Is the President as Tsundere as His Sister?

"Ha… ha… ha…"

Two grueling hours later, Hikigaya staggered off the treadmill, drenched in sweat. Even his underwear was soaked through. He had never experienced such an intense workout in his life and felt like a plowhorse that had been worked to the point of collapse.

Meanwhile, the source of his torment, Horikita Manabu, stepped off his own treadmill with a calm expression. Despite running for two hours alongside Hikigaya, he hadn't broken a sweat or even taken a sip of water. He walked over to Hikigaya, standing tall as ever.

"It seems your greatest weakness is your physical condition, Hikigaya. If you don't address it, you'll never reach the top of this school."

Hikigaya, still struggling to breathe, couldn't find the strength to argue.

"Huh? What..."

After what felt like an eternity of cardio, Hikigaya was completely wiped out. His body was practically falling apart, and he could barely register what the student council president had said.

Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen to his brain—he was already hallucinating his sister Komachi waving at him, and an oversized MAX Coffee spirit was beckoning him into caffeine paradise.

It took him a while, but eventually, Hikigaya snapped out of his daze. He turned his head and saw a cute girl with twin buns—Akane Tachibana, the student council secretary—handing him a bottle of water.

"Here, Hikigaya-kun." She smiled, her purple hair tied into neat buns.

"Tachibana-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"The president asked me to look after you," she replied sweetly. "He had something to take care of, so he left early."

"Oh..."

Hikigaya took the water from her, letting out a deep sigh. He couldn't wrap his head around why Horikita Manabu had singled him out for such a grueling workout. Was he, like his sister, an extreme sadist who enjoyed torturing others?

"Don't get the wrong idea about the president, Hikigaya-kun," Tachibana chuckled, noticing his grim expression. "He's never gone out of his way like this for anyone else before. You might be the first person he's ever invited to train with him."

"Well, I feel honored…"

Though his tone dripped with sarcasm, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel the sincerity in Horikita's actions. Whether it was inviting him to join the student council, looking out for him, or dragging him to this workout, it was all well-intentioned. However, Horikita's "kindness" was so overwhelming that it was almost unbearable.

"You should be honored," Tachibana added, casting him a side glance. "President Horikita has never treated anyone else this well. I'm starting to get a little jealous."

The look in her eyes was hard to read, and it left Hikigaya feeling a bit unsettled. Was she... seeing him as a rival? That would be too ridiculous.

His thoughts spiraled for a moment before he quickly corrected himself. "I'll find a way to repay the president. I think I understand what he wants."

"Really?"

Tachibana raised her eyebrows, surprised by his words. "You know what the president is aiming for?"

"More or less."

When it came to Horikita Manabu, Hikigaya wasn't entirely sure about everything, but there was one thing he understood—the president was concerned about his sister, Horikita Suzune. He probably wanted to see her grow and mature.

If he could help with that, Hikigaya figured he could repay his debt to the president.

Groaning, Hikigaya stretched his aching limbs and struggled to get up from the floor. He was certain that by tomorrow, he would be too sore to move.

Seeing his struggle, Tachibana moved to help him, but as she did, she mentioned something. "Oh, right. There was a minor conflict in the basketball club recently. It was reported to the student council, and the president specifically asked me to let you know."

"Wait, what?"

Hikigaya was confused. Why did Horikita want him to know about some basketball club dispute?

Wait, basketball? Hikigaya's thoughts immediately jumped to one person. "Was Sudou Ken involved in the fight?"

Tachibana's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you already know? Yes, it started because Sudou performed well, and the basketball captain wanted to make him an official player. But the vice-captain had already chosen someone else for the spot, so they clashed. The president had to step in to resolve the issue."

Seriously? Such a cliché situation, Hikigaya thought as he pieced the story together.

At the same time, he started to understand why Horikita had passed this information along. It seemed he owed the president another favor.

Still, why didn't Horikita just tell him directly? Sending Tachibana as a messenger... was this another example of him being as tsundere as his sister?

With that thought, Hikigaya left the gym, dragging his exhausted body toward the dorms. As he passed by the convenience store, he remembered he had skipped dinner. Starving, he quickly stepped inside to grab something to eat.

As he scanned the shelves, he made sure to keep a watchful eye on his surroundings. He was wary of running into Karuizawa Kei again. For some reason, they had bumped into each other at this very store far too often, and it was becoming a strange, almost instinctual fear.

Fortunately, it seemed that this time, either because it was too late or due to sheer luck, she wasn't there. With a sigh of relief—and maybe a small hint of disappointment—Hikigaya walked to the counter, picking up the cheapest bread he could find.

With the student council's business on his mind, he was more cautious than ever about conserving his points. He could barely afford to be reckless.

Just as he was about to walk off with his meager meal, a delicate hand grabbed the other side of the bread. Startled, Hikigaya looked up to find Airi Sakura, his shy classmate with glasses and her hair tied up.

She looked as surprised as he was, her small hand clinging to the last piece of bread on the shelf like it was her lifeline.

Upon realizing it was Hikigaya, Sakura's expression shifted. She swallowed nervously and, after a moment of hesitation, reluctantly released her grip on the bread.

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she said, "Y-You can have it... I don't need it."