You Didn't Really Mean That, Did You?

"You really are a trio of idiots."

Horikita, who had stayed silent while Kushida explained the problems, finally spoke. Of course, she opened with an insult.

"You can't even solve the easiest questions. I can't imagine what your futures will look like."

"What did you say? This has nothing to do with you!" Sudo slammed his hand on the table, enraged by Horikita's words.

"Horikita, you're cute, but that was way too harsh."

Cute Horikita

Ike chimed in alongside Sudo.

"Harsh? I don't think so. And honestly, your futures really have nothing to do with me."

"How did we suddenly get onto the subject of our futures? I don't think studying will have much impact on mine. I just need to practice basketball."

"You're so naive. If you can't solve the easiest questions, I'm sure you'll give up the moment you run into the slightest difficulty while practicing basketball."

"What did you say!" Sudo finally lost his temper. He stood up, grabbed Horikita's clothes, and glared at her furiously.

"Sudo, please don't do that." Kushida hurried over from nearby and grabbed Sudo's arm. Then she continued, "But Horikita, that was really harsh of you. You should apologize to Sudo."

"Harsh? I don't think I said anything wrong." Horikita looked completely unafraid. "You call this your dream, yet this is the attitude you have. I don't think you'll ever amount to much."

"I suggest you give up on your studies and this boring dream as soon as possible. Go get a job and see how cruel the world is."

"You!" Sudo had completely lost control of his emotions. His arm hung in the air, as if he might strike Horikita at any moment.

At the sight of this, Ayanokoji, sitting beside Horikita, shifted slightly. But when he saw Okiya and Ike move to stop Sudo, he settled back down.

He probably would have stepped in himself if they hadn't tried to restrain Sudo.

Although Ike and Yamauchi couldn't stand Horikita either, they still had to stop Sudo if he actually tried to hit her. Students from other classes in the library had also turned to look. They didn't want the other classes laughing at them.

"I always thought it was weird that someone without any friends was holding a study session. If it weren't for Kushida, I wouldn't have come."

"I even got permission to miss club practice just to come here. What a waste of time!"

Sudo shoved aside the people trying to stop him and headed for the exit.

The study session had barely begun, and something like this had already happened. Everyone else there must have felt awful, too.

"I'm done, too." Ike hesitated before speaking. "I know I'm stupid, but Horikita's attitude is way too condescending. I can't take it anymore."

"Ike, why don't you think it over?" Kushida said sweetly from the side.

Kushida pleading with Ike

"Kushida..." Ike seemed a little touched by her attempt to stop him.

"If you don't mind getting expelled, then go ahead."

"Horikita really hasn't changed, has she? I'll just cram at the last minute for this one."

"That's an interesting thing to say. Cram at the last minute? I don't think you can get a passing grade on your own. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here, would you?"

Ike: "..."

Horikita was as devastatingly sharp as ever. Even the usually optimistic and cheerful Ike was left speechless.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Come on, Yamauchi, Okiya."

Before leaving, Ike pulled Yamauchi and Okiya along with him. Yamauchi didn't mind, since he disliked Horikita a little, too, but Okiya seemed hesitant.

"Are we really okay with just leaving like this?"

"Don't hesitate, Okiya. We're all leaving. There's nothing in it for you if you stay."

Ike dragged the still-hesitant Okiya out of the library, and Yamauchi followed close behind.

Now only Horikita, Kushida, and Ayanokoji remained at the study session.

After a brief silence, Kushida spoke. "Horikita, if you act like that, they won't come study with you."

Kushida's voice was as gentle as ever, but her act was a little too obvious. She couldn't possibly not be angry about what had just happened. She was probably just keeping it to herself for now.

"I did make a mistake. I shouldn't have had the slightest hope for people like them. Even if they get lucky and avoid expulsion this time, they'll act the same way the next time something like this happens."

"What I'm doing is inefficient and pointless."

"Horikita, what do you mean?" Kushida blinked at her, not understanding.

"What do I mean? I mean it would be better for the people holding the class back to get expelled while they have the chance."

Horikita seemed to have made up her mind. As far as she was concerned, the class had a better chance of moving up if they abandoned the people holding it back.

She no longer cared about the extra penalties the school might impose for expulsions, which she had been thinking about earlier.

"How can you do that? We're all classmates. We might even become friends someday. Please don't give up on them now."

"Your way of thinking is ridiculous, too, Kushida. First, I won't become friends with them. Second, if they get expelled in this exam, we won't have anything to do with each other anymore. Our ties as classmates will end there."

"You saw how they acted. I don't think continuing to teach them will do any good."

"That's the wrong way to think about it... Ayanokoji, say something, too."

Kushida looked pleadingly at Ayanokoji, who was sitting beside Horikita.

He either pretended to be clueless or something, but he rarely spoke up. He hadn't tried to stop Sudo when he kicked up a fuss earlier, either.

Kushida found him strange and felt a little resentful of his indifference.

But now only the three of them were left, so she had no choice but to ask him for help.

"Since Horikita has reached that conclusion, I don't have much reason to disagree."

"Ayanokoji, you're saying that, too? Aren't you on pretty good terms with them?"

"I don't want to abandon them like this, either. But my grades are average, and I'm no good at teaching, so there's not much I can do. I don't have any reason to oppose Horikita, either."

"You... I see. I understand."

Kushida's voice sounded a little cold as she picked up her backpack and stood. "If you won't help them, I will. I don't want them to get expelled."

"Kushida, do you really mean that?"

"Horikita, what do you mean? I won't sit by and let Sudo and the others get expelled. Is there something wrong with thinking that?"

"Of course not. I just don't think you said that from the bottom of your heart. You don't really want to help them, do you?"