COTE: A Man On A Mission || Love is War?

Sister Horikita doesn’t understand people’s hearts at all.

”In that case...” But she quickly explained herself, ”I will be promoted to Class A soon...”

To Hachiman, this explanation was not as cold as she was during the day.

Instead, she felt as helpless as a frightened little rabbit, explaining feebly and looking pale.

Horikita Suzune is different from others. She has been observing this school carefully since her enrollment yesterday, but still knows too little.

Just being kicked out of school like this...

She couldn’t accept it.

”It’s impossible,” But Horikita’s brother interrupted her coldly and said without looking back, ”You can’t do it.”

”I will definitely do it!” But Suzune was a little disappointed. She lowered her head, but still said stubbornly.

”What a disobedient sister.” Manabu slowly turned his head away and looked at her with cold eyes.

And Hachiman finally saw clearly the appearance of Horikita’s brother, wearing glasses, a tall nose, a cold yet handsome face, and a tough but magnetic tone.

There is no doubt that it was the Student council president who presided over the opening ceremony.

Although they are brother and sister, their personalities are completely different.

Horikita Manabu’s coldness is innate to him, and it is also his own temperament.

But Horikita Suzune, although she was very cold in class, now seemed quite weak.

She looked lost with very low self-esteem, even being submissive in front of Horikita Manabu.

She clearly wanted to prove herself on one hand but couldn’t even say anything to refute on the other.

Plus [I came here following my brother’s footsteps].

So. ’Horikita Suzune, are you imitating your brother?’ Very good.

Hachiman also hopes that his sister will regard him as an idol.

But Komachi said, ”Huh? Onii-chan is clearly worrying Komachi, worried about whether he will be able to find a job in the future.”　

”Komachi is under a lot of pressure, because Onii-chan will be staying at home in the future, so the burden of supporting him, Isn’t it going to fall on Komachi?”

”Onii-chan, go to work quickly, seriously!”

”...”

On the contrary, Komachi will be worried, so Hachiman reflected.

Only ’My stomach feels so full now and I feel so uncomfortable’ So, he walked towards the vending machine.

Horikita siblings were still talking, but their conversation had reached a fever pitch.

”What a disobedient sister!” Manabu had given up talking to his sister at this point and prepared to take action.

He raised his right hand directly, seemed to be preparing to give his disobedient sister a slap.　　

And Suzune also noticed what her brother wanted to do, but she just leaned against the wall, looking timid.

And Hachiman walked towards the vending machine.

Footsteps will make noise, especially since the school provides students with leather shoes, so it will definitely have some kind of sound.

Which was more than enough to make the Horikita siblings pay attention.

”Hikigaya-kun...” Sister Horikita, who was waiting to be punished by her brother, noticed the figure of a student walking towards them.

Rather, Hikigaya-kun is easy to identify.

She will remember his dead eyes and lack of interest in most things.....but well except her.....stalker alert!

Although she behaves very weakly, Suzune is also making her own little efforts.

After being told yesterday that each student’s student ID card would receive 100,000 points, she went shopping, collected items, practiced using point, and dealt with price issues.

Then she also discovered the daily items that the school would provide relief to students without points.

’I always feel like this school is weird’ So, Suzune is also collecting information.

’In the evening, I even talked to this Hikigaya-kun’ But now...the other party sees that she is...cowardly.

She seemed a little ashamed. Hachiman glanced at her, and then walked directly behind her brother.

”...” Horikita Manabu’s movements seemed to have stopped.

He changed his raised hand to push up his glasses. The movements look quite elegant.

”Do you want to stop me?” Horikita said. ”Or, have you already taken pictures and recorded audio.”

”If you take pictures, there will be a flash. But there wasn’t, still I am not sure whether you spent some money to ask the class teacher to cancel the flash function.”

”So the price of sealing your mouth, how much is it?” Horikita Manabu said.

Yes. To him, he was an excellent Student council president and a student in Class A of the third grade, but his sister was assigned to Class D, the worst class.

The information about his sister alone may also become a tool to attack him or his own class.

So, the other party needs to keep it silent. But Manabu felt that something was wrong.

’I originally thought that no one came to this place, but now that someone interrupted...was this a set-up from the beginning to lure me out, using Suzune?’

”Huh?” But Hachiman looked at him in surprise.

”Haha...” Horikita Manabu smiled. ”I see, it’s not sufficient. Indeed, you noticed the school’s rules on the first day, so your appetite will definitely not be small.”

”But 500,000, this is the maximum hush money I can give you. ” He said in a strong tone, as if it’s the most fair solution of this problem, ”Don’t forget my identity, I am the Student council president.”

”Are you sure you want to confront me?”

”-0-” Hachiman’s expression probably changed to this.

”Student Council President, do you think I just recorded or took photos, and now I’m here to threaten you?” Hachiman couldn’t help but ask?

’Isn’t this person’s brain moving too fast?’

”Isn’t it? You stood aside for a while on purpose, waiting for me to raise my hand before coming over, right?”

’Of course not, I am not that dark’ But, it turns out that there is no lower limit to what can be done.

If it had just been recorded, it would be worth 500,000.

Because of the personal example of the Student council president, Hachiman felt the tolerance of this school.

And he also felt that 500,000 yen of Horikita’s brother seemed to be easier to earn than Chabashira-sensei’s 200,000.

________

The President said that, this is not information you can know now, and he has to pay one million.

Then he opened his mouth again and said that the maximum hush fee he can give is 500,000 yen.

’As a high-ranking class member and student council president, are you so rich?’ But let alone one million, Hachiman can’t even get half the amount now.

Because he did not record or take photos.’But I can also fool this person and make a shitty lie’

Get the points first. But. Hachiman doesn’t feel the need to make this kind of money.

Because. ”You may have misunderstood.” He decided to correct this person’s thinking instead, maybe he will gain the other party’s favour, ”...I just ate too much tonight and felt a little uncomfortable, so I went out for a walk to promote digestion, and then bought a cup of coffee to speed up the function of my stomach.”

’Is that so? Are you just passing by?’

’Of course, I am!’ Because Hachiman walked directly to the vending machine in front of the two Horikita’s and ordered Max coffee.

Then take out his mobile phone and click on the QR code of the student ID card.

”Beep!”

”Boom!” Accompanied by the sound of points being crossed off, and the sound of cans of Max coffee rolling down the shelves.

Hachiman took the coffee. Opened the can and took a sip.

The sugar content is very low and it seems bitter, but it has a very refreshing effect.

”...” Horikita learned. He watched Hachiman’s actions and pushed up his glasses again.

But the sister behind him finally decided to open her mouth, ”...Hikigaya-kun, did you really record words that were unfavorable to my brother?”

Then she turned to the person facing this problem with a serious attitude.

”If my existence brings such a big risk to my brother then...I...maybe... should choose to drop out of school.”

It was obvious that she would not drop out of school even if she was beaten before, but now Horikita Suzune can have the word ”drop out”

on her lips.

”...” X2

Horikita Manabu and Hachiman’s expressions seemed to be the same at this moment.

It shows that Suzune wants to protect her big brother.

’Then, you are great’ This also shows that the relationship between the siblings is quite good.

Hachiman looked back at President, who just kept a cold expression.

But, Hachiman felt that inside he was probably the type that screamed like a marmot.

’Althoughmy sister chose to drop out of school, can she say this directly?’

And. She probably didn’t understand Manabu’s intention in treating her like this.

Female Horikita completely doesn’t understand her brother’s painstaking efforts.

Let’s not talk about whether she drops out of school or not.

If she drops out directly, then Hachiman’s mission of collecting her information to help Chabashira-sensei create a file will also be in vain.

Points available - 200,000. It seems a bit of a loss.

And since he knows that the strength of this school is paramount, there is no need to offend Horikita Manabu, who is a student in Class A of the third grade and also the Student council president.

Especially during the opening ceremony, Hachiman noticed that it was the student council that presided over the ceremony, and no teachers or principals participated.

So, the power of this student council is probably completely different from that of ordinary high school student councils.

Then there is no need to offend such a big boss. And this Horikita brother is probably also very troubled.

’Because this is a problematic duo who doesn’t have much emotional intelligence’

From this point of view, older brother Hachiman is very happy, that Komachi has a very high emotional intelligence.

Then. ”I didn’t record just now.” Hachiman shook his head, his eyes seemed to be looking at this timid girl with pity, ”If news breaks out that the Student council president beats his sister, it may have a negative impact on his reputation.”

”And in order to avoid such a scandal from being exposed, President will naturally ask me to keep silent.”

”It’s just like before.”

”But I didn’t record it.” Hachiman said. ”Because I don’t think I can record valuable information or take S&M photos.”

”...” Horikita pushed up his glasses. His eyes were cold and sharp, ”Do you think I won’t fight?” He chose to ignore Hachiman’s weird description.

This sentence meant that if a photo of the student council president beating his sister was taken, it would cause a sensation.

But if there is no fight, then it is just a rumor.

May be processed. In other words, the probability of getting the money safely is very small.

Instead, it caused a lot of trouble.

Therefore, only by actually photographing the fait accompli can it become a bargaining chip.

In this way. ”Yeah, you can’t fight.” Hachiman said. ”Since I know you won’t fight, then... why do I want to take pictures?”

”...” ??

Listening to Hachiman’s words, Horikita’s sister seemed to be touched, because she just thought she would definitely get a slap. ’In the end, my brother didn’t actually mean it?’

”You’re quite interesting.” Horikita pushed up his glasses again. ”Hikigaya Hachiman, a first-year class D, has had various dark histories since childhood, the most significant of which is that he has been alone. In other words, no friends.

He is even suspected of being autistic. But we can’t learn everything from the files. Example, you are a very observant guy.”

”...?” Hachiman then looked at the student council president.

”As the Student council president, I have higher authority than you think.”

Then Manabu revealed his special skill, shocking both of them, ”It also includes the authority to expel students.”

’Then you are so damn scary. Have the authority to expel other students?!’

But this means that, I didn’t choose to threaten you just now, so it’s correct.

Whenyou say files... do you mean the files of all the students?’

And.... can the head teacher also view this file?’

And if the class teacher can check, then... why does Chabashira-sensei want me to investigate the students in the class?

’What does this pedophilic teacher want me to do?’ A twinge of doubt arose in Hachiman’s heart.

Because. As the student president, he has permission to view student files.

’What about the class teacher? Why can’t she view the files of students in her own class?!’

This seems incredible. Because. The school does not do charity for free.

It arranges for students to come in, free tuition, and provides living expenses, so not everyone can do it.

Therefore, they need to have corresponding values, so the students’ own files and resumes must have been turned over.

As for the their head teachers, there is no need to make the teachers work more difficult.

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to provide the student’s information from the beginning.

But when you think about it this way, there is a problem at this link.

According to Chabashira-sensei, she needs his help in collecting information about students in her class in order to complete her duties as a homeroom teacher.

This is the responsibility of the head teacher. So, it’s normal to have an assistant at work.

But if Chabashira-sensei had the files of all Class D students from the beginning, there would be no need for him to do the work of collecting information.

But she did. Either the paper version of the information that has been obtained is different from the reality and needs to be verified.

It seems pretty normal. ’But it could also be...an ulterior motive’

For example... deliberately let him come into contact with these specific students.

And what is the purpose of reaching these specific students?

If it’s Kushida, she is a troubled child with a dark history, and the consequences of an explosion would be disastrous.

And coming into contact with Horikita Suzune... Although she looks excellent on the board, the actual situation is very bad.

Just being unreasonable alone may have a negative effect.

’But, what if I think about it the other way around?’

Although Kushida is a bomb, she is very friendly, while Hirata, another bomb, takes the initiative to become the mother of the class.

And Horikita Suzune is also the younger sister of the student council president Horikita Manabu.

Hey, hey, this combination... reveals ambition.

Hachiman felt a little stressed. That is to say.

Chabashira Sae is obviously pretty, likes to wear black stockings and high heels, and has a lot of money.

She is a mature rich lady. ’Could it turn out to be an ambitious big sister?’

’Can I still get points from the opponent?’ Hachiman was calculating the gains and losses in his mind. But the student council president continued to talk.

”But I will not use this authority for personal matters.” Horikita continued.

”I have my own ethics, so don’t worry.”

’In other words, even if I just passed by, or even took a photo of him about to beat his sister, he would not use his personal rights to retaliate’ Hachiman who looks at the world in a different way, arrived at this conclusion.

This guy.... is surprisingly a real person. Only.

”President Horikita must have worked hard to be so bright,” Hachiman said.

”After all, you just said that if I take pictures, they can be used to threaten you. And you know these methods, but you are still so fair....Don’t you think it’s hard?”

’Of course, it’s hard! But Horikita Manabu has something he wants to stick to.

”You don’t need to worry about these things.” After saying this, he looked at his sister.

”Suzune, if you don’t know anything, you can’t stay in this school.... So, quitting school may be your best choice.”

”It’s like what I just said, strength comes first. Students are evaluated based on a set of standards when they first enter school. Then, they are divided into ABCD classes according to whether they are excellent or not.”

”And I think you have understood, I am in Class A, which represents excellence.”

So ”Suzune, you were assigned to Class D.....It means you are far from good enough. You were evaluated as trash.” Manabu didn’t even know about his sister’s confident self and ridiculed her without hesitation.

”Hmm...” Suzune seemed stunned for a moment. ’I am.... what?...But I used that Jasmine type of perfume....there’s no way, I am trash?!’

But she quickly said, ”I think there must be a mistake in the evaluation. Because my study is not bad. Although I can’t get full marks in all subjects, I spend 10 hours studying every day, and my sports ability is also better than ordinary girls.

”Haha...” This statement made Horikita-nii smile.

”You are indeed good at these things, but that’s just good. There are many people who are better than you.”

”For example, the Hikigaya Hachiman in front of you.”

”Hikigaya... classmate.” Suzune’s eyes moved over and fell on Hachiman.

Among the girls that Hachiman has come into contact with, he has the closest relationship with Kushida.

And if a girl looks at him all over like this... Horikita is the first one.

But Hachiman would still take the initiative to stay, partly to see if he could collect more information about Horikita Suzune, and partly because her brother was very wealthy.

Since, he had paid 1 million points to leak the information, let’s see if I can get other school intel for free.

’As a result, has the topic now reached me? And my hardware is better than this girl, Horikita?’

’Is this guy smoking that cheap stuff?’ Hachiman only had a higher score in Japanese, but the rest were average.

’So, why are you bragging about others?’

Hachiman was just thinking about how to deal with the current situation when he didn’t see Horikita Suzune looking at him in surprise, as if she just discovered that he was a super academic or something.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed that his phone vibrated.

It seems that a message has been received.

　　[Your personal account has 100,000 points. The current personal account balance of the transfer party F3455646

　　is 183,400 points. ]

A transfer message. And the transfer party is...an unknown number.

But. There are notes under it.

[Note: I’m teaching Suzune, please be quiet. ]

? ? Suzune

There is currently only one Suzune that Hachiman knows about.

Hachiman then looked at Horikita Manabu. But, he just kept a cool face,

it’s impossible to read his expression.

However, it is almost 99.99% confirmed that this transfer was from him.

That is to say. It was exactly as Hachiman thought.

Horikita Manabu voluntarily paid a huge price of 1 million to reveal part of the school’s essence to his sister.

He did not force her to drop out of school. But... to teach this Suzune, a life lesson.

’Let my sister know that this school is so cruel. Points are hard to gain, but easy to lose. Without points, it is difficult to move forward’ This was probably what the President is thinking.

That’s why he asked Horikita to drop out of school in the first place...which was a lie.

Rather, finding out that his sister was assigned to Class D, and that the various hardware panels were not bad, meant that there were other major problems.

She was classified as a problem child and thrown into Class D.

So, he was worried about his sister’s condition. ’Did Suzune even have the necessary amount of points to live?’

’Holy fuck?! What level of girl control is this?!’

’Did you really pay the 1 million you said, then?’ Hachiman felt that he would definitely not be able to do it.

The most he could have was 1.1 million, and would only give Komachi 1 million.

And now. Collecting money from people is still so easy. Hachiman took another look at the 183,400 points on his account balance.

The 100,000 yen sent by President Horikita is enough for two months of living expenses.

Well~ Hachiman chose silence. Then, he watched Horikita being admonished like a small child.

”His Japanese language scores are better than yours. Hikigaya is also very insightful and well aware of current affairs. If I evaluate him, it will not be low.” Horikita Manabu said, ”So, the reason why he was assigned to Class D... I don’t know either.”

”So, look for his shortcomings, Suzune. If you choose to stay, and this is my request for you to stay in this school.”

”...” Hachiman remained quiet though. But he found that, Suzune was looking at him with an incomprehensible look.

’Maybe she didn’t understand why her brother gave such an order’ But Hachiman understands it very well.

Because. Horikita’s biggest flaw is her lack of empathy. And her brother probably noticed this.

So, he wants his sister to study by my side? Give her some life lessons?

And is this why, he was just paid 100,000 points?

Hachiman wanted to return the 100,000 points on the spot!

He retracted his statement that President Horikita was a great philanthropist. Because, this person is too stingy.

Wanted to get the maximum amount of profit from every penny he spent?!