Class-E, The Experiments

Chapter XI: Spider Web

"Raven Girl," I said calmly, turning to her. "You should probably head back to the dorm. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be even more eventful."

"I'm going to drag myself up to Class A even if it kills me," Horikita muttered, her voice determined despite her slumped posture.

Ignoring my words huh....

With her brother gone, the silence of the night wrapped around us. She sat against the wall, her head hanging low, seemingly unaware that I had spoken earlier. I didn't particularly care, though. Her resolve was clear, but it wasn't enough.

"Did you hear everything? Or was it just a coincidence?" she asked, her tone softer, almost resigned.

"Oh. Uh, it was half a coincidence," I replied casually. "I saw you when I was buying juice from the vending machine. Got a little curious, so I followed. But I didn't mean to meddle in your business."

Horikita lapsed into silence once more, processing my words. "Your older brother is really strong. He doesn't lack ferocity."

"He's ranked fifth dan in karate and fourth dan in aikido," she stated, her voice betraying a hint of pride despite the tension.

I hummed in response, mildly surprised. If I'd known that beforehand, I might have made more of an effort to throw the fight to maintain a semblance of averageness. It was amusing to think that I, someone seen as ordinary, had just bested someone with such a prestigious martial arts background.

"Well," I said, breaking the silence. "I guess this night didn't go quite as expected, did it?"

She ignores my words again before responding.

"You also practice martial arts. Do you hold a dan rank?" Horikita asked, her tone curious but somewhat subdued.

I shook my head. "No, Muay Thai doesn't have official rankings. But if we were to compare it to something like karate, I'd say my abilities are somewhere between a brown belt and a black belt." I answered truthfully. I wasn't entirely sure, so it was a rough estimate. Of course, I had practiced other martial arts too, but there was no need to mention that just yet.

"I see." She responded, sounding slightly dejected. Did my defeat of her brother really bother her that much?

"You saw a strange side of me," she admitted, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

"On the contrary, I always thought of you as a normal girl. Well, not really." I added, smirking slightly.

Horikita glared at me. "Let's go back. If anyone saw us out here, they'd probably get the wrong idea."

She was certainly right about that. Rumors about a boy and a girl alone in the dark would spread quickly. Not to mention the fact that our interactions seemed to be growing more... intense, in a way.

Horikita stood up slowly and began walking toward the dorm. I followed behind her, but there was something else on my mind. "Hey. Were you really okay with how the study group went?" I asked. If I didn't address this now, I might never get another chance.

"Why are you asking me? I was the one who proposed holding the study group in the first place. Besides, I got the feeling you considered it a hassle. Am I wrong?" she replied, her tone sharper.

"It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Look, I think things are going to get worse with the others," I explained.

She countered, "Aren't you the one who disbanded it?"

"Well, you're the one who didn't take tutoring them seriously," I shot back.

"I don't care," Horikita responded coldly. "Besides, Hirata-kun picked up most of the failing students. He knows how to study, gets along with others, and, unlike me, he'll be a good tutor. At the very least, they should all pass. It was pointless to try teaching the failing students myself. We'd just go through the same scenario every test until graduation. It's pointless to keep trying to make up for their failures every single time."