Playing Little Nanny

Once Horikita Suzune had disappeared from view.

"Kitagawa."

Horikita Manabu spoke slowly, as calm as ever. "You're skilled, bold, and you know how to make use of the rules."

"You flatter me, Horikita-senpai."

"However," Horikita Manabu continued, getting straight to the point, "why were you here? At this time, in this place, you happened to appear before Suzune and me, and you just happened to be carrying recording equipment."

Kitagawa Kai did not seem surprised by the question.

He raised a hand and casually brushed aside his stray bangs, making him look even more like an ordinary student.

"I'd just finished running and was taking a casual walk. I happened to come here, and happened to see the Student Council President having an in-depth exchange with a female student."

"Out of curiosity, I recorded some beautiful campus life. Yeah, that's all."

Horikita Manabu stared at him with the same dead-fish eyes as Hikigaya Hachiman. Kitagawa Kai's words made him feel like a clown.

"Fine, to be honest, I'm a little interested in your sister." Kitagawa Kai said it frankly. "I saw her coming this way alone tonight and got a little worried, so I followed her."

"Kitagawa, I don't care what kind of interest you have in her, but stay away from Suzune."

Kitagawa Kai's tone became slightly more formal. "Oh, I can promise not to actively approach Horikita, not to deliberately appear before her, and not to interfere in matters directly related to her."

The promise sounded clear, even excessively obedient.

Yet when Horikita Manabu heard it, his heart sank slightly. He knew his sister too well.

Suzune was stubborn, rigid, and possessed an unusual desire to catch up to her older brother.

Everything that had happened tonight would surely drive Suzune to seek out Kitagawa Kai, the one who had brought her brother down and forced him to pay an enormous number of points.

Looking at Kitagawa Kai, Horikita Manabu clearly felt, for the first time, that this was troublesome.

What kind of monsters were in this year?~

"...Forget it."

He slowly exhaled the two words, his voice lower than before.

"Let's do this another way. I won't forbid you from interacting with Suzune."

"I want you, within your capabilities, to keep an eye on her and guide her. Use your way to make her understand the rules here as soon as possible, even if the process turns ugly. Most importantly—"

"I hope you can protect her."

"You mean you want me to become Suzune's first teacher, even though she'll most likely hate me for it?"

Kitagawa Kai chuckled softly, though the smile did not reach his eyes.

"That job doesn't sound easy."

"But I have one condition."

Horikita Manabu's gaze narrowed slightly. He said nothing, merely signaling for him to continue with his eyes.

"Give me the position of Student Council secretary."

Student Council secretary?

At Advanced Nurturing University, the Student Council held enormous authority, even possessing the power to set the rules for Special Exams. The secretary position was one of its core members.

If Kitagawa Kai joined the Student Council, Horikita Manabu could keep a better watch over him under his nose. Besides, he could have him carry the Great Flag of the first-years to face Nanumo Miyabi's challenge.

After a long silence, Horikita Manabu finally spoke, his voice resolute.

"Fine. I acknowledge your ability."

"The Student Council welcomes anyone capable and willing to prove their value. Kitagawa, I hope you won't disappoint me—or this position."

The next day.

A day off.

The hallway was quiet. Most people were still catching up on sleep.

Bang, bang, bang!

Brief, forceful knocks, carrying a barely suppressed impatience, rang out at Kitagawa Kai's door.

Inside, Kitagawa Kai slowly opened his eyes and casually grabbed a shirt from the wardrobe, draping it loosely over himself.

Barefoot, he stepped across the slightly cool floor. Still heavy with sleep and making no effort to hide his casualness, he walked to the door and pulled it open.

Outside, Horikita Suzune's hand, raised to knock again, froze in midair.

Her gaze was inevitably struck by the careless sight before her.

Kitagawa Kai's handsomeness was not merely refined; it was a contradictory blend of quietness and aggression.

The open shirt, along with the faintly visible contours beneath it, made Horikita Suzune reflexively avert her gaze.

Then she forced herself to look back at Kitagawa Kai's face, though the tips of her ears warmed imperceptibly.

[Ding!]

[Horikita Suzune Affection Level +10, Current Affection Level 20 (Curiosity/Hostility)]

Kitagawa Kai leaned against the doorframe and let out a small yawn, looking half-asleep. "Morning, Horikita. You're pretty energetic for a day off."

"Kitagawa Kai."

Horikita Suzune's voice was slightly tense as she held up an A4 sheet that still smelled of fresh ink. "What is this?"

It was a printout from the school's internal system bulletin board, with a striking title: [Notice Regarding Kitagawa Kai's Appointment as Student Council Secretary].

Below it was a brief appointment notice and Horikita Manabu's electronic signature.

"I saw it on the bulletin board this morning." She enunciated every word. "Student Council. Secretary. You?"

Everything that had happened last night was still vivid in her mind.

This boy had defeated her brother and extorted two million points from him.

Yet after only one night, he had somehow transformed into the Student Council Secretary?

It was completely beyond her comprehension.

She desperately needed an explanation, but she did not dare ask her brother, so she could only come question Kitagawa Kai.

Kitagawa Kai took the paper and gave it a careless glance. "Oh, this? I had a chat with your brother last night. He thought I might be useful, so he arranged this little job for me. What, Horikita? Do you have a problem with the appointment?"

"A chat? After what happened last night? He appointed you to the Student Council? How is that possible?!"

Horikita Suzune's pitch rose involuntarily.

"Why wouldn't it be possible?" Kitagawa Kai countered, finally straightening up as the lazy air around him faded away.

"Horikita President is a very practical person. Recruiting an outstanding talent like me into the Student Council is a perfectly reasonable decision, don't you think?"

"Reasonable?" It was as though she had heard a joke.

"After I left last night, what exactly did you say to my brother?"

Kitagawa Kai did not answer immediately. He merely turned sideways and casually tilted his head toward the room.

"Come in first. Some things aren't convenient to discuss at the door."

It was early morning. There were few people around, but there was no guarantee that some early-rising student would not pass by.

A disheveled boy and an emotionally agitated young girl.

If someone saw them, who knew what winding love story they might spread around.

The suggestion itself made Horikita Suzune stiffen again.

Entering the room of a man who was practically a stranger was hardly a wise choice.

Horikita Suzune instinctively touched her pocket, her fingers brushing against a cold, hard object. It was the Metal Compass she had long been accustomed to carrying with her.

Kitagawa Kai had already turned away, seemingly unconcerned with whether she would follow, his bare feet stepping across the slightly cool floor.

"Click."

Horikita Suzune took a deep breath. The moment she crossed the threshold, she reached back and gently closed the door behind her.