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

Just like now, she is studying diligently.

Could it be... related to Shimizu Akira going to the student council?

Horikita Suzune frowned, the irritation she had just suppressed resurfacing.

My phone rang again. It was a message from Shimizu Akira: "I'll be there in about ten minutes. I ran into a little trouble at the dorm entrance and it took me a bit longer."

She first replied to her brother, "I understand," and then replied to Shimizu Akira, "I know."

She continued to look at the two messages on the screen for a while, and suddenly realized the difference between her brother and Shimizu Akira.

Her brother never liked to say much, and she had to guess many things herself; but Shimizu Akira was different. His messages always explained the reasons clearly, so no one had to worry about figuring them out.

She thought for a moment, then stood up and checked the room again.

Because it was cleaned after school, the room was spotless—the trash can had been emptied, and the bedsheets were neatly arranged without a single wrinkle.

After checking, she picked up her textbook again.

This time, the gaze falling on the pages was indeed much calmer than before.

Before five minutes had passed, there was a knock on the door.

Horikita Suzune immediately stood up and opened the door.

"Have you been waiting long?" Shimizu Akira asked casually from the doorway.

“…Not at all.” Horikita Suzune snorted softly, but her body unconsciously took two steps back, leaving a gap for her to enter the doorway.

As Shimizu Akira entered the room, his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Horikita Suzune's residence.

Girls' rooms are indeed very different from boys' rooms.

The first thing I caught on my nose was a sweet mango scent, which I guessed was from an air freshener.

The furnishings in the room were also completely different from his. The kitchen area alone was filled with a lot of utensils—rice cooker, juicer, frying pan… At a glance, it was much richer than his room, which only had basic kitchen utensils.

However, the most eye-catching thing is the pie chart on the wall.

Aside from regular class time, the entire time shown in the image is almost entirely devoted to "studying," leaving only six hours for sleep.

It seems her brother was right; even in high school, this younger sister maintained the same level of study intensity as she did in junior high.

"What are you looking at!" Horikita Suzune asked with her arms crossed and a hint of wariness in her voice, her gaze fixed on the other person's back as she stared intently at the wall.

"Looking at your schedule." Shimizu Akira turned around, his gaze shifting from the statistical chart on the wall.

"you have a problem?"

"Problem? It's more like weird! If a normal person didn't prepare for the exam, why would they spend so much time studying like you?"

“My brother…” Horikita Suzune instinctively wanted to refute.

"Didn't your brother send you a message telling you not to follow his example? Didn't you see it?" Shimizu Akira looked at her stunned expression and added, "The meaning of that sentence is very clear—don't follow his past study methods anymore. The student council president worked so hard back then because he was preparing for the college entrance exam in his final year of junior high, but you're only in your first year of high school now. Where do you get that much pressure to get into a good high school? It's not worth spending so much time studying like a maniac."

"Huh?... Brother, is that what you meant?" Horikita Suzune looked up, her eyes full of surprise, and she even forgot to close her slightly parted lips.

After Shimizu Akira's explanation, it was as if the fog had suddenly lifted, and she finally understood the deeper meaning of her brother's words.

So it turns out you didn't want her to spend all her time studying?

She had been overthinking things, thinking that her brother was starting to get annoyed with her again and didn't even want to talk to her anymore...

"Wait, what exactly was the message the president sent you?"

Horikita Suzune pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered, "'Don't imitate me anymore.'"

"Huh? Your brother's words are too strange." Shimizu Akira frowned, recalling that Horikita Manabu had clearly said he would stop her "shameful behavior" at the student council earlier, so why did he send such a nonsensical message? "It would be strange if you could understand the meaning of his cryptic text messages."

Horikita Suzune felt that this person seemed to have said something disrespectful to her brother, and reason told her that she should speak up and refute him immediately.

Emotionally, I inexplicably felt a sense of agreement—many of the text messages my brother sent were indeed quite confusing.

The feeling of having someone on the same side as you is surprisingly not bad.

"To be honest, you also have your own problems. If you don't understand something, why don't you just ask clearly? That would avoid so many unnecessary misunderstandings. Besides, your imitation of your brother is too deliberate."

Horikita Suzune's expression turned sour, and her brows furrowed into a knot.

Why is this person suddenly bringing up her faults again?

But the thought of rebuttal had barely surfaced in her mind when she suppressed it—she really didn't have the confidence to refute it.

Thinking about it carefully, studying for sixteen hours a day seems a bit excessive.

“…I understand…I won’t be studying for so long anymore.” She pursed her lips and turned her face away.

Since her brother had said that, and Shimizu Akira always mocked her about it, she seemed to have no reason to persist anymore.

In fact, during those sixteen hours, she spent most of her time reviewing old knowledge or previewing new content. In fact, she often couldn't help but daydream in class.

“…Okay.” Seeing that she agreed, Shimizu Akira didn’t say anything more.

He knew that Horikita Suzune always kept her word.

"Well... let's get back to the point." Horikita Suzune coughed lightly, her tone slightly unnatural. "You must have some other purpose for coming here tonight, right? What exactly do you want?"

“…Hehe.” Shimizu Akira couldn’t help but chuckle.

See, he said this student keeps his word.

"Would you accept holding hands?" Shimizu Akira asked after thinking for a moment.

"Yes," Horikita Suzune replied without the slightest hesitation.

She felt a strange sense of relief. Just moments before, she had been secretly wondering how she should respond if Shimizu Akira made a more intimate request, such as touching or kissing.

Unexpectedly, just like last time, he only held hands.

(This person... seems to really enjoy holding her hand.)

If it were anywhere else, she might have been more reserved, but this was her own dormitory, and she even had a thought that if it was just holding hands, she wouldn't mind letting him hold her as much as he wanted.

"May I sit on the edge of your bed?" Shimizu Akira asked.

“Okay.” Horikita Suzune nodded.

After all, they'll be holding hands later, so it's definitely more convenient for them to be closer together.

She subtly moved half a step to the side, giving the other person some space.

When Akira Shimizu sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress sank slightly.

Horikita Suzune could feel his sleeve brush against the back of her hand, and her heart inexplicably quickened.

“Alright…” He turned his head, his gaze falling on the gap between the two of them. “Now you can open your left hand.”

"..." She didn't speak, but subconsciously moved her right hand half an inch toward him, and then slowly opened her palm.

(Wait! Why do we need to open our palms when holding hands?!)

Before she could even finish the thought, she felt her palm gently pressed against his, and the next second, he held her ten fingers together, making them intertwined.

Horikita Suzune's heart skipped a beat, as if it had been squeezed tightly by something.

The warmth radiated from their palms pressed together, their interlaced fingers leaving no gaps, making them feel more intimate than ever before.

"?...You?" She looked up, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

"Huh? Didn't you say we could hold hands?" He turned his head to look at her, holding her hand tightly without letting go.

"But this seems different from the last time in the classroom!" She pursed her lips, not immediately pulling her hand away, but instead asking a question.

“Horikita-kun, last time it was a handshake,” Shimizu Akira explained, emphasizing his words. “This time it’s called holding hands, so of course it’s different.”

He paused, looking at Horikita Suzune's awkward expression, and raised an eyebrow slightly—had he done something wrong, or was her understanding of "holding hands" different from his?

"If you feel uncomfortable, then let's just call it a day?" He didn't want to force it; these kinds of things should only be meaningful if both parties are willing.

“…That’s it!” Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up, her cheeks still flushed, but her tone was serious and unquestionable. “I said I could, and I won’t go back on my word. That’s it.”

She spoke with a firm tone, but the fingers being held secretly curled up and gently squeezed back.

The slight pressure landed in Shimizu Akira's palm, making him feel a ticklish sensation.

Their clasped hands hung dangling over the edge of the bed, and neither of them spoke again.

Horikita Suzune could clearly feel the warmth of his palm, and the slightly itchy sensation when his fingertips caressed her knuckles, like tiny electric currents coursing through her veins, making her involuntarily tense her back.

She glanced at him furtively and saw that Shimizu Akira was also looking at her.

"What are you looking at?" She immediately turned her face away, her voice a little muffled.

He put it bluntly, "You got a jab from your brother, aren't you upset?"

"...I've never felt uncomfortable." She pursed her lips, not telling the truth.

My heart was still pounding, but the awkwardness from before seemed to melt away in the moonlight, slowly fading away.

Shimizu Akira chuckled softly, stopped teasing her, and simply held her hand and gently shook it.

"Speaking of which," he suddenly said, his gaze falling on the schedule on the wall, "what are you planning to do now that you're not studying for so long anymore?"

Horikita Suzune was taken aback; she hadn't really thought about that question.

My days were filled with studying; it seemed like there was nothing else to do but do practice problems and memorize texts.

She blinked, her fingertips unconsciously tightening as she gently gripped his fingers: "I don't know... maybe we should exercise?"

"Exercising? Horikita-kun, you're not copying me, are you? Speaking of which, I heard from Kushida that you seem to know I go for a long run in the morning—you haven't been secretly watching me run every morning, have you?"

"...Hey Shimizu, stop daydreaming. I get up at six every morning and open the curtains at six-thirty sharp. There's no one else outside the window except you. Do you expect me to open the window with my eyes closed?"

"Oh, I misunderstood you. So, how about we go for a run together every morning from now on?"

"...I won't run away with you."

"Really? I understand." He answered readily and didn't ask any further questions.

Then the two fell silent.

Their clasped hands rested quietly on the edge of the bed, with only the warmth of their palms conveying each other silently.

After a few minutes, Shimizu Akira suddenly spoke, breaking the silence: "Speaking of which, how long do you plan to let me hold your hand?"

Horikita Suzune then came to her senses, as if she had forgotten about the timer.

Actually, she hadn't been paying attention to the time since just now, and felt that staying quietly like this wasn't so bad.

How can holding hands be without a time limit? Otherwise, judging by Shimizu Akira's attitude, they could probably hold hands from now until tomorrow morning when they go to school.

"Alright! I've completely fulfilled your request this time." She took a deep breath, abruptly pulled her hand back, her fingertips slightly red from the force she had used. "If you want a next time, then continue to help me maintain a good relationship with my brother."

What will be the next step after they hold hands?

The question vanished quickly; she frowned as if trying to banish the unfounded thought from her mind.

Chapter 177: 174 Haruki Yamauchi Sacrifices His Friends for the Whole Class (5k)

on Tuesday.

Akira Shimizu got up on time, did his basic exercises as usual, and then went to the playground to start his long-distance run.

Just as Horikita Suzune had said, she did not appear on the track.

However, he wasn't the only one on the playground today.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, dressed in a simple tracksuit, was stretching by the track, his movements fluid and graceful.

Since Shimizu Akira invited him to run together last month, this classmate has been appearing here from time to time, about two or three times a week, no more and no less.

The two barely spoke, yet a tacit understanding inexplicably formed between them—Shimizu Akira always ran ahead, while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, lapping ten times every day without fail.

After their run, the two went back to their dormitories to wash up and then met up at the cafeteria at 7:30 sharp.

While having breakfast, Akira Shimizu suddenly noticed that Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's gaze went over his shoulder and into the distance, his eyes filled with a hint of inexplicable confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked casually, turning around to look in the direction the other person was looking—a few students from Class C were sitting not far away, talking to each other with their heads down.

"It's nothing... Those people seemed to have glanced at you several times." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked away and took a sip of his milk.

The cafeteria was bustling with people, and the students from each class were scattered around. It wasn't surprising that they were noticed by students from other classes, especially since Ayanokouji's reaction was unusual, which made him pay more attention to him.

After all, the other party was a classmate from Class C.

"Okay, I see."

......