"Would you prefer it if your brother patted your head and said, 'You've worked hard, Suzune'?" Kaoru murmured softly.
"Or would you rather have the student council president—soone recognized by everyone—acknowledge you the sa way others acknowledge him?"
The forr was a brother's recognition of his sister.
As for the latter, only Horikita Suzune herself could say what it truly ant.
From childhood, she had always seen an exceptionally outstanding peer—soone who, no matter what he did, would inevitably earn praise.
In contrast, it seed no one ever paid attention to her.
Over ti, Horikita Manabu might as well have beco synonymous with the entire world.
Gaining his recognition was tantamount to the world itself acknowledging Horikita Suzune.
His words left her feeling lost.
She didn't even know what she truly wanted.
"You're right. I am a terrible person—soone who enjoys watching a hardworking person humiliate themselves to please . But let correct one thing."
Suzune stared at him blankly as he reached out, his palm resting gently atop her head.
A warm sensation spread through her.
"What I'd rather see is soone who, despite enduring humiliation, still clings to their convictions and grits their teeth to move forward. I'll keep waiting for her to defeat . Even if no one else recognizes her efforts, I will acknowledge her wholeheartedly."
Kaoru stroked the girl's silky hair—it felt nice, with no risk of hair loss, at least.
But Suzune quickly snapped out of her daze and abruptly swatted his hand away.
"Disgusting!" She glared at him, though her cheeks were faintly flushed, like plum blossoms dusted with snow, carrying a subtle, pleasant fragrance.
Nearby, Sakayanagi Arisu observed the entire scene, her thin lips curling into a faint smile.
No wonder so people are drawn to him.
That combo was downright unfair.
*****
The two found Sudou Ken in the first-floor lobby of the dormitory, lounging on a sofa with his legs crossed, sipping coffee with an air of leisure.
"So this is your ambition? Giving up halfway to sit here and drink coffee?"
Suzune's voice was icy, laced with exasperation.
At first, Sudou was pleasantly surprised to see her—until he noticed Kaoru trailing behind her, at which point his expression soured.
"Seriously? You ca all this way just to scold ?" Sudou grumbled. "I led the team in practice and matches, but how did you all repay ? Skipping events, half-assing it, slacking off—every single one of you was useless. Why should I have stayed on the field?"
The absentee was likely Kouenji.
Aside from Ayanokoji passive approach, so Class D students had been downright ridiculous—knocking over hurdles or simply walking around them during the race.
It had left many spectators stunned, and Sudou had nearly lost his temper.
"I always thought you were just a brute with nothing but useless strength, but you surprised . You took the sports festival seriously."
"That condescending tone is really annoying."
"Because right now, I have to praise you. You t my expectations—though there's still plenty for you to improve on."
"What did I even do wrong?"
"You know exactly what would've happened if you'd attacked Class C earlier."
"They were the ones who fouled first!"
Sudou looked visibly irritated.
He didn't want to hear Suzune's lecturing.
Sure, she was good-looking, but her personality was downright unbearable.
"So what if they cheated?" Horikita Suzune said calmly. "I feel the sa way you do, but their cheating are their problem. It only makes them despicable—not us. All we have to do is focus on playing properly."
Kaoru glanced at her face.
The girl's cool deanor seed to hide countless unspoken thoughts.
"Easy for you to say," Sudou scoffed, averting his gaze.
"At this rate, we're going to lose, aren't we? If we're already dood, whether I'm on the court or not doesn't matter."
"It's not over until the very end," Horikita Suzune asserted firmly.
Sudou agitation only grew.
His eyes darted around before finally locking onto Kaoru, as if venting his frustration.
"Actually, I've been aning to ask—why is he even here? Does Class A have a problem with too?"
"Mitoma-kun was on the way—"
Before Horikita could finish, Kaoru cut in.
"I just wanted to confirm—has your bet been called off?"
"Bet?"
Both parties froze.
After a mont, Sudou finally rembered what he was referring to, his expression stiffening.
If he defeated Kaoru in the sports festival, Horikita Suzune would allow him to call her by her first na.
"Given the current situation, I'd say I've won," Kaoru added. "As per our agreent, from today onward, I can call you by your na, right? Suzune."
Horikita Suzune felt nothing—after all, he had already been calling her that without permission for half a year.
Sudou, however, flushed bright red and snapped, "I never admitted defeat!"
"There's no point in acting tough now. Suzune, let's go back. Let this guy do whatever he wants—don't bother with him."
With that, Kaoru took Horikita Suzune's small hand in his.
Completely oblivious to matters of the heart, Horikita Suzune only recognized that he was provoking Sudou—not the deeper implications of his actions.
"No, Class D can't afford to lose Sudou-kun right now," she rejected Kaoru's suggestion but allowed him to keep holding her hand.
Perhaps, subconsciously, she had already grown accustod to it.
Sudou felt his blood boiling.
He knew Horikita Suzune's personality was terrible—there was no way anything could happen between them.
Yet, the more he thought about it, the more fixated he beca on her.
Such was adolescence.
Horikita Suzune gave him a different kind of feeling, making him unconsciously chase after her.
But today, that illusion seed to shatter.
"Hey, just what the hell is your relationship?!" Sudou's eyes widened in disbelief.
First, Kushida had clung to Kaoru, and now even Suzune was like this?!
"We haven't started calling each other by our first nas yet," Kaoru answered.
Suzune glanced at him, then at Sudou, belatedly realizing sothing.
She pulled her hand away and said, "The afternoon match is about to start. How much longer are you planning to stay here?"
Sudou clenched his coffee cup before slamming it into the trash bin with a muffled thud.
"I'm not going back. You two can go ahead and flirt all you want."
Provocation won't work either, Kaoru thought silently.
"I'll wait here until you co back."
Suzune continued to stare firmly at Sudou, gradually realizing that if she wanted to climb to Class A's position, she couldn't afford to abandon any potential ally.
Especially after hearing Kaoru's words earlier.
...
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