Seeing Kazami regretting his loss, Horikita not only showed no sympathy but lifted her chin slightly, a barely perceptible hint of smugness in her voice. That served him right for extorting her.
"Pickled radish I made myself, with my own hands. How wonderful for you, getting to eat food personally prepared by a beautiful girl like me."
It was not wonderful at all. Kazami felt no happiness whatsoever.
Ignoring Kazami, the girl paused, as though about to announce some tremendous perk. "Incidentally, this is my first time cooking for a boy outside my family. You're a special exception."
That sounded incredibly valuable, like truly exceptional treatment. But this was no longer the first time. He had already eaten her cooking that morning, and counting lunch, this was now the third time.
Kazami immediately raised his hand in protest, trying to argue his case. "Don't you think this is seriously underhanded? I only ate one little piece!"
Faced with Kazami's accusation, Horikita did not change her attitude in the slightest. Or rather, she would not listen no matter what he said.
"You've already eaten some, and it has your scent on it now. I wouldn't eat it again even if I kept it, so naturally, my only option is to sell it to you. Besides, my pickled radish tastes exceptional. You simply can't buy anything this delicious and of comparable quality elsewhere. Charging you a thousand points is already very fair."
Her reasoning did make sense, and it really was delicious, but this purchase brought him no joy at all.
Kazami took a deep breath, repeatedly urging himself to stay calm, and finally gritted his teeth and accepted his loss.
"Fine! A thousand it is. I'll pay!"
He had thought he could get back to eating once he paid this "radish fee," but Horikita struck while the iron was hot and went straight into sales mode.
"By the way, I have several more jars in my fridge. Would you like any?"
Kazami fell silent for a moment. "Stop, stop! Don't fleece the same sheep to death! I barely have any points as it is. Keep this up, and I'll be down to zero!"
To prevent himself from going completely bankrupt, Kazami offered a suggestion on the spot, trying to redirect her harvesting efforts. "You could try this on Ayanokoji tomorrow. He doesn't spend much, and I'm guessing he's never had pickled radish personally made by a beautiful girl either."
Based on Kazami's assessment of Ayanokoji, the guy had definitely never had a girlfriend before, just like him, so naturally, he had never eaten a lovingly prepared lunch made by a girl either. With something this good on offer, of course he had to think of his buddy.
Horikita neither nodded nor shook her head. Her gaze returned to Kazami as she continued, "Once you've finished eating, if you think it tastes good and want more later, you can keep buying it from me. I offer a long-term supply."
Kazami felt utterly helpless. "Can't you include these little side dishes as a perk of my monthly three-meals-a-day plan? Is throwing them in for free really that hard?"
"I refuse." Horikita's answer was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Looks like I'll have to wait until I have some points. He did not know whether Horikita was swindling him out of points for revenge or because she did not have enough herself, but this was no way for a girl to earn points. What use was this little bit of money?
"All right, all right. If I have points to spare later, I'll consider buying some."
After her brief stint as a heartless profiteer, the atmosphere in the room gradually settled down. Dinner was finished, and they cleaned up. After a moment of silence, Horikita suddenly raised her head, looking unusually lost, and quietly asked Kazami a question.
"Kazami, do you think I really was too harsh on Sudo and the others?"
She had been agonizing over this for some time. With nothing but the class's interests in mind, she had sternly pushed the slacker trio to study, only to cause conflict. Most of the class had also been rather critical of her. That was tolerable and not the most important thing, but her brother was disappointed in her too. Under those circumstances, even she could hardly avoid doubting herself.
At her words, Kazami gave it serious thought before answering frankly. "Objectively speaking, it isn't entirely your fault. I know perfectly well what Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi are like. Anyone put in charge of them would get frustrated and angry. Your attitude was normal."
Horikita's eyes brightened slightly. "So you think I was right too?"
"Of course." Kazami nodded. Although Horikita could certainly have a sharp tongue at times, Sudo and the others did not even understand elementary school material. He had no idea how they had made it through middle school. And with an exam that could get them expelled, no less-he had to say, they were remarkably unconcerned.
"It's just that what worries me isn't whether you're right or wrong. If they really get expelled, our class might lose points along with them. Other than that, there isn't much else."
The first Special Exam had already shown that the class was a collective. Even if something was not his fault, he could still get caught up in it. Just thinking about it made him angry. Not a single point! Even Class C had received forty-nine thousand points in the second month. He would put up with being ruled by a tyrant if he got points every month, although he had always wanted to be king himself.
But why was I assigned to Class D? Before this, I was... okay, completely unremarkable. But there are unremarkable people in the other classes too. I guess talent is hard to find, so every class has some people making up the numbers. Turns out I used to be Background Character A.
Kazami's fair-minded words soothed the frustration and self-doubt that had long been building up inside Horikita.
She lowered her head and considered his words for a moment, then her expression grew resolute, and she nodded gently. "Yes, I understand. I won't let other people's opinions shake me. I'll keep doing things my way and work hard to move the class forward."
Oh no. I shouldn't have encouraged her. I actually went soft just now. I should have let her stay discouraged. Then I could have staged a comeback and overthrown her rule. Although the girl only had two lackeys, she had the legitimate right of succession granted by Chabashira-sensei, a far cry from the unofficial factions led by Hirata, Karuizawa, and the others.
But what was done was done. Seeing her looking unusually soft, Kazami joked, "If you ever feel tired or upset later on, I can lend you my shoulder to lean on, free of charge."
The moment he finished speaking, Horikita gave him an enormous eye roll, her face full of disdain.
Kazami remarked sincerely, "Seriously, that big eye roll of yours is pretty cute when there's no malice behind it."
Horikita paused, caught between irritation and amusement, and tugged helplessly at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you for making a point of lightening the mood."
Had Manabu Horikita been there to witness this scene, he surely would have said something like, "Please don't look at my little sister that way." Kazami had also witnessed the conflict between Manabu Horikita and Suzune Horikita back then. At first, he had thought Manabu Horikita was just a bastard who bullied his little sister, but his subsequent conversation with Ayanokoji had shown a desire to defend Suzune Horikita too. Kazami truly could not understand what he was thinking. If he cared about his little sister, he should just say so properly. Could being tsundere be hereditary in the Horikita family...?
And with that, Kazami's first private dinner in Horikita's room came to an end.
Overall, the experience had been fairly good. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was relaxed. The only drawback was that he had lost a thousand points for nothing.
Before you continue