Horikita's Dilemma [1]

It was already lunch break.

Horikita Suzune was on her way to gain enlightenment from her brother in the special building.

That's when Manabu would reveal the name of the mastermind of this voting manipulation in class 1C, that is me.

Apart from that event, background dealings between class 1B and class 1D should be under way.

But I wonder why my memory of that volume alone is as fresh as new. Well, I have forgotten about some parts, but it feels like I just read that book yesterday.

That actually works in my favor, so I guess I should thank my memory for that?

Keeping that aside, this Sakayanagi chick is quite the honey trapper. I mean, looking at these messages makes me want to bury my face somewhere out of embarrassment.

No physical proof of the contract. Literally nothing. And choosing karaoke room as the meeting point just alleviates this fact.

How stupid can you be, Yamauchi?

Even a grade schooler would be able to recognize this as just sweet talking.

Well, as for the promise, she offered Yamauchi praise votes from her underlings, in exchange for being the mastermind to expel Ayanokouji. But at the voting time, they all gave their praise vote to Ayanokouji, making him the highest praise vote owner in our class. 

If I wanna be frank, there is no normal way out of this mess.

Yamauchi Haruki is a student whose contribution to this class has been the lowest. No achievement in academics, or in sports, or in internal class affairs.

If anything, he has been dragging down the entire class.

Considering social hierarchy too, he might not be at the bottom, but quite a number of girls hate him for his attitude. That makes him the prime subject for expulsion in this exam.

As if that wasn't enough, he made a deal with our enemy class, and conspired against a classmate.

This betrayal only solidifies his position as the most expendable member of our class. His actions have not only jeopardized his own standing but also put the class at risk.

There are not many ways to save myself from this predicament. On top of that, the announcement from Horikita would start at the end of our afternoon classes.

This is a serious deadlock. 

As I was contemplating on options in front of me, Ike called out to me.

"Hey Haruki, are you really okay?" Ike's brow furrowed with concern as he approached.

"....What?" I snapped out of my thoughts, blinking in surprise.

"What are you spacing out for?" Ike asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Ah. Nothing. Aren't you gonna have lunch?" I tried to sound casual, though my voice wavered slightly.

"Yeah, I was gonna go to the convenience store." Ike glanced towards the door. "You wanna come? Ken is coming too."

"Sorry, I have something to take care of. You two go ahead." I shook my head, avoiding Ike's eyes.

"Heh~ Sakayanagi-chan, huh? What's going on with her?" Ike smirked, nudging me playfully.

"Nah, dude. Nothing like that. Just some stuff I need to handle." I forced a chuckle, hoping to deflect his teasing.

"Come on, you can tell me. We're friends, right?" Ike asked with a playful gesture.

"Not exactly. Just... some personal stuff." I looked away.

"Personal stuff, huh?" Ike raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"What? Haruki not comin'?" Sudo asked while going outside.

"Sorry, dude. Not today." I answered him.

"Alright, if you say so." Ike uncrossed his arms, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. "Just remember, we're here for you. If you need help, just ask."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?" I managed a small smile, feeling a bit of relief from his support.

"Sure thing." Ike waved as he walked away.

'Well, let's get started.' I thought to myself as I watched both of them go.

***