-265- Something shady?

Since she considers herself excellent, Horikita Suzune rarely makes mistakes.

Though this girl may be innocent, she's far from foolish, as has been stated many times.

Honestly, if not for the presence of Hori, Ryuuen Kakeru, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who are far more skilled, the competition among the first-year students would likely revolve around students of the caliber of Katsuragi Kouhei, Ichinose Honami, and Horikita Suzune.

If it were Katsuragi Kouhei and Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune would surely make an excellent rival, engaging in many evenly matched contests.

Unfortunately, these students can only be considered excellent.

When it comes to tactics and schemes, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Ryuuen Kakeru, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka are undoubtedly a notch, if not several notches, above the rest.

Even so, someone of Horikita Suzune's caliber is among the top tier in the school, second only to Ayanokoji and his group.

If Horikita Suzune could truly change and stop deceiving herself into thinking she can do everything alone without anyone's help, she would undoubtedly become a pillar of Class D, akin to Katsuragi Kouhei and Ichinose Honami, gaining the support of her classmates and leading Class D onto the stage of class competition.

Such a Horikita Suzune naturally makes very few mistakes and holds herself to strict standards, never allowing herself to do anything shameful.

However, there are no absolutes in life.

Some mistakes, even if people know they shouldn't make them, are still made under various temptations.

Like smuggling, which is obviously wrong, but if the profit is high enough, many people will still attempt it.

Horikita Suzune is the same.

When a true temptation is placed before her, Horikita Suzune finds her resolve utterly defeated.

Horikita Suzune recalled a photo that was sent to her phone yesterday.

In the photo taken at a restaurant, a girl with a look of struggle, hesitation, and desire eventually succumbed and picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the floor.

The girl was, of course, Horikita Suzune.

And the piece of paper was the contact information that Horikita Manabu had given to Hori.

Yes.

Faced with the temptation of knowing her brother's phone number, Horikita Suzune ultimately succumbed and secretly picked up the piece of paper that Hori had discarded.

As a result, it was photographed by that man at some unknown time, becoming a piece of blackmail material.

"This is the greatest shame of my life…"

Horikita Suzune had been feeling angry about this since last night.

If others found out that this usually cold and self-important girl secretly picked up a piece of paper discarded by Hori just to know her brother's phone number, it would become a lifelong black mark, shattering her lofty image to pieces.

So, Horikita Suzune could only succumb and agree to that man's invitation.

Of course, this was something Horikita Suzune could never tell anyone, especially not Kushida Kikyou.

At this moment, Horikita Suzune could only sigh a little.

"There are many things in this world beyond our control; this was not my intention."

This was all Horikita Suzune could say.

"Hearing you say that makes me even more curious, Horikita-san."

Kushida Kikyou seemed both curious and amused by Horikita Suzune's demeanor and words, her face smiling but her eyes sparkling with a desire to uncover the truth. She likely thought that knowing what could control Horikita Suzune was certainly worth it.

On the other hand, Sakura Airi shrank her body, hiding behind Kushida Kikyou, trying to completely conceal her presence. It seemed she found dealing with someone like Horikita Suzune quite difficult.

Before long, the elevator in the hall opened with a "ding."

Then, a few highly excited voices followed.

"Kikyou! You really came! That's great!"

"Sakura…! Oh, thank goodness! You really came!"

"Horikita… Horikita came… Swimming pool… Swimsuit…!"

The ones who made these overly excited and somewhat inappropriate remarks were, of course, Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and Sudou Ken.

The three of them, also carrying a luggage bag, came out of the elevator and, upon seeing Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyou, and Sakura Airi, immediately lit up like they had seen gods, excessively excited.

Their excitement was so intense it was almost frightening.

"Calm down…"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka walked out behind them, his expression unchanged as usual, though his words carried a hint of helplessness.

Naturally, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyou, and Sakura Airi felt somewhat compelled to retreat.

"Everyone's gaze is a bit scary…"

"I… I want to go back…"

Kushida Kikyou chuckled dryly, while Sakura Airi looked timid, ready to flee at any moment, showing how intimidating the excitement of the trio was.

Horikita Suzune coldly observed them, then noticed something unusual.

"Your bags look quite heavy. What's inside?"

Horikita Suzune pointed out with a frown.

"Ugh…!?"

With those words, the overly excited Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and Sudou Ken froze, their expressions turning stiff.

Kushida Kikyou and Sakura Airi also noticed this.

"They do seem to be carrying a lot."

"It feels quite heavy, considering we don't need to bring much…"

Kushida Kikyou and Sakura Airi both wore puzzled expressions.

After all, they were just going to the school's swimming pool and only needed to bring towels, swimsuits, and some sunscreen. Their bags shouldn't be that full.

At least, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyou, and Sakura Airi only casually brought a bag each, unlike Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and Sudou Ken, who brought luggage bags they used during summer vacation, clearly packed with many things.

This made the three girls immediately suspicious.

Especially Horikita Suzune, who didn't trust the trio's character to begin with, directly questioned them.

"Are you planning to do something shady?"

Her blunt questioning made the trio even more stiff, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka finally spoke.

"Don't scare them, Horikita. Ike and the others just brought extra water sports equipment, like beach balls and swimming rings, which they plan to inflate when they get there."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expressionless face provided an impeccable explanation.

"…Is that so?"

Horikita Suzune frowned, not entirely convinced by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words.

Others might not notice, but Horikita Suzune knew that the boy before her, who was so low-key in class that even his name was often forgotten, was far from simple.

Back then, this man and that man together made the most critical question to Chabashira Sae in front of Horikita Suzune, proving their extraordinary ability.

Moreover, on the uninhabited island, this quiet guy often acted alongside that man and even covered for him as a leader. The same was true during the special exam on the luxury cruise ship; they were in the same group.

Given how much that teacher valued these two, why didn't she put them in the elite group?

The more Horikita Suzune thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

Just as Horikita Suzune was about to question further, the elevator doors opened again.