Class D. After school, the classroom was as noisy as ever.
Horikita Suzune sat at her desk and let out a small sigh. She paid no attention to the racket around her, keeping her focus on the exam draft spread out in front of her, her mechanical pencil racing through calculations on the scratch paper.
This time, the exam pitted Class D against Class C.
As for who would write the questions... that job had gone to Horikita Suzune.
Normally, Kushida Kikyou would never hand such an important task to anyone else. After all, it was a perfect chance to win people over and build up her own authority.
This time, though, Kushida Kikyou had given up the position herself, saying that "Horikita-san's grades are better, so her questions will be more rigorous, and that's better for everyone." Horikita Suzune knew that woman was working some angle again.
Even so... she didn't care.
Since the work of writing the questions had been handed to her, all she needed to do was do it properly.
Thinking that, Horikita Suzune let her eyes travel back down the page.
Compared to what it had been before, Class D had changed beyond recognition.
With Yamauchi Haruki, Sudou Ken, Ike Kanji and Sotomura Hideo gone...
the number of students failing in Class D had dropped to almost nothing. Of course, since those four had been forcibly expelled, Class D's Class Points had already been reduced to zero.
That wasn't entirely without its benefits, though. At the very least, the general atmosphere of the class had improved a great deal without them, and no one had to worry about an exam dropping their Class Points to zero anymore. They were already at zero.
What Class D had to worry about now was whether anyone else would fail and be expelled. At that thought, Horikita Suzune's gaze drifted to the other side of the room.
On the girls' side sat Karuizawa Kei, whose grades had been rather poor at the start of the year. Now... Karuizawa Kei's scores sat comfortably in the upper half of the class.
Back when they had first enrolled, her results had been abysmal — she'd been among the bottom of Class D.
But the girl now wasn't just doing better academically. Something about her whole presence had changed.
Mm... and there was one more genuinely astonishing thing: Karuizawa Kei's gyaru trio had all somehow ended up as part of Shikime Natsu's harem. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
The other boys with shaky grades had been left in the hands of Hirata Yousuke and Yukimura Teruhiko.
These days, Class D's public face as its leader was Kushida Kikyou. Most of the class accepted that without question.
Kushida Kikyou's popularity in Class D had always been high, after all. Boys and girls alike had an excellent impression of her.
She always wore a gentle smile, spoke softly, and treated everyone kindly.
And whenever someone needed to step forward, she stepped forward without hesitation and shouldered the responsibility of leading.
On the surface, at least. And Kushida Kikyou herself thoroughly enjoyed that atmosphere — being surrounded, being trusted, being relied upon. It made her feel indispensable, the core of the class, the "angel" in everyone's eyes.
"Um..."
Right at that moment Kushida Kikyou stood up, that gentle smile on her face, and addressed the classmates who hadn't left yet.
"I hope everyone will take this exam seriously. I want all of us to graduate from here together, three years from now."
More than a few of the Class D students nodded, moved, and voiced their determination to work hard.
"Kushida-san's right! We can't lose anyone else!"
"Yeah! Let's all do our best!"
"Don't worry, Kushida-san, we'll put in the effort!"
Looking at all those faces brimming with motivation, Kushida Kikyou nodded in satisfaction, her smile growing brighter still.
"Mm! Let's all do our best!"
Watching the scene, something complicated flickered through Horikita Suzune's wine-red eyes.
Kushida Kikyou... truly was a formidable woman. When it came to winning people over, at least, Horikita Suzune knew she wasn't even close.
The Horikita Suzune of today no longer judged a person solely by grades and physical ability.
She turned her attention back to the draft in front of her. She still had a whole paper to finish.
And then a bright, cheerful voice rang out beside her.
"Suzune~"
Horikita Suzune raised her head, and there was Sakura Airi's small face, lit up with a radiant smile.
Her long pink hair had been tied into a side ponytail today, draped over one shoulder, which made her look especially cute.
"What is it?"
Horikita Suzune looked at her and asked.
Sakura Airi leaned in a little, a hint of laughter in those deep blue eyes as she asked softly.
"Suzune, your question-writing plan for today... do you want some help?"
"Help?"
Horikita Suzune blinked, caught off guard, and looked at her.
"Mhm!"
Sakura Airi nodded, then went on.
"And once we're done, if you don't mind... how about you come along with me and Haruka today?"
Horikita Suzune was quiet for a moment. She lifted her eyes to Sakura Airi, then glanced at the blue figure standing a short distance away.
Hasebe Haruka was leaning against the window, her smooth blue hair spilling down her back, fingers idly curling a strand of it, looking thoroughly bored.
Sensing Horikita Suzune's gaze, she turned her head slightly and gave a small nod in greeting.
Horikita Suzune drew her eyes back to Sakura Airi. Then she nodded, just faintly.
"Then... I'll be counting on you."
"It's no trouble at all!"
Sakura Airi waved her hands quickly, her smile widening.
"Being able to help you makes me happy too, Suzune!"
"Because... we're friends, right?"
That word — friends — sent a quiet warmth spreading through Horikita Suzune.
Friends...
A few months ago, the word had been foreign to her. Irrelevant.
She had even seen it as a burden. A waste of time.
But now... it was different.
Listening to Sakura Airi, Horikita Suzune found herself remembering what Shikime Natsu had demanded of her — that she force herself to make friends.
And yet... now that she had actually succeeded in making them, Horikita Suzune thought it wasn't so bad after all.
Whether it was Sakura Airi, Mei-Yu Wang, or... becoming friends with Shikime Natsu himself.
All of it left her with a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
Especially back on the Deserted Island... Shikime Natsu had helped her there. Without him, she would almost certainly have been shipped back to the cruise ship.
And if that had happened, Class D would have lost another 30 Class Points.
Class D's Class Points were already zero now, and no amount of deductions could push them into the negatives...
But... that was different.
If she had dropped out of the exam because of her own body, it would have meant she was the one dragging the class down.
For Horikita Suzune — who had always intended to lead Class D up to Class A, to prove she wasn't worthless — that was unacceptable.
So... toward Shikime Natsu, she did feel a certain amount of gratitude. Without his help, she really might have become the class's sinner.
Even if... whether or not she'd added to Class D's troubles, the outcome for the class today would have been exactly the same.
After all, the expulsions of Yamauchi Haruki and the others had wiped Class D's Class Points straight down to zero.
The thought left a bitter taste in her.
She had wanted to lead Class D up to Class A and prove to her brother that she wasn't worthless.
That plan... had already failed.
Given Class D's current state, climbing to Class A was nothing but a pipe dream.
Unless... some kind of miracle happened.
But Horikita Suzune had never believed in miracles. She believed only in her own effort — and yet there were things effort alone could never accomplish.
Just as the disappointment settled over her, words Shikime Natsu had once said surfaced in her mind.
"If you can't prove yourself through the class competition, then improve yourself as an individual."
"Staying at this school and becoming better is a form of progress too."
"There's no need to tie your own worth to whether the class wins or loses."
At the time she'd heard it, Horikita Suzune had thought that was exactly what she'd been doing all along.
Though she understood, too, that what Shikime Natsu meant was development across the board — not the narrow, self-absorbed version she had been practicing.
"Is it really all right to keep Hasebe-san waiting?"
Horikita Suzune asked. The three of them might be spending the evening together, but she and Sakura Airi still had a test to write.
"Relax, it's fine."
As she spoke, Sakura Airi picked up a pencil, jotted several problems down on a nearby sheet of scratch paper, and asked Horikita Suzune what she thought. Horikita Suzune stared at her, barely able to believe it.
"This is..."
"I thought about it a bit on my way home too. I don't know if you'd be willing to use them, Suzune?"
Sakura Airi smiled as she looked at her.
"Mm. That's a huge help. With these, today's work is finished."
Horikita Suzune gave a small nod. She had to admit it — Sakura Airi joining in had dragged the whole process straight to the finish line.
"Mm, in that case, let's go."
Sakura Airi nodded, then turned and waved toward Hasebe Haruka.
"Haruka! Over here!"
Hearing her name, Hasebe Haruka let go of the strand of hair she'd been twisting and walked over.
Only once she was close did Horikita Suzune really register the visual impact of the two of them standing side by side.
Sakura Airi went without saying — long pink hair, a delicate little face, a sweetness about her that made her look like a girl who had stepped out of a painting.
Hasebe Haruka, on the other hand... was beautiful in an entirely different register.
Her long blue hair fell smooth and glossy, catching a faint sheen in the light of the setting sun. Her features were finely cut, the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, lending her a natural air of languor and cool allure.
And the thing that drew the eye most... was a figure that lost to no one.
Even the loose school uniform couldn't disguise the startling curve of her chest, full enough to leave most girls feeling inadequate at a single glance.
Her skin was fair, her posture easy and unselfconscious. Standing there beside Sakura Airi, the two of them made a striking picture.
Where three people walk together, one of them is bound to stand out — and here, the one standing out was Horikita Suzune.
After all, two of them were big, and she was the small one.
Mm... Horikita Suzune wasn't a shallow person, so of course she didn't care about that sort of thing.
The three of them left the school building and headed toward Keyaki Mall.
Along the way, Sakura Airi walked in the middle, Horikita Suzune on her left, Hasebe Haruka on her right.
"By the way..."
Sakura Airi spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Suzune, Haruka, have either of you been in touch with Natsu lately?"
At the name, Horikita Suzune paused for half a beat.
"No."
She shook her head and answered honestly. She and Shikime Natsu might be friends now, but unless there was a reason for it, she wasn't going to contact him first.
"I see..."
Sakura Airi nodded, then let out a small sigh.
"There are more and more girls around Natsu these days. It's getting kind of hard to even get time with him..."
There was a note of helplessness in her voice, and a note of pouting.
"He used to say yes whenever I asked..."
Now she had to book him several days in advance.
"Honestly..."
Listening to the complaint, Horikita Suzune felt something complicated stir in her.
Romance talk like this... she had never imagined it would have anything to do with her.
The old her would have scoffed at the topic. A waste of time. Utterly meaningless.
But now... she found she didn't mind it.
Friends chatting, sharing what was going on in their lives — that was perfectly normal, after all.
So Horikita Suzune said nothing and simply listened, while beside her, Hasebe Haruka spoke up with complete composure.
"Well, Natsu really is exceptional."
"Good grades, good at every sport, handsome on top of that..."
"It's only natural girls would like him, isn't it?"
"If anything, it'd be strange if no girls liked him."
At those words, Sakura Airi's eyes lit up in an instant.
She nodded hard, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.
"Exactly, exactly! Haruka's right!"
"Natsu really is that amazing!"
"So... I have to work even harder, or the other girls are going to leave me behind!"
Watching her burn with determination, Hasebe Haruka let out a soft laugh.
"Airi, you're already plenty amazing yourself."
"You don't have to be so tense about it."
"Besides... you're one of the girlfriends Shikime Natsu has publicly acknowledged, you know."
"That alone is enough to make a lot of girls jealous."
"That's true, but..."
Sakura Airi laughed a little sheepishly, then continued.
"But... I still want to become better."
"There are just so many incredible girls around Natsu."
"If I don't push myself, I'll get left in the dust before long."
Listening to her, something Horikita Suzune couldn't name welled up somewhere deep inside her.
This girl... felt that kind of pressure too?
When she was more than accomplished enough herself.
Grades near the top of the year, athletic ability that was nothing to sneeze at, cute, and with a good personality on top of it. Among ordinary people, she was already the ceiling.
And yet inside Shikime Natsu's circle... she still thought she wasn't good enough.
Horikita Suzune turned it over in her mind and let out a quiet sigh.
"Suzune, what's wrong?"
Sakura Airi caught the sigh and asked, a little worried.
"Was it... was what I said boring for you?"
"Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have gone on about it..."
"You wouldn't be interested in this kind of thing, would you, Suzune?"
"No."
Horikita Suzune shook her head, then looked at her and said,
"It's just... it feels unbelievable to me."
"Unbelievable?"
Sakura Airi tilted her head, puzzled.
"Yes."
Horikita Suzune nodded, then went on.
"The old me never once imagined I'd be walking around town after school with friends, listening to a friend talk about... romance, of all things."
"It feels like something out of a different world."
At that, Sakura Airi laughed.
"Then... what do you think of this world, Suzune?"
"..."
Horikita Suzune was silent for a moment, then said quietly,
"It's not bad."
Three small words, but Sakura Airi heard exactly what Horikita Suzune really meant in them.
She smiled and said nothing more.
And so the three of them walked on toward Keyaki Mall, chatting as they went.
Before they knew it they had arrived at Keyaki Mall, as lively as ever.
Laughter and voices everywhere, the whole place humming with youth.
Horikita Suzune stopped at the shopping center's entrance, her gaze drifting idly over the crowd.
Then her eyes stopped. She had spotted a familiar figure — the very person the three of them had just been talking about. Shikime Natsu.
Why was he here? And from the look of it, he was waiting for someone. Don't tell her...
Sakura Airi's next words confirmed Horikita Suzune's suspicion.
The moment her eyes landed on Shikime Natsu, a brilliant smile broke across Sakura Airi's face. She turned back to Horikita Suzune and Hasebe Haruka, grinning.
"Getting a date with Natsu is hard, sure..."
"But I managed to book him anyway!"
There was a touch of pride in her voice, and a touch of mischief.
"So... let's all go together."
"..."
Horikita Suzune stood where she was, watching that cheerful figure bound ahead, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
This girl... had planned the whole thing from the very start, hadn't she?
____
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