Chapter 7

Thinking about it this way, his mood was indeed quite complicated.

"Who is it? Are they also a student from Class D?"

Horikita Manabu grew a bit interested.

Initially, he would have thought it fine if all of these were things Horikita Suzune came up with on her own, but if it was the result of being inspired by someone else... it still wasn't bad.

At least his younger sister wouldn't be fighting alone anymore.

Well, that was under the premise that she could break this bad habit.

"Yes, his name is... Nangong Cheng." Horikita Suzune looked somewhat gritted as she reported Nangong Cheng's name.

She still couldn't let go of what happened at the school gate.

Nangong Cheng seemed like he wanted to push her away back then, but in reality, those hands of his had practically felt all over her entire body.

Thinking of this, she felt like she probably wouldn't be able to sleep for several nights.

"Nangong Cheng..."

Horikita Manabu muttered the name to himself.

He had no special impression of it, but the unpredictability of Class D students was indeed hard to define with words.

Perhaps, he could change Suzune?

"Suzune, the fact that you were able to make such deductions based on the inspiration given to you by a classmate shows that you are indeed somewhat different from before."

Upon hearing this, Horikita Suzune's eyes immediately lit up, but before she could feel happy, Horikita Manabu poured cold water on her instead.

"But if you hadn't had the inspiration brought to you by that Nangong Cheng, would you still have been able to realize these problems?"

"If not, it shows that the current you is still far from being truly exceptional."

Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses.

A fleeting glint flashed across the lenses, and he looked straight at his younger sister, who had once again lowered her head and reverted to her usual soft and timid form.

"Go and observe that Nangong Cheng properly. See how he does things."

"Next time, I hope you won't let me down."

With that, he turned and left.

Horikita Suzune silently watched Horikita Manabu's receding back, her heart at that moment filled with both joy and lingering resentment.

The joy was because she had finally won her older brother's praise. Although it was still much the same phrasing as in the past, she was certain this was praise!

The resentment, naturally, was because her older brother believed she couldn't rely on her own innate ability to discover the truth of the school, and she couldn't refute those words either.

Hoo~ I need to calm down!

Horikita Suzune took a deep breath.

Although the result deviated somewhat from her expectations, it at least proved that the information traded from the system was basically real.

She had to understand what this would mean.

"System, open the panel."

[Host: Horikita Suzune]

[Age: High School Girl]

[Bust-Waist-Hip: B:79 W:54 H:79]

[Personal Status: Single, no relationship history, brother complex, independent extremist]

[Fated Partners: Nangong Cheng]

[Points Held: 0]

Horikita Suzune didn't want to evaluate the labels the system stuck on her, and directly moved her gaze downward.

"Nangong Cheng..."

Horikita Suzune looked at the name of Nangong Cheng displayed on the panel, muttering in a somewhat dazed manner.

What did it mean to be Fated Partners?

It was very easy to understand literally—the fates of two people were bound together.

Shared interests, shared responsibilities, shared emotions...

This kind of relationship could be said to be even more intimate than a so-called husband and wife. Even a woman like her who had always scoffed at romance couldn't deny that such a relationship was wonderful.

Horikita Suzune didn't believe there was anyone in this world who could actually possess a relationship like a fairy tale, but the system happened to tell her that it could exist.

And she would even be one of the parties involved.

"I have to find him and have a good chat."

Putting aside the so-called Fated Partners relationship.

Since her older brother had told her to properly observe Nangong Cheng and see what kind of actions he would take, she would definitely do so obediently.

Coupled with the fact that as long as she still wanted to obtain conveniences from the System Shop, as well as the so-called Fated Partners relationship, she was almost destined to have inevitable contact with Nangong Cheng in the future.

Only, given their current relationship...

"The worst that can happen is getting mocked."

Horikita Suzune didn't care about such things.

Because ever since she was a child, she had always been the person who was ostracized and isolated, so she had experienced all kinds of cold sneers, gossip behind her back, and even school bullying.

To take a step back.

She didn't believe the information Nangong Cheng knew would be more than her own, and this way she also had the bargaining chips to seize the initiative in negotiations and communication.

"But where am I supposed to find him?"

The idea was wonderful, but Horikita Suzune suddenly discovered that she had no idea where to find Nangong Cheng, feeling a bit stifled for a moment.

However, her eyes soon lit up again.

Volume 1: 9, But This Is the Thinking of Trash ... The café on the street corner.

Nangong Cheng took a sip of coffee, the slightly bitter taste entering his esophagus along his throat, just like his mood at the moment.

"Nangong-kun doesn't seem very happy to see me... Did I do something annoying?"

The brown-haired girl sitting opposite looked pitiful, as if she was about to cry in the next second.

But all of this was just acting.

Nangong Cheng cursed inwardly while wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes on the outside.

"Because I'm generally someone who prefers solitude and doesn't care much for overly lively atmospheres."

"I'm quite curious how Kushida-san and Horikita-san ended up bumping into each other."

Kikyo Kushida and Horikita Suzune walking together...

What kind of dream was he having?

"We just happened to meet on the way." Horikita Suzune crossed her arms, a very natural expression on her face.

"That's right~ Horikita-san even asked me where you were, Nangong-kun. Coincidentally, the phones issued by the school have a built-in GPS function, so I brought Horikita-san to find you."

Kikyo Kushida still put her hands together in front of her chest in a feigned cute gesture.

Nangong Cheng felt somewhat drained after listening to this.

He would spend money to turn off the location tracking right away!

"So, what do you want with me?"

"I obtained a piece of information from a upperclassman, and I want to cross-reference it with the information in your hands."

Horikita Suzune also took a sip of coffee, skipping meaningless nonsense to get straight to the point.

"If the information in our hands matches, perhaps we can cooperate."

Just as expected, but...

Information provided by an upperclassman?

I'm afraid she exchanged for it from the System Shop, right?

After all, this was the bait he had deliberately and personally placed in there just to hook you, Horikita Suzune.

"No need to verify it."

"If I'm not mistaken, the information in your hands is the same as the information in mine."

Because Kikyo Kushida was present, Nangong Cheng didn't want Horikita Suzune to foolishly blurt it out right here.

Such an attitude naturally aroused Kikyo Kushida's dissatisfaction, but she could only curse a few times in her heart while continuing to play the well-behaved girl on the surface.

"Nangong-kun, Horikita-san, what are you two talking about? Can you tell me?"

"..."

Horikita Suzune glanced at Nangong Cheng, understanding the other's meaning.

Although she had originally only wanted Kikyo Kushida to lead the way, as a classmate, Horikita Suzune felt that the other person also had a certain right to know.

But since Nangong Cheng had put it that way.

In order for the conversation to proceed smoothly, she could only let Kikyo Kushida leave first.

"Kushida-san, you can go."

"It's not convenient for you to know what we're going to talk about next."

Nangong Cheng hadn't expected Horikita Suzune to be so direct, but this was indeed her style, making her very suitable to act as a mouthpiece.

Though truth be told, Kikyo Kushida and Horikita Suzune really were a pair of star-crossed tragic figures, weren't they?

That trip really was led for nothing.

"Ah... alright..."

Kikyo Kushida had indeed been choked by Horikita Suzune's straightforward way of speaking.

One had to know that in the morbid atmosphere of Japan where everyone was required to read the air, someone as uniquely independent as Horikita Suzune was simply a mudslide.

She completely clashed naturally with a "social butterfly" like herself who could handle all sides and rake in wealth from everywhere.

"Still, Horikita-san, could you exchange contact information with me? By the way, I'll add you to the Class Group Chat?"

Horikita Suzune pondered for a moment and nodded.

Seeing that her request hadn't been rejected, Kikyo Kushida finally let out a sigh of relief.

Regardless of anything else, one goal was achieved.

"Then see you tomorrow~"

Nangong Cheng watched Kikyo Kushida leave the café while turning her head every three steps, then picked up his coffee cup and took another sip.

"I thought you would refuse."

"Normally I would indeed refuse such meaningless social behavior, but after knowing the true situation of this school..."

"You changed your mind?"

Horikita Suzune nodded, but then shook her head.

"It's just an adaptive adjustment. I still retain my personal view regarding meaningless social behavior."

My goodness, what an adaptive adjustment.

Nangong Cheng held back the urge to retort, shifting the topic to the next point instead—

"Alright, I couldn't care less about your personal thoughts, and as for the cooperation you mentioned, I have no interest."

"Why?"

Horikita Suzune wore a puzzled expression. "Could it be that you're willing to stay in Class D? Even when clearly knowing the truth about this school?"

Nangong Cheng directly made a little bear shrug gesture.