What a Troublesome Brother and Sister

Horikita Suzune stood before him, whether due to the pain or Horikita Manabu's harsh reprimand.

Or perhaps both, for a few teardrops welled up in her eyes.

It was a stark contrast to her usual cold and composed demeanor.

"Chihaya... why are you here?"

Horikita Suzune's voice had dropped significantly, yet her surprise was still evident.

However, Horikita Suzune felt even more embarrassed at this moment.

To think he had witnessed such a pathetic scene, along with the matter involving her brother...

"A classmate of Suzune's, I presume."

Horikita Manabu had naturally heard her, his focused gaze lingering on Chihaya Rei as he scrutinized him.

Prior to this, Horikita Manabu had no impression of Chihaya Rei.

As the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu knew that Class 1-D of Advanced Nurturing High School had always been a peculiar class.

The class was filled with students who were lopsided in their abilities.

Occasionally, there would be individuals with exceptional talent who were placed in Class D due to complex factors.

Therefore, Horikita Manabu would pay attention to students in Class D whom he discovered to be talented.

But Chihaya Rei was clearly not on his list of people to watch.

If Chihaya Rei knew this, he would say that it was only natural, wouldn't it?

He wasn't some machine that scored exactly 50 on every subject; of course, you wouldn't have noticed me.

Besides, the main reasons he ended up in Class D were his truancy and the things he said during his interview that he shouldn't have.

"I am indeed Horikita's classmate."

Chihaya Rei first responded to identify himself, then continued:

"Hello, Senior Horikita. However, resorting to physical force against a junior student is against the rules."

"Even if Horikita Suzune is your sister, you shouldn't be engaging in such conduct."

"Especially since you are the Student Council President of this school; that is simply knowing the law and breaking it."

"Do you realize how many eyes are on you every day? How can you set a good example for us juniors like this?!"

Chihaya Rei immediately slapped a heavy label on Horikita Manabu.

His expression was full of feigned regret, as if he truly didn't want to see the Student Council President go down the wrong path.

Even Horikita Manabu was taken aback for a moment, but he listened patiently instead.

However, Horikita Suzune, standing behind him, did not have that same patience.

"No... no, Chihaya, you've misunderstood. My brother didn't mean to attack me, it's just..."

Although Horikita Suzune's mind was a bit muddled at the moment, she knew clearly that if things went according to Chihaya Rei's narrative, it would definitely cause trouble for Horikita Manabu.

"It's just..." Horikita Suzune couldn't immediately come up with a reasonable excuse.

"Just what?"

Chihaya Rei glanced at Horikita Suzune indifferently, feeling that further words were useless.

He extended a slender index finger to tap the digital camera on his chest and smiled: "Tell that to my digital camera."

"It has clearly recorded everything that just happened."

Chihaya Rei was clearly directing this last sentence at Horikita Manabu.

Horikita Suzune's expression stiffened.

And at this moment, what Horikita Suzune expected even less was that her brother, Horikita Manabu, would say to her without even looking back:

"Be quiet, Suzune. You don't need to get involved in this."

Horikita Suzune's body trembled slightly, as if struck by a heavy blow. She opened her mouth, her voice barely a whisper:

"Brother..."

Chihaya Rei looked at the two with a subtle gaze, eventually saying with a hint of disdain:

"You two are truly a troublesome pair of siblings."

How did this turn into me looking like the villain? he thought.

Clearly, he was the good student who stepped in to stop an act of violence; he was just a few steps late in his entrance.

[Torture Horikita Manabu, Torture Value +1800]

[Torture Horikita Suzune, Torture Value +1700]

"Are you ready?"

Horikita Manabu spoke up suddenly.

Chihaya Rei raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Anytime."

Almost the instant the words left his lips, accompanied by a sound of air being sliced, Horikita Manabu's arm lunged toward Chihaya Rei.

"Wait! Brother, you two..."

Horikita Suzune's eyes widened as she instinctively called out to stop them.

One second she had been confused by their inexplicable conversation, and the next, she saw her brother attacking Chihaya Rei.

This made the situation even more incomprehensible to her.

In truth, Horikita Manabu was not attacking Chihaya Rei directly; his goal was to snatch the camera.

Chihaya Rei had known all along that Horikita Manabu would try to take it.

He was just a bit surprised that Horikita Manabu was actually quite upright, even going so far as to give a warning.

"Bang!"

A sound rang out as arms collided; Chihaya Rei threw a punch that deflected Horikita Manabu's left-handed strike.

But Horikita Manabu's reaction was equally swift; his right hand moved with even greater speed, aiming directly for the camera on Chihaya Rei's chest.

"Snap!"

This time, it was a crisp sound.

To Horikita Suzune's eyes, she saw Chihaya Rei's right hand firmly clamped onto Horikita Manabu's wrist.

Horikita Suzune's expression became slightly dazed.

That brother of hers, who seemed omnipotent in her eyes, appeared to be at a disadvantage?

No, it must just be that her brother wasn't using his full strength...

Right, that had to be it; her brother wasn't the type of person who liked to use violence.

Horikita Manabu's movement had been forced to a halt.

A look of surprise flashed across his face.

Horikita Manabu tried to exert force to break free, only to find his wrist gripped tightly; he could clearly feel the pressure being continuously applied by the other's fingers.

Chihaya Rei even looked quite composed and at ease.

"President Horikita, can we negotiate properly now?"

Chihaya Rei asked with a calm expression.

He understood well that Horikita Manabu would not easily let someone hold a handle over him.

In this area without surveillance, if he could seize the camera and delete the evidence directly, that would be the optimal choice for him.

Therefore, if he didn't demonstrate sufficient force, the situation would likely devolve into a classroom of supremacy through violence.

"Naturally."

Horikita Manabu nodded deeply.

Only then did Chihaya Rei release his hand.

Horikita Manabu pulled his arm back and straightened his ruffled cuff.

Just this brief clash was enough to make him abandon the idea of using force.

He was a fifth-dan in Karate and a fourth-dan in Aikido, yet he hadn't managed to gain the slightest advantage in their exchange.

The reason he had struck suddenly was to see if the other party had the strength to hold onto this evidence.

If he could have easily snatched the camera, it would only have proven that Chihaya Rei lacked the ability.

But now, he had to admit defeat.

"Have you trained specifically?"

Horikita Manabu raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with curiosity.

When Chihaya Rei had pinned his wrist, he had felt the calluses on the other's palm.

"No, I just played the drums for a few years."

Chihaya Rei flashed a somewhat smug smile.

This answer caught Horikita Manabu off guard, but he gave his praise without reservation:

"Then your strength is astonishing, and this ability to conceal and adapt is something that truly makes me look at you with new eyes."

Horikita Manabu did not believe that it was because he was focused on his conversation with Suzune that he had failed to notice Chihaya Rei.

"Someone like you is actually a student of Class D?"

"Class D is just like that."

Chihaya Rei replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Horikita Manabu nodded in agreement.

"Delete the video on the camera; my terms won't disappoint you."

Horikita Manabu spoke concisely, simultaneously pulling his personal terminal from his pocket.

At Advanced Nurturing High School, problems between students were naturally resolved through points.

"Of course." Chihaya Rei nodded in agreement; it should have been like this from the start.

He pondered, "As for the terms, I still need to think it over carefully..."

"500,000 points, plus a favor from me. Is that enough?" Horikita Manabu said indifferently.

"Straightforward."

Chihaya Rei didn't hesitate to accept.

A favor from Horikita Manabu might have unexpected utility at certain times.

In this school, the Student Council held significant power and could, to a certain extent, amend the rules of Advanced Nurturing High School.

Neither of them was the type to dawdle, so they quickly brought out their phones to add each other as contacts and transfer the points.

This left Horikita Suzune, still leaning against the wall, completely stunned.

It was too late for her to stop what was happening before her eyes, though neither of these two would have listened to her anyway.

Chihaya Rei had just walked away with 500,000 private points from her brother, plus a favor from him?

How could such a thing happen...

Horikita Suzune fell into a deep silence.

Meanwhile, Chihaya Rei saw that Horikita Manabu had actually transferred 1,000,000 private points, with a note stating it was for the expenses of looking after Horikita Suzune.

"..."

Chihaya Rei couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

But he truly had been looking after Horikita Suzune; since the start of the term, he had certainly done his fair share of torturing her personality.

Following that, Chihaya Rei simply tossed the digital camera to Horikita Manabu, letting him confirm the deletion of the video himself.

This was the first time this digital camera had been put to use today, and there was nothing else inside that shouldn't be seen.