Chapter 18 - Hindsight

May 2nd, midnight.

A writer usually tends to avoid writing precise details in order to avoid what they call 'information dump'. It's a term for a situation where the information provided within a paragraph is too much for the reader to digest.

Normally, a writer would cut off some details or camouflage them in order to make the story more digestible. The classic "reader is the detective, writer is the villain" trope, as they say. Without implying tactics like this, a book would only turn out to be nothing more than a fictional history book, in short a major 'turn off'.

What I'm trying to say is, YouZitsu followed the exact same rule, much more thoroughly. And that... is a problem.

The lack of information related to certain events left a good portion of gray area's/uncertainty in my predictions. For instance, let's just say an event is about to take place in a novel. If the writer simply wrote, "it happened", it would still be acceptable.

Not only that, an unexplained amount of days could go by in a single sentence. Unnoticeable amount of blanks could be left behind without anyone noticing. All of these are acceptable novel-wise as nothing really matters when you're simply reading the book.

But if it becomes the reality, well.. that's a different story altogether.

In my case, the world of YouZitsu was far more realistic for me than the one in the novel. Time didn't fly by like they did in-between chapters. I had to live twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Without the precise date and time, I was completely clueless.

"I couldn't get to sleep, so I got up and left."

It was obviously late at night. Great. But when exactly? Which day? What time?

It was exactly as complicated as that. Two-dimensional informations wouldn't be enough for me to manipulate a three-dimensional situation from time-to-time. Under circumstances like these, it was up to me to figure out the solution.

What I was trying to do last night could be a great example. Yesterday, I had been standing behind a tree in front of the dorm all night long. I was waiting for Horikita to come down with a view to meeting her elder brother, Horikita Manabu. The alley in-between the local convenience stores would be their rendezvous point.

Although I had gained a certain amount of influence on her, it wasn't enough to sway her desire to follow her elder brother. I was sure that she would try to meet Manabu without having second thoughts. The rest is history.

However, I intended to directly interfere that event in order to manipulate the original flowchart. As of now, Horikita Manabu was the most influential student of the entire school. With power like his, reaching my goal would be many times more efficient. Unfortunately, I happened to pick the wrong time on a wrong date. So in the end, I stood outside in the cold like a scarecrow for nothing.

*cough

Fortunately, I managed to come up with an idea.

Ayanokouji witnessing the siblings was a pure 'coincidence'. He 'happened' to be out on a perfect time just to 'coincidentally' notice the existence of the Horikita siblings. It was no surprise that lady luck favors the male protagonists. I was not the protagonist; I didn't have the luck nor the plot armor. That's why bringing him with me would be the best option as he played the key role on that incident.

Besides, who knows? Maybe I could get some of his THICC lady luck energy?

–

I waited for the next day to come. It was already eleven at night. Many of the students were dead asleep by then. Blindly throwing the rock at the abyss, I walked outside towards Ayanokouji's room.

But what excuse should I use in order to drag him out? Should I just share my plan with him?

No, that'd be too suspicious. He'd most likely ask how I got to know Suzune's meetup schedule. It'd make me look like a stalker.

Well then, how about I pretend to just goof around? He did say that we could hang out any time I want. I could ask him if we could grab a drink together to bring him outside.

No, I'm sure he'll figure it out.

Either way, I needed to think of a proper way before trying to delude him. However as soon as I was about to retreat, to my surprise the door opened. The Ayanokouji-kun was standing there; of course wearing the school uniform.

"Hm?"

Great.

"よ(yo)"

"Oh, it's you Levent.. Do you need something?" he asked with his usual tone.

"More importantly, why the school uniform?" I asked.

"Ah, I didn't bother changing when I returned."

"That's... whatever. I'm not going to question. By any chance, are you going down?" I pondered.

It's actually terrifying how he manages to keep his uniform neat and wrinkle-free, all-the-while wearing it for almost twenty-four hours a day.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep. So I wanted to buy a drink. Are you going down too?" he replied.

What a coincidence?

"Correct. I was just about to ask you the same."

"Right... Let's go then." Somehow, I felt very disappointed at myself.

While talking about what happened in the classroom, we descended to the ground level. As we were about to leave the lobby towards the vending machine, we noticed a familiar figure in the CCTV footage.

It was Horikita.

"Hide, Ayanokouji." I commanded.

"I don't see any reason why we need to hide, Levent."

"Oh Ayanokouji, you foolish child! You simply cannot possibly comprehend the severity of thy situation! A girl of her age simply does not walk out this late at night without any scandalous reason! Let us brethren observe what lies beyond thy maiden's icy fortitude!"

"...."

"Besides, we've got nothing else to do. Might as well kill some time stalking our 'only other' friend."

"Let's make sure that we don't get caught, shall we?" he sighed.

We hid behind the same tree where I camped last night. Looking wary of her surroundings, Horikita exited the building. After she'd vanished into the night, we decided to follow after her. When we reached the corner, I immediately stopped Ayanokouji.

[There's someone else here.] I whispered.

Of course, I already knew who the person was. But from the very beginning I pretended not to know anything. It would be very suspicious of me if I suddenly became a know-it-all.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far," Manabu said.

[Is that her boyfriend?] Ayanokouji looked at me 'suspiciously' while asking.

[Beats me. Besides, what are you trying to imply with that smug gaze of yours?] I asked.

[Who knows?]

[Your joke is very funny that I forgor to laugh.]

[Thank you for your complement.]

"Hmph. I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, niisan. I came here to catch you."

"Catch me, hmm?"

[Niisan? So he's not her boyfriend, huh? Good for you, Levent.]

[Ayanokouji, if you continue to go down that path, your future generation will have none!]

"I heard a few people." Manabu said, hysterically.

Fuck, did we seriously get caught right before it all began?

"They said that you were placed in Class D."

I released a heavy sigh of relief.

[Ayanokouji, don't be an Idiotkouji] I warned him with all due seriousness.

[What kind of nickname is that?] he whispered.

[You'd be surprised, Aho-kouji.]

[Of course, bakazaki.]

[Oh, so we're wearing clown hats today, huh?]

We both paid our attention back to the conversation.

"That's… You're wrong about that. I'll show you. I'll reach Class A right away, then—"

"It's pointless. You will never reach Class A. In fact, your class will fall apart soon enough. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think."

"I will definitely, definitely reach—"

"I told you, it's pointless. You really are a disobedient little sister."

Manabu stepped closer to her. The light reflected on him completely revealing his features.

[Isn't that the student council president?] Ayanokouji murmured.

[Horikita Manabu, if I remember correctly.] of course I knew who he was. But again, I pretended not to know him due to acting reasons.

[I guess they're siblings after all.]

Manabu displayed no hint of emotion. It was like he was staring at an uninteresting object. He grabbed his younger sister by the wrist—she offered no resistance—and pushed her against the wall.

"No matter how I try to avoid you, the fact remains that you're my little sister. If people around here learned the truth, I would be humiliated. Leave this school immediately."

"I-I can't do that… I will definitely reach Class A. I'll show you!"

"How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past?"

"Niisan, I…"

"You possess neither the abilities nor the qualities needed to reach Class A. Get that through your head."

The elder Horikita was about to throw Horikita... I mean Suzune Horikita.

[I think he is going to snuff her.]

[It seems so.] I replied.

[What are you going to do?]

Unlike in the light novel, this time Ayanokouji did not launch himself to protect Horikita. He instead stood beside me, waiting for my opinion.

Honestly, I wanted Manabu to throw Horikita so I could record the event and negotiate with him afterwards.

No.

If I were to be brutally honest with you, I was curious about what would happen if we didn't interject. Would Manabu really throw his little sister? How badly would it affect her?

Just how much influence did I have have over her life?

[You stay. I'm jumping in.]

I ordered before jumping out of our hiding spot.

It was an event where I couldn't afford to play 'the witness game' anymore. Doing that would potentially lead up to more difficulties in the future.

Before he knew I was there, I grabbed his right arm, which he was using to pin his sister.

"What? You…" He stared at his arm and slowly turned to me with a sharp gleam in his eye.

"L-Levent-kun?!" Horikita cried.

"I wouldn't recommend assaulting your own little sister, especially in front of a witness, President Horikita." I announced. "If you do not want your name to be tarnished, I suggest you drop your arms."

"Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality," he said.

"Neither is eve-teasing," I replied.

"Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong,"

"I think my concern for my classmate's safety is just about enough reason for me to get involved."

He glared at me, which interesting enough, looked like a four-eyed brat pouting; coming from the perspective of a former adult. However, I knew very well that Manabu wasn't the type of person I should ever underestimate.

I had already memorized the layout of the of the surrounding prior to the event. The alleyway was isolated from the visual range of the cameras. Which meant...

Whatever happens in the alleyway, stays in the alleyway.

"Stop it, Levent-kun." said Horikita, her voice strained.

I still couldn't comprehend why she was willing to go THAT far for someone who was just about to snuff her.

Regardless, I released my grip and prepared for war.

~Thump!

Almost immediately, he tried to backhand me in the face. I held my left arm in front of my face to stop his attack. He had put just about enough power to knock someone out. Then he proceeded his fist towards my chest. I instantly took a few steps back to avoid it.

"I'm warning you to stop." I calmly said.

But he didn't stop there. He then extended his right arm towards me. If that grip caught me, I would've been thrown down instead of Horikita. Without a single moment of delay, I slapped his hand off.

Looking slightly confused, he exhaled deeply, extended his right leg, and launched a kick towards my unguarded abdomen. Unfortunately I couldn't move fast enough to avoid it, so I just stood there and took it.

Indeed, he landed at least one blow on me, but at a cost...

I instantly grabbed his leg. At the same time, I landed a kick towards the back of his left knee, which was the only leg his entire body weight was depending upon. Realizing his mistake, Manabu gasped and prepared himself for the fall.

"Hgh!"

As soon as he fell on the ground, I knelt down, immediately landing a punch on his face.

It was human instinct to defend the skull, the most important part of the body. Horikita Manabu, was indeed a human.

To defend his face, he used both of his hands to stop my assault. Even pinned down against the ground he was putting up a fight.

However, that... was something I intended him to do since the battle began.

"Gahh!"

"Nii-san!" Horikita screamed in concern for her brother.

Head is undoubtedly the most important part of our body. But there are countless other body parts which are as vulnerable as our head. For instance, our upper chest which contains our heart and lungs.

As soon as he stopped my feint, I immediately took that chance and landed a powerful punch right at the center of his chest. The strike on his upper body forced all the air to come out of his lungs.

My attack had left him at a state of hyperventilation. The shock from the blow had also stunned him for a few seconds. If I wanted to truly demobilize him, I would've used those seconds to infringe his knees and arms. But obviously I didn't want to end up in juvenile.

Most importantly, if I had miscalculated my force behind the punch even a little bit, Manabu's ribcage could have gotten obstructed. He could've suffered fatal lung damage and internal injuries; or a slightly troublesome scenario, death!

I simply got up and walked a few inches away from  him, giving him space to regain himself. Horikita worriedly ran to her brother Manabu, carefully tending to his well being. Manabu sluggishly sat down, then tried to calm down with heavy breathing. When everything seemed normal, I offered my hand.

Manabu glared at me with sharp eyes, but the next instant he closed them and... smirked? He then took my hand. I slowly pulled him up and helped regain his stance.

"Good fighting skills. Not only were you able to predict what I was trying to do, but you also made perfect counters. Have you been taught?"

After the battle ended, the questions began.

"Not really. No," I said.

"You're in Class D, too, aren't you? Now that I think about it, I remember there being a first-years who received fifty marks on all subjects."

"You have the wrong person."

"I see.. "

Manabu looked at Horikita. "Suzune, is this boy your friend? I'm honestly surprised."

"He's… Yes, he's my friend." Horikita lowered her face, as if ashamed to admit.

Listening to his little sister's surprising words, Manabu couldn't help but smirk.

"Interesting. So you've finally realized your fault. I'm quite intrigued to see what you might do next And you, Levent, wasn't it? With you around, things might get more interesting."

Manabu was about to take his leave. However...

"You don't seem to understand the bigger picture, President."

"What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do now? I mean, how can you be sure that I won't rat you out in front of the entire school?"

"Ah, so you're talking about that, huh?" Manabu said, adjusting his glasses. "Indeed, you have witnessed something unexpected of me. But..." he paused.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"....."

"I take your silence as your answer. Do you realize how naive your thinking was? Think about it. What value does your statement hold when you don't have any evidence leading up to it?"

"....."

~Bzzt!

"It seems that you have nothing to say. In that case, I'll be taking my leave. I hope we'll meet again, Levent."

After his long lecture Manabu started walking away. I remained silent the entire time. It was simply because it was not the time to speak.

I threw a glance at the spot where we were originally hiding. From my instincts, I could tell p was not there anymore. As much as I knew his character description, he wasn't the type of person to expose himself unless he deemed it necessary. I also deem his exposure unnecessary. Which is why, now was the perfect time to strike.

"I do admit of not having any evidence then."

On his way, Manabu stopped right beside me. Without looking at me in the eyes, he asked-

"Then?"

With the most calm and relaxed facial expression, I turned to him.

"Smile for the camera. You were being recorded."

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