Making Horikita Suzune Apologize

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-A.

Inside the Class A classroom, students gathered in small groups, discussing today's club orientation.

Sakayanagi Arisu walked into the classroom holding Amasawa Reigetsu's hand. Amasawa Reigetsu held the cane he had crafted as a child for the first time in ages, feeling a sense of daze, though the feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant.

This mysterious pair drew the gazes of most of the class, their eyes fixed on the hands the two held together.

Sakayanagi Arisu looked around the room with a light chuckle, her confidence as clear as if she were staking a claim.

"Everyone, I have an important piece of information to share with you all."

The classroom fell silent instantly, every eye turning toward Sakayanagi Arisu.

"It concerns the truth behind the first special exam."

Sakayanagi Arisu's voice was calm and firm. Like a stone cast into a pond, it sent ripples through the room, and the class erupted into a buzz. Katsuragi Kohei's eyes flashed with realization; in this confrontation, Sakayanagi clearly held the upper hand.

"The first special exam? When is it? Do we need to make any preparations?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's primary sycophant, Hashimoto Masayoshi, immediately chimed in.

"It has already begun, hasn't it?"

After leading Sakayanagi Arisu back to her seat, Amasawa Reigetsu turned and left the classroom through the main entrance.

Being watched by so many people... I'm not quite used to this.

I'll leave the rest of the Class A business to Arisu, Amasawa Reigetsu thought, ignoring Sakayanagi's resentful glare.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-D.

Ayanokoji Kiyoko's perspective:

Ayanokoji Kiyoko watched her classmates, each with their distinct personalities. Behind her expressionless exterior, she was actually contemplating how one goes about making friends.

Speaking of friends, Ayanokoji Kiyoko began counting on her fingers. Hmm... Kushida Kikyo counts as one, Horikita Suzune counts as one... I can't seem to think of anyone else?

Ayanokoji Kiyoko felt like a bit of a failure. Even though she could solve incredibly difficult math problems, she couldn't figure out how to join the remaining small groups in Class D... Karuizawa Kei's gal clique, or Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and the others...

I really miss Amasawa Reigetsu today, too...

Ayanokoji Kiyoko looked out the window, and there was Amasawa Reigetsu, watching her from outside.

Is longing a sickness? Is my body starting to hallucinate?

Amasawa Reigetsu smiled and waved at her, then walked inside.

Amasawa Reigetsu's perspective.

Kiyoko is actively practicing her philosophy of avoiding society again today... She's truly adorable.

Based on the rules of the first exam and his observations from yesterday, Amasawa Reigetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu had reached a consensus: Class D's point allocation for the second month would be pitiful. And so—

Now was the perfect time to seize the opportunity to fleece Class D!

Thus, Amasawa Reigetsu stood outside the Class D window like a capitalist, hands behind his back, surveying the happy, plump sheep.

Given the current level of clique fragmentation in Class D, getting them to pool their points was impossible, let alone buying the rules.

Wait, is it actually that hard to fleece them? After all, I don't have anything they want right now—

"Yamauchi, look at this!"

"Holy crap, a thousand-yen god-tier item! You damn Ikeda, you're handing out charity again!"

"Yamauchi, what kind of attitude is that? Just tell me if you want your Uncle Ikeda to lend it to you to play with!"

"Daddy! Father! Master! I'm begging you, I only have twenty thousand points left and can't afford this thing, please just be kind and let me play with it!"

Loan sharking... no, forget it. Even if they couldn't pay it back, there's no point in controlling them, right? If it all ends up as bad debt, wouldn't that just be charity?

Amasawa Reigetsu shook his head. The Black Room Trio were simply too overpowered; he found himself completely unable to counter them!

Chabashira: ?

"Kiyoko, are you free tonight?"

Amasawa Reigetsu walked into Class D and headed straight for Ayanokoji Kiyoko's seat.

"Mas—Rei, I'm free. What is it?"

Ayanokoji Kiyoko's face flushed red; Rei was standing way too close.

"I'm going to earn money to support you. You know your points next month are going to be miserable, right? Sorry for the trouble."

"What did you say? The points next month will be miserable? What's going on?"

The long-haired woman sitting next to Ayanokoji Kiyoko caught the keyword and, lacking any sense of social atmosphere, interjected into the conversation.

"This is Horikita Suzune. I suppose she counts as... my friend?"

Kiyoko made the introduction right on time, though she seemed to lack conviction when she said "friend."

Looking at the strange aura surrounding Horikita Suzune, paired with that look of bravado masking inner weakness, and topped off with her inexplicably self-centered habit of interrupting others!

Confirmed by that look—she's an interesting toy. It would definitely be fun to bully her a little, wouldn't it? But she shares the same surname as that Student Council President. Could that Student Council President be a sister-complex?

Bully with discretion—not to refrain from bullying, but to bully with high quality!

Meanwhile, because Horikita Suzune's voice was a bit loud, the members of Class D fell silent for a moment, casting their gazes toward them in unison.

"What's the matter? You guys want to bet that you won't have any points to spend next month? If you're broke, remember to come to me for a high-interest loan, okay?"

Amasawa Reigetsu wore a smug, arrogant expression. He knew that provoking them like this would make the people in Class D look down on him, thereby causing them to ignore his true nature.

However, the Black Room Trio once again exceeded his expectations—the red-haired gorilla he had seen in the basketball club earlier suddenly exploded into action:

"Huh? You looking for trouble? What class are you in? Want a beating, huh?"

Amasawa Reigetsu didn't care about the red-haired gorilla; instead, he looked at Horikita:

"If you can stop this red-haired gorilla, I can tell you for free, just for the sake of you being a good friend of my Kiyoko."

"This is information worth one million points, you know~"

Amasawa Reigetsu continued to provoke them while raising the stakes. Just as Horikita Manabu was about to speak up to stop Sudo Ken, a fist the size of a sandbag was already right in front of Amasawa Reigetsu's face.

"Watch me smash that pathetic face of yours!!"

"BANG!!!"

*The sound of tables and chairs being knocked over.

Ayanokoji Kiyoko had moved a step before Amasawa. To harm her master right in front of her loyal dog? This savage was asking for it!

A murderous intent flashed through Ayanokoji's emotionless pupils, but Amasawa noticed it just the same.

"Don't be impulsive. Didn't you want to enjoy high school life? Kiyoko."

It appeared! The time-stop commentary!

In the instant time stopped, Amasawa Reigetsu caught Ayanokoji Kiyoko's murderous punch, then intercepted Sudo Ken's attack—

He had underestimated his wife's murderous intent.

This was the last thought that crossed Amasawa Reigetsu's mind before he went flying, but it was also a result he was willing to accept—

At least he was hit by his wife and not Sudo; his dignity remained intact, right?

Time began to flow again.

The others in Class D couldn't see what had happened at all, and even Sudo himself was actually puzzled:

"Did I really send someone flying with one punch?"

*Commotion.

"Horikita Suzune, apologize to me, and I'll forgive you and Sudo."

"That's a baseless—"

"You're Horikita Manabu's younger sister, aren't you?"

Horikita Suzune's pupils dilated sharply, and her words of defense stuck in her throat.

Amasawa Reigetsu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, interrupting Horikita Suzune's defense with a wicked sense of humor.

Even if he was just sophistry-mongering, as long as he held the upper hand in momentum and grasped the other party's weakness, even if he had only been guessing at first, Horikita's reaction confirmed it.

"You wouldn't want your dear brother to know that Sudo was expelled because of his incompetent sister, would you—"

"Shut up!"

"Horikita-san—"

Sudo was a bit bewildered. He had wanted to play the hero and earn some points in front of Horikita, but it had turned out like this.

"I'll apologize, okay! I'm sorry!"

Horikita Suzune gritted her teeth and ran out.

Feeling refreshed~

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Student Dormitories.

"Rei, you idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!!"

After returning to the dormitory that night, Ayanokoji Kiyoko sobbed in his arms. Even though she had explained many times that she hadn't actually been hurt, that the blood at the corner of his mouth was from him biting himself, and that knocking over those desks didn't even hurt in the slightest.

But the idiot in his arms was still blaming herself, like a puppy that had done something wrong.

There was no other way.

"There, there, Kiyoko..."

Amasawa Reigetsu sealed Ayanokoji Kiyoko's lips, forcibly putting an end to her first bout of crying.

What followed was her second bout of crying...

Ichinose Honami, waiting for a reply from Amasawa Reigetsu: What about me? I was clearly here first...