After I changed into my uniform in the locker room, I returned to the classroom. Horikita, now also clad in her uniform, entered the classroom
slightly later than I did and sat next to me.
"This time, we were defeated soundly. Completely." Yet, as Horikita said that, she didn't appear depressed.
"Aw. We still lost?" Sato pouted.
"Who won though?" Hashimoto asked.
"I wanna know." Komiya whined.
"But I feel like I grew today. I never imagined a day would come when failure would nourish me, but...that's really how I feel."
"I see. That's good, right?" I asked.
"This class is going to get stronger. Then we'll definitely climb the ranks to the upper classes," replied Horikita.
"When it comes to acquiring class points, your class is the fastest." Sakayanagi commented.
"And the one who keeps on losing is Ryuuen-kun." Katsuragi added.
"Honestly, this optimism is kind of freaking me out. It's not like you," I told her.
"I suppose not. It's different, isn't it?" She bashfully averted her eyes.
"Horikita-san did suffered on the last scene." Ichinose said.
"She was targeted and humiliated. What do you expect?" Ibuki huffed.
"And who do you think was the cause?" Shinohara raised a brow.
Ibuki narrowed her eyes at her. She was about to speak when Ryuuen's laugh cut her off.
"That humiliated her? How shallow."
"We're facing a ton of challenges. There are also problems I need to take care of. But I suppose, first of all, I have to get down on my knees."
"On your knees?"
"Horikita-san?" Hirata said worried.
"Why are you going down on your knees?" Kanzaki asked.
"Wait." Ichinose looked at Ryuuen, "She had a dispute with a Class C student during a dash, right? That's low even for you Ryuuen-kun."
"Whatever do you mean?" Ryuuen smirked at her.
"Hey, what was that about?" Ike whispered to his friends.
The phrase concerned me, but Horikita didn't expand any further.
"It doesn't involve you. Thank you for today," she added.
"So, you didn't run away, Suzune. You came," said Ryuuen.
"You're going down on your knees in front of Ryuuen-kun?!" Miyake blurted out shock.
"Huh? Ryuuen-kun?" Yahiko asked confused.
Manabu's eyes narrowed significantly.
"What brought this on?" Ishizaki asked.
"You would do that?" Ibuki whispered harshly to Ryuuen.
"Private points are private points." Is the only reply she got.
"If I had run away, I truly would've been hopeless. I'm going to face my problems," I told him.
"You've got a good heart. You've become a finer woman than before," said Ryuuen.
'This is giving me the creeps.' Horikita shivered.
"That... Is just wrong." Yume frowned.
I wasn't exactly pleased to hear that from him.
"Before we talk, why don't we put an end to this ridiculous charade, Kushida-san?" I asked.
"Kushida-san?"
The students glanced at the frozen girl.
"So I was right to assumed that she was the traitor." Katsuragi crossed his arms.
"What do they feel, I wonder?" Sakayanagi placed a finger near her lips.
Students looked at the shock Class D.
"Huh? Charade? What in the world do you mean?" she replied.
As the setting sun colored the school building, I stared directly at her.
"If you want to pretend to be a good person, I don't particularly care. But you're not, are you? You leaked the information. That's how Class C was able to pull off what they did. That's why I'm here right now, like this, with Ryuuen-kun. Am I wrong?"
"Kushida-chan leaked our participation table?" Yamauchi trembled.
"This was a future where Kushida was trying to expell Horikita, huh?" Ayanokoji said. Matsushita looked at him.
"What about now?" She asked.
"Huh?" Ayanokoji looked at her puzzled.
"Are you going to expell her now?" She repeated.
Ayanokoji pondered on the question. "It's a waste of resources to discard a thing that still have their uses, Matsushita."
In short, While Kushida's useful, I can used her for my own benefit. Her actions will also be a deciding factor.
"Come on, now. Who did you hear that from? Hirata-kun? Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Neither. These are my own feelings on the matter. I couldn't shake off my uneasiness. Ryuuen-kun's the only one here right now. Don't you think it's time we cut to the chase and confront each other?" I asked.
"Confront each other? What do you mean?"
"Way back at the start of our first semester, I saw you trying to convince Kouenji-kun to give up his seat on the bus. To be completely honest, I didn't recognize you. But immediately afterward, I remembered."
"Koenji-kun?" Mei-Yu looked at the narcissist blonde hair boy. She glanced away blushing when Koenji catches her.
"That was where you met Horikita-san again?" Sato asked Kushida softly.
"Y-yes." Kushida shakily answered.
I looked Kushida-san square in the eye as I spoke. If she was working with Ryuuen-kun, she'd continue to conspire against me. The only reason she hadn't yet acted more directly was that she thought she didn't have to.
"Kushida Kikyou-san, you attended my junior high," I said.
Kushida tense when she heard that words. 'Will my past be finally show?'
Class D saw her tense and decided to pay more attention.
"They attended the same junior high?" Sakayanagi looked thoughtful.
"Who knew? I haven't saw students who attended the same junior high here. Well maybe except the two of them." Ichinose said.
"If my friends went here, I want for us to be classmates. Especially with the class system." Yume said.
"You conspired with her during the zodiac exam, right?" Ibuki asked Ryuuen. "Did she tell you any of this?"
"No. Even if she did, not like I care." Ryuuen scoffed.
For the first time ever, I saw her expression change, but then another smile crept onto her face.
"Of course you remember. I was quite the problem child, I suppose,"
Kushida-san replied. She lowered her eyes in silence.
"I don't think that's entirely accurate. You weren't a problem child. Everyone trusted you, just like everyone in Class D now trusts you. But-"
"Can you please stop? Stop bringing up the past."
"I suppose. It's meaningless to talk about what's already been done," I
replied.
Ryuuen-kun smiled while he listened to our conversation, looking as though he was enjoying himself.
"You know all the tea, huh?" Nagumo looked at him.
"Tea?" Ryuuen looked amused. "I guess you can say that."
"But chibi over there knows more than I do." He pointed over to Sakayanagi.
"What are you looking at?" Sakayanagi asked them.
"Nothing, gossip girl."
"Ne, Hashimoto-kun. Did he just called me a gossip girl?"
"I mean, they aren't wrong-"
"Care to repeat that?"
"Nothing. I said nothing."
"Well then, you understand what I'm after, right? You know what I want to do?" Kushida-san asked.
"Yes. I've already realized what you want. You want to chase me out of this school. Aren't you taking quite a large risk, though? If I exposed the truth, you'd lose your popularity."
"Me or Horikita-san? It's obvious which of us is more loved. I suppose you could say I'm someone who hedges her bets," Kushida-san replied.
"That's not true, we would have believe Horikita-san." Hirata said.
"Uh... Actually, Kushida-san was right." Matsushita said. "Horikita-san doesn't have a reputation in our class other than well, a bitch while Kushida-san was more popular. The class would have believe her over Horikita-san."
"Well..." Hirata was loss of words to say. Kushida and Horikita looked at Matsushita quiet.
"Even if no one believed what I said, there'd still be lingering doubts. You can't deny the fact that we attended the same junior high," I told her.
"I suppose you're right. But if you do happen to tell anyone about me, I will drag the brother you so love and respect into this," she said.
"What?!" Tachibana gasped.
"Excuse me?" Nagumo's smile turned cold.
"I find it hard to believe that the entire school would believe you over me, who accomplished many great things in this school. Not to mention that I have the trust and belief of the students body." Manabu retorted.
"It's not like I will be doing it now." Kushida quietly said.
"That's good to know."
I reflexively stiffened in response. That was the perfect defense against me. There wasn't a single opening I could exploit. However, Kushida-san couldn't take action easily, either.
If she were to openly involve my brother in all this, she'd know that I had nothing left to lose, and be afraid that I'd do anything in my desperation. That was precisely why she came up with this strategy to chase me out instead.
"Do you really think that she can do things to your brother?" Ryuuen asked her in disbelief.
"For Horikita-san who admired her brother, she will be desperate to keep him out of problems." Ichinose argued.
"And add that she's has a major brother complex." Kamuro said quietly.
Hashimoto heard her and laughed loudly earning weird looks.
"Can't you simply ignore me?" I asked.
"You know I don't involve myself with other people or stick my nose where it doesn't belong, right?"
"For now. But there's no guarantee for the future. I want anyone who knows about my past to disappear, so that I can be me. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble," she replied.
"Since Ryuuen's seen your true face, does that make him your prey, too?" I asked.
"Are you seriously saying that you will expell me?" Ryuun mocked her, "Quite bold for someone who asked for my help."
"You know, that other version of you is pathetic and laughable." Ibuki sneered at Kushida.
"I will never do that now." Kushida said.
"Because you got exposed?" Ibuki countered. "You will definitely do that if you were never exposed in the first place."
Kushida eyes turned hard, "At the least I'm changing myself for the better now. What about you? When will you stop following your master around like a dog?"
"Huh? What did you say?" Ibuki snarled, she stood up on her seat but one look from her teacher silence her.
"Tch, whatever."
"Yes, I suppose so, depending on the circumstances," she answered. It was a bold move, since she and Ryuuen-kun were supposed to be allies.
"Heh heh. What a shrewd woman. Well, I guess I decided to work with you because I like this side of your personality." Ryuuen-kun snickered.
"Let me tell you one thing, Horikita-san. I will have the school expel you. If I need to make a deal with the devil to do so, so be it," Kushida-san said. She walked past me and stood next to Ryuuen-kun.
"That's really a shame, Suzune," he told me. "Betrayed by such a trustworthy ally."
"You were a step ahead of me this time, Ryuuen-kun. No...I suppose you've been a step ahead for a while. The test on the cruise ship, the one on the island, and the incident with Sudou-kun... I've just kept on losing and losing," I told them. The words poured out of my mouth easily, without pause.
'I don't know where your dear brother would find you if it weren't for Ayanokoji-kun.' Sakayanagi inwardly sneered.
"Time and time again." Horikita gritted her teeth, "How many times do he have to save me for me to learn my lesson?"
"Horikita-san?" Nene called out worried.
"Then I think the time for talk is over," he replied.
"I'll tell you this, though: Kinoshita running into you earlier was a total accident. She didn't have any ulterior motive or ill intent. That's just the way the world is."
"Perhaps so. There's no evidence, so it was obvious that I'd be framed as the aggressor," I replied.
"But let me say this, in turn. You were behind that incident. You ordered Kinoshita-san to make sure I took a fall. I'm sure of it."
"You're delusional," he answered.
"I don't care if I'm being delusional. But I'd like to ask you why you did it."
"It's quite a long process just to get you to kneel." Ryuuen-kun laughed as if he was enjoying himself. "Before the sports festival, I had Kushida get her hands on Class D's complete participation table. I put the right people in the right places to ensure good match-ups, and took the wins. Of course, that's not all. I thoroughly researched Class A as well," he added.
"All for Horikita-san to kneel before you?" Ichinose asked in disbelief.
"You're obsessed, dude." Shibata added.
"Dis you also thought of that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked Ayanokoji.
"Who knows? I may have or may have not." Ayanokoji answered.
"What's with the vague answers?"
"Hmm. It seems like Ryuuen have the upper hand in this sports festival." Sakayanagi said. She eyed Katsuragi on her peripheral vision and sighed.
"Brilliant leadership. You beat us both," I replied. Although they'd fallen short of Class B in terms of overall strength, there was no doubt that Class C had fought well.
"But couldn't you have won more effectively? To crush me, you pitted two of your aces against me, and even had one of them withdraw after she was injured. That's incomprehensible."
"I wanted to crush you. That was reason enough. I had no interest in winning the sports festival," he replied.
"But your strategy also relied on luck. Good for you. When you ordered Kinoshita-san to knock me over, two coincidences saved you. One, that I just so happened to be unable to continue participating, and two, that Kinoshita-san injured herself. You couldn't plan for either of those factors," I told him.
"And you're using Kinoshita-san's injury to humiliate Horikita-san?" Sakayanagi smiled. "I got to hand it to you Ryuuen-kun, that was a brilliant strategy."
"All credits belong to my future self, Sakayanagi." Ryuuen smirked.
Kinoshita winced. Just imagining the pain almost made her puke and never follow Ryuuen's order.
"That must have hurt." Ishizaki clicked his tongue.
That was where my world had fallen apart. If Kinoshita had only been slightly injured, the situation wouldn't have gotten this serious.
"Your injury was coincidental, yes. If Kinoshita deliberately aimed to injure you, that would've been obvious. That's why I had her carefully practice hitting an opponent and making the fall look completely natural," said Ryuuen-kun.
What had he done to make her obey him to that extent?
"Private points?" Ike suggested.
"Who would deliberately hurt themselves just for measly private points?" Shinohara disagreed.
"Actually, about Kinoshita's injury," Ryuuen said. "Do you really think it was an accident?"
"Huh?"
"She certainly did fall, yes. But injuries that serious don't just happen at the drop of a hat. That's why I had her pretend to be in pain and then drop
out of the sports festival. Before she got medical treatment, I injured her myself. Like this."
He stomped on the floor with all his strength. BAM! The sound echoed
unnervingly through the hall.
Kinoshita held her arms. Yes, that must have hurt big time.
"You injured her?" Katsuragi asked shocked.
"What the hell, Ryuuen-kun?!" Kanzaki yelled.
"What if you accidentally, no, what if you broke her bones?!" Ichinose said worried.
"You're insane." Tachibana shook her head.
"Sensei, are you hearing this?!" Shibata asked the teachers.
Sakagami hesitantly answered, "If... If the injury was agreed by both parties with enough compensation, we can't hold Ryuuen accountable."
"Huh?!"
"What do you mean if the two agreed?!"
"You injured...her?" I asked.
"She agreed when I told her that I'd pay her 500,000 points. Man, the power of money is a terrifying thing, isn't it?"
So, he'd decided from the very beginning that Kinoshita-san would sustain a serious injury. His schemes, and his ability to execute them, were both terrifying. He'd do anything for the sake of winning, but I was shocked that he'd speak of that so openly.
"Is it really okay for you to just blab on and on?" I asked him.
"What?"
"If I happened to be recording your confession, what would you do?" As I asked that question, I pulled out my phone.
"Did you come up with that bluff just now?"
"I bet everything on it. Still, I'm surprised you told me so much." I pushed a button on my phone and played back the recording from a specific point.
"Before the sports festival, I had Kushida get her hands on Class D's complete-"
"Yahoo!" Yamauchi cheered.
"Ha take that!" Sudo pointed at Ryuuen mockingly.
Ryuuen smile never faded. "You think I wouldn't have thought of that?"
"Huh?"
"If you complain about me, or demand that I pay you points or bow before you, I'll use the evidence I now hold in my hands. If I do, which of us will be in trouble?" I asked.
"Wha-?!" Ryuuen-kun's smile disappeared for the first time. His words failed him. "Suzune...you..."
"I don't want to cause any panic. That's why I'd like to settle things."
"Heh heh! Ha ha ha ha!" Ryuuen-kun suddenly burst out in laughter."You really are an entertaining woman, you know that? I said so from the very beginning, didn't I? The contents of our current conversation are, at best, complete fiction. I was just humoring your delusions. All I did was anticipate the story you conjured up inside your own head," he replied.
"I could delete the part where you said it was a delusion and edit the recording, couldn't I?" I asked.
"Well, in that case, I'd just have to hand over the original recording. Then there would be no problem at all." Ryuuen, smiling boldly, took his own phone from his pocket. "Do you know what this is? The full audio recording, from beginning to end. In fact, I actually took video."
"You were saying?" Ryuuen asked them.
Class Det out a tch and glared at him.
"Would you look at that," Sakayanagi said in a fake shock voice. "Who knew that you could use your brain?"
"Didn't she praised him for his 'brilliant' strategy?" Hashimoto asked Kamuro quietly.
"If I were you, I'd ignored all the weird things she's doing and saying. It's better that way trust me." Kamuro said dryly.
As he said that, he aimed his phone camera at me. It was a kind of insurance more reliable than audio. Ryuuen-kun had already imagined that I'd try betting everything on one final move...which meant that I was between a rock and a hard place.
"So, do you admit it, Suzune? The reality of your defeat, I mean."
Kushida-san also smiled boldly now. I fully understood what a fool I was. Ryuuen-kun wasn't the kind of opponent that my strategies could take down. My last hope had ended up misfiring.
"Abandon your pride and get on your knees, Suzune."
I quietly knelt. "I understand... I admit..."
"Horikita-san don't do it!"
"Get lost Ryuuen-kun!"
"Holy-"
"Is she really kneeling?"
"Ayanokoji-kun, you really didn't anticipated this?!"
Ding!
A strange sound came from Ryuuen-kun's phone, which was right in front of me. I thought he wouldn't pay much attention, but for some reason, he looked at the screen.
Ryuuen-kun's face stiffened for a moment. He started fiddling with his phone without even so much as glancing at me. Mixed together with a variety
of other sounds, I heard a recording.
"Listen up, you guys. We're going to set a trap for Horikita Suzune. I don't care what it takes to completely crush her. I have a plan in mind. I'll show you something interesting."
"Huh?"
"A recording?"
"Where did it come from?"
Ryuuen froze. He gritted his teeth and turned around looking over to Manabe who flinched.
'I'm so sooo dead.' Manabe shivered in fear.
"Who sent it?" Shinohara asked.
'Did he?' Horikita looked over to Ayanokoji direction.
That was Ryuuen-kun's voice. Was it from a previous conversation? In the recording, he went into detail about what he'd so proudly explained to me
just moments ago.
I heard Ibuki-san's voice. It sounded like she interrupted Ryuuen-kun.
"Look, I'm not discounting your strategy or whatever, but give me a chance to fight Horikita."
"Looks who's obsessed." Hiyori sings.
"I'm not." Ibuki glared at her.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Karma." Amikura snorted.
Ryuuen-kun's voice again. "Run against Suzune during the obstacle course, and collide with her. Do whatever it takes to knock her , I'll injure you myself and get you some money from her."
I didn't know what in the world was happening right now.
"What's going on, Ryuuen-kun? What's with that recording?" Kushida-san seemed puzzled.
"That's what we all thinking right now." Matsushita said.
Sakayanagi laughed drawing attention. "It seems like Class D wasn't the only one who have a traitor in their midst."
"Who-" Ichinose asked but lightened up when she remembered who Karuizawa had a dispute with.
'Manabe-san, huh?'
"Oh my. I wonder what will Ryuuen-kun will do to that poor traitor?" She asked.
"I see. I see, I see. I see now! Heh heh! Isn't that interesting? Do you know what this means, Kikyou? There's a traitor in Class C, too. They made not just you and Suzune dance in the palm of their hand, but me as well. This person predicted everything, including your betrayal and Suzune's debasement. Ha ha ha ha! Interesting! So interesting! The person pulling the strings is incredible! The best!"
'A lot of people seemed to obsessed.'
"You did predicted it." Haruka said to Ayanokoji.
"Who even said that it was me? It could be anyone." Ayanokoji denied.
"You're the only believable one." Sato said.
"How incredible. Even on the island he predicted the moves, thought process, and the entire outcome of the exam." Katsuragi said amazed.
"Admirable but also dangerous." Kanzaki said to Shibata who agreed.
"If we want to ascend to Class A, then Ayanokoji will be a formidable hindrance." Shibata added.
Ichinose who heard them frowned and looked deep in thought.
Ryuuen-kun swept his hair back, giving a deep belly laugh.
"You were used, Kikyou. They predicted that you'd betray your class and leak the participation table. They read us like a book."
"Who could be responsible for this? Could it be Ayanokouji-kun? I mean, I didn't think he was that fast, either," said Kushida-san.
"What does he mean fast?" Yume asked.
"Don't look at us. We don't know too." Amikura said.
"Maybe he ran in the sports festival?" Ichinose suggested.
"Well, he's one candidate, but I'm not drawing any conclusions yet. Someone managed to get this recording without leaving a trace behind. Suzune, Ayanokouji, and-depending on the circumstances-even Hirata might have been positioned where they were because someone was puppeteering them. I'm going to investigate this thoroughly. I've failed to get points from Suzune or have her kneel, but I'm happy with all that I procured," said Ryuuen-kun.
'I was right.' Ryuuen thought. 'You are more than what you let on. Shall I lure you out and play with you? Or- either way, my first year on this school will definitely be the best. I can't wait to crush you.'
There was no doubting it. I didn't know how he'd done it, but he'd used someone from Class C to record Ryuuen-kun's strategy. What I saw him do in the relay against my brother was completely incomprehensible, too. It was unlike him to draw attention to himself that way, but that was how I knew it had to be true. The mastermind had to be Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun.
"Relay?" Nagumo said.
"He raced against me?" Manabu saids surprised.
"Who won?!" Ike asked excitedly.
"No one knows, idiot." Sudo hit him.
"Why did you do that?" Karuizawa frowned.
"What's with all of you asking me about my future self's action?" Ayanokoji asked annoyed. "Do you think I'll know the reason?"
"Well..." Sato looked sheepish.
"Are you serious?"
"Well, this is over for now," Ryuuen-kun said. "Whoever sent this email probably won't hound me further."
"Is that really okay, though? What if they threaten you with the recording?" Kushida-san asked.
"If they intended to submit it to the school, they already would've. I couldn't get Suzune on her knees, but I accomplished half of what I wanted to. A good show."
After I changed into my uniform, I went to the front gate as promised. Just as she'd said, the girl was waiting for me.
"Eh?"
"Ayanokoji-kun?"
"A girl?!"
"Is someone about to confess to him?!"
"Ayanokoji, you bastard!"
"Oh, I'm so jealous."
"Isn't that-?"
"Kamuro-san?" Hashimoto said surprised.
"You wanted to talk to me about something?" I asked.
"Follow me," she said.
"Follow you where?"
"The special building."
The girl started walking without any further explanation. We arrived at the special building's third floor, one of the few places where no surveillances cameras were installed.
"Is she?" Sudo, Yamauchi and Ike held their breath.
'It seems I will introduce myself to him.' Sakayanagi smiled to herself.
"What exactly-"
The girl just told me to wait and walked off on her own. She headed around the corner and quietly whispered, "Can I go back now?"
"Who is she whispering with?" Shibata asked.
"A ghost maybe?" Amikura suggested.
Yume hit her, "Don't even joked about something like that."
"Princess?" Hashimoto asked astonished.
"Sakayanagi-san?" Katsuragi eyed the girl.
"Yes. Excellent work, Masumi-san. I'll count on you again in future."
"Yes." Masumi quietly nodded and left.
The voice's owner slowly came into view. Carrying a cane in one hand, she looked at me with a cold smile.
First-year Class A Sakayanagi.
'Chibi and him know each other?' Ryuuen speculated.
"Huh?!" Ike sputtered.
"Sakayanagi-san?!" Matsushita asked shocked.
"I was right?" Horikita narrowed her eyes, "They do know each other."
'She asked me to meet up with her?' the Ayanokoji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You wanted to see me?"
Sakayanagi didn't answer. For a silent moment, she and I just stared at each other. The school building began to get dark.
"Is it just me or is it intense?" Shibata whispered.
"Not just you." Ichinose whispered back.
Everyone is focused on the scene.
"You drew quite a lot of attention in that final relay, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun." That was all she said.
"Oh, sorry. Can I send one little message? I've got someone waiting," I
replied.
"You were the one!" Sato pointed at him.
"Surprised." Ayanokoji said in a monotone voice.
"Go ahead." Sakayanagi smiled, not appearing displeased at all.
I sent off the message I'd prepared via my phone. "So, can I assume you're the one who called me here?"
"Yes."
"What do you want? I'd like to wrap this up quickly, if possible."
"After seeing you run, I remembered something. I called you here because I wanted to share the shock I felt with you. It's almost like the buildup toward a romantic confession, don't you think?"
"What?" Yume asked.
"This is so confusing." Ibuki muttered.
"A romantic confession?!" Ike, Sudo and Yamauchi glared at Ayanokoji.
"I don't even know her. Stop thinking things." Ayanokoji said.
"How can we when she's applying something?" Sudo argued.
'Don't know?' Horikita thought, 'Is he lying right now- no, he'll be exposed sooner or later so lying will not help him. Then that means that Sakayanagi-san is the only one of the two of them who knows him.'
"I really have no idea what you're talking about."
Clack. Clack. Sakayanagi, still gripping her cane, moved right next tome.
"It's been quite a long time, Ayanokouji-kun. Eight years and 243
days, actually."
"8 years and 243 days?" Ayanokoji muttered. 'She saw me in that place?'
"Huh? 8 years and 243 days? Then they're childhood friends?" Hiyori asked.
"Ayanokoji-kun said that she doesn't know her." Ibuki said.
'Ah. It's been so long.' Sakayanagi smiled longingly. 'Now I can finally face of against you. The time for me to bury the false genius.'
"That long?" Horikita noted.
"So you did knew him." Katsuragi said to Sakayanagi. "Are you two childhood friends?"
Sakayanagi smiled, "I guess you can call our relationship that."
"You're joking, right? I don't even know who you are."
"Heh. No, I suppose not. It's just me who knows you, after all."
Clack.
Clack.
Her cane's tapping gradually grew quieter. What in the world was this about? I decided I was done here, and turned to walk away from Sakayanagi.
"White Room," Sakayanagi said.
I stopped dead in my tracks at those two simple words. They cracked my composure.
'White room?' Horikita and Ryuuen noticed the cracked on Ayanokoji's composure when she said that.
"White room?" Kanzaki asked.
"What's that place?" Hiyori asked curiously.
"Ayanokoji-kun seemed to know the place as well based on his reaction." Ichinose noted.
'She did know that place.' Ayanokoji's thought 'Is her parents an investor? Or is she a family friend? Either way, knowing that place proves your influence and the knowledge you know about me.'
Ayanokoji glanced over Sakayanagi catching her gaze.
She smiled at him knowingly. 'White room's Masterpiece.' she mouthed at him.
"Is that where Ayanokouji-kun live or something?" Sudo asked confused.
"How and why did Sakayanagi-san knows that?" Matsushita asked herself.
"It's unpleasant, isn't it? When only your opponent knows your secrets."
"You..."
"This is a reunion. I just wanted to come give you a proper greeting."
Reunion? Though I kept my back to Sakayanagi, I turned my head to look at her. I had never seen her before. I didn't remember this girl, and I wasn't missing any memories of my past. I had met Sakayanagi for the first time at school. There was no arguing with that fact.
"Oh, it's quite all right that you don't know me. But I know you. We have a strange sort of bond, you could say. To reunite with you in a place like this... To be honest, I never thought I'd see you again. But now, all the mysteries have been cleared away. The island, the cruise ship, and Class D's expulsion uproar. I couldn't imagine that everything was on account of Horikita Suzune. So, you were the one pulling the strings."
"She knows about Ayanokoji-kun's abilities?" Karuizawa asked warily.
"Don't misunderstood, it seems I was only certain that he's here after meeting him at the sports festival." Sakayanagi said.
"That's why you approached him?" Horikita said.
"It's only proper to meet your childhood friend, after all." Sakayanagi smiled.
"You know all of the things what happened in Class D." Hirata noted.
"Of course, you got to know about your opponents. Even they are are, for the lack of better words, inadequate, wouldn't you say?" Sakayanagi said.
"Oi, chibi. I don't know about this two classes but don't lumped me in with them." Ryuuen growled.
"I suppose you're right. You're sufficient enough." Sakayanagi eyed him, "But not quite there yet."
"What are you talking about? There are lots of smart people in my class," I retorted.
I needed to be calm. I needed to get through this without panicking. I'd have time to think later.
"For the first time, your poker face expression broke." Ibuki said.
"It's quite refreshing isn't it?" Hiyori said.
"When you say 'smart people,' are you referring to Horikita Suzune- san? Or perhaps Hirata Yousuke-kun? Either way, now that I know who you are, I suppose it doesn't really matter who anyone else is," she replied.
Apparently, she wasn't lying. She really did know me.
"Please, relax," she added. "I've no intention of telling anyone about you at present."
"At present, then you will tell it later on?" Ichinose asked her.
"Naturally. Him and I are still in different classes. And I vowed to myself that I'll defeat him no matter what." Sakayanagi looked at Ayanokoji when she said the last sentence.
'Prepare yourself, Ayanokoji-kun.'
"Wouldn't things be easier if you did?"
"I don't want anything to get in my way. I'm the perfect person to bury false genius."
"False genius?" Horikita muttered.
"What's that about?" Yume asked confused.
"She really knows something about him" Ryuuen sighed.
'Bury... Me?' Ayanokoji thought. 'Can she? Many tried and failed. Is there anyone who can fulfill my dearest wish?'
Clack.
Her thin cane clattered against the floor.
"I've found little pleasure in this boring school life."
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Please, go ahead. I'm honored to have you ask me a question. If you'd like to know, I'm even happy to tell you how I know about you."
"No, I'm not interested in that. There's just one thing I want to know."
My eyes met Sakayanagi's.
"Can you bury me?"
"Oh!" Sudo cheered out loud.
"Oh shit!" Hashimoto eyes widened.
"Holy-" Kushida gaped at the screen.
"I'm getting chills, man." Shibata shivered.
"Oh? Confident?" Nagumo smirked.
"Are they gonna face of against each other?" Yume asked shocked.
"I'd pay to watch that." Kondo said.
Ibuki hit him, "Idiot, we probably will."
Sakayanagi laughed out loud. She held her stomach and continued laughing.
"I think Ayanokoji-kun broke her." Hashimoto whispered to Kamuro.
"I can only hope so."
"Hee hee!" Sakayanagi chuckled softly to herself, and smiled once more.
"Sorry for laughing. I don't intend to insult you. I know quite well how incredible you are. I've been looking forward to this. I'll be able to realize my dearest wish by destroying the greatest masterpiece that your father ever made."
"His father again?" Shibata made a face.
"I swear, that man seems to be the villain in Ayanokoji-kun life." Shinohara grumbled.
"Masterpiece?" Ryuuen caught on Sakayanagi's word.
I wanted that, too.
My destruction-my defeat-would mean that the old man would lose.
I wanted the sad contradiction that I carried within me to be destroyed. I wished for that from the bottom of my heart.
"He knows that he's a walking contradiction?" Manabu guessed.
"Oh man that was intense!" Ike said.
"I wanted to watch more about the two of them." Amikura pouted.
"Two childhood friends. Two rivals. Each in different classes. The best and the worst." Kanzaki muttered.
"That's the best scene I watched so far." Shinohara commented.
Hiyori agreed, "Yeah, I hope there's more scene like that."
"Just talking, of course! I don't advocate violence." She quickly added.
"Sakayanagi and Ayanokoji seemed to be a peculiar students." Hoshinomiya noted to Mashima and Chabashira.
The two remained quiet. Still absorbed about the last interaction of the two.
Sakayanagi smiled at Ayanokoji's direction genuinely. 'Don't worry Ayanokoji-kun. As the person who knows you the longest and the best, I planned to defeat you to show that your father is wrong. To reject the philosophy he believed in, and to fulfill your wish.'
Ayanokoji caught on her silent words. He bowed at her slightly before turning away.
'Then I will be waiting, Sakayanagi Arisu.'
-x-
Previous Chapter: The Curtains Rise.
Word Count: 5865