Chapter 72: Horikita's Dilemma

A/N- My phone broke and I had to get it repaired. I tried writing on my laptop but it was incredibly uncomfortable. Not to mention I write on OnePlus notes and not Google notes so I couldn't access chapter 80 which I had already written T-T

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Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

Succumbing to her offer once again I ordered a French Vanilla Càfe. I was curious about it, sweetened coffee was something I usually never had.

Or rather while I was used to caffeine, coffee itself was something I had yet to try.

Horikita raised a brow at my order, "I didn't know you had a sweet tooth."

"Not really, I'm just curious about how it tastes. I've never had coffee before."

"Well, that's surprising. I thought everyone's had coffee at least once in their life."

"That's a very bold assumption."

"I guess it is." After muttering that her gaze turned serious, "Ayanokouji-kun, I would like to apologise for wasting your points during the Mid-terms. I'll be sure to pay you back in due time." She spoke sincerely and I didn't know how to respond.

"But I gave you those points on my own accord, you don't have to repay me."

"You said you wanted me to hold on to them, did you not? With that in mind it's only natural I return the points to you." 

But that was just an excuse to help you out...

Was what I wanted to say but I'm sure Horikita wouldn't listen.

"Doesn't that mean you're in debt to Kushida and Hirata as well?"

"Not really. Both of them really wished to help the class, unlike you and even if I tried to repay Hirata he wouldn't accept it. He's more stubborn than me regarding the class."

Oye, you're forgetting Kushida.

"Alright, but are you sure about this Horikita? The points you'll have to return to me could prove useful later on. Just like how they did in the Mid-terms."

Horikita turned silent for a moment before sighing, "There's no need to."

Hmm?

What did she mean by that?

I couldn't just let her brush it off.

"Why? Do you not plan to participate in class battles?"

"Class battles huh... I guess that's appropriate considering the situation. There's nothing much I can do, the class is completely under Yamamoto's control."

Horikita...

Don't tell me you've given up.

"Do you trust Tatsuya?" I asked, my question laced with a double meaning.

"It's not that I trust him but that his abilities are undeniable. He's academically and physically superior."

"But Class battles won't be as simple as sports and academics don't you think Horikita? With how large the gap is if there's only one way to increase our class points it almost feels like a hopeless battle. In that sense isn't it natural that school might hold a different kind of exam that focuses solely on Class Points? Remember what Chabashira-sensei said— academics aren't the sole factor for accepting students."

She listened to my words quietly and I continued.

"I admit Tatsuya has superior abilities. I don't think many can compare to him in our grade but future battles might not depend on individual capabilities but the class as a whole. Do you think Tatsuya is the right one to lead the class?"

I guess this was an accurate representation of Tatsuya's charisma. The pure confidence he held had influenced this cool beauty to such a degree.

"But I've already made a mistake. While we're here drinking coffee most of our classmates are eating free meals in the cafeteria... because of me."

"You did it for the class' sake though. Isn't it fine to make mistakes? You won't grow if you don't make mistakes."

"Stop trying to sound like an adult," She scoffed before taking one last sip of her coffee. While she didn't seem to pay attention to my words I was sure she was thinking about it.

This wouldn't do. I had to reinforce the idea of battling Tatsuya into her mind, it would be disappointing if she just gave up.

But just as I was about to speak my phone buzzed and coincidently my drink also arrived. I thanked the waiter before opening my phone. I had set notifications on for only any media or photo.

I pressed the notification and saw something completely unexpected... Just for a second, my eyes travelled to her and she looked at me with a confused expression, perhaps puzzled by my behaviour.

I handed her my phone and took a sip of my coffee.

Immediately I noticed a blend of smooth coffee and subtle vanilla undertones. The coffee brought warmth, while the vanilla added a mild sweetness, creating a balanced and creamy taste.

It was quite pleasant.

I ignored Horikita's shocked expression and took another sip.

"Why..."

She muttered in disbelief before turning towards me. I didn't want to face her rage so I answered instantly, "It's on our class's group chat. The number is anonymous, probably using a secondary burner account. They probably used the invite link that was made in the beginning so it's impossible to trace who it was."

Of course, we could use private points to immediately get the name of the individual from the school. Though, It would be quite hard for us to track the user down if they were using a sub-account.

But no matter what, the sudden release of this photo would affect Horikita's life in Class D quite significantly.

Horikita listened quietly as she squeezed my phone hard. Thankfully she didn't have the strength to break it.

"I can't believe him..."

Perhaps Horikita already knew who it was, or rather she knew why the photo was suddenly sent to our group chat.

Of course, the group chat was in chaos but neither Horikita nor I wanted to participate in it. In fact, Horikita was not even part of the group chat. That was how isolated she was.

And now this photo made things even worse.

Horikita's expression twisted into a frown as she turned to me, "No need to misunderstand."

I see, so that was her answer. I was inclined to believe her but the rumours about her and Tatsuya would only escalate from here on.

The photo was quite suggestive after all.

It was Horikita and Tatsuya sitting together on a bench alone at night. But that in itself wasn't the biggest problem.

They were practically glued together and staring into each other's eyes.

The outrage was understandable.

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