COTE: Transmigrated as Horikita Suzune with Symbiote

(3rd PoV)

As the classes ended, most of the people went to their dorms. Class D would have been out shopping, but sadly, most of them don't have any money, and won't get any for atleast two months.

Kushida left the school before the classes ended, so that she didn't have to meet anyone. As for what she was feeling, it's not relevant.

Inside the Student Council, Horikita Manabu was looking at the data of the first years.

Class A: 940 points

Class B: 650 points

Class C: 490 points

Class D: 0 points

Drop-out(s): Kushida Kikyo(1-D)

Even in the previous years, no Class D ever got 0 points.

Moreover, a student dropping out this early was first in this school's history.

And the cause of the drop-out was none other than his sister.

Manabu suspected that Suzune has grasped the true nature of the school very early on. She wouldn't have asked three phones from him to hide points under his name otherwise.

He has been keeping an eye on her class, and has even paid someone in her class to report to him about Suzune.

She has actually made friends. Onodera, Haruka, Inogashira, Matsushita and some others frequently talk to her.

She experimented on use of points by selling her neighbor's seat, on her second day.

And class D not being defective, but extremely unequal and difficult to manage, and the school running on Japan's economic model that has been stagnant for decades, and moreover the school made for the children of powerful people to gain connections with talented people...

He hadn't actually thought about the last point. But now that he thought about it, it actually made some sense. Otherwise, why would any government spend so much on mere high school students?

Suzune has matured a lot. And with it, she has grown to hate him.

All the excuses he made to meet her, including giving her his notes and other study materials, one box at a time, has been exhausted.

He couldn't come up with more excuses to meet her.

Or maybe, he can't face her and not finding excuses to meet is just his excuse.

He felt uncomfortable everytime he met her, as she looked at him as if he is a stranger.

"The results are interesting huh? Your sister's class is at 0 points, and she forced one of her classmates, a student from her middle school, to drop out today, as if she was waiting for this moment.

I wonder who is the politician's kid operating behind the scenes. Do you know anything, senpai? She must have atleast told you, right?"

Nagumo asked Manabu. It seems like he has also planted a spy in Horikita's class to be able to get this information this early.

Manabu didn't think that there was someone behind Suzune. But if this keeps Nagumo distracted...

"I don't know. And Nagumo, don't interfere in juniors' classes."

"Yeah yeah. I won't, Horikita Senpai. But, it seems like her thinking pattern aligns more with me than yours. Even your little sister considers the school's system stagnant, like Japan's economy.

Keiretsu model may have been beneficial at first, but it has prevented the economy to recover from bubble burst for a long time, unlike USA even after dotcom and 2008 crises, where everyone is for himself.

How do you feel about this?"

"Everyone is free to have their views. But Nagumo, your methods are too extreme. Expelling so many-"

"Even your sister expelled her own classmate. Even I couldn't expel anyone this early. Who knows what she will do in future."

"..."

Nagumo was feeling like he has found a kindred spirit. Someone who thought like him.

He felt like Horikita Suzune was placed in wrong class, just like him at start. He has risen from class B to A. Maybe she will also rise from class D to A?

The politician's kid hidden behind her seems promising.

Maybe Horikita Suzune and he/she will give him some competition after Horikita Senpai graduates?

Well... only time will tell.

--------------------

After class ended, Chabashira-sensei called Ayanokoji to the staff room.

After saving him from the molestation of Hoshinomiya, she took him to the kitchenette in the staff room.

"Will you like green tea?"

Well... he would have liked Chai tea that Horikita gave him once, but given the fact that Chabashira-sensei already placed the tea before him, there was really no reason for her to ask whether he will like to have it or not.

"Now stay here silently. Don't come out unless I tell you to. Otherwise, you will be expelled."

"Wha-"

She shut him inside.

He could only look at the tea and taste it.

'...It's a bit plain..."

As someone who never had tasty food or drinks before coming to this school, once he tasted Horikita's food and tea, other things seem to be plain and not so tasty to him.

Sadly, he hadn't been able to talk to Horikita after she changed seats.

A bit later, he heard footsteps of someone arriving in the staff room.

"Horikita. I expected you to come here."

Oh. It seems that the person outside was Horikita.

"Then, I will be frank. I want to ask who your superior is, and please give me their phone number."

"May I ask why?"

"No."

Horikita said with a straight face.

Ayanokoji casually sipped on the tea as it became silent outside.

"My superior is the principal. But I am sorry, I can't give you his number."

"How much will it cost?"

"...500,000."

"Then I don't have any question from you. Have a good day, sensei."

"Wait a minute! Don't you have anything to say about being sorted into class D?"

"No. With the heir of the Koenji conglomerate in the class, I can already guess why I was placed here. Chaebols will need good managers to run their companies afterall. And politician's will need people who actually do work.

But I am not going to play along with the school's scheme."

Horikita pretended to be arrogant, projecting herself as if she thinks that she is superior and powerful people want to take advantage of her talents.

Chabashira sighed.

"No. The only reason you were placed in the class was because you are defective."

"Then thanks for reminding me."

Horikita tactly ignored Chabashira's attempt to incite her.

"Then, can you tell me who was the politician's kid who gave you the idea of seat auction, and recordings of Kushida?"

Ayanokoji's ears also perked up. He was also curious.

Though, he was doubtful if there was actually someone behind her.

"You don't need to know. Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Hmm... yes. How do you plan to go to class A?"

"I don't. I am capable enough that I can get into Tokyo University, or any university in the world on my own. Anything else?"

Chabashira sighed.

"You are quite different from school reports huh."

"People can change drastically in a short amount of time."

"Ayanokoji, come out."

Chabashira was frustrated with Horikita's attitude. So she decided to bring Ayanokoji out and confirm something.

Horikita's eyes widened in shock, and it was all the confirmation she needed.

According to Chabashira, the person behind Horikita was Ayanokoji afterall.

Ayanokoji, who has been listening on to the conversation, didn't come out.

"Come out right now, or you will be expelled."

Reluctantly, he came out.

Horikita acted like she panicked for a split second and then adopted a cold persona as Ayanokoji appeared.

"Were you listening?"

"No, the walls are quite thick."

He tried to make an excuse, but Chabashira interrupted.

"They are thin enough that you can make a hole in it with just a punch."

She then looked at Horikita, who was glaring at Ayanokoji while he avoided her gaze.

"Horikita, what do you think of Ayanokoji?"

"I don't understand why you want to know. Well, if you do, the price for me telling you about it is 5 million points."

"..."

Sighing, she brought out Ayanokoji's marksheet.

"He scored 50 marks in each subject in his entrance exam. Isn't this weird?"

"It's just a coincidence."

Ayanokoji lamely gave an excuse.

Horikita sighed and looked at Chabashira.

"What's weird to me is that you are showing someone else's marksheet to me for some weird reason.

As for scoring 50 on each exam, it is genius strategy to have a surefire way to get admitted to the school. He may have been not able to get into the school if he gave his all, on the assumption that only the top 160 students in the country would have been accepted that even I thought about before encountering people like Ike.

But this way, he successfully attracted attention to himself, increasing his chances of getting accepted exponentially.

Ayanokoji-san, I apologize that I thought of you as an idiot previously due to the people you hang out with."

Horikita let out her 'thoughts' on this matter, and looked at Chabashira, as if asking why is she showing his marksheet to her.

As for Ayanokoji, he learned the art of excuse with this exchange. Maybe next time, he wouldn't say something like, 'It's a coincidence'.

Chabashira was now 100% sure that Ayanokoji was behind Horikita, as she was even giving excuses for him.

This Ayanokoji... he might actually bring the class D to A.

She just needs to push these two a little.

"Horikita, the information that you got about someone tried to commit suicide because of Kushida, did you know it yourself or the one who sent you the recordings gave it to you."

"I didn't know about it before coming here."

"Horikita, you have been used to get rid of an asset to the class. That information is false. What will the class think if they found this out?"

Chabashira has cornered Horikita.