than that, you should think about what other exams we might have later."

"Other exams?"

A trace of confusion crossed Suzune Horikita's face.

"When Teacher Chabashira spoke to me earlier, she kept using the term 'official exams.'"

"What's wrong with that? Maybe she just wanted to distinguish them from ordinary monthly tests."

"But teachers usually call them midterms and finals."

"Now that you mention it, that does seem true. But that doesn't prove anything, does it?"

"During the entrance ceremony, your brother repeatedly mentioned ability, and Teacher Chabashira did the same."

Keima Katsuragi explained,

"Based on what Teacher Chabashira said earlier, midterms and finals should just be ordinary written exams. If so, they'd only test students' 'academic ability,' not their 'ability' in general. So I suspect there are other types of exams besides the official ones. But those exams aren't covered by the contract, so I don't mind either way. Of course, this is only my guess."

Suzune Horikita studied the boy in front of her. She hadn't considered this at all.

Academic ability, observation, deduction—Keima Katsuragi was almost top-tier in every area.

Manabu Horikita also thought Keima Katsuragi was unusual.

Suzune Horikita realized that she might need to learn more about the person in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

Keima Katsuragi's voice brought Suzune Horikita back to reality. Only then did she realize she'd been staring at him in a daze for quite a while.

Her cheeks faintly red, Suzune Horikita quickly turned her gaze away.

"Come to think of it, what do you like about games?"

"Games give me the kind of pleasure reality can't. The characters in games are vivid and full of charm. To me, they're girls who've crossed through time, waiting to meet me!"

"Are they really that captivating?"

"Of course. Don't tell me you're interested in games too?"

"I-I-I'm not! But if I wanted to learn a little about them, that wouldn't..."

"If you want to play, go buy a handheld console yourself. I only have two right now."

"Who asked you?!"

Meanwhile, in the dormitory.

Airi Sakura lay on her bed, looking at the game cartridge in her hands.

"I-I bought it..."

At the time, Airi Sakura had no idea which game to buy, so she asked the shop assistant which one had the best reviews.

With Shiina Hiyori by her side, Airi Sakura finally worked up the courage to buy the game cartridge.

But then Airi Sakura thought of an even more serious problem.

How was she supposed to give the game cartridge to Keima Katsuragi?

She couldn't help imagining what might happen...

She just...

couldn't bring herself to say it...

But...

Why did she care so much about Keima Katsuragi?

The question came to Airi Sakura's mind, but she had no idea what the answer was.

"Forget it... I'll update today's post first..."

Airi Sakura suddenly found her motivation again and uploaded a photo from her collection that she liked.

[User 575]: You're so pretty!

[User Did You Eat Today]: Full of energy again today!

[User snmcvnv]: So cute!

Looking at one compliment after another, Airi Sakura smiled happily.

Just then, she saw a few comments.

[Anonymous User]: I saw you again today~

[Anonymous User]: You're so cute today, too.

[Anonymous User]: I've been seeing you every day lately, Shizuku. You came to see me, didn't you?!

[Anonymous User]: We didn't get to be alone together last time. Come by yourself next time! Let's enjoy some time alone together!

Reading these frenzied messages, Airi Sakura's body trembled, and a trace of fear appeared in her eyes.

She remembered that when she went to the game shop today, she had happened to pass by the area where she'd bought her camera before.

The same shop assistant from last time had been there, too.

He'd seen her, and he'd kept staring at her...

Could it be...

No, maybe she was just overthinking it...

He was only an obsessive fan online...

Airi Sakura reassured herself.

The next morning.

Keima Katsuragi arrived in the classroom.

"G-good morning, Katsuragi..."

"Good morning, Sakura."

Keima Katsuragi greeted Airi Sakura, then returned to his seat.

Airi Sakura watched him from the corner of her eye, feeling even more conflicted.

How was she supposed to give Keima Katsuragi the game?!

Airi Sakura had absolutely no experience with this!

Should she just come right out and say it?

No...

What if the other students noticed?

Then should she wait until nobody was around before giving it to him?

As Airi Sakura agonized over it, she heard Suzune Horikita's voice from beside her.

"Good morning."

"Hm?"

Airi Sakura turned around in utter shock.

Had she heard that right?

Had Horikita actually greeted Katsuragi first?