Inside the student dormitory room, water in the pot was bubbling hotly. Natsukawa Sosuke held his chopsticks, slowly and steadily stirring the noodles that were beginning to soften in the pot. For Master Natsukawa, busy with his studies, a steaming bowl of noodles was a simple yet effective way to relax.
Just then, a clear ring of the doorbell broke the silence in the room.
"Ding-dong—"
Natsukawa Sosuke paused his movements, casually turned off the induction cooker, and walked toward the door.
When he opened the door, standing outside was Horikita Suzune.
Her school uniform was worn impeccably. She stood there alone, her beautiful face still bearing that cold expression that kept people a thousand miles away. Her gaze was sharp, carrying an undisguised air of scrutiny as she looked directly at Natsukawa.
Before Natsukawa could speak, Horikita Suzune spoke first, attempting to seize the initiative in this conversation.
"Natsukawa-kun, I think we need to talk. The matter concerning Sudo-kun has reached its final stage. As a member of Class D, I believe you have an obligation to contribute your strength to the collective interest of the class."
Her tone was formal, as if conducting an official meeting, laced with a hint of subtle moral coercion.
However, Natsukawa Sosuke did not take the bait.
He simply stepped aside, leaving the doorway open, and asked with a neutral expression, "Want to come in for a cup of tea?"
...
The series of arguments Horikita Suzune had prepared instantly got stuck in her throat.
She hadn't expected him to completely ignore her direct approach. It felt like she had wound up to throw a punch only to swing at empty air, leaving her extremely frustrated.
"There's no need, I'm just here to..."
"Don't you think discussing sensitive internal class matters in the hallway attracts too much attention?" Natsukawa interrupted her. "Or are you afraid to enter a boy's room?"
The latter half of that sentence carried a subtle hint of provocation.
Horikita Suzune's brow instantly furrowed. What she couldn't stand the most was being looked down upon.
She snorted coldly, said nothing more, and stepped straight into Natsukawa's room.
The room was very tidy, with few belongings, everything neatly organized—much like the impression he gave people. The only thing that showed some signs of life was the steaming pot still sitting on the kitchen table.
Natsukawa Sosuke closed the door and paid no attention to Horikita, who was standing in the center of the room. He walked straight back to the table, drained the water from the noodles into a bowl, poured the topping over them, picked up his chopsticks, and sat down.
"Have you eaten dinner?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes, I have." Horikita's reply was brief and cold.
"Then you don't mind watching me eat, right?"
Horikita Suzune did not reply, expressing her attitude through silence. She pulled over a nearby chair and sat down a moderate distance from Natsukawa, her eyes never leaving the man who was slowly and methodically eating his noodles.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint slurping of Natsukawa eating his noodles.
This strange silence made Horikita Suzune feel a sudden, inexplicable irritation. She hated the feeling of having her rhythm controlled by someone else.
She took a deep breath, deciding to regain the initiative.
"What exactly do you think about Sudo's incident? Don't tell me you don't care about class points at all."
Natsukawa Sosuke picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew on them, put them in his mouth, chewed a few times, and then slowly swallowed.
"I do care," he replied. "Of course, the more points the better."
"If that's the case, why have you been standing idly by?" Horikita pressed. "Given the ability you demonstrated during the Midterm Exam, I don't believe you have no clue about this incident."
"Because it's troublesome," Natsukawa answered simply and directly. "Besides, I haven't seen a reason why I must intervene."
"Isn't the interest of Class D reason enough?"
"The interests of Class D and my personal interests are two different things." Natsukawa put down his chopsticks, took a sip of water from his cup, and finally raised his eyes to look directly at Horikita. "I don't possess the selfless dedication of Hirata, nor the eagerness to help of Kushida-san. Everything I do requires a reward sufficient to convince myself."
His gaze was calm, but it made Horikita Suzune understand that talking to this man about collective honor and camaraderie was completely futile.
Watching Natsukawa Sosuke's unyielding, feigning-ignorance demeanor, Horikita Suzune's remaining patience finally wore thin.
She knew that the moment she actively sought him out, she had already lost the initiative in this negotiation. Continuing to probe would only waste time.
"Speak." Horikita Suzune's tone grew colder. "State your terms. What will it take for you to help?"
Hearing this, a barely perceptible curve lifted the corner of Natsukawa Sosuke's mouth.
He picked up his chopsticks again, slowly picking up the last few strands of noodles, as if seriously contemplating, or perhaps enjoying the moment of her surrender.
Just when Horikita was about to lose patience and prompt him again, he took a sip of the remaining soup in the bowl and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Since you put it that way, I'll reluctantly consider it."
His posture made it seem as if Horikita was begging him for help.
"My terms are simple. First, from now until the Sudo incident is completely resolved, you must follow my instructions completely, without raising any objections, and certainly without refusing."
Horikita's expression darkened.
"Second," Natsukawa continued, ignoring the change in her expression, "after the matter is settled, you need to pay me 100,000 personal points as compensation."
"Impossible!" Horikita Suzune rejected it without a second thought. "I cannot accept that condition, and I don't have 100,000 points."
"I didn't ask you to pay it all at once." Natsukawa reacted quickly, seemingly having anticipated her answer. "You can pay in installments, just finish paying within one year. Also, I never said you had to bear it alone. You can find people to split the cost with, such as Sudo himself, or Hirata and the others; I have no objection."
Natsukawa voluntarily backed down, which, paradoxically, made Horikita Suzune hesitate.
100,000 points, if split among several people and paid back over a year... it didn't seem like a completely unacceptable condition.
But the premise was that he could actually solve the problem.
"Do you truly have a way to save Sudo from punishment and protect our class points?" Horikita's eyes were full of suspicion.
"Believe it or not," Natsukawa Sosuke leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, adopting a posture that suggested she was free to leave at any time. "The decision is yours. There are only a few days left until the Student Council's ruling."
Horikita Suzune stared intently at him, her heart wrestling fiercely.
In the end, reason triumphed over pride.
"...Fine, I agree," she squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. "However, regarding the first point, I will only follow instructions that are within my capabilities."
"I never make things difficult for others," Natsukawa replied dismissively.
Having received an affirmative answer, Horikita Suzune looked as if she didn't want to spend another second in the room. She abruptly stood up from the chair.
"You better not!"
She tossed out the resentful remark, turned around without looking back, opened the door, and quickly walked out.
With a "bang," the door was shut, sealing off her angry retreating figure.
Silence returned to the room once more.
Natsukawa Sosuke slowly gathered his bowl and chopsticks and cleaned them by the sink. After completing all this, he finally walked over to his desk, pulled out the chair, sat down, and opened the old companion that had been with him since the start of school.
As his fingers tapped on the keyboard, lines of text began to appear on the screen.
...
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