Chapter 68: Horikita, Do You Have a Grudge Against Your Brother?!
Sakura Airi and Chabashira Sae were both sitting on the wooden veranda of the courtyard, rubbing their aching slender waists, while Yuto stood on the ground and watched them with a smile.
They were exhausted after working for over an hour, but Yuto, who was brimming with energy, wasn't tired at all.
"It's already four-thirty. I'll go to the gym with Airi to check out the club orientations. Chabashira-sensei, I'm counting on you to go buy the ingredients for tonight's meal. Please let me taste your cooking." Yuto said to Chabashira Sae with a smile.
Chabashira Sae rolled her eyes at Yuto, who had thrown her into service without a second thought.
"My cooking won't disappoint you. Also, Shimizu, transfer the points for the ingredients to me."
"Sure." Yuto readily handed his student ID card to Chabashira Sae. "Sensei, you can transfer 100,000 points. Just ask me for more once you've used them up."
"Alright."
Sakura Airi blinked her eyes and said to Yuto, "Yuto, I won't go to the gym with you anymore. I'll go buy the ingredients with Chabashira-sensei!"
Yuto looked at Airi, who was gazing up at him with a pitiful plea in her lively eyes.
"...Alright."
"Mmm~"
Yuto knew that Airi disliked crowded places and had no interest in joining any clubs. At the same time, he also knew why she wanted to go with Chabashira Sae to buy the ingredients.
Airi was worried that Chabashira-sensei would recklessly spend his 100,000 points...
"Chabashira-sensei, when you're preparing the three meals for me, please make them for three people—one portion for me, one for Airi, and one for yourself, Sensei."
"The portion for you, Sensei, will be my way of thanking you for coming to help."
Sae glanced at the smiling Yuto. "Fine."
In any case, she had to prepare meals for him anyway, and preparing for one person versus three wasn't much of a difference. This way, she would also save the time and effort of preparing her own meals. It wasn't a bad arrangement.
Afterward, Chabashira Sae and Sakura Airi set off together toward the nearby market, while Yuto headed to the gym alone.
Yuto went to the gymnasium for two reasons: one was to join the crowd and see what was going on, and the other was to see what clubs the school offered, figuring out which one would be easiest to extort—ahem, earn points from.
Around 4:56 PM, Yuto stepped into the gymnasium. It was quite crowded, with about 120 students already present.
Almost all the students who had come to the gymnasium were in groups; Yuto was the only one alone—wait, no, there was someone else alone too!
Yuto spotted a sharp, austere figure standing in the corner of the gymnasium and walked over.
"Horikita, I didn't expect to see you here. I'm surprised you're interested in clubs."
Horikita Suzune glanced at Yuto as he approached. Her charming, fox-like eyes revealed a cold, aloof expression.
"I have no intention of joining a club. I'm only here because... it's none of your business!"
"Hmm?" Yuto looked thoughtfully at the suddenly silent Horikita Suzune.
Horikita was aloof, unapproachable, and preferred to be alone, so it was impossible for her to want to join a club. Did that mean she was here for the same reason as him—just to see what all the commotion was about?
Wait, that doesn't make sense. How could Horikita Suzune, who has no interest in clubs and prefers peace and quiet, be here just to join the crowd?
Just then, a sweet voice, filled with surprise, reached the ears of both Shimizu Yuto and Horikita Suzune.
"Shimizu-kun? I didn't expect to see you here. Are you planning to join a club?"
Yuto turned toward the voice, and Horikita Suzune's gaze shifted slightly in that direction as well. They saw Ichinose Honami, with her beautiful golden-pink hair and an exceptionally mature and alluring figure.
Ichinose Honami, as if she had run into an old acquaintance, approached Yuto with a bright, cheerful smile.
"Is she your friend?" Horikita Suzune asked Yuto.
"We aren't friends. My relationship with her is... best described as a con artist and his victim," Yuto replied cryptically. Horikita Suzune frowned; what kind of answer was that?
Then again, that wasn't right either. When Yuto was screwing over Class B, Ichinose Honami wasn't even present. So she couldn't be counted as a victim.
Seeing Ichinose approach Yuto, Horikita decided to leave and let them talk on their own.
But since Yuto had just claimed that the beautiful girl walking toward them was his... victim, Horikita's curiosity piqued. She found herself wanting to see if Yuto would get beaten up by this alleged victim.
But was she really tricked by Shimizu?
A hint of doubt flashed in Suzune's sharp, fox-like eyes. Ichinose's smile as she approached was so natural and bright; it didn't look like the expression of someone who had just spotted a scammer.
Stopping in front of Yuto, Ichinose Honami offered him a smile before turning her gaze to Suzune, who stood behind him.
"Hello there. I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. May I ask your name?"
The smile Ichinose Honami gave Horikita Suzune was just as brilliant and cheerful as Kushida Kikyo's.
But... there was a difference.
Suzune had always sensed a slight incongruity, a hint of falseness, in Kushida's smile.
But with this girl named Ichinose Honami, Suzune felt no such dissonance, no hint of artificiality.
After all, Ichinose Honami truly was a little angel, while Kushida Kikyo was a fake one wearing a mask.
"I'm Horikita Suzune from Class 1-D," Suzune replied in her characteristically cool, detached tone.
"Horikita-san, huh? Nice to meet you."
After greeting Suzune, Ichinose turned to Yuto. "Shimizu-kun, which club are you planning to join? How about you apply for the Student Council with me?"
Ichinose hadn't come to the gymnasium to join a club; she wanted to join the Student Council to gain experience.
"Didn't I already tell you?" Yuto said with a sigh of resignation. "I'm not planning to join any club, let alone apply for the Student Council. I only came here to watch the commotion."
"That's a shame," Ichinose said, a hint of disappointment crossing her face. She had truly hoped Yuto would apply for the Student Council with her.
Just then, a cute girl with purple hair tied in a bun appeared on the gym's stage. She turned on the microphone and began to speak.
"Attention, first-years! Thank you for waiting."
"I am Tachibana Akane, the Student Council's secretary, and I will be your host for today's orientation. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"
The combination of Akane's sweet voice and adorable looks caused a wave of commotion among the new first-year students below. Yuto even heard a few confessions, like, "Tachibana-senpai, I love you!"
Amidst the slight commotion, Tachibana Akane continued from the stage, "Next, the representatives of each club will begin their recruitment presentations."
With the opening remarks concluded, the Student Council Secretary, Tachibana Akane, stepped down. One by one, the club representatives took the stage to share their clubs' goals and recruitment plans.
The representatives were a diverse bunch: a strong-looking senior in a judo uniform, a senior girl in a traditional kimono...
But the Swimming Club representative caused the biggest stir among the freshmen!
He was a handsome senior, wearing nothing but swim trunks, proudly displaying his bare upper body...
While the girls screamed in excitement, the boys' reactions were much more disdainful. They weren't looking for a senior in swim trunks—they wanted to see seniors in bikinis!
Yuto averted his gaze from the club representatives on stage and looked behind them. Several people were standing there, including the secretary, Tachibana Akane.
Among them was Nagumo Miyabi, the one who had been tricked—by Yuto—into signing a bet.
'I remember Nagumo is the Student Council Vice President,' Yuto thought silently. 'So that means everyone else there is a member of the Student Council too?'
The one who caught Yuto's attention the most was the man with glasses among the group. Clad in the school uniform and standing straight, his face remained completely expressionless, radiating a glacial, imposing aura.
"He feels like a formidable guy. Could he be the Student Council President?" Yuto muttered.
The man's presence was even more powerful than Vice President Nagumo Miyabi's, making him a very likely candidate for the presidency.
The representatives of the various clubs had finished their presentations to the freshmen. Once Honda Bin, the president of the Chess Club, stepped down from the stage, the club speeches officially concluded.
The seniors who had just finished their presentations took their seats at the simple desks arranged on the left side of the gymnasium. After the assembly completely ended, the freshmen would probably come here to submit their club applications.
Just then, the man with glasses, whom Yuto suspected was the Student Council President, walked onto the stage. Behind Yuto, Horikita Suzune immediately straightened her back. Her fox-like eyes widened slightly as she stared intently at the man with glasses on stage.
At this moment, Horikita Suzune was exceptionally focused!
It was as if... this man with glasses was her long-lost biological brother!
Because of the lively presentations by the club representatives earlier, the freshmen in the gymnasium were now quite noisy. The man with glasses, standing straight on the stage, did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked down at the rowdy freshmen with a calm and composed gaze.
"Huh? What's up with that senior? Why isn't he saying anything?"
"Haha, he's probably just too nervous to speak in front of so many people for the first time."
"Good luck, nameless senior with glasses!"
A variety of boisterous voices erupted from the crowd of first-year students, but the man with glasses on stage didn't flinch. His expression remained unchanged as he continued to look down calmly at the rowdy freshmen.
As time passed, the laughter gradually faded, replaced by silence and unease...
Under the man's steady gaze, the freshmen began to feel a growing sense of anxiety and apprehension.
The tension and silence lasted for about twenty seconds before the man on stage finally spoke. "I am Horikita Manabu, the Student Council President."
"The surname Horikita?" Yuto looked back at Horikita Suzune in surprise. This senior shared the same surname as Suzune. Could it be a coincidence?
No.
Judging by the complex look on her face, Yuto assumed the two must be related.
"Your brother?"
Suzune's troubled gaze shifted from Horikita Manabu to Yuto, and she nodded. "Yes."
"Do you have a grudge against him?" Yuto asked curiously.
Suzune shot him a sharp, annoyed glare. "I don't have a grudge against anyone but you!"
"If you didn't have a grudge against your brother, why isn't there any joy on your face to see him again?"
Horikita Manabu was either a second or third-year student, meaning Suzune hadn't seen him for at least a year or two. After all, this school was a fully enclosed campus; once you enrolled, you couldn't see or communicate with your family outside.
Yet, upon being reunited with her brother, her face showed no joy, only a complicated, unreadable expression.
"None of your business," she retorted coldly.
At that moment, the Student Council President on stage, Horikita Manabu, spoke again.
"With the graduation of the upperclassmen, the Student Council will recruit three outstanding students from the first-year class this year."
"There are no special requirements for applicants. However, if you wish to join the Student Council, please avoid joining any other clubs. In principle, those who wish to participate in both the Student Council and other clubs will not be considered."
"Please keep this in mind."
Nagumo Miyabi, his foot still wrapped in bandages, curled his lips into a smirk. Lies.
Student Council President Horikita Manabu had already explicitly stated that no first-year students would be admitted to the Student Council this year.
While they had no intention of accepting any freshmen, they couldn't forbid them from submitting applications. They just needed a justification to reject them all in the end.
'In other words... Ichinose Honami is destined to be rejected.'
"Finally, the Student Council does not wish to accept applicants who harbor naive notions about joining us."
Gradually, Horikita Manabu's voice grew even more steady and resolute, weighing down on the new students with immense pressure.
"If such a person were to be selected, they would do more than just fail to perform—they would bring shame upon this school. Our Student Council has been entrusted with the authority and responsibility to revise regulations by the school administration, and as such, we are highly esteemed. We only welcome those who truly understand this."
After delivering these ruthless words, Horikita Manabu gazed down at the freshmen below. Wherever his sharp, steady eyes fell, the students shivered with unease. Many immediately abandoned any thought of applying to the Student Council.
'If I join the Student Council, I'd have to work with a president that terrifying... The thought of such a miserable future is simply too much to bear!'
As he looked over the sea of freshmen, Horikita Manabu's brow furrowed slightly. He had spotted his younger sister, Horikita Suzune, among the crowd. Though they hadn't seen each other in two years and she had grown much taller, he could still recognize her instantly.
…
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