Horikita Suzune Had No Objections

After school, Class B gathered at a karaoke place at Honami Ichinose's invitation.

On his way there, Makoto Nishikado spotted Horikita Suzune at a café.

Horikita Suzune sat upright, reading a book with her back perfectly straight, as if the bustle around her had nothing to do with her.

At the same table, Kushida Kikyo was leaning toward her with a big smile, chattering away.

No matter what she said, though, Horikita Suzune didn't respond at all, acting as if Kushida wasn't there.

Growing a little annoyed by the constant chatter, Horikita Suzune lowered her book and happened to notice Makoto Nishikado approaching.

"Good evening, Teacher Ximen."

Horikita Suzune immediately stood and bowed respectfully.

[Stirred Kushida Kikyo's emotions, gained 2,723 emotion points.]

"Teacher Ximen?"

Kushida Kikyo's eyes went wide at the way Horikita addressed him. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

She turned to look at Makoto Nishikado, then back at Horikita Suzune, her head full of questions.

When had those two gotten so close?

And she was calling him teacher...

What on earth had happened between them when Kushida wasn't around?

"Suzune, are you free today? I'm going to work out a plan for Class B's next steps. Come sit in and listen."

Makoto Nishikado smiled and nodded at Kushida Kikyo, then turned to ask Horikita Suzune.

"I'm free."

Horikita Suzune put away her book and followed Makoto Nishikado.

Kushida Kikyo was left alone, her chest heaving with anger.

Watching Horikita Suzune walk away, she clenched her teeth. "That wretched Horikita! She left without even saying goodbye!"

She knew she had been the one to approach Horikita first. Being ignored was nobody's fault but her own.

But surely Horikita Suzune had at least one percent of the blame!

"What teacher? They're getting pretty kinky. I'll figure out your secret sooner or later!"

Kushida Kikyo stormed off, fuming.

Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune walked beside Makoto Nishikado. Once they were out of earshot, she finally had a chance to ask, "Teacher Ximen, is it really appropriate for you to bring me to a Class B meeting?"

She remembered Makoto Nishikado once saying that she might become Class D's leader.

Class B's plans were internal secrets. It seemed inappropriate to let an outsider who might lead another class sit in.

"It won't matter much if this plan gets out, and you're not the sort to go blabbing about it anyway."

Makoto Nishikado didn't seem concerned.

Ever since Ma Sheng had made the information public, the people of Sakurajima had shown their ugly side online, setting off a cyberwar against Japan.

But Class B wasn't like that.

Our hearts and actions are clear as a mirror. There's nothing we need to hide.

Besides, Makoto Nishikado had always believed that actions taught better than words. Since he had decided to help Horikita Suzune grow, the best approach was to keep her by his side.

By the time the two of them arrived, nearly all of Class B had gathered.

Makoto Nishikado went straight to the staff and quietly gave them a few instructions.

Then he turned to the boys in the private room and said, "From now on, make it a habit to get up and find something to block the door whenever we hold an important meeting. That way, we can keep our conversations from leaking."

The boys in Class B stood up, and none of them thought Makoto Nishikado was making a fuss over nothing.

In reality, this was a precaution against Ryuen Kakeru.

Horikita Suzune stood to the side, watching the boys bustle around. She felt a little awkward.

By that logic, she was an outsider from another class and should have been kept out, too.

But Makoto Nishikado had invited her, so she couldn't just leave now.

Fortunately, she was good at keeping a cold expression. She forced down her embarrassment and found an empty seat.

Only after confirming that nothing said inside the room could be heard outside did Makoto Nishikado begin.

"I've reached an agreement with the Student Council President. In exchange for helping his younger sister, I got a position as vice president of the Student Council and 300,000 personal points every month."

As soon as Makoto Nishikado finished speaking, Horikita Suzune could no longer sit still.

"Teacher, how could you tell other people about this?"

Horikita Suzune had been hiding the fact that the Student Council President was her older brother.

She didn't want her involvement to cause trouble for him, much less become a burden to him.

"If anyone in Class B leaks this information, just show me the proof. I'll return every personal point your brother gave me."

"If you don't believe me, you can sign this. Your homeroom teacher is here as a witness, too."

Makoto Nishikado didn't get angry. He took out the contract he had prepared in advance.

"Hey, your teacher's right here!"

Chie Hoshinomiya waved and gave Horikita Suzune a cute expression.

Just from looking at her face, nobody would guess that she had been even more emotionally shaken than Horikita Suzune.

Makoto Nishikado ignored his homeroom teacher's deliberate attempt to look cute and turned to the people in Class B.

"You all heard that this information can't be shared with outsiders. I'm sorry for the trouble, but please keep it confidential."

Horikita Suzune looked at the contract, then at Makoto Nishikado. Her anger gradually subsided.

She took the contract, but suddenly felt a little embarrassed about signing her name.

What puzzled her most was why Makoto Nishikado trusted the students in Class B so much.

They had known one another for barely a week. His trust had come far too suddenly.

She set down the contract and looked carefully around at the students in Class B.

Some looked surprised when her gaze fell on them; some shyly lowered their heads; others smiled at her warmly.

Not one of them looked the least bit guilty. They seemed genuinely willing to keep the secret.

Their openness stirred something in Horikita Suzune.

She suddenly realized that Class B and Class D had completely different atmospheres.

There was trust and understanding between the students in Class B, while Class D was like a loose pile of sand, unable to follow even the most basic rules.

Only Yuki Himeno, seated beside Horikita Suzune, leaned over and quietly asked her something.

"You call him teacher? Did you know each other before?"

"No, I only met him after entering the school. Teacher Ximen is incredible. I really admire him."

Horikita Suzune's feelings grew complicated after she answered. She crumpled up the contract and threw it away.

Makoto Nishikado didn't pay any attention to what she had done. He continued explaining the plan.

"What I'm going to talk about today is the general direction of the class's future development."

"So it won't matter if today's information gets out, especially since Horikita is a student in Class D."

"She can't imitate our approach, and neither can the people in her class. This will be a strategy unique to Class B."

After Makoto Nishikado finished speaking, Horikita Suzune felt that he had insulted her class quite harshly, even though he hadn't used a single dirty word.

Was Class D really that hopeless?

Well, if anything, it was even more hopeless than she'd imagined.

Horikita Suzune had no objections.