-40- Difficult to deal with

"What's your relationship with Horikita Suzune?" 

Such a question emerged from Hori's mouth without any warning, entering Horikita Manabu's ears.

"Suzune?" 

Horikita Manabu's erratic breathing paused briefly. He furrowed his brows, then relaxed them.

"Come to think of it, you were with her when you came to the recruitment meeting last time, right?" Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, expressionless. "Are you close to Suzune?"

"Somebody else asked me that recently," Hori shrugged, speaking directly. "One question at a time."

Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment, then nodded, providing an answer.

"She's my incompetent younger sister."

This answer was almost exactly what Hori had predicted.

Since they shared the same surname, they would naturally be suspected of being siblings first. Moreover, Suzune's behavior also hinted at this.

For example, Suzune's dissatisfaction with being in Class D and her excessive persistence in moving up to Class A could be interpreted as the result of her strong self-esteem and high self-regard.

Now that it was confirmed that Horikita Manabu was Suzune's brother, Hori had another explanation for Suzune's behavior.

"Is it because of an overly outstanding brother that she can't accept being only in the worst class?" 

Although it was still just a guess, it seemed to be the correct one.

At least, based on Hori's understanding of Suzune, such a scenario was highly likely to occur to her.

Thinking back to Suzune's complex emotions of pride and inferiority when she looked at Horikita Manabu at the recruitment meeting, it was probably because she had always admired her brother's excellence, but now, with her brother being the most outstanding person in this meritocratic school, while Suzune, as his sister, could only be in the worst Class D, it was undoubtedly a huge blow to her.

"Then, it's your turn to answer my question."

Horikita Manabu urged calmly.

This made Hori smile somewhat ironically.

"It seems like you're prioritizing confirming my relationship with your sister over why you came to me."

Hori's words silenced Horikita Manabu.

Ignoring Horikita Manabu's reaction, Hori provided an answer.

"I have no relationship with your sister at all."

Leaving these words behind, Hori turned around and resumed his morning run.

This time, Horikita Manabu did not follow.

There was only one thought in his mind.

"He's even more difficult to deal with than I imagined."

That was Horikita Manabu's only thought now.

"First, he made me run at full speed, almost to my limit. Then, in that situation, he asked me questions, leaving me no time to think, and directly prompted me to answer his purpose. And then, he used that opportunity to manipulate my words...."

In other words, this time Horikita Manabu's contact with Hori not only failed to achieve its purpose but also completely played into Hori's hands.

One should know that Horikita Manabu had never considered inviting Hori to join the student council at this stage before confirming how capable Hori really was.

However, today, his intention was exposed.

"I must say, Suzune, your judgment this time is quite accurate."

With that said, Horikita Manabu's turned and left.

...

Advanced Nurturing High School, Year 1 Class D.

As soon as Hori entered the classroom, he was greeted by two angry shouts.

"Nanaya!"

"You bastard!"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki yelled simultaneously, looking like angry wolves pouncing on Hori as he walked in.

Facing this overly exaggerated lunge, Hori remained unfazed.

"Good morning."

Hori greeted casually while effortlessly dodging Ike and Yamauchi's lunge at a perfect angle, then continued walking to his seat.

"Bang!"

A loud impact came from behind.

"Oof...!?"

"Pfft...!?"

Ike and Yamauchi's grunts echoed in the air.

Hori didn't even bother to turn around to check, simply walked to his seat and sat down.

Seeing Hori's calm demeanor and smooth movements, the students in the class were all stunned.

Even Ayanokouji Kiyotaka couldn't help but admire.

"I didn't expect you to be this agile."

Hearing this, Hori didn't react, just asked a question.

"What's wrong with these two?"

In response to Hori's question, it was not Ayanokouji Kiyotaka who answered but Horikita Suzune, who was sitting and reading a book.

"You should be more aware of your actions," Suzune said with a tone that couldn't be discerned as sarcastic or perfunctory. "Bringing a girl into your room after dark, did you think no one would react to that?"

Suzune's words explained why Ike and Yamauchi were so agitated.

Undoubtedly, it must have been because Kushida Kikyou spent time alone with Hori in his room last night that made Ike and Yamauchi so emotional.

Looking closely, not only Ike and Yamauchi, but also the other male students in the class, casted somewhat hostile glances at Hori.

In contrast, Kushida Kikyou, the culprit, seemed unaware of the situation, chatting with her friends. When she noticed Hori looking at her, she even waved at him with a cute smile, making others envy.

"Unbelievable."

Suzune said emotionlessly.

"Such a thing happened just yesterday, and after only one night, the tension has almost disappeared. Are the people in this class all so indifferent?"

Clearly, Suzune was helpless about this situation.

Especially seeing Ike and Yamauchi still lying at the classroom door, Suzune's eyes were cold to the extreme.

"In three weeks, if they can still pass the mid-term exam in this state, then I have to doubt the level of this school."

After making this assertion, Suzune continued to read her book.

By the way, Sudou Ken hadn't arrived in the classroom yet. He was probably going to be late again.

If there were no surprises, these three would face the most danger during the mid-term exams, right?

And the behavior of these three seemed to have confirmed Suzune's disdainful judgment.

Hori just watched Suzune like this, then glanced at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

However, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka remained silent, went to Ike and Yamauchi's side, and helped them up.

Hori shrugged indifferently.

"Let's see how things turn out after the mid-term exam."

Although, Hori could already predict what would happen.