Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Ayanokōji's POV

"Class D students? Can we help you?"

Katsuragi spotted the group of us hanging around at the edge of his camp, and called out to us. I looked around, at the camp which was bustling with life. I'd estimated that over three-quarters of Class A was present here.

The spot we were currently at was Spot-L. The route that we took was almost like a lap around the entire island, and so we didn't end up going near the centre very often. For that reason, we circled around to Spot-L first and, if nobody was there, then we would've ventured inwards towards Spot-R.

"We're just here to watch, Katsuragi. Don't mind us." Lelouch answered disinterestedly.

"Watch?" Katsuragi echoed, perplexed. "What is there to watch?"

Light rolled back his sleeve and glanced at his watch. "You'll see," he said with a smile.

Katsuragi narrowed his eyes. "I don't like that. What is Class D up to?"

"Who knows?" I retorted, garnering a laugh from my classmates.

We stood around, observing Class A as they went about their daily tasks. By now, most camps were fully established, and just the finishing touches needed to be added. This is what Class A were doing – right now, they were building a large fire.

"Hmm, it must be hard not having any water close by, eh, Katsuragi?" Lelouch prodded.

The closest water source to here was the river that cut across the island. That river ran close in proximity to Spot-R, through the heart of the island, but this spot was a good distance away from the river and an even bigger distance from the starting area.

"We managed to make it work," he replied sternly.

As he said that, I noticed something odd.

"Water bottles..." I muttered subconsciously.

I didn't mean to say it aloud, but it seemed like my classmates heard me. Katsuragi didn't catch it, thankfully.

"Would Class A spend points on bottled water?" Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes and placed his thumb to his lips.

"That would be nonsensical. They could easily get by without doing so if they just went to Spot-R. There, they'd have easy access to water at any time they so desire." Lelouch denied the possibility.

Even though Katsuragi was a cautious man, and probably wouldn't like being at the centre of the island very much due to the various risks, would he really sacrifice this many points just so that he could stay at this camp? I found it doubtful.

"I agree with Lelouch. The chance of that being the case is practically zero." Light reinforced the point even more.

"That's what I was thinking. Hmm..." Ryuzaki adopted a thoughtful expression for a moment. "What if... what if the bottled water they're drinking wasn't bought by them?"

Logically speaking, the most likely sponsor of Class A would be Class C. They're the class that'd expended all 300 of their points on the first day. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that they'd also set aside a portion to pay for Class A's expenses. However...

"It's pretty obvious who paid for them, then. But, in return for what?" I asked quietly, making sure that Katsuragi didn't hear.

"Private points? Or perhaps, Katsuragi told Ryūen the Class A leader in return?" Light hypothesized.

That theory didn't fit with me, however.

"No chance," I shut him down. "Katsuragi would never take that risk. What if Ryūen decided to go and tell the other classes? This little thought would stop Katsuragi from ever accepted such a deal."

Light narrowed his eyes as he thought, while Ryuzaki chewed his thumb. Lelouch, however, smirked in glee.

"In any case, this means that Dictator-kun is much more cunning than we first assumed, doesn't it?" He said happily.

"You think so?" Light asked.

"Yeah. Whether it be for private points or something else, Ryūen has clearly made this deal with the big picture in mind. If I were in his position, I'd make them sign some sort of contract that makes Class A obliged to pay a portion of their allowance every month to me. It might not be an optimal strategy for this special exam in particular, but it'd establish a long-term flow of finances going from Class A to Class C, which would bolster the class' economy greatly in the future. In fact, bolstering the class economy is something we should be doing."

Ryūen must've thought ahead, and realized that this wouldn't be the only special exam the school will throw at us. Therefore, it'd be worth it to sacrifice this one exam in order to strengthen your class for all of the ones that would come up in the future.

"If that's the case, then maybe Ryūen is a worthy opponent after all." Light concluded with a smile.

"Mhm." Lelouch nodded.

After a few more minutes, the main event arrived. At the perimeter of the camp, on one side, there was a small cliff around eight feet high. Atop that slightly elevated ground, a pair of figures emerged. Siblings, hands interlocked. Both had messy, unkept hair and an unconcerned expression on their features.

Sora stepped up, still holding Shiro's hand, and planted his feet on the very edge of the cliff. His crimson eyes surveyed the camp for a moment, drawing the attention of some of the class. Some didn't notice his presence, however, so he decided to speak up and introduce himself.

"Greetings, future Class E, I am Sora of Class 1-D and this is my beloved sister, Shiro. I've already seen some of you before, but this is my first time meeting most of you. It's a pleasure." Sora spoke so politely that it actually sounded mocking.

"Oi, what the hell do you mean 'future Class E?!'" One boy shouted in irritation.

"Hmm?" Sora hummed as his eyes scanned over the scene and fell on the boy that spoke up. "I meant just what I said. Before long, this class is going to fall to Class E."

"Based on what evidence!?"

"Yeah, why the hell do you think you know everything!?"

"This guy is just lowly Class D scum, ignore him."

A chorus of angry voices swept throughout the camp. Sora patiently waited for them to quiet down before he began talking again.

"You want to know why? I'll gladly enlighten you all."

After saying that, Sora raised his hand dramatically into the air, pointing one finger at the sky. He held it there for a few beats, before letting it slowly fall down until it pointed straight at a student. A student none other than Kōhei Katsuragi.

"The reason is because your leader is an incompetent idiot."

A lot of the class erupted, seemingly enraged that the leader they followed was being insulted by this person they'd never seen before. My classmates, on the other hand...

"Ohh, I get it now. Smart."

Lelouch commended Sora, apparently understanding what he was doing. Light and Ryuzaki had similar reactions.

"Oi! Who the hell are you to insult our leader?!" Yahiko shouted in anger.

"Who am I? I'm a member of the elite class, Class D. The class that started out as the lowest. However, by the end of this very exam, we'll be Class C. We may even overtake Class B."

Sora declared that with full confidence. Honestly, the way things were going, I had to agree with him. Currently, we were 98 class points behind Class C, a gap that would inexorably be closed on this island. Class B were 327 class points ahead of us, a fairly big margin, but not one that couldn't be erased on this island either.

"It's a shame Kururugi couldn't be here too." Light chuckled.

"Well, somebody had to keep Shiina company while Blank came here," Ryuzaki said with a shrug.

That good-natured fool probably wouldn't have found this funny anyway." Lelouch remarked.

As we spoke, numerous voices spoke up against Sora. They called him an idiot for expecting to climb through the classes that quickly, asked him to prove it, said stuff like 'We'll see,' and the like. Eventually, though, Katsuragi asked a question, silencing everybody else.

"Why are you doing this? And why now?"

"I merely thought I'd inform you that you should step down and allow Sakayanagi to take the throne of Class A. You know, before you get crushed and expelled. Let's just say, I pitied your situation." Sora lied through his teeth.

Some of the Katsuragi faction went to shout again, but Katsuragi cut in before they could. "You seem pretty confident that I'll lose to her."

"Sorry, but you aren't good enough to beat someone like her. Give up."

"I won't do that." Katsuragi retorted, narrowing his eyes at the maroon-haired boy.

"Well, that's too bad." Sora acted like he was about to turn to leave, and then turned around as if he forgot something. "Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of Class A."

"What makes you think we'll do anything you ask us to do?!" Yahiko shouted angrily.

Sora ignored him. "Tell me your leader!" He demanded, letting go of Shiro's hand and spreading both of his arms wide in front of him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence befell us, as everybody went silent. I had to admit, even I didn't see this coming.

"Huh?"

"I'll ask again. Tell me who your leader is."

After realizing he was serious, most of the class started throwing insults at Sora.

"Are you an idiot?"

"You call Katsuragi incompetent, but your whole strategy was to just ask for our leader?"

"This guy is stupid."

Voices rang out, but Sora was unfazed by them. He simply cracked a wide, smug grin.

"I'm just joking. I already know who your leader is. There's no need for you to tell me." Sora announced.

Of course, nobody believed him.

"Oh yeah? Who is it, then?"

"Yeah, go on, tell us, o' wise one."

Mocking comments were shot at him, which only made him grin even wider.

"Nah. That'd ruin the fun. Besides, from a strategic viewpoint, it's actually better for us if you assume I'm lying. It's been fun. Later."

Sora waved his hand, before reclaiming Shiro's and interlocking fingers with her. They both turned their backs to us and disappeared into the shadows.

After a moment of silence, Katsuragi turned around and stared at us sternly.

"So, is this what you were waiting for? That little show?"

"More or less." Lelouch answered with a shrug.

"So? What was it all for?" Katsuragi inquired, unable to comprehend our actions.

Lelouch, however, didn't answer his question. Instead, he said something else entirely. "I pity you, Katsuragi. Individually speaking, you aren't that bad. But you're surrounded by idiots, half of which are against you. It's truly a depressing sight to see."

With that, the four of us turned and left Class A as well, chasing after Blank. Left with that departing comment, Katsuragi couldn't say anything.

"Well, Sora's plan worked." I said as we walked.

"Yeah. Well, we knew it would. When Sora's confident about a strategy, you know it'll work. That's just the effect that guy has." Light responded with a grin.

The thing that made Class D so interesting to me was this. The different kinds of ideas each person would come up with. Excluding Kururugi, we're all geniuses, but none of us are strictly similar in the way we apply that genius. We all think of different solutions and tactics.

I would never even think of doing something like what Sora just did, and, even if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to pull it off. Similarly, there were things I could do that Sora would never even consider, due to it being outside of his ability. That's what made Class D so amusing.

It's also why I wanted to challenge myself, and go head to head with my classmates. I want to be destroyed, give everything I have and still lose. My loss is also that man's loss. If there is anyone that can grant my wish, it is undoubtedly somebody in Class D.

"So, that's done then. You know what that means, right?" Lelouch asked.

"What?" I inquired.

Lelouch stopped and turned, smirking at us while his amethyst eyes glimmered with a bright resolve.

"All tasks at hand have been cleared."