Last night in her dormitory, Houtarou and Honami visited again to discuss their countermeasure details, and Suzune opened up to them.
More precisely, after being comforted by Houtarou, she regained her composure.
After they left for class, Suzune took a shower. This finally calmed her down completely.
During their conversation, she had shared her thoughts with Houtarou.
"There are girls in the class who have issues with me. Like those who directly confronted me, and there must be others who don't like me."
Isn't she quite self-aware?
There are only twenty girls in the class, and she's on bad terms with half of them — how terrible must her interpersonal relationships be?
"These people aren't a problem." Houtarou replied, "I'll arrange for others to handle them."
And now, these girls have emerged again.
They refuse to let Yōsuke defend Suzune.
"We just need to control those few people. They're not particularly prominent figures, and controlling them is straightforward because rumors are just rumors. Most people don't actually care that much, and as rumors spread, their credibility diminishes significantly. They're still spreading rumors now because no one is stopping them, so we just need to create a way to prohibit them from spreading the rumors."
That's what Houtarou told her.
"But how do we create an environment that prohibits it? There are still people who dislike me." Suzune had wondered at that time.
And now is the time for revelation.
In this kind of situation, you just need to shoot the bird that sticks its head out.
Kei, who was sitting at her desk playing with her phone, suddenly spoke up, "Wow, seriously? People actually believe those rumors…"
Though it was just a casual remark, it made everyone else quiet down. As the dominant girl among the female students, her opinion carried weight.
The girls who were about to attack Suzune immediately lost their momentum at Kei's words.
Among them was Kayoko Ishikura, who had previously been controlled by Kakeru and had betrayed Kei.
Kei scanned the room with a disdainful gaze.
"They say the Student Council President would tell Horikita-san about the exam content and direction, but that's obviously impossible, right? There are also two Class A students in the Student Council — Kōhei Katsuragi and Hayato Kitō.
Are they also cheating in every exam? That's impossible, right?
If joining the Student Council meant you could cheat, everyone would want to join. Our school's Student Council would have at least this much integrity. And if regular members have integrity, wouldn't the President have even more?
If the Student Council President were my brother, he definitely wouldn't tell me the answers. He has to lead by example, and he's actually the most monitored person. With greater power comes greater responsibility. I don't think a Student Council President would risk giving answers to his sister."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Kei's speech left Kayoko, who had just spoken up, feeling embarrassed and speechless.
"Anyway, these are basic principles, right? It's strange for people to even consider violating them." Maya said, Kei's teammate, as she stood up, "I can't understand you all."
After she finished speaking, a ten-second silence followed.
While some students had difficulty grasping the situation, others clearly understood these principles.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been 11 students willing to pay money on the first day of school to listen to information sold by Houtarou.
Then Kei continued, "Let's look at this another way. If the Student Council President actually had ulterior motives, and you're bullying his sister like this — are you eager to get expelled?"
Kei's tone turned aggressive.
"And do you really think Hirata is wrong? Is your reasoning somehow clearer than his?"
"Please, let's calm down." Yōsuke quickly stepped in to mediate.
"No, we don't actually believe those rumors... right?" The girl being confronted immediately sought an escape.
They whispered among themselves briefly before falling silent.
Kei had cleverly reframed the situation — making it appear as if these girls were attacking Yōsuke instead of Suzune.
His popularity in Class D was considerable; rumor had it that he even resigned from his position as a regular player in the soccer club to prevent conflicts among classmates. Who would dare confront him directly?
They never intended to challenge Yōsuke.
No one had warned them that offending Suzune might lead to expulsion by the Student Council President. They simply disliked her and were being paid to cause trouble.
| Haruka Hasebe |
| Karuizawa and her group directly suppressed those girls who surrounded Horikita yesterday. |
| By the way, is she also on your payroll? |
| She seems really impressive. |
Houtarou's insider in Class D quickly relayed this information to him.
The news about Suzune finally addressing the rumors spread to other classes as well. Students with spies in Class D all received updates on the situation.
But all of this was merely others helping out on her behalf.
But what about Suzune herself?
Houtarou sent a message.
Beep!
Suzune's phone vibrated once on her desk. She saw it was from him.
The message was blank — a signal she understood perfectly.
Taking her cue, Suzune rose from her seat, "Hirata, may I say something?"
"What is it?"
Everyone turned to look.
Suzune stood tall, then bowed slightly, "I'm sorry."
"Eh!"
Her apology caught everyone by surprise.
Someone like Suzune apologizing? And for what?
"Yesterday morning I said some harsh things to all of you. I should have controlled myself better." She explained.
She was referring to when she had lashed out before running out of the classroom yesterday. Though it hadn't seemed significant at the time, her classmates must have discussed it after she left.
"Eh—" The girl who had confronted Suzune was caught off guard. With all eyes now on her, she reluctantly admitted, "Well... I suppose we went too far as well."
It resembled a mutual reconciliation.
"Good. That settles it." said Yōsuke, clearly satisfied with the resolution. Class harmony was his primary concern.
But Suzune wasn't finished.
"May I add one more thing?" She continued, "I struggle with personal relationships, but I truly care about this class. That's why I participate in study sessions before every exam — because I hope we can all spend these three years together without losing anyone. So, will you move forward with me?"
The entire classroom fell silent, including the teacher.
The air seemed to freeze.
No one could have imagined that someone as cold as Suzune would display such humility and devotion to the class.
Classmates began recalling everything she had done for them.
Though she was strict during study sessions, she had tirelessly created practice problems, noticed Ken's situation last semester, taught everyone an important lesson, helped bring him back, and then invited Rokusuke.
Even though the class ultimately failed, they had made a lasting impression.
Weren't these all demonstrations of her commitment to the class? Clear signs that she wanted everyone to improve?
The tension in the room was palpable.
Clap—Clap—
A stunned Haruka was the first to begin applauding softly.
After a moment's hesitation, others joined in, with more and more students adding their applause.
"That's right, let's all work together! I also hope that when these three years end, not a single one of us will be missing!" Yōsuke exclaimed.
Just like that, the conversation shifted to class unity.
The rumors were forgotten as most students felt compelled to reconsider their impression of Suzune.
Several classmates even wanted to approach her and become friends.
Click-Click—
Kikyō fidgeted with her pen, trying to suppress her emotions, but couldn't break it.
Initially, she had only worried about Suzune targeting her and exposing her voice recorder. Now, she realized her "opponent" had advanced to a level she hadn't anticipated.
She had expected Suzune might expose her as the mastermind, but this was completely different.
She never — not once — expected that Suzune would be such a skilled actor. Yes. This was definitely acting. All that talk about loving the class and everyone helping each other for three years — it was all fake.
Because she had always known that Suzune was always thinking about saving up 20 million Points to leave this trash heap of a place.
This was all an act. Suzune simply needed to gain others' approval, as rumors typically spread when someone's social status is too low to defend against slander.
By performing this act, Suzune transformed herself into a "comrade" — and who would speak ill of a comrade?
Through this clever approach, she directly resolved the issue. Now that she was considered a comrade, no one would dare go back on their word. As a result, the points would remain concentrated in her hands.
With just a bit of acting, she had completely turned the situation around.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
| Houtarou Oreki |
| Well done. |
Houtarou sent another message to Suzune, this time with actual content instead of a blank signal.
He sent it after receiving Haruka's report.
"It seems our class will be welcoming a new student in the near future." Arisu, who sat beside him, suddenly remarked.
Though their desks were close, she didn't peek at Houtarou's phone today. Instead, she had received updates about Class D's situation from her own spy.
Arisu easily deduced that Suzune would definitely leave Class D. As soon as she collected 20 million Points, she would certainly depart.
This situation was truly serious.
The problem wasn't just the rumor itself. Despite Suzune being cold and solitary, she had done considerable work for her class. Yet her classmates — who should have been the least likely to believe such rumors — accepted them without question.
According to available information, Class A didn't discuss this matter at all, and only a few people in Class B mentioned it. This indicated that most students could recognize that the idea of the Student Council President leaking exam questions to his sister was obviously false.
If anything, they considered the potential value of Suzune being the Student Council President's sister. They wouldn't engage in such petty discussions. But as classmates, the first-year Class D actually confronted her directly, which was truly remarkable.
Not only did they lack the ability to discern the truth of rumors, but they also revealed their worthless character.
There was no doubt that this class remained trash. Anyone with common sense would recognize this environment could no longer accommodate Suzune.
This rumor had effectively severed Suzune's sense of belonging to Class D. They had completely alienated her.
Meanwhile, Arisu eagerly anticipated meeting Suzune properly.
If Suzune transferred to Class A, Arisu planned to place her at the desk behind her own — Masumi's current spot.
Beep!
Just then, Houtarou received a message from Kikyō.
⍟⍟⍟
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