Horikita Is Sick

"I've already spotted you. You might as well come out." Ibuki suddenly stopped running, turned around, and spoke toward the direction where Horikita was hiding.

Seeing that Ibuki had already noticed her, Horikita stopped hiding and stepped out from behind a tree. "When did you notice me?"

"Right from the start."

Ibuki's curt reply carried a strange, ominous air. Her quiet, taciturn demeanor hadn't changed, but something about her felt different.

"So why did you chase me?" Ibuki continued.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"I don't know."

"You should know perfectly well why I'm chasing you."

"No, I really don't. Anyway, what do you want?" Ibuki stared straight into Horikita's eyes.

"Don't pretend you don't know!"

"Heh. I think I understand why you chased me." Ibuki gave a small laugh and continued, "Your underwear was stolen, there was a fire scare, and Class D sure has had one disaster after another. But what proof do you have that I did it?"

"You know perfectly well that a lot of people in our class suspect you, don't you?"

"Yeah. I'm from Class C, your enemy, so I can't blame you for suspecting me. But even if you say I'm the culprit, you still need proof that I am, don't you?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any evidence about the underwear theft. But I believe you're the culprit."

"That's pretty harsh, deciding I'm guilty without any evidence."

"Heh. You said you didn't want to get close to Class D because you didn't want to cause us trouble, and then your injuries made us feel sorry for you, so we let you stay with our class until the exam was over. But what you did today is why I suspect you. I don't need to explain any more, do I?" Horikita kept her eyes fixed on Ibuki's. "Give me back what you took from me."

Ibuki stopped looking at Horikita and turned away. "I don't know."

Then Ibuki hurried off into the forest, and Horikita chased after her, matching her pace.

Ibuki changed course, no longer heading for the beach. Instead, she ran deeper into the forest.

"Where are you going?"

"Who knows?"

Horikita already had a cold and a fever. Now, chasing Ibuki in the rain, she could feel her body nearing its limit. But she still didn't stop, even as her vision grew increasingly blurry. She was still determined to catch Ibuki and get the Representative Card back...

"I'm telling you, you're annoying. Can you stop chasing me already?" Ibuki stopped and looked toward a large tree ahead.

"Then give back what you stole from me!" Horikita said through gritted teeth.

"Can you calm down and think about this? If I'd stolen the Representative Card, why would I keep carrying around something so dangerous? If someone saw it, I'd immediately be disqualified from the exam. And it's not like I'd be the only one to lose points."

"I only told you to give back what you stole. I never once mentioned the Representative Card." A faint smile curled Horikita's lips.

"So you think I just confessed, huh? Too bad. That doesn't prove anything." Ibuki crouched down and began digging into the ground with both hands.

The intense discomfort in her body forced Horikita to press a hand to her head and sit against a tree.

"You seem sick."

Ibuki noticed Horikita's condition and glanced back, but immediately resumed digging.

"Haah... haah..."

Horikita gasped for breath without answering. She could feel herself on the verge of fainting. Just fighting the urge to collapse was already taking all her strength.

"Ibuki, if you don't give the Representative Card back, I'll have to use force. I hope you don't mind." Horikita wanted to use what little strength she had left to take the Representative Card back by force.

"Force? In your condition? You're going to use force? Are you kidding?"

"This is your final warning. Don't make me use force..."

Horikita faced Ibuki in a firm tone. She wanted to avoid resorting to force, but it seemed there was no other choice.

"Your final warning? Fine, fine. If that's what you want, then have it your way."

Ibuki put her bag on the ground, then raised both hands slightly in a gesture of surrender. But she didn't look like she was genuinely giving up.

The sight made Horikita wonder if Ibuki was about to attack her.

The next second, Ibuki's leg came flying toward Horikita's face.

Horikita's sudden wariness saved her. She jumped back and dodged the kick.

Mud splashed onto the arm Horikita had raised to defend herself.

"Oh, you're pretty good."

"Using violence will get you disqualified from the exam immediately..."

"You think anyone's going to see us out here? Besides, weren't you the one who was going to use force first?"

Ibuki sneered, then grabbed Horikita by the shoulders and shoved her down.

Horikita couldn't react in time to Ibuki's sudden move and fell into the mud.

"Could you take a little break?"

As Ibuki spoke, her face looming over Horikita blurred into a ghostly image in her vision. Ibuki grabbed Horikita by the lapels and pulled her upper body up, her fist clenching in an instant. If that punch landed, Horikita would probably lose consciousness on the spot.

Horikita turned sideways and swept her arm to knock Ibuki's wrist aside, using the momentum to roll half a meter through the mud. Her fingertips dug into the wet earth, tangled with grass stems. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up, and as her knee hit the ground, she heard the faint sound of fabric ripping. In that moment, she was suddenly glad she'd learned martial arts. The thought came to her as she clenched her back teeth against the taste of blood.

"Oh? You're much more agile than I expected. What did you learn?"

Ibuki's voice carried an appraising note. Her eyes held a smile, yet Horikita felt a chill creep up the back of her neck. The fact that Ibuki had immediately recognized her martial arts training meant this fight had never been an even match.

"Honestly..." Horikita stared at the mud dripping between her fingers. The self-mocking words that escaped her throat mingled with the rain. "I'm probably the most pathetic person in this exam."

Horikita dug her fingertips deep into her palm, seething inwardly. She should have turned down the representative position when she felt unwell. She should have been honest about her condition from the start. But her so-called pride was like a rusted gear jammed in her throat, leaving her unable to utter a single word admitting weakness. Horikita hated herself like this—looking down on others and saying cruel things, yet unable to handle even the simplest task when it mattered.

A dry laugh rolled from her throat. Rainwater ran down her chin and struck the mud. Horikita stared at Ibuki's raised foot and suddenly remembered all those late nights, and the version of herself in the mirror who refused to ask anyone for help.

"You're the one who stole the Representative Card, aren't you?"

Ibuki, who had been about to attack again, suddenly stopped.

"As a reward for struggling this long..." Ibuki suddenly stepped back half a pace, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a card. "I'll let you know the truth."

The card turned between her fingertips. As it faced upward, the four gold-embossed characters spelling "Horikita Suzune" gleamed coldly in the fading light. Horikita's pupils contracted. The dizziness in her head grew heavier, making this long-delayed revelation seem especially ironic.