In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

Behind the dormitory, when Horikita Suzune arrived at the agreed location, Horikita Manabu had already been standing there for a long time.

The words she had prepared caught in her throat.

The thought of Shimizu Akira suddenly appearing at any moment made her instinctively call out that very unfamiliar title, "President Horikita, what can I do for you?"

"Rin..." Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, "You actually called me president?"

"I thought," he said, slowly approaching, "that you would be as eager as before to show me those...trivial changes."

He emphasized the last word heavily, "completely disregarding the appropriate distance befitting a student council president."

"It seems..." Horikita Manabu stopped in front of her, a look of something she had never seen before flashing in his condescending gaze, "You're finally beginning to understand the proper boundaries in interpersonal relationships."

This almost admiring tone warmed Lingyin's heart.

"Brother...I am no longer..." she blurted out, but the moment the address left her lips, she saw the sudden cold glint in her brother's eyes.

Horikita took a half step back, looking at her with utter disappointment. "Are you planning to spout that nonsense again?...So it was just my imagination."

Lingyin felt a wave of suffocation.

My brother's voice was soft, yet it pierced my eardrums like an ice pick.

"I heard you got assigned to Class D." He sneered. "Exactly the same as three years ago, always staring at my back, unable to even see your own biggest flaw. Choosing this school seems to be yet another failure for you."

"...I was assigned to Class D, it must be something wrong with the class assignment system..." Lingyin began to argue without thinking.

Horikita Manabu's voice suddenly rose.

"That's enough!"

He took a sudden step forward. "Still making excuses for yourself? Still questioning the class assignment system? How utterly foolish! Do you only reflect on your actions after suffering some hardship?"

Horikita Suzune's shoulders involuntarily hunched over.

Her brother's anger weighed on her like a tangible pressure, making it difficult for her to even breathe.

......

As Shimizu Akira put away his phone and walked to the back of the dormitory, he heard a heated argument.

"...The class assignment system is unreasonable!"

"Always making excuses!"

(Are these siblings so unafraid to talk about arguing in front of others?)

(Is this going to escalate into a physical altercation any second now?)

He raised an eyebrow and simply walked over confidently.

Horikita Suzune and her brother faced off less than two meters apart—thankfully, the tense atmosphere had not yet escalated into a physical confrontation.

"Good evening, both of you."

Hearing voices nearby, Horikita Manabu turned around and began to scrutinize the man before him. "You're... that first-year student from the Sato boxing club?"

A genuine look of surprise crossed Shimizu Akira's face: "I didn't expect the student council president to remember me."

He was indeed surprised.

But then I thought about it again. After all, our department head was an elite student in Class 3-A, and with that eye-catching speech at the opening ceremony, it wasn't surprising that the student council president remembered him.

"Hmph~" Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses. "So, you're Suzune's friend? And also a first-year student in Class D."

Akira Shimizu shrugged casually. "I guess so..."

"No!" Horikita Suzune suddenly interrupted, her voice unusually urgent, "He just..."

"Just some random passerby?" Horikita Manabu sneered, his gaze refocusing on his sister. "You don't even have the courage to admit your relationship? Is this all the magnanimity you have?"

"So, do you have anything to say to us siblings? Or are you planning to just pretend to be a passerby?" Horikita Manabu continued to look at Shimizu Akira.

"I wasn't just a passerby, otherwise I wouldn't have shown myself. Actually, you were talking quite loudly on the way here, and I overheard bits and pieces of your conversation. Since the student council president asked for my opinion, I'll offer my thoughts."

Akira Shimizu sighed, looking directly at the two of them, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Horikita-kun, that's where you went wrong."

Horikita Manabu's eyes suddenly turned cold. "You—"

"Don't misunderstand, student council president. The Horikita I'm talking about isn't you." Shimizu Akira raised his hand to interrupt, then shook his head, flicking his finger to point directly at Horikita Suzune. "I'm not talking about you, but your sister. Horikita has made a mistake."

"Clearly, it's her thoughts and words that are truly problematic."

Horikita Suzune's eyes widened suddenly, her expression wavering for a moment, a rare occurrence, before a hint of embarrassment and annoyance surfaced.

(This person just gave me 16,000 points! How come they're suddenly slandering her!)

Chapter 49: 049 The problem is, your brother isn't alone either, is he?

"You mean... Rinne made a mistake?" Horikita Manabu's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his gaze behind his glasses.

He clearly hadn't expected that the boy who suddenly appeared would start by directly accusing his sister, who was also the other girl's classmate.

"Isn't this an obvious fact?" Shimizu Akira crossed his arms, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Horikita-kun, I told you about the class assignments last Friday. And Chabashira-sensei explained it very clearly yesterday, right? It's perfectly reasonable for you to be placed in Class D."

"So many days have passed, you must have already checked with the school. Now even your brother has told you personally—you were placed in Class D because of insufficient ability. Just how stubborn do you want to be before you accept reality?"

Akira Shimizu shook his head, his gaze shifting between the brother and sister. "To be honest, if I were in the president's shoes..." He rubbed his temples, "just imagining dealing with this kind of family chores gives me a headache."

His gaze shifted to Horikita Suzune, "There's something else you might not realize. Your brother, Horikita Manabu, was directly assigned to Class A back then. Your questioning of the fairness of the class assignment system is, to some extent, denying your brother's starting advantage."

Akira Shimizu naturally walked between the two.

"After all, they're siblings." His gaze swept back and forth between the two. "Why make things so tense with blood ties? Horikita-kun, it's time to face reality..." He glanced at Horikita Manabu, "And the student council president, we're all high school students, not children. Don't try to solve this with violence."

Horikita Suzune's feelings at this moment were a mix of emotions.

She had assumed that the sudden appearance of Shimizu Akira was there to support her, but she never expected that he was actually a lobbyist on her brother's side.

Honestly, she almost didn't want to tutor the other person anymore!

Horikita Manabu raised an eyebrow without making a sound.

He was indeed somewhat surprised.

The freshman's arguments were so flawed that he couldn't find a single flaw—every sentence was based on purely objective analysis.

As for taking action?

He never even considered it.

After all, the other party not only spoke from his own perspective, but was also a junior member of his class and club.

"I'm Horikita Manabu, the student council president of Class 3-A." He nodded slightly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Akira Shimizu from Class D, Grade 1." Akira Shimizu replied with a perfectly timed answer, "I've heard so much about you, President."

"If you want to get promoted to Class A, you should learn a lot about how to conduct yourself from this Shimizu-kun." As soon as he finished speaking, Horikita Manabu turned and left.

"He left so decisively... So he only came to see his sister? He wasn't very interested in the others." Shimizu Akira looked at the tall, straight figure and touched his chin with some regret.

He had hoped to take the opportunity to inquire about the student vice president, but the other party didn't even give him a chance to speak.

A subtle silence filled the air.

Horikita Suzune stood there for a long time. Finally, she slightly raised her chin, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of hesitation: "My class placement... was the main reason because of my lack of social skills?"

Akira Shimizu's tone was very calm. "So you've finally realized this problem?" After a brief pause, he continued, "Not only that. Your arrogant attitude and your deliberate distancing—these are probably the reasons you were assigned to Class D."

"...That's a really unpleasant comment. They clearly can't even understand the Chinese language lessons."

"I just like to tell the truth, and besides, a person's language arts grades don't really reflect their speaking ability."

"I don't need to depend on anyone, and I can't trust anyone!"

"...You'll see how cringeworthy your lines are in a few years!"

Akira Shimizu abruptly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, you're probably aiming for the student council president, right? As far as I know, Akane Tachibana, the student council senior, often works with your brother and is his right-hand woman. So, your brother isn't always alone."

He was genuinely curious about this question at that moment—since the other party was imitating his elder brother, why didn't he learn it thoroughly?

"...How did you get this information?" Horikita Suzune's face darkened instantly.

"...Any third grader would tell you, seriously, how long has it been since you've had a proper conversation with anyone!" Shimizu Akira was utterly exasperated. "You can't even ask for the most basic information, and you expect to be placed in Class A? If your brother doesn't scold you, do you expect him to praise you?"

These two sentences were like two sharp arrows, piercing Horikita's heart.

How can it be!

She always thought... that her brother was always moving forward alone.

Unexpectedly, the other party already had a capable assistant who was always by their side!

Then what about all her perseverance over the years?

Akira Shimizu caught a glimpse of the other person suddenly lowering their head, their lips bitten until they turned white, and their whole body trembling with disbelief.

He hadn't expected that such a simple sentence would instantly break the other party's defenses.

Then again, isn't this the most obvious thing to do?

After all, the other party is the student council president—how can one person gain a foothold in the election without the support of others?

"You really didn't think things through just now, and you were too stubborn. It's normal for your brother to be angry. Anyway, think it over carefully."

After finishing his words, Akira Shimizu turned and left without offering any further comfort or insincere pleasantries.

Horikita Suzune was not a dull person; she had her own pride.

She has said everything she needed to say—with her intelligence, she can naturally figure things out after calming down from this setback.

......

After returning to his dormitory, Akira Shimizu lay down on his bed in a wide, cross shape.

He read through the messages that Chabashira Sae had sent him again.

An even more important thought flashed through his mind.

"Since that Nagumo Masayuki deliberately blocked the information..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "then right now, the only ones who know the inside story are probably me and Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A? Class B and Class C should still be kept in the dark..."

This is a golden opportunity—a perfect window of opportunity for information selling.

"It seems it's time to expand our business."

He never intended to limit the intelligence to Class D, and he never promised any "exclusive buyout".

After all, in this school where merit reigns supreme, information is the biggest bargaining chip, and naturally, the more people compete for a chip, the more valuable it becomes.

However, there was still a question buried deep in his heart.

So, if this information was deliberately blocked, how did Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A learn about it?

Chapter 50: 050 If I punch her, she'll probably cry for a long time.

On Wednesday, during lunch break, the school cafeteria was filled with the aroma of food.

A boy from Class D in the second grade nervously rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting around: "Um... Ryuen-kun, thank you so much for treating us to dinner... but..." His voice trailed off, "...I really don't have anything to tell you..."

Long Yuanxiang leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers tapping lightly on the table as he looked at him calmly.

Before he could even speak, the burly Ishizaki Daichi slammed his fist on the table and stood up with a loud bang.

"Hey!" Ishizaki grabbed the other person's collar, his muscular arms bulging with veins. "Are you planning to freeload?!"

His roar drew the attention of the surrounding students. "Now you're telling me you have no information?"

"I...I didn't ask for it! You guys came to me on your own!" The second-year student retorted forcefully, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at the security camera in the corner of the ceiling. "Let go! There are cameras here! You dare to lay a hand on me?"

Ishizaki's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he was about to throw a punch—

"Ishizaki, calm down." Ryuen Sho's languid voice rang out at the opportune moment. He slowly stood up and gently pressed Ishizaki's shoulder. "After all... this is our 'senior'."

He emphasized the word "senior" and a chilling smile played on his lips.

"However..." Long Yuan suddenly leaned close to the other's ear and whispered, "Just because I was able to stop him once doesn't mean I can stop him every time. It's true that there are security cameras in the cafeteria..." His gaze swept meaningfully towards the empty corridor outside the cafeteria, "but there are always some places that the cameras don't cover, right?"

"That's right!" Ishizaki abruptly yanked his senior's collar open, grinning maliciously. "You think you can just let this go after eating and drinking for free? Even if it costs me a disciplinary action, I'll teach you a lesson today!"

The senior's face instantly turned deathly pale. "Are you really from Class C? This behavior is even worse than Class D... Or is it because your points have been reduced to zero that you're fearless?"

His voice trembled as he added in a low voice, "It's not that I don't want to tell... but if that person finds out... I'll never get a college recommendation in my life!"

"You bastard—" Ishizaki roared again, his fist already raised in mid-air.

"Stop, Ishizaki." Ryuen gripped his wrist tightly this time, so hard that Ishizaki winced in pain.