In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

In this class, it seems that only Akira Shimizu can etch "persistence" into his daily life like his older brother.

After all, the fact that she can get up early every day to exercise without fail, and whose figure can be seen even when she occasionally passes by the playground, shows a tenacity that is second to none.

"..." Kikyo Kushida was also stunned, a genuine look of surprise flashing in her eyes.

I really didn't expect the other party to admit it so readily—without even trying to find reasons to refute it as usual.

Anyone with eyes can see that Horikita Suzune's respect for her older brother, the student council president, is almost to the point of "not allowing anyone else to have a say."

(That's interesting.)

Her mind raced with calculations.

(She actually compared Shimizu Akira to her brother?)

(Could it be... that she really likes Akira Shimizu?)

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she rejected it.

When it was mentioned that she was on a date with Shimizu Akira, Horikita Suzune didn't show any particular reaction; she didn't even frown.

(But surely not completely oblivious? I guess the other person is just the type who's emotionally insensitive!)

(To say something like "he might be able to do it" at least implies an acknowledgment of his abilities, right? This implicit appreciation is far more subtle than straightforward praise.)

Thinking about it this way, Kikyo Kushida's smile deepened, and even the corners of her eyes took on a sly curve.

(Hehe, it seems there's no doubt that he has feelings for her.)

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, the curve of her lips froze, and her face quietly darkened.

(etc!)

A thought suddenly popped into her head, causing her fingertips to tighten unconsciously.

(So, after their relationship improves, will she bring up those old, trivial things from my junior high school days with Shimizu Akira?)

She knew Horikita Suzune's type all too well—she seemed aloof, but rarely readily accepted others.

Especially since the other person clearly always compares others to her brother, for her to say "it's possible" in itself means extremely high praise.

(So, does that mean the only boy she's interested in right now is Shimizu Akira?)

This conclusion, once it came to her, made her inexplicably panic.

She could even imagine what would happen next: someone like Horikita Suzune, who would devote herself entirely once she made up her mind, would probably spill all her secrets to Shimizu Akira if she actually started dating him.

This is strikingly consistent with the conclusion reached by a male student in private before.

Even if Shimizu Akira doesn't ask anything, she might bring up her past on her own initiative.

(I just don't want Shimizu Akira to know my true nature...)

The moment the thought crossed her mind, images flashed uncontrollably before her eyes—not only the disgusted looks in her classmates' eyes after they discovered her true colors, but also the look of disappointment on Shimizu Akira's face.

(No, that guy definitely wouldn't dare to hate me. I have something on him—that school uniform with fingerprints on it, I still haven't washed it, it's carefully kept in my room.)

Thinking of this, her tense shoulders quietly relaxed, and her fingertips were no longer so stiff.

(If he dares to hate me, he's really asking for trouble.)

She slowly lowered her head, a cunning glint in her eyes, while a strange smile curved her lips.

(I'll expose him for touching me that day, let the whole school know. He wants to force me to leave? He'll have to take him with him to make it worthwhile.)

This thought acted like a calming pill, gradually stabilizing her previously panicked heartbeat.

Don't worry, she has one last trick up her sleeve—Shimizu Akira is her backup plan.

If things get really bad, the two of them can just transfer schools together.

If she falls, she will never let Shimizu Akira stay here peacefully—she has always been that selfish.

Just like that night, when she stared into his eyes and said, "If you dare to betray me, you'll die," it wasn't just a casual remark.

However... if it really comes to that, she might give him some "compensation".

Didn't he mention liking lap pillows? He'll have plenty of time after dropping out of school, so let him lie down as much as he wants.

Her thoughts had wandered a bit, so she coughed lightly to bring herself back—it was too early to think about these things now. Even if the two of them hadn't even started dating yet, wouldn't she at least make some subtle moves?

Fortunately, thanks to yesterday's date with Shimizu Akira, she had already figured out some of Horikita Suzune's personality and information.

I'll try to strike up a conversation later.

If you really can't get along, you can only look for other ways—such as finding out about Horikita Suzune's dark history.

As long as we have leverage over her, we won't be afraid of her saying anything inappropriate.

Only when she has a firm grasp on this matter can she truly breathe a sigh of relief.

By then, no one in the school will be able to threaten her anymore—and those secrets from her junior high school days can remain buried forever.

...

After asking her question, Kikyo Kushida smiled, waved to the two of them, and turned back to her seat.

As Shimizu Akira watched her retreating figure, he couldn't fathom the meaning behind her words just now, or how she suddenly steered the conversation towards him.

"Horikita, there's something I need to tell you." He paused for a moment, then took the initiative to speak, "I told Kushida that you and the student council president are siblings."

Horikita Suzune, who was standing next to him, paused in her grip on the pen and turned to look at him: "So, what kind of spell did she cast on you?"

“She asked me about it, so I answered her question without saying anything else,” Shimizu Akira explained. “If you’re asking whether there was any ‘bewitching potion’ or not… I can only say that there was.”

As soon as he spoke, he remembered what Kikyo Kushida had specifically told him beforehand—to keep the lap pillow thing a secret.

Thinking about it carefully, that lap pillow incident really did seem like a little trap wrapped in sugar.

In a sense, it could be considered a form of bewitching potion.

"What exactly did you do?" Horikita Suzune's voice suddenly rose, her eyes filled with obvious inquiry. "Is there something you can't tell us?"

Although she didn't often pay attention to these things, she had seen some clips in movies and vaguely knew about the ambiguous relationships between men and women.

The mere thought of the words "cannot be said" made my ears turn red instantly, and blurry images flashed uncontrollably through my mind.

But then it seemed absurd—they weren't even dating, how could that be...?

But the other person is Kikyo Kushida. That kind of socially adept girl, always surrounded by people, might actually be indifferent to these things?

Could it be... that they kissed?

Chapter 124: 122 Horikita Suzune: I'm not the same person I used to be.

Horikita Suzune glanced at him, her tone turning even colder: "I take back what I said—you can't compare to my brother at all. My brother would never be like you, so easily tempted."

Seeing her clearly misunderstanding expression, Shimizu Akira's lips twitched, and he was both amused and exasperated: "Stop, stop. I don't know what you're imagining, but it's definitely not the kind of 'temptation' you're thinking of."

It's just a lap pillow at best; it's far from being "tempting," isn't it?

He silently added a sentence in his mind.

“But you’re right, I really can’t compare to your brother.” He changed the subject, his tone becoming much more sincere. “The student council president is impeccable in terms of ability, character, and responsibility. I personally respect him very much.”

These words truly came from the heart—Horikitani Manabu's calm and reliable demeanor is indeed worthy of respect.

Horikita Suzune's expression softened a bit. Her fingertips paused on her textbook for a moment, then she suddenly remembered something else: "Kushida-san just said that you reported a store to the student council? You went to the student council to see my brother?"

“I didn’t go to the student council.” Shimizu Akira shook his head. “Actually, I have your brother’s contact information. We’re friends, and I messaged him directly to tell him.”

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his phone, as if to prove that he wasn't lying.

Horikita Suzune's gaze inadvertently swept across his phone screen, and when she saw the chat history on it, her pupils contracted slightly—the screen displayed the chat between Shimizu Akira and her brother, and she scrolled up several screens without reaching the bottom.

"You... sent so many messages?" Her voice held a hint of undisguised surprise.

"Huh? Is that a lot?" Shimizu Akira paused for a moment, picked up his phone and looked at it. "Only two or three a day. Most of the time it's complaining about the school's rules, and occasionally it's talking about some interesting things that happen at school."

He spoke casually, as if it were just an ordinary conversation.

Horikita Suzune, however, stared at the number of chat records, filled with envy.

Even she herself rarely has the chance to talk to her brother about so many everyday things.

"By the way, after I left last time, did you two siblings have a proper chat?" Shimizu Akira asked curiously, following up on the topic.

"...No." Horikita Suzune remained silent for a long while before squeezing out two words through gritted teeth.

Since the last time she bumped into her brother downstairs at the dormitory and was seen by Shimizu Akira, there has been no interaction between them except for one time when she asked him about "the relationship between Tachibana Akane and her brother." As for meeting him in person, she doesn't even dare to think about it.

Mainly because I’m afraid of losing face.

After all, he was still stuck in Class D, while his brother was already the student council president, standing at the top of the school.

If others saw them walking together, it wouldn't matter if they gossiped, but what she cared about most was that it would make her brother lose face.

"You didn't send your brother some cringey lines like 'Brother, look at my performance in Class D,' 'I'm not the same person I used to be,' or 'I'm prepared to get promoted to Class A,' right?" Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes, deliberately mimicking her tone.

"No! I would never say such a thing now!" Horikita Suzune glared at him, her ears turning red with anger—what kind of person did this guy take her for?

She clenched her fists, almost raising her foot to kick him.

If I weren't still in the classroom, I probably would have already thrown my textbook at them.

When school started, she may have had some thoughts of "making her brother look at her with new eyes," but now that school has been going on for more than a month, she is no longer the person who only talked about determination!

Well--

The moment the thought crossed her mind, her heart skipped a beat.

Wait, what did Shimizu Akira just say, "I'm not the same person I used to be"...? It seems like she really did say something similar to herself.

I just came up with this idea!

"Shut up." She squeezed out the two words through clenched teeth, her voice as cold as ice.

I really don't want to talk to this guy anymore.

Every time, he could pinpoint her thoughts perfectly, making her so angry that her fingertips went numb, yet she couldn't find the right words to refute him—it was incredibly frustrating.

She turned her face away, pretending to concentrate on her textbook, not even wanting to spare a glance for the guy next to her who had a "I knew it" look on his face.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Seeing that she was really about to explode, Shimizu Akira quickly suppressed his smile and suggested, "How about this, tomorrow is Friday, after school I'll go find the student council president and take you to see your brother, okay?"

Horikita Suzune paused, turning her head to look at him with obvious confusion in her eyes: "...?"

“I do have something to discuss with him.” Shimizu Akira’s tone became more serious, and she added, “Besides, your brother seems to be having some troubles lately. As his sister, aren’t you curious about what’s bothering him? You can also lend me a hand, since your brother is quite authoritative.”

Horikita Suzune lightly rubbed her fingertips against the pen, stared down at the words in her textbook, and after a long while, finally managed to squeeze out a sentence from her throat: "...I understand."

......

Soon it was noon.

Just as Shimizu Akira finished lunch, his phone vibrated in his pocket—it was a message in the class group chat. Kushida Kikyo suddenly notified everyone to return to the classroom immediately.

When he returned to the classroom, most of the students were already seated, whispering among themselves and speculating about the reason for the sudden gathering. After a few more minutes, the last few latecomers rushed into the classroom, and finally, the room was almost full.

Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open.

Two girls were standing at the door.

"Good afternoon, everyone in Class D!" The girl wearing a beret spoke first. She raised her hand to press the brim of her hat and gave a slight bow to the people in the classroom, a gesture that was both playful and polite.

The purple-haired girl standing next to her ignored the somewhat deliberate small talk and casually glanced at the group of students in Class D.

Her gaze swept halfway around the classroom, and when it landed on a familiar figure, she raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

The noise in the classroom subsided a bit, and many people looked curiously towards the door—these two were clearly not students from Class D, and they wondered who they had suddenly come to see.

"I might be a little late with my self-introduction! I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A, first year. The person next to me is Kamuro Masumi. I'm currently the leader of Class A." She chuckled softly.

"They're from Class A?!"

"What are you doing here in our Class D all of a sudden?!"

"Who are you two looking for?"

A few murmurs rippled through the classroom. Haruki Yamauchi craned his neck to peer through the doorway, his gaze lingering on the two figures before he couldn't help but mutter, "But seriously, they're both so cute—especially the one in the beret, with eyes like a deer's. But why is he a cripple?"

Kikyo Kushida quickly walked to the podium and explained to the students in the classroom, "I'm sorry to disturb everyone's rest time. Actually, it's because yesterday afternoon, Sakayanagi-san said she had something important to tell Class D."

Chapter 125: 123 Sakayanagi Arisu: What are these people in Class D doing? Is 20 yen too expensive?

Yesterday, Akira Shimizu actually tried contacting Sho Ryuen, Kikyo Kushida, Yosuke Hirata, and Honami Ichinose using a secondary account to ask them how much they knew about this month's special exam.

But the result was somewhat unexpected—aside from Ryuen Sho deliberately not responding, the others clearly told him that Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A had already reached an agreement with them. Ichinose Honami even specifically mentioned that the other party had two conditions: first, the cost of purchasing the information was 20 points; second, she herself had to publicly announce the news to each class.