Miyako didn't return to the dorm until the bakery had closed.
"I'm home~"
She always peeked in first before fully stepping inside.
The room was pitch black.
A glance at the clock told her it was almost eight.
'Was the study session really going to run this late?'
'How exhausting.'
She changed her shoes and headed to the living room, making a beeline for the fridge.
Just as she reached for the handle, she noticed a neatly handwritten note stuck to the door.
[No icy carbonated drinks after dark!]
[Room-temperature milk is in the cabinet, water's in the thermos, and don't you dare put ice in the milk! Dinner's in the pot. Go to bed early—no playing on your phone. If I come back and you're still awake, watch your behind!~]
It was even signed off with a little heart.
Huh.
"What's Suzune picked up now? Why's she so obsessed with spanking me, hm?~" she mumbled. "Dinner first—let's see what she made me."
It only just hit her that she hadn't eaten yet.
Though, to be honest, she wasn't all that hungry.
While she'd been baking cookies earlier, she'd taste-tested one to check the sweetness.
'Hey, not bad!'
So she had another.
By the time the first batch was done, she'd already eaten half of them herself. But still, if it was a meal Suzune made, she'd make sure to eat two big bowls no matter what.
She lifted the lid off the pot with eager hands.
Inside sat a large portion of vegetable salad, quiet and lonely.
"This has to be an illusion."
She shut the lid.
Then, with lightning speed, she whipped it open again.
The bowl of salad hadn't changed one bit.
"Boo… Why's it all veggies? I wanna eat meat…"
Carrying the salad over to the table, she finally spotted another note waiting there.
[No picky eating!]
Ugh, Suzune's so mean!
She was nibbling listlessly at the leaves, one chopstick-pinch at a time, when her phone buzzed with a message from Kushida.
"A text from Kikyō? What's she messaging about so late?"
She tapped to open it.
"Horikita's gotten into a conflict with a boy from our class in the library. Come quickly."
The message was abrupt and vague.
"Huh?" She blinked.
Why would Suzune get into a fight with a guy?
But judging by how brief Kushida's message was, it was easy to imagine things must be pretty serious.
She just hoped it hadn't turned physical.
Without even stopping to grab her jacket, Amane rushed out the door and headed straight for the library.
On the other end, Kushida looked down at her phone and saw the "read" receipt appear. A faint smile touched her lips.
This didn't escape the notice of Ayanokōji, who had been quietly observing her all along.
"Aren't you going to try and stop them, Kushida?" he asked, his tone casual.
"Ah, I'd like to, but… Horikita's words were just too harsh, don't you think? She even made comments about his family's upbringing. That's just going too far—it's so disrespectful."
For a split second, Kushida seemed flustered at being addressed, but she quickly shifted into a troubled expression.
"I guess you have a point," Ayanokōji replied.
"Are you planning to step in and mediate, Ayanokōji-kun?" Kushida turned her smiling inquiry toward him.
"Even though I don't think arguing solves anything, unfortunately, I'm not planning to intervene. Given my position, if I tried to mediate, it might just make things worse."
Kushida thought for a moment, then nodded, as if accepting his explanation.
The "idiot trio" were somewhat friends with Ayanokōji, and Horikita was also on relatively friendly terms with him.
But his connections to both sides weren't particularly strong.
In this kind of situation, no matter whom Ayanokōji supported, it would only upset the other side.
In other words, only she, Kushida Kikyō, was in a position to stop the quarrel.
Yet she had absolutely no intention of ending it. She wanted Amane to see this—to witness the harsh, cold-hearted Horikita Suzune in action.
'Now Amane will finally see this woman for who she really is, won't she?'
"If this is all you're capable of, I suggest you give up on your studies now. No—drop out entirely. Then abandon your dream of professional basketball, find some manual labor job, and live a hard, miserable life."
Horikita stood with her arms crossed, confronting Sudō.
It was her first time realizing that someone's academic ability could be this appallingly low.
Now she understood why Amane hadn't wanted to come.
This really was exhausting work.
"Fine by me! Studying only makes me miserable anyway. And I went to the trouble of taking time off from club activities too—what a waste of time," Sudō shot back as he began gathering his things, looking ready to leave.
"How laughable. Studying is inherently difficult. If you can't produce results as a student, how do you intend to prove your efforts? Through basketball? Don't make me laugh."
Horikita pressed on relentlessly.
Nearby, Kushida was almost unable to contain her smile.
She had successfully orchestrated this situation.
She'd used Horikita's pride to provoke Sudō and the other prideful boys, then fueled the argument to push Horikita into losing her temper—not only disrupting the study session but also possibly making Horikita say something extreme.
That way, she could use those words to stir up class opinion and ultimately isolate Horikita Suzune completely.
Maybe then she'd back down.
'You shouldn't have crossed me, Horikita Suzune.'
"Hey! That's going too far! Good grades aren't the only way to prove yourself!"
Ike, also part of the failing group, couldn't take it anymore and stood up to defend Sudō.
"Did I say anything incorrect? If studying were so easy, why are all of you here? If he were already a professional basketball player, I wouldn't say a word. But… he knows better than anyone how far he still is from that dream. As a student, your primary duty is to get your academics in order."
"For someone of his caliber, dropping out might actually be a relief."
Faced with Horikita's sarcastic remarks, Ike shot to his feet.
"I knew there was something off about you! Usually, you're only around Miyako, and you have no other friends. Yet you proposed this study group—now it seems like you just wanted to use our grades to humiliate us, didn't you? If you weren't a girl, I'd have already hit you!"
Hearing this, Horikita let out a cold laugh.
"You just lack the courage to hit me. Don't blame it on gender."
Her sharp retort only angered Ike more. He opened his mouth to throw out some dignified comeback, but when he met Horikita's unwavering gaze, his nerve faltered.
"Have you said enough?" Sudō's voice had turned icy.
Unlike Ike, Sudō had absolute confidence in his own strength.
He stared down at Horikita from his height, his eyes full of menace.
"Will anything I say improve your grades? If so, I don't mind offering more useful advice. But if my words have no effect, then even the truest wisdom is wasted on you."
Horikita's disdainful look was the last straw for Sudō.
"Go to hell!"
--+--
T/N: Sudo might be making the worst decision of his life rn
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.