Inferior Brand and Approaching Companion

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji slowly straightened his back.

He had watched the entire silent three-way conversation.

Yoshikage Kira.

Honami Ichinose.

Suzune Horikita.

With just a few words, they had suppressed a voyeurism incident that could have destroyed Class D, leaving no trace behind.

The script he had originally designed—Suzune Horikita retrieving the SD card, resolving the incident internally, and himself remaining hidden behind the scenes—had been fully realized.

There was only one unexpected variable.

Yoshikage Kira.

For the first time, a faint, genuine trace of interest flickered in the depths of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's eyes.

"So that's how it is."

"You are no mere bystander."

"You are... the very rule that guards the peace."

Suzune Horikita walked out of the pool area, the SD card she had retrieved from the remote-controlled camera car pinched between her fingertips. It was a thin piece of plastic, yet it felt heavy in her heart.

She did not return to the dormitory immediately, instead stopping at a secluded corner near the boys' dormitory to wait quietly.

A few minutes later, a figure approached slowly, his footsteps so light they were almost silent.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

"Is the matter... handled?" he asked, his tone flat, devoid of emotion.

Suzune Horikita looked up at him, her expression softening slightly: "You knew about the voyeurism plan of Kanji Ike and the others from the start. You pretended to go along with it, then brought the information to me, using my hands to clean up the mess. Why didn't you just report it to the school and distance yourself from it?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji did not deny anything, merely responding indifferently: "I simply didn't want the class to fall into a greater crisis because of something like this."

Suzune Horikita watched him, her eyes holding no suspicion, but rather a hint of understanding and approval.

Through their time together, she had long since confirmed that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was not like Kanji Ike; he was rational, restrained, and measured—one of the very few people she could call a normal partner.

"I know you are different from them." Suzune Horikita softened her tone, handing the SD card to him. "I'm not blaming you. On the contrary, thanks to your early warning, this was resolved."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji paused for a moment, gently taking the card.

"I will give Kanji Ike and the others a thorough warning." Suzune Horikita continued, her tone calm and serious. "But I want you to... continue staying by their side. Not as an accomplice, but as my eyes."

She paused, her tone sincere and direct:

"I need someone who can stay by their side and observe their movements reliably and calmly.

I trust you."

There was no coercion, no command, no binding threat.

Only the recognition and entrustment of a companion.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"I understand. I will keep an eye on their movements, and if anything similar happens again, I will inform you immediately."

"Thank you." Suzune Horikita bowed her head slightly, her tone carrying a rare note of gratitude. "Let's go. We need to find them together. This time, the problem must be solved once and for all."

That night, in the quiet shadows behind the dormitory.

Suzune Horikita, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and the others gathered together, looking uneasy.

The air was stiflingly heavy.

Suzune Horikita did not shout or scold; she simply spoke in a calm, almost cruel tone:

"I have suppressed today's incident. It was not reported to the school, there are no disciplinary actions, and no one is being expelled."

Kanji Ike and the others immediately showed expressions of relief and luck.

But the next second, Suzune Horikita's voice turned cold:

"But this is absolutely the last time."

"Voyeurism is not a prank, nor is it an impulse; it is a despicable act of violating others' privacy. It is something the rules do not permit, something that cannot stand on moral grounds, and an indefensible inferiority."

For the first time, she bluntly exposed the most unsightly side of Class D.

"It's not that your grades are poor or your abilities are weak; it's that your bottom line is flawed.

I can lead flawed goods forward, but I will not carry trash along with me."

Kanji Ike and the others turned pale, trembling all over.

To ensure Kiyotaka Ayanokoji would not be suspected and his position would not be exposed, Suzune Horikita deliberately included him in the reprimand, her tone showing no favoritism:

"This includes everyone present—Ayanokoji, you as well. Since you were acting with them, you must bear the responsibility equally. If you are involved in something like this again, I will not treat it lightly."

Kanji Ike and the others did not suspect a thing, assuming Ayanokoji was simply "one of the accomplices."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji remained composed, silently cooperating without a single word of defense.

"Now, everyone, listen well.

If there is a second time, you will be expelled immediately."

She dismissed them coldly: "Get out."

After Kanji Ike and the others fled in a panic, only Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji remained in the shadows.

The surroundings fell completely silent.

The cold rigidity on Suzune Horikita's face faded bit by bit, and her tone instantly returned to the gentleness and sincerity she reserved only for her companions.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through just now," she said softly, with a hint of apology. "I had to include you in it so they wouldn't suspect you."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji replied calmly: "I understand."

"I'm not trying to blame you." Suzune Horikita looked at him, her eyes earnest and filled with clear concern. "On the contrary, I need to warn you about something."

"If you encounter something like this again—do not take it upon yourself to enter the fray."

"Do not join them, do not pretend to cooperate, and do not put yourself in a dangerous position. Even if it's just acting, if the school finds out, captures it on camera, or labels you as an accomplice, you will be punished right along with them."

She paused, her voice soft yet serious:

"The next time they try to drag you into something like this, come to me first."

"You don't have to carry it alone, and you don't have to act alone."

"We can find a way to refuse, a way to avoid it, and a way to stop it together."

"I don't want... to drag you into the mud because of the low-level mistakes of people like them."

This was not a conversation between a monitor and a commander.

This was a companion's concern for a companion.

It was the first time she had clearly shown genuine care and a desire to protect Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's heart gave a slight tremor.

From childhood to the present, including his father, everyone had treated him as a tool, a weapon, or a pawn.

No one had ever said to him—

"Don't bear it alone."

"Come to me."

"I don't want to drag you into the mud."

He remained silent for a few seconds, his voice softer than usual, yet exceptionally clear:

"I understand."

"Next time, I will come to you first."

Suzune Horikita looked at him and finally nodded gently, letting go of all her tension.

"That's good."

Moonlight fell through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the space between them.

There was no calculation, no exploitation, and no concealment.

There was only the trust and concern that exists between true companions.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji gazed at Suzune Horikita's profile, and for the first time, the surface of the lake deep within his heart, which had always been calm and waveless, rippled with clarity.

In the distance, the lights of the Class B dormitory shone quietly.

At this very moment, Suzune Horikita and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had formed a true partnership.