"What on earth did you say to my brother?!"
The next morning, as soon as Shikime Natsu went downstairs, he saw Horikita Suzune, who looked to be in a very bad mood. Her cold eyes were staring straight at him.
From the looks of it, Horikita Suzune had been waiting for him downstairs since early in the morning. Her perseverance was truly admirable.
At least, Shikime Natsu wouldn't wait downstairs for someone so early. If you asked him, this kind of thing could be handled over the phone. It wasn't the stone age, after all, but Shikime Natsu hadn't received any messages from Horikita Suzune last night.
This girl didn't even think to send him a single message, and just waited dryly downstairs? She was kind of foolishly cute.
"I didn't say anything. Just that your brother asked me to properly educate his good-for-nothing little sister."
Shikime Natsu nodded, as if he had taken on a rather significant responsibility.
"I don't need it!"
A trace of anger was mixed into Horikita Suzune's tone. In her eyes, this guy must have been whispering in her brother's ear. Otherwise, her brother would never agree to such a thing.
Even if she was trash in her brother's eyes, in her own view, aside from her brother, she treated everyone else in this school basically the same.
Horikita Suzune couldn't understand. Whether in academics or physical fitness, she could be considered quite outstanding among the girls. Why did her brother still not approve of her? Instead, he approved of this annoying guy.
This guy had taken a total of sixty-one thousand personal points from her. It was truly terrifying!
"So, you're not going to listen to your brother, little sister?"
Shikime Natsu looked completely nonchalant.
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words, Horikita Suzune was at a loss for words. She had always hoped for her brother's approval, to follow in his footsteps, so... would she disobey her brother's words?
Hmm, of course not, but... what could the guy in front of her possibly help her with? At most, he was just a smooth talker.
"Do you know what your brother said?"
Shikime Natsu stepped forward, ignoring Horikita Suzune who had fallen behind. He knew that as long as he mentioned Horikita Manabu, Horikita Suzune would follow.
Sure enough, Horikita Suzune followed. Tsk, what a detestable brother-con. Shikime Natsu didn't like it at all. If she was going to be obsessed with someone, it should be him. This needed to change.
"What did my brother say to you?"
Horikita Suzune's words were still quite cold.
"That's paid content."
Shikime Natsu smiled at Horikita Suzune. Elsewhere, that smile would probably make thousands of girls faint, but in Horikita Suzune's eyes, she wished she could beat the guy in front of her senseless. He was really pushing his luck.
Why not just charge her for looking at him? How could such a shameless person exist?
"Forget it, I can see you don't have many points left, so I'll give it to you for free. Just remember to keep doing business with me when you have money in the future."
Shikime Natsu laughed it off as if it were a joke. If Horikita Manabu knew he was constantly taking money from his sister's pocket, he'd probably make things difficult for him, right?
No, wait. He hadn't joined the Student Council. Even if someone was going to be given a hard time, it would be Katsuragi Kouhei.
Such utterly shameless words. Should I be thanking you?
Horikita Suzune didn't speak, just continued to look at Shikime Natsu with incredibly cold eyes. This guy really did talk a lot of nonsense.
"Good morning, Horikita."
"G-Good morning."
She thought Shikime Natsu was about to tell her what his brother had said, but he greeted her instead? Could this guy's actions be any more illogical?
Of course, she had to reply. Otherwise, this guy... Horikita Suzune thought of something unpleasant.
"Your brother said that choosing this school was your mistake, because from beginning to end, you haven't noticed your own shortcomings and lack independent growth."
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words, Horikita Suzune's brow furrowed even deeper. What shortcomings did she have?
Whether it was studying or sports, she was at a top-tier level. And independent growth? She had been alone since kindergarten. Wasn't that independent enough?
"What does that mean?"
Horikita Suzune could never understand. Her brother's words were always so complicated. She couldn't comprehend them, so she turned her gaze to Shikime Natsu. Since her brother had said this to him, he must know something.
"Hmm? You don't even know this?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Horikita Suzune in surprise, but this was quite normal. If Horikita Suzune really knew, she probably wouldn't be acting this way... Hmm, I should put a question mark on that. After all, knowing and changing are two different things.
"Do you know your shortcomings, then?"
Horikita Suzune's clear eyes stared straight at Shikime Natsu, not flinching even when their gazes met.
"Of course I do. My shortcoming is that I'm not perfect enough."
Shikime Natsu nodded. Especially the path of collecting CGs, which was incredibly difficult. This cheat ability didn't even give him any hints, so he had no choice but to figure it out himself.
"By your logic, my shortcoming is also not being perfect enough. Besides my brother, who is perfect?"
Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and looked at Shikime Natsu coldly. This guy was spouting nonsense again.
"How do you understand the difference between aloofness and loneliness?"
Shikime Natsu ignored Horikita Suzune and continued speaking. To be honest, it was quite easy to just read the lines Horikita Manabu gave him, but that guy had only given him two sentences. He had to rely on himself for the rest.
"Are you trying to say my approach is wrong? Are you negating my entire experience?"
For some reason, Horikita Suzune seemed to have a sudden epiphany, instantly understanding what Shikime Natsu was alluding to. It was nothing more than what she said yesterday, that she had been alone since kindergarten. This behavior wasn't the aloofness her brother spoke of, but loneliness.
"No, it's not me negating you, it's your brother."
Shikime Natsu shook his head.
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words, Horikita Suzune was completely shaken. If Shikime Natsu had said this to her, she would have argued her case, but if it was her brother who said it, then it was different.
Of course, different was different, but Horikita Suzune still couldn't understand. She had clearly been working hard to be more like her brother, so why couldn't he approve of her?
"Horikita, you were there when we went to the Student Council, right?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Horikita Suzune's somewhat melancholic expression and continued to speak.
"So... did you notice anything different?"
"Your brother has a reliable secretary by his side, one he can even communicate with using just his eyes. Do you have that?"
"The work of the Student Council is group work. A single person cannot do everything well. Look at who's by your side. Is there anyone? Your brother is never short of supporters, but what about you?"
"Aloofness and loneliness have never been the same thing."
Shikime Natsu continued to use the power of words to shake Horikita Suzune.
"This…"
These words were probably difficult for Horikita Suzune to accept for a while.
"So, getting along with people is a required course for you. Don't worry, since I've accepted the request, I'll naturally help you. At this school, you're currently more familiar with me, right?"
Shikime Natsu looked at Horikita Suzune.
Although she didn't want to admit it, that was the truth. In the current Class D, she was all alone. As for Kushida Kikyou... Horikita Suzune nodded.
"Alright then. Wait for me downstairs at the dorm after school. I'll come over then. We'll start by practicing being friends with me."
Having reached the academic area, Shikime Natsu quickly headed toward Class A.
___
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