Manabu Horikita had glimpsed the claws Amane concealed beneath her beautiful exterior.
Yet he himself remained unshaken.
True, there was something distinctly twisted about the aura she gave off. But at her core, she was kind.
"Even if you pretend to be vicious, I won't be scared."
"And why do you think I'm pretending, Manabu Horikita? At this distance, I could easily snap your neck." Amane took a step forward as she finished speaking.
Faced with her aggressive pressure, Manabu struggled to maintain his composure.
But his body wouldn't lie. Beneath his uniform, his arms were already covered in goosebumps.
Every pore and instinct was screaming at him—this girl who seemed almost harmless, even cute when angered, was not to be trifled with.
"Doesn't seem like you're joking. Do you practice something regularly, Miyako?" Manabu tried to divert her attention with words.
"It's been a long time since I practiced anything seriously. Lately, I've just dabbled a bit with archery. What I'm actually good at are calligraphy, playing the koto, cooking, and chess." Amane wasn't lying.
It's just that her methods of practicing those four skills were… a tad unusual.
"I hadn't expected you to be so multi-talented, Miyako. It's quite admirable. It's getting late; shall we end our conversation here?"
Manabu had also keenly picked up on the subtle, unspoken implications lurking within her words.
"Use me and then just walk away? It's not that easy."
Manabu felt a headache coming on.
It seemed if he didn't offer something today, this one would keep hounding him.
Use force?
No, no.
That would be underestimating her.
Only a fool would immediately think to solve things with violence.
Amane had just been flexing her muscles, showing him what she was capable of.
Now it was a matter of whether he was willing to pay the price.
If he wasn't…he could well imagine Amane doing something that would damage his reputation.
"What do you want?"
"I want plenty of things. The stars in the sky, the moon's reflection in the water—can you get those for me, Horikita-senpai?" Amane's demand was bizarre, enough that one could rightly call it unreasonable.
Yet, Manabu showed a surprised expression.
"When did you notice?"
"When you put your hands in your pockets." Amane mimicked the motion Manabu had made earlier, slipping her own hands into her pockets.
"Your perception is sharp."
"Mhm, I think so too."
"Shouldn't you be a little more humble at a time like this?" Manabu said teasingly, then took out his phone, which had been recording, and stopped the recording.
If Amane had made an exorbitant demand, this would have been evidence of her extortion.
But he hadn't expected her to propose something as joke-like as this.
Even if recorded, she could simply claim she was kidding.
There would be nothing he could do to her.
Manabu felt a sense of rueful admiration.
The new students these days were terrifyingly strong. It put a lot of pressure on him as student council president.
"I'm humble enough. Five questions, plus 100,000 private points. Can you agree to that?"
Amane sat down on a nearby bench.
She looked up at Manabu.
"The 100,000 points are negligible, but I may not be able to answer all your questions."
"Then make it 200,000 points plus five questions. I really like generous guys like you. It'd be so embarrassing if you said you couldn't manage 200,000 points now." Amane crossed her legs.
She leaned back comfortably against the bench.
She looked completely lazy, but the words from her mouth were sharper than a blade cutting flesh.
Manabu was speechless.
You're climbing that ladder awfully fast.
Still, 200,000 points wasn't a huge amount for him.
Combined with the points Class A had accumulated over two years and points from special exams, Manabu's personal points easily broke seven figures.
But he didn't dare show off any further. Otherwise, this demon in front of him would truly extort him clean.
"The points are fine. I can't guarantee I'll answer the questions." Manabu sat down beside Amane.
"Who said I need you to give me answers?" Amane smirked coldly and patted Manabu's shoulder.
"As student council president, you must have things you can't talk about. I'll ask the questions. You just need to nod or shake your head." Amane's gaze held a spark of excitement.
"You even noticed that?"
"What else?"
Manabu, incredulous, took out the voice recorder concealed on his chest and turned it off in front of Amane.
No one had ever detected that pen before.
As student council president, he couldn't hold his position without some tricks up his sleeve.
"I'm still not comfortable. Let's stick to nodding and shaking your head. Nod when you're ready."
Amane looked Manabu over. From his appearance alone, she could only confirm he had no obvious listening or recording devices on him.
But those in power tended to be cunning.
She didn't want to be caught off guard and capsized in a ditch.
After some thought, her initial plan seemed safer.
Manabu nodded.
'Alright then, let the game begin.'
[The school's classes are divided based on students' 'capabilities.']
Manabu frowned. She was starting with such a core question about the school.
Originally, she wasn't supposed to learn the answer until after the first month.
But since he'd promised her, he could only confirm her suspicion now.
Manabu nodded.
[The number of points the school distributes each month is different.]
Manabu nodded again.
She probably figured this out from the mountain vegetable set and the relief measures, right?
This was itself a hint and reminder to the students, so it wasn't surprising she'd noticed.
[You uphold capability but laughably emphasize 'fairness.' Roughly 15% of students in each class are either above or below the average level for that class.]
Manabu nodded once more.
For example, in Class D, where Amane was, there were quite a few students with outstanding academic abilities.
They were placed in Class D due to personality flaws.
At first glance, each class seemed 'equal,' each having both excellent and weaker students.
But when that capability is measured purely by academic performance, how is that fair to those high-achievers with personality flaws?
[There is a system for classes to rise and fall.]
Manabu was finally convinced. He nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He was beginning to feel anticipation—what kind of question would this girl ask next?
Now came the final question.
This one had puzzled Amane for a long time. It was even more important to her than the previous four.
[Does Horikita Suzune wear padded bras?]
???
Manabu's eyes widened.
What… is with young people these days?
Weren't the first four questions quite serious?
They had even gotten him somewhat excited and expectant, wondering what the fifth question would be.
And then she pulls a sneak attack?
But thinking about it, Manabu recalled…
Probably not.
After all, he knew his little sister well enough.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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