Chapter 114: The Tsundere Horikita Siblings!
"Kei, someone wants to discuss something with me. Go back to the classroom first. I'll join you later," Yuto said.
"Huh?"
Kei immediately looked reluctant.
She parted her lips slightly, wanting to ask who had called Yuto away.
However, Kikyo's words from last night flashed through her mind.
Even if they were dating, asking too many questions and controlling Yuto too much might make him dislike her...
"Then come quickly, Yuto. Without you beside me, I can't concentrate on anything," Kei said dependently.
"Okay, okay."
Yuto affectionately pinched Kei's smooth cheek.
Leaving her blushing behind, he turned and walked back.
...
Yuto arrived at the cafe near the library.
Suzune had such a strong presence that he immediately spotted her sitting alone.
Yuto sat across from her.
"So, Horikita, what did you want to discuss?"
"That can wait. First, tell me what you meant when you said you were coming for my brother's sake!" Suzune asked seriously.
"That?"
Yuto had no intention of hiding it.
"Your brother is the student council president, and he helped me with a few matters."
"So I came to accept his little sister's invitation for his sake."
Suzune's face immediately showed displeasure.
She did not want to hear that Yuto had only come for such a reason.
At that moment, a server arrived with two drinks.
"One Americano and one honey latte."
"The coffee is mine," Suzune said coldly.
"Understood."
The server placed the dark coffee, which looked bitter at a glance, in front of Suzune.
The sweet-smelling honey latte was placed before Yuto.
"You ordered this for me?" Yuto asked in surprise.
"Yes. You like sweet drinks, so I thought you would probably enjoy this," Suzune said.
"How did you know I like sweet drinks?"
Since his mind-reading ability consumed mental energy, Yuto had gradually developed the habit of eating sweets to replenish sugar.
But aside from his childhood friend Airi and Chabashira, who handled his daily meals, no one should know that he liked sweet things.
"I often see lollipops in your pocket."
Suzune pointed a slender finger toward Yuto's uniform pocket.
The stick of a lollipop was protruding from it.
"You're quite observant." Yuto smiled.
"Hmph~"
Suzune gave a tsundere snort.
For some reason, her previously awful mood improved considerably.
Yuto took a sip of the honey latte.
The light sweetness of honey blended perfectly with the smooth milk, creating a wonderfully sweet and silky taste.
While Yuto enjoyed his latte, Suzune took a sip of her Americano.
The coffee contained neither sugar nor milk and was exceptionally bitter, yet her expression did not change at all.
She was ruthless.
At the very least, Yuto could not drink such bitter coffee without showing a reaction.
The two quietly drank their beverages.
A warm, peaceful atmosphere gradually spread between them.
Suzune, who had always been alone, had never experienced such a feeling before.
She found herself slightly captivated by it.
But when she remembered that Yuto already had a girlfriend, she suppressed the strange attachment rising inside her.
She lightly pressed her lips together, tasting the lingering bitterness of the coffee.
"Shimizu, you've always ignored Sudo and the other two."
"I want to know whether you had already decided to abandon them."
Yuto held his honey latte.
"Is that what you wanted to ask?"
"Yes."
Suzune nodded.
"You told everyone in Class D that you would raise us to Class A."
"But you completely ignored Sudo and the others refusing to study, so I wondered whether you had already given up on them."
"Actually, you already answered your own question," Yuto said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Suzune froze slightly.
"At the library, didn't I ask whether you planned to abandon them?"
"What was your answer?" Yuto asked back.
"I'm not abandoning them. They simply don't care..." Suzune repeated what she had said earlier.
"Exactly."
Yuto nodded and showed a trace of mockery.
"They don't care at all, so why should I waste my time and energy on them?"
"I'm not some merciful saint, nor am I their mother or nanny."
"Why should I exhaust myself caring for people who have already chosen to give up?"
"If Sudo and the others had any desire to improve, I naturally wouldn't abandon them."
That was true.
When Sudo had asked Yuto to teach him basketball, Yuto had offered him a chance to improve by becoming a well-behaved student.
Unfortunately, Sudo had completely refused.
If someone was given an opportunity but refused to value or seize it, then they could fend for themselves.
Suzune fell silent for a moment.
"Then why didn't you stop me from preparing the study session for them?"
"Don't you understand your own personality?"
Yuto smiled at the cold-looking Suzune.
"You're stubborn and inflexible."
"Once you decide something, you won't easily give up. Why would I waste my breath trying to persuade you?"
"...You understand me rather well," Suzune said, glaring at him for calling her inflexible.
"Well, I'm fairly good at judging people." Yuto shrugged.
Yuto had possessed his mind-reading ability since childhood.
Children were naturally curious, so he often used it to read other people's thoughts.
He had met many people whose inner and outer selves differed, along with many who were exactly as they appeared.
Over time, he developed eyes capable of seeing through people's disguises.
Although Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo were both called little angels, Ichinose was sincere inside and out, while Kikyo was not.
Yuto could distinguish that through his experience and observation.
"So, Horikita, do you still intend to teach Sudo and the others?" Yuto asked.
"I..."
Suzune hesitated before answering seriously.
"I still don't want to give up."
"Yuto, think about it."
"If Sudo and the others fail the midterm, we don't know whether their expulsions will affect our class points."
"If students are expelled, our class points might be deducted."
"If they fall below zero, it will become even harder for Class D to reach Class A."
Yuto smiled at Suzune as she explained with a serious expression.
This tsundere snow fox was once again searching for an excuse to help others.
Suzune seemed irritated by his smile.
"What are you smiling about, Shimizu?! Is there something wrong with my reasoning?"
"Nothing is wrong. In fact, you're being very cautious."
"But let me ask you something."
"Do you truly want to help them only because you're afraid our class points will fall below zero?" Yuto asked with a smile.
"Of course!" Suzune answered without hesitation.
"Then I'll find a senpai to answer your concern."
Yuto took out his phone and called a certain ice-faced person.
He also activated the speakerphone so Suzune could hear their conversation.
Suzune looked at Yuto in confusion.
Her expression quickly changed, becoming guilty and nervous when she heard her brother's voice from Yuto's phone.
"Shimizu, why are you calling me again?"
"Oh, I have a slightly important matter I'd like to ask you about, senpai."
Yuto answered Manabu with a smile while enjoying Suzune's nervous expression.
It was rare to see the tsundere snow fox looking so uneasy.
Yuto was accustomed to Suzune's cold expression.
Seeing her timid side had a charm of its own.
Suzune seemed to notice Yuto's mischievous intentions.
She glared at him with her fox-like eyes, warning him not to say anything strange to her brother.
"What is it?" Manabu asked directly.
"I don't know whether you've heard, but our Class 1-D's class points have already fallen to zero."
"I already know."
"And Shimizu, I find it surprising."
"You seem to have warned Class D's students to obey discipline from the very beginning, yet your class points still fell to zero," Manabu said calmly.
"Hahaha. We are the worst Class D in history, after all," Yuto answered with a laugh.
Hearing Yuto's tone, Manabu relaxed.
The first-year student he valued had not become despondent or blamed others after Class D's points fell to zero.
"Then what do you want to ask me?"
"If it is within the school rules and I'm allowed to reveal it, I'll tell you everything," Manabu said calmly.
"Class D's points are already zero."
"So even if students are late, leave early, or violate discipline, our class points won't fall below zero. Is that correct?"
"According to the school's class-point rules, yes."
"Then if students fail a midterm or final exam and are expelled, can our zero class points become negative?"
Suzune held her breath and listened carefully for her brother's answer.
"No."
Manabu pushed up his glasses.
"Although a student's expulsion normally deducts three hundred class points, class points cannot fall below zero."
"I see. Understood."
Yuto glanced at Suzune, silently asking whether she had heard clearly.
Suzune lightly nodded.
"However, Shimizu, if you can prevent classmates from being expelled, you should try."
"An expelled student may have a special talent that could become useful in future exams," Manabu reminded him.
"I understand. For example, someone talented in sports."
"Exactly."
Manabu nodded, satisfied that Yuto had immediately given the answer he wanted.
"All right, senpai. I have nothing else to confirm."
"Wait."
Manabu stopped him.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked quietly, "I suppose... I should ask on behalf of our parents."
"How is my incompetent little sister performing in Class D?"
Manabu's question made Suzune look shocked.
She had never expected her cold brother to ask Yuto about her!
Suzune was surprised, while Yuto was speechless.
He said irritably, "Senpai, you're Horikita's brother. If you want to know how she's doing, ask her yourself."
"Why ask me?"
"...You called me, so I merely asked about her while I had the opportunity."
"Tch."
Yuto clicked his tongue.
The Horikita siblings were both hopeless tsunderes!
Manabu clearly could not bring himself to openly show concern for his sister, which was why he was asking Yuto.
Yuto glanced at Suzune.
She was glaring at him while writing a line in her notebook.
[Don't tell my brother anything about me!]
Yuto gave Suzune a reassuring look.
Then he smiled and said, "Your sister is doing very well, senpai."
"She scored highly on the quiz."
"But you're the student council president, so you should already know how many points your sister scored, right?"
"No. I don't know. I didn't pay attention."
Suzune's expression stiffened.
She wilted like an eggplant struck by frost, making Yuto unable to stop himself from laughing.
"Pfft."
Yuto's quiet laughter made Suzune secretly grit her teeth.
If he were not currently talking to her brother, she would stab him with a compass!
Manabu also heard Yuto's laughter.
Perhaps he felt that asking for more information about his sister would only give Yuto more reasons to laugh, so he stopped asking.
After the call ended, Suzune glared frighteningly at the smiling Yuto.
"Shimizu Yuto!"
"Hey, this is a cafe. Don't shout so loudly. You'll disturb everyone else."
"You..."
"What about me?"
"I didn't say anything bad about you to your brother," Yuto said with a broad smile.
That was true.
Frustrated and embarrassed, Suzune drank the rest of her Americano in one gulp.
Yuto put away his phone.
"Horikita, now you understand that student expulsions won't make our class points fall below zero, right?"
…
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