Vol 6 Chapter 2 Part 1 COTE

Chapter 2: "Paper Shuffle"

(Introduction)

One day, a heavy atmosphere hung over the class.

However, this atmosphere was by no means pessimistic. It was filled with just the right amount of tension.

The first to take this in was Class D's teacher, Chabashira-sensei.

"Please find your seats. All of you seem to have made plenty of preparations."

As soon as she walked into the classroom, the atmosphere quickly grew heavier and became more dignified.

Compared to before, the class we presented her with looked natural. In this respectful atmosphere, Chabashira-sensei didn't hide her surprise.

"Everyone looks rather serious. It's hard for me to believe that everyone here is part of Class D."

"That's because today is when you announce the results of the mid-term exam, right?"

Ike spoke with a slightly nervous look on his face. Chabashira-sensei responded with a sly smile.

"That's exactly right. You're required to drop out immediately if you fail your midterm or final exams. I've told you this before, so it should still be fresh in your memories. It's natural to be nervous or anxious, but none of you even had the proper mentality until now. I'm glad to see all of you growing up."

Chabashira-sensei commended her student's new, never before seen attitude, but that doesn't mean that our scores will be any better. The only real change has been to our mentalities.

As a matter of course, Chabashira-sensei dared to say this.

"However, you'll need to be prepared for the consequences if you've failed. So now I'm going to post the midterm exam results. Make sure you don't mix up your name and score."

The reason why she reminded us is precisely that this warning is genuine. If someone was unable to accept their scores and reacted violently, the school wouldn't hesitate to respond harshly with ample evidence from the cameras watching the students installed in every classroom.

"Sure enough, I can see everyone's test scores."

"Of course. It's one of the rules of the school."

Regardless of the students' willingness to have their personal information displayed, the results for all the students in Class D were posted on the blackboard. There's absolutely no privacy at all. The results are always revealed without reservation. Just as a salesman's performance chart is posted for the entire company, it reveals those at the top and those at the bottom.

In cases like these, the ones who stand out the most are those with particularly good or bad grades. Those who fall behind are the ones who will suffer and become subjected to selfish pressure and contempt from their surroundings.

"For all subjects, it's fine to consider the passing grade to be a score of 40 points or more. Those who do not meet this standard will be subjected to expulsion."

The threshold for passing the midterms was almost the same as it was for previous exams, but the situation was a little bit different.

"The scores announced from now on will also reflect your results at the sports festivals. In terms of results, those who achieved high scores and found success at the festival attained a score exceeding 100 points. In these cases, the score will be treated as a full score."

The ten students who achieved the worst results during the sports festival would have to take a 10 point deduction on their midterm exams. Class D's Sotomura had one of the worst performances in the entire grade, so he was one of the people who had to score 10 points higher in all subjects.

However, the students who didn't receive penalties such as Ike and Sudō still had very stiff expressions. A system of immediate expulsion due to a single failing mark places a heavy burden on all students both physically and mentally.

The students watched attentively as the test results were slowly posted onto the board.

However, Horikita showed no impatience for seeing the scores.

"Oh!? Oh!? You're kidding!?"

The ranking of the results began with the lowest score. In other words, everyone expected Sudō, who came in last during both the midterm and final exams of the first semester, to place in last once again this time around. However, the first name posted was "Haruki Yamauchi" along with his grades in various subjects. The next was "Ike Kanji", followed by Inogashira, Satō, and then Sotomura. Sotomura usually always placed a little bit low, but for him to drop this much was undoubtedly due to the influence of the penalty from the sports festival.

"What a crisis! Am I seriously in last place!?"

Fortunately, he was over 40 points in every subject, with his lowest score just barely passing with 43 points in English. His average score didn't even reach 50 points. After receiving these results, Yamauchi felt the sensation of being dead for an instant. A substantial amount of cold sweat broke out on his face and neck.

Sudō's scores were even more surprising. Until today, he had been consistently positioned at the very bottom of the class. However, with this exam, he moved up a total of 12 spots. Even when considering the points he earned from the sports festival, his accomplishments were obvious. This was shown by the look of surprise our classmates were giving him. His scores averaged out to 57 points.

"I've smashed my personal-record by so much in one go!!! Do you see it!? Furthermore, it almost averages out to 60 points!"

As soon as Sudō found his results, he shouted and stood up, dancing around happily.

"That score isn't worth making a racket over. You've only been saved due to the sports festival. It's honestly a broken system if you ask me."

"Oooh dammit…"

Sudō was shut down by Horikita's harsh words. He quietly returned to his seat, a bit discouraged.

He was just like a loyal dog. Reacting to his master's orders immediately and carrying them out.

"Sudō even scored an average of 57 points… The effects of the study group are outstanding."

Even with his worst subject, English. Sudō remarkably managed to score 52 points.

I heard that Horikita had once again taught Sudō and the others who were close to failing for this midterm exam. I wasn't invited to take part in teaching them, but that's only to be expected. From the perspective of other students, I don't appear to be a particularly smart individual. Moreover, Horikita herself should also be skeptical of my academic ability.

"The effect the study sessions have had are big indeed. If you are unprepared for a formal exam, it's all but certain that you'll fail it. However, this time the success is probably due to other factors. It was a major help that the midterm exam this time around was made up of relatively simple problems."

"Maybe so."

This midterm exam was no doubt a little bit easier than the usual exam. This is because there were several questions that I suspect the school to have put in by mistake. Based on this, it seems that Horikita isn't concerned about the results of the midterms, because she was convinced that the study group had managed to pass the exam. In contrast, Yamauchi, who finished last, seemed unable to completely hide his frustration at losing to Sudō by such a large margin. Horikita taught all of the students who were afraid of failing equally the same as she had before, but Sudō had taken his time to study one-on-one with her even during his days off. The power of love is a terrifying thing. Little by little, Sudō's academic ability seemed to be improving.

"You're averaging 64 points. How very ordinary. Why don't you give up this farce and get serious?"

"That's the best I could do."

Since I usually place in the vicinity of 50 points, if I was to suddenly score 100 points, I'd inevitably be creating new issues to deal with.

It's just a matter of doing it in a slow and steady way.

Having said that, it should be alright for me to raise my score higher next time, considering the jump Sudō made.

"I know you're playing the fool here, it's impossible for me to listen to anything you have to say on the matter anymore."

"I'm not sure if you've ever listened to me in the first place."

"That's true."

Honestly… and then she goes and agrees with me.

That said, even though it was the midterm exams, the questions were relatively simple, so a plethora of perfect scores composed the final names on the results. Other classes must have also gotten very high marks on this exam.

"As you can see, the number of people who've dropped out due to this exam is zero. Everyone overcame this exam without any issues."

Chabashira-sensei was upfront with her praise for her students. It appears that there was no need to criticize us, as her attitude reserved.

"Obviously. I'm looking forward to next month's personal points, sensei!"

With his elbows on his desk, Sudō got into the swing of things and spoke confidently.

Chabashira-sensei responds to his attitude with tolerance, without changing her smile.

"Well, there were no problems in particular during the sports festival, so it should be nice to expect some amount of private points in November. In the three years since I've arrived at this school, I have never seen a Class D that's managed to sustain zero dropouts for as long as you have. Well done."

Chabashira-sensei praised the class. Until today, she had never shown this type of attitude to us. Because of this, many of the students were very hesitant to accept this rare situation for what it was.

"Being praised by you makes me feel uncomfortable."

Those who are seldom praised are typically more embarrassed when they receive it.

Horikita, however, showed no signs of carelessness. Of course, it was great that nobody failed, but she knew that Chabashira-sensei wasn't the type of person who would end the conversation with praise.

The more gentle her attitude, the weirder the situation became.

Her tied ponytail swayed charmingly as she quietly began to move.

Sensei walked a lap around the classroom, slowly passing between the rows of desks.

When she arrived at Ike's seat, Chabashira-sensei stopped and said:

"You've overcome one exam without incident, so I'll ask you again, what do you think of this school? I'd like to hear your evaluation."

"Well… It's a good school. You can get a lot of spending money if everything goes well for you. The food and everything is delicious and the rooms are beautiful."

And then he continued, counting off with his fingers.

"There are games for sale, movies and karaoke, and the girls are cute…"

That last reason seems to be unrelated to the school itself.

"Uhm… did I say something wrong?"

No longer able to bear her silence any longer, Ike looked up at Chabashira-sensei and raised a question.

"No. From a student's point of view, this school definitely provides a wonderful environment. Even from my point of view as a teacher, I also feel this school provides a lot of unimaginably good benefits to its students. It all really feels like it falls outside the realm of common sense."

Sensei began to move again, passed the seat at the end of the row, and wrapped around over to my side of the classroom.

It gave me the feeling that I was about to be given a question in front of the class. Can you please not ask something of me?

Fortunately, my wish came true as Chabashira-sensei stopped before Hirata's desk instead.

"Hirata, have you gotten used to the school?"

"Yes. I've made a lot of friends and I'm living a fulfilling campus life."

Hirata did well to give an exemplary, and reliable response.

"Don't you feel uneasy with the risk of having to drop out if you make a single mistake?"

"Each time that risk comes back up, I'm going to get through it together with the entire class."

Hirata, who always thinks of his classmates, didn't hesitate with his response.

After she finished going around the classroom, Chabashira-sensei returned to the podium.

She seemed to be trying to confirm something, but I couldn't determine what it was.

If I had to make a guess, she may have wanted to know more about the morale and atmosphere of the class. Was it to see whether or not we can confront the trials that have yet to come?

"As I'm sure you all know, there will be an eight-subject quiz next week as part of the second semester's final exam. I think some of you have already started studying for the exam, but I'll remind everyone again."

"Eh!? I'm just now feeling relieved that the midterm exam is over! Another test!?"

The cold season has begun, and students who aren't adept at studying will only continue to suffer from here. There will be a swift barrage of tests in the near future that students will not be able to escape. In particular, the interval between the second-semester exams is a short one.

"There's a week left until the quiz!? I haven't heard anything about this!"

Despite Ike's shouting, the teachers of each subject had been constantly informing us about the upcoming quiz. I couldn't help but feel like sighing at his ignorance of the situation.

"Saying that you haven't heard of it isn't going to work, I'd love to tell you otherwise, but I can't. Regardless, don't worry too much about it, Ike."

Chabashira-sensei smiled as if she was extending a thread of salvation to him.

However, we're all learning to know better than to think it's done purely out of kindness.

"Really sensei? So I can take it easy then!? Booyah!"

Learning... at least we should be. Chabashira-sensei took her eyes off Ike and continued:

"First of all, the quiz will have 100 questions for a total of 100 points, but the subject matter of the quizzes will be at the same level as what is expected of a third-year middle school student. That is to say, this quiz will serve as a means for us to confirm whether you remember your foundations or not. Moreover, like the mock exam from the first semester, these quizzes will not have any influence on your grades. Even if you score a 0 or a 100, it doesn't matter. It will be used solely to determine your current ability."

"Oh! Ooooh! Are you serious!? Yesss!"

"However- Of course I'm going to tell you that this quiz is certainly not meaningless. Why? Because the results of this quiz will have a large influence over the upcoming final exam."

Should I say it was obvious or something?

The sports festival has already ended, so the next special test is going to begin soon.

"What do you mean by influence? Tell us in a way that we can understand."

I understand why Sudō wants to ask for more information. Chabashira-sensei dares put off touching upon the true matter at hand in order to stir up anxiousness from the class.

"It would be nice to explain it to you in a way that makes it easy for you to understand, Sudō. The school has stipulated that the results of this quiz will be used as a basis to pair you up with someone else in the class."

"Pair?"

Hirata expressed his doubt over the word that seemed the most out of place.

"That's right. The pairing created from the quiz will share the same fate and challenge the final exams together. The exam will be worth 100 points for each of the 8 subjects, and each subject will have 50 questions, for an overall total of 400 questions. This time around, there will also be two ways to fail the exam. The first way is similar to what all of you have already experienced. All subjects will have a minimum standard of 60 points. If the final grade your pair gets on any one subject is under 60 points, then both members of the pair will drop out of school. This 60 point standard is the combined total of each of the two partners. As an example, if Ike and Hirata are a pair, even if Ike gets a score of zero on one subject, as long as Hirata gets a 60, neither of the two will be required to drop out."

A voice of shock leaked out of one of the students. It appears that as long as you get a reliable partner, this will be a fairly easy test.

However, what's the second way to fail the final exam?

Chabashira-sensei ignored the students' reactions and explained the other means of failing the final exam.

"The new criteria that you'll have to overcome to avoid expulsion is a cumulative score requirement. Even if you get above 60 points in all eight subjects, if your cumulative score is below this second standard, both partners will be expelled."

"For this requirement, is it based on the collective total between both members of the pair?"

"That's right. The cumulative score will be determined by the total score of both members of the pair. The school hasn't figured out the exact number for the minimum standard that the cumulative score will need, but in previous years the score was around 700 points."

Both members of a pair will share their points and drop out together as well. Is this what she meant by sharing the same fate?

For 700 points, since there are 16 total subjects between two people, it will be necessary to achieve a minimum average of 43.75 points on each subject.

Even students with recognized academic excellence, such as Horikita or Yukimura, are at risk depending on who they're matched with.

"You said the school hasn't decided on the exact borderline that the cumulative score is required to be above yet, but why is that?"

"Don't be so hasty Hirata. I'll explain the borderline later. The final exam will be divided into two days, where you take four subjects each day. I'll let you know the order of the subjects later as well. In the event of an absence due to poor physical condition, the school will inquire about the legitimacy of the absence. If it is confirmed that the student had no other alternative, they will be given points based on rough estimates of their past exams. However, if the reason for the absence isn't satisfactory, the absentee tester will be given a score of zero for all tests they miss."

In other words, this is an absolutely inescapable test. The school even intends to regulate something like our physical conditions.

"Still, you're starting to look a little bit like a true student of this school. In the past, you would have screamed when you heard the rules of this exam."

"…Well, I've grown accustomed to it. I've had to do all kinds of things so far."

There was scarcely any surprise in Ike's response. He seemed to have a little confidence in himself.

"That's a confident statement, Ike. However, there are probably quite a few of you who feel the same way. Therefore, I'm going to give you all a single piece of advice. It's best not to think that you've mastered everything about this school just because you've gotten past the first semester of the first year. In the future, all of you will have to overcome countless exams that are far harder than this one will be."

"P-please don't say such horrible things, sensei."

One of the girls said, frightened by her advice.

"Since it's a fact, it can't be helped. However, this special test... commonly known as 'Paper Shuffle', usually results in one or two groups of dropouts on an average year. Most of them tend to be students from Class D. This isn't a threat, I'm simply reciting facts."

Until this point, the class had still been somewhat optimistic, but now the atmosphere grew tense.

The arrival of a new special test. But what does she mean by 'Paper Shuffle'?

"Pairs that fall below the borderline will be expelled without exception. If you think my speech is just a mere threat, you're free to ask the senior students. You should have already begun making loose connections with them by now."

However, even though the rules of the exam seem horrific, isn't it a bit strange that on average only one or two groups of students have dropped out in the previous years? Depending on the pairings, the exam could turn out to be devastating.

Basically, it's like this right?

"Finally, I'll specify the penalties for the formal examination. Although it shouldn't need to be said, cheating is prohibited during the examination. Cheaters will be immediately disqualified and expelled from school together with their partner. This is not limited to this examination, it also applies to all midterm and final examinations."

Cheating is equivalent to dropping out of school. At first glance, this may seem like a severe punishment. If this was an ordinary high school, the punishment would be a zero on the final exams along with some admonition, or at most, suspension. However, since failing the exam will immediately get you expelled anyways, it's inevitable that cheating would be dealt with the same way. The significance of this special warning is to prevent students from getting ahead of themselves and making mistakes. I'll accept this as Chabashira-sensei's advice.

However, the problem for this exam is the pairing system.

"After I receive the results of the quiz, I will inform you about the decision method for the pairings."

Immediately after hearing this, I quietly grabbed hold of my pen. The person sitting next to me grabbed her pen at almost the same time and began to record the midterm results displayed on the blackboard.

I cast a glance at the situation and placed my pen back on the desk.

I immediately felt how unnecessary my actions were.

"After the quiz, is it? If you get matched with the person in last place, wouldn't you be in big trouble?"

"Ugh! I'm humiliated by Ken! I'll study and absolutely change this!"

"Don't force yourself. You're just talking big. There's still so much more to come from my studies."

Yamauchi was blown away with regret as he slouched down into his desk in agony. Although Sudō also spoke big, as long as Horikita was there, he seemed to be willing to continue studying endlessly, and for exactly that reason his words were somewhat convincing.

Well, that's not what's important here. The school doesn't intend to teach us how the pairs are decided at the present time. That is, there's a high chance that there's something that we can learn that will influence who we're matched with. Undoubtedly, some of the students who have taken part in the special and written exams should have noticed this by now, including Horikita who was writing next to me.

"There's one more thing. The school will ask you to consider this final exam from yet another perspective."

"There's one more thing we need to do?"

As the class was slightly upset, Hirata responds as if to summarize the situation.

"Yes. First of all, you will be asked to brainstorm and write your own final exam questions. The questions you write will be the questions on the final of one of the other three classes. This is to say, you will have to launch an 'attack' against one of the other classes, and the class that intercepts this attack will have to 'defend'. The school will compare the overall grades on the finals between the two classes, and the class who wins will receive a total of 50 Class Points from the losing class."

In other words, in order for a pair to avoid failing, they have to score above a 60 in all subjects, as well as collectively exceed a total score of around 700 points. Furthermore, as a class, we have to achieve an overall score higher than the classes that we're competing against.

"Depending on the combination, is it possible for there to be a gap in the private points? Let's say Class A attacks Class B and Class D attacks Class A. Assuming that Class A successfully manages to attack and defend, they will get a total of 100 Class Points. But if Class A attacks Class D and Class D attacks Class A, it would only be a trade-off of 50 Class Points, right?"

"There are clear rules on this. In the case of a direct confrontation, the number of Class Points being wagered will change to 100, so don't worry. It's rare, but if the overall grades of each class end up being the same, it ends as a draw. In which case, there won't be any change in the overall number of points."

"We have to come up with problems and write out questions for the students of other classes... I've never heard of such a thing. How will this be executed? If someone was to make their questions impossible to answer, I think the test will end up being very difficult but..."

"Oh, yeah! Such as stuff we haven't been taught, or nonsense trap questions! That's impossible!"

Ike and the others were holding up their hands in defeat.

"Of course, it will certainly end up that way if it was all left up to the students. For this reason, the questions you create will be strictly and fairly checked by our teachers. If there are problems that fall beyond the scope of the material, or can not be answered with what is provided in the question, we will require that you amend it. Through a system of constant revision of unacceptable questions, we will ensure that everyone creates fair questions. It won't be anything like the situation you're concerned about. Ike, does this make sense to you?"

"Um, somewhat…"

It's easy to say, but it isn't that simple.

"Making 400 questions… that seems like it's going to be a pretty tight schedule."

There is about a month left until the exam begins. One person would have to make ten to fifteen questions a day. Although it should be said that they will need to be prepared even faster than that so we'll have time to make corrections when the school doesn't accept some of the questions. After you take into account Class D's 'shortcomings', the next month begins to look quite bleak. Hirata seems to understand this as well, and looked like he was losing his bearings a little.

"In the event that the questions and answers are not completed in time, relief measures will be implemented for you. Our own pre-made questions will be used after the deadline. However, please note that that difficulty of the questions prepared by the school will be lower."

The so-called relief measures sound nice, but in reality, it would be like admitting defeat.

At all costs, we will need to create the questions and answers. In addition to their own studies, the leaders of each class have to think about the questions they'll give to the other classes. It's likely that this will be a very hard exam.

"When it comes to creating your questions, you are free to consult students in other classes and school years, utilize the internet, consult your teacher, or decide amongst yourselves. There are no particular limitations. As long as it is a question the school allows, difficult or easy, we do not care about the content."

"The final exam that we have to challenge, of course, will be one that another class will create for us, right?"

"That's true. You're probably curious about how the class you're attacking is chosen, but the method for determining that is easy to understand. A student simply needs to nominate your desired class and I will report it to the school. If and when there's more than one nomination for the same class, the school will call upon a representative and you'll draw lots. In turn, if there is no overlap, your nomination is accepted and that's the class you'll be writing questions for. I'll hear your nomination the day before the quiz next week. You should think carefully about your decision until then."

The final exam is usually about facing the school, but this time it's essentially a one-on-one fight with another class?

In this way, complex mechanisms are involved in this exam, in addition to what exactly the point boundary for each pair is.

"That's it for the preliminary explanation of the quiz and final exam. The rest is up to you to think about."

Chabashira-sensei summed it up this way, and with that, today's class came to an end.

(Intro End)

(Part 1)

"I'm going to start a meeting, Ayanokōji-kun. Can you get Hirata-kun over here for me?"

Horikita stood up and said this immediately after the special test was announced.

"I understand."

I answered briefly, then approached Hirata. Horikita went to Sudō at the same time. As of now, Class D has gradually started receiving attention from the other classes.

There have been changes for me as well.

I had been able to stick in the background before, but now I've made a name for myself by running in the relay race in the sports festival. I'll undoubtedly be in the sights of Ryūen or Ichinose as they look for the presence behind Horikita.

So, what should I do about that?

Keep my distance away from Horikita? Suddenly straying away from her would obviously raise suspicions.

In that case, should I wait around as usual for the situation to pass? As long as I'm around Horikita, I'm bound to be suspected.

I guess in the end nothing will change even if I do something.

The other side will probably be ignorant of my true thoughts and over-interpret my actions on their own.

Then, I shall aim to return to how things were at the start of the year.

Horikita has only made a few friends so far, so there were many situations where getting involved with her was inevitable. However, that should be different in the future. Starting with Sudō, her contact with people such as Hirata and Karuizawa should gradually increase.

And as that happens, I can slowly fade into the background.

I do want to get on better terms with her, but I do not intend to be at the mercy Chabashira-sensei.

If they can go about handling the class on their own, my burden will naturally be lessened.

That's how I see it. Chabashira-sensei shouldn't be particularly attached to me being the one to cause Class D to rise. Logically, she should be satisfied with any student willing to take on the task.

As for why she did not hesitate to threaten me to reach Class A, I'm not interested in Chabashira-sensei's intentions.

However, now is not the time to let go of Horikita.

If I let go of the reins here, Class D will spiral out of control and even potentially collapse altogether. I'm going to gather people around Horikita before quietly fading out of the picture.

The important thing is the procedure, followed by preparation and results.

"It seems he will be coming soon."

I called out to Hirata, who was talking to a classmate, and then went back to my seat.

"Same thing on my end."

Sudō left to go to the bathroom. He was the first person out the door.

"So, what should we think of this test?"

Horikita asked prematurely before people would start to gather.

"We just need to listen to the words of Chabashira-sensei to understand it. This should be a more difficult test than previous ones. The standard that needs to be met to avoid failing is easy, but if our goal is to beat other classes, our total score will have to be pretty high. Plus, the pairing system is tricky. Add to that the fact that another class is going to write the test for us, and we can predict that the degree of difficulty will effectively double. It will be particularly challenging if we're up against a class that makes their questions more challenging than they need to be. Depending on how a question is phrased, even if the answers are the same, the response rate can change significantly."

"Yeah… this time it's not just about reading strategies, it's also about testing our ability to create problems."

It is impossible to come out ahead in this exam if we only teach students who are worried about failing, as we had with the midterms. Ideally, we would look to grasp the weaknesses of other classes, but it's doubtful that they would readily reveal those to us.

However, many of the things we have to do are the same as what we had to do for the midterms.

In that sense, this test could be considered less difficult than either of the summer special exams. Just as the sports festival tests the class's physical strength, this test can be said to be a test of the class's academic knowledge.

"If you can do something, you should do it. After all, we've been given hints."

"Well, I'm aware of that."

Horikita answered calmly and continued:

"You always pay attention to what the other person says and does. This school loves to hide hints in everything they tell us. The key facts that should be picked out from what Chabashira-sensei told us are that the results of these quizzes will not affect our grades, that the criteria for failing the overall grade has yet to be determined, and that who is chosen as our partner will be determined after the quizzes end.

I couldn't help but smile in the face of this perfect and delightful understanding.

Soon after, Hirata, who had been called over, came to meet with us.

"Thanks for waiting. This is to discuss our plans for the final exam, correct?"

He then calls over Karuizawa. Karuizawa stares at us with annoyance, but ultimately responds to his request and approaches Horikita.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be better if we discussed this right away."

At the beginning of the school year, anyone would have been surprised to hear Horikita ask for anyone, but now that Horikita acted as a representative for the class, students had begun to take it naturally.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to start right away."

"What, here? I object. Since we're just going to be talking, let's go to Pallet. Shall we, Yōsuke?"

Karuizawa clasped Hirata's arm and pulled to indicate her presence. When I first met Karuizawa, she would often do things like this and act like a spoiled brat. Pallet, by the way, is a cafe on campus. It's a vibrant place where many female students gather during lunch break and after school. When I looked at Karuizawa, our eyes met for a moment. I don't remember saying anything in particular, but Karuizawa quickly detached from Hirata's arm, although she remained visibly irritated.

"We don't know where the enemy's eyes will be, but… oh well."

It would be easier for Horikita to move with the group than for her to challenge Karuizawa here. Although Horikita herself is not self-conscious, this part of her has grown.

"Well, can I join you?"

The one who said that was our classmate - Kushida Kikyō.

"Will it cause you any trouble...?"

"I'm fine with it. Kushida-san knows everything about the class. And considering the type of test the final exam is, I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on the matter first."

Karuizawa's position was that everything was OK, and answered first. So, what will Horikita do?

"Sure, Kushida-san. I was going to call for you sooner or later anyway."

Horikita agreed at once, as if she was agreeing with Karuizawa to avoid trouble.

"Could you three please head over there first? I'll settle my affairs here and then join you."

The three of them agreed without any particular objection, and left to the cafe.

"Is it alright to let her join us?"

Kushida is a valuable fighting force for Class D, but her relationship with Horikita is complicated. Although the details are only known by the two of them, it is difficult to guarantee that Kushida will not attempt to obstruct what we do.

Moreover, Class D was put into a crisis during the sports festival because of Kushida's betrayal.

"Wouldn't it be strange to refuse in a scene like that?"

That is true. Did Horikita really accept this though?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Suzune."

"Never mind that. The venue for the discussion has changed. They're waiting for us at Pallet."

"Oh, so uh. I'm sorry, can I go to the club just to show my face? I just remembered that my seniors asked for me to attend. I think it'll be over in twenty or thirty minutes."

"I don't mind. Come and meet me as soon as you're done."

Sudō grinned, grabbed his backpack and hurried out of the classroom.

As she was late for the discussion, Horikita picked up her bag. I decided to head out as well.

"Then I'm going back home. Best of luck with everything."

"Wait a minute. You're invited to this as well. As an intermediary between Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san, you are indispensable. I don't have very much influence on them right now."

"…Of course it would be like this. Although you say you don't have very much influence, I think you can control the class smoothly to some extent. Besides, the final exam is the accumulation of these upcoming quizzes. You handled the midterm exam without my help with your study group."

As a matter of fact, she handled that entire situation on her own accord. These quizzes are just one step away from that.

"If you only look at that point, maybe so. But if Kushida is there, it's a different story. This is an exception. And I have something to tell you first. Can I at least ask you to participate in today's discussion? Or, are you not interested in what she's up to?"

That statement was very sly. Honesty is the best way to answer something like this.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not interested."

She treats everyone in the class the same, so why is it that she's so hostile to Horikita?

For me, that is a very puzzling thing. I'm kind of interested in the situation.

"If you can accept that and attend today's discussion, then I'll tell you."

Horikita asserted. She seemed to have a reason for bringing it up at this moment.

"To be honest, I don't want to make a fuss about her past, but I think it's necessary to tell you first, so let me talk. Because I think the results should be useful to me. "

"I thought you weren't going to tell me about Kushida."

"On what basis do you think that?"

"You haven't said anything about Kushida so far, have you? It's probably better to say that I can't imagine you of all people getting involved in a hostile relationship with somebody. When did you become involved with Kushida?"

I squinted to confirm Horikita's expression. She was stiffer than I thought.

"I can't tell you here. Do you understand?"

Though no one was paying attention to our conversation, there are countless eyes and ears in the classroom.

"...I see. I guess I'll accompany you then."

I'm looking forward to a story worthy of this effort.

After we got out of the corridor and passed through the crowd, Horikita whispered:

"Where do you want me to start from?"

"From the beginning. Because all I know is that the two of you are not on good terms with one another."

And the dark side of Kushida. I want to know more about that. However, I have deliberately neglected to mention this because I don't know what Horikita knows or plans to say.

"Let me tell you first, I don't know much about Kushida Kikyō. Where did you and Kushida-san meet in the first place?"

This is probably a matter of confirmation. Let me reply earnestly:

"On the bus."

"That's right. Like you, the first time I saw Kushida-san was on the bus on the day of admission."

I remember that matter now. There was an old woman who had to stand because there were no open seats. Kushida reached out to the old woman and tried to get other passengers to give up their seats. It was a good deed in itself, a kindness that no one would reproach. But unfortunately, I remember that nobody had decided to give up their seat until Kushida had put in quite a bit of effort in convincing someone to give theirs up. I also had had no intention to give my seat up, so the entire situation had a lasting impression on me.

"It would have had to be then if she had begun to hate you... but if it was that interaction, it would be needless to say that Kōenji, who had refused to give up his own seat even after a direct confrontation, would be a far better target for her hatred than someone who simply watched the situation go down. This isn't even considering that she would also hate me if that were the reason."

I didn't mean to say that Kushida liked me, but she only showed this unusually strong hostility to Horikita.

"I didn't know Kushida-san at the time. No, I did not remember it exactly."

"Does that mean that you and Kushida interacted before you met on the bus?"

"Well, she and I are from the same middle school. That school is in a totally different prefecture, and this is a very special high school. She probably never dreamed that there would be people from the same place as her."

"I see."

As I heard this, it solved a great mystery. Before I met them, the bond between Horikita and Kushida had already begun.

In that case, I can understand. That I couldn't understand before hearing this was inevitable.

"I thought of this after we held the study group in the first semester. My middle school was a big school with over one thousand students, and I don't remember ever being in the same class as Kushida-san."

I would not at all be surprised to learn that Horikita was also like this in her middle school days.

She should have made no friends, spending every day quietly indulging herself in her schoolwork.

"What kind of student was Kushida during middle school?"

We didn't go straight to Pallet. Because we judged that the conversation might take some time, we walked around the school for a bit. The farther away from the cafe that you get, the less populated the area is.

"Who knows. Like I just said, she and I didn't interact with each other. However, I can say that she was just as popular there as she is here, if not more so. In retrospect, she was certainly the centerpiece of her class during all kinds of events back then. She was a popular person, who was kind to everyone and always left a good impression. I don't think that she joined the student council, but she would definitely have been invited to join."

If she had held a position, Horikita would probably have remembered that she was in the same grade. Indeed, the Kushida I know has never held any position at all.

Perhaps, as Horikita testified, the perfect personality that Kushida demonstrates in high school is the same as the one she had in middle school.

The two seemed to have crossed paths, but in fact, they didn't. I can't solve the mystery of why Kushida was so disgusted by Horikita. The answer is probably hidden in the follow-up to this topic.

"I don't think she hates you because she can't be your friend."

It's not just a question of whether or not she can make one hundred friends. Even if it's Kushida, nobody had the means to become friends with the entire school population.

"Well, the key is what I'm going to say next. But you have to remember that this is just a rumor. The full truth is something only Kushida-san knows."

Horikita got to the point and began to speak seriously.

"Something happened as graduation was approaching near the end of February where a class broke apart."

"It wasn't the flu, was it?"

"Well, the rumors reached me immediately -- it was said that a certain school girl had caused a class breakdown, and that class did not return to its original condition until after I had already graduated."

"I don't even need to ask who that schoolgirl is, right?"

"It was Kushida-san. But I do not know the details as to how the class was driven to the point of collapse. I'm afraid the school is completely hiding the news as well. If the truth was made public, the credibility of the school would be reduced. Also, it would likely have an impact on the education process and the employment of faculty. Even so, the school couldn't contain the fire. Rumors inevitably began spreading among the students based on all kinds of speculations."

"Do you remember anything, even if it's just a rumor?"

I wanted to know what kind of situation it was. Horikita spoke as if remembering the past.

"As soon as the incident came to light, some students from my class were talking about it. They had said that the classroom was completely ruined and the blackboard and tables were covered with slanderous graffiti."

"To be covered with slanderous graffiti... Is it possible to conclude that Kushida was being bullied?"

"I don't know, there were too many rumors. Things like someone from the class was doing the bullying, or that she was bullying someone in the class herself. I also recall there being rumors of serious acts of violence, but those are not as clear."

In short, there seemed to be countless rumors going around.

"But I stopped hearing those rumors in the blink of an eye. It became impossible to talk about it. There was a class that had been disbanded, but it was treated as if nothing had happened in the first place."

There had to have been some form of external pressure.

"In any case, if the information is this limited, you not knowing that Kushida was the cause of the class's collapse can be excused. I doubt you were very interested in things like that at the time."

"Exactly. At the time I was focused on the entrance exam for this school. I was certain about the academic ability required for the examination, so I did not pay very much attention to what was happening."

To be expected. Even if her school's ratings dropped, she would have been confident enough in her ability to get in.

An event, thought to have been caused by Kushida, had caused a class to collapse. I'm certain that is a serious matter that would have an impact on further education or employment. I can't imagine the Kushida I know now doing anything like this. If the rumors are accurate, it would be understandable that she could not spare anyone who knew the truth. If this were to come to light, I have no doubt that Kushida's current position in the school will come to an end.

"If we put things in order, there was an incident caused by Kushida, and we don't know the specifics of what happened. But Kushida herself doesn't know that you don't know the specifics. She thinks that since you are from the same middle school, you should know the details to a certain extent. Is that everything?"

"Actually, she isn't exactly wrong because I do know that she was responsible for the incident."

She sighed. I began to see under what conditions Horikita had been placed.

In short, Kushida's one-sided misunderstanding and hostility is the cause for all of this. For Kushida, keeping her past hidden is important enough to her that she is willing to go to all of this effort to hide it completely.

Even if Horikita said she didn't know about the incident, Kushida wouldn't believe her. For Kushida, exactly how much Horikita knows may be trivial. The fact that we're speaking about this in the first place is evidence that Horikita knows about her past. It's very tricky.

"Then again, I don't understand."

"Are you referring to the content of the incident?"

"Well, it's all a mystery, and it's even unpleasant. Do you think it's simple for a class that doesn't have any problems to suddenly collapse?"

Horikita shook her head.

"Kushida was the trigger, which means that she may have caused the class to collapse on her own. How serious a thing does a student have to do to cause that?"

If it was simply a matter of bullying, it wouldn't be able to cause an event of that magnitude. If that were the case, I would only be able to remove one or two people from the class, at most.

"I think so too. To be honest, I can't imagine what would need to happen to cause something like that."

Even if I wanted the current Class D to disintegrate, it wouldn't be so easy to do.

"Powerful weapons would be required if the class is to disintegrate."

"Yeah..."

The weapons referred to here are not purely physical in meaning, but also include a variety of methods.

"If you were going to break up the class, which tactics would you use?"

"I'm sorry to answer your question with another question, but I feel like this one will get us to the point faster. Do you know what the strongest weapon in the world is? Let's limit the question to things that can be manipulated by Kushida. Think about it."

"I think I told you before. I think 'violence' is the most powerful weapon a person has. To be honest, 'violence' has a unique intensity. No matter how clever a scholar or exalted a politician, in the end, they will fall in the face of powerful violence. As long as the conditions are met, it's not impossible to disintegrate a class, because it's just a matter of sending everyone to the hospital."

Though dangerous, Horikita's example isn't incorrect. The class would ultimately be broken up.

"Yes, I do not dispute that violence is one of the strongest weapons. That said, it's impossible for Kushida to force everyone into desperation with violence. That would be an incredibly huge event."

If Kushida came to school rushing around everywhere with a chainsaw, the school wouldn't have been able to keep quiet about it. It would have caused a lot of drama and controversy on TV.

"What if there's something else that doesn't lose out to the unique intensity of violence and can instead compete with it?"

"Did you think of something? How she disintegrated the class?"

"If, as a premise, it was up to me to execute it. My answer would have to be…"

"Wait a minute."

Horikita interrupted me, she thought once again and said:

"I would like to say 'authority', but that's difficult to implement in campus life…"

Though she thought of the answer, she seemed to have no confidence in it.

"Authority is a very capable thing if it can be exercised, except in this case. Even the student president of this school can't help it. There is no way to break up a class with authority."

"Then what is it? The tool that anyone can manipulate and use as a weapon to disintegrate an entire class."

"It's not limited to Kushida, what kind of weapon can be manipulated by anyone? The answer would be a 'lie'. Humans are inherently liars, so anyone can manipulate them. But depending on the time and place, a lie can even have the power to devour violence."

Statistics clearly show that people lie two or three times a day. At first glance, it may seem impossible, but the definition of a lie is broad. "I'm just tired", "I caught a cold", "I didn't notice the email" and "It's fine". All kinds of words contain lies.

"Lies… yes, maybe so."

Lies are powerful. A lie can even kill someone.

"Well, then, I'll speed this up. For example, assuming that you're using your strongest weapons, 'violence' and 'lies', would you be able to break up Class D? Try to think about it."

"I wouldn't say absolutely no way, but I can't say for sure. Try to imagine, even if you have to rely on violence to fight, there are several people I feel that it would be difficult to defeat. To tell you the truth, I can't imagine beating Sudō or Kōenji in an honest fight with my bare hands. On top of that, there are people like you whose strength is uncertain. Even if a weapon is prepared ahead of time, or I resort to attacking in the dark, if others adopt those strategies themselves it becomes a totally different story. This really is close to impossible to determine."

Horikita seemed to take this more seriously than I thought, and she struggled to figure out the best way she could handle it.

"That conclusion is correct. Violence can be used by anyone, but the conditions get rather complicated."

"Having said that, I also wouldn't be able to control it completely even if I had to lie. Besides, there are many students in the class who are better at lying than they are at being violent, so there's no way around it. That fighting style isn't for me either."

Horikita tried several simulations but seemed unable to give an answer.

"If we limited the situation to using one of the tactics, I don't think Kushida has the ability to be violent. In other words, it's a logical conclusion to think that she used a lie to break up the class."

"Yeah…"

"But, can she do that?"

"I don't know. It might not be impossible, but it's definitely impossible for me."

It's not that hard to force a single man into a corner. But if it's the whole class, it's a different story.

"Can Kushida manipulate violence or lies that we can't even imagine? Or --"

Does Kushida possess a powerful weapon that doesn't belong to either?

I don't know what weapon Kushida uses, but she does have a high chance of breaking up our class. If Kushida was also a victim of a class break-up, she wouldn't be so hostile towards Horikita.

"Kushida-san told me to my face that she would expel the people who knew about her past no matter what. If necessary, she will also go and make alliances with students like Katsuragi-kun, Sakayanagi-san, or Ichinose-san in order to force me into an adverse situation. As a matter of fact, she already joined hands with Ryūen-kun to try to frame me. As long as I stay in this school, even if Class D is in a bad situation, she won't ease up on her attacks on me."

"It's really tricky. It means she has made the conscious decision to break up the class for the sake of hiding her past."

"There's no doubt about that."

Since she has already made such a declaration to Horikita, it would be for the best to take her threat seriously.

After making such a declaration of war to Horikita, Kushida requested to take part in the discussions with Horikita and Hirata. Publicly, it looked as if she was looking to help with the influence she had in the class, but in the background, she's been engaging in hostile acts… That is, the possibility of her being a spy is pretty high. However, even if there is the possibility of spying, we can not simply reject Kushida. Kushida has established a lot of trust in Class D, so if she was suddenly treated like an outsider, it may provoke a feeling of distrust from those around her.

"Let me confirm one thing, Horikita. What are you going to do about Kushida?"

"What am I going to do? I only have a few options to choose from in the first place. I can insist to Kushida and say 'I don't know the details of your past,' or I can say 'I will never speak about your past to anyone,' and hope that she accepts it."

"It's not that easy. Kushida will continue to hold doubts no matter what, and there is a possibility that knowing that she caused a class back in middle school to collapse is enough to consider you as an enemy anyways."

Horikita asked me for advice like this, and Kushida should be fully aware of it.

With that in mind, it's no wonder that I was included in the list of people she wanted to drop out of school…

Let's leave this be for now.