Declare War on Horikita Suzune

Setting aside Horikita Suzune's reaction for now, Horikita Manabu fell into deep thought.

He genuinely intended to send Horikita Suzune out of this school, for two reasons.

First, Horikita Suzune had misinterpreted the meaning of excellence, blindly imitating him on her path of growth, even following in his footsteps to come to the Advanced Nurturing High School, living entirely in his shadow.

Second, just as he had previously been unwilling to let first-year students join the student council, he saw no evidence that Horikita Suzune possessed the ability to survive in this school. Moreover, he had to contend with Nagumo Miyabi's attacks; if his relationship with Horikita Suzune were exposed, Nagumo would surely find a way to strike at this weak point.

"I won't drop out..." Perhaps because her thoughts had been laid bare in front of an outsider, Horikita Suzune's emotions suddenly tensed, her tone unusually forceful.

"In this school, dropping out isn't something you can simply refuse. Sudo Ken from Class D doesn't want to drop out either, but with only two weeks left until the next exam, can he really pass in his current state?"

"My grades could never fall to that level..."

"Even excellent students can't rest easy. Otherwise, with your grades, Horikita, why weren't you placed in Class A from the start?" Shiraishi Makoto dismissed Horikita Suzune's naive thinking. "Our homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, was once a graduate of this school. She experienced an exam where the entire class had to vote one student out."

"In that situation, Horikita, do you have full confidence?"

"How could there possibly be an exam like that..."

"There is indeed such an exam." Horikita Manabu cut off Horikita Suzune's protest. "I've been through it too. All it takes is expelling one student, and the class gains 100 points. For a class that's only a small gap away from the higher-ranked ones, those 100 points are a lifeline, aren't they?"

Both of them tacitly omitted the condition of "unanimous agreement" required in that exam, deliberately exaggerating its difficulty.

"Just as exams testing academic ability weed out students like Sudo or Ike who lack in that area, in an exam testing interpersonal relationships, it would only be natural to weed out someone like you, Horikita, who hasn't made a single friend so far, right?" Shiraishi Makoto said, a bright smile on his face.

That was right—even now, Horikita Suzune had "not a single friend." Even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was closest to her, had never explicitly stated that they were "friends."

Horikita Suzune considered these things unimportant, while Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, though appearing to seek friendship, still adhered to his "avoidant" philosophy.

"Guh..." With even her beloved brother testifying to this, Horikita Suzune could only swallow her grievance. "I'll manage it. Something this simple..."

"You still don't get it?" Horikita Manabu sighed, pressing his forehead in frustration, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"In this school, class competition is the norm. If Shiraishi wanted to, he has plenty of ways to make you drop out. Why don't you go take a look at the second-year classrooms and see how many students the lower classes have lost under Class A's attacks?"

"As the student council president said, you can't survive in this school as you are now." Shiraishi Makoto delivered the closing remark. "Well then, President, it's getting late. I'll head back to the dorm."

"Go ahead." Watching Shiraishi enter the elevator, Horikita Manabu finally spoke slowly.

"Shiraishi Makoto is the first-year student I have the highest hopes for. The fact that he led Class B to overtake Class A in the first month proves his ability. If you still cling to such foolish ideas, just wait to be driven out of this school."

"However, if you can change and withstand Shiraishi's attacks, then in my eyes, you'll have shown some growth."

With that, Horikita Manabu also left.

Horikita Suzune stood alone in place, unable to calm her emotions for a long time. Only after a while did she return to the dorm with heavy steps.

After everyone had left, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stepped out from the shadows.

The next day was a rest day. Shiraishi Makoto found a quiet corner at the school's most popular Palette Cafe, ordered two cups of coffee, and a few small, delicate desserts, then arranged a private meeting with a girl.

"Good morning, Shiraishi-kun." A lively girl with short, light brown hair arrived at the meeting spot. Since it was still early and Shiraishi had deliberately chosen a corner seat, the atmosphere was quiet and private.

"Good morning, Kushida-san." Shiraishi Makoto gave a slight nod.

"I wonder what Shiraishi-kun wants to talk to me about?" Kushida Kikyo's face always carried a sweet smile, radiating an astonishing approachability—this was why she was called "the little angel of Class D in the first year."

In the first month, she had been frantically making friends. Besides her own classmates, she also knew many students from other classes, and had briefly interacted with Shiraishi before.

Looking at the coffee and desserts on the table, many guesses surfaced in her mind, but she didn't show them.

"I want to show you something, Kushida-san. Please make sure to put on the earphones." Shiraishi took out a player and handed it to Kushida Kikyo.

With curiosity on her face, Kushida put on the earphones and turned on the player. Then, her smile abruptly froze.

The content on the player was exactly what Shiraishi had sent Kamuro Masumi to secretly film yesterday afternoon.

Kushida Kikyo, her disguise stripped away, was violently kicking the railing, her tone vicious and harsh, endlessly cursing and complaining about classmates like Horikita Suzune and Sudo Ken, completely tearing apart her usual gentle and kind facade.

"I suppose this is why Kushida-san was placed in Class D?" Shiraishi commented from the side.

Kushida Kikyo put down the player, abruptly stood up, and quickly closed in on Shiraishi, her eyes filled with icy hostility.

"Watch yourself—there are cameras here." Shiraishi pointed at a nearby surveillance camera.

Realizing this, Kushida's initial thoughts were instantly dashed. Unable to come up with a good idea, she could only sit back down.

"So, what do you want?" Kushida Kikyo's voice had completely shed its warmth.

"Could you smile again, Kushida-san? Otherwise, it feels a bit OOC (out of character)." Shiraishi said, then used two fingers to lift the corners of his own mouth upward, demonstrating how to smile.

"You bastard..."

"Stop, no more jokes." Seeing that Kushida's emotions were under control, Shiraishi got to the point: "If Kushida-san doesn't want to spend the next three years being ostracized by everyone, or end up dropping out, I suggest you listen to me first."

"I want to cooperate with you, Kushida-san. In exchange, I will never leak this video from now on," Shiraishi said.

"How do you want to cooperate?" Kushida Kikyo forced herself to steady her nerves, feigning calm as she asked.