I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Where are you? I'm coming right away.

Chapter 197: Does Love Have a Past? (6.5K)

After replying to Sakayanagi's message, Horikita rushed to the agreed location to meet him almost without stopping.

Although Horikita had considered whether this was a trap for her, she completely dismissed the idea on her way to the agreed location.

The two sides met near the school playground. Although it was already quite late, some clubs were still preparing intensively for the upcoming competition.

Especially since the soccer club's field was still bustling with activity, setting up a trap in such a place would be incredibly difficult. Horikita simply couldn't believe that Sakayanagi could get the entire soccer club to cooperate with her.

So Horikita arrived at the agreed location without the slightest hesitation.

As soon as Horikita arrived near the playground, he spotted Sakayanagi Arisu standing alone by the playground fence, quietly watching the soccer match taking place on the playground inside the fence.

There was nowhere nearby for anyone to hide, and the view was quite good. Compared to usual, Sakayanagi didn't even bring Kamuro's henchman this time, which was somewhat unexpected by Horikita.

"Horikita-kun, you came really fast. I thought I would have to wait for you for a while."

After tidying up her slightly disheveled hair, which had been ruffled by the evening breeze, Sakayanagi turned around and greeted Horikita with a friendly smile.

"I put aside very important matters to come and meet you, and I hope you can also bring something that will make my trip worthwhile."

Horikita looked Sakayanagi up and down; at that moment, Sakayanagi gave off an indescribable feeling.

If I had to describe it, I could only use the word "ethereal" to describe Sakayanagi right now.

Horikita couldn't glean even a single useful piece of information from those eyes. While she considered her observation skills to be excellent, even if they weren't as good as Amane's, they were still quite good.

Even now, she can't glean any useful information from Sakayanagi's expression or gaze.

The last time I encountered this situation was with Amane. When Amane was serious, Horikita also couldn't read any information from her expression. But unlike Sakayanagi now, when Amane was serious, it was as if all human emotions disappeared in an instant.

No matter how you observe it, it gives off a cold feeling.

Sakayanagi is smiling now, and that slightly reserved smile gives people a very genuine feeling, like a gentle breeze. Logically speaking, this should be a time when Sakayanagi is relaxed, and both her expression and gaze should be friendly and warm.

Kosaka Yanagi now gives the impression of being a high wall blocking Horikita's way.

It gives people a sense of pressure that makes them feel like they have to look up to it.

"Horikita-kun, what's wrong?"

Sakayanagi noticed the change in Horikita's expression and thought it was because of his inappropriate attire. So he looked down and checked himself to make sure there was nothing wrong before asking Horikita about the strangeness.

"I'm fine. Let's talk about your discovery, Sakayanagi-san first."

Seeing Horikita's eagerness, Sakayanagi's smile grew even wider.

She couldn't wait to see what Horikita's expression would be when she found out that Ichinose harbored feelings for Amane.

"Today, Kamuro bumped into Ichinose and Karuizawa chatting at the arcade and accidentally recorded some interesting things. Let's listen to them together."

Upon hearing the names Ichinose and Karuizawa right away, Horikita immediately felt a sense of unease.

As expected, Horikita's face turned extremely ugly after listening to Kamuro's recording.

Ichinose's purpose in doing this was tantamount to openly provoking her, and Amane probably wouldn't get involved in such a matter. In other words... Amane might even be hoping they would fight over her. As long as they don't come to blows, no matter how they fight, she will ultimately benefit.

This made it difficult for Horikita to deal with the alliance between Ichinose and Karuizawa. Thinking of this, Horikita looked up at Sakayanagi.

At that moment, Sakayanagi also happened to be looking at Horikita.

The moment their eyes met, they understood each other's thoughts. Since Ichinose wanted to join forces with Karuizawa, she could naturally put aside her grudges with Sakayanagi and join forces as well.

Horikita was absolutely certain that as long as she and Sakayanagi reached a consensus, their influence would far surpass that of Ichinose and Karuizawa. Moreover, Amane would not possibly ignore her and Sakayanagi for the sake of Ichinose and the other two.

So there's only one question left: the reason Ichinose and Karuizawa were able to join forces was that Ichinose voluntarily gave up her position as the last lover, and the two reached a consensus only when there was no direct conflict of interest.

But can she and Sakayanagi really reach a consensus?

Horikita shook her head inwardly. She was absolutely certain that Sakayanagi would never back down, and it was almost obvious what Sakayanagi wanted to do.

"What are your thoughts on this, Sakayanagi-san?"

After understanding the current situation, Horikita immediately chose to take the initiative.

The reason is simple: Sakayanagi shared this important information with Horikita when there was absolutely no way he could back down.

The goal was to have Horikita play the role of the villain, suppressing Ichinose and Karuizawa, while she waited behind the scenes to reap the benefits.

The excuse is simple: Karuizawa, Ichinose, and Horikita are all in the same class, and it's inconvenient for her, as someone from another class, to intervene. Sakayanagi can then perfectly exclude herself and become an observer, watching the infighting among the three of them.

"What does Horikita-kun hope I will think?"

Sakayanagi was somewhat surprised that Horikita didn't take the bait immediately, but if Horikita was only that good, he wouldn't be qualified to be his final opponent.

"The situation is clear. Although Ichinose and Karuizawa are unlikely to cause any trouble, they have already regarded the two of us as enemies. Even if we do not react to their hostile behavior, they will probably try to take the initiative to change the current situation."

"Given the common enemy, I think it's necessary for us to join forces. We agreed to compete fairly, but now that outsiders have gotten involved, you're not going to just stand by and do nothing, are you?"

Horikita directly exposed Sakayanagi's little scheme.

Sakayanagi remained calm, showing no sign of panic on his face.

"Horikita-kun, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Sakayanagi once again flashed a smile that made Horikita uncomfortable.

What did I do wrong?

"The so-called agreement for a fair fight between you and me is nothing more than an opportunity I gave you out of charity. Now you actually want to use the opportunity I gave you to negotiate with me. No matter how I look at it, Horikita-kun, you are a bit... ungrateful."

Sakayanagi's words instantly ignited Horikita's anger.

"You really dare to say that, Sakayanagi-san. Are you really that confident that you can win over Amane?"

Horikita's attitude also hardened. She didn't want things to escalate to this point, but Sakayanagi's words were just too arrogant.

Amane is still living in her dormitory, and Sakayanagi shamelessly claims that the opportunity for equal competition was something Amane gave her out of charity.

No one could accept this.

"Sigh, Horikita-kun, I originally thought you were a smart person. I think there are some things that would not benefit either of us if we said them outright. You probably thought that being close to the source would give you an advantage, and that since Amane was staying with you and you had that kind of relationship, your chances of success were much higher than mine. Oh, right, and there's also the fact that Amane confessed to you first, so you felt that you had the victory in your grasp and that you could win this battle of love as soon as you accepted Amane's confession... If you think like that, you're being a bit too stupid."

Sakayanagi's cane struck the ground with a dull thud, clearly indicating that he was also enraged.

However, Sakayanagi was angry because she felt she was being looked down upon.

Sakayanagi, who had never once shown his anger in front of outsiders, looked at Horikita with a condescending gaze.

Despite being petite in stature, Sakayanagi had to look up slightly at Horikita when talking to her.

But at this moment, Sakayanagi's petite body exuded an unusual and astonishing aura, which intimidated Horikita for a time.

"Stupid?... Hmph, I bet you're just angry because you can't think of any other way to win this battle faster than me, Sakayanagi-kun?"

Even though Horikita knew she was feeling a little guilty, she refused to lose to Sakayanagi in terms of presence.

Most importantly, Horikita firmly believed that she had the upper hand in this battle from beginning to end. Even Sakayanagi had not spent as much time with Amane as she had in the past year. The two had already formed a natural understanding. As long as she was willing to put aside her pride and overcome the hurdle in her heart, Horikita was certain that she would be the first to reach the finish line.

As for Sakayanagi? He was just a first love from an old era. Perhaps Amane still has some lingering feelings for Sakayanagi.

But... humans are creatures that can only move forward. The fact that Sakayanagi failed to defeat Amane back then already says something, doesn't it?

"Getting angry out of embarrassment? You really have the nerve to say that. You clearly know nothing about her, yet you act like you have her completely under your thumb. It's disgusting."

Sakayanagi knew very well that the guy in front of him only had a superficial understanding of Amane and thought he knew everything about Amane's past.

It's laughable that Horikita Suzune, who knows nothing about the most important things about Amane, dares to spout such nonsense here.

"Aren't you just angry and embarrassed? If I remember correctly, Amane knew you would come here when she arrived at this school, right? So what happened? Why didn't Amane meet with you? And why did she stay in my room for a whole year? Even if she didn't know you would come to this school at first, after you met, Amane never mentioned moving even once, right? I hope you understand that I am the one who spent every day with Amane. Sakayanagi-san, you are a thing of the past. You need to recognize your position."

Horikita became increasingly convinced that he was in the right, and his aura grew stronger. He even managed to shake off the oppressive feeling emanating from Sakayanagi.

"Hahaha, this is really funny... hahaha."

As if she had heard something funny, Sakayanagi could no longer suppress her laughter and actually did something out of character by laughing uncontrollably until her stomach started to hurt.

Just as Horikita was about to press her advantage, Sakayanagi suddenly used his cane to lift her chin.

Because Sakayanagi's move was so sudden, and Horikita had absolutely no defense against Sakayanagi, who even had difficulty walking, Sakayanagi easily broke through Horikita's defense, who was a trained fighter.

"you……"

Horikita could break free easily, but the problem was that Sakayanagi was holding her throat with his cane. No matter how she struggled, Sakayanagi would inevitably fall to the ground without the support of the cane.

Even with surveillance cameras, some things are hard to explain, so Horikita can only choose to remain unchanged and deal with the situation as it may, since Sakayanagi wouldn't dare to do anything to her anyway.

It was this confidence that allowed Horikita to remain calm and even composed, even when she was being controlled by others.

However, her composure was quickly and brutally shattered by Sakayanagi.

Without the support of a cane, Sakayanagi took a difficult step forward, arriving at a position less than two fingers' width away from Horikita.

The cane was now angled upwards, more roughly lifting Horikita's chin.

"Spending a year together? Don't even mention a year, what if you spent the entire high school years by her side? If you were comparing other things, I would let you have your way, but you actually want to compare who spent more time with Tianyin? This is the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"How long have you liked Amane? Half a year? Or a year? Even if you've liked her for three years, it doesn't matter. I, Sakayanagi Arisu, have liked Amane for a full ten years since I first met her when I was six. I was there for her when she was most helpless, and I was there for her when she was in the most pain. But you know nothing about her past, and you are equally incapable of taking responsibility for her future. I just don't understand, Horikita-kun, what right do you have to compare yourself to me in terms of companionship? Do you even deserve it?"

Sakayanagi sneered, put away his cane, and turned to leave.

"Wait, I haven't finished yet..."

"I don't need to listen to you anymore. What do you take Tianyin for? A tool to prove your worth? Or capital to show off? Or... proof of your excellence? Whatever you take her for, I hope it's based on the premise that you really like her. Some things can be judged by comparison, but some things change their nature the moment you bring them out for comparison."

Sakayanagi gave Horikita a deep look, then turned and walked towards the dormitory building. She could still hear Horikita's hysterical voice behind her, but Sakayanagi ignored it and didn't even think about turning back. At this moment, she could even imagine what kind of expression Horikita's face would have.

Horikita was probably the one who was truly enraged, but to be honest, ever since she arrogantly said something like 'you are a thing of the past,' I've felt that this world can be quite absurd at times.

How come these seemingly intelligent people can't understand their own position?

Horikita might genuinely like Amane.

But can Horikita say that her affection is completely untainted by anything else?

Horikita dared not.

Because she was well aware that while she liked Tianyin, she was also using those feelings to achieve her desired goals.

Sakayanagi was quite certain of this, as she seemed to have heard Amane mention that she had promised Horikita that she would lead Class D to Class A.

Perhaps Horikita doesn't think much of this.

But this is actually the main reason why Sakayanagi and Amane don't seem that close!

If Horikita wants to advance to Class A, she inevitably has to get past Sakayanagi, the most crucial figure. If Amane wants to fulfill her vow, she must deliver a heavy blow to Sakayanagi's class. However, Amane seems indifferent to fighting with Sakayanagi, but she is unwilling to hurt him. She often avoids Sakayanagi's challenges. In this way, the battle between the two becomes a contest to see whose pawn can play the most effective role.

The struggle between chess pieces is far less direct than the contestants themselves. Both sides must constantly calculate the gains and losses of their pieces. This means that Sakayanagi and Amane are always scheming and plotting against each other when there are conflicts in the class. Under such circumstances, how could the two possibly appear to be very close?

All of this was caused by Horikita's request for Amane to help her advance to Class A. To prevent Amane from breaking her vow, Sakayanagi allowed Horikita's class to make rapid progress. Only when Horikita personally intervened would Sakayanagi give her a slight warning, wanting her to realize that she was merely using Amane's power to achieve her own dream.

Unfortunately, Horikita has not shown any signs of recognizing reality until now. Otherwise, with Horikita's abilities, she would have been able to see that Sakayanagi had been accommodating Amane from the very beginning because of their agreement. If there hadn't been an agreement with Amane, Sakayanagi would have already brought Amane to Class A.

How could things be like this now, where she herself is making a painful decision to let go, yet the other person uses her past to mock her?

Sakayanagi shook his head in disappointment.

At this point, she no longer regarded Horikita as a competitor. From the moment Horikita used Amane as her capital to advance, she could be considered out of the game. Even Karuizawa and Ichinose probably understood the meaning of 'liking' better than she did.

The only thing that Hirikita holds Sakayanagi's attention right now is what she will do after the promise is fulfilled.

Amane promised Horikita to help her fulfill her vow to get into Class A. But what happens after the vow is fulfilled? Will Horikita treat Amane the same way she does now?

If Horikita can maintain her current mindset, Sakayanagi doesn't think she can't turn a blind eye. But if Horikita dares to kick Amane aside after Amane helps her get promoted to Class A, then...

Thinking of this, Sakayanagi's eyes flashed with an unprecedented ruthlessness.

She didn't know the extent to which Horikita liked Amane, but she did know how much Amane liked Horikita.

Sakayanagi still can't forget the way Amane cried after her failed confession; that woman clearly didn't deserve Amane's sadness.

If Horikita dares to do anything to harm Amane again, she will show absolutely no mercy. She will not let anyone who dares to harm Amane get away with it.

We will not let a single one escape.

……

"I am back."

"Welcome back~ Eh? Rin, what's with that expression... Did you two get into an argument while discussing the plan this afternoon?"

When Tenon saw Horikita's distraught appearance, she couldn't help but frown.

Logically speaking, discussing a plan shouldn't lead to an argument. Although Koenji is usually quite infuriating, this is a major issue concerning his expulsion from school. Even if Koenji doesn't express his opinion, he shouldn't cause trouble.

Horikita saw Amane and, without even changing his shoes, quickly stepped forward and hugged her tightly.