For the Basketball Dream

Horikita Manabu's words were still relatively gentle, but paired with his calm, composed tone and serious expression, he quickly brought the entire atmosphere under his control.

Mu Tianchen admired this—no wonder he could make so many upperclassmen fear him.

However, just now, when he swept his gaze across the room, he seemed to pause for a few seconds on a girl in the front.

Mu Tianchen knew that girl. She was Ayanokouji's deskmate, and she seemed to be named Horikita as well. He hadn't heard her speak during the self-introductions earlier.

As for her name, he'd only learned it by chance during a break when he overheard Ayanokouji talking to her.

Same surname, Horikita—could she be his little sister?

But she was pretty peculiar too. In class, it seemed like she only ever talked to Ayanokouji? 'Two weirdos stuck together.'

No, that wasn't quite right—she didn't only talk to Ayanokouji. Mu Tianchen remembered last time at the convenience store, she'd also mocked Sudo.

Speaking of Sudo, why did it feel like he was everywhere lately? And this time... he'd cursed out the student council president...

He was probably scared out of his wits right now. Even though the president didn't seem like the type to hold petty grudges and retaliate in secret.

"Finally, I hope none of you come into the student council election with naive or disruptive intentions. I don't want to recruit people like that and pollute the council's environment! We need to take responsibility for our actions! For the school!"

Horikita Manabu stressed these words heavily. It was clear that getting into the student council wasn't easy for the average person. Even though Mu Tianchen had the ability to compete.

But he wouldn't. He hated the feeling of always working under someone else's orders, especially with a mountain of rules.

Let someone else fight for that spot! He didn't care.

After saying this, Horikita Manabu stepped off the stage and walked straight out of the gymnasium.

Almost everyone in the venue watched the president leave, especially those first-years who had mocked him earlier. They were terrified he might turn around and punish them one by one.

Only after confirming the president was truly gone did they silently breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, as student council president, he did have that power. Though he couldn't show it openly, what happened behind the scenes was anyone's guess.

Sudo, on the other hand, watched him leave with a pale face. He had just cursed the president out in front of so many people! And the president was the student council president—being humiliated like that had to sting. It was hard not to hold a grudge.

It wasn't that Sudo was afraid of the president's punishment. He'd just heard that when it came time for club members to become official, the student council's approval was apparently needed.

He'd already joined the basketball club, and he believed with his skills, becoming a regular member was no problem.

But if the president was petty and used this as an excuse to retaliate, his dream of becoming a professional basketball player would be hard to achieve!

He decided that after this was over, he'd discuss countermeasures with his good buddies.

With the president's departure, the club recruitment event came to an end.

The purple-haired, bun-headed senior took the stage for a final summary, then told everyone to clear out.

Of course, today was just a demonstration. Actual sign-ups would happen at each club's activity room. This space needed to be freed up for everyone's recreational use—it couldn't be occupied for too long.

"Hey, hey, you two, come over here." As soon as Sudo walked out of the gym door, he kept looking around.

When he spotted Ike and Yamauchi walking together, he immediately called them over. Ike and Yamauchi saw it was Sudo and didn't hesitate, following him.

Sudo led them to a nearby grove and stopped, sitting down on a stone bench nearby. Ike and Yamauchi sat across from him.

"What did you call us over for? Our time's precious."

"Yeah, we still need to sign up for the anime club. If we're late, there might not be any spots left."

Ike and Yamauchi seemed a bit impatient.

"Just shut up for a second! This is important!" Sudo yelled at them, and they immediately shut their mouths.

"So, I just cursed out that student council president in front of all those people. Do you guys have any good ideas on how to get him to forgive me?"

"So what if you cursed him out? It's not like you want to join the student council, Sudo?" Ike looked confused.

"Of course not! I'm all in on basketball. I wouldn't join any club other than the basketball club."

"But aren't you already a member of the basketball club? I remember you applied as soon as you got here." Yamauchi was also puzzled.

"Are you idiots? That's not what I'm talking about. I'm worried that when I try to become an official member, the student council will target me. I heard from a senior that the student council has to approve the promotion."

"Ohhh, I see." Ike and Yamauchi finally caught on.

"So, for the sake of my basketball dream, give me some advice." Sudo clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Don't worry, as your bros, we've got your back."

After a moment of silence, Yamauchi seemed to have an idea and spoke up:

"I think you should give him a gift. That's how it always goes in TV dramas."

Ike countered, "No, no, you should do a dogeza. That shows sincerity. What do you think, Sudo?"

Sudo hesitated for a moment. Their ideas didn't sound bad, but a dogeza was too much for him. He'd always been the one receiving dogezas since he was a kid.

He'd never done one for anyone else. But for his basketball dream, it wasn't impossible.

As for giving a gift, that was doable, but he'd spent too much lately and didn't have many points left. He couldn't exactly give some cheap junk.

"Well, your ideas aren't bad. I'm thinking I'll play it safe and do both. For the gift, I don't have many points. Can you guys lend me some? We get a hundred thousand points every month anyway, so I'll pay you back then."

"We don't have much either." The two said in unison when they heard he wanted to borrow points.

"Tch, what do I do then?"

"I can sell this to you. Most guys like game consoles, and I bought this one for 80,000 points. Remember to pay me back the full price next month." Yamauchi slowly pulled out the game console he'd bought not long ago from his pocket.

"Thank you, my good brother!" Sudo was so moved that tears and snot streamed down his face as he immediately stepped forward to hug him.

"Once we get to the student council room, remember to give the gift first, then do a dogeza. If he refuses, just offer it a few more times—big shots' first few refusals are just formalities." Ike recalled a scene from a TV drama and started giving Sudo advice.

"And also, you have to kneel and offer the gift with both hands," Yamauchi added.

"No problem, I'll do everything you say."

After thanking them, Sudo headed straight for the student council office.

Standing in front of the door with the game console in hand, Sudo was still a bit nervous. This was his first time doing a dogeza for someone else, but everything was worth it for his basketball dream.

After mustering up his courage internally, Sudo knocked on the door.

"Come in." The student council president's voice came from inside.

Sudo entered and saw the president processing documents. With a thud, he knelt directly before the president, holding the game console with both hands.

"What are you doing?" Horikita Manabu was startled by the scene and immediately got up to help him.

"I've wronged you, President! Please take this and forgive me!"

Horikita Manabu: ???

Afterward, Horikita Manabu had to put in a lot of effort to correct Sudo's misguided thinking.

He had to admit: this guy really was an idiot!