Take Yamauchi's Bragging Lv. 2, for instance. He had thought the guy was a hidden genius back then... What an idiot he had been.
Ike's H Book Appraisal Lv. 2, the Professor's H Online Battle Exploration, Karuizawa's Makeup (Gyaru Style) Lv. 2...
Kazami covered his face, not wanting to speak. What even were these? He had really underestimated his classmates' abilities. So far, the only useful ones had been Ayanokoji's math and Kushida's typing.
Leaving that aside, he had also acquired a terrible reputation. The returns were nowhere near proportional to what he had put in.
The uneventful school days slipped by. During lunch break one day, a clear announcement suddenly rang out over the previously silent school PA, reaching every corner of the school building.
"Attention, all first-year students. A schoolwide club recruitment event will be held after school today. All clubs will be set up in the auditorium. Everyone is welcome to look around and sign up to enrich your extracurricular life."
The announcement played twice, and the students who had been about to pack up and head to lunch instantly grew excited. For the newly enrolled students, club activities offered a whole new source of enjoyment in their lives, and conversations broke out throughout the classroom.
Kazami Saku packed up the books on his desk, then turned to the two familiar faces beside him and eagerly invited them. "Ayanokoji, Horikita, want to check out the club recruitment together after school? Going back to the dorms would be boring anyway. We might as well look around to kill some time."
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded lightly without a moment's hesitation. "Sure. I don't have any plans."
Suzune Horikita, on the other hand, shook her head almost instantly, her refusal crisp and unhesitating. "I'm not going. Most club activities are pointless socializing. They waste time and energy, so there's no need to participate."
Kazami Saku did not push her and simply shrugged.
After school that afternoon, Kazami Saku and Ayanokoji headed out together. They had expected Suzune Horikita to return straight to the dorms, but they had barely taken a few steps when crisp footsteps sounded behind them, and a familiar figure silently followed.
Kazami Saku looked back, his face full of confusion. "Huh? Didn't you say you weren't going? Why are you following us now?"
Suzune Horikita paused, stubbornly insisting, "Seeing how you humbled yourself earlier, bowing and begging me, I decided to be generous and accompany you, that's all. Don't read into it."
Kazami Saku froze. Was something wrong with his memory? "...Uh, I just casually invited you like a normal person. When did I bow and scrape?"
He had never imagined that such a simple invitation could be interpreted with so much added drama. To prove his innocence, he immediately turned to Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had witnessed the entire exchange, and earnestly sought his help. "Ayanokoji, back me up here. That was a perfectly normal invitation, right?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded in confirmation. "Yeah."
That brief confirmation gave Kazami Saku a flash of insight. Staring at the stubborn Suzune Horikita, he suddenly understood, and spoke with some certainty. "I get it! Horikita, you're a tsundere!"
Those words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly freezing the air around them.
Suzune Horikita's gaze abruptly turned cold, her dark eyes fixed directly on Kazami Saku.
A chill ran down Kazami Saku's back. He felt as though the air pressure around him had frozen solid, and his survival instincts instantly went into overdrive. He forcibly swallowed every teasing follow-up that had been on the tip of his tongue, shut his mouth, and dared not utter another word.
Ayanokoji's experience was warning enough. I could provoke anyone but Suzune Horikita right now. She really would get physical.
The three walked briskly to the auditorium without another word. The school grounds were already bustling, with all kinds of club booths arranged in neat rows. Arts, sports, academics, hobbies-there was something for everything. Colorful club banners fluttered in the wind as upperclassmen enthusiastically recruited new students, the clamor of voices mingling with promotional calls.
Clubs abounded in a dazzling array, from the Wind Ensemble Club, Calligraphy and Painting Club, and Newspaper Club to the Basketball Club, Track and Field Club, and Swimming Club. The sheer variety was overwhelming, and countless new students threaded their way through the crowd, choosing clubs that appealed to them.
Just as Kazami Saku was looking around with interest, a tall, straight-backed figure on the raised stage at the very front of the school grounds drew everyone's attention.
The boy wore a neat school uniform and thin-framed glasses. He had handsome features, a gentle air, and an upright posture, and every movement conveyed composure and authority far beyond those of an ordinary student. Standing at the center of the stage, he explained the requirements for joining the Student Council and then left, after which the other clubs gave their presentations.
The Student Council president's name was Manabu Horikita.
Kazami Saku instinctively glanced at Suzune Horikita beside him and noticed the resemblance between them-the shape of their brows and eyes, their facial features. Only their dispositions were completely different.
Moreover, Suzune Horikita's expression was especially complicated at that moment. As she watched the dazzling figure onstage, dissatisfaction, stubbornness, and a trace of some indescribable emotion lay hidden in her eyes. Her expression was unreadable, and she instantly grew quiet, the air around her becoming considerably more subdued.
Kazami Saku asked curiously, "Your older brother? Aren't you going to go up and say hello?"
The moment he finished speaking, Suzune Horikita whipped her head around and shot him a fierce, cutting glare.
All right, then. Looks like Horikita doesn't want to say hello. They really do have a terrible relationship as siblings.
After stopping briefly to watch, Suzune Horikita withdrew her gaze and turned around, apparently intending to leave outright.
Seeing this, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji asked, "You're not going to keep looking? There are still plenty of clubs we haven't checked out."
"I'm not interested anymore," Suzune Horikita replied. Then, as though something had occurred to her, she turned toward them and smiled at them for the first time. "Before I go, I suggest you two try the Karate Club."
"The Karate Club?" Kazami Saku asked in confusion.
"Yes." Suzune Horikita nodded, her tone laden with meaning. "The upperclassmen there are all very enthusiastic. They're sure to give the newcomers plenty of love."
Kazami Saku looked in the direction she indicated and immediately took in the scene at the Karate Club's booth. Every upperclassman standing in front of it was a burly, solidly muscled man. They were all tall and imposing, with fierce auras, and their mere presence exuded an intense sense of pressure. It was nothing like the atmosphere of an ordinary sports club.
He instantly understood what Suzune Horikita really meant by "plenty of love." He had absolutely no need for that kind of love, thank you very much. He did not have that sort of fetish.
Still, upperclassmen who had trained for years and possessed formidable strength were highly likely to have powerful exclusive abilities. Strength, stamina, combat skills-every one of those was an excellent ability. If he could trigger the trait's effect and copy a top-tier ability like that, it would be pure profit.
But after just two seconds of temptation, he firmly suppressed the thought.
Before you continue