Horikita Suzune Is Picking Up Speed 2 (Continued)

She slowly turned around, her beautiful but cold face facing Kushida Kikyo.

They were so close that they could see the turmoil still raging in each other's eyes and the forced composure beneath.

Her face was expressionless, like a statue carved from cold jade.

Only in the depths of those deep eyes did a fleeting, elusive understanding flash across them.

Really.

Horikita Suzune calmly made her judgment in her mind.

Tanaka Yukishin's teachings were indeed very effective.

A seemingly cold and realistic yet incredibly efficient principle: [based on the closeness or distance of relationships, and the importance and urgency of interests].

Its superiority has been proven once again.

Indirect probing and emotional manipulation are inefficient and uncertain for someone like Kushida Kikyo, who is extremely skilled at disguise and uses it as a weapon.

Discard unnecessary emotional distractions and get straight to the point.

Behind Kushida Kikyo's "friendliness" lies a strong sense of purpose and an undisguised loathing, a fact that was crystal clear from their very first encounter.

Her current surprise only proves my judgment.

Chance?

No, this was simply a choice we had to make after weighing the pros and cons.

I need her abilities, but only if she operates within my rules.

This calmness is Horikita Suzune's biggest transformation recently.

After seeing her brother, Horikita Manabu, looking at her from outside the window, she finally understood.

My brother left without saying goodbye and came to this school, not because he gave up.

Rather, it was to free her from the constraints of being "Horikita Manabu's younger sister" and allow her to truly grow through her own efforts.

She wanted to gain her brother's approval.

We can no longer make chasing after him our sole objective.

Her choice was to have it all.

No one is born with innate knowledge; people grow through continuous learning.

Since her brother was unwilling to limit her potential because of his own existence.

So she drew on the strengths of many.

In this elite school, the older brother is already at the pinnacle of student life.

Even so, he still needed Tachibana Akane's help, the power of Class A to be integrated, and the entire Student Council's operational system.

This made her realize that individual strength is ultimately limited, and to achieve her goals, she must learn to pool the strength of others.

This was the first lesson she learned from her brother.

Next, the second lesson was learned from the unconventional Tanaka Yukishin.

[Closeness of relationships, importance and urgency of interests]

This principle sounds cold and realistic, even somewhat cruel.

But compared to having to rack her brains to figure out people's hearts, cater to others, and force a smile to fit into the group.

This approach to handling matters, based on rational judgment and the exchange of interests, is clearly more suited to Horikita Suzune's nature.

She did try to make changes.

She had carefully observed Hirata Yosuke's gentleness and tolerance, Kushida Kikyo's shrewdness and tact, Ichinose Honami's sincerity and friendliness.

And they tried to imitate them, attempting to improve their meager communication skills.

However, the results were minimal, and the process was painful.

Every attempt felt like distorting my own nature, and every smile was deliberately stiff.

More importantly, she clearly realized that even if she put in ten times the effort and pushed her communication skills to their limits, she would never be able to reach the level of those people.

Given this, why stubbornly persist in a direction that is destined to yield low returns and goes against our nature?

To socialize with her is like sending a cheetah swimming.

Talent doesn't lie here; forcing it will only exhaust your energy and hinder your truly important goal—getting into Class A and gaining recognition.

Efficiency is paramount; Tanaka Yukishin's principle offers another path.

Instead of trying to please everyone, it's better to accurately target your interests, find the key points, and reach a cooperation agreement with conditions that the other party cannot refuse.

Kushida Kikyo is the most crucial and urgent node in the interpersonal network of Class D for her.

Unlike Hirata Yosuke has already collaborated.

Kushida Kikyo harbored malice towards her, and she was a girl.

There is no love or hate in this world without a reason.

This malice was precisely the reason she forced Kushida Kikyo to submit.

"Good."

Horikita Suzune uttered only one word, her voice calm and unwavering.

She walked back to the center of the room.

But he didn't sit down, maintaining an air of being ready to leave at any moment.

The air solidified again, heavier than before, filled with the smell of silent battle.

After a brief silence, Horikita Suzune spoke again.

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the oppressive atmosphere.

"Kushida, I've been alone since I was a child. When it comes to interpersonal skills, calling them terrible is an understatement."

Kushida Kikyo was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Horikita Suzune to start in such a way that almost exposed her own wounds.

She subconsciously adjusted her posture, folding her hands in front of her lower abdomen, and put on a gentle, listening expression again, but her eyes still held a scrutinizing look.

Ignoring her pretense, Horikita Suzune continued in that calm, self-analytical tone, "But just as a blind person's hearing is more acute than that of a sighted person, when you dedicate all your energy to one area to the extreme, your perception in another area may be pushed to an abnormal level."

Her gaze was sharp as a hawk's, fixed firmly on Kushida Kikyo's eyes, as if trying to see through the carefully woven cloak of friendliness.

"And with my interpersonal communication skills being almost zero, I can clearly sense whether the people who approach me are acting out of goodwill or... malice."

She spoke the last two words very softly, yet they were like two cold needles that unexpectedly pierced through Kushida Kikyo's psychological defenses!

Kushida Kikyo's smile froze instantly!

Although the loss of composure was only momentary, the tremor in his pupils and the tension in his muscles at that instant were already evident.

She could even feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end!

She... how could she?!

"You,"

Horikita Suzune's voice remained steady, yet it carried a penetrating power that seemed to see through everything. "Although you disguised yourself extremely well, even fooling everyone, every time you deliberately approached me, the deep-seated disgust that was carefully wrapped beneath your smile was as glaring as a traffic light flashing abruptly in the dark. That's why I've always rejected you."

Kushida Kikyo felt a mixture of icy water and scalding shame and anger poured over her head!

Her carefully maintained perfect facade was so blatantly torn apart in front of this "reclusive woman"!

The immense shame and the terror of being seen through almost suffocated her.

She instinctively took a small step back, her fingers digging hard into her palms, the sharp pain barely keeping her shaky sanity afloat.

She wanted to speak up and refute, trying to defuse this fatal accusation with her usual feigned grievance or innocence.

But it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, preventing him from making any sound.

Horikita Suzune's terrifyingly clear eyes made all the lies she had prepared seem pale and powerless.

Horikita Suzune gave her no chance to catch her breath or weave new lies, and directly revealed the core of the deal.

"Now, in exchange, you'll wholeheartedly help me climb to Class A,"

She deliberately emphasized the phrase "wholeheartedly" to highlight its nature.

"And I promise to resolve the root cause of your deep-seated aversion to me. After all, no one would develop such strong negative emotions towards a complete stranger without a reason. Tell me the cause, and I'll help you resolve the consequences."

Horikita Suzune's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable sense of contractual authority.

"How?"

Silence. Kushida Kikyo fell silent.

Her carefully constructed perfect image seemed utterly vulnerable in the face of this "lone monster."

Horikita Suzune's eyes, which seemed to pierce through people's hearts, sent a chill down her spine.

What terrified her even more was that the conditions proposed by Horikita Suzune directly targeted the deepest fear in her heart—the past she desperately wanted to bury.

She saw through my disgust... She even guessed that there was a reason why I hated her... This Horikita Suzune is much more terrifying than I imagined.

Cooperation? Helping her? Are you kidding me!

However, she mentioned "solution".

If she really knows something...

Rather than keeping her around like a ticking time bomb, perhaps... I should tie her to my ship?

Wasn't that precisely why I've persisted in getting close to her?

Using me? Yes, using me! She needs my abilities, that's my bargaining chip!

But... can she trust him?

She looked at Horikita Suzune.

The other person's gaze was calm and resolute, devoid of any superfluous emotion. (Izaki Tsubasa is a...)

There was only one kind of cold sincerity based on the principle of "exchange of interests"—this felt far more chilling and... powerless to her than mockery.

Time ticked by, and the air grew so heavy it seemed to solidify.

Horikita Suzune did not urge her.

Like a seasoned hunter, she stood quietly in place, giving her prey enough space to struggle, while also applying sufficient pressure.

Her patience seemed particularly terrifying at this moment.

This suffocating silence lasted for what felt like an eternity.

After a long while, Kushida Kikyo slowly raised her head, and a smile returned to her face.

This time, however, the smile seemed less insincere and more scrutinizing and probing.

"Now I believe that you, Horikita, really want to have a serious talk."

She paused, then changed the subject, "However, what you just said isn't credible enough. I need to know, what's your real motivation for wanting to get into Class A? Is it just to prove yourself?"

Horikita Suzune did not hesitate for a moment; the answer was already imprinted deep in her soul.

"It's simple. My older brother is the Student Council of this school, Horikita Manabu."

A hint of understanding flashed in Kushida Kikyo's eyes, but more than that, there was a look of inquiry.

"And I,"

A rare warmth crept into Horikita's voice, though fleeting, "I came to this school to follow in my brother's footsteps, to gain his approval. Otherwise, with my abilities, becoming a doctor, lawyer, or teacher in the outside world would have been a predictable and easy path. This is the battlefield I chose; Class A is the only finish line."

"Student Council? My older brother?"

Kushida Kikyo murmured, the Matoba from the day of the ruling meeting in the Ken Sudō case flashing through her mind.

After the ruling meeting, Horikita Suzune was angry at Ken Sudō's concealment, which made all her efforts futile, so she left early in the classroom.

They could only ask Ken Sudō and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, another person who participated in the adjudication meeting, for details.

At the time, she also felt that Horikita Suzune was too emotional and inflexible.

In retrospect... her departure might have been due to some expectation she had for the meeting chaired by her brother.