Horikita Suzune still looked furious as she stared at the beaming Kazami Saku, but this was not the time to settle scores. There were more important things to do. With a clear goal in mind, she turned her gaze toward Ayanokoji, who was standing idly nearby.
After their meeting just now, she could be said to have gained some grasp of reality, but she still considered herself strong. Ayanokoji, who had scored exactly average on both exams, was a top-tier talent hiding his abilities, someone who could help her push for Class A.
Horikita wanted to bring Ayanokoji under her command first.
"Ayanokoji, I hope you'll actively cooperate with what comes next."
She called it asking for help, but she was really recruiting a subordinate, intending to make Ayanokoji her number-one lackey on her road to a comeback.
"I refuse. I'm an Escapist."
Horikita had expected this recruitment to go smoothly, never imagining she would be rejected outright.
Ayanokoji had no desire to be bound by Horikita's goals. He did not want to enter the fray willingly and get dragged into tedious class struggles.
No matter how Horikita tried to persuade him or reason with him, Ayanokoji remained firm, not wavering in the slightest.
Just as negotiations reached a stalemate, Horikita pulled a metal compass from her pocket and gently twirled it between her fingers, its cold metal point catching a faint glint of light.
Kazami: !!
Ayanokoji: !!
Ayanokoji, who had been unwilling a second ago, immediately changed his tune and agreed to all the girl's conditions without hesitation.
Watching from the sidelines, Kazami was dumbfounded, frozen to the spot. Wait, what?! Ayanokoji actually had that kind of kink?
Seeing Kazami's strange, probing stare, Ayanokoji sighed helplessly and explained, "Don't look at me like that. There's no other reason. This is self-preservation. Horikita really will stab me. I know from experience."
What kind of bizarre experience was that? Those words practically summed up life's helplessness. Faced with a murderous-looking Horikita holding a compass, knowing when to yield was the smart move. This was the best solution Ayanokoji could think of at the moment.
Having successfully brought Ayanokoji to heel and secured her number-one lackey, Horikita was thoroughly satisfied. But she did not put away the compass. Toying with its sharp metal point between her fingers, she turned toward Kazami.
Kazami: ...
Sensing danger approaching, Kazami wished he had simply left instead of grinning and enjoying the show. His survival instincts kicked into high gear. Before she could speak, he hurriedly raised his hands and shouted, "Wait! Don't attack yet! We haven't negotiated! I can accept recruitment too! I can be your subordinate!"
Since Ayanokoji could avoid a beating by joining, so could he.
To his surprise, Horikita delivered a devastating blow without changing her expression. "Who said I was going to recruit you?"
Kazami froze, his face full of question marks. "???"
Wait, hold on, why?!
"You recruited Ayanokoji, so why won't you take me?" Kazami looked thoroughly indignant. Why the unequal treatment and discrimination? Wanting to prove his worth, he said, "Without me, you'll never reach Class A! Without me, you won't accomplish anything! I'm the class's greatest fighting force and its pillar!"
Looking at his confident expression, Horikita remained utterly unmoved, her eyes full of disdain.
"It's precisely because I know you so well that I will never ask you for help."
Horikita spared his feelings nothing, listing his past offenses on the spot. "I heard all of those Three Major Strategies you proposed: Self-Destruction, Blackmail, and Emotional Value Tactics. Every one was a terrible idea. From now on, I will never ask for your opinion on any class decisions."
With that, she advanced toward Kazami step by step, compass in hand, flames of vengeance kindling in her eyes. "Now, it's time we settled our old scores properly. You imitated the way I talk, didn't you? Teased me in public, calling me a puppy, didn't you? Ran your mouth and mocked me all you liked, didn't you? We'll take our time settling this."
As she spoke, Horikita wasted no time with her hands, moving forward with the compass in her grip.
Kazami hurriedly backed away and dodged while firing back, "And you say you're not a dog! What kind of girl carries a compass around to stab people? That's way too underhanded!"
Horikita showed no remorse whatsoever. "I stabbed Ayanokoji, and he didn't say anything."
Ayanokoji, innocently caught in the crossfire: "..."
Kazami turned toward his close friend in disbelief, his eyes all but saying, How could you?
Ayanokoji spread his hands helplessly and explained honestly, "I resisted, and I explicitly objected too, but it didn't help much. It was a waste of effort."
"You call that not saying anything?!" Kazami looked back at Horikita. What kind of logic was that?
Horikita remained perfectly calm, seeing nothing wrong with what she had done.
"Because I didn't accept or agree with his objections."
"You're an outright dictator!"
Kazami was speechless. After that, the two kept circling the innocent Ayanokoji in the middle, one chasing and the other dodging. Caught between them, Ayanokoji had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. Couldn't they let him leave?
"If you've got the nerve to mock me, have the nerve to stop running!" Horikita pressed closer, relentlessly pursuing him.
Kazami made threats as he dodged. "Put down the compass if you've got the guts! Fight me barehanded, and see if I don't beat you up!"
At that, Horikita promptly put away her compass. "Fine, I've put it away. Come on."
Kazami's feet froze, and he could no longer maintain his arrogant air. In an actual barehanded fight, he would most likely lose to Horikita, who had trained consistently for years, studied karate, and possessed exceptional physical fitness.
More importantly, he could not trigger the Undressing War God Trait. Otherwise, he would win, but the consequences would be severe.
After thinking it over, Kazami decided to steer clear of her for the time being today.
"Can I leave now?" Ayanokoji spoke up at just the right moment, wanting only to leave their battlefield.
"You're actually going to abandon me?! We're close friends who fight side by side!" Kazami looked heartbroken, the very picture of betrayal.
Ayanokoji felt none of that pressure and said quietly, "Didn't you want me to face Horikita alone back in the kitchenette?"
Beside them, Horikita wondered, Was she some kind of ferocious beast, for these two to be so afraid of her?
Seeing that a direct fight was hopeless and his teammate unreliable, Kazami switched tactics and began making an earnest appeal, volunteering for the job.
"I really can help! You don't want to run every errand yourself, do you? And I can handle all the work of livening up the class atmosphere. Besides, I'm incredibly popular. I can get along with everyone in class. I'm definitely the best support you could have for making a comeback and reaching Class A!"
Horikita really did not want to say any more. "You really are thick-skinned. Since when are you popular?"
"It's precisely because I'm thick-skinned that I can deal with everyone. Besides, everything is relative. Compared to you and Ayanokoji, I'm incredibly popular." Kazami felt no shame at all. On the contrary, he took pride in it.
Horikita fell silent for a moment, forced to admit that he had a point. She was cold by nature and poor at fitting in, while Ayanokoji was bad at socializing. Both of them truly lacked the ability to manage the class's interpersonal relationships. Having the popular (?) Kazami run errands and do odd jobs would indeed save them some trouble.
Before you continue