"I'm asking, just now, you really were planning to hit him, weren't you?"
Faced with Ayanokoji's question, Horikita Manabu didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a glasses cloth from his pocket, removed his glasses, and wiped them.
"So you saw everything just now, didn't you?"
Was he changing the subject? Or...
Before Chiba Yu could react, Horikita Manabu suddenly darted forward, closing the distance to Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. In the instant before either of them could respond, he raised his right leg and kicked toward one of them.
The wind howled, followed by a fierce kick.
A sneak attack? And against both of them?
Whatever the outcome, neither of them was willing to gamble on whether they'd be the one getting kicked. The instant they were attacked, they both reacted at the same time, dodging toward the open space beside them.
Horikita Manabu visibly paused at the sight, but he didn't stop his attack.
Once he had steadied himself, Horikita Manabu raised his right hand again, clenched his fist, and lunged at Chiba Yu.
"Again?" Chiba Yu furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled by Horikita Manabu's actions. His tone even carried a hint of displeasure.
Though he complained, Chiba Yu didn't stop moving.
He lowered his stance, thrust out his right hand, and seized Horikita Manabu's fist, stopping it with sheer strength.
The wind died down, and the night slowly lifted its curtain, revealing the entire scene.
Still gripping Horikita Manabu's fist, Chiba Yu stared at him with a serious look. "What exactly do you mean by this, Horikita-senpai? Should I take it as resentment toward your underclassmen, leading you to take revenge on us in private?"
Faced with Chiba Yu's accusation, Horikita Manabu showed no reaction. His icy expression remained firmly in place, unmoved.
Gradually, Chiba Yu felt the strength in Horikita Manabu's hand begin to weaken, and he slowly relaxed his own grip.
Horikita Manabu pulled his hand back and calmly straightened himself. Then he glanced at Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji before asking coldly, "You're pretty agile. Have you studied anything?"
"Piano and calligraphy."
"Piano and tea ceremony."
"Hm?" Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka exchanged a glance, their eyes full of surprise and astonishment at each other's answers. Chiba Yu wasn't sure how he could read astonishment on Ayanokoji's face, which was as expressionless as ever.
"Oh? Interesting." Hearing the two answer in unison, even Horikita Manabu was taken aback, let alone Horikita Suzune, who stood nearby.
"Come to think of it, I've seen your files in the Student Council."
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and..." Horikita Manabu turned to look at Chiba Yu, who was getting himself back into shape. "Chiba Yu, right?"
"Two freshmen's scores on this year's entrance exam caused quite a stir in the Student Council. One of you got 50 in every subject, while the other got 60 in every subject. Your scores on the previous quiz were the same, too."
"So, did you plan to get the same score on every 100-point test?"
Faced with Horikita Manabu's skepticism and Horikita Suzune's curious gaze from behind him, Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka both remained calm.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka met Horikita Manabu's gaze without the slightest concern and replied evenly, "Sometimes, coincidences can be pretty frightening."
"Oh? And you? Or was yours a coincidence too?" Horikita Manabu turned to ask Chiba Yu, who stood off to the other side.
Chiba Yu shrugged. "Is it possible that 60 is simply the best I can do?"
Horikita Manabu didn't get angry at their obviously unconvincing answers. He only glanced back at Horikita Suzune. "Suzune, I'm honestly surprised you have friends."
Unlike his earlier cold tone, there seemed to be a hint of relief in his words this time.
Though her brother's exaggerated remark shocked Horikita Suzune, she still lowered her head and answered cautiously. "Th-they're not my friends. We're just... classmates."
"Heh. You're still the same, twisting the true meaning of being alone and being lonely."
Horikita Manabu glanced at Horikita Suzune, then headed outside. "Suzune, if you want to move up to a higher-ranked class, then struggle with everything you've got."
As he passed Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Horikita Manabu only gave them a brief glance before leaving without looking back, leaving the three of them standing there in silence for a long time.
"Clunk!"
"Here. My treat."
A drink dropped from the vending machine. Chiba Yu picked it up and handed one to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Thanks."
"Gulp, gulp... Phew, I'm alive again."
Chiba Yu downed more than half his drink in one go. Only then did he feel his body gradually returning to normal, and his parched throat finally started to feel better.
Chiba Yu leaned against a streetlamp, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood in front of the vending machine, and Horikita Suzune sat on the grass verge nearby. The three of them stayed there quietly, waiting to see who would break the silence first.
"I'm sorry you had to see what happened tonight," Horikita Suzune said at last, breaking the silence.
"If anything, I'm glad to know that Horikita's just an ordinary girl..."
"Stare~"
"I didn't say anything."
Horikita's death glare made Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shut his mouth at once.
"Impressive..." Chiba Yu, who had been quietly watching Ayanokoji and Horikita interact, couldn't help praising Ayanokoji. At the very least, Chiba Yu could never have said something like that himself.
"And you..."
Hearing Horikita shift the conversation to him, Chiba Yu slowly raised both hands over his head and said calmly, with a trace of resignation, "I only came out to buy a drink tonight."
Knowing Horikita, Chiba Yu quickly put an end to the topic.
Seeing this, Horikita lowered her head, then asked in a serious tone, "What you said earlier—that the two of you deliberately got the same scores on the entrance exam—is that true?"
Chiba Yu glanced at her and replied carelessly, "I'm sticking with what I said earlier."
"Same here. It was just a coincidence."
Horikita Suzune fell silent. After a while, she spoke slowly. "I don't really understand you two. You're clearly so capable, yet you insist on hiding it."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka spoke again, but this time he changed the subject instead of continuing to discuss that.
"Horikita, do you really think we don't need to hold any more study sessions?"
"Yes." Horikita Suzune stood up. "I don't think it's worth wasting time on people who can only fail their exams."
"Then Sudo and the others will be expelled."
"Then the good students will remain, and moving up to a higher-ranked class will be easier."
While the two of them argued their cases, Chiba Yu cut in at just the right moment. "What if I told you that one of the requirements for moving up to a higher-ranked class is that no one can be expelled?"