In the end, Kanda Shuichi set the bet as a memory challenge. He pulled out a book, and the rule was simple: whoever could memorize and recite the most of it within a week would win.
Neither Kushida nor Horikita objected.
"I'm really looking forward to the day Horikita kneels before me," Kushida said with a bright smile, holding the book.
Horikita wasn't about to back down. "That day will never come."
Horikita was completely confident in this bet because she had already read the book Kanda Shuichi chose.
When he pulled it out, she even started to wonder if he had done some research on her and was deliberately making sure she won.
After finishing her promise to cook two dishes for Kanda Shuichi, Horikita left his room.
Kushida also left soon after—she had to focus on memorizing the book. There was no way she was going to lose to Horikita.
Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi enjoyed a relaxing weekend afternoon.
The next day, November 1st, Kanda Shuichi received another system gift—a Time TV Battery (minimum one-hour usage).
Note: Please claim it while the Time TV is active.
My cheat feature got renewed!
But… why isn't it a charger instead? Damn it!
Usage Instructions: Take out the Time TV, then claim the battery.
How does this even work?
It wasn't until Kanda returned to his dorm that night and claimed it that he realized—the battery was in energy form.
With the battery charged, Kanda Shuichi could finally investigate the mystery that had been bothering him for over a year—what really happened during that tsunami?
Before this, he wasn't sure how long the Time TV would last, so he had been holding back.
During that time, he gathered all the news reports about the tsunami. His family wasn't the only victims—it caused a huge stir back then, and plenty of records were still available.
He even found some related videos, likely filmed by people nearby.
But all they proved was that the tsunami appeared out of nowhere on a completely calm sea. That's why people called it divine punishment.
However, Kanda Shuichi felt like there had to be something more to it. So the moment he got the Time TV, he wanted to investigate. But he had been holding off, worried that the battery wouldn't last long enough.
Now, the time had come.
Let's see what really happened that day.
Kanda Shuichi set the Time TV's perspective to himself and adjusted the time to match the exact moment of the tsunami. The news reports had precise records, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Just as Kanda Shuichi was eagerly waiting to uncover the truth, the time-viewing TV suddenly glitched...
What the hell?
Kanda Shuichi panicked for a moment. Did he just see something he wasn't supposed to? Or did something go wrong?
My advanced tech... please don't be broken!
But his worries were unnecessary. After nearly thirty seconds of static, a line of text appeared on the screen.
[Dimensional interference detected. Unable to capture footage.]
Kanda Shuichi froze. Dimensional interference?
He took out the four-dimensional pocket given to him by the system and fell into deep thought.
Could there be a connection between the two?
He turned off the time-viewing TV and let out a long breath. Even though he didn't get to see what actually happened, he still learned something—this tsunami was definitely related to the system.
There was probably no point in investigating further now. He'd figure it out later.
But seriously, why do the recent tools feel so useless?
Last month's black belt boosted combat power, but what's up with this month's electric Ike?
[Tip: You can save up your monthly item claims. Multiple claims can be combined, and the fused item will have enhanced abilities.]
Why didn't you say so earlier?!
I wasted my November claim for nothing!
Time flew by.
These past few days, Kushida and Horikita had been busy. Not only were they tutoring classmates after school, but they also stayed up late memorizing extra readings.
Both of them were clearly exhausted.
"Kushida, Horikita, are you two okay?"
On Friday after school, Hirata noticed how tired they looked and couldn't help but feel concerned. Was the study group putting too much pressure on them?
"I'm fine, I can keep going."
"I'm good."
They answered in unison, then glanced at each other, refusing to back down.
Seeing them both so determined yet clearly hostile toward each other, even Hirata instinctively took a step back from the intensity.
"Did something happen between them?"
Miyake, watching from the side, couldn't help but be curious.
"Who knows," Kanda Shuichi replied as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "We've made good progress with studying. Let's take a break today. Akito, you should drop by your club for a bit."
Then, he turned to Hasebe Haruka.
"You guys have been doing well with humanities, but don't slack off on science. Also, keep an eye on Airi's science subjects too."
"Got it, got it, Kanda-sensei!"
Kanda-sensei? If you don't know how to talk properly, just stay quiet.
Friday night.
Kushida Kikyo showed up in Kanda Shuichi's room, ready for him to check the results of her week's effort.
Kanda Shuichi could only say—she was still behind Horikita.
Horikita had already reached this level by Wednesday.
Looks like there's no way around it—I have to cheat.
He took out a drink he had prepared in advance, poured a cup, and placed it in front of Kushida.
"Have some sugar to keep going. Horikita already reached this progress yesterday."
Kushida didn't doubt it and drank more than half of the drink Kanda Shuichi brought in one go.
"Damn it, am I really going to lose just like this?" Kushida's face was full of frustration, gripping the book tightly.
"If you have time to be upset, you'd be better off putting in more effort. Who knows? Maybe you'll have a breakthrough."
"Are you seriously joking at a time like this?!"
Kushida pouted in dissatisfaction and refocused on her book.
Whether it was because of Kanda Shuichi's words or the sugar boost, she suddenly felt her mind become incredibly clear. She was memorizing sentences at a much faster pace and soon became completely immersed in her studies.
About ten minutes later, she excitedly lifted her head. "Shuichi, I think I really had a breakthrough!"
"Really? Then let's test your progress."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Kushida closed her book and looked at Kanda Shuichi with anticipation.
A few minutes later, Kushida was shaking with excitement. "My progress in this one hour tonight is faster and better than in the past five days combined!"
The bet Kanda Shuichi made with them was to memorize the first ten pages of this book.
If both of them could recite it, they would compare accuracy. If they both got everything right, the bet would continue.
But memorizing ten full pages perfectly was obviously not an easy task.
Yet now, Kushida had done it—with 100% accuracy. The winner was practically decided.
The next day, Saturday, was the showdown.
The location was once again Kanda Shuichi's room.
Horikita and Kushida both looked extremely confident.
"Horikita, you're not going to go back on your word if you lose, are you?"
"Of course not. That's why I brought a reliable witness." Horikita's expression was serious. "But Kushida, can you promise to keep your word if you lose?"
"Of course! I wouldn't lie in front of Shuichi." Kushida spoke confidently. "But is your witness really reliable?"
"Absolutely! And they should be arriving soon."
Horikita's firm response made Kanda Shuichi start to guess… Could it be—
*Knock, knock, knock!*
There was a knock at the door.
As soon as Horikita heard it, she immediately got up and opened the door.
Horikita Manabu's figure appeared before them.
As expected. Horikita Suzune, you're getting bolder.
"Sorry for calling you here on your day off, brother."
"It's fine."
"Please come in, Horikita—Horikita Manabu."
Since Horikita had already invited him, Kanda Shuichi, as the host, couldn't just turn him away. He quickly stepped forward to welcome him.
"Excuse me for intruding."
As expected of Horikita's older brother, even at a time like this, he was incredibly formal.
After entering the room, Horikita Manabu looked at Kushida.
"Long time no see, Kushida."
"…You remember me?"
"I never forget someone I've met before."
So confident?
Do you have a photographic memory too?
"Ahem, well, here's the thing…"
"I already heard the details from Suzune over the phone, so there's no need to explain again." Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, picked up the documents on the table, checked them briefly, then looked at the two of them. "Time is tight. Let's get straight to it."
So straightforward, Horikita Manabu.
"I'll go first, then."
Kushida stepped forward confidently and started reciting.
Even for her, memorizing ten pages of text took a full thirty minutes, and she had to drink water twice in between.
As expected, she got everything right, word for word.
Next, it was Horikita Suzune's turn. With Kushida setting the bar, even the slightest mistake would mean failure for her.
Even if she got everything right, it would only be a tie, so she had to give it her all from the very start.
Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi and Horikita Manabu, acting as judges, listened with completely neutral expressions, giving Horikita Suzune no feedback whatsoever.
When she reached the last page, Horikita Manabu suddenly raised his hand, stopping her.
"No need to continue, Suzune. You lost."
His words made Horikita Suzune freeze for a moment, and then her face darkened with disappointment.
She had no reason to doubt her brother. If he said she lost, then she had definitely lost.
Kushida, on the other hand, was trembling with excitement. It was happening—Horikita Suzune was going to kneel before her!
"Horikita, since you lost, you need to honor our bet, right? Both witnesses are here, so why not do it right now?"
Seeing the look on Kushida's face, Horikita Manabu's expression twitched slightly, and he turned to look at Kanda Shuichi.
What the heck? Why are you looking at me?
She's not usually like this!
Under Kushida's urging, Horikita Suzune took a deep breath. "I admit defeat. I promise not to tell anyone about your secret."
Then, with a humiliated expression, she stepped in front of Kushida, lifted the hem of her skirt slightly, and knelt on the floor.
Under the watchful eyes of the three people in the room, she placed her hands together on her forehead and bowed deeply toward Kushida.
"I sincerely apologize for sharing my suspicions about you with Ayanokouji without permission."
Watching Horikita Suzune's dogeza, Kanda Shuichi was at a loss for words.
Why do you seem to be getting more and more used to this?
"Now that the bet is settled, I'll be heading out."
"I'll walk you out," Kanda Shuichi quickly said.
Horikita Manabu glanced at Kanda Shuichi, then gave a small nod.
After they left the room, Horikita Manabu suddenly let out a sigh and said with a hint of emotion, "I never thought Suzune would become this adaptable."
Where did that come from? Kanda Shuichi was confused.
"You really think Suzune didn't memorize everything perfectly?"
Horikita Manabu's question caught Kanda Shuichi off guard. What do you mean by that?
"She messed up on purpose?"
Kanda Shuichi considered the possibility and found it hard to believe.
"That's right. Before coming here, she told me she would deliberately make a mistake in one section on the last page. That way, I could step in and bring the competition to its inevitable conclusion."
Horikita Manabu nodded, his expression complicated.
Kanda Shuichi couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration for Horikita Suzune.
It made sense—if she had won, Kushida would have had to follow through with the bet, but knowing her personality, she might have caused trouble later.
So instead of forcing her into a corner, Suzune chose to lose on purpose, letting Kushida believe she had won. In exchange for kneeling to her now, she secured a future without further problems.
It looked like Horikita Suzune had lost, but in reality, she had already achieved her goal.
"Where did she learn that? Is this really the same Horikita Suzune I met at the start of the school year?"
Now that he understood, Kanda Shuichi couldn't help but comment.
But Horikita Manabu gave him a strange look.
Where did she learn it?
I have a feeling she learned it from you, Kanda Shuichi!
Meanwhile, after Kanda Shuichi and Horikita Manabu left, Kushida was basking in a deep sense of satisfaction.
Look at that—Horikita Suzune lost to me. She knelt before me in front of her beloved older brother! Ah, this feels amazing!
So this is what happiness feels like?
"Kushida, I've kept my promise. I hope you won't forget what you agreed to either."
"Of course, Horikita, don't worry. I remember my promise. I won't do anything to hurt Class D, and I won't come after you again."
Kushida's words made Horikita breathe a sigh of relief. Looks like kneeling worked.
"Oh, and don't forget to keep Ayanokouji quiet. I don't want to hear any weird rumors going around."
"Of course," Horikita replied, her expression calm. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Bye-bye."
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You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu