2.3

After school, I was still in a state of turmoil. I walked with Kei back to the dormitory from Keyaki Mall, chatting with her. Then, in the lobby of the dormitory, Horikita was sitting on a sofa, waiting for someone.

It's easy to see who that person is. I pushed the call button of the elevator, that had stopped on the first floor, and when Kei and I got on board, Horikita also got in.

"Ayanokōji-kun, can I have a word with you?"

The elevator stops on the fourth floor, where my room is.

"Well, I'll see you later, Kiyotaka."

Although Kei is prone to jealousy and envy, she has a good understanding of the situation.

She knew that Horikita was not such a target of the opposite sex in the first place, and when she heard about the special exam, she could judge before, and she thought it better not to interfere.

"Ah. I'll be in touch later."

A year ago, I would never have believed that we would be spending time together like this.

I got off and Horikita followed me down. I looked back to see Kei smiling and waving at me from the lift as it began to close. Shortly afterwards, it closed and went up to the next floor.

"How long have you been seeing her?"

"I wonder."

"Rumour has it that it's spring break, but I think the relationship started developing even earlier than that."

She looked at me with a hint of anger in her eyes and said something like that.

"I wonder." Whether there is a rationale behind Horikita's words or not, I'm not interested in or willing to touch on that point. "That's not the point, you said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. There's something I need you to tell me about the special exam.

Okay?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Huh?"

"What's with that reaction?"

"I was prepared for you to refuse. You were in charge of the maid café the other day and you didn't like it, did you?"

Apparently, she's surprised at how readily I've accepted her consultation.

"Not here. We should go to your room."

Standing in the corridor, you never know who might overhear. Room 401. I unlocked my room and enter inside.

"It's not like you're asking me to help you, right?"

"I don't know about that... In the meantime, if you'll listen to me, I'll let you proceed."

Perhaps thinking that she would be rejected if she provoked me too much, Horikita let it slide and started talking.

"If you want to make sure that you clear this special exam, I was thinking about making it semi-compulsory before the exam. But even if we prepare for it, it is impossible to unite our class unless we know what the question is, isn't it?"

"I'm sure we'll inevitably have to use different options depending on the situation."

Even if there were only two options, it would be nothing short of reckless to decide to vote only for or only against a proposal before it is put to a vote.

"You've thought of the means in your own way, haven't you, Horikita?

How can we get through this special exam?"

"I think that the easiest way to solidly pass the special exam is for someone to have the final say. No matter how many options there are, no matter how the vote splits, you have to promise that you will follow the pre-determined leader's judgment and will."

This was suggested to us by Kushida during the day.

The strategy is to not take into account whether an individual is unhappy with the option or not.

Surely it would be so much easier if that arrangement could be reached.

"I hope that really brings everyone together."

"Yes. There will always be students who don't agree with some of the questions... If this had been a dictatorial class like the one led by Ryūen-kun, it might have been easier for us."

In terms of coercive power, unlike us who request it, Ryūen will be able to exert it with impunity. But the real question is whether it will work.

"The fact that all voting is anonymous means that students who are unhappy with Ryūen can vote against it. There is no guarantee that a mere command will be enough to clear it."

"If a student is unhappy with his methods, he may rebel. But there's nothing to be gained by doing so. After all, if the vote is split and time runs out, the whole class will be damaged. In the end they'll just leave it alone and come together."

"I know what you mean, but if you're going to say that, you're contradicting yourself in the first place. No one wants to fail the special exam. That's why the votes will always come together. If that basic premise always holds, then there's no need for a strategy in the first place, is there?"

"That's..."

"No student wants to run out of time and be the detriment of the class.

But don't expect them to complete the five questions if they are left to their own devices. If that were possible, it would defeat the purpose of the school calling it a special exam."

"You're right."

"What you can do now is to prepare your mind to be flexible. For example, what would you do if you were faced with an issue where 38 people were in favour and one was against?"

"Of course we will try to bring the one person who is against it to the side in favour."

"Right. Then what if that one person opposing you never gave in?"

"That's..."

"It's not always the 38 people who agree with you who win. In the process of persuading the opposition, some of the 38 students who were in favour may even change their opinions."

"Even if just one person's ideas are detrimental to the class at large?"

"It all depends on the content, I guess."

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a question in store for us that we could never overcome.

"I feel a bit uneasy, don't you?"

"What is it?"

"Because without hesitation you gave me advice. I don't think it has anything to do with... the fact that you started dating Karuizawa-san, but what do you intend to do?"

"It's not much advice. I'm sure in some small corner of your mind you've already started to think about that possibility."

"Yes... Then I'll tell you the main reason why I approached you. I have a proposal for a special exam tomorrow. I could ask someone else, but I want to ask someone who understands me."

"Do you want people to always vote separately on the first round of voting, or what?"

"Can you please not pre-empt my thoughts?"

When I saw the hint of irritation in her eyes, I took some distance from Horikita.

"It was something I was going to suggest, if no one else had proposed it. I didn't think we were on the same page."

"...Really?"

I could see Horikita's anger dissipating, apparently convinced a bit by my now adequate excuse.

It is true that the proposal should have at least done that. It is better to avoid the risk of making an unexpected choice as a result of bias caused by the momentum of the situation.

"Even if it's a question that you agree or disagree with 99% of the time, or if you're confused about an option that has advantages and disadvantages for both sides, coincidence can be a bit scary."

"Ah. If a vote is passed due to a lopsided vote as a result of a proper vote, it can't be undone. But the strategy of always using the interval at least once is not always a good one. You have to bear that in mind. There is always the risk that what would have been unanimous in the spur of the moment may become inconclusive when the votes are split. You have to take that into account."

"Right. Of course."

To argue is to plunge one's hand into the deepest darkness. This can consume a huge amount of time if it results in an unexpected darkness being dragged out.

"Due to the rules of this special test, there is no way to determine with certainty who voted which way, no matter how much we discuss it. Even if you get a statement, it may not be 100% true."

"Does that mean you can lie and lie and lie?"

"In some cases, yes. Because right now, it's hard to say that the class is still united as one."

Having said that, I'm sure a few people will have popped into Horikita's head.

"You mean the existence of Kushida-san and Kōenji-kun."

"As for the former, I'm sure she'll lie about everything, and as for the latter, he might even dare to vote for someone different from his classmates if his vicious nature shows through. That's about it."

"Hey, why did you tell me all the details? It's weird. It's not every day that you give me a warning like this."

Horikita, of course, senses the changes in me.

"I decided that the current Horikita would be flexible enough to listen to me and understand what I was saying."

"Am I right in saying that that's a compliment...?"

"Yes."

"Yes... I'm feeling a bit restless..."

In the background, I heard a phone vibrate briefly in front of me.

"I'm sorry about that."

When she stopped talking, Horikita took out her mobile phone and stared at the screen.

"Please give me one minute. I need to message them back otherwise they may get a wrong idea."

I have no intention of stopping her, of course, but who is she talking about?

I was a little curious, but I decided to wait quietly as Horikita took about two minutes to compose a long message. Eventually she finished her message and put her phone away in her pocket.

"Anyway, I've got my message across. Good luck with the special exam tomorrow."

Not intending to stay long, Horikita quickly left the room.