If this were a class competition, it would make sense for her to target representatives from other classes.
However, Arisu has never been interested in class warfare, and Houtarou wanted her to get involved so he could shift the blame to her.
So the reason she's being so proactive this time is…
"Horikita has an enormous number of Points." Arisu said, "And she's also a member of the Student Council. The third-years will graduate in less than four months. That means the Student Council President will be leaving this school as well.
So, while the possibility isn't very high, there's a chance that the Student Council President might directly provide her with the 20 million Points she needs. In other words, Suzune Horikita might join Class A when the third-years graduate.
But this would mean climbing up from a lower class. She was initially placed in Class D by the school's standards. So would her promotion to Class A make her a liability for our class?
Thus, if she only receives resource Points from her brother, perhaps she isn't qualified to be a standard Class A student. But if she can pass this test... Then it proves she has what it takes."
This consideration seems quite mature. Her thinking is meticulous — turning this rumor incident into a trial for Suzune.
She's also considering the risk that someone promoted to a higher class might become a liability, which is an interesting idea.
Everyone wants to get into Class A, and to get promoted, you either rely on the class's strength or go solo. But is going solo really possible?
In the past, no one at this school has achieved it.
But now, this is about to change. Houtarou himself has a large amount of Points, so he can arrange for 1-2 students to transfer from other classes.
And Suzune has the opportunity to be handed a promotion because her brother is the formidable Student Council President.
So it's necessary to consider: after promotion, will these newly arrived students become a liability for Class A?
Think about it carefully. If people like Haruki or Kanji were sent to Class A, even Class A would have a headache.
They're currently more than a thousand Points ahead of other classes, but if these people came to Class A, that 1000-point lead could vanish in an instant.
So Arisu's consideration here is very necessary.
But Houtarou continued to look at her… pretty much staring…
Arisu: "…"
…
"Fine. I knew I couldn't deceive you." She avoided his gaze, "I recently received information from a source. They wanted me to help take down Honami Ichinose. And of course, I refused.
But I also predicted what strategy someone of their intelligence would use, and thought they would likely spread rumors. So I used Horikita's situation as a demonstration."
In other words, Arisu was warning Honami.
"Why would you do that?" Houtarou asked, "I thought you didn't consider Ichinose a friend?"
This refers to the holiday period, when he witnessed Arisu and Honami going out together several times.
To others, it looked like they were friends. But this princess unilaterally denied this.
So now she's looking out for Honami. This behavior seems...
But Arisu didn't answer immediately; instead, she looked at Houtarou.
"Well, Oreki-kun, what's your evaluation of Ichinose?"
My evaluation of Honami? I'd say she's an angel.
Houtarou has encountered two angels at school: Kikyō and Honami.
But in reality, Kikyō is a fake angel.
Nevertheless, it's undeniable. Even as a fake angel, she has helped many people and provided friendly care to many, while Honami is different from Kikyō — she's genuine through and through, but she's a pure-hearted person to a fault.
My evaluation of her is high.
But that's of her as an individual. As a class representative, she carries a great responsibility for Class B.
She has no offensive capability. Before being a class representative, she's an angel. Therefore, as long as she remains the class representative, Class B will never be able to advance to Class A.
Though it's cruel, if you want to gain Points and advance with such a large point gap, you can't succeed without learning to attack others.
And Honami has never fallen from grace.
"That person is an angel." Arisu said, "But she doesn't belong in this place. Deep inside, she carries something profound. If she can't break free from it, an endless abyss awaits her. During this holiday, I've repaid her kindness to me. How she proceeds from here is her own decision."
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After receiving this information, Houtarou returned to his dormitory and contacted Manabu before teleporting home to sleep.
"About these rumors. How would you resolve this situation?"
Arisu had used Suzune's rumor incident to warn Honami, which means the person who contacted the princess might also use rumors to attack the big angel.
How would a noble, upright honor student like Honami handle it?
During Suzune's rumor incident, Honami said something strange. She felt his solution was too harsh on the second-year students and others — as if it would hurt everyone.
If someone had to get hurt, she would prefer it be herself.
She also mentioned that if she were in the same situation as Suzune, she would probably choose… Though she didn't finish her sentence, it was clear she would take a rather passive approach.
Considering this, Houtarou consulted another straightforward person: Manabu.
[Rumors?]
Manabu was probably working on documents; while talking with Houtarou, you could hear his pen scratching against paper. His reply came through quickly:
[If they're just rumors without any action taken, I wouldn't address them. People can face difficulties or false accusations at various times, but what's truly important is the heart; if your heart is strong enough, you fear nothing.
Also, I'll be leaving school tomorrow. The third-years have a special exam this month.]
In other words, when faced with attacks, he would confront them directly and adopt a "time reveals the truth" approach.
However, when attacked, Manabu would also take action.
What about Honami? She might also respond when she discovers she's being attacked.
But based on the information received, Houtarou could predict that her response would likely be just one thing.
Once attacked, the only thing she would do is… most likely voluntarily withdraw from school.
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"So, you want me to follow Honami Ichinose for a while?"
A tall girl with long purple hair, whose bangs had grown longer and who now wore four hairpins instead of the initial two, responded to him.
"Pretty much." Houtarou said, "If Sakayanagi is warning her, it means someone wants to target her. And once attacked, Ichinose will probably choose to withdraw. Though it's somewhat cruel, I'm sorry, but with her in Class B, that class cannot climb up. It's a convenient situation for Class A."
Oh. I see.
So that's how you view Honami, thinking she's holding Class B back.
Wait a minute! Is she really going to withdraw? Why didn't I know about this?
The school finally has one genuinely noble angel, and she's going to leave?
Masumi thought about this and then nodded.
"I understand. I'll follow her these next few days. Then..."
But Houtarou didn't let her leave. He grabbed her wrist and looked into her eyes.
"Kamuro... What's your weakness?"
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