Study Session (cont.)

"That's true, thank you."

Ken Sudō opened his mouth, but ultimately nodded helplessly.

After finishing his part-time job, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took off his coffee-stained work clothes and walked alone back to his dormitory.

The early summer evening breeze carried a slight chill, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

After taking a hot shower, he sat on the edge of the bed wearing a simple white T-shirt and black shorts.

The dormitory lights were dim, illuminating his expressionless face.

He began to carefully recall his conversation with Ken Sudō that afternoon.

After cramming on general knowledge during this period, he realized that to gain a foothold in this school, he needed to build a network of connections.

Unfortunately, this realization came too late; the class structure had already been largely established.

Among the boys Hirata and Tanaka are more influential, while the girls are divided into three groups: the group led by Karuizawa Kei, the circle of friends of Kushida Kikyo, and the lone wolf like Horikita Suzune.

As a boy, he naturally set his sights on his male classmates.

The best choice would be the "The Three Stooges"—Ken Sudō, Kanji Ike, and Yamauchi Haruki— who have distinct personalities and a decent relationship.

But Ken Sudō's change of attitude was unexpected.

Did Tanaka Yukishin's words really have such a strong effect?

He was completely oblivious at the time, but Ken Sudō's performance was undeniable.

It seems that the same words, spoken by different people with different tones, in different Matoba, and in different atmospheres, can have different effects.

I've learned a lot, Tanaka.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noted down this discovery.

Reconsidering Ken Sudō's request,

Yukimura Teruhiko, Koenji Rokusuke, Tanaka Yukishin...

Oh, and there's also Horikita Suzune.

Was Ken Sudō's pause at that moment due to concerns that Horikita Suzune was a girl, or was it because he worried she might be difficult to get along with?

Never mind, the answer to this question isn't relevant to me right now.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka analyzed the four target individuals: Yukimura Teruhiko, Koenji Rokusuke, Tanaka Yukishin, and Horikita Suzune.

In terms of academic ability, Yukimura Teruhiko, Koenji Rokusuke Tanaka Yukishin, Horikita Suzune.

The difficulty in getting along Yukimura Teruhiko, Koenji Rokusuke, Tanaka Yukishin, and Horikita Suzune.

The primary target is naturally Yukimura Teruhiko.

He got up, walked to his desk, and dialed the dormitory internal phone.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, with Yukimura Teruhiko's impatient voice coming through. "Hello?"

"Yukimura, I am Ayanokōji."

"What is it?" Yukimura Teruhiko's tone was noticeably cold.

"Ken Sudō asked me to invite you to organize a study session. He wants to study with you."

"You mean Ken Sudō?" Yukimura Teruhiko's voice rose eight octaves. "Are you kidding me? That guy who always sleeps in class wants to study?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka calmly replied, "Yes. He hasn't been sleeping in class lately; you should have noticed."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Yukimura Teruhiko spoke, "Listen, Ayanokōji. I don't have time for jokes. I need to study."

"Sudo's improvement will also benefit Class D," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pointed out incisively. "Yukimura, you're thinking about moving up to Class A, aren't you?"

Another silence fell.

"... I understand." Yukimura Teruhiko finally relented. "For the sake of the class and your intervention, I'll give him one more chance. But if he's absent without reason or leaves even once, don't come to me about this again."

"OK."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hung up the phone, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

The next day at noon, sunlight streamed through the curtains and onto the classroom floor.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was about to go to the cafeteria when Horikita Suzune suddenly walked up to his table.

She was wearing a neat school uniform today, her black hair was neatly draped over her shoulders, and her expression was gentler than usual.

"Are you free at noon?" She looked directly into Ayanokōji's eyes. "How about we have lunch together? It's on me."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaned back slightly, a hint of wariness flashing across his face. "To be honest, your invitation frightens me. What exactly are you after?"

"She probably wants to get on your good side," Horikita Suzune replied bluntly.

"Ha?!"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was startled, but he maintained a calm expression.

Horikita Suzune placed her hands together in front of her, her tone very serious.

"After Tanaka's advice at the beginning of the month, I realized something. If my goal is to move up a grade, I can no longer stay isolated from the group." She paused for a moment, "And you, as the person I've had the most contact with since entering school, and who is also my deskmate, are the best target I've chosen."

"Okay, then."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was once again surprised by the influence of Tanaka Yukishin's speech.

The two walked towards the restaurant, one after the other.

Horikita Suzune walked with an upright posture, her black hair swaying gently with each step.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, with his hands in his pockets, kept a step's distance.

The restaurant was bustling with noise, and the aromas of various foods mingled together.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ordered the most expensive super deluxe set meal without any hesitation.

Just as the fries were being picked up, he noticed that Horikita Suzune was staring intently at him.

"Ayanokōji, what's wrong? Eat up."

Horikita Suzune's voice was calm but carried a hint of urging.

"Your staring at me makes me uncomfortable."

Ayanokōji was outspoken.

Horikita Suzune turned her face slightly away.

"Sorry, this is my first time having dinner with a guy I don't know well, I'm a little..." She seemed to be searching for the right word, "Nervous."

... No, no, no, this isn't called "tightening the net," it's clearly an ambush.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka inwardly complained, but outwardly remained calm and began to eat.

Sure enough, Horikita Suzune spoke up after taking just the first bite.

"Ayanokōji, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Speak."

He continued to enjoy his meal, having anticipated this situation— Ken Sudō had followed the same pattern yesterday.

Horikita Suzune sat upright with her hands on her knees.

"Disciplinary violations decreased after May 1st, but I'm worried some students will fail their midterms." Her eyes sharpened.

"Class Points are awarded based on competition within each class. For students, academic ability is the most direct indicator. The better they perform, the more Class Points they will receive."

"So?" Ayanokōji continued eating without looking up.

"I'd like to hold a study session, and I hope you can bring Yamauchi and Ike over."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka almost choked on his food—what a coincidence!

He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

"It's quite a coincidence. Sudo studied with Hirata for a few days but felt his progress wasn't significant enough, so he asked me to find some high-achieving students to hold study sessions. Given his relationship with Ike and Yamauchi, it's perfect that I can bring them over as well."

"Sudo Yoshiki, Dad (4) Want to improve your academic performance?" Horikita Suzune's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded. "Do you need me to refund you for the meal?"

"Why?"

"Because I didn't help you."

Horikita Suzune shook her head. "No need. This meal is both a reward for getting you to take action and a gesture of goodwill from me." She paused, "So please enjoy it."

"You're really direct," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka commented. "Speaking like that is easy to offend people."

"So what?" Horikita Suzune said dismissively. "I don't care what others think."

"But you just said you wanted to integrate into the group."

Horikita Suzune confidently raised her chin. "According to Tanaka, if I possess irreplaceable value, I can act according to my own ideas."

Do you have one?

"Isn't holding study sessions enough for me?"

Horikita Suzune asked in return.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed.

"You're too naive. The progress of a few classmates is indeed a contribution, but others won't be lenient towards you because of it." He looked directly into Horikita Suzune's eyes. "The group and the individual are different concepts."

Horikita Suzune frowned.

"Then what should I do?"

"I suggest that everyone give a special self-introduction at the beginning of the learning session; it might help reduce any awkwardness."

Horikita Suzune thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"I understand, I'll consider it."

Her expression returned to its usual indifference, but a hint of contemplation appeared in her eyes.

After lunch, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sought out Koenji Rokusuke and Tanaka Yukishin.

Unfortunately, they all refused.

Later, with the help of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Ken Sudō, Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Haruki were successfully recruited into the study group held by Horikita Suzune.

The following afternoon, after school.

Horikita Suzune stood in the corner by the window, her long black hair neatly hanging down her back, her fingers lightly tapping on the table as she waited for the others to arrive.

Kanji Ike was the first to rush into the library, his sneakers making a screeching sound on the floor.

"Horikita, why not choose a location with better lighting and closer to the center?"

"The lighting is actually about the same; the library's lights were specially adjusted for the building's architecture. The reason I chose this spot is that I wanted to let everyone know my intentions through my self-introduction before the study session begins."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was the last to enter quietly and chose a seat in the far corner.

He noticed that Horikita was dressed differently today, and her gaze was softer than usual.

"My name is Horikita Suzune." She stood ramrod straight, her voice soft but exceptionally clear. "I adhere to the philosophy of being a loner. If you were to calculate the time, I've been alone for over ten years, from kindergarten to junior high. As a result, I haven't gotten along very well with my classmates. But even now, I don't think it's a mistake. Everyone is free to choose their own way of life."

Yukimura Teruhiko pushed up his glasses and meticulously straightened his already crisp shirt collar.

Kanji Ike his mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by Yukimura Teruhiko's eyes.

"So why am I holding this study session? Because my goal is to get into Class A. I can no longer drift away from the class like before."

"I hope we can all get along well in the future. I've been used to being alone for a long time, so please forgive me if I do anything wrong."

Horikita Suzune's words shocked everyone present.

My previous negative views of her have also changed.

It's understandable that a girl who has been alone since childhood might not know how to socialize.

Not to mention that it was a beautiful young girl sincerely explaining it to everyone.

But soon, Horikita Suzune revealed her sharp tongue once again.

"You can't even answer questions from middle school students. Are you really studying hard? High school student, Sudo."

"You're starting with something this difficult... it's normal that I can't solve it."