Chapter: 5 A TRAP, A HOME-COOKED MEAL, AND A FAVOR

Later that day, a somewhat unusual incident took place.

It happened at the start of the lunch break, just as the Ayanokōji Group was making their way to the cafe to eat together.

"Hey Ichinose. We should go get back at 'em! Even the score!"

As we were walking, we heard a harsh voice from up ahead of us. This voice belonged to none other than Shibata, a first-year student in Class B. He was accompanied by two other students who were also from Class B, Ichinose and Kanzaki.

"It's like, totally unusual, right guys? For Shibata-kun to get angry like that?"

"It's certainly unexpected."

It was understandable why Haruka and Akito were surprised.

"You think so?"

Airi, on the other hand, didn't quite seem to understand, since she usually never involves herself with people from the other classes.

Shibata was a member of the soccer club just like Hirata. He was a bright, energetic, and popular person, although a bit different from how Hirata usually was.

As far as I knew, he wasn't the type of person to raise his voice like this. "But couldn't it just be a coincidence?"

Ichinose used a persuasive tone to try and calm Shibata from his rage.

However, Shibata seemed to believe he had solid evidence and immediately refuted her.

"I don't think so. You do know it's the third time today, right? They're definitely trying to pick a fight."

Kanzaki noticed our presence and lightly motioned to Shibata. He looked at us with a somewhat embarrassed expression and calmed himself down, but it was already too late. An awkward silence filled the air.

"Heya, were you guys on your way to lunch?"

Just like that, Ichinose called out to us.

She wasn't asking just one of us, but rather addressing the group of us as a whole.

My friends hadn't interacted with Class B's leader very much, so they were at a loss as to how to respond.

Haruka nudged me in the side with her elbow, so I reluctantly decided to speak for the group.

"…Yeah. We're headed to the cafe. Did you need something?" "Wow, what a coincidence. We were just headed there ourselves."

As she spoke, Ichinose happily clapped her hands. But then, I noticed something that seemed out of place. Normally, Ichinose would always make eye contact with the person she was talking to, but this time, she didn't meet my eyes at all.

"If you guys don't mind, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Taken aback at her unexpected invitation, we all exchanged confused glances with each other.

"Ichinose, what are you doing?"

Kanzaki hurriedly interjected, most likely because he wasn't expecting her to propose something like this.

"What am I doing…? We're not competing against Class C, so what's the problem?"

"That's true, it's just…"

Kanzaki didn't seem very open to the idea of all of us going together.

However, if Ichinose had already made up her mind about it, there was no way he could refuse.

We, on the other hand, were a bit stuck. Unsure of what we should do or how we should answer…

"Time is of the essence. Let's get going~!"

But with a smile like hers, none of us were able to refuse.

Part 1

We pushed together two tables in the corner of the cafe and sat down to have a meal together.

It was not only a group composed of both Class B and C, but a highly unusual group at that.

"Sorry for inviting you all so suddenly like this. It's my treat, so don't hold back!"

Ichinose spoke, presenting us with an apology. "Are you really sure about that? Ichinose?"

Kanzaki's reaction to her offer was somewhat excessive.

Just before the last special exam, Ichinose made a deal with Class D to prevent Ryūen's expulsion by promising that Class B would cast their praise votes for him.

In order to save their classmate, Class B should've had to cough up every last private point they could get their hands on.

While I'm sure they had found some way to break even, they probably didn't have the luxury to be eating out like this, much less paying for others.

"We were already on our way to eat here anyway, so we'll pay for ourselves."

After I spoke, everyone else in the group nodded along in agreement. "I kinda forced this on you, so you don't have to be so considerate…"

"It's fine. This way, we can eat what we want without feeling guilty about it."

Under the pretense of sharing a peaceful meal together as equals, I once again turned down Ichinose's offer.

"So… Why did you invite us?"

Keisei broached the subject, unable to hold himself back from asking about it.

"It's because y'all seemed kinda surprised with Shibata-kun's behavior earlier. I thought it'd be better if I was just upfront with you about it instead of letting you guys speculate too much."

In a sense, Ichinose's judgment may be correct. If she hadn't called out to us, we would've probably ended up talking about what we saw for a while. Asking ourselves why he had gotten so riled up. And depending on the situation, it was also possible that a third-party might inadvertently overhear us, causing rumors to spread.

Kanzaki, however, wasn't so sure. "Are you sure you can tell them?"

"Do you really think this is something we need to keep quiet about?" "We can't rule out the possibility that somebody in Class C is involved." "Even if there is, it wouldn't make any difference, would it?"

"Ichinose is right, it just sounds like we were whining at this point."

As soon as Shibata cut in, Kanzaki glared at him with a sharp look in his eyes.

"W-what is it Kanzaki?" "Nothing…"

Shibata didn't seem to understand Kanzaki's true intentions, but if I had to guess…

Kanzaki probably thought that Shibata's words weren't very appropriate, but nobody else seemed to catch onto this, so it wasn't a particularly big problem.

"In any case, now that they've already heard this much, wouldn't it be best to just tell them?"

"…I guess."

Shibata's careless remark had been the deciding factor, forcing Kanzaki to back down.

"Simply put, you could kinda say Class D has recently been harassing us a little bit."

"A little bit?"

Shibata cut in, his voice filled with conviction.

"For some reason, me, Nakanishi, and even Beppu have all had to deal with the same crap from them. I dunno what to tell you, they're pestering us constantly and following us around for no reason. My man Beppu was

pretty scared when Albert went and just silently cornered him up against a wall earlier."

Just after Shibata finished, Kanzaki joined in on the complaining, probably deciding that it wouldn't make much of a difference at this point now that most everything had been put out into the open.

"I've spoken to those two about it myself, and pretty much everything checks out."

In other words, Class D had been targeting some of the students in Class B ever since the special exam started.

"It hasn't gotten physical or anything, has it?" "For now."

For the time being, it didn't appear that they've resorted to anything more than stalking and intimidation.

Of course, if Class D really became violent, the problem would get several times larger.

"It's probably their way of putting pressure on us. We're thinking they're looking to wear us down by keeping this up until the exam starts."

"Gimme a break. Class D is scary enough as it is. You do know that even Class C's been swallowed up in the trouble they've caused, right?"

Shibata was probably referring to the time when Sudō fought with Ishizaki and Komiya earlier this year.

Keisei had been quietly listening to their exchange, but at this point, he spoke up himself.

"I know it's kind of strange to get advice from another class, but I don't think their behavior is all that surprising. Class D certainly has a bad image, but a certain amount of external pressure is understandable. In fact, we've been seeing signs that Class A might be spying on our class."

"Is that true?"

With a nod, Keisei proceeded to tell them about the Class A students we had seen eavesdropping nearby our classroom.

"Class D is also kinda desperate, so maybe they're looking to pick up any information they can get their hands on?"

Despite having only listened to Keisei's explanation for a short time, Shibata appeared to be convinced by what he was saying.

Be that as it may, it certainly seemed like Class B would be the one to sustain the most damage.

"At the most basic level, this exam plays out in our favor, so it's not unreasonable that they'd do something like that. We should probably expect them to continue their harassment right up until the limit of what the school rules allow them to."

This was Kanzaki's analysis of the situation. That said, the part he hadn't considered was that Class D was only targeting a small fraction of Class B's students.

Did they decide that it was too risky to challenge Ichinose or Kanzaki…? Or did they have their sights set on something else entirely?

"I don't really think this is the kind of thing Kaneda-kun would be behind. Maybe it's Ishizaki-kun?"

"Yeah probably."

"I know it's concerning, but we just have to do what we can. We just have to continue working together, choose the right events, and do our very best on the day of the exam. Right?"

The two boys from Class B nodded along with Ichinose's hope-filled words.

"Are you saying you aren't gonna take any measures against Class D? Not even basic investigation?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. We're gonna focus our efforts on preparing for the ten events Class D come up with next week."

In other words, no matter what Class D would throw at them, they were planning to rely on the strength of their own class to make it through.

They would come face-to-face with the truth, without being deceived by false information. It was a safe, reliable strategy.

"What can I say, Class B is really something else."

Keisei spoke, his voice filled with wonder, before continuing.

"Wouldn't you normally do whatever it takes to beat a class that's above you? If stuff like spying and intimidation get results, it only makes sense that they'd make use of it. Honestly, your choice to take the high road and place your full confidence in your own capabilities is something that Class C would never be able to do."

Even though on the surface it didn't seem we were taking action against Class A, many of us were racking our brains for some way to find out information about them.

"Who knows? Maybe we're just not clever enough to do stuff like that?"

Saying this, Ichinose let show a small smile, to which Keisei spoke up again.

"Well, I think I get what you wanted to say to us. If rumors began to spread because we carelessly talked about Shibata's outburst back there, it would just end up broadcasting to Class D that their strategy is working."

Keisei had discovered the reason why Ichinose had invited us to eat lunch together.

If Class D were to find out that their harassment had done damage to Class B, it would only end up adding fuel to the fire.

In which case, Class B would have even more to deal with than they did now. They were looking to maintain their resolve and emphasize that Class D's tactics hadn't had any effect on them.

"Indeed. That's why I'd like to ask that you all do your best to keep this from spreading further."

"Spreading it around wouldn't do us any good, and it's not like we want to make an enemy out of Class B either."

Keisei agreed, with Haruka, Akito, and Airi nodding along shortly after without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Thank you so much everyone. Really."

As Ichinose thanked us, her eyes met mine for the first and only time.

At that moment, she casually brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

And then, as if carried on by the wind, a faint scent of citrus tickled my nose.

She quickly looked away, returning her gaze back to the group as a whole, and I found myself thinking that she was acting a little strange today.

Regardless, that wasn't something I was going to point out right now.

Part 2

After lunch, we parted ways with Ichinose's group. Once they were out of earshot, Haruka finally said what's on her mind.

"Man, Ichinose-san sure is cute isn't she? That smile of hers at the end there was pretty much cheating. Dontcha think?"

"Me? Not really…"

"Ah, Yukimuu, your face is turning red just thinking about it." "No it isn't."

"You don't have to deny it. Like, I'm a girl and even I think she's totally adorable, so I'm sure boys are completely floored with her."

Airi seemed to agree with her, as she was nodding along fervently as Haruka spoke.

"Miyatchi and Ayanokōji-kun think so too right?"

Since Akito and I didn't want to be targeted like Keisei, we both reluctantly forced a smile to avoid being questioned further. Oddly enough, Airi asked the next question.

"I may just be imagining things, but… has Ichinose-san ever used perfume before?"

"Ah, I've been wondering about that too. She was using some kind of citrusy perfume wasn't she?"

"Yeah. That may have been what surprised me the most. Maybe she's had a change of heart or something?"

"Huh, what do you three think?"

The two girls had begun talking about something that us boys couldn't possibly know anything about, so Haruka's question put us on the spot again.

"Was she wearing perfume? Either way, she might've just felt like wearing some today or something, right?"

Keisei's uninterested response prompted Haruka to let out a blatantly disappointed sigh.

"Boys really don't notice the small stuff, do they?"

"… Moving on… We're not the only ones in a tough spot. From the looks of it, the other matchup has their own fair share of problems to get through."

Not wanting to deal with any more of Haruka's teasing, Akito changed the subject.

"In order to win against Class B, Class D probably can't afford to care about appearances anymore. It's totally possible that Class D might get even more serious with their harassment moving forward."

Taking the chance to escape, Keisei quickly got on board with Akito's new conversation topic. His prediction was probably right on the mark.

There were only three victims so far, but it wouldn't be surprising if that number went up a bit.

"Ryūen isn't taking the lead for them anymore, either. They probably don't stand much of a chance if they don't do something like this."

"Even so, it seems to me like they're going about it the same way Ryūen- kun would."

Akito was right. Applying pressure like this felt like a strategy Ryūen would employ.

"But it's pointless. It won't be enough to break through Class B's stronghold. After talking to them today, I'm starting to think it may be a

good thing that our opponent is Class A. I simply don't wanna go against Class B."

"Eh? Why do you think that Yukimuu?"

"Compared to everyone else, their unshakable unity and the way they tackle their problems head-on without overestimating their own abilities is just on another level. They'll produce consistent results no matter what event it is. I don't feel like we'd be able to win."

Keisei seemed to be afraid of the idea that Class B would perform above average at everything they put their minds to.

"But like, even if they're above average at everything, that doesn't mean anything if they lose, ya know?"

Even if they got eighty or ninety percent in all seven events, they'd still lose if their opponent gets a full score.

"Do you get what our chances are like when we don't know which events will get chosen on exam day? There might be some specialized events that the lower classes can win at, but at the same time, if those events don't get chosen, we'd face a crushing defeat. The results would be disastrous."

"I see… You might be right."

Airi seemed to understand Keisei's explanation, as she nodded her head several times in agreement.

"Hey, hey, Stop!"

As we walked around a hallway corner with Keisei in the lead, Haruka abruptly grabbed his arm and called him to a stop.

"Wha-"

Keisei tried to ask what was going on, but Haruka covered his mouth with her hand and pointed just in front of us.

She was pointing at Ike and Shinohara, who were walking together just a short bit ahead of us.

"S-say, Shinohara." "What?"

"Well… Uhhh."

"Cat got your tongue? What is it?"

We all became silent and carefully listened to what we could hear of the conversation taking place before us.

"…A-are you free on Sunday… or, something?"

"Sunday? I don't have anything planned at the moment, but… Wait, what?"

"I mean, uhm, wanna hang out a bit, or something? Only if you want to, that is."

We could hear what they were talking about, albeit just barely. Haruka and Airi looked at each other with expressions that seemed to be filled with excitement, while Keisei and Akito, in stark contrast, shared a mutual expression of utter disbelief.

"White day is on Sunday, isn't it? Do you think Shinohara-san gave Ike- kun chocolates on Valentine's?"

"Maybe!"

Although Shinohara at first seemed skeptical about Ike's invitation, she gradually seemed to pick up on what was happening.

"Well, it's just, you gave me chocolate and all… So I thought I'd like, return the favour, ya know."

"You're so sincere even though it was just obligatory chocolate. Do you even have any money?"

"I've been saving up a bit… N-nevermind, it's fine if you don't want to." "…I never said I didn't want to."

"D-does that mean…"

"D-don't get the wrong idea, kay? The special exam is coming up soon, so this is just my last chance to relax. And since you're saying you'll pay and everything, how could I say no?"

For some reason, seeing this reminded me of the conversation I had with Hoshinomiya-sensei this morning about room-sharing.

The small seeds of romance might be starting to bud in places I wasn't even aware of.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Wait. We just got to the good part."

"Don't stick your neck into other people's love affairs."

Akito grabbed Haruka by the collar of her shirt and began walking away in the opposite direction.

"Come on, what's wrong with listening for just a bit longer? My heart's starting to flutter."

"Mine's not."

"Ugh. What was I expecting from a clueless guy like you… right, Airi?"

"Y-yeah. My heart's beating pretty fast too… But, they'd be embarrassed if they saw us, wouldn't they?"

"That's true, but like, it's their fault for doing this in public in the first place."

If they were to notice us in this situation, it very well might interfere with their slowly budding relationship.

Part 3

Class C was still at the point where we were gathering information about what events everyone specialized in.

The after-school discussions were becoming less and less frequent, but the classwide group chat was becoming more and more active as time went on. While Kōenji and Hirata still hadn't participated, anyone in the class could now join the conversation whenever they wanted to.

In fact, based on the activity in the group chat, this type of discussion just might be better for Class C as a whole compared to face-to-face discussions where people might not be brave enough to share their opinions. However, this was simply what someone could see from an outsider's perspective.

In reality, I was simply waiting for Horikita to finish everything I had entrusted her with.

Ironing out the details about the role I would play would come later.

Even so, there were still several things to be wary of. Namely, Kōenji and Hirata.

Hirata in particular. Horikita probably had no way of fixing him in his current state.

Since both of them still hadn't participated in the group chat, it was clear that neither of them were looking forward to the special exam.

While Kōenji's behavior was nothing new, Hirata's absence was a great loss for the class.

Hirata had changed drastically. It was as if he had become a different person entirely.

While it may be a harsh way to put it, he was no different than a swollen abscess at this point. A complete thorn in our side. Even though it was painful, nobody would dare touch it. The only thing we could do is pray that the swelling would go down on its own. It was truly a shame. If he went back to normal, he'd be a versatile card that could be played in any event.

Besides, there were still a few other things to be wary of as well. "…Hirata-kun!"

As Hirata left to head home for the day, Mii-chan ran out after him.

I found myself wondering how many times this had happened already.

While one person after another had already given up, Mii-chan still hadn't lost heart.

Was this a testament to the power of love? No… even if it's love, the question still remains.

She was most likely still afraid that he would come to hate her for her incessant behavior.

So then, why does she keep trying to reach out to him? "Like, it's super hard to see Hirata-kun act like this…"

Kei quietly spoke to her group of friends who were still in the classroom. "Yeah. Is it really alright to leave him alone like this, Karuizawa-san?"

"It'll be useless no matter what I say. He might hold a grudge against me."

Hirata's steadfast rejection from back when Kei reached out to him just the other day was still fresh in everyone's memory.

"Yeah. First he got dumped by Karuizawa-san, then Yamauchi-kun got expelled and…"

I cast a cursory glance toward the girls as they were having their discussion before leaving the classroom.

My sights weren't set on Hirata today. I was going to look into yet another problem that needed to be dealt with.

I had business with a particular student who had left the classroom shortly after Mii-chan.

"Hey, you got a minute?"

I called out to the girl, who turned and looked behind her after pausing for a moment.

"What is it, Ayanokōji-kun?"

The girl was none other than Kushida, someone who hadn't been very involved in the special exam so far.

She hadn't done or said anything to help our classmates, nor interfered with them.

Instead, the days had gone by without her saying very much.

In the past, Kushida would've taken on a more prominent role and worked to support the class.

However, there was no sign of her doing that this time, and there were probably two reasons behind that.

The first was that her position within the class had become unstable due to the outcome of the vote in the previous exam.

Although she was being used by Yamauchi, the fact that she had conspired with him to get me expelled had been exposed to everyone.

Even though many students had decided that there was room to sympathize with Kushida, it was still a slight problem for her.

The whole affair had left a stain on what she was most proud of: her guise of a good, virtuous person.

The second reason was that Horikita was the one taking the lead this time.

Looking at it from Kushida's point of view, this was probably the real reason behind her lack of action.

Kushida has hated Horikita from the beginning for knowing the secrets of her past.

On top of that, Horikita had given her quite the scolding just before the end of The Class Vote exam.

Whatever her reasons may have been, it was her punishment for trying to expel someone who didn't deserve to be expelled.

The damage to her pride should've been nearly fatal. "You don't seem to be supporting Horikita this time."

While I was already fully aware of this, I daringly brought it up anyway.

After all, I wanted to find out what actions Kushida was planning to take in this special exam.

No matter how closely you look at her smiling, cheerful mask, you wouldn't be able to discern her true feelings.

If you didn't know about the real Kushida laying dormant beneath the mask, you wouldn't think anything was amiss.

"Shall we take a walk as we talk?" "That's fine."

Not wanting our conversation to be carelessly overheard by others, she urged for us to walk somewhere else together.

"Do you have any plans after this?"

"Yup. I'm going to hang out with some girls from Class B for a bit. Do you think it's wrong for me to be playing around during such an important time or something?"

"No, it's important to take some time for yourself sometimes. I think pretty much everyone would agree with that."

It'd be foolish to spend your time obsessing over the exam twenty-four hours a day.

When it's time to be serious, you should be serious. But when it's time to relax, you should relax.

"You understand it, don't you? The reason why I'm not doing anything? I thought it'd be fine to support Yamauchi-kun and get you expelled. But now that everyone knows what I've done, what kind of right do I have to lead the class?"

Kushida intentionally left out the fact that Horikita had become the leader, the real reason behind her lack of action.

"You don't look very convinced." "Well, I guess."

"Just to be clear, the reason I'm not lending a hand isn't because Horikita- san is the one leading the class, okay?"

"Really?"

"Really really."

She nodded several times for emphasis, but even so, she was still lying about it.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

Of course I didn't believe her. But even though my suspicions didn't show on my face, she was bound to think so either way.

She had already decided that I'd be suspicious of her a long time ago.

"How do I look to you right now, Ayanokōji-kun? Be honest with me." "Well…"

Outwardly, she seemed like a classmate with a lovely smile on her face. However…

I tried to imagine Kushida's true personality hidden underneath her mask.

"I'm definitely gonna fuck up that bitch! She dared to make a fool of me in front of the entire class? I'll never forgive her! I'll kill her! Kill her kill her kill her! I'll definitely kill her!!"

With a vein popping out of the side of her head, she ranted about Horikita, prattling off a list of profanities that were unbearable to listen to.