Chapter 3: Reunions and Farewells

"WHAT'S UP with those guys?!" Sudou grumbled irritably as he walked into our classroom the next day, bypassing his seat and approaching Horikita. The look on his face made it immediately clear that he was extremely pissed off. "Hey. You got a sec, Suzune?"

"What's the matter?" Horikita couldn't exactly ignore him when he cornered her at her desk.

"Those jerks from Class C! That Ryuuen guy and his lackeys. They've been followin' me since this mornin', trying to pick a fight. They even blocked my way in the hall. They're seriously getting on my nerves!"

"You haven't shouted insults or taken swings at them, have you?" asked Horikita. She gave Sudou a slight glare, prompting his immediate answer.

"I didn't, no way. I completely ignored 'em."

"I see. It seems you followed my instructions perfectly, then," replied Horikita.

"What's she talking about? What instructions?" I asked Sudou. "Oh, Suzune told me that whenever I run into something I can't deal

with properly, I should just ignore it," said Sudou. That was certainly sound advice. If Sudou rebuked the Class C students, it would probably only add fuel to the fire, so to speak.

"Well, I guess I did bump their shoulders a little when I forced my way through," he added. "The students from the other classes knew I was boxed in, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, right?"

"I don't think they'd try anything, no," said Horikita.

They'd already gotten the school and student council involved once before, and it had caused an uproar. If Sudou punched someone, that would be bad, but if he just pushed his way through, it should be fine.

"So, what did they say to you?"

"They called me a monkey, an idiot, childish stuff like that. They were tryin' to start a fight." Smack! Sudou pounded his fist into his palm. I wondered whether this was a continuation of Class C's plans, like when they'd appeared at the archery club yesterday.

"Some Class C guys also tailed Akito—I mean, Miyake," I told Sudou and Horikita.

"Miyake-kun? It seems Class C's quite active these days," Horikita replied.

"Do you think they're plannin' on staging another fight, like that time they tried to get me in trouble?" asked Sudou.

"Who knows? I can't say at this point. But I'll consider countermeasures, just in case. If they happen to approach you again, make sure you don't get physical," said Horikita.

"I understand. I ain't gonna break my promise to you. Even if they start throwin' punches, I'll stay calm," said Sudou.

He sounded much more mature now, and Horikita seemed to believe what he said. After Sudou finished giving his report, he returned satisfied to his seat and casually started a conversation with Ike and Yamauchi.

Watching him, Horikita spoke up. "I wonder if Sudou-kun's finally become a normal, well-adjusted person," she mused.

"Yeah," I replied. "His speech is still a little crude, but that's fine." "It looks like it's time for him to take the next step." With that cryptic

comment, Horikita got a notebook and started scribbling something down.

"What are you talking about? What next step?" I asked. When I tried to sneak a peek at her writing, Horikita quickly closed the notebook.

"That's a topic for another time. Besides, we have more problems than just Sudou-kun right now," she said.

I didn't know what she meant, and honestly didn't care. Lately, Horikita had thought and acted independently of me with increasing frequency. She'd gotten better at communicating with Sudou, Hirata, and the others, too.

"At any rate, Ryuuen-kun's been a busy bee—we only just got done

with the Paper Shuffle," she continued. "I wonder what he's plotting now?" "There aren't any exams in the immediate future," I said.

"Think back to the time they attacked Sudou-kun. Now, it seems as if Ryuuen-kun's plotting against Ichinose-san and Class B. He apparently likes challenging his enemies when no exams are involved," said Horikita. She shot me a withering look, as if to say, "Don't you already know that?"

I pretended not to notice and shrugged the look off. "I wonder what he's after this time?"

"Do you really not know? Or are you just pretending?" Horikita asked. "What do you mean?"

"He's looking for the person controlling Class D from behind the scenes."

"In other words, he's looking for you?"

Horikita pinned me with an intense glare. "You can't use me to hide from Ryuuen anymore."

"What makes you say that?"

"If he thought I was the puppet master, so to speak, he would approach me directly. But he hasn't done anything of the sort," said Horikita.

"Perhaps your strategy during the Paper Shuffle was more effective than he expected? He might be moving more carefully this time. Taking a while to remove the obstacles in his way first," I said.

"I wonder. I don't think that's it, though. It's more like he lost interest in me."

"Does this mean you miss Ryuuen's attention?" I asked. "Does that mean you want me to kick you?"

"I do not want to be kicked." She was definitely the kind of person who would actually kick me, too.

"Maybe our class's clandestine leader foolishly called attention to himself? Play dumb if you like, but do you really want to discuss this here and now?" asked Horikita.

It was just before homeroom, and all our classmates, Kushida included,

sat at their desks. It didn't seem as if anyone was listening in, but this wasn't a conversation we could risk having overheard.

"At any rate, you apparently understand Ryuuen quite well. I'm not teasing. I mean it," I added quickly, because Horikita glared at me again.

"His modus operandi has remained essentially the same. If he plays the same tricks over and over, I'm going to learn from it, even if I don't like it.

That's how I predicted that he'd use Kushida-san during the Paper Shuffle. Of course, it goes without saying that I would've preferred that not happen, but…" Horikita trailed off.

No one liked a traitor. Horikita was probably thinking that we wouldn't have had to struggle quite so hard if Kushida hadn't betrayed us.

However, Ryuuen had felt secure precisely because of the internal threat Kushida posed. For better or for worse, Kushida allowed us to see our enemy's attack patterns.

"That wasn't Ryuuen-kun's only miscalculation. I intended to pull the rug out from under him during the Paper Shuffle," Horikita continued.

"Isn't that what actually happened, though?"

"Yes. Honestly, some of Class C's lowest-scoring students should've been expelled, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

If you could get your hands on a complete set of questions and answers, then there was no need to study. Horikita was saying it wouldn't have been surprising for some students from Class C to be kicked out of school after having let their guard down. Keisei and the others seemed to think the same thing.

"Class C must have some smart people, right? Students acting in support roles for their classmates, unlike Ryuuen," I replied.

"I suppose so. If they're putting in that much effort, they're doing a good job," said Horikita. "At any rate, I imagine his tricks will only escalate from here."

"That's not my problem. It's yours."

"I know that. Being your decoy seems to be my fate in life." "You sound surprisingly accepting."

"Because I have no choice but to accept it. It's not like you're going to quit now, are you?"

This optimism wasn't a bad thing. Horikita was perceptive. She had quite a lot of potential. If she improved her communication skills to Hirata's level, she could stand among the ranks of the elite.

"So, what's your plan?" asked Horikita. "For what?"

"Do you have a strategy to counter Ryuuen-kun's hunt to expose you?" "Nope."

"There you go again." She huffed, looking irritated. "Let's change the topic. Are you still participating in those meetings?"

"Meetings? You mean, with Keisei and the others? Is there some kind of problem?"

"I can't imagine there's much benefit to being in that clique. That study group formed specifically to help Hasebe-san and Miyake-kun in certain subjects, correct? Now that the exam's over, it's no longer necessary."

"It's not about necessity. I just feel at ease when I'm with them," I answered. Horikita's life revolved around her quest to ascend to Class A. It was all she ever talked about. Since I didn't share her enthusiasm on that front, I had little reason to hang out with her the way I did with Keisei and the others.

If Horikita ever came to talk to me about something that wasn't a class problem, then maybe, I could engage with her the same way I did with Keisei and the others.

"Will you cooperate with me?" asked Horikita. "I will. As much as I can," I answered.

She didn't look very convinced.

3.1

OUR LAST MORNING CLASS ended, and it was lunchtime. As I pondered meeting up with Akito and Keisei, Horikita stared at me.

"What? Did you want to continue our talk from this morning?" I asked. "No. I have a request."

"If it's a hassle, I'm going to pass."

"It shouldn't take much time." Horikita reached into her bag and took out a library book. "Didn't you say last week that you wanted to read this?"

"Farewell, My Lovely, huh?" A masterpiece by Raymond Chandler. I'd been interested in it for a while now, but the book seemed strangely popular, because it was always checked out. I'd given up on borrowing it. "I'm impressed that you managed to snag it from the library. Are you offering to lend it to me?"

Technically, Horikita should've returned it so it could go to the next person on the waiting list. But this seemed like the most reliable method of getting my hands on it, underhanded though it may have been.

"If you'd like. It's also due back today. I was hoping you could take it to the library for me, then check it out for yourself," said Horikita.

"Is this because you don't want to go to the trouble of returning it?" I

asked.

"Even if I returned it myself, you'd still need to go to the library to

borrow it. From a purely efficient standpoint, this is the correct course of action," she replied.

True enough. This just saved Horikita the time and effort of having to return the book herself. You needed a student ID card when you wanted to check out a book, so trying to check out a book in someone else's name would be impossible. On the other hand, you didn't need to present anything if you were simply returning a book.

"If you refuse, I'll just head over to the library. I don't know when you'll be able to get your hands on this incredibly popular book that's in such

short supply, though."

I wondered whether this was Horikita's warped way of showing kindness, since she knew I wanted to read the book.

"Fine. I'll take it," I told her.

"Thank you." Horikita handed it to me. "I don't care when you return it, as long as it's sometime today. If I hear that it's overdue, I'll be coming for you."

"I know." I hadn't borrowed a book from the library before, but I understood the process. If a book was overdue, private points were deducted from your account. "Well, there's no time like the present. I'll just go now."

3.2

THE LIBRARY WAS surprisingly empty at lunch, like a cozy little hideaway. Students weren't allowed to eat in here, so only a few people were around, guaranteeing that the return process would go smoothly.

"Since I'm already here, I might as well check out another book," I muttered to myself.

Farewell, My Lovely in one hand, I walked over to the mystery section, hoping to find another of Raymond Chandler's works. As I arrived there, I saw a lone female student struggling to grab a book on a high shelf. It was Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. A masterpiece penned by the middle of the three Brontë sisters, all of whom were literary legends.

A conventional blurb could make that book sound like a mystery, but wouldn't it have fit better in the romance section?

Wuthering Heights was perched at a strange angle, just barely within reach, which might be why the girl wasn't using the stepstool. I stood in front of her and grabbed the book.

"Sorry, I don't mean to butt in, but…" I looked at her and trailed off. "Wait a minute. You're from Class C. You're…"

Shiina Hiyori. I'd seen her with Ryuuen a short while ago. It seemed that she recognized me, too.

"You're Ayanokouji-kun, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Uh, here you go," I said, handing her the book. "Thank you very much."

"Do you like her work? Brontë?" I asked.

"I don't really like or dislike the book. It was in the wrong section, so I thought I'd return it to its proper place," she replied.

"I see."

"By the way, that book you have—Farewell, My Lovely, right? It's wonderful," said Shiina. Her eyes started to sparkle.

"I managed to borrow it from a friend of mine today."

"Wow, that's lucky. It seems as though Raymond Chandler's quite popular among the second-year students. I've been wanting to reread it myself, but I wasn't able to find a copy today."

"I guess it was bad of me to borrow it from a friend," I said apologetically.

"It's all right. I've already read it. Besides, I was fortunate enough to find another good book while I searched for that one. The school library's quite large. If I tried to read everything on its shelves, I'd probably graduate before I could finish," said Shiina. She clutched Brontë's book, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah. You're probably right. Sorry for disturbing you, by the way."

She'd come here during the lunch break instead of eating, so she probably didn't want to waste time chatting to a student from another class. I decided to leave her be.

"If you just came to return Farewell, My Lovely and then borrow it for yourself, you could've done that at the service desk. Are you looking for another book to check out?" Shiina asked, stopping me in my tracks.

"I thought I'd come back and try another time, so…" I replied. Shiina was already scanning the mystery section. "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Have you already read Dorothy L. Sayers?" she asked. "No. I've read Christie, but not Sayers."

"In that case, I would most definitely recommend Whose Body? That's the first book in the series featuring Lord Peter. If you read that book, you'll inevitably want to read the rest." She pulled several books from the shelves

and handed them to me.

"Uh…" Her behavior left me puzzled. I struggled to figure out how to respond.

"I'm sorry, I was rambling. Am I bothering you?"

"No," I told her. "I was just a little surprised. Since I'm already here, I might as well grab some more books."

"Sure." Shiina looked extraordinarily happy. She smiled so widely that her eyes scrunched up. "The lunch break isn't over, right? Would you like to eat with me?"

"Huh?"

This was even more bizarre than a book recommendation. It was probably safe to assume that Ryuuen had told Shiina to ask me this. Still, whether I accepted her invitation or not, her impression of me was unlikely to change. I'd make sure that she saw me as neutral and unreadable.

"No one in Class C likes reading, so I don't really have anyone to talk to," she added. Perhaps the silence was getting awkward.

"Won't this cause trouble?" I asked. "Class C is currently hunting someone in Class D, right? I feel like I'm on the list of suspects."

Shiina had probably heard that either Keisei or I were likely candidates for the person pulling Horikita's strings. It was very likely that was why she was trying to talk to me now.

In some ways, Shiina Hiyori was even creepier than Ryuuen. She was a completely unknown quantity. I might be able to extract some information about her by using Karuizawa, but that was too risky, now that Karuizawa was Ryuuen's target. Keisei, Haruka, and Horikita, of course, were all poor spies. I could try to use Hirata, but he was fundamentally neutral.

"Please don't worry. I just play along so that Ryuuen doesn't bother me. I've never been interested in conflict. Or is it that you think talking with me will be a problem on its own?" Shiina asked.

"No, not really. I have no personal issues with you."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want our classes to clash over something so trivial. I'd prefer we all get along," she said.

"Clash," huh? Considering that this school was designed to foster competition, her hopes were doomed to failure. Still, most students acted as if this were a normal high school. Hirata and Kushida, for instance, were popular because they showed no favoritism in how they interacted with classmates.

"Well, should we go? Time is wasting," said Shiina.

"Let me head to the service desk and take care of these first," I replied. Who could've predicted this would all result from a simple library

visit?

3.3

SHIINA AND I made our way to the cafeteria. It was twenty minutes into our lunch break, and the room was packed. Most students were eating, though, so hardly anyone was in line to get a meal ticket. I chose the daily special, but Shiina seemed unable to come to a decision. Her finger hovered over the buttons, and she looked at all the options carefully.

"Sorry, sorry…" she said. I waited another two minutes. Finally, she ended up choosing the same meal I had. "Sorry. I'm so indecisive."

"No worries. It's not like there was anyone in line behind us."

After we turned in our tickets, two meals were placed on the counter.

Shiina struggled to adjust her schoolbag to take her tray. "Your bag's in the way," I said. "Here, let me." "Oh no, I couldn't bother you with it…"

"Don't worry about it. You don't want to fall and drop your tray."

"Sorry." She handed over her bag, which turned out to be quite heavy.

Did she carry all her textbooks in it? "It's a lot, isn't it? Thank you very much."

We avoided the crowds, found some empty seats, and sat across from one another, slowly tucking into our late lunch.

"Do you usually eat in the cafeteria?" I asked.

"No. I usually buy lunch from the convenience store in the morning and then eat in the classroom. Do you come here often, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Convenience store food isn't my favorite. Food tastes best when it's freshly made."

Shiina used her chopsticks to elegantly raise a morsel of food to her mouth. I watched her in admiration. She handled her chopsticks with such grace.

"Hmm, I see. The cafeteria food certainly is delicious, isn't it? I'll keep that in mind," she replied.

"This isn't your first time eating here, is it?" "Looks like I've been found out."

"I was thinking that that might be the case, since you struggled to choose at the ticket machine." We were at the end of our second semester. It was rare to see a student who'd never used the cafeteria.

"I've always wanted to try it, but if you miss out on your initial chance to do something, you kind of drag your feet, don't you? I figured this was a good chance to go," Shiina said.

I understood those feelings. You didn't want to let people see that you didn't know how to do something they could do, after all. Pride made you cautious, like when I was reluctant to buy drip coffee at the convenience store.

"Does that mean you'll come here again?" I asked. "Yes."

Shiina and I continued to talk while we finished our lunches. Since we'd come in late, most other students finished and left before us. A few hung back to chat idly, or to take their time savoring their food.

Shiina placed her bag on the table with a thunk. "I think I'll head back to the library. Have you read any of these before, Ayanokouji-kun?"

William Irish, Ellery Queen, Lawrence Block, and Isaac Asimov. "Wow. You've got good taste."

"You know them?"

"Yeah. I like mystery novels."

"Is that so?" Shiina laughed and clapped her hands.

I suddenly realized that there was something off about the books. "Wait. These aren't from the library, are they?"

"They're from my personal collection. I've been walking around with them, hoping I'd meet someone who shared my tastes and would want to borrow them. I started out just carrying one, but I suppose I accumulated more and more books while waiting to find that certain someone," Shiina explained.

"Is that so?" This girl was definitely…odd.

"Please, don't hold back. Take whichever you'd like."

"Well… I suppose I'll check out Ellery Queen, since I haven't read any of his."

"Go ahead."

If Shiina was acting, this was quite the performance. I got the feeling she just genuinely loved books. I'd made a strange connection in a rather strange place. I would remain wary, of course, just in case this was a Class C plot, but it really felt like a coincidence. After I promised to return the books, the bell rang, signaling the end of our lunch break.

chat.

3.4

AFTER CLASSES FINISHED, I got the customary ping from my group

Come to Keyaki Mall if you can. Usual spot. A casual, chatty message

from Haruka.

The moment I started typing a response, Horikita aimed some sharp words at me. "That grin's really creeping me out."

"Whose?"

"Yours. You do have some degree of self-awareness without me having to deliberately point it out to you, right?"

"I absolutely wasn't grinning." I had no memory of the corners of my mouth curling up.

"Are you playing dumb again? I'm talking about your inner self," said Horikita. Apparently, she smelled my joy like a bloodhound. "You've found a cozy little nook, haven't you?"

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed off to the dorms by herself. "I was grinning, huh?" I muttered.

Of course, it felt good to be contacted by a friend. Still, shouldn't Horikita be glad about that?

Did she really want us to continue being loners?

I got ready and left the classroom. Most groups would've met up there and then headed over to Keyaki Mall together, but we were all too lackadaisical for that. When I arrived at our usual hangout, the rest of the group was already there.

"Akito, don't you have club stuff?" "I'm skipping today."

"Looks like those Class C dudes showed up at archery again. It doesn't seem like they threw punches or got into any fights, though."

"I told the seniors I felt distracted, so I was going to take today off. The club's pretty lenient," Akito explained. That was pretty blunt. I supposed that he wouldn't have been able to come meet us here if he'd lied and said he was feeling ill.

"What if we tried talking to the teacher?" Haruka suggested.

Akito simply shook his head. "There's nothing the teacher can really do. If Class C trespassed in our private places, that'd be one thing, but they're free to observe the archery club," he explained.

"Ugh. Class C really are annoying, aren't they? Oh, speaking of. I saw it. I saw it. How deplorable of you, good sir," said Haruka, speaking like some old-timey aristocrat as she jabbed me with her elbow.

"Saw what?" I asked.

"What do you mean, 'what'? I'm saying that I saw you eating with Shiina-san from Class C, Kiyopon! Airi's so worried about it, she's been spilling rice all over herself."

"Wah! You promised that you wouldn't say anything, Haruka-chan!" Airi wailed.

"Oh, did I?" said Haruka. "Then, Kiyopon, pretend I never said anything."

Well, that wasn't exactly possible, but now I understood what was really going on.

"Don't tell me you're about to rush into a last-minute romance right before Christmas?" Haruka demanded.

"Really, Kiyotaka? I didn't think you were that kind of guy," said Keisei, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Naïve. Much too naïve, Yukimuu. All roads lead to romance in the end. Young people these days live life at a much faster pace," said Haruka.

"Faster? What do you mean, faster?" replied Keisei. "We're in our first year of high school."

"Look, if you experience your first love or whatever in high school, you're already behind the curve. Back in elementary school, some of my classmates were already dating junior high or high school students."

Keisei's mouth hung open. "I-I've never heard of anything like that before."

"That just means you never paid attention, Yukimuu. I mean, most girls aren't interested in childish boys," said Haruka.

Wasn't it normal for elementary school kids to be childish? At any rate, I had to correct this immediately. "Sorry to rain on your parade, but there's nothing going on," I told them.

"Really? You're not just saying that to hide your embarrassment?" "S-see?" said Airi. "I told you, but you wouldn't believe me, Haruka-

chan."

"I had some business to take care of at the library, so I went during lunch. I just happened to run into Shiina there. I think she was spying on me, like Ishizaki and those guys at Akito's club. She asked me a bunch of questions. If I flat-out turned her down, it would've attracted extra attention," I told them, trying to lend my story more credibility. Besides, it wasn't really a lie. Even though Shiina and I met by accident, it was likely that she'd been scoping me out.

"So, you've been marked too, Ayanokouji. Does that Ryuuen dude hate the thought of losing to Class D that much?" asked Akito. He sounded a bit resentful, like it made him less special that he wasn't the only person Class C targeted.

However, Keisei considered things from another point of view. "That might not be the case. You heard the rumor going around that we've got a master schemer hiding in Class D, right? Maybe that's why Ryuuen's been tailing us. Ayanokouji, what kind of questions did Shiina ask you?"

"A bunch of different things, but she did ask about the mastermind," I answered.

"I-I see. So, it wasn't a date or anything." Airi patted her chest and sighed in relief.

"I couldn't really think of anything to say, so I didn't answer. To be honest, it wasn't a lot of fun," I added.

"Even so, it looked like you had a pretty good time," said Haruka. "Hmm."

"I couldn't just let her see me looking disgusted, right? She's still a Class C student."

Haruka seemed suspicious, but Keisei changed the topic. "Putting aside Haruka's imaginary romance, Class C is becoming a problem. I feel bad for eavesdropping, but apparently Sudou got wrapped up in something and went to Horikita for advice."

Ah, so Keisei overheard their conversation this morning. "Are you all right, Keisei?" Akito asked.

Keisei looked deep in thought. "Nothing's happened to me so far, but I'm still worried. I've seen Class C students around a lot lately, and they're all Ryuuen's lackeys. I'm probably being targeted as well."

"I see. They haven't done anything to me, though," said Airi, raising her hand timidly.

"Me neither," said Haruka, raising her hand like Airi.

"Well, maybe someone's been watching us, and we just haven't noticed it yet," Airi replied.

"Eh? What, like a stalker? Creepy."

Of course, a guy tailing girls might lead to various problems. Ryuuen might be using girls to act on his behalf.

"Watching us, huh? Maybe…" Akito brought his hand to his mouth, as if he'd just thought of something. "I usually finish up with club stuff and meet you guys kind of late, right?"

"Yeah. Generally after six or seven, I think."

"There're usually an awful lot of Class C students around, considering the time. When I met up with you guys the other day at Keyaki Mall, Komiya was there. He's here today, too," said Akito.

Akito was the quick-witted one in our group. His observational skills were sharp. Haruka tried to look around, being extremely obvious about it, but he stopped her.

"Don't. We don't know what they're after. It's better not to react," he

said.

If Akito hadn't stopped Haruka, I would've. It'd be best to avoid

adding fuel to the fire right now.

"Gross," spat Haruka, looking at Komiya and not disguising her disgust at all. "So, it's really true about there being a secret Class D mastermind?"

"We don't know whether or not that person exists," said Akito. "Ryuuen spews lies as easily as breathing."

However, Keisei thought in a different way. "Ryuuen has people following us precisely because he believes that there is such a person. But if Class D contains a master manipulator, like Ryuuen says, who could it be?"

"What? You think this person exists?"

"If they don't, then what Class C is doing makes no sense."

Akito didn't seem entirely convinced. "That's assuming that there's any rhyme or reason to Ryuuen's thinking," he countered.

"What do you think, Kiyopon?"

"Putting aside whether or not the Class D mastermind exists, that's probably why Class C is tailing us," I answered.

Haruka crossed her arms. "So, we're talking about someone who isn't Horikita-san, and who's helped us through all the exams so far? Like Yukimuu, maybe? He's smart. As a matter of fact, he's always top of the class on our tests."

"It's not me. All I did was help out during the island test and the zodiac game." Keisei let out a deep sigh, as if he found the subject irritating.

"In that case, how about Kouenji-kun?" Haruka suggested. "I mean, his personality's, well…off. He's brilliant, he's athletic, he's perfect in every way."

"Impossible," replied Keisei. "Like you said, he's a jerk. Do you really think he'd do anything for our class?"

"Maybe it's an act?" asked Haruka.

"You mean, his ridiculous personality's just a front?" "Maybe he's really a cold, calculating schemer. You think?" Everyone shook their heads.

"Absolutely not," said Akito. "He's nuts."

"Besides, Kouenji retired on the very first day of the island test," added Keisei confidently. "He wouldn't have known what was going on with us. If there was another mastermind on that island aside from Horikita, it couldn't have been him."

"Oh ho, I see. You're pretty persuasive, Yukimuu."

"But this is all conjecture based on the assumption that there really is a mastermind, like Ryuuen believes. Even if there is, we're not sure they were involved in all the tests."

"I see. Yeah, you're right."

"But I do think the mastermind exists," Keisei added. "Why do you say that?" Akito asked.

"Just a feeling. I guess it's because of Class D's rapid progress."

"But how could Ryuuen-kun know for sure that the mastermind isn't Horikita-san?"

"Maybe Hirata-kun's the mastermind?" suggested Keisei. "Back when we were on the island, he got some advice from Horikita-san, I think."

"So, Hirata's the one giving the orders?" Akito asked. "I don't see him as the type, but it's not impossible." "It definitely sounds like he's on Ryuuen's list."

"I think Ryuuen's got his eyes on about ten people."

Someone from Class C was probably tailing Hirata, too. But he was bound to remain neutral and abstain from conflict, and I barely spoke to him lately. I wouldn't risk it while Ryuuen and his goons were on the hunt.

"H-hey, Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi timidly spoke up. "Hmm?"

"Please don't be upset, but I wanted to ask you something," she said. "Is it possible that maybe you're the mastermind?"

The other group members all looked at me simultaneously. "Why do you think that?" I asked.

"W-well, it's just…you're calm, and smart, and…reliable, so… I thought that you gave Horikita-san all kinds of helpful advice, so…" Airi stammered.

"Does Kiyopon get good test scores?" asked Haruka.

"If I recall, not great, not bad," said Keisei, pushing his glasses up. "S-sorry. It's just, well, I kind of thought that, for some reason or

another. Maybe because of the advice you gave, that Ryuuen-kun might be after you. I felt bad for you…" Airi continued.

I supposed it was just her nature to ask an honest question. I doubted she meant ill. "Unfortunately, I'm the one always getting advice from Horikita."

"Well, I guess Kiyopon does have a mysterious quality, you know?

Also, since he's close to Horikita-san, it's reasonable that you'd suspect something," Haruka told Airi.

"Come to think of it, that might be right. It might be why Shiina directly confronted him," offered Akito.

"It certainly seems reasonable to be suspicious of Ayanokouji. Even if there isn't really a mastermind, just being close to Horikita might make people think that he's the one."

"If that's true, it's bad news for you, Kiyopon," said Haruka. "Yeah, it really is."

"What a drag. Hey, if they give you trouble, feel free to talk to us about

it," said Akito, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Yeah. I'll do that," I told him.

This surveillance couldn't continue forever. When he saw his opportunity, Ryuuen would definitely choose to attack.

3.5

AN UNEXPECTED PERSON approached me after class the next day: Satou from Class D. Her skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze as she stopped in front of me.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Are you free today? If so, would you like to have some tea or something before going back to the dorms?" She twirled her hair on her finger, as if it were pasta on a fork. She was bold—and obviously looking for a date.

Horikita, who sat next to me, didn't seem to care at all. After gathering her things, she left the classroom. However, I felt the other members of the Ayanokouji Group observing. Why's a popular girl like Satou talking to Ayanokouji? they likely wondered. Haruka seemed deeply interested.

"Well…"

I didn't really have any plans. Hanging out with our group wasn't mandatory, so they wouldn't mind. I was a little worried about the way they were staring, though.

"Is this a bad time?" Satou sounded slightly anxious. "Sorry, Satou. Today's not so good for me," I replied.

It was a tough decision, but I turned her down—mainly due to the

source of my discomfort all day. My shoulders were tense thanks to that person constantly staring at me. Her eyes remained fixed on me even now, as I talked to Satou.

Chabashira-sensei was still in the classroom. She pretended to deal with paperwork, but she was faking. She was undoubtedly waiting to approach me.

"I-I see," said Satou. "Well, talk to you later, Ayanokouji-kun."

I felt bad for making Satou sad, but this was just terrible timing. I exited the classroom as if I was walking her out, and as soon as I did, Chabashira-sensei followed me into the hall. Clearly, I was correct to think that she had some business with me.

stairs.

I took care to avoid the main hallway, instead heading over to the

Once we had privacy, Chabashira-sensei called out to me.

"Ayanokouji."

"Do you want something?" I asked. "Yes. Follow me. We need to talk."

"That's going to be difficult. I promised Horikita I'd meet her," I answered, coming up with an appropriate-sounding lie.

"As a teacher, I don't want to be careless. But circumstances being what they are, this is necessary." Chabashira-sensei, who was usually inhumanly composed, wore a strangely vulnerable expression.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I said.

"Unfortunately, you can't refuse. This is extremely urgent," she replied.

Resistance was futile. I decided to follow her, and we moved from the student area to an even more private location.

"Why are we headed over here?" I asked. "It's too early to counsel me on my post-high school career, isn't it?"

"You'll understand soon."

I tried to lighten things up with a joke, but it didn't seem like she was going to answer a student's question. However, rather than what was on the other side of the door, what I was worried about right now was Chabashira- sensei. She sounded almost flustered, and that worried me. She was normally so composed. Whoever she was taking me to see—even if it was the person I imagined—this wasn't normal behavior for her.

She knocked on an office door. "Principal, I've brought Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun."

I heard a gentle voice that carried the dignity of age. "Enter."

Chabashira-sensei opened the door. A man of about sixty sat on the sofa. He was certainly the school's principal; I'd seen him multiple times before, at the entrance ceremony and during the end-of-the-semester ceremony. He didn't look calm, either. In fact, sweat trickled down his

forehead.

One other person was there, sitting opposite the principal. I now knew the reason I'd been called here.

"You two may talk now," said the principal. "I trust this is

acceptable?"

"Of course."

"Very well. I'll take my leave now. Excuse me," the principal said. He bowed out humbly, despite the fact that the person sitting opposite him was only in his forties.

"I'll excuse myself as well." Chabashira-sensei bowed graciously to the man and left with the principal. The final look she gave me was visibly nervous. As the door closed, the only sound I heard was the heating system's faint whirring.

As I stood completely still and silent, the man spat out his first words. "How about you take a seat? I came all the way here to meet with you, after all."

It had been one year—no, a year and a half since I'd heard this man's voice. His way of speaking and tone hadn't changed at all.

"I'm not planning to have a long conversation. I promised some friends I'd meet them."

"Friends? Don't make me laugh. There's no way you're capable of making friends," the man sneered. Typical. He just assumed that was true, even though he hadn't seen me in so long.

"Whether we talk or not, it won't change anything."

"Then I assume you're going to do as I say. No need to discuss anything; I'm busy anyway."

"I don't know what you want from me," I said.

He cut straight to the heart of the matter. "I've prepared the documents necessary for you to drop out. I spoke to the principal about it. All I need is for you to say yes."

"I have no reason to drop out," I told him.

"For you, that might be true. But I have my own reasons."

He looked right at me for the first time. The sharp gleam in his eye hadn't faded. If anything, it'd only grown sharper. His gaze was a blade, threatening to slice to the very heart of you. I was sure that gaze had wounded many people.

"Does a parent have the right to ruin their child's life for the sake of their own selfishness?" I asked.

"Parent? You've never recognized me as your parent before," he countered.

"You're certainly right." I doubted that this man had ever regarded me as his own child. In truth, we only recognized each other as father and son in the most technical way possible.

"The fact is that you've been behaving selfishly. I ordered you to remain on standby," the man declared, no longer urging me to sit. "You defied me and enrolled at this school. It's only natural that I tell you to drop out immediately."

"Your orders are absolute inside the White Room. But outside it, there's no need for me to do as you say. Right?" I countered.

It was simple logic. Of course, he wasn't convinced.

"You've become quite talkative in the short time since we last met. I suppose that's due to this absurd school's influence, hmm?" The man rested his chin on his hand, looking at me as if I were less than filth.

"Answer my previous question, hmm?" I said.

"You mean the pointless query about no longer needing to obey my orders? You're my property. A man may do as he wishes with his property. Whether I keep you alive or kill you is up to me," he answered coldly. That he could say such things in a law-abiding country, and mean them, spoke to what a fearsome force he was.

"Badger me all you like. I'm not dropping out," I told him.

We could keep going back and forth on this, but it didn't matter. We weren't going to agree. He knew that, and hated wasting his time on pointless conversations. So, what would he do?

Of course, he prepared his next attack.

"Don't you wonder how Matsuo's doing? The person who told you about this school and gave you the idea to enroll?"

"Not especially." I remembered Matsuo. His face immediately popped up in my mind.

"I hired him to manage you for a year in his capacity as a butler, but he chose to go against his employer."

He said it in one breath, without pausing, then stopped cold after the word "employer," a pause designed to etch that final word into the listener's heart. The tone of his voice and the dramatic pause indicated that a conversation of grave importance was about to begin. His dark look was designed to make me fearful. To cause me to wonder just how bad things

were about to get.

"He told you about this school as a way for you to escape my control.

You ignored your real father's wishes and selfishly enrolled without my permission. Truly foolish." He picked up his tea and took a sip. "An outrageous, unforgiveable act. Naturally, Matsuo had to be punished."

It wasn't a threat. He was merely stating the truth.

"You can probably guess what I'm about to say," he continued, "but he was disciplined and dismissed."

"If he went against his employer, that's an appropriate punishment," I

said.

My butler, Matsuo, was nearly sixty years old. He was exceptionally

good at taking care of people, and quite amicable. Any child would've liked him.

Matsuo married young, but hadn't been blessed with children right away. He was over forty when he had his first baby, but sadly lost his wife in childbirth. His son was about my age, and Matsuo's pride and joy. I'd never met the boy myself, but Matsuo said his son studied diligently every day so that he could achieve great things and repay his father's sacrifices. His smile as he said those words still burned in my memory.

"You know about him, I assume. Matsuo's son, his pride and joy." He'd predicted my train of thought. He saw right through me.

"When you enrolled at this school, Matsuo's son also managed to pass the difficult entrance exam for a wonderful, prestigious private high school. He worked exceptionally hard, and achieved it all on his own."

He paused.

"But now he's been expelled."

His meaning was plain. He'd forced the school to rescind the boy's acceptance as a form of payback. That was the sort of power he wielded.

"So? For a man like you, that's a mild punishment," I replied sarcastically.

"Matsuo's son was strong. Even though he was expelled from the school on which he'd pinned his hopes, his determination didn't fade. He

bounced back and immediately tried to enroll in other schools. I did whatever was necessary to crush his attempts to advance. I made him give up. I did the same to Matsuo, too. I tarnished his reputation, leaving him unable to find a job. His son also lost his way, and is now unemployed," said the man.

Matsuo and his son had lost everything because of my selfishness. The man before me wasn't making this up. Every word he said was almost certainly true.

If he came all this way to spout this nonsense at me, then he was in for a disappointment.

"I imagine you're not surprised by any of this. Because Matsuo acted against me, it was necessary that I repay him in kind. However, it seemed that this was more than he could bear. He was always a nice, conscientious man, who lost his wife young and raised his son alone. Racked with guilt for having robbed his child of a future, Matsuo concluded that there was only one way to save him. He begged me to leave the boy alone, and committed suicide last month by self-immolation."

So, that was what he came here to say. That my selfish actions led to a man's death.

"Right now, his son's working part-time, earning enough to live on and nothing else, with no guarantee of a future. No dreams. No hope. His family's tragedy is your fault. The boy must surely bear a deep grudge against you.

Even in death, he won't forgive you."

The corners of the man's mouth curved slightly upward in a despicable

grin.

"The man who took care of you, who saved you, has died. And you

show no reaction whatsoever. If Matsuo could see you now, he'd be full of regret."

What kind of joke was this?

Dead people felt no regret. The man before me was the reason why Matsuo and his son lost everything—why Matsuo killed himself—and he wasn't even trying to make me feel guilty. He was simply stating the fact that he had no mercy for those who angered him. That was what he wanted to convey to me.

"First of all, there's no evidence that what you say is the truth," I argued.

"Matsuo's death has already been recorded. If necessary, I can send for the papers confirming it." He was basically daring me to ask for them.

"If he really is dead, then that's all the more reason for me to stay in school. Matsuo helped me enroll, even though he knew you'd punish him. I must honor his wishes." A ridiculous reply for a ridiculous story.

"You've changed quite a bit, Kiyotaka."

I'd always followed his orders before. Well, I followed the White Room's orders. It had been my entire world. This man's sole failure was the one year he left me with Matsuo.

"What happened that year? What made you so determined to go to this school?" he asked.

"It's certainly true that you supplied me with the best possible education," I told him. "Even though you used methods that must be kept from the public, I can't deny what the White Room offered. I don't plan on revealing my past to anyone, nor will I do anything that would endanger you. However, I'm the result of your absolute pursuit of an ideal. That was your mistake."

I was a first-year high school student. I was only sixteen years old, and already, my knowledge far exceeded what a normal person could learn in a lifetime. That was precisely what allowed me to recognize the infinite bounds of human curiosity.

"You taught us all kinds of things. Not just the liberal arts and sciences, but martial arts and self-defense techniques, and bits of worldly wisdom too numerous to mention. Learning fascinated me. I wanted to learn about the common, everyday world that you deemed worthless and turned your back on," I continued.

"Is that what led you to run away?"

"Do you think I could learn what I have at this school if I stayed with you? What's freedom? What does it mean to be unconstrained? I couldn't have learned that in the White Room," I replied.

That part alone was something even he couldn't deny. The White

Room might have been the most efficient facility for nurturing and training someone in the entire world, but you couldn't learn everything about the world there. It was a facility that cut away anything it deemed unnecessary. To the extreme.

"Matsuo told me that this school was the only place in Japan where you couldn't reach me." If I hadn't chosen this school, but just waited as instructed, or chosen another option, I would probably have been put back in the White Room again. I was absolutely not going to drop out.

"I don't entirely understand, but it seems that I have no choice but to accept. I suppose that temporarily suspending the facility's activity was a mistake. To think that a plan sixteen years in the making could be ruined in just a year…" he replied.

The White Room's temporary shutdown would be a hard blow to this man. But if he was finally contacting me after more than six months, something else was likely happening behind the scenes.

"I understand why you're here," he continued. "But if you think the matter is settled, you're naïve. As with Matsuo's son, I can force you to quit."

"I can't imagine you'll be able to do anything, considering that the government backs this school," I told him.

"That's a statement made without proof."

"Firstly, I don't see any of the bodyguards who normally follow you everywhere. You shouldn't be without them, since so many people hold grudges against you. But your bodyguards aren't in this room, nor are they in the hallway," I countered.

The man swallowed his remaining lukewarm tea. "There's no need to bring a bodyguard along to visit a high school."

"That'd be sloppy, considering that you're the sort who has guards escort him to the bathroom. No, you couldn't bring them here even if you wanted to. The authorities didn't allow it." If he hadn't obeyed, they wouldn't have permitted him to enter.

"You still lack proof."

"Secondly, if you had the power to simply force my expulsion, you would've done so immediately. But you didn't. You came all the way here to

try to convince me to drop out. Something's off."

He hadn't met directly with Matsuo's son. He just brought the hammer down on him, so to speak.

"One more thing. You could easily consider this school enemy territory. If you took aggressive action here, and the public found out, your dreams of making a comeback would disappear forever, wouldn't they?"

"Did Matsuo put that idea in your head? Even in death, he's still impeding me."

"I couldn't possibly deduce all that from things Matsuo said." I'd heard no details from Matsuo, but I could easily guess what was going on. "Putting aside the facility's temporary suspension, there's another problem you never considered. No matter how perfectly you train someone, sooner or later, a rebellious phase occurs."

A mere fifteen years of education couldn't possibly go against the ancient traditions in our DNA. Adolescent rebellion was ingrained in us all.

"Why would someone like you veer off your path? You were taught from the very beginning that there was no point learning unnecessary things."

"Because of my insatiable curiosity, my inquisitive spirit. And also, because I want to decide my path for myself. It's that simple," I replied.

"Utter nonsense. The only path in this world is the one I prepared for you. You will one day surpass me, and become the person who guides Japan into the future. Why can't you understand that?"

"That's just a story you tell yourself." "It seems I can't get through to you." "Looks like we agree on that point."

Our statements only went in circles, not intersecting. We'd never see eye to eye.

"The White Room has resumed operations. This time, my plans are perfect. Nothing will get in the way. I'm prepared to make up for lost time," he said.

"In that case, you must have quite a few candidates to succeed you.

Why fixate on me?"

"It's certainly true that things are going well. However, there's no one who exhibits the talent level you do."

"Am I to assume a parent can't lie to their own child?"

"This is the last thing I'll say to you, Kiyotaka. Consider very carefully before answering me. Which would you prefer? To run away from this school of your own free will, or to have your parent force you to leave?"

This man was determined to drag me back there. I didn't know what measures he expected to take, but I didn't want to listen.

"You have no plans to return?" he concluded after a long, deadly silence.

"I don't know if there's any help for a man like you, but I have no intention of giving up. This school is developing its students' talents, even if it goes about it differently from you. I expect to learn a lot here," I told him.

"How foolish. This school's nothing more than a barn full of common rabble. I'm sure that your own class holds many such worthless bottom- feeders with no hope of salvation."

"Worthless bottom-feeders? Not at all. This is a place where I may discover whether human beings are made equal or not. I find that quite interesting."

"You think that even incompetent morons can stand toe-to-toe with geniuses?"

"That's what I hope."

"You want to destroy my ideals, then."

"We should end this. We know that, no matter how long we talk, we'll never agree."

Just then, someone knocked at the door. "Please excuse me."

A man in his forties slowly opened the door. His expression was grim at the sight of our unexpected visitor.

"It's been quite some time, Ayanokouji-sensei," he said, bowing low like a subordinate addressing a superior.

"Sakayanagi. Seeing you gives me a rush of nostalgia. It's been, what

—seven, eight years?" the man asked.

"I suppose it's been that long since I succeeded my father as school board chairman. Time flies," replied the visitor. Sakayanagi? Like Sakayanagi Arisu, from Class A. "You must be Ayanokouji-sensei's… You're Kiyotaka-kun, are you not? It's nice to meet you."

"We finished speaking, so I'll be heading back."

"Ah, would you mind waiting just a moment longer? I was hoping to speak to you both, Ayanokouji-sensei. Please, have a seat."

I couldn't refuse that request from a third-party, let alone the board chairman of the school. I sat down. The chairman sat beside me.

"I already heard from the principal. You intend to make him withdraw from the school, hmm?" Sakayanagi asked the man.

"That's right. Since it's what his parent wishes, the school must immediately take appropriate action."

Chairman Sakayanagi's eyes met my father's. "I'm afraid that's incorrect. It's certainly true that parents have a significant say in a student's attendance here, but we must examine the reasons they might wish for their child to drop out. For example, if a student were subject to terrible bullying, we'd certainly take that into account. Are you being bullied, Kiyotaka-kun?"

"Absolutely not."

"This is a farce. I want him to quit attending a school he enrolled at without his parent's permission."

"High school isn't considered compulsory education, and attendance isn't mandatory. Students are free to attend any high school of their choosing. If parents paid tuition, it might be a different story, but the government covers all this school's fees. Our students' autonomy is our top priority," said Sakayanagi.

I finally understood what Matsuo meant when he told me, "If you go to this school, you can escape from the White Room." He'd said that because of Sakayanagi, who now spoke to my father without a hint of cowardice or fear.

Unlike the principal, who groveled before people in positions of authority, Sakayanagi held firm.

"You've changed, too. Where did the old, agreeable you go?" my father asked.

"I still respect you, Ayanokouji-sensei. However, it's precisely because I share my father's vision for this school that I intend to follow in his footsteps. I'm sure you understand that well. None of these policies have changed since my father's time."

"You're free to succeed your father and carry on his wishes. However, if that's your intention, then why did you allow Kiyotaka to enter this school?" the man inquired.

"Why, you ask? Because we determined that he qualified for admission based on his interview and exam results."

"Don't dodge the question. This school's fundamentally unlike ordinary schools. Kiyotaka should never have been a suitable candidate for admission. I know that the interviews and exam are just for show," the man countered.

Chairman Sakayanagi had worn a pleasant smile so far. However, after hearing those words, his expression changed.

"Even though you could say you've retired, you remain an impressive figure, Ayanokouji-sensei. You're quite well-informed," said Sakayanagi.

"He was recommended to this school in secret. The moment that happened, his acceptance was decided. To put it in other words, it's strange that any and all students, no matter who they are, would be disqualified if they don't have a recommendation. Am I wrong?"

It certainly seemed they were discussing some things a student like myself should never have been privy to.

"Kiyotaka never should've been among the possible candidates in the first place. It's abnormal that you didn't disqualify him."

"You're correct that he wasn't originally on the list of students we planned to admit. We normally reject unexpected applications from students not on our list, and we have an interview and exam to camouflage that fact. He's the only student I've approved for admission based solely on my own judgment. You may be here because you wish to take him back, but he's one of our valued students now, and in our care. I have a responsibility to protect this school's students. Even if this request comes from you, I'm afraid I must refuse. As long as Kiyotaka himself doesn't wish to quit, that is," said Sakayanagi, looking in my direction.

"Don't screw with me," spat the man.

However, the chairman continued speaking. "If you still wish us to dismiss him, we'll arrange a three-way discussion with you, Kiyotaka-kun, and a school representative until we reach an agreement."

The chairman had essentially rejected my expulsion. The man had no cards left to play.

"If that's how things stand, I'll find another way."

"What do you intend to do? If it's anything extreme, then—"

"I understand. I haven't the slightest intention of putting any pressure on you," said the man. "You should have no complaints if Kiyotaka's expelled in accordance with school rules, correct?"

"Yes. I can assure you that the school won't give him special treatment just because he's your son," said Sakayanagi.

"In that case, we're done talking. If you'll please excuse me." The man got up from the sofa.

"When will we meet again?" "Certainly not here."

"I'll see you off."

"No need."

I spoke up. "If you call yourself a parent, why not come by the school now and again?"

"Coming to a place like this once is quite enough." With those cutting words, the man left the office.

"Whew," said Sakayanagi. "It sure feels like you're on pins and needles when Ayanokouji-sensei's around, doesn't it? You must've had a tough time of it."

"Nah, not really," I replied.

It was now just the two of us. Chairman Sakayanagi looked at me with kind eyes.

"In truth, I've known about you for a long time now," he said. "I never spoke with you directly, but I had my eye on you. Sensei always spoke highly

of you."

"Ah, so that's how that mechanism was removed." "Mechanism? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. More importantly, Chairman Sakayanagi, do you know a

Class A student who—"

"Arisu, right? She's my daughter." "I see."

"Oh, but she's not in Class A just because she's my daughter. Our assessments are fair."

"No doubt. I just wanted to ask you something." At least now I understood how she knew me. "I'm curious about what that man—that is, what my father—said earlier."

"About your admittance to this school?" "Exactly."

"I see. Well, it's as Ayanokouji-sensei said. We only admit students we

believe deserve placement. We contact and work with junior high administrators to conduct preliminary nationwide surveys and determine who's qualified. The interview and exam are for appearances' sake. A student might screw around in the interview, or get a zero on the exam, while their admission was already decided. Of course, students from all over the country do apply here, so the tests are a convenient smokescreen," said Sakayanagi.

So even if someone scored a perfect 100 points or performed perfectly in the interview, they'd still be turned away, huh? There was no way a student who got rejected would be able to ascertain the truth, either. That made sense. Poor students like Sudou and Ike, and ones with troubled pasts like Karuizawa and Hirata, had been able to enroll despite their issues.

Shining records and academic ability were clearly not all that mattered to this school.

"The moment I decided to admit you, your acceptance was guaranteed.

Scoring exactly fifty points on all your written tests had no effect on your success or failure," he continued.

This was an exceptionally peculiar school. I doubted that there was

another like it in all of Japan.

"I'm sure both you and Ayanokouji-sensei have questions. You'll come to understand with time. You'll see the nurturing policy we strive for, and the effect we hope it will produce," said Sakayanagi. His voice brimmed with confidence. "I can't tell you more than that. You're a student, and I'm the one running the school, after all."

He probably only told me this much because that man was targeting

me.

"As the person in charge, I'll protect my students according to the

rules. Do you understand?"

In other words, if I didn't follow the rules, Sakayanagi couldn't help me. "Of course. I also understand what that man's going to try to do now. Please excuse me."

"Very well. Keep doing your best."

With that, I left the reception office. As I stepped out, I saw Chabashira-sensei some distance away. She'd clearly been waiting for our conversation to end. I gave her a slight bow and tried to walk past, but she walked alongside me, matching my stride.

"How did it go with your father?" she asked.

"It's pointless to probe me so clumsily. I understand everything," I told

her.

"You understand what, exactly?"

"Almost everything you've told me has been a lie, Chabashira-sensei." "What are you talking about?" She wasn't looking me in the eye. "Chabashira-sensei. Almost everything you've told me has been a lie." "What are you talking about?"

"You're trying to hide how shaken you are, but it's obvious just from

looking at you," I told her.

The fact she wasn't looking me in the eye. Her choice of words. She was trying to conceal her emotions from any outside observer to the best of her ability, but even so, she couldn't hide her unrest completely.

"That man never contacted you. And he didn't push you to expel me, either."

"Umm…no. Your father wanted my cooperation. I've been trying to get you expelled."

It was certainly true that my father was pushing for me to drop out. However, judging from his behavior, and that this was the first time he set foot on school grounds, I was fairly sure he'd never been in contact with a teacher. I didn't have any solid proof, though.

"Look, stop lying to me. Chairman Sakayanagi told me everything. He informed you about me the minute the school admitted me."

"The chairman told you?" I chuckled wryly.

In that moment, Chabashira-sensei understood her mistake. "Ayanokouji, did you trick me?"

"Yes. The chairman said nothing about you, Chabashira-sensei. But your involvement in this matter has become clear."

The second Sakayanagi said he was aware that I deliberately scored fifty points on all my tests, I'd known for sure.

"Allow me to explain," I continued. "First, I wanted to come to this school. Chairman Sakayanagi knew of me, and acted independently to confirm my enrollment, as well as my assignment to Class D. He put me in Class D because you, Chabashira-sensei, have shown no real drive to rise through the class ranks. At least on the surface. Every other teacher desperately wants to have their class promoted."

I'd attract attention in a high-performing class. Sakayanagi had wanted to put me somewhere I could lay low.

"But Sakayanagi made one mistake. You, a teacher who shows no affection for her class and appears apathetic, secretly desire to reach Class A more than anyone else."

"...…" Chabashira-sensei remained silent, probably because she knew she'd lose the argument if she responded carelessly.

There was one more thing I wanted to be certain of.

"You're obsessed with Class A. However, the students the school's assigned you so far have been subpar. That's why you act indifferent, concealing your feelings. Am I wrong?"

She was now totally unable to look me in the eye. "That's just speculation, Ayanokouji."

Her denial had no force behind it.

"Your situation changed because of my arrival. Although many Class D students have various character defects, you did luck out on a few fronts. Horikita, Kouenji, Hirata, and Kushida are all students who, if guided well, have a chance of being promoted to the upper classes. They gave you hope. Your concealed desires began to burn brightly once again… It all makes sense when I think back to Hoshinomiya's comment to you around the time I started school here."

Hoshinomiya, who was an old friend of Chabashira-sensei's, knew her hidden desire to rise to Class A. I remembered her teasing Chabashira-sensei about wanting to "be dominated by a younger man," and how that wasn't possible for her. Maybe she'd actually been implying that Chabashira-sensei

was incapable of submitting to authority. That she desired for a lower class to supplant a higher one; the inferiors overthrowing their superiors.

"You want me to be your ticket to Class A. And now the chairman has said he'll watch over me. Put it all together, and you're at my mercy. All you can do is stand there and pretend not to hear any the abuse I'm throwing at you right now," I added. "You've been stuck with Class D for an eternity, all the while hankering to rise u to Class A. You can't pass up on this opportunity. You even decided to lie about being in contact with my father in order to use me. That was the reason why you contacted me, and Horikita was nothing more than a pawn for you to use to that end. However, things aren't so simple."

I'd had no desire to excel when I first started at this school. I never intended to aim for Class A. Even though she hadn't yet known what to do with me, Chabashira-sensei made her first move during the test on the island.

"You knew we had to win when the special exams started, or we'd never catch up to the other classes. You panicked and made up a story to tell me. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose."

Class D had done pretty well, ever since. But Chabashira-sensei had miscalculated. And now my father had finally contacted the school directly, and all her lies had been laid bare.

"You probably intended to corner me," I said. "Instead, you're the one with your back to the wall."

"I see," she said. "Your abilities certainly aren't those of an ordinary first-year high school student. 'Wise beyond your years'—isn't that how the saying goes? I guess that describes you pretty well."

She took a deep breath and nodded. Her shoulders slumped. "You're right," she continued. The composure she'd so struggled to

maintain had collapsed. "I never met your father before today. But I really could have you expelled if I wanted to. I could claim you committed a serious violation of the rules. Expulsion is the one thing you absolutely want to avoid, no?"

Really, to do all this and now threaten me more? "So, you're not giving up on your ambitions?"

"Exactly."

"Unfortunately for you, you can't get me expelled." "May I ask why you're so certain?"

I'd allowed myself to appear to grow agitated to ascertain her true

intentions. Now, I calmed down, returning to my usual tone of voice. "The current situation. This year's Class D is unusual. Compared to years past, we're doing well. Horikita and the others are getting stronger. They might still reach Class A, even without my help."

Class D had risen for months. We were on the cusp of overtaking Class C, and if the school expelled one of us now, it would ruin that. This meant Chabashira-sensei's hands were tied.

"Even if I step down, the fight will continue. You still have reason to hope, Chabashira-sensei, and that means you're going to leave me be."

"So even though you know everything now, you're still done trying to reach Class A?" she asked.

Of course. The teacher who'd tried to manipulate me into aiming for Class A had turned out to have no secret connection to my father at all. I had nothing to fear from her now. Still, I didn't completely shoot her down.

People will cling to the tiniest ember of hope, given the chance.

"At the very least, I think I'm done taking my turn onstage," I said. "Now, please stay back, stay quiet, and watch me. If you try to manipulate me to the tune of your personal desires again, it'll only hurt the other students."

"And if I keep after you? What then?"

"You'll never see your dream come true. Not a smart choice." "Allow me to rephrase the question. Are you so certain that I won't

take you down with me when I do lose hope?"

"Not at all. It's certainly possible that something in the future will devastate our class points. If that happens, and you lose all hope, feel free to come at me." She wouldn't stop even if I asked her to. Better to let her do as she pleased. "Just remember that your position as a teacher isn't rock-solid, either."

It was an empty threat for now, but it should be at least somewhat effective against Chabashira-sensei, given what she knew. As I walked away, she said nothing, so it seemed as she was out of ammo.

Reuniting with my father wasn't pleasant, but I'd made some significant progress today. I no longer needed to help reach Class A. No matter what Ryuuen did from here, I didn't have to get involved for Class D's sake. And no matter what happened to Karuizawa, it wouldn't hurt Class D.

Of course, my identity would be revealed if Karuizawa were caught or betrayed me, but so what? Even if Ryuuen hunted me down, provided I did nothing else for Class D from this point on, we'd probably still end up winning narrowly. He would achieve nothing.

3.6

AT DUSK, I walked a path lined with trees. I looked up and exhaled.

White steam curled from my mouth and vanished into the night sky. "Cold," I muttered.

Every time I breathed out, that white steam rose into the air. I exhaled

and inhaled, over and over again. I tended to forget because of the extremely temperature fluctuations from day to day, but winter was here. Last year around this time, I'd always been indoors.

A girl passed me, shivering in the cold. She chatted happily with someone on her phone.

"Seriously, right when you became student council president, our relationship flatlined, Miyabi. Ah ha ha! Come on. I'm joking, I'm joking. Besides, it's not like I'm angry or anything. But I am going to ask you to treat me in celebration, so be prepared!" she said.

Her thighs peeked out from beneath her skirt. Exposed to the winter air, they were probably really cold. I caught the fragrant scent of shampoo on her shoulder-length hair.

"Student council? Sorry, but I'll pass. I'm not interested. Besides, you still haven't settled things with the former student council president, have you, Miyabi? Wait, what? Why are you suddenly confessing your feelings for me? Come on, I know you've made passes at lots of other girls. Well, if you win against President Horikita, then I'll consider it, okay? Talk to you later."

I didn't want to eavesdrop, but if she was going to talk that loudly, then I couldn't help but overhear to. Based on the contents of her conversation, she was probably a second-year student.

The girl finished her phone call and exhaled deeply, steam escaping her mouth.

"Jeez, that Miyabi. Getting all cocky. Still, that student council president was pretty useless. In the end, Miyabi will win," she said to no one in particular.

I wondered whether she'd noticed me, but she continued walking. However, when she reached the fork in the road where the path split off toward the dormitories for each grade level, her foot slipped and she took a truly impressive tumble to the ground.

"Wah!"

The girl immediately got up and looked around, her face red. That was when she noticed me for the first time, and forced a slightly embarrassed smile. She didn't seem injured at all, and she took off in the direction of the second-year students' dorm.

"So, she really was a second year, huh?" I said to myself.

It seemed students didn't really mingle with those from different grade levels very much at this school, outside of student council or club activities. That was why I hadn't really had any opportunity to commit their faces to memory.

"Must be hard to be a girl in winter," I muttered. Apparently, the school prohibited them from wearing leggings underneath their uniform skirts, which made no sense to me.

This was the first "winter" I'd experienced. It was so chilly. There was a song about a dog that got super excited after seeing snow for the first time, and I understood that feeling now. Was it going to be this exciting every time it snowed?

I let out a deep breath, and thought back on the events of the day. I spoke directly with my father, met Chairman Sakayanagi, and ascertained which of the school's policies were meaningless. Seeing through Chabashira- sensei's lies was a huge gain. This should allow me to make quite a bit of progress.

"Should I stop?"

I'd been careful to remain behind the scenes so far, but if Class D continued to flourish, I wouldn't be able to avoid attracting attention.

Ryuuen's scrutiny would intensify, and eventually, his investigation would bear fruit. Though I'd tried to prop Horikita up as the class mastermind, he'd seen through it. Sakayanagi knew about my past, and Ichinose probably had her doubts, too.

If I wanted to turn back, this was my last chance.

Hasty decisions led to ruin, so I needed to consider both options: push forward or retreat. Right now, Ryuuen was my main problem.

I took out my phone and texted a particular person, asking her to contact me as soon as she could. The read receipt showed up immediately after I sent the text, so she must've been back in her dorm already. That was odd. She was usually out with friends at this time of night.

I manually entered the 11-digit phone number and called her. "Hello?"

The owner of that somewhat listless voice was first-year Class-D

student Karuizawa Kei. Unbeknownst to her, she was one of the people Ryuuen had his eye. She also knew that I was the one manipulating Class D from behind the scenes, far more so than Horikita.

Of course, there were plenty of things she didn't know, such as precisely how involved I was or what exactly I'd been doing. If anything, Karuizawa probably considered me an intensely creepy person right now.

"Just wondering what you're up to," I said.

"You're joking, right? You wouldn't call without a reason," she replied.

I'd planned to start off with some small talk, but Karuizawa wasn't having it. "You don't enjoy our conversations?"

"If you don't enjoy them either, that's a dumb question."

"I suppose you're right." She wasn't the Class D girls' leader for no reason. She understood people. "Did Manabe and her friends contact you?"

"No. That's not a problem right now. Is that why you called?" she asked. Rather than surprised, she sounded exasperated.

"It's been quite some time, huh? Guess there's nothing to worry about anymore," I said.

The wind howled, turning my bare face raw from the chill. "You're still outside," said Karuizawa. She probably heard the wind over the phone.

"I'm on my way back to the dorms. Seems like you turned in pretty early today yourself. You're normally out much later than this, aren't you?"

"Even I feel like heading back early sometimes." She sounded a little standoffish.

"Ah!" I cried, noticing something.

"What?" Karuizawa demanded, thinking that it was directed at her. "It's nothing," I replied.

At the fork in the road, a red charm lay on the ground where that girl had fallen a little earlier. I wondered whether she dropped it. It might've been better to just leave it, but it would likely snow this evening, soaking the charm. There were no signs that the girl was coming back for it, so I decided to pick it up so I could hand it over to the dorm manager.

"Hey," Karuizawa said. "There's something I wanted to confirm with you, since we're already talking."

"Something you wanted to confirm?" I asked. I picked up the charm and walked toward the second-year students' dormitory.

"You're smart and all, but why don't you let people know? I mean, Class D's pretty much full of morons. If you came forward like Yousuke- kun, people would like you more, right?"

"I'm smart, huh? What makes you think that?" "What do you mean?"

"There's nothing for you to base that evaluation on, is there? My test

scores are pretty average. I don't contribute much in class, either." "That's not what I'm talking about."

Of course, I knew what Karuizawa wanted to say. I'd recruited her help many times at this point, like while stopping the Idiot Trio from sneaking photos and peeping, and during the incident with Kushida in the Paper Shuffle. It was obvious to Karuizawa that I was more than I seemed.

"It's just that you were open about the things you did, your reputation would improve, wouldn't it? You'd probably even draw the school's attention, just like during the sports festival," she continued, sounding almost excited even though this should have had nothing to do with her.

"You know I'm not the kind of person who wants that, right?" "Then why are you doing all this? If you didn't want attention, you

could've just hung back."

"That's a very good question." I hadn't wanted to do any of this. "Something came up that forced my hand, so I helped Class D. That's all there is to it."

Normally, I'd never reveal that much. But today was special. I was in a good mood.

"I kind of feel like that's a waste," she replied.

"I never intended to take control. Never have and never will," I told her. I needed to make sure Karuizawa was clear on that point. I didn't want people coming to me for help if Class D ran into problems in the future.

"It's you, isn't it? You're the one that Ryuuen's searching for."

Class C's surveillance increased day after day—it wasn't just Sudou and Akito—and rumors had spread well beyond Class D's walls. Talk was going around about how Ryuuen had been defeated by someone in Class D and was now out for revenge. Karuizawa had probably known it was me right away.

"That's kind of related to what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to apologize," I told her.

"Apologize?"

"I've been helping Class D so it could earn points. I did so because something compelled me to. But that's no longer the case."

"So what? You're just going to stop helping?"

"Yeah. I'll leave it all to Horikita and Hirata. I don't want the hassle of Ryuuen discovering my identity; I'm done. You've been a great help to me— for instance, that time at karaoke, and getting in touch with Kushida. I've imposed on you quite a lot."

"I see. So, that means I'm finally free, huh? I won't be working with you anymore?"

"That's about right."

Karuizawa had served me better than I could've anticipated. That was also why I could cut her off without hesitation.

"This will probably be the last time I call you," I told her clearly.

"Huh?" Her response was delayed. Maybe she hadn't heard me? "This is the last time I'll call you," I repeated.

She had to have heard me this time.

"It's only natural, since I don't need anything from you now. Besides, no one knows that we've been talking. It'll be suspicious if we continue to make pointless contact," I told her.

"Yeah. I guess. I suppose you're right," replied Karuizawa, though it sounded like she was struggling with the words. Something seemed to be bothering her, but I just kept going, selfishly.

"Of course, I'll help you if you ever need me to. I made a promise, and I'll honor it. You can contact me if there's an emergency, but please delete all traces of our conversations. I already deleted your contact information."

"W-wait a minute. Why are you doing this?" "What do you mean?"

"It's just…very cold."

"Well, our relationship has always been cold, hasn't it?"

If I hadn't gotten involved in Manabe and her friends' bullying of Karuizawa, we would probably never have spoken. A gloomy loner like me and a popular girl like her were as different as night and day.

"You hated being used by me, didn't you?" I asked.

"Well, yes, but…" Karuizawa was stumbling over her words more and more. The stretches of silence were getting longer. Best not to drag this out much longer.

"I think we're done. Did you have anything you wanted to say?" I asked, pressing her to speak.

"I understand." She sounded unenthusiastic, but any response was good. Perhaps she'd accepted there was nothing she could do. "So, this is the last time I can talk to you like this, Kiyotaka?"

"Are you reluctant to stop?" "Of course not."

"Then there's no problem." I said it flatly, without the slightest bit of

emotion. Emotion had no place here.

"I guess I'll hang up then…" Even over the phone, I could tell Karuizawa was in the grip of some strong emotion.

"See you."

"Ah…" Karuizawa seemed ready to say something, but only silence followed. After a few seconds, I hung up, erased my call history, and put my phone back in my pocket.

Attaching herself to me like a parasite must've given Karuizawa some peace of mind. Coldly pushing her away like this had undoubtedly left her very shaken. The anxiety and loneliness I sensed from her on the phone would probably continue to intensify. If Ryuuen came after her when she was like this, then…

It was almost guaranteed that she would crumble.

"Well. I took a few detours, but I'm finally back where I was when I started school, huh?" I said to myself.

Horikita, Karuizawa, Ryuuen, and Sakayanagi were now irrelevant to me. I didn't care about them. I probably wouldn't push myself in any tests going forward, either. If there were any loose ends left to tie up, they didn't matter, though they might require my collaboration.

I gave the red charm to the second-year students' dorm manager and went home.

3.7

I PICKED UP THE DAMP CLOTH I'd been using to mop up dirt and dust, and threw it in the garbage bag. After washing my hands, I sat on my bed, listening to the creak of the springs.

Since it was December, I decided to use the weekend for some end-of- year cleaning. I wasn't much of a packrat, so it only took about half a day to finish everything. Had I managed to return my room to the pristine condition it was in when I first moved in?

"A clean room's such a great thing," I muttered.

I turned on my teakettle, thinking that I would take a little breather. I was somewhat hesitant about using the sparkling cup I'd just cleaned, but there was no other option. Deciding to sort out my future while the kettle boiled, I took out my phone and accessed the school app, scrolling aimlessly through things like class points and personal balances.

Let's start at the beginning.

Why had I enrolled at this school in the first place? So, I wouldn't have to return to my old environment. It wasn't that I was particularly dissatisfied with the White Room, though it was quite problematic from a human-rights perspective. Still, you could receive the best possible education there, and it was that education that had shaped my personality and abilities.

However, even after my father praised me as his greatest masterpiece, I'd felt a discontentment that I couldn't put into words. Even if I was the most superior human specimen that existed… was that really something to be proud of?

It was because I'd lived my life believing there was always something more to learn that I considered learning to be meaningful. So, what happened when there was finally nothing left to learn? Life would be horribly boring, wouldn't it?

Well, to tell the truth, I didn't care about all that.

I needed to consider what I should do from here on out. I had always

known that my father would contact me someday. I'd been prepared for it from the moment Chabashira-sensei insinuated that she would get me expelled, though even then, I'd had my doubts about whether she spoke the truth. If my father really came for me, Chabashira-sensei couldn't stop him. He wasn't the kind of foe someone like a class teacher could thwart.

But, knowing my father, I couldn't be sure. So, I did as she said, putting on the appearance of cooperation, devising strategies to help us rise to Class A.

The kettle started to whistle.

Having come this far, I'd established that Chabashira-sensei's words to me had been full of lies. Ironically, given that it had all revolved around my father, she turned out to have no connection to my father at all. Whatever history or trauma she carried with her had left her transfixed by the idea of making it to Class A, just like Horikita or Keisei… no, if anything, Chabashira Sae was even more obsessed with the idea. She would never have the courage to actually expel me.

Initially, I might have thought her actions proof of her willingness to be self-destructive if necessary. Until we closed the gap with the test on the uninhabited island, Class D had been in a pretty bad place. A place that made it hard to cling to hope. Chabashira had mixed lies with the truth to manipulate me, but now, I'd seen through the lies hidden within the truth.

With her true colors revealed, she had no power to order me around anymore.

If my goal was to spend three ordinary years at this school—whether that be in Class D or Class A—I had no reason to dig myself in deeper by trying to help the class. People like Ichinose and Sakayanagi had started to take an interest in me, but if I stepped back now, that interest would fade.

The one remaining problem was Ryuuen Kakeru.

If he did figure out that I was Class D's secret mastermind, he might create an uproar by circulating that information. It would have been ideal for my identity to remain completely concealed, though that seemed impossible now. Even if I cut all ties to Karuizawa Kei, we were still bound by an invisible thread. If I left things the way they were now, someday, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ryuuen would find that thread. Would it take a week? A month? A year?

That uncertainty was what troubled me. The kettle whistled and shut itself off. "Guess I'll have some tea."

My cabinets overflowed with teabags, since I used to have all kinds of visitors stopping by. I'd amassed an extensive range of supplies, from coffee to black tea to green and roasted tea. Just as I put a black tea bag into my cup, someone buzzed me from the first floor.

A classmate would just have rung my doorbell. Who could this be? I went to check the screen and found myself looking at a surprising face. I could've pretended not to be home, but I opted for honesty. After all, this was someone I'd been thinking about going to see myself, and he'd come all the way out here.

"I'd like a moment of your time. Or should I come back later?" my visitor asked through the intercom.

"Nah, now's a good time," I replied.

It was Horikita's older brother, who'd been student council president until recently. What an unusual visitor. I buzzed him into the building, and poured boiling water into my cup while I waited.

Soon after, the doorbell rang.

"I'd prefer to speak privately, so please come in," I told him. "I agree."

If Horikita saw her brother and I chatting in the hallway, she'd cause a fuss. Besides, I wanted to avoid being seen with the former student council president as much as possible. I let Horikita's older brother into my room.

The older Horikita noticed my tea as soon as he entered. "I just thought I'd make myself something to drink," I told him.

"For a first year, you keep your room quite clean," he said.

"I just don't have that much stuff." I decided not to tell him that I'd cleaned my room today. Of course, he probably deduced as much from the garbage bag full of damp paper towels. "To come all the way to the first years' dorm… Do you have business with me, former student council president?"

"The second semester ends next week. My time at this school is running out."

True. He had a little over two months left. It'd be over in the blink of an eye.

"There's something I wanted to tell you before I leave. About Nagumo Miyabi."

Nagumo Miyabi was a second-year Class A, and the current student council president. I'd only exchanged pleasantries with him at the sports festival, but he seemed like an intense person. Whatever he was, though, it had nothing to do with me.

"I can't imagine what you have to say to me," I replied. "I'm not part of the student council like Ichinose."

"I didn't intend to discuss this with anyone. However, circumstances have changed. I've adhered to this school's traditions because I believe in its system and rules. Nagumo wants to uproot those foundations. Most likely, an unprecedented number of students will be expelled next year."

Nagumo had yet to take any overt actions, but I supposed it was just a matter of time.

"You were already student council president when Nagumo was a first year, right? Doesn't that make you responsible for bringing him in?"

"You might say that." Horikita's brother made no attempt to deny it. "I made one mistake after joining the student council. I failed in training my successor. Nagumo was the only one I believed had potential, but his ideologies differed from mine. Now, he's managed to bring almost all the other second-year students under his sway."

"That's odd. I understand Nagumo controlling everyone in the second- year Class A, but to the other classes he'd be an enemy, right?"

"He's already won over the entire school."

Huh. I didn't know what this guy was doing, but apparently it was pretty crazy.

"Two first years applied for student council positions this year: Katsuragi and Ichinose. They're both talented students with a lot of promise, but I decided not to admit them, precisely because of their talent. I was

concerned Nagumo would snatch them up. However, Nagumo worked behind my back to establish contact with Ichinose, eventually forcibly adding her to the student council."

"Why are you giving me all this insider information?"

"If you don't want to draw attention to yourself, use Suzune as you've done in the past. It'll be fine. I'll be the bridge between you and the student council," he told me.

"This is a pretty absurd request. If you were on the student council, your little sister would happily join, but she's probably not interested now that you've stepped down. Besides, irrespective of what Horikita does, I have no wish to get involved."

I waited a few moments, then took a sip of my tea.

"Traditions change, even the ones you staunchly uphold. That's just how the passage of time works, isn't it?" I asked.

There was a lot about this conversation that I still couldn't grasp, but a picture was beginning to form. Horikita Manabu, now reduced to an ordinary student, wanted to derail the student council's plans. And he wanted to use me to do it.

"You might be right." He must've known he couldn't cajole me into helping him, but perhaps the elder Horikita was so desperate he'd swallowed his pride and come here. "Forgive me for bothering you."

"Would you mind at least giving me your contact information?" I

asked.

"What?"

I unplugged my phone from its charger. "I'd like time to think about

putting your little sister on the student council and manipulating her behind the scenes."

"So, you'll consider it?"

"You came here despite the assumption that I'd refuse, huh? It'd be rude if I didn't at least think it over," I said.

My unexpected reversal must've surprised the elder Horikita, but he gave me his phone number without asking for anything in return. That alone

was proof of how closely he intended to watch Nagumo Miyabi's student council.

"If I decide to cooperate, I'll contact you," I said. "I expect nothing, but I'll be waiting."

Horikita's brother left my room without taking tea or even sitting

down.

"I really don't think there's any need to be that hung up on the student

council, though," I said out loud to myself.

Even if I put myself in the shoes of someone who was about to graduate in a couple months…there wasn't much I could do about the situation, here. Still, I was now slightly concerned.

3.8

THE FIRST SNOW of the season arrived late Saturday night. It was just a dusting, and melted at dawn, leaving puddles of water on the concrete.

Despite the fact that it'd snowed the day before, the high temperature for the

day was seventy-five degrees, close to summer. It was so mild you could even go out in short sleeves.

"So, the second semester's finally going to be over next week, huh?

Wow, it's barely felt like any time at all."

On Sunday morning, I went to check how Akito was doing with his club. Then we hung out at Keyaki Mall with the rest of the Ayanokouji Group until evening. We shopped, chatted at the café, got some lunch and hit up a karaoke room. It was a good day, and I enjoyed it doing ordinary things that ordinary students did.

"By the way…ahem. Ah, my throat hurts."

"Singing five songs in a row is really overdoing it, Yukimuu. Still, you're surprisingly good. I was shocked," said Haruka.

"My throat hurts because of the punishment game, not the singing." Keisei scowled at her.

There was a variety of food at the karaoke place, some of which was designed to use in games of chance. For example, the takoyaki came as six pieces, one of which was extremely spicy. Whoever got the spicy one had to sing immediately after eating the whole piece, and additionally, wasn't allowed to drink water until they were done singing. I didn't quite get the point of it, but we all had a blast, so it clearly fulfilled some kind of purpose.

Hilariously, Keisei drew the spicy takoyaki a couple times in a row.

We decided to see just how long his streak of bad luck could go, which turned out to be five times. The exact probability of that happening was one in 7776.

"So unlucky…"

"On the contrary, doesn't that mean you're really lucky?" asked

Haruka. "Think of it like you used up all this year's bad luck at once. You've probably got lots of good stuff awaiting you for the rest of the year."

"There're only two weeks until the year ends! You did this on purpose, Haruka."

"Sorry, sorry." Haruka clutched her stomach and laughed out loud, but still apologized. "They were really that spicy?"

"I thought I might start breathing fire. I know they said 'spicy,' but there has to be a limit. Come on." Keisei was still sticking his tongue out from the lingering heat.

"Hey, I saved you from the last one. It was seriously spicy," said Akito. He'd ended that particular hot streak.

"Let's do this again next time we go to karaoke," said Haruka. Everyone, Airi included, looked aghast at her proposal.

"Okay, but you might draw the spicy takoyaki, too," I said. "You know that, right?"

"I know, I know. I'm not gonna wimp out after suggesting we all do it again," said Haruka.

"You sound pretty confident in your spice tolerance," I said, trying to probe the apparent confidence she always had on show.

"Ah, have I been found out?"

"I didn't think you were hiding anything…"

"I can even eat super-ultra-spicy ramen without breaking a sweat. I actually kinda like it, you know?" she said.

Well, now I felt like we didn't have a level playing field for this game. "I wonder whether I can eat that stuff at all?" said Airi, who'd been

anxious even before the game started.

"Don't worry, don't worry. If it's too spicy, you can just spit it out. We're not gonna force you to eat anything," said Haruka. Certainly right. Akito and Keisei probably wouldn't force Airi to do anything she didn't want to, either. "Anyway, I already said this about Yukimuu, but you're a good singer, Airi. Was that really your first time at karaoke?"

"Y-yeah. It, um, was really embarrassing, though." Even though she'd been painfully shy, Airi had given it her all.

"If you gave it a little more oomph, it'd be perfect."

We headed back to the dorms. It wasn't even five o'clock yet, but the sun was already setting.

"It was really warm today," said Airi. "Everyone's out in pretty light clothing, huh?"

"You could even walk around in short sleeves this afternoon, so that makes sense."

"I'm not good with the cold," said Haruka, sounding melancholy as she looked up at the sky.

"I don't handle it well, either."

"Well, a little chilliness is good for me. It means I don't sweat during club, which makes practicing easy," said Akito, making him the only member of the group to prefer the cold.

"Looks like it's going to get cold again tomorrow."

"Guess that means I need to buy some stuff to prepare…that's going to cost me."

Our pace gradually slowed to a stroll as we walked and chatted. Then, we heard a voice.

"Thank you for going out with me today, Sakayanagi-san." "Oh, no, no. The pleasure's mine."

Turning, I spotted a rather unusual pair: Ichinose and Sakayanagi.

Ichinose, noticing our group, raised her hand and waved. Sakayanagi didn't look in my direction, but rather, gave our entire group a cursory glance as we went past. Even though she'd made what amounted to a declaration of war against me, she'd done nothing since the sports festival.

"It's unusual to see you in this group, Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose said. "Really?" She thought I was behaving unusually? The strange sight

was the Class A and B leaders hanging out together like friends on a day off.

"Well, based on what I've seen, you're with Horikita-san a lot of the time. This is different," said Ichinose, taking a long look at our group's members. "That reminds me. I heard that you won against Class C in the exam. Congrats! We lost to Class A, unfortunately."

"Only by a slim margin. Two points. I think we were just about evenly matched," said Sakayanagi. The battle had been close, and it seemed Class B was just barely lagging behind Class A by the end. "With this win under your belt, Class D might actually become Class C next semester, right?"

"Wow! Class B's going to have to be really careful, or we might get overtaken ourselves!" said Ichinose.

"We do intend to overtake you," Keisei interjected, overtly serious as always. "We'll make it to Class A eventually."

Sakayanagi closed her eyes and chuckled. Keisei seemed to find that insulting, but he had to remember that we were still Class D for now. No one in our group was especially close to Ichinose, and since we weren't really the type to force smiles or engage in small talk, the conversation ground to a halt.

"Ah, sorry. Guess we're bothering you guys. See you later," said Ichinose graciously.

Sakayanagi neither spoke to me nor made eye contact, just followed Ichinose away.

"They're rivals, right? Those two?" asked Haruka. "There's no doubt they're enemies." Keisei eyed them both

suspiciously, pushing his glasses up.

"That's just like Ichinose, though, right?" It was a well-known fact that Ichinose could make friends with anyone.

"It's just, like, how do I put this?" muttered Airi. "It's like Ichinose-san lives in a different world from us or something."

"As a fellow woman, I kinda don't like her." "What? Do you dislike Ichinose, Haruka?"

"I don't dislike her, it's just…she's way too perfect at everything. You can't be human without at least a couple flaws, right? I sorta almost hope that she's actually rotten on the inside."

"You have a point. She's so flawless it's almost creepy. Saying you hope she's rotten inside is going a bit too far, though," said Akito.

"That's true. I'm just saying that being flawless and totally sweet is boring, even in a manga," said Haruka. She thrust her hands inside her

pockets as she watched Ichinose walk away.

"I…I think it's good that she's like that, though. If Ichinose-san really was a bad person like Haruka-chan said, no one would believe it," said Airi. She sounded anxious, as if she really didn't want that to be true.

"I guess so. Maybe there really are unbelievably kind, perfect people in the world. We may just not even know them when we see them," said Haruka.

"We're going to make it to Class A. When that happens, Ichinose will be our enemy. I think it's best if we don't get too close," said Keisei.

He had a point. If Ichinose was as kind and benevolent as she seemed, it would make her a tougher opponent to oppose. Someone as awful as Ryuuen inspired no sympathy, but I wondered whether our class would have the heart to crush Ichinose if it came to it.

If our class was promoted, more conflict down the road was inevitable.

We'd be attacked from below by Ryuuen and the newly demoted Class C, who'd be raring for revenge. It was unclear what would happen to Horikita and Ichinose's currently cooperative relationship in the future, too. In an ideal world, we'd work together with Ichinose to attack Class A. Then, once Classes B and D were promoted to Classes A and B respectively, we'd end our alliance and turn on each other.

Of course, I doubted that things would be that simple. "Looks like the road ahead is strewn with pitfalls, huh?"