Vol.10 Chapter 6

[Introduction]

From the very beginning, Class D's stance on what to do hadn't changed in the slightest.

Approximately ninety percent of the class reached the same conclusion when the supplemental exam was first announced.

And by Friday, the day before the vote, that conclusion still hadn't changed.

The conclusion to expel Ryūen Kakeru.

The majority of the class had already made up their minds without any prior discussion or planning.

Ryūen had led the class like a dictator, ruling with an iron fist. However, nobody could say his actions had led the class to success, not even as flattery.

In fact, he was the reason their class had fallen from Class C, dropping them down into last place.

Moreover, many students had suffered from his rule of intimidation and violence. He took advantage of weak-minded students to create a situation where his demands wouldn't be questioned. He was the root of all evil. Many of the students thought that they wouldn't have fallen down to Class D if Ryūen hadn't been around, even if they would've never been able to rise to Class B.

By the third day of the exam, a good portion of Class D had already reached an agreement. Namely, to make sure everyone casts one censure vote for Ryūen, and to spread out the two remaining votes amongst the rest of the class to avoid concentrating too many votes on another person. This way, they'd be able to ensure Ryūen's expulsion.

Although Ishizaki truly didn't wish to see Ryūen go, he had been put into a difficult position as the one credited with defeating him. He had been forced into the important role of amassing censure votes to work against Ryūen.

When the details of the exam were first explained, Ryūen immediately understood the complexity of the situation Ishizaki had found himself in and the collective stance of his classmates.

And so, he came to a decision. In this exam where the class wanted to kick him out, he wouldn't put up a shred of resistance.

For this reason, he was going to enjoy whatever time he had left until the supplemental exam came to an end.

After all, he still had to think about where he would go and what he would do after leaving the school.

Hence, he didn't want to waste his time sticking around in the classroom after school had ended for the day.

Ryūen left the classroom right away.

Ibuki watched as he did, quietly thinking about how she would pass the time for the remainder of the day.

In the past, Ryūen had often invited her to accompany him, but that hadn't happened for a while now.

A girl approached Ibuki as she stared blankly at the door Ryūen had just passed through.

"Well well, that's quite the miserable look on your face, now isn't it? Are you really 'that' sad to see Ryuuen get expelled?"

"Haa… You again? You really enjoy trying to pick a fight with me, don't you?"

"Not reeeally. I'm just here 'cause I'm worried about you; isn't that obvious? It seems to me like you've been increasingly less important ever since Ryūen-kun lost, wouldn't you say?"

The one saying these provocative words was none other than Ibuki's classmate, Shiho Manabe, a central figure among the girls of Class D.

Ever since enrollment, the two had never gotten along well with each other. Manabe had butted heads with Ibuki more than just a few times, but because Ibuki was heavily supported by Ryūen, Manabe had been unable to complain about her as much as she wanted to.

Inwardly, this had made Manabe extremely unhappy.

Her provocations were, most likely, her way of venting pent-up anger.

"You're gonna cast a censure vote for me, aren't you Ibuki-san?"

"Dunno."

"Just do it. I'm gonna vote for you, so we'll be even that way."

"…Huh, is that so."

Manabe became somewhat annoyed by Ibuki's indifferent reply.

After all, she really wanted to see her squirm and lose herself in anger.

"Well, isn't it nice knowing that you won't be expelled, Ibuki-san? Even if a handful of people cast Ryūen-kun their praise votes, he's still gonna get like, more than thirty censure votes."

Manabe was only able to be this cocky because Ryūen wasn't in the room, but that didn't change the fact that many of the other students shared her stance on the matter.

Ishizaki got up out of his seat.

The supplemental exam would take place tomorrow, and once it began, nothing more could be done to change the situation.

"Come with me for a bit, Ibuki."

Ishizaki approached the two girls as they glared at one another.

"…Whatever."

Despite her unclear response, Ibuki went along with Ishizaki's request and proceeded to leave the classroom.

For Ibuki, she believed that pretty much anything would be preferable if it meant getting away from Manabe.

"You can act as calm and composed as you want, but know that after Ryūen-kun gets expelled, you're next."

Acting as though she was the ruler of the class, Manabe saw Ibuki off with one final provocation.

"So, where are we going?"

Ibuki asked after they left the classroom, with Manabe no longer in view.

"Nowhere in particular. I kinda just wanted to talk to you for a bit about the private points Ryūen-san is holding onto. What happened to em?"

"Nothing 'happened' to them, he's still got them."

"You still haven't gotten em? The exam's tomorrow you know? We'll lose em all once he gets expelled."

"And just who was the one who got all worked up about not taking them, again?"

"That's… I didn't care much about private points back then…"

"If you want them so badly, why don't you go beg him for them yourself?"

"I ain't gonna do that."

Ibuki spoke sharply because she already knew that this would be his answer.

"As far as the rest of the class is concerned, you're the one responsible for knocking Ryūen down a peg. It'd be pretty suspicious if people were to find out that you had been in touch with him. People might even start to question your loyalty."

For Ishizaki, being doubted by his classmates wouldn't be a terrible development, given that he wanted to prevent Ryūen's impending expulsion.

However, that would only put Ishizaki at risk of expulsion in Ryūen's stead. Moreover, the truth behind Ishizaki's involvement in Ryūen's fall from power could be exposed. There was no way Ishizaki would be able to reach out to him.

He was suffering from two conflicting emotions: the desire to save Ryūen, and the desire to save himself.

"I… Dammit, what should I do…?"

"It's for the best to just let Ryūen be expelled, isn't it? Even you should know that."

"Is that really okay? Do you really think we can win in the future without Ryūen-san?"

"He expected us to praise the hell out of him even though he never produced any decent results. His actions were impossible to understand, and moreover, seemed kinda stupid."

"He certainly took a lot of risks, but without him, reaching Class A is nothing more than a pipe dream."

Even Ryūen had been wary of Class A's comprehensive overall power under Sakayanagi's leadership.

And then there was Class B's unwavering unity and consistent results under the command of Ichinose.

And furthermore, there was Class C's Ayanokōji, who had the brute strength to overwhelm Ryūen and an immeasurable amount of knowledge and ingenuity to back that up.

The difference in power between the classes was painfully obvious, a fact that had left a strong impression on Ishizaki.

In order for Class D to contend with those monsters, it was crucial for them to have a monster of their own.

It was clear that Ryūen Kakeru wasn't the correct student to get rid of during this exam.

"Well, I admit Ryūen's far from normal."

Ibuki had her own thoughts on all of this as well.

For some reason, even though Ryūen had been defeated by Ayanokōji, her own opinion of him hadn't really gone down.

Ryūen possessed a unique something that Sakayanagi and Ichinose didn't.

A 'something' that might even be able to reach someone like Ayanokōji.

At least, that's what she thought.

"Dammit…"

Watching Ishizaki vent his frustrations with a sidelong glance, Ibuki began to think about what she could do for this exam.

Even though Ishizaki was an unpleasant, hot-headed guy, he was still earnestly putting in his best efforts.

And yet, she only thought of protecting herself. Of how it would be safer to just stay silent and let Ryūen be expelled.

Ibuki certainly didn't have as much leeway as Ishizaki.

She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was disliked by the rest of her class.

In fact, she knew that if Ryūen disappeared, she would be targeted next.

There was more to Manabe's statement earlier than mere harassment.

Nevertheless, as long as she stayed quiet this time, she'd survive.

Or perhaps in the near future, another way forward might reveal itself.

This was the main aspect that was preventing her from taking action.

She thought back to what 'he' had said.

『This exam isn't simple enough for you to be able to save someone just because you say you want to.』

'He' had already seen through Ibuki's mindset, her way of thinking.

It was why she hadn't been able to face the situation seriously.

"Hey Ishizaki."

"What…?"

"You don't really want Ryūen to be expelled, do you?"

"…Yeah. I can't even lie about it."

"Yeah."

There was absolutely no way someone was going to receive more censure votes than Ryūen.

"I don't really want to admit it, but I feel the same way. Just remember that after Ryūen's gone, I'm next."

She explicitly laid out the facts.

"I'm going to see Ryūen tonight and recover the private points. I might be the only one who can."

Those points would then be put to good use for Class D's sake.

Ryūen's sacrifice would be used as a source of encouragement for the future.

"So there's really no other way…"

"It's pretty much all we can do."

Ibuki steeled her resolve.

She would recover every single private point Ryūen Kakeru had.

As long as there was a chance they could benefit Class D, they absolutely needed to be obtained.

[Intro end]

[Part 1]

That night, Ibuki visited Ryūen's dorm room without any prior notice.

The dry sound of her fist knocking on his door quietly reverberated through the chilly hallway.

After waiting for a bit, the door opened.

"You?"

"…W-what the hell are you doing!?"

His chest bare, Ryūen had come to the door wearing nothing but his boxers.

"If I told you I was doing something vulgar, would you bug off?"

"I'd kick you in the nuts and go back to my room without looking back."

"Kuku. I just got out of the bath, come in."

It seemed as though he was telling the truth, as his hair was indeed still wet.

Although she was still wary of Ryūen's teasing, Ibuki stepped into his room.

It was the first time she had done so ever since enrollment.

Contrary to her expectations, the room was decked out with various accessories, giving it a completely different impression than 'his' room.

"You're not here because you wanted to sleep with me before I get expelled, are you?"

Ibuki had no intention of drawing this out by getting caught up in his teasing, instead choosing to just get straight to the point.

"Your private points. Hand them over."

"Oh? Aren't you the one who rejected them in the first place?"

While drying his hair with a bath towel, Ryūen took a plastic water bottle out of the fridge.

Though, rather than offer it to Ibuki, he popped off the cap and took a drink for himself.

"There's already nothing you can do to survive the exam. In other words, the points are going to be wasted right along with you."

"I suppose. As it is now, if I'm expelled, they'd all disappear."

The secret contract he had made with Class A would be terminated, leaving Class D with the short end of the stick.

"So give them to me while you still can."

"Well aren't you shameless."

"It's what you really want, isn't it? It wouldn't have been beneath you to go and waste them all if you really didn't want to hand them over, but it doesn't seem to me like you've done that. It's like you've been telling us to come and pick them up."

Ryūen had been quietly keeping to himself over the past several days.

It was obvious that he had used, at most, only a couple thousand points.

"Kuku, well aren't you the smart one. Whatever, take em. They're useless to me anyway."

Ryūen let show a smile as he stood before Ibuki.

He then picked up his cell phone and started tapping on the screen.

It only took a moment. Everything Ryūen owned was transferred to Ibuki's mobile phone.

"It went through. You've served your purpose with this, Ryūen."

Ibuki attempted to put away her phone away as she spoke, but Ryūen reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

With that, he shoved her against the wall.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

Ibuki immediately let out a kick, but Ryūen catches it with one hand, stopping it easily.

"I don't dislike that aggressive personality of yours, you know."

"Huh!?"

Ibuki reacted with glaring hostility, unsure about what he was going to do, but Ryūen just smirked and let go of her leg.

It was Ryūen's way of offering her one final farewell.

"You're strong, but if you ask me, you've got plenty of weak points. You can't beat Suzune like that."

"Mind your own business."

"Goodbye Ibuki."

Ryūen turned away, appearing to have already lost interest in the conversation.

He then walked over to the front door to show her the way out.

There was a momentary silence as she put on her shoes.

"Are you satisfied with your time here, at this school?"

Ibuki asked, quietly breaking the silence with her back turned to him.

"Oh?"

"Nevermind."

The answer was obvious just from looking at him.

Ryūen wasn't satisfied at all.

As a matter of fact, he was going to quietly leave the school without ever being able to gain that satisfaction.

Ibuki stood up, the cold air from the hallway flowing in as she opened the door.

"Goodbye then."

With these parting words, Ibuki left, closing the door behind her.

There was nobody else but her in the hallway this late at night.

A huge sum of private points was displayed on the screen of her cell phone.

She felt nothing but emptiness as she switched to another screen.

Ibuki made a phone call as she walked down the hallway.

She didn't care if the person on the other end was asleep.

If it went to voicemail, she intended to cut the call.

However, they picked up before the tone played twice.

"It's me. I've gotten all of Ryūen's private points."

She had finished her task, having reported to the person she needed to report to.

From the other end of the phone, 'he' responded, stating that he wanted to meet up in person.

"That's fine, but…"

She trailed off as she thought about how she was already out and about.

After a short pause, Ibuki agreed to his request, resolving herself to head to 'his' room.

[Part 1 end]

[Part 2]

On Friday, the day before the supplemental exam, the students of Class B stayed behind after school as well.

The entire class was present.

The one standing behind the teaching podium was not the homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya, but the leader of the class, Ichinose Honami.

"Everyone, thank you for everything you've done this past week. I'm grateful that you all went along with my selfish request."

After the supplemental exam was first announced, Ichinose had made a request of her classmates:

『I ask that you all continue to get along with one another until after school, the day before the exam.』

It was her one request, one made without any explanation.

She hadn't gone into any further details about the strategy for the upcoming exam.

Straining the relationship between her classmates wouldn't do anyone any good.

After all, the fact that somebody would be expelled during this exam was absolutely unavoidable.

Even though the students of Class B naturally felt a bit uneasy about it, they still faithfully honored Ichinose's request.

They trusted in Ichinose's words, because they had come to understand over the course of the year that she spoke for the sake of Class B as a whole.

The class's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya, was slightly uneasy as she listened to Ichinose speak. As one of the teachers who felt that this special exam was unreasonable, she felt guilty about the hardship Class B had to endure. The class was strong and dazzling because they had been able to unite together as one without anyone being expelled. She was worried that, if somebody were to be expelled at this point, it might cast a shadow over the rest of the class.

"I imagine everyone is quite worried, but I'd like you all to feel at ease. I won't let a single one of us be expelled."

While Ichinose spoke, traces of anxiety and suspense were held within the gazes of her classmates.

She had given the class good news, but at the same time, she had also roused their suspicions.

"Are you sure, Ichinose? Saying that so confidently…"

Kanzaki expressed his concern. Given the situation, if she was lying just to make everyone feel better, it was probably for the best to stop her now.

"It's okay, Ichinose. We're prepared for what we have to do."

Shibata spoke up as well. Even if Ichinose didn't have a plan, he wasn't going to hold it against her.

However, Ichinose spoke once again, reaffirming her certainty.

"It's fine. Kanzaki-kun, you once told me that if somebody has the power to change things, they're nothing more than a fool if they don't make use of it, right? That's why I've been reflecting on what I could do for all of you."

She was confident that none of her classmates would have to be expelled.

"…Then let's hear it. How are you going to prevent the expulsion?"

If she couldn't provide any proof, she might as well have been deluding herself.

"There's only one way to ensure that everyone survives this provisional exam, right?"

"Yeah, we'd have to use twenty million points to override the expulsion."

"That's why I'd like to ask everybody to entrust me with all your private points. You won't have any spending points until April, but this way, everyone can be saved."

"But, if I'm remembering correctly, we don't have enough to reach twenty million, right?"

Shibata questioned, looking around at his classmates, his eyes seeking confirmation.

They had already discussed it several times over, but at the end of the day, you can't spend what you don't have.

They were still a few million points short, a disparity that was simply too large to overcome.

"So what? Honami-chan's the one asking for them, so just hand them over."

One of the girls spoke up, dismissing Shibata's hesitation.

Without even bothering with the details, the girls immediately began to transfer their points to Ichinose.

The class routinely transferred a percentage of their points to her every month, so they had all already gotten used to doing it.

"Well, I guess you're right."

Shibata agreed and pulled out his cell phone.

Faithfully trusted by her classmates, every single private point Class B held was transferred to Ichinose in no time at all.

The total on the screen of her phone was just shy of sixteen million points.

"Yup, just as calculated, we're roughly four million points short."

"Now how are you going to make up for the rest? I can't imagine that anyone from any of the other classes would be willing to give us so many, not even the upperclassmen."

Even though he had already sent over his own points, Kanzaki once again pressed Ichinose for an answer.

When Nagumo presented Ichinose with the offer to borrow private points, she had promised not to say anything about the deal to others.

However, now that it had come down to this, she couldn't simply keep it a secret from her friends.

That was why, the day before, she had gotten permission from Nagumo to reveal everything, with the slight exception of the details about dating.

"From student council president Nagumo. When I brought our situation up with him, he told me he'd be willing to supply the rest."

"The student council president? Can he even come up with that many points?"

"Yes. In fact, he even showed me how many he has."

Though, there was no way to be certain until Ichinose actually received them.

"Of course, we'll have to pay him back afterward."

"What are the details of the repayment plan? Does the president plan on charging us interest?"

"Would the answer to those questions affect what we have to do?"

"No, not at all. Even if the interest rate is unreasonably high, I don't think anything can replace one of our comrades."

Kanzaki agreed with Ichinose without batting an eye.

However, he judged that it was still important to understand the details of the transaction first.

He took it upon himself to ask the questions the rest of the class wouldn't, and Ichinose was incredibly thankful for that.

To her, he was a cherished partner who spoke up on behalf of the class's feelings.

"Our repayment period is three months, and there's no interest."

"Is it really okay for him to not charge anything…?"

In this difficult situation, it wouldn't be unusual for the other party to demand at least some interest.

The fact that president Nagumo was lending them points without any made him seem like Class B's savior.

"Because of this, I feel like I'll be inconveniencing everyone for a little while… Is that alright?"

"Amazing… As expected of Ichinose-san! You absolutely have my full support!"

None of her classmates showed any signs of dissatisfaction.

For their sake, she definitely wouldn't let someone be expelled.

That was Ichinose Honami's resolve to protect her friends.

[Part 2 end]

[Part 3]

Later that evening, Ichinose called Nagumo.

She was making one final confirmation of everything in preparation for tomorrow's exam.

"Nagumo-senpai, it's me, Ichinose."

"Honami? This is about our little arrangement, right?"

"Yes. I brought it up with all my classmates earlier today, so I thought I'd run everything by you once again."

"The conditions I gave you aren't gonna change. Just scrape together every private point you can get your hands on, including the ones your classmates have. We can't be having you get through this without sharing in the suffering together."

"You're right. I think so too."

He wasn't willing to lend them the points they needed while they still had points to spare for themselves.

This was one of the conditions Nagumo had put forward in exchange for his cooperation.

Nagumo had an enormous amount of private points saved up, with the number nearly reaching ten million.

However, he clearly wasn't willing to lend out all of them. Furthermore, even if he hadn't made this a requirement, Ichinose would have taken the initiative to minimize the number of points she'd have to borrow anyway.

"How many more do you need?"

"4,043,019 points."

"Is that so? It seems that the strain on my budget will be lower than I expected. That said, this will still be putting me at a considerable disadvantage in the exams moving forward."

"Yes…"

Nagumo was carrying quite the burden.

He would have to take action if one of his classmates faced expulsion in the next special exam.

In which case, it was more than possible he would have the carpet pulled out from under him because of the four million points he was lending out.

Ichinose was painfully aware of how fortunate she was to receive this offer.

"I'm truly sorry for making such a selfish request."

"It's fine. It's quite like you to not want to abandon anyone. But, well, you do remember the other condition I had for lending you the points, right?"

"…Yes. I, uh… I have to start going out with Nagumo-senpai, don't I…?"

"Yep. I'll transfer you the private points as soon as you agree to it."

"…The deadline is tonight at midnight, right?"

"Are you really still hesitating? Don't you want to avoid losing one of your classmates?"

"Of course. It's just, I'm a little anxious."

"Anxious?"

Ichinose swallowed her fears, forcing herself to speak.

"Senpai… D-do you, uh… do you like me?"

"What?"

"Oh no, uhm… I'm sorry for asking something so rude… It's just, I always thought that going out means you hold those kinda feelings for someone…"

"I wouldn't have made this a condition if I didn't like you."

Nagumo answered without hesitation.

Even though Ichinose was happy to hear his response, she still couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"If you agree to it, I'll send you the points right now."

"Please wait. I… want to think about it."

"Isn't that what you've already been doing these past couple days?"

Slowly but surely, Nagumo's deadline was approaching.

"You probably can't borrow any points from the second and third years, right? Furthermore, the first years are your opponents. It's even less likely you'll get any from them."

Nagumo was well aware that he was the only one who'd be willing to lend Ichinose more than four million private points.

However, he had no intention of forcing the matter.

After all, it was obvious Ichinose would come to rely on him in the end.

"Be careful. I'm a man who's fussy about keeping deadlines."

"Yes. I'll definitely contact you later."

Ending the call, Ichinose let out a heavy sigh as she leaned against the wall.

To Ichinose, protecting her classmates was her number one priority.

She felt like she should be willing to accept his conditions, given that he was willing to help her get what she wanted.

But Ichinose didn't have any experience with romance or love.

She simply couldn't imagine that it was natural to start a relationship with someone like this.

And… deep down, her heart was telling her it was wrong.

It didn't make sense for two people to go out if they didn't like each other.

It was meaningless if the feelings involved were one-sided.

But, it wouldn't be easy to suggest breaking up once they started going out.

"Haa… I'm indecisive, even though I should've already made up my mind…"

It was just a little after 9PM.

Ichinose had no choice but to answer him within the next three hours.

She let out another heavy sigh.

She told herself that, as long as she managed to put up with it, she could save her classmates.

That it was for the best. That, if there truly wasn't any other option…

But no matter what she told herself, her heart was pushing back.

If she really, truly accepted his condition, it felt like she would lose a part of herself.

And that, was a painful premonition.

"No. Nothing good will come out of this way of thinking."

What good is there in changing your mind over and over again after getting so far?

If negotiations with Nagumo were to break down now, one of her classmates would be expelled.

"…Alright!"

She patted her cheeks lightly, reinforcing her change in resolve.

"I… will protect everyone."

All alone, Ichinose quietly smiled, having steeled her resolve.

[Part 3 end]

[Part 4]

Turning back time to the very day the supplemental exam was first announced, long before Ichinose made up her mind about accepting Nagumo's condition…

Unlike the other classes, Class A welcomed the supplemental exam with open arms.

This was because they had managed to make a decision before any of the other classes.

"The rest is for you to discuss amongst yourselves. Just make sure to come to a decision by the day of the vote."

Class A's homeroom teacher, Mashima, finished his explanation of the upcoming exam.

The remaining class time had been provided for the students to hold their discussion, and Sakayanagi started the conversation without even standing up from her seat.

"For this exam, I think it'd be wonderful if we had Katsuragi-kun take his exit."

Sakayanagi made her nomination without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Katsuragi remained completely still; his eyes shut and arms crossed before him.

"Wha… What do you mean!? That doesn't seem fair!"

The only one to show any form of resistance was Totsuka Yahiko, a loyal follower of Katsuragi.

"Stop it, Yahiko."

And yet, Katsuragi flatly rejected Totsuka's attempts to speak up for him.

"B-but, Katsuragi-san!"

"I fully intend to accept what's coming to me."

"There don't seem to be any objections. Or rather… there doesn't seem to be any room for objections, isn't that right everyone?"

The majority of Class A had already joined the Sakayanagi faction. There were certainly a handful of which who weren't keen on doing so, but they weren't so dissatisfied that they would consider rebelling against her.

In favor of securing a safe graduation for themselves, they would continue to side with Sakayanagi.

Due to his blind faith in Katsuragi, Totsuka was the only one who tried to oppose her.

Such actions were meaningless. Katsuragi understood this better than anyone.

"Well then, let's take a vote by a show of hands. Should you have no misgivings with expelling Katsuragi-kun in the vote this weekend, then by all means, please feel free to raise your hand."

The students of Class A all raised their hands in unison.

Excluding Totsuka, Katsuragi, and Sakayanagi, all 37 students approved.

Mashima quietly looked away, as though he had already foreseen it turning out this way.

"With results like this, it seems that the discussion is over, wouldn't you say?"

"Are you really just going to accept this!?"

"It's fine, Yahiko."

Even though Totsuka opposed Sakayanagi until the very end, Katsuragi didn't even try to speak up for himself.

"The contract I signed with Class D is still in effect. As a result, Class A has been needlessly sending private points to Ryūen every month. I'm simply taking responsibility."

"B-but we got class points because of that, didn't we!? It wasn't a complete waste! Besides, since Class D has to expel someone as well, they might end up choosing to expel Ryūen! If that happens, the contract will be annulled even if we don't expel Katsuragi-san!"

Totsuka frantically pieced together an argument.

"Don't go thinking that you can do anything you want just because you're the class's leader!"

"Totsuka, that's enough."

Totsuka was the only one getting heated, so Katsuragi reined him in for a second time.

His tone, much stronger than before.

"Katsuragi-san…!"

Katsuragi strove to maintain his composure, even though he should've been more troubled than anyone.

Moved by his resolve, Totsuka hung his head and returned to his seat.

"I personally wouldn't mind if he kept going, you know? It was an interesting speech."

"It's fine. I have no objections with the plan to expel me."

"Is that so? Well then, let's act in consideration of Katsuragi-kun's wishes."

After less than five minutes of discussion, Class A had reached a consensus.

The class then proceeded to pass its time as usual, as though the supplemental exam didn't exist at all.

Excusing himself from his seat, Katsuragi made his way out of the classroom to be alone.

Naturally, Totsuka went rushing after him immediately afterward.

"Katsuragi-san, are you seriously okay with being expelled!?"

"…It can't be helped. In an exam like this one, influential students have an overwhelming advantage. Even if I put up a fight, I wouldn't be able to overcome the censure votes I'd get from the Sakayanagi faction."

"B-but, there has to be some students who are unsatisfied with Sakayanagi. If we gathered everyone togeth-"

"You have helped me many times so far, and for that, I'm truly grateful."

"Katsuragi-san…"

"That said, after I'm gone, you should align yourself with Sakayanagi. If you foolishly go against her, her next target will be you, Yahiko."

Katsuragi knew this better than anyone, which was why he wanted to prevent Totsuka from clashing with Sakayanagi.

"Those are the final words of advice I have for you."

"…Dammit…!"

Totsuka, face warped in frustration, could do nothing but frantically nod in agreement.

[Part 4 end]

[Part 5]

That same day, after classes had ended…

"Let's head home, Masumi-san."

"…Fine."

Sakayanagi stood from her seat and called out to Kamuro.

"It seems that a new drink came out at the cafe in Keyaki Mall. Would you like to get one on the way?"

This weekend, one of their classmates would be expelled.

Furthermore, even though she had personally made the nomination, Sakayanagi's attitude was the same as usual.

"Hey."

"What?"

"…Nevermind."

Kamuro changed her mind, having felt like it would've been a waste of time to ask.

Sakayanagi's cold-hearted, calculating decisions were almost inhuman.

Although, Kamuro was pretty much no different from her, so she thought it would be foolish to point this out.

A phone call broke the silence between the two of them, followed by Sakayanagi taking her cell phone out from her pocket.

With a thin smile, she happily answered the call.

"How are you, Yamauchi-kun? I was just thinking it was about time I heard from you."

"Talk about having strange taste in men…"

Recently, it hadn't been unusual for Sakayanagi to engage in deep conversation with Yamauchi.

They would call each other almost daily, talking excitedly about the most trivial things.

"Today? Oh, that's no problem, let's meet up. Though, I have a few prior commitments to take care of first, so would it be alright if we meet up afterward?"

Based on their conversation, it was clear that this was yet another one of those calls from Yamauchi.

"I'm busy at the moment, so I'll get in touch with you later, alright?"

With that, Sakayanagi ended the call a few seconds later.

"So, it seems I'll be meeting up with Yamauchi-kun later tonight."

"You… You've been talking with Yamauchi a lot recently. What are you planning?"

"What can I say? He's caught my eye."

"Caught your eye…? Do you like him?"

"Would it be strange if I said I did?"

As Yamauchi's physical appearance came to mind, Kamuro could do nothing but shake her head.

"You're kidding right?"

"Yes. It's just a joke."

"You…"

"I'm training him. To see whether or not I can use him as a spy within Class C."

"Training him… It can't be that simple can it?"

"He's been quite easy to manage so far. Furthermore, since an amusing special exam has just been announced, I was thinking of having him take part in a little experiment."

Sakayanagi's words were only half-true.

Even though Kamuro was close, she wasn't somebody she trusted completely. Sakayanagi had chosen her words carefully in order to hide what she needed to keep hidden.

"Let's meet with him today. That should give you a rough idea of what my goals are."

Thinking about what would happen next, Sakayanagi smiled happily.

[Part 5 end]

[Part 6]

That evening, Sakayanagi and Kamuro met up with Yamauchi at Keyaki Mall.

Given the situation, they rented a room at the karaoke parlor in order to avoid attracting too much attention.

"So, uh… Kamuro-chan came along too."

"Sorry. It's still a bit embarrassing for us to go on a date alone together…"

"N-no it's cool, really! I'm just happy to be on a date with you at all!"

Yamauchi put on a desperate smile, trying his best to avoid being disliked.

In all actuality, he had wanted to confess to Sakayanagi had she come alone, and afterwards, they could officially become a couple together.

Even so, Yamauchi forced his feelings aside.

"Yamauchi-kun, will you be alright during this next special exam?"

"Eh?"

"Well, it'd be great if you will be, it's just…"

Sakayanagi let her voice trail off for a moment.

"If you got expelled, we wouldn't be able to meet like this anymore. That… That's the one thing I absolutely don't want to have happen."

Even though Sakayanagi's cutesy innocent acting made Kamuro feel sick to her stomach, she didn't let the nausea show on her face.

This was nothing more than Sakayanagi toying with him.

Besides, if she were to take each and every one of Sakayanagi's games seriously, she'd probably lose her mind.

"I-I'd hate that too!"

"It's kind of like our feelings are intertwined, isn't it?"

Sakayanagi gently patted her chest with a sigh of relief.

"If there's something troubling you, you can always come to me about it, Yamauchi-kun."

"But…"

"You and I are certainly mutual enemies, but it's different during this exam. We don't have to compete against students from other classes, do we?"

"That's true…"

"And because of that, it may be possible for us to cooperate with one another instead."

"Cooperate…?"

Yamauchi appeared to have had somewhat of the same idea.

"It's just an example, but… what if I used my praise vote on you, Yamauchi-kun?"

Hearing that, Yamauchi gulped in anticipation.

People wanted as many praise votes from the other classes as they could get their hands on.

For the students at risk of expulsion, they were so desperate for these crucial votes that they would stoop to any level to get them.

"A-are you seriously gonna help me?"

"If you're in trouble, I'll gladly cooperate."

Although Yamauchi kept his cool on the surface, her kind words had impacted him, making him happy from the bottom of his heart.

He had never once spoken with a girl this intimately before in his entire life. After all, it would be embarrassing for her to realize that he had absolutely no experience with love.

"To tell you the truth… It seems like people in my class are pretty jealous of me, and uh, I'm worried that they might use their censure votes on me."

"Jealousy, is it?"

"It's because I'm the only one who can meet up with you like this, Sakayanagi-chan."

"That is true, isn't it? I'm not interested in other boys at all."

He couldn't bring himself to say he was at risk of expulsion because his grades were bad.

Instead, Yamauchi wanted to make himself look good so Sakayanagi would like him more.

"Either way, I understand what you're getting at, so I'll give you some secret instructions that will help you out, Yamauchi-kun."

"S-secret instructions?"

"Yes. Please reach out to approximately half of your class and try to pull them over to your side. Then, you can target somebody else and push for them to be expelled."

"But, uh… if I did that, isn't it possible that I might end up getting targeted…!?"

"I suppose that's true. It's not like anybody wants to be seen as the leader. After all, if you end up carelessly upsetting the wrong person, you might end up being voted for instead."

Yamauchi nodded in agreement.

"That's why I'm going to help you."

"H-how?"

"There are about twenty people who follow me in Class A. I'll have all of them use their praise votes on you, Yamauchi-kun."

"Eh!?"

"A good number of your classmates should also be willing to give you praise votes, right? With their votes included, even if you end up getting more than thirty censure votes, the votes will pretty much cancel each other out. It's highly unlikely that you'll be expelled."

"A-are you serious?"

"Of course. That said, even if you get twenty votes, your safety won't be guaranteed. That's why you need to take the reins and drive somebody else into a corner."

"B-but who?"

"Let's see… Naturally, you can't get rid of somebody useful to your class. Masumi-san, does anyone suitable come to mind?"

"…How about Ayanokōji?"

"Ayanokōji…kun, is it? I believe I've heard the name but…"

"Oh, uh, he's the kinda guy who doesn't stand out at all. How should I explain it…?"

"You can spare me the details. He sounds like he might be the perfect target. You two aren't particularly close, are you?"

"Not at all! He's just a classmate!"

"In which case, let's have him be the sacrifice."

"But…"

Yamauchi's desire to save himself was in conflict with his reluctance to sacrifice one of his classmates.

However, needless to say, his desire to protect himself was far stronger.

"I think it'd be painful to cut ties with a classmate, no matter what kind of relationship you had with them, so I'd try to avoid thinking about it too much. I think we've chosen a suitable target, so we just have to go along with it."

Sakayanagi smiled at him with an expression that seemed to say 'That way, your heart won't hurt as much, right?'

"Next Monday, after this exam is over, would you like to meet up again, just the two of us? There's something I'd like to tell you then, Yamauchi-kun. It's something very important."

"!!!"

Yamauchi staggered. Her words dealt a finishing blow, completely enticing him.

His imagination ran wild as he envisioned an upcoming confession of love from Sakayanagi.

For the sake of turning his dreams into reality, Yamauchi would do everything in his power to avoid expulsion, no matter what.

Even more importantly, if he didn't successfully carry out the strategy she had come up with, it was possible that she might begin to hate him.

These thoughts were the only thing spurring him on.

"So, let's start out by identifying people who appear to be Ayanokōji-kun's friends. It'd be best if we could quietly have him expelled without him hearing about it."

"G-got it."

"But before that, I have some advice for you, Yamauchi-kun."

"Advice…?"

"Please don't tell anyone that we're going to be voting for you. There's a risk that your classmates will resent you if you carelessly talk about it."

"That's for sure…"

They would obviously get jealous and antagonistic if they found out that Yamauchi was the only one safe from the exam.

"Understood. I won't say anything."

"Thank you very much."

"But… U-uhm."

"What is it?"

"Uhm, It's not that I'm doubting you or anything, it's just… Are you really going to use your praise vote on me?"

"Are you saying that you want to have something in writing?"

"It's just that I'm kinda worried about it…"

Yamauchi was worried because he lacked confidence in leaving it to a simple verbal agreement, something that was well within Sakayanagi's expectations.

"Do you think that I'm going to betray you, Yamauchi-kun? Even if I wanted to, there's no reason for me to do such a thing. But if you really aren't willing to believe me… let's just forget that this conversation ever happened. If you really can't trust a promise from me, I suppose I'll have to reconsider meeting up next Monday."

"W-wait! I believe you! I trust you!"

When Sakayanagi tried to back out, Yamauchi eagerly attempted to reel her back in.

"I'm sorry for doubting you…"

"It's fine. I understand that you're anxious."

With a gentle smile, Sakayanagi presented Yamauchi with one final warning.

"That said… Yamauchi-kun, if I catch you eavesdropping on me, sneaking photos, or secretly recording our conversations in the future, our relationship will be over. The two of us will become enemies."

"N-no problem! I'd never do something like that!"

"Very well. Then, Masumi-san, if you would, please pat him down."

"Eh? Me?"

"Please."

"…Fine."

Despite voicing her reluctance, Kamuro proceeded to frisk Yamauchi.

"It's getting interesting."

For Sakayanagi, this was nothing more than a game.

In her mind, the outcome to all of this had already been decided since the very beginning.

After Yamauchi left, Sakayanagi stayed behind with Kamuro in the karaoke room.

"We're not going home yet?"

It was just a little past 8:00 PM.

The mall was only open to students until nine, and the karaoke parlor was going to close soon as well.

"What do you think of this strategy I've come up with, Masumi-san?"

"What do you mean…?"

"Ayanokōji-kun is no ordinary person. You've noticed this yourself, right?"

"Well, I know that you've been excessively interested in him."

"It's something more than that, isn't it? You've been close to him before. You should've been able to notice it."

Although she wasn't certain about anything specific, he was unpleasant. He seemed like a student who was shrouded in mystery.

That was the impression Kamuro had of him.

"He's powerful."

"…How powerful?"

"People like Katsuragi-kun, Ryūen-kun, and Ichinose-san wouldn't even stand a chance against him."

"Really? What about you then?"

"Hmm… Who knows?"

"Are you being serious…? I can't believe you're saying this."

Kamuro was surprised. She had thought Sakayanagi would say she could beat him without any hesitation.

"Of course it's possible that I can beat him. That said, it's also true that I don't know exactly what he's capable of. Well… I suppose it's a bit different from that. Maybe there's just a part of me that wants him to be an opponent far outside of even my capabilities."

It was a mysterious feeling that she had never noticed she had before.

"I hope I can see him take things seriously before I have him expelled."

It was something Sakayanagi wanted from the bottom of her heart.

[Part 6 end]

[Part 7]

They had met on Tuesday. The following day, Sakayanagi proceeded to receive phone calls from Yamauchi with updates, as per their recent conversation.

She was in the midst of playing both sides of a chess match in the dorm room while she relayed instructions to him on how to survive the upcoming exam. She picked up a piece and moved it forward on the board.

"Really? That many people have already agreed to vote for Ayanokōji-kun?"

There were twenty-one people in total, an impressive number that had exceeded her expectations.

Yamauchi probably wouldn't have been able to make things turn out so well if he had done everything on his own.

"Yamauchi-kun."

"W-what?"

"As I expected, it seems that asking Kushida-san to act as your mediator was the right thing to do."

Kushida was the type of person to take action with her classmates in mind.

"Yeah, I guess. It went just like you said it would, Sakayanagi-chan."

Sakayanagi had judged that, if Yamauchi came asking for her help, Kushida wouldn't be able to turn him down easily.

Moreover, Sakayanagi had also gotten her hands on some interesting information about Kushida.

"When you asked her to help you, did you persuade her with tears like I told you to?"

"I-I wouldn't do something so uncool!"

Sakayanagi glanced at Kamuro, the look in her eyes saying that he had indeed used tears to persuade Kushida.

"Oh? It seems your negotiation skills handled everything flawlessly, then?"

"I guess…"

"Anyway, I'll contact you tomorrow about who you should reach out to next."

"Gotcha."

Tomorrow was Thursday, and the important decisions would have to be made then.

Sakayanagi would have to decide how Yamauchi would convince these students to join his faction.

After the call had ended, Kamuro spoke up.

"Is this Kushida person really the type who'd help get someone expelled?"

"If someone approached her, sobbing, begging for her help, there's no way she wouldn't lend a hand. Be that as it may, it's important to have a way with words in order to get as many supporters as possible, and Kushida-san seems to have quite the silver tongue."

Taking hold of her queen in one hand, Sakayanagi looked at Kamuro.

"What do you think will happen next?"

"If it keeps going on like this, Ayanokōji will amass censure votes and get expelled from school… but, if he's as powerful as you say he is, won't he do something about it?"

"Even if he doesn't know that he's personally being targeted?"

"He doesn't know about the strategy, though."

"He's always on guard. Putting aside whether or not he knows he's being targeted, if you were to consider the reality of this exam, you wouldn't be able to rule out the possibility that you may ultimately be voted for. That being the case, you should be putting in the effort to come up with countermeasures ahead of time."

"…What do you mean by countermeasures?"

"Just prove to everyone that somebody else is a hindrance to the success of the class. Whatever the reason, the more incompetent this somebody is, the better the result."

Sakayanagi momentarily envisioned the spectacle that may take place within Class C in the near future.

"Yamauchi-kun, for example, is colluding with me to have one of his own classmates ostracized and expelled. If this were to come to light, I imagine that he'd fill the role perfectly."

"So, what you're saying is that it doesn't matter to you which one of them gets expelled?"

With her other hand, Sakayanagi picked up the opposing side's king.

"No. We have to save the king for last."

Until the very end, Sakayanagi controlled every last piece on the chessboard.

[Part 7 end]

[Part 8]

It was Friday evening, the day before the exam, and Sakayanagi had gone to the Karaoke parlor to make preparations for it.

"What's the situation?"

Kamuro and Hashimoto were present, along with Kitō, for a total of four people.

"It seems that everything was exposed today. Apparently, Horikita-san caught wind of the plan and exposed the fact that I was collaborating with Yamauchi-kun to the rest of their class. I wonder how the information got leaked?"

Sakayanagi leisurely carried a french fry into her mouth.

She intently looked upon her classmates before one of them finally spoke up.

"Sakayanagi, the leak came from Karuizawa. Like I told you before, if you wanted to make sure Ayanokōji got expelled, it would've been better to avoid pulling Karuizawa into Yamauchi's group."

Hashimoto Masayoshi. He was one of Sakayanagi's closest associates, and he was someone who had previously taken notice of Ayanokōji all on his own.

Throughout the course of his investigations, he had seen Ayanokōji meet with Karuizawa in secret, so he had previously provided input on what she should do this time.

Even though Sakayanagi had agreed to refrain from pulling Karuizawa into the group at first, she had changed her mind yesterday.

As a consequence, her plan had been exposed to the students of Class D.

"Didn't I tell you that our first priority was to make sure that Ayanokōji didn't realize he was being targeted until the exam was already over?"

"Yes. I definitely kept your words in mind. It's true that Ayanokōji-kun and Karuizawa-san may indeed share an unusual relationship. That is to say, if she was let in on the plan, there was a high chance Ayanokōji-kun would hear of it as well."

This was the very reason why Sakayanagi had decided to postpone pulling Karuizawa into Yamauchi's group.

She had let Tuesday and Wednesday pass by, purposefully choosing to pull her into the group on Thursday.

Then, she stepped back and waited to see what would happen next. Based on what had taken place today, it was quite likely that she had leaked the information to Ayanokōji.

"You messed up, didn't you, Sakayanagi?"

The one who had asked this was none other than Kamuro, who had been silently listening to the conversation.

Hashimoto spoke up too, offering an analysis on why Sakayanagi had made such a simple mistake.

"Karuizawa is one of the most influential girls in her class. If we had managed to pull her into the group, it would've pretty much guaranteed Ayanokōji's expulsion. Forget twenty votes, it's possible we'd have gotten around thirty. You let the greed get to you."

"I was well aware they'd carry out a class trial. It was just a matter of time."

"But, if things hadn't come to light, Yamauchi might've had a way out too."

Having heard each of their opinions, Sakayanagi couldn't help but feel amused.

"Should it know that it's become someone's prey, even a herbivore will try to fight for it's life if it comes down to it. But, I find that's exactly what makes it so interesting. Don't you want to see what he'll do in this time he has left? How he'll struggle to stay afloat?"

"You deliberately let Karuizawa leak the information because of that?"

"I was also able to confirm that your information about Karuizawa and Ayanokōji was accurate."

"But Ayanokouji went to Horikita about it, who then revealed everything to the rest of the class. It made it hard to tell what'll happen next. Considering that Yamauchi won't be expelled because of our praise votes, there's still no way Ayanokōji'll be expelled anymore. I have no idea who's gonna be expelled at this point."

When Hashimoto finished, Kamuro spoke up as well.

"Wasn't it also a mistake to make contracts with the ones who agreed to vote for Ayanokōji without getting anything in writing? How many people are still gonna vote for him after what happened today…?"

There'd be a dramatic decrease in the number of censure votes Ayanokōji would be getting, while the number for Yamauchi would only go up.

However, Yamauchi would be getting 20 votes from Class A to escape this predicament.

In which case, it'd be hard to guess who'd end up with the most votes against them.

Having heard Hashimoto and Kamuro's analysis of the situation, Sakayanagi grinned.

To Sakayanagi, the outcome of all of this was obvious.

Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Yamauchi simply couldn't see it yet.

She was reminded of the reason why she had done this in the first place.

Sakayanagi pulled out her cell phone and turned off the power.

After all, she'd receive an incessant, endless number of calls and messages from Yamauchi if she kept it on.

Class A had a lot of praise votes to use during this exam.

Yamauchi probably couldn't help but feel worried about whether or not they were really going to use them on him.

"It seems there's something I had forgotten to tell everybody, a very important story concerning Yamauchi-kun."

With that, Sakayanagi began to tell them about the encounter that she had oh so carelessly forgotten to mention.

[Chapter end]