"Hey, Horikita, I have a question about the exam items."
At that moment, Ike Kanji raised his hand and asked.
"What is it?"
"If we're only doing seven items in total, won't some of us have nothing to do?"
"Who exactly are you referring to? What do you mean?"
Horikita Suzune asked.
Hearing Horikita Suzune's question, Ike Kanji scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well... to put it simply, I'm talking about the students who aren't particularly outstanding... I'm thinking about those who aren't great at sports or academics. They might not have much to do, since not all seven items will involve a large number of participants. If we only choose elite-focused items, a lot of people might end up doing nothing, right?"
Ike Kanji said this because, with only seven exam items, it was likely that many students wouldn't need to participate at all.
"Soccer requires eleven players, baseball requires nine, and rugby requires fifteen... We can't rule out the possibility of other items requiring even more participants."
Horikita Suzune immediately responded.
"I understand your desire to take it easy. If you're forced to do something you don't want to do, it will undoubtedly put a strain on your mental health. Plus, your precious rest and vacation time might be taken away."
"That's not what I meant."
Ike Kanji scratched his head.
[Oh no, Horikita saw through my attempt to slack off!]
"Also, the number of participants required for some items depends on the opponent's rules. For example, if the opponent proposes volleyball, which is usually a six-on-six sport, the students have some authority to decide the rules. What if we set a rule where everyone has to rotate every ten minutes in a thirty-minute match? How would that turn out?"
Horikita Suzune continued.
"Not only that, but while the rules state that each student can only participate in one item, this is based on the premise that not all students have participated in the exam. If all students have already participated, then there's a possibility that everyone will have to participate in the items."
"That's true..."
'The reason I became the Command Tower was to account for this situation.'
Saiki thought to himself.
Even if his class had enough students, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the opposing class might force more students to participate due to their rules. In that case, even if Saiki tried to minimize his presence in the class, he might still be forced to participate in the exam.
Moreover, exams with a large number of participants were usually sports-related, which was a nightmare for Saiki. The last sports festival had already caused him a lot of trouble.
Not only that, but Saiki already had a reputation in the class for being good at sports. If it were a sports-related exam, he would almost certainly be called upon to participate.
Thinking about it, the role of Command Tower was relatively easier.
Next, Horikita Suzune and the other students discussed the exam items, but they didn't come to any meaningful conclusions yet. After all, they still had about a week to finalize the exam items, so they had plenty of time for more detailed discussions.
After the meeting, Horikita Suzune called Saiki and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka aside for a separate discussion.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Horikita Suzune leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the two boys in front of her.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Saiki, and seeing that Saiki wasn't planning to say anything, he also shook his head.
"Then let me share my thoughts first. I've talked to Sudo, and he's very confident in his basketball skills. He said that if it's a 1v1 basketball match, he's sure he can win. That's not an arrogant statement—based on his performance during the sports festival and in the club, I believe he really has the ability. However, in the exam, there can only be one 1v1 item, so I'm more inclined to go for a 5v5 basketball match."
Horikita Suzune spoke very seriously.
Yesterday, when Saiki went to the multipurpose classroom as the Command Tower for the meeting, Horikita Suzune had already discussed with the students in the class and gained some understanding of their strengths.
"However, there's one thing I think we need to address in advance."
"What is it?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.
"It's about Hirata. If Hirata stays in this state, it's definitely not good for our class."
Horikita Suzune shook her head.
"Not only that, but this time, Koenji might also contribute to our class, but Hirata might not be able to play a role... Hirata is a very important asset for our class. If he can't pull himself together, it's like our class is losing a reliable asset... But..."
Horikita Suzune fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I don't know how to talk to Hirata or how to help him recover. So, I wanted to ask if you have any good strategies."
After saying this, Horikita Suzune turned her gaze to Saiki.
[It's rare for Horikita to admit her own shortcomings. If this were Horikita from a year ago, she would probably have tried to provoke Hirata with words, which might have had an even worse effect.]
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself, then turned to Saiki.
[Saiki has a power that can change people—a power that even I can't compare to.]
"How about letting Saiki talk to Hirata?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.
'Hey, hey, why are you suddenly shifting this trouble onto me?'
Before Saiki could respond, Horikita Suzune also spoke up.
"Yes, I think that's a good idea. After all, you're quite familiar with Hirata, right?"
"...Fine."
Saiki sighed inwardly but eventually nodded and agreed.
'Yare yare, Hirata has been pretty good to me before. I don't want to owe anyone any favors. Also, if I leave things as they are, the class atmosphere might worsen, and who knows what trouble might arise.'
During the class meeting earlier, Hirata Yosuke's sudden departure had planted seeds of unease in the hearts of the students.
After all, Hirata Yosuke had always played the role of a mediator and leader in the class. His sudden change in personality left many students at a loss.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'll go ask the others about the exam items."
Horikita Suzune said.
After parting ways with the others, Saiki headed to the school park—he had already located Hirata Yosuke using his clairvoyance.
At that moment, Hirata Yosuke was sitting on a park bench, staring blankly at the sky.
[In the end, I'm just the same as before... I couldn't protect a single student. I could only watch as my friend jumped from a building and ended up in a vegetative state.]
[Will I end up like that too? I'm not like Sudo-kun or Ryuen-kun, who are particularly good at fighting. But there aren't many people who can throw a punch with all their might, so even if I seriously throw a punch, no one can fight back... If I stand at the top and crush everyone beneath me, there will be no more bullying. If a conflict arises, I'll intervene, delivering equal punishment and pain to both sides... I'm no different from the bullies.]
[In the end, all the students were forced to be reassigned to different classes. That's probably why I was placed in Class D in the first place... I don't want something like that to happen again.]
Hirata Yosuke's heart was filled with turmoil, and painful memories kept flooding his mind.
At that moment, Saiki walked up to Hirata Yosuke.
[Saiki? Why is he here? Is he here to persuade me like the other students?]
Hirata Yosuke was puzzled, but Saiki didn't say anything. He simply sat down next to Hirata Yosuke.
At that moment, Saiki's heart was also in turmoil.
'Yare yare, even though I agreed to talk to Hirata, this isn't part of my original plan.'
Saiki thought to himself.
'I don't know how to talk to Hirata right now... But I'll just sit here and think for a bit.'
'Although I was planning to deal with this at night while he's sleeping, if I don't interact with Hirata directly, Horikita and Ayanokoji might notice something's off.'
'I'll just maintain the status quo for now... Think about what to say.'
Saiki thought to himself and didn't take any further action. He just sat next to Hirata Yosuke.
[Saiki... He's not saying anything... I thought Saiki would try to persuade me like the other students, but he's not saying anything... It seems Saiki understands me better...]
Hirata Yosuke thought to himself.
[Saiki sitting next to me must be his way of silently sharing my burden.]
[Saiki is such a kind student...]
[I feel a bit ashamed of myself for being like this...]
'I didn't even say anything.'
Saiki was also completely caught off guard by how things had turned out and didn't know what to say.
[Even though Saiki-kun was the most hurt before, Yamauchi-kun kept spreading rumors about him to save himself.]
[Whether it was the sports festival or other exams, it was all thanks to Saiki-kun's efforts... And here I am, wallowing in self-pity...]
[Saiki is being considerate of my feelings, which is why he's staying silent...]
'I... I just don't know what to say...'
"Saiki-kun, I know why you're here..."
Finally, after a long silence, Hirata Yosuke spoke up.
"I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble because of my situation. I'm clearly not fit to lead the class. No matter how hard I try, I couldn't protect Yamauchi-kun... You understand, right, Saiki-kun? I'm done. To protect someone, I tried to rule through fear. I knew it was wrong, but..."
'How should I respond...'
Saiki didn't know how to answer.
Although Hirata Yosuke was usually a cheerful and friendly person, Saiki didn't know how to handle this situation.
Hirata Yosuke's emotional resilience was much lower than others.
"I..."
"I understand what you're trying to say, Saiki. You're probably just as frustrated with my behavior as everyone else. I know what I'm doing is unreasonable... But I don't know what to do anymore."
Before Saiki could finish, Hirata Yosuke spoke up.
"I'm feeling lost right now..."
'How should I persuade him? If I'm too direct, it might backfire.'
[Saiki hasn't said anything yet. He's probably waiting for me to finish venting.]
'...'
[Saiki, to protect the other students in the class, didn't hesitate to become the Command Tower. Our opponent is Class A, and we might end up wasting the precious protection points—equivalent to twenty million personal points. If I continue like this... Saiki's protection points will be wasted.]
'If Hirata knew I just wanted to slack off... He probably wouldn't believe it anyway.'
[That's right... Everyone is working so hard, but I'm here running away from reality... I'm letting everyone down...]
At this thought, Hirata Yosuke looked up at Saiki. The dark clouds on his face dissipated, and a glimmer of light returned to his previously empty eyes.
"Saiki, I understand."
'What do you understand?'
"If I continue like this, our class won't be able to move forward. I can't let the protection points you sacrificed go to waste!"
Hirata Yosuke stood up from the bench and nodded at Saiki.
"Thank you so much, Saiki! After talking to you, I realize my mistake! I can't keep going like this."
'I didn't do anything...?'