That evening, Natsukawa was lying in bed reading manga when his personal terminal suddenly vibrated. He opened the chat app and saw a message from Kushida Kikyo, which he casually tapped open.
"Natsukawa-kun~! Good news! (≧▽≦) Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Sudo-kun all agreed to attend Horikita-san's study session tomorrow after school!"
A cute dancing rabbit emoji followed the text.
Natsukawa raised an eyebrow and replied:
"As expected of Kushida-san, you effortlessly achieved what others couldn't."
"Oh, it's nothing~ I'm just happy to be of help! ٩(๑＞₃＜)۶"
Putting down his terminal, Natsukawa's lips curled into a knowing smile. Sure enough, for those three, Kushida's energetic request was far more effective than any rational analysis of pros and cons. He just wondered how long this fragile agreement, forcibly held together by the Little Angel, could last under Horikita's cold demeanor—half an hour, or just a few minutes?
Natsukawa didn't bother with her, simply relaying the message to Ayanokoji. After confirming that Ayanokoji was aware, he continued reading his manga... Time moved to the next day after school.
As promised, Natsukawa tutored Sakura on sociology knowledge points at their usual spot in the Library. Compared to yesterday's awkwardness, Sakura seemed much more relaxed today. Occasionally, when Natsukawa explained something, she would softly 'mm-hmm' to indicate understanding. Although her voice was still faint, her effort to keep up with the pace was clearly visible.
"...So, we should do this first, then this, and more importantly, this..." Natsukawa was tapping a diagram in the textbook with his pen, trying to explain a complex concept in simpler terms.
Just then, a faint but extremely piercing argument came from another direction among the Library bookshelves. One voice was rough and irritable, undoubtedly Sudo Ken; the other was cold and sharp, filled with undisguised sarcasm, and belonged to Horikita Suzune.
Sakura clearly heard it too. Her body imperceptibly flinched, and her slightly relaxed shoulders tensed up again. She looked uneasily in the direction of the sound.
Natsukawa stopped explaining and closed the book in his hand. "I'll go take a look," he said gently to Sakura. "You continue looking here, and try to understand the knowledge points I just circled. I'll be back soon."
Sakura nodded obediently, but a hint of worry still lingered in her eyes.
Natsukawa stood up and walked towards the direction of the sound. The closer he got to the study room, the clearer the content of the argument became.
"...What a joke! Don't think you can talk to me like that just because you're smart?! I'm going to club practice, I'm not staying! And I even took the whole afternoon off..." This was Sudo's furious roar.
"If you can't even understand such basic questions, I think your priority should be how to avoid expulsion, not meaningless club activities. Or are you saying your brain capacity is only enough to support you rampaging on the basketball court?" Horikita's voice was as cold as ice.
"What did you say?! Bastard!"
"Sudo-kun, calm down!"
"Horikita-san, you should also say less..."
Interspersed were Kushida Kikyo's anxious pleas, trying to appease both sides.
As Natsukawa rounded the corner of the Library bookshelf, he saw Sudo Ken suddenly kick a chair away, grab his backpack, and yell with a livid face, "I'm not playing along! Whoever wants to come to this damn study session can!" With that, he stormed out of the study room without looking back.
Ike and Yamauchi exchanged glances, looked at the furiously departing Sudo, then at the frost-faced Horikita, and the somewhat pale Kushida beside her. Finally, they also reluctantly picked up their things, muttering things like "What's going on?" and "With Horikita's attitude, forget it," before slipping away.
The once noisy study table instantly had only three people left.
Kushida Kikyo gently patted her chest, a look of lingering fear on her face. She turned to Horikita, her tone still trying to maintain gentleness: "Horikita-san, I know you mean well for Sudo and the others, but... couldn't your tone be a little more... subtle? Arguing like this won't achieve your goal..."
Horikita Suzune gave her a cold glance. "Subtle?" She scoffed, her eyes full of arrogance and disdain. "For people who lack basic comprehension and have bad attitudes, subtlety is just wasting each other's time. My goal is for them to understand the knowledge and pass the exams, not to play the role of a sympathetic sister and make them happy. I should have known better than to waste time on them; they should just be eliminated. Also, don't keep bothering me; I'm not playing your friendship games."
Kushida's smile completely froze. For the first time, a clear sense of grievance and a hint of offended anger appeared in her usually smiling brown eyes. She bit her lip, her voice trembling slightly: "I... I just wanted to help... Since Horikita-san says so, then I won't bother you anymore!"
With that, she grabbed her backpack, gave Horikita a deep, complex, unreadable look, and finally turned and quickly left. Only when she passed Natsukawa did her steps pause slightly, and she cast him a look mixed with helplessness and "See? I couldn't do anything either."
At this moment, in the empty study room, only Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who remained seated as if blended into the background, and Natsukawa Sosuke, who was leaning against the bookshelf, observing everything, remained.
Ayanokoji saw Natsukawa and nodded expressionlessly, acknowledging his presence.
Natsukawa stepped inside, casually pulled up a chair, and sat across from Horikita. The air in the study room still lingered with the gunpowder smell of the recent argument.
Horikita didn't even look at Natsukawa, only lowered her head to tidy the textbooks on the table that had barely been flipped through. The lines of her profile were taut, like a cold plaster statue. But Natsukawa keenly noticed that her fingers, as she arranged the papers, were gripping so tightly that her knuckles were slightly white, betraying that her mind was not as calm as she appeared.
"What a brilliant teaching demonstration, Horikita-san," Natsukawa said, his tone flat, making it impossible to tell if it was praise or sarcasm.
Horikita finally looked up, her reddish-purple eyes sharply fixed on Natsukawa, annoyed at being disturbed: "If you're here to watch a spectacle, then you can leave now."
"Watch a spectacle?" Natsukawa chuckled softly, leaning slightly forward, his gaze dissecting Horikita with surgical precision. "I'm just a little curious why someone who constantly talks about getting into Class A acts in a way that actively pushes potential 'pawns' away?"
"Pawns?" Horikita's brows furrowed, clearly disliking the term. "I don't need pawns I can't understand. People who can't even grasp the most basic knowledge don't qualify to be my aid in reaching Class A; they'd only be a burden."
"Burden?" Natsukawa repeated the word, a hint of pity in his eyes. "Horikita, are you mistaken about something? You are currently in Class D. Not Class A, not even Class B. Here, what you consider 'burdens' are the main composition of the class. Do you think Class A can be maintained by one person, or a few 'elites'?"
He paused, observing the slight change in Horikita's expression, and continued in that calm, matter-of-fact tone: "You think you're excellent and disdain associating with 'flawed products.' But have you ever considered why you, with your 'excellent' abilities, were placed in Class D? Are you thinking now that if you just eliminate those who can't study, like Sudo and the others, you can lead the rest to Class A? Little Horikita, you are far too naive. If you think that way, the group of do-gooders in Class B who are always thinking about helping others should be at the bottom, yet what are their current class points? They have 890 points, right on the heels of Class A."
"Class B... 890 points?" Horikita's eyes suddenly narrowed. Although she knew this number and remembered Class B's previous call for everyone to maintain classroom discipline, ever since she learned the true nature of this school, she had only cared about how to get into Class A, forgetting the value of maintaining that point total in the first month of school.
"Exactly," Natsukawa affirmed. "Do you know how they did it? It's not because everyone in Class B is smarter or more capable than you. On the contrary, it's precisely because they understand 'cooperation,' how to integrate people of different levels and work together towards a common goal. Ichinose Honami, she is the core of Class B. She may not have the arrogance of a top student like you, but she has the ability to unite the entire class."
He looked at Horikita's gradually wavering yet still stubbornly proud expression, delivering the final blow: "Arrogance can be used to motivate yourself, but it cannot lead a collective. If you truly want to get into Class A, instead of forever dwelling in the illusion of'self-proclaimed excellence,' then learning how to deal with the 'burdens' you look down upon, how to utilize, and even guide them, is the true'strength' you need to learn. Besides, who told you that 'burdens' are useless? Go ask your brother, you tsundere. The'strength' in this school isn't just academic ability."
Natsukawa's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a hammer, striking at Horikita's strong mental defenses. Her hands on her lap unconsciously tightened, clutching the hem of her school uniform skirt. Her reddish-purple eyes, always full of pride, now flickered violently, showing anger, unwillingness, but more than that, a kind of... wavering, from having her shortcomings starkly exposed and being forced to confront her own incompetence. Even some of Natsukawa's inappropriate remarks were temporarily forgotten by her.
She opened her mouth, trying to retort, but found that the words she had prepared seemed pale and powerless under Natsukawa's precise attack. She had only ever known to follow in her brother's footsteps, only known that her brother was always a solitary figure. Cooperation, something she might have subconsciously known but had always been unwilling to face, was mercilessly laid bare before her by Natsukawa.
A long silence fell over the Library. Natsukawa said no more; he knew the seed had been planted, and it was up to future developments.
He stood up and tidied his clothes. "Think about it carefully, Little Horikita. If you're still unwilling to change yourself, then continue to drown in your useless arrogance."
With that, he didn't linger, turned, and left the Library, leaving the space to the proud girl who was battling with herself internally.