Amane didn't return to the dorm until the bakery closed.
"I'm home~"
Amane always peeked her head in first when entering.
Seeing the room completely dark,
she checked the time and saw it was almost eight o'clock.
Did the study group go on this late?
That's really tough.
Amane changed her shoes and went to the living room.
She walked straight to the refrigerator.
Just as she was about to open the handle, she saw a note written in beautiful handwriting on it.
"No drinking iced carbonated drinks at night!"
"Room temperature milk is in the cabinet, water is in the thermos. No ice in the milk! Dinner is in the pot. Go to bed early and don't play on your phone. If I come back and see you're not asleep, watch your butt!~"
Finally, a heart symbol was drawn.
Eh.
"Has Suzune learned some new strange thing? Why does she always want to hit my butt? Hmph~ Time to eat, let's see what delicious food Suzune made for me."
Amane just remembered she hadn't eaten yet.
But to be honest, Amane wasn't very hungry at the moment.
Because while she was making the cookies,
she would always eat one first to taste the sweetness.
Oh, it tastes good!
Then she ate another one.
Amane alone ate half of the first batch of small cookies that came out of the oven.
However, since it was Suzune's cooking, she had to eat two large bowls, no matter what.
Amane happily opened the pot lid.
A large serving of vegetable salad lay quietly in the pot.
"It must be my imagination."
Amane closed the pot lid.
Then, with lightning-fast speed, she quickly picked it up.
The bowl of vegetable salad still hadn't changed at all.
"Waaah, why is it vegetables? I really want to eat meat."
Amane carried the vegetable salad to the table.
Only then did she notice there was also a note on the table.
"No picky eating!"
Waaah, Suzune is so mean!
Just as Amane was slowly eating a single leaf of vegetable with her chopsticks,
her phone suddenly received a message from Kushida.
"A message from Kikyo-chan? What kind of message would it be this late at night?"
Amane tapped to open it.
"Horikita-san and a boy from class are having a conflict at the library. Come quickly."
A message without a clear beginning or end.
"Huh?"
Amane blinked her eyes.
Why would Suzune be in conflict with a boy?
But looking at the brief nature of Kushida's message,
it was clear.
The matter must be serious.
She hoped there wasn't a physical confrontation.
Amane didn't bother to put on a jacket, opened the door, and rushed towards the library.
Meanwhile, Kushida, looking down at her message which now showed a 'read' receipt, revealed a faint smile on her face.
This scene was noticed by Ayanokoji, who had been observing Kushida subtly.
"Kushida-san, aren't you going to try and persuade them?"
Ayanokoji asked in a seemingly nonchalant manner.
"Ah, I want to persuade them too, but Horikita-san's words were just too harsh, weren't they? And she even brought up things about other people's family education. That's just too disrespectful."
The moment Ayanokoji interrupted her, Kushida had a flicker of panic, but it quickly turned into a distressed expression.
"Kushida-san has a point."
"Ayanokoji, are you planning to step in and break up the fight?"
Kushida asked Ayanokoji with a smile.
"Although I think arguing isn't the way to solve problems, unfortunately, I don't plan to break up the fight. If I were to step in given my position, things might get worse."
Kushida thought for a moment, then nodded, acknowledging Ayanokoji's answer.
The idiot trio and Ayanokoji were considered friends.
Horikita and Ayanokoji should also be considered friends.
Neither side had a particularly close relationship with Ayanokoji.
In such a situation, Ayanokoji helping either side would displease the other.
In other words, only she, Kushida Kikyo, was the one who could stop the argument.
However, Kushida had no intention of ending the argument.
Because she wanted Amane to witness this scene.
The harsh and ruthless Horikita Suzune.
Now, Amane should see this woman's true colors, right?
"If this is all you're capable of, I advise you to give up your studies now. No, how about you drop out of school right now? Then abandon your dream of professional basketball and find a job that relies on physical labor, living a difficult and miserable life."
Horikita stood with her arms crossed, confronting Sudo.
It was the first time Horikita realized that someone could have such an outrageously low academic ability.
She somewhat understood why Amane wasn't willing to come.
This was indeed a tough task.
"That suits me just fine. Studying only makes me more miserable anyway. I even took time off from my club for this, but it turns out to be a complete waste of time, hmph."
Sudo started packing his belongings, looking like he was about to leave.
"What you're saying is ridiculous. Studying is inherently difficult. As a student, if you can't produce results, how will you prove your effort? Through basketball? Don't make me laugh."
Horikita continued her attack.
Kushida was barely able to suppress her smile.
She had successfully created this situation.
Using Horikita's arrogant personality to provoke Sudo and other boys with strong self-esteem.
Then, using the argument to make Horikita angry, she could not only disrupt the study group but also potentially make Horikita say something excessive.
This way, she could use those remarks to incite class opinion and ultimately completely ostracize Horikita Suzune.
That should make her retreat in difficulty, right?
Horikita Suzune, you shouldn't have provoked me.
"Hey! What you're saying is too much, isn't it? Proving yourself isn't just about being good at studying."
Ike, also from the failing group, couldn't stand it and stood up to defend Sudo.
"Did I say anything wrong? If studying was easy, why would you all be here? If you were professional basketball players, I wouldn't say another word. But... he knows how far he is from that dream better than I do. As students, your primary task is to first understand your studies."
"For someone of his caliber, perhaps dropping out would make him feel more at ease."
Facing Horikita's sarcasm, Ike immediately stood up.
"I've always thought something was off about you. You're always with Miyako-san, and you have no other friends, yet you suggested holding a study group. Now that I think about it, you just wanted to use your grades to humiliate us, didn't you? If you weren't a girl, I would have already made a move."
Hearing Ike's words, Horikita snorted.
"You just don't have the courage to hit me, do you? Don't blame it on gender."
Horikita's assertiveness made Ike even more enraged.
He was about to say something polite when his eyes met Horikita's serious gaze.
His momentum involuntarily withered.
"Have you said enough?"
Sudo's voice also turned cold.
Unlike Ike, Sudo had absolute confidence in his strength.
He looked down at Horikita from above, his eyes full of violence.
"Will your grades improve no matter how much I say? If they will, I wouldn't mind saying more useful things to motivate you. But if what I say is useless, you won't listen, no matter how correct the reason is."
Horikita's contemptuous gaze completely enraged Sudo.
"Go to hell!!!"
-----------------------
To read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can follow and support me on Patreon.
I'll be posting early chapters there so you can always stay ahead and never miss any new content.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"