Chapter 73

Chapter 73

"It isn't free. Don't you see? He helped us steal the cards, so we're repaying him by giving him Class B's leader. A pretty good deal, if you ask me."

Ryūen flashed his white teeth at us. A crack echoed across the island as a white flash of lightning pierced the skies.

"So that's why you set up that firework distraction and told us who had the key cards? Under the assumption that we'd give you the leader in turn?" I surmised.

"Exactly. Since we still didn't know the leader, and it was getting late, I decided that we'd have to get a look at the card itself. Class B doesn't have spots to occupy anymore, so finding it out another way is practically impossible. If we tried to steal it ourselves, we would've been competing with Class C for who would steal it successfully. I knew that Ryūen was still on the island, so it was logical to just work with him to steal the card for both of us rather than compete for it. This method was mutually beneficial."

Lelouch explained his deep thought process, leaving Kaneda and I astonished. There were so many things going on behind the scenes that I didn't even know about.

"You thought of all that..." Kaneda murmured.

"By the way, it seems you gave little Horikita quite the beating," laughed Lelouch sadistically. "I pity her. All she can do now is sit in silence for the rest of the exam, knowing that her leader was discovered."

"Kuku, you're quite a complicit bastard, aren't you, Lelouch? I like your style."

This exchange was incomprehensible to me. Ryūen seemed to hold some degree of respect for Lelouch. The same was true the other way around. These guys got on my nerves to no end.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it, then. I got what I came for."

Lelouch tossed the card back to Ryūen, and turned. Soon, he'd disappeared fully into the ominous shadows.

That entire encounter gave me an eerie vibe.

"You come over here and confirm it, too. That was your condition, remember? Relax, it's dark out, and this weather is horrible. Lelouch won't be sticking around here. It's great to be cautious, but don't waste time."

Yet another person made himself known. Katsuragi, from Class A. He was definitely the calm and dependable type, the complete opposite of our leader. I pretended to be calm, but in my mind I couldn't help but be reminded again of Ryūen's awfulness. Immediately after the test had started, Ryūen told me that he would coax Class A into helping us. Apparently he'd done it. But how in the world?

He'd probably been here the whole time. Katsuragi took Horikita's and Chihiro's cards from Ryūen and looked over them carefully. You couldn't have made a fake or anything on this deserted island.

"It looks like the real thing," he said.

"Are you convinced now?"

Although he'd been shown definitive proof, Katsuragi's stern expression didn't change. I'd heard he was a cautious man, but to be this paranoid seemed like a unique kind of illness.

"You two managed to infiltrate Class B and E quite well. Weren't you suspected?"

"Under normal circumstances, we would've been. But as for my methods, that's a trade secret."

I unconsciously rubbed my cheek. When we began our spy operation in Class E, Ryūen slapped me to turn a lie into the truth. But the pain and the hatred I felt toward him were all quite real. Naturally, the students in Class E misunderstood, and thought I'd been beaten and chased out of my class. Maybe if I hadn't been injured, they wouldn't have swallowed the lie so smoothly.

"Don't sit there and think about it forever. The situation is black-and-white, so make your decision. You're already halfway there. Don't do something as stupid as pulling out here."

"You're right."

Despite that, it didn't seem like Katsuragi had given his consent. Ryūen noticed this, but rather than get annoyed, he smiled. As if he were getting ready to attack his prey, he whispered, "If this wasn't an honourable deed, then what are you going to do? Did you know that Sakayanagi's faction has dominated ever since rumours spread that you failed to get on the student council despite your best efforts? This might be your chance, right?"

"You bastard. Why are you telling me this?"

"Class A maintains its position by forming alliances. If you can form those, even those who have double-crossed you will return under your wing, won't they? Or you could make me your enemy, I suppose? If you do, I wonder what would happen?"

Katsuragi hadn't signed a contract with the devil, but this was much more than a simple negotiation. Well, perhaps that line of thinking was naïve. Once you discussed terms with the devil, you ended up making a contract one way or another.

"Sakayanagi is absent. It's impossible for someone indecisive to rule Class A."

"We've established negotiations, as promised. I accept your proposal."

With that, Katsuragi stretched out his hand to Ryūen, who smiled audaciously.

"That's good. You've exercised sound judgment."

"Wait, what negotiation? Would you explain?" I asked.

They were free to do whatever they wanted, but I had a right to know the details. When I aimed for Class A, I had to decide if being close to Ryūen was the right thing to do.

"To form an alliance. With Class A."

"I'll be heading back now. I don't want to risk things by lingering for too long." Katsuragi returned the cards to me and Kaneda, and disappeared into the darkness.

"What about the negotiation? What was discussed? What are we getting in return?"

A flash of white lightning crackled through the air. Thunder came crashing down immediately afterward, a roaring sound coming from the sea. Ryūen didn't even twitch an eyebrow. He told me the details of the contract with a creepy smile on his face. The details weren't really complex, but they weren't simple, either.

Even with our problems piling up one after the other, making it really difficult to achieve anything, there was the promise of a huge return. Everything was going according to Ryūen's plan, including the fact that most of our students had retired. None of us had imagined this situation before the test had begun, when we were enjoying our holiday on the boat. I hated him so much that I wanted to die, but I supposed he was probably the man with abilities closest to those of Class A, after all. I had to acknowledge it.

"But...is there any guarantee Katsuragi will keep his promise? He might renege."

"I have that covered, of course. He will have no choice but to honour his promise."

I walked toward Horikita and, after carefully wiping my fingerprints from the key card, stuck it back in her hand. There was nothing this girl could have done. She didn't trust anyone, and that was her downfall.

"We've won." Ryūen smirked confidently.

"We have? How?" Kaneda asked.

"Well, put it like this. We now know every leader. That means we'll end this exam with a little over 200 points. On top of their usual expenses, the other classes will all lose 50 points. Class B and E will lose 50 more from Class D guessing their leaders, and I'm sure that those bastards have also figured out Class A's leader by now. If you do the math, it's clear to see that no other class will finish with over 200 points. We've won."

Putting it like that, it was impossible to think anything but our victory. All the other classes had fallen so far down that it was impossible to recover.

I took one last look at the muddy Horikita. The stubborn girl who didn't listen to other people's opinions. In other words, no matter how painful something was, she would endure it silently.

"Use your smarts to protect yourself."

Then we disappeared into the dark woods.

Horikita's POV

Swirling. Swirling. A swirling vortex of darkness. Senses mixed up, jumbling together into one mess of sensory signals.

My eyelids we immovable, as if weighted down by the whole world. Emotions surged throughout me, flowing in and out of the vortex of senses. Nothing made sense to me anymore.

Humiliating weakness. That's what I possessed. I spent all my time looking down on others, even though I was useless myself.

I'm no different than Sudō-kun and the others.

I lamented the situation in which I was powerless.

This is all due to my mistake. My responsibility. I relied on pride, and deluded myself into thinking that I could win on my own. As a result, Class E would lose this exam.

We'd lose 50 points from having our leader guessed. What's more, I would probably be forced to drop out if anyone found me. Then we'd lose another 30. Even if I didn't, we'd still lose points from missed roll calls. And it's all my fault.

It could've been avoided if I just knew how to rely on someone.

I'm so pathetic.

I apologized to my classmates in my head. It didn't mean much, but it was all I could do.

I have to recover from this failure and climb to Class A. I'm prepared to be hated by everyone else. I was the sole person at blame for this, after all.

I came to a sudden realization.

I was moving.

I fought furiously to open my eyes. Inch by inch, I gradually forced them open.

After an indeterminate amount of time, I did so.

The rhythmic up-and-down movements of movement were now accompanied by sight.

I was being carried by somebody.

I stared up and, after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, made out the figure of a man I'd never expected to see.

"What... What are you... doing... here...?"

"Here to fix your mistakes. Obviously."

"Fix...? What can you fix... It's far too late..."

"Whatever. I don't care about your opinion. I'm not doing this because I want to."

He shot me down cruelly, with cold words. Words that I deserved to hear.

"This is why a weakling like you shouldn't try to bear every responsibility themselves. It's embarrassing, really, how delusional you've been. It makes me sick to my stomach."

He reprimanded me as he walked, and all I did was listen.

"Where... are we going...?"

"That doesn't matter. Listen up."

He set me down on the ground against a tree, and I rested my heavy body against it with no resistance.

Normally, I'd never let someone like this guy handle me in such a manner. In fact, I'd never even let him touch me. What a state I'd fallen to.

I stared up at his imposing figure, and he stared down at me. An accurate reflection of our positions right now.

Me, who was looking up to him as my last hope.

And him, who was looking down on me as nothing more than a useless child.

He looked into my eyes with an expression more serious than any I'd ever seen on his face before.

"Let's form a little agreement, Horikita-girl."