Chapter 34 - Celebration

---Notice---

Have you still not given me your power stone? Powerstones are greatly appreciated, and so are reviews I would really appreciate more reviews.

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"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking." ~William Butler Yeats

"Congratulations to all of you. It's rare for Class C to achieve such a dominant position in class rankings so early on. It's even rarer for Class C to overtake Class B so soon in the year," Sakagami said to us as our food began to arrive.

"Really? I wouldn't think it would be something that crazy. In the student council, I've heard Nagumo was originally a Class B student who ascended to Class A pretty early on," I responded.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. But usually, competition between classes is pretty predictable. Class B typically ends up competing with Class A, and the same is true between Class C and D. The differences between these two groups of classes are usually obvious, and that's the reason why no Class C or D has ever reached Class A," Sakagami explained to the class.

Ishizaki spoke next, "Come on, let's stop with the boring talk. We are here to celebrate, after all."

"Don't be an idiot, Ishizaki. Sakagami just gave us some useful information," Ibuki said, berating Ishizaki.

Before an argument occurred, I spoke up, "It's alright. Sakagami said what he had to. Plus, I want to relax and celebrate with all of you too, before the next exam starts." I raised my cup, and others did the same in response, clinking it with those near them. "To Class C," I said, and everyone repeated.

Soon, everyone was engaged in some talk and enjoying the food offered by the ship.

"Hey, Yagami," one of the girls, Yamashita, said to get my attention. Do you think we can reach Class A if we do well in this upcoming special exam?"

Her question drew the attention of my classmates, who now had their focus on me.

"Well… it's complicated. Theoretically, it is possible, but honestly, it isn't likely," I said, noticing some disappointed faces. "Don't be disappointed. I never said it was impossible. At the very least, if we do perform well, we will completely separate ourselves from Class B. Remember, we are currently only 10 class points ahead of them, and we will likely also be neck and neck with Class A."

"Is that so?" From behind me, a voice echoed, catching my attention and that of all my classmates. It was Katsuragi. "I was told Class C was here celebrating their singular victory instead of focusing on the next special exam. Earlier, you called me overconfident, but are you sure it isn't you and Class C who are overconfident?"

"Well, it was an important victory for us. There is nothing wrong with appreciating my work and the work of others in the class. But that isn't what you came here to talk about, right?" I said, looking over his shoulder to see the Class A teacher, Mashima, by his side.

"No, it isn't. I heard you were here, and so I wanted to extend my formal challenge to you in this upcoming special exam before either of us is challenged by someone else and left unable to reject," Katsuragi explained.

"I see… well then, would you like to take this discussion outside?"

"If that's what you prefer."

At those words, I gave Sakagami a look, and he simply nodded and stood from his seat as I stood and exited the venue with Katsuragi.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I took note of the large number of members of Class A who could be seen grouped up outside the door. It seemed Katsuragi had picked up on the hints needed to maintain some control in his class.

"Are you surprised?" Katsuragi asked, proceeding to walk away from the students as Mashima and Sakagami continued to follow us.

"I knew you'd figure it out, but I'll be frank—you did so a bit quicker than I had expected," I responded honestly.

"Hmph, well, I didn't want to believe anyone would betray the class over an internal dispute, but it seems the students of Class A are taking this dispute seriously. Some of them really don't seem to want me in power. But keeping the class in check has been simple enough. I should be able to maintain some control for the upcoming exam," Katsuragi explained.

"Oh? I wouldn't expect you to be so open about this situation. If you don't mind me asking, then how have you managed to maintain your position in your class so soon after that major loss on the island exam?"

"Well, obviously, my classmates were outraged with the results of the exam, given how many points I had promised. But I was sure the amount of points I expected was a plausible amount. It could only mean one thing: someone was sabotaging the class in hopes of sabotaging me. For the many high achievers of Class A, sabotaging the class over a simple leadership debate would obviously cause outrage."

"I see, so you made it public that the supporters of the Sakayanagi faction purposely sabotaged your class in the last exam. However, that strategy only works if you can prove you were sabotaged or that there are traitors. Otherwise, you're just making baseless claims," I responded.

"True, but I think you know that I could easily prove I was sabotaged. In our last exam, anyone could make use of camp points, no matter who they were. Therefore, anyone could know how many points the camp had at any given time for themselves. I had witnesses to the amount of points we had accumulated in Class A. After that—"

Before Katsuragi could explain, I continued his sentence, "And after that, you just needed a few scapegoats to draw attention to. It doesn't matter if they are truly traitors or not as long as the class believes they could be. You could be fairly confident that about half of the class, including your followers, didn't sabotage you. So you just threw the suspicious members of the other half of Class A under the bus, thereby making the class focus on them and their actions for the near future."

"Yes, Hashimoto and Kamuro were the two easiest to present as traitors to the class, given their disappearance during the special exam and other factors, so I'm fairly sure my guess about them is correct. Either way, during this test, those in the Sakayanagi faction wouldn't dare to sabotage the class, especially since it won't do much harm to my faction anymore now that the class is suspicious of their actions. But you suspected all this would happen at some point, didn't you?" Katsuragi asked as we reached the outdoor bar area of the ship, which was primarily meant for teachers and staff.

"Haha, was I that obvious?" I asked in response.

"You essentially suggested I look into my class's 300+ point differential from my expected outcome, and then you implied that this miscalculation on my part was because I overestimated myself. Obviously, this differential was due to internal problems, but by saying I overestimated myself, you are basically explaining to me that Sakayanagi was the reason behind my defeat. After all, in all of Class A, she is the only one on my level. The very fact you knew Class A's leader was also a hint. Class D apparently guessed our keycard holder, but I doubt they'd work with Class C. The members of Class C never interacted with us, so the only way you could gain such knowledge is if it was handed to you. So, in a way, while you are partly a reason for my failure, I guess I should thank you. There are still a few things that do confuse me, though."

"What is it?"

"I'm still confident the leader of Class D couldn't have been Suzune Horikita. Class D must've switched their leader between the sixth day when you showed me their keycard and the seventh day of the exam results. But I don't understand how you figured this fact out on such short notice, why you lied and claimed the cardholder of Class D was still Horikita, and why Class D insists this is true," Katsuragi commented, looking at me, awaiting a response.

"Maybe you're just thinking too much into this, Katsuragi."

"Tsk, fine, keep your secrets to yourself. But then tell me, why did you help me and give me those hints on my class situation? You could've remained quiet, or you could have even slandered me to embolden the Sakayanagi faction, assure my defeat against her in the future, and invalidate my words. But you didn't do that. Previously, I thought it was because you saw yourself as being so superior to me that it wasn't necessary, but I am no longer sure."

"The truth is complicated," I said, looking at Katsuragi and then the two teachers still near us. "Let's just say I want what's best for the school and everyone in it, and I don't think your defeat to Sakayanagi, especially in that manner, is a positive thing. And all around, Katsuragi, I'll admit I think you're a good person, so I want to see you succeed," I responded with a smile.

Well, there's also the fact Class A is an easier target to overcome while there is an existing power struggle. A unified Class A will be more than an annoying opponent, so I can't let you be defeated so early on.

"If you continue letting your emotions get the best of you, you'll have a hard time ascending from Class C," Katsuragi responded after a moment.

"Is that really true, though? I haven't let go of my morals, and we've already made it to Class B, so Class A isn't impossible. I think we, everyone in Class C, can reach Class A while at the same time maintaining a level of respect for others," I exclaimed.

"It's a noble thought, although I think it's idealistic… but you're right, your class has accomplished a lot. Although, I wouldn't claim all of Class C has been moral."

"Hahaha, I guess you're right. Ryuen will come around, though."

Katsuragi just nodded his head after hearing my words. "Anyways, let's get into the real topic of discussion: the game we will be playing."

"And here I thought we were having a friendly moment," I responded.

"We were, but that doesn't invalidate the score we have to settle. Plus, as the new Class B, shouldn't Class A naturally be the ones to teach you your place?"

I let out a soft chuckle before Katsuragi continued.

"So then, do you have any suggestions for games, or will we do some simple card game like poker? Or do you want me to present my idea? Personally, I would prefer to decide on this without the teachers' intervention."

"Now that you say something, I guess I have an idea for a game you'd be willing to partake in," I responded.

"Well then, continue. I'll listen to what you have to offer," Katsuragi said, and now Sakagami and Mashima's eyes were completely on me. It seemed they'd take their job of witnesses seriously, meaning every detail of what I say will matter.

"Well, how about a coin game?"

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What are your thoughts on everything so far? Right now, this is obviously all the setup for the first major game that will be played, but I think it will be interesting for everyone to read the rules. 

Although the chapter was a bit shorter than usual, the rules are quite detailed, so I had to cut it off here. I hope you enjoyed it.