COTE: Popularity System

Horikita is being foolish again.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the girl training all by herself, his expression calm, showing no emotion.

It was a good thing he had temporarily given up on Horikita Suzune. Otherwise, he would have to clean up her mess again.

He originally thought his common sense regarding social interactions was already bad enough, but he didn't expect Horikita Suzune to go even further, performing even worse than him.

He really didn't know who was the one who came out of the enclosed environment of the White Room.

"Ayanokoji-san, aren't you going to comfort Horikita-san?"

Just then, Hirata Yosuke walked over with a smile.

He had just been busy organizing the class for training, and now hearing that Horikita Suzune had a conflict with someone, he came over to see if he could help.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said indifferently, "If I went over, I'd probably get scolded by Horikita. She hasn't been in a good mood lately, so it's better to let her calm down alone."

Hirata Yosuke said, "If that's the case, then it's even more necessary for someone to go and talk to her."

"Hirata, are you going over? Then I wish you safety."

"I definitely need to communicate with Horikita. She's currently being somewhat isolated by her classmates, and I don't want this situation to worsen."

"It looks more like she's isolating the rest of the class."

"Does it seem that way to Ayanokoji-san?" Hirata Yosuke couldn't help but laugh.

"Thinking about it from that perspective, it does make some sense."

Horikita Suzune completely disregarded others' gazes and actively and forcefully rejected contact with others. Rather than the class isolating her, it was more like she was isolating the entire class.

But in reality, Horikita Suzune's situation in the class was truly dangerous. Many in the class blamed her for having to give their monthly points to Takada Hikaru.

In addition, she had another conflict with her classmate during the three-legged race. Her image in the eyes of the entire class was getting worse and worse.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at the sports field, seeing the running girl about to pass by, and reminded the class leader beside him, "Hirata, Horikita is coming over soon."

Hirata Yosuke said with a smile, "There's no rush with Horikita-san. Before talking to her, I'd like to consult with Ayanokoji-san first."

"Me?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed a little puzzled, but his tone was incredibly flat, turning a question into a statement.

"Ayanokoji-san, how is your relationship with Yamauchi and the others?" Hirata asked.

In the last few days of summer vacation, he had received a tip-off from Ayanokoji.

Yamauchi, Sotomura, Ike, and Hondo from the same class actually planned to secretly film the girls' changing room and had already made preparations.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, as a friend of these people, naturally participated in this plan.

However, before the planned exam, he decided to switch sides and proactively reported the matter to Hirata Yosuke.

After learning about it, Hirata Yosuke naturally stopped Yamauchi and the others' plan and confiscated their tools.

The plan failed to proceed, the girls were protected, and the class would not be punished. It seemed like the best outcome.

However, a rift formed in the relationship between Ayanokoji and Yamauchi and the others.

"After school started, Yamauchi and the others stopped talking to me." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said with a calm expression.

Yamauchi and the others pulling him into the peeping plan could be seen as a sign of their trust in him. But Ayanokoji immediately told Hirata about the plan.

In the eyes of Yamauchi and the others, Ayanokoji was a traitor, a sniveling coward. It was perfectly normal for them not to associate with him.

Hirata Yosuke smiled bitterly, helpless. "Is that really how it is? I've been seeing you alone lately, so I figured things must have turned out this way."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said, "There's nothing to be done about it. Even though what they did was wrong, I betrayed their trust, so there's no way to continue being friends. It's all my own doing."

Noticing his self-deprecating tone, Hirata Yosuke quickly said, "Ayanokoji-san, please don't think that way. What you did was definitely right."

"I know." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded, then said nothing more.

Seeing his somewhat downcast expression, Hirata Yosuke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Ayanokoji-san, if you don't mind, would you like to hang out with us from now on?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked, "Hirata, you and your friends are already very close. Is it really okay for someone like me to join in temporarily?"

Hirata said with a smile, "It's perfectly fine. If Ayanokoji-san joins, they'll definitely be very happy. How about we start by having lunch together today?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's reaction was a beat slow, as if he was thinking.

Then, he said, "Thank you for your concern, Hirata."

It took a lot of effort but he finally joined Hirata's group.

If he wanted to find a temporary tool to manage the class, Hirata Yosuke, who was well-liked by the D-class students and had no temper, was actually the best choice.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought Horikita Suzune had potential and, after some refinement, would become a leader who could contend with him, which was why he spent so much time on her.

Unfortunately, Horikita Suzune's status in D-class never rose, and her emotional intelligence was movingly low.

Coupled with the fact that D-class's performance in the first two special exams wasn't very good, if he continued to spend time on Horikita Suzune, he would most likely experience another failure during the Sports Festival.

Therefore, he informed Hirata of Yamauchi and the others' plan precisely to join Hirata's small group and better manipulate Hirata.

For the next few exams, it would be better to rely on Hirata to get through the difficulties. Joining the normie clique led by Hirata actually didn't fit Ayanokoji's persona as a recluse.

However, he had previously hung out with the idiot trio, and they were also quite dazzling in a certain sense. He was just moving from one extreme to another, which didn't prevent him from continuing to maintain his recluse persona.

He could even blend into Yamauchi and the others' small group, let alone Hirata and his group.

He believed it wouldn't be long before he could join the group as an inconspicuous member.

— — —

Class 1-B.

Sakayanagi Arisu came before Katsuragi Kōhei, a faint smile on her face. "Katsuragi, my body isn't very convenient, so I'll trouble you to manage the class for the upcoming Sports Festival as well."

Seeing the girl leaning on a crutch, Katsuragi Kōhei nodded solemnly.

He knew what Sakayanagi Arisu was thinking. The upcoming Sports Festival didn't test the leader's ability, but rather the class's overall athletic ability.

And their class was originally selected by the school as Class A, which was the strongest in the entire grade in terms of overall strength.

If they won the Sports Festival, it would be because the class was already that strong, and it had nothing to do with his leadership.

If they lost the Sports Festival... how could such a strong class lose? Are you an idiot, Katsuragi?

Katsuragi Kōhei knew what Sakayanagi Arisu was thinking, but still agreed to guide the class.

After all, as just mentioned, the Sports Festival tested the overall strength of the class. He really didn't know how the original Class A could lose.