-201- The emotion that lasted only a second

On the other side, when Nanaya Hori left the room and returned to the second-floor hallway, he walked into a heated argument.

The arguing parties were Karuizawa Kei and Yukimura Teruhiko.

It seemed that they wanted to continue the conflict from the briefing, directly arguing in the hallway.

Especially Yukimura Teruhiko, whose model-student demeanor had completely vanished, his face filled with anxiety as he loudly confronted Karuizawa Kei.

"Do you think I want this? But we're in the same group! If we don't come up with some strategies now, we'll be far behind in the exam!"

Apparently, Yukimura Teruhiko was suggesting they discuss the special exam, which was set to officially begin tomorrow, in advance.

Even though the VIP had not yet been chosen, whether the VIP was among their own group would greatly influence the group's competitive strategy.

Therefore, despite the VIP not being selected yet, to ensure they could pass the exam, Yukimura Teruhiko decided to set aside his personal feelings towards Karuizawa Kei and initiate a preliminary discussion.

This kind of thinking was indeed commendable.

However, Yukimura Teruhiko completely ignored the feelings of others.

What does "Do you think I want this?" mean?

Isn't that just offending people from the start?

Even if Yukimura Teruhiko himself could suppress personal feelings with reason, it doesn't mean others can.

Especially for someone like Karuizawa Kei, who can't stand being bullied, Yukimura Teruhiko's words would naturally irritate her.

As a result, Karuizawa Kei didn't hide her annoyance.

"You're unbelievable. Do you think you can make others follow your plans like this?" Karuizawa Kei said impatiently, "That's why I say all boys are idiots. They're either like you, looking down on girls, or gloomy guys who don't talk at all!"

These words not only criticized Yukimura Teruhiko but also unfairly implicated Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was just observing the situation.

"You..."

Yukimura Teruhiko trembled with rage.

In his view, Karuizawa Kei was simply an unreasonable person.

For him, to win the exam and earn class points, compromises and sacrifices were necessary.

Holding onto this belief, Yukimura Teruhiko chose to act rationally and wanted to discuss with Karuizawa Kei.

But Karuizawa Kei wasn't interested in Yukimura Teruhiko's self-righteous attitude.

Strictly speaking, both of them were right and wrong in their own ways.

While Yukimura Teruhiko's rational approach and willingness to discuss with someone he disliked was mature, it was also self-righteous. He believed his viewpoint was correct and that others should make compromises and act rationally for the sake of future prospects.

However, he forgot that humans are emotional beings, not always governed by correctness alone. Ironically, his way of speaking was not conducive to persuading others.

Karuizawa Kei, on the other hand, was simply reacting to Yukimura Teruhiko's unreasonable demands. While she wasn't wrong, her uncooperative attitude was also rooted in her own personality, which could be considered willful.

Both of them were quintessential problem children.

No wonder they were assigned to Class D.

Under such circumstances, it was inevitable that the two would argue.

"Why do I have to be in a group with people like you!?"

"Damn it, it's obvious you'll just drag us down!"

Karuizawa Kei and Yukimura Teruhiko argued more fiercely, one showing obvious annoyance, the other full of anxiety. It was reaching the point where they might attract faculty members and face punishment.

Students from other classes, who had also finished listening to the briefing, began to notice and look at them with surprise.

If this continued, it might really escalate.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, seemingly prepared to intervene, looked towards Hori for help.

In Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's view, if he stepped in, the result would likely be unsatisfactory.

Only Hori was the most suitable person to intervene.

Hori frowned and stepped forward.

"What are you doing?"

The straightforward question made Karuizawa Kei and Yukimura Teruhiko stop their argument immediately.

"Uh…"

Karuizawa Kei, who had shown strong disdain for boys, surprisingly showed a slightly retreating expression when she saw Hori.

"Nanaya? You came at the right time!"

Yukimura Teruhiko, on the other hand, seemed to have found an ally.

In Yukimura Teruhiko's mind, if it were Hori, he wouldn't be like these useless people who couldn't understand what was right, would he?

However, this was yet another instance of Yukimura Teruhiko taking things for granted.

"No matter what you intend to do, even if you want to argue, do it after you leave here."

Hori seemed completely uninterested in their situation and said, "Arguing in front of the teachers' rooms, you really aren't afraid of getting recorded. If you don't mind getting disqualified from the exam, then go ahead."

With a single statement, Karuizawa Kei and Yukimura Teruhiko were both stunned into silence.

The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

If it had been anyone else, they likely wouldn't have achieved such an effect.

But Hori, during the special exam on the uninhabited island, had already earned considerable respect from the students in Class D.

Now, the only ones who would openly defy Hori might be people like Kouenji Rokusuke, who held themselves above others, or Sudou Ken, who was hot-tempered and violent.

As for Karuizawa Kei and Yukimura Teruhiko, one had already learned their lesson before the special exam on the uninhabited island, and the other wouldn't dare to act rashly upon hearing about the possibility of disqualification. Hori's intervention was perfectly timed to suppress them.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating."

Not long after, Karuizawa Kei seemed to give up and turned to leave, not wanting to waste more time there.

"Wait…"

Yukimura Teruhiko tried to stop Karuizawa Kei but was ignored. She quickly left and walked up the stairs.

"Damn it... Why are all these people so useless…"

Yukimura Teruhiko suppressed his anger and muttered to himself.

This man was surprisingly quick to anger.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka observed all of this and expressed his thoughts.

"This exam is unlikely to be peaceful…"

In Advanced Nurturing High School, it's indeed rare for things to remain calm.

However, Hori was no longer concerned with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's thoughts.

Hori was only looking in the direction where Karuizawa Kei had left, recalling her actions just before she departed.

In that moment, Karuizawa Kei had cast a glance towards Hori.

That glance lasted only a second.

But Hori noticed it and caught the emotions carried within.

There was hesitation, struggle, unease, and even fear.

"It seems Hirata wasn't lying…"

Maybe it's time to get to know Karuizawa Kei a little better.