Hikigaya patted the cushion next to him and motioned for Horikita Suzune to sit closer.
Since it was a single dorm room, it wasn’t very big.
To save space, the small dining table was pushed against the wall.
There wasn’t much room left on the side near the bed, so they ended up sitting on opposite sides of the table.
He’d rather have Shiina sit next to him than Horikita, but to make sure Horikita Suzune and her brother could talk face-to-face, he had Shiina sit across from him.
The food was already served: stir-fried green peppers with pork belly, miso salmon, and grilled tofu with bonito flakes, served with miso soup.
Each dish looked and smelled delicious.
“Bro- brother, please…” Horikita Suzune, looking like a shy little girl, wanted Horikita Manabu to try her cooking first.
Horikita Manabu had no reason to refuse.
He picked up his chopsticks and, with unhurried, elegant movements, took a piece of pork belly.
The pork belly looked golden and crispy, browned on the outside and tender on the inside.
Putting it in his mouth, Horikita Manabu chewed a few times and gave Horikita Suzune a lukewarm review.
“Just ‘okay’?” Hikigaya quickly grabbed a bite and put it in his mouth.
It was soft, smooth, and fragrant, the rich flavor of the fat filling his mouth.
“It’s delicious, you can’t be insincere, Student Council President.” “I have my own judgment.” Horikita Manabu forced out a remark to save face, then looked at his sister with a sharp gaze.
“I was satisfied that you understood the truth about the passing line before the exam today, but your actions afterward were not good.
If another student hadn’t stepped in, were you planning to argue with your opponents until the exam started?” “Hikigaya, what would you have done?” Horikita Manabu tossed the question to Hikigaya, who was waiting to watch the show.
After all, it was Hikigaya who had tipped him off about his sister’s situation.
“What would I have done?” Hikigaya thought about the argument between Horikita Suzune and Yukimura Teruhiko that morning.
He immediately came up with several ways to resolve it, all based on his understanding of Yukimura Teruhiko.
He’s reclusive and arrogant, but utterly defenseless against requests from cute girls.
If Kushida Kikyo had talked to him beforehand, there wouldn’t have been any argument.
Even after the argument had started, the way to handle it would be to call Yukimura out of the classroom to talk.
Boys his age are extremely concerned with appearances; publicly criticizing him would leave Yukimura with no easy way out.
If you don’t know Yukimura, you could also find a good student with good grades and a good temper to act as an inside source.
When Horikita made her suggestion, they just needed to agree with her faster than Yukimura, creating an atmosphere where anyone who disagreed would look like the bad guy.
“It’s useless to say more after the fact.” Hikigaya took a sip of miso soup.
“As a leader, if you can’t solve problems, that’s your sister’s issue.” “Huh?
I don’t really want to lead these people who lack any awareness of the bigger picture.” Horikita retorted immediately to Hikigaya’s accusation.
“But you want to move up to Class A, right?
If you choose the method of paying twenty million to transfer classes, I can lend it to you for free, considering the Student Council President’s past kindness to me.” Hikigaya took out his phone and opened his terminal.
His private points showed over seventeen million.
“The remaining three million, you can save up over these two years and have it before graduation.” Eight million for information, six million as a sponsorship from Nagumo, and the remaining three million came from Class B’s monthly tribute for recruiting people.
“Seventeen million…
that’s quite surprising.” Horikita Suzune pursed her lips.
She couldn’t accept that.
What she wanted wasn’t the benefits of being in Class A, but her brother’s approval.
“Brother…” Horikita Suzune murmured softly, her face looking pitiful and lovable as if she’d been wronged.
She felt like she was still the little girl who followed her brother, always wanting his help when she encountered a setback.
But met with her brother’s sharp gaze, she understood her situation.
It wouldn’t work to always seek her brother’s help.
That’s precisely why her brother had distanced himself from her.
Her years of chasing after him hadn’t been in vain.
She closed her eyes, then opened them again.
Horikita Suzune regained her cool expression.
“I won’t complain anymore and will reflect on my failures.” “I will definitely lead Class D to Class A,” Horikita Suzune said, no longer looking at Horikita Manabu but turning to face Hikigaya.
“If you can do it, then try.” Hikigaya gave a provoking smile, his tone like a villain.
Inside, however, he was screaming internally, “This is so cheesy!
How could I say something so cheesy?
I want to die!
I feel like I’ve grabbed the wrong script.” “Just struggle away.” Picking up the small bowl of miso soup, Horikita Manabu took a sip and finally couldn’t help but add, “I’ll be looking forward to your performance, Suzune.” “Yes, I’ll do my best…
Brother.” Smiling with relief, Horikita Suzune bowed and solemnly declared her resolve.
“For now, let’s focus on making friends first, Suzune.” Hikigaya mimicked Horikita Manabu’s tone before returning to his own.
“Student Council President, you think so too, right?” “You’re not allowed to call me Suzune.” A swift blow landed on her waist from her not-so-cute little sister.
“And don’t call my brother ‘brother’.” “Y-yes.” The impact wasn’t strong, so the pain wasn’t severe, and Hikigaya quickly straightened up.
“For now, let’s make friends with the good child certified by your brother, Shiina Hiyori.” “Someone who can’t communicate can’t be a leader.” “You don’t need to tell me, I already know.” Glancing at Hikigaya, Horikita Suzune straightened her posture and looked at Shiina Hiyori, who was quietly eating her food.
“Hello, Shiina.
I’m Horikita Suzune.” “…Cough cough…
Hello, Horikita-san.” Shiina hastily swallowed her food and responded in a rush.
…….
After dinner, Horikita Manabu left quickly.
Horikita Suzune and Shiina Hiyori washed the dishes together in the kitchen, though they didn’t talk much.
But if they kept working together, they would unconsciously have more conversations, and it would gradually become a habit.
After eating his fill, Hikigaya didn’t forget about being targeted by Ryuen from Class C.
As for who the traitor from Class D was that sold him out, he’d have to rely on his top intelligence ace.
Kushida beast, it’s you!
Taking out his phone, Hikigaya texted Kushida to ask if she’d heard any rumors lately about Yamauchi and Ike, two of Class D’s “idiots,” hanging out with people from Class C.
[I have heard that.
It’s quite widespread among the girls.
A cute girl from Class C named Yabusa Nanami was seen walking with Yamauchi.] [There must be something wrong with this.
How could trash like Yamauchi attract a cute girl from Class C?] [I really want to sew Yamauchi’s mouth shut with needles.
He always spews garbage.] …It’s good that the traitor was found so quickly.
Now I don’t have to devise separate tests to probe these two idiots.
However, Kushida seems to have quite a bit of resentment towards Yamauchi.
It seems that now I can only go with public opinion and invite Yamauchi to his death.