After receiving the order, Kikyō nervously approached from a distance.
She clearly understood she was coming to take the blame, so she employed her acting skills.
"Thank goodness." She said, lightly pressing her hand against her chest, "Horikita, I thought you might have run off somewhere else. What's being spread in class is definitely just a rumor. Let's go back together and explain to everyone, then make up with them, okay?"
Kikyō, presenting herself like a little angel who treated everyone equally, quickly assumed the role of mediator when Suzune faced these rumors.
Judging solely on her apparent care for friends, she seemed to be doing very well.
But in Suzune's view, Kikyō definitely had ulterior motives.
Her words were poisonous. What exactly did she want Suzune to explain? Was she asking her to confirm the rumor and admit she was indeed the Student Council President's sister?
Once a rumor begins circulating, the person at its center is rarely believed, no matter what they say.
Similarly, even if Suzune returned and denied everything, others would simply think she was refusing to admit the truth.
"..." Suzune remained silent, just staring at Kikyō.
Silent staring can feel quite eerie.
"Horikita?" Kikyō appeared uncomfortable under the intense gaze.
If this was also acting, it was truly impressive.
"Please tell Chabashira-sensei that I'm taking the day off." Suzune finally responded.
She directed this at Kikyō, then looked toward Houtarou.
"I can't fully control myself right now. I need to calm down."
In other words, she needed to remove herself from the current environment — a good plan.
After saying this, she shrank her body slightly and headed toward the dormitory, leaving Kikyō behind, completely ignoring her.
This was quite different from her past attitude, when she had extended a hand of friendly cooperation and non-interference to Kikyō, despite knowing she was a traitor.
Now Suzune was ice-cold, treating her almost as an enemy.
She had taken to heart what Houtarou said about Kikyō spreading the rumors. This little devil was definitely an enemy — someone who had schemed against her.
But understanding doesn't mean acceptance. She felt particularly defeated, which is why she wanted to skip class and return to the dormitory. She needed time to herself.
In her current state, she could neither attend class nor comfortably converse with her classmates. She simply couldn't calm down.
So Suzune chose to leave.
"..." Kikyō's smile froze on her face.
Although she was mentally prepared, seeing Suzune leave so coldly still caught her off guard.
"That's why I hate her, she doesn't understand basic social graces at all." Kikyō's attitude had soured quickly.
"That's enough." Houtarou said, "Now she firmly believes you're the mastermind behind this."
Kikyō: "..."
"So when are you going to clear my name?" She immediately asked.
"After some time..." Houtarou said, "For the next few days, help me excuse Horikita from Chabashira-sensei's class. Whether she comes to school or not is up to her. I plan to let this rumor continue spreading. I'm not planning to resolve this matter immediately."
Kikyō: "..."
???
"You're very strange!" Kikyō said.
As someone with many friends, she often handled various personal issues like Yōsuke's, gaining goodwill and being seen as reliable. Throughout these experiences, she had dealt with rumors several times.
But there had never been a case where someone deliberately allowed a rumor to continue spreading.
"Look at the rumor yourself. The core of it is that Horikita is Manabu's sister, right? This is true. Manabu only has one more semester until graduation, and he will definitely graduate as an A-Class student — an excellent graduate.
But Horikita will remain at school, gaining the identity of 'former Student Council President's sister.' You know she's collecting Points to transfer on her own, right? Your class is so terrible that anyone with sense wants to leave. In this situation, she collected 20 million Points to fly to A-Class.
Isn't that reasonable? After all, she is the Student Council President's sister. Your classmates may be idiots, but other classes and grades are different. They will grasp the true part of this rumor."
Oh. I see.
This way, even if Suzune flies to A-Class, it would be justified.
She wouldn't be ostracized for transferring to another class; instead, she would be seen as an asset. So even if she transfers, her treatment in the new class would still be quite good.
Rather than being unable to integrate or being treated as a sacrifice for the next exam's expulsion.
Kikyō: "..."
So, is this rumor actually beneficial for Suzune?
Damn!
"And stop looking so stern." Houtarou said as he checked the time on his phone.
There wasn't much lunch break left. Since he hadn't taken a day off, he needed to return to class.
"You actually compromised because you got scared, right?" Houtarou said. "At first, you weren't entirely sure if Horikita was the Student Council President's sister, but after seeing how vulnerable she was to this rumor, you basically confirmed that she is indeed Manabu's sister.
So you realized that if you targeted Horikita again, you'd face pressure from Manabu. In other words, you were afraid of his retaliation. You've already chickened out, right?"
Damn!
Since you already know this embarrassing fact, and there are only the two of us here, couldn't you just keep it to yourself?
Even though there were still a few minutes left in the lunch break, Kikyō felt she needed to find a place without cameras to vent her frustration.
Since everyone saw her chasing after Suzune, returning a bit late would be understandable.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
"So, Oreki-kun, aren't you usually on good terms with Horikita-san? Why are you taking such a hands-off approach this time?"
At the end of the afternoon lessons, the silver-haired girl sitting next to Houtarou struck up a conversation. This was Arisu.
From after lunch until now, there had been enough time for everyone to get information from C-Class and generate rumors. She was now aware of what had happened to Suzune in C-Class.
The revelation of the sibling relationship between her and Student Council President Manabu. And the reaction it caused.
She also noticed that after returning to the classroom, Houtarou hadn't given any instructions — which meant the rumor was still spreading.
"I told her to go back and rest." Houtarou said, "She'll be taking a few days off. The rumor will probably spread more intensely."
"..." Arisu paused, "Oh. It seems Oreki-kun wants to use her as a chess piece. Are you interested in the Student Council President position?"
Hmm. That's very Arisu-like.
From Houtarou's hands-off attitude, she immediately sensed what the outcome would be if the rumor continued to spread.
As long as the Student Council President doesn't deny it. Or rather, Manabu would never deny it. After all, Suzune is indeed his sister, so why would he deny such a thing?
So in the end, by first letting the rumor spread and then leveraging Manabu's non-denial, this would confirm the matter.
All the students in the school would know that his sister was also studying at this school, in the first year.
It was now the second semester, so Manabu only had a few months until graduation. He would also give a speech.
During his tenure as Student Council President, a considerable number of students had come to admire him. The next person who wanted to become Student Council President could easily get votes from many of Manabu's original supporters by bringing Suzune into the Student Council.
The Student Council President election only had two conditions: First, a recommendation from the current Student Council President to grant eligibility. Second, votes from all students in the school, including first, second, and third-year students.
Therefore, one could secure most of the third-year votes and some second-year votes if Miyabi didn't interfere.
This was a cheap yet effective vote-gathering tactic. No wonder Arisu thought this way.
However...
"I have no interest in the Student Council President position." Houtarou said, "I've observed President Manabu's work routine — there's a lot to do every day, and he doesn't even get weekends off. Once you become Student Council President, your personal time drastically decreases.
The school gives students maximum authority, but as the top student, the Student Council President's workload is also at maximum! But if Arisu is willing to take over the class, I'll happily campaign for you."
Arisu: "..."
She pouted.
Knowing that Manabu's work is so exhausting, and you still want to make her work that hard?
So Arisu decided not to speak to Houtarou for the rest of the day.
⍟⍟⍟
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