Dirty Py Deal

Facing the cold gaze of Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune felt a wave of crushing sorrow.

For a moment, she even forgot why she had sought out Horikita Manabu in the first place.

"I am no longer the incompetent version of myself from before; I came here to follow in your footsteps, Brother."

Horikita Suzune's voice trembled.

She fought hard to suppress her surging emotions, barely holding back tears.

"Follow in my footsteps... is that all you called me out here to say?"

Horikita Manabu's expression turned even colder and sharper.

After two years of absence, his younger sister was still just as naive.

It was truly infuriating.

"No, that's not it. I heard from someone that you were having trouble in the Student Council."

Horikita Suzune finally remembered the real reason, speaking up weakly.

Seeing her current state, who would ever guess that she was usually a cold and aloof ice queen?

"Why would you believe such a claim?"

Horikita Manabu frowned, though his icy demeanor softened slightly.

"He's a very annoying guy who excels at making people angry, but it didn't seem like he was talking nonsense."

Horikita Suzune lowered her head, feeling incredibly guilty.

She already regretted calling Horikita Manabu out over such an unfounded worry.

It was just that for the past two days, she hadn't been able to eat or sleep, her mind constantly occupied by what Makoto Nishikado had said.

The expression on Makoto Nishikado's face when he spoke surfaced in her mind, making it impossible for her to calm down.

[Triggered Horikita Manabu's emotions, obtained 312 emotion points.]

"Is that annoying guy you mentioned the person standing behind you?"

Horikita Manabu looked at Makoto Nishikado again, his gaze now carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Huh?"

Horikita Suzune turned around in a daze, only then realizing that the person in question was right behind her.

"Good evening."

Makoto Nishikado waved in greeting with a smile, as if completely oblivious to how awkward the atmosphere was.

"You—are you stalking me?"

Horikita Suzune was both ashamed and annoyed, her face turning red with fury.

Because of Horikita Manabu's coldness, she had almost broken down in tears, acting completely unlike her usual self.

It would have been one thing for her brother to see her so vulnerable, but to have a classmate see it... she felt utterly humiliated!

"I wouldn't call it stalking; I was just curious if you were getting involved in some messy relationship."

"Besides, at this hour, it's dangerous for a girl to be out alone, so I was just ensuring you wouldn't run into any trouble."

Makoto Nishikado spoke righteously, without a hint of guilt.

At this moment, a ray of righteous light really should have been shining down upon him.

"And that is your excuse for stalking me and eavesdropping on my conversation?"

Horikita Suzune was relentless, having no intention of letting Makoto Nishikado off the hook.

Makoto Nishikado was suspecting her of promiscuity, especially so soon after the start of the school year—wasn't he basically accusing her of...

How absurd!

"There are cameras everywhere; if I really intended to do anything to you, I'd certainly be brought to justice."

"Furthermore, my concern was perfectly valid, so it can't be considered malicious stalking."

"As for eavesdropping, your brother saw me standing here, so take it up with him if you have a problem."

Makoto Nishikado spread his hands, flashing a smile that Horikita Suzune found incredibly irritating.

"You..."

Horikita Suzune was left speechless.

If all of this had been tacitly permitted by Horikita Manabu, she, as the annoying little sister, had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened.

Turning her head, Horikita Suzune looked at Horikita Manabu for help.

Horikita Manabu, however, ignored her completely, his eyes fixed steadily on Makoto Nishikado.

"Are you Makoto Nishikado from Class B?"

Horikita Manabu asked the question, yet his tone was incredibly certain.

"It is me. The Student Council certainly wields immense power."

Makoto Nishikado nodded, sensing that today was a prime opportunity.

For Class B, establishing a connection with Horikita Manabu was an excellent choice.

"Why would you say that I have encountered trouble in the Student Council?"

Facing Makoto Nishikado, an outsider, Horikita Manabu remained expressionless, yet he showed no hostility.

Recalling the general style of Class B from his files, and considering that Horikita Suzune trusted the words of the boy before him, Horikita Manabu felt a surge of anticipation for Makoto Nishikado's answer.

"Class B's goal is to ascend to Class A while ensuring that not a single person in the class drops out."

Makoto Nishikado's reply seemed completely disconnected from Horikita Manabu's question, leaving even Horikita Suzune bewildered.

However, upon hearing it, a smile appeared on Horikita Manabu's face.

This boy and the Class B behind him were his natural allies.

"You are quite impressive. Join the Student Council. If you possess sufficient talent, I will make you one of the vice presidents while you are still a first-year."

Horikita Manabu did not hesitate or probe; he issued the invitation directly.

Makoto Nishikado's answer told him that this boy was exactly who he had been looking for.

"Brother, on what grounds does he..."

Horikita Suzune stopped mid-sentence; as a younger sister, she could not question her brother's decisions.

But what kind of ability did this Makoto Nishikado actually possess?

Why did her brother value him so highly?

The young girl felt a mix of envy and jealousy in her heart.

"Wait a moment, Brother, are you truly in trouble?"

Horikita Suzune was very clever, especially when it concerned Horikita Manabu.

After feeling a bit sour for a moment, she extracted the information she cared about most from the current situation.

"I am speaking with him; you keep your mouth shut."

Horikita Manabu's expression, which had softened, turned cold and rigid once more, and he swept a glance at Horikita Suzune as if devoid of emotion.

This child just had to be so sharp about such trivial matters.

He truly did not know whether he should be happy or not.

"..."

Horikita Suzune felt extremely aggrieved, turning her head to transmit all her dissatisfaction to Makoto Nishikado through her gaze.

On the other side, Makoto Nishikado had been quite happy when he first received the invitation.

But upon hearing that Horikita Manabu was offering him a vice president position, he hesitated instead.

After pretending to think for a moment, Makoto Nishikado shifted his gaze toward Horikita Suzune.

"President, your sister is very smart and also very strong-willed."

"If she could correct her temper, she might become the class leader of Class D."

The position of vice president was important and rare.

Horikita Manabu's power as Student Council president was, after all, not infinite.

For him to offer this position, beyond sincerity, he likely desired some other form of compensation.

For instance, having Makoto Nishikado help look after his sister.

Perhaps it was seeing that Horikita Suzune trusted Makoto Nishikado's words that led to this decision.

But Makoto Nishikado did not believe he held such a high status in Horikita Suzune's eyes.

Furthermore, there was competition between different classes, a fact the entirety of Class B was already aware of.

If Horikita Suzune were to become the leader of Class D, she would sooner or later become an enemy of Class B.

By then, Makoto Nishikado would be nursing a viper in his bosom.

Reasonably and logically, this was not appropriate.

"She is still far from mature, and as for you, would you really take Class D seriously?"

Horikita Manabu was dismissive.

Among all previous iterations of Class D, this year's class was considered quite "outstanding."

Given the capabilities Makoto Nishikado had displayed, there was truly no reason for him to take Class D seriously.

"But there are several people in Class D with outstanding talent; I wouldn't dare underestimate them."

Makoto Nishikado would not be tricked.

Dealing with Class D was already a difficult task; if he were to cultivate Horikita Suzune as well, wouldn't he just be bringing trouble upon himself?

"One hundred thousand a month."

Horikita Manabu held up a single finger.

"No, I cannot help a competitor of Class B."

"Two hundred thousand. You may cultivate her in your own way."

"President, this is not a matter of points."

"Three hundred thousand. Any more would be inconvenient."

"Deal!"

Makoto Nishikado walked over to Horikita Manabu and shook his hand with a smile.

Wasn't it just training an enhanced version of Horikita and Ayanokoji?

He enjoyed seeking out hardship; he had even fought currency wars at A8-40 difficulty!

A dirty backroom deal was struck just like that.

Accepting this money meant that Makoto Nishikado and Class B had officially joined Horikita Manabu's faction.

"Brother..."

In the end, only Horikita Suzune was left behind, completely bewildered.

What just happened?