Class-E, The Experiments

Chapter XI: Spider Web

There was someone else with her.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far," said a male voice.

Her brother? Had she left in the dead of night to meet with him?

"Hmph. I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, niisan. I came here to catch you."

"Catch me, hmm?"

Now this was getting interesting.

"I heard you were placed in Class D. I suppose nothing has really changed in the last three years. You've always been fixated on following me, and because of that, you never see your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was a mistake."

"That's... You're wrong about that. I'll reach Class A right away, then—"

"It's pointless. You will never reach Class A. In fact, your class will fall apart soon enough. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think."

"I will definitely, definitely reach—"

"I told you, it's pointless. You're just a disobedient little sister."

Horikita's brother stepped closer to her. From my hiding spot, I could see him clearly.

"No matter how hard I try to distance myself from you, the fact remains that you're my little sister. If the people here learned that, I would be humiliated. Leave this school immediately."

"I—I can't do that... I will definitely reach Class A. I'll show you!"

"How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past?"

"Nii-san, I..."

"You possess neither the abilities nor the qualities needed to reach Class A. Get that through your head."

He moved forward, and the situation felt tense, as if it could escalate at any moment. Resigned to the possibility of angering Horikita later, I grabbed my phone and turned on the camera's flash. I took a picture, the flash briefly illuminating the area. The snap sound echoed in the quiet night, ensuring that both of them knew I was there.

Both of them turned to face me. While Raven Girl—Horikita Suzune—looked utterly shocked and surprised, her older brother, Horikita Manabu, maintained his composed demeanor.

"And who might you be?" he asked in a calm voice.

I responded in my usual disinterested tone, "Who I am is of no interest to you."

Horikita didn't keep the same mellow approach. "A-Ayanokouji-kun!?" she shouted, clearly rattled. I sighed internally—well, there goes subtlety. But then again, considering he was the Student Council President, he could probably access my school files if he wanted to, so it hardly mattered.

"A friend of my sister, perhaps?" Horikita Manabu's gaze shifted between us. I caught a brief flicker of something in his eyes—satisfaction, maybe? Like he was enjoying the prospect of me being involved.

But Horikita quickly shut that down. "No... he's just a classmate."

Her brother's expression hardened at her words, clearly disappointed by her answer. His eyes lost their brief flicker of amusement, returning to their sharp and critical state.

"Oh, you wound me so, Raven Girl," I said in my usual monotonous voice. I didn't really care either way—I was used to her cold treatment by now.

"Oh well, this is quite an interesting development, isn't it?" I remarked, my voice as cold as ever. "The Student Council President nearly assaulting his younger sister—imagine how the student body would react to that kind of news."