Conversation

"He's my brother!"

Suzune Horikita's voice was much louder than before, the end of it trembling from the intensity of her emotions.

Miyama Saku merely brushed nonexistent dust off the cuff of his school uniform.

"So what? He isn't my brother." His gaze then turned distant, and his tone began to grow cold.

"Your brother is your brother, and you are you. You can't make decisions for him, nor can you repay his debts for him."

He closed in on Suzune Horikita, carrying an air of pressure.

"To put it bluntly, whose fault was it that your brother got filmed today? My guess is that you called your brother out here on your own."

The words hit the exact nerve. It was as though Suzune Horikita had been viciously slapped across the face, and she froze where she stood.

Ayanokoji, who had been leaning against the wall and watching the show, finally stirred. His dead-fish eyes slowly turned toward Miyama Saku.

"Um, I'm still here."

Miyama Saku ignored him.

"I am her classmate, at least." Ayanokoji continued after glancing at Suzune Horikita.

"Isn't this a little inappropriate?"

"Ah, sorry." Miyama Saku turned his head. "You hadn't said a word while standing there, so I forgot all about you."

Ayanokoji fell silent for two seconds, wondering whether his presence was really so weak that people sometimes forgot he existed.

Forget it. If they forgot, they forgot. It wasn't the first time, anyway.

He straightened up slightly, spread his legs, and walked unhurriedly between the two of them.

"Still, Miyama." Ayanokoji turned around and looked directly at him.

"You said Horikita can't make decisions for her brother or repay his debts for him. There's nothing wrong with that statement itself, but filming the Student Council president and threatening him for points was your own doing, wasn't it?"

"If I had a recording of your threats, your position would be in danger."

At those words, Miyama Saku narrowed his eyes.

Suzune Horikita was stunned as well. As if she had grasped something, she hurriedly said, "That's right! Miyama, give my points back right now!"

"Heh."

Miyama Saku gave a faint laugh. "Ayanokoji, you really weren't just watching the show."

"I was watching the show at first, but you overacted."

"What do you mean?" Suzune Horikita asked.

"Ever since the Student Council president left, your words have started getting sharper."

"I was wondering whether you had some sort of deal with the Student Council president."

Miyama Saku did not immediately deny it.

Horikita clenched her fingers, her voice rough. "Miyama, is what Ayanokoji said true?"

Miyama Saku looked at her. There was still little warmth in his eyes, but they were no longer as sharp as before.

"What I'm trying to say is very simple. What your brother owes won't disappear for no reason just because you're his sister."

He raised a finger and pointed it at Suzune Horikita.

"The more you want to share his burden, the more others will treat you as a point of entry. Today, he was filmed. Tomorrow, it might be you."

"What will you do if you can't handle it then? After all, even you think you're inferior to your brother."

"Get expelled? Or let the whole school know that the lofty Student Council president has an incompetent little sister?"

Suzune Horikita's face instantly turned pale.

"That's enough intimidation." Ayanokoji's voice sounded at just the right moment.

"This doesn't count as intimidation, Ayanokoji." Miyama Saku turned his head.

"Oh, right. From beginning to end, I never said anything like 'threatening the Student Council president.' Even if you recorded it, it would probably be useless. After all, I was merely 'recording a beautiful life.'"

"Besides, you didn't record anything at all, did you, Ayanokoji?"

"I didn't," Ayanokoji said.

"Even if you had recorded it, Ayanokoji, if that recording got out, the Student Council president's remarks would be more dangerous instead, wouldn't they, Suzune?"

"I never gave you permission to call me by my first name." Suzune Horikita looked at Miyama Saku, her tone forceful, as though defending the last of her dignity.

Miyama Saku shrugged indifferently, then cleared his throat and perfectly imitated the tone and manner Manabu Horikita had used when scolding his sister moments ago.

"Shut up, Suzune. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this. Do you know what effect it would have on me if that video got out?"

His imitation was excellent. He captured Manabu Horikita's exasperated tone, along with that faint trace of disgust, perfectly.

"That was pretty accurate, wasn't it? Hehe."

"Think carefully. Those remarks from the Student Council president would only make people feel that he was trying to hide something. If the school launched an investigation, would your dear brother be suspended, or expelled outright?"

Miyama Saku stepped closer to Suzune Horikita, close enough that his lips nearly brushed her ear.

"Oh, right. I heard Vice President Nagumo Miyabi doesn't get along with your brother. If he could get his hands on the Student Council president's weakness, he'd probably be delighted to see this happen."

"You're despicable."

Anger was suppressed in Suzune Horikita's voice.

Miyama Saku merely shrugged, as if he had heard an irrelevant assessment.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm simply describing one possible future. What will happen later? Only heaven knows."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Forget it. Considering your brother gave me so many points, I'll give you something useful."

He took out his terminal. As the screen lit up, he opened his friend request list and accepted Suzune Horikita's request. Then he sent her several images.

Suzune Horikita's terminal immediately chimed. She hurriedly took it out and saw that the sender was Miyama Saku, whom she had just added as a friend. The contents were photos of several exam papers.

She froze for a moment, her brows knitting together.

"Why are you giving me exam papers?"

Seeing Suzune Horikita's wary, confused expression, Miyama Saku felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Didn't I say that too?

"These?" He slipped his terminal back into his pocket, his tone casual.

"A certain unknown, kind-hearted upperclassman gave them to me. They're last year's midterm papers. She said the question types were all pretty similar. I thought you could use them, or you wouldn't have been tutoring someone in the library."

"Of course, how you use them is up to you."

"But you'd better not let the school find out. Otherwise, if they suddenly decide to change the question types, these papers will be worthless." Miyama Saku added.

"Consider these exam papers the after-sales service for the points your brother gave me."

Suzune Horikita raised her head.

"What kind of deal did you make with my brother?"

Miyama Saku did not answer. He merely laughed.

"Of course, you should ask your dear Student Council president brother that—if he's willing to tell you."

Ayanokoji, who had gone back to watching the show, finally spoke slowly at this point. "Miyama, you even offer after-sales service?"

"I personally have strong professional ethics."