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As soon as the lunch break bell rang, the classroom gradually became noisy.
Akira suddenly remembered about taking photos and quickly called out to Sakura, who was about to take out her bento next to him.
"Sakura, would you mind taking a picture for me? I'll give you points as a thank-you, how about it?"
"O-okay! You can count on me!"
Akira had expected Sakura, with her usual shyness, to hesitate with a blush. He didn't expect her to agree almost without a pause the moment he finished speaking.
"Shimizu-kun... if you don't mind me asking, what is the photo for? Is it for a selfie to keep, or for some other purpose?" Sakura asked, clutching her camera strap.
Akira recalled the club president's instructions. It seemed he only said to make it look energetic, with no other demands.
Since it was for printing on flyers, there was no need for it to look like a beauty filter photo.
So he replied, "Just a normal photo will do. If possible, I hope it doesn't have a background. A white background is fine."
"No background?" Sakura's eyes suddenly lit up, as if some inspiration had been sparked. She quickly looked up and added, "Um... I can use PS! If you don't mind, Shimizu-kun, after taking the photo, I can edit it to have a white background, and it'll make the photo look even cleaner. I absolutely won't mess it up!"
As she spoke, her voice contained an undeniable excitement, as if she'd finally found an opportunity to do more for him. Even her previous shyness had faded considerably.
This made Akira slightly stunned, a little puzzled.
Cleaner?
So... did this classmate think he wasn't clean enough now? Or did she think he was clean before?
He blinked, suppressing this doubt, and replied, "Then I'll leave it to you."
"Mhm! Please follow me, Shimizu-kun. I know a few great spots for photos!" Sakura nodded vigorously.
As soon as she finished speaking, she put her phone in her pocket, hugged her camera, and walked ahead with light steps.
Akira watched her back and suddenly realized—Sakura seemed much more lively when discussing cameras and photography.
Perhaps everyone becomes a bit more talkative when discussing topics they're interested in.
Sakura took him to the rooftop.
"Today, the clouds are conveniently blocking the sun, so it's not glaring, which is perfect for taking photos." She explained, taking out her camera and skillfully manipulating the buttons with her fingertips.
She had Akira stand at the edge of the rooftop, then she stepped back a few paces, bending her knees slightly to adjust the angle.
"A little to the left... please relax your shoulders..."
Sakura's voice was much steadier than usual. Her previous shyness seemed to be covered by a sense of professionalism, and the shutter clicked intermittently more than a dozen times.
"Um... that's it, Shimizu-kun!"
"Here are the photos, take a look!" She brought up the photos and handed the camera to Akira.
Akira looked down at the camera screen, examined it carefully for a moment, then looked up and said, "They're very good, thank you."
He actually didn't know much about photography, but the photos on the screen looked comfortable at first glance. His body proportions were balanced and natural, and the overcast background was just right, neither stealing the spotlight from the subject nor making him look especially clear.
What surprised him most were his eyes.
He always got confused when taking photos in his previous life, often blinking the moment the shutter was pressed, leaving behind a pile of useless photos with his eyes closed.
They were either funny or stiff, never usable.
But in these photos taken by Sakura, his eyes were wide open and bright, making his expression look more spirited than usual.
"They are indeed well taken." He looked at them twice more, adding with genuine sincerity.
"Really?! That's great." Sakura seemed to suddenly release the tension from her shoulders, letting out a soft sigh, then took the camera in her hand. "Um... please wait a moment, I'll give you the edited photos right away!"
Before she finished speaking, she'd already turned and walked quickly toward the stairwell.
Akira was about to say something, but her figure had already disappeared behind the rooftop door.
He looked at the empty stairwell, and now, let alone a return gift, he didn't even have time to say a complete thank you.
When Akira returned to the classroom after finishing his meal, Sakura's seat was still empty.
She probably went back to her dorm to edit photos on her phone.
He looked at the empty chair, tapped his fingers on his phone screen, and edited a message to send: {Thank you, Sakura Airi. I've already sent you the five thousand points for your thank-you gift.}
After the message was successfully sent, no new notifications appeared on the screen.
Akira placed his phone on the desk.
She was probably still concentrating on the photos.
He glanced around.
He noticed Onodera in the class was leaning over Horikita's desk, talking.
"Horikita-san, have you finished watching all the surveillance videos? It feels like you've been doing a lot for Class D behind the scenes!"
Seeing Horikita look up slightly, she enthusiastically added, "Your swimming results were also quite good last time during swimming class! I remember you haven't joined any clubs, right? Do you want to try out for the swimming club?"
"Onodera-san." Horikita's voice still carried a hint of detachment, but it was slightly softer than usual. "I currently have no plans to join a club."
She paused, then, as if remembering something, added, "However, speaking of swimming results, I'm actually not as good as you. That day was just a coincidental overperformance."
"Oh? You're so humble!" Onodera laughed heartily. "It really wasn't until I talked to you that I realized although you're a bit cold, you're really nice! Although it's a bit of a shame I couldn't invite you to the club, I respect your decision!"
With that, she waved her hand and bounced back to her seat.
By now, Akira was no longer surprised to see Horikita conversing relatively normally with her classmates.
Ever since she admitted her flaws in front of her brother last month, she'd visibly changed.
In a sense, Horikita was probably the fastest evolving person in this school. Even a Pokémon couldn't change as quickly as she did.
At this moment, when Horikita turned her head, she happened to meet Akira's gaze, who was already sitting in his seat.
After what happened last night, she was still very composed.
It was just holding hands, that's all.
Her reaction that night was, at most, a human instinct.
Ultimately, it was her first time having such close contact with a boy.
However, with this experience, she'd probably be more at ease in the future.
She thought: she was probably the type who could remain calm no matter what happened.
Even if the sky fell, she might not lose her composure. At least from the outside, she'd never reveal any flaws.
Holding hands was far from enough to make her panic.
Then, she unconsciously began to ponder how to deal with Sudo's fighting incident this time.
Recalling carefully, Sudo had caused a lot of trouble for the class since enrollment: he deducted many class points in the first month; in the second month, although he barely passed all subjects, he was only hovering at the passing line, and Horikita even suspected he wouldn't study seriously if not for the ancient scrolls; in the third month, he directly caused this fighting scandal.
From any perspective, he seemed like someone who was always holding the class back.
And her goal was always clear—to lead the class to Class A and gain her brother's recognition.
From this point of view, Sudo was undoubtedly a harmful burden to the class.
Among the "deadweights" of Class D, Yamauchi was one, Sudo was one, and Ike was also one.
However, Ike was better than the first two. At least he had a proper attitude and would actively admit his mistakes.
As for Sudo, although he caused constant trouble, at least his athletic performance was presentable.
Only Yamauchi had neither a proper attitude nor any ability, and he'd just betrayed his friend in front of the whole class. This person's character simply couldn't withstand scrutiny.
Since it was a school, there'd definitely be sports festivals.
Given this school's philosophy of "ability above all else," sports festivals would likely be tied to special exams.
In that case, Sudo's physical fitness might come in handy.
But in fact, Horikita didn't really consider his physical ability that important.
The reason was simple: Akira was in this class.
That guy, who didn't even get a stomachache from eating expired bento, would probably win any sports competition with overwhelming dominance.
The tricky part was that if this matter wasn't handled properly, a portion of the class points would definitely be deducted.
Even more troublesome was that this matter had to be handled by the student council.
Publicly, this concerned the interests of the entire class. Privately, she'd always wanted to prove her growth to her brother, and perhaps this was an opportunity.
For a moment, she was somewhat indecisive, and her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Akira.
"...What do you think about Sudo's matter?"
"There's not much to say." Akira looked up at her and replied. "I think he was most likely deliberately set up, but then again, the key to this matter isn't whether Sudo was wrong or not. His current attitude is clearly problematic."
In Akira's opinion, the commotion caused by Sudo itself wasn't too important. What was truly tricky was his stubborn attitude of "I'm not wrong" when facing his classmates after causing such a big problem.
No matter what, he did indeed lay hands on someone and admitted to hitting them.
Class D would have class points deducted because of him, and even the normally credited points would be delayed. It'd be fine if he didn't apologize, but he insisted on being stubborn, acting as if he was entirely in the right.
One could only say that the old saying was always right: how you treat others is how others might treat you in return.
Just like this morning, Yamauchi accusing him in front of everyone might not have been without this underlying reason.
Akira glanced at Sudo, who was sitting at his desk with a frustrated expression not far away.
However, Sudo seemed to finally vaguely realize that what he did to Ayanokoji yesterday was indeed wrong.
In other words, he at least had some self-awareness.
"...I believe Sakura Airi very likely witnessed Sudo's fight." Horikita pondered for a moment and gave her judgment.
"Huh? How do you know about this?" Akira was genuinely surprised. He really hadn't expected her to say that.
"When the teacher asked for witnesses just now, most students either stared at her or looked indifferent. Only she lowered her head, and her demeanor was very suspicious." Horikita explained clearly and logically.
"Ah? This..." Akira was stunned for a moment. "How did you suddenly start noticing classmates' reactions?"
It wasn't an exaggeration. Horikita's "evolution" speed was truly astonishing.
How long had it been? She was already able to analyze suspicious points by observing others' subtle movements and expressions?
He even suspected she was cheating! Did she also have an information system or something, like him?
"...I just unconsciously noticed it, that's all." Horikita said, giving him a sidelong glance.
In fact, she herself felt it was sudden. As if a light bulb suddenly went off in her head at some moment, and by some strange impulse, she paid attention to the reactions of other classmates, and unexpectedly, she actually found a clue.
"Then what do you plan to do? Announce this information to the whole class?" Akira pressed.
"No hurry." Horikita thought for a moment, her tone still decisive. "I need to first confirm with Sakura Airi if she is indeed a witness, and then see if the evidence she has is sufficient. After all, there's a possibility of being mistaken. Moreover, I'm not yet sure if keeping Sudo is beneficial for Class D."
"I see." Akira nodded, thinking to himself that she'd considered it thoroughly.
"Then do you plan to ask her yourself?"
"...I'm not good at prying into these kinds of things." Horikita paused.
"However, I just saw you and Sakura Airi go out together." Horikita added, glancing at him. "Although I don't know what you two talked about, I can tell your relationship is good. Logically speaking, you're the most suitable person to gather information."
"Oh, is that so? Are you planning to have me ask?" Akira asked in return, following her lead.
"It's not you asking... I'll have Hirata-san ask about this matter." She thought for a moment and added.
If she asked Akira to do it this time, who knew what conditions he'd propose next.
After all, the two of them had just held hands yesterday.
She wanted to wait a few more days.
She really didn't want to experience that feeling of a disordered heartbeat a second time in a short period.
Hirata, as a key figure in Class D, should be able to communicate smoothly with everyone, so entrusting the matter to him was indeed a safe choice.
"Oh, I see." Akira nodded thoughtfully.
He roughly guessed her thoughts. It was nothing more than being afraid of bothering him again and having to pay some price.
But in fact, he was willing to help with such a small favor. After all, that brief hand-holding last night felt pretty good.
It was just that she herself hadn't realized, and she'd subconsciously excluded Kushida.
If he remembered correctly, Kushida had been looking for Horikita quite frequently these past few weeks. If she knew that Horikita would rather tell Hirata than her, she'd probably be furious again.
After all, Kushida had been holding a grudge these past few days after losing the class representative election recently. Horikita's action, to put it lightly, was aloofness. To put it harshly, it was practically rubbing salt in her wound.
I wonder how much longer the rooftop door, which she's been kicking for over a month, can last.