"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

Horikita suddenly paused in his movements.

Her sharp gaze swept around like that of a hawk, and Horikita Suzune opened her eyes in surprise.

There was no one around.

at this time,

A slight rustling sound came from the lush tree in the green belt next to them.

Immediately afterwards, a figure—

It wasn't a fall, but rather a graceful and precise movement, like that of a gymnast.

He calmly flipped and leaped down from among the branches and leaves.

Their movements were incredibly light and agile.

It was as if gravity was just a minor suggestion to him.

He landed silently, without a single leaf touching him.

His posture was as upright as a pine tree.

It was Sakamoto.

In his right palm, he was carefully cradling a small bird with slightly disheveled feathers but bright eyes.

The bird seemed a little startled, but did not fly away.

She just gently pecked Sakamoto's fingers.

The brother and sister were startled by Sakamoto's sudden intervention.

Sakamoto bowed slightly, expressing his apology for interrupting the conversation.

"My apologies. I was just in the tree, searching for a safe new home for this young friend who was unfortunately injured."

Sakamoto slightly raised his palm, showing the little bird to the Horikita siblings, and calmly explained why he was there.

"You two made a bit too much noise just now and almost startled it."

Horikita Manabu frowned deeply as he scrutinized the uninvited guest.

Sakamoto,

That first-year student whom he greatly admired.

He released his grip on his sister's hand.

But the coldness in his eyes did not fade.

Horikita Suzune quickly stood up straight and tidied her disheveled school uniform and hair.

His face regained some of its usual aloofness as he glanced at the bird in Sakamoto's hand.

He quickly looked away.

She never expected to be in such a disheveled state.

I ran into this person again, the one who made me feel complicated today.

And in this inexplicable way.

"You are... Sakamoto from Class 1-A."

Horikita said in a deep voice, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"That's me. Good evening, President Horikita, Horikita-kun."

Sakamoto nodded slightly, his manners impeccable.

Horikita Manabu glanced at his younger sister.

Seemingly assuming she didn't know Sakamoto, he spoke to Suzune in an almost formulaic tone:

"Rinne, look closely. This is Sakamoto from Class 1-A. He got full marks in all subjects on the entrance exam and led Class 1-A to an unprecedented 1000 class points in the first month, creating a new history for Advanced Nurturing High School."

His gaze returned to Sakamoto, casting an admiring look upon him:

“He is a true elite, worlds apart from your Class D. Now, you should realize more clearly how huge the gap is between your so-called ‘catching up’ and reality.”

Sakamoto listened quietly to what President Horikita had to say.

He calmly replied:

"President Horikita, you flatter me. Besides, I have known your younger sister for a long time."

A hint of surprise flashed in Horikita Manabu's eyes.

But it disappeared quickly.

Sakamoto continued speaking,

His gaze swept gently over Horikita Suzune, who stood to the side, her lips tightly pressed together and her face pale.

"In my humble opinion, Horikita is not lacking in potential. She has a firm goal and unwavering will, but the path to that goal may require more exploration and adjustment. The changes at this moment may be small, but the possibilities for the future are not necessarily bleak."

Horikita listened in silence, his cold gaze shifting between Sakamoto and Suzune for a moment.

He seemed to be weighing something.

Ultimately, perhaps out of some respect for Sakamoto, the "miracle maker,"

Perhaps he felt there was no need to continue disciplining his sister.

"Humph."

He snorted coldly and stopped looking at Lingyin.

"Since Sakamoto has said so..."

He turned to Sakamoto, seemingly trying to change the subject.

It is also a genuine exploration of something:

"Sakamoto, I have a question for you. Why did you choose to enter Advanced Nurturing High School? What are your goals?"

He glanced at Lingyin and added meaningfully:

"Rin's reason is ridiculously childish; it's just to catch up with me. And you? Someone like you must have grander goals."

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto slightly raised his head, his gaze seemingly fixed on stars that did not actually exist in the night sky.

His tone remained calm.

But what she said stunned both Horikita and her brother.

"My wish is to go to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)."

Even the evening breeze seemed to stand still at this moment.

"To contribute my humble efforts to humanity's great cause of exploring the stars."

A clear crack appeared on Horikita Manabu's perpetually cold expression.

The eyes behind the lenses widened slightly.

Horikita Suzune suddenly raised her head.

She looked at Sakamoto in disbelief, as if she were seeing him for the first time.

NASA?

Exploring the universe?

This...this goal is so ambitious that it completely exceeds the imagination of ordinary high school students or even ordinary people!

Compared to him,

Class competitions and point rankings seemed to have become mere children's games.

After a brief moment of shock,

Horikita Manabu was the first to recover.

He pushed up his glasses, his tone filled with complex emotions:

"...I see. NASA, huh. That's...an amazingly lofty ideal. It's completely different from Rin's goals."

He glanced at his sister again.

But this time, the coldness in his eyes seemed to have melted a little.

Perhaps it was in contrast to Sakamoto's overly ambitious goals,

I found my sister's obsession less annoying.

"Looks like we'll call it a night."

Horikita Manabu concluded by saying,

He stopped looking at Lingyin.

He nodded slightly to Sakamoto, then turned and left with steady steps, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

In the corner, only Sakamoto and Horikita Suzune remained.

And the little bird that had quieted down in his palm.

Horikita Suzune's feelings were incredibly complicated.

She was once again completely rejected by her brother.

However, Sakamoto's sudden appearance and those seemingly plausible but actually protective words prevented an even worse outcome.

Does this mean... he helped me out?

But when I think about the "charity" he might have done during the day,

That complex, humiliating feeling welled up again.

She looked at Sakamoto's calm profile and the little bird he was carefully protecting in his palm.

In the end, she said nothing, only gave him a deep look, then turned and left quickly, her back view appearing somewhat hurried and disheveled.

Sakamoto didn't pay attention to her leaving; he just looked down at the little bird in his palm.

The evening breeze rustled the leaves once more.

First Grade Midterm Exam: Chapter 059: Sakamoto, the Framed

It has been more than a week since the beginning of the second month.

The classroom atmosphere of Class 1B, formerly Class C.

However, it is completely different from the oppressive and dull atmosphere under the rule of a tyrant that outsiders imagine.

A slightly awkward, studious atmosphere permeated the air.

Long Yuanxiang sat in his seat.

His brows were furrowed as he stared at the open math workbook in front of him.

His draft paper was covered with calculations, but progress was clearly not going well.

He clicked his tongue, his face full of annoyance, but it wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

Instead, he was targeting these symbols and formulas that he found like gibberish.

He, Long Yuanxiang, can use his fists and brains to make a group of troublemakers obey him.

But it's hard to make those damn math problems bow down to him.

But he had to swallow his pride.

Quizzes, midterm exams...

These assessments are directly linked to academic ability.

It also affects the valuable class points.

Class B finally managed to climb to this position.

We absolutely cannot afford to falter over this "basic" issue again, and allow the original Class B to overtake us.

For Long Yuanxiang, that would be an even more unbearable humiliation than being punched.