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

Airi's eyes widened slightly when she heard Horikita's seventh question. Her intention in including Horikita's opinion on Sakayanagi Arisu in the question was very clear: she wanted to obtain information about the relationship between Horikita and Sakayanagi through this question.

If the two have a good relationship, it means that it is almost impossible for her to get close to Amane, because Horikita alone can influence Amane, and what if Sakayanagi is added to the mix?

Airi's head was buzzing just imagining that scene, so she felt it was necessary to take advantage of this perfect opportunity to get some information she wanted.

But... why did Horikita add an easy question to the limited number of questions? Was it simply to make up the number, or did Horikita actually want to know her opinion of her?

If it's the latter, Airi feels it's necessary to show Horikita her image of Horikita by answering this question.

Just as Airi was about to answer the question, she remembered her promise to Horikita.

According to the agreement, Airi needs to use the avoidance method three times in a row. Airi has already used tricks to postpone the avoidance time. If she violates the agreement now, her behavior will be completely a hostile competition with Horikita.

This is not what love meant at all.

But if Airi chooses to avoid the question, will Horikita develop some negative opinions about her? For example, will she think that her image in Airi's eyes has become so bad that Airi would rather give up the victory of the competition than publicly express her opinion about her?

If that's the case, then it'll be troublesome.

Airi suddenly realized that she was in a dilemma, as neither choosing to avoid the question nor answering Horikita's question seemed quite appropriate.

"Fifteen seconds remain to answer the question."

As the staff urged her on, Airi clearly knew she couldn't delay any longer. She could still have a chance to tell Horikita her opinion in person after the competition, but if she answered the question, she would be breaking her promise. She didn't want to be disliked by anyone anymore.

"I choose to avoid it."

Airi's answer was firm, but her expression was one of helplessness.

"Sakura-kun, you only have one 'Answer' card left. This means that if you choose to avoid this question, the challenge will end immediately according to the rules. Are you sure you want to use your last chance to avoid the question?"

In other schools, staff would probably be too lazy to even offer a reminder in such a situation. But this school is different. As a unique feature of the school, even the most ordinary staff know that every answer a student gives could potentially affect their future and destiny.

So when the staff realized that Airi wanted to use her last precious chance to avoid a question that was supposed to be an easy one, they chose to confirm with Airi again.

However, Airi had already mentally prepared herself for the possibility of defeat, so when she heard the staff's concerned inquiry, she simply raised her head and softly spoke.

"Thank you, I've made up my mind."

The staff member read the emotion hidden in Airi's words, nodded, and then took the microphone from Tianyin and announced to everyone who was still listening to the challenge.

"Since Sakura Airi, a student from Class 2-A, used the word 'answer' to avoid answering the seventh question posed by Horikita, and has run out of usable items, according to the competition rules, this special bonus challenge is officially over. Does Horikita's team wish to continue answering questions? If so, the remaining questions will be asked by Chabashira-sensei, who is in charge of Horikita's team. If Horikita chooses to stop answering questions, the competition will proceed to the point counting stage."

The staff's voices were transmitted to the ears of every second-grade student through the speakers.

Many people who felt disappointed immediately chose to leave the scene.

"I was really looking forward to it, how did it end like this?"

"Hmph, is that even a question? The three consecutive evasions must have been pre-arranged."

"Huh?! Is this even possible? But if it was a pre-arranged plan, why use such a tricky question to make things difficult for Horikita? Since we're going to lose anyway, why offend someone? Isn't that strange?"

"You don't understand, do you? This is called trying to cover up the truth. The first few questions were incredibly intense. Could you have guessed that this person named Sakura would avoid being eliminated three times in a row?"

"Ah, that seems to be true..."

Unbeknownst to Airi, public opinion has overwhelmingly concluded that there must be some hidden conspiracy behind this challenge.

In fact, everyone's thinking is correct. Airi did make a promise with Horikita, so even if people accuse her of having a shady deal, they have no way to refute it.

Although Airi felt a little regretful about losing the challenge match, she couldn't help but feel happy when she thought that the high-pressure match was finally over.

Sure enough, she wasn't very good at this kind of competition that involved scheming and backstabbing.

"May I go back now that the match is over?"

Airi picked up her bag and prepared to leave. There was still plenty of time before noon, so she could take some more interesting photos. Originally, she had practiced her photography skills to take better portraits, but after she closed all her social media accounts, in order to avoid going crazy from loneliness, Airi began to seriously study photography and photo editing techniques and treated it as her hobby.

"Sakura-san, please wait a moment."

The staff member, with a strange expression, called out to Airi.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you don't need to do anything from now on. Horikita-san chose to continue the challenge, so you need to wait until the results of this competition are in before you can leave. Please be patient and wait a little longer. If the progress is fast, it should be over in about ten minutes. We have drinks and snacks here that you can enjoy as much as you like."

"OK……"

Airi sat down on a chair in the room, completely bewildered.

By the time Airi ran out of avoidance attempts, Horikita had accumulated a full six points.

Airi only has four points, so anyone could tell who won at a glance.

There is absolutely no need for Horikita to continue a match that already has a result.

So what was Horikita's purpose in insisting on finishing the questions?

Airi had no idea; she could only sit there anxiously listening to Horikita's next questions.

Three minutes ago.

Chabashira Sae's temporary residence.

"I thought you, Horikita, would have a great showdown with Sakura, but it ended up like this. If I'm not mistaken, this must have been your idea, Horikita, right?"

Upon hearing the notification from the microphone, Chabashira was about to announce the competition results. Chabashira had already felt something was off about Airi's avoidance of the previous question, and when Airi still chose to avoid the easy question this time, Chabashira already knew the competition was over.

Although this challenge was no different from the performance, the intense exchanges of undermining each other in the beginning made Chashu feel that it was not bad, so Chashu did not take it too seriously.

However, Horikita did not seem particularly happy about the victory that was already in his grasp.

The reason was that her newly ignited fighting spirit was doused with cold water by Airi's three evasions.

Horikita immediately realized that Airi was fulfilling the promise she made to Horikita before the start of the competition in her own way, but this way of fulfilling the promise made Horikita very unhappy.

The initial questions not only made her blush with embarrassment, but also exposed a lot of private information that only she and Amane knew. Just when Horikita was planning to let Airi experience the feeling of social death when the questions she had prepared came out, Airi chose to give up the competition before the questions that Horikita had carefully prepared were even released.

This action not only made Horikita feel like she was punching cotton, but also made her feel like a fool, as if all her previous forbearance had turned into being completely deceived.

Horikita simply couldn't accept this outcome. She could enjoy the ultimate victory, or calmly accept defeat after a hard-fought battle, but the way he toyed with her and then handed over the victory was something Horikita couldn't accept.

Therefore, Horikita did not intend to end the competition like this. She had already said everything she needed to say, including embarrassing questions and private matters, so she didn't care about the next few questions. She had to conquer all the questions Airi had prepared for her to vent her anger.

"I intend to continue competing."

Horikita's answer greatly surprised Chabashira.

"You've already won this match, haven't you?"

According to the scoreboard of the tea pillar, Horikita is currently leading Airi by two points. If the two answer slips that Horikita still has are also included, Horikita is leading Airi by a full four points. In other words, if Horikita also agrees to end the match, Horikita will win completely.

Continuing to answer questions not only offers no reward, but if Horikita encounters another question from Airi that exposes her privacy, wouldn't that be a losing proposition?

"It's not enough. A victory of this magnitude... I'm not satisfied yet."

Horikita's answer turned Chabashira's expression, which had been slightly relaxed, into one of extreme gloom.

"Horikita-kun, I have an obligation to remind you that this is just a normal little test. Perhaps Sakura's questions are too harsh and excessively intrusive on other people's privacy, but you should know that the questions were approved by the school. The person who allowed Sakura to ask such questions was not Sakura herself, but someone else. Are you sure you want to treat Sakura-kun like this? Or rather... is it necessary for you to go to this extent?"

Without a doubt, Horikita's purpose in choosing to continue the match was very clear: to achieve a complete victory, or, from another perspective, to inflict a complete defeat on Airi.

In order to increase everyone's participation and interest in this special competition, the school tacitly allowed the staff to relax the review process, and even encouraged them to ask questions that would interest the young girls.

In other words, it was destined from the beginning that there would be some questions full of malice and perverse humor in the questions.

Airi using this kind of question to deal with Horikita might not be entirely appropriate, but if Horikita wants revenge, the targets of her revenge should not be limited to Airi alone.

Horikita planned to demonstrate to everyone that she was completely unafraid of Airi's almost humiliating questions by solving all of Airi's problems.

Therefore, the purpose of persisting in answering questions became to demonstrate strength, make Airi lose face, and achieve victory.

What should have been the highest priority became the last priority for Horikita, making it hard not to suspect that Horikita was acting more out of emotion than reason.

“Of course it’s necessary. I admit that we made some agreements before the match with Sakura. But she didn’t keep or fulfill our agreements at first. Although I don’t know why she changed her mind, since Sakura has shown me her fangs, I have to make it clear to her that even without the prior agreement, she can’t defeat me with such low-level tricks. I know you think I’m acting impulsively, Chabashira-sensei… I don’t deny that, but I’m going to act impulsively this once, so what can you do about it?”

Horikita's tough stance made Chabashira's expression even more unpleasant.

Chabashira was now certain that he could not persuade Horikita to accept the current victory, so the match had no choice but to continue.

"The eighth question: Horikita-kun, can you accept that your boyfriend likes another girl? You have two minutes to answer. Now, begin."

"Of course I can accept it. Tianyin likes beautiful or smart girls. Being recognized by Tianyin is a remarkable thing in itself, which means that the girl must be excellent in some aspects. So I don't think there's anything wrong with Tianyin liking an excellent girl."

Horikita cleverly exploited the loophole in the question. If the question had asked whether she could accept Amane having relationships with other girls, even if Horikita turned a blind eye to some things, these things could not be discussed openly. Once Horikita explicitly said that she could not accept it, it would be tantamount to putting herself in the opposition of Sakayanagi, Karuizawa, Ichinose and others.

That would have been very troubling for her. Fortunately, Airi was a little careless when she asked the question, only mentioning whether she could accept that Amane liked someone else.

There is so much to the word "like" that Horikita came up with multiple answers to the question after only a little thought.

This question was far too easy for Horikita.

Seeing Horikita's high spirits, Chabashira was eager to end the challenge as soon as possible, so after Horikita finished answering, Chabashira immediately started drawing the next question.

"Ninth question: In Horikita's relationship with Miyako Amane, who confessed first? You have two minutes to answer. Now, begin."

As soon as Chazuki finished speaking, Horikita quickly replied without giving Chazuki any pause.

"It was Tianyin who confessed her feelings to me first."

Actually, this question is similar to the one asked by Airi about her position in the relationship. The one who takes the initiative is naturally more likely to confess first, while the probability of confessing is much lower for the person who is in a passive position in the relationship.

Of course, there are some exceptions.

If we're really being serious, Horikita Suzune should have been the first to confess, but when answering the question, Horikita included Amane's catchphrase that she used to say all the time.

"I love Rinne the most!"

Who can say this isn't a confession?

Horikita, having won two consecutive questions, was brimming with confidence.

Now, only one question remained standing in his way.

Horikita no longer cared about how tricky or revealing the privacy of the questions. There couldn't possibly be a question more explosive than asking her how many times Amane did it in one night, right?

"The tenth question: In Horikita's mind, who is more important, Horikita Manabu or Miyako Amane? You have two minutes to answer. Now, begin."

Horikita's confident smile gradually stiffened.

Chapter 158: Is 20 million points enough?

"The tenth question: In Horikita's mind, who is more important, Horikita Manabu or Miyako Amane? You have two minutes to answer. Now, begin."

The moment the question appeared, Horikita's smile vanished, and his previously relaxed brows furrowed slightly.

She never expected that even after passing nine questions, she would still be stumped by this one.

As Horikita Manabu's older brother and a role model and driving force for Horikita Suzune's growth, he holds an irreplaceable position in Horikita Suzune's life.

If we add the bonus of family affection, it's almost impossible to find anything wrong with Horikita Suzune regarding Horikita Manabu.

Compared to Horikita Suzune's high regard for Horikita Manabu, Horikita Manabu held a negative attitude towards Horikita Suzune's behavior before graduation. To Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune was a foolish younger sister who blindly followed in his footsteps. Once the symbol of 'Horikita Manabu' disappeared from her sight, she would be like someone blindfolded, either stumbling and getting hurt in the dark or stepping into the abyss of despair, ultimately crushed by the pressure brought by the perfect image of Horikita Manabu that she had created deep in her heart.

It was because he noticed Horikita Suzune's problem that when Horikita Manabu saw Amane again and recognized her, he entrusted his most cherished younger sister to Amane's care without hesitation.

However, Horikita Manabu was caught off guard when Amane started taking care of him and ended up taking care of him in bed.

What he couldn't understand even more was that when Horikita Suzune first felt sad and cried for someone else, it wasn't for him, Horikita Manabu, nor for himself, who couldn't do anything.

Instead, it was for Miyako Amane, who was also a girl.

When Horikita Manabu heard Horikita Suzune say "I like Amane" from her own mouth, he truly realized that he had probably made a dangerous decision.

Horikita Suzune was handed over to a terrifying person.

Horikita Suzune received meticulous care and tolerance from Amane. Amane used her immense strength, love, and understanding to weave layer upon layer of comfortable cocoons around Horikita Suzune, completely enveloping her. Amane personally handled all the trials and dangers for Horikita Suzune, much to the dismay of Horikita Manabu. He was about to graduate as a third-year student, yet Horikita Suzune showed no signs of growth. The only way to force Horikita Suzune to face difficulties was to break through the cocoon of love and tolerance woven by Amane, releasing her to truly experience the cruelty of the school and to make her realize that if her eyes were forever filled with the reflections of others, she would ultimately be stuck there.

Similarly, Horikita Suzune would probably never be able to surpass him, a genius, even if she spent her entire life trying.

Horikita Manabu did not want Horikita Suzune, who possessed unlimited potential, to be 'ruined' by Amane, so he tacitly approved of Nagumo's recklessness.

The result was that Amane proved with her absolute strength that unless Amane herself was willing, no one could surpass her to teach Horikita Suzune what growth meant.

Faced with Amane, whom he could not defeat in a short time, Horikita Manabu felt powerless for the first time. He regretted his rash actions and was sincerely happy that his sister had found such a partner.

Even though this partner is a woman.

As time went by, Horikita Manabu had to devote all his remaining energy to preparing for the special exams, leaving him no time to pay attention to Horikita Suzune and Amane.

Until that ordinary afternoon.

After his lunch break, Horikita Manabu, having finished washing up, planned to go to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities and ingredients for dinner.

If he's lucky, he also plans to go to the bakery to buy some toast for tomorrow's breakfast, although from a taste point of view, there is no doubt that fresh toast tastes far better than toast that has been refrigerated.

Unfortunately, Horikita Manabu was already used to getting up early. When he was the student council president, he had to go to the student council meeting room every morning to organize a morning meeting for the student council officers. After inquiring about the completion of yesterday's tasks, the progress of various tasks, and the difficulties encountered, he would then distribute today's tasks. After the meeting, he would also have to clean his office.