Chapter 3 - Divergence

Shikamaru Nara

April 3.

The first day of formal discussion with our teachers.

This school is simply draining if you ask me. I've only been here for two days, and I've already come across plenty of pieces that I'd rather learn at a later date. I suppose you could say that it is "as expected" from the High School of the Elite, but I am Shikamaru Nara.

I find these things troublesome.

Regardless, I have made a vow not just to Naruto but to myself as well.

It's time to step out of the shadows.

And I believe I've made good strides in doing so.

I may not have the widest network of all students just yet, but I think no other freshman has uncovered as many things as I've already got. That's an advantage that I will be looking to build upon. Since I am about 99% sure that this school would pit the four classes against one another, added knowledge would be a welcome addition to our ammunition.

Class D may be deemed as the nest of the misfits... but I'm sure I can find uses for everyone in the class.

Maybe except for Yamauchi.

I don't know how that perverted dumbass even got here. His best friend, Ike Kanji, seemed to be talented in communication, so that's a plus for the guy... but Yamauchi...

His only skill is probably just unmatched depravity.

Poke.

Poke.

Poke.

I was disturbed from my "nap" when I felt someone repeatedly poke me on the shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes and turned my head to my left. To my surprise, it was Horikita who woke me up from my "nap."

I blinked a couple of times, confused at why she'd even approached me. Sure, I did help her out when she had a panic attack yesterday, but I doubt that would immediately change her views of me.

"What can I do for you, Horikita?" I asked.

"Please accept this as my thanks for what you did yesterday," she said before offering me a cellophane that contained a bento inside.

I raised an eyebrow as I accepted her gift. I might be able to predict some stuff before they happen, but the mind of a woman is a battlefield that I have yet to master.

"It's not just me that helped you, you know?" I asked.

Horikita nodded.

"I know. I gave one to Ayanokouji-kun as well," she replied, leading me to look at the brown-haired boy, who also had the same package resting on his desk.

Good for you, Ayanokouji!

"I see. Thank you for this, Horikita," I replied.

Horikita shook her head and said, "No, you shouldn't thank me. I am just evening up the score between us. Thank you for yesterday, Nara-kun. Have a great day," Horikita said before she returned to her seat, not even sparing me another glance.

That girl has a rather cute girly side, doesn't she?

At least it's clear to me now that Horikita isn't purely a mean-spirited person.

I can appreciate that.

After glancing at the retreating Horikita for a few moments, I put her home-cooked bento inside my bag and then headed towards Hirata, who was already chatting with people.

"Yo, Hirata!" I called out to the popular boy, who immediately turned his head in my direction.

"Good morning, Nara-kun!" He greeted.

"Ah, where are my manners? Hello to you as well, girls," I greeted the girls flocking to Hirata in a rather indifferent voice, getting myself a few "Hello Nara-san" from them in response.

"Anyways, Hirata, I think it's a good time to announce what I told you yesterday. Everyone's already in the class, even Yamauchi and Ike," I replied.

"Alright, if you say so, Nara-kun," Hirata smiled at me before he walked towards the teacher's podium.

I walked to Hirata's side as I waited for him to make the announcement I asked him to make.

"Good morning, classmates! I hope we can take a couple of minutes of your time as Nara-kun and I will make an important announcement to the class," Hirata said.

After hearing affirmation from most of the class, Hirata shot them a smile before he decided to continue.

"Yesterday, as we were eating in the cafeteria, Nara-kun noticed a weird detail that could give us a clue about what might happen to us next month. Would it be fine if you were to explain it yourself, Nara-kun?" Hirata turned his head to me and asked.

I internally chuckled as I found myself impressed with Hirata's social engineering skills. He didn't want to take credit for my discovery, but he also acknowledged that the class might not listen to me right away. Hence, he intentionally crafted an atmosphere where it would be almost impossible for people to ignore what I was about to say.

I smiled at Hirata and nodded.

"Hey, guys. To those who've eaten at the cafeteria, I'd just like to ask one question. Have you guys seen the free lunch set that they offer there?"

Upon seeing a couple of nods, I continued.

"Here's the working theory that I've had, which I am almost certain is the actual situation. No one in their right mind would willingly eat a vegetable lunch set unless they were broke... or vegetarian. But considering yesterday was still April 2, it should be impossible for students to spend all of the 100,000 that should have been deposited to their accounts at the start of the month. The fact that some students are already picking up the vegetable lunch set is a little suspicious, don't you think?"

Some classmates slowly nodded, while some of the more unruly ones had a contesting reaction to it.

"Yamauchi, you want to say something?" I asked.

"Yeah! What exactly are you getting at? Those people might just want to save their money, you know?" Yamauchi responded.

I sighed at the stupidity of Yamauchi. If he had a couple of brain cells, he would have immediately understood where I was getting at.

"As Ayanokouji told me yesterday, "Leniency is just an illusion in this school." I'd like to ask you guys again... if you had 100,000 Yen, would you even bother eating a free lunch set consisting of bland vegetables?"

After hearing a chorus of No's from my classmates, I continued.

"Where I'm getting at is, there is a high likelihood that we won't be receiving 100,000 points per month, and the school had developed a metric in place to determine how many points we get in a single month," I revealed.

A female classmate raised her hand. If I remember correctly, her name was Matsushita Chiaki.

"Yes, Matsushita?"

"How sure are you about this, Nara-kun?" Matsushita asked.

"You can ask Ayanokouji if you guys doubt me about this, but when we interviewed a senior yesterday, she simply said that she didn't get any point deposit this month," I replied.

The attention then turned to Ayanokouji, who didn't seem shocked that many eyes were on him, although I could guess that he did feel a little pressured by it. He just has a damned emotionless face.

"Is that true, Ayanokouji?"

"Was Nara-san telling the truth?"

Ayanokouji blinked his eyes a couple of times before wordlessly nodding at the questions sent his way.

"Do you guys have any questions?" I asked before I leaned in closer to Hirata and whispered certain words in his ear.

"Hirata, tell them to be vigilant of how they conduct themselves in class. No napping, no using of phones, no absences and tardiness, and if they can't pay attention to the teacher, at least pretend to do so. I have an idea that our point balance would be determined by these things as well."

Hirata nodded at me and sent me a thumbs-up.

Horikita stood up and asked a question.

"If we assume your theory is true, do you have an idea how the school would calculate the points we receive?"

"I wouldn't know how the school is going to rate us, but if I have to go with my gut feeling, we'll probably be rated based on academics, class participation, and student discipline," I replied.

"I see... that does sound like a reasonable take. Thank you, Nara-kun," Horikita said before sitting down on her chair.

"That's bullshit! The teachers didn't seem to care when we used our phones yesterday, and Sudo even slept through the entire class! If the teachers aren't policing us, then why should we let you do that?" Yamauchi protested.

That's it.

I will make sure Yamauchi gets expelled.

I have many plans in mind to do just that.

We are fighting an uphill battle.

We are Class D, supposedly living at the bottom of the barrel, and I want to change that status.

I will not let deadweight like you bring us down, Yamauchi.

And if I won't see any changes...

I will make sure you're gone before you know it.

"You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you? If you continue being a nuisance, you will be hurting the entire class. If you want to have zero points next month like the senior I saw yesterday, be my guest, but don't drag the rest of us with you. We're in school, and it's expected of us to be on good behavior while we're in class," I replied and glared at Yamauchi.

"Yeah, Nara-kun is right! Why don't you just die, you damn pervert?"

"If we lose points because of you, I will make sure your life becomes miserable!"

"Don't drag us down with you, Yamauchi!"

"That's right! What school would actually let us get away with screwing around?"

"Yeah! I bet the school is just testing us!"

Feh. Basic Human Psychology: paint a scenario where the well-being of everyone is at stake over a singular action, and they will form a horde that would turn against someone who might pose a risk to the benefits they enjoy.

But it amuses me how the rest of the class pretends like they're any better than Yamauchi when they're just as bad as the dumb pervert.

Regardless if it was openly perving on people or a simple misdemeanor, the fact remains the same: you are already harming the class with your carelessness.

Hirata once again came up on stage and sent everyone a smile to ease up the tension.

"Calm down, everyone. I'm sure Yamauchi-kun is still trying to ease up in this new environment. But yes, I agree with the points of Nara-kun. I suggest everyone to be vigilant of how you conduct yourselves in class. This means no napping, no using of phones, no absences and tardiness, and if you can't pay attention to the teacher, at least pretend to do so. This is just a small favor, guys. I hope you can agree to that," Hirata even had the guts to bow at exactly 45 degrees to show everyone his resolve.

"No need to do that, Hirata. Well... I'll just put in a wager with everyone. If my theory is wrong and we still get 100,000 points next month, I will treat everyone to food, and if I'm right... then you guys still get more money than you would if we don't abide by what Hirata mentioned. That's a win-win scenario, right?"

It's a useless bargain, but no one is going to say no to free food... and well, we've already set the stage where everyone essentially agrees that behaving in school is a must.

"You better treat us to some good food, Nara!" Yamauchi exclaimed, a grin forming on his face.

What a complete imbecile.

"So... everyone here agrees, I take it? You guys better take things seriously now," I said.

I coughed as I braced myself as I was about to say something I wouldn't expect to come out of my mouth.

"Let's prove to everyone we're the best, alright?!"

Cheers from my classmates met me while I slowly died inside from the cringe I felt from imitating Naruto.

Emergence of the Shadow

"I didn't expect you to be someone who'd take the initiative in uniting the class, Nara-kun."

I sighed as I turned my head to the ever-so-snarky Horikita... well, Horikita Suzune, as I finally found out moments ago. It seemed that after seeing Ayanokouji and I come to her aid without any hidden agenda, she deemed us 'worthy' of knowing her full name but maintained that we weren't her friends but rather people she could tolerate.

What a troublesome woman.

Currently, I found myself sitting with Horikita and Ayanokouji for lunch. I didn't really mind, given Horikita went through the trouble of cooking bentos for both Ayanokouji and me, but some of the things this woman says... gets to my nerves.

"What a roundabout way of complimenting someone, Horikita," I replied.

"I am simply stating facts. Wouldn't you agree, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Both our heads turned to Ayanokouji, who was just quietly eating the food Horikita cooked.

"Hm? Nara's assertiveness is a surprise, yes," Ayanokouji replied.

I sighed in response.

It's not like they were wrong. I'm not exactly the type to rally people together, but that doesn't mean I do not know how to do it.

I just wouldn't be able to do it at the same degree Naruto could.

"I need to subtly wake people up. You guys were there when those upperclassmen harrassed Sudo, right?" I asked.

After seeing the two nod, I continued.

"Do you remember what those upperclassmen said to Sudo when they found out he's in Class D?" I asked.

Horikita stared at me but said nothing.

"Defective," Ayanokouji replied.

I nodded my head.

"That's right. That implies that there's a hierarchical system going on. With Class A being filled with the most talented, and Class D is filled with... defects."

After hearing this, Horikita gritted her teeth in frustration, most likely a result of her realization of her current situation.

"This does not make sense at all. Why am I in the defective class?" She asked no one in particular.

"Horikita."

Horikita's head then turned in my direction, meeting my blank stare.

"This is not the time to be dissatisfied with which class you got assigned to," I said.

"But..."

"No buts. If you want to prove the school wrong, then let's just rise to Class A together. Simple as that," I replied.

"It doesn't make sense to me. I know I did well on the interviews and on the written exams. How am I here?"

I turned my head to Ayanokouji, who gave me a nod.

That's weird... and at the same time, it makes sense.

Ayanokouji is aware that I knew there was more to him than he let on, so he saw no reason to make me even more suspicious of him.

"I have an idea why, but I don't think you can take it at the moment. Let it go for now, Horikita, and just trust me on my plans for this class," I said.

Horikita stared at me for a few seconds and nodded.

"That said, don't blurt out to people that they're considered defects. That might just ruin what we had just built today," I added, to which both Horikita and Ayanokouji nodded to.

"Just who are you Nara Shikamaru? You seem too calm about the situation you found yourself in. Aren't you dissatisfied with finding yourself here?" Horikita asked.

"No, not really. I am exactly where the Nara Shikamaru from a couple of months ago belonged to," I replied in a way that would give Horikita an idea of why she was sorted in Class D.

It was clear as day.

Horikita Suzune's refusal to work with others, her superiority complex, and her anti-social attitude led her to Class D.

"But I know that this is not where the Nara Shikamaru of today belongs. If you think the same about yourself, then feel free to prove everyone wrong, Horikita," I added.

"Haah. If only I could have your motivation, Nara," Ayanokouji chimed in.

"You told me yesterday when we were looking at the clouds that you wanted nothing more than a peaceful life. I can totally relate to that. Doing the things I'm planning to do... is the key for me to live a peaceful life," I replied.

Ayanokouji glanced at me for a while before he turned his attention to his food.

"We have different ways of going around it, I guess," Ayanokouji replied.

I chuckled.

Just like everything in life, our actions, assuming it does not violate the established moral and ethical norms... are simply based on perspective. Meaning there are multiple ways to go around life.

Emergence of the Shadow

April 10

"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Good morning, Ike!"

Arriving at class, Ike wore a wide grin on his face as he called out to Yamauchi. It had been about a week since the start of classes, and it was rather unusual for them to get here so early since they tend to always make it to class right before the bell rang. While not exactly ideal, I couldn't reprimand them about it because they're at least putting in the effort not to be late.

The speech Hirata and I made last week yielded decent results thus far.

While, of course, it would be ideal if everyone followed our advice, the fact that the majority of the class was at least trying to act like upstanding students... is acceptable enough.

The few people who didn't really change... were the now-labeled "Three Idiots" of Class D, that being, Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo.

"Whew, man! I was looking forward to today so much that I barely slept last night!"

"Ha ha ha! This school is just the best! I can't believe that it's almost time for swimming! And when I say swimming, I mean girls! And when I say girls, I mean girls in school swimsuits!"

It was true that the swimming classes were co-ed. In other words, it meant that Horikita, Kushida, Karuizawa, Hasebe, Sakura, and the rest of the girls would be... showing off a lot of skin. The girls, for obvious reasons, backed away from the Perverted Duo's rabid excitement.

"The excitement of virgins never fails to amuse me," Kouenji said.

"Ah, you talking to me?" I replied

"Of course. You're the only one worthy to hear the thoughts of a Perfect Existence like myself," Kouenji replied matter-of-factly.

"I must admit, even I'm a little interested. I'm just not going to voice it out," I replied.

Kouenji laughed at my open admission.

"Ah, you must be curious as to how your black-haired dame would look, right?" Kouenji asked.

I shot the blonde-haired narcissist a glare.

"What do you mean my black-haired dame?" I asked.

"Feh! Remain oblivious for all I care, Pineapple-boy!" Kouenji replied before going back to his important duty of brushing his hair.

Of course, I had an idea of what Kouenji was alluding to. After toying around the idea that Horikita isn't as good as she claims herself to be, she had been trying to get answers out of me, may it be through bribing me to food or cornering me to a conversation. This, of course, was noticed by our classmates, given my standing in the class increased after pulling that stunt with Hirata.

Going back to Horikita, it seemed like she wouldn't be satisfied until I gave her what she wanted, so I told her straight to her face:

"You seem to have mistaken isolation for independence, Horikita. Unless you finally rid yourself of that thought, you'll always remain a defect."

That was two days ago.

We haven't spoken since.

Although, I do notice her glancing my way from time to time. Perhaps that was a line she was familiar with?

Fortunately, Ike and Yamauchi are done with their perverted ramblings. I guess I'll have to enjoy this short peace before homeroom starts...

And I just had to jinx it, didn't I?

"Hey, Professor! Come here for a second!" Ike called out to someone they called "Professor," which was a classmate of ours named Sotomura Hideo.

"Uh... you called?" Professor... err, Sotomura replied.

The chubby Sotomura approached them slowly, and as he neared the two perverts, he was met with twin sets of grins.

"Professor, can you record the girls wearing their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked.

Ike's voice maintained its default volume, so I'm pretty sure all the girls heard what he just said.

"Leave it to me! I'll pretend to be sick so that I can skip class and observe," Sotomura said in a much lower tone. If not for my sharp hearing, I probably wouldn't be able to make out what Sotomura said.

I noticed Ayanokouji making his way over, leading me to shake my head at what I believed to be one of Ayanokouji's attempts to make new friends. Those are the last people you want to befriend, Ayanokouji... maybe except Sudo and Sotomura, who I heard dabbled in technology.

"Record? What are you planning?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Hey, hey, not too loud, you idiots! The girls are gonna hear us," Sudo warned them.

Do these idiots not realize that about every girl in the class has overheard their conversation?

"We are taking bets on the girls' breast sizes, and the Professor is going to rank the breast sizes of the girls. If we're lucky, we are even getting some pictures. Are you interested, Ayanokouji?"

As if on cue, Sotomura opened up his tablet and opened the spreadsheets application, but since I was far away, I couldn't see the exact numbers it had.

My eyes then roamed over the classroom, noticing the disgusted faces all the girls in the class had.

Hah. Time to do something about it, I guess.

I stood up from my seat and began walking toward the idiots who were holding a "private meeting."

"Oi! What's this I'm hearing about taking bets?"

"H-hey! Don't be too loud, Nara! The girls are going to hear us!" Yamauchi exclaimed, sending me a glare.

"You idiot. Everyone has already heard whatever you're plotting because you guys were too loud," I pointed out.

"Cr...crap!" Ike cursed.

"What do we do now, Nara? You seem to have the superpower to convince everyone. You have to help us salvage this... we'll even let you in!" Yamauchi pleaded.

I grabbed Sotomura's tablet and glanced at the current odds.

It would seem that Hasebe was the favorite in terms of which of the girls had the biggest breasts, with the odds sitting at one to eight.

"This is a little too elaborate than I would have thought. Aren't you observing them a little too closely?" I asked.

Ayanokouji was right behind me, peeking at the spreadsheet file.

"Of course! We're men, aren't we? Men have only two things constantly on their minds: tits and ass!" Ike proudly declared.

Jesus, these guys are worse than Kiba!

At least that idiot had some filter to him.

I pretended not to listen to them and began fiddling with the tablet.

"Oi, Nara! What the hell are you doing?" Yamauchi asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm making sure none of you idiots get expelled for making perverted bets, so I'm changing the subject of the bet."

"E-eh?! Expelled?!"

"Explain yourself, Nara!"

Sudo, Ayanokouji, and Sotomura remained silent and simply watched me deal with the two idiots.

Noticing the phone in Ayanokouji's hand, a smirk enveloped my face.

"I had Ayanokouji record you idiots discussing your stupid plans. Wouldn't it suck if we were to tell this to the school? You guys were planning to commit voyeurism, you know?" I said, leading the two to look at Ayanokouji and see the phone in his hand.

"Ayanokouji! Don't listen to Nara. We'll do anything, just don't show that to the school!" Yamauchi begged.

Ayanokouji and I shared a look before the brown-haired boy faced the perverts.

"Give up on your plans. If you were to do that to the girls, it'd ruin the atmosphere in our class," Ayanokouji said.

Yamauchi sighed before relenting.

"Fine, fine!"

I laughed at the defeated look Yamauchi and Ike wore.

"Alright! Now that we've stopped the perverts let's change the subject of the bet. Let's bet on who'll be the fastest swimmer for both the boys and the girls," I declared.

The class, especially the girls, cheered at my announcement. I could hear the girls speaking to each other in relief at how I controlled the situation and gradually being excited at the new bet. The boys, Hirata, Sudou, and Miyake in particular, had their competitive spirits ignited as they placed bets on themselves.

Yamauchi and Ike, who were both initially anxious at my "evidence," recovered and joined the excitement.

Of course, I took part in the betting.

For the boys, I bet on Kouenji, while for the girls, I bet on Onodera, who applied for the Swimming Club.

Happy with what I'd done, I walked away from the forming crowd, with Ayanokouji not that far behind. He's probably a little agitated that I roped him into my scheme.

"You sure are crafty, Nara," Ayanokouji said as the two of us stood against the walls near the back-right corner of our classroom.

"It's not my fault they were gullible as hell," I replied before chuckling at what had happened a couple of minutes ago.

"A heads-up would have been nice, you know?" Ayanokouji 'grumbled,' but I knew deep down he was pleased with what had happened.

After all, what I did with him probably boosted his standing in the class.

"Don't worry too much about it," I replied.

Emergence of the Shadow

After lunch had ended, it was finally time for swim class. It was the moment that Ike and the others had been waiting for.

"All right! Here we go! I can finally see the pool!"

Speaking of Ike, the short boy was unable to contain his excitement and began shouting in joy.

I turned my head to Ayanokouji, who was taking in the sights of the indoor pool.

"Ayanokouji, let's go."

"Mhm."

Alongside the rest of the boys, we entered the men's locker room and began to change our clothes. Sudo was the first of us to change, showing off his impressive physique. Even in comparison to most students in the school, Sudo's physique still stands out.

Sudo unabashedly wore only his underwear. The redhead stood there, semi-nude, and took his swimwear out of his back.

"Sudo, you're pretty bold. Aren't you nervous being around other people?" Ayanokouji blurted out.

Ayanokouji... that's a little suspicious.

"In sports, you can't get flustered every time you have to change. If you act all shifty, it'll have the opposite effect. You'll become the center of attention," Sudo responded.

He has a point.

The more you try to hide, the more people will take notice of you.

I shrugged and followed Sudo's lead.

"What the hell! Since when the hell were you that ripped, Nara?!"

I heard Yamauchi exclaim while Ike was on the other corner, muttering about how life is unfair.

"If I were you, you should worry more about how your swimwear looks like it'll tear itself off at any moment," I replied.

"What? Oh, damn it! It had a hole in the middle too!"

I simply shrugged and quickly left the locker room after I was finished changing.

Finally, I was able to catch a good view of the fifty-meter pool. The water was clear and beautiful, and because it was indoors, we didn't have to worry about the weather.

If I had to guess, the temperature of the pool was controlled, so we didn't have to worry about it being too cold.

"Yamauchi was right. You do have a great body, Nara. How often do you work out?" I turned my head behind me and saw Ayanokouji approaching.

Huh... Ayanokouji's surprisingly well-built.

"I could say the same for you, Ayanokouji," I replied.

Ayanokouji shrugged.

"Would you believe me if I said all I did was piano and calligraphy?" He asked.

"Is the calligraphy pen a hundred kilos or something?" I responded and snorted at Ayanokouji's deflection of my observation.

"Something like that," Ayanokouji replied.

Before Ayanokouji and I could enjoy some calm, Kouenji's boisterous yet classy voice made itself known.

"As expected, Pineapple-boy! But you still stand no chance to my Perfect Existence, ha ha ha!"

It would seem like Kouenji examined my body and approved of what he saw, but since he's Kouenji Rokusuke, he was very roundabout about it.

"Whatever."

A few minutes later, with all the boys, except Yamauchi, already gathered, a girl's voice could be heard.

"Woah! The pool is just amazing, don't you think? It's even better than what I see in private resorts!"

My eyes turned to the girls' locker room, where all of the girls headed towards us, all clad in school-issued swimsuits.

These idiots better be thankful to me, because only a few of them would bother swimming if I didn't redirect their scheme.

As expected, the eyes of the boys were glued to the bodies of the girls. Even if it were a school-issued swimsuit, which didn't really reveal plenty of skin, it still did its work in accentuating each of their curves, making the girls more voluptuous than imagined.

Hasebe, in particular, stood out as the curviest out of the girls, with Sakura not that far behind. But I'm not going to say that out loud, of course.

"That aside, how did no one even notice you do what you just did?" I asked Ayanokouji about something I asked for his help with.

"Who knows? That said, everything is up to you now. I must say... you're quite cruel when you want to be one, Nara," Ayanokouji replied.

"It's a move I'm only willing to do simply because of what you pointed out, Ayanokouji," I replied.

"Haaah. You give me too much credit," Ayanokouji replied as he let out a sigh.

"Too much credit? I rarely make mistakes when evaluating people, Ayanokouji. Anyway, it's time for me to do my end of the bargain, Ja ne!"

Emergence of the Shadow

About five minutes later, I returned to the pool grounds, where I was met with some of the girls, who were grateful for what I had done earlier. It seems like they were really looking forward to swimming class as well but held back because of the antics of Yamauchi and Ike.

Two of them, Matsushita Chiaki and Sato Maya in particular, decided to engage me in a conversation.

"Nara-kun, I didn't expect you to have such a well-built body!" Matsushita said, examining my figure.

"Chiaki-chan is right! How often do you work out, Nara-kun?" A brown-haired girl, Sato, said.

"Oh, our PE classes in Junior High tend to be pretty intense, so I had to be trained," I replied.

"I think I wouldn't be able to survive in a school where it's required for students to have bodies like yours, Nara-kun," Sato replied.

I turned my eyes away from them and saw Horikita's lonesome form observing everyone else.

Our eyes met for a second before she turned away.

Guess she's still mad about what I told her.

Although she seemed to be on the move, headed in the direction where Ayanokouji and the others were.

"I've caught you looking at Horikita-san a couple of times now, Nara-kun... is there something going on?" Sato asked, a mischievous grin slowly growing on her features.

"Now that I think about it... you haven't talked since Monday. Did something happen between you guys?" Matsushita asked.

Oi... that's a little creepy, Matsushita.

How were you able to pick up on that?

"I said something that probably triggered some memories for Horikita. I'm giving her space in the meantime. That's all there is to it," I replied.

"You sure it's not a lover's quarrel?" Sato asked in a teasing tone.

"If anyone in the class is going to be Horikita's lover, that's going to be Ayanokouji. I'm acting more like their older brother at this point," I replied.

Both Sato and Matsushita chuckled at my reply.

"Well... that does seem likely. Those two typically keep to themselves and only talk to people when you're around. I must say, you're doing a good job as an onii-chan!" Matsushita chimed in, throwing up a thumbs-up gesture.

I snorted in amusement at Matsushita's joke.

"Man, I can't believe the store ran out of swimwear! My own swimwear looks like it's about to get ripped, you know? There's even a hole in the middle!"

Our eyes then turned to Yamauchi, who emerged from the crowd, grumbling about his thin swimwear.

"Doesn't that look suspicious to you? Guy seemed to be hiding a hard-on," I bluntly pointed out.

Sato's nose scrunched up in disgust.

"Ugh. I wish we could send him to another class or something. He's honestly disgusting," Sato said.

"Now, now, don't be like that, Maya-chan! Some boys are just like that," Matsushita chimed in, a clear attempt to calm down Sato.

Seeing the girls now discussing their disgust for Yamauchi, I decided to leave them be and walked to where Kouenji was.

As usual, the smug prick did not care about anything happening in front of him, opting to flex his muscular figure in front of a mirror.

"Pineapple-boy."

"Kouenji."

"Hmph! Seems like the presence of the common folk had drained you!"

I sent Kouenji a side glance before snorting in amusement.

"Not really. Just a little tired, I guess."

"You had quite the ingenious plan earlier. I applaud your actions which allowed us to appreciate the fine forms of our more beautiful classmates," Kouenji said, his eyes lingering on the busty form of Hasebe and then Kushida before focusing his gaze on the mirror in front of him.

"So even you were interested, huh? I thought you only cared about women from the higher years?"

"Of course, I like them older. But that doesn't mean I couldn't appreciate what I see in front of me," Kouenji replied.

What a Kouenji way of seeing things.

"All right! Everyone, line up!"

A macho-looking, middle-aged man, the kind of guy who looks like he devoted his life to sports, gathered everyone together and started the class.

"Impressive! It seems like everyone is here. Your class is actually the only one to boast perfect attendance, so I congratulate you for that," he said, sending the class an approving look.

Some eyes turned to me, as they saw me as the reason why this was the case.

Well... it's not my fault that humans are genetically coded to flock to the spirit of competition.

"Well then! After you warm up, I want to see what you can really do. Swim for me," the coach said.

"Excuse me, sir. I can't really swim..."

A boy, whose name I forgot, raised his hand and spoke up.

"Since you have me as your teacher, you'll be swimming in no time! Don't worry too much about it!"

"Well, we don't really need to force ourselves to swim, do we? It's not like we're going to the beach or anything."

"No way. I don't mind at all if you're bad at swimming now, but I'll make sure you guys are winners in the end. Besides, being able to swim will definitely come in handy later in life. Definitely."

Everyone started their warm-up exercises. Ike kept peeking at the girls. The teacher asked us to swim for about fifty meters. Students who could not swim were allowed to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet. I hadn't been in a pool since last summer. The water, as I expected, was temperature-controlled because I didn't feel chilled when I entered and adjusted right away. After getting in, I started to swim lightly.

After fifty meters, I waited for everyone else to finish.

"He he he, that was an easy win for me. Did you all see my super swimming skills?" Ike crowed. He'd swum expertly and now got out of the pool with a smug, self-satisfied grin.

No, Ike, your performance wasn't really that different from anyone else's.

"Well, it looks like everyone can swim, for the most part."

"Of course, sir. Back in junior high, people called me 'the flying fish,' you know."

I don't think that's a nickname you want to have, Ike...

"I see. In that case, I'll have you start competing against each other. We'll separate groups by gender. Fifty-meter freestyle."

"C-compete?! Are you serious?" Ike cried.

The coach nodded and sent us a grin.

"I'll give out a special bonus to the first-place winner! 5000 points. The student who comes in last, however, will have to take supplementary lessons. Get ready!"

"Let's go!"

"Damn, I'm screwed!"

Students had varying reactions depending on their assumed level of skill in swimming.

"Since the entire class is here, I'll group you into four groups of five people, each gender. The winner of each group will move on to the final round."

I'm not winning that 5,000 points reward, but I'll probably earn more than that if Kouenji wins. You better win, you narcissistic prick!

"Kushida-chaaan, Kushida-chaaan, Kushida-chaaaan, haaaa! Man, she's so hot," Ike chanted, seemingly in a trance.

What an idiot.

I chuckled in amusement upon seeing that Ayanokouji slapped him on the back of the head. Seems like he's taken a few lessons from me.

"Calm down, Ike. You're going to ruin Nara's effort to get everyone to swim," he said.

"B-but, Kushida-chan is so goddamn cute, isn't she? Haaah... but I suppose you're right. I will have to pray later for God to continuously bless Nara for the blessing he brought upon us," Ike said.

Don't do that, Ike. God might just curse me if you pray on my behalf.

"That said... boys!" Ike exclaimed as if rallying an entire army.

"Burn these images into your mind! Remember the fap material you see here today!" Ike cried.

"OPPAI PARADISE!" Yamauchi supplemented.

Oh boy...

I subconsciously let out a smirk as the teacher's head turned in Yamauchi's direction.

Currently, five girls were situated in their respective lanes. Horikita was part of this group and stood in the second lane.

The whistle blew, and five of the girls dove into the water. Horikita immediately took the lead and never looked back. The black-haired woman had good form, which didn't falter throughout her entire swim.

She eventually finished at the time of 28 seconds, a distant winner to the second place, who tallied 35 seconds.

The second group was called up. It was the most popular group thus far because the class idol Kushida was there, as well as the bustiest girl in class, Hasebe.

Kushida won her group, tallying 31 seconds.

The third group was called up next, with the swimming club member, Onodera, easily sweeping through the competition and finishing at about 25 seconds.

The last group was won by Matsushita, who tallied the worst time out of the group winners, finishing at 33 seconds.

"All right, now time for the boys," the coach ordered.

"Seems like you're up early, Nara-kun," I turned my head and saw Horikita approach me.

"What a surprise. I thought you were mad at me," I replied.

"I still am. I'm simply approaching you because you still haven't gone to your designated lane," she replied.

"Thanks for the concern, Horikita," I replied before heading towards my lane, and to my luck, I ended up with the slowest boys in class.

As the whistle blew, I wasted no time and dived in expertly at the pool. Given those paired up with me, I must have looked like an Olympic-level swimmer. After emerging from the water, the coach declared that I had finished in 25 seconds.

Hmm, not bad!

"Whoa! I didn't expect you to be so fast, Nara-kun!"

"Yeah! It's surprising to see you like that!"

"To think you're also talented in swimming."

Nope, not really.

That pompous blonde narcissist would easily beat my time.

After my turn, I simply sat on the sidelines, waiting for the rest of the groups to finish.

I noticed a figure approaching me, and upon looking up, I saw that it was Horikita.

"You're surprisingly athletic, Nara-kun," she said.

"I guess, but it's nothing compared to what my best friend could do," I replied.

"That may be, but you're still above average in terms of athletics," she said before sitting down next to me.

"So, what do you want? You did say you're still angry at me," I said as I sent the black-haired girl a glance from the side.

"That line that you said... my brother had said that to me before. That's why it had affected me in some way," she revealed.

"You must have had a good brother, then. He's simply looking after your well-being if he found it that easy to call you out on your flaws... but I suppose I cannot judge since I barely have any knowledge about your relationship," I replied.

"You're actually right. He's a good brother. I... actually look up to my older brother, but it seems like I am still too far away to stand on the same stage as him," Horikita replied.

"Even Horikita Suzune has that side to her, huh? How amusing," I replied before I felt the sensation of Horikita's fist on my arms.

"Forget I said anything," she demanded, shooting me a fierce glare.

"Alright, sure. Just remember you can talk to me if you want to talk about it," I replied.

"Do not assume that we are friends. It just so happens we keep running into each other," she replied.

What a troublesome woman.

"Whatever you say."

"But I suppose I should thank you for not holding back in your assessment of me," Horikita replied before heading back to the pool.

Huh, it seems like I missed the three other groups for the boys...

And why are my eyes glued to Horikita's ass?

I shook my head and stood up to do some stretches to forget about Horikita's bouncy butt.

Horikita's soft... bouncy butt.

God damn it!

Soon, the finals for the girls in swimming concluded, with Onodera winning against Horikita with almost a two-second margin: Onodera finished at 26.32 seconds, and Horikita finished at 28.10 seconds.

The coach called me up alongside the three other winners, who were Hirata, Sudo, and Kouenji.

As the four of us made our way to the pool, Kouenji walked towards me.

I didn't really notice it earlier, but Kouenji's swimwear is... disturbingly detailed--a red speedo that clung tightly to his flesh.

"I will crush you, Pineapple-boy!" Kouenji said as he sent me a grin.

"I have no doubt you will, Kouenji. Just shut up already," I said in disinterest.

"You're surprisingly fast, aren't you, Nara? I won't lose to you and that blonde prick!" Sudo exclaimed.

I snickered at Sudo's energy.

"Which blonde prick?" I rhetorically asked.

Sudo's eyes turned to the girls, who were sending him a glare for a perceived insult to Hirata.

"Damn you, Nara!"

The coach clapped his hands and gestured for us to go to our respective lanes.

"Boys, enough talking and more swimming, alright? In 3, 2, 1, GO!"

As the whistle blew, all four of us immediately swam into the water, sending waves that reverberated through the pool.

Despite knowing I'll be bested by Kouenji, I took this chance to do my best and see where I'm currently at.

As I raised my head for a split second, I noticed that only one of the competitors, Kouenji, was matching my pace.

A couple of seconds later, both of us emerged at almost the same time, garnering a round of cheers from our classmates.

"Good job, Pineapple-boy!" Kouenji said in a weird attempt to throw in a compliment, given the tone of his voice.

"Thanks, but I think you still won," I replied.

"Naturally! After all, I am the perfect existence, ha ha!"

The coach looked at Kouenji and me for a while before coughing to get everyone's attention.

"4th Place, Hirata Yousuke 26.10 seconds

3rd Place, Sudo Ken, 24.98 seconds

2nd Place, Nara Shikamaru, 22.90 seconds

1st Place, Kouenji Rokusuke, 22.40 seconds...

Congratulations to everyone!"

"GOD DAMN! Only a split second between them!"

"NARAAAA, TEACH US YOUR WAYS!"

"I expected something like this from Kouenji, but damn, Nara's really tough isn't he?!"

"Guys... it's Kouenji that won, you know?" I reasoned out, but it was ignored.

"Yeah, but you're also the hero that saved us from those perverts!" A girl exclaimed.

"That's right!" Another voice chimed in, backing up the girl who sent me praise.

Is this how Sasuke feels when people praise him, even when he keeps losing to Naruto?

It's not exactly a pleasant feeling... explains why that guy was so pissy whenever he gets praised after a good showing.

Emergence of the Shadow

Following our lesson, we immediately headed back to the locker room to change back into our uniforms. It seemed the main talking point between the boys was the duel between myself and Kouenji.

"I still can't believe that you're faster than me, Nara!" Sudo exclaimed, draping his arm over my shoulders and ruffling my hair as he did so... which was annoying.

"Damn it, Sudo! Your arm is heavy as hell. Get off me," I grumbled, but the redhead simply laughed.

I forcefully took Sudo's arm away from me and began changing my clothes, but as I did... I noticed Yamauchi's face blanch in horror as he immediately closed his bag just as he opened it.

If that wasn't suspicious enough, we heard a knock in the locker room.

After Hirata opened the door, it revealed the figure of our PE Teacher, who carried a stony expression on his face, with some of the girls standing right behind him, a look of anger plastered on their faces.

"Boys. I need all of you to show me your bags," the PE Teacher... or Coach, as he prefers to be called, ordered.

Hirata, who opened the door, raised an eyebrow at the question.

"What happened, sensei?" He asked.

"Apparently, all the girls lost their underwear. So which one of you took them?"

Hirata was taken aback by the accusation, and so were the rest of the boys.

After all, to everyone's knowledge, we all participated in swimming class, so it should be impossible for one of the boys to steal some underwear.

As the girls were about to add more fuel to the fire, the coach raised a hand, effectively controlling the situation with his sheer presence.

"I know you girls have plenty to say, but calm down in the meantime," he said.

"But sensei..."

"We'll check the bags of the boys. We still don't know if it were actually one of them," he replied, effectively shutting down the protest.

Coach's eyes roamed around the locker room as if he was looking for someone.

"You. Oppai Paradise, was it?" Coach called out to Yamauchi, who was trying to minimize his presence as much as possible.

Ayanokouji, who was next to me, simply looked at Yamauchi with his usual apathetic eyes, whereas all the other boys, except Kouenji, bore worried expressions on their faces.

Looking at Yamauchi, he seemed to be the only one from the boys who had yet to change into the school uniform. Whatever he found in his bag must have caused him to freeze up in panic.

And that 'whatever' is obviously the underwear the girls were looking for.

"Y-yes, se-sensei?" Yamauchi responded, obviously shaken at the situation he found himself in.

Looking back to the outside of the door, it would seem like the number of girls increased, with these ones being on the feistier side of the spectrum, such as Shinohara.

"What's going on? Did sensei finally catch the bastard?"

"It's probably Yamauchi! He took too long to come to the pool."

"Yeah! He even said something about a hole in the middle of his swimwear. Disgusting!"

"I think he even had a hard-on when he came to the pool since he kept holding his crotch."

I shook my head in amusement.

Humans tend to easily jump to conclusions when their rationality is clouded by righteous anger. The tiniest bit of evidence would have its value immensely magnified simply because people need to cling to something to validate their opinions.

"Show me your bag," was the coach's simple order.

Yamauchi's lips quivered as the coach walked closer to his direction, his muscular frame and the current situation contributing to Yamauchi's anxiety.

I sent Yamauchi a look of pity before crouching down to tie my shoes.

"Se...se...sensei. I... swear... I had... not... nothing... to do with this..."

The burly man paid Yamauchi's pleas no mind and forcibly took Yamauchi's bag from him. He sent Yamauchi an intimidating, stern look before he unzipped the bag and opened it.

The way his face contorted to that of rage was honestly intimidating. The intimidation was boosted even more by his lack of aggressive action.

The look of disappointment, the silence, and the focused gaze brought about a level of pressure heavier than what threats of bodily harm could provide.

"I wished my suspicions weren't true, but here we are," he said before dumping the contents of Yamauchi's bag on the ground.

Plenty of distinct bras, panties, and even a lubricant were found on the ground.

Even if those who had suspected Yamauchi had an idea what was in the bag, they were still stunned when the manifestation of their suspicion made itself known.

This time, the girls were given the opportunity to lash out. The coach did not bother with reprimanding them, given their suspicions had been proven. He must have thought that allowing the girls to vent for a while would be a good release for them.

Ayanokouji looked in my direction, and upon locking eyes with him, we reached a common understanding: Yamauchi Haruki had been set up flawlessly.

"You. You're coming with me," the coach said before turning his attention to the girls. "I know this has been an awful experience for each of you, but do know that this school wouldn't allow crimes like these to remain unpunished. As an institution that aims to mold the future of Japan, we hold our students to a certain standard. Now, I'd like to ask everyone to leave the locker room area and head back to your classroom. An update to this case will be released as early as tomorrow."

The girls left without protest, and a few moments later, the coach left with Yamauchi in tow.

While a few of the boys had already left, there were still about 12 or so of us left in the locker room, and at the moment, the air was extremely heavy.

After all, we already knew Yamauchi Haruki's fate.

Expulsion.

BANG!

Everyone turned their attention to Sudo as he punched the walls of the locker room.

"FUCK FUCK FUCCCK!" He ranted before punching the poor wall once again.

Sudo, after gathering a couple of breaths, grabbed his bags and left the locker room.

One by one, they left until all that remained were Hirata, Ayanokouji, and me.

"Do you think Yamauchi-kun could have done that? I know he's an unapologetic pervert, but... it just seems so stupid for him to do what he's been accused of doing," Hirata said, his head held low, eyes obviously downcast.

"I agree, but we don't have proof that he didn't do the crime. It would take a miracle for us to even save Yamauchi," Ayanokouji replied.

Hirata's eyes turned to me, asking for my thoughts.

Without a word to say, I simply nodded in affirmation of Ayanokouji's words.

"Just as we got the class to be on the same page... this happens..." Hirata muttered.

"We're back from the ground up; it would seem. But I believe we can still do something to preserve our efforts, Hirata. I'll think of something within the night," I said.

I walked towards Ayanokouji and left him with parting words before I said my goodbyes to him and Hirata and left them alone in the locker room.

Ayanokouji... it's time for you to show me your magic.

The thing is... this incident was already set in stone when Yamauchi Haruki showed himself to be incapable of being a usable piece a week ago.

Unlike the other defects of Class D, Yamauchi had proven that there were no redeeming factors to him.

How he got into this school, I have no idea.

He is a burden that would not be worth the trouble he would bring, unlike someone like Sudo Ken, who boasts one of the best physical attributes in the school.

Now, why do I need to eliminate Yamauchi this early in the game?

Sun Tzu, in his work, The Art of War, said:

"If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are."

Yamauchi's elimination is a foregone conclusion that's not a matter of if but a matter of when. Upon my realization that this would be the case, I decided to eliminate him before strong bonds had been cemented within the class.

Prolonging his stay in this school would only bring us trouble down the line.

Now... I suppose this is the million-dollar question: How did the listless Ayanokouji Kiyotaka find himself entangled in my plot?

Curiosity.

Ayanokouji is not as ignorant like how a narrow-minded individual like Horikita perceives him to be.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka possesses incredible skills that I have yet to unearth.

It is safe to say that aside from myself, he was the only one who immediately suspected what this school was all about and was able to come to accurate deductions, even with limited information.

Also, despite his limitations in his social skills, Ayanokouji is a terrifying analyzer of the human psyche, easily figuring out the motives of people upon reaching certain observations.

If I didn't know better... I would think he was made inside a laboratory.

Now, where was I...

Ah, curiosity.

One day, Ayanokouji and I sat alone in my room, a benefit provided by the fact that we were next-door neighbors...

Our topic: What are the particular defects of the students of Class D?

A topic that was supposed to be a quiz on intuition transformed into a sociopathic mission of testing our hypothesis.

The first target is... Hirata Yousuke, the man who seemingly finds himself distraught at the idea of the class being placed in a state of disarray.

That's the sole reason Ayanokouji aided me in my move to expel Yamauchi Haruki.

We want to know...

Were we right in figuring out what makes Hirata Yousuke tick?

And...

Will he be... a worthy piece in this game?

That being said, it's chilling to find myself face-to-face with someone like Ayanokouji, who seemed to have no regard for human life.

Perhaps, I should be counting my blessings that a wildcard like him decided to offer me a carrot for now.

Who knows... he might be my greatest enemy in the unforeseeable future.

After all, alliances in the real world are just that,

Temporary.

End of Chapter

A/N: Next Chapter will feature the mentioned discussion between Shikamaru and Kiyotaka under the lens of Kiyotaka himself. That's the only way we can fully make sense of why he even bothered to cooperate with Shikamaru's first... and quite frankly, risky ploy.

I also would like to give my sincerest thanks to Kiku_6037 for their work "Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate," as it inspired me how to incorporate Shikamaru's cunningness early on. Of course, I couldn't just copy and paste the entire idea, as that would be an insult to their work, so I decided to be less vague and detail Shikamaru's justification for why he targeted Yamauchi and, in direct connection, Hirata.