"Hmph hmph hmph~~~"
Amane, who was tidying her hair in front of the mirror in the school restroom, hummed an unknown, graceful tune. It was clear that she was in quite a good mood, until another person's reflection appeared in the mirror.
"Suzune, do you have a stomachache too? I suspect it was yesterday's green peppers! Don't put green peppers next time~"
Amane clung to Horikita's arm, swaying back and forth, acting spoiled.
Horikita, however, was unusually serious, looking at Amane intently.
"First, this is just an excuse because you don't want to eat green peppers. Last time, you were so eloquent when you told me not to be a picky eater. Also... Amane, tell me, have you long since noticed some of the rules of this school?"
Facing Horikita's serious questioning,
Amane's smile gradually faded.
But she still held onto Horikita's arm.
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell me in advance? If..."
"If I told you in advance, we might have gained more class points. If I told you in advance, you might have been able to make everyone take the exams seriously. But, if I told you... could you change the fact that you are a D-class student?"
Amane poked Horikita's face with her finger.
Horikita was speechless.
Even if she protested to the school administrators,
they would most likely not allow her to switch classes.
But she completely couldn't accept the fact that she was placed in D-class. She admitted that she had some flaws.
But even if not A-class, what about B-class and C-class?
Horikita Suzune didn't believe that anyone from all the classes above her was stronger than Horikita Suzune.
However... she was a little curious.
Why could Amane accept this result so calmly?
"Amane, with your ability, even A-class wouldn't be a problem. You also don't have flaws in social interaction like I do. In this situation, can you really accept being placed in D-class and being called a defective product?"
Amane's score this time was tied for first place, just like hers.
In terms of physical fitness, whether it was swimming or archery,
it was clear that Amane not only surpassed ordinary people in physical ability,
but was also among the top performers in those sports.
Socially, there was even less to say.
Amane, who actively made friends with everyone, might even get unexpectedly high scores in social aspects.
But even such an all-around and excellent Amane was placed in D-class, which in itself was a hard-to-accept matter.
"Defective product? Suzune, why do you listen to them? Why do you trust their judgment?"
Amane cupped Horikita's face.
And looked her in the eyes.
"What others think of me doesn't matter, because I don't live for them, and I don't need to satisfy them. But... Suzune, if you truly consider yourself a defective product just because of a few words from others, then that only shows you're nothing special."
Amane lightly touched Horikita's lips.
Originally, she had planned to take advantage of Horikita's unguarded state
and give her a good kiss.
But she was afraid someone might suddenly come in
and catch her doing something mischievous.
So she could only stop after a brief taste.
"Amane, you!!!"
Before Horikita could get angry,
Amane made a shushing gesture with her finger, then pointed behind Horikita.
In an instant,
Horikita's entire body stiffened.
She didn't know what was happening behind her.
There was still thirty to forty centimeters between her and the mirror, so she couldn't see what was behind her through the mirror.
Amane, with a straight face, gestured for her to look behind her.
Gulp.
Horikita swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Her body entered a state of alert.
Then she cautiously turned around.
And found that!!!
There was nothing behind her.
Horikita immediately realized what had happened.
She quickly turned back around.
By this time, Amane had already vanished without a trace.
There was no sign of her whatsoever.
Horikita stomped her foot in anger.
She had actually been fooled by such a petty trick from Amane.
She'd see how she'd deal with her when she got back.
However... what Amane said wasn't without reason.
Other people's opinions are always just that, other people's.
But if you yourself admit that you are a defective product,
then that person is already beyond saving.
To deny one's own achievements and abilities is to deny oneself.
Once a person's self is denied by themselves,
losing the meaning of moving forward, she will only become like a walking corpse.
Could Amane truly disregard others' evaluations?
On an ordinary morning, Chabashira-sensei used the time of a morning meeting to put the entire class into a strict mode.
Not only did no one talk or use their phones during class for two days,
but the number of people who were late or left early also dramatically decreased.
You couldn't even find anyone dozing off during class time.
"Hah---"
Amane yawned, propping her chin with her hand as if about to fall asleep.
In her mind, however, she was thinking about trying the tonkatsu at the cafeteria for lunch.
The day passed quickly.
After school,
everyone was packing up their textbooks.
Hirata, however, quickly stood at the podium.
"This is the second time I'm troubling everyone, and I hope you can listen to a few words from me."
Seeing Hirata's actions, most of the girls stopped their departure after school.
They seemed to be waiting for Hirata's speech.
The boys, on the other hand, began to leave one after another.
The idiot trio, led by Sudo, left the classroom together, chatting and laughing.
However, according to Amane's judgment,
these three were probably putting on an act.
Because the three of them deliberately spoke very loudly.
And their points had already been completely depleted.
Their normal lives were hard to guarantee.
Naturally, it was impossible for them to enjoy themselves through entertainment.
They even had to go to the cafeteria to eat the vegetable set meal at night.
Would that really make them happy?
The answer was no.
As soon as they stepped out, the three of them had gloomy faces.
Since Sudo had club activities, he immediately parted ways with the other two.
The other two didn't say anything either.
Without points, they could only choose to go to the cafeteria for a vegetable set meal and then return to their dorms.
"It's like this, Chabashira-sensei also said that there will be an exam at the end of this month. I hope everyone can study hard to avoid facing expulsion. Besides that, I also plan to form a study group to help those..."
Hirata passionately persuaded those students with not-so-good grades to join a study group, saying it could help them improve their grades, which immediately attracted a large number of girls to join.
Amane watched, a little envious.
Indeed, being handsome had its advantages.
Horikita, who was beside her, initially listened for a few sentences, thinking Hirata had some good method to avoid point deductions.
But who knew that Hirata actually intended to form a study group to help struggling students improve their grades?
She immediately packed her bag.
And holding Amane's hand, she walked out.
"Horikita-san!"
Hearing Hirata's voice, Horikita reluctantly stopped.
She wished she had just left with Sudo and the others from the start.
"Horikita-san, Miyako-san, I'm preparing a study group here, and we might be short-handed. I hope Horikita-san can and..."
"I refuse."
Horikita immediately rejected Hirata's proposal, showing no signs of hesitation.
When Hirata realized he needed to find a breakthrough with Amane,
"I refuse too."
Hirata was rejected twice in a row right from the start, getting a cold shoulder.
While he was feeling down, a student ran up and gave Horikita and Amane a strange notification.
Chabashira-sensei wanted them to go to her office after school.
A private talk?
This was a first for both Horikita and Amane.
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