Chapter 2 Part VI

A tree-lined street at sunset.

I lifted my head up and exhaled. White smoke trailed up into the sky and disappeared.

"Cold."

Every time I exhale from my mouth or my nose, white vapor would come out, disappear and come out again, interestingly enough. It's easy to forget because there are extreme temperature fluctuations during the day but it's already winter.

Last year around this time, I've always been indoors after all...

A girl I didn't know who looked that she was feeling very cold, passed me. She was holding a phone and she seemed happy talking to someone.

"Really, since Miyabi became the student council president, our relationship has become worse. Ahaha, I'm joking, joking. It's not like I'm angry, but be prepared to treat me to a lot of things."

Her thighs that were exposed in this cold weather seemed to be very cold. From her shoulder length hair drifted to me the fragrance of shampoo.

"The student council? Sorry, I'll pass. I'm not interested in those things. And Miyabi still hasn't settled things with the former student council president, right? Eh, why are you suddenly confessing to me? I know you've already put your hands in a lot of girls."

I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but speaking so loudly even if I was unwilling I would still hear the contents. From the content of the conversation I could speculate she was probably a 2nd year girl.

"But... if you win against President Horikita, then I will think about it. Then I'll see you later."

When the girl finished the call, she exhaled white breath. Then she stopped and returned her phone to her pocket.

"That Miyabi guy, getting full of himself. However, President Horikita really is useless. I was expecting him to stop Miyabi. In the end, the game will end with Miyabi's victory."

Even though she was talking so happily just until now, she immediately toned down when the call ended. It was unclear whether she had noticed me when she passed past me, she just left like this.

"Uwatto!?"

However, a minor incident happened.

She probably got entangled, and on the way to the branches of each years dormitory she fell gorgeously.

"It hurts ..."

She immediately stood up and then looked around with a slightly red face. And then it seemed she noticed my existence for the first time walking behind her.

She forced a smile. Slightly embarrassed. She looked as if she wasn't injured.

The girl ran away and disappeared in the direction of the 2nd year students' dorm.

"So she was really a 2nd year student."

Apparently here at this school, you don't get much of a chance to intermingle with other school years outside of the student council or club activities. That's why I never had a chance to familiarize myself with their faces either.

"Girls must feel cold too."

Occasionally in our classroom, there are students who'd even say they want to jerseys beneath their skirts. I think it should be fine even if they do so but looks like it's prohibited by the school's regulations. Girls sure have it hard too.

The first 'winter' I experienced.

It's this cold and somewhere deep down inside, I never thought I'd be able to see this view. There's a song about a dog that saw snow and excitedly ran about. I can empathize. If it ever snows, I wonder if I'll be just as excited.

I exhaled and recalled the events that transpired today. Meeting with my father, the existence of Chairman Sakayanagi and that the policies of the school don't mean anything. I also achieved much in seeing through Chabashira-sensei's lie.

Because with just this alone, I'll be able to make significant progress forward.

"...shall I put an end to it?"

So far I've mostly kept it behind the scenes but the way the exam results are announced, the more Class D continues to prosper, there'll be no avoiding malevolent attention.

Inevitably, the surveillance would intensify and you'd be able to investigate who it is that's at the center of it all. As a matter of fact, although I set up Horikita as that person in the center, Ryuuen realized that it's faked.

Sakayanagi also knows my past and it's only a matter of time before Ichinose starts doubting it as well.

If I want to turn back, now's my only chance. Of course, hasty decisions will lead to ruin so I'll need to consider both options of advancing and retreating.

And with that, the problem now is how to deal with Ryuuen.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket and manually typed in the address. And then I sent a message to a certain person. Asking them to call me when they're able to.

When I did, the message was immediately marked as 'read'.

Looks like that person usually doesn't hang out with their friends but rather, goes back to the dorm early.

I then manually typed the 11-digit number and made the call.

"Hello?"

The person behind this languid voice is Karuizawa Kei from Class D of the 1st years.

She doesn't know it yet but she's one of the individuals marked by Ryuuen. She's someone who knows that I'm the one handling Class D behind the scenes, even more than Horikita does.

Of course, she doesn't know much about just how deeply I'm involved and what I've done in detail though. If there's anything that could be said about me at the moment, it would be that Karuizawa probably sees me as an extremely eerie person.

"I was wondering what you were up to."

"You're kidding, right? There's no way you'd call without a reason."

I had thought I'd make small talk first but Karuizawa didn't get it.

"Don't you ever feel like enjoying our conversation more?"

"It's impossible if you yourself don't feel like enjoying it, right?"

"...I suppose you're spot on."

She's not the leader of the Class D girls for nothing. She understand people very well.

"Did Manabe and the others make any sort of contact with you?"

"No. That's not a problem right now.....did you call me to make sure?"

Rather than surprise, an exasperated reaction was what I got.

"It's been a while since then but nothing so far, huh? Looks like there's no need to worry about that anymore."

"That'd be for the best but there's no telling what'll happen when, right?"

Looking at it from Karuizawa's perspective, she wouldn't truly feel safe until graduation. The wind blew and coldly struck my face.

"You're still outdoors."

Perhaps it's because she heard the sound of the wind over the phone, Karuizawa said that.

"I'm on my way back. You're pretty fast today yourself. You're usually late."

"Even I have days when I want to go back early."

A prickly response came back.

"Ahh."

I found something and my voice leaked out.

"What?"

Karuizawa reacted, thinking that was directed at her.

"No, it's nothing."

At the point where the road branches, a red amulet had fallen to the ground where that senior student fell earlier.

I wonder if it's something that senior student dropped. It may have been better to just leave it there but since snow will be falling today according to the forecast, it'll get all wet if I leave it be.

Since there's no sign that she noticed and came back for it, I suppose I'll just hand it over to the dormitory's administrator.

"Hey, there's something I wanted to check with you no matter what. We're already talking so can I ask?"

"What do you want to check?"

Picking up the amulet, I resumed my conversation with Karuizawa while walking towards the dormitory of the 2nd years.

"You're smart and all so why don't you let others know about it, or rather, why aren't you telling them? Class D's full of idiots so if you come forward like Yousuke-kun, you'd be able to issue orders, no?"

It's not hard to imagine why she'd ask something like that.

"I'm smart? What's your basis for thinking that?"

"What.....?"

"My test scores are just average. I've never said anything outstandingly useful in class either. There's nothing for you to base that evaluation off of, right?"

"That's not what I'm getting at."

Of course, I'm aware what Karuizawa's trying to get at.

So far, I've asked Karuizawa for her cooperation in many behind the scenes activities. For instance, sabotaging the peeping as well as the matter with Kushida during Paper Shuffle.

It's not strange that all in all, she'd think it's a mystery.

"Things like that, if you'd only made them stand out earlier, your evaluation in class would've risen, right? Far from it, you might even end up attracting attention from the school. Just like you did during the sports festival."

Even though it's something that has nothing to do with her, Karuizawa excitedly said that.

"You know I'm not the type who desires that sort of thing, don't you?"

"Then why are you doing all this? If you wanted it, you could've not done anything from the start."

"That's a good analysis."

It's not like I'm doing all this because I want to either.

"I never had any intention of doing anything in the first place but since a reason came up, I had no choice but to lend Class D a hand."

This is something I'd normally never speak of but today's special. I feel good.

"I feel like it's somehow a waste though."

"I have no intention of doing anything up front. I never have and don't intend on ever doing so either."

This alone is something I need to emphasize to Karuizawa. If Class D encounters a problem in the future, it would be problematic if she ends up depending on me.

"It's you, isn't it? The one whose blood Ryuuen is out for."

Not just Sudou and Akito, the surveillance is intensifying each day and those rumors have long since gone beyond just Class D. That Ryuuen got defeated by someone from Class D and is now out for revenge.

The number of students talking about it has gone up. Karuizawa probably didn't need any time to realize it's me.

"The main reason I called you today, Karuizawa, is to apologize to you."

"Apologize?"

"Since before I had my own reasons I was helping D Class climb to the top. But that reason has just disappeared."

"So are you just going to lay low now?"

"Yeah, I'm going to leave it to Horikita and Hirata to carry the class. I don't want to get involved with Ryuuen and get exposed. You were a great help to me at the karaoke and a lot of other things. I've caused you a lot of trouble."

"So we're finally going to stop doing this and I'll be free?"

"Yeah. That's how it is."

Until now Karuizawa has served me without hesitation beyond my imagination, that's why I can now cut her off without hesitation too.

"This will be the last time I contact you."

I clearly said that to her.

"Eh?"

However, Karuizawa gave a delayed response.

"I'm sorry...I didn't catch that."

Is she going to say she didn't catch that even though the wind isn't blowing right now?

"This will be the last time I contact you."

I said the same thing clearly again. This time she should have heard me clearly.

"It's the natural course of action since there's nothing I need to ask you to do anymore. I mean, no one knows you and I are connected in the first place, Karuizawa. If we continue to make contact meaninglessly, it would just seem suspicious."

"Well....that's true...I guess."

Karuizawa couldn't formulate a proper response. Karuizawa seemed confused but I kept talking to her.

"Of course if anything happens to you, I will still protect you. That promise I intend to keep to the end. If you have an emergency situation, I will give you the address to contact me at. But everything other than emergencies, please delete all our chats until now so as to not leave evidence. I've already deleted all your messages and contact number on my end."

"Wait a moment...why are you saying all of this so suddenly?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because....it's too cold...even for you....."

"There's no cold or anything about it, that's just the extent of our relationship."

I protected her from Manabe and her group and if not for that we would never have even known each other like this. The difference between a gloomy student and a popular girl is like that of the heavens and the earth.

"You also hated being used by me, right?"

"That's true, but..."

Karuizawa kept stumbling on her words. And what's more, her silences grew longer.

"I've said all I wanted to say. Do you have anything you'd like to say to me?"

I shouldn't drag this out. I pressed the confused Karuizawa to say something.

"...alright."

A tense reply that's far from convinced but a reply is a reply. But perhaps she's finally realized there's nothing she can do about it, as she continued speaking.

"Is this the last time I can talk to Kiyotaka like this?"

"Do you dislike that?"

"Of course not."

"Then there's no problem."

I indifferently and silently continued. I never let the slightest bit of emotion in. There's no way it would be there either.

"Then I'm ending the call....."

Karuizawa also probably felt that strongly over the phone.

As I ended the call, I said this.

"See you."

"ahh........"

Karuizawa said something at the very end but didn't follow up on that. I wanted a few seconds then I cut the call. Then I erased the call history and put the phone back in my pocket.

Karuizawa must have felt at peace being with me like a parasite. And if I were to suddenly go away, her heart will be strongly shaken. Anxiety and loneliness will gradually build up inside her day to day.

And if Ryuuen were to target her while she's at her weakest. I'm sure Karuizawa Kei's heart will collapse completely.

"I guess this means I can return to the trajectory I started on when I first came to this school."

I no longer care about Horikita, Karuizawa, Ryuuen or Sakayanagi. I will no longer actively participate in exams anymore too. If there's a problem, it's not mine. But if there are problems, 'cooperators' are still necessary.

I entrusted the administrator of the dormitory with the amulet that appears to be that 2nd year's personal belonging, then returned to my dormitory room.