The Silence of Horikita Manabu

In the following few days, the progress regarding the incident where Sudo Ken was accused of assault seemed to follow the plot Rinya remembered almost exactly.

Due to the intervention of Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune, the three students from Class C who had filed the report suddenly announced they were withdrawing their complaint unconditionally.

Although many people did not understand why this happened, the outcome was, at the very least, a good one.

However, the one variable Rinya had not anticipated in all of this was Sakura Airi. According to information from Kushida, during the student council hearing, the usually timid and cowardly Sakura Airi had actually performed with great courage during the confrontation, even going so far as to stand up to the accusers from Class C several times.

The look of utter hatred and disgust she directed at the males was so intense that even Ayanokoji, who had brought her along, didn't receive a pleasant look from her.

Could it be that she was...

Rinya had asked immediately at the time.

Fortunately, he learned it was only because Kushida had intentionally interfered with Ayanokoji midway, causing him to be a step late when he moved to save her, which was why Sakura had become so uncharacteristically volatile.

"Heh, she might just be a hidden gem." Rinya's eyes flickered.

After school, because he had once again escaped unscathed, Sudo Ken had originally intended to treat his brother Rinya to a drink no matter what.

However, when he arrived at the door, he was stunned. Whether by coincidence or not, he happened to see Kushida Kikyo, known to everyone in the class as a little angel, stumbling out of the other's room with a flushed face.

Sudo Ken's eyes widened in disbelief, so he hurriedly entered the room to question Rinya.

Although Rinya explained when asked that she had only wanted to invite him to a meal and even mentioned that they should have received the same invitation on their phones, Sudo Ken, currently in the throes of a hormonal awakening, did not think so. Perhaps because of his secret crush on Horikita Suzune, the usually boorish boy actually wore a rare "I understand" expression.

Seeing this, Rinya simply smiled and let it pass.

"Ding~"

A text message notification sounded. Rinya instinctively picked up his phone, and upon seeing yet another meeting invitation from the student council president, he smiled.

Ever since the hearing ended, he had received one such message every day. Moreover, because the sender used the school's authority to send them, he couldn't even block them.

"Ugh, what a pain. It looks like I have no choice but to meet him."

As for Sudo Ken, who was still in front of him, Rinya let his gaze flicker to find a suitable excuse to get rid of him. He simply pointed out the object of Sudo's secret crush and rattled off all the flaws that Horikita Suzune would likely hate in a boy.

Sudo Ken, whose brain was currently clouded by lust, realized he possessed every single one of those flaws and immediately lost all interest in drinking. After a quick word of thanks, he hurried away.

Rinya waved his hand lightly. Watching the other's retreating back, the faint smile on his face gradually turned gloomy. "Heh, how perfect. If I can take control of Horikita Suzune, I'll never be short of pawns with a kamikaze spirit, right?"

Just like that, after parting ways with Sudo Ken, Rinya arrived at a secluded alleyway according to the agreed-upon location to meet the long-waiting Horikita Manabu.

"It was quite difficult to get you to come out, Rinya-kun," Horikita Manabu said, his eyes flickering.

When he first received the reply, he had assumed it would be another rejection. He couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder that the boy had actually agreed to come for the first time.

"Heh, is that so? President Horikita, you have an inexplicably high level of patience for me. Could you tell me what this is about? Of course, if it's just idle chatter, I'm going to be very annoyed." Rinya spoke calmly, but his seemingly casual tone carried a hint of extreme impatience.

"Haha, you really are unique."

Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, paused, and continued: "Since we are both intelligent people, I won't waste time with pleasantries. I've brought you here to propose a deal—a deal where you only stand to gain. Are you interested in hearing it?"

"Oh? That sounds interesting. But before that, I'd like to know why you're looking for me. We shouldn't be that familiar with each other, right?"

Hearing this, Horikita Manabu was quite frank: "To be honest, I've looked into your background. Although many parts were deliberately hidden for some reason, your uniform score of 60 on the entrance exam is enough to prove that you are smart—smarter than 99 percent of the people in this school."

"Heh, I don't quite understand. Is scoring 60 considered high?"

Horikita Manabu explained with confidence: "The score isn't high, but it's a different story if it was intentional."

"I've carefully reviewed your answers. The trickery is too obvious. For instance, you got a question right that only three percent of the class answered correctly, but you got another question wrong that 97 percent of the class answered correctly. There are many such examples. Do you think that's something an ordinary person could do?"

"I see. So I was discovered again. It looks like I'll have to change things after the midterms."

"Again?" Horikita Manabu looked slightly surprised but didn't press the issue.

"Fine, tell me about this deal." Rinya's eyes flickered slightly. Having read the story's development, he naturally understood that the other party was likely offering him the position intended for Ayanokoji.

Vice President, huh? Heh. The boy sneered inwardly. If he didn't have other motives, he wouldn't even bother looking at such a deal.

Of course, Horikita Manabu was unaware of the boy's thoughts and spoke directly: "The deal is simple. You only need to join the student council, and I can immediately promote you to the position of vice president, a role many dream of. Furthermore, your Class D will receive the protection of the student council, and you only need to complete the daily tasks assigned by the council."

"What do you think? You won't lose anything in this deal. Besides, you're a smart person; you know how many conveniences the student council offers. You can take some time to consider before answering..."

"No need to consider. I refuse." Before Horikita Manabu could finish his sentence, Rinya interrupted him.

"..." Horikita Manabu clearly hadn't expected such a swift rejection. After a brief silence, he asked: "Why... please tell me the reason."

"It's a hassle." Rinya shoved his hands into his pockets and turned his head away, speaking coldly.

"..." Horikita Manabu fell silent again. The lecture and persuasion he had prepared in his mind felt like it had just hit a brick wall.

Watching the other's bitter, speechless expression, Rinya couldn't help but let out a sinister laugh: "Heh, President Horikita, it seems you really want to invite me. How about this? Why don't we make a deal? If you agree, I'll join the student council even if it is a hassle, and I promise not to quit until graduation. How about that?"

"What... deal?" Horikita Manabu stepped back slightly. Looking at the boy's dark red pupils flickering like a beast in the night, he didn't know why, but he felt as if he were being stared at by a predator eyeing its prey.

"It's simple. You just need to go back and tell your sister, Horikita Suzune, to obey my orders for the next three years of high school. I believe that if you say it, she won't refuse, right?"

Seeing the mix of seven parts surprise and three parts confusion on the other's face, Rinya added: "And you can rest assured, I won't hurt her in the slightest. I can even guarantee that she will graduate as a Class A student. With a deal like this, I'm sure you..."

However, before he could finish, Horikita Manabu decisively refused: "Although I don't know how you know she is my sister, I'm sorry, I refuse this proposal."

Looking at this familiar scene—the same absolutely profitable deal, the same way of being refused—Rinya looked at Horikita Manabu with a mocking smile, and Horikita Manabu looked back at Rinya. In the end, both of them couldn't help but share a laugh.

"That really is interesting. Then, according to tradition, should I ask why? Haha~"

"As for that, I'm sorry, but I can only tell you that even if the person you mentioned wasn't my good-for-nothing sister, but someone else, I would still refuse without hesitation. My bottom line is that I will never involve unrelated people in anything I do."

"Heh, actually, I was just making a casual joke, don't take it to heart." Rinya narrowed his eyes slightly; in truth, he really hadn't expected the other party to have such thoughts.

Knowing immediately that this deal was certainly not going to go through, Rinya didn't bother dragging things out. He pulled on his black cloak and, too lazy to even offer a farewell, turned and left with a flourish.

After all, he had very important matters waiting for him later, and he couldn't afford to miss them~

Seeing that the other party had already walked far away, not even giving him a moment to consider, Horikita Manabu couldn't help but clench his hand into a fist. However, after a moment of careful thought, he could only shake his head silently and let out a helpless sigh.

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