"Ugh—"
The heavy blow landed squarely on his soft abdomen, forcing stomach acid to surge upward.
If he had eaten breakfast, he probably would've vomited everything out by now.
Yamauchi Haruki's face twisted in pain.
The direct hit to his weak spot left him unable to react, unable to fight back.
All he could do was clutch his stomach and collapse into a trembling crouch.
Horikita Suzune didn't follow up.
Instead, she glanced at the surveillance camera that had faithfully recorded all of their ugly behavior.
Then she turned to look at the rest of the class.
"I don't need to explain myself to anyone. And I don't need to take responsibility for anything."
If it were her brother…
No—if it were the person behind the diary…
That was probably what they would say.
She casually pulled a tissue from Ike Kanji's desk.
Like she was wiping dirt, she cleaned the sole of her indoor shoe.
Then she crumpled the tissue and tossed it onto Yamauchi.
Taking a deep breath, she continued:
"In the end, you're not looking for my explanation."
"You just want someone to take responsibility for the zero-point evaluation."
"But sorry. I'm not going to be that person."
With a cold expression, Horikita turned away.
Like stepping around trash, she walked past Yamauchi and opened the back door of the classroom.
Before leaving, she paused and looked back.
"And today, I'm leaving early."
"That's all."
Her figure disappeared beyond the door.
D-Class fell into complete silence.
"..."
"Ha ha ha."
The one who broke the silence was Koenji Rokusuke, who seemed to have finally finished filing his nails.
"Horikita-girl did well. She's more interesting than I thought."
"As for you all… you're unbearably boring."
"I'll take my leave too. You can continue searching for a suitable scapegoat."
He stood up casually and walked out.
Including Kushida Kikyo, three seats were now empty.
Even though it wasn't lunchtime yet.
"..."
The remaining students looked at each other in silence.
No one could speak.
The tree-lined road outside was unexpectedly wide.
Fallen leaves rustled softly.
A cool breeze dispersed the midday heat.
Horikita Suzune walked along the path.
Wandering.
Lost.
Without direction.
She had kicked Yamauchi in anger.
She had said harsh words and left the classroom.
But honestly…
She didn't know what she was doing.
D-Class was already at zero.
There was nowhere lower to fall.
No matter how chaotic things became.
No matter if she kicked Yamauchi.
No matter if she slept in class, skipped class, or left early.
It wouldn't change anything.
The cameras would record everything.
The diary's survival rules had warned her to watch out for recording devices.
She remembered that.
But…
Then what?
What was she supposed to do now?
Save up twenty million points and transfer?
At this point, working together with D-Class was basically impossible.
But where would the money come from?
This month, she earned nothing.
If she hadn't already bought most necessities…
If the dorm hadn't been equipped with cooking tools…
Her remaining ten thousand points wouldn't even last the month.
She might've had to survive on the cafeteria's vegetable set meals.
If life was already this hard…
Twenty million was nothing but a fantasy.
"..."
She never thought she'd have to worry about money like this.
She believed that if she did everything perfectly like her brother…
Money wouldn't matter.
But she hadn't become like him.
And she couldn't escape worrying about money.
A total failure.
She kept walking.
Turning aimlessly.
Gradually, people appeared around her.
She didn't know where she was.
Didn't care.
…Whatever.
Wherever she ended up was fine.
She felt tired.
And by coincidence, there was a bench nearby.
Someone seemed to be sitting on one end.
But she didn't care.
She turned.
Pulled her skirt.
Sat down.
Relaxed her tense back against the bench.
And let out a long breath.
"Hah…"
She raised her head and closed her eyes.
Letting sunlight filter through her eyelids.
"..."
Her breathing steadied.
She relaxed so much…
She almost forgot someone was beside her.
"Eek—!"
Suddenly, something ice-cold poked her cheek.
She yelped in surprise.
Her body shivered.
Her mind instantly cleared.
She turned her head sharply.
An ice pop.
Still wrapped.
Cold.
Perfect for summer.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was—
Who gave it to her?
She followed the ice pop with her eyes.
And saw the person behind it.
Horikita Suzune: "...?"
She remembered him.
If she wasn't mistaken…
He was the one who caused trouble at the gym when she met her brother.
The guy who embarrassed her brother and left with him.
"Want one?" Asakusa Tetsu shook the ice pop slightly and tilted his head.
"Good for clearing your head."
"..."
There was some wind.
But the bench wasn't shaded.
The sun was getting harsher.
It was hot.
Normally, she shouldn't accept food from strangers.
But…
He knew her brother.
So it should be fine.
The packaging was intact.
There were people around.
No one would poison food here.
Probably.
She thought a lot.
In the end—
She took it.
"Rip…"
She tore open the wrapper.
Cold mist drifted out.
After hesitating, she stuck out her tongue and licked it lightly.
Sweet.
Cold.
Surprisingly…
It made her feel calmer.
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