Horikita Suzune
My first impression of her was that she was a gorgeous girl with a nasty attitude.
But after watching her behavior in class for a month, my opinion changed entirely:
"A textbook example of a gifted idiot who isolates herself from the world."
It sounds paradoxical—gifted yet idiotic—but that was the only way to describe many of the students in this class.
In short, they were the kind of honor students who believed that top grades were everything.
We live in a society. Unless you plan to spend every waking hour cooped up in a lab, you need at least a shred of social skills. Of course, it’s ironic for someone like me—who admittedly isn’t exactly a social butterfly—to say that. Still, I recognized a clear difference between me and fools like Horikita or Yukimura, who believed that grades defined a person entirely.
People who willingly chose solitude.
People who claimed friends were unnecessary.
Sure, their mindset might have seemed similar to mine at first glance, but I had my reasons for not hanging out with anyone that went well beyond self-satisfaction.
The problem was that they wore their isolation like a badge—a subconscious way of proving their superiority.
In any event, Horikita Suzune was undeniably smart, but also hopelessly foolish. In my mind, she was nothing more than a nerd who aced her tests.
So I had decided, all on my own, that I’d never mix with her...
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
".......”
And yet, here Ayanokouji and I were, sitting in a cafe with her, having been summoned to talk.
"Before we get to the point... White? Are you even listening?"
"Ah, yeah. Sorry."
Why was I apologizing? And more importantly...
"Could you call me by my first name instead of my surname, Horikita? It’s just easier that way in Korea."
"...I don’t have the habit of calling people I’m not close to by their first name."
"It’s not like I’m calling you by your first name anyway, and 'White' just sounds odd. Call me Ian—you don’t have to worry about it. And you too, Ayanokouji."
"Understood."
"...Fine. Got it."
The two of them nodded in agreement at my words.
Aside from Horikita herself, Ayanokouji—the guy with the deadfish eyes—was still a mystery. He didn’t seem like someone who chose solitude out of sheer desire...
Strictly speaking, he reminded me a little of myself, but not entirely.
Hmm...
Well, whatever. There was no point in worrying about some loner anyway!
...That one remark stung a bit more than I cared to admit.
"So why did you call us—of all people, ones you’re not even close to—to a place like this, Horikita? I can understand Ayanokouji, but there must be a reason you dragged me in too, right?"
"Hold on, I’m not exactly close to Ayanokouji either. I’d appreciate it if you got that right."
"Haah..."
At Horikita’s firm retort, Ayanokouji sighed quietly.
Oh, so that’s how it is?
"...I’m not here for idle chatter, so let’s get to the point. I wanted to discuss the upcoming midterm exam."
"You want to talk about that...? Judging by your grades, I can’t imagine you need any help."
"You really state the obvious, don’t you?"
I’d been testing her, and sure enough, she had memorized both mine and Ayanokouji’s scores. After all, aside from Horikita, only that insolent blond, Koenji, and the Yukimura I mentioned earlier had scored higher.
"The help I need isn’t for me—it’s for the troublemakers."
"You mean Sudo."
"Sharp as always, Ayanokouji."
Horikita nodded in confirmation to Ayanokouji’s reply.
Ah... I was beginning to see the picture. But still...
"Didn’t Yosuke mention he was forming a study group? I thought a few of the lower-scoring students were meant to join."
"But Sudo and the others outright refused to participate."
That was exactly what Ayanokouji said.
"...Sudo and the others? You mean Yamauchi and Ike?"
"Exactly. The three of them, including Sudo, boycotted the study group."
What on earth are those three idiots up to?
"What on earth are those three idiots up to?"
Oh—unfortunately, I said that out loud.
"I’m not entirely comfortable agreeing with you, but yes, that’s exactly it."
I felt an overwhelming urge to teach this girl some proper manners—preferably with my fists.
"...Do those guys seriously think that getting expelled is just a myth?"
"I don’t think they're that clueless."
I muttered, and Ayanokouji responded in kind.
"...So? Why did you call us here? Don’t tell me you summoned us because you want help getting those three back into the study group?"
"Exactly. I need your assistance."
"...Without any compensation?"
"If you don’t like it, you can walk out. I originally intended to ask only Ayanokouji anyway—in fact, he’s already been paid."
Paid...?
"You practically strong-armed me into accepting by promising to buy me a meal."
"Oh, come on—you already ate it, didn’t you?"
This girl was far more calculating than I’d assumed. And downright petty. Actually, scratch that—she’d always been this way.
"I’ll help too if you treat me to a meal. I’m a bit short on points right now."
Why was I the only one expected to work for free? That part really irked me.
"Then it’s settled."
Huh? She agreed that easily? Wait—don’t tell me...
"Horikita, were you planning to reel me in with promises of a meal if I asked for payment?"
"Who knows?"
I realized I’d need to adjust my mental picture of Horikita. This oddball was far more cunning than I’d expected.
That said, I had planned to let it slide anyway. Whether Ike and Yamauchi got expelled didn’t concern me much—but Sudo was different. The guy was surprisingly talented in sports.
In other words, he had value.
Of course, unless he reformed his personality, he’d end up being a double-edged sword… or rather, an axe that might one day cut my own foot.
Still, I’d been looking for an opportunity to get close to him, so if fate offered me a chance like this, I’d grudgingly be grateful.
I hated feeling used, but so be it.
I’d play along, Horikita.
On second thought—Sudo really did seem like the type who deserved to be expelled.
At Horikita’s suggestion, Ayanokouji and I tagged along as a sort of guard duty, and along with the three problem kids, we set up a small study group in Ayanokouji’s room. To be precise, it felt more like a class run by Horikita herself!
But barely an hour in, Sudo started complaining, and Horikita, refusing to back down, unleashed a barrage of sharp remarks that ignited his temper.
Sudo was prone to quick outbursts, and while Horikita wasn’t exactly gentle herself, the situation escalated when Sudo flipped a desk and stormed out with Ike and Yamauchi, effectively disbanding the study group in one day.
That was when I reached my conclusion.
It would be more beneficial to sacrifice a chunk of our sports potential than to try to fix a hopeless personality.
There were roughly two ways to change someone like that.
One: patiently persuade him and gradually reshape his character. That approach required genuine willpower and someone to watch over him closely. But neither Horikita nor I were cut out for that.
Two: beat the hell out of him until his personality is completely crushed.
In other words, force him to understand the hierarchy—sometimes a lesson is best taught with a few well-placed punches. Back in middle school, most of the punks I encountered shut up after taking a few hits. Isn’t that the way it goes?
Everyone’s got a temper. Until they’re hit.
...Wasn’t it something like that?
Anyway, after witnessing the mess unfold, I asked Horikita:
"What are you going to do, Horikita? Sudo and the others look downright furious."
"...What a foolish question. We just wasted time on something pointless."
"...What do you mean?"
"Perhaps it’s best to cut our losses now."
Wow, a full-on surrender after just one day.
"...Horikita."
At that, Kushida—the unexpected latecomer to our study group—spoke up in a plaintive voice.
Was she surprised by the sudden mention? I was, too. After all, the class’s perpetual mood-maker showing up here was something else.
Later, Ayanokouji explained that she had overheard him and Horikita talking somewhere and decided on her own to join.
She was full of enthusiasm in the strangest of places. People like that were truly something special.
"It’s too early to give up! I’ll persuade Sudo and bring him back!"
"Wow, you’re so relentlessly upbeat—it’s blinding!"
That remark must have struck a nerve with Horikita, because before long the two were arguing. More precisely, Horikita launched a one-sided verbal assault on Kushida.
Apparently, Kushida just wanted to be friends with Horikita.
Well, she was the sort of scatterbrained girl who declared she wanted to be friends with everyone at school, so I couldn’t say it was entirely unexpected. After all, she sometimes treated me like an angel.
As I watched their argument with detached indifference,
"How can you say something so cruel? I... I’m really hurt."
It was a line straight out of an anime, and with that, Kushida left in tears. Neither Ayanokouji, I, nor Horikita moved a muscle.
Soon after, Horikita also left, and I managed an awkward smile for Ayanokouji as I said goodbye and made my way back to my room.
What a disaster. A total disaster.
Horikita, Kushida, Sudo—each one of them seemed either scatterbrained or hopelessly idealistic.
They had no idea how to face reality. Instead of adapting to the real world, they tried to bend it to match their lofty ideals—as if that would actually change anything.
If you want to change reality, you have to muster the power to do it yourself. But from what I’d seen, no one in this class possessed that kind of talent.
Just ordinary high school kids. In fact, some were even below average.
"Is Class D really just a bunch of problem children? If so, I guess it makes sense why I’m here, too."
Left unchecked, Sudo and the others would undoubtedly get expelled. I couldn’t even imagine them managing to study on their own at home.
Yosuke already had his hands full, so he wouldn’t have time for them anyway.
In the end... aside from Horikita, there was no one else who could handle this mess.
"Annoying. Boring."
Ah, I was overthinking it.
Maybe I should go grab a drink.
With that thought, I stepped outside—and was met with an unexpected scene.
"The student council president, Horikita, and... Ayanokouji?"
What on earth was that lineup?
Great chapert ehhehehdhhhe