After all, she was still considered a friend of Horikita in the class. She had even given up teaming up with her best friend, Wang Miu, in the matching exam, and instead teamed up with Horikita Suzune.
So in the eyes of others, their relationship seemed quite good.
These days, there were rumors about Horikita Suzune, and it was indeed strange that she had not played a positive role.
So now, it was time to show her attitude.
However—
Little angel Kushida had just stood up to speak on her behalf, but then realized Horikita Suzune had spoken herself.
"Although I don't really want to mention it, there are girls in the class who have strong opinions about me," Horikita Suzune said.
Last night in her dormitory, Oreki and Ichinose had come again to discuss the details of how to respond, and then Horikita Suzune had opened her heart.
To be precise, she regained her composure after being comforted by Oreki.
After they left and she took a shower alone, she finally calmed down completely.
And this was what she said at the time:
"There are girls in the class who have problems with me."
"For example, those girls who had direct conflicts with me. And then there must also be some people who are simply unhappy with me."
Isn't she quite self-aware?
There were only twenty girls, and yet she managed to upset half of them. What kind of poor interpersonal relationship was that?
"These people, they're not a problem," Oreki had replied to her. "I'll arrange for someone else to handle it."
And now, sure enough, those girls had jumped out again.
They refused to let Hirata clear the ground for Horikita.
[As long as we control those few people, they are not very prominent to begin with. It's easy to control them, because rumors are still just rumors. Most people don't actually care that much, and once they stop spreading, their impact will be greatly reduced.
Right now, they're still spreading because no one has stopped them. So, what we need to do is create a way to make sure they can't spread anymore.]
That was what Oreki told her.
"In the end, we need to create a prohibitive environment. But how do we do that? There are still people who dislike me," Horikita had asked doubtfully.
And now, the time for revelation had come.
At this time, just shooting down the first bird would be enough.
Karuizawa Megumi, who was sitting at her seat playing with her phone, suddenly said, "Wow, so people really believe that kind of rumor—"
Her voice was casual, but the effect was immediate. Everyone else fell silent.
Because among the girls, Karuizawa held the position of a dominant figure.
As soon as she opened her mouth, the girl who had been about to quarrel with Horikita immediately lost her arrogance.
That girl was Yoshiko Itada, who had once been controlled by Ryuen and later betrayed Karuizawa.
And Karuizawa was already looking at the others with disdain.
was said that the student council president would inform Horikita about the content and direction of the exam, but I guess that's impossible.
Because there are two students from Class A in the student council. They're called Katsuragi and Kito."
"Are they cheating every time they take the exam? That's impossible.
If you could cheat just by joining the student council, then everyone would want to join. The student council of our school has its own ethics. And since they are part of it, doesn't that mean the president himself would also have it?"
Karuizawa said coldly, "If the student council president were my brother, then he definitely wouldn't tell me the answers.
Because he has to lead by example. And… he is actually the one being monitored the most. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. I don't believe a president like him would hand over the answers to his sister so easily."
"…"
"…"
"…"
Karuizawa's words went on for quite a while, but Yoshiko Itada, who had just been the one speaking, now felt embarrassed.
"T-That—" she stammered, unable to respond.
"Anyway, these are basic principles. It would be strange for someone to think of violating them."
At this point, Karuizawa's teammate, Sato, also stood up.
"I can't understand you," she said firmly.
After she finished speaking, there was a gap of more than ten seconds.
Because for some people in the class, it was difficult to understand—yet some people would still realize the truth.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been eleven students willing to pay money on the first day of school just to hear the information Oreki had to sell.
And Karuizawa continued:
"If you want to think about it the other way around, then if the student council president did have selfish motives, and you bullied his sister like this, aren't you worried that you haven't already been expelled?"
Karuizawa's tone turned sharp. "And did you think what Hirata said just now was wrong? Do you believe your judgment is clearer than Hirata's?"
"Okay, okay, please don't use that tone." Hirata hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Well, no, we don't really believe those rumors… right." The girl who had been criticized quickly backed down.
Then they whispered among themselves and stopped talking altogether.
Because Karuizawa had directly turned things around—forcing them to either confront Hirata or remain silent.
And Hirata was very popular in Class D. It was even said that to prevent conflicts among his classmates, he had resigned from the regular team of the football club. Who would dare to oppose him directly?
They had no intention of fighting against Hirata.
And it wasn't as though anyone had actually told them that if they offended Horikita Suzune, they would be expelled by the student council president. They just thought Horikita was disliked, so they had taken money to stir things up.
[Karuizawa and the others directly suppressed the girls who had surrounded Horikita yesterday.]
[By the way, is Karuizawa also someone you're supporting?] Haruka Hasebe asked. [I always thought she was too fierce.]
Oreki had an insider in Class D, and that person quickly passed the information along.
And soon, the news that Horikita Suzune had finally started to deal with the rumors spread to other classes.
The students who had spies in Class D were updated on the situation.
It was just that all of this had been achieved by letting others take action.
So what about Horikita Suzune herself?
Oreki sent her a message.
"Beep!"
Horikita's phone vibrated on the table, showing a blank message from Oreki.
But she understood it as a signal.
So Horikita Suzune stood up obediently. "Can I say a few words, Hirata?"
"What is it?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward her.
Horikita Suzune stood up, then bent down slightly.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh?!"
The apology surprised almost everyone who heard it.
Horikita Suzune—apologizing?
And for what reason?
"I said something inappropriate to you yesterday morning. I should have calmed down first," Horikita admitted.
She was referring to how, when she had stormed out of the classroom yesterday, she had shouted at several people. It hadn't seemed like much at the time, but others had surely been talking behind her back afterward.
"Huh—" The girl who had argued with Horikita hadn't expected her to apologize. But since everyone was watching, she reluctantly said, "Well… maybe we went too far as well."
It was like the two sides had reconciled.
"Well, well. Let's end it here," Hirata said, satisfied. For him, all that mattered was the harmony of the class.
But that wasn't the end.
"Also, can I say one more thing?" Horikita Suzune continued. "I'm not very good at getting along with others. But I really do like this class. That's why, whenever there's a written exam, I always join the study sessions. I want us to stay together for the full three years without losing anyone. So… will you move forward with me?"
"…"
The air seemed to freeze.
Almost no one could have imagined that someone as cold as Horikita could speak so humbly—and with such passion for the class.
Some of them began recalling what she had done along the way.
Even though she had scolded people during the study sessions, she had still taken the trouble to prepare questions for them. She had also been the first to notice Sudou's situation last semester, and had scolded everyone into pulling him back on track. Later, she had even invited Takahashi.
Although the class had ultimately failed, she had still put in the effort.
Wasn't that all proof of her love for the class?
Didn't she want the class to grow stronger?
It was as if the air itself had been drawn out of the room.
"Pah—— Pah——" Classmate Hasebe, stunned, was the first to start clapping.
The others paused for a moment, then followed. More and more joined in, applauding.
"Yes, let's unite and work hard together. I also hope that by the end of three years, not a single one of us will be missing!" Hirata Yosuke said.
And just like that, the topic shifted toward unity and love for the class.
In other words, no one was left to continue spreading the rumors.
And more importantly, most people now felt they needed to see Horikita Suzune in a new light. Some even wanted to get closer to her—perhaps even become friends.
"Cchhh—"
Kushida gripped her pen tightly until it nearly snapped.
At first, she had only been worried that Horikita might expose her recorder.
But now, she realized Horikita had stepped onto another level entirely—one she hadn't even considered.
Originally, Kushida thought Horikita might try to use her side to manipulate things, exposing her tactics as a mastermind. But what had actually happened was completely different.
Because—
She had never imagined Horikita Suzune could act this well.
Yes.
This was definitely acting.
Her words about loving the class, and wanting everyone to remain together for three years, were all fake.
Kushida knew this better than anyone—Horikita Suzune's real goal had always been to save up twenty million points and leave this worthless place.
So.
It was all just an act.
Simply to win everyone's approval.
Rumors only had power because the person being targeted didn't have a strong enough standing. But now, with Horikita putting on this performance, she had become a true companion. And who would dare slander their own companion?
And in that way, the whole matter had been resolved.
And because they were companions, no one could refuse her.
So, the class points would still go to her.
In other words, just acting was enough to settle it.
[Well done.]