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"Genius lives only one story above madness."
This quote has been debated for over a century; with its relevance being amplified by Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation, published in the early 1800s.
Schopenhauer argued that genius and madness were two sides of the same coin. According to him both are defined by an intellect that exceeds the ordinary.
He believed that the key difference had to do with their memory.
As shown in his studies, a madman struggles with continuity and fractured recollections, which subsequently forces him to fill the gaps with a string of poorly put together fabrications.
Should those fabrications remain consistent, they solidify into fixed delusions — monomania or melancholy if you will.
If they don't, however, the result is erratic and disorganized thought.
A genius, by contrast, possesses a functioning memory, allowing for him to seamlessly connect the past and present while maintaining a coherent perception of reality.
Aristotle once claimed that, "There is no great genius without a touch of madness."
History and statistical analysis alike reinforce this connection, so I find little reason to disagree.
Nikola Tesla serves as a prime example of this.
He was called eccentric, but much of that stemmed from an extreme fixation-what we now classify as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
His obsession with the number three dictated his life and influenced everything from his routines to his personal preferences. He wouldn't enter a building without circling it three times let alone take residence in a room not divisible by the aforementioned number.
Time and time again, history has proven that madness is both a genius's greatest weapon and their inevitable downfall.
A fine line separates the two, and once crossed, there is no return.
Or is there?
What if there existed a genius entirely devoid of instability, yet was capable of surpassing even those whose brilliance had danced with madness?
What if their actions were so deeply grounded within reason that attributing them to anything else would be nothing short of an insult?
Surely such an existence would dismantle long-standing philosophical debates; proving that intelligence need not come at the cost of one's sanity.
One could even call them a lifeline; a hope for others of similar caliber to exist without being fearful of the inevitability of mental decline.
However, without madness, the main ingredient, could such a person even be considered a genius?
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-Ayanokoji's POV-
Night has fallen and it's almost time for curfew. Yet here I am sitting in a theatre with a group of guys instead of resting in my room.
According to the internet, staying out late together was an act that was very typical of friends. Of course, unlike me, Sudo, Ike and Yamauchi were naturally aware of this without needing to use a search engine.
Something I'm sure they would also be privy to was what went on within their companions' personal lives.
Even though I had a general idea of what went on between the three of them outside of class, it's not like I was particularly interested in taking on such a role in their lives. Atleast, not anymore.
It was too much of a hassle to be associated with them because I would either be classified as a pervert like Ike or just another insensitive idiot like Yamauchi.
The only person worth interacting with out of the bunch was probably Sudo; however even that was a no-go.
His general vibe made it seem as though he was a delinquent — a misconception his volatile personality only served to reinforce — therefore making me susceptible to either being lumped in with him as one of his accomplices in his nonexistent crimes, or being viewed as one of his imaginary victims which would garner unnecessary pity and ridicule depending on the person's awareness.
Both outcomes were inconvenient. Which is why I've decided to never become friends with them despite the fact that I desire such a connection.
Yawning, Ike stretched his interlaced fingers above his head with a strained expression, a prolonged groan escaping his throat as he flopped back into his crimson colored seat with a resigned sigh and stared up at the dim ceiling with a half frown.
"Don't you guys think it's unfair?"
His question came out of nowhere, but it drew enough curiosity from the half asleep Sudo to warrant a drowsy response.
"What is?"
The delinquent's eyes fluttered open and shifted towards the seemingly outraged ones of Ike who was now clutching him by the shoulders and shaking him like his life depended on it.
"I'm talking about the master! Isn't it unfair to you guys that he gets to go off with a girl — in the middle of the night mind you — while the rest of us are just here like-like a bunch of girlless clowns!" His continuous shaking seemed to have gotten to Sudo who proceeded to swat his hand a way with an annoyed look.
"Who cares?" He retorted, "It's not like they're dating anyway. I'm pretty sure they're just friends." Lazily rubbing the dust sized rheum out of his left eye, Sudo leaned back in his seat with a yawn, "I mean, look at Ayanokoji and Kushida-san they were holding hands too and they're still friends."
"Just friends? Just Friends he says! Is that what you think?" Ike scoffed, "Look how lovely dovey they were acting earlier-c-constantly flirting and stuff! If that's not a couple then I don't know what is!" Crossing both arms across his chest, the boy's lips twisted into a distasteful snarl.
Nodding along in agreement, Yamauchi mirrored Ike's actions, only, his was much more intense.
"I totally get whatchu you mean man," He sneered, "They were all over each other before the movie too —Guh!" The poor boy clutched his heart and fell to a knee with tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he punched the ground repeatedly, "It should've been me, not him!"
Yamauchi and Ike continued to wallow in their own self pity while Sudo returned to dozing off.
I could understand why they were envious of Monty's circumstances, however, their thoughts were misguided.
While it may appear that both of them were in a romantic relationship to outsiders, that wasn't actually the case as neither of them exhibited any telling reactions to support this claim.
After a moment, I chose to speak up. "You're overreacting." I said, "They already said they aren't together. It was just teasing."
"Shut up, traitor. I won't listen to a word you say! And don't think I've forgiven you for violating my precious Kushida-chan with those grubby paws!" Ike shut me down just like that, "Ugh— dammit, why am I getting so emotional!" He wiped his tears from his face and turned away.
My protests have fallen on deaf ears it seems.
Even though I'd clarified my stance with Kushida beforehand, Ike still unjustly held a grudge against me for holding her hand. He could be quite petty sometimes.
Sighing, I glanced over my shoulder, eyeing a few students who came strutting purposely down the aisle. There were four of them, five counting the one that lagged behind by a few paces.
Aside from our presence, this particular room was empty so I don't see much need for them to come here unless they had some kind of motive. One of the girls soon glanced in our general direction and smirked.
I see.
"Hey, look." I muttered, nudging Ike with an elbow. He glared at me, his face in tears.
"What?! Didn't I tell you not to talk to me you monotone bastard!"
Ignoring his insult, I jerked my head towards the oncoming group, "I think that girl's interested in you."
"Huh? Girl? What're you talking about..." Ike's confusion quickly melted away as soon as his eyes landed upon the four girls. His pupils dilated, his body heat and heart rate gradually increased as well.
When the one I'd shown waved at him with a smile, he simply froze in place like a love-struck puppy.
In a flash, Ike's demeanor had changed from one of dejection to near blinding hope for a possible love as he gingerly shook both Sudo and Yamauchi.
The former woke up rather groggy while the latter wiped his tears and regarded the practically beaming boy.
He proudly puffed out his chest as snapped to his feet.
"Boys, I believe tonight's the night I become a man." He smirked with a nod.
Sudo wore a sour expression. "What're you on about now?" This was the second time Ike had woken him up.
If he doesn't provide a good explanation then I'm afraid he might face some unwanted repercussions for his actions.
"Hehe, I'm glad you asked, my red-headed friend," Not so subtly pointing to the girls seated a few rows down from us, he continued, "See those hotties over there?"
"Yeah...what about them?"
"Well, one of them just waved and smiled at me. I think I have a shot."
Yamauchi's eyes widened like pin pricks as he sprung to his feet and grabbed Ike by the collar, "Dammit! Wipe that stupid grin off your face! Th-there's just no way that happened-you must've seen it wrong!"
"Either that or you're lying." Sudo rationalized with a prolonged yawn.
"Oh yeah?" Feeling challenged, Ike decided to prove them wrong, "Watch this."
Sliding out of Yamauchi's grip, Ike adjusted his white shirt and took a deep breath before striding with purpose toward the group.
Despite his nervousness, he did well to hide it in his approach.
"Ha, I can't wait to see that idiot fail and come back crying." Yamauchi was 100% confident in his statement. So much so he was already mocking his friend ante failure.
Of course, Yamauchi and Sudo's expectations were dashed to the side when Ike successfully began chatting with the group. The girl that waved at him was the first to acknowledge his presence.
Sudo was shocked to the point his jaw noticeably dropped as he watched the scene unfold with shaky eyes, "No way... Kanji's actually chatting up a girl...?"
"H-Hey Ayanokoji, this is a dream right? Tell me this is a dream!"
Yamauchi stared at me with pleading eyes in hopes of me confirming his preferred scenario. Unfortunately for him, I'd never do that.
"Yeah, no. Ike really is chatting up a girl." I monotoned.
"Gah!" He clutched his chest as if a stake had just gone through it, "Ayanokoji you monster!"
And like that, we sat and watched the interactions from afar.
From the way things are going over there, it seems as though Ike has hit it off well with them. He seemed to have great chemistry with the one that had acknowledge him first, her hair was a greenish blue tint. She reminded me of Shinohara, if only in size.
Throughout the whole process Yamauchi wore an expression of unmatched envy, grinding his teeth and biting at the hem of his shirt with teary eyes as he watched the situation unfold.
Unable to take it anymore, he suddenly sprung to his feet with intense determination burning within his brown eyes, "ALRIGHT THAT'S IT! I'MMA HEAD OVER THERE RIGHT NOW, I CANT LET KANJI ONE UP ME ON THIS!"
"Do you think they'll talk to you?" I asked him, to which he scoffed and regarded me with a nervous yet somehow confident smile and a shrug.
"Of course they will," His fingers ran through his hair, revealing his sizeable forehead as he took a sharp breath, "I'm the most handsome guy there is, so they've got no reason to turn me down."
"I admire your confidence."
"I'm going too." Sudo said. His eyes avoided mines while he scratched his cheek, "I'm not all that confident it'll work out, but it's better to shoot my shot now than end up regretting not doing so later on."
"Nice. I totally agree with you there." Yamauchi nodded.
"Good for you, but I prefer to stay here." I said.
"Nah, you're coming along too." Yamauchi slung an arm over my shoulder with a cheeky grin.
"Me? Why?"
"If we leave you here by yourself then it'll look bad on us and the girl's will think we left you out on purpose. And we don't want that."
It might sound like he's being considerate, but such a thought would never spawn within his mind.
Anyhow, although I didn't particularly need to participate in their excursion, not doing so would probably sour the mood. So, against my better judgment, I gave in to Yamauchi's demands.
"You have a point there." Muttering that, I lifted out of my comfortable seat with a soft sigh.
"Sweet, I've got dibs on yellow hair!"
With Yamauchi's proclaimation, all three of us had joined up with Ike and those of the fairer sex. Without warning, the brown haired boy shamelessly inserted himself into the group's conversation.
"Heyyy Kanji, I see you're getting along well with your lady friends. What're you guys talking about anyway?"
Luckily for him, they didn't react adversely to his forceful intrusion. In fact, they seemed rather excited.
"Ike-kun, these your friends?" The yellow haired beauty regarded us with an amused gaze as she crossed one supple leg over the other and smiled.
Man, the girls here sure are something. I wonder how long it would take for me to suffocate between those thighs-was the harrowing thought I had while quietly inspecting her.
Internally shivering, I once again vowed to never befriend Ike or Yamauchi. Their lust filled thoughts have already rubbed off on me enough.
"Uh, yeah. We all came to the movies together as a study group." Was his swift answer. Yamauchi, as invasive as always, draped a hand over the boy's shoulder with a cheeky grin, "C'mon man, introduce us~"
A noticeable tic mark appeared on Ike's forehead as he pried himself away from his companion in perversion.
"This guy here's called Yamauchi. But don't mind him, he's an idiot." He forced out through gritted teeth. The aforementioned boy voluntarily released him and immediately turned his attention to the potential leader of the 4 females, "Don't believe a thing this guy says. He's more of an idiot than me-not that I am in the first place."
"Yeah right, keep telling yourself that."
"Shut up." Yamauchi grinded a knuckle into his skull, prompting Ike to respond in kind.
The girls laughed at their antics with the yellow haired one standing to her feet and turning her attention fully to our resident delinquent.
"You're cute, I like your style and you're my type," The girl commented, promptly approaching and latching onto the boys arm, "What's your name? I'm Manabe by the way."
"O-oh, uh, I'm Sudo."
"Hey Sudo, you got a girlfriend?"
"Uh...Not yet." Sudo avoided eye contact, scratching his cheek as he said that. His heartbeat noticeably increased and his face took on a more reddish tint the longer she pressed her body against him.
Manabe's lips lifted playfully upon taking note of his outward reaction, "That so?" Her fingers slowly slipped between the nooks of his while regarding him with a particularly seductive eye.
"I think that's a good thing." She leaned in with a whisper, "Atleast for me~"
Hearing her words, the red haired delinquent visibly shuddered at their underlying meaning and covered his mouth while turning away. His face was a glowing red.
Even I, who had no experience in these matters could figure out what her words meant given the context behind her suggestive actions.
Yamauchi was in the same boat. Only, he didn't take kindly to this development; seeing as he did have his eye on her first.
"Tch, what's so good about him?" Clicking his tongue, he mumbled those words to himself and crossed his arms, "He's not even that good looking anyway."
"Daro?" A purple haired girl with a low ponytail made her presence known since she finally saw her chance, "I just can't understand why she would pick him over you when you're obviously the better choice." The green-ish haired girl chuckled along with her.
Ike followed suit somewhat forcefully while watching Yamauchi's ego skyrocket after the girl's supposed compliment.
Putting on his best Koenji expression, Yamauchi flipped back his pitifully short brown hair and smirked, "Don't worry love, I'm not bothered by it at all."
"You tell em pookie!"
Manabe playfully rolled her eyes with a snort, "Screw you, Saki." Tightening her hold on the redheaded delinquent, she spoke up again, "I'm feeling just at home with my man. So go get your own and stop being a hater."
Sudo's body stiffened a tad after hearing her openly claim ownership of him.
"Ouu~ Alright girl I hear you." Her eyes flicked to the egotistic individual siddled up next to her, "Am 'onna do just that with my handsome pookie over here."
Locking eyes with her target, she blatantly conveyed her intentions, "You single?"
"S-single? Ofcourse I am-ahem. Y-Yeah, what about it?" Stopping himself from looking too desperate, Yamauchi's half grin gradually evolved into an expectant smirk.
He was already aware of what she was implying but he probably thought playing it cool would increase the likelihood of his thoughts coming to life.
In this case, that's exactly what happened.
"Hmm~" Saki hummed to herself, head tilting slightly in thought before gently outstretching her hand soon after, "Lend me your phone."
The boy scratched his cheek as he unlocked it and handed it to her. Suddenly, she pulled him in after enabling the video recording function.
"Uwahhh." Saki squealed and stopped the recording as the mesmerized Yamauchi pried his face off her chest, "Sorry about that, Yamauchi." She apologized.
He touched his cheek and wore a euphoric grin thereafter, "Hey, no worries, accidents happen." As his reaction implies, Yamauchi had fallen face first into a pair of natural cushions and was now revelling in the already fading feeling.
I glanced up past the blob by the rows of seats, and then to the quiet girl with purple hair and red glasses.
I suppose I'll make a move too. Having him outdo me now might result in a scenario that probably won't bode well for me.
Taking a deep breath, I left the others to chat and discreetly walked over to her, "Um, excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"
She regarded me apprehensively, momentarily glancing in the direction of her friends before returning her gaze while twiddling thumbs with a reluctant nod.
I took a seat next to her and an awkward silence immediately ensued.
"Uh, I-I'm..." She continued to twiddle her thumbs with slumped shoulders then sighed.
"M-my name's Morofuji Rika, w-what's yours?"
"I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. It's nice to meet you."
"Mm. L-likewise."
After introducing ourselves we fell back into our initial silence.
Given that I wasn't as socially equipped as the others it was quite difficult to come up with an appropriate topic to discuss that would keep our conversation alive.
Maybe I should've left afterall.
I decided to watch Sudo, Yamauchi and Ike's interactions.
-Monty's POV-
As I re-entered the dimly lit room, I adjusted my glasses. My eyes subtly shifting about the practically empty room in search of my ditsy classmates.
After finishing her box of pocky and attempting to swindle me into buying more, Chiaki and I chatted a while more about mundane matters.
Not long afterwards she decided to head back to the dorms due to feeling fatigued. She proposed that we return together, however I promptly declined her offer, saying I'd leave with Ayanokoji instead-which was a lie.
A convenient one at that.
It wasn't unusual for us to spend time with each other so it was believable enough not to raise any probing questions.
I did so partially to rest my ears from her constant teasing and also to take care of a few things.
Anyhow as I made my way through the isle, I caught a glimpse of my classmates who were gathered at the lower right section of the expansive room; two rows from the front. They weren't at our original spot so it took a while longer to locate them.
There were four girls-five, counting the one sat a few seats away.
The most notable of the five had short yellow hair and three red hairpins adorning her middle bang. She was wrapped into a red wool and silk trim dress that faded into black from the hips to the lower thighs.
She seemed quite interested in our little entourage even before the drama by the entrance so she must be feeling quite satisfied with her progress. Her expression at the time was indicative of worry and hesitance; then unyielding confidence after the fact, which implies that she was initially doubtful of something.
I suspect she was worried about whether or not she could even approach with the presence of so many variables. Truth be told, it was a warranted concern.
Not only was Kushida, the most popular female figure in Class C and Matsushita present, there was also Horikita. All three of which were exceptional beauties. The natural assumption would be that the boys with them wouldn't bat an eye at any girl deemed below their caliber that were to approach.
However, all that doubt was alleviated when she saw just how idiotic and opportunistic Ike and the others could be; courtesy of my inducing their rather...cringe worthy display.
I don't intend on putting a stop to whatever she plans to do. Though, I reckon leaving this situation as is won't yield the type of result I desire later on.
Which is why I'll meddle. But only a little bit.
Veering off course, I descended the steps and eventually siddled up next to the lonely girl a row up, seated in a rather obscure vantage point. The theatre lights were angled in such a way that this particular spot was rather difficult to make out for those in the lower seats.
She didn't seem all that enthused at being here. If anything her expression suggested that she was growing increasingly irritated.
She hadn't noticed my arrival as yet since she was preoccupied with watching the others interact.
Three of the four girls were chatting up Ike, Sudo and Yamauchi. From her pleasant smirk and overall engagement in the conversation, I could tell the yellow haired one had hit it off quite well with Sudo.
The other two girls were getting along fine with Ike and Yamauchi as well.
However, in contrast to them, Ayanokoji was alone. The girl that seemed would've automatically been assigned to him looked rather nervous. Her purple hair was tied into a neat bun atop her head, a style that went well with her red rimmed glasses.
It was expected since he wasn't particularly well versed in social interactions. His inexpressive demeanor and monotonous voice didn't contribute positively either.
I wouldn't be surprised if she classified him as a human machine the moment he opened his mouth to speak.
Aside from that, it seems she wasn't very outgoing either so the likelihood of them making any progress on their own was low.
"The hell's that Morofuji doing? Just go talk to him already...God this is painful to watch!" Grumbled the girl seated next to me.
I see. The one with Ayanokoji is Morofuji. I recall seeing Karuizawa bump into her over the weekend.
Lifting a hand, the unsuspecting girl motioned to place it atop the armrest before shirking back when her fingers brushed against mine.
Her head instinctively swerved around and she jerked back, almost launching from her seat in shock when she looked at me.
"Jee-FUCK! Where'd you come from?!" Her pupils dilated, her body tensed and her heartbeat hastened.
"Akabane sent me." I replied with a bald faced lie. Quirking a brow, my head tilted slightly, "You are a part of his side of things, aren't you?"
She paused, her eyes searching my face briefly before narrowing in unfamiliarity, "What exactly did he send you for anyway?" She asked.
"To check on Morofuji and the others' progress with the Class C simpletons." I stated simply, eyeing the flustered Sudo with boredom, "There's something else."
Leaning back in her seat, her backrest squeaked a tad as she raised a quizzical brow, "And that is?"
"He wanted me to deliver a message to you." Getting up, I slipped my hands into my pockets with a huff, "It goes: 'Be sure Morofuji doesn't mess up her job cuz that guy's gonna play a crucial role in my plans going forward.'"
She scoffed, "That's it?"
I nodded. "Why he couldn't just send a text is beyond me. His phone might've died but who knows?" I added an airy shrug and a tone sprinkled with resigned annoyance to stretch the lie further.
She didn't immediately react to my words, instead she crossed her arms and thought for a bit.
Seeing her like this, she reminds me of Sudo in a way. Both of them are easily irritated and are skeptical of those they meet. The fundamental difference between them, however, is the fact that she's not gullible.
She doesn't simply take my words at face value, instead, she probes me for information without mentioning what she already knows to ensure that I am indeed trustworthy.
Which is why I adjusted my phrasing to match the original when I was delivering "Karma's message". This gives my words just enough credibility for her to consider following through.
But, the simple fact is, she won't. She's too cautious to just blindly follow what a stranger says so she will most definitely bring this back to Karma to verify it. She might even bring it up with the other Class leader as well if I'm lucky.
That said, a select few questions are bound to arise in her mind.
"Just why is he doing this? And "What benefit is there in tipping off an enemy?"
The answer is blatantly obvious and yet it eludes her because of that very fact.
"That doesn't sound like something he'd say, are you sure you're not just tryna stir shit up?"
I nodded, "I'm sure."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. What class are you in anyway?" The blue haired girl continued her probing. Only this time she decided to focus on uncovering my identity rather than verifying my credibility.
"C." I glanced down, my eyes briefly finding the now averted ones of a certain individual.
The distance between us according to the angle of the slope was approximately 30ft in length. Due to the room being dim and the majority of the lighting having been strung up behind me, it would be difficult for the average human to make out where I was standing from a lower level of elevation. All they'd see is a bulky shadow in the distance.
...
Looks like I'll have to do more than intended.
Adjusting my glasses, I suppressed the irritation bubbling within me. What I was about to say next was borderline humiliating.
"As for my name... call me Helper-kun."
My lips nearly curled in disgust as goosebumps threatened to break out on my pale skin. The sheer irony of it was unbearable.
"Pfft-"
The girl clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was futile. Her shoulders shook and a strangled snort escaped.
"Aha-haHa-HAHAHAHA!" She lurched forward, gripping her sides as her laughter broke out uncontrollably. "Helper-kun?! What kinda dumbass name is that?! Sounds like something a five-year-old would call their babysitter!"
I huffed, watching in silence as the girl giggled away at my borrowed label. Due to her outburst, the group below had noticed us, but no one made a move to address it, instead, they returned to their conversations. They couldn't see us so it made no sense for them to continue staring.
Turning around, I began my ascent up the stairs, "If that's all, I'll be going."
Unfortunately, I was unable to make it five steps before being regarded once more, "Oi, not so fast fifth grader. I still have another question."
Tch. Another nickname. That makes the third this week. Do I have a sign on my back saying I need a name or something?
"Make it quick."
"Sure. It will be if you answer truthfully." She informed, whereupon she proceeded to fix me with a glare, "If Karma actually sent you, what's our agreed meeting spot?"
"Meeting spot?"
"Yeah, the place where we usually meet up for discussions."
"There isn't one. He's never mentioned anything like that to me." I immediately replied.
Karma doesn't strike me as the type to establish a fixed meeting place. He's far too independent for that. Given what little I know about him from our interactions, he's not the sort to schedule structured meetups with subordinates-assuming he even considers them as such.
He's the kind of person who doesn't like following the standard norm, preferring to act whenever and however he saw fit. If he needed to communicate, he'd do it on the fly or maybe even leave cryptic messages behind.
A fixed meeting spot would only serve to limit his flexibility which is something I doubt he'd tolerate.
If this girl is genuinely aligned with him, she should already be aware of this fact. Which means her question was simply a test to see if I was also in alignment with him.
The fact that my answer came without hesitation, and was entirely accurate, likely threw her off and now, she's second-guessing herself.
Her expression stiffened, eyes falling lidded with irritance and the faintest trace of hesitation seeping into her face, "...I just can't believe that guy would send an outsider to contact me."
"He didn't, actually."
"Huh?" She paused, face twisting in a mixture of annoyance and mild confusion, "Then what the hell was the point of all that? If you were just gonna out yourself, why even bother lying?"
My yellow eyes narrowed into a partial smize. "Regardless, I suggest you follow what I've said."
I quickly steered the conversation back to the original topic. The fact that I avoided her question seemed to irritate her quite a bit, but she decided to leave it be in favor of ending our talk as quickly as possible.
"Yeah, no. I don't take orders from spies."
Exhaling through my nose, I continued, "If Akabane were here, he'd agree since he knows who I am."
"Yeah right. He'd deeefinitely take advice from the enemy." Rolling her eyes, she scoffed at my remark disdainfully with a hefty dose of sarcasm spilling out of her mouth.
"I'm not stupid. We both know you're just tryna sabotage us." She hit the nail on the head, but unfortunately, it was the wrong nail.
"Just ask him directly if you don't believe me."
"Tch, might as well."
As she uttered those words, she retrieved her phone from her left pocket and swiftly unlocked it as she stood.
Briefly viewing her rather desolate contact list, she clicked on the first of two numbers that had been saved and raised the device to her ear as it emitted a low hum.
I see.
Beep
"Oi, I gotta ask you something about a guy..."
"Huh? No, I'm not confessing. It's just this guy, he's—"
"Dammit, I already said that's not it! Quit messing around and just listen will ya?!"
Not even 15 seconds had passed and she was already fuming. Karma truly was adept at getting under people's skin.
Sighing, the blue haired girl pinched the bridge of her nose, finally being allowed to voice her query, "There's this guy here from Class C, he was claiming you sent him to give me a message but said it was a lie afterwards."
She shot me a look of scrutiny as she increased the distance between us and lowered her voice to just above a whisper.
"Calls himself 'Helper-kun.' Know 'im?" Fortunately, I had rather exceptional hearing so it wasn't difficult to pick up on the general flow of their conversation.
"Mh. Green lenses."
A pause.
"Huh? What about it?" She knitted her brows. Judging by her expression and words, I imagine he said something along the lines of, "That message of his...' and 'What did he say it was?"
Which would prompt a response like: "Well he said you told him to make sure that Morofuji doesn't mess up her job cuz the brown haired guy's gonna be important."
"Well he said you told him to make sure that Morofuji doesn't mess up her job cuz the brown haired guy's gonna be important." Correct right down to the letter.
"Yeah...Yeah, The quiet one. Why do you care anyway? I don't see how any of this's gonna..."
And another, longer pause ensued, "...You sure that's what you want me to do?"
Pursing her lips, she returned her attention to the group of eight. Ike and Yamauchi were seemingly celebrating the fact that they had just exchanged contacts with an admittedly attractive set of females.
Sudo's reaction was more subdued. He wore a red faced grinned while looking at his phone in satisfaction.
However, Ayanokoji seemed to have made no headway with Morofuji. She was still awkward around him.
"Dammit, FINE. I'll do it." Terminating the call with a sigh, she pocketed her phone while donning a frown and muttered, "I swear...sometimes it's hard to tell those two apart."
Using her offhand comparison as reference, I can infer that Ryuen, her other contact, isn't usually one to pass up a challenge nor is he opposed to taking risks if he's confident in his winning chances.
If that's truly the case then Class D was under quite the chaotic leadership.
"What did he say?" It was a rhetorical question. I already knew the answer.
She turned to me with a sneer and a dismissive wave, "Right, right. He said to go through with it. You can leave now."
"Before that." Striding forward, I gradually closed the distance between us with an amicable smile, "What's your name?" Her eyes narrowed and her body tensed slightly as she looked up at me.
"What, Karma didn't tell you?" She snorted. Even though she did well to hide it, I could tell that she had become even more wary of me.
"What do you think?"
The blue haired girl looked up at me with a sneer before promptly turning on her heels and descending the stairs, en route to the group of 8.
"It's Ibuki."
Ibuki...Unlike the other simpletons in this school, she understood the value of information.
She'll be quite useful indeed.
I gave her a lazy wave as she glanced at me over her shoulder. "Try not to get too irritated watching Morofuji struggle. It's painful, I know, but patience is a virtue."
Her eye twitched and she promptly flipped me off.
I smirked as I committed the girl's name to memory before making my way out of the room while checking my phone. The time was now 22:15.
According to the GPS those two haven't moved for a while. I assume they'll be wrapping up right about now, so I should be in time to see the results.
At that thought, my upturned lips voluntarily stilled. This really is proving to be a long night, isn't it?