5 Chapter 5 - Secrets

---Notice---

Thank you, guys, for all the comments and feedback on the last chapter. I'll try to keep it all in mind for the future! Other than that, I'll do my best to make sure the quality of my story doesn't dip too much. (Although, don't blame me if it does a bit; not all moments can be top-tier!)

Other than that, if you do enjoy the story **please let me know with comments, reviews, and, of course, powerstones!!!**

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"The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose, and it will defend itself." ~Saint Augustine of Hippo

"Good morning, Kushida," I said as she ran up to me. "Can I walk with you to class?" She asked me. I scrutinized her choice of words for a moment. It was odd to ask for permission instead of preference. She probably knew my answer would be something along the lines of 'no' if she asked me in regards to wants, but I may be overthinking things due to Kushida's strange personality.

So I offer Kushida a brief head nod.

"I've been worried about Horikita lately," Kushida said in a gentle voice. "It's really sad, don't you think? She hardly ever talks to anyone, and I'm afraid she'll become an outcast at this rate. She never even smiles." Kushida made a sad face. "I was hoping you could help me befriend her if that's possible." She looked at me as I took out two lollipops from my bag and handed one to her. Her smile reappeared as she took it.

"Befriend her?" I said, looking at my candy. "I doubt that's feasible, given the current situation. I already told you that before." I savored the cherry flavor before continuing. "But I suppose there is a way to get closer to her."

"What is it, Eru chan!?" She asked eagerly. "You have to tell me."

"I don't mind telling you, but it would require my cooperation. And since I have no interest in your friendship with Horikita, my help will have a price."

Kushida gave me a disappointed and pouty look. "I thought we were better friends than that, but I understand, Eru Chan. What do you want? Points?"

"Not exactly; food is quite expensive around here, so I want a slice of cake and ice cream for my freezer in my dorm," I respond to Kushida after some thought.

"That's it?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes. We will invite Horikita to join us at the Pallet Cafe today, and you will pay for my cake then." I answered.

Kushida's smile quickly widened. "That's awesome! What do I have to do then?" She asked, and I explained to her how we would get Horikita to join us. Soon, we arrived at class, and they ended quickly.

***

As the final bell rang, Kushida made her way to the back of the class, where Horikita was sitting. She put on her cheerful smile and greeted her with a friendly tone. "Hi, Horikita. Do you have a minute? I hope I'm not bothering you." 

"Yes, you are disrupting my peace," Horikita said coldly to Kushida, "now leave me alone."

Kushida's face contorted into a sad frown, and she replied, "I'm sorry, it's just that I came across some crucial information about the school. I asked Eru to join me at the pallet cafe to discuss it since he agreed that it could be a big deal. So I thought you might be interested too," Kushida whispered in a barely audible voice, looking at the silent Horikita and the indifferent Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji glanced at Kushida before addressing Horikita. "Eru's words carry some weight. There is a possibility that this matter is actually important," he said in a neutral tone.

Horikita narrowed her eyes and questioned him. "What did you do to make him talk to you about the school? I find it hard to believe that he had any genuine interest in you or your words." With that said, I sensed an opportunity and rose from my seat to join the conversation.

I observe Kushida's appearance and demeanor. "Kushida may seem like a fool, with her blonde hair, cheerful personality, and..." I glance at her chest, "Other attributes, but she is actually quite smart. However, that is not why I agreed to talk to her. She bribed me with cake to discuss certain matters with her. As I told Ayanokoji before, I do not give away information for free. If you want to join us, you must also pay your share. That goes for you, too, Ayanokoji." I say calmly, surprising Kushida, but Horikita and Ayanokoji seemed to anticipate this.

Horikita reluctantly agreed. "Fine, I'll come." Ayanokoji also signaled his consent with a slight nod. 

Kushida's face lit up with joy, apparently pleased with the outcome. She took the lead and guided us to the pallet cafe.

***

She smiled brightly and said to me, "I'll go order for us." We had just chosen our table, and she seemed pleased.

I gaze at Ayanokoji and Horikita across the table. "Do you two want anything?" I ask casually.

She scoffed and said, "I'm not here to indulge in sweets like you. I came here to discuss the school, not join the circus." I then turned my eyes to Ayanokoji.

He replied in a flat voice, "A drink, perhaps. I have food in my dorm." 

She returned to her seat next to me with a cheerful smile. "I'm back!" Kushida exclaimed.

Horikita looked at her impatiently. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked.

Kushida leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Do you remember our first swimming class a while ago?" she asked.

Horikita nodded briefly.

Kushida continued, "I thought it was odd how our teacher said that swimming would be useful for us in the future. You noticed that, too, right?" She turned to face Horikita, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Horikita replied coldly, "I did, but I don't see what's so strange about it. Swimming is a common and practical skill that anyone should learn." As she spoke, our orders arrived at the table: a slice of cheesecake, as well as a cup of hot chocolate for me and a drink for Kushida.

I decided to assist Kushida with her inquiry. "Yes, swimming is a common skill, but our teacher's words were exactly, 'Trust me, swimming will definitely be a very useful skill in the future.' That is a bold statement to make. One could live and thrive without ever learning to swim, but he seemed very confident." I said calmly, picking up a strawberry from my cake with my fork and eating it.

She snorted and said, "This is pointless. He was probably just making a casual remark. As a PE teacher, he would never say that swimming is a worthless skill." She sounded irritated by the discussion.

I pointed out a detail in his statement. "He said that we would swim by summer. Why summer? He made it sound like a deadline. One might think that it is because of the summer break, but when I repeated his words during the lesson, he smirked confidently. I wondered what else happens around summer, and the answer was obvious: tests." I said flatly, looking at Horikita.

She pondered for a moment. "I suppose that does lend a little credibility to your claims," she admitted. "But what kind of test could it be? A physical test of some sort?" She sounded doubtful and curious.

"It is possible, but I doubt it is a coincidence that we have been focusing on swimming in PE. I have deduced that the school has something more challenging in mind for us, perhaps a survival test of some sort." I say, taking a bite of my cheesecake.

She frowned and repeated, "A survival test?" She did not seem to question my words.

Kushida grabbed my arm and made a worried expression. "Do you really think the school would put us all in a survival situation, Eru Chan? That sounds terrifying."

I ignored her expression and continued, "It is plausible. This school is not ordinary. Success here is not only based on academic and physical skills. This school trains the future elites of the world, and they must learn how to survive in any situation. I doubt this will be a simple exam. Perhaps calling it a survival test is not precise, but it is part of what we will face." I said calmly, finishing my cake.

She turned to face me and Kushida. "This information could be valuable if you are correct. It might give us an edge in this test if it happens," she said, weighing the possibilities in her mind. "But this is still mostly conjecture." She sounded skeptical.

"There is a 20% chance that I am right," I said calmly after some calculation.

She scoffed and said, "Even 20% is too high of an estimate. The situation you are suggesting is hard to believe. I doubt a high school would test its students in such an extreme way. It sounds like something out of a movie." She sounded dismissive and skeptical.

I stood up and addressed Kushida, Ayanokoji, and Horikita. "Let's go," I said calmly. "Kushida, pay the bill. I have an idea to verify the existence of the survival test." I told Kushida, and she nodded. We left the cafe and returned to the school.

Horikita asked me impatiently, "Where are you taking us?"

I said to Horikita with a faint smile, "To the ones who know everything."

We entered the teacher's lounge, but we were soon confronted by an older man with glasses. I recognized him as Kazuma Sakagami, the teacher of class C. I knew him, given he was our rival class teacher. After all, we aimed to rise from class D, so Class C would most likely be our first target.

He ordered us to halt, pushing his glasses up and eyeing us with disdain. "What are you four doing here? You're from class D, aren't you? Chabashira is not here at the moment." He said, sounding annoyed.

I lied to Sakagami with a calm expression. "We are not here to see Chabashira sensei. We came to talk to Hoshinomiya sensei. She said that we could contact her if we had any problems," I was confident in my lie and the fact that Hoshinomiya wouldn't ignore us even if I were caught.

He replied quickly and walked away. "I see. Her office is next to Chabashira's." He did not seem to care much about our visit, but he was probably curious about our intentions.

I left Sakagami behind, headed to Hoshinomiya's office, and knocked on her door.

"Come in," a sweet voice said from inside.

I greeted her politely, "Good afternoon, Hoshinomiya sensei. I trust you have not forgotten me," I said, facing her with the three others behind me.

"Of course I do, Eru Kun. You've been attracting a lot of attention from us teachers since the second half of the month began. You're quite Impressive, you know?" She says with a flirtatious smile.

"I appreciate your praise, Hoshinomiya sensei," I say calmly, without showing any emotion. "However, that is not the reason why I came here. I have a question for you." I stare at her with a piercing gaze, trying to read her reactions.

"Sure, why not? I have some free time, and I always your company, Eru Kun." She says with a wink.

"I have a question for you, Hoshinomiya sensei," I say in a monotone voice, holding a piece of candy in my hand. "What can you tell me about the astronaut test?" I notice the expressions in the room change slowly to ones of confusion.

"The astronaut test?" Hoshinomiya repeats my question, tilting her head in confusion.

"Did I say astronaut test? My apologies, I meant the survival test this summer," I say casually, with a faint smile on my face. I see Hoshinomiya's face change drastically as her eyes widen in shock. "Is something wrong, Hoshinomiya sensei? Did you not understand? I'm just curious about the island survival test that will take place this summer. Can you not tell me anything about it?" I continue, still smiling, as I notice Hoshinomiya's expression become even more flustered. I also see Kushida, Horikita, and Ayanokoji staring at her intently.

Hoshinomiya sensei started to giggle nervously as if she was caught off guard by my question. "Actually, I just remembered something urgent I have to do, so I can't chat with you right now," she says, hastily grabbing the keys to her office and shoving the four of us out of the door before locking it behind her.

As I led us out of the office, I asked, "Do you still doubt what I said?" To Horikita.

"No, that teacher was clearly hiding something. Your explanation of the test only confirmed my suspicions. But I have a question. How did you deduce that it was an island test? What evidence did you have that an island is involved? And why did you approach a teacher instead of a student? Wouldn't that have been simpler?"

"I mentioned the island after noticing her initial reaction to the phrase summer survival test because islands are usually associated with survival scenarios and swimming. It was mostly a guess, but in the end, it confirmed the existence of the test and the general location. Knowing that it is on an island is an extra advantage, so I would not have lost anything by adding that detail to gauge her response, even if I was wrong. As for why I did not ask a student, the answer is simple. Teachers are forbidden to talk about any specific part of the school system. The obvious alternative would be to ask the seniors, right? But I have never seen or heard of any senior discussing the school system with a first-year. This leads me to believe that the school punishes such conversations. Therefore, the most likely outcome of asking a senior about the school and its systems is that they would lie to me, saying something like 'I don't know.' Actually I would not be surprised if the school rewarded juniors for reporting their seniors who expose details regarding the system to underclassmen, to scare the seniors even more. But teachers, while unable to talk about specific aspects, also seem to be prohibited from lying about the school and its systems. This makes them easier targets to expose if they are caught off guard."

Kushida stares at me in disbelief, "You're amazing, Eru Chan. Most people wouldn't pay attention to a few casual words from a teacher, let alone investigate them like you did. You would make a good detective!" She says with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Kikyo Chan," I say quickly, making Kushida blush. I find it amusing since she has been acting similarly to me. "But I was only doing this as payback for my cake," I say as I turn to Horikita and Ayanokoji. "And, of course, for my points."

"I'll be generous this time, Horikita," I say, catching her attention. "I'll only ask for 25,000 points in exchange for the information I just gave you," I say, looking at the two of them.

Kushida gasps at my words, "Isn't that too cruel, Eru Chan? 25,000 points is a huge amount; even I'm running out of points, I don't think I could survive if you asked me for that much." She says with a pout.

"My offer is more than fair, Kikyo Chan," I say again, eliciting a slight reaction from her. "Even Horikita would agree with that. Think about it. I have already revealed to the class the existence of the class point and personal point system. If this is a class test, we could likely earn a large amount of class points from it. And my information has given us a big edge over the other classes we will face. Even if I asked Horikita and Ayanokoji to give me 25,000 points each month for the next three years, it would not be an unreasonable demand." I say, making Horikita flinch, but she remains silent.

"I see," Kushida says, "Do you need some points to pay for it, Horikita?" She asks with a sweet smile.

"I can afford it," she says, sighing. "But in exchange, you have to contact me if you find out anything else about the island survival test." She takes out her phone and transfers 25,000 points to me, along with her contact information. She then glares at Kushida and warns her, "Don't message, call, or bother me for no reason, or I'll block you. Do you understand? Only contact me if it's something important." She says to Kushida, who nods eagerly, happy to get Horikita's number.

"Ayanokoji?" I say, looking at the only one who hasn't paid me yet. "Don't tell me you're going to attempt to scam me again?" 

Ayanokoji lets out a sigh as he takes out his phone. "It must be nice to be a cute girl. How come Kushida only has to buy you a cake while Horikita and I have to pay 25,000 points?" He says, with a faint hint of sarcasm. I see Horikita glance at him as if she was annoyed by his remark.

After receiving the payment, I replied, "It's not that she has it easy, but she knew how to persuade me. She exploited my weakness for sweets, which you two failed to do." I say, looking at my point balance with satisfaction. I notice Kushida peeking at it from behind me. It shows 154,100 points.

"I'm leaving now. I have more important things to do than stay here," Horikita says, turning to walk away. Then she stops and looks back at us. "You all understand that we can't talk about what we learned here, right?" She says, waiting for our confirmation. We nod in agreement, and Ayanokoji follows her, leaving me alone with Kikyo.

I felt a subtle shift in her aura and her expressions. It was not a drastic change, but it was noticeable enough. "Hey Eru, I'm curious too. You don't seem to be asking for anything in return for the information you just shared with us. But you charged Ayanokoji and Horikita. Why don't you charge me?"

I answer her without paying much attention to her subtle change of mood. I still don't know much about Kushida. It's impossible to understand someone in one month, so I'm not surprised by the slight change. "It's simple, Kikyo Chan. You hired me to help you with Horikita, a trivial task. And even when we talked about the school and its system, you were more interested in Horikita than anything else. But Horikita and Ayanokoji came to me for information on the school and its system, something that is much more valuable and less mundane to me. So they obviously had to pay more."

"So you basically 'charged' based on the job itself, not the effort it would take?" She asks.

"That's correct, Kikyo Chan. But of course, I wouldn't take on a job that doesn't interest me." I say, elaborating.

As we walked out of the office, Kushida's personality changed back completely to her usual cheerful self. She steps in front of me and leans forward, smiling brightly. "Well then, I'm happy that Eru Chan finds me interesting." She says, with a sweet tone, as she goes back to my side.

"Of course, you are quite the character, Kikyo Chan," I say, then I remember something. "Oh, and don't forget that you still owe me my ice cream," I say, making Kikyo laugh as we walk towards the dorms.