"Isn't that a bit too sneaky of you?"
At this moment, Machida Koji frowned and spoke to Ichinose Honami.
"If you're not the Privileged Student, of course you'd want to hope for a beneficial group reward. And generally, no one would openly declare that they'd betray the group. I think your question is meaningless."
Machida Koji's face showed a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Isn't this a reasonable question for an exam? Besides, Ichinose didn't say you had to answer under threat. If you don't want to, you can just not answer."
The one who spoke was another student from Class C, Hamaguchi Tetsuya.
"Then we won't answer. Our Class A will remain silent throughout."
Machida Koji stated directly, and the other Class A students also remained silent, unwilling to participate in the discussion.
Soon, the group began discussing what the best outcome for this exam would be. Ichinose Honami wanted to achieve a win-win Outcome 1, but Class A didn't share the same sentiment. They were simply sticking to their defensive strategy.
[Is this a collective tactic by Class A? It feels like Katsuragi's style. This way, they can maintain their point gap with the lower-ranked classes.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself, while Saiki just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
The discussion in the meeting room quickly hit a deadlock. No one could make any further progress, and it seemed like the first discussion session of the day would end like this.
'What should I eat later?'
Just as Saiki was pondering a more meaningful question, a figure appeared next to Karuizawa Kei, who was playing on her phone.
"Excuse me, are you Karuizawa Kei? I have something to ask you."
The speaker was Manabe Shiho. Although her words were polite, her tone and expression were very serious.
"What is it?"
Karuizawa Kei hadn't expected to be suddenly addressed. She was momentarily stunned, quickly shifting her gaze from her phone screen to Manabe Shiho.
This scene was noticed by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
[Karuizawa's behavior seems different from her usual self.]
"If I'm not mistaken... did you have a conflict with Rika before summer break?"
"Rika? Who's that? What are you talking about?"
Karuizawa Kei's face showed a look of confusion.
"She's a girl in our class who wears glasses and ties her hair up. Don't you remember?"
Manabe Shiho frowned.
"No, I don't remember her at all."
Karuizawa Kei immediately replied, shifting her gaze back to her phone screen.
"Really? We heard from Rika that she was bullied by a girl named Karuizawa from Class D. She said she was waiting in line at a café when you cut in front of her and even knocked her over."
Upon hearing this, Karuizawa Kei's expression changed instantly.
"...What does that have to do with me? What do you want? Do you have some issue with me?"
Her voice rose slightly, but it lacked confidence.
'Yare yare.'
Saiki could feel the atmosphere in the room had become very tense.
Moreover, he could clearly hear Karuizawa Kei's thoughts.
[That person's name is Rika? I cut in line back then to maintain my image outside... I didn't expect her friend to come after me... What should I do, what should I do, what should I do? Wait, this person doesn't seem entirely sure. If I keep pretending I don't know and keep denying it, maybe I can get away with it!]
At the same time, some unpleasant memories kept flashing through Karuizawa Kei's mind.
'So it was you after all?'
Saiki sighed internally.
'I think apologizing promptly would be the best way to resolve this.'
Using his telepathy, Saiki learned about Karuizawa Kei's past.
Karuizawa Kei had suffered severe bullying in the past, to the point where some actions went beyond bullying and could have endangered her life. This was the source of the scars on her body.
Almost no one had noticed Karuizawa Kei's past, and she had never shared this side of herself with anyone.
She likened herself to a parasite, searching for a suitable host to "survive." Her actions of cutting in line and other forms of harassment weren't due to a bad personality but because she believed it would prevent others from bullying her.
To avoid being bullied, she bullied others. Honestly, Saiki didn't fully agree with this approach.
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was observing Karuizawa Kei closely.
[Karuizawa's reaction clearly indicates she's lying. She definitely had a conflict with Rika before.]
[But based on her usual behavior in class, she shouldn't be acting like this now.]
[Both her behavior and tone seem off.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka kept thinking.
[Earlier, Saiki seemed to casually mention Karuizawa's name. Did he already notice her secret and want me to pay attention?]
'I just accidentally almost let it slip.'
"It's nothing. I'm just confirming. If this is true, I hope you'll apologize. Rika is the type to endure everything on her own, so we need to stand up for her."
Manabe Shiho spoke very seriously.
Although Manabe Shiho seemed to have some issues with Karuizawa Kei, her approach wasn't entirely unreasonable.
"Can I confirm with Rika? Is that okay? If it's not you, then there's no problem, right?"
As she spoke, Manabe Shiho picked up her phone, ready to take a photo of Karuizawa Kei to send to the girl named Rika.
But at that moment, Karuizawa Kei suddenly stood up and slapped the phone out of Manabe Shiho's hand. The phone fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"What are you doing?!"
"That's what I should be asking! You have no right to take my photo without permission. Didn't I already say you've got the wrong person?"
Karuizawa Kei immediately retorted, leaning forward as if to express her dissatisfaction.
This only escalated the conflict. Manabe Shiho's dislike for Karuizawa Kei grew, and the other two girls from Class D stepped forward to stand by Manabe Shiho's side, ready to back her up.
Ichinose Honami remained silent, seemingly still judging the situation.
Meanwhile, Ibuki Mio, also from Class D, didn't stand up. She just looked at everyone coldly, her words matching her thoughts:
"Are you guys idiots?"
"What do you mean, idiots? This has nothing to do with you, Ibuki. You're not friends with Rika."
Manabe Shiho immediately shot back at Ibuki Mio, her tone laced with sarcasm. It was clear that she didn't get along with Ibuki.
[Manabe and Ibuki don't get along well. Ibuki is part of Ryuen's faction. Does this mean Manabe doesn't follow Ryuen?]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself.
"Yeah, it really has nothing to do with me. I'm just sharing my thoughts as an outsider."
Ibuki Mio shrugged, seemingly uninterested in Manabe Shiho's actions.
"I'm going to take your photo today!"
Although Manabe Shiho also disliked Ibuki Mio, she immediately pulled out her phone and continued to press Karuizawa Kei.
Now, she wasn't just standing up for her friend but deliberately trying to provoke Karuizawa Kei.
'If they start arguing, the meeting will definitely be delayed even further...'
Just as Saiki was feeling helpless, he heard Karuizawa Kei's thoughts:
[This can't go on... I need to rely on someone else to change the situation.]
At that moment, Karuizawa Kei suddenly turned to Saiki:
"Saiki-kun, isn't their behavior wrong?"
'???'
Saiki hadn't expected Karuizawa Kei to suddenly involve him, but even if he had known in advance, he couldn't have changed anything.
'Damn it, why did she suddenly shift the focus to me? This has nothing to do with me.'
[During the last exam, Saiki got sick for the sake of the class's meals. He'll definitely help me!]
'Although I feel a bit guilty, I was actually faking my illness.'
Saiki responded internally. At the same time, he could feel the gazes of everyone in the room turning toward him.
'Yare yare, this is just adding more trouble... Consider it compensation for the misunderstanding Ibuki has about you...'
"Taking photos without someone's permission can indeed be troublesome."
Saiki went along with Karuizawa Kei's words. If possible, he wanted to end today's meeting quickly and return to his room to rest.
"Hey, you're Saiki, right?"
Manabe Shiho turned to Saiki, her eyes filled with disdain.
"What's it to you?"
[This four-eyed guy looks like a weakling. And he seems close to that fat otaku. How disgusting.]
Saiki heard Manabe Shiho's thoughts loud and clear.
'Yare yare, this changes the nature of things.'
Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Manabe-san, could you please stop?"
After Saiki spoke up, Ichinose Honami finally voiced her opinion, her tone more serious than before. The other Class C students quickly echoed Ichinose Honami's words.
[Damn it...]
Although Manabe Shiho was unhappy, she knew it wasn't the right time to escalate things. Moreover, her attempt to forcefully take a photo was somewhat unjustified, so she could only return to her seat with her classmates.
Although the argument had subsided, the atmosphere in the room remained tense. Combined with Class A's refusal to participate in the discussion, the rest of the time became quite agonizing.
Meanwhile, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attention kept shifting between the people around him.
[The conflict between Karuizawa and Class D could become a trigger in the future. Although she tried to act strong and composed, I sensed a hint of fear. Did something happen in her past? It's highly likely she was bullied.]
'You're so sharp, I'd believe you're a psychic.'
[She holds considerable influence in her class, almost on par with Kushida among the girls. If I can manipulate her, Karuizawa could become a very useful tool.]
'Here we go again. Are you a hardware store wholesaler or something?'
[Earlier, Saiki specifically mentioned her name to me. This must be what he meant.]
'That's not it.'
[Ichinose didn't say anything earlier, but after Saiki spoke, she immediately took a stance. Combined with Saiki's earlier comment about understanding Ichinose's personality, it seems he's successfully turned Ichinose into a tool he can use.]
'Can you stop lumping me together with you?'
Saiki was completely helpless. In this room, normal people were still few and far between.
[The discussion is over. All students may leave the meeting room and are free to move about.]
'Is it finally over?'
Saiki let out a long sigh. This was the first time he found the school's announcement so pleasant.
"In that case, let's wrap up today's discussion."
As soon as Ichinose Honami finished speaking, Saiki left the meeting room without hesitation.
The moment he stepped out, his phone vibrated.
Sakura Airi: Kusuo-kun... Are you free now? I have something I'd like to discuss with you in person...
'Sigh, more things to deal with?'
Saiki felt a bit helpless but still replied affirmatively and headed to the agreed-upon location.
After Saiki left, the others also began to disperse.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, however, stared at Karuizawa Kei's retreating figure, deep in thought.
A few seconds later, it seemed like he had figured something out.
"So that's Saiki's plan?"
"Indeed, Saiki's thinking aligns with mine. He mentioned Karuizawa's name to me so I'd notice the details about her."
"In that case, I'll give it a little push."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression devoid of any emotion.