COTE: Popularity System

"Are you... Horikita from Class D?"

Takada Hikaru was not the only one returning to the dormitory after attending the consolation party. Accompanying him were Watanabe Norihito, Hamaguchi Tetsuya, and Kanzaki Ryūji.

When they saw that the person approaching was Horikita Suzune, and that she wanted to speak with Takada Hikaru, their expressions became somewhat strange.

Based on what they knew, Horikita Suzune had acted arbitrarily during this exam. Although she had come up with the plan for Class D to take first place in the Deserted Island Exam, because she didn't inform her classmates, a large amount of the class's points ended up in the hands of others.

Horikita Suzune, who should have been the savior of Class D, was now treated as a sinner by her classmates.

And the one who caused Horikita Suzune to fall into this predicament was none other than Takada Hikaru, who was standing right in front of her.

Although Horikita Suzune's had just said she wanted to cooperate with Takada Hikaru, her aggressive demeanor made it seem more like she was here for revenge.

"Takada-san, you'd better be careful." Kanzaki Ryūji warned.

In his view, although the fruits of victory that Horikita Suzune achieved in the Deserted Island Exam had been snatched away by others, Horikita Suzune, who was able to discover the leaders of the other two classes, must have some ability. It was dangerous to let Takada Hikaru face her alone.

"Don't worry, she probably doesn't mean any harm."

Takada Hikaru smiled, then lowered his head to meet the gaze of the black-haired girl. "Suzune-san, do you want to talk here?"

The school's male students were basically all arranged in the nearby dormitories. If Horikita Suzune spoke here, it would inevitably be overheard by other male students.

It wouldn't be so bad if she were seen by students from Class A. But if she were seen by students from Class D, it might cause trouble, with people claiming that she and Hikaru were in cahoots, and that they had colluded during the Deserted Island Exam to scam Class D students out of their points.

"Then let's go to the cafe on the top floor to discuss the cooperation, how about that?" Horikita Suzune asked.

"No problem."

As it happened, Takada Hikaru also liked to go there to think about things.

—

Cafe.

"Enjoy your drink."

The waiter placed the prepared coffee gently on the table and then bowed and left.

After seeing the outsider leave, Horikita Suzune raised her eyes and said in a cold tone, "Takada-san, I want to cooperate with you from now on."

"What do you want to get from me, Suzune-san?" Takada Hikaru added a few spoons of sugar to his coffee, picked up the coffee cup slowly, and took a small sip.

Seeing Takada Hikaru get straight to the point, Horikita Suzune didn't waste words and directly stated her request, "I hope you can reduce the points Class D gives you every month."

"I can provide assistance to you in the upcoming special exams. If my assistance is more valuable than the points you receive from Class D, then reduce the points Class D gives you, how about that?"

Takada Hikaru didn't answer immediately.

He slowly put down the coffee cup, then sighed slightly, appearing somewhat disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him show such a disappointed expression, Horikita Suzune frowned slightly, asking with some displeasure, "Do you think my proposal is terrible?"

Takada Hikaru shook his head. "No, it's actually a very clever way of putting it. Your current situation in Class D is very dire, it's no exaggeration to say you're at the very bottom of the class. Maybe even Haruki-san is doing better than you."

"By doing things for me to reduce the points the class gives me every month, if you succeed, it will undoubtedly make the people in Class D change their perspective of you."

"If it were someone else, I might have gladly accepted."

"Then why can't I?"

Hearing what he said, Horikita Suzune's brows furrowed slightly, and her expression became somewhat dissatisfied. "Do you think that with my ability, I cannot assist you in completing your plans?"

She considered herself to be excellent, far better than those losers in Class D. No matter what, she shouldn't be looked down upon, right?

"It's not a question of ability."

Takada Hikaru shook his head slightly, then looked at the black-haired girl opposite him with a chuckle. "I think, Suzune-san, you must have been tricked into coming here by Kiyotaka-san, right?"

Horikita Suzune reacted immediately. "Ayanokoji? Why would his name come up here?"

Horikita Suzune had indeed decided to cooperate with Takada Hikaru after speaking with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

However, she was definitely not tricked into coming. It was a decision she made after careful consideration.

Facing her confusion, Takada Hikaru couldn't help but laugh, "Suzune-san, you aren't the type of person who cares about others' opinions, let alone the plight of your classmates."

"If it were you, hearing that your classmates signed an unequal contract, your thought would be that the other party was too stupid to have signed it."

Horikita Suzune's eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt surprised inside.

When she learned that her classmates had signed the contract, she did indeed think those people were too stupid.

She... had been seen through?

Horikita Suzune said with a serious expression, "But that was because my identity as the leader was discovered by you, which forced the people in Class D to sign the contract. I am only thinking of making up for my mistakes out of a sense of responsibility, to reduce the losses for the class."

"Sigh..."

Takada Hikaru sighed again and said helplessly, "Suzune-san, you have never had anyone else in your eyes. You only think of yourself when doing things. Whether it was investigating the school's hidden rules at the start of the semester, or implementing your plan behind the class's back during the Deserted Island Exam, you never took the class into consideration."

"The idea of 'using your own efforts to reduce the class's losses' would absolutely never have occurred to you if someone else hadn't suggested it."

Takada Hikaru looked at the girl opposite him, who was now speechless, and said in a disappointed tone, "If you had come to me wanting to cooperate with me to obtain 20 million Private Points to promote to Class A, then I would have believed you and would have been very happy to cooperate with you."

"Unfortunately, you are merely a puppet being deceived by Kiyotaka-san, manipulated by him from the shadows without even realizing it. I would much rather cooperate with the real you."

After finishing, he closed his mouth and watched the black-haired girl opposite him silently.

Horikita Suzune's gaze was somewhat dazed, her eyes slightly stunned, as if she had not yet recovered from his words.

A puppet?

Her?

Recalling the experiences of the previous semester, whether it was helping the three idiots of Class D with tutoring or the actions during the midterm exams, she basically completed them under Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's reminders.

In this Deserted Island Exam, she was even deceived by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka until the end, inexplicably taking the blame.

Tonight, it was also after exchanging words with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka that she thought of using this method to improve her reputation in the class, making it easier for her to lead the class.

She... had been manipulated until now?

A feeling of unwillingness rose from her heart, gradually filling her whole body.

Takada Hikaru tapped his fingers on the table and said with a smile, "It seems you've figured it out, Suzune-san. If you can give me 5 million Private Points in one go, then I will reduce the points Class D gives me every month to 200,000."

"Take this condition back to Kiyotaka-san to finish your task."