conversation I'd overheard between the teachers and what Ryuuen had said,
there wasn't any doubt. Based on pure academic ability, Yukimura certainly
wasn't inferior to Hirata or Horikita. He was probably dissatisfied at being
placed in the Rabbit group, which was stuck somewhere in the middle.
Yukimura didn't use a certain person's name, but when he looked at
me it was clear he was thinking about Horikita. Unfortunately, I couldn't help
him. While I continued listening to him, I returned to my bed and laid down
on my side. I thought I'd take a nap until Hirata returned.
Unfortunately, I felt a disagreeable gaze on me. Yukimura stared at me
suspiciously.
"Ayanokouji. You aren't the VIP, are you?" he asked.
"Even if I did deny it and said you're wrong, what's the point in
checking?"
"Cooperation is vital in this test. We need to adhere to that. If we
cooperate, we won't lose."
"I see. Unfortunately, I'm not the VIP."
"Are you sure? You're not being selfish and trying to hoard points, are
you?" Yukimura seemed to doubt everyone as a rule, so this didn't surprise
me.
"I'm not the VIP. Can I believe that you're not the VIP, Yukimura?"
"Yes, of course you can. I'm not the VIP. Neither is Sotomura, by the
way."
That was sort of like a secret handshake, a magic contract between
allies.
"I checked with Karuizawa, too. She said that she's not the VIP, but
whether I believe her is another issue."
Yukimura normally showed disdain for Karuizawa, so he tended not to
believe what she said. He'd know the truth for sure if he checked her phone,
but given that they had a tenuous relationship, that would be difficult. You
could say their relationship was the embodiment of "good fences make good
neighbors." They liked to keep their distance. They wouldn't flaunt their
good fortune to one another.
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Yukimura seemed satisfied for the time being, because he didn't press
the matter any further. I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. I
couldn't really relax with someone else in the room, but it wasn't too
unpleasant. When I really focused on trying to make friends, I could be as
adaptive as a chameleon, and it seemed even Yukimura was starting to warm
up to me.
I fell into a light sleep, punctuated by Yukimura's occasional sighs.
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4.1
In the afternoon, I went to the Rabbit group's discussion room.
Despite the fact that it was a bright, sunny day, the atmosphere could
completely change depending on the company. I arrived ten minutes before
the discussion was set to begin and appeared to be the first one there. The
next to arrive was Karuizawa. When she saw me, her expression changed to
one of apparent disgust, and she quickly averted her eyes. After that, she
moved as far away from me as she could and sat down. She took out her
phone and started fiddling with it.
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126
We didn't exactly get along. We didn't really fight, though. She simply
disliked me. But that was actually the most bothersome kind of relationship.
If she disliked me for a reason, there was room for improvement. However, if
she just instinctively hated me, then there was no chance of a breakthrough.
I could've killed time out in the hall until Ichinose and the others
arrived, but since I was here first, it would look awkward if I left. I decided to
adjust my posture to look more manly and dignified. What a bother this test
was. Because it centered around conversation, you had to participate no
matter what, which was difficult for me. Even after the first semester ended, I
still couldn't bring myself to strike up a conversation.
Karuizawa didn't seem like she planned to pass the time quietly. She
put her phone to her ear and started talking. "Oh hi, Rinocchi? How are
things with you right now? Me? Ah, things here suck so bad. Like, I'm
seriously fed up with everything," said Karuizawa.
Since we were the only two people in the room, I could naturally
overhear every bit of Karuizawa's conversation, including how she skillfully
wove together expressions of both joy and melancholy. It was an incredibly
awkward situation with only two people in the room. Immediately after her
call ended, there came a moment of silence.
"That reminds me. So, are you the VIP? It seems like...Yukimura-kun
and that Soto...kun aren't," said Karuizawa.
Wow, she was talking to me. At least she could remember Sotomura's
name. Yukimura had asked me that same question a little while ago. I
suppose it made sense that everyone wanted to check.
"Nope," I answered.
"Ah, okay. That's fine."
However, unlike Yukimura, she didn't double-check. "Do you believe
me?" I asked.
"Huh? You said you're not, didn't you?"
Even though we didn't get along well, she seemed to believe what I
said. Well, there really wasn't any need to press the issue. I wasn't looking to
get more points in this test. What was important was ascertaining whether
Karuizawa could be useful to me.
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"You two sure are early," said Ichinose. The three Class B students had
arrived together.
"Nice to see you," I said. I raised my hand slightly. Ichinose spoke to
Karuizawa as well, but Karuizawa was so busy on her phone, she didn't
respond.
Everyone in our group showed up before the start time. However, the
situation hadn't changed at all from yesterday.
Class A kept its distance from the rest of us, so the rest of us formed a
circle. Then, Karuizawa got up and sat down next to Machida from Class A.
Probably a defensive measure against Manabe. Machida didn't participate in
the discussion, but we felt his presence very strongly. There was also a power
imbalance, and Class C, which only had girls like Manabe, didn't really have
any charismatic members who could go up against Machida.
Had Karuizawa instead gone to someone weak, like me or the
Professor, for support, Manabe and the others could have hounded her.
Karuizawa had definitely made the correct decision.
"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll help you," said Machida.
"Thank you, Machida-kun," she replied.
Since Karuizawa had started depending on Machida, he seemed very
conscious of her. I mean, she was a really cute girl, so it was understandable
that he'd want to protect her. Even if they were from different classes.
Leaving aside their new (and dangerous) affections, the test was the
problem. We all understood that. We understood that what separated victory
from defeat was finding out whether your class had the VIP.
"Now then. I'm sure we all discussed this amongst ourselves last night,
but I think we should try and find the VIPs after all," said Ichinose.
"This again? Don't you get that some people here won't go along with
it? If we don't all participate, there's no way you'll find the VIP," said one of
the Class A students mockingly.
"I don't think that's true, though. It's a problem of trust. That's why
today, I'd like us all to play cards together. Of course, I won't force anyone
to participate. Only jump in if you want to," said Ichinose.
She brought out a deck of cards, all while smiling.
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"Ha ha ha ha! Building trust through playing cards? That's so stupid!"
"You can say it's stupid, but if you give it a try you might like it.
Besides, spending an hour in complete silence sounds awfully boring. Why
not kill some time?"
Of course, all the other Class B students agreed to participate.
"I shall play as well. I am currently at liberty," said the Professor.
Well, the Professor was right. We didn't have anything else to do right
now. No one else was joining, so I slowly raised my hand.
"Five people, then. Well, I thought we could play Daifugō, but does
anyone here not know the rules?" asked Ichinose.
I had a grasp on the rules, to a certain extent. I knew about Daifugō. No
one seemed to have a problem, so we got into a small circle and started
playing. The people not playing either chatted amongst themselves, or
occasionally shot us an indifferent glance. Ichinose shuffled the deck and
divided the cards evenly among the five of us.
I had a Joker, a pair of twos, and three other cards. Considering the
hand I'd been dealt, I could've seemingly overwhelmed the others, but the
winner isn't always the one with the strongest hand. The smallest upset could
weaken your hand, and then you'd be defeated.
However, I clearly had the superior hand. I needed a solid strategy to
make use of the cards. This game was more profound than I'd expected.
Also, everyone's idiosyncrasies were on clear display. Ichinose didn't just
concentrate on her own hand; she played her opponents' as well. Hamaguchi
focused on the endgame. He also got rather worked up at times, like the
Professor.
"Once more!"
I would've thought that the Professor, who was a huge otaku, would be
relatively calm. But when it came to games, he was the type to get fired up
easily. At least he was also the type to cool off quickly, since he calmed
down as soon as the game ended.
This was probably what Ichinose wanted to see. By learning the unique
characteristics of our group, she would know how to talk to them. It wasn't
much, but considering that talking was useless at present, it was effective. It
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also meant that Ichinose was observing my behavior, just as I'd observed the
Professor.
I wondered how I looked from Ichinose's perspective. From an
objective perspective, I probably looked dull. I pushed ahead when I had a
good hand, but turned passive when the situation went downhill. A common
kind of person. However, rather than forcibly changing the way I played and
confusing Ichinose, it was probably better for me to be consistent. I continued
the game as I normally would. We started off playing Daifugō, and played
about five games before switching to Old Maid. The hour passed. In the end,
neither Class A nor Class C joined in, so the five of us played from beginning
to end.
"Heh, my my, that was quite enjoyable. Playing a traditional game on
occasion is no bad thing," said the Professor. He seemed to have enjoyed
spending the hour playing games rather than talking. However, even after this
session of psychological revelation, I still couldn't understand Class B's true
plan. Only Ichinose had that information.
"Well, I suppose I'll be going now," said Ichinose.
"Where are you going?" asked Hamaguchi.
"I can't let Class A just get away from us like this."
"You're going to see Katsuragi-kun, then?"
So. Ichinose intended to confront the man who'd devised Class A's
"castle gate" strategy. Even though I wasn't a fundamentally social person, I
knew I should take advantage of this.
"If you don't mind, can I go along with you?" I asked.
"Hmm? Sure, that's fine with me. Do you want to talk to Katsuragi-
kun, too, Ayanokouji?" asked Ichinose. She didn't seem wary of me. Rather,
she looked simply curious. She tilted her head.
"No, that's not it. Horikita's in the same group as Katsuragi."
"Ah, okay. Well then, let's go together. See you later, Hamaguchi-
kun," said Ichinose.
Hamaguchi nodded and watched us walk off. Even though Ichinose
had taken the lead, they all seemed to respect one another. That wasn't at all
the type of relationship that Katsuragi and Ryuuen had with their subjects.
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If the group discussions were happening at the same time, then each
group would be breaking up at about the same time, too. Ichinose walked
quickly, hoping to arrive before the Dragon group dispersed.
"Let's hurry," she said.
Ichinose picked up the pace. At least the rooms were all on the same
deck, so it wasn't too long a walk. Since the discussion had only just ended,
there was a scattering of students in the hall. Soon, we arrived at the Dragon
group's room.
We couldn't hear any voices, but we got the sense that people were still
in the room. We stopped right outside the door. They might still be talking in
there. I sent Horikita an instant message, but I didn't think she read it.
"Looks like they're really taking their time," said Ichinose.
"I can't imagine Ryuuen and Katsuragi holding a discussion. Maybe
Class B is showing off their power?"
"I'm not sure about that. Kanzaki-kun isn't the type to take the
spotlight. On that note, you have Horikita-san in there with some others from
your class, right? She's a star player in the Class D line-up."
Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida were all star players. Ten minutes passed
until, finally, the door opened. The first person to exit the room was
Ichinose's target, Katsuragi. Other Class A students trailed behind him.
Katsuragi immediately noticed Ichinose.
"Ichinose? What are you doing here?"
"I'd like to talk to you, Katsuragi-kun. Do you have a minute?"
"Well, the testing period is three days long. I have several minutes
available."
He didn't ignore Ichinose. Rather, he looked happy to engage with her.
The other Class A students understood and continued on their way.
"It's fine if I stay behind alone, yes?" he asked.
Ichinose nodded. They moved out of the way of passersby. I somehow
managed to remain in the conversation, so I stood close to Ichinose. From
Katsuragi's perspective, I was nothing more than a single spectator. He didn't
say anything about me being there.
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"I think I know what you're planning, Katsuragi-kun. You ordered
your classmates to refuse to participate in discussions, yes? Would you
possibly reconsider? We need communication to get through this test, after
all."
In the three discussions we'd had so far, the Class A students had
passed the time in complete silence. Ichinose couldn't break down those
walls on her own. She needed someone to lower the castle gate and let her in.
Now, what would be Katsuragi's response?
"That's extremely reasonable. But I've heard this question so many
times that I feel like my ears are going to fall off. Unfortunately, Ichinose,
you've wasted your time," said Katsuragi.
Apparently Katsuragi's strategy had gotten a lot of attention.
"I have my own situation to deal with. Katsuragi-kun. I don't think
forcing people to be quiet is a good strategy. Would you reconsider?"
Katsuragi, who'd probably been answering the same questions to
multiple classes over and over, went straight to the heart of the matter.
"The answer will always be the same. I developed that strategy to win.
My reasons are good. You think this test requires communication. That's why
you don't agree with me, but you're wrong. This test is about thinking. If you
miss that, it's a big problem. So, in keeping with the theme of the test, I've
decided to stifle discussion."
"But, Katsuragi-kun, your idea is basically a rejection of the test itself,"
countered Ichinose.
"What I've said might sound bad, but it's not. I'm looking out for my
class, looking for ways to not only preserve our standing in this test, but in
tests to come. Do you agree that there's nothing wrong with me protecting
my class?"
"If this test were a direct competition between the classes, sure. I'd
agree. But in this test, when all the classes are blended together, do you really
think that's right?" asked Ichinose.
But Katsuragi's opinion was correct. There were four possible
outcomes in this test. As long as you chose one of those outcomes, it was
legitimate. Katsuragi wasn't interested in small intergroup competitions; he
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was solely focused on maintaining Class A's lead.
"Any further discussion is meaningless, Ichinose. You can't change my
mind," he said.
"So. Like the old saying goes, an immovable object meets an
irresistible force?" Ichinose wore a wry, pained smile as she rubbed the back
of her head. She didn't appear disappointed, but she probably understood
there was no budging Katsuragi.
"Do you still intend to fight?" asked Katsuragi.
"Of course. This is a test," answered Ichinose.
Ichinose and Katsuragi—two powerful, influential forces—were facing
off against each other.
"I'm sorry, but the result's a foregone conclusion. If Class A doesn't
participate, there's not much you can do. There shouldn't be any way for you
to win," said Katsuragi.
Even if the three other classes were united, winning wouldn't be easy.
If they discovered the identity of the VIP, anyone could become a traitor. As
long as the potential traitor stood to gain something, it'd be difficult to
maintain cooperation until the bitter end. If the reward wasn't distributed
evenly, there'd be no reason to cooperate.
"I want to ask you one thing. If you were Class A's leader, what would
you do? Wouldn't you implement the same strategy?" asked Katsuragi.
"Hmm...I wonder. Well, I can't really consider things from Class A's
perspective. If you're being chased, I imagine it would be better to have
experience with chasing. Always running is pretty tough, isn't it?" asked
Ichinose.
Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms, as if dismissing her
words. He then met Ichinose's gaze once again.
"In my opinion, if you were standing in my position, you would've
come up with the same strategy I did. If it's to protect my class, I don't
particularly mind being criticized by others." Katsuragi locked eyes with
Ichinose.
In response, Ichinose smiled softly. "I'm sorry for taking up your time.
I think I understand now. Understand your thoughts and ideas, I mean," she
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said.
"I'm glad to hear that. Well, if you'll excuse me."
Ichinose watched Katsuragi leave.
"This test is easier if you're playing defense. I guess I'll have to do
even more," she mused.
The lower classes were frantically fumbling around for hints, but that
was risky. If you missed the VIP, you'd let down the rest of the class.
"Anyway, Kanzaki-kun and the others haven't come out yet," she said.
Only Katsuragi and the other Class A students had shown themselves.
So far, no one else had left the room. One hour was the minimum
requirement, but it was okay to discuss things further.
"Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?" I asked.
"You're waiting for Horikita-san, right? I wanted to ask her something,
too. Let's wait together."
She could talk to Kanzaki whenever, but her chances to speak with
Horikita were probably limited. Since Katsuragi had brushed her off,
Ichinose probably wanted to gather opinions from the other classes. But I
couldn't see how she was planning to break through Katsuragi's strategy.
We waited for nearly thirty minutes until, finally, the door opened. All
of the Class C students left, except for Ryuuen. Kushida and Hirata came out
next.
"Huh? Ayanokouji-kun, what are you doing here? Are you waiting for
Horikita-san?" asked Kushida.
Kushida approached me, looking puzzled. I remembered the scene
from yesterday and quickly stiffened. Unfortunately, Kushida seemed to have
gone back to her usual self, as though nothing had changed.
"Hello, Kushida-san."
"Oh! Ichinose-san! Hello. Now, this is odd. Well, I should say I didn't
expect to see the two of you together," said Kushida.
Apparently Kushida didn't know that Ichinose and I knew one another.
She couldn't hide her surprise.
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"We're waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun. Are they still
talking?" asked Ichinose.
"Oh, those two. They're still discussing things with Ryuuen-kun right
now. Maybe you could step inside?" Kushida gestured toward the door, as if
inviting us in.
"Oh no, it's all right. If they're still in the middle of something, we can
wait."
"Oh, I think it's fine. Besides, the test period is only one hour. Any
time after that, we're free to come and go as we please. Besides, they may not
be talking about the test."
Kushida opened the door and called us in. Ichinose and I couldn't
refuse her invitation, so we entered. Hirata and I briefly exchanged looks as
we passed each other. Inside, Horikita, Kanzaki, and Ryuuen were sitting
slightly apart from one another. It was a three-way deadlock.
Although the mood wasn't necessarily tense, it wasn't relaxed, either.
As we entered, everyone turned their attention toward us. Horikita and
Kanzaki didn't change their expressions, but Ryuuen chuckled, as if we
amused him. Then, he raised his hand to Ichinose.
"Yo. Did you come all the way here to do some reconnaissance? Don't
be shy. Take a seat."
"This is a rather interesting group. I want to know what you're all
talking about, especially since the required hour is up," said Ichinose.
"Heh. Ah, of course you do. Originally, I thought you would have
taken Kanzaki's place in here. But you ended up in a different group. What's
more, you got shoved into a completely hopeless, hapless group. Or maybe
you are a hopeless, hapless kind of person," said Ryuuen.
"Come on, Ryuuen-kun. You know that we can't understand the
school's strategies. We're just doing our best with the information we have
and the situation we were placed into. But it sounds like you think there's a
reasoning behind the group formations. Do you think the school had some
kind of plan in mind?" asked Ichinose.
Ichinose pretended she hadn't noticed anything, but Ryuuen wasn't the
type to believe a woman so easily. Chuckling slightly, he drew closer to
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Ichinose. He didn't pay any attention to me. Well, that was okay by me.
"If you haven't realized it yet, I'll explain it to you. The teachers
intentionally decided how the groups would be divided. It's obvious, don't
you think? If so, that means you were put into the losers' group despite being
at the head of Class B," Ryuuen said. "There has to be a reason."
"Hmm. So it wasn't random? They deliberately chose how to split us
up? I noticed that your group is full of exceptionally gifted people, Ryuuen,
but I suppose the other groups were all made for a reason as well. Thank you
for the helpful advice. But should you really give me so much information?"
asked Ichinose.
She responded as promptly as expected. I noticed Ryuuen's face
change, though. Normally, when confronted with surprising new information,
a person expresses shock, confusion, or perhaps even doubt. However,
Ichinose looked completely calm, and thanked Ryuuen for the advice. Not a
normal response.
Of course, she might have been purposefully hiding something.
Considering how bright and lively Ichinose normally was, you might think
she was incapable of deception. I didn't know how intuitive Ryuuen might
be, but he likely recognized that something was going on. It was a brief
conversation, but both parties seemed to gain quite a bit of information.
In any case, what Ichinose did or didn't know about the school's plans
wasn't really important. What was important was that she was staying quiet
about it. Ichinose and Ryuuen were trying to get a read on each other.
"Even so..." Ryuuen, looking exasperated, turned to me. "You know, I
love chasing skirts, but you're on another level. First Suzune, now Ichinose.
You're always sniffing around some chick, aren't you?" he said.
I couldn't exactly deny what he was saying. Besides, Ryuuen probably
wasn't all that interested in me, since he didn't say anything more.
"Well, you've come at a good time, Ichinose. I have an interesting
proposal for you," said Ryuuen.
"A proposal? I suppose I'll hear you out. What is it?"
"It's completely stupid. Listening to him would just be a waste of
time." Horikita must have already heard this proposal, because she was quick
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to urge Ichinose to reject it.
"A proposal to crush Class A. I don't think that's such a bad plan.
Suzune and Kanzaki seem to disagree, though," said Ryuuen.
"What do you mean?" asked Ichinose.
"I told Suzune this earlier, but I already know all of the identities of the
VIPs from Class C."
There it was. Just as Katsuragi had his own strategy, Ryuuen had come
up with a very Ryuuen-like plan. And it seemed like things were evolving
beyond where they'd been this morning.
"Three classes will share information about all the VIPs. That way,
we'll bypass the school's rules," said Ryuuen.
So, he wanted the three of us to join forces.
"It sounds like a pretty bold idea, but I don't think it's realistic. How do
we know for sure that you have all the Class C VIPs, Ryuuen-kun?" asked
Ichinose.
"It's natural that you wouldn't trust me. In that case, why don't we
make a contract? We'll pledge to share the identities of our three VIPs and go
after Class A. That way, our three classes will benefit, but Class A won't."
If Class A's refusal to engage with us was difficult, this proposal only
increased potential school-wide enmity.
"A contract is meaningless, since we won't know who might betray
whom. If Class C betrays us, it'll all be over," replied Horikita.
Her flat rejection was completely expected. It seemed that Ryuuen had
already been allied with Class A for a while. Also, during the test on the
island, Ryuuen had been quick to betray others. That alone was all the proof
we needed as to how devious he was. His strategy wasn't necessarily a bad
one, but Ryuuen himself was the issue.
"Your thinking is solid, Horikita-san. If we don't have a guarantee that
Ryuuen-kun is telling the truth, then this is meaningless," said Ichinose.
"There's no point in playing a part anymore, is there? It's not like you
don't have a handle on all of Class B's goings-on," said Ryuuen.
The two were all smiles, but the mood changed. It grew tense, and it
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felt like we were all on tenterhooks.
"You're giving me far too much credit. People don't have that much
trust in me. Besides, your proposal is high risk, low return. I can't agree to
it," said Ichinose.
"Being secretive is prudent, but sometimes you need to act."
"Maybe from your perspective. You're casting a wide net right now,
and gathering information. Haven't you ever dreamed of rising up to Class
B?" asked Kanzaki.
"Horikita-san rejected your proposal. Therefore, this plan is off to a
bad start," added Ichinose.
"Well, there's no denying that. Even if Suzune wanted to agree, there's
a reason why she can't," said Ryuuen.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Horikita.
"You already know what I'm getting at, don't you? For this strategy to
work, you need to understand your own class perfectly. For Class D, which
lacks any spirit of teamwork, this is an impossible undertaking. Right? It's
also impossible for Class A, since they're split into two factions."
The atmosphere in the room changed again. This time, the air felt
heavy, like before a storm.
"But I can make this strategy work, since I rule my class. And it's
smart for Ichinose, since she's incredibly popular within her class. I
originally pitched the idea of a three-class alliance, but it's also possible with
just two classes. The chances of a perfect outcome might be lowered, but
since it's me we're talking about, I can see it through. If we pull this off,
Classes A and D will be stripped bare and left with nothing," Ryuuen said.
He was willing to leave both Class A and D in the dust.
"You really overestimate me."
The fact that Ryuuen had openly shared his idea and asked Class B to
double-cross us right in front of Horikita, myself, and Kushida was very
unsettling. Even if his proposal wasn't perfect, Ryuuen was actively working
to discover each class' VIPs, and he could get there without too much
trouble.
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If so, then this was a crucial point for Class D.
"I might be overstepping here, but I doubt you'll be able to pull this
off," Horikita said.
I thought it'd be smart to sit and observe silently, but apparently
Horikita thought otherwise. Even if Ichinose decided to ally with Class D, we
had no idea how much we could trust her. The possibility of Ichinose and
Ryuuen teaming up was extremely dangerous.
"So do you understand the situation now, tagalong?" Ryuuen mocked
me, but I didn't fall for his cheap tricks. Instead, I offered my honest opinion.
"Suppose Classes B and C did become allies. Wouldn't that mean that
Classes A and D would become allies as well? I admit that Class D is
fractured, but if faced with certain defeat, I think we'd come together. I
believe Class A would do the same."
"Ichinose and I haven't entered into an alliance yet, so you have no
way of knowing. Are you sure Katsuragi will cooperate with you?" asked
Ryuuen.
Katsuragi was most definitely cautious. He probably wouldn't make
any moves without evidence. However, since he'd also suffered losses on
Ryuuen's account, there'd be some room for negotiation. After listening to
me, Horikita had also realized that we couldn't afford to let Class B and Class
C's alliance form.
"There's no point continuing this discussion any further. In the end,
both parties would just crush each other," she said.
"What do you mean, Suzune?" asked Ryuuen.
"I mean exactly what Ayanokouji said earlier. If you insist on
continuing to act as if this were a strategy meeting, we'll just have to assume
that this is your intent and respond accordingly."
"As you wish. I'm looking forward to seeing whether you or not you
can get your class to come together," replied Ryuuen.
Despite his open hostility, Ryuuen shamelessly extended his hand to
ask us to work together. Horikita, meanwhile, was exhibiting her
determination to fight to the bitter end. This would also be a determent to
Ichinose. If she betrayed Class D right here, right now, she would probably
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be branded a traitor by all the classes. She'd be seen as someone who'd
betray her allies whenever convenient, for the sake of a few points.
If Ichinose got saddled with that kind of reputation, it would weigh her
down for a long time, probably for the rest of her high school days.
"I'm sorry, Ryuuen-kun. But you've hurt people in Class B with your
actions. Even if it's possible for us to get more points, I can't ally with you
on that reason alone," said Ichinose.
"Well, that's unfortunate," answered Ryuuen.
He didn't look the least bit disappointed, but rather like he'd guessed
that his plan wouldn't fly from the get-go. Ryuuen got up and left the room,
passing us by. As he left, Ryuuen glanced at me one more time. Our eyes
happened to meet.
"It can't be," he muttered.
Of course, I didn't respond. Ryuuen lightly shook his head.
"Ah, I should be going. My friends are calling me," said Kushida.
She quickly retreated from the room. In the end, I was left with my
usual partners in crime.
"Whew. I guess he saw through me," said Ichinose. Even though
Ichinose didn't look particularly flustered, she sighed deeply.
"This will be tough. He's gunning for us," Horikita said.
"Ryuuen might think himself a dragon, but he's really a snake. He's so
tenacious that when he finds his prey, he'll go to any lengths to bring it down.
But don't you have it worse than me right now, Horikita-san? Ryuuen-kun is
naturally wary of Class A, after all. He probably thinks that Class B will one
day be his enemy, too. But right now, he's got you in his sights," said
Ichinose.
Well, that was true. Class D had been stuck at the bottom, but the
island test had allowed us to climb up a bit. Because of that, Class D might
evolve into real competition.
"Don't worry. Horikita isn't the type to crack under pressure. Isn't that
right?" I said.
"Naturally," Horikita replied.
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Well, she appeared that way from the outside. But even if she were just
putting on a brave face, it was possible she'd reveal her true, hidden self. I
just didn't know when she would. Maybe today, or maybe in ten years' time.
Most people fall short of becoming the people they were meant to be.
"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun. I wanted to ask you something. Do you
think this test will create trust between people of different classes?"
"No one's looking to make enemies, but bringing people together like
that will always be difficult. Even if two classes could become friendlier, it
won't be enough. We'd need unwavering cooperation between everyone in
Classes D and B, and I don't know how we'll make such an alliance," said
Horikita.
"Yeah. Just like I'd expect of you, Horikita-san. You understand this
test very well. Ryuuen-kun's just full of hot air. I was right to choose your
side." Ichinose seemed happy to be standing with Horikita. "Yes. Ryuuen-
kun's plan will fail. It's probably best not to worry about it. The real problem
is Katsuragi-kun's iron fortress strategy. What do you think about it now that
you've spoken to him?"
"I said this yesterday, but Katsuragi is completely unapproachable.
He'll talk to you, but he won't give an inch. I doubt he'll change his mind
before the exam ends. At this point, I think all of Class A is taking the same
stance. Don't you?" asked Kanzaki.
"Yeah. I think it's hopeless, too. We have no choice but to find a
different way," said Ichinose.
We had three discussion periods left. After that, each individual group
would have to submit their answers. Did we work in favor of our class, or our
group? Or should we take action for our own sake?
"Well, I'm going to head back to my room," Horikita said flatly.
Since everyone else from the Dragon group had left, Horikita walked
away without another word. As she made her way out, she met up with
Hamaguchi, who appeared to be waiting for her. Ichinose watched Horikita's
back as she left, then turned toward me.
"Would you walk with me for a little bit?" she asked.
"Sure. I don't mind."
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I strolled out with Ichinose and two other students from Class B. It felt
a little crowded. After we split from Kanzaki and reached the ship's deck, we
slipped into a large crowd of students. Everyone looked as though they'd
shaken off the test and were in the mood to have fun.
"I understand what Horikita-san said earlier, but I think there's still
room for cooperation," said Ichinose.
"Cooperation?"
"Yes. I was surprised when Class A distanced themselves, but I think
we have a chance. But to pull it off, we might have to reveal everything."
"Everything?"
"This entire test boils down to finding the VIP. That's the point, right?
So if we play things by the book, we increase our chances by narrowing
down the list and finding out who isn't the target. So, I'll tell you right now:
I'm not the VIP. But I intend to find them and lead my group to victory."
Ichinose said that with confidence as she looked me square in the eye.
She continued.
"You might think that if I'm the target, I could just be hiding my
identity. But Ayanokouji-kun, the reason I'm not is simple. Everything I do is
for the sake of Class B," she said.
Her words held a mystery that was hard to explain. Considering
Ichinose's behavior until now, there was only a fraction of doubt left in my
mind. If she wanted my full cooperation, then she needed to take things a step
further. If she showed me her phone voluntarily, right now, she would gain
all of my trust.
However, she didn't display any signs of doing that. She didn't even
try to take her phone out. Should I accept her statements as the simple,
thoughtless pledge of an ordinary girl? Or did I detect a layer of intrigue? I
couldn't tell, and that was why I felt what she said was mysterious. It was
probably safer to just accept what she said.
"It must sound strange," said Ichinose, seemingly a little dissatisfied
with my silence.
"Ah, no. Sorry. I don't think it's strange at all, really. I was just a little
surprised that you came straight out, that's all. You said that if you were the
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VIP, you'd choose to lead your class to victory," I answered.
"I'm not lying. I think that lying might be necessary in competition, but
I like to be honest as much as possible. I do want my class to win, fair and
square. I thought the road to victory lay in narrowing down who the VIP is.
Ah, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, Ayanokouji-kun.
I just wanted to explain my feelings. I thought if I told you, things might be
easier."
"Even if perfect cooperation is impossible, trying to form solid
relationships is no bad thing. If I don't answer now, it might hurt our
relationship down the line."
"No, no, I don't think so." She sounded flustered, but this wasn't the
time to hide.
What Ichinose was saying was true. Even if she fooled me and lured
me into a trap, her reward would be rather small. Breaking the truce with
Horikita and exploiting Class D would be nonsensical. Sure, I couldn't
be 100% certain she wouldn't betray us, but I couldn't be 100% certain I
wouldn't be killed by a meteor, either. No one should spend their time
worrying about all the things that could possibly happen. I decided to be
honest with her.
"I'm not the VIP. Neither is Yukimura, I can say that with absolutely
certainty. Unfortunately, I don't really know about Karuizawa or the
Professor...err, I mean, Sotomura. It's not clear yet. Personally, I agree with
you on principle."
I'd heard from Yukimura that Karuizawa and the Professor weren't
VIPs, but I thought it'd be best to leave that part unsaid. If I was careless and
one of them turned out to be the VIP, I'd only lose Ichinose's trust. I'd
determined that Yukimura wasn't the VIP through his actions and attitude.
"S-sorry. It seems like I forced your answer," said Ichinose.
Ichinose lowered her head, as if burdened by feelings of guilt. She
didn't need to apologize, though. I'm the one who will need to apologize to
you someday, I thought.
"Hey, Hamaguchi-kun. Got a minute?" asked Ichinose.
"What is it, Ichinose-san?"
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Hamaguchi approached us, looking relaxed. Ichinose filled him in on
the current situation. Surprisingly, she concealed her cooperative relationship
with Class D. Considering Ichinose's character, I would have guessed she'd
get her class' approval.
"If Ayanokouji's confirmed it, there's no reason for me to refuse. I'm
not the VIP," said Hamaguchi.
When I considered his relationship with Ichinose, I believed him.
There'd be little merit in lying. That just risked fracturing the truce with
Horikita. However, if we wanted to adopt a strategy without the risk of being
exposed, we could do better than this.
"You haven't checked with your own class yet," I observed. Ichinose
should have been able to get everyone in her class on board without having to
resort to scare tactics like Ryuuen.
"I prefer to let my classmates act autonomously. There are people in
my class who want points. It's not like I can arbitrarily transfer the VIP's
rights to myself," said Ichinose. "This might sound impertinent, but I'll check
with the remaining person myself. If that person answers me honestly, I'll tell
you later, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.
"That's nice of you, but it's not like I've told you everything about
Class D. We still haven't really established an open and honest relationship
yet, and there's no guarantee I've told you the iron-clad truth."
"Oh, don't worry. As long as I just have your cooperation, Ayanokouji-
kun, I'm happy," answered Ichinose.
With that, real cooperation in the Rabbit group began. I was sure that
neither Ichinose, Hamaguchi, nor I were the VIP. After considering his
behavior and attitude, we were convinced that Yukimura wasn't the VIP,
either. Excluding us four, that meant there were ten suspects remaining. One
of them was the VIP.
It'd be just as hard as finding the leader on the deserted island, or
perhaps an even more difficult task. The VIP would certainly feel the
pressure, so he or she would naturally try concealing themselves. Though the
test had seemed unreasonable at first, the school found a way to make it
balanced.
"How do you plan on finding the VIP? Even if we try asking people
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directly, I can't imagine that they'll openly admit to anything. It'll probably
be difficult to persuade them with words alone," said Hamaguchi.
"Well, isn't the point of this test for us to figure it out?" asked Ichinose.
She was right. This was an exceptionally difficult exam. You needed to
extract information from someone who wanted to conceal the truth. With
Ichinose making her move, the once-hopeless situation was starting to
change.
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4.2
Unless you were psychic, finding the VIP wasn't going to be easy.
People are born liars. If a person ever claims to live their life without telling a
lie, their life itself is probably a lie. Lies are inescapable parts of us. A kind
lie is no exception; it's still a lie.
Somewhere in this group of students was the VIP. We still had time
until the discussion period began. Like last time, I was the first to arrive. I'd
come early to observe everyone's behavior.
A group of Class C girls were the first people to enter. They were
chatting loudly, looking like they were enjoying their conversation quite a bit.
However, when they saw me, they instantly lowered their voices and sounded
disgusted. They made sure to sit a good distance away from me. Next in was
Yukimura, who was grinning. We briefly exchanged glances, and then he sat
near me. He didn't seem particularly different from his usual self.
Next came the Class A group, Machida and Takemoto. Morishige came
in by himself. Since they'd decided not to discuss anything, they once again
sat at the far end of the room, close to the Class C girls.
"Hey, Machida-kun. After we're done here, do you want to hang out
with us? The three of us were looking to have some fun."
"I see," replied Machida.
Even though Machida wouldn't participate, all the girls noticed him.
Apart from Ichinose and Ibuki, they seemed interested in Machida. I wasn't
especially jealous or anything... Okay, I might've been a little jealous. The
girls were probably inviting Machida to hang out because they'd given up on
finding the VIP. Or maybe that was part of their plan. Was this how men and
women formed relationships? Machida didn't seem perturbed by this. In fact,
he looked pleased.
Next came the other Class D students: the Professor and Karuizawa.
Rather than coming here together, it looked like they'd arrived at the same
time by sheer coincidence. Karuizawa appeared openly disgusted by the
Professor's presence. After they entered, she quickly moved toward the back
of the room.
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"Hey, aren't you sitting in my seat?" asked Karuizawa. Despite being
late, she glared at the Class C girls. After seeing them being so friendly with
Machida, she seemed even more frustrated.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you mean, your
seat? Just sit anywhere. Any spot should be fine."
"Well, that's the seat I want. That's my spot. Move," urged Karuizawa.
"Huh? I'm talking to Machida-kun right now. He promised to hang out
with me tonight," said Manabe.
"Hey, Machida-kun. Could you please tell her that you want me next to
you?"
Machida looked a little troubled by the situation, hesitating over which
girl he should pick. However, Karuizawa quickly inserted herself between
Manabe and Machida, and grabbed his hand.
"How about we spend some time together, just the two of us? Or have
you promised that girl you'll go with her? I hate two-timers. If you're going
to mess around with that girl then that'll be the end of it, I guess," said
Karuizawa.
Whoa. I was amazed she could say that with a straight face, given that
she was already dating Hirata.
The "just the two of us" part really seemed to strike a chord with
Machida. It appeared he'd made his decision.
"Excuse me, but would you please move? That's the seat Karuizawa's
been sitting in," said Machida.
"Huh? What the hell? Ugh, this is bull," Manabe whined.
The girls, looking upset, promptly got up and left. Karuizawa moved
into the empty seat. Actually, she scooted so close that she was practically
glued to Machida. Seriously, they were right next to each other, their bodies
pressed together. Karuizawa's actions didn't seem petty or frivolous to me,
but that was probably because I already knew what kind of person she was.
Karuizawa was dating Hirata. Whether or not Machida knew that, it
looked like he'd started to fall for her. Appearance-wise, she was most
definitely cute. Also, from the perspective of someone with a crush, it made
sense that he'd want to protect her.
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The interesting thing was that, despite how recently our group had
formed, we'd already developed our own unique hierarchy, including power
dynamics. The loners were loners, and the popular kids were popular. The
organizers were organizers. However, not everything was business as usual.
For example, if there were two organizers in the same place, one would take
charge, and the other would be dropped. It was like a microcosm of the
jungle, survival of the fittest.
The person who lost that battle was demoted in terms of social status.
In some cases, he or she might drop all the way to the lowest rung on the
ladder. They'd be so low that their presence wouldn't matter to those around
them. You could say I was such a person.
The interesting thing about this exam was that it made people who
would normally be wary of one another come together and join hands.
Ichinose might have been incredibly popular among her friends in her class,
but among people who were obviously her enemies, she had a low level of
influence. Would Hirata have been able to get us a little more organized?
"Hello, everyone!"
Speak of the devil. Ichinose arrived, bringing life into the depressing
room. I found the air in the room especially heavy today, but thought it best
not to speak carelessly. Even so, Karuizawa's actions seemed overbearing
and a little baffling. Even if she really wanted to get to know Machida better,
she didn't need to openly antagonize the Class C girls.
However, that weird situation didn't seem all that important to the
exam itself.
As someone who knew what Karuizawa was like, I could already see
how her personality informed her actions. I wondered if Karuizawa always
wanted to be at the very top, whether it was in class or this group. Of course,
it wasn't an easy thing for a girl to stand at the top. I mean, if it was an
extremely charismatic girl like Ichinose, that was one thing. But if you didn't
naturally excel, it was impossible.
However, in our school lives, relationships determined whether
someone placed high or low in the caste system. Through her overbearing
behavior, Karuizawa had become a leader for the Class D girls. She'd also
gained a lot of influence over both guys and girls by becoming Hirata's
girlfriend.
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So if you applied what you knew about Karuizawa's behavior to how
she was acting now, the truth was clear. She'd forcibly pushed herself onto
the most confident man, Machida, and with him in the palm of her hand,
she'd taken control of the room. That was why the Class C students couldn't
go against Machida, and had reluctantly left their seats.
If you didn't mind being hated, what did you gain by dominating the
field? A sense of superiority? Self-satisfaction? The spotlight? I still couldn't
understand the root cause of her behavior.
"This isn't good."
"Yeah. If things continue like this, the VIP will get away."
Yukimura sat next to me and muttered his concerns. I opted to just roll
with it.
"Now then. Will Class A not participate this time, either?" asked
Ichinose.
"Of course we won't. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, though. We
haven't changed our policy," answered Machida.
Beside him sat Morishige, who had erased all semblance of human
emotion from his expression. I had seen him around before this test.
According to rumor, Class A was divided into two different factions, one led
by Katsuragi and one by Sakayanagi. Morishige was one of those who'd
turned against Katsuragi during the test on the island.
Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't have followed
Katsuragi's orders, but Sakayanagi was sick and thus absent from the trip.
Without the presence of his leader, Morishige had no choice but to do as he
was told.
I'd thought that Katsuragi would've lost influence, considering the
damage he incurred by failing the island test. However, it looked like he
wasn't going to crumble that easily. Since Morishige had remained silent for
two days now, it looked as though even he had no choice but to follow
orders.
"Since it would be a waste to spend an hour in complete silence, how
about we play cards again?" asked Ichinose.
Ichinose took out her cards immediately. How you approached your
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goal was a major aspect of this test. She wanted to narrow down the list of
suspects through open, honest conversation. On the other hand, Katsuragi
aimed for stability by suppressing all conversation. Then there was Ryuuen,
who wanted to turn everyone into his enemy while taking complete control of
his class. He said that he'd found the secret logic underlying the test.
However, I wasn't sure.
In the end, we became absorbed in playing cards for the hour, and then
disbanded. Yukimura frantically searched the area for something, but
unfortunately it didn't seem like he'd gotten any clues as to the VIP's
identity. I'm sure it was the same for all the other students.
Even if we did talk, it wasn't as though the VIP was just going to step
forward. I watched the order in which all the students left. The Class C
students were usually the first out the door, but they hadn't moved.
Meanwhile, the Class A students, typically the last to leave, were the first out
the door. Well, not everyone in Class A had left yet. Machida and Karuizawa
were exchanging contact information. Yukimura and the Professor got up.
"I think it's time to head back. You coming, Ayanokouji?" Yukimura
asked.
"Yeah."
While we spoke, Karuizawa answered her phone and stood. She exited
the room, chatting away on the phone, seemingly talking about something
funny or interesting. As she walked away, the three Class C girls brushed past
me and made their way out.
"Hey. Did you get a weird vibe from those three just now?" asked
Yukimura. He turned to me with a slightly puzzled look.
"You think so? I can't say that I noticed anything of the sort,"
answered the Professor.
The Professor's tone was ridiculously pompous. However, I thought
Yukimura's feelings were right on the money. The Class C girls had looked
considerably angry. Yukimura and I peered into the hallway to see what was
going on. We saw the three girls closely following Karuizawa. Being alone,
she was at a disadvantage. The situation had me worried. Also, Ibuki, who
might've mitigated the other three, wasn't around.
"You think they have a bone to pick with her?" asked Yukimura.
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"Let's follow them. I don't think there'll be violence, but it could lead
to an uproar."
"Damn Karuizawa. She's always making people hate her. I wanted us
to spend our precious time finding the VIP," Yukimura grumbled.
While the Professor headed back to his room, Yukimura and I quietly
chased the four girls. When we turned the corner, I heard the ka-chack sound
of an emergency exit door slamming shut. The elevators weren't even
crowded, so it wasn't like there was any reason to use the stairs. There had to
be another reason why they'd gone in there. I opened the door and heard
voices.
"Hey. why'd you bring me to a place like this?!"
"Stop playing dumb! You did push Rika, didn't you? Start talking."
"H-huh? I already told you, you've got the wrong person!"
The three girls surrounded Karuizawa, forcing her up against the wall.
They were preventing her from escaping. However, even surrounded,
Karuizawa offered no apologies. She continued to deny what they were
saying. Maybe she really was innocent.
"Look, I have plans later. Can you please move?" asked Karuizawa.
"Okay, let's confirm it right now. I'm going to call Rika. If it wasn't
you, we'll forgive you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll call the teacher."
"And what will you tell the teacher, exactly? It's not like we're being
violent with you or anything. Besides, if you talk to the teacher, we'll tell on
you, too. We'll say you pushed Rika. You'll also get in trouble."
Neither side intended to back down. Karuizawa tried to escape, but the
girls grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. One of the girls
took out her phone, probably to call Rika.
"W-wait!" Karuizawa pleaded with them to not call.
"What? Why should we wait?"
"I just remembered something. I bumped into that girl before."
"You're a total liar. You remembered her from the very beginning,
didn't you? Well, whatever. So, are you going to apologize to Rika
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properly?"
"No way. She was in the wrong. She's a complete airhead."
I would've thought Karuizawa would take responsibility for her
actions, but instead, she refused. She refused despite knowing it would upset
them.
"You're seriously pissing us off. We might've forgiven you if you'd
actually apologized to Rika. But now, we definitely won't forgive you."
The girl pressed down against Karuizawa's shoulder.
"Whatever. You probably never planned on forgiving me."
After Karuizawa spat out those words, one of the girls, Yamashita, lost
her patience. "Shiho-chan. I've had enough. Karuizawa's unforgivable."
"I know, right? She should understand exactly how Rika felt. Why
don't we bully her for real?"
She struck Karuizawa's shoulder with a little extra force. Yukimura
started to throw the door open, but I grabbed his arm. Even if we stepped in
now, Karuizawa would be threatened again at some point. However, if they
got even a little violent while we were watching them, it'd be a deterrent for
later. Also, depending on how violent they got, we could possibly threaten
them, telling them we'd report them to the school.
More importantly, Karuizawa Kei looked like she was starting to
change.
"Ahh...ahh..." She panted as if she were having a hard time breathing.
She held her head in her hands as if she were in pain. When Manabe and the
others saw her suffering, they weren't sympathetic. The opposite, actually. It
irritated them.
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153
"Act as girly as you want, we're still not going to forgive you."
They grabbed Karuizawa's hair and forcefully yanked her head up.
"I've always hated your face, Karuizawa. I mean, don't you girls think
she's just butt-ugly?"
"Yeah, for sure. Don't you just want to cut her face?"
"St-stop. Stop it."
"'St-stop it', she says. What happened to your big attitude?"
The more you envied your enemy, the more you hated them, to the
point where you wanted to strip away their advantages. If we were talking
looks, then Karuizawa had them all beat. But Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu
wouldn't be satisfied until they'd verbally torn Karuizawa's pretty face apart.
Karuizawa trembled, frightened. She was on the verge of tears, still unable to
move.
People show their true colors when they're in jeopardy. A little more
pressure, and I'd know who Karuizawa Kei really was. However, Yukimura
couldn't stand by any longer. He threw open the door. The three girls were
naturally shocked by his sudden appearance. Karuizawa, on the other hand,
looked like he'd saved her life.
"What are you doing?!" Yukimura shouted.
"What? Nothing. Right? We were just talking to Karuizawa-san.
Yeah?"
Manabe glared at Karuizawa, as if telling her not to say another word.
But Karuizawa wasn't the sort to shy away.
"Yukimura-kun, these girls just abducted me and started getting all
violent. They're seriously the worst, aren't they? They were being, like, super
annoying, so I told them to get lost," said Karuizawa.
She'd normally never talk to Yukimura, but she was probably grateful
to him now. Meanwhile, the Class C girls glared at Yukimura. Their eyes
seemed to say, "This has nothing to do with you."
"Well, I'm just talking with Karuizawa about her problem, what she
did to Rika. You heard how Karuizawa slammed into her, right?"
"Don't you think it's better to just let things go? They bumped into
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each other. It's not like Karuizawa was at fault," Yukimura said.
"You shut up. This has nothing to do with you."
"..."
Under the weight of their glares, he fell silent. Karuizawa shot a look at
Yukimura, like she thought he was pathetic. She quietly took out her phone.
"Just leave me alone. If you don't, I'll call someone."
"Who are you going to call? Hirata-kun? Machida-kun? I mean, I guess
a slut like you has a hundred guys on speed dial, right?"
Fights between girls often got dirty, and unlike with men, violence
wasn't really an option. This was painful to watch.
"A teacher was just here. I think it'd be better if you left," I said.
I had no other choice but to step in and break this up. Class C probably
didn't want to cause a scene.
"You better bow your head and apologize to Rika."
The Class C girls kept intimidating Karuizawa, who desperately tried
to keep a brave face. But it was obvious that she'd lost her confidence. The
other girls seemed to know that. They continued their hostility.
"Are you okay?" asked Yukimura, who seemed unable to leave
Karuizawa to their mercy. She was hyperventilating.
"Just leave me alone!" As Yukimura drew nearer, Karuizawa slapped
his hand away.
"Hey, what the hell? I only came to check on you because I was
worried!"
"God, shut up! Nobody asked you!"
Karuizawa's breathing grew even more ragged. Yukimura stepped
back, overpowered. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and stepped back, too.
Karuizawa glared at me as she opened the emergency stairwell door and
slammed it as hard as she could after she left.
"Jeez, what's with her? She's always, always causing trouble for
people!"
I understood Yukimura's feelings of resentment. Karuizawa was
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certainly a troublemaker. Yukimura, seemingly exhausted from the ordeal,
left without saying another word. I stood alone in the emergency stairwell
and thought about Karuizawa. The leader of the Class D girls had shown her
vulnerable side. However, the threats hadn't frightened her; she'd been
terrified for another reason.
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4.3
It was the middle of the night on the second day. The pool, which was
crowded during the daytime, had once again grown silent. There was no one
around. I took out my phone to make a call. Because the phones already had
teachers' contact information stored in them, getting in touch with
Chabashira-sensei was a relatively simple task.
Though it was the middle of summer, we were still on the ocean, and
the night wind that passed over the ship's deck was quite chilly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokouji."
"It's okay. I'm sorry for calling you so late."
"An instructor is obligated to consult with a student. It's nothing out of
the ordinary. Besides, for better or worse, this is the first time you've actually
called me."
Chabashira-sensei didn't exactly treat Class D with love. She wasn't
well-liked by the students. Even if someone was having trouble, they
probably wouldn't have gone to her.
"There's something I wanted to ask you, sensei, but... You know, you
look pale."
At first I hadn't noticed because it was dark, but Chabashira-sensei
looked so pale that I thought she might be deathly ill.
"Don't worry about it. Adult issues. Anyway, what did you want to
ask?"
Considering I could smell the alcohol on her breath, I thought I had the
situation well figured out. "You told me that we can use our points to buy
anything, but there are still some exceptions to that rule. Right?"
"Yes. Exceptions exist, naturally. For example, if you request to buy
the life of a teacher or student, we cannot honor that request."
"So I was wondering. What's the most expensive thing that someone
has bought with their points?"
Right as I was speaking, I felt the presence of someone else nearby.
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"Yoohoo, Sae-chan! How you feeling?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei arrived. Was it just a coincidence? Unlikely.
She'd probably followed Chabashira-sensei.
"You're drunk, aren't you?" Chabashira-sensei said.
"Hmm? Oh no, of course I'm not, I'm not drunk. I was just acting all
sleepy, you know?"
"Jeez. You can really hold your liquor. You handled yourself today,
and you're fine now, too."
Apparently, Hoshinomiya-sensei had an iron liver.
"Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun. How are you doing?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei was acting a little overly familiar with me. She
placed her hand on my shoulders, and then hugged me so tight I could smell
the alcohol on her body and breath. Of course, a minor such as myself would
have no clue, but was alcohol really that delicious? Just the smell of it made
me not want to drink it.
"I'm fine. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here," I said.
"That answer was so not-cute that I'm impressed! So, Ayanokouji-kun,
do you love the tsuntsun older sister types, like Sae-chan?" asked
Hoshinomiya-sensei.
"Don't wrap yourself around a student. You're getting in the way of
my work."
Thankfully, Chabashira-sensei grabbed Hoshinomiya-sensei by the
nape of her neck and dragged her off. I recalled the teachers' conversation I'd
overheard the other day. Even the instructors were wary of each other,
competing with and deceiving others as they aimed for the top class. I didn't
know if it was because getting to a higher class meant an increase in their
salaries, or if there was a longstanding rivalry between Chabashira-sensei and
Hoshinomiya-sensei from their school days.
I had no doubt that the school and the teachers kept things fair. Leaking
answers to students would be a huge problem. That meant it was likely that
Ichinose had been placed into the Rabbit group without knowing why. She
had keen insight and sharp observation skills, though. Sooner or later, she'd
probably think something was off. She'd wonder why she was in the Rabbit
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group.
It'd be nice to write it all off as sheer coincidence, but Hoshinomiya-
sensei was bad at hiding her emotions. Ichinose might soon discover that
she'd been put into the group to find out about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. If that
happened, how should I respond? While I thought about that, I began to
choose my next actions.
"So what were you two talking about in the middle of the night? Isn't
that in itself a really big problem?" asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.
"A big problem? As a teacher, it's only natural for me to consult my
students and soothe their anxieties," answered Chabashira-sensei.
"If that's true, wouldn't it be better for you to do it with more people
around? If you look like you're sneaking around, I can't help but think it's
suspicious."
Even though Hoshinomiya-sensei was trying to unsettle her,
Chabashira-sensei remained calm and collected. "Ayanokouji requested this
location. He wanted to consult me in private," Chabashira-sensei stated
matter-of-factly.
"Hmm. Well, I suppose you're not violating any rules," muttered
Hoshinomiya-sensei.
"Good. Now hurry up and leave already. I'll head back soon myself."
"Okay, okay. But remember, no sexy times," teased Hoshinomiya-
sensei.
She left, with that very unnecessary comment as her parting shot.
"Sorry. She's troublesome."
"'S all right."
Chabashira-sensei didn't say anything about being investigated. Well,
maybe it was just a personal problem. I didn't know what there was between
them, but it had nothing to do with me.
"Anyway, picking up where we left off. I was wondering, what's the
largest amount of points someone spent in the past?"
Chabashira-sensei nodded, looking like she was lost in thought. "Well,
I can only speak from my own experience, but it was when someone wanted
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to change the school rules. Of course, you're limited to a certain realistic
scope. For example, you could change the class start time in order to avoid
being late to class," she answered.
Chabashira didn't provide facts, only hypotheticals.
"Can you give me examples?"
"Are you dissatisfied with my answer?"
"Nah, I don't really mind. I understand how the school's systems
operate," I answered.
Depending on how you used your points, you could make changes to
the system in even the most trivial of ways. In other words, the possibilities
were endless. Private points were of incredible significance.
"You could have just emailed me that question. I don't understand why
you wanted me to meet you."
"If I sent you an email, there would be a record. I wanted to avoid
that."
I decided to leave it at that. I walked away, in a different direction from
the way Hoshinomiya-sensei had exited. While I still had more questions, this
was good enough for the time being.
"I'll ask you for a favor in the near future," I called.
When I looked back over my shoulder, I saw Chabashira-sensei eyeing
me with suspicion.
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4.4
It was around two in the morning when my roommate quietly woke
up. Taking extreme consideration as to not wake the other three people in the
room, Hirata slipped out of bed. Since students were required to sleep in their
jerseys, he stole out of the room while still wearing it.
After I'd confirmed he wasn't going to the men's room, I grabbed my
keycard and got out of bed myself. There was no guarantee he'd make a
move today, but it seemed like my labors had begun to bear fruit. Once he
realized that I was awake, we exchanged glances without speaking a word.
Without looking away, I told him there was something I needed to talk
to him about. He said he'd be waiting in the hall. Then, he stepped out. I
found him in the hallway, wearing a troubled look.
"Did I wake you? Or were you already awake?" he asked.
"The latter. I thought you might be leaving the room tonight," I said.
"Why would you think that? This was the first time I've left the room
at night."
Trying to deceive him would have a detrimental effect, so I thought it
best to just be honest. "Karuizawa contacted you, didn't she?"
Hirata seemed to understand what I was getting at, just as I'd expect.
His comprehension skills were flawless. "Do you happen to know something
about it?" he asked.
"Well, I'm in her group. I don't know how much she's told you, but I
get the situation."
Hirata waited for me to continue. Well, considering I'd chased him
down in the middle of the night, it had to appear urgent.
"You said you wanted to act as a bridge between Horikita and the rest
of the class, right? This has to do with that," I said.
"I see. So Horikita-san told you to talk to me, Ayanokouji-kun?"
He'd saved me a lot of trouble. Now I didn't have to bother with a
lengthy explanation.
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"She asked me to report on everything that happens in the Rabbit
group, including Karuizawa's situation. Once I heard about what happened
with Karuizawa, Horikita told me to keep an eye on you, too, Hirata. She told
me to follow you. But you said you wanted to be a bridge for her, so I
thought this might be the chance to finally make that happen."
"What kind of information does she want?" he asked.
"Everything you know about Karuizawa. Also, whatever it was you
talked to her about."
Hirata probably didn't see why I needed information about Karuizawa.
However, he seemed to understand the impact this could potentially have.
"I don't know what I can tell you, honestly. I have to consider
Karuizawa-san's feelings."
With that, Hirata started walking away. I decided to just follow him at
a slow, unhurried pace.
Even though I'd been in bed for about two hours, I didn't have
bedhead. I didn't really worry about personal grooming most of the time, but
I knew I had to take it into consideration when I was with other people. I
didn't want to make them uncomfortable when they looked at me.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I'm sure you won't say anything unnecessary, but
what I'm about to tell you is extremely delicate. Also, Karuizawa-san might
refuse to talk and head back to her room. Please understand that first," he
said.
I could always eavesdrop on them, but Hirata probably wouldn't like
that. Since this was something Karuizawa didn't want others to hear, she'd
called for him in the middle of the night. He'd never approve of me listening
in from the shadows. My best bet was to just give him a straight, honest
answer.
The meeting place was in front of the vending machine near the
second-level lounge area. Being in the center of the hallway, it was easy for
people to see us, but its placement also meant that we could see them. Its
location made eavesdropping difficult.
Karuizawa was already waiting for Hirata, clad in her jersey and sitting
on the sofa. When Karuizawa saw Hirata coming, she instantly smiled, but
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when she noticed me trailing slightly behind, her joy was replaced with
anger. She stood and shouted at me.
"What're you doing here, Ayanokouji-kun?!"
"I asked him to come," said Hirata.
"You did, Hirata-kun? Why? I told you I wanted to talk alone."
"I know. But Karuizawa-san, I was worried about what you told me
earlier. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to bring Ayanokouji-
kun, since he seems to understand the situation. I'm sorry for not telling you
first."
Karuizawa looked upset, but it didn't seem like she'd snap at Hirata.
"But...I said I wanted to talk alone, just the two of us," she repeated.
"If you want, we can be alone. But when we spoke earlier, you never
said anything about it having to be just the two of us."
I already assumed this was related to the trouble she'd had with the
Class C girls, but I wondered how Karuizawa would approach the topic. If
she just wanted to vent her anger, there'd be no reason for it to be just the two
of them. Karuizawa had wanted to talk about something without any third
parties present. That meant she wouldn't talk about it if I were here.
Perhaps because he was impatient, or perhaps because he thought
silence was pointless, Hirata started talking about their earlier phone call.
"You were telling me about a fight with Manabe-san from Class C. Is it
true?" he asked.
Karuizawa opened her mouth slightly to answer, but said nothing,
perhaps because she was still wary of my presence. Hirata once again broke
the silence.
"Ayanokouji-kun, did you know about the fight with Manabe-san and
the others?" he asked.
"Sort of."
Since this wasn't working, Hirata attempted to shift the conversation. It
looked like he intended to ask me questions. Karuizawa seemed dissatisfied,
but she continued to listen.
"From what Karuizawa-san has told me, it seems like the girls were