COTE: Mysterious Siblings(DISCONTINUED)

Volume 7: Fires Come, Fires Burn

"...Fair enough." 

And perhaps the change in you came sooner than expected. 

"Normally, you would come up with a comeback and we would argue for a few minutes. That's good, you're starting to know how to take an insult and stay silent." 

"Actions speak louder than words. Have I not proven my worth in the Paper Shuffle?" 

"One victory in a battle doesn't mean anything, when that battle was enacted during a war."

"And you're correct, I suppose." 

Unexpectedly, she stretched out her hand to me. 

"I'll apologize for what I've kept saying in that past, Toma-kun. I'm hoping we could work together peacefully, from now on I mean." 

Is this really Horikita Suzune? Well, her facial expression depicts that she's serious about this. At any rate, this is surprising but acceptable. I took her hand and firmly shook it. 

"That would depend on you though. If you were to betray my trust, know that the pay back would cost you your life at this school." 

"I'll be careful then. Thank you for placing your faith in me." 

"I'm not placing my faith in you, I'm just fulfilling a promise." I said. 

"Promise? What promise?" Horikita asked. 

"That's a story for another time. Now, we have another matter at hand, right?" 

"Yes, Ryuuen-kun's been a busy bee. We only just got done with the Paper Shuffle. I wonder what he's plotting now? As his number one rival, I assume you have your thoughts."

"I do, but its still Ryuuen we're talking about. You don't need to know him for long to understand he would always bounce back." 

"There aren't any exams in the immediate future." Ayanokouji said.

"We can't say for sure now can we?" I said.

"Right, the school might do something like what happened in summer break. We can't let our guard down." Horikita agreed.

"I wonder what he's after this time?"

"Do you really not know? Or are you just pretending?" Horikita asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He's looking for the mastermind behind Class D's victories. I'll admit that Toma-kun has also been hard at work, but overall you've done more than any of us." 

She was technically correct. Ayanokouji's influence on us has made the class strive for better. If he weren't here, we would all be six feet under, even if Shizuko and I were doing everything, it was difficult. Somehow, having Ayanokouji as a consultant was extremely relieving. 

"In other words, he's looking for you?" Ayanokouji asked Horikita. 

I stifled a laugh, earning me a glare from Horikita. 

"Sorry, sorry. Carry on." I said. 

"You can't use me to hide from Ryuuen anymore." Horikita said.

"What makes you say that?"

"If he thought I was the puppet master, so to speak, he would approach me directly. But he hasn't done anything of the sort."

"Perhaps your strategy during the Paper Shuffle was more effective than he expected? He might be moving more carefully this time. Taking a while to remove the obstacles in his way first." 

"Aside that fact, its like Ryuuen-kun has lost interest in me." Horikita said.

"Is the little girl a bit jealous that good 'ol Ryuuen isn't paying any attention to her?" I teased.