COTE - The Devilish Conqueror

Revelation

After a few banter we exchanged, I finally managed to bring Horikita to the school's club fair. She was a little bit handful to handle, but once you managed to enter her small social circle, it was fairly easy to read her.

You might wonder why would I need to bother myself getting close with such a prideful person like her.
It was partially because I was curious with Kushida's reaction on her and the exact nature of their relationship. But mainly because it was just interesting.

Despite seemingly being so mighty and prideful, with also a quite sharp tongue, I can still feel a faint trace of naivety on her. It was amusing to see an actual example of the sayings “Frog in a well”. It was like having to take a grumpy pet on a walk each time I talked with her.

Another interesting things to note is that apparently, Horikita has an upperclassmen as an older brother in this school. And that person is actually the president of student council himself.

“I’m the student council president. My name is Horikita Manabu,” The person in question introduced himself, and I could see a myriad of emotion flashed in her eyes.

But the most prominent are awe and inferiority.

Interesting.

“The student council is looking to recruit potential candidates among the first-year students to replace the graduating third years. Although no special qualifications are required for candidacy, we humbly ask that those considering application not be involved in other club activities. We generally do not accept students involved elsewhere.”

He spoke in a soft tone, but the tension around us was so thick it felt like you could cut it with a knife. Without a doubt, president of student council position fitted him perfectly.

At one moment, every single first years make fun of him, then in a second, he managed to silence everyone even without uttering any single word. His presence alone dominated everyone around him.

“Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish to appoint anyone who possesses a naive outlook. Not only would such a person not be elected, he or she would sully the sanctity of this school. It is the student council’s right and duty to enforce and amend the rules, but the school expects more than that. We gladly welcome those of you who understand this.”

Glancing at my side, Horikita remained still as statue even after the president left the gymnasium. And no matter how many time I called her, she remained unresponsive, as if my voice failed to reach her ears.

I honestly expected something more from her... But well, not like I'm complaining about easy prey.

Surprisingly, while I was waiting for my company to snap out of her trance, Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi stumbled upon us and spent a short moment to chat. I even got an invitation to enter their group chat by Sudou, in which Ike and Yamauchi voted against it until Sudou himself silenced their protests.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Horikita began to take her leave and disappear into the crowd.

Obviously, being a curious individual I was, I promptly followed her behind after giving the trio a parting words.

As the crowd slowly began to thin, Horikita turned around, as if looking for something or someone. The haughty look on her face before was nowhere to be found, replaced by a mix of hopeful expression and desperation.