Chapter 3 Part II

During dinner, I decided to act. I say 'act' but all I'm doing here is trying to work out the situation on the girls' side. Because the fact that Ichinose and Shiina are in the same group caught my attention. It would be best if I can work out what's going on with the other groups. As for Kei, she's having dinner in the same spot as the previous days to make it easier for me to approach her. Even though I ordered no such thing. How reliable of her. On the other hand, I had been randomly picking empty seats and didn't tie myself down to one location for meals. That's because I chose to avoid making open contact with Kei, just in case. There aren't many students who are aware of the relationship between me, Ryuuen plus a few other Class D students, vice president Kiriyama and Kei.

Besides, there's also an enemy within I need to watch out for. I checked the time and took a seat near Kei. And as I began thinking of a way to make her aware of my presence— "hnn—". Kei greeted me with a squeak? I was greeted by something along the lines of that. Looks like Kei noticed me coming over, despite the fact that she had been chatting with her friends. If so, I should just patiently wait until she's rid herself of the nuisance. Kei continued eating dinner leisurely and manipulated her friends into leaving with the excuse of returning to their room early. I had been considering postponing our converation if it meant another student might barge in during the middle of it, or if her friends had chosen to stay but it looks like she's succeeded in manipulating them.

Eventually, there's no one left around us who'd pay attention to either of us and so our conversation started.

Of course, if someone came our way this conversation would instantly be cut short though.

"So? Finally feel like relying on me on the third day?"

"That's about right. There's far too little information on the girls."

"Well, it can't be helped right? For someone with a communication disorder like you, there are only a few girls you could possibly make contact with."

She gave me the cold shoulder right off the bat.

Of course, if that's something Kei can take advantage of to maintain our relationship then that's a cheap price to pay but I felt like bullying her. Just a bit.

"Then even without my advice, you can overcome this special exam?"

"O-Of course. Who do you think I am?"

"I see. Then there's nothing to fear."

"...later, at least analyze my situation to see if there's any danger or not, ok?"

Perhaps she felt anxious at that, since Kei said that to me.

"For now, let's hear it starting from the partitioning of the girls' groups."

"Ahh, before we talk about that there's something that's been bugging me."

"Let's keep it brief."

<Illustration >

If the conversation between the two of us takes too long, there may be students who'd grow suspicious.

"It's something pretty important…or more like, what's going on with that Ryuuen guy?"

"Are you concerned?"

"I mean, yeah. It's become a topic even among the girls. Why that guy stopped being the leader but it doesn't look like anybody knows the truth though."

"Being as meek as a lamb, that expression doesn't quite fit Ryuuen but right now it looks like he's acting quite mature."

"Does that mean your chastisement worked?"

"Chastisement, eh?"

Behind Kei's tough words lies her vulnerable side, occasionally showing itself. Her curiosity about him probably stems from her anxiety which itself resulted from the fact that Ryuuen's seen her at her weakest.

"Don't worry about Ryuuen. He won't act carelessly. At the very least, I can say that he won't do anything to Kei from now on."

I said so to reassure her. However, I didn't get a response from Kei. I had every intention of being cautious, so perhaps it's because someone came? That's what I had assumed but that doesn't seem to be the case. I immediately grasped the situation.

"…sorry, that was nothing."

She tried to deceive me with that.

"That didn't seem like nothing, Kei."

"I-I'm telling you it's nothing."

"Is that true, Kei?"

"…hold it right there. You're doing it on purpose!"

She didn't turn around, but she said so threateningly.

Maybe I bullied her a tad bit too much.

"Ahh, mou. Really, I shouldn't have given you permission to call me by my first name...…"

"You're the one who called me out here in the first place though."

"Yeah. That can't be helped."

More importantly, if we're done talking about Ryuuen then I'd like to move onto business. Although we're blending in with the hustle and bustle, if someone familiar with us happens to stumble upon this scene, they'd grow suspicious of the relationship between us.

"For the record, I've gathered as much information as I possibly could...can I talk about it?"

"Yeah."

"Just so you know, I couldn't get information on every single group like you wanted me to."

"I know. I'm not expecting all that from you."

"That's a really irritating way of saying it. Even someone like you wouldn't know which group everyone belongs to, right?"

"Maybe. I wonder."

"…what, surely you aren't saying you've memorized all of that, are you?"

"I never said that."

"What group does Class B's Shibata-kun belong to?"

"A Class B-focused group led by Kanzaki."

"What about Class A's Tsukasaki-kun?"

"He's also like that. He belongs to a Class A-focused group established by a student named Matoba."

"Th-Then what about Suzuki-kun?"

"The person who goes by that name was assigned to a different small group."

"So you HAVE memorized it all!"

"Just the people whose names I know. But if I can see their faces, I can tell which group which student belongs to."

The one thing I must thank this special exam for is that it made me decide to memorize the names of all 1st year students. By the time this exam's over, I'm sure I'll be able to match each name with a face with near 100% accuracy. As long as I haven't overlooked anyone or misunderstood anything, that is.

"Haa...what exactly did you have to do to get such a good memory? Are you perhaps the four-eyed nerd-kun type?"

Unfortunately, I don't quite get what Kei is saying.

"More importantly, let's get down to business. What's going on with Sakayanagi and Kamuro's group?"

"The two of them are in the same group composed of three classes with nine from Class A. Class A's the first to assemble, you see."

I received such an explanation from Kei. Just like the Class A boys, they also went with the same strategy of assembling right off the bat, huh? But they settled for nine rather than twelve, eh?

"A three class composite means that someone's been left out. Or perhaps Sakayanagi did not let them join?"

"They didn't accept anyone from Class B in so they were rejected from the very start. They said something about Ichinose-san not being trustworthy and what not. Of course, the one who said that was Kamuro-san instead of Sakayanagi-san though."

"Not trustworthy, huh?"

"I mean, any student from another class isn't trustworthy by default but Ichinose-san's the only one called out by name that way. But isn't that strange? I've heard how popular she is."

If we have to name just one 1st year student from another class who's trustworthy then without a doubt I would have named Ichinose too. Of course, if it's the other classes doing the naming then there'd be quite a lot of students naming Kushida. Anyway, Ichinose should be either number one or two when it comes to being the most trustworthy student in our school year. However, the reward will be smaller if the group is made up of the minimum number of people from three classes. A strategy where there's no total victory. But at the same time also a strategy where there's no total defeat.

"Unfair, isn't it? Class A should've just looked after themselves. They were very bullish during group formation."

"I suppose so."

A solid and safe strategy. No doubt about it, Sakayanagi must have been the one who drafted this plan. It's surprising that someone as aggressive as her would choose to adopt a defensive strategy like this.

"So? What should I do next? Should I try something?"

"Tricks won't really fly in this special exam. But there are a few people I'd like you to keep an eye on."

I told her that and named several people who are likely to become the key players.

"Hnn, sounds pretty tough but I'll give it a try."

Obediently following the orders issued to her. That's Kei's strong point.

"But what's up with this exam? Are stuff like manners and morals really that necessary?"

"I wonder. If I have to put this in terms of a story, then it might be something of a MacGuffin."

"Ehh? Maguga——"

"I'm not talking about a mug cup, you know."

"I-I knew that. So? What's this all about?"

She didn't seem like she had the faintest idea.

"It's an important 'something' for the characters but it's not something vital for the story itself. That's what it means."

"I didn't get any of that. I know Kiyotaka's smart so explain that in layman's terms already."

"What I'm saying is that while things like manners and morals may be necessary, they aren't important in and of themselves."

The time allocated for dinner is almost over and students are beginning to scatter.

"But this exam—might get a little stormy."

"Stormy…what do you mean? Does that mean if things go the way Kiyotaka predicted, something terrible's going to happen?"

"Relax. At the very least I can say no harm will come to you."

This time around, the storm won't be hitting the 1st years. I grabbed my tray and stood up.

"If I need you again, I'll let you know."

"Roger."

After our little back-and-forth, I decided to returned to the shared room.