unveiling the mastermind

by powershadow90

:0

Unveiling the Mastermind - Classroom of the Elite Reaction
Jokurra

Published: 2022
Source: https/

Prologue

"Take your seats quickly, I need to discuss something with the entire class."

Chabashira Sae stood at the front of the class and waited for everyone to settle down.

"Starting from today, your schedule is going to look significantly different to how it has been." she started her explanation and received puzzled looks from the students before her

Ike opened his mouth but instantly closed it again after receiving a glance from Chabashira.

"As you already know, this school is sanctioned and funded by the government and while, as a rule, we are allowed to deal with its management internally, we do sometimes receive orders from the higher-ups."

Chabashira took the controller for the classes' electronic whiteboard from her desk and displayed a graphic on-screen.

--

Two-Week Schedule

Monday AM - Video Viewing

Monday PM - Free Period

Tuesday - Video Viewing

Wednesday - Regular Classes

Thursday - Video Viewing

Friday - Video Viewing

Saturday - Free Period

--

This schedule raised numerous questions. What were these videos we would be viewing? Why were we permitted so many free periods? I decided that it would be best to get more information before thinking too much into it.

"This schedule will be starting from today." Chabashira continued her explanation, "We will be going to the gymnasium which has been set up to accommodate an audience viewing."

That must mean that the other classes must be involved too, if this schedule was exclusive to Class D then there would be no need to change venues.

Horikita raised her hand and was recognised, "Does that mean we will be watching these videos with the other classes, sensei?"

As expected Chabashira affirmed her query and then finished off her speech.

"As for the content in the videos, even the teachers are unaware. You will be organised by your classes and the videos will be played by Mashima-sensei once everyone has been seated." she explained, "Oh, and one last thing - we were advised to set up private viewing rooms as we were informed they may be necessary throughout the viewing."

That closing comment caught my attention. Private viewing might be necessary? If this was educational material we would be watching then the chances of needing separate rooms was low. In addition, the teachers themselves were in the dark, pretty much ruling out an educational video. It could be a new scheme the government was testing at the school but surely the teaching staff would be privy to that information. Exactly what content was in these videos?

Chabashira collected her things from her desk and walked to the classroom door,

"Make your way down to the gymnasium in fifteen minutes, by then everything should be set up."

With that, she left, leaving Class D to theorise on this weird situation.

"What is going to be in these videos?" Ike, who had been dying to speak up, posed this question to the class.

"It's probably just stuff to do with our second year, right?" Shinohara responded

"We have already had plenty of explanation on the changes for our second year" Keisei disagreed, "And I can't see any need for private viewing if that was the case."

"Yeah, the hell's up with that, why would we need private rooms just for a video?" Sudo asked.

"Well, it's possible that some of the content may be difficult for some students to watch, or may contain sensitive issues." Yosuke explained, "But I can't think of anything specific that the government would want to show high schoolers."

Horikita had been sitting silently, mulling over the issue in her head. For some reason, her expression was one of deep concern. Maybe she had cracked the puzzle. Finally, she spoke up.

"I'm worried that they may include student matters," she said bluntly.

The students of Class D looked at her, confused by her statement.

"What do you mean by that Horikita-san?" Yosuke asked.

Horikita sat back in her seat and pondered for a few more seconds before giving her thoughts.

"The most intriguing part of Sensei's explanation was the part about the necessity of private viewing. As Hirata-Kun said, it is therefore likely that these videos will contain content difficult for some students to watch. Obviously, the fact that the teachers weren't informed of the video's content rules out educational material, as well as content that would directly affect the school's structure. Even if they had no say, the teaching staff would at least be consulted first."

Class D hung on her words and seemed to understand her logic. That was a welcome improvement.

"That leads to the question - why are these videos necessary for the students? If neither education nor school information is the goal of these videos then what effect are they intended to have? I believe that two options are possible. One is that we will be receiving some kind of news about the world outside the school. Two, the content of the videos are somehow connected to the students themselves."

A wave of unease swept the room and the students awaited Horikita's next words.

"Option one is unlikely as one of the school's defining traits is its restriction from outside contact and also limited knowledge of worldly affairs. It would have to be something rather big for the school to inform us of it and I don't believe the teachers would be quite this calm if a war had just broken out, for example."

A few students found humour in Horikita's statement and smiled despite their growing nervousness.

"That leaves option two; content connected to the students. This would also explain why separate rooms would be necessary. If sensitive information were to come up about a student then that student would likely want some privacy. The only hole I can see in this theory is why the government would be the ones providing these videos if they were about the students of this school. However, this is the best explanation I could come up with based on the information we were provided."

The class growing unease climaxed and worried voices filled the room.

"What are they going to show about us!"

"Why would they bother doing this?"

"Sensitive information? They aren't going to, like...expose anything are they?" Kei finally spoke up, her voice a little quieter than usual. It didn't look like anyone was in the right mind to notice.

"Eh, what do you mean expose?" yelled Shinohara, her eyes widening at her friend's words.

Finally, Yosuke stepped in to calm the panic.

"Okay everyone, calm down for the time being. I am also worried about what these videos may contain but the chances of the school hurting its students unnecessarily aren't high now, are they?

His voice was calm but firm enough to force attention onto his words.

"Let's just see what is in store. I'm on the same page as you; if these videos do contain information sensitive to the students of our class then we will deal with it as it comes. I know it's tough but even if that's the case, I will make sure that nobody is hurt by what is shown."

There was obviously no way that he could make that guarantee but his words settled the hoard. If Horikita was correct then this situation would be harder on Yosuke than anybody else in the class. He has grown tremendously in the past year and now has people around him he can rely on. However, secrets can be compared to landmines in people's minds - step in the wrong place and the results are disastrous. If something were to come out then Yosuke would have a lot on his plate.

"Hey, shouldn't we start heading to the gym, you guys!" Kushida's voice seemed even cheerier than normal. Maybe her act was off.

The whole class made their way to the gym. I suspected that Horikita was right. The likelihood of students' secrets being revealed was high. The question on everyone's minds was why? They didn't have the information that I did so this may seem completely incomprehensible to them, but if the situation was the one I suspected then I would be in for two weeks of trouble.

Chapter One - What's in the Videos?

We entered the large gymnasium of the Advanced Nurturing High School. Four rows of chairs had been set out, one for each class. The irregularity in their numbers made me think briefly back to the Class Vote. Was there any way that my actions in that or any of the other special exams could have been recorded on video? No. I was sure that wasn't the case. Unless...

"Everybody listen! Classes will be seated from bottom to top starting from the left; take your seats quickly!"

Mashima, the teacher for Class A, raised his voice above the gathered crowd's constant noise. I scanned the room for Kei, trying to catch her gaze as she examined the situation herself. When I finally did, I signalled for her to find a way to sit beside me. A worried look appeared on her face but she seemingly understood and nodded in confirmation.

Before I could choose where to sit, Horikita appeared beside me.

"Do you have any input on this?" she asked me. She likely wanted to judge if I thought the content could be about me and my actions in support of Class D.

"Not particularly," I responded

Of course, it was entirely possible that this whole situation was merely a charade to entrap me. If that was the case then nothing I said to Horikita would be of any use.

"Ayanokoji-Kun, if your involvement in our classes' problems were to surface, what would you do?"

It seems my response didn't dissuade her from probing. If my involvement were to surface, eh? I'd need time to think about that.

"There is really nothing I could do." I shrugged, "Although if you are thinking that it would force me to help more directly then I'd stop that thought process now."

It was possible this situation had given her ideas on how to get more out of me.

"No, I know better than that by now." she sighed deeply, "Just...in the case that it comes up...I want you to know that you can rely on me to help."

That was unexpected. Although the words were hard for her to get out, they seemed sincere. She may not be able to do a lot directly but her help may be able to stabilize the class's emotion.

"That's good to know, if I need you then I'll let you know." I nodded and she returned the gesture.

I needed to find a seat quickly otherwise Kei would struggle to get beside me. Leaving Horikita to deal with the classes organisation I sat down near the back of Class D's row. A few moments later Kei joined me.

"Are we in trouble?" Kei said as soon as her body hit the chair.

"I'm not sure, I need more information before I can make a call on that." I responded truthfully, "But in any case, you don't need to worry, anything significant that might be revealed will fall on me, not you."

Kei furrowed her eyebrows and pouted at me.

"You know that's wrong, Kiyotaka," she complained, "Even if it's only you getting exposed that will still affect me a lot, you know."

I couldn't see her logic.

"I doubt they would go as far as to reveal the bullying you sustained," I said, "And even if our relationship were revealed, you have enough trust built up to handle it easily."

This time, my logic seemed to go over her head.

"Geez, Kiyotaka," she struggled to keep her voice down, "Stop it with the dense act, we are, like, together and I obviously wouldn't want my boyfriend in trouble."

Ah, so it was like that. I couldn't blame her for the 'dense' remark.

"Sorry Kei," I said softly, "Maybe this whole situation has my thinking screwed up."

Making sure nobody was paying attention, I reached out and placed my hand on her leg. Her whole body twitched as I did.

"I'll make sure that nothing happens," I said, "To either of us."

She was blushing a lot but there was a faint smile on her face. Shaking her head, she swiftly knocked my hand off her leg.

"Y-you idiot," she whispered, her blush still clearly visible. "You better make sure, promise?"

I nodded and turned to the front. In my peripheral vision, I could still see her trying to hide that faint smile.

Everyone had almost taken their seats. I glanced over at the other classes. Ichinose's Class C and Sakayanagi's Class A had all taken their seats in an orderly fashion, as would be expected. Classes B and D weren't too far behind.

Once everyone was seated, Mashima began to speak.

"I'm well aware that this is highly irregular but you need to keep the composure befitting of our school." he warned, "As you have each been told by your respective homeroom teachers, we have a series of videos to show you."

He pointed at a massive screen that had been set up in front of the rows of chairs. It was comparable in size to those at the movie theatre in Keyaki Mall.

"In a few moments, I will begin the first video. None of the staff present at this school knows its content either."

His comments were similar to Chabashiras. However, he mentioned that it was not just the teachers in the dark but every staff member. Did that include Tsukishiro?

"If at any point, you feel that you need to leave the main room and watch from one of the many private rooms provided, simply leave out of the door you came in and one of the staff members will take you where you need to go," he said, "And with that out of the way, I will begin the first video."

The crowd of students was almost silent. A few hushed voices could be heard from various sections of the audience. There was eerie suspense spread throughout the student body as they waited to discover exactly what they were in for.

Hello.

A single word appeared on the display. I saw a few students show visible confusion.

I imagine all of you are wondering what exactly these videos of mine will contain.

This was met with sounds of agreement.

Some of you may have even figured out a little about what will be shown to you today. Some of you may be a little anxious right about now.

This time, the wave of unease that had befallen Class D, now spread through the entire school year.

The majority of you need not worry. Some of you should.

What you are about to see will likely cause some commotion so please bear that in mind and try your best to remain calm.

You are about to see into the minds of your fellow students.

A few laughed at this statement. See into the minds of your fellow students? I must admit that it sounded like a poor carnival act.

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at your school.

All of that will be revealed.

It was my turn to feel anxious. The likelihood that this showcase was centred around me grew exponentially.

But let's not get too hasty.

I'd like to do this slowly.

After all, this is going to be fun.

Maybe for some of us. I did not see myself being included in that group.

Let's begin...shall we?

Chapter Two - Arrival of Ayanokoji (Bus Scene)

This video is from a bus journey, on your very first day of school

As those words disappeared from the screen, the first video started. Like the text has said, the setting was a bus filled with students wearing the ANHS uniform. One of those people happened to be me.

"Hey, there's Horikita! And Ayanokoji!" Ike yelled.

(A/N - I used the anime version of Ayanokoji's monologue because it's easier to use in this format than the light novel's version.)

If I may, I'd like to pose an interesting question: "Are all human beings truly equal?" These days everywhere you go there's talk about a fight for equality.

That's my voice. No. Those are my thoughts. I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing and judging from the faces of those around me, everyone was in the same boat.

As a wise man once said, "Heaven does not create one person above or below another." People like to throw these words around. That's not the whole quote. It goes on to say that "...while we are all equal at birth, pretty soon, things begin to change. The academic effort is what sets some people apart to rise above others."

"A-are these your thoughts Kiyotaka-Kun?" Yosuke asked.

My best option here was to say no. However, it was likely that future videos would continue in this style. Eventually, even the slowest student would realise that these were, indeed, my true thoughts.

"Yes, they are." I conceded.

"These are very deep thoughts Kiyopon!" Haruka turned to me with one eyebrow raised.

"E-eh, this is completely going over my head." Ike had his head cocked like a confused dog.

At any rate, humans change over time based on their actions. Truth be told at the end of the day, equality is just a fantasy. And most of us go through life denying the fact that we live in a meritocracy.

"Fufu, this is interesting, indeed." Sakayanagi had a wide smile on her face as she digested my thoughts.

"I didn't realise you had such thoughts about subjects like equality, Kiyotaka." Keisei said.

"Well, I spend a lot of time alone, so sometimes my thoughts can go off in weird directions"

"This thought process...your thoughts are surprisingly interesting." It seemed like Horikita was mocking me.

(A/N - And now we are back to the LN)

"Excuse me, but shouldn't you offer up your seat?"

My eyes, which were about to close, snapped back open. Huh? Could this person be angry with me? But I realized that it was someone else being scolded.

A young, well-built blond man of high school age had sat down in one of the priority seats. The elderly woman stood right next to him, and another woman beside her. This second, younger lady appeared to be an office worker.

"Ah, I had no idea you were in my brilliant presence at that time, Ayanokoji-boy!" Koenji, who had been busy filing his nails until this point, finally seemed to be paying attention.

"Hey, but aren't you in a priority seat?" Sato asked, glaring at Koenji

"Hey, you there. Can't you see that this elderly woman is having trouble?" the office lady said.

She seemed to want the young man to offer up his seat.

Her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, attracting several people's attention.

"That's really a crazy question, lady," the boy said.

"H-how is that a crazy question!"

I half expected two holes to appear in the back of Koenji's head having witnessed the irritation in Sato's scowl.

"Just keep watching, little girl, I'm sure you'll understand my position." Koenji didn't even bother looking in her direction.

I wondered whether this boy was angry, unobservant, or just painfully honest. In any case, he grinned broadly and crossed his legs. "Why should I offer up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so."

Sato and other students grew increasingly annoyed at Keonji's flagrant rudeness.

"You're sitting in a priority seat. It's natural to offer up those seats to the elderly."

"I don't understand. Priority seats are just that: priority seats. I have no legal obligation to move. Since I'm currently occupying this seat, I should be the one who determines whether or not I move. Am I supposed to give up this seat just because I am young? Ha! That reasoning is nonsense."

He didn't speak like a normal high school student. His hair was dyed blond, which made him stand out.

"So you recognised my superiority from that brief exchange, Ayanokoji-boy? I am impressed by your perception." Koenji looked to have no idea the anger that was being directed toward him but that wasn't true. He knew perfectly well.

"I'm a healthy young person who certainly wouldn't find standing inconvenient. However, I'd obviously expend more energy by standing than I would by sitting. I have no intention of doing such a pointless thing. Or are you suggesting I should act a bit livelier, I wonder?"

"Wh-what kind of attitude is that to take with your superiors?" she demanded.

"Superiors? Well, it's obvious that both you and the old woman there have been alive longer than I have. There is no doubt about that. However, the word 'superior' implies that you're referring to someone of a higher position. In addition, we have another problem. Even though ages are different, wouldn't you agree that you have an impertinent attitude and are being extremely rude?"

Looking around I could see that most students were in a state of shock at Koenji's words. Whether that was because of his rudeness or apparent ignorance towards his own behaviour - well it was probably a bit of both. However, some students had different reactions. Ryuen Kakeru had been snickering throughout and Ichinose Honami wore a sorrowful gaze. As always, she felt bad for the afflicted rather than getting angry at the guilty party.

"Wha- You're a high schooler, aren't you?! You should be quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"

"It's f-fine, whatever..." the elderly woman mumbled

This was greeted with saddened "Aww"'s from the audience and a sense of focussed hostility centred around a single target. Koenji was a braver man than I.

She apparently didn't want any further commotion and tried to calm the office lady. But after being insulted by the high school student, the young woman still seemed very upset.

"Apparently, this elderly woman is more perceptive than you, which is nice. Also, I haven't given up on Japanese society yet. Please enjoy your remaining years."

After flashing a pointlessly vigorous smile, the boy slid his earphones in and began listening to rather cacophonous music. The office lady now clenched her teeth in frustration Though she tried needling the boy by arguing further, his smug, self-important attitude remained fixed.

At any rate, I had to at least partly agree with this boy.

"WHAT!" This time it was Shinohara that spoke up. The anger that had been building among the 'morally good' of our year, suddenly focussed on me.

I decided that to save myself from persecution, I should temper these flames as soon as possible.

"I said partly. I think you'll see what I mean if we just continue the video."

Most probably thought they had reacted too quickly and turned back to the screen. If these videos are set to continue, however, I won't be able to justify my thoughts to these people for long.

If you ignored the question of moral imperative, it was true that he wasn't legally obligated to give up his seat.

Hearing my next words, Shinohara turned to me and bowed her head apologetically.

"Sorry Ayanokoji-Kun, I think I got angry a bit too quickly."

"It's fine, I may have done the same in your position."

This brief exchange caused me to think back to our first special exam. Although I never paid much attention to Shinohara, it was incredible the difference a year had made to her maturity.

"I'm sorry..." Desperately fighting back her tears, the office lady apologized to the elderly woman.

Well, it was all just a minor incident on the bus. I was relieved that I hadn't been caught up in the situation. Honestly, I couldn't care less about giving up my seat for an elderly person.

Clearly, the egotistical boy had won. At least, everyone secretly thought so.

"You seem to have a rather laid back view, Ayanokoji-Kun."

Sakayanagi analysed what she saw and gave me her findings. I don't particularly know why but it looked like she was enjoying herself.

"I just like to avoid trouble if possible, that's all."

"Fufu, I see, so if you thought something may be troublesome for you, you wouldn't participate?"

"Sure, I guess."

"That doesn't sound like someone very committed to their class, does it now?"

"I do whatever I can to help my class out, although that doesn't amount to much."

Sakayanagi seemed to be having fun as she aimed these jabs at me. She wouldn't go as far as outing me but apparently, she had no problems with a little amusement at my expense.

"I'm sure you do your best, Ayanokoji-Kun." With that last comment, Sakayanagi turned back to the screen.

Some students looked surprised at our exchange. They were no doubt confused how a 'nobody' like me had caught the eye of a class leader like Sakayanagi.

"Um... I think that the lady is right."

Instantly, everyone's eyes were fixed firmly on the video. I was very grateful for Kushida's ability to command attention.

"Kikyou-San!" Ike rejoiced.

The woman received unexpected support from someone standing alongside her. The helper, a girl wearing my high school's uniform, gave her brave and frank opinion to the boy.

"And the new challenger is a pretty girl, eh? It would seem that I'm rather lucky with the fairer sex," the boy said.

Some girls looked enraged at this comment and others blushed.

"This poor woman appears to have been suffering for quite some time now. Won't you offer up your seat? While you might consider such courtesy unnecessary, I think it would contribute greatly to society."

Crack! The boy snapped his fingers.

"A contribution to society, you say? Well, that is a rather interesting opinion. It's certainly true that offering up one's seat to the elderly could be viewed in such a positive light. Unfortunately, I have no interest in contributing to society. I care only for my own satisfaction. Oh, and one more thing. You're asking me, the one in the priority seat, to give up his spot, but couldn't you simply ask one of the other people seated on this crowded bus? If you truly cared for the elderly, then something like priority seating would be a rather trivial concern, wouldn't you agree?"

The boy's haughty attitude remained unchanged. Both the office lady and the elderly woman simply wore bitter smiles in response. However, the girl didn't back down.

"Everyone, please listen to me for just a moment. Won't someone give up their seat for this woman? It doesn't matter who. Please."

How could someone pour so much courage, determination, and compassion into so few words? That was no simple feat. The girl might have seemed like a nuisance to those around her, but she appealed to the other passengers earnestly and without fear.

"Kikyou is never a nuisance, Ayanokoji!" Ike stalwartly defended Kushida from my comment.

"This was my first time meeting her." I probably didn't need to justify my thoughts but for the sake of peace...

"It's okay, Kanji-Kun!" Kushida came to my rescue before Ike could continue his offensive."And thank you for your other kind words, Ayanokoji-Kun!"

Her angelic charm worked to settle Ike down. Perhaps she was worth keeping around - at least for a little while longer.

Though not in a priority seat, I was near the elderly woman. I imagined if I raised my hand and offered my spot, then the matter would be settled.

However, like everyone else, I didn't move. None of us had thought it necessary to move. The boy's attitude and remarks aside, everyone on the bus had, for the most part, agreed with him.

Now, of course, the elderly have undeniable worth to Japan. But we, the youth, will continue to support Japan into the future. Also, considering that our society ages more and more every year, you could say that our youthful value only increases. So, if you were to examine both the elderly and the young and ask yourself which group is more valuable, the answer should be obvious. That's really the perfect argument, wouldn't you say?

This latest thought earned me some sideward glances of mild irritation but nobody voiced their feelings, probably because they couldn't find fault with my statement.

But still, I wondered what the others would do. As I looked around, I saw two kinds of people: those who had pretended not to have heard anything and those who looked hesitant.

However, the girl sitting next to me was different. She alone wasn't swept up by the confusion. Her face remained expressionless.

While I unintentionally stared at her, our eyes met for an instant. Even without speaking a word, I could tell that we shared the same opinion. Neither of us considered it necessary to give up our seats.

"This was your first interaction?" Matsushita questioned me, a hint of confusion on her face.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Huh..."

I didn't really understand why her question was necessary but she didn't follow up.

"E-excuse me. You can have mine." Shortly after the girl's appeal, a working woman stood, unable to bear the guilt any longer, and offered up her seat.

"Thank you very much!" the elderly woman said.

The working woman smiled, lowered her head, and guided the elderly woman to the now-vacant seat.

The elderly woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly and slowly sat. Watching the scene unfold from my peripheral vision, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. Soon, we arrived at our destination, and all the high school students began to disembark.

After this scene, the video faded to black. Apparently, that was where our first viewing ended. I hadn't really had time to take in what was happening when the video began but it appears that I seriously underestimated the gravity of my situation. My thoughts...

Already, I could tell that these videos were going to completely expose me. Not just my actions behind the scenes, but also my true thoughts and intentions. It may also include some clues toward my special upbringing.

I needed a plan.

(A/N - I'm not sure how I did on this. Trying to incorporate a variety of characters without dragging it out too much is surprisingly challenging. I think I'm going to include some characters' thoughts in-between chapters if I think it's necessary - like if they didn't voice these thoughts, or couldn't for whatever reason.

Also, you probably noticed reading this, but I like detail. I can appreciate that some people will not like my slow pacing and I have held back a little to try and keep this short enough. If you'd prefer that I make these chapters longer and include more detail then please leave a comment and I'll see what the general consensus is.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I'm planning on doing lots of scenes, not necessarily in order for my plot's purposes. I'll try and get them out at least once every three days and maybe more regularly once I get used to this.

Interlude 1

(A/N - Interludes will occasionally break up chapters so I can expand upon some characters' reactions and keep it semi-realistic. I'll release these alongside new chapters rather than alone.)

Do you get the picture now?

Words appeared back on the screen after the video had ended. I saw some students nod their heads in response. They do realise that this is pre-recorded, right?

There are many, many more videos to go so at convenient intervals, I will allow you to rest your eyes and minds.

There should have been a schedule shown to you.

You will be watching these videos for two weeks and I am filled with anticipation to see how you will act after watching them all.

For today, there are still some more videos to get through.

But take five - take in what you have seen and be ready to witness more.

With that, the messages stopped and the screen went black leaving the gym hall in darkness. A few seconds later, one of the teachers switched the lights on and Mashima walked to the front of the audience.

"Do as you were told and take five minutes to process." Mashima looked as if he needed to do the same, but he kept his composed attitude, "I'm sure the video will start up again when it's time to continue."

He then left us to our own thoughts.

Class D's Discussion

"Hey, any idea what the point of that was?" Sato asked

This was the question on most of Class D's minds. Everyone was looking at either Horikita or Yosuke, seemingly expecting them to have all the answers. When both remained silent, they began glancing around at others to see if anyone else had a clue.

"Maybe they just want us to know each other better?" Kushida suggested.

"But it's already apparent what kind of person Koenji is," Keisei disagreed, "If your suggestion was true, then would they not show us something we don't know about him?"

Kushida slightly nodded, mildly irritated that her idea had been shot down so easily.

"Regardless of the reasoning, I'm more interested in the fact that we are able to hear what Kiyotaka was thinking." Keisei continued.

Remembering that fact, Class D turned to look at me with inquisitive faces. They didn't really expect me to have an answer, did they?

I shrugged and said, "I have no clue how they made it possible but everything I 'said' in that video actually was what I was truly thinking."

"There seems to be a lot going on in that head of yours, Kiyopon!" Haruka giggled, "I mean, who bothers about things like equality while riding the bus to school?"

Apparently, she found my idle thoughts amusing.

"Yeah, Ayanokoji, that was kinda weird." Ike somehow still looked confused.

I simply shrugged my shoulders again. There was no point in discussing my every thought. Although I was interested in how it was possible that my internal dialogue was being heard. As far as I was aware, there was no current method of extracting people's thoughts. I'd also never heard of it being researched at the White Room either. Was it something they did without my knowing?

I decided that I needed more information before theorising on where these videos were coming from. If this was genuinely a government project, then other students' thoughts should be coming in future videos. However, if it is only my perspective, then the chances of my father being involved become a certainty.

"I think that this video was just a way to show us what to expect."

Horikita finally spoke up, interrupting the class's discussion on my weird thoughts.

"So you think that the other videos will be similar to the one we watched, Horikita-san?" Yosuke inquired.

"Yes, that is what the evidence points to." Horikita sighed, "Listen, everyone, this video was harmless and didn't divulge anything we didn't already know. That may not be the case for the next ones. If anything sensitive comes up, please show consideration for your classmates. Fighting amongst each other will do nothing to help us rise through the classes."

Class D appeared to accept and agree to her wishes. She had told me before that she would do what she could to help me and this was her best way of doing that. There was nothing she could do about the other classes, but if she was able to mitigate any trouble I'd receive from within our own class, then I could focus on other matters.

Class C Discussion

"What are your thoughts on this Kanzaki-kun?" Ichinose asked before turning to her classmate.

Kanzaki had an odd expression that Ichinose did not fail to notice.

"What's with the face?" Ichinose sat forward and smiled as she gazed at him.

Kanzaki shook his head like he was trying to free himself from cobwebs.

"Sorry Ichinose, I just can't seem to settle my nerves."

Ichinose cocked her head to the side and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kanzaki pondered for a moment before responding, "I just don't have a good feeling about these videos, I can't explain it any more than that."

Ichinose leant back in her chair and rubbed her chin. Kanzaki wasn't one to fret. If he had a bad feeling about the videos then it wasn't something to brush off.

"Well, if you want to tell me what you're thinking at any point, I'll always happily listen!"

Kanzaki's expression softened and he smiled at the angelic figure before him.

"Of course, Ichinose."

Class B Discussion

"Ryuen, stop grinning like a madman!" Ibuki snarled at her leader.

"Uh, what's up boss?" Ishizaki's voice wavered as he spoke. He'd seen all sides of Ryuen but the guy's chaotic nature could leave even his closest confidant fearing what comes next.

A few minutes passed before Ryuen regained some semblance of self-control, the shadow of his smile lingering. He took a deep breath and released a heavy, satisfied sigh.

"I think you guys are about to see something fun." Finally facing his bewildered classmates, Ryuen said something that only worsened their state.

"What the hell do you mean?" Ibuki, getting frustrated by his cryptic nature.

"Are you talking about these videos?" Ishizaki asked, "Because that one was kinda dull."

"That was just a warm-up, the real purpose of this whole charade will be obvious later."

As he said this Ryuen pointed to a certain Class D student sitting in the back row.

"That monster has got some trouble coming his way."

He descended back into his low snickering. Most of Class B donned confused expressions, but Ibuki, Ishizaki, Albert and Hiyori looked over to Ayanokoji. What did Ryuen mean?

Class A Discussion

"I see," Sakayangi muttered, "Maybe this will be worth my time."

"So this has something to do with Ayanokoji, princess?" Hashimoto asked.

"Of course, it should have been obvious by the wording used in the video's explanation." Sakayanagi lectured, "Who else did anything worthwhile in secret? Ryuen? He certainly favours belligerent strategies to covert tactics, but he has his moments. However, he definitely hasn't done anything deserving of this kind of show."

"So the purpose of this is what? To expose Ayanokoji or something? Why the hell would the damn government bother with something like that?" Kamuro asked a flurry of questions.

"I will say that it is entirely possible that the government would do just that if it concerns a man like Ayanokoji-kun." Sakayanagi then moved her hands across her lips as if she was zipping them closed. "But I won't say anything more than that."

"I can understand why you are interested in him, princess, but the government? Even if he's a top student, he's still just a high schooler like the rest of us." Hashimoto attempted to push for answers.

Sakayanagi merely gazed at the screen before them, signalling the end of their conversation and reinforcing her pledge to silence. Hashimoto and Kamuro met each other's gaze and gave puzzled looks to indicate they were both clueless to their leader's odd statements. Both gave up on trying to dig for more information as they knew full well that trying to break Sakayanagi's will was tantamount to breaking through a steel wall with bare hands.

Hey, hey, are you all still awake?

Done with your theories and questions?

Good. Let's move on.

(A/N - This was just a way to introduce what these interludes will be like. I tried to make it somewhat interesting but it was difficult with so little going on at that moment. As I wrote at the start, I will normally release these alongside the next part. There probably won't be too many of these but it's the easiest way to keep everything moving smoothly and avoid jumping around too much.)

Chapter 2.5 - Ayanokoji meets Horikita

As I got off the bus, I saw a gate formed from the natural rock waiting just ahead. All the young boys and girls dressed in school uniforms were passing through this gate.

"Eh, we aren't going to be watching our entire year from Ayanokoji's view are we!?" Ike asked incredulously.

"It is interesting..." Kanzaki mused.

The Japanese government had created the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School with the express purpose of developing future leaders. This would be my school from now on.

Okay, stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. All right, here we go!

"Wait!"

The instant I tried to take my first courageous step, someone called out to me. It was the girl who'd sat next to me on the bus.

"I have to admit, I also thought that you two had previously known each other," Yosuke said, "But you say that your first interaction was on the bus ride to this school?"

"Yes, although we ended up speaking a lot more than I'd intended, this was the first time that we had spoken to one another," Horikita responded.

"You were looking at me. Why?" she asked.

She narrowed her eyes while we spoke.

"Sorry. I guess I was just interested, is all. I mean, you didn't think about giving up your seat to the old woman, did you?"

"That's right. I didn't consider giving it up. Is there something wrong with that?"

A couple of students from Class D looked like they were about to speak but, interestingly, they decided to keep their thoughts to themselves. They had come to see Horikita as a worthy leader, maybe that's what kept them from voicing their concerns.

"Fufu, I thought you would have more respect for the elderly, Horikita-san." It was Horikita's turn to be poked and prodded by Sakayanagi's taunts.

"It's not that I don't have respect for the elderly, it's just at that moment, I didn't see a point in giving up my seat," Horikita didn't even look in Sakayagi's direction, "My reasons are none of your concern."

"I see,"

I thought that was the end of it but a crooked smile appeared on Sakayagi's face.

"What if it was me who was in need of a seat, Horikita-san?" Sakayagi asked, "Would you permit a cripple to take your seat?"

Everyone looked awkward at Sakayanagi's blatant self-deprecation. Even Horikita squirmed as she thought up a response.

"What kind of inane question is that?" Horikita retorted.

"I simply wish to see where I stack up against the elderly in your view, Horikita-san."

Horikita sighed, "If there were no other contributing factors then, yes, I would swap my seat with you."

"Fufu, a well-constructed answer," Sakayanagi giggled, "As expected of you, Horikita-san."

"Hey, what about me, Suzune?" Ryuen chimed in, "Would you swap seats to save my weary bones?"

"Like hell." Horikita didn't hesitate.

Ryuen continued laughing as the video continued.

"Oh, no, not at all. I didn't intend to give up my seat, either. In fact, I firmly abide by the philosophy of letting sleeping dogs lie. I dislike trouble."

"You dislike trouble? Then I don't think you and I are anything alike. I didn't give up my seat because I thought it would be pointless. That's all."

"But doesn't that seem worse than just not liking trouble?"

"Perhaps. I'm simply acting according to my own beliefs. That's different from someone who just dislikes trouble, like you. I don't want to spend any time around people like you."

"I feel the same way," I muttered.

"Huh, I thought you guys were pretty good friends at the start of the year?" Kei frowned. She already knew the nature of mine and Horikita's relationship, she just needed to keep up appearances.

"Yeah, you both rarely spoke to anyone other than each other." Matsushita followed up.

"That's simply because we sat next to each other," Horikita answered, "But my relationship with Ayanokoji-kun isn't as strained now, as it was back then."

"That's good!" Kushida commented, "You always seemed like really good friends."

I had only wanted to share my opinion, but I wasn't too keen on going back and forth with her like this. We both sighed and proceeded to walk in the same direction.

"It is hard to believe that was their first encounter with each other, even though I always saw them as close," Ichinose said, her mild surprise clearly visible.

"Relationships can change based on various factors," Kanzaki suggested, "I'd say that their environment likely had an effect."

"That's true, it's tough to have personal problems with your classmates in this school." Ichinose agreed.

"Excuse me, can you not discuss my personal relationships as though I wasn't here." Horikita sighed.

Ichinose immediately brought both her hands up to her mouth and turned a light shade of red.

"I'm so sorry Horikita-san!" Ichinose bowed, "I wasn't thinking."

"I apologise too." Kanzaki also bowed, but not nearly as enthusiastically.

Horikita nodded at them.

Well, now you know how those two met. What are your thoughts?

Actually, hold them in a little longer, I have another video to show before I let you discuss it.

(A/N - It's typical that as soon as I settle on a rough schedule for these chapters, I immediately have to disregard it. It's been about a week since I updated this so sorry for the wait. I ended up working a lot more than I had expected and only had enough time to briefly relax and sleep at home.

But I'm free now *fingers crossed* and I can actually abide by my own schedule. I think I'm going to update this again today to make up for missing a week.

If I ever have to forgo an update, I'll make a temporary update to just inform anyone interested. I would have done that this time but it didn't feel right that my first post back would have nothing to do with the actual fanfic.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.)

Bonus Chapter - Class D's Introductions

This video is from Class D's first day.

Honestly, this has little significance but I found it amusing so you can watch it too.

"Does that mean the other scenes were somehow significant?" Akito seemed lost.

"Well, I guess we learned that Ayanokoji-kun and Horikita-san weren't on good terms," Mori said, "I don't know if that's considered significant though."

As someone who dislikes trouble, I decided I'd like to establish proper relationships. Unfamiliar with the notion, I'd spent the day before in preparation, running through different scenarios.

"Ayanokoji-kun's perspective again..." Matsushita muttered.

"Eh-um- Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi had been quiet since we had entered the gym but now spoke up, "What does it mean, that you were unfamiliar with relationships?"

"I've told you before, Airi," I responded, "I struggle to express myself and that means maintaining relationships is a challenge for me."

"Ah" She smiled at me and nodded. Airi understood better than most the difficulties of overcoming your nature.

"Still, you 'spent the day before in preparation', Kiyopon," Haruka giggled at me, "I'm a loner too and even I didn't go that far."

"Do you have to tease him, Haruka?" Akito valiantly came to my defence.

"Hmm-sorry, sorry!" Haruka was still smiling. Nope, she wasn't sorry at all.

For instance, should I burst into the classroom and actively start talking to people? Should I secretly pass around a slip of paper with my email address, so as to better befriend someone? Someone like me needed to practice, because this environment was so different from what I'd experienced thus far. I was completely isolated. I had ventured alone into a battlefield, and it was do or die.

Muffled laughs came from multiple areas of the gymnasium. Kei suddenly hid her face and started coughing next to me. It was hurtfully clear she was trying to disguise her giggling.

"A battlefield, Ayanokoji, seriously?!" Sudo, on the other hand, wasn't trying to be considerate at all, "It's not like that at all, man!"

"Hey guys, as Kiyotaka-kun said before, he struggles to express himself and I'm sure that other members of this class can empathise with that," Yosuke reasoned with them, "Also, Kiyotaka, I apologise for not doing more to include you at the beginning of the year."

He bowed his head. Hirata Yosuke had tried to bring everyone together at the start of our first term and that included me. If not for my personality, he probably would have succeeded. Disregarding Ike, Sudo and Yamauchi, who resented Yosuke for his popularity, the rest of the class would have been glad to have someone like him to help make integrating into the school easier.

"That's not on you, Yosuke," I said, "I have myself to blame for being bad at making friends."

Looking around the classroom, I walked toward the seat that bore my nameplate. It was at the back of the room, near the window. A good place to sit, generally. As I looked around, I saw that the room was already halfway filled with students. The others were either immersed in their class materials or already talking with other people. Perhaps they'd all been friends beforehand or had only recently gotten acquainted. Well then, what should I do? Take action during this free time and try to meet someone? In front of me, a rather rotund boy sat at his desk, hunching over. Perhaps it was my imagination, but he appeared lonely.

The boy exuded an aura that seemed to shout, "Please, someone be my friend!" However, if you just went up to someone and started talking, you might be bothering them. Should you wait for the right time? But then you might wait too long and be left friendless. I just had to... No, no, wait, I couldn't be hasty. If I started a thoughtless conversation with someone I didn't know, I ran the risk of making a serious social gaffe.

"This goes beyond being socially inept," Kanzaki said.

"Oi, don't say things like that, Kanzaki-kun!" Ichinose instantly stopped Kanzaki from saying anything more.

It didn't seem like many people heard the interaction. Besides, I didn't agree with Kanzaki's statement at all. Although it was true that my upbringing meant that social situations were a distinct weakness of mine, it didn't mean that others who had experienced a normal life wouldn't feel the same as me. Take Airi for instance: she was arguably worse at socialising than I was due to her extreme self-esteem and anxiety issues. These were products of her own experiences and many others would be competing with similar problems.

Before I knew it, the rotund, bespectacled boy in front of me had started to talk with another classmate.

Wearing a bitter smile, I realized that there was no new friendship to be cultivated there. I'm happy for you, Glasses-kun. It looks like you made your first friend.

"I got beaten to the punch!"

"God, this is sad," Ryuen said and slouched down in his seat, looking extremely bored.

I was at my wit's end, stuck in useless navel-gazing. Reflexively, I let out a deep sigh. My high school experience seemed poised to be exceptionally dour. Then, someone sat down beside me.

"That's quite a heavy sigh, considering the school year has only begun. Meeting you again makes me want to sigh."

It was the girl who'd fought with me at the bus stop and then walked off. "So, we were placed in the same class, huh?" I mumbled.

Well, there were only four classes for all of the first-year students, after all. Statistically, it wasn't impossible for us to be together.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"You just went ahead and introduced yourself?" she said.

"Well, this is the second time that we've spoken. Isn't it fine for me to do so?"

I had wanted to introduce myself to someone anyway, so it wasn't as though I could just keep quiet. Besides, in order to become familiar with my class, I had to at least know my neighbour's name...even if she was this audacious girl.

"Do you mind if I refuse?" she asked.

"I don't think sitting next to someone for an entire year without knowing their name would be comfortable."

"I disagree."

"I agree with Ayanokoji-kun, not being able to talk to someone who is always next to you would feel really isolating," Onodera commented.

"It's true that I enjoy solitude, but I was taking it a little far here," Horikita admitted, "I did end up telling him my name though."

Shooting me a glance, she placed her bag on her desk. Apparently, she wasn't going to tell me her name. Lacking any interest in the classroom, the girl simply sat upright in her chair like a model student.

"Do you have a friend in another class? Or did you enroll here all on your lonesome?" I asked.

"You're a curious one, aren't you? You won't find talking to me very interesting, though."

"If I'm bothering you, you can just tell me to be quiet."

I wouldn't introduce myself if it made her angry. I thought that the conversation was over, but then the girl sighed. Apparently, she'd changed her mind. She turned her gaze on me and introduced herself.

"I'm Horikita Suzune."

For the first time, I got a good look at her face.

Wow. She was cute. Or rather, she was beautiful. Even though we were in the same grade, I'd have believed it if you told me she was a year or two older.

Such a calm, cool beauty.

This comment earned me an elbow in the side from Kei. I didn't really see how that was fair, seeing as this was right at the start of our first year, but logic didn't seem to apply here.

"Hey, hey Kiyopon, what was that I just heard?" Haruka, again, chose to toy with me.

"I can't help what my first impressions are." I said, "And I don't think many people would objectively disagree with me, am I wrong?"

I wasn't, although most would be too embarrassed to say such things aloud. With my thoughts being relayed to everybody though, I didn't have that luxury.

Horikita had chosen to stay silent. I don't think she was all too bothered about my opinion of her physical appearance. Sudo had also remained silent. He already knew I had no interest in a relationship with Horikita but I was still curious what his facial expression was right now. I couldn't see him well enough from where I was sitting to check.

"Let me tell you about myself," I said. "I have no particular hobbies, but I'm interested in just about anything. I don't need many friends, but I think it would be nice to have at least a few. And, well, that's about it."

"Spoken just like someone who avoids trouble. I don't think I could ever like such a person," she said.

"Jeez, I feel like you trashed my entire existence in one second," I muttered.

"I feel stupid for thinking you were close," Sato confessed.

"Horikita-san really doesn't hold back," Ichinose added.

I received glances filled with pity from some students.

"I pray this will be my only upset."

"I sympathize, but, unfortunately, I don't think your prayers will be answered." I pointed to the classroom entrance. Standing there was—

"This seems like a rather well-equipped classroom. It would appear to live up to people's expectations, hmm?"

Yes. The boy who'd quarrelled with those women on the bus.

"I see. This certainly is bad luck," she said.

"Bad luck, Horikita-girl?" Koenji looked at her, "I don't think I understand what you are saying. How could being in the same class as me be considered bad luck?"

Horikita didn't bother giving him an answer. Koenji let out a laugh under his breath but didn't continue his questioning.

I'm gonna skip a little here to where they are introducing themselves.

Oh great. I remembered how utterly I had failed to assimilate into the class. Although, in a way, that had actually helped me live the way I'd wanted.

"Everyone, can you please listen to me for a moment?"

A student with the air of an upstanding young man quickly raised his hand. His hair wasn't dyed. He looked like an honours student. Based on his appearance, I got the impression he wasn't a delinquent.

"Starting today, we're all going to be classmates. Therefore, I think it'd be good for us to introduce ourselves and become friends as soon as possible. We still have some time until the entrance ceremony. What do you say?"

He'd just done something incredible. The majority of students were lost in thought, unable to speak up.

"That certainly isn't an easy thing to do, Hirata-kun, you are really courageous!" Ichinose complimented him openly. That was another thing that most would struggle to do.

"Thank you, Ichinose-san, but it wouldn't do for our class to know nothing about each other, would it?"

"That's true, I think the first step to having unity as a class is knowing a bit about one another."

Yosuke nodded in agreement. It occurred to me that the two of them barely interacted. Of course, that isn't odd due to the way the school was structured, but they held similar ideals and it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for them to become good friends.

"Agreed! After all, we still don't know a thing about each other, not even our names," someone shouted.

After the ice had broken, the previously hesitant students began to speak.

"My name's Hirata Yousuke. Back in junior high, lots of people called me Yousuke. Feel free to use my first name! I guess my hobby is sports in general, but I especially like soccer. I'm planning on playing soccer here, too. Nice to meet you!"

Hirata had effortlessly introduced himself to the class. He seemed exceptionally brave. And he'd talked about his love for soccer, too! His level of popularity must've increased two, no, maybe four times. Why the girl seated next to Hirata had hearts in her eyes! If someone like Hirata became our class's linchpin, I wondered if he'd keep everyone honest and motivated until graduation.

A few of the girls in Class D became visibly embarrassed by my comments even though I had only mentioned one specifically.

"Ayanokoji-kun was right, Hirata-kun has done a great job of leading our class." Mii-chan smiled. I was surprised to hear her speak so brazenly. Apparently, having Yosuke notice her and thank her after his problems had done wonders for her confidence.

The rest of Class D agreed wholeheartedly. Yosuke smiled brightly but I guessed that he was feeling uncomfortable receiving all of these compliments.

Someone like him would probably end up dating the cutest girl in class. That was how these things typically went.

"Well Karuizawa-san is very cute so he wasn't wrong there either!" Mori said.

"Hey, Nene-chan, they broke up so it's probably not good to talk about it." Inogashira tried to be discreet but the distance between the two didn't help her cause.

"It's fine Inogashira-san, it was mutual, there is nothing to feel awkward about," Yosuke assured her. He looked over to Kei for backup.

However, Kei happened to be blushing slightly and not paying any attention to the conversation.

"Karuizawa-san, what's the matter?" Mori asked.

Finally, Kei realised people were looking at her and tensed up a little. What had gotten her so worked up?

"Eh-oh, nothing Nene-san, I'm fine!" Kei blurted out.

The rest of Class D weren't used to Kei acting in this way. She had created an outward personality befitting of the 'leader' of the girls and rarely lost her nerve. I could already see how people would take this the wrong way.

"Is it possible you don't see it the same way Karuizawa-san?" Matsushita questioned her.

Matsushita had a clue about mine and Kei's connection. She probably believed that interrogating Kei would eventually lead her to me. However, I knew that would be almost impossible.

"No, it's as Hirata-kun says," Kei regained her composure in an instance, "The break-up was mutual, there are no hard feelings between us."

She smiled at Yosuke to prove her words to everyone watching. If Ryuen couldn't break her, there was no chance for Matsushita to get close.

Once everyone's attention was away from Kei, I leaned in to whisper to her.

"It's not like you to lose your cool like that."

Kei turned her head down, seemingly embarrassed.

"Sorry, Kiyotaka..."

I kept looking at her to see if she would explain herself.

"Um-I just kind of got caught off guard a little."

"Caught off guard? By what?"

"Well, I know you weren't talking about me at the time- but I realised you indirectly called me the cutest girl in class"

She said that in the lowest whisper I'd ever heard, her embarrassment clearly showing.

"I see"

I recalled calling her cute directly before. I failed to see how this was different.

"Well then, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves, starting from the front. Is that okay?"

Although the girl at the head of the class looked a little bewildered, she quickly made up her mind and stood. Or rather, she'd been pressured, in response to Hirata's words.

I saw Yosuke look over to Inogashira to express his apologies.

"M-my name is...Inogashira Ko-Ko..."

The girl, last name Inogashira, seemed to freeze during her introduction. Was she drawing a blank, or had she not considered what she was going to say beforehand? As her words halted, she paled. It was rare to see someone get so incredibly nervous.

"Do your best!"

"Don't panic! It's okay!"

Kind words poured out of our classmates. But it seemed to have the opposite effect on the girl; the words stuck in the back of her throat. The silence continued for five seconds. Ten seconds. You could've cut the tension with a knife. Some of the girls started giggling. Inogashira was paralyzed with fear. She couldn't move a muscle. Another girl spoke up.

"It's okay to go slowly. Don't rush."

Although it might seem kind, saying, "Do your best!" and, "It's okay!" it actually conveys a completely different meaning. To someone who is extremely nervous, "Do your best!" and, "It's okay!" can actually seem forceful, as if indicating she needs to match her classmates. On the other hand, saying, "Just take things slowly. Don't rush," allows her to take things at her own pace.

"Ayanokoji, it seems like your thoughts are contradicting." Katsuragi, typical of his conservative nature, had been quiet until now.

"What do you mean Katsuragi-san?" Ichinose appeared curious.

"When he first entered the classroom, his thoughts appeared to be of somebody with no social experience, which is odd in itself. However, he just deconstructed the effects that regular phrases can have on an individual with no problem whatsoever. To me, that doesn't seem like something that someone inexperienced with socialising would be able to do."

"Isn't it the opposite?" Ichinose was confused, "If he had felt the same way as Inogashira-san at some point because of his lack of social experience, he would be able to tell, right?

"That's indeed true, however, think back to what he observed about her behaviour moments before - 'it was rare to see someone get so incredibly nervous'. In my time at this school, I've also never seen Ayanokoji express nervousness in any way."

Ichinose looked like she got what Katsuragi was getting at.

Katsuragi made a good point. It was unlikely that someone with a lack of social expertise could correctly judge the different effects words had on people. However, with the study of psychology, that notion becomes clouded. You can study psychology all you like, reading theories and reviewing experiments but how that translates into society and an individual's own experience differs remarkably. These tests and theories often contain a sample size too small, or test parameters that don't equate to real-world situations. So, although I had vast knowledge of the theory of human psychology, at that time I had no experience on how to apply that knowledge to real-life situations. This is where theory and practice clashed and while I could usually predict what effect my, or others, actions may have, emulating a socially active student was practically impossible for me to pull off.

Luckily, I could explain this discrepancy quite easily thanks to some thoughts that I'd previously been mocked for.

"Well, it's a little humiliating but like with the brainstorming I did before class, I actually read up on some social psychology books to prepare," I explained.

Hopefully, that reason would be enough to satisfy him. However, I wondered if continuously lying was the right thing to do in these circumstances.

"I see, I guess that makes sense," Katsuragi stroked his chin, "You really do seem to be quite observant, Ayanokoji."

"I don't think it's any more than usual."

Some students had been following, or at least trying to follow, the conversation but a lot had just given up at the beginning. I thought I could see Ike's head physically spinning. I must be seeing things.

After that, the girl calmed down and regained her composure. She took a few small breaths and tried again.

"My name is Inogashira...Kokoro. Um, my hobby is sewing. I'm pretty good at knitting. I-It's nice to meet you all."

She was able to finish without stopping. Looking alternately relieved, delighted, and embarrassed, Inogashira sat down. Other introductions followed hers.

"I'm Yamauchi Haruki. I competed in table tennis during elementary school, and in junior high I was the ace player on our baseball team. I was number four. I got hurt during the inter-high school championships, though, and I'm undergoing rehab now. Nice to meet you."

Some students in Class D's expressions darkened as they re-lived their first interaction with the expelled Yamauchi. Sudo, Ike and even Hondo lowered their heads. Those closest to him obviously felt his loss more than others.

I didn't think that the number of his baseball uniform was essential information...

Besides, I'd thought the inter-high championship was a national sports competition for high school students. Junior high school kids were supposed to be ineligible.

Was he trying to crack a joke? He seemed like a talkative guy who got carried away pretty easily.

"Well then, I'm next, aren't I?"

Those who were down over Yamauchi's appearance mostly lightened up again at the sight of Kushida.

The cheerful girl who stood up was the same one who'd told Inogashira to go slowly and calm down. She was also the same girl who'd helped out the elderly woman on the bus that morning.

"My name is Kushida Kikyou. None of my friends from junior high made it to this school, so I'm alone here. I'd like to get to know all of your names and faces right away and become friends as soon as possible!"

While most of the students had only said a few words of introduction, Kushida continued to talk.

"My first goal is to become friends with everyone. So, after we're finished with introductions, I'd love for you to share your contact information with me!"

She wasn't just saying that. I could tell right away that this girl was the type to open up her heart to anyone.

Her encouraging words to Inogashira hadn't been platitudes, but a genuine reflection of her feelings.

"She's probably the most open person in our year." Sato smiled at Kushida.

"You really helped bring the class together, Kushida-san" Yosuke complimented her, "Thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing! I really did just want to make friends!" Kushida giggled in her typically cute fashion.

I wondered if these videos would also expose her. It was likely considering she was involved with me quite often at the beginning of our first year.

"So, after school or during vacations, I want to make all sorts of memories with lots of people. Please feel free to invite me to lots and lots of events! Anyway, I've talked for a long time, so I'll end my introduction here."

She said it as though she knew I'd been critiquing everyone's introductions. I felt strangely uncomfortable, and I wasn't sure why.

"Yeah, actually, why were you critiquing everyone's introductions, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked curiously.

"It didn't have any meaning, I kinda just did it subconsciously, I guess."

"Hehe, that's weird, Kiyopon!" Haruka laughed.

Was it? I'm sure I wasn't the only one doing it at the time.

What should I say when my turn came? Should I make a joke? Should I go into it with really high energy in order to get some laughs? No, that wouldn't work. Going out of control would just ruin the atmosphere. Besides, that didn't really fit my personality anyway.

The introductions continued while I wrestled with my anxiety.

"Kuku, I'm interested in what high energy looks like where you are concerned, Ayanokoji," Ryuen looked at me, "Are you even capable of that?"

"Ryuen-kun, are you saying that he wasn't even putting in effort on the roof? Ishizaki looked astonished.

"HA, no of course he wasn't, you idiot." Ryuen shook his head.

Some people turned and looked confused at what they were talking about.

"Ryuen-kun, what are you talking about?" Hiyori was inquisitive.

"Nothing important, Hiyori." Ryuen dismissed her, "Well, I'm sure we'll be seeing it anyway, kuku."

Ryuen looked at me with a challenging stare, as if asking what I was going to do. I simply ignored him and looked back at the screen. There should be some more time before that comes up, I could afford to worry about that later.

"Well then, next up is..."

As Hirata looked encouragingly toward the next student, that student glared back. His hair was dyed a fiery red. He both looked and sounded like a delinquent.

"What, are we a bunch of little kids or something? I don't need to introduce myself. People who want to do that can go ahead. Just leave me out of it."

Sudo's face managed to turn the same colour as his hair as he looked down in shame. It looked like a few people were going to make comments but stopped short when they realised he had already recognised his mistakes.

The red-haired guy scowled at Hirata. He had quite a presence, his attitude intense and overpowering.

"I can't force you to introduce yourself, of course. However, I don't think that getting along with your classmates is a bad thing. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

When Hirata bowed his head, some of the girls glared at the guy with red hair.

"Isn't it fine to introduce yourself?" one of them snapped.

"Yeah, yeah!"

As I'd expected, the pretty-boy soccer star had captured most of the girls' hearts in the blink of an eye. However, half of the male students started to look angry, probably out of jealousy.

"And you weren't?" Akito, who was sitting a few seats down from me, whispered his question to me.

"Well, I guess a little."

Akito grinned at me and returned to watching.

"Shut it. I don't care. I didn't come here to make friends."

The guy with red hair got up from his seat. It seemed he had no intention of getting to know anyone. Several other students followed suit and left the classroom together. Horikita got up and briefly glanced my way. When she realized I wasn't moving, she started to walk out the door. Hirata looked a little lonely when he saw Horikita head out.

"They're not a bad bunch. It's my fault. I was being selfish and made people do this."

"No way. You didn't do anything wrong, Hirata-kun. Let's just leave those guys be, okay?"

Although some people had rebelled at the idea of introductions, the students who remained were happy to continue. In the end, things wrapped up in a rather ordinary fashion.

"It's true that you didn't do a thing wrong, Hirata-kun," Horikita assured him, "I apologise for my behaviour back then."

"It's fine, Horikita-san, everything worked out well in the end, didn't it?" Yosuke smiled.

Horikita nodded. Although I already knew she had grown in the past year, seeing the differences in this manner was incredible.

"I'm Ike Kanji. I love girls, and I hate pretty boys. I'm currently in the market for a new girlfriend. It's nice to meet you! All the better if you're a cutie or a beauty!"

It was difficult to tell if he was joking or not. At the very least, the girls looked at him with revulsion.

Kei sighed heavily, "Yeah, he was definitely not joking."

At this point, Ike was in despair, slumped in his chair.

"Wow. You are so cool, Ike-kun," one girl said, in a completely emotionless voice. Of course, her statement was 1000 per cent false.

"Seriously? Seriously? Oh, man. I mean, I thought that I wasn't bad or anything, but...heh heh."

Apparently, Ike thought that she was being serious. He blushed. Instantly, the girls started to laugh.

"Oh, wow. He's cute, huh, everyone? He's looking for a girlfriend!"

Dude, they're making fun of you . Ike continued to jovially go along with the teasing. He didn't seem like a bad guy, though.

Ike suddenly let out a noise that resembled something you'd hear from a dying animal

"Even Ayanokoji realised!" Ike cried.

"It was completely obvious we were joking!" Shinohara said exasperated

I'd have expected him to lash out at her but it seemed he wasn't in the right state of mind for that.

Next up was the combative boy from the bus, Kouenji. While inspecting his bangs in a hand mirror, he combed his hair.

"Excuse me, can you introduce yourself?" Hirata asked.

"Hmph. Fine."

He smirked like an aristocrat, displaying his impudent attitude. As he shifted in his seat, I thought he might leave, but Kouenji placed both of his legs on his desk and introduced himself.

"My name is Kouenji Rokusuke. As the sole male heir to the Kouenji conglomerate group, I will soon be tasked with carrying Japan into the future. I sincerely look forward to making your acquaintance, ladies."

He aimed his introduction solely at the opposite sex, rather than the entire class. After hearing that he was rich, some of the girls looked at him with sparkling eyes, while others regarded Kouenji as if he were nothing more than a weirdo. That was only natural.

"Ayanokoji-boy, I'd ask that you refrain from calling me such terms in the future, it does not fit my standing."

Koenji received looks from many students that said 'Nothing he thought about you was wrong'.

"Yeah sure," I responded.

"Starting today, I will mercilessly punish anyone who makes me uncomfortable. Please exercise proper precaution so that you may avoid that."

"Um, Kouenji-kun. What exactly do you mean when you say, 'anyone who makes me uncomfortable'?" asked Hirata, who looked uneasy at the word "punish."

"I meant exactly what I said. If asked to give an example, well... I would say I hate ugly things, for instance. So, if I saw something ugly, I would do just as I said."

Fwish! He flipped his long, flowing bangs.

"Ah, thank you. I will be careful then."

There was the guy with red hair, Horikita, Kouenji, Yamauchi, and Ike. Apparently, this class was full of people with bizarre idiosyncrasies.

"Fufu, you are quite correct there, Ayanokoji-kun." Sakayanagi had a slither of a smile on her lips.

"Eh-what does idio-idiosy..." Ike couldn't even pronounce the word.

"It means that he thought we were odd," Horikita admitted with a sigh.

"Hey, what the hell, Ayanokoji, it's not like you are any better!" Ike was annoyed by my observations.

"No, Kanji, he had a point," Sudo admitted, "I shouldn't have stormed out, it's not surprising he felt that way."

Ike didn't look convinced but soon realised he had no backup.

I, too, was especially peculiar, in that there was nothing peculiar about me. I had wanted to be free, free as a bird, but prior to this I'd languished in a cage. I had wanted to fly into the expansive open skies. If you looked out the window, you could watch birds gracefully soaring... Well, not right now, but in general. Anyway, that's the kind of guy I was.

It felt like every student in the gym was currently looking at me.

"Wh-what do you mean by a cage, Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi asked

"It's just a metaphor, I wasn't actually in a cage."

"So you felt trapped?" Ichinose followed up on Airi's question.

"I guess but it wasn't as bad as I'm making out here."

Although this wasn't a direct mention, it was the first nod I'd made to the existence of the White Room. If they knew what I really meant by trapped, I was sure their perception of me would change significantly.

"I think a lot of people can feel trapped, it's not like it's anything weird," Kei said, shrugging her shoulders. Reliable as always.

Her words probably made people think about their own lives before arriving at this school. Kei knew the feeling of being trapped in a cycle. A lot of students here would have similar experiences if not on the same scale as the girl sitting next to me.

"Well then, time for the next person. Can you please introduce yourself?"

"Huh?"

Oh, shoot. My turn had come while I'd been daydreaming. Students turned, waiting for my introduction. Hey, hey! Don't look at me with so much anticipation. Oh well, I might as well try my best.

Clack! The chair rattled as I stood.

"Um. Well, my name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. And, uh, I don't really have any special skills or anything. I'll do my best to get along with all of you. It's, uh, nice to meet you."

Well? Was that my introduction?

I'd failed!

Laughter rang out throughout the gymnasium.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad compared to some Ayanokoji-kun." Sato grinned.

Eventually, the laughter simmered down.

"Honestly though, that was all you needed to do, Ayanokoji-kun." Ichinose said.

"It's true, Kiyotaka, you don't need to have a flashy introduction, just make it simple and friendly, and you did that," Yosuke added.

Contradictory to the laughter, it seemed my introduction wasn't quite as bad as I'd thought.

"Thanks, guys." I nodded to them.

Well, that's enough of that, let's get onto something that some of you might find interesting!

(A/N - Well, this is over double the length of my previous chapters. Most said they would prefer longer chapters so I did just that. Is this a good length?

From now on, I'm going to focus on the 'big scenes' but I will also throw in some underrated scenes that interest me as we go. Lots of these scenes have already been done numerous times so I will try and make them worth reading again.

Although my progress through the LN's might be pretty slow, I'm not planning on discontinuing this fanfic. I've noticed a lot of reaction fics tend to stop around Y1 V7 or don't feature some scenes that I personally liked. So, even if it takes me a while, I will try my best to make it through all the novels.)

Chapter Three - Entrance Exam Scores

Especially those of you in Class D!

Curious faces showed up on most of the Class D students.

Would you like to know the truth of some matters concerning your class?

If there was even any hope left in me to begin with, these words shattered it entirely. Lots of students in Class D were obviously confused.

"What does that mean?" Sato asked.

"I don't like to guess, but it sounds like either some things happened without our knowledge or we weren't made aware of something important?" Yosuke suggested.

Even if he was just guessing, he had managed to hit the target directly. I looked over to Horikita. Her face showed no sign of anxiety or worry but in these circumstances, there was no doubt she was feeling a great deal of both.

"Sensei, do you know anything?" Mori asked.

Chabashira stayed silent and shook her head. Come to think of it, if these videos continued, I wouldn't be the only one inconvenienced.

"There is no point in guessing when we are going to see what it means in a few moments," Horikita quieted the class, "Just remember what I said about showing consideration."

Class D accepted her wishes and waited to be shown the truth.

"Fufu, that makes it sound like you have an idea what's coming, Horikita-san." Sakayanagi jumped at the chance to cause an incident.

"I have no idea what will be shown, Sakayanagi-san," Horikita held her line, "I simply wish for my class to stay united, I'm sure you understand that."

"Of course, of course," Sakayanagi smiled, "But I can't imagine not knowing what's going on in my own class, can you?"

Horikita had basically been backed into a corner. If she admitted she knew of my actions, then when they were shown, there was a chance the class would hold her just as accountable. However, by feigning ignorance, she was coming off as a leader without control. I subtly nudged Kei.

Understanding my wishes, she called out to Sakayangi, "Hey, it has nothing to do with you, why would Horikita-san discuss Class D's personal business with you?"

"How true, Karuizawa-san!" Sakayanagi accepted her challenge, "But shouldn't your class leader be the one fending me off?"

"Ha, then we'd be just like your class, wouldn't we," Kei huffed, "Why doesn't anyone else from your class speak up or are they too wimpy!"

Sakayanagi appeared amused by her argument. It looked like Hashimoto and some other members of Class A wanted to fight Kei's accusation but Sakayanagi waved a hand to stop them.

Kei let a smile form on her face as she watched the students of Class A abide by their leader's wishes. Horikita may hold the edge in academics and logic but she couldn't hope to match Kei's quick thinking and remarkable social power. Even Sakayanagi, who loved to apply pressure using only her words, knew that Kei could at least hold her own against her.

Not at all seeming displeased, Sakayanagi withdrew. At that sight, Kei received many looks of pride from our classmates and astonishment from other students.

The video is taken from just after you all learned about the S-System and its basic function.

Numerous groans emanated from Class D: a sound that the other classes found quite humorous.

"Hey, Kushida-san, do you have a minute?" Karuizawa asked.

"What's up, Karuizawa-san?"

"Honestly, I've spent way too many points, and I'm seriously running low. Some of the other girls in class have lent me a few points, but I was wondering if you could help me out, too. We're friends, right? I only need, like, 2,000 points from you."

Karuizawa didn't seem all that earnest, laughing breezily while she hit up Kushida. In such a case, rejection should be the knee-jerk reaction.

"How the fuck did you all manage to spend so much in a month?" Ryuen asked, seeming genuinely confused.

In response to a rare serious question from Ryuen, nobody in Class D could come up with a satisfactory answer.

"Okay, sure."

Sure?! I repeated silently, but it wasn't my business. This was a problem for the friends in question. Kushida had decided to help Karuizawa without even a hint of reluctance.

I heard a couple of people giggle at my surprise. Now I realised that there were benefits to both Kushida and Kei's actions but, at the time, the entire situation seemed completely illogical.

"I couldn't just leave a friend in need, Ayanokoji-kun!" Kushida explained.

"Thank you for that Kushida-san." Kei bowed her head.

"Thank you! This is really what friends are for, huh? By the way, here's my number. Okay, see you later. Ah, Inogashira-san! Hey, to tell you the truth, I used up too many of my points..."

Karuizawa turned away just like that and went in pursuit of her next target.

I could sense increasing discomfort from Kei as she re-lived her past antics. It was all a way to build up her social standing but due to her true feelings, she likely hated the way she had to create a facade to do it.

"Did you really see it like that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Kushida asked me, her head leaned sideways in curiosity and she had a slight pout on her lips.

"Well, it wasn't any of my business but that's just what I thought at the time."

"Karuizawa-san was right, that's just what friends are for!" Kushida informed me.

"I see."

"Are you sure? You know you probably won't get those points back, right?" I asked.

"I can't just ignore a friend in need. Karuizawa-san has a lot of friends, too, so I think it's probably hard for her not to have any points."

"I think using up 100,000 points is kind of her own fault, though."

"Damn right." Ryuen commented.

"Ayanokoji-kun kind of has a point," Kei admitted, "I'm sorry to everyone I asked for points."

"It's fine, Karuizawa-san, we all used too many points in our first month," Yosuke reassured her.

Class D gave nods of shamed agreement in response to his statement.

"Wait, how do you transfer points?" Kushida asked.

"Karuizawa gave you her phone number, didn't she? You should be able to do it with your cell phone."

"This school really does take great care of its students. It even has a way to help students like Karuizawa-san."

True, transferring points was a lifesaver for Karuizawa, but was it really necessary to give her the money? If anything, it seemed like a recipe for disaster.

I saw Kei throw me an offended look in my peripheral vision.

"How many points did you have left, Ayanokoji-kun?" Matsushita asked.

I doubt she was asking to defend her friend's honour.

"Enough to get by," I answered.

Matsushita seemed aggravated by my answer. But really, she would have to try harder to get anything out of me.

The loudspeaker came alive with a soothing sound effect, and a robotic voice issued an announcement.

"Ayanokouji-kun, from first-year Class D. Please come see Chabashira-sensei in the faculty office."

"Looks like the teacher wants to see you."

"Yeah... Sorry, Kushida. Gotta go."

"I don't remember you getting called out, Kiyopon," Haruka said, "It wasn't anything serious, right?"

"No, nothing like that," I responded.

"Please refrain from asking questions that are going to be answered anyway." Horikita requested.

"Ah-sorry Horikita-san." Haruka looked a little embarrassed.

I was sure I hadn't done anything to get me called to the office. Exiting the classroom, I could feel my classmates' stares drilling a hole into the back of my head. Timid as a rabbit, I found the faculty office and entered. I looked all around, but I didn't find Chabashira-sensei anywhere. Baffled, I called out to a teacher inspecting her appearance in a mirror.

"Hey, it's me!" Hoshinomiya seemed a little overexcited.

"Excuse me, is Chabashira-sensei here?"

"Hmm? Sae-chan? Oh, she was just here a moment ago."

The teacher had wavy, shoulder-length hair, which made her look mature. The way she said Chabashira-sensei's name made them sound close. They were near in age and probably friends.

"She must have stepped away for a minute. Do you want to wait here?"

"No, thank you. I'll wait in the hall."

I didn't like being in the faculty office. I hated attention, so the hall would do just as well. However, the young teacher unexpectedly followed me.

"I don't think anyone is a fan of visiting the faculty office," Sato observed, "But you hate attention, Ayanokoji-kun?"

I would have thought that it wouldn't be that surprising considering the fact I spent most of my time alone. But Sato already knew that I wasn't as socially awkward as I let on so perhaps that's what fueled her question.

"I do prefer to keep to myself," I told her.

A conflicted look appeared on her face. She seemed to be considering something.

"I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, in charge of Class B. Sae and I have been best friends since high school. That's why we call each other Sae-chan and Chie-chan."

That information seemed kind of superfluous.

Hoshinomiya sported an overly-exaggerated offended look, "I can't believe you'd refer to our friendship as superfluous, Ayanokoji-kun!"

"I apologise, I just didn't know you at the time, Sensei, so it seemed like random information."

She pouted and turned her head away from me in apparent disgust. Why did she have to be such a troublesome presence?

"Hey, why did Sae-chan call you? Huh? Huh? Why?" she asked.

"No idea."

"I don't understand. You were called to the office without a reason? Hmm? What's your name?"

An onslaught of questions. She scanned me from top to bottom, as if sizing me up.

"My name's Ayanokouji," I said.

"Ayanokouji-kun, huh? Oh, wow, that's a cool name. You're pretty popular, aren't you?"

Not for the first time, I heard giggles throughout the hall. There weren't as many this time as most people probably wanted to avoid offending me.

"He doesn't really have the presence to be popular,"

"I wonder why she thought that...he's pretty good-looking, I guess."

"I didn't even know who he was before this so he can't be that popular."

I couldn't discern who was speaking but I heard many students comment on my supposed popularity. Although I didn't care for superficial popularity, it still stung to hear my existence spoken about like this.

"Sensei, I have a question."

Kanzaki addressed Hoshinomiya directly.

"What gave you the impression that Ayanokoji was popular?"

That was a good question that even I didn't know the answer to. Hoshinomiya held her chin in her hands and appeared to be deep in thought.

"Well, if I had to saaay..." she started, "Probably his looks. I mean, I'm not immune to them."

I wondered if Hoshinomiya had lost her mind. For a teacher to openly admit to finding a student attractive wasn't exactly socially acceptable. Personally, I believed all of her antics to be a way of gathering information. She made her 'target' uncomfortable or nervous, decreasing their ability to think rationally. If she had made these attempts against a normal student, I didn't doubt that most would succumb instantly.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, please stop making inappropriate comments. It's not becoming of a teacher to say such things about a pupil of this school." Mashima lectured her.

She made herself look downcast and simply nodded at Mashima.

What was with this overly friendly teacher? She acted more like a student. If this were an all-boy school, she would have immediately captured every student's heart.

"I'm still young at heart, Ayanokoji-kun!" Hoshinomiya had miraculously recovered from her depressed state. Did she have short-term memory loss or had she chosen to ignore the warning from Mashima?

"Hey, do you already have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"No... I'm, uh, not especially popular."

I tried to seem reluctant, but Hoshinomiya-sensei kept pushing herself onto me. She grabbed my arms with slender, delicate hands.

"Hmm? How unexpected. If we were in the same class, I'd never leave you alone. Perhaps because you're so innocent? Or do you like playing hard to get?"

The entire year looked on in shock at this teacher's stunts. Well, except Class C, who looked embarrassed at their tutor's conduct.

Mashima sighed. I'd have expected him to scold her again but it seems he's realised that his words were useless.

She caressed my cheeks. I had no idea what to do. She'd probably stop if I licked her fingers, but I had a feeling that'd get me expelled.

It really was bothersome to have my thoughts heard like this. Although it looked like many wanted to speak, Ryuen was the one who got their first.

"The fuck is wrong with you, monster?"

He had a slither of a smile as he asked this. Normally, he would be at least a little discrete in his interaction with me but it seems he knew as well as me that it wasn't necessary now.

"Monster?" Ichinose echoed, "I agree that what Ayanokoji-kun thought wasn't acceptable but I don't think he deserves to be called that."

"Whatever Ichinose," Ryuen shrugged, "I apologise, wholeheartedly, Ayanokoji."

The smile he wore never left his lips. It was like he was enjoying every moment.

Luckily, Ryuen and Ichinose's disagreement seemed to have distracted most people from my odd comment.

"What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?"

Chabashira-sensei appeared out of nowhere. With a loud thud, she smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the head with her clipboard. Hoshinomiya-sensei crouched and gripped her skull in apparent pain.

"Ouch! What was that for?" she cried.

"For getting involved with one of my students."

"I was only keeping him company while he waited for you, Sae-chan."

"It would have been better if you just left him alone. Thanks for waiting, Ayanokouji. Let's go into the office."

"The guidance office?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong? I've been trying to keep a low profile here."

"A good answer. Come."

While I wondered what this was all about, I followed Chabashira-sensei. Hoshinomiya-sensei remained by my side, smiling widely. Chabashira-sensei noticed and turned her face much like a demon's.

Several students laughed at my comparison.

"I agree though, Sensei can be pretty scary," Ike said quietly.

"You stay," she ordered.

"Come on, don't be so cold! It won't be the end of the world if I listen, right? Besides Sae-chan, you're definitely not the type to give one-on-one guidance. Pulling a new student like Ayanokouji-kun into the guidance room out of nowhere... Are you after something, I wonder?"

Grinning, Hoshinomiya-sensei scooted behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. I sensed a storm brewing.

"So, Sae-chan, are you looking to be dominated by a younger man?"

"Hoshinomoiya-sensei!" Ichinose yelled in shock.

"That's not appropriate and you should know that Sensei," Kanzaki joined Ichinose

"I agree, I can't believe you said that, Sensei!" Amikura added.

Voices of agreement surfaced from Class C and some students from other classes. Hoshinomiya was hiding her face like a child being reprimanded.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just like to tease Sae-chan, is that so bad?"

"You should be able to tell when to make jokes like that and when not to, Hoshinomiya-sensei," Horikita said.

"Fine, fine! I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Ayanokoji-kun!" Hoshinomiya apologised to me.

"It's fine," I replied.

As everyone was about to find out, I was clueless at the time anyway.

Dominated by a younger man? What did that mean?

"Eh?"

I suddenly felt the pressure of several eyes all looking at me at once.

"Did you- did you really not know what she meant, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked, bewildered.

"No, not at the time,"

"But, you know now right?"

"Yes, I do."

She sighed as if she was relieved about something. Had she been planning on explaining it to me if I'd said no?

Some people were still looking at me but most were disinterested after my talk with Haruka. I noticed that Airi's face had become quite red, Horikita, although she seemed interested at first, had turned back to the front and Kei's expression hadn't changed throughout. I guess that my 'innocence' hadn't come as a shock to the girl that knew me best.

"Don't say such stupid things. That wouldn't be possible."

"Hee, you're certainly right. It wouldn't be possible for you, Sae-chan," Hoshinomiya-sensei muttered, her words laced with a double meaning.

"Why are you following us? This is a Class D matter."

"Huh? I can't go to the guidance room? That's not okay? Come on, I can give advice, too."

As Hoshinomiya-sensei continued to follow, a female student came up to us, a beautiful girl with light-pink hair. I'd never seen her before.

When she realised who I was referring to, Ichinose became noticeably fidgety. I saw some of her classmates lean in close to her, then a few seconds later she gave a playful slap to each of them.

"Hey, Honami-chan says thanks for the compliment, Ayanokoji-kun!" Amikura shouted across to me.

Then why couldn't she say that for herself?

"I was merely thinking about what I saw"

"Hehe, did you hear that Honami?"

They turned back to Ichinose and continued with their teasing. Kei leaned in slightly to whisper to me.

"You do know what they are doing, right?" she asked.

Although I could feign ignorance, there was really no reason to, so I responded with a nod.

"Then don't get any funny ideas." she managed to whisper in a surprising stern voice

"Never,"

Seemingly satisfied, Kei returned to her normal sitting position.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? The student council wishes to discuss something with you."

She glanced at me, but quickly returned her attention to Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"All right, you have someone who needs you. Get to it." Slap! Chabashira-sensei smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the butt with her clipboard.

"Aw! She'll get mad at me if I hang around any longer. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun! All right, Ichinose-san. Let's go to the faculty office."

With that, she turned on her heel and left with the beautiful Ichinose.

Chabashira-sensei lightly scratched her head while she watched Hoshinomiya-sensei leave. Soon after, we entered the guidance room, which stood beside the faculty office.

"So. Why did you call me here?" I asked.

"Well, about that... Before we begin, please come here."

She briefly glanced at a clock hanging on the wall, which gave the time as nine o'clock, and opened the door. Inside was a small office kitchenette. She placed a kettle on top of a stove.

"I'm going to make tea. Is roasted green okay?" she asked.

I picked up the container with the tea powder.

"Don't make any unnecessary moves. Shut up and get in here. Understand? Don't make a sound and stay until I tell you it's okay to come out. If you don't do as I say, you'll be expelled," she said.

Everybody looked astounded at her sudden commands and threat. Rewatching it, I thought it looked a lot like I was being taken hostage. Chabashira now had the delight of feeling eyes on her, which she was taking very well.

"Is it really okay to use expulsion as a threat, Chabashira-sensei?" Mori asked.

When Chabashira didn't respond, a somewhat unexpected voice chose to answer.

"My, my, I'm a little surprised at your boldness, teacher," Koenji said, "To answer your question, girl, the school wouldn't encourage its staff to act in such a way but there's nothing to say it's against the rules."

"Still, I don't think that using expulsion as a threat is good, Sensei," Yosuke told her, "You are a teacher, anyway, Kiyotaka wouldn't have gone against your word, regardless."

Chabashira still didn't say a word. Although such threats weren't against the official rules, there would inevitably be checks into her conduct and decisions made on whether that conduct was beneficial to her students. She had made that threat and the ones that came after this as a way to further her personal goals and that wouldn't go overlooked by the school.

"Sensei wasn't being serious when she said that," I said.

"What do you mean, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked.

"She was doing it for a reason," I responded, "You should see it in the video,"

My words seemed to have calmed the horde and Chabashira shot me a look. She knew I was doing this for my own sake so she didn't bother thanking me.

"Huh? What do you mean by—"

She closed the door to the kitchenette without explanation, leaving me in there. What in the world was she scheming? I did as I was told and waited. Soon after, I heard the outer door to the guidance room open.

"Ah, come in. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Horikita?" I heard Chabashira-sensei say.

Apparently, Horikita was in need of guidance.

"Isn't this a breach of privacy, Chabashira-sensei?" Katsuragi asked.

This time Chabashira opted to answer.

"I already had an idea what Horikita wanted so I knew there was nothing sensitive that Ayanokoji shouldn't overhear."

"Shouldn't that decision be made by Horikita-san?" Katsuragi continued his interrogation

"Maybe so," Chabashira admitted, "But in any case, a meeting in the guidance office doesn't always call for confidentiality. If Horikita had requested those conditions then I wouldn't have let Ayanokoji overhear."

Katsuragi appeared to see her point and backed down. Horikita hadn't engaged in the conversation - she was probably thinking about what she should say about the upcoming revelation.

"I will be frank. Why was I sorted into Class D?"

"That's quite frank."

"Today, you told us that the school sorted superior students into Class A. You said that Class D was filled with the leftovers, the last bastion of delinquents."

"That's true. You must consider yourself to be a superior person."

I wondered how Horikita would respond. I'd bet she'd confidently object.

"I solved nearly every problem on the entrance examination. I made no substantial mistakes in the interview, either. At the very least, I shouldn't have been sorted into Class D."

Looks like I would have won that bet. Horikita was definitely the type to think herself superior. She wasn't excessively self-conscious, either. She'd tied for first place on the test, as shown in the morning's results.

"That's a bit of a condescending description, Ayanokoji-kun." Sakayanagi went on the offensive again.

"That's just how I saw her at the time. We didn't get along too well."

"Such a shame. Do all of your class see her the same way?"

Her words did wonders to rile up Class D. However, they didn't defend themselves with insults as they would have a year ago, rather they defended their leader with reassurance.

"Horikita-san is a good leader. She may have been distant at the beginning but that doesn't matter now." Sato said.

"She's right, Horikita-san does a wonderful job in leading our class," Keisei spoke up, "I'm sure that Kiyotaka has changed his view of her as well,"

He looked over to me, expecting back up.

"Yes, I believe that Horikita does a good job," I said.

Horikita shot me a glance that said, "I know you're lying,"

Although it was true that Horikita wasn't yet at her best, it wouldn't be right to say that I was outright lying. Though she wouldn't stand a chance if I was to leave her to Sakayanagi or Ryuen, she had the ability and drive to lead Class D to a decent level and that level would only improve if her growth was nurtured correctly.

"See, your provocations are pointless Sakayanagi-san," Kesei retorted

"That seems to be the case," she said with her typical smile.

Sakayanagi's intention wasn't to disrupt Class D's unity or cause problems. She was throwing these provocations to amuse herself, like how a child would throw stones in the sea to watch the ripples.

"You solved nearly all of the problems on the entrance examination, hmm? Normally I couldn't show the examination results to individual students, but I'll make an exception in this case. I just so happen to have your answer sheet here."

"You're incredibly prepared. It's...almost as if you knew I'd come here to protest."

"I'm an instructor. I understand the mind of a student, at least to some degree, Horikita Suzune. Just as you said, you did well on the entrance examination. You had the third-highest test score among the first-year students and were close to the highest- and second-highest-scoring students. You did exceedingly well. And you're right: We found no particular problems in your interview. On the contrary, we evaluated you quite highly."

Although they didn't understand the system completely, every student in the second year knew that the rankings were based on more than just academic or physical ability. If there were any doubts about that then the OAA scores implemented at the start of the year should have dispelled them.

"I think that your scores have always been very commendable, Horikita-san," Yosuke gave her a compliment, perhaps trying to lift her dwindling spirits as she watched her old personality.

"Thank you, Hirata-kun," Horikita responded simply.

"If there weren't other factors, you'd have been in Class A, easily!" Sudo announced.

"That does seem likely," Horikita admitted, "But there is more to being a good student than academic success...I know that now."

"Thank you very much. So then...why?"

"Before I answer, why are you dissatisfied with Class D?"

"Who could be happy with an incorrect evaluation? Furthermore, the class rankings greatly impact our future prospects. Of course, I'm dissatisfied."

"Incorrect evaluation? Perhaps your self-evaluation is far too high." Chabashira-sensei snickered, or rather, laughed outright. "I acknowledge that your academic ability is excellent. You're certainly very smart. However, who decided that smart people are categorically superior? We never said that."

"But...that's just common sense."

"Common sense? Didn't common sense create our current, flawed society? Before, Japan relied solely on test scores to separate the superior and inferior. As a result, the incompetents at the top tried desperately to kick down the truly superior students. In the end, we settled on a system of hereditary succession."

A system of hereditary succession meant that things like social standing, prestige, and employment were passed down to future generations. At those words, I groaned unintentionally. My chest hurt.

"Do you not agree with that system, Ayanokoji?" Katsuragi asked

"Not particularly, I guess,"

"I agree, I think that it stops talented or hard-working young people from achieving what they want to," Ichinose joined in.

"Fufu, if they were really talented to begin with, they would have no problem adapting to the system," Sakayanagi disagreed, "Or breaking it if need be,"

"Although some may be able to do that, Sakayanagi-san, do you not think that society is losing out on capable workers because of the current norms?" Ichinose asked

"Most jobs don't require an individual to have a high level of aptitude," Sakayanagi explained, "As long as you have adequate leadership then a venture can succeed."

Ichinose was about to retort when Horikita sighed,

"Is now really a good time for this conversation? I'd prefer to get this over with."

Horikita's question made Ichinose stop her passionate pursuit for fairness.

"You are right, Horikita-san, I'm sorry!"

"You're a capable student. I don't deny that. However, this school's goal is to produce superior people. If you believe academics alone place you into a higher class, you are mistaken. That was the very first thing we explained to you. Besides, think rationally. Would we have admitted someone like Sudou if we decided superiority based solely on academic merit?"

"Tch..."

Despite the fact that this was one of the country's leading preparatory schools, this place allowed students to enroll for purposes other than academics.

"Furthermore, you may be too hasty in proclaiming that no one would be happy to be incorrectly evaluated. Take Class A, for instance. They are under incredible pressure from the school, and also the target of extreme envy from the lower classes. Competing every day with that kind of pressure bearing down upon you is far more difficult than you might imagine. There are some students who are happy to be incorrectly evaluated at a lower level."

"You're joking, right? I can't understand such a person."

"Is that so? I think that Class D boasts some of those people. Strange students who would happily be set at a low level."

"Really, Sensei? Who?" asked Ike

It was almost as if she were talking to me.

"Oh right...wait what?" Ike took a second to realise what I had just said.

Class D all looked at me with eyes that seemed like they were trying to pierce my soul. They didn't look angry but they were interested in why I thought in such a way.

"Why would you want to be in a lower class?" Mori asked,

"Yeah, I don't see a reason for it either," Inogashira added.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Yosuke interrupted, "Would you like to explain, Kiyotaka?"

What I wanted to say was 'Not really' but that would just cause the confusion to simmer and it may influence their thoughts on future videos. If I give them a good enough reason now then hopefully they won't keep this in mind for too long.

"I guess. Class A has a bullseye on them and I just don't think I could handle being the target of so many people."

A lot of Class D would actually empathise with that even if they wouldn't say it aloud.

"But does that mean you don't want our class to advance?" Matsushita said with an accusatory stare,

"Remember that this was at the start of our first year. Now that we have Horikita leading the way, I feel a lot better about getting to the higher classes."

I felt Horikita's glare burning into my forehead. In the corner of my eye I could see both Ryuen and Sakayanagi struggling to contain their laughter.

"That's true, Horikita-san is a reliable leader," Matsushita admitted but I couldn't help but notice a sense of doubt in her.

"You still haven't given me an explanation. Was I honestly sorted into Class D? Did anything go wrong with the grading? Please double-check," Horikita said.

"I'm sorry, but you weren't sorted by mistake. You are definitely in Class D. You are at that level."

"Is that so? Then I will ask the school again, at another time."

Apparently, she wasn't going to give up. Horikita had merely determined that her homeroom teacher was the wrong person to ask.

"You'll get the same answer from anyone in a higher position. Besides, there's no need to be disappointed. As I told you this morning, it's possible for one class to overtake another. You could conceivably reach Class A before you graduate."

"I can't imagine it will be easy, though. Forget overtaking Class A; how in the world could those immature Class D misfits gain more points? I can't see how it's possible." Horikita spoke the truth. The difference in points was overwhelming.

Some of Class D recoiled at her harsh words and they were reminded of the significant difference between the Horikita then and the Horikita now.

"I apologise for my harsh views back then," Horikita addressed the class, "I don't think that way anymore and I believe you will see proof of that in future videos,"

"It's fine Horikita-san," Yosuke assured her, "I think everyone in Class D knows that we have improved a lot and that your words back then weren't unwarranted."

The rest of Class D showed they agreed and Horikita nodded in acknowledgement.

"I don't know. You alone get to decide how you head down that path. At any rate, Horikita, do you need to be in Class A for any special reason?"

"Well...I suppose that's enough for now. Excuse me. But know that I'm not yet convinced I was sorted correctly."

"Understood. I will keep that in mind."

A chair squeaked against the floor, signaling that the discussion was over.

"Oh, that reminds me. I've summoned another person to the guidance room. It's someone relevant to you."

"Relevant to me? No, you can't mean... bro—"

"Come on out, Ayanokouji," the teacher said.

This was a bad time to reveal myself. Maybe I just wouldn't go.

"If you don't come out, I'll have you expelled."

Jeez. A teacher shouldn't casually wield expulsion like a weapon.

Various voices called out to agree with me.

"How long do you intend to keep me waiting?"

With a sigh, I entered the room. Naturally, Horikita appeared surprised and perplexed.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" she asked me.

"Listening? I know you guys were talking, but I didn't really hear anything. The walls are surprisingly thick."

"Kuku, sometimes I wonder how you managed to stay in the background for so long, Ayanokoji," Ryuen snickered,

"What do you mean 'in the background' Ryuen-kun?" Ichinose asked.

"What do you think?" Ryuen responded dismissively.

"Well-"

"I don't think I understand either Ryuen-kun," Sakayanagi interrupted Ichinose before she could answer, "Are you perhaps saying that Ayanokoji-kun is more than just an average student?"

"Oh no not at all, Sakayanagi!" Ryuen held up his hands, "I'm sure we are both aware of how inconsequential that guy is."

"Hey, who the fuck are you calling inconsequential!" Sudo, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, shouted out in defence of me.

"Shut up, you ape!" Ryuen fought back, "Why do you care what I say about one of your useless classmates?"

"Ayanokoji isn't-"

This time it was Sudo getting cut off by Horikita.

"That's enough Sudo. He's trying to provoke you, don't let it work."

Sudo looked hesitant but he stopped answering back.

"Hey, Sudo, when's your birthday? I'll buy you a fancy new leash." Ryuen kept up his antagonizing.

Sudo's face burned up with anger and it looked like he was using every bit of his self-control not to charge straight at Ryuen.

"Kuku, impressive Suzune. It looks like there's more than one person in Class D able to keep their puppets on strings."

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Ryuen," Horikita commanded.

Luckily, it seemed nobody caught onto Ryuen's last comment. If I had to guess, I would say Ryuen is enjoying seeing me in a dangerous situation and being one of only a few to actually know it. I foresaw these cheap provocations continuing for a while.

"That's not true. Voices carry pretty well into the kitchen." Apparently, Chabashira-sensei wanted to drag me into the action.

"Sensei, why would you do this?" Horikita noticed that this had all been planned and was clearly angry.

"Because I deemed it necessary. Now then, Ayanokouji, I'll explain why I called you here." Chabashira-sensei dismissed Horikita's concerns and shifted her attention to me.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me..." Horikita muttered.

"Wait, Horikita. It would be in your best interest to stay and listen. It may provide you with a hint on how to reach Class A."

Horikita stopped dead in her tracks and sat back down.

"Please keep it brief," she said.

"Ha, that changed her mind pretty quickly!"

A few students chuckled at her instant u-turn.

Chabashira-sensei chuckled as she glanced over her clipboard. "You're an interesting student, Ayanokouji."

"Not at all. I'm certainly not as interesting as a teacher with a strange surname like Chabashira."

My joke got more people laughing and some donning surprised faces at how I could say that to a teacher. Some students, like Kanzaki and Keisei, weren't paying attention to the joke and more on what Chabashira had said before.

"Would you speak like that to every Chabashira in the nation? Hmm?"

If you looked all over the country for another person with the surname of Chabashira, you probably wouldn't find one.

And the laughter was amplified. I looked over to Chabashira to see she had an exasperated expression.

"That's a little rude, Kiyotaka-kun," Airi said with a smile that completely contradicted her words.

"Kiyopon, do you make fun of all of us in that head of yours?" Haruka asked, an investigative squint in her eye.

"Not normally," I responded vaguely,

"Normally huh!" Haruka opened her mouth to fake a shocked reaction.

"Well, when I read over the entrance exam's results, your scores piqued my interest. I was shocked."

On her clipboard, I saw a rather familiar answer sheet.

"Fifty points in Japanese. Fifty points in mathematics. Fifty points in English. Fifty points in social studies. Fifty points in science. You even scored Fifty points on the recent short test. Do you know what this means?"

The laughter that had been so raucous just a moment before had been completely taken over by silence. Everyone was probably trying to figure out what that meant and those that had were too surprised to say anything.

"Eh? I'm confused, what are the chances of that happening?" Shinohara asked.

"Ridiculously low," Keisei answered, "Near impossible without any sort of manipulation,"

"So- he tried to get low scores?" Inogashira was beyond confused.

"Why would you do that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked

"Wait, you got a perfect score in maths in the last test," Maezono remembered, "Does-does that mean you can get 100's in all of them?"

I was assaulted by a barrage of bothersome questions. Almost every student, my classmates at the forefront, wanted to know what my capabilities truly were. Other classes would become wary of me while my own class would doubt that I was contributing my all. Ryuen was struggling to hold back his laughter, probably wondering how I could have been so stupid as to blatantly reveal my academic abilities. Sakayanagi sported a grin but looked more composed overall.

"Everyone calm down, there's no point in asking so many questions at once," Yosuke tried to fend off the assault.

I wondered how I should approach this. If I confirmed that I could achieve perfect scores in all subjects then I'd become an obvious target. However, denying it and trying to find a suitable excuse wouldn't completely mitigate the problem - there would always be that doubt: What is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka capable of?

"Why are you so quiet, Ayanokoji?" Kanzaki asked, "Are you not going to explain?"

"I'd also like to know, Kiyopon," Haruka said, "Are you actually really smart?"

"I-"

I tried to speak but got instantly interrupted.

"I'd like everybody to calm down," Mashima addressed the entire year, "If Ayanokoji-kun wants to explain himself then that is his own decision. But he can hardly make up his mind when you are all creating so much noise."

Responding to Mashima's words, the noise level decreased substantially and I was free to make my move. I didn't want the issue of a bullseye appearing on my head but I couldn't deny my scores. I'd been planning to slowly reveal my capabilities this year anyway but this wasn't the way I had been expecting it to happen.

"I'll try to explain a bit but I can't go into detail for obvious reasons."

"What? Why can't you go into detail?" Ike asked.

"Because this could affect the class battles, obviously," Keisei sighed.

"Oh right, yeah..." Ike understood and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I can't deny the fact that my scores indicate that I can achieve high marks but that isn't entirely true"

I tried to sound reluctant as if revealing something sensitive to me.

"If you remember back to the entrance exams, the questions we were given varied in difficulty, just like the ones we normally have in class,"

Although I couldn't fully deny my academic prowess, I could twist the focus to distract from the obvious.

"I managed to realise this and decided to intentionally score lower than I was capable of."

"But why?" Matsushita asked.

"Well-"

I acted apprehensive by slowing my speech and hesitating. If my plan was to work, I'd have to create the right atmosphere.

"Anywhere you go, if you are good at something then that something practically creates the image that people have of you. My being good at academics in a school so well-renowned in Japan would have made me stand out and put a lot of pressure on me. That was my thought process anyway."

I felt like a lot of people would understand this. Although humans like to stand out and be recognised as talented, that talent can come with many problems for the individual that those around them fail to see.

"This was before I knew how this school worked, obviously. It's not like I was trying to be placed in Class D."

I sighed heavily before continuing.

"I just thought that if I wasn't seen as one of the academically gifted then I wouldn't have as much attention on me and I could finally live a peaceful life."

By saying this I had diverted the students' attention from one truth to another. The truth was that I didn't want attention and I wanted the peace to explore ordinary life. Also, by adding the word 'finally' to my explanation, people would surmise that my life before coming to this school had not been peaceful at all. Sensitive topics created a magnet type effect. If you are close to someone they will want to know more so they can help you: then you can come together like the opposite poles on a magnet. However, those that barely know you will act the opposite. They won't care enough to find out more, but they will be more careful with their words when speaking to you, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere. This means they will try to avoid you, resembling matching poles on a magnet. Now I just needed some help to finish this off.

"So you did it to keep attention off of yourself?" Maezono asked.

"But we could have had better scores as a class if you had tried," Mori complained.

The original shock had subsided after my explanation but some were still trying to get their heads around it all.

"Okay everyone, listen," Horikita finally spoke, "It seems like Ayanokoji-kun has said as much as he feels comfortable sharing. Let's leave it there for now."

And there was the final piece of the puzzle. Most students decided to drop their inquiries, hopefully, convinced by my performance.

With that, I had momentarily repelled the danger. If I was to keep this up, I'd have to use every method at my disposal.

A stunned Horikita looked over my test paper and then shifted her focus to me. "This is a rather frightening coincidence," she said.

"Oh? You believe that getting 50s all across the board was a coincidence? He did it intentionally."

"It's a coincidence. There's no evidence that it's not. Besides, what would I gain by manipulating my scores in the first place? If I were intelligent enough to achieve high marks, I would've tried to get perfect scores."

As I feigned innocence, Chabashira-sensei sighed in exasperation.

"You really do seem like an odious student. Listen. Only 3 percent of students solved the fifth math problem successfully. However, you solved it perfectly, and used a complex formula to do so. However, the tenth problem on the test had a completion rate of 76 percent. Did you make a mistake on it? Is that normal?"

After seeing my maths score in the recent exam, nobody was surprised at this.

"I don't know what normal is. It was a coincidence, I tell you. A coincidence."

"For crying out loud! I respect your frank attitude, but it'll cause problems for you in the future," the teacher said.

"I'll think about that when the time comes."

Chabashira-sensei shot Horikita a glance that seemed to say, What do you think?

"Why do you pretend not to know?" she asked.

"Like I said, it was a coincidence. It's not like I'm hiding that I'm a genius or anything."

"I wonder. He may be even more intelligent than you, Horikita."

This did cause some heads to turn toward me. Some people probably didn't believe it but nobody said anything. The atmosphere I had created was too dense for anyone to be the first to question me.

With that final line, the video faded to black. I was confused. I knew that there was more to that meeting than just that. Had they ended it early because they had shown what they wanted to be shown or for another reason? I decided that it didn't mean much right now but it was something to remember.

So did that raise any questions?

Perhaps you are now questioning what you know about your classmates?

Anyway, I think this is a good time for a break.

I was tempted to put some more videos in this time slot but restrictions are restrictions...

I'll see you all tomorrow!

Oh, there will also be a small surprise meeting you as well!

(A/N - As you can see, I'm not dead! But I've spent the past two weeks wishing I was. The temperature where I live got very hot recently. I don't know if anyone else experiences anything similar to this but my body nor my brain can function during hot weather. Whether it be mental or physical, I just can't seem to perform the same as I usually do. Taking writing as an example, my ability goes from pretty average to 'Hey, what's an adjective again?'. So if this chapter is not as good as usual, know that I'm blaming it on the heat.

Apparently, this weather is supposed to keep up for a while so I'm going to be slow on the updates so I hope you'll bear with me. I'll keep them coming as quickly as I'm able. Thanks for reading!)

Interlude 2 - End of Day One

Ayanokoji

It had been around an hour since all the students of the second year had left the gymnasium. I had managed to slip away while the crowd made their way out and was now on my way back to the dorms. As the timetable suggested, there were no lessons in the afternoon today and we were free to do whatever we wished. On the way back, my mind was drifting between various questions I had. Who was behind the videos and how they managed to read and relay my thoughts weren't of any importance right now. One way or another I had a feeling I'd be finding out sooner or later anyway.

What I was focused on was how to handle this problem. In all likelihood, every one of my actions would be shown to the students and my life would definitely not be the same. Had a peaceful life ever been on the cards for me to begin with? Starting from the second year, I had been gradually accepting the parting gift given to me by Horikita Manabu. Let the student known as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka be carved into the minds of the students and they will not forget your existence. I had initially been planning on doing this by leaving an imprint on a certain few, identifying the capable and letting them know their weaknesses. Eventually, they would grow as an individual and watching their new future would be worth the effort I had expended. But I doubted I could still do that if the whole student body knew of my ability or, even worse, what led me to have it. I did not doubt that my existence would be remembered by them all but would that really be the best course of action? The past, that man, the cause of the blank slate in my chest...would they really benefit from knowing it all?

Karuizawa

I was walking out of the gymnasium with some of my friends, all of them discussing what we had just seen in a lively manner. In complete contrast, I was silent. I couldn't wrap my head around it all. Eventually, they would get confused as to why I was so quiet so I knew I couldn't keep this up.

"I wonder why it's from Ayanokoji-kun's perspective," Inogashira-san pondered aloud.

"Yeah, that's weird! If we are supposed to be seeing stuff that happened, like, behind the scenes then I wouldn't we see it from the class leaders POV?" Mori-san asked.

"Maybe Ayanokoji-kun's actually our class leader and Horikita-san is just a front," Matsushita-san suggested with a grin.

Kiyotaka had warned me about Matsushita-san. She too was holding back in public but I didn't have a clue as to the reason. It looked like it was true, though, because here she was trying to ferret out information with a sly joke.

"Haha, Chiaki, I just don't think that's possible, we would have realised by now," Mori-san responded.

"He did get that maths score though..." Sato-san joined in, "And he competed with the old student council president in that relay in our first year,"

Urgh, Sato-san's affection for Kiyotaka wasn't helping this situation. If this conversation kept going in this direction then rumours could spread. I needed to help Kiyotaka as much as I could.

"Just because he's kinda good at some stuff doesn't make him a leader though," I opposed, "To be a leader, you need the presence and a good personality, you know, and he definitely has neither."

Every time I had to speak badly about Kiyotaka in public was painful, but I had to endure for him. Sato-san looked at me with an expression that crossed between confusion and anger. She knew that I was keeping my relationship a secret but she didn't know why I was going this far to separate myself from Kiyotaka.

"Yeah that's true, that's why Hirata-kun and Horikita-san make such good leaders!" Mori-san agreed.

"I was only joking, I really doubt that's the case," Matsushita-san conceded.

I thought that my troubles had been dealt with but then Matsushita-san opened her mouth again.

"He did say some weird things about his past though,"

"What do you mean, Matsushita-san?" I asked.

"Well you heard him," she responded, "He basically said he wanted his life to be peaceful because it wasn't before."

He had said that, hadn't he? I hadn't had time to think about it but he really did say that. We haven't spoken about his past at all, apart from the time he told me to guess. Well, my guess had been super unrealistic but I really wanted to know. Now that I think about it, that was really the first hint that I'd had about his past and he'd gone and told the whole year.

"I wonder what his life was like..." Inogashira-san looked somewhat worried. She'd always been caring toward people.

"Eh, does it matter that much?" I cut out her thought process straight away, "Loads of people have difficult lives, I'm sure his story isn't anything special,"

"That's true but I feel sorry for him, I feel like we forced him to talk about it," she replied,

"That was his decision," I shrugged.

At that point, Mori-san changed the subject of the conversation by commenting on a bird that had just landed in front of us. Thank you, bird, you saved me! The rest of our walk back I thought about what was to come. If they kept showing Kiyotaka's life here in the school then eventually everything would be out in the open, and with it, our relationship. He had told me he would protect both of us but could he really? Wait, what am I talking about? Why am I doubting him now? I choose to believe that he can get us out of this. I've never seen him lose.

Ryuen

I left the gymnasium with Ibuki, Ishizaki and Albert in tow. Well, hadn't that been something. I went into the gym not expecting much but this was amazing, truly amazing. How would that monster deal with this? Knowing him, he wouldn't take it lying down at least. But was he really as good as I thought? He left a clear sign that he wasn't just an ordinary student in the very first exam. Guess he thought he was funny.

"Thinking about him again, Ryuen?" Ibuki asked with a sigh.

"And what about it?" I snapped, "He's the only interesting thing about this school,"

"He kicked your ass and now you're bitter," she snarked, " That's what you call interesting?"

"Kuku, you know how many times I've lost, Ibuki," I responded, "I take no shame in it, especially not losing to a monster like him,"

He truly was incomprehensible. I didn't even know the full extent of his abilities. Perhaps I could glean some knowledge from these videos that I could use to beat him. Everyone has a weakness, some are just harder to find and exploit. But I was certain about one thing. I would crush him with my own hands.

Horikita

I left the gymnasium alone and in thought. What on earth was the point in this? It didn't make a shred of sense to compromise a student or his class like this. The whole point of this school was the competition between classes and a certain level of discretion had to be made to keep the competition fair. Why would the government do something like this? It was clearly a violation of privacy and not only that, it would greatly affect the inter-class competition. Ayanokoji-kun has already done so much for our class without any recognition and, although I don't have proof, I believe he's done much more than what I know about. However, his thinking is incomprehensible to me. He was willing to expel Kushida-san without any mercy and the only reason he didn't was to let me have the decision. Would our classmates be able to accept that mindset if it is revealed in these videos? How is he planning on working his way out of this?

I had too many questions and so few answers. Taking out my phone, I found the contact for Ayanokoji-kun and my thumb hovered over the call button. Why am I hesitating? No, I know why. Every time I'm in a situation I can't instantly understand I turn to him. It's been that way for the past year and more. He told me I'd improved from when we first met but it was obvious that he didn't believe I could beat the other classes as leader yet. If I'm ever going to get to that stage then I need to figure this out myself, Ayanokoji-kun has his own problems right now. I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket and began walking toward the dorms. What should I do?

Sakayanagi

I was conflicted. It was obvious from the start that these videos were never sent by the government, well, not the part that many were familiar with anyway. The informal language used to explain the videos, the subject, the seemingly impossible ability to read minds...they all suggested another sender. I found myself astonished that nobody else seemed to have put this all together. Even without my knowledge on the matter, it should be clear to everyone that something was amiss.

My inner conflict stemmed from a single question. Do I want Ayanokoji-kun to be revealed? I told him I'd work with him to solve his Tsukishiro problem and I meant it. But did this count as part of that problem? The regular student body learning of his exploits would cause his life here to change and, in the past, he had taken measures to defend against that issue. However, recently I'd felt a change in him. Even in the short time between our first and second year, it was like his objective had switched - no, not switched exactly, but it had become convoluted and difficult to read. If I misread his intentions and acted in a way that caused him an issue, it could prove fatal to him. For now, I could only observe and figure out just what the White Room's masterpiece intended to do. Only then could I help him and free him from his shackles.

Ayanokoji Group (minus Ayanokoji)

"Woah, my head is frazzled!" Haruka held her ears to stop the imaginary steam.

"That was something..." Keisei muttered.

"Isn't it incredible that Kiyotaka could get those scores though?" Akito asked, "I know he scored high in the maths exam but even the thought that he might be able to do the same in all subjects is insane!"

"Let's call him to ask abo- hey, what's up Airi?" Haruka's expression changed after seeing the face of her friend.

She hadn't spoken for a while, which was pretty normal by itself, but she had the look of someone trying hard to figure out a problem. Haruka's voice knocked her out of her daydream.

"Eh! Oh-um, it's nothing!" she said, waving her hands in front of her.

"Come on, Airi, what were you thinking about?" Akito tried to get her to open up.

"Yeah, I mean, that was a lot to take in so you must have questions," Haruka added

"Hmm ye-yeah I do..." she admitted in a whisper

"Shoot," Akito said;

"It's-it's about his past," Airi had her head down.

The others had been too caught up on his incredible exam scores that they had forgotten about his explanation. Even through his expressionless face and monotonous voice, they could all tell that he had not wanted to talk about it.

"Yeah...I wonder what happened," Haruka said, her usual upbeat manner completely gone.

"Come to think of it, could whatever it was be the reason he doesn't express himself?" Akito asked.

"That could be," Keisei answered.

"He told me- he said that he'd cried many times when he was little..." Airi's lip quivered.

"Really? Did he say why?" Haruka wanted to know more,

"No, I think he was just trying to cheer me up at the time but now I think it might have been more than that,"

The entire group fell into silence. Although they had been hanging out with Ayanokoji for months, none of them knew anything about his life before ANHS. This situation reminded them all of that. They walked the rest of the way back to the dorms and said their goodbyes, each of them committed to finding out more about their friend.

(A/N - I know I said I'd release these interludes alongside another chapter but I've run into a problem. That problem is also why this interlude is pretty short. For future chapters, I'm going to be adding in the other years and some other participants. This had been the plan from the start, the only reason I started with just the second year was to let myself get some practise in before having to deal with a shit ton of characters.

Anyway, my problem is the time I'm basing this fanfic off. I've read up to Y2 V3 and the few chapters of Y2 V4 that Graze has put up on his site.

-SPOILERS FOR BOTH YEAR 2 VOLUME 3, VOLUME 4 AND 4.5 BELOW-

I already know a few details of what happens in both 4 and 4.5 and I want to continue from there. If I started from before 3, then I would have to have Nanase still in her 'I want to murder Ayanokoji' stage and I don't really want to ignore her development. Also, Ayanokoji would still have no idea that Amasawa is the White Room student, Ichinose wouldn't have confessed and so on. So really what I want to know is if there is anywhere I can read a fully translated version of Y2 V4 so that I don't have to contend with these problems in the coming chapters. I think I already know where I can read 4.5 but skipping past 4 doesn't appeal to me.

If I don't find a way to read it, then I'll just find a way to continue without but it would be much appreciated if anyone can give me a hand.)

Also, I posted this as an interlude because I didn't want to just post and not give you any actual fanfic content.

A/N - When the Fanfic takes place

SPOILERS FOR YEAR 2 VOLUMES 3, 4 AND 4.5

I've now read volumes 4 and 4.5 so I'm going to continue this reaction fanfic while working with the fact that those events have taken place. I don't think any of what I've written so far does anything to contradict new events too much. There are a few reactions and dialogue that I might have changed had I read these 2 books before but it's nothing substantial enough for me to change it now.

Sorry to anyone that hasn't had a chance to read the latest volumes yet. I just can't backtrack on character development written by the author of the actual series.

One thing I'm going to change very slightly is the announcement of Kei and Ayanokoji's relationship. If you read 4.5 you'll know that they'll be announcing their relationship the next day but obviously, the book ends before they do. I'm going to pretend that they had a change of plans and opted to keep it a secret. I just think it makes sense from a reaction fic standpoint.

However, I will be keeping the fact that Katsuragi knows about Ayanokoji's involvement with Ryuen, Horikita's knowledge of the rooftop fight and Ichinose's knowledge of KiyoKei. Basically everything except their announcement. This might seem like I'm taking away some reaction material and that is true but it also gives me some different options.

Anyway, I'll stop writing useless A/N's now and actually write the next part.

Bonus Chapter - The Other Grades

(A/N - Just making sure one last time that people know there will be spoilers for the latest volumes of the Light Novel so read them first if you want to avoid spoilers from this point on

Also, I'm categorising this as a Bonus Chapter but it actually advances the plot so I have no idea what a Bonus Chapter is anymore but oh well, have fun)

I'd spent my free period yesterday resting in my room. Something told me that I'd be needing plenty of energy to get through the next two weeks. With Tsukishiro's absence, I'd thought I would have less to worry about but apparently, that wasn't to be. Nagumo's persistence, Amasawa's unpredictability and the possibility of more White Room students all stood at the forefront of my problems. However, I felt like I was looking forward to this new semester even with my issues seeming to pile up.

I was currently walking to the location where we would be watching the next set of videos. Last night, I'd received an alert that the venue had been changed to one of the many outbuildings that were located within the school's compound. I had felt the need to confirm others had received this same alert and this wasn't some sort of trap laid out for me but it had turned out to be paranoia on my part. It seems the venue had truly been changed.

There had been no reason given for the change but that had come to be expected throughout this entire situation. A running theme had been created that there appeared to be no reason for anything that was happening. I'm sure after sleeping on it, even more students were left utterly confused about the whole thing.

Approaching the building, I began to see more and more students walking in the same direction and the question as to why the venue had been changed was answered in an instant. Not just the second-year students but also first and third-year students were entering the building. The extra audience members meant that the gymnasium would have been way past maximum capacity had we all crammed in. I guess I had more witnesses to the 'great revelation' that was my existence.

Finally, I made it into the building and found a place to sit. The setup was basically the same, Sections separated grades and rows separated classes within those grades. It was the first time that I'd seen every student in one place before. I wondered if this broke any health and safety laws. Just as I thought that I was reminded of the numerous dangerous situations the school had placed us in with minimal safety measures installed. We were probably long past that point.

Eventually, the hall filled up and my ears were berated by a cacophony of different voices. Really, the staff should have thought of this problem and done something to prevent it in advance. Suddenly, another sound pierced my ears at a volume level above that of even the 400-odd students in the hall. That sound was someone hitting a microphone against its stand.

"Good morning, everyone!" Chabashira started, "If you could all quiet down, that would make this process a lot quicker and less painful,"

Standing up front with a microphone in her hand made Chabashira look like she was a future rockstar. Maybe she had another future ahead of her if she ever dropped her hangups at this school.

"As you can see, we have been told to bring together all grades to watch the videos from this point on. I'm aware that it is highly irregular that all students at the school are present in one place but I want you all to act properly to ensure there are no issues."

Chabashira stopped for a second to wait for silence. When she was satisfied, she continued.

"I am now going to start the video from where we left off. Everybody present should have seen all the videos up to this point."

It looked like she was about to start the video but then stopped as if remembering something.

"Oh, one more thing, normally this isn't allowed in accordance with the school rules but the government has made an exception," she said, "If you look towards the back you will see some familiar faces,"

As I took a look, even I was surprised. Standing at the back of the hall was the old student council president Horikita Manabu and his former secretary Tachibana. I hadn't thought I would see him again.

He nodded and raised a hand to the student body. Tachibana half-heartedly followed suit. Through the dense crowd, I saw Nagumo's face twist into an expression that definitely couldn't be described as pleasant. It looked like he was about to call out but Chabashira spoke before he could.

"Now that is out of the way, let's begin,"

I hope you're all well.

Ready and excited to resume our adventure?

Next, we'll be viewing an action sequence.

(A/N - I was going to just put this at the start of the next chapter but it ended up being too long. Well, I'll be releasing this alongside the next actual chapter so I guess it doesn't really change much)

Chapter 4 - Ayanokoji vs. Manabu

This is also from a little after you all learned about the true nature of this school.

Class D had just had a little dispute while trying to organise a study session for its less than academically gifted members.

Horikita Suzune had a little bit of a falling out with Sudo Ken, Ike Kanji, Okitani Kyosuke and the late Yamauchi Haruki for her words regarding their intelligence.

That word choice makes it seem more serious than someone being expelled. Just who did they pick to write this?

Eventually, that hostility ended up reaching a lot of Class D and Horikita didn't garner the best of reputations but that's not important at the moment.

(A/N - I'm changing the classes to match the results at the end of the second Island Exam so just pretend I didn't mess them up in the beginning chapters)

Some of the former Class D bowed their heads, Sato amongst them. She had been one of the people to suggest bullying Horikita for her harsh behaviour at that time and had since come to regret her words.

This video takes place soon after the failed study session. Enjoy!

Once again, the video seemed to be from my perspective. What happened after the study session? I confirmed that Kushida's outward personality was an act but that has little to do with the study session and it sounds like this video is going to be centred on Horikita anyway. Perhaps they are going to show my scuffle with Manabu?

I couldn't get to sleep, so I got up and left. I bought some juice from the lobby's vending machine and headed back for the elevator.

"It is very interesting that all of these videos seem to be from your perspective, kouhai," Nagumo took no time at all in trying to probe me.

"I'm just as confused as you are, senpai," I responded.

"Oh I'm sure," he said with an ugly smile, "Perhaps Horikita-senpai could enlighten us?

He glanced over to where the elder Horikita had found a seat.

"I'm in the dark too, Nagumo," he said, "Although, I have no doubt that you will find the answers you are looking for by sitting quietly and watching the video,"

It sounded like he was scolding a young child and Nagumo didn't seem to have taken it well either. However, he held his tongue and turned back to the screen.

"Hmm?"

I could see that the elevator had stopped on the seventh floor. Curious, I decided to check out the CCTV, which showed what was happening inside the elevator car. I saw Horikita, still dressed in her school uniform.

"Why were you still in your uniform at that time of night, Horikita-san?" Onodera asked curiously.

"I had someone I needed to meet," Horikita responded in a purposely vague manner.

Some students in Class C looked like they wanted to ask more questions but as soon as they saw the expression on Horikita's face, they decided to hold them back.

"Oh, a boyfriend, Suzune?" Ryuen goaded, not caring about Horikita's wishes in the slightest.

"No."

Her blunt reply took everyone by surprise. Even Ryuen hesitated before continuing.

"A touchy subject then, eh? Well, it looks like we'll be seeing soon enough anyway," Ryuen said, shrugging his shoulders, "I mean, you are going to follow her, right, Ayanokoji?"

I ignored his question and let the video answer him.

"Well, I don't really need to hide, but..."

Seeing her might be awkward right now, so I hid behind the vending machine. Horikita arrived at the first floor.

"Why-"

"This is right after the study session. Horikita and I didn't see eye-to-eye on that either."

I saw the question coming and instinctively answered before they finished. This whole situation was troublesome enough without having to answer questions constantly.

Looking wary of her surroundings, she exited the building. After she'd vanished into the night, I decided to follow after her. However, I instinctively hid again after I turned the corner.

Horikita stopped in her tracks. I sensed another person was with her.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far," he said.

Had she left in the dead of night to rendezvous with some guy?

"Hmph. I'm far different from the useless girl you once knew, niisan. I came here to catch you."

"Her brother?" Ike questioned.

"Her brother is the old student council president if you hadn't already realised that," Keisei told him.

"Oh right, yeah, of course I did," he rubbed the back of his neck and giggled stupidly. I saw Shinohara let out a sigh. Even Sudo subtly shook his head.

"Catch me, hmm?"

Niisan? In the dark, I couldn't see the person she was talking to. Was she meeting her older brother?

"I heard you were placed in Class D. I suppose nothing has really changed in the last three years. You've always been fixated on following me, and as a result, you don't notice your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was a mistake."

"A little harsh on your younger sister, aren't you Horikita-senpai?" Nagumo said with a malicious smile.

"Anything I said or did was because I thought it would benefit her, nothing else," Manabu responded.

"Ha, where did your guidance get her?" Nagumo chuckled, "She's still struggling and can hardly be compared to the other class leaders in her year, am I wrong?"

The way Nagumo worded his digs as questions made it so the older Horikita was pressured to reply. Of course, this tactic wouldn't have worked if it was a different subject. Both Horikitas were often off their game when it came to their relationship.

"I believe that she can grow beyond them. She has shown that she has high potential and I'm sure that anybody who was paying attention can see that just by comparing the Suzune of then to the Suzune of now,"

Horikita Manabu defended his sister from Nagumo's insults. The nature of their relationship had also changed in that time. Thinking back to our first year, there was no way that Manabu would ever have said those words about his sister then.

Talking of his sister, she had been quiet throughout the whole exchange. It didn't show on her face - she was likely trying to suppress her current emotions - but I guessed she was feeling a great deal of pride and relief.

"That's... You're wrong about that. I'll show you. I'll reach Class A right away, then—"

"It's pointless. You will never reach Class A. In fact, your class will fall apart soon enough. Things at this school aren't as simple as you think."

"I will definitely, definitely reach—"

"I told you, it's pointless. You really are a disobedient little sister."

Horikita's brother stepped closer to her. From my hiding spot, I could see him plainly.

It was Student Council President Horikita. He displayed no hint of emotion. It was like he was staring at an uninteresting object. He grabbed his younger sister by the wrist—she offered no resistance—and pushed her against the wall.

"Woah, that's a bit much, Horikita-senpai," Ichinose was the first to call him out,

"That's too much even if you are siblings!" Kobashi joined her leader,

Following suit, many from second-year Class B and then eventually students from other classes began reprimanding Manabu for his aggressive display against his younger sister. As ever, he never allowed his appearance to falter. He sat comfortably in his seat and waited for the students to finish their ranting. Tachibana, on the other hand, had gone red in the face trying to keep her anger from boiling over. I guess this goes to show how much power the student council president held in this school. If Manabu still had his old position and hadn't already graduated, I doubted that this many students would willingly badmouth him. The school had changed significantly since his departure though.

"That's enough!" Mashima cut through the noise with the microphone at the front of the hall.

Gradually the noise ceased and Tachibana's skin complexion went back to normal. Some students still shot Manabu dirty looks but most seemed to have calmed down thanks to the reduced noise. Before the video restarted, Ichinose called over to the older Horikita.

"Sorry, Horikita-senpai, I didn't mean to start something like that," she apologised, bowing her head.
Horikita simply nodded his head and turned back to the front. It's true that if anybody else had been the first to speak, then there probably wouldn't have been as much of an outcry. Kei's reputation allowed her a certain amount of power within the year but it was mostly restricted to our class. Ichinose, on the other hand, was held in high regard by a large percentage of the entire school. Her position on the student council had only elevated that reputation.

"No matter how I try to avoid you, the fact remains that you're my little sister. If people around here learned the truth, I would be humiliated. Leave this school immediately."

"I-I can't do that... I will definitely reach Class A. I'll show you!"

"We will help you do it, Suzune!" Sudo cried

"He was wrong about our class falling apart and he was wrong about you too, Horikita-san," Onodera backed him up.

The rest of the class also gave Horikita their support. I decided to check Manabu's reaction to this and found he had the faint shadow of a smile lingering on his face.

"Thank you," the younger Horikita nodded, "I still believe that we can get to Class A if you'll continue working with me,"

"Of course!"

"How incredibly stupid. Do you want to relive the pain of the past?"

"Niisan, I..."

"You possess neither the abilities nor the qualities needed to reach Class A. Get that through your head."

He moved forward, as if about to act. The situation looked fraught with danger. Resigned to facing Horikita's anger, I leapt out from my hiding space and went after her brother.

Before he knew I was there, I grabbed his right arm, which he was using to pin his sister.

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell just happened, how did he get there?"

"He's going up against the ex-president?"

"Is this the kouhai who raced him before?"

My ears felt like they'd just been hit by a bus as every student in the school reacted to my speed and choice to go against the school council president. There was a mix of shock and admiration in their words.

"So this is when they first met? Interesting." Nagumo thought.

(A/N - this might seem obvious but just in case anyone misses it, I'm going to be doing the character's thoughts in italics for general dialogue.)

"Kuku, I wonder how the ex SCP will fare against that guy..." Ryuen thought while laughing out loud.

"No matter how good Horikita-senpai might be, he doesn't stand a chance against Ayanokoji-kun," Sakayanagi analyzed the coming fight.

"If he can take on four at once, then one should be no problem, right?" Kei questioned.

"Since when were you so daring, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

"I wasn't thinking straight at the time, I guess," I responded

"That's incredible, Kiyotaka, I don't think I'd have the guts to get in his way," Akito praised me.

"It's really nothing, I ran before I thought about it,"

"What? You..." He stared at his arm and slowly turned to me with a sharp gleam in his eye.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun?!" Horikita cried.

"You were about to throw your sister to the ground, weren't you? You do realize the floor here is concrete, right? You might be siblings, but you should know the difference between right and wrong."

"Are you really in a position to lecture Horikita-senpai on what's right and what's wrong?" Nagumo shot me a look that was supposed to intimidate me.

"I think the little kouhai is right," Kiryuin answered for me, "Since when did it become a question of position to decide what's morally right or wrong?"

"Hmph, I'd say you are doing something right to be in a position like Horikita-senpai was," Nagumo rebuked, "There is a difference between the right thing to do and what is considered the morally correct thing to do, Kiryuin."

"I agree," Kiryuin nodded, "But actions can only be considered correct or incorrect when one knows both the aim and the outcome of said action. I simply don't think Horikita-senpai's action was right because he misjudged the situation."

They had both taken a simple comment I made and spun it into a complex argument of ethics and morals. I think if you simply asked the average person, then they'd agree that throwing someone onto concrete was wrong, but then again, I couldn't really consider either Kiryuin or Nagumo to be average. In Nagumo's case, just a few moments ago he was provoking Manabu for his aggression against his sister but now it was me doing the same thing, he had a problem with it. He sees himself as untouchable and Horikita Manabu as the only one close to his level. He couldn't bear the thought of me judging his only rival.

In Kiryuin's case, there wasn't much more to her words than to antagonize Nagumo.

"I really did just mean that throwing someone onto concrete is dangerous, senpais."

If I let this go on for much longer, I'd never be out of this room.

Kiryuin showed me a smile while Nagumo looked at me like someone would look at a cockroach.

"Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality," he said.

"Fine. Then let go."

"That's my line."

We glared at each other in complete silence.

All of the excitement and shock from a few moments before had all but vanished. The suspenseful silence was overwhelming and everyone waited for one of us to make a move. Even students who would normally be pelting questions at me right now, asking 'Why did you think you could challenge the student council president?' or 'Do you really think you are that good at fighting?", were too enveloped in the atmosphere to utter a single word.

Then...

"Stop it, Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita, her voice strained. I'd never heard her voice like that before.

I could hear mumbles creeping through the hall. Nobody could say anything but I saw numerous heads turn to look at Horikita. Throughout our time here, I could count on one hand the amount of people who had seen Horikita in this kind of state. I couldn't imagine the embarrassment and rage she was feeling as everybody watched her pathetic self.

Reluctantly, I released her brother. Instantly, he tried to backhand me in the face. I instinctively took a step back to avoid it. For such a lightly built guy, he was a nasty attacker. He then aimed a sharp kick at my unguarded spot.

"Watch it!"

He had enough power to knock me out with one blow. Looking slightly confused, he exhaled deeply, extended his right arm, and opened his hand.

If I grabbed his hand, he'd probably throw me to the ground. Instead, I slapped his hand away.

It was as if the trance the audience were in had been shattered. Excited shouts came from all corners.

"Shit! Nice moves,"

"What were those reflexes!"

"You can fight, Kiyotaka?" Akito was the first to address me directly.

"I was only dodging his attacks, if I had fought back, I doubt it would have gone well for me."

"Still, that's impressive. I can tell from his movements that he's experienced, you did a good job,"

"Thanks,"

Thankfully, all I had done in this 'fight' was defend myself and Manabu hadn't persisted with his attacks. This shouldn't be enough for people to form an opinion on my fighting ability.

"Horikita-senpai is at least a fifth dan in karate and fourth in aikido, that I know of, but this kid didn't seem troubled at all. He was just dodging but maybe this is what captured Horikita-senpai's attention," Nagumo theorized.

"Hey, that was cool, Ayanokoji-kun!" Mori called out to me,

"Since when could you do stuff like that?" Sato asked, looking quite flustered.

"As I said to Akito, I was just dodging his attacks, it was nothing special, really," I replied

"Modest as always, Ayanokoji-kun..." Ichinose said my name but didn't seem as though she was talking directly to me.

"You're right, Honami-chan! That was so awesome, Ayanokoji-kun!" Amikura shouted to me

"Was it though?" Hashimoto spoke for the first time.

"What do you mean, Hashimoto-kun?" Amikura frowned.

"Well, like King said, all he did was dodge and it's not like we know if Horikita-senpai is actually a good fighter,"

"That's true- wait, did you call him King?" Amikura's frown got more pronounced.

"Oh, just a silly nickname, eh, Ayanokoji," Hashimoto grinned at me.

One that I wish he'd stop using. I nodded to him.

"To answer your suggestion, kouhai, Horikita-senpai is well versed in martial arts so Ayanokoji's dodges were impressive to an extent," Nagumo said.

"Oh really?" Hashimoto leaned back in his chair, seemingly in thought.

"So you must know a martial art too, Ayanokoji-kun?" Hiyori asked me.

I was expecting this question eventually. Before, I had made a stupid and obvious quip when asked but that wouldn't work in this scenario.

"A little but nothing noteworthy," I replied.

"Judging by your counter to Senpai's last attack, I'd say karate?" Akito asked.

I was a bit surprised that Akito had caught that. Of course, I knew that he was somewhat experienced in fighting but the world that he knew often relied on brutish and off-the-cuff methods of fighting. To be able to recognise a specific martial art from one move is actually quite impressive.

I nodded to him. I sensed that he was a little proud of himself.

"Let's continue the video" Mashima called out.

"Good reflexes. I didn't imagine you could evade all of my blows so quickly. Also, you seemed to understand quite well what I was trying to do. Have you been taught?"

After the attacks stopped, the questions began.

"Yes, I was taught piano and calligraphy. Also, when I was in elementary school, I won a national music competition," I said.

"I-what?" Katsuragi was dumbfounded.

"Did you really expect him to believe that, senpai?" Amasawa asked. I was wondering when I'd have to deal with her.

"No, that wasn't the point." I accidentally let out a sigh.

"Then what was?" Kanzaki asked, "I can't see any reason in telling such an obvious lie,"

"We had just learnt about the inter-class competition at this point and Horikita had given me strict instructions not to let any information out."

For the umpteenth time, Horikita's eyes drilled a hole into my skull. I knew I couldn't deflect like this forever but that wasn't important right now.

"I see, that does make sense," Kanzaki seemed to be satisfied.

"But I don't remember Horikita taking over the class by that point," Katsuragi pointed out. If he hadn't been unlucky enough to be pitted against Sakayanagi, I believe Katsuragi could have done quite well at this school. With Ryuen, there's a good chance he still would.

"I was doing it for my own sake back then," Horikita sighed, "I'd tried to get some other students behaving better using a study group but Ayanokoji-kun was still the only one who actually listened to me,"

The surviving members of that study group squirmed in shame. Although it's not like Horikita acted much better.

"I also have a question, Ayanokoji-kun," Sakayanagi had a curious look.

"Yes?"

"Can you really play the piano?"

That's not exactly what I was expecting. She wanted to know if I can play the piano? Well, I guess she knew about my practical capabilities but maybe she wasn't as sure of my recreational pursuits.

"I can play a little, but it was just what came to me at the time,"

I knew she'd take my deflection as a confirmation. At my words, a smile different from her usual smug grin appeared on her face.

"I'd like you to play for me sometime, would that be alright?" she asked.

"Sure, if you want,"

I didn't know if she was playing an angle here or if she was genuinely interested but my comfortable interaction with Class A's leader would be bound to draw attention.

"You're in Class D, too, aren't you? What a unique boy, Suzune."

After he let go of his younger sister, he turned to face me.

"No. Unlike Horikita, I'm pretty incompetent."

"Suzune, is this boy your friend? I'm honestly surprised."

"He's...not my friend. Just my classmate."

Horikita faced her brother fully, as if denying him.

"You continue to confuse independence with solitude. And you, Ayanokouji. With you around, things might get interesting."

"Then I was right. This was when Horikita-senpai became interested in Ayanokoji," Nagumo thought.

"Hmm, the former student council president took interest in Ayanokoji-kun? This was so early in our time here, though. I thought he had gone under-the-radar but perhaps others know of his ability," Matsushita pondered.

"I finally understand the lesson you were trying to teach me, Nii-san. Although it took both you and Ayanokoji-kun to get it into my head. I'm sorry for my incompetence." Horikita struggled with her thoughts.

"Umm, Horikita-senpai? Why did you find Ayanokoji-kun interesting?" Ike asked. I was consistently impressed by Horikita Manabu. He was able to force even someone like Ike to speak politely.

"He simply intrigued me," Manabu explained, "I have no doubt you will understand if you keep watching,"

"Oh, uh, ok!"

He walked past me and disappeared into the night. So, that was the distinguished student council president. His presence explained some of Horikita's weird behavior.

"I'm going to drag myself up to Class A even if it kills me," she said.

With her brother gone, the night was silent once more. Horikita sat up against the wall, her head hanging low. Maybe I'd made things worse by getting involved. I was about to return to the dorms when Horikita called out to me.

"Did you hear everything? Or was it just a coincidence?"

"Oh. Uh, it was half coincidence, I'd say. I saw you when I bought some juice from the vending machine. I was kind of curious, so I followed you. However, I really didn't mean to meddle in your business."

Horikita fell silent once again.

"Your older brother is really strong. He doesn't lack ferocity."

"He's ranked fifth dan in karate and fourth dan in aikido."

"Shit, he really is good," Sudo had wide eyes. He didn't seem surprised before seeing as he'd been present during my encounter with Hosen. Perhaps he saw Hosen as superior to Manabu?

"I don't really know if that's good or not but I'm guessing it is?" Sato cocked her head.

"He's at a very high level in two different styles of martial arts, it's very impressive that Kiyotaka was able to evade him," Yosuke answered her with a smile.

"Woah, cool!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows raised. Realising that her reaction had drawn eyes to her, she immediately shrunk back into her seat. I saw some girls from our class lean over to talk to her.

Whew, he was really strong. If I hadn't pulled away, it would've ended badly for me.

"Kuku, what a joke, he even keeps up his act inside his own mind. Even if he had been hit, I doubt it would have fazed him." Ryuen shook his head.

"I wonder how much damage Horikita-senpai's attacks would have done to him...it's impossible to completely nullify injury even with the most pristine of bodies. Then again, I used to believe that someone like Ayanokoji-kun could never exist in the first place so perhaps he has destroyed those constraints as well." Sakayanagi mused.

"My brother's attacks were surely ferocious and would be enough to deal with most assailants. But would someone with that realistic mindset be someone who would willingly get himself stabbed to overcome an obstacle? Even a glimpse into his mind isn't giving me much help in understanding him." Horikita conceded.

"I'm glad he did. Although I know almost nothing about fighting, I could tell Horikita-senpai's attacks were enough to take down anyone if they hit. I know Ayanokoji-kun keeps in shape but that wouldn't have made a difference!" Ichinose worried about her schoolmate.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt Ayanokoji-kun!" Hiyori wore an angelic smile that could compete with Kushida's.

"Thanks, Hiyori."

"What was that?" Haruka's eyes squinted as they observed me.

"What was what?" I responded

"Did I imagine it or did you just call Shiina-san by her given name?" She interrogated me.

"No he definitely did, I heard it too," Akito confirmed.

"A-are you friends with her, Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi asked.

"We just read books together, that's all," I shrugged.

"You like to read, Kiyotaka?" Keisei asked.

"Yes and Hiyori gives me some good recommendations,"

"Oh, common interests then?" Haruka said with a sly smirk.

"I guess. We just hang out in the library some days."

"In the library? That must be a nice, quiet environment for two people to spend time together..."

It sounded like she was getting at something but her statement was technically true.

"Yes it is," I replied.

"Must be ni-"

Haruka suddenly looked at Airi, stopped what she was saying and cleared her throat.

"That must be a nice time, Kiyopon!"

I nodded.

"You also practice martial arts, don't you, Ayanokouji-kun? You must hold a dan rank."

"I told you, didn't I? Just piano and tea ceremony."

"You said calligraphy before."

"I...did calligraphy in addition to those, yes."

"Hey, kouhai, if it was Horikita who requested you to keep your capabilities a secret then why would you keep them from her too?" Nagumo asked.

"That's because I didn't get along with her, senpai. I followed her orders because, unlike me, she could understand the situation we were in."

My reply was full of holes and as these videos progressed, more and more doubts would appear as to the legitimacy of my excuses. I had a few options but my ability to implement any of them was restricted right now.

"You purposefully get lower test scores, and you say that you studied piano and calligraphy. I really don't understand you."

"My scores were a coincidence. I really did do piano, tea ceremony, and calligraphy. If there were a piano here, I could at least have performed "Für Elise."

"You saw a strange side of me."

"On the contrary, I always thought of you as a normal girl. Well, not really."

Laughs resounded through the hall to which Horikita merely sighed. I heard a couple of my classmates quietly agree with me.

Horikita glared at me.

"Let's go back. If anyone saw us out here, they'd probably get ideas."

She was certainly right about that. Rumors about a boy and a girl hanging out alone in the dark would be bound to circulate. Not to mention the fact that our relationship seemed to be intensifying.

"See, stuff like this is why we thought you were close!" Okitani said, "You used to always be around eachother."

"That was a coincidence as you've seen," Horikita nodded her head toward the screen.

"There's always seems to be lots of coincidences around you, Ayanokoji," Ryuen smirked, "Imagined or otherwise,"

"Hmm, from the sounds of it, Ryuen, you aren't surprised by any of this," Kanzaki said.

"What's there to be surprised about?" Ryuen shrugged, "Absolutely nothing we've seen so far concerns me,"

"How can that be true?" Kanzaki didn't seem to believe him, "It's quite a dangerous tactic to hold back an individual's ability. If Ayanokoji has been doing it, who's to say that more students from their class haven't been doing the same?"

"Don't forget that those people were placed all the way at the bottom, Kanzaki," Ryuen said with a sneer, "No matter what Ayanokoji, nor any of his classmates, are capable of, they won't be hard to crush at all,"

"I'd like to remind you that your class is currently sitting at the bottom of the pile, Ryuen," Kanzaki shot back, "If that's the stance you take then perhaps the rest of us have been worried about you for nothing."

"What was that, Kanzaki? You're worried about me? Kuku, try not to do something as stupid as admitting fear to your opponent."

Kanzaki clicked his tongue and turned away. He had been wary of me since my maths score so if anyone would have doubts as early as this, it would have to be him.

Horikita got up slowly and walked toward the dorm.

"Hey. Were you really okay with how the study group went?" I asked.

If I didn't broach the subject now, I'd likely never get the chance again.

"Why are you asking me? I was the one who proposed holding the study group in the first place. Besides, I got the feeling that you considered it a hassle. Am I wrong?"

"It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Look, I think things are going to get worse with the others."

"I don't care. I'm used to it. Besides, Hirata-kun picked up most of the failing students. He knows how to study, he seems to get along with others, and, unlike me, he'll be a good tutor. At the very least, they should all pass. It was pointless to try teaching the failing students myself. We would go through this same scenario for every test until graduation. It would be pointless to try making up for their failure every single time."

In the past, this kind of statement would have been almost certain to have elicited a defensive response from Class C. Now, although they might harbour disagreements or hostility toward Horikita's opinion, they kept it to themselves for not only their sake, but the class as a whole. Ichinose's class used their unity as their foremost strategy to play a passive strategy in most circumstances. Although we were nowhere near the same level, Class C's current unity allowed us to employ both defensive and offensive strategies that would have been unthinkable just a year ago.

"Sudou and the others don't much like Hirata. I doubt they'll participate in his study group."

Having said that, this comment may stir things up a bit.

"Huh? You guys don't like Hirata-kun?" Shinohara turned to face them with a bewildered expression.

"Well, it's not as though we didn't like him..." Sudo muttered while rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's not like that Satsuki! Ayanokoji was wrong!" Ike denied it, much too loudly for anyone to believe him.

"Wait, didn't you say you 'hated pretty boys' in your introduction?" Mori joined in.

"No- well yeah, but-" Ike couldn't get any words out to explain himself.

"Hey, it's fine guys, don't give them a hard time." Yosuke intervened.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, despite his obvious popularity, Yosuke struggled to make male friends. Outside the members of his club, people often displayed jealousy towards his good looks and social skills. Some even used their jealousy for him as a catalyst to make friends with others. However, he never complained or seemed at all displeased. No matter somebody's disposition toward him, he wouldn't hesitate a second to help them out. He was, at his core, a pacifist.

"Hirata-kun has done so much for our class though. Why would you not like him?" Inogashira asked timidly.

None of the targeted group responded to her query but somebody else took the opportunity.

"It's pretty obvious isn't it? Just simple jealousy." Hashimoto laughed.

"Are you saying they don't like him because he's more popular than they are?" Mori frowned.

"Is that really the reason?" Onodera asked.

"Ridiculous," Kei said, shaking her head.

They took the boy's silence as an admission of guilt. I actually found it quite ironic. The reason they had taken a dislike to Yosuke in the first place was due to his social status and popularity. Their silence had all but confirmed this to be true and the girls had criticized their view. However, even if they had tried to deny it, I found it unlikely they would have been believed because of the very same social system that they hated to begin with. Their accuser, Hashimoto, undoubtedly held a higher social status than any of them and, due to that fact, the girls would have taken his side over their own classmates. In a sense, their outlook isn't quite as ridiculous as it first seems.

"That's their decision, which has nothing to do with me. Besides, if they're facing expulsion, they shouldn't grumble about trivial nonsense. If they don't get closer to Hirata-kun, then they'll be expelled. Of course, my goal is to have Class D reach Class A status. However, that's for my own sake and no one else's. I don't care about anyone else. Really, if we dump the failures on this next midterm, then the better students will be left. That's what I need, correct? In that case, attaining a higher rank will be simple. Everything will work out perfectly."

She wasn't wrong about that. Our conversation continued; Horikita was strangely talkative tonight.

"Horikita, isn't that way of thinking flawed?"

"I don't agree with her assessment but I wouldn't say there is anything wrong with it logically. Why did you disagree, Kiyotaka?" Yosuke asked.

"I think I explained my thoughts at the time," I responded.

"Oh right, ok, sorry for jumping the gun," he bowed his head.

"It's fine,"

"Flawed? What's flawed? You're not going to give me some gibberish about how there's no future for someone who would abandon her classmates, are you?

"Relax. I understand you well enough to know that you don't really understand me. "

"Then what is it? There's no strategic advantage to helping failures."

"There are probably very few advantages, certainly. However, it does help prevent a setback."

"Demerit?"

"Do you really think that the school hasn't considered this? They've deducted points for students arriving late or playing around during class time. Let's say these students are expelled because no one helped them. How many points do you think they'll deduct from us then?"

"Incredible..." I heard Manabu mutter from behind me.

"That's—" she began.

"Of course, we don't have any proof that's how it works. However, isn't it possible? 100 points? 1,000 points? They might even deduct 10,000 or 100,000 points. If that happens, it'll be very difficult for you to reach Class A."

"We've gone down to zero points because of our infractions. We can't go any lower. If we're currently at zero, don't you think it's best to eliminate the dead weight? That would be the same as taking no damage."

"There's no guarantee that'd be the case. There could be penalties we just don't see yet. Do you really think it's okay to take such a dangerous risk? Well. I'm sure that someone as smart as you must have thought about that already. Otherwise, you would never have suggested creating a study group in the first place. You would've just abandoned the failures from the very beginning."

"Uh, when was this video taken from, again?" Hashimoto asked.

"I believe it was from a month after we first came to this school, Hashimoto-kun," Sakayanagi answered him with a giggle.

"Right, yeah..." Hashimoto looked stunned.

"That's impressive, Ayanokoji. To be able to surmise so much about the school system in such a small amount of time is truly commendable." Katsuragi praised me.

"Were you just guessing? It's amazing how accurate your thoughts were..." Keisei mused.

"So he's not just capable physically but good with analysis too. Of course, this was merely child's play but still a lot better than most at that stage." Nagumo thought.

I was starting to sound worked up, or perhaps I was actually feeling worked up. Maybe because I'd started to, rather selfishly, consider her a friend. I didn't want Horikita to come to regret her decision.

"Kuku, you considered her a friend while she barely considered you a classmate! How tragic." Ryuen laughed.

"Really? He considered me a friend way back then? Is that still the case now? I treated him terribly at that time, how could he have seen me as a friend?" Horikita was confused.

"He tried his best to act like a normal high school student and succeeded for the most part. However, what he really wants is to feel like a normal high schooler and that is something he hasn't achieved even now. That place may have managed to create the perfect being but has failed entirely at creating the perfect human. Once I beat him, maybe he can start regaining the humanity that was stripped from him." Sakayanagi looked at him with sorrow.

"Even if there are potential unknown negatives, it's better for the future of our class to abandon the failing students. Wouldn't you regret not abandoning them when we do finally increase our points? Right now, it's a risk that we should take."

"Do you really think so?" I asked.

"Yes. Really. I'm at a complete loss as to why you're so desperate to save them."

As Horikita was about to board the elevator, I grabbed her wrist.

"What? Do you have a rebuttal?" she said. "The problem's bigger than the two of us. In the end, the school has all the answers. All we can do is argue back and forth. I'm free to interpret the situation as I see fit, and you may do the same. That's all there is to it, right?"

"You're quite talkative. I never thought you'd be so loquacious."

"That goes for both of you!" Amikuta butted in, "I know I'm not in your class but I've never heard either of you talk this much,"

"Even we don't hear them talk like this," Ondera said, "Especially, Ayanokoji-kun. I can barely remember him ever talking in class."

While they were discussing our talking habits, I overheard the Ayanokoji group having their own private conversation.

"Kiyopon rarely speaks this much when he's with us, either." Haruka said.

"Well, maybe he finds talking to Horikita-san easier?" Akito suggested.

"R-really?" Airi looked downcast.

"I'm sure that's not true..." Haruka said, quietly, "But maybe we should try to include him more?"

"Fine by me," Akito agreed.

"It could be a case of the subject matter, you know." Keisei intervened.

"What do you mean, Yukimuu?" Haruka asked.

"Well, in this instance, Kiyotaka is talking about something logic based in a debate-like scenario. With us, it's more of a social thing. Some people can feel more comfortable with different topics. I know because I'm the same way." Keisei explained.

"Oh, I see," Haruka's expression brightened up, "So he really is just a loner, haha,"

"You could have phrased that better but yes. Remember, that goes for all of us." Keisei sighed.

"I know, I know! I'm just glad it wasn't anything to do with us,"

Keisei was right. It wasn't that I was more comfortable around Horikita or that I disliked the Ayanokoji group. In fact, I have enjoyed the time I've had with them. Maybe I should try and communicate that to them somehow.

While I had been listening in on my friends, the conversation between the classes had concluded.

"What... That's just because you were being insistent."

If she were acting like her normal self, there was no way she would have allowed me to keep talking. Normally, stopping her in this way would earn me a sharp strike. However, her refusal to hit me indicated that Horikita felt the way I did. Of course, she probably didn't even realize it herself.

"He analyzed me so quickly. How did someone I'd met just a month before understand my behaviour so well?" Horikita thought.

"The day we met, do you remember what happened on the bus?"

"You mean when we refused to give up our seats to an elderly woman?"

"Yeah. Back then, I thought about the meaning behind giving up my seat. Should I give it up or not? Which was the correct answer?"

"I already told you my own answer. I thought it'd be meaningless, so I didn't give up my seat. No matter what reward it might bring, there was no real merit. It was a waste of time and effort."

"Merit, huh? I suppose that you think only in terms of gain and loss."

"Is that bad? People are calculating creatures, for the most part. If you sell goods, you receive money. If you do someone a favor, that debt of gratitude will be repaid. By giving up a seat, you gain the joy of contributing to society. Am I wrong?"

A lot of people seemed to agree with this logic while others rejected the notion. Interestingly enough, it was close to a fifty-fifty split.

"No, I don't think you're wrong. I think the same thing," I replied.

"So then—"

"If you keep to that belief, you'll need to maintain a broad perspective on life. You're so angry and dissatisfied, you can't see what's in front of you."

I saw a lot of people show a look of surprise as I shared my opinion of Horikita. They were probably thinking I was full of myself for speaking down to someone of her intelligence.

"Are you looking down on her?" Shinohara turned to me.

"Just saying what I observed,"

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but isn't Horikita-san more intelligent than you, Ayanokoji-kun?" Inogashira asked,

"I agree, I don't think you should be the one to criticize her." Mori said.

They all turned their heads when they heard Ryuen snickering to himself.

"Oh, don't mind me, carry on with your insults, please," Ryuen stopped laughing and smiled nastily at my classmates.

They were obviously confused by his laughter and this confusion caused them to cease their judgement of me.

"Who do you think you are? Do you even have the ability to find fault with me?"

Lots of students, from Class C and the other classes, appeared to agree with her.

"I don't know what abilities I have, but I see what you don't. It's the one flaw of the seemingly perfect person known as Horikita Suzune."

Horikita gave an amused snort. It was as if she was saying, "If you think I have a flaw, say it."

"Your flaw is that you think of everyone else as a burden, and so you detach yourself and never let anyone come close. Isn't it possible they placed you in Class D because you consider yourself superior to everyone?"

The hall was silent. Everyone was digesting the assessment I'd made of Horikita Suzune. Suddenly that silence was broken by one Kiryuin Fuka.

"As expected of my favourite kouhai," she said with a short laugh.

"What do you mean, senpai?" Yosuke asked her.

"What do you think I mean? He made an accurate assessment of both his classmate and the school at the same time. Do you not find that incredible?"

"We've never understood how we were placed. Are you saying that everyone that was originally placed in Class D had some kind of problem?"

"Exactly. But call it like it is. You all have a defect." Kiryuin smiled cruelly.

Class C didn't say a word to dispute it. They probably wanted to defend themselves and say that she was lying or that she was wrong, but just like Kei and Yosuke, they each had a reason to be placed in Class D.

"That doesn't mean that other classes are perfect, however," Manabu cut in.

"Hmm, whatever do you mean, Horikita-senpai?" Sakayanagi inquired.

"Normally, I wouldn't impart my knowledge of how the school system works but this situation is abnormal and I'm sure that you will be learning a lot more about it as you watch these videos." He explained, "As you know, students placed in Class D are often referred to as defective - whether that's due to their personality, a past experience or something else doesn't matter. They've been judged by the school as students with a problem that could stunt their potential. But that's not to say that other classes' students do not possess issues themselves. The question you need to ask yourselves is what separates the students placed in Class D and the rest."

Almost every student in the hall listened to his every word. Even if he had now graduated, Horikita Manabu held an incredible amount of respect here. He appeared to have finished his explanation and left everybody to think about his speech. It was unlike him to be so forward about the rulings of the school but Manabu was someone with a high degree of skill when it came to the deconstruction of a situation. He knew that everybody would be hearing my thoughts and due to the respect he seemed to hold for me, he must have assumed that I would be accidentally giving the students a good idea of what the school system was really about.

While everybody was in their thoughts, the video continued.

"It's almost as if you're saying I'm the same as Sudou-kun and his group," she muttered.

"Are you saying that you aren't equal?"

"Yes. It's obvious if you look at our test scores. That's proof enough that they're mere baggage for our class to carry."

"If we're talking about studying, then Sudou and the others are certainly two or three steps behind you, Horikita. No matter how hard they worked, they likely couldn't overtake you. However, we know that this school doesn't only focus on intelligence. Suppose that the next exam was related to sports. The results would be different then. Am I wrong?"

"Huh? He was completely right..." Ike looked amazed.

"Hey, thanks for sticking up for us, Ayanokoji," Sudo gave me a smile.

I nodded to him and noticed that a lot of Class C was looking at me to the point it was kind of creeping me out.

"That's—"

"You're physically capable. From your swimming, I can tell you're one of the most capable girls in the class. Superior. However, we both know that Sudou's physical abilities far exceed yours. Ike has better communication skills than you. If the test took the form of a discussion, Ike would certainly be useful. Really, you'd most likely bring the class average down. So, does that make you incompetent? No. Every individual has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. That's what it means to be human."

Everyone looked dumbstruck at my evaluation. It would be much harder to use Horikita as an excuse now seeing as I was the one educating her.

"Kuku, to think a class leader needed something like this explained to them," Ryuen chuckled.

"I must agree, that is inconceivable," Sakayanagi added.

"Hey guys, Horikita-san has done a lot for her class, I don't think it's fair to judge her based on just this," Ichinose said

"It's fine, Ichinose-san. Ayanokoji-kun gave me a lesson I needed to learn..." Horikita admitted.

"Wait a minute. So, are you the reason Horikita helped us, Ayanokoji?" Ike asked.

"Horikita just came to the conclusion that you would benefit the class, that's all." I replied.

"In any case, thank you for helping them out, Kiyotaka," Yosuke bowed his head.

"Yeah,"

A few other students, mostly the ones close to failing, gave me their thanks.

"To think you had such a philosopher in your class," Nagumo grinned, "What it means to be human? Maybe you are more than a pair of fast legs,"

"He's doing a better job than me at reforming Suzune. Was I really too harsh on her like he told me?" Manabu thought.

"This is all pure conjecture. It's nothing more than armchair speculation," she said.

"Think back on what Chabashira-sensei said. When she called us into the guidance room, she said, 'Who exactly decided that smart people are categorically superior?' From that, we can draw the conclusion that academic ability doesn't solely determine the rankings."

"It's amazing that you were able to figure that out so early without any help, Senpai," Nanase spoke for the first time.

"The first-year is right. You are likely one of very few to figure out the school's system to such a degree that early. Frankly, it's unbelievable." Kanzaki said.

Really I had just listened to what I was told but nobody would accept that if I said it. Most others had been blinded by their preconceptions so any information they were given was ignored in favour of their own beliefs.

"Kuku, this shit doesn't surprise me anymore," Ryuen shook his head.

"You said you wouldn't regret abandoning the students who failed, but you would. You would feel a great deal of regret if Sudou and the others are expelled."

Horikita looked into my eyes. She still didn't seem to grasp our current situation. At least, that was the impression I got.

"You're rather talkative today, too. It's odd for someone who likes to avoid trouble to talk so much."

"You're probably right about that."

"It's frustrating, but what you said was basically correct. You've persuaded me; I have to concede that point. However, I still don't understand you. What do you want? What is this school to you? Why did you work so hard to convince me?"

"Finally. You basically made the guy write a fucking essay to get it into your head." Ryuen said.

"Hey, Ayanokoji-kun, you seem really good at talking here but you never speak much normally. Why is that?" Kobashi asked.

Don't say anything unnecessary Kobashi. If anything I'd prefer to keep my guise as socially inept for a little longer.

"Oh well, I was a little wound up I guess," I replied.

"Hmm..."

She didn't seem anywhere near satisfied with my excuse but relented in her questioning.

"I see. So that's what you think."

"If someone lacks persuasiveness, he or she won't be able to make others believe in their cunning theories." She clearly wanted to know why I was so desperate to persuade her that Sudou and the others' expulsion was bad. "Cut the crap. I want to know the real reason. Is it for points? To rise up, even by one class level? Or is it to save your friends?"

"You did it to help us right? Even if you didn't want to get to a higher class." Ike asked.

"Because I want to know what a person with true merit looks like. What is equality?"

"Eh..."

Ike looked very confused, as did a lot of students.

"What kind of reason is that?" Nagumo laughed quite loudly, drawing a lot of attention to him, "You want to know what 'true merit' is? Isn't it obvious when you look at someone and what they've accomplished?"

In other words, he measured merit by success. A lot of people in positions similar to his would probably say the same thing.

"I don't think that's always true, Nagumo-senpai," Ichinose argued, "I think someone's values can contribute to their merit. It's not always about who is better or worse at something. I think A-Ayanokoji-kun's reasoning is valid."

Ichinose, on the other hand, would find merit in those that have strong morals and are willing to help others even if it means sacrificing something they long for.

"Whatever the case, you didn't have to come to this school specifically to find that out, Ayanokoji," Katsuragi pointed out.

Of course, he couldn't understand that this school was actually my only chance of exploring subjects like that. I wasn't sure I could give him an appropriate answer.

"But this school is so fun, senpai!" Amasawa answered, "Haven't you realised that this place has so many different kinds of people? It's the perfect place to find out stuff like that!"

"I guess you do have a point-"

"Amasawa Ichika," she gave him her best devilish smile.

"Amasawa, hmm."

I didn't know if Amasawa had answered for my sake or just off of a whim but I should thank her for getting me out of a tight spot.

"Merit, equality..."

"I came to this school to find answers to those questions." The words freely spilled out of me before I could collect my thoughts.

Could you let me go?" Horikita asked.

"Oh, sorry." I released my grip. She turned around and looked directly at me.

"There's no way that you could fool me into believing you, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.

After she said that, Horikita extended her arm. "I'll look after Sudou-kun and the others, but for my own sake. I'll make sure that they don't get left behind, but only as a strategic means of securing an advantage for our future. Okay?"

"Thank you, Ayanokoji," Sudo bowed his head.

"Yeah, thanks..." Ike followed suit.

"I guess I should thank you as well, Ayanokoji-kun," Shinohara said.

"It looks like he's the reason for Horikita-san's change in behaviour. This can't be the extent of it. I wonder how he did it..." Matsushita thought.

"Don't worry. I didn't think you'd do it any differently. That's just like you, Horikita."

"We've come to an arrangement, then."

I took Horikita's hand. However, I would soon realize that I'd just made a deal with the devil.

Laughter erupted from the hall while Horikita looked at me with daggers for eyes.

"What exactly do you mean, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

"Well, she made me do a lot of work..."

"So this is how you became Suzune's orbiter then?" Ryuen chuckled, "A tough job for anybody,"

How did you all enjoy that one? Intense, right?

Well, I think I'll let you take it all in and show you a calmer video next.

(A/N - So apparently working and trying to do multiple courses at once is both tiring and time-consuming. Who would have thought? Anyway, this is now the longest chapter I've done and it was one of the more intense scenes from the earlier volumes. I've had a few people ask for me to do some of the low-key scenes that often get disregarded and I do plan on doing quite a few of them. I'll probably do them in-between the big events like this one.

I hope you enjoyed reading and I'll try and get the next one out quicker. I really am starting to sound like a broken record, aren't I?)

Chapter Five - Normal Student-kun

(A/N - A few people asked for me to do reactions to some of the more civilian scenes that establish Ayanokoji's wish to lead a normal student life. I had always intended to do scenes like this and I will scatter them throughout the reaction fic when I haven't got enough time to do a full chapter.

So this will be a calmer reaction like I mentioned in the last chapter. I was very, very tempted to go straight into the Kushida meltdown after I read RukkaRo's comment about my potential sadistic streak. Unfortunately, I have barely any time to write extensively at the moment and I want to do a proper reaction to that scene so for now I will suppress my sadistic urges.)

Now we will be seeing various scenes from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's acclimation to this school!

"What?" Ryuen asked with a raised eyebrow.

Some of you might not be interested in this but you don't have any choice in the matter so just enjoy it.

"Who the fuck cares how that bastard 'acclimated' to this school!" Hosen yelled while simultaneously mocking the video creator's word choice.

"You're very loud Hosen-kun, would you mind shutting up?" Amasawa made her request with a smile.

"Piss off Amasawa. I humour you because you are somewhat capable but don't push my limits."

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Hosen-kun, I'll keep your limits in mind," Amasawa said with a cute giggle. I doubt Hosen will understand that he's being made fun of.

"Tch,"

Hosen turned away from his lively partner.

Focusing back on the more important subject, I wonder what they will show this time. It can't seriously just be how I got used to regular school life. However, that depends on what the creator hopes to achieve. If they simply wished to expose my actions then there was obviously no need to distract from that purpose with a video as mundane as my acclimation to school life. If there was another purpose though...

We'll start off with his first time visiting his dorm room and then there will be some other scenes too!

"Do we have to see this?" Ike asked, suddenly looking very bored.

"We have been instructed to show you all the videos we were provided with. So, yes, you have to watch the video." Chabashira told him.

"But do we have to pay attention?"

"There could always be a hidden reason, Ike-kun," Yosuke said, "There have been many times when the reason for something the school has done hasn't been immediately apparent. This could be one of those times so I think we should all pay attention."

"Hirata-kun is correct. No matter how useless a piece of information may seem, if it was given by the school, there must be some reason for it." Horikita backed him up.

"Fine..." Ike sighed and turned to the screen.

Personally, I was with Ike on this one.

Let's start! Oh, side note, this was before the school revealed it's true nature.

Obviously, it was from my perspective again. I can't believe this is something I've gotten used to.

Around one pm, I made my way back to the dormitory, my home from that day onward. At the reception desk, I received a keycard for Room 401 and a handbook containing information about the dorm's rules, then boarded the elevator. I quickly flipped through the handbook, which only detailed the most basic things that we needed for our daily routines. The dates and times for garbage disposal were listed, as well as a notice about avoiding excessive noise. I also saw notes about not wasting water or electricity, and so on.

"Why do your thoughts always sound so...organised?" Sudo asked, scratching his head.

"That's true. His thoughts are always well structured and to-the-point." Kanzaki added, throwing me a sideward glance.

"I wish my thoughts could be like that. Studying would be a breeze!" Amikura let out a somewhat stressed sigh.

"Your grades are fine, Mako-chan, don't worry so much," Ichinose patted her shoulder.

"So, they don't place restrictions on electricity or gas usage?"

I'd assumed that the school would deduct the cost from our points. This school really went to great lengths to have a perfect system for its students.

"Oh if that was only the case..." Sato lowered her head.

"Hey, at least we have good living conditions. It would be a pain to have to pay for stuff like that along with everything else," Mori said, taking an optimistic mindset.

"The school provides an equal amount of comfort and challenge. It's an ideal environment to learn," Horikita said.

Surprisingly, most agreed with her words. The school did indeed offer its students many luxuries. After all, it was only at this school that you would find yourself taken on a cruise for the summer holidays, even if there were some minor conditions like a two-week island exam in the middle.

However, I was a little surprised that they'd implemented co-ed dormitories. After all, this was a high school, so the rules stated that unsuitable romantic relationships were frowned upon. In short, sex was strictly forbidden...obviously. I mean, a member of the clergy wouldn't say that engaging in illicit sexual activity was okay.

A lot of people, especially the girls, became visibly fidgety at my casual mention of sexual activity.

"H-how can you think of that in such an objective manner..." Haruka muttered to herself.

"Oh, so you were just following the school rules at that time, senpai!" Amasawa gasped as if she was just realizing something momentous.

Perhaps I had been too quick to judge Horikita as the devil. Of course, at that time, I couldn't have known about the existence of this hellspawn.

I sighed as numerous people turned their gaze toward me.

"What does she mean by that, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked, "And how does that kouhai know you, anyway?"

"Did you do something lewd, Ayanokoji?" Ike glared at me.

"But Ayanokoji-kun doesn't even have a girlfriend, right?" Ishizaki frowned.

As the barrage of questions came my way I glanced over to Amasawa who was clearly enjoying the chaos she had caused. Our eyes met and she gave me a wink.

"Hey, first-year, what did you mean by that?" Hashimoto asked.

"Oh it's nothing! I'm sure Ayanokoji-senpai would rather I didn't disclose anything that happened behind closed doors,"

"If it happened behind closed doors then-" Hashimoto made an expression of realisation, "Oh, I see, King got to the new batch pretty quickly!"

Due to his considerable misunderstanding, I received plenty of glares from both the girls and the boys, Though I guessed it was for completely different reasons.

"Is there something between you and that kouhai, Ayanokoji-kun?" Kobashi asked.

"No, there's nothing at all between me and Amasawa," I replied.

"That's not what it sounds like..." Keisei frowned.

"Perhaps I judged you the wrong way, Ayanokoji-kun!" Hoshinomiya gasped.

While I was being judged in numerous ways for alleged relations with my kouhai, Kei was sitting silently, glaring at the cheeky red-head sitting in the front row. If Amasawa wasn't raised in the White Room, I'd be worried about her safety right now.

"Tell us straight, kouhai, is there something going on between you and Kiyopon?" Haruka interrogated Amasawa.

Instead of giving an answer, Amasawa started giggling uncontrollably. Please don't make this any worse than it already is...

"Did you just call Ayanokoji-senpai 'Kiyopon'?" Amasawa managed to get this question out through her unrelenting giggling.

"Yeah, it's a cute nickname for him, what about it?" Haruka appeared to be getting angry.

Finally, Amasawa took an overly exaggerated deep breath and stopped her laughter.

"I'm sorry, senpai, it's just that name...well it suits him perfectly, right Ayanokoji-senpai?," Amasawa asked.

Now I understood. For a student of the White Room, hearing their greatest pupil be nicknamed 'Kiyopon' must be quite humorous.

"I also apologise for the misunderstanding. There's nothing romantic between me and 'Kiyopon.'"

It looked like Amasawa had finished having her fun.

With that admission, those that had been asking me questions had no more reason to doubt me. Kei's glare, however, hadn't ceased at all. Amasawa had noticed this and was making herself look as innocent as possible.

"That kouhai is pretty irritating," Haruka muttered before leaning in to talk to me, "Hey Kiyopon, how do you know her?"

"I had to cook her a meal for the joint exam at the start of the term,"

"What? Why?" Akito had heard me and joined in.

"That was her condition for partnering with Sudo," I shrugged.

"That must mean she has quite a high academic ability then," Keisei mused, "But what an incredibly odd request."

"Apparently, she likes home-cooked meals," I replied.

"Still, normally people would ask for private points, right?" Haruka asked.

That logic only applied to 'normal' people.

"Well, she is just a first-year. Perhaps she didn't understand the importance of private points at that stage." Keisei suggested.

"Or maybe she did actually take a liking to you Kiyotaka," Akito said with a grin.

"I doubt it. I don't think she liked my cooking much."

"Do you cook a lot, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, but it's normally just for me so I don't make much of an effort."

"Can we try your cooking sometime?"

"Sure."

"Wahoo!" Haruka cheered.

I'd never cooked for a group this large before but I guess it would help me practise.

After what seemed like an age, the video finally continued.

While I privately doubted that such pampered students could develop into fine, upstanding adults, it would be wise to make the best of the situation for now. My room was about eight tatami mats wide. Also, though this was a dorm, it was the first time I'd lived alone. I refused to have any contact with the outside world until graduation. Considering my situation, I unintentionally cracked a smile.

"Um, I can barely see the difference..." Kobashi frowned.

"No, I think his lips are actually upturned slightly!" Amikura's mouth dropped.

There were a few more murmurs about my strange behaviour. It's true that I didn't often show my emotion in my expression. In fact, even those closest to me struggled to recognise a difference. However, I believe the main thing to note was that they noticed at all.

(A/N - I know people have a lot of different opinions on Ayanokoji's whole expressionless thing but going from the LN, he does show reaction on his face but it's incredibly subtle and wouldn't get picked up unless people were paying close attention, like Kei or Hirata. I look at it like he's subconsciously suppressing his emotion. Anyway, I thought I'd explain why I'm not doing the 'Oh shit he actually smiles, get the camera reactions'.)

"Tch, I'm starting to think you have a condition in your facial muscles, Ayanokoji," Ryuen said.

"I've never really thought about it, but why does your face always look the same, kouhai?" Asahina asked.

"I've said before but it's just because I struggle to express myself,"

"That's always your answer," Ike said.

"Well, it's not like he's going to answer differently if it's the truth," Sato shook her head.

"Is there any reason for that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Matsushita asked.

I shrugged

"I've been like it since birth,"

That wasn't strictly speaking true but I could hardly remember a time when things were different.

"Even as a child? That would be creepy," Shinohara shivered.

"Alright let's lay off Kiyotaka and continue watching," Yosuke cut in.

This school boasted a high employment rate upon graduation, and its facilities and student services were unmatched throughout the country, making it the preeminent high school in Japan. I found such things trivial, however. I'd chosen this school for one fundamental reason.

"There he goes again, completely ignoring the main reason to choose this school in the first place," Kanzaki sighed.

"I'm sure others enrolled for different reasons too, Kanzaki-kun," Ichinose replied.

Kanzaki simply nodded in response.

At this high school, people were not allowed to contact students without permission, even if they were friends or immediate family. I greatly appreciated that. I was free. In English, they would call it, "freedom." In French, they would call it, "liberté."

"I kind of like the freedom too but not being able to contact family or friends from outside the school is a bit of a bummer," Sato said.

"It sounds like you like that part though, Ayanokoji-kun?" Horikita asked.

"I'm a bit of a loner,"

"Even so, there must be someone you want to contact from the outside," Mori said.

I guess it's true that a large majority of students would have someone they wished to talk to on the outside. Even if they were distant with their family or didn't have many friends, most people would at least have one person they would want to contact.

"I had a few friends that I wouldn't mind talking to again,"

"Interesting. Purposely vague, huh? It's a statement that anyone would believe but for some reason I can't tell whether it's a truth or a lie..." Nagumo thought.

"A good answer, Ayanokoji-kun. Not many people would be able to understand the realities of your childhood." Sakayanagi sighed.

"Tch, to me it sounds more like you wanted to escape from something," Ryuen stared straight at me.

"Escape? It was nothing as serious as that," I replied.

Ryuen didn't look convinced in the slightest.

"Didn't you say something about a birdcage or something when we were watching the introductions?" Kobashi remembered.

"Oh yeah, he said he'd been in a birdcage and now he was flying free!" Amikura remarked.

I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up over exposing myself in my own head seeing as there was no way I could have foreseen something like this happening but I couldn't help but curse my own thoughts.

"Is there really any need to go over this again? He already said that it wasn't a big deal," Kei sighed.

"I agree with Karuizawa-san, if he says that it's not a problem, then we should believe him," Yosuke backed her up.

Normally, other students wouldn't even think twice about me but in these abnormal circumstances, it wasn't odd that they were asking questions. I'm sure the question of why I was the one being shown was still on most people's minds.

At Kei and Yosuke's behest, everyone held back their queries. There was no doubt that at some point I would have to reveal my capabilities and I would need to decide the best time to do that. However, if I can keep the existence of the White Room a secret, then that would be my first choice.

Isn't freedom simply the best? When I wanted to eat something, I could eat it. I almost didn't want to graduate. Before being accepted, I'd honestly thought I would have been fine either way, that the difference between passing and failing would have been trivial. But my true feelings finally welled up. I was glad to have been admitted here.

"I think it's safe to say that isolation is nothing new to him. In fact, the isolation that many feel when they first arrive at this school feels welcome to him in comparison to whatever he faced before. I wonder...do his abilities and this mindset go hand in hand, or are they due to different factors?" Manabu thought.

"No matter what he claims, it's clear that his life before this school wasn't a good one. When I first came here I was surrounded by such nice people but I still missed my loved ones on the outside. Did he really not have anyone like that?" Ichinose mused.

"I really can't tell what he's thinking even when literally seeing his damn thoughts. His ability is enough to squash anyone in this school but he doesn't even care enough to use it. Could it really be the only reason he came to this school was to escape from something? What a shit reason." Ryuen shook his head.

No one else's eyes or words would ever reach me. I could start ag—no. I could begin anew entirely. A new life. I resolved to enjoy my time here to the fullest, but without drawing attention to myself. Still in my uniform, I dived into my already-made bed. I felt far from tired, however. I was so incredibly excited about my new life that I was unable to calm down. My eyes remained wide open.

So that's the end of that scene. There's still a few more to go for this section though.

"Yeah, I didn't get the point of seeing that," Ike sighed.

Both Horikita and Yosuke both stayed silent. They couldn't figure it out either.

"So far all of this does seem quite pointless," Keisei agreed, "Kiyotaka, do you really have no idea why this is being shown to us?"

"None whatsoever. We don't know that it's all from my perspective yet though."

"That's true. I guess it can't be helped. We'll just have to wait and see."

I was confident that I could keep my cover for a little while longer. Before I could throw it away, I'd have to give myself some assurances.

Next let's watch an amusing interaction between Ayanokoji and Horikita.

This takes place during the Student Club Fair that the current second years attended in their first year.

Remember, this was before they learned what the school was really about.

"There is a lot of Ayanokoji and Horikita-san in these videos," Ike noted.

"That's because he barely hung out with anyone else when we first joined," Okitani replied, "Actually, who do you hang out with now?"

His question was obviously targeted at me. Before I could respond, Haruka answered in my place.

"With us!" she said with any air of pride.

"Who's us?"

"Me, Miyatchi, Yukimuu and Airi," Haruka recited brightly, "We are the Ayanokoji Group!

I could have done without you mentioning that last part, Haruka.

A few people laughed at the fact our group was named after me.

"Can I ask why your group is named after Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato was confused.

"Oh, that? We named it that because he was the one who brought us together!"

With our group suddenly the focus of everyone in the hall, Airi looked like she was about to melt into her seat. I should probably switch their attention.

"Can we start the next video now? I think everyone would prefer we get this over with quickly,"

If the creator was showing seemingly pointless events like my arrival at the dorms then it's likely they would also show the beginnings of the Ayanokoji Group anyway.

The few that were interested in our group turned back to the screen, ready to watch the next event.

After taking a quick peek into the cafeteria, I opted instead to go to the convenience store, buy some bread, and return to class. About ten people had remained in the room. Some had pushed their desks together so they could all eat as a group, while other, more solitary students quietly ate their lunches alone. Everyone here had brought a lunch box from the cafeteria or convenience store.

I was going to eat by myself, but then Horikita returned and sat down beside me. On Horikita's desk sat a delicious-looking sandwich. Her aura seemed to say, "Don't talk to me," so I returned to my seat without speaking. Just as I was about to sink my teeth into a sweet bun, music played through the speakers.

"At five PM Japan Standard Time today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No. 1. Students interested in joining a club, please gather in Gymnasium No. 1. I repeat, at—"

A girl with a sweet voice continued the announcement. Club activities, huh? Come to think of it, I'd never joined a club before.

"Not even in middle school?" Mori asked.

I shook my head.

"Don't you think you would have more friends if you joined in on more things?" Shinohara suggested.

Of course, she was right. You have to either actively seek companionship or be lucky enough for one to find you.

"Maybe," I responded.

"Ayanokoji-kun, you have lots of friends already," Hiyori smiled at me.

"That's true, I have enough," I nodded.

"We'll hang out with you whenever right Albert?" Ishizaki commented. Albert nodded in agreement.

"Not only Shiina-san but also Ishizaki-kun and Yamada-kun from Class D. You sure are associated with a lot of people, Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita stared at me.

"That's just the way it happened," I shrugged.

Horikita didn't continue but shook her head without taking her gaze off of me. Hmm, interesting, did she know something?

"Is it ok for you to be friends with so many people outside of our class, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked.

"I think most people have friends in other classes Mori-san," Yosuke said, "As long as he's careful then I don't think its a problem at all,"

Mori nodded and smiled at Yosuke.

The school rules certainly create a divide between the classes but that doesn't mean it's impossible to form a connection, whether that be with an official alliance or a relationship that is separated from the conflict. Of course, there was still a need to be cautious as I'm sure the entirety of Class C were aware after what happened with Yamauchi.

"Hey, Horikita—"

"I'm not interested in joining a club."

"Blunt as always..." Haruka muttered under her breath.

"I didn't even ask you anything yet."

"Well, what is it?"

"Are you interested in joining a club?"

People seemed to enjoy my teasing of Horikita as I heard laughter all around me. Looking over to Manabu, even he had a slight smile on his lips.

"You really knew how to push her buttons from the very beginning, eh, Ayanokoji," Ryuen said with a snicker.

"Is it really that simple? Fufu, perhaps I should try it sometime," Sakayanagi giggled.

Although she didn't say anything, I saw Ichinose trying to stifle her laughter. People really enjoyed seeing me tick off Horikita, eh? I wonder if the creator is going to show the bottle...

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have dementia, or are you just an idiot? Didn't I just tell you that I'm not interested?"

"That doesn't mean you won't join, though," I replied.

"Now you're just splitting hairs. Don't argue for the sake of arguing."

"Okay then."

So, Horikita had no interest in making friends or joining clubs. She seemed annoyed whenever I tried to talk to her. I wondered if she'd come to the school only to advance into higher education or get a job. If she wanted to advance to higher education, I wouldn't have found that too surprising, but I did consider it a bit of a waste.

"What do you mean by a waste, Ayanokoji-kun?" Amikura tilted her head as she looked at me.

"I just mean that there is a lot more you can do with your highschool life than simply using it as a stepping stone for other things,"

"I agree! Where else would I have met all my friends?" Kobashi grinned happily. A bunch of Class B girls smiled as well.

"You can make so many memories as well!" Haruka said cheerily, "But I didn't expect you to have such a romanticist way of thinking, Kiyopon!"

Apparently, she thought my logic was that of someone who enjoyed the feeling of the present. She was right to an extent.

"You don't really have any friends, do you?" she asked.

"Sorry. But, hey, I can at least talk to you pretty well now."

"Listen, don't count me as one of your friends."

"O-oh..."

"Grr, can you cut it with this shitty act!" Ibuki had gone very red.

Many people were shocked by her sudden outburst.

"What's wrong, Ibuki-san?" Hiyori asked.

Realising that she had shouted this loud enough for everyone to hear, she shrunk back into her seat.

"N-nothing! It's nothing,"

"An act? Whatever could you mean by that, Ibuki-san?" Sato asked.

Ibuki ignored her question, leaving a frown on Sato's face.

"Kuku, keep that temper of yours tamed, Ibuki," Ryuen laughed but I was sure Ibuki knew he wasn't joking.

Everybody was still understandably confused but realised that Ibuki wouldn't speak any further.

"It's clear why she's angry. He completely humiliated her and her classmates. I'm actually quite impressed that she's managed to follow Ryuen-san's order to keep quiet about him. Not that I have any idea why he chose to do that in the first place." Horikita thought.

"That was pretty mean though, Horikita-san," Kushida commented.

"I know, I'm sure you will all hear me say a lot more things that I regret saying," Horikita bowed her head.

"It's fine Horikita-san, we all know how much you've changed," Yosuke smiled.

"Well, since you apparently want to go find out about the clubs, do you intend to join one?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure, I guess. I'm still thinking about it. Probably not, though."

"You don't plan to join a club, but you want to go to the club fair? How odd. Do you plan to use this as a pretext for talking to people and making friends?"

How could she possibly be so sharp? No, I was probably just easy to read.

I heard more laughter, this time at my expense.

"Why did you need to have an excuse just to talk to someone?" Shinohara asked.

"Well, it would feel weird just walking up to people I'd never met and suddenly starting a conversation. Everyone had formed groups by this point."

"You ended up talking to us though, right Ayanokoji?" Sudo remembered.

"Yes, at some point,"

That 'point' was when I had to go through the trouble of arranging the study group. I'm sure he'd conveniently forget that, however.

"Since I failed to make any friends on my first day, I thought that clubs would be my last chance."

"Can't you invite anyone other than me?" she asked.

"It's precisely because I don't have anyone else to invite that I'm having such a hard time!"

"True. However, I don't think you seriously mean what you're saying, Ayanokouji-kun. If you seriously want to make a friend, you should be more insistent."

"I can't, though. I've devoted myself to walking a lonely road."

Horikita took up her sandwich and quietly resumed eating.

"I have trouble comprehending your contradictory way of thinking."

I wanted to make friends, but I couldn't. Horikita apparently found that incomprehensible.

"What you were saying wasn't wrong Horikita-san but some people don't have the ability to be like that," Kobashi said.

"I understand that, however, I don't believe that applies to Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita replied.

Seeming to not understand, Kobashi asked, "But Ayanokoji-kun has always been a little shy, why do you think he couldn't make friends."

"Hmm, I don't think I should comment any further,"

Horikita refused to elaborate on her opinion, leaving Kobashi to wonder what on earth she was on about.

"Have you ever joined any clubs, Horikita?" I asked.

"No, I've never been in one."

"Then, do you have any experience? You know, doing this or that?"

"What exactly do you mean by 'that'? I can't help but feel like that's a mean-spirited question."

"Mean-spirited? Why? What did I say wrong?"

In one quick motion, Horikita karate-chopped me in the side. I coughed after being struck, unable to believe that a girl could hit so hard.

Some laughed at her sudden display of violence while some gasped in shock.

"What was that for, Horikita-san?" Kushida asked.

"As I said before, I thought his question was mean-spirited,"

"But, how?"

Horikita didn't respond.

"Question, Ayanokoji. Why didn't you dodge her? We saw you defend against her brother so why did you let her hit you?" Hashimoto asked.

"I don't know if you saw, but I was sitting down. It's actually quite difficult to move in such a restrictive position."

"Oh right, yeah, that's true,"

Perhaps sarcasm wasn't the right way to go. I don't think anyone caught onto it. One person did laugh at my comment, however. Did Ryuen understand what I had been trying to do? If he did, he found my utter failure very amusing.

"Wh-what was that for?!" I cried.

"Ayanokouji-kun. I've warned you thoroughly, but it would appear that you haven't been listening. I think I may have to dole out rather merciless punishment to you later."

"Absolutely not! Violence doesn't solve anything!"

"Bullshit!"

Ibuki shouted again and immediately regretted it when everyone turned to her for the second time.

"That's twice you've shown clear anger at something he's said, Ibuki. Do you know more about him?" Kanzaki asked.

"Kuku, she's just a little stroppy today, that's all." Ryuen answered for her, "Ibuki definitely loves a good fight, isn't that right?"

"Well, she is one of your classmates, so I have no trouble believing that," Kanzaki responded.

"Kuku, exactly!" Ryuen chuckled, "She's just a little passionate,"

After he said that, he turned to Ibuki with a sly grin. One more word out of her and she'd probably be in some trouble.

"Oh, really? Violence has existed since the dawn of time. Violence has historically proven to be the human race's most effective means of achieving resolution. Violence is the most reliable method to make others listen, or safely deny their demands. Not to mention that, in many countries, the police who enforce the law use handguns and batons, wielding violence as a tool to make arrests."

"You sure are rambling..."

She gave a grand speech, insisting that hitting me had not been wrong. She also stated that her unreasonable behavior was reasonable. If I tried to argue, she would viciously tear me down.

"I couldn't agree more, Suzune! Maybe we are more alike than I thought," Ryuen grinned.

"Don't group me in with you. I don't use violence as a primary tactic or even think about using the harsher methods that seem to come naturally to you." Horikita responded.

"Kuku, what methods are you referring to exactly?"

"Infiltrating our camp using spies under the pretence of physical abuse, ordering your classmates to use violence as misdirection, bullying bystanders to achieve your goals. I have never and will never employ tactics like these in order to win."

Bullying bystanders? To my recollection the only time Ryuen had done this was when he tried to extract information about me out of Kei. Did Horikita somehow know of that incident? Or was there a chance something had happened that I had no knowledge of? However, if she had somehow found out about what happened, I couldn't say she was right about Kei being a bystander. Without her contributions, it would have been a lot harder for me to make any sort of moves. Horikita couldn't have come to that conclusion though.

"You're saying that I've done all those things? Let's say I had. Perhaps if you or Ichinose weren't so stuck up in your ways of doing things then you could both be better leaders,"

Ryuen considered both Horikita and Ichinose to be inferior leaders due to their inability to switch tactics. Ichinose, especially, couldn't defend against Ryuen's methods simply because she would never even think of them herself. While Horikita didn't have this problem, she was prone to tunnel-visioning, while Ryuen could calmly look at the bigger picture.

"Don't forget that you are currently in Class D. If my strategies were so bad, then how come you have fallen below us?" Horikita responded.

"Kuku, if you think you're the reason my class is currently sitting in last place then you are even worse than I imagined,"

Ryuen was quite comfortable in his position. Although from an outsider's perspective, it might look like Horikita's Class C were in a better position, reality wasn't quite so cut and dry.

"Perhaps I'm not. But the fact that you are in Class D is the same regardless. If I were you, I'd work on changing that before giving your opinion on the strengths of others."

"I must admit she has a point, Ryuen-san. How did you find yourself all the way down there, hmm? I thought you wanted to play with me?" Sakayanagi interrupted their argument.

"Don't worry, Sakayanagi, I'm still aiming at people worth my time,"

With everyone together like this, conversation seemed to go off on all sorts of tangents. My hopes of finishing this quickly didn't seem likely to be realised.

"I think that I will employ violence to rehabilitate you, Ayanokouji-kun, and purge you of those impure thoughts. How does that sound?"

"Okay then, what if I said the same thing to you, Horikita? What about that?"

At best, men who raised their hand against women were called "lowlifes" and "cowards."

"It's fine if you are protecting yourself but I think you should try and find another solution first," Inogashira suggested.

"I wouldn't particularly mind, because I don't think you'll get the chance. Besides, if I never say anything wrong, then you'll never be able to reproach me."

Her answer was totally unexpected. She really seemed to believe that she was always right. Even though she looked and spoke with the civility befitting an honors student, on the inside, she was a cruel beast.

"That's so mean, Ayanokoji-kun!" Kushida said.

"But he's obviously right. With an answer like that, it's clear she thinks too highly of herself." Utomiya commented.

(A/N - I haven't used Utomiya, Tsubaki or Yagami yet because I'm still familiarising myself with their characters as they've had very few scenes compared to everybody else. Especially Yagami who only has two chapters where he shows his true intentions.)

"Well, she is one of the most intelligent people at this school! I don't think she would say things like that unless she could back it up," Mori responded.

"One of but not the best. Even if she was the best, there is no chance that nothing she ever said could be considered wrong,"

"Well, yeah..."

"Please don't try to defend me. I appreciate it but I agree with Utomiya-kun. I can only say that my answer to Ayanokoji-kun's question was deluded."

Horikita still had a lot of pride and that in itself wasn't a bad thing. Through her experiences, she had stopped believing that she was untouchable, however.

"Okay, I get it, I get it. I'll be careful from now on."

I gave up on Horikita and looked out the window. Ah, the weather today was so nice.

"Club activities, hmm. I see..."

Horikita mumbled to herself as she pondered something.

"Well, if it's only for a little while after school, I'll go with you," she said.

"What do you mean 'a little while'?"

"You asked me earlier, didn't you? You said you wanted to go to the club fair."

"Oh, yeah. I never planned to stick around. I was just looking for a chance to go. Is that okay?"

"If it's just for a little while. All right, we'll go after class."

"After all of that, she just says yes..."

"I can't tell whether she likes him or not,"

The answer was a definite no.

After our conversation ended, we resumed eating our lunches. I had said that she was unpleasant earlier, but maybe things had turned around. Perhaps Horikita was actually a good person.

"Watching you flail about as you fail to make friends sounds somewhat interesting."

Nope. She was unpleasant.

People laughed as Horikita sighed.

"I still can't believe that we thought you were dating..." Mori shook her head.

"I know, right? It sounds more like they hated each other," Onodera replied.

"Y-you don't still hate each other now right?" Inogashira asked.

"I wouldn't say I hated him to begin with. I just thought he was irritating and I couldn't understand him." Horikita responded.

"The same applies now. The only thing that's changed is that I see him as someone to look up to rather than down on." Horikita thought.

"Oh that's good...I think,"

That's that video over. I think I'll add one more on before moving onto something more substantial.

Do you all remember your first swimming lessons? Let's watch the original Class 1-D's.

"Do we have to?" Mori protested.

"How in the hell is that relevant to anything?" Kei complained.

"Calm down. No matter the relevancy, you've been instructed to watch them, so do as you're told,"

Chabashira halted their protest instantly. Again though, I was on their side. I saw no point to this. Figuring out who was behind this would take a bit of time.

"Let's just get this over with," Kei sighed.

Actually, I'll show you a bit before as well just to see some of your reactions...

That wording was interesting. Oh well, there's no point thinking about it now.

"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Good morning, Ike!"

Arriving to class, Ike wore a broad grin as he called out to Yamauchi. It was rather unusual for them to get here so early. It'd been one week since the entrance ceremony, and Ike and Yamauchi would always make it to class right before the bell rang.

"So this is still when we didn't know about the points system?" Haruka asked.

"That's right," Keisei replied.

"Whew, man! I was looking forward to today so much that I barely slept last night!"

"Ah ha ha! This school is just the best! I can't believe that it's almost time for swimming! And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in school swimsuits!"

Ike shrunk into his chair as the weight of every female student's glare bore down on him. I almost felt sorry for him - there was no Yamauchi to share his suffering.

It was true that the swimming classes were co-ed. In other words, that meant that Horikita, Kushida, and all of the other girls would be...showing off a lot of skin. The girls backed away from Ike and Yamauchi's rabid excitement. I, on the other hand, sat in my chair, isolated and alone. I couldn't do so forever. I had to proactively work at joining a group of friends.

"I understand wanting friends but I hope you don't decide to choose them," Onodera sighed.

Wow. I was already getting slack for my choice before I'd even made it. Just how bad was their reputation anyway?

Fortunately, their conversation had ended, so I stood up. However, just then...

"Hey, Professor! Come here for a sec!"

"Uh, you called?"

A chubby boy, apparently nicknamed "The Professor," approached them slowly. If I remembered correctly, his name was Sotomura or something like that.

"Finally! I got an appearance!" Sotomura cheered.

(A/N - And this is one of your only appearances because I've completely forgotten your character development. Was he cured of the odd speech pattern which was the only reason he stood out or does he still speak like that. Who knows?)

"Professor, can you record the girls wearing their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked.

"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick so that I can skip class and observe."

"You did what!?"

Understandably, the girls in Class C were angry at this development. Some stood up from their seats to surround the two perpetrators before being stopped in their tracks by the sound of Chabashira's voice.

"Enough. Sit back down in your seats. If there is evidence that Sotomura did indeed record the swimming session then the appropriate action will be taken. However, I don't want a brawl to start, especially when there are so many people in this one room. The only time you are permitted to stand in to go to the toilet or one of the private rooms. That's all."

Clearly frustrated, the girls who stood hesitantly went back to their seats. I wonder if Chabashira will be able to contain them if they are shown 'Operation Delta' or whatever it was called.

"Record? What are you planning?" I asked.

"The Professor is going to rank the girls' breast sizes for us. If we're lucky, he'll get some pictures with his phone."

"Hey, hey." Sudou visibly drew back in response to Ike's plan. If the girls found out about it, the consequences would be severe. However, despite the content of the conversation, I was jealous of their easy banter. Having friends had to be nice. I wanted friends, too.

"You could really pick better though," Haruka said.

"Hey, he did in the end, right?" Akito smirked.

"Pathetic," a familiar voice said.

"So, you're here, too, huh, Horikita?"

"I just arrived while you were looking at those boys over there. You didn't notice me. If you want to be their friend, why not try just talking to them?" she asked.

"Shut up and leave me alone already. If I could just do it, I wouldn't be agonizing over it."

"From what I've seen, you don't seem to be unsociable or lacking in communication skills, though."

"Hey, that's true! Ayanokoji-kun says he is unsociable and shy but he doesn't seem fazed at all by social settings?" Onodera frowned.

"Remember that so far he's only spoken to Horikita in a one-to-one conversation. I believe he just has trouble initiating conversation with a group," Katsuragi said.

Based on what he'd seen so far, Katsuragi had come up with a logical conclusion. I hated the feeling of being evaluated like that though.

"There are a lot of reasons why I can't do it. So far, you're the only person I've been able to talk to, Horikita."

Even though I'd exchanged contact information with Ike and the others, I still hadn't been able to actually hold a conversation with them yet.

"Wait just a minute. I already warned you not to, but you wouldn't be thinking of me as your friend, would you?" said Horikita. She took a few steps away from me, as if in disgust.

"It's fine. No matter how low I sink, I'd never dream of being your friend," I replied.

"Geez, not even as a last resort!" Mori giggled slightly, "You two really despised each other, didn't you,"

"They were so mature about it, though," Inogashira commented, "I wouldn't be able to talk with someone I hated as much as they talk to each other,"

"I can't really decide if they are mature or not," Kobashi laughed, "Yes, they can talk to each other but they still poke petty insults at one another all the time,"

"Ayanokoji-kun seems so different when he first arrived at the school. I don't think I remember him insulting anyone. Maybe he's just different around me? Is he the same toward Karuizawa-san?" Ichinose frowned.

"I see. I feel a little relieved."

I wondered just how much she hated having friends.

"They are like polar opposites. One is trying his best to make friends and the other hates the very idea," Nanase giggled.

"Hey, Ayanokouji!" Ike called my name. When I looked up, I saw him beaming at me.

"Wh-what is it?" I asked.

"Did he just fucking stutter!" Ryuen's jaw dropped ever-so-slightly.

"I mean, I don't remember him ever stuttering before but why is that so weird?" Shinohara asked.

Ryuen didn't respond but shook his head. Even I didn't understand what he found so surprising.

"There's no way he was caught off guard just by someone calling his name. If there was any doubt before this, it's gone. He's trying to act completely different to how he usually would. It didn't work out and he went for an incognito approach. That's the only explanation." Ryuen concluded.

I stood, stuttering as I did so. Horikita no longer showed any interest in me. A chance to enter into a new group of friends had suddenly fallen into my lap.

"To tell you the truth, we're taking bets on the girls' chest sizes."

Many girls opened their mouths but before they could say anything, Horikita cut in.

"Before anybody says anything, can we just ignore their stupid antics. I'd rather get through this quickly than stop every time they say something mindless. They are members of my class so they will receive due punishment, I promise you."

With that declaration, the girls seemed satisfied and the boys that were involved were silent. Wait, wasn't I involved with this?

"We've come up with some probabilities."

The Professor took out a tablet and opened a spreadsheet. The names of all the girls in our class were displayed. There were numbers listed as well. I honestly had no interest in gambling, but I couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"Umm. So, is it okay if I join you?" I asked.

"Urgh, I get that you want to make friends, but seriously?" Shinohara said with a huff.

"You better not be like those perverts," Mori looked at me.

Maybe they'd take a lenient view of my actions?

"Yeah! Come on, do it. Do it!"

As of right now, Hasebe was the likeliest contender for the biggest breasts in the class. The odds sat at one to eight. I hadn't heard most of the names before. I couldn't even remember my classmates' names. This was too awful.

"Are you referring to the fact you can't remember your classmates' names or the whole betting situation?" Kobashi asked while eying me suspiciously.

"Both, I guess"

"Hmph, at least you aren't too bad. You shouldn't have even taken part though,"

Apparently, my way of making friends hadn't been a good one. Come to think of it, why am I the one getting grilled?

"This is way more elaborate than I would have thought. Aren't you observing them a little too closely?"

"Come on. We're men, aren't we? Men have only two things constantly on their minds: tits and ass!"

Even if that were true, he really had no filter whatsoever. By the way, Horikita was ranked lowest. If you managed to win the bet, that was over thirty times your wager back. Well, in terms of breast size, it was obvious who would win and who would lose. Horikita had no chance.

"Did you really need to analyse that?" Mori asked.

"It's not like I went out of my way. I can't help thinking about what's right in front of me." I replied.

I had no interest in Horikita's body whatsoever but the mind could easily be influenced by outside stimuli. In that sense, there was very little chance of me not thinking about it given the situation I was in.

"Yeah..." Mori gave in.

It's not that I couldn't understand her frustration, but it's not like I could do anything about it.

"I need to remain rational. He's just like this. He views everything in a very logical and rational way. He didn't even know me at this time. Geez, Kiyotaka, it's always you making me lose my nerve!" Kei was trying to calm herself.

"So, what's your wager? It's 1000 points to join."

"I see..."

I clearly lacked information. Scanning the list, I realized that not only did I not know the breast sizes of half the people here, I didn't even know the names and faces of most of the girls. Actually, aside from Horikita and Kushida, I couldn't recall hearing about anyone else. Kushida seemed to have fairly large breasts, but not large enough to take first place.

"Really, Kiyopon, how can you calmly consider this?" Haruka scolded me.

"Well, in my defence, I didn't know people were going to be looking into my thoughts,"

"I don't think anybody can account for something like that," Akito grinned.

"Oh yeah, Miyatchi, you didn't happen to involve yourself in this, right?" Haruka turned to stare him down.

"I-no, I don't think so,"

"Hmm, you don't think so? Did it slip your mind?"

"No, I wasn't involved!"

"Fine..."

"Come on, play with us. It's no fun if there're only a few people betting, you know?"

"I'll do it!"

"Me too, me too!"

"I have experience scouting girls and checking out their tits!"

"Who said that?" Shinohara glared around with killing intent. Surprisingly nobody owned up.

While I considered the offer, boys crawled out of the woodwork around me, getting blatantly excited over the size of the girls' breasts. The girls in the classroom looked at us like we were dirt.

"So pathetic..." Horikita muttered.

Almost every girl and even some guys were of the same mind.

"I'll join, too. By the way, my money's on Sakura," Yamauchi chimed in. Sakura was a somewhat plain girl who wore glasses, but because I'd barely talked to anyone, I honestly didn't know that much about her. While it looked like he was pondering something, Yamauchi tapped the Professor and Ike on the shoulders and whispered something to them.

"I'm only telling you guys about this. The truth is, I actually confessed to Sakura."

"Ehh-!" Airi tensed up and let out a little shriek.

"He confessed to you, Airi?" Haruka asked.

"No! Well yes, but-"

"He did later on but at this point, he was lying," I responded for her.

"Oh, I see. You've got admirers, Airi!" Haruka giggled.

"No, it's not like that..." Airi hid her face.

"What?! S-seriously?!" Ike was the most surprised and flustered by this. Had his goal to become the first guy in class to snag a girlfriend fallen through?

"Yeah, seriously. But keep this on the down low. It's just between us, okay? I mean, I thought she was really plain at first, but then I saw her wearing regular clothes. She was huge , man."

Airi's face was comparable to a tomato. I could almost imagine a green stem growing from her head. She was used to people seeing her online but she still had a long way to go to transfer that relative comfort to a real-life scenario.

"So disgusting,"

"Is this really all they think about?"

The boys involved in this would be lucky to get spoken to after this, let alone become closer with a girl. I wonder how Shinohara was feeling about this?

"You idiot Satsuki! How could you fall in love with this disgusting pervert? God, he was so bad! I don't think he's as bad as this now, is he?" Shinohara struggled to come to terms with her own feelings.

"You doofus. If she's not cute, you shouldn't ask her out, even if she's got huge tits. I wouldn't date anyone unless they were in the same league as Kushida or Hasebe. I'm not interested in such a Plain Jane."

"Oh really? Does that mean I'm on their level or did you decide to downgrade?" Shinohara shot Ike a difficult question.

"I-um, well- I think you are on their level, right Satsuki?"

He was clearly lost on what response he should give and basically asked her if what he had said was right. Any sort of confident response would have probably been better.

"You're hopeless..." Shinohara sighed.

Wow. No anger, just disappointment. She really does like him.

He spoke harshly because no one else was around. I wondered how much I believed Yamauchi when he said that he'd asked Sakura out. I had my doubts. In the end, I decided to place my bet on the girl with the highest odds.

"And who was that, again?" Haruka asked.

"That would be you," Akito said with a grin.

As he said that, Haruka turned the same colour as Airi.

"R-really, Kiyopon?" she shook her head exasperated.

"It was the safest bet," I shrugged.

"That is so far from the point," she sighed.

Now we are headed for the pool!

As the text faded out, the familiar sight of the school pool came into view.

"All right! The pool!"

After lunch had ended, it was finally time for swim class. Finally, the moment Ike and the others had so desperately been waiting for. Without even trying to hide his excitement, Ike leapt up and headed with the others toward the indoor pool. I followed behind them in what I thought was a stealthy manner.

"Come on, let's go together, Ayanokouji!"

"Huh? O-okay."

I'd hesitated somewhat upon receiving Ike's invitation, but I hurried to join and followed them to the locker room. Sudou promptly removed his uniform and started to change, showing off his physique. He'd built up his body through his years of basketball playing. Even in comparison with the other students, he was clearly in incredible shape. While the others wrapped themselves in bath towels, Sudou unabashedly wore only his underwear. He stood there, semi-nude, and took his swimsuit out of his bag. I couldn't keep myself from blurting something out.

"Thanks, Ayanokoji!" Sudo said.

I nodded. Isn't this a bit too much though? Allowing us to see a recording of the changing rooms?

"This is such an invasion of privacy! Why are you allowing us to see this?"

Ichinose shared my opinion and asked a question of the teaching staff.

"Were it up to us then there would certainly be no way we would allow this to be shown. However, we have had assurances that anything judged as too inappropriate will be censored." Mashima responded.

"That's not much help..."

Both the girls and boys weren't too happy to be put on display. Even if it was censored, there would be a high degree of embarrassment and, for some, fear. Furthermore, this was plainly against the law. There was only one person I knew to whom the law wasn't even seen as a consideration.

"Sudou, you're pretty bold. Aren't you nervous about being around other people?"

"In sports, you can't get flustered every time you have to change. If you act all shifty, it'll have the opposite effect. You become the center of attention."

He could say that again. In these sorts of places, sneaky guys got mocked.

"All right, I'm going on ahead."

A moment later, Sudou left the locker room. I quickly finished changing as well.

Upon seeing the fifty-meter pool, Ike cried out, "Whoa, this school is something else! It's even better than the city pool, don't you think?" The water was clear and beautiful, and because it was indoors, we didn't have to worry about the weather. The perfect environment.

"This pool here is really good," Onodera said. She was a member of the swimming club so I'm sure her opinion was educated.

"All of the facilities in the school are first-rate," Yosuke agreed.

"What about the girls? Aren't they here yet?"

Ike looked around, sniffing the air like a dog.

"That's such a good comparison, Ayanokoji-kun!" Sato said with her eyes glowering in the direction of Ike and the other boys labelled as perverts.

"Maybe we should change their names, Sato-san?" Matsushita suggested.

"I was just thinking the same thing!" Sato smirked.

"Ike-kun seems to be the leader of their band so he can be Dog-kun 1," Mori said.

"You don't mind, do you, Shinohara-san?" Sato asked.

"Not at all,"

I felt just a little bad for Ike, but he only had himself to blame.

"They take a while to change, so they're probably not ready," I said.

"Hey, I wonder what would happen if I just suddenly jumped into the girls' locker room?" Ike said.

"They'd gang up on you, beat the crap out of you, and then file charges, probably."

I got a few laughs due to my blunt response.

"You can't press charges against a corpse," Horikita said in a monotone voice.

"Don't give me such a realistic, deadpan answer and ruin my fun!" Ike began to tremble with fright as he played that scenario in his head.

"If the girls sense you staring at them in their swimsuits, they'll probably hate you."

"I'm so glad you aren't like them, Kiyopon," Haruka turned to me.

"I doubt I would have been accepted into this group if I was," I replied.

"Come on, like there's a guy out there who wouldn't stare! Agh. What am I gonna do if I get a boner?"

The girls looked even more disgusted as they had that mental image seared into their minds.

"Don't worry, they wouldn't notice," Hashimoto called out.

The hall erupted into the loudest laughter yet. Even if this was an 'elite' high school, it's students were still very much high schoolers. Ike looked on the verge of tears.

If that happened, they'd probably hate Ike from that moment all the way until the day of our graduation. Wait a second, what was happening? Had I started talking naturally to Ike and the others? Even though until this morning I hadn't been able to join their group, I suddenly had my foot in the door, so to speak. This was the moment for a new friendship to be born.

"I don't think you chose the right people, but I'm actually somewhat glad that you managed to make some friends after all the videos we've watched," Mori said.

"Wow! It's so spacious! It's so much bigger than the pool at my junior high school."

A few minutes after the boys had arrived, a girl's voice could be heard.

"A-are they here?!"

Ike looked ready to strike. If you were that obvious about it, the girls were bound to hate you. Even so, I was curious, too. I mostly wondered about Hasebe and Kushida, but a little about Horikita as well. I was particularly interested in Hasebe, the girl rumored to have the biggest tits in class. I didn't think there'd be any harm in taking a little peek. However, it turned out that all of the boys' wishes were dashed by an unexpected turn of events.

"Care to explain, Kiyopon?" Haruka stared right into my eyes.

It's not like I actually did it. This treatment seems entirely unfair.

"I apologise Haruka,"

"Hmph, fine! I guess you can't help it,"

I noticed that the girls viewed this sort of behaviour as completely one-sided. Societal rules were a thing of wonder.

"Hasebe isn't here! Wh-what's going on, Professor?!" Ike cried.

The Professor, who had been watching the class, was now in a panic. Standing on the second-floor observation deck, he scanned the room. Ike and the others also looked around. At this height, the Professor's beady, bespectacled eyes should have spotted his prey instantly. However...

He couldn't find the girls anywhere. He looked to his right and left, as if in disbelief. Could they still be changing? Or could...

"B-behind you, Professor!"

"What?!"

Ike pointed and shouted. The situation had become clear. Hasebe stood behind the Professor on the observation deck. One by one, the rest of the girls appeared, until they'd all emerged onto the second floor. Sakura was among them.

"Wh-what's going on? How did this happen?"

Ike slumped to the ground and buried his face in his hands, shaken by this unbelievable turn of events. Hasebe seemed to be self-conscious about being considered a beautiful girl.

Furthermore, she seemed to dislike getting curious looks from the boys. She was not amused at their attempts to ogle.

"Tch, who would be?" Sato asked.

"Aw, but I thought I'd get to see big tits! Big tits! I thought this was my chance!"

Ike appeared to be contemplating suicide. His wails of agony reached Hasebe.

"You really are pathetic," Kamuro turned her nose up as if she smelt something worse than a sewer.

Ike had been completely destroyed. There was no look of anguish on his face anymore. In fact, he didn't really display any sort of emotion. He was like a soulless carcass to which the girl's insults held no power.

"Fufu, don't kick the downtrodden, Masumi-san," Sakayanagi grinned.

"Gross," the girls muttered among themselves. Ike was being far too obvious, so it wasn't surprising that the girls hated him...

"Ike, don't be sad! Come on, there are still tons of girls out there for us!" Yamauchi said.

"Y-yeah, that's right. You got a point. I can't get down in the dumps now!" Ike cried.

"Bro!" Yamauchi and Ike reaffirmed their manly bond of friendship, clasping their hands together.

"What are you two doing? That looks like fun."

"K-K-Kushida-chan?!"

Kushida showed up between the two of them. She was clad in her school-issued swimwear, which nicely showed off her voluptuous figure. In an instant, nearly all of the boys' eyes were glued to Kushida's body. She must have been a D or E cup. I didn't know for sure, but I estimated. She was a lot bigger than I'd thought. Her butt and thighs were also more voluptuous than I had pictured, which was strangely captivating. However, all of us boys quickly averted our gaze.

"I really thought you were better than that Ayanokoji-kun!" Mori shook her head.

It was my turn to feel the weight of the girl's anger.

"I wonder. Was I seeing things when I saw some of you blush and look away when Sudo was shown on screen? I wonder what exactly was going through your minds then..."

If my true nature was going to be exposed anyway, then I could probably afford to throw out the passive answers on occasion.

"That-"

"Sudo probably liked getting checked out, what's your point?" Shinohara huffed.

"Perhaps he did, but I certainly don't. Let's keep watching to see what happened next."

Ah, the weather was so nice today... World peace truly was wonderful.

Once the inevitable physiological reaction kicked in, it was quite a terrible shock.

"Why the pained expression?" Horikita examined my face closely, with a suspicious look.

"I'm currently in the midst of an internal battle," I replied.

Horikita was in a school swimsuit. How to put it? Yeah. She looked good. Not bad at all. But if I stared, it was likely that something bad would result. I thought it best to grin and bear it until I calmed down.

"..."

For some reason, Horikita was checking me out all over.

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you exercise?" she asked.

"Huh? No, not really. I'm not particularly proud of this, but in middle school I was the kid who never had any after-school plans."

"Well, you say that, but...judging from the development of your forearms and your back muscles, you seem above average."

"I guess my parents blessed me with good genes?"

"I don't think that's the only reason."

"Jeez, what's with you? Do you have a muscle fetish or something? Is that it?"

With no social norms to hold her back, Horikita had examined my body without a problem. I imagined it was unlikely the girls would accept such an argument but it was better than nothing.

"You do have a point, Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita admitted, "But have you never heard of the term 'Two wrongs don't make a right'?"

I wasn't sure that term applied in this context. People's thoughts weren't always consciously controlled which meant that more times than not, people couldn't help what they were thinking. The process was automatic.

"I-"

Before I give any sort of response, Sakayanagi decided to offer her opinion.

"Don't you think you are all being rather immature? Surely every single one of you has had 'impure' thoughts at one point in time, no? It simply can't be helped. I can't help but think right now that you are all being quite hypocritical."

Coming from a girl's mouth, those words held a lot more weight. To begin with, the girls probably knew their complaints were unfair but they let their feelings overcome logic. I could understand it, but I wasn't kind enough to become a target just to satisfy their frustration.

"Honestly, I think you all owe Ayanokoji-kun an apology for your words,"

One by one the girls who openly criticized me began to see reason. Each of them would have, at some point in their life, had thoughts similar to mine. I was glad that the situation was over.

"I suppose if you deny it that much, I have to believe you..."

She appeared somewhat dissatisfied. I guessed that Horikita had a rather discerning eye and enjoyed using it.

"Are you a good swimmer, Horikita-san?"

Although Horikita gave a slightly puzzled look in response to Kushida's question, she quietly answered. "I wouldn't say I'm particularly good or bad at it."

"I was really bad at swimming when I was in junior high. But I gave it my all and practiced really hard, and now I think I've gotten better," Kushida said.

"I see." Horikita gave a disinterested response and backed away slightly, clearly signaling that she didn't want to continue the conversation further.

"I'm used to it by now but she was still so cold," Onodera said.

"It's actually kind of impressive to be that way towards Kushida-san!" Amikura said.

"Oh, it's fine, I shouldn't have been so pushy," Kushida said with a smile.

"All right, everyone, line up!"

A macho-looking middle-aged man, the kind of guy who apparently devoted himself to sports, gathered everyone together and started the class. He looked like a PE teacher, but also seemed like the kind of guy who was attractive to men and women alike.

"There are sixteen of you, huh? I thought there would've been more, but this is all right."

Clearly, some of the students in that count had ditched class, but it didn't appear to frustrate him.

"After you warm up, I want to see what you can really do. Swim for me," the coach said.

"Excuse me, sir. I can't really swim, though..."

A lone boy sheepishly raised his hand and spoke up.

"Since you have me as your teacher, you'll be swimming by summertime. Don't worry about a thing."

"Well, we don't really need to force ourselves to swim, do we? It's not like we're going to the beach or anything."

"Wait, so our swimming lessons were so early because of the island exam, then?" Mori realised.

"Most likely. They wouldn't want a student in possible danger because they didn't know how to swim," Keisei responded.

"Come to think of it, there were lots of clues in our first month that we didn't pick up on..." Inogashira noticed.

"Yep, that's how you ended up with zero points," Hashimoto said with a smirk.

"No way. I don't mind at all if you're bad at swimming now, but I'll make sure you guys are winners in the end. Besides, being able to swim will definitely come in handy later in life. Definitely."

"Our teacher was sure that we would need to know how to swim. I guess that was a clue as well," Yosuke noted.

"I don't think we should beat ourselves up over the fact now. Hindsight makes things seem obvious, but I doubt anybody would have been able to pick up on such a minute detail. After all, swimming can come in handy outside of school as well. We don't know that he was giving us a clue," Horikita explained.

She was absolutely right. Even if we were looking out for clues, it would be dangerous to make assumptions based on this fact alone. Knowing how to swim could potentially save your life or somebody else's. Nobody could have linked this to the island exam.

Swimming would definitely come in handy? Well, I suppose knowing how to swim would be convenient. However, hearing a teacher say something like that made me feel uncomfortable. Though, he probably just wanted to keep the students from sinking like rocks.

Everyone started their warm-up exercises. Ike kept peeking at the girls. The teacher asked us to swim for about fifty meters. Students who could not swim were allowed to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet. I hadn't been in a pool since last summer. The water must have been temperature-controlled, because I didn't feel chilled when I entered and adjusted right away. After getting in, I started to swim lightly.

After fifty meters, I waited for everyone else to finish.

"He he he, that was an easy win for me. Did you all see my super swimming skills?" Ike crowed.

He'd swum expertly, and now got out of the pool with a smug, self-satisfied grin. No, Ike, your performance wasn't really that different from anyone else's.

"Harsh but true," Sato said with a giggle.

"Well, it looks like everyone can swim, for the most part."

"Of course, sir. Back in junior high, people called me 'the flying fish,' you know."

"I see. In that case, I'll have you start competing against each other. We'll separate groups by gender. Fifty-meter freestyle."

"C-compete?! Are you serious?" Ike cried.

"This is why it's ill-advisable to overstate your abilities," Katsuragi sighed, "I'm guessing Koenji achieved the fastest time?"

"What an incredible guess," Koenji smiled, "Though, perhaps it was obvious seeing as it's me,"

"I'll give out a special bonus to the first-place winner: 5000 points. The student who comes in last place, however, will have to take supplementary lessons. Get ready."

The skilled swimmers cheered with joy, while the less confident students groaned.

"Because we don't have very many girls, I'll split you into two groups of five people, and the student with the fastest overall time will be the winner. As for the boys, I'll look at the top five finishing times and then move on to a final round."

I'd never imagined that the school would award points as a prize. Perhaps this was a way to light a fire under the students. Rather well thought out, I had to say. Excluding the observers and the one student who couldn't swim, there were sixteen boys and ten girls competing. The girls started first, while the boys sat on the sidelines, filled with excitement as they cheered... no, as they assessed the girls.

The girls had given up reprimanding us over our indelicacy. Or maybe Sakayanagi's words from earlier had actually stuck with them.

"Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan. Haaaaaaa..."

It looked like Kushida had completely entranced Ike.

"You're scaring everyone, Ike, settle down," I mumbled.

Shinohara had her face buried in her hands as she listened to Ike become rabid in his excitement to see Kushida.

"He can't help himself, can he?" Amikura shook her head.

"How can someone be this obsessed?" Kobashi was perplexed.

Let's skip a bit because I'm sure everyone knows who the capable swimmers are.

It ended up with Koenji and Sudo swimming the fastest and having a showdown of sorts in the final race.

"I'm really looking forward to this. Both Kouejin-kun and Sudou-kun are so fast," Kushida said.

"A-ah, yeah."

Standing beside a swimsuit-clad beauty, I'd entered a state of emergency, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Hmm? What's the matter? Your face looks red for some reason. Are you not feeling well, by chance?" she asked.

"Ok, I've been wondering this for a while, but isn't Ayanokoji's personality so different in these videos?" Hashimoto frowned.

"What do you mean, Hashimoto-kun?" Kushida asked.

"Well, I only met Ayanokoji at the mixed training camp special exam but he's always so calm and collected. When I watch these videos, he seems so different from that,"

"Hmm, that's true. I haven't spoken to him much either but I do agree that his behaviour here doesn't match what I know of him," Kanzaki agreed.

I saw some students look at me expecting a response. When I didn't give one they turned back, losing interest quickly. One person didn't intend to let the subject lie though.

"There is some truth to what they are saying, kouhai. Were you perhaps trying to fake a personality?" Nagumo stared at me.

Whether he'd deduced that somehow or just thrown a random guess, he wasn't too far off the mark. Of course, the environment was new to me and my reactions were mostly genuine but it was also true that I had put on a face that didn't reflect my true personality.

"Maybe it just seems that way because the environment was new to me, senpai," I responded.

"Hmph, I see,"

He didn't continue his questioning, accepting the fact that there was no new information to be had. Most of the first and third years had been quiet since we began watching this string of mundane videos. I must admit that I didn't see the point in them either.

"Oh, no, no, that's not it at all..."

"Well, even so, something seems unusual. Why do we have swimming classes in April, anyway?"

"Because we have such an incredible indoor pool. Oh, yeah, that reminds me... You were pretty fast, Kushida. I can't believe that you weren't very good at swimming in junior high."

"You're much faster than average, too, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Oh yeah? What was his time?" Hashimoto asked.

"Hmm, I can't remember, I think maybe just a little faster than most people?" Kushida responded.

"So nothing as insane as his running ability?"

"Oh, no. I think running must be his speciality, right, Ayanokoji?" Kushida turned to me.

I nodded.

"Nah, I'm pretty average. I don't really like to exercise."

"Is that so? But you look like a really manly guy, Ayanokouji-kun. Even though you're so slim, I could say that you're even better built than Sudou, and he plays basketball."

"I didn't notice before but wow, Ayanokoji!" Mori complimented me.

"As I said to Horikita, I was just blessed with good genes," I shrugged.

"How you came to look like that doesn't really matter, senpai, the fact is that you do!" Amasawa gave a cheeky grin.

Kushida examined my body in shock and awe, as if she were thinking "Really? Really?" I was ten times more nervous now than when Horikita had stared at me.

"I was just born naturally muscular. There's no special reason behind it. To tell you the truth, I'm not in any clubs."

The conversation revolved around good health. I felt somewhat nervous, but strangely satisfied as well. We continued in this way for a while; I'd wanted to talk with Kushida alone.

"Wow, Kouenji is amazing. I thought that Sudou would have won in a landslide... What the heck is going on, Ayanokouji?" Ike asked.

It looked like Kouenji had beaten Sudou by about a five meter lead in the final round. After he'd finished observing the race, Ike zeroed in on me, his face like a demon's.

"Uh, nothing really. I didn't do anything," I replied.

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and whispered in my ear.

"I'm aiming for Kushida-chan. Don't get in the way!"

I didn't exactly plan to get in the way, but his goal was slightly unrealistic. I didn't think Kushida was the type who'd stoop to being with someone like Ike. Of course, I didn't think she'd get with me, either.

"I'm surprised! A boy who didn't want to get with Kushida-san!" Mori gasped, "You are a rare find, Ayanokoji-kun!"

"Didn't matter in the end though. Dog-kun 1 still couldn't get the girl," Sato sighed.

Ike had been through a rough ordeal in this last video. He wasn't the only boy guilty of throwing glances at the girls of course, but he had been the one I'd been close to during the swimming session. So, I guess, in a way, I was partly to blame for his public execution.

I think that's enough looking at Ayanokoji's daily life, don't you?

Let's move onto something a little more exciting.

I couldn't help but feel that the last statement was a little insulting.

(A/N - It's been over a week since I updated? Really? I don't believe you. Seriously though, I actually struggled to find time to write this. Updates will likely be rather sporadic for a while so I apologise in advance for that.

I'm 18 and currently working while attempting to finish two home courses and learn a new language. That's completely my own fault for piling on way too much work but it does mean that I don't have a lot of time for writing. Although writing this has helped me get back to a level of writing that I find acceptable, it's still a leisure activity and I can't afford to spend as much time as I'd like on it.

Also, I've decided to publish this with minimal checking, so if something is wrong with anything I've written, leave a comment so I can change it. It's just so I don't spend any more time before putting this out.

Anyway, next I'll be moving onto the more exciting scenes. There shouldn't be many scenes left for Volume 1 and I do want to get onto the scenes post-island exam so I'll try and speed up a bit.

Thanks for reading!)

Chapter Six - Saving Sudo

This will take place when you all took your first midterm exams.

There were barely audible groans from certain sections of the audience.

One student of Class D was on the brink of being expelled, until...

"Until what?" someone called out.

Without further detail, the video started.

Chabashira-sensei strode into the classroom, looking around at the students in surprise. Everyone was clearly anxious, holding their breath in anticipation of the test results.

"Sensei. We were told that the results would be announced today, but when?"

"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Hirata. You should have passed quite easily."

It was interesting to remember how quickly Yosuke had gotten attached to this class. If someone had gotten expelled earlier on, it might have been quite the problem.

"He was obviously worried about his classmates, sensei," Sato pointed out.

(A/N - Someone pointed out that I've been using Mori a lot and I hadn't even realised. Her and Inogashira are the only two characters with somewhat defined personalities that aren't a part of the 'main' girls, so I used them to make passing comments that weren't in character for the rest of the cast. Just so I can stop using both of them everywhere, I'm going to take a few of the other members of each class and give them very minimal characterisation so I can have some variety when I need someone to make the odd comment.)

"I don't think I would have made it through that exam without Hirata-kun's study sessions..." Maezono.

"As long as you study properly, I don't think any of you would have a problem now," Yosuke tried encouraging his classmates.

It was true that Class C had come a long way academically. One key attribute of this school was the penalty for a failing grade. This rule pressured it's students into giving their all in every exam, as one missed mark could mean expulsion. While it was a lot to deal with mentally, no other school could provide this kind of motivation, meaning that even students like Sudo or Ike had a reason to get serious when it came to studying.

On another note, it was now clear what the video would show this time. Slowly but surely, both mine and Horikita's lies would be torn to shreds.

"So, when will the results be released?"

"Well, if you'd like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited to do it after class, we wouldn't have enough time for other procedures."

Some of the students visibly reacted to the words "other procedures."

"What...do you mean by that?"

"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now."

As usual, she revealed the details simultaneously and collectively. She stuck a large, white sheet of paper with everyone's names and test scores onto the blackboard.

"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think that you'd score so well. Many students tied with perfect scores in mathematics, Japanese, and social studies. More than ten of you, actually."

"That was all due to those old test results. Thanks again for that Kushida-chan!" Okitani bowed his head.

"Oh, um- No problem!" Kushida replied.

"It was definitely a creative way to solve the problem, but it still felt like cheating," Keisei said.

"Hey, those test results saved me and Miyatchi! What about you, Airi?" Haruka asked.

"Eh-well, yeah they were helpful," she smiled sheepishly.

"On an unrelated note, it seems this video is from your perspective again, Kiyotaka," Keisei turned to the group.

"Seems like it,"

"In most of the other videos, it showed something we didn't know about you, like your entrance exam score or capability in a fight. Are we going to see something similar here?"

At this point, it was important that I began to cover my bases.

"Yes, we are,"

"I see. I half-expected you to deny it, but I'm glad you didn't."

"I'd prefer that these videos didn't continue, but seeing as I don't think that's an option, the best choice is to be as open as I can,"

I decided to give them the truth. If things weren't like this, I would have preferred to have taken a different approach in revealing the things about me I've kept hidden.

"That's understandable. Can I ask another question though?" Keisie continued.

I nodded.

"If these videos weren't being shown, would you have told us about these events, or at the very least, your actual capabilities?"

"Yes and no,"

"What does that mean?"

From what they'd seen so far, there would be no reason for me to keep these moments a secret. However, there were some things that I'd prefer to keep hidden from even the Ayanokoji group.

"There are some things that I'd prefer to keep to myself," I responded, "I don't think that matters much, though, as by the looks of it, you'll see everything about me,"

Whether I could keep the existence of the White Room a secret or not was yet to be seen. There was also the chance that the creator of these videos shared my wish. If that was the case, it would make my work a whole lot easier.

"I really feel bad for Kiyopon. I'd hate it if my life was put on display like this," Haruka said.

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's honestly not that bad," I assured her.

"Calm as always," Akito said with a half-smile.

Some of the students shouted in joy and delight when they saw the 100s lined up on the results sheet. However, some weren't smiling. The only grade that truly mattered was Sudou's score in English.

Then— We saw Sudou's test scores.

He had scored sixty points in four of the five main subjects, which was considerably high. He'd scored thirty-nine points in English.

"Yes!" Sudou leapt up and shouted with joy. Ike and Yamauchi stood and cheered, too. There was no red line to be found on the results sheet. Kushida and I shared a glance and sighed in relief. Horikita didn't smile or cheer, but she did appear relieved.

"I can't believe you all got so happy over passing the first test," Ryuen chuckled.

"It was our first test at this school that put expulsion on the line," Ichinose said, "I was relieved that all of my class passed as well,"

"Still, it was a close call," Sudo looked downcast, "If Suzune hadn't-"

"There's no point thinking about it now. That happened over a year ago and you are still here so don't let it bother you," Horikita cut him off.

"Y-your right!" Sudo shook his head to focus himself.

"We showed you, sensei! When we really try our best, we can do anything!" Ike wore a smug, confident look.

"Yes, I recognize that. You all did very well. However—"

Chabashira-sensei held a red pen in her hand.

Sudou unintentionally let out a "Huh?"

She drew a red line right above Sudou's name.

"Wh-what is that? What does that mean?"

"You failed, Sudou."

"Wait, after all that celebrating, you actually failed?" Ryuen laughed, louder this time, "I am quite interested in how you are still here though,"

Saying that, he subtly threw a look in my direction. I don't think I could really call it a good deduction as he seemed to think I was behind everything that happened in my class.

"Horikita-san saved him, I remember this!" Ike shouted. He had seemingly gotten over the verbal assault he had received due to the last video.

"Suzune, eh? We'll see..."

Let's skip the teacher's reasoning for the passing grade, seeing as you should all know it by now. Just know that Sudo was a single point off of passing the exam.

"A single point? That must have sucked!" Hashimoto laughed.

"Maybe they gave him a pass because it was the first exam and he was that close?" Shibata suggested.

"Do you really think this school would take pity on someone like that, Shibata?" Kanzaki argued.

"I feel like it would feel even worse to fail like that than if you were to score zero," Amikura said.

If he had scored zero, then even if I would have included the entire class in my plan to save him, we still wouldn't have had enough points.

"I must say, this has piqued my interest. What method did they use to revoke the expulsion, I wonder?" Sakayanagi mused.

"How would you have done it, Sakayanagi?" Katsuragi asked.

"Me? I would have let the failure fail. Then, I could have confirmed the penalties for expulsion from an early stage,"

"What? You'd let a classmate get expelled just to test something like that?" Sato asked, perplexed.

"Absolutely. Though perhaps in Sudo-kun's case, I would have kept him around. He certainly has some uses," Sakayanagi changed her mind.

"How would you have done that then, Sakayanagi-san?" Ichinose repeated the question.

"Hm, I can think of a couple of ideas. But I think we are about to see the best option right now so I wouldn't want to spoil anything," she grinned as she said this.

"I didn't know you were so confident in Suzune's ability, Sakayanagi," Ryuen said.

Sakayanagi didn't respond but wore her trademark smile that seemed both cruel and playful.

Chabashira-sensei had heartlessly announced Sudou's expulsion without offering him a second chance or the faintest bit of sympathy. Ike and Yamauchi, knowing that words of comfort would probably have the opposite effect, stayed silent. Hirata remained quiet, too. Sadly, some of the students appeared relieved by this. Were they happy that a nuisance like Sudou was being removed from the class?

"I guess I can kind of understand why, but he was your own classmate, shouldn't you at least try and help him," Ichinose said with a sad expression.

Those that had shown relief at Sudo's expulsion either ignored her or wore a regretful look. Not only had they gotten to know Sudo better during the past year, but also saw how the class had benefited from his presence. Of course, their reactions to his expulsion were understandable and, going solely from his behaviour, I couldn't fault them for it.

"We're sorry, Sudo-kun!" Kushida lowered her head in sorrow. She hadn't been one to openly show happiness at his misfortune but chose to apologise on behalf of the class.

"Nah, it's fine," Sudo waved his hand in dismissal, "I was a problem, right? It makes sense that some people wanted me gone,"

Some were relieved at his words, while some didn't seem to care. While Sudo's maturity had made him an asset to the class, he still had that same brash and blunt personality which had caused the class to distance themselves from him. The fact that his temper could flare up at any given moment also played a role in the class' perception of him.

"Sudou, come to the faculty room after class. That is all."

"Chabashira-sensei. May I have a moment of your time?"

Though she'd stayed silent until that moment, Horikita raised her slender arm in the air and spoke. Thus far, Horikita had never voluntarily made any remarks. Chabashira-sensei and the rest of the class appeared shocked by this abnormality.

"I thought Horikita-san was already the leader of their class at this point," Kobashi said.

"No, it was Hirata-kun at the start, then we found out how clever Horikita-san was when she won the first island exam for us," Maezono explained.

"Oh right, yeah! We still have no idea how you guys won that! I wonder if we'll find out," Kobashi responded.

The island exam, eh? That event is basically the point of no return. My actions up until that time can be easily explained or brushed past but my involvement in the island exam could only be described as substantial. The one way I'd come up with so far of keeping myself incognito was to convince every student that what they were seeing was one big conspiracy and that none of it was real. However, if I suddenly started spouting complete nonsense like that, my credibility would be sure to plummet even further.

"Well, this is unusual, Horikita. Why?"

"Earlier, you said that the previous test had a passing grade of thirty-two points. You arrived at that number by the same formula you showed us today. Were there no mistakes in calculating the passing grade for the last test?"

"There were no mistakes."

"Then, that raises one more question. I'd calculated the average score for the previous test to be 64.4 points. If I were to divide that by two, I would get 32.2 points. In other words, higher than 32 points. Despite that, the passing grade was set at 32. That means that you left off the decimal. That contradicts what you did this time."

"Honestly, I'm surprised. I didn't expect this level of stupidity from you, Horikita-san," Sakayanagi shook her head.

"I was looking for a way to save my classmate. I admit that the logic I used was flawed." Horikita responded.

"Um, what was so wrong with what Horikita-san said?" Haruka asked the group.

"I think I remember Chabashira-sensei explaining it, but basically, she made the wrong assumption. To be honest, I'm surprised that someone like Horikita-san ignored the obvious hole in her thinking," Keisei answered.

"Th-that's right. If you follow what you did last time, the passing grade for the midterm should be thirty-nine points!"

In other words, Sudou's overall grade should have meant that he just barely passed.

"I see. Did you anticipate that Sudou would just barely pass, then? You only scored exceedingly low in English, after all."

"Horikita, you..."

Sudou had realized something. The other students gasped as they also realized what had happened. Horikita had gotten perfect scores in four of the five main subjects, but she'd gotten an exceedingly low score of fifty-one points in English. Her English stuck out from her other scores.

"An obvious but extremely volatile tactic," Sakayanagi commented.

"Oh, so you lowered your own score so you could help everyone else, right?" Amikura asked.

"In this case, my goal was solely to get Sudo-kun through the exam," Horikita responded.

"Only someone confident in their ability would attempt something like that," Kanzaki said, "It's quite impressive, honestly."

To purposely put yourself in danger by lowering your score was certainly a risky move and one that only somebody capable could hope to manage. For someone like Horikita, though, I doubt she ever imagined that she would fail.

"Incredible. Regardless of the reason for her actions, she already showed an improvement in her behaviour. She accepted the fact that Sudo Ken would prove useful in the future and did what she could to prevent his expulsion. I'm quite looking forward to seeing exactly how she became the person she is now..." Manabu observed.

"I don't believe I ever got the chance to thank you for what you did for Sudo-kun, Horikita-san," Yosuke said.

"No need, Hirata-kun. If I'm being honest, I wasn't doing it for any kind of benevolent reason,"

"Be that as it may, you still managed to save him and for that I'm grateful,"

Horikita acknowledged his thanks and the video continued.

"You really—"

Sudou noticed what she'd done. In order to lower the average score for the English test, Horikita had purposefully botched her own grade as far as she could.

"If you believe that my thinking is incorrect, could you please tell why the calculation differs between this test and the last test?" she asked.

The last ray of light. Our final hope.

"I see. In that case, I'll explain in more detail. Unfortunately, your calculation is off. We didn't simply omit the decimal when we calculated the passing grade. We rounded the numbers up or down. On the last test, we rounded down to thirty-two points, and on this, we rounded up to forty. There's your answer."

"Tch..."

"You should have noticed that we rounded the numbers, but to hold on to that possibility... Well, too bad. At any rate, the first period will be starting soon. I'll be going."

"A respectable effort but surely you did not need that explained to you?" Sakayanagi queried.

When examining the results, two possibilities would become immediately clear: the average was either rounded, or the decimal point was excluded. From just one result, there are no patterns to analyse, meaning there could be no definitive conclusion drawn. It didn't matter if Horikita recognised that or not, she was simply desperate for her efforts to not be in vain.

Horikita ignored Sakayanagi, allowing the video to continue.

Horikita had nothing left to counter with, so she remained quiet. She couldn't contradict anything Chiyabashira-sensei had said. Horikita's last resort had been eradicated. The classroom door slammed shut, and silence enveloped the room.

Sudou, still struggling to wrap his head around this new reality, looked over at Horikita. She had purposefully lowered her grades as far as she could, all to stop Sudou's expulsion.

"I'm sorry. I should have tried to lower my score just a little more," she muttered.

Horikita slowly sat back down. However, Horikita's 51-point score on her English test was already considerably low. If she'd scored in the 40-point range, she could have run the risk of expulsion herself.

"Ayanokoji-kun is right! You couldn't have known whether your score would be good enough or not," Onodera echoed my thoughts.

"Exactly, you did everything you could. Maybe we all should have lowered our scores, as well..." Sato considered.

"No, I don't think that would have been a good idea,"

A surprising voice spoke up to deny Sato's idea. Yagami Takuya from Class 1-B rubbed his chin as he spoke.

"I don't mean to cause offence, but from what we've been shown, it looks like your class isn't the most academically gifted," Yagami said, "If you would have all tried what Horikita-senpai tried and got it wrong...well, it could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be."

It was an astute observation. Unless everyone was on the same page, it could have ended in disaster. The only way it could have worked is if...

"It might have worked if you all scored zero though," Yagami continued.

Like Yagami said, if everybody in the class had scored zero, then everybody would have met the average. However, the overhanging risk in that strategy is that if just one person were to ignore the tactic that the class decided on, it would mean the expulsion of almost the entire class. If a student in the class scored at least forty marks, the average for the class would sit at one. Obviously, that meant, in accordance with the school rules, that anybody scoring under that number would find themselves expelled. As unlikely as it was that somebody would do this, for a group of people that barely knew each other, it wouldn't be advisable to take that risk.

"Huh, that would work? I would never have even thought of that!" Haruka had wide eyes.

"Employing that strategy would bring its own risks, though," Yagami conceded.

"What do you mean?"

"If just one person ignored that strategy, then the entire class could have been expelled."

He mentioned the possibility of a complete disaster like he was making an off-hand comment. His words certainly caused slight unrest within the students of Class C who were probably thankful that they never did think of such a tactic.

"That's some interesting insight, kouhai," Nagumo said, "What's your name?"

"Yagami Takuya, senpai,"

"I'll make a note of it," Nagumo said with a smirk.

Whether that was a good or bad sign for Yagami was yet to be seen. He did seem to be a capable student and would likely play a leading role in his class. Around the school, he exhibited an attitude that allowed him to take everything in his stride. His carefree character and ability to adapt to different social situations made it possible for him to seamlessly integrate into the school's unique setting. A month ago these characteristics would have made me dismiss him as a possible White Room student. However, Amasawa's information on the changes to the curriculum for the generations that proceeded mine made it that much more difficult to differentiate between a normal student and one that came from that place. On top of that, I was still unsure as to whether I needed to keep looking - maybe Tsukishiro only deployed Amasawa. Would someone like him really entrust my expulsion to someone as unpredictable as her though? Even if he seemed amicable at our last meeting and his departure, there was a very good chance he had yet to play his trump card. I preferred to be sure before taking down my defences.

"Can we just continue? There's no point in thinking about what could have happened." Horikita complained.

"Why? You said that you hated me," Sudou said.

"Don't misunderstand. I did this for my own sake. It was all for nothing, though."

I slowly got up from my seat.

"Wh-where are you going, Ayanokouji?"

"Bathroom."

"Looks like you don't even care," Hashimoto laughed.

With that, I exited and quickly made my way toward the faculty room. I wondered if Chabashira-sensei had already arrived. As I thought that, I caught her staring out the window into the first-floor hallway, almost as if she were waiting for someone.

"Ayanokoji, did the bathroom get remodelled or something?" Ryuen smirked.

"You went to meet with the teacher, Ayanokoji-kun?" Hiyori commented, "Did you have something to do with why Sudo-kun is still here?"

Her question made a number of students from Class C perk up.

"I thought you said it was Horikita-san who helped you out, Sudo?" Okitani said.

"Well, yeah she did!" Sudo confirmed, "Ayanokoji...told me..."

His voice trailed off and he glanced at me. It looked like he had doubts. Before he could decide whether or not to voice those doubts, though, others began to speak.

"I'm interested in finding out how you managed to convince Chabashira-sensei to renege the expulsion," Keisei pondered.

"I don't get it. If he failed, he failed, right?" Shinohara asked.

"Clearly not seeing as he's sitting here with us," Keisei responded with a sigh.

"How did you do it, Horikita-san?" Mei-yu asked.

"I- well you will see," Horikita responded.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Horikita to uphold the story. It would become thinner and thinner until it finally broke down entirely.

"Ayanokouji, hmm? Class will begin any minute, you know," she said.

"Sensei. Would it be all right if I asked you one question?"

"One question? Is that why you went to the trouble of chasing after me?"

"I'm curious about something."

"First it was Horikita, now you. What in the world is it?"

"Do you think that today's Japanese society is fair?"

"Eh?"

"What the fuck? That's so random,"

"Hey, didn't we hear something like this from him before? On the bus, right?"

"Kiyotaka-kun. Why did you ask that question, then?" Yosuke asked.

"You'll see," I responded.

"What an incredible change in topic. So sudden, too. Is there some special meaning behind this question?"

"It's very important. I would like your opinion."

"If you're asking for my personal opinion, then, no, of course not. The world isn't fair, not even the slightest bit."

"I see. I feel the same way. I think that equality is a fiction."

"So, did you chase after me merely to ask that question? If that's all, then I'll be going."

"One week ago, when you told us that the test's material had changed, you also said something like 'I forgot to inform you.' Because of that forgetfulness, we were notified of the change one week after the other classes had already been informed."

"Is that true?" Ichinose asked.

Heads turned toward Chabashira until she finally decided to answer.

"Yes, it is,"

"That's not fair at all!" Amikura frowned.

"Oh, now I get the equality question," Haruka whispered to me.

"I don't believe the school would take back an expulsion based on such a reason, though," Kanzaki said.

"But they got much less time to prepare!" called out a first-year.

"While the school does its best to keep the competition fair, we can't account for every eventuality. The homeroom tutors have the job of relaying information to their pupils and overseeing their development. There can be mistakes but this one wouldn't cause the school to reverse an expulsion."

Mashima gave his verdict on the situation to the frustration of many of the first-year students.

"As bad as it is, I'm not surprised anymore. This school is something else." Akito shook his head.

"Well, this is an extremely prestigious school. It makes perfect sense that they would demand hard work to be educated here," Keisei said.

"I think what they have us doing is a little more than hard work," Haruka sighed.

"Yes, I said as much back in the faculty room. What of it?"

"Every class got the same questions, the points were reflected in the same way for everyone, and every class faced the same threat of expulsion. However, Class D was compelled to test under unfair conditions."

"Are you saying that you can't accept what happened? But it's an excellent example of how unfair the world is. In fact, you could call it a microcosm of our unfair society."

"Certainly, society is not equal, no matter how idealistic you try to be. However, we are human beings, living things that can think."

"Are we really watching Ayanokoji? It sounds like his body has been snatched by some kind of society philosopher person," Ike said with a confused expression.

"Well, I can understand what he's saying...but I don't get what he's trying to accomplish," Matsushita said.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that we should strive for equality. At least a little."

"I agree!" Sato called out.

"If everyone did just a little, then it would help a great deal overall," Ichinose mused.

"Okay, I'm not sitting here listening to your idealistic scenarios. Let's just get on with it." Ryuen snapped.

"I see."

"Whether or not you truly forgot to tell us, or if it was an intentional slip, isn't really the issue. The fact remains that one person is now being expelled from this school because of those unfair conditions."

"You think she intentionally didn't tell us?" Hondo frowned.

I shrugged. It was likely intentional but saying that wouldn't make it any better.

"As Ayanokoji-kun said, it doesn't matter if it was intentional or a mistake. Complaining now would serve very little purpose," Horikita explained.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"That's why I'm here. I would like to undertake the appropriate steps to meet with the school, the direct cause of this inequality."

"To tell them you disagree?"

"I just want to confirm with the appropriate people that they believe the school made the correct judgment." "That's unfortunate. What you've said isn't wrong, but I can't allow you to do that. Sudou will be expelled. That decision would be extremely difficult to overturn at this stage. Give up."

"I certainly have. I can't think of any way you'd be able to save him," Keisei looked stumped as he addressed the group.

"It isn't like you are incapable of it. It's just that you are approaching the problem with the mindset of an academic." I explained.

Keisei frowned, "I don't get what you mean,"

"I could explain but I think you'll understand what I mean soon,"

She'd ignored my point, but her words remained logical. As I'd anticipated, her words always held some hidden meaning.

"Hidden meaning? What kind of hidden meaning?" Ishizaki looked puzzled.

"Like you'd understand it anyway," Ibuki scoffed.

"What? I'm not that stupid!"

"You said it 'would be extremely difficult at this stage.' Which means there may be a way to overturn the decision."

"Oh, so she basically confirmed that there actually was a way, right?" Kei asked.

"Yes, that's right. Otherwise, she would have said it was impossible," Yosuke confirmed.

"So it was Ayanokoji-kun who found a way to save Sudo-kun?" Mori asked, looking between me, Horikita and Yosuke.

I decided to let them handle the question in any way they liked.

"Well, yes. He came up with the idea," Horikita admitted.

Heads turned to me after she said this. Were they reevaluating me or doubting me?

"Ayanokouji, I personally hold you in rather high regard. I've thought so since assigning this test. Obtaining the old test problems was certainly one correct solution. Such a notion goes beyond the range of what many would have considered. Furthermore, you distributed the old test problems to everyone in class and raised the average scores. I have to praise such a logical decision. Honestly, you did very well."

"Wait what?"

Once again my classmates turned their heads toward me.

"But Kushida-san gave them out?" Okitani cocked his head.

"Why did sensei think it was Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked.

"Kushida was the one who obtained the problems and distributed them. I didn't really do anything."

"See!" Ike exclaimed.

"Kouhai, I'd suggest you don't take all of Ayanokoji's words at face value, otherwise we are going to be here a while," Kiryuin said with a sigh.

I was sure many were confused as to why Kiryuin was speaking as if she knew me but they didn't have time to give voice to these questions before the video continued.

"I understand why you don't want word to get out, but don't forget that there are senior students, too. I already know that you contacted a third-year student."

Apparently, my actions were more conspicuous than I'd thought.

"Huh, so you actually did get those questions?" Shinohara asked, taken-aback

"B-but Kushida-san..." Miyamoto began.

"Yes, Ayanokoji-kun did get those questions," Kushida said with a bright smile, "But he said he wanted me to be the one to give them to you all and take credit for the whole thing,"

The hall was quiet after this. Everyone seemed to be digesting this new information.

"Why?" Sato asked, finally breaking the silence.

Her question was obviously for me.

"The same reason as everything else. I just dislike attention,"

"Oh...well, thank you, Ayanokoji-kun!" she smiled.

"This is getting weird. First, the entrance exam results, then the advice he gave Horikita-san and now this. So far, he has been in the middle of everything without ever being acknowledged as contributing. Was my wild guess about him being the actual leader of our class really true?" Matsushita wondered.

"Hehe, so he was still doing stuff behind the scenes long before I got to know him. I bet he was the reason we won the island exam as well. I know this is bad for him but I can't help but feel excited that I get to learn his thought process," Kei smirked.

Sato expressed her gratitude for helping her and the rest of Class C through the exam. She was followed by others, each of them showing their appreciation. This recognition made me wonder. I wondered how many of them would still be thanking me when it was over, who would be wary or scared of me, who would hate me or look at me in disgust. I wondered if they'd be able to comprehend the person I am. The person I was made.

I noticed Sudo sporadically looking in my direction before quickly turning away. It seemed like he wanted to say something but didn't want to say it in front of everyone.

"However, despite your bold move in obtaining those questions, you made a mistake in the end. That's why your plan failed. If Sudou had memorized the material more thoroughly, he wouldn't have failed in any subject, right? Honestly, why don't you just give up and let Sudou get tossed out? Wouldn't things be easier in the future?"

"Honestly, you're probably right. However, I decided to lend a hand. I suppose it's too early for me to give up. I've one thing left to try."

I took my student ID card out of my pocket.

"What are you planning?"

"Please sell me one point that I can add to Sudou's English test."

There was a brief moment of complete silence. Sakayanagi smirked and simply adjusted her posture. Ryuen shook his head and clicked his tongue. Ichinose had a quizzical look as she took in my words. Finally, somebody spoke.

"We...can do that?"

With those words, the hall's volume increased as students began talking amongst themselves about the revelation.

"Isn't that like cheating though?"

"I wish I'd have done that, then I wouldn't have had to study!"

Students of all years discussed my strategy. Most weren't surprised that it was possible due to their considerable time spent working within the school's system. Some, especially those in the first year, seemed to be struggled to come to terms with the fact exams could be beaten in such a dishonest way. Of course, they hadn't heard the price we had to pay yet.

"Ayanokoji...you really saved Ken?" Ike asked in a hushed tone of voice.

"I helped out,"

The fact that everyone knew I was involved in Sudo's survival meant very little. One thing I was interested in seeing was Sudo's reaction to this news. He seemed to have gained some respect for me after the incident with Hosen at the start of our second year. However, I wondered if his affection for Horikita would cause him to view my involvement in a negative way. After all, it had been these events that had initially sparked his interest in her. Perhaps this would be a test of his true feelings, as well as his growth over the past year.

As I was thinking, I saw Sudo get up from his seat. We weren't supposed to move from our seats unless we needed to use the private rooms for whatever reason but the cacophony caused by the video meant that Sudo had no eyes on him. I pretended to ignore his movements as he closed the distance to where I was sitting with the Ayanokoji Group.

"Hey, Ayanokoji,"

Sudo hunkered down between the seats, causing Akito to have to squeeze his legs in.

"Hey, mind out Sudo! What are you doing?" Akito complained.

"Oi, keep it down, we aren't supposed to leave our seats," Sudo protested.

I decided it would be best to get this over with quickly.

"What do you need, Sudo?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh right, yeah..."

He hesitated for a bit, perhaps trying to find the right words for what he wanted to say.

"Um, I was thinking this for a while, but I think you do a lot more for our class than you let on,"

His words were sincere but odd. As if he was distancing himself from what he was saying.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you for what you did for us...well, no..."

Once again, his voice faltered. It was strange seeing the headstrong Sudo in such a state.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me. To be honest, I don't know why you lied to me before about Suzune being the one to save me but I guess it doesn't really matter,"

He finally managed to say what he wanted to say.

"Your welcome, Sudo. But I didn't lie,"

"What do you mean? The video-"

"The video isn't over yet,"

Sudo frowned for a second but then his face lightened up as if a weight had been lifted from it.

"I'd go back to your seat before you get caught," I suggested.

"Oh, yeah!"

I watched as Sudo retreated. My initial assumption had been off the mark. He had managed to separate his feelings and the events that caused them. Obviously, there had been a year's time between now and then for him to develop both himself and his feelings but having someone mess with a cherished memory can cause irrational behaviour in the best of people.

The noise my words had caused had all but subsided. As calm returned to the hall, a number of faces turned in my direction.

"Ayanokoji, I have a question," Kanzaki said.

I figured I'd have to answer at least some questions due to this video but I would have preferred they were saved until after the video had concluded.

"Can we save questions for after the video, please," Mashima called out, "There's not long to go and some of your questions may be answered anyway,"

Apparently, Mashima shared my preference.

"..."

Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened, and then she laughed loudly.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! That's a rather interesting idea. You really are a different kind of student. I never imagined you'd try to buy points."

"You said so the day we were admitted, didn't you, sensei? You said that we can buy anything with our points. The midterm test is just one more 'thing' at this school, after all."

"Wait, I just thought she meant we could buy stuff from the stores and things like that!" Ike exclaimed, "Who the hell would see it like that?"

"Someone with the ability to read a situation. I doubt Ayanokoji simply guessed just from that one statement but rather observed the situation around him and evaluated her words within context," Manabu explained.

"Um, right!" Ike agreed but didn't seem to fully understand.

"Horikita-senpai, you have always seemed to hold Ayanokoji in such high regard but really, all he has shown so far is just a little above average," Nagumo sighed.

"Really, Nagumo? Exactly when did you begin to manipulate the system? I'll admit that you have an in-depth understanding of the school rules and can use them with incredible efficacy. However, what Ayanokoji has just shown is that he understood the system enough to save his classmate within a month of enrolling at the school. I believe he's ahead of where you were then, is he not?"

"Tch, perhaps he was. But making a strong start doesn't guarantee a winning finish. We'll see who's left standing in the end,"

Manabu let a rare smile form on his lips but didn't retort to Nagumo's provocation.

"I'm so lost. Was Ayanokoji-kun always involved with the old student council president...and the new one? No, that can't be. We would have heard a lot more about it if he was." Shinohara shook her head, dispelling these questions from her mind.

"I really hope I'm mistaken but has Ayanokoji-kun somehow managed to get into an altercation with the student council president? That would be extremely bad for us!" Matsushita worried.

"I see, I see. You certainly could view it that way. However, do you even have enough money on hand to afford it?"

"Well, how much does one test point cost?"

"Now, that's a rather difficult question, isn't it? I've never been asked to sell test points before. Let's see... Seeing as how this is a special occasion, I'll sell a test point for the exceptional price of 100,000 points."

"Woah...for just one mark?" Shibata was stunned.

"Weren't we all still really broke at this point?" Mori remembered.

"Yeah, surely Ayanokoji-kun couldn't have had that much?" Inogashira agreed.

"Did you have that much Ayanokoji-kun?" Shinohara asked.

"No, there was no way I could have," I replied.

"So then how did-"

"I suggest we just continue watching, I'm positive it will be easier to see how he did it than hear it," Sakayanagi interrupted.

"You're cruel, sensei."

Everyone at this school had spent at least some of their points. Absolutely no one had 100,000 to spare.

"I'll pay, too," someone said behind me. When I turned, I found Horikita standing there.

"Horikita-san!" Ike called out, excitedly.

"So you really didn't lie..." Sudo grinned.

"Horikita..."

I said. "Heh. Just as I thought. You two are interesting."

"Horikita-san, how did you know that Ayanokoji-kun would go up to the roof?" Hiyori asked.

"I'd learnt by that point that keeping an eye on him would be in my best interest," Horikita responded. Was that meant as an insult or a compliment?

Chabashira-sensei took my student ID card. Then she took Horikita's.

"Fine. I accept your deal. I'll sell you one point to apply to Sudou's test, taking a combined total of 100,000 points from you both. As for the matter of Sudou's expulsion, you can inform the class that's no longer the case."

"It's kind of cool that we get to see how this happened. Are we going to see more stuff like this?" Amikura asked.

"I'd assume so. I also would like to see more of this," Kanzaki answered.

"Um, thanks for spending so many points to help me. I'll, uh, try to pay you back," Sudo offered.

"There's no need for that. You can pay us back by continuing to try your best in class and the special exams," Horikita responded,

"Okay, will do!" Sudo raised his fist, motivating himself.

"So, Ayanokoji-kun, have you helped with other problems as well?" Matsushita asked.

Matsushita was quick on the trigger. Normally, she'd refrain from asking such questions to hide her own intelligence, but when the question was on everyone's minds, it wasn't weird that she'd ask.

"I helped when I could, of course. Just like everybody else,"

Matsushita was clearly frustrated by my reply but couldn't push the issue. Clearly, she wanted to know about me, but I couldn't yet figure out the reason why she was trying so hard.

"Thanks, Ayanokoji-kun!" Kushida smiled.

I acknowledged her gratitude with a nod.

"Is that okay?"

"You promised to pay me 100,000 points. There's nothing more to be done." Chabashira-sensei seemed simultaneously exasperated and amused. "Horikita, do you understand how talented Ayanokouji is? At least somewhat?

"Sensei, do you mean that Ayanokoji-kun is smarter than Horikita-san?" Sato asked.

Chabashira thought a second before responding.

"Perhaps in some ways,"

"Like maths?"

"Yes, I think he is probably better at maths,"

The last thing Chabashira wanted to do was throw me under the bus. Her answer was safe.

"I still can't believe you are so smart, Kiyopon," Haruka whispered excitedly.

"I'm just above average, it's no big deal," I replied.

"Your maths score disagrees," Akito grinned.

"Okay, maybe I'm pretty good at maths,"

" Pretty good? Yeah, right," Akito laughed.

"I wonder. When I look at him, all I see is a disagreeable student."

Horikita scored a couple of giggles for her dismissive remark.

"What do you mean, 'disagreeable?'" I asked.

"You get low scores on purpose when you could easily score higher. You were the one who came up with the idea of getting the old test problems, but you gave Kushida-san the credit. You were even crazy enough to buy test points. I don't think that you're special or just deviate from the norm. I think you're disagreeable."

"He definitely 'deviates from the norm'" Ibuki sighed.

"I guess that's one way of looking at him," Sakayanagi giggled,

"But you are dead wrong when you say he's not special," Sakayanagi didn't voice these thoughts.

"He just saved our classmate, Horikita-san. Don't you think it's a little harsh to be criticizing him after he did that?" Yosuke asked.

"Perhaps. But I stand by what I said," Horikita didn't budge.

So, she'd heard how I got the old test questions, too.

"Perhaps the pair of you really can reach the higher-level classes," Chabashira-sensei said.

"Well, we did!" Maezono cheered.

"I'd hardly say moving up to Class C is cause for celebration," Nagumo shook his head.

"Any progress is better than stagnation," Horikita replied, "If there was a way to jump straight to the top I'd take it but that's not how the system works,"

"True enough, Suzune," Nagumo smirked.

A flash of anger appeared on Horikita's face before she swiftly returned to her normal state.

"I don't know about him, but I most definitely will."

"No one from Class D has ever been promoted before. The school has already labelled you defective and will coldly toss you aside. How will you accomplish your goal?"

"If I may, sensei?" Horikita unwaveringly returned Chabashira-sensei's gaze. "Honestly, maybe the students in Class D are defective. However, that doesn't mean they're trash."

"What's the difference between a defective product and trash?"

"The difference is paper-thin. However, with repairs, a defective product may become a superior article."

"That's a great way of thinking, Horikita-san!" Ichinose beamed.

"I agree. While we all may have seen the original Class D as inferior initially, it's clear that we were mistaken," Kanzaki added.

"I'm glad you believed in us, Horikita-san," Maezono bowed her head.

"Of course. We all still have a long way to go but I think the difference between now and then is clear," Horikita replied.

"So do you guys think you can all become suuuuper geniuses or something?" Amasawa cut in.

"Obviously not. A genius is someone with natural talent, you can't make someone a genius," Horikita scoffed.

"Oh, can you not?" Amasawa grinned, "Sucks for you guys then,"

"Are you implying that you are a genius," Horikita raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"Hmm, am I a genius?" Amasawa looked as though she was pondering a complex question, "Of course I am!"

"Tch," Horikita shook her head.

"Are you still sore from the last time we met, Horikita-san?"

Whatever event Amasawa was referring to clearly irritated Horikita as she clammed up, refusing any more talk with her chattering kouhai.

"I see. When you say it like that, Horikita, I admit it sounds oddly persuasive."

I shared that opinion, and found Horikita's words to be quite meaningful. Horikita, who had previously looked down upon others and thought of them as baggage, was changing. Of course, nothing was that simple. Though you could just barely glimpse the change from the outside, it was actually a major transformation. A faint smile appeared on Chabashira-sensei's lips, as if she also had noticed it.

"And so the babysitter in him was born..." Ryuen grinned.

"What was that Ryuen-san?" Ishizaki asked.

"Nothing,"

"He's right. It's a minute difference in the moment but a monumental change for the future. That Ayanokoji is quite something," Manabu thought.

"It really does look like Ayanokoji is the reason Horikita-san became nice," Ike blurted out.

He was treated to a punch in the arm by Shinohara.

"Oww, what was that for?"

"Stop being rude, idiot!"

"How was that rude?"

"It's okay, Shinohara-san. He might have a point. Reluctantly, I admit that Ayanokoji-kun showed me some of my faults," Horikita said.

"Well, I look forward to seeing what you do next. As your homeroom teacher, I'll be sure to watch over you with great attention and care."

With that, Chiyabashira-sensei headed toward the faculty room, leaving the two of us in the hall.

"Well, let's head back. Class will be starting soon," I said.

"Ayanokouji-kun."

"Hmm? Oof!"

Horikita chopped me in the side.

Horikita's act of abuse earned many laughs from the endearing audience.

"Hey, that was mean!" Ichinose yelled.

"What was that for?"

"For whatever."

More laughs. Was I a circus act?

She left me as I clutched my sides in agony. Jeez, what a bothersome classm...bothersome person. With that thought, I decided to chase after her.

With that, the video ended. Another one of my actions revealed and more questions to be asked.

"Now that we have watched the entire video, may I ask you a question, Ayanokoji?" Kanzaki spared no time in addressing me.

"Shoot,"

"Can you explain how you knew that you could buy test marks?"

That was a much easier question to start with that I'd been expecting.

"Well, it was more of a guess than me knowing I could do it. I'd tried to help my class out by getting the old test papers but that hadn't worked so I was pretty desperate,"

"Yes, about that. How did you get the test papers?"

"From an upper-classman. He was happy to give them to me,"

"I see,"

He didn't seem overly satisfied with my answers but as I'd told him no lies, he couldn't push any further.

"I have a question, Ayanokoji-kun!" Amikura smiled, raising her hand as if she was in a classroom.

"What is it?"

"Who knows that you helped your class out?"

That...was a more troublesome question than I'd been expecting from Amikura. She didn't strike me as the type to try and extract information so there must be another reason for this question.

"Horikita and some others. I can't say too much because of the class competition,"

My answer was an obvious cop-out. I would have preferred to give a bit more of a detailed answer to prevent further questions but under the circumstances that would have caused more trouble. Instead I looked to Chabashira to indicate I needed help.

"Okay I think that's enough questions for now. We still have a few more videos to get though in this slot," Chabashira announced.

With that commenced a ten minute break, while the teaching staff set up the next video.

(A/N - I'm not going to write too much for this A/N because I'm rushing a little to get this uploaded. Consider this fanfic on a half-hiatus. I'm going to try to continue updating but I won't be able to update consistently until late-October, early-November.

I got the vaccine a few days ago and got laboured with almost every side-effect you can get from it. Luckily, I was given a few days off work to get over them, so I had a little free time to finally finish this chapter.

Oh and even if it takes me months to update, I'm not stopping the fanfic, so if I haven't updated in a while, I haven't died, I'm just so busy that I wish I had.)

Chapter Seven - Kushida's Accusation

We were around halfway through the ten-minute break we were given. Most people had begun talking amongst themselves. Initially, I had been bombarded with questions - so many that even if I had intended to answer any, I probably wouldn't have been able to. I had been saved by a mix of Horikita, Yosuke and the Ayanokoji group who had all defended me against the torrent.

My mind worked through all that had happened thus far. I was attempting to find a pattern in the videos we were shown. To start with, I'd guessed they'd follow a chronological order, but while each video was taken from around the same time, not every video was a sequel to the one before. Perhaps they were in order of importance? In that case, what did the creator value as important? But really, that idea was made unlikely by the fact we'd been shown videos of my assimilation into the school. Did the creator find that important or was this idea also wrong? If I could figure out the motive, I could have much better control over the situation and perhaps prepare in advance.

In any case, there were still some things to be done regardless.

Dismissing my thoughts, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a message to Horikita. I watched as she also retrieved her phone and saw my message. Having read it, she turned and gave me a look that verged on anger and exasperation simultaneously. Unfortunately for her, this wasn't a problem such emotions would solve by themselves.

I'd slightly lost track of time while gathering my thoughts. The next video should be starting any second now. I had an idea what this one might be. Debating with myself whether I should send another message to somebody else, I ultimately decided against it. If I was wrong, then I could do more damage than good.

"Everyone quieten back down!" Mashima addressed the hall from the front.

Within just a few seconds, the students had returned to an acceptable level of noise. With this many people, that was actually very impressive.

"I'm sure you all understand the process at this point. I'll begin the next video,"

As he said those words, everyone focussed on the screen. A certain individual used this opportunity to leave their seat and exit the hall.

So are the students of Class C super happy with Ayanokoji for saving their classmate now?

Heart-warming stuff like that is great and all but this video is going to be a little bit different.

Ever wondered if the person sitting next to you is really how they appear?

They left us with that vague and eerie question and immediately transitioned into the video.

I left the library and chased after Kushida. I wanted to thank for her working so hard to get the study group together and to apologize. Besides, I wanted to do everything possible to get along with such a cute girl, you know?

"Do you have these thoughts about every girl?" Kei asked and then instantly started coughing as if she hadn't meant to say it aloud and was making a hurried attempt to cover herself.

"I meant it in an objective way," I replied.

Kei didn't reply but I hadn't expected her to anyway.

"Wait, why are you going after Kushida-san anyway," Sato asked.

"Library? Is this when our first study session...went off the rails?" Horikita surmised.

"Yeah, I think so," I said.

"In that case, he's trying to apologise to her for the session going poorly. Kushida-san had been the one who had set up the meeting and made it possible in the first place," Horikita explained.

"Eh? So this is before the last video?" Haruka asked.

"Yes, this is when we were trying to raise Sudo-kun, Ike-kun and Yaumachi-kun's test scores,"

"The ordering of these videos make very little sense," Keisei sighed.

"I have to agree. Maybe it will become clearer as we continue," Horikita said, "For now, let's just watch,"

Whipping out my cell phone, I pulled up Kushida's contact information. Although it was my second time calling, I felt nervous about contacting her. The phone rang twice, then three times. However, she didn't pick up. Did she not notice me calling? Or was she refusing to answer it?

"You say you were a loner but somehow managed to have one of the most popular girls' contact information?" Yagami, who seemed to have a connection to Kushida, asked.

"She was generous," I replied.

"Yeah, Kushida-san gave out her info to a lot of people," Shinohara explained, "She wanted to make lots of friends, right Kushida-san?"

Looking around, she tried to locate Kushida. However, Kushida had left the hall at the beginning.

"Huh? Where is she?"

After a few seconds, most people realised that Kushida was not present.

"Sensei, do you know where Kushida-san went?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, she asked to be allowed to use a private room for this video," Chabashira answered.

"Hmm, why?" Shinohara asked.

"She didn't say,"

"That's odd. I wonder why she wanted a private room," Maezono wondered.

"Ayanokoji-kun, do you know why?" Inogashira asked.

If I guessed correctly what Horikita would do then I had a pretty good idea why Kushida had left.

"You'll probably find out why in this video," I answered.

My suspicion as to the content of this video had been correct. Apparently, I wouldn't be the only one inconvenienced by these videos.

Kushida wasn't around campus, so I continued to search for her. When I got inside the school, I glimpsed someone who looked like Kushida from behind. It was already around six PM, so the only people here should've been involved in club activities. Well, this was Kushida we were talking about. She was probably waiting for one of her good friends to finish club stuff.

I decided to keep up the chase. If she were busy, I'd talk to her again later. Bearing that in mind, I pressed on. I took out a pair of indoor shoes from the cubicles in the hallway but didn't see Kushida. Had I lost her? I thought I had until I heard the faint clack of shoes.

"Why did you keep following her? You could have just called out to her or spoken to her later?" one of the first-years asked.

"I was just curious," I replied.

"About what?" Mori asked.

"Why she was at school so late,"

"You could have just asked her,"

And if I had done that, I doubt I would have gotten a truthful answer.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't really think about it," I shrugged.

I followed her up the stairs to the second floor. The sound of footsteps continued up to the third floor. The next level after that was the roof, wasn't it? Students were free to use the roof during lunchtime, but it should've been locked after class. While I thought it strange, I went up the stairs, trying to hide my presence as best I could in case she was meeting with someone. Then, I stopped partway.

"You seem adept at following people," Horikita observed with a twinge of annoyance in her voice,"

"People tend not to notice me,"

Horikita shook her head in exasperation.

"This is a little creepy though," Amikura said.

Someone was up there.

I gently leaned against the handrail and peeked through a crack in the rooftop door. Through the opening, I glimpsed Kushida. No one else was with her. Was she waiting for someone?

A rendezvous at such a secluded place... Could she possibly be waiting for her boyfriend? If that were the case, I could end up cornered on all sides. While I agonized over how to sneak away, Kushida slowly set her bag down on the ground.

"I don't think Kushida-san had a boyfriend?" Sato pondered.

"No, I don't remember her saying anything like that," Mori agreed.

"Perhaps she was in a secret relationship that nobody knew about?" Inogashira suggested.

"No she couldn't have been," Okitani shook his head.

"Why not?" Shinohara asked with a frown.

"Well...because it's Kushida-san, she would have said something," Okitani seemed to struggle to find a reason.

"Why would she say anything to you?" Shinohara wasn't convinced.

"She...well..."

Okitani couldn't find an excuse.

"It's up to Kushida-san whether she tells us about her personal life," Yosuke intervened, "Let's keep watching,"

For some reason, I felt an increased intensity from certain sections of the audience.

And then...

"Ahhh, so annoying!"

Her voice was so low that it didn't sound at all like Kushida.

"That's...Kushida-san?" Mori frowned.

"It doesn't sound like her at all," Sato added.

"Kuku, no wonder she ran away. What's going to happen to the little angel Kikyo's reputation now, I wonder," Ryuen grinned.

"Why on earth does she sound like that?" Keisei was also taken-aback.

"She's seriously annoying! God, how irritating. It'd be better if she just died..."

"That...can't be Kushida-san..."

"Who is she talking about?"

Kushida was extremely well-known around the entire school. First-year, second-year, third-year - no matter which student you asked, they would probably say Kushida was the nicest person they had met at the school. She listened well and never judged. She included everyone no matter their social status, looks or personality. She was the person everyone thought they knew. How would they react? Most would feel betrayal or disillusionment. Some would flip their feelings of love to feelings of hate. Kushida would lose her foothold, there was no stopping that now. The love and respect she had built up would disappear, leaving her with nothing to grip onto as she fell.

I was keenly interested in how this would play out.

"I don't understand, what's going on?" Ike was completely lost.

She grumbled to herself as if chanting the words to some kind of spell or curse.

"Ugh, I hate stuck-up, snobby girls who think they're so cute. Why is she such a harpy? A rotten girl like her couldn't possibly tutor me."

Was Kushida annoyed with...Horikita?

Almost every student was stunned by this complete contradiction to Kushida's usual character. Nobody could bring themselves to speak.

"What will you do now Kushida Kikyo? You have nowhere to run," Yagami thought.

"Why-why does Kushida-san hate Horikita-san?" Miyamoto asked.

Neither I nor Horikita answered. Nothing we said would make a difference here.

"Ah, she's the worst! She's just the worst, the worst, the worst! Horikita, you're so annoying! You're so damn annoying!"

"What's going on? Kushida-san isn't like this at all. She is kind and caring! Surely she can't have been hiding her real thoughts for all this time?" Ichinose struggled to comprehend what she was watching.

"Oh, Kushida-senpai~! You seem to be in a spot of bother, hehe," Amasawa chuckled.

"I don't think I can believe what I'm watching," Kanzaki muttered.

"Same here..." Shibata's eyes were locked to the screen.

I felt like I'd glimpsed another side of this gentle girl, the most popular person in our class. She probably didn't want anyone else to see this darker side. A voice in my head whispered that it was dangerous to stay here.

"Yeah, I'd be getting the hell out of there, if I were you," Hashimoto said.

"Why the hell are you even sticking around?" Ibuki noted her disapproval.

However, an odd question arose. Why had she agreed to work with me if she felt such hatred toward Horikita? Kushida should have understood Horikita's personality and behaviour perfectly well by now. She could have refused to help, or just left the study group to Horikita, or otherwise washed her hands of involvement.

Why force herself into the study group? Did she want to get along with Horikita? Or did she want to become closer to another participant?

"I wouldn't say that was the best time to be assessing the situation," Katsuragi said.

"Ayanokoji knew about this from the start and didn't say anything. Well, I doubt he would. This wouldn't have been good for Class D if it was publicly known." Katsuragi noted.

None of it made sense. I couldn't explain her reasoning.

No. She may have shown signs of this from the very beginning. I hadn't really thought about it before, but considering the state she was in right now, I had a hunch. Perhaps, Kushida and Horikita were...

"Were what? You knew about this from the beginning? I don't get this at all," Shinohara's mind was scrambled.

"Who cares! Get out of there!" Haruka protested.

"You know I can't exactly do that now, right?" I asked.

"Shush, Kiyopon! She looked crazy, why didn't you just leave?"

"I was just as shocked as you are,"

At any rate, I needed to get away from there. Kushida probably didn't want anyone else to hear her diatribe. Still hiding, I quickly tried to leave.

Thump!

"You idiot, Kiyopon!" Haruka jumped as I was caught, "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean that, but why did you have to be so clumsy?,"

"There's no way that was an accident. He forced the situation to go a certain way without it looking like he did. What exactly did he hope to gain?" Yagami mused.

I'd kicked the door much louder than I'd anticipated. It'd been unexpectedly loud, really. Kushida tensed and stopped breathing. I'd instantly become her enemy. Turning, Kushida set her sights on me. I'd been seen.

After a brief silence, Kushida coldly asked, "What...are you...doing here?"

The atmosphere of the hall turned from shock to suspense. It reminded me of the time I watched a horror movie at the theatre. The audience waited with baited breathe to see what happens next. Does that make Kushida the monster in this scenario?

"I can't believe she's like this," Kamuro mumbled.

"I got a little lost. Sorry. My bad, my bad. I'll be going now."

"That was kind of a shitty excuse, Ayanokoji," Sudo turned to me.

"I was surprised, it was the best I could do,"

"I'm guessing she didn't let you go," Asahina giggled, even though it was obvious she was just as surprised by what was happening on screen.

"No, she didn't,"

Kushida looked straight at me, clearly seeing through my obvious lie. I'd never seen such an intense gaze before.

"Did you hear?" she asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't?" I replied.

"I see..."

"Why didn't you just say no?" Miyamoto asked.

"She wouldn't have believed him. Her image obviously means too much to her to make that kind of gamble," Sakayanagi explained.

Even that was an oversimplification. It wouldn't be too much to say that Kushida's image meant everything to her.

Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She placed her left forearm against the base of my throat, and pushed me up against the wall.

"That's too much," Akito shook his head, clearly frustrated, "It's not like you could fight back,"

It's true that if I had decided to do that, I'd probably have found myself in a lot more trouble than Kushida.

"Ayanokoji-kun, did you not tell anybody that this happened? What about the teachers?" Amikura asked.

"I didn't, you'll see why in a minute,"

Her tone of voice, her actions, everything about her was completely unlike the Kushida I knew. This new Kushida wore a terrifying expression, one that I could almost compare to Horikita's.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Horikita shot a look that threatened to cut through my very existence.

There were some nervous laughs, despite the current atmosphere. I decided it was easier to ignore Horikita for the time being.

"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I won't forgive you."

Her words were ice, and I didn't think they were an idle threat.

"And if I did tell?"

"Why the hell would you antagonise her further?" Kanzaki asked, surprised.

"In that case, I would tell everyone that you raped me," she said.

"What the hell!"

"That's insane!"

"That's...not right at all. That's why you didn't tell anyone then?" Kobashi appeared horrified by Kushida's threat.

"Yes, that's why,"

"This is awful! Why would she do something like this?" Ichinose despaired.

"Kiyotaka, I'm confused as to why you didn't report this as she obviously had no evidence," Keisei analysed, "And if they knew her true nature, people wouldn't believe her accusation,"

Keisei was wonderful at academics but he had a hard time trying to understand people. The power of an accusation of this nature, the black mark that's left on your reputation. For someone like me, who held no foothold in this enclosed society, an accusation from someone as popular as Kushida would be equal to public execution. If I tried to refute the claim by telling everyone that she hid her real personality and was lying to save herself, everybody would assume I was the one lying, trying to save myself. Still, that wasn't enough for Kushida, she had to have insurance.

"She...got some evidence,"

"What? How on earth would she manage that when it's clearly a false accusation?" Keisei frowned.

"It would be better to see it,"

"That's a false charge, you know."

"That's okay. It wouldn't be false."

Her words had heft and power, leaving me unable to reply. As she spoke, Kushida grabbed my right wrist and slowly opened my hand. She pushed my palm up against her soft breast.

"You've got to be kidding," Kanzaki glared at the screen - at Kushida.

"That's bad..." Sudo said quietly.

"What does she think she's doing!" Kei growled.

I noticed Ike had been quiet throughout most of this video. He had taken to Kushida immediately and seeing this side of her must be baffling to him.

"I can't believe Kushida-san would do something like this," Haruka said in a weak tone.

There was a general feeling of shock and some anger resounding around the hall. Keisei looked at a loss for words, he just sat gawking at the screen.

"Obviously, he allowed her to do that, but what purpose would it serve? Perhaps he intended to give her a false sense of security? If he didn't wish to involve himself in the school's competition then he simply didn't care? I'd guess the latter. Kushida poses minimal threat to him either way," Yagami decided.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I hurriedly tried to pull away, but she pushed on the back of my hand.

"Kuku, I doubt he was just enjoying feeling her up. There must be another reason why he allowed her to do something like that," Ryuen snickered.

"Senpai~! Surely a boy can overpower a girl! I bet you just liked it," Amasawa giggled.

I was once again reminded of Amasawa's ability to cause trouble no matter the setting or atmosphere.

"What the hell, kouhai! There's no way Kiyopon want something like this to happen to him," Haruka argued in my place.

"Hmm, okay, okay! Saving yourself for someone else then, Ayanokoji-senpai?" Amasawa hadn't finished yet.

"What Kiyotaka does is none of your business, kouhai," Akito jumped in to defend me.

"Not even a little bit?" Amasawa protested with a pout.

No matter how long the Ayanokoji Group protected me, Amasawa would keep finding ways to irritate them. It would be best for everyone if I stopped this now.

"Amasawa, give it a rest," I said.

Amasawa gave me one last sly smile before she turned her back to me and faced the screen.

"You have surrounded yourself with crazy people, Kiyotaka," Keisei noted, clearly unable to keep up with such a lively individual.

"I guess,"

Everybody had their own brand of crazy within them. It was Kushida's being exposed now. My turn would come eventually.

"I swear I'm going to strangle that kouhai and never let go!" Kei's fists were balled dangerously tight.

"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. That's evidence of my claim. I'm being serious. Understand?"

"I understand. I really do. So let go of my hand."

"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you betray me, I'll hand it over to the police."

"Wait, so you've been being blackmailed this whole time," Ishizaki realised.

"You should have said something, Ayanokoji-kun, we could have done something to help you," Hiyori smiled.

I appreciated their enthusiasm but I didn't want to give people the wrong idea.

"It's fine now, the situation was resolved," I assured them.

"It is? So you aren't being blackmailed anymore?" Sato asked.

"No, Kushida has nothing to use against me anymore,"

"Then why didn't you say something?" Shinohara asked..

"Isn't it obvious? If Ayanokoji-kun suddenly came out and said Kushida-san had threatened him, it would never have gone well. To begin with, it is unlikely he would have been believed as Kushida-san holds a higher social standing than he does. If by chance, people did believe him, it would have caused trouble for us as a class. As much as it sounds horrible, staying quiet was a good decision on Ayanokoji-kun's part." Horikita expained.

"So he just had to live with it?" Haruka said weakly.

"To be blunt - yes," Horikita answered.

There appeared to be frustration building in the Ayanokoji Group. It was only natural for someone to feel frustrated when stuck in a perilous position with no clear way out. But for them to feel it for my sake felt surprisingly good.

"It's nothing, really," I did my best to lessen their burden.

"But Kiyotaka, it's not right. You should have at least told someone," Akito said.

"Honestly, after the danger had gone, I just wanted to forget about it,"

"I-I understand that," Airi said.

"I guess I can too..." Haruka relented, "But it doesn't make me want to slap Kushida-san any less!"

"There's no need for that," I responded. The last thing I needed at this moment was a fight breaking out.

"Fine, I'll restrain myself," Haruka sighed.

I glared at Kushida for a while as she kept my hand pressed against her.

"It's a promise," she said.

Kushida stepped away from me. Even though this was the first time I had felt a girl's breasts, I found I couldn't remember the sensation.

"I'm not sure what to make of that comment," Kanzaki frowned.

I suppose it was an odd thing to say given the circumstances of my situation. Most would be either too shocked or panicked to think about such things. Others appeared to share Kanzaki's confusion.

"Why would you want to remember?" Himeno sneered. It was the first time she'd spoken out this whole time.

"Hey, your first time is special," Amasawa giggled.

"Not when it's like that," Hashimoto disagreed.

"Can we finish this childish conversation," Horikita sighed.

"Hey, Kushida. Which is the real you?"

"That's none of your business."

"Surely the side of herself that she's hiding would be the 'real' her?" Keisei asked.

"That is usually the case," Horikita agreed.

It's true that in most cases, people hide the parts of themselves they don't want the world to see. However, that doesn't mean the side they show the world is any less genuine than the side they keep hidden. An outwardly calm person could be hiding intense anger or, like in Kushida's case, a kind person could be hiding a lot of hate. Neither of these scenarios are mutually exclusive. Our personality can be affected by the environment and the people we are with. Simply because we act differently in different circumstances, doesn't mean we are being ingenuine to the people around us.

In fact, people like Kushida, who donned a constant mask, were a rarity.

"Ayanokoji...is this what Kushida-chan is really like?" Ike asked.

There was very little point in lying about it. I'd only be delaying the inevitable.

"Yes,"

Those who had been keeping hope that the Kushida they knew was her genuine self would despair at my answer. It wasn't just a case of those who had a crush on her reevaluating their opinion, but a widespread betrayal of trust.

"I see,"

Ike had been somebody who truly believed Kushida cared about him. In fact, she'd been one of the few people to entertain his peculiarities from the beginning. Perhaps it was fortunate that he'd fallen for Shinohara because otherwise, he could be in a worse place right now.

"This is terrible..." Yosuke muttered.

"I see. Well, I was wondering something. If you hate Horikita, then you don't need to involve yourself with her, right?"

I knew she probably wouldn't like that question, but I was curious about her motivation.

"Don't you seem extremely calm given the situation you are in," Katsuragi noted.

"I didn't see any point in freaking out," I replied.

"Still, most people would be unable to keep their composure if they were blackmailed. Especially under these circumstances,"

"I guess I'm just a calm person,"

"Hmm," Katsuragi didn't seem entirely convinced with my reason.

"Or maybe you just didn't care,"

The voice came from the first year's section. Class 1-C, Tsubaki Sakurako. She was sitting with her knees curled up into her chest with her feet resting on the edge of her seat. I was reminded of that carefree, lazy attitude she displayed in every situation.

"Huh? He just got threatened and blackmailed, of course, he cares!" Shinohara also seemed to be feeling anger about the Kushida revelation.

"Hmm, yeah, you are probably right..." Tsubaki backed down but I doubt it was out of fear of Shinohara's loud protest.

She was the type to only speak when she found it had some use to her. Idle conversation nor heated debates were things she'd ever be a part of.

"What the hell is her problem..."

Shinohara was clearly agitated. I half-expected Ike to play the comforting boyfriend but he was also feeling the effects of Kushida's betrayal.

"Is it bad to want everyone to like you? Do you understand how difficult it is to accomplish that? You can't know, can you?" she asked.

"She just wanted everyone to like her? Well, I guess she achieved that at the very least," Akito shrugged.

"That can't be all there is to it," Keisei, "Surely, it must be draining to act all day every day. I can't imagine she endured it just so she could be liked,"

"Girls like being liked," Haruka said, "Even a two-faced bitch would like it,"

It didn't look like Haruka was going to drop her grievances with Kushida any time soon.

"Well, I don't have that many friends, so I guess not."

Ever since the first day of school, Kushida had made an effort to exchange contact information with, invite out, and, of course, talk with the pessimistic Horikita. One could easily imagine how difficult and time-consuming that would be.

"At least on the surface, I wanted to appear to get along with Horikita."

"But the stress of that just kept building, huh?"

"Yeah. That's what I want out of life, though. That way, my existence has meaning." She answered without hesitation. Kushida had a singular way of thinking. Her own internal rules demanded she get close to Horikita.

"This isn't just wanting to be liked," Kanzaki observed, "It's more like an obsession,"

"I have to agree," Ichinose said, "But I just can't understand what's driving her,"

"Perhaps she believes her true personality wouldn't be liked by anyone," Kanzaki considered, "If a person is that self-conscious, it wouldn't be completely impossible for them to take such extreme measures,"

"Mhm, maybe," Ichinose frowned, "But surely if someone was that self-conscious, they wouldn't be able to put up such a complete act?"

"Maybe not,"

It wasn't just Ichinose and Kanzaki. Other students were trying to understand what made Kushida tick. I found it unlikely that anybody would be able to solve the riddle. After all, they didn't have all the information.

"Let me tell you something, while I have the chance. I absolutely despise gloomy, ordinary guys like you."

"Oh if she only knew..." Ibuki thought.

"Her words are so brutal," Mori said, "I can still barely believe I'm hearing this from Kushida-san's mouth,"

"W-was she thinking horrible stuff about all of us?" Inogashira whimpered.

The fantasy of a cute Kushida that I'd carried until now had been shattered, but I wasn't actually that shocked. Most people possessed both a public face and a private, inner self, after all. However, I felt like Kushida was both telling the truth and lying right now.

"I'm just speculating, but did you and Horikita know each other before this year? Maybe you both attended the same school in the past?"

"Huh? They did?" Sato asked, surprised.

The instant I said it, Kushida shuddered in response.

"What the... I don't know what you mean. Did Horikita-san say something about me?" she snapped.

"You'd think someone who kept up an act twenty-four-seven would be able to lie a little better," Ryuen laughed.

"That means they did go to the same school?" Ibuki asked, "How the hell did you guess that?"

"I explain how,"

"No, I had the impression that this was the first time you'd met. But something seemed strange."

"Strange?"

I recalled the first time Kushida had spoken to me.

"You learned my name only when I first introduced myself, right?"

"So what?" Kushida responded flatly.

"Well, where did you learn Horikita's name? Back then, she hadn't introduced herself to anyone yet. The only person who knew was Sudou, but I doubt you'd met him by then."

In other words, Kushida wouldn't have had the chance to learn Horikita's name.

"Talk about picking up on small details..." Sato mumbled.

"Surely she could have heard it somewhere before?" Hashimoto asked, "That isn't proof that they went to the same school,"

It's true there was a chance she had heard Horikita's name before around the school, however, the chances of that were highly unlikely. Horikita only reluctantly gave her name to me - there was no way she would have willingly given it to any of our other classmates at that time. There was no roll call in class and, if I recalled, there was nowhere that her name would have been written down. Taking all of that into account, the only logical conclusion is that Kushida knew Horikita before entering the school.

"Don't be stupid Hashimoto-kun," Sakayanagi scolded, "Given Horikita-san temperament during our first month, do you really believe she would have freely given out her name?"

"I guess not,"

"And do you remember our names being written down anywhere for everybody to see?"

"No...I don't think so,"

"Then the answer is right in front of you,"

Sakayanagi shot down Hashimoto's scepticism.

"I would never have realised something like that," Ishizaki groaned.

"That's because you're an idiot," Ibuki insulted him.

"He-hey, you wouldn't have either!"

Ibuki didn't respond to his claim.

"You got close to me so you could spy on her, right?"

"Just shut up. Hearing you talk irritates me, Ayanokouji-kun. I only want to know one thing. Do you swear you'll never tell anyone what you learned here today?"

"I swear. Even if I did, it's not like anyone would believe me. Right?"

The entire class trusted and loved Kushida. The difference between us was like night and day.

"That won't be an issue anymore," Matsushita declared.

"You're right. Ayanokoji-kun, you can tell us anything and we'll believe you!" Sato said.

So if I came out and said something like 'I once scaled Mount Everest with nothing but the clothes on my back and my bare hands," everyone would think I was the world's greatest mountaineer?

I decided it would be better to appreciate Sato's offer, rather than tease her.

"Thank you, Sato,"

She smiled at me warmly.

"Okay. I believe you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kushida closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. "Horikita-san is rather unusual, isn't she?"

"Yes, I'd say she's really unusual."

"Was there any need to agree with her?" Horikita sighed.

"Was I wrong?"

"No...I guess not," Horikita admitted, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Other people don't influence her, or rather, she keeps her distance from everyone else. She's the complete opposite of me."

Kushida and Horikita really were polar opposites.

"I don't know about that. I can see some similarities," Sakayanagi grinned.

"Like what?" Horikita asked bluntly.

"Oh, I think I'll let you figure that out,"

Horikita shook her head and gave up on Class A's leader. In all likelihood, Sakayanagi just wanted to mess with her.

"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, you're the only one that Horikita-san opens up to."

"Wait a minute. She doesn't open up to me. Absolutely not."

"Even so, she seems to trust you more than anyone else. Out of all the people I've ever met, Horikita seems the wariest of others and yet also the most self-confident. She certainly wouldn't trust anyone worthless, even if they were unbelievably kind."

"So, you think she has good instincts for people?"

"Are you...complimenting yourself there?" Asahina asked.

"No, senpai,"

"Really? Because it sure looks it like it,"

I hadn't meant it in that way but apparently, it had come off as such.

"That's why I said I believed you. Ayanokouji-kun, you're fundamentally indifferent to other people, aren't you?"

"What does she mean by that?" Sudo asked.

"I think she means that he has no interest in other people," Kanzaki offered, "He neither thinks of them as good nor bad,"

"Eh? Is that true, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked.

"It's not quite accurate,"

"That's not a convincing answer," Kanzaki complained.

It would be tedious to drag this out.

"Of course I have an interest in people," I replied, "But I guess it's true that I don't see people as good or bad,"

"So that's why she believed you," Utomiya said, "She knew you wouldn't hold a grudge based on her personality,"

"I think that's probably right," I agreed.

If Kushida believed me to be somebody with strict morals or somebody who might panic and tell someone about her, she would definitely have tried to keep me on a tighter leash.

I didn't remember doing anything that would make her think so, but Kushida seemed confident in her assessment.

"It's not an out-of-place judgment. Back on the bus, you didn't show any interest in giving up your seat to the elderly woman."

Ah, so that's what she was talking about. She'd picked up on what was happening that first day. She had understood that I'd no intention of giving up my seat.

"If you believe I'm telling the truth, then you won't spread pointless rumors," I said.

"If you were really so confident, you wouldn't have felt up my breasts."

"Like he had any choice in the matter!" Haruka yelled.

"Well, that's... I was really flustered. I panicked for a second."

"Flustered...right..." Ryuen clicked his tongue.

"You didn't seem that flustered to me," Ibuki said.

"There's a difference between the moment something happens and the moments after it," I replied.

"What?"

"I mean that while it was happening, I didn't know what to do,"

"Sure..."

It was obvious why Ibuki didn't believe me but she wouldn't push the subject.

Her stern expression melted into one of impatience.

"So, Kushida, would I be right to think of you as the kind of girl who lets guys touch her breasts?"

There was a mix of gasps and laughs as I said something so brazen.

"The cheek to say something like that after being blackmailed," Hashimoto chuckled.

"Normally, I'd tell you off for a comment like that, Kiyopon, but this time I'll let it slide," Haruka addressed me.

I noticed Airi struggling to stifle her giggles so she didn't draw attention to herself. Apparently, she'd found my remark very amusing. Although, that was likely due to the situation and who I was saying it to. I don't think she'd appreciate it if I always said stuff like that.

She kicked my thigh as hard she could. Panicking, I grabbed the railing.

"I hate to say it, but you had that coming, man," Sudo grinned.

"I can't blame her either," Yosuke admitted with a weak smile. He wasn't exactly taking this well but he was putting on a brave face for the class.

"Hey, watch it! I could've fallen and gotten seriously hurt!"

"I kicked you because you said something stupid!" Kushida snapped, her face flushed from anger.

"She might be crazy, but she's still a girl," Akito smirked.

"Hey, wait a minute."

She still looked furious. Kushida tromped back up the stairs, grabbed her bag, then returned wearing a huge grin.

"Let's head back together," she said brightly.

Everyone seemed quite startled at the way Kushida turned her switch on and off.

"Wha-it's like nothing happened..." Ike stared wide-eyed.

"How can she do that?" Matsushita asked, "It's terrible but also quite impressive,"

"Does she have a switch that turns on her nice mode," Ishizaki wondered.

"Yeah, you should try pressing it and seeing what she does to you," Ibuki suggested.

"I completely understand their surprise. It's truly like she's a completely different person. Her outward personality is a little over-the-top but people don't recognise it because she adjusts so well to each of their needs. What a remarkable ability," Manabu thought.

"How could we not have noticed this?" Inogashira asked.

"That's no fault of yours. Kushida-san is excellent at keeping up her act. Those of us who knew chose not to say anything so we didn't cause disturbance in the class. I apologise for keeping this from you all but I truly believe that it was better that we did," Horikita said.

Class C seemed to understand.

"Oh. Sure."

Her attitude had drastically changed, like something out of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde . It was so drastic that I wondered whether I'd had a bad dream. She was her usual sunny self once more. I couldn't tell which Kushida was the real one.

And the video concluded.

There was an odd silence after the video ended. Perhaps people were wrapping their heads around what they just saw. Or maybe they were worried about future videos, after seeing a student ruthlessly exposed to the entire school.

There was also the issue of Kushida herself. She couldn't stay away forever but what would she do? I wondered if she would drop out or attempt to salvage somewhat of a life at this school. Continuing the way she had been would be impossible now. Eventually, the class would come to find out about her actual betrayal as well. I'm sure she knew that by now. Could she throw aside the image she had done so much work creating and carve a new path for herself? In the next few hours, I was sure I would get an answer to the question of Kushida Kikyo's resolve.

"So this is how he learnt of her personality. Honestly, I didn't know he found out so early. And he was being blackmailed? For how long? He never said anything about it but apparently he's sorted the issue? I know that with his strength, preventing Kushida-san from...'obtaining' that evidence would have been easy. I don't get him," Horikita thought.

"I never even had a single suspicion that Kushida-san was putting on an act. Everything she did seemed so genuine. She knew how to listen and when to speak. I guess I can understand wanting to be liked, but why does she need to be liked by everybody? Surely it's not just to sate her ego," Matsushita struggled to figure Kushida out.

"I don't understand. I don't understand. Why? I don't understand. Kushida-chan..." Ike was fighting to understand Kushida's actions.

"I can't believe her. I remember Kiyotaka telling me to be wary of her but this? I was never expecting her to be putting on a bigger act than me. Even when Kiyotaka told me to watch out for her, a part of me thought he was joking..." Kei was also surprised.

"Kushida-san...she's really like that? To falsely accuse someone of...that. It's awful. Why does she put on such an act? It's better to be yourself and have a few good friends than lie to those around you to make more, right? I just can't understand her thinking," Ichinose thought.

"Oh, Kushida-senpai. Hehe, I'm a little excited to see what she'll do about this. Maybe she'll go on a rampage or something!" Amasawa giggled to herself.

This had been the longest silence so far. Eventually, I saw the other classes begin to talk amongst themselves. Class C, on the other hand, stayed quiet. Horikita, when are you going to make your move?

As if on cue, Horikita cleared her throat.

"Everyone, can I have your attention for just a moment,"

She addressed Class C. There were no complaints. Everybody looked in Horikita's direction.

"As I mentioned before, I have known about Kushida-san's...other side for a while now," she began, "And I also mentioned that I believed it better to keep it quiet to keep our class united,"

She had their attention. I wondered what she intended to do with it.

"I have a question to ask you all,"

She scanned the students before her, as if she was judging each one individually.

"Can you accept Kushida-san?"

Her question was met with silence. Even the most confident and socially active students kept their mouths shut. You could take this silence as refusal but I thought there was more to it than that.

"If none of you can answer, then let me ask someone specifically,"

I pondered on who she would ask.

"Ayanokoji-kun,"

Me?

"Can you accept Kushida-san the way she is?"

Her choice confused me. She knew my preference when it came to Kushida. I believed that, in the long run, it would be near impossible for her, Horikita and I to coexist in Class C. But I'd passed that decision onto Horikita, Class C's leader, who believed Kushida had a place in the class and would do everything she could to change the situation. So why had she passed me back the baton? Or perhaps she wanted a specific answer. Maybe she intended on using me for her own end goal. In that case, what answer did she want?

As I thought, I'd noticed the class' gazes had turned to me. What answer should I give?

"I thi-"

"Can I say something before Kiyotaka answers, please?"

I was interrupted by Yosuke before I could give any answer.

There was a slight irritation in Horikita's eyes but she nodded.

"I can say, without a doubt, that I am just as shocked and confused as all of you must be," Yosuke admitted, "I've considered Kushida-san to be a dear friend and somebody I can rely on in class,"

He gave a weak smile as he spoke his next words.

"And I still feel that way,"

I could hear murmurs start spreading through the class but I couldn't pick out any particular responses.

"But Hirata-kun..."

"I'm not asking you to agree with me. Horikita-san asked for our opinions, so I thought about it. Kushida-san may not be the person we thought she was and she has undoubtedly done something terrible to Kiyotaka-kun," Yosuke said, "But I still think, despite that, we should give her a chance. This happened over a year ago. We don't know how things developed."

I understood his intentions. Yosuke wanted to give Kushida some room. If everybody made a judgement based off of a single event then it can hardly be called informed. By giving her a little more time, there was a chance that Kushida could redeem herself. She could remain a unique presence in our class, but this time as the person she really was.

"So Kiyotaka-kun, you said earlier that this problem had been sorted," Yosuke turned to me, "Can you please give her another chance?,"

Although everybody's eyes were back on me, I felt the pressure of Horikita's stare pressing me to give the right answer.

"I have no problem with that. It's not like I hold a grudge against her,"

My answer went against my previous intentions. Kushida had been a constant thorn in my side but also, unbeknownst to them, Class C's. It shouldn't be my decision anymore as to what happens to her. That's for Class C and Kushida to decide. I decided that if everyone was being given information, then it should be up to them what they choose to do with it. That decision doesn't just apply to Kushida. To an extent, they would decide my fate also.

(A/N - Well, it's not exactly consistent but it beats a month between updates, right? I'm now finished with the reactions to volume 1. I think anyway, I'll have to check. With this chapter, I decided to expand on the character's reactions by having them decide on what to do going forward. As you can see, there is a fairly large chunk of text after the reaction dedicated to just that. If you can give some feedback on whether you want more of this kind of thing or whether you'd prefer I kept it as just the students reacting, it would be appreciated.

Honestly, as much as I like Volume 1 and 2, I just want to get past them and write about the events during and after the first Island Exam. But I will be patient and work my way through because there are some good scenes in the first two novels that set up the series as a whole.

Hope you enjoyed reading and I'll try and get the next update out soon.

Interlude - Kushida Returns

"Thank you for that, Kiyotaka," Yosuke smiled at me, clearly appreciative of my answer.

I still had doubts as to whether any of this held any meaning. After all, the key part to this was what Kushida herself would decide to do. All Yosuke could do was give her the freedom to make that choice.

Again he addressed the class.

"I'm not going to force anything on anyone. You are all free to make your own judgements. That's really all I wanted to say, I'm sorry for interrupting, Horikita-san."

"No that's fine. In fact, Ayanokoji-kun practically answered the question I had for him already," Horikita shrugged.

"You are really okay with letting her off, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked with a look of worry.

"Yes, I am," I nodded, "But as Yosuke says, if any of you feel differently, then I'm not going to try and change your minds,"

It would be up to the class to accept Kushida. Any role I had toward that end had already been played.

"I guess I'm fine with it," Mori shrugged, "She better not try and act like nothing is wrong though,"

"I can try, I think," Inogashira added feebly.

More unenthusiastic voices of agreement spoke up to give Kushida her second chance. Their acceptance was half-hearted but honestly, the results of Horikita and Yosuke's pleas were far better than I'd imagined. The fact they only knew a minimal part of Kushida's other side was probably crucial to their decision. If their cooperation was to continue, Kushida would need to prove to them she could be trusted. To be frank, I thought that the outcome everybody wanted would be close to impossible.

"Then it's decided. We'll give Kushida-san a second chance." Horikita announced. She was obviously relieved by this.

Suddenly the noise volume started to decrease gradually until it eventually came to a complete stop. As for the reason for this, I saw Kushida had just walked back through the hall's doors.

She had an unreadable expression displayed on her face. It wasn't her usual angelic persona but it also wasn't as spiteful as when she donned her real personality. Somehow, it was in between those two extremes.

For a few moments, she stood still in front of the doors. With so many eyes on her, it was impressive that she could look so unaffected by the attention. Although, I guess she had more experience with it than me.

After a while, she began the walk back to her seat. It was almost like watching a catwalk, except the usual happiness and envy of the audience was replaced with unease. Without so much as a single word or any recognition of the looks toward her, she sat down in her seat. Her neighbours clearly showed signs of being extremely nervous.

The moment stagnated. No words were spoken. I hadn't assumed she'd offer an apology and I hadn't expected others to welcome her back with open arms but something would have to give eventually. If Kushida continued with this behaviour, then there was no way back for her.

This was the problem with Kushida's act. She had pushed it to the extreme. A large part of the Kushida everyone knew was a fallacy, a construction made up of her own designs. This deviation from what everyone knew caused them to hesitate. They realised that they didn't know how to interact with her anymore. The cheery "Hey Kushida-san!" as she entered the classroom wouldn't feel right, but neither would completely ignoring her after the time they'd spent together.

It was like meeting a new person but having memories of moments you'd had with one another. A completely unprecedented reality for almost everyone here.

"How are you, Kushida-san?"

The silence was broken. Kei had asked a simple question and shattered the suffocating atmosphere. Well, I doubt such a question would be particularly simple for Kushida to answer given the circumstances.

"...I'm fine,"

In utter contradiction to her usual self, Kushida struggled to get the words out. This situation wasn't completely new to her. I couldn't help but worry that she would approach the problem the same way she'd done in the past, by exposing the secrets of those around her. However, she showed no intention of doing so - at the moment anyway.

Before her class had attacked her to the point that it could have been considered bullying. In contrast, our class had let her off the hook. Whether that would change later on was another matter. That possibility is probably what kept Kushida on edge as well.

As the only one with the confidence to speak, Kei followed up.

"Just talk to us at your own pace, okay, Kushida-san?"

When a topic is too hard to talk about, everyone inevitably avoids doing so. This happens more when the point of conflict is fresh on the mind. If everyone was truly going to reconcile with Kushida, it would be better for it to happen naturally, when both parties were in the state of mind to have the discussion they'd been avoiding.

Kushida merely nodded in response.

Would the Kushida who relied on and relished the love and respect of others be able to adapt to her new reality or would she self-destruct, leaving numerous casualties in her wake? This is the risk that Horikita and Yosuke's benevolence held. Wiping my hands of any involvement after this point would leave the outcome to chance. If I suspected that the worst was about to come, should I intervene? It wasn't a trivial decision. Kushida held the detonator to the equivalent of a nuclear bomb for Class C. If I allowed her to press the button, the class' hopes of achieving success at this school would all but disappear, along with many relationships they'd built up in the past year. This risk Horikita was taking could bear cataclysmic results.

Oh, I do wonder what reactions you all had to that!

Everyone's attention shot to the screen. There was a renewed sense of anxiety, similar to that of when we began these videos. The thought that a student as high-profile as Kushida could be brought to this by the content of these videos was cause for concern for many of the students watching. Would they be next?

Anyway, I'm sure you were all given enough time to process by your teachers so let's move on now.

Don't worry, I won't be exposing anyone else.

Some pressure lifted and I heard many relieved sighs.

Yet.

And with that one word, the collective anxiety was returned in greater amounts. Whereas it had once been a possibility, it was now a certainty.

But you don't have to worry about that for a while. I guess you all need something a little more light-hearted as a pick-me-up.

And the next video began.

(A/N - Usually, I would upload these interludes alongside the next reaction part, but seeing as this one is closely related to the last chapter, I thought I'd post it now instead of when the next chapter is ready.

Most seemed to prefer having these interludes to show what consequences the reactions had on the students so I'll continue doing them whenever they seem necessary, I'm not sure how much development I should give the characters seeing as this is really just a reaction fic rather than anything more.

Would you all prefer that I showed character development or simply have them react based on their current characters at the end of Y2 V4.5? I don't mind either way so I'll go with whatever the majority decides on.

I'll try and get the next part out soon, but I'm not giving any exact specification because I'm sure there are those that know how inconsistent my updates are at this point.)

Sudo's Trial - Time To Get A Chain-Lock

(A/N - I'm changing the title format from 'Chapter X - blah blah' to this style of title. So for example, 'Island Exam - blah blah' or 'Paper Shuffle - blah blah'. I'm probably going to be doing smaller scenes a lot more often from this point on so calling them 'Bonus Chapters' wouldn't exactly be right and they aren't exactly a full thing. This way makes more sense. Obviously, each update will still be in the order the students watch them.)

Well, I say it will be light-hearted but Sudo might be reminded of his previous anxieties.

"Huh? It's about me again?" Sudo cried.

I agreed that it was quite tiresome to constantly be the centre of everyone's attention.

So let's begin!

From the previous statement, this must be from the time Ryuen attempted to set up Sudo. I couldn't guess how the creator viewed that event as light-hearted at all.

After a nice dinner in the dorm cafeteria, I headed back to my room. There, I took out my phone and checked my remaining balance. My account total was displayed on the screen. I saw that I had 8,320 private points. It hadn't changed since this morning. Considering that we'd started the school year with 100,000 points, this was an incredibly low amount. I had nearly bankrupted myself just to buy the point Sudou needed to pass.

"Um. Sorry about that Ayanokoji," Sudo scratched his cheek with a nervous grin.

"It doesn't matter, it was enough for me to survive on," I assured him.

"You are incredibly lucky that both Ayanokoji-senpai and Horikita-senpai had been saving points for that first month," Utomiya commented.

Faced with the fact he had been extremely fortunate to survive expulsion, Sudo became sullen. What Utomiya said was true though. I wondered if anybody else would have had enough points saved to afford an expenditure of that magnitude.

"I still can't see his goal. If he had no interest in Class A, as he says, then saving that imbecile couldn't have been more important than keeping his own private points. Surely...no, that can't be it." Yagami pondered.

"It would be pretty great if we got those 87 points," I muttered.

"Oh is this when the school messed up and didn't give us our points on time?" Maezono asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like it," Ike agreed.

Converted, the points came to roughly 8700 yen. Although that wasn't a giant improvement, it was still big bucks.

As I was playing around on my phone, my door suddenly swung open.

"Save me, Ayanokouji!" Sudou stood there, his face beet red.

"Again?" Kanzaki raised his eyebrow in disapproval.

"One sec...do you leave your door unlocked, Ayanokoji-kun?" Matsushita asked an understandable question.

"No, I make sure to lock it every time I enter or leave,"

"But Sudo-kun just walked in,"

"Yes, he did,"

She had a confused look on her face as I didn't elaborate on how that was possible. It was likely they still had those keys.

I pointed to the screen to signal that she'd find out soon enough.

"Why're you here? Actually, forget that – how did you even get in?"

I'd locked my door when I got back to my room. I hadn't forgotten, because I made it a habit. Had Sudou smashed through the wall or something? Just to be sure, I checked my door to see that it wasn't broken. It looked completely fine.

"It's funny how you felt the need to check," Amikura said with a giggle, "But how did he get in then?"

"This is the room where our group meets, isn't it? Ike and the rest of us made duplicate keys. Didn't you know that? Everyone else in the group has a key, too."

"Wait, that's really weird!" Kobashi frowned.

"I mean, I get it if the room's owner is fine with it but Ayanokoji-kun seems to have had no idea," Mori said.

"Eh? But we used to meet there so it just made sense?" Ike argued.

"Ike-kun, you can't just decide to make a key for someone else's room. It's an invasion of privacy," Yosuke lectured him.

"In most cases, it's also illegal," Horikita added but didn't seem that interested in the topic.

"Huh? It is?" Ike cried.

I wasn't particularly surprised by Ike's ignorance but I felt that should have been common sense.

He spun the keycard around in his hand.

"I learned this extremely important fact just now," I grumbled. It seemed my room was no longer safe. People could invade whenever they pleased.

"I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable knowing someone could walk into my room whenever they wanted," Sato shivered slightly as she said that.

"Ayanokoji-senpai clearly wasn't happy about it. You should have asked his permission first," Nanase was oddly blunt about her reprimand.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ike moaned.

"Anyway, forget about that right now. I'm in serious trouble! You have to help me!" he cried.

"No, I can't forget about it. Hand over the key."

"Huh? Why? I bought this with my own points. It's mine."

Beside me, I saw Keisei put his head in his hands. Apparently, he also saw how irrational that perspective was.

What an illogical argument. Even if you're ignorant of committing a crime, it's still a crime. Friendship doesn't mean automatically allowing people to do whatever they want.

"So it really is a crime?" Ike looked shocked.

"Did you somehow misunderstand me the first time?" Horikita asked.

"Um, no, I..."

"Think it'd be best you shut up, Kanji," Sudo suggested, recognising their wrongdoing.

Under pressure from every direction, Ike gave up on trying to excuse his actions and fell silent.

"If you need advice or you're worried about something, why not ask Ike or Yamauchi?"

"I can't ask them. They're stupid."

"Quite ironically, I believe that's the first mildly intelligent thing I've heard you say," Sakayanagi chided.

"I've kept quiet until now but I want to ask you to stop antagonizing my classmates, Sakayanagi-san," Yosuke pleaded.

"Oh, is it bothering them? Or perhaps you are concerned about yourself?"

"It's not that. I just don't think it's necessary to keep belittling them,"

"What's necessary and what isn't is up to interpretation, is it not?"

"That might be but all the same, can you just stop, please?"

Sakayanagi didn't bother to issue a retort. Instead, she just gave Yosuke a slight smile that neglected to answer whether she intended to accept his request or not. With nothing else to say, Yosuke didn't push the subject any further.

Sudou slid to the floor with a thud.

"Buy some carpet, will ya? My butt hurts," he muttered.

I had no points to waste on interior design. Even though my room had seemingly been designated as our group's meeting spot, we hadn't gotten together once since the party. Even if I went out and bought a carpet, I'd have been the only one sitting on it. Just imagining that was surreal.

"What's this party you are on about?" Sato asked.

"Oh, I can answer that! When Horkita-san...well, Horikita-san and Ayanokoji saved Ken, we had a party in his room to celebrate!" Ike explained.

"And Horikita-san attended this party?" Matsushita asked.

"Yeah, she did. She was the one who saved Sudo, after all," Ike shrugged as if it was obvious.

I recalled that Horikita hadn't been thrilled about the idea, but then again, I hadn't been overjoyed either.

"I didn't think you were the type to go to celebration parties, Suzune," Ryuen said, "Maybe you really are a softie under that icy front,"

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Horikita shut him down, "I was invited and I went, there's nothing more to it,"

As I stood up to make some tea, the doorbell rang. Kushida, the Madonna of Class D, poked her head through the entrance. She looked as cute as ever. She saw Sudou, who was still sitting on my floor.

At the sight of Kushida, the conversation dried up. There were probably thoughts like 'How can he stand being near her' or 'How can he act like nothing happened' going through people's heads.

"Both of them acted like there was nothing going on. Knowing about Kushida's ability to completely change her character, it doesn't surprise me that she could do it. But how was Ayanokoji-kun able to keep calm? Even if says he struggles to show emotion, he should at least be worried, right?" Matsushita thought.

"Senpai, didn't it bother you to have someone like her in your room," Tsubaki yawned, the atmosphere clearly not affecting her.

"I'm not really sure what you mean by 'someone like her', but no, I guess it didn't bother me," I replied.

"Isn't that a little too dismissive even for you? You say that you don't view people as good nor bad, but surely you would become at least a bit cautious of her," Tsubaki continued, "Instead you act like you know nothing about her - even going as far as calling her cute despite the fact you do know of her ugly side,"

You could say she was half-right on both counts. Upon learning of the extent of Kushida's faked personality, I acted no differently from how I usually would. It was probably because the caution that Tsubaki believes I should have shown was my default setting. Because I was already wary around her, there was no need to overdo it when discovering her other side. As for the 'cute' comment...nobody would argue that from an objective point of view.

"As long as I didn't tell anyone, I was safe. There was no need to worry about it since I didn't plan on saying anything," I explained.

"I see you have no intention of giving a real answer,"

"What answer do you want?"

Tsubaki didn't continue her inquest. I wondered what she found so interesting about me. Someone like her wouldn't bother speaking up for any other reason. How much did the first-years connected to Tsukishiro know about me?

"Oh, Sudou-kun's already here," she said.

"Hey, Kushida, I want to ask you something. Do you perhaps have a duplicate key to my room, too?"

"Yeah, I do. That's so we can meet up here... Wait, did you not know about that, Ayanokouji-kun?"

She took a key card from her bag and showed it to me. I didn't spot any differences between her key and mine. They were exactly the same. Apparently, Kushida thought I'd given permission to make these keys.

"She had a key too? I wouldn't feel safe at all if I were you, Kiyopon," Haruka said.

"I wouldn't want anybody to have my key, but least of all, her," Keisei agreed.

"It...was fine," I said. I suddenly remembered a passing thought I'd had about her being my girlfriend. That wasn't going to go over well.

"Umm, well...should I return it to you?"

She apologetically handed over her key.

"I can't get over how she acts so well," Hashimoto chuckled, "Even to someone who knows about her, someone she threatened, she acts like the cute little angel,"

"At least she handed him back the key," Kamuro said.

"No, it's okay. There's no point if you're the only one who returns a key. Sudou doesn't seem to want to hand his over."

"Are you insane, Kiyotaka?" Keisei asked, "You should have just taken the key back, and Sudo's as well,"

"I couldn't force him to," I shrugged.

"Then you should have gone to the school,"

"There was no need to get them involved in something as stupid as this,"

"I wouldn't call something like this 'stupid'. In fact, I'd call it a serious infringement of privacy," Keisei shook his head.

I could understand Keisei's point, but I couldn't see Sudo using the keycard for any malicious intent.

"You were fine with Kushida-san having a key to your room, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked incredulously.

"It's not that I was happy about it, but I didn't see it as a big issue,"

Wasn't it fine for Kushida to have a key, anyway? I suppose that in the delusional part of my brain, giving her a key made it feel like she was my girlfriend. Men certainly are devious creatures.

"Didn't you just say something about not being happy about it?" Kei raised her eyebrows at me.

Kei didn't look particularly happy. Don't punish the present me for what I was thinking back then...

"I can't believe you were even considering her being your girlfriend," Mori spat in disgust.

"He really had such a stupid thought even after what he saw. Tch, what an idiot!" Kushida thought.

"Why would that thought ever enter your head, Kiypon?" Haruka glared at me.

"Well, I said she would be 'like' my girlfriend, not actually my girlfriend," I tried to justify myself.

"He has never once denied that these are his true thoughts throughout these videos but something about the way he conducts himself is odd. His thinking also doesn't quite match up to what I expected. However, there are glimpses of it..." Manabu analysed.

"Just promise me you won't actually get with her," Haruka pleaded.

"I don't think there was ever a chance of that happening even if I wanted it to,"

Both Airi and Haruka sighed in relief.

"That's enough everyone. We said we'd give her a chance, right?" Yosuke said.

"Since Kushida came, too, can we move on to the topic at hand?" Sudou asked.

"All right, I guess there's no getting around it. So, what do you need to talk about?"

It wasn't like I could bluntly turn the two of them away. Sudou began talking slowly, wearing a meek expression.

"You know how our homeroom teacher called me today? Well, it's... Uh... The truth is...I may be suspended. For a long time, actually."

"S-suspended?"

"Suspended? When- oh, right, the fight!" Okitani remembered.

"Tch, wasn't much of a fight..." Sudo glowered.

"No of course not, you ruthlessly beat up three of my class without getting any injuries yourself," Ryuen shook his head but wore a sinister grin, "I just can't understand how you weren't punished for it,"

"Shut up! You were the one that set those assholes on me!"

Having successfully wound up Sudo, Ryuen was satisfied.

"Don't be an idiot, Sudo." Horikita scolded him.

"But...fine," Sudo sighed.

That was unexpected. Compared to how he'd acted at the start of the year, Sudou had been rather well behaved lately. He didn't sleep in class or talk during lectures, and he was doing well in his club activities.

"Did you insult Chabashira-sensei, by any chance?" I asked.

Sudou had been upset when Chabashira-sensei stopped him from going to basketball practice. With that in mind, he might've said something reckless.

"That's not it."

"Then what? Did you grab her by the collar and threaten to kill her or something?"

"Not that I don't understand, but you really had a low opinion of Sudo-kun, didn't you," Amikura asked.

"I didn't have a bad opinion of him but it wasn't out of the realms of possibility that he'd do something like that,"

After all, I'd done something similar when Chabashira blackmailed me and Sudo's temper far exceeded mine.

"That's not it, either."

Another denial. I hadn't expected that.

"Huh? You really thought I'd done that?" Sudo asked.

"Well..."

"Even I'm not stupid enough to threaten a teacher!"

"I suppose not,"

"It's probably worse than you're thinking..."

My first two guesses had been pretty serious, so if it was something worse, then...

"Oh, I got it, Ayanokouji-kun. He viciously beat Chabashira-sensei and then he spit on her!" Kushida cried.

Kushida earned some laughs from the audience, even if they were nervous in tone.

"That's...certainly aggressive," Keisei said.

"I doubt a student would ever go that far," Katsuragi noted.

"Really, Katsuragi? You don't think there are some students here who would willingly make an enemy of a teacher?" Ryuen asked.

"That's not what I said. I know there are people at this school, like you Ryuen, who would certainly not think twice about antagonizing teachers if it suited them," Katsuragi explained, "But to directly assault a teacher would be a step too far, I think,"

"You lack imagination, Katsuragi," Ryuen said with a snicker.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Ryuen didn't respond, he just gave Katsuragi a cocky grin that said 'You wouldn't understand even if I spelt it out for you'.

"That's horrible. I mean, your wild ideas are way too awful, Kushida!"

"Haha, I'm only joking! Sudou-kun wouldn't go that far."

Even though I expected Sudou to immediately deny what she said, he seemed

shocked by Kushida's joke. That was proof that something really was wrong.

"What happened?" I asked.

"To tell you the truth, I beat up some kids from Class C yesterday. Then, I got suspended. The suspension is probably my punishment."

"Sudo-kun, why did you go to Ayanokoji-kun for help? Horikita-san would have made more sense wouldn't she?" Onodera asked.

"Eh? Well, I guess so but she had just saved me from expulsion so..." Sudo trailed off.

"You didn't want to trouble her more?"

"Y-yeah that's it!"

It was more likely that he thought seeking Horikita's aid would have made her think less of him after she'd just saved him from expulsion. If he couldn't go to her then I guess Kushida and I were his second-best options.

Kushida was also shocked by Sudou's words. She shot me a look. I couldn't immediately process the fact that Sudou had gotten himself into trouble again.

"Hey, princess. Would you have saved Sudo again if he kept getting into trouble?" Hashimoto asked.

Sakayanagi thought about his question before answering.

"That depends on my resources. For Class A, a student like Sudo could quite easily be discarded. With our priority being to sustain our position, having a student likely to lose us points due to bad behaviour would bring more negatives than positives. However, for Class D, his physical attributes would be a good way of accruing the points in which they were in desperate need of, meaning his trouble-making could be overlooked,"

It was a good summary that accounted for the difference in both goals and needs between the classes. Sakayanagi would have viewed Sudo as a strain on her class, whereas for us, it was imperative that we could keep the physical edge. Of course, it was possible that Class A would drop and losing a student like Sudo could have damaged them when needing to climb back up. But Sakayanagi probably didn't entertain the idea of dropping to Class B.

"If you think about it like that, I guess. But isn't it better to have more options available to you?" Ichinose asked.

"Have you never heard of the phrase, quality over quantity? There's no point in carrying around a deadweight just because you might need it," Sakayanagi contested.

Even the ever-optimistic Ichinose couldn't find a response to that. If a student was holding a class back, they were of minimal importance. Using time and resources on helping them could prove fatal if a worse problem were to surface too soon after.

"Even if that's true, I think that there's more to it than that," Yosuke joined in.

"Is this about your morals, Hirata-kun?" Sakayanagi asked.

"If that's the way you see it, then yes. If there is a way to save your classmate then I think you should take it. It's not right to just abandon them, especially if you are a class leader,"

"Isn't it exactly because I am a class leader that I have to think like this? Take your class, Hirata-kun. If your way of thinking is best for a class leader then why is Horikita-san leading Class C and not you?"

"Because..."

He started but couldn't finish. Yosuke knew already that Sakayanagi's words were right, but he couldn't accept them regardless. I'd once had a very similar conversation with him so I already knew how he thought. This issue had presented itself in the Class Vote exam, where Horikita had shown herself to be capable of making a logical decision in tough conditions while Yosuke had broken down.

"Enough already, we already know you and Honami won't sacrifice the small fry," Ryuen snapped.

With Ryuen's words, the debate finally ended.

"You beat them up? So, uh, why did you do that?" I asked.

"Just so you know, it wasn't my fault, okay? The jerks in Class C started it and tried to pick a fight with me. I just responded to the situation and turned the tables on them. Then they said that I started the fight. They're a bunch of liars."

Sudou still hadn't quite collected his thoughts. While I understood the gist of what he was saying, I still didn't know the fight's details or how it started.

"Just wait a minute, Sudou-kun. Can you please start over, and go a bit more slowly?" Kushida encouraged him to calm down and tried to get him to tell us the story.

"Sorry, I guess I just kind of skipped to the end and left a lot out."

Sudou took a deep breath and started over.

"I was talking with the club advisor about being a regular for the summer tournament."

I'd heard that Sudou was good at basketball, but I hadn't expected him to become a regular already.

"I guess that is pretty impressive..." Kondo admitted, seeming reluctant. He was also involved in the basketball club but I had no idea whether he had come close to becoming a regular.

"What's that, Reo? Did I just hear you compliment Sudo?" Komiya grinned.

Instead of a verbal response, Kondo threw a well-aimed strike at Komiya's arm, leaving the latter rubbing it to alleviate the pain.

"Ow, ow! I give, I give!" Komiya pleaded.

I hadn't been checking up on him but it seemed Komiya had fully recovered from his injuries sustained during the island exam. Well, the physical ones at the very least.

"A regular player? That's amazing, Sudou-kun! Congratulations!"

"Well, nothing's set in stone yet. It's just a possibility for now."

"Still, that's amazing. We've only just started school."

"Yeah, I suppose. Actually, I was the only first-year student nominated to be a regular player. Still, it's not like it's definite. Anyway, when I was on my way back to the dorm, Komiya and Kondou, who're in the basketball club with me, called me over to the special building. They said they wanted to talk to me about something. I could've just ignored them, but I mean, I occasionally talk to those two guys during basketball. I thought it'd be better to just hear them out. So of course, I went to meet with them, right? Then, there was this Ishizaki guy there, waiting for me. He's Komiya and Kondou's friend. They said that they couldn't stand that someone like me from Class D had been chosen as a regular. They threatened me, and said to quit basketball or there'd be a lot of pain in my future. I refused to quit, I beat them up, and now I'm here."

"So that's what really happened?" Matsushita asked.

Back when we were trying to prove Sudo's innocence, the rest of the class hadn't been aware of the entire situation. They were focused on finding witnesses to determine who had started the fight. The rest of the tale wasn't important.

"Yeah, like I kept saying, I didn't start the fight," Sudo complained.

Apparently, he still harboured some lingering agitation over the fact hardly anybody had believed him.

"Well, it's not like you can blame us for not believing you," Matsushita argued.

"Urgh, I know already..." Sudo sighed.

Even if you know the reasons for it, not being believed, especially when you are telling the truth, definitely doesn't feel great.

It was a rather hurried explanation, but I got the gist. Apparently, Sudou was satisfied with his story.

"So then they painted you as the bad guy, Sudou-kun."

Sudou nodded, an exasperated look still on his face. So the students in Class C had started the whole thing, and when their attempt to threaten Sudou had failed, they'd resorted to force. In other words, an act of violence. However, Sudou was an experienced fighter, so he'd managed to completely overwhelm them without breaking a sweat. Of course, they'd been injured. Since there was no evidence of what had happened, they'd lied the next day and told school officials that Sudou had beaten them up for no reason.

"Seems like something that class would do..." Sonoda muttered. (A/N - Hey look, I found another character to use! Thanks, Kei!)

"I guess if we knew what we do now, we wouldn't have suspected Sudo-kun as much," Mori said.

"Well, it's not like we could have known another class would attack us so quickly," Kei shrugged.

At that point in time, there were probably many students who still believed this school to be somewhat normal. Say that an event like this took place in a normal high school - nobody would have any doubts as to what happened. Nobody would think twice before blaming Sudo. Backhanded schemes and strategies just weren't present in that environment. Perhaps more importantly, though, nobody would have any reason to get involved had this had taken place at a normal high school.

"If Class C started this, then Sudou-kun isn't at fault."

"Right? I seriously don't get this. I can't believe that teacher, either!"

"We should tell Chabashira-sensei tomorrow. We should tell her it wasn't Sudou-kun's fault," Kushida said.

Things probably wouldn't be so simple. Sudou must have already told the school what he'd just told us. But because he lacked clear evidence to support his claim, the school might still decide to punish him.

"Sudou, what did the school say when they heard what happened?"

"They said they would give me until next Tuesday to come up with proof. If I can't do that, they'll say I'm at fault and I'll be suspended until summer. On top of that, the whole class will lose points, too."

Apparently, the school had decided to wait for evidence. However, Sudou appeared more worried about his basketball dreams than his suspension, or our class's loss of points. I guess he couldn't bear the thought of his youth being squandered.

"It's good that you had motivation for improving yourself but I hope you can understand while watching this the mistakes you made," Horikita lectured Sudo.

"Of course, as much as I hate reliving this, I'll do my best to learn from it," Sudo nodded.

"Good,"

Besides academics, it was clear that Horikita was instructing Sudo on his overall behaviour as well.

"What should I do?"

"Sudou-kun, you didn't lie to the teacher, did you? I mean, it seems strange. They didn't believe you even though you said you didn't do anything wrong. Right?"

I felt bad for Kushida. She looked to me for affirmation, but I couldn't respond the way she wanted.

I saw some people glance in my direction with confused expressions. Although I couldn't be sure, it was likely to do with my thoughts on Kushida.

"Well, I wonder about that. I don't think it's quite that simple."

"What do you mean, you wonder? You're not doubting me, are you?"

"Well, the school doesn't trust you, right? It wouldn't be that odd for someone in your class, like Kushida, for instance, to support you even if you're lying. After all, they don't want their points to go down."

"Well...you might be right about that, I suppose."

Our current troubles wouldn't be resolved merely by discovering who'd started it. Perhaps those three students might face a one-week suspension themselves, as punishment. Those three guys had claimed they were beaten up. Without ironclad proof that Sudou wasn't at fault, he would definitely be punished. That meant only one thing.

"Even if the other party is at fault, it's still highly likely that Sudou will take some of the blame."

"Huh? Why? It was legitimate self-defence, wasn't it? Huh?!"

"I actually have a question for you, Sudo," I said, "Do you understand what I was saying now?"

"About the whole self-defence and victim thing? I guess I understand a bit of it but I was still the victim, right?" Sudo asked.

"Yes, you were," I nodded, "But remember that simply because you weren't the original aggressor, that doesn't negate the actions you took,"

"So...I was the victim but because I punched them I was still in the wrong?"

"Essentially. Self-defence is supposed to be used to defuse a situation, not escalate it. By causing them the injuries you did, saying you did it in self-defence didn't help much,"

"I think I get it. Basically, I shouldn't have gone so far?"

I nodded. He had already come to terms with his own behavioural issues and taken steps to improve. If he could understand how to approach these problems in a thoughtful way, it could prevent a repeat of this scenario.

"I think you may make a better teacher than me, Kiyotaka..." Keisei looked taken aback by my sudden lecture.

"I don't think so, Keisei. If I was that good, maybe I could have explained it better when the incident took place," I responded.

Despite my words, I was getting looks from numerous people, especially members of my own class. I guess I shouldn't speak out like this too often.

As I thought that, I felt the vibration of my phone in my pocket.

It's not like you to speak out in front of everyone like that.

Horikita had apparently been surprised by my decision.

I'm sure you can guess why staying in the background is pointless now. I responded.

Obviously. But you never approach problems directly like that. I can't help but think you have some kind of ulterior motive.

I guess it's understandable she would have her doubts. From her perspective, I had always used underhanded schemes and trickery instead of facing problems head-on.

Don't you think I might have used the methods I did precisely because I couldn't face situations directly?

I suppose that could be the case. So you plan on involving yourself more because of this?

It hadn't taken her long to broach the subject. Whether I would involve myself more was a question for another time. I decided to ignore her message and put away my phone. When she didn't get a response, Horikita turned and glared at me, obviously frustrated.

Sudou, clearly unable to understand, smacked the table. Kushida's shoulders stiffened in response.

"I'm sorry, I just got a little mad." After seeing Kushida's frightened expression, Sudou sheepishly apologized.

"But...why would Sudou-kun still take some of the blame?"

"Sudou hit them, but they didn't hit Sudou. I think that's a big part of it. In such a case, claiming it as legitimate self-defence is difficult. Had they come at you with a knife or a metal bat, I think things would have been quite different. Self-defence means that you have the right to defend yourself against sudden, dangerous attacks made against your person. So, I don't think we can really claim that this was self-defence."

How much consideration would be given in this situation?

"I-I don't understand, though. I was up against three people. Three! That seems plenty dangerous."

"Hey, that's true! Surely if they outnumber him, then it's self-defence, right?" Mori asked.

"They didn't attack him, though. Without witnessing the incident and going just from the outcome, it looked like Sudo had been the offending party against victims who didn't fight back," Keisei explained.

"Oh, okay..."

They'd likely take the number of people into account, but this was a delicate case. If the school were willing to place more weight on the number of people who'd attacked, Sudou could be declared innocent. However, it was dangerous to be optimistic.

"I think the school might have offered an extension because they found it difficult to make a judgment at this time."

As for the current proof, the key was in the injuries Sudou had given those three other students.

"I guess that their plan is to severely punish Sudou for punching them, huh?" Kushida said.

"Whoever reported it first has the advantage. The victim's testimony can work as evidence."

"I still don't get it. I'm the victim here! Being suspended isn't some kind of joke! If I'm punished for this, forget being a regular player. I won't even be able to play in the tournament!"

Those Class C students had purposefully allowed Sudou to beat them up in order to crush him. They wanted to destroy Sudou's chances of becoming a regular, even if that meant they might face some restrictions of their own. That was what I imagined their plan to be, anyway.

"What's the point in doing that, anyway? Why did they target Sudo-kun?" Onodera asked.

Why did they target Sudo? It probably wasn't that they wanted to target him specifically, rather they found him to be the most convenient. However, it wasn't inconceivable that Ryuen had targeted Sudo due to his physical ability. If Ryuen had thought that far ahead then his plan was a lot more commendable than I first thought.

"Yeah! What did you guys go after me for?" Sudo called to where the current Class D were located.

"You were getting cocky, Sudo!" Kondo replied with a smirk.

"Hey, Kondo, shut it," Ryuen snapped.

Kondo immediately shrunk back into his seat and didn't even look like saying anything more. Keeping Kondo quiet was for the best. We didn't know yet if the school would take action based on these videos.

"Let's just come out and ask those three Class C students to be honest. If they feel like what they did was wrong, then surely they'd feel guilty about it. Right?"

"Those guys aren't idiots. They won't be honest. Goddamn it, I won't ever forgive them! Those damn nobodies!"

Sudou picked up a ballpoint pen from the table and, with a loud crack, snapped it in two. I understood that his blood was boiling, but that was my pen...

Many laughed at me for my concern over something so trivial.

"Umm, sorry about that, Ayanokoji," Sudo apologised again with a sheepish grin.

"You really don't need to apologise for that," I sighed. Maybe he'd mellowed out too much.

"If trying to explain the situation won't work, then we'll need to find ironclad proof," I said.

"Yeah. It would be nice if there was evidence that proved Sudou-kun wasn't to blame."

That'd be very nice because then our suffering would end. However, Sudou didn't deny anything. He looked like he was deep in thought.

"There might be something, though. This might just be a misunderstanding on my part, but when I was fighting those guys I felt something...odd. Like someone was nearby, watching me."

He didn't sound entirely confident.

"I-uh, didn't pay much attention to this whole fight thing but weren't you the witness, Airi?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, I was," Airi confirmed quietly. It seemed like she was remembering something.

"That's cool. Is that how you met Kiyotaka, then?" Akito asked.

She nodded and gave me a somewhat weak smile.

"You worked with Horikita-san again on this, didn't you Kiyotaka?" Keisei asked.

"Yeah, it was mostly her this time though," I replied.

"I see,"

I noticed he didn't look entirely convinced but I guess that was only natural.

"So there might be an eyewitness?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't have proof anyone was there, though."

An eyewitness. Hmm. If someone had seen everything, then that'd be great news for us. However, depending on how things went, it might drive Sudou further into a corner. For example, if the witness only saw the aftermath of their fight, that might spell Sudou's end.

"I wonder what he would do if I had prepared a witness in advance. Of course, using a student from my own class wouldn't have worked so I'd have had to use someone from another class. Ichinose's class wouldn't have cooperated but some in Class A seem capable." Ryuen thought.

"What should I do?" he asked.

Sudou buried his head in his hand. Kushida broke the heavy silence.

"There are two ways we can prove your innocence, Sudou-kun. The first way is to simply get those boys in Class C to admit that they lied. Since you weren't at fault, it's probably best to get them to acknowledge that."

That was absurdly idealistic.

"Are you not a fan of the 'ask nicely' strategy, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sakayanagi grinned.

"If I thought it would work then I would prefer to solve any problems peacefully," I answered.

"And what if you can't solve it peacefully?" Ryuen cut in.

"Then I usually leave it to Horikita,"

It wasn't a complete lie. I'd left Kushida and the leadership position in Horikita's capable hands.

"Like I already said, that's impossible. They won't admit they lied."

As Sudou said, if they confessed to lying just to get someone else in trouble, they'd probably end up getting suspended themselves.

"The other idea is to find the eyewitness you talked about, Sudou-kun. If someone happened to see the fight, then we should be able to get to the heart of the matter."

Well, that was probably our only realistic plan.

"Sakura-san was the witness, right?" Ike asked.

"Yeah, she came to the trial and showed the pictures," Sudo confirmed.

"She took pictures of the fight?" Kanzaki frowned.

"Well, she was just taking pictures of herself and happened to catch the fight in the background," Sudo explained.

"Then that was how you won the trial?"

"Err, well no," Sudo scratched his head.

"The pictures alone weren't enough proof of Sudo-kun's innocence," Horikita took over as Sudo looked out of his depth, "Judging by this video, you will eventually see how we managed to get Sudo out of trouble,"

Kanzaki nodded. Horikita was almost certainly correct. It seems the content of these videos will mostly focus on what I've done behind the scenes. However, the nature of the content was still odd. I was yet to determine the motive.

"So, how do you intend to look for this eyewitness?"

"Asking people one by one? Or we could simply address each class as a whole," Kushida said.

"It would be great if someone just stepped forward, but..."

Since we'd been talking for quite some time, I started rummaging through the cupboard. I took out the instant coffee and tea packets that I'd bought at the school convenience store. Sudou wasn't really a fan of coffee, though. After preparing a kettle of hot water, I put everything on the table.

"This might sound kind of shameless, but...can you guys not tell anyone about this?" Sudou asked sheepishly. He took a cup and started blowing on it to cool it off.

"Chabashira-sensei told us anyway, what's the point in asking them that?" Shinohara asked.

"I didn't realise sensei was gonna tell everyone..." Sudo said.

"When the problem affects the class as well as the individual then I have a duty to inform everyone," Chabashira explained.

"I know, I know,"

"H-huh? You don't want us to tell anyone?" Kushida asked.

"If word gets out, it'll definitely get around to the basketball team. I don't want that to happen. You understand, right?"

"Sudou, even then, I—"

"Please understand, Ayanokouji. If I can't play basketball, I have nothing," Sudou pleaded, placing his hands on my shoulders.

Even if word didn't get out, this wasn't going to stay contained. If people found out that Sudou had used violence, they most likely wouldn't accept him on the team.

"You are still on the team, right Sudo-kun?" Ichinose asked.

"Wha-um, yeah, I'm a starter," Sudo seemed a little surprised that Ichinose had spoken to him.

"That's good!" Ichinose smiled.

"Yeah, thanks,"

Ichinose probably just wanted to make sure that Ryuen's schemes hadn't had an impact on Sudo's chances of playing for the team.

"But won't the students in Class C talk about how Sudou-kun was violent? I mean, that would work in their favor, I'd think."

That's exactly what I was thinking. It wouldn't be strange for them to talk about it amongst themselves, since that helped them and would hurt us. Sudou buried his head in his hands once again, as if to say "Seriously?!"

"What if word already got out?"

"No, at this stage it's probably only being discussed by the school and the people involved."

"Why do you think that?" Sudou asked.

"If those guys in Class C had intended to spread rumors, we probably would've heard about it already."

Representatives from the school had received a report and called Sudou in after class. There hadn't been any word about the incident this afternoon. At the very least, word probably hadn't spread much.

"So you think we're safe for now?"

How long would that last, though? Even if the school issued a gag order, word would eventually manage to get out. Before long, it'd spread. Right now, the only thing I could say with certainty was—

"Sudou-kun, I think it would be better if you kept your distance," Kushida said.

She seemed to understand everything.

"Is that so he didn't start another fight?" Mori asked.

For a second I was silent as I was used to Kushida answering questions for me, but she wasn't in the right state for that at the moment.

"Well that's part of it," I answered, "But if Sudo tried to look for a witness, he probably wouldn't get the same results as someone uninvolved,"

"Why not?"

"Sudo is the one who brought up the possibility of a witness but is also the one who would benefit the most from one showing up. Seeing as no witness had come forward, it is likely that nobody would believe him if he went around claiming there was one,"

"Right, I think I get it," Mori nodded.

"But couldn't you say his whole class would benefit from a witness showing up?" Himeno asked, "If so, wouldn't you have the same problems?"

"True, but the situation wasn't looking good for us to begin with. Taking into account Sudo's, uh, behavioural issues, it was better that Kushida and I were the ones to actively search,"

"Right," Himeno said, immediately losing interest.

"Yeah. It wouldn't be good if the accused tried anything," I replied, agreeing with Kushida.

"But, if I dump this on you guys—"

"I don't think it's being dumped on us. We want you to rely on us, Sudou-kun. I don't know how much we can do, but we'll try our best. Okay?" Kushida said.

"All right. I know this is a bother for you guys, but I'll leave it to you."

He seemed to understand that he'd only complicate things by getting involved.

"Well, we'll head back to our rooms. I'm sorry for barging in here."

"Don't worry about it. I just think it's weird that you made duplicate keys."

"I think anybody would," Kanzaki agreed.

Sudou slid the key back into his pocket; he wasn't going to return it. Maybe I should put a chain lock on my door.

"Although I agree with the chain-lock idea, I still think you should have just taken the cards back," Keisei said.

"Do you still have the chain lock on your door, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked.

"Yes, it's still there," I replied.

"So they still have the keycards?"

"I have no clue,"

"I think I lost mine," Sudo shrugged.

"Oh, I've still got mine!" Ike announced far too excitedly.

"Ike-kun, either return it to the school or give it to Ayanokoji-kun," Horikita ordered.

"But-"

"Just do it Kanji," Shinohara sighed.

Stuck between the class leader and his girlfriend, Ike had little choice but to agree. Although I wasn't really bothered whether or not Ike had the key to my room, it would be a problem if someone else were to obtain it from him after seeing this video.

"Ike, when we get a break, you can give it to me then," I said.

"See you tomorrow, Kushida."

"Yeah, bye-bye, Sudou-kun."

Sudou left with a somewhat sad look on his face. His room was only a few doors down.

"Well. Aren't you heading back, Kushida?" I asked.

Suddenly everybody's eyes were fixed on the screen. From their perspective, this was the first time they'd seen me alone with Kushida since they learnt of her true personality.

"I have a few things I wanted to talk to you about, Ayanokouji-kun. You didn't seem very enthusiastic about helping Sudou-kun."

"You weren't?" Mori asked.

"He never shows much enthusiasm for anything," Horikita muttered in response.

As Kushida looked up at me with uneasy eyes, I had the sudden urge to embrace her. I stretched my back out and tried to shake those thoughts.

"Why doesn't he feel wary of me? I assumed he was just hiding it well, but even when we were alone, he didn't feel worried at all?" Kushida frowned.

"Wow, all guys really do love Kushida-san," Shinohara shook her head, "Even those who know what she's actually like, apparently,"

I felt like it was too much to say that those thoughts suggested I loved Kushida, but with her reputation, I guess it wasn't an unrealistic assumption. Some other girls shared Shinohara's thoughts.

"Kiyotaka, wouldn't you at least dislike her after what you witnessed?" Keisei asked me, "She said she hated you, right?"

Apparently he couldn't comprehend the fact that I had no resentment for Kushida after what happened. For better or worse, Keisei always showed his emotion openly and was often the most sensitive person in our group. You could say we were on completely opposite sides of the spectrum.

"Whether I disliked her or not, I'm not someone that holds a grudge," I responded.

"Right. It's just your thoughts about her..."

"I've said it before. Despite what my thoughts on her may suggest, I never liked her romantically,"

"I want to believe you, but these are your thoughts," Keisei sighed, "Look, I don't really care if you do like Kushida, but after what she did to you..."

Oh. This wasn't what I was expecting.

"Are you worried that she'd use my feelings against me?"

"Well...yes, I guess that is what I'm worried about," Keisei admitted.

Based on past experience, I'd expected him to be more concerned about my actions than me.

"I appreciate the concern," I replied, "But you don't need to worry. I'm certain that you'll see why as the videos progress."

He nodded, "If you are sure then I'll drop it,"

"There's just not much I can do. I mean, I can only really respond to Sudou's story. If it were Horikita or Hirata here, they'd probably be able to give expert advice."

"Maybe, but Sudou-kun came to you, Ayanokouji-kun. He came to you before Horikita-san, Hirata-kun, or even Ike-kun."

"I don't know if I should be happy about that or not."

"Hmm."

For an instant, Kushida's glare turned icy, which perplexed me. I remembered that Kushida once directly told me that she hated me. She always wore a gentle smile, so I occasionally forgot about that. But I might get burned if I forgot about it entirely.

The nervous mood that had all but vanished crept back into the room. Of course, after the revelation they had just witnessed, it would probably be impossible for anybody to adapt that quickly. Seeing Kushida slip so seamlessly between her facade and true self could unsettle anyone.

"I think it might be better if you made more effort to blend in, Ayanokouji-kun," she said.

"I'm trying, more or less. I just haven't been able to. Like right now, I didn't have the guts to promise that I'd help."

"What did she mean by blend in?" Mori asked, "Like she wants him to fit in more?"

"I think that's about right," Yosuke nodded, filling in when he realised Kushida would not respond, "Kiyotaka, I remember that you struggled to find your place when we first enrolled, right?"

That was a good way of putting it. Fitting in was a rather broad idea. A class of forty would inevitably split into their own cliques based on their personality types or be sucked in just by chance. I'd also had this happen when I started speaking with Sudo and Ike - our personalities didn't quite match in the long run, but it allowed me to get an experience of what having a group of friends was like.

But friend groups weren't the only way someone could fit in. Logic could also decide where you are placed. While Horikita and I weren't friends, we often communicated because of a shared goal.

As to why I struggled to fit in, I'd say it's because I couldn't meet the expectations that come with either of these scenarios.

She didn't share my anxiety about eating alone during lunchtime. Still, Kushida probably understood how I felt.

"I really should have tried to approach you more, Kiyotaka, I'm truly sorry," Yosuke apologised.

"Even if you had, I likely would have refused," I replied, "That's just how I was back then,"

Hanging out with Yosuke wouldn't have been a bad thing but it would have inconvenienced those around him.

"Kushida, you're going to help, aren't you?"

"Of course. We're friends. So what will you do, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Remember when I said it'd be better to talk with Horikita or Hirata? Well, Sudou hates Hirata, so that makes Horikita the obvious choice."

"Do all the guys really hate Hirata-kun?" Sato sighed.

"No, of course not," Keisei shook his head, "There are...various students who seem to hold somewhat of a grudge, however,"

"Well Sudo did punch him, right?" Shinohara remembered.

"Hey, hey, I already made up for that!" Sudo protested.

"There's no problem," Yosuke intervened, "After all, nobody can please everyone,"

While most would view the reason why Sudo and the other guys disliked Yosuke as inconceivable, the man himself understood enough to accept the fact.

Though I doubted even Horikita could come up with a good enough plan to resolve this issue.

"You keep saying it's impossible and now you are saying that even Horikita-san couldn't help," Matsushita said, "But she found a solution in the end, correct?"

"Well, I think Sudo's presence is enough to prove that," I responded.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that it was Horikita-san who helped him, though,"

"I guess that's true,"

Matsushita seemingly wanted to uncover who played the role of Sudo's saviour. There was little point to her questioning, however.

"So it was Horikita or it wasn't?"

"I do know the answer to that but why not just watch the video?" I suggested.

Seeing is believing. A common phrase and somewhat suitable in this case.

"Do you think Horikita-san will help us?"

"Don't know. We'll have to ask and find out. I don't think she'll just quietly stand by and watch as Class D collapses. Probably."

I lacked conviction. After all, this was Horikita we were talking about.

"It's obviously clear to see the difference but why exactly did you change your outlook, Horikita?" Keisei asked.

"Well, in this regard, my outlook hasn't changed," Horikita replied, "From the start I have acted in this Class' best interest, whether that was alone or not,"

"What I mean is that you seemed so reluctant to interact with the rest of the class and now, for most exams, you act as our leader," Keisei explained,

The difference was clear for everyone. The Horikita they were currently seeing on screen and the Horikita that was sitting with them showed substantial alterations. Disregarding the haircut, she allowed the class to influence her decisions and attempted to account for everyone rather than simply herself alone. It was a change she had chosen to make to reach her goal. In fact, perhaps it was better to say it was a change she needed to make to achieve her goal.

"So you want to know what made me include myself as a member of the class?" Horikita confirmed, "Well, that's simple. To reach Class A, I realised that competing as an individual wasn't an option. It took time for me to both realise that and accept it but if you are looking for a reason then there it is,"

To fight alone or to fight with another. As the lifelong lone wolf Horikita was, it took some heavy realisations to alter her viewpoint.

"I know that you're trying to dodge the question, but you'll help, too. Won't you, Ayanokouji-kun?"

I thought I'd managed to steer the conversation in another direction, but Kushida quickly brought it back.

"You really didn't want to help?" Amikura asked.

"Well, I've never been the motivated type,"

"Even so, I think that it's good you helped in the end, Ayanokoji-kun!" Sato interrupted.

"Is it okay if I'm useless?"

"You won't be useless. I'm sure you'll be useful, somehow."

She didn't clearly state how I'd be useful, though.

"Don't you help out in some of the special exams though, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, I don't really know," Sato cocked her head, "I guess because you hang around with Horikita-san a lot and you seem to do a lot of things for her,"

From an outside viewpoint, it probably looked like I was Horikita's worker ant, doing all the dirty jobs while Horikita managed the class.

"You're right, I do try to help Horikita during special exams,"

"But..."

It sounded like she had something else to say but didn't continue. Despite her knowledge about the relationship between Kei and I, there was no reason for her to think I had been deeply involved in any of the class disputes.

"So what should we do? Sudou-kun said that it wouldn't help, but I think it'd be good to talk with the three students he fought with. To tell you the truth, I'm friends with Komiya-kun and the others. Therefore, it might be possible to persuade them. Hmm, it may be dangerous, though."

Kushida couldn't dismiss the idea of a conversation.

"It's risky. Aside from the question of who started the fight, those three reported it to the school. That means they have the upper hand. Also, I just don't think it would work, since they started it."

Getting them to admit they lied to the school wouldn't be easy. If the school found out, Class C would face a severe penalty. They wouldn't do something so foolish.

"Well then, I guess looking for the eyewitness is our best bet."

That would probably be just as difficult as persuading those three to tell the truth. Without any details to go on, finding the eyewitness would be next to impossible. Going around asking, "Did you see anything?" would be a waste of time and effort.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with any solutions.

"Is this really his thought process? From what I have come to understand about him, this shouldn't be the extent of his ability. Rather, this isn't the way he should think. Ayanokoji should have at least considered the possibility of pressuring the Class C students into submission in some way. He had more options available to him than just proving his classmate innocent. Was it really my sister's plan in the end? No. Perhaps if I don't take this 'mind reading' at face value. If these were just his conscious thoughts then maybe I could piece things together," Manabu racked his brain for an answer.

So this is how the Sudo trial started!

We are going to be looking at a couple more events that happened during this time period and then I'm going to show you something a bit more interesting!

More interesting?

Well the next video will be a quick look into the investigation Class D started to find the truth of the fight.

(A/N - Well, I posted on my profile earlier that I would upload this yesterday. It's still 1am ish in my time so close enough? I actually have a good reason though. I finally read Year 2 Volume 5! I don't think I need to clarify this but I'm obviously not going to be taking the events of that volume into account when continuing this fanfic.

However, after I've gotten into a good pattern of actually uploading, I'm thinking of writing a different fanfic that would continue after Year 2 Volume 4.5. Except instead, it would be my own special exam rather than the one in Volume 5. Of course, this wouldn't mean I'd stop updating this one. Feel free to vote yay or nay on this idea. Reaction fics consist mostly of dialogue which I've always viewed as the thing I'm worse at writing. In fact, one of the main reasons I started writing this was to improve in that regard. But I also think I'd like to try my hand at creating a special exam as good as the ones Kinugasa creates. )

Sudo's Trial - Investigation/Meeting Ichinose

(A/N - You can probably tell I had no idea what to name this chapter. )

For context, Class D's investigation led them to Sakura Airi being the witness.

"Sakura? I have no idea who that is,"

"She's a Class C student, right?" Hashimoto remembered.

"Yes, Sakura-san is in our class," Horikita confirmed.

It wasn't surprising to see just how few people knew of Airi's existence.

"That seems like a problem," Utomiya commented.

"Huh, why is that a problem? They found the witness they were looking for," Kobashi looked confused.

"Well just think about it. If the witness is a student from the same class as the defendant, what does that mean for the trial?"

"They have someone backing him up-oh!" It looked like the truth had dawned on Kobashi, "The teachers will think she's lying to help her class,"

"Correct. It would have been better if the witness had been from either Class A or B, then their testimony would have had a higher chance of being perceived as the truth," Utomiya explained.

"Wow, I don't know how I feel about being educated by a first-year," Kobashi sighed.

Kushida is going to try and convince Sakura to help them as the witness.

Let's begin.

Class was over. Kushida stood up right as homeroom ended and walked over towards Sakura, who was quietly preparing to leave. Kushida seemed oddly nervous. Ike, Yamauchi, and even Sudou appeared interested in what was going on, and directed their attention over to the girls.

"Why would she be nervous?" Haruka asked me in a whisper.

"Probably because she hadn't had a lot of contact with Airi," I said, "Even if Kushida has excellent social skills, convincing someone that you know nothing about to do something is extremely difficult,"

Persuasion is a topic on which many books have been written. Understanding both your goal and your opponent are both necessary components in successfully persuading someone else. Kushida, no matter how well she could read another person, had almost no information on Airi. So when she entered a negotiation with her, she failed to understand what her opponent wanted.

"Sakura-san?"

"Wh-what?"

The bespectacled girl with the hunched back peered up with a timid expression. Apparently, she hadn't expected someone to talk to her and was flustered.

"I wanted to ask you something, Sakura-san. Do you have a moment? It's about Sudou's case."

"S-sorry. I...I have plans, so..."

Sakura was obviously uncomfortable. She averted her eyes. She probably wasn't good at talking with others. Or rather, she gave off the impression that she didn't like talking to them.

"I guess you were slightly off, Kiyopon," Haruka grinned, "Airi just didn't know us yet,"

"A-actually, he was right," Airi said.

"Huh? You don't like talking to people?"

"Um, no, that's not what I meant!" Airi waved her hands, flustered, "I mean I didn't really like talking to people back then,"

That dislike originated from her fear of others. Most people, even those that lacked social skills, would try to end the conversation quickly and amicably so they could be on their way. Airi instead tried to skip the conversation altogether and run as soon as she was approached.

Haruka and the others must have just assumed she was the socially awkward type, which is true to an extent. They couldn't see past that, however.

"Well, I guess that's fine," Haruka shrugged, "People annoy me too, that's why I don't get involved with many people,"

"That's not really the issue," Airi wore a bitter smile.

"It's not? I'm confused,"

Unable to see past her own point of view, Haruka couldn't understand the real reason for Airi's behaviour.

"I think if you continue watching, you might be able to understand her a little more," I cut in.

"Okay, I guess,"

"Can you please make some time? This is important, so I'd like to talk to you. When Sudou-kun was involved in the incident, were you perhaps somewhere nearby?"

"I-I don't know. I already told Horikita-san. I really don't know anything..."

"So is she the witness or isn't she?" called out one of the first years.

"Wait if the witness is in their class, why didn't she come forward already?"

Already trying her best to withstand the pressure of the spotlight, Airi tried to make herself smaller and smaller, blocking out what was happening around her.

"Sakura-san didn't feel comfortable coming forward, that's all," Horikita answered the questions, "She did agree to help us in the end,"

There are many ways a person can overcome their weaknesses. The method you use largely depends on the person and the state they are in. Somebody who has let their weakness break them has nothing more to fear and has fewer obstacles in the way of their rehabilitation. However, those that are clinging onto hope are affected way worse when their weakness rears its head. Airi, someone who wishes wholeheartedly to believe in herself and be comfortable with those around her, has a much harder path to reach that goal.

Her words were weak, yet she vehemently denied it. Kushida could clearly see how unpleasant Sakura found this, so she probably didn't want to press her much more. Although Kushida appeared slightly perplexed at first, her concerned expression quickly melted into a pleasant smile. Even so, she couldn't withdraw just like that, because Sakura might have tremendous influence over Sudou's fate.

"So...is it okay? If I go back..." Sakura whispered.

Something seemed strange, however. She wasn't simply bad at talking with people. It looked as though she was hiding something. You could see that from her behaviour. Sakura concealed her dominant hand while also avoiding eye contact. Even if she weren't comfortable meeting someone's eyes, people generally looked in the direction of those to whom they were speaking. Sakura didn't look at Kushida's face at all.

"Hiding something?" Keisei inquired, "She just looks uncomfortable to me,"

"As I explained, her behaviour wasn't that of just a socially awkward student. I wasn't watching someone who was just uncomfortable and wanted to escape but someone who was fighting two separate urges," I replied.

"I can't understand what you mean. What do you mean two different urges?"

"What do people with a guilty conscience often do when confronted about their misdeeds?"

"They exhibit different behaviour than they usually would, right? So you are saying she had a guilty conscience? But she behaved the same way as always,"

"Are you sure? The difference is definitely subtle but keep watching and you'll probably be able to see what I mean,"

He frowned slightly, probably trying to discern what I meant, and then looked back to the screen.

If Ike or I were talking to her, I could have understood that reaction. Though it was mostly out of formal obligation, Sakura had exchanged numbers with Kushida. Kushida's behaviour in a one on one conversation was different, though. I don't think Horikita was wrong to feel some discomfort when speaking with Kushida. I'd found something a bit off-putting about it myself.

"Hmm, did Horikita know about Kushida as well?" Hashimoto asked.

"I knew she wasn't as she made herself out to be but I didn't know the exact details," Horikita answered.

"Can't you please spare just a few minutes now?" Kushida asked.

"Wh-why, though? I-I don't know anything..."

If Kushida failed, we'd gain nothing from their conversation. Of course, the longer this awkwardness dragged on, the more attention they'd attract. This seemed like a complete miscalculation on Kushida's part. Since they were already acquainted and had exchanged contact information, Kushida probably had expected this conversation to go more smoothly, and had gone into this situation thinking she wasn't going to be rejected. That explained why this was currently falling apart.

"This is what you were saying about it being hard to convince someone, right?" Haruka asked me.

"Yeah pretty much,"

"Hey, Kiyopon, how do you seem to know so much about, well, talking but also seem to be terrible at doing it?"

That was a blunt way of putting it but I understood her confusion.

"We are both loners, more or less," I replied, "Surely you also pick up on stuff that other people wouldn't,"

"Well, yeah I guess. Nowhere near like you do, though,"

Horikita carefully monitored the situation. She looked over at me with a somewhat smug expression. It was as though she were saying I know that your powers of observation are incredible.

"Even if I did happen to be thinking something along those lines, the fact that he interpreted it that way is frustrating," Horikita sighed.

"Were you really thinking that, Horikita-san?" Ichinose asked.

"My memory isn't good enough that I can remember every thought I've had but around that time I was trying to determine how capable Ayanokoji-kun really was, so it's likely that he was right,"

"Whether you were truly thinking that or not, the fact that it's true remains the same. Your observation skills are clearly noteworthy, Ayanokoji," Katsuragi said.

"I guess I do have a bit of a knack,"

"If you are this able then how come you haven't been more involved in any special exams so far?" Kanzaki asked, "Besides the Commander exam at the end of our first year, I don't remember you playing a significant role in any of them.

"Just because I can pick up on stuff that others might miss, does that really make me capable of succeeding in the special exams?" I retorted.

"I feel like it's more likely that you have had a hand in them unbeknownst to the other classes," Kanzaki argued, "Excuse me but can anybody in Ayanokoji's class confidently tell me that he's had no impact on your results?"

"Well, I don't think he has," Sonoda shrugged.

"I dunno, Ayanokoji just kind of sits there, I think," Ike agreed.

"I think this conversation can be shelved for another time," Horikita interrupted, "Kanzaki-kun, why don't you show a little patience and see for yourself what 'impact' Ayanokoji-kun may or may not had on the exam results,"

"Fine," Kanzaki backed off, "But there's no guarantee we'll be shown everything. So far these videos seem random,"

"You are already seeing far more than I'm comfortable with as a class leader," Horikita sounded annoyed, "Are you not satisfied that you are able to freely analyse our class' situation?"

Kanzaki had no response to that. Even if our class had been keeping my ability a secret to use as a weapon, it was a perfectly viable option and one that would have been instantly disarmed by these videos.

"I'm really bad at being social. I'm sorry..." Sakura muttered.

She spoke in an unnatural, strained way, and didn't seem to want Kushida to get any closer. When discussing Sakura earlier, Kushida had described her as a shy but ordinary girl. Judging from her current behavior, though, she clearly wasn't normal. Kushida must have felt the same, because she couldn't hide her confusion. Kushida was normally very good at getting others to open up to her, but here she was failing. Horikita also understood what was happening. As she watched the conversation, she came to a conclusion.

Before, there may have been questions thrown at Airi to ask her why she wasn't opening up to Kushida. Now, though, Kushida had become something of a forbidden topic to many of the second and third years. Of course, there were those that were unaffected by her true nature, like Hashimoto who had made a comment earlier, but most were wary to even mention her name.

Normally, this would be an extreme and unusual reaction but in Kushida's case, it could be explained very easily. When you feel betrayed by a close friend or someone you care deeply about, the usual response is sadness and anger, depending on the person. It might then come down to a heated argument or a teary conversation and afterwards, you could both decide on what to do from then on. But what if one person's betrayal was revealed to hundreds of her friends simultaneously? Many of them were probably still wrapping their head around it and reconsidering all of the time they'd spent with her. Most likely wanted to believe there was still some hope for their relationship. This had all resulted in a widespread gag order, understood only by those processing this information.

"My, how unfortunate. Kushida failed to persuade her."

Horikita was correct. If Kushida couldn't do it, then I didn't think that anyone else in our class would be able to. Kushida was good at creating an informal atmosphere, one in which socially awkward people could converse naturally. However, everyone has what they consider their own personal space. An off-limits area, in other words.

Cultural anthropologist Edward Hall further divided the idea of personal space into four parts. One such zone is the so-called "intimate space." In this particular space, you'd be near enough to hug someone. If an outsider tries to step into this space, people naturally exhibit strong signs of rejection. However, if that person is a lover or a best friend, then he or she won't find it uncomfortable. Even if someone were only a casual acquaintance, Kushida probably wouldn't mind letting that person into her "intimate space." That is, she didn't seem to put high value on the idea of personal space.

"Listening to your explanations is infinitely more entertaining than a teacher's lecture," Sakayanagi smiled.

"Hey, hey, Ayanokoji, what exactly are you good at?" Hashimoto asked, frowning, "You score a hundred in maths and now you are going on about some psychology stuff. On top of that, you seemed pretty knowledgeable about the school system quite early on. So, I dunno, are you good at everything or something?"

It seemed very unrealistic to assume something like that with such a small sample size.

"I'm definitely not good at everything, that would be impossible," I replied, "Most of the stuff you mentioned just relies on a bit of common sense, right? Apart from that, I read a lot of books which has helped me become like a jack of all trades or that kind of thing,"

"Jack of all trades, master of none?" Hashimoto thought for a moment, "I guess I can see it, but your maths score was better than anybody in our year's. Doesn't that kind of go against your claim?"

"I was only making a general comparison," I explained, "Of course, there are going to be some things I'm better at,"

Nobody could be equally skilled at everything, whether it was in a good or a bad way.

Hashimoto decided not to pry further for the time being.

However, Sakura had clearly rejected Kushida. No...rather, it looked like she was running away. When Sakura was first asked, she'd said that she "had plans." If she really did have plans, she'd have repeated that when asked again. Sakura collected her bag and stood, seemingly putting distance between herself and Kushida.

"G-goodbye."

Sakura had apparently decided to run because she couldn't find a skillful way to end the conversation. She snatched a digital camera off her desk, and started to walk away. Just then, she ran into Hondou's shoulder. Focused on texting a friend, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going.

"Ah!"

Sakura's digital camera tumbled to the floor with a loud clack.

Hondou simply kept walking, attention still focused on his phone. He apologized as he left. "My bad," he called.

Sakura, flustered, rushed to pick up her camera.

"No way. There's nothing on the screen..."

"Hondo-kun, you should have been more careful!" Inogashira reprimanded him in a calm yet firm tone.

"Woah, hey, I don't even remember that happening, what could I do?" Hondo argued.

"Maybe actually look where you are going?" Haruka glared at him, "Being an idiot isn't a valid excuse!"

"It's okay, Haruka-chan," Airi smiled, "I just had to get it fixed, that's all,"

"Hmm, fine. It's not like anything I say would get through his thick head anyway," Haruka sighed.

Sakura put her hand over her mouth in total shock. The camera seemed to have broken on impact. She pushed the power button over and over, tried taking out the batteries and putting them back in, but the power indicator never came on.

"I-I'm sorry. It's because I came up and talked to you so suddenly, that..." Kushida began.

"No, that's not it. I was just careless, that's all... Anyway, goodbye."

Kushida, unable to stop the despondent Sakura, could only watch her leave with regret.

"Why is a gloomy girl like her my witness? This sucks. She doesn't want to help me at all."

"I don't think you should be complaining in your position," Asahina shook her head, "Weren't you desperate to get anybody to believe you?"

Sudo was likely caught off guard by how much attention he was getting from people he didn't usually interact with.

"Um, well, I was just a bit frustrated," Sudo explained, "I didn't mean to offend her or anything,"

I understood Sudo's frustration. From his perspective, everything was going wrong for him and he could do nothing about it.

Sudou crossed his legs and leaned against the chair, sighing in exasperation.

"I'm sure there's something to learn there. Besides, we didn't ask Sakura-san directly what she saw. Maybe she just can't say it herself?"

"I know. If she were planning to say something, she would have. She restrained herself because she's an adult."

"It might be better this way, Sudou-kun. Better that she's the witness, that is."

"What? I thought it was bad that she was the witness?" Kobashi looked utterly baffled.

"I don't think Horikita-san is thinking about it like that, Yume-chan," Ichinose explained.

"What do you mean?"

"She won't testify on your behalf. They'll determine you caused the incident. In the end, Class D will be affected by your actions, but we'll be okay. We have testimony that they lied about the violence. It's hard to imagine that the school would penalize us by more than 100 or 200 points for being involved in this incident. That way we'll only lose 87 points, and you won't face expulsion. However, we'll shoulder more of the blame than Class C will." Horikita relentlessly spoke her thoughts out loud, as if she'd been hiding them deep inside her all this time.

"That's certainly one way of looking at it," Ryuen chuckled, "You were fine with being on zero points then, Suzune?"

"If it meant limiting the damage to our class then letting things play out naturally was surely a viable option," Horikita answered, "However, it was by no means the optimal choice,"

"Obviously not,"

"Don't make jokes. I'm innocent. Innocent! I hit them, but it was out of self-defence."

"I don't think self-defence is all that helpful in this case."

Ah, I'd accidentally said that aloud.

People snickered at my carelessness.

"You mentioned this earlier didn't you, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mori asked.

"Yeah, with no evidence and Sudo's reputation in mind, whether it was self-defence or not would have little effect on the outcome,"

"I don't really understand all that much..."

"It's fine if you don't understand," Horikita said, "We all play different roles in the class, anyway. If you just watch and try and figure it out, that's good enough,"

"Okay..."

"Hey, Ayanokoji-kun? Why didn't you want to say that out loud?" Amikura asked me, "Like a lot of other people, I don't really understand what you mean, but it could have helped out, right?"

Disregarding whether or not my reasoning would have reached the ears of the other students, my silence had been strictly for myself. At the time, I didn't know if I had made a mistake getting involved at all so there was no way I was going to put myself at the centre of the situation.

"I didn't know if anybody else would get what I meant," I explained, "Horikita seemed to understand at the very least so I thought that was fine,"

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun."

I tried to act aloof as I turned, but found that Kushida's face was super close to mine. Man, Kushida looked super cute up close. Rather than feeling uncomfortable about this invasion of my personal space, I wanted her to come even closer.

I was once again given many looks of displeasure. Maybe they'd gotten used to my odd comments because nobody said anything directly to me. Well, except...

"So, I suppose this is what you were talking about when you were giving that psychology speech earlier?" Tsubaki absent-mindedly stroked her cheek with her forefinger while saying this, "While Sakura-senpai rejected her completely, you welcomed Kushida-senpai with open arms,"

Well, it was true that my thoughts may lead people to that conclusion. However, rather than actually accepting Kushida, I was commenting on her ability to close emotional distance. Normally when people force themselves into your personal space you view it as an attack and become uncomfortable. But Kushida overcomes that obstacle. Physical and emotional distance are inexplicably intertwined. If you feel comfortable with someone being close to you, you naturally begin to trust them. Kushida used this to build trust in a way that nobody else could. The fact that Sakura rejected her told me a lot about the person she was.

"You knew about her true nature. You realised that she used personal space to grow closer to someone. And yet you didn't reject her as Sakura-senpai did. Why is that?"

"I neither accepted nor rejected her. My thought was merely objective. Having experienced what Airi had moments before, I was able to learn the differences between our reactions. Kushida has the ability to invade others personal space and instead of being forced out, she breaks down the person's natural defences, regardless of gender. Seeing Airi negate this apparent ability told me more about her than anything else could." I explained.

"It's just like him to do something like that just to 'study' something. But it's good that I don't have to worry about him..." Kei smiled, sighed and shook her head, all at the same time.

"Hmm. You really aren't like other people."

Tsubaki seemed satisfied with my answer. Perhaps she was trying to gauge why I was targetted for expulsion by using the incoming first-years. It wouldn't be unnatural for many of the first-year students to question why they had been tasked with such a peculiar goal. If that really was the motive for her questions, she had been disguising the fact well.

I also noticed that I was receiving more and more frequent glances as the wall I'd constructed around myself by maintaining my guise as 'just another student' slowly eroded around me.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you're Sudou-kun's ally, aren't you?" she asked.

"Well... Yeah, I am. Why are you asking me that again, though?"

"Well, it's just that things seem to be a bit tense. Everyone's desire to save Sudou is fading."

I looked around the classroom. "It does seem that way. They probably think that whatever happens, happens. That there's nothing to be done."

"Well, at the time, I didn't think there was anything to do," Sato looked somewhat downcast.

"Most of us believed Sudo-kun was actually in the wrong so it's not like we could have helped at all," Shinohara said.

"He's not saying that to offend any of you. Ayanokoji-kun knew very well the situation Sudo-kun was in," Horikita replied.

If even Sakura, the key witness, denied Sudou her help, then we'd made no progress.

"I can't imagine that we'll find a perfect out for Sudou. Let's just give up on him," muttered Ike, half-heartedly.

"See. Even his close friends had started to give up. None of you should be ashamed of your inaction," Horikita said bluntly.

"That's a bit sad though," Ichinose said, "As his closest friends, shouldn't you try and cheer him up at least, even if you can't think of any way to help?"

"Nah it's fine, I woulda probably said the same stuff about him," Sudo grinned.

First-hand experience told me that this was completely true.

"Oh, I see,"

"What the hell, you guys? Didn't you say that you'd help me?" Sudou cried.

"Well, it's just...you know?" Sudou appealed to our remaining classmates, looking for approval.

"Even your friends don't wish to help you. How unfortunate," Horikita muttered.

The other students didn't try to deny what Ike and Horikita had said.

"Why do I have to suffer like this? You bunch of useless jerks!"

"What an interesting thing to say, Sudou-kun. Haven't you noticed that everyone is turning on you?"

Despite their previous words, the majority of the class seemed to be regretting their past actions. Seeing this scene made me realise how interesting this was. When we remember our past, we modify some of our memories to make ourselves feel better about what we've done. Failing that, we attempt to justify our actions. 'I only did that because I felt this way' or 'If they hadn't have done that then I wouldn't have' are common examples of the justifications we make to make ourselves feel better, even though we would condemn others for the exact same thing.

The common factor in looking back at the past is our memory. In this case, instead of relying on our memory, we are being shown the raw facts through video. It was fascinating to me what changes the students would have in their thinking as they looked back in this unnatural way.

"What do you mean by that?"

Our class often got very tense, but today was worse than usual. However, since Sudou was talking to Horikita, he seemed to be trying his best to restrain himself. However, the attack came at him from an unexpected direction.

"Don't you think it would've been better if you'd been expelled? Your existence is far from beautiful. No, in fact, I could say your life is an ugly one, Red Hair-kun."

Multiple people from the class sighed as they heard Koenji speak. Sudo's eyes remained firmly on the screen, seeming quite composed. If he was faking it, he was doing a good job.

The voice came from a boy checking his reflection in a hand mirror to fix his hair. It was Kouenji Rokusuke, an especially odd guy even amongst the remarkably strange people of our class.

"That's the second time you've thought that. Do we really seem that strange to you, Ayanokoji-kun?" Sato asked.

"I was just referring to some key individuals rather than the class as a whole," I assured her, "Don't worry, I don't think there's anything strange about you, Sato,"

"I'm sure I can guess, but would you like to mention which 'individuals' these are?" Horikita started directly at me.

"If I had to rank my classmates based on their peculiarity, you'd be somewhere close to the top if that's what you want to know,"

Many students around the hall laughed as I said this. Apparently, the observation that they enjoyed watching me make fun of Horikita had been correct.

"I-"

It seemed like Horikita hadn't been expecting me to give my actual opinion.

"What the hell? Say that one more time, I dare you!"

"It would be inefficient for me to tell you, no matter how many times I did. If I know that you're dim-witted, then it doesn't matter how many times I try to lecture you, does it?"

Kouenji didn't even look at Sudou as he spoke. It was as if this were a soliloquy. Suddenly, there was a huge crashing sound. A desk flew through the air and splintered on the ground after being kicked. Everyone froze. Sudou, silent and intense, walked over to Kouenji.

Almost identical to the reaction in the video, the audience froze at this sudden show of violence. Sudo sighed and looked down.

"All right, that's enough. Calm down, you two," Hirata said. He was the only boy able to move in this awful situation. My heart pounded in my chest. "Sudou-kun. You certainly are part of the problem here. But Kouenji-kun, you're in the wrong, too."

"Puh. I don't think I've experienced being wrong since I was born. You must be mistaken."

"Never been wrong? That's quite the confidence you have, Koenji-kun," Sakayanagi commented.

"Oh, you sound like you think that's a joke. I have never been wrong once," Koenji said firmly.

"Oh, come on. I'll admit you aren't the stupid type but actually believing that you've never been wrong is laughable," Nagumo said.

"Hmm, I'd rather not hear you talk to me, Second-Place-kun," Koenji took a comb out of his pocket and began carefully organising his hair, "Your presence is already disgraceful enough without that unbearable noise in my ears,"

Nagumo kept a straight face but the effort he took to do so gave away his anger.

"You-"

"Let's not get off-topic," Mashima interrupted Nagumo before he could argue back.

Still seething, Nagumo held back his words.

"Bring it on. I'll smash your face in and take you down a peg," Sudou snapped.

"Stop it."

Hirata grabbed Sudou's arm, sternly attempting to stop him, but Sudou showed no signs of being swayed. He looked like he wanted to vent all of his frustrations—including what Horikita had said—by hitting Kouenji.

"Stop it already. I don't want to see my friends fight..."

"It's just like Kushida says. I don't know about Kouenji-kun, but I'm your ally, Sudou-kun."

Hirata was way too cool. It would've been fitting if he changed his name to "Hero."

That would have been awesome.

(A/N - I have no idea what it is about this line but I sat in front of my computer for ten minutes straight having no clue what reactions I was going to write to it)

"Do you worship the guy or something, Ayanokoji?" Nagumo chuckled.

"Huh? Does Kiyotaka really think about people like that? Wait, what did he think of me at the time? What about now?" Kei thought, suddenly eager for the videos to continue.

Due to my apparent adoration of Yosuke, I was receiving quizzical looks from various students.

"Ayanokoji-kun think of Hirata in that way? I suppose it isn't unthinkable. He definitely isn't someone who looks down on others, of course, but I also never thought he'd look up to someone like Hirata-kun. No, as much as I think about it, I simply can't believe that." Sakayanagi thought.

"There's no way that guy sees a weakling like Hirata as some kind of 'hero'. That title's reserved for people who can actually get shit done and Hirata's nothing more than a token pretty boy. I refuse to believe that's how he sees him," Ryuen shook his head.

"Interesting. It's looking ever more likely that my theory is correct..." Manabu decided.

"See! That's how most people see Hirata-kun! It's only those weirdos that don't," Mori referred to the three- well, two, idiots as she said this.

"Huh? What makes him such a 'hero'?" Ike yelled.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Have you seen him?"

There were a couple more calls from the girls in our class and, not so surprisingly, other classes as well.

"Hey, settle down, there's no need to argue over something so silly," Yosuke pleaded, "Kiyotaka-kun, I don't think I'm deserving of your praise but thank you all the same,"

I acknowledged his gratitude with a nod of my head. It was true that Yosuke held every quality that a hero was supposed to have. The only unfortunate thing is heroes don't hold the same power in the real world as they do in fiction.

"I'm going to stop this. Sudou-kun, you should act more mature. If you cause another huge disturbance, the school's evaluation of you will only worsen. Right?"

"Tch."

Sudou glared at Kouenji and left the classroom, slamming the door on his way out. Afterwards, a loud voice could be heard in the hall.

"Kouenji-kun. I don't intend to compel you to help. But you were wrong to blame him."

"Unfortunately, I've never experienced being wrong. Not once in my entire life. Oh, looks like it's about time for my date. Well, if you'll excuse me."

"He's really not joking, is he?"

Those not accustomed to Koenji's... 'unique' nature, were starting to come to terms with it.

Watching their bizarre interaction unfold, I realized that our class lacked unity.

"You certainly do have an odd class," Kiriyama noted, "By this point in most classes, there should have been some kind of natural hierarchy beginning to build, but all you have is a few students that people follow with no reason behind it,"

Ryuen's class was ruled by a dictator. Sakayanagi's class had dual leadership. Ichinose's class rallied around a chosen representative. We had nothing that resembled a system at all.

"Not every class is as quick on the uptake," Mashima replied, "I've seen many classes during my time here and each had different ideas on how to organise themselves. While it's true that most classes choose a specific student to follow, it's not necessary to stick to that formula,"

While it was possible to have a leaderless class, you would face many obstacles with forty individuals each doing their own thing. Having a designated student or students to manage that individualism took care of many problems before they even surface.

"Sudou-kun really hasn't grown up, has he?"

"Couldn't you have been a little kinder, Horikita-san?"

"I don't show mercy to people who don't attempt to better themselves. He's caused us nothing but harm, and has no redeeming features."

Well, you don't exactly show any mercy even to people who do attempt such things .

"How would you even know if that was true or not?" Horikita asked with a spiteful look. Many students giggled at my comment.

"You think you did?" I responded.

"That's irrelevant. I'm asking what evidence you had to make that comment,"

"I don't think I need ironclad proof to surmise that,"

"I don't like how much you thought you knew me after such a short period of time,"

"You aren't a difficult person to figure out," I shrugged which only had the effect of annoying her even further.

"Oh, really? While I believe that being open about one's true nature is a good thing, I don't think it's possible to 'figure someone out' after so few interactions,"

If you wore your personality like a flashy accessory then of course people are going to see it. Especially if you were the type to show it off to everyone you meet.

"Perhaps you are right," I conceded, "Why don't you tell me if you think my assessment of you is correct after we watch more videos?"

With one final mean look, Horikita looked away from me.

"What?"

"Ooh!"

While I shrank away, a sharp knife (well, a sharp look) was thrust into me. I made a small rebuttal.

"There's a popular expression in this world: Great talents mature late. Sudou could probably become a professional player in the NBA, right? I think there's a possibility that he'll make a great contribution to society. The power of youth is infinite." I uttered a catchphrase that sounded about as original as a television commercial.

"At least Ayanokoji-kun still believed in him," Amikura said.

"The power of youth is infinite? Did you memorise that shit from a Disney movie?" Ryuen scoffed.

"I don't intend to deny that it could happen in 10 years' time, but I'm looking for things to help me reach Class A right now. If he can't help us right now, then he's worthless to me."

"Even though I should be used to it by now, the harshness in her words still surprised me," Akito muttered.

"I guess so."

Well, Horikita's opinion was consistent, which was nice. I was more worried about Ike and the others. Their moods changed frequently, so I wasn't really able to relax.

"You get along with Sudou, don't you? You eat together with him."

"I don't think we're on bad terms, but I do kind of feel like he's a burden. Sudou cuts class more than anyone else. He also fights the most. I have to draw the line there."

I could see what he meant. Ike appeared to have his own thoughts.

"That's both surprisingly mature and hypocritical at the same time," Keisei said.

"Ike can be honestly reliable when he's in the right frame of mind," Akito added.

"Then it's a shame his mind is usually on girls," Haruka sighed, "I don't know if it's possible but maybe he'll be better with Shinohara-san with him,"

Connecting with the right people was one of the most important contributors to personal growth. Shinohara could definitely prove to be a good companion for Ike.

"I'll try to persuade Sakura-san. Once I do, things should turn around."

"I just wonder about that. Considering the circumstances, even if we get Sakura-san's testimony, I believe it'll have minimal impact. The school will probably have doubts about a witness just suddenly appearing from Class D."

"Doubts? You mean they'd think we were lying about the witness?"

"Of course. They'll consider the witness's testimony along with her possible intentions. They won't take her word as absolute proof."

"No way. You mean even that evidence wouldn't be perfectly sound?"

"Well, the best and most miraculous situation would be if there was a trusted witness from another class or grade who saw the entire incident from start to finish. There isn't anyone who fits that description, though," said Horikita with confidence.

I thought the same.

"Then no matter how hard we try to prove Sudou's innocence, we..."

"Had the incident happened in a classroom, however, it would be a different story."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are cameras that record what goes on in the classrooms, right? Therefore, if anything did happen, there'd be evidence of it. Those recordings would blow the Class C guys' lies away."

I pointed at the two or so cameras affixed to the ceiling near the corners of the classroom. They were small enough that they wouldn't be a distraction, and they blended in well with their surroundings, but they were undeniably security cameras.

"No cameras could have picked anything up, right? If they did there would be no point in any of this, the school would already know what happened," Matsushita observed.

"No, you are correct. The place where the fight took place wasn't in view of any of the security cameras," Horikita confirmed.

"It would have been so much easier if there were," Ike sighed.

"The school checks those cameras to see if we talk or fall asleep during class. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to accurately assess our monthly performance."

"I have to admit I was a bit confused the first time we had points docked for bad behaviour," Matsushita said, "It didn't occur to me that they'd check the footage for the entire month,"

"It would be too much to ask the teachers to record every instance of bad behaviour by a student," Yosuke added, "It's really the only way they could do it,"

(A/N - I've had to switch from the official translation to a fan translation. There's not really any significance to this as most of the fan edits are just as good as the official releases but I thought I'd mention it.)

"Seriously?! I never knew that!"

Ike looked utterly shocked.

"I just learned about the cameras."

"They're not easily spotted. I also didn't notice until they talked about points for the first time."

"Well, ordinary people don't typically concern themselves with hidden cameras. I mean, most wouldn't be able to directly point out the cameras in a convenience store, even if they went there all the time, right?"

If that person did know, they probably had a guilty conscience or were extremely nervous. Or they might have accidentally spotted them.

"Then why did you spot them?" Ryuen asked.

"Because I was curious as to how the school judged our class performance so accurately," I replied.

Well, considering we didn't need to search for a witness anymore, I thought it was time to head home then. Kushida and the others might discuss looking for another witness. It would be a pain in the butt to get sucked into that.

"Horikita-san was right. You really aren't motivated," Kobashi chuckled.

"If I thought there was a point to searching for a second witness then I probably would have gone along with it,"

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you want to head back together?" Horikita asked.

"..."

After hearing that invitation, I reflexively placed my hand against her forehead. It felt nice and cool, but I noticed the softness of her skin.

Those who realised why I had done this began to laugh.

"She can't be that cold," Amikura giggled.

"Oh she really can," Sudo thought.

"You do know I don't have a fever? I only wanted to talk to you about something," she deadpanned.

"Ah, okay. That's fine."

It was rare for Horikita to invite me anywhere. With the world going so topsy-turvy, I wondered if it would rain tomorrow.

"Have I ever told you exactly how much I hate your sarcastic comments," Horikita sighed.

"Quite often,"

"You two really have gotten close, huh? I mean, you looked like you were going to murder me after I just touched your shoulder yesterday, and now..."

Ike looked at my hand on Horikita's forehead with seeming discontent.

"That's definitely a weird interaction for two people who supposedly hate each other," Asahina raised her eyebrow with apparent suspicion.

"I've never hated her, senpai," I replied.

"Oh, I see, so Horikita junior is the ice-queen and you were melting away her frozen heart?"

"That's-"

How on earth was that related to what I said?

"I suppose I didn't actually 'hate' Ayanokoji-kun. It was more like I was annoyed by his presence," Horikita explained. That didn't sound very far off.

Asahina didn't respond but muffled her infuriating giggles with a hand over her mouth.

Horikita, having noticed this, didn't change her expression as she spoke to me.

"Do you mind? Your hand."

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

While I was relieved that Horikita offered no counterattack, I drew my hand away. I was on autopilot as the two of us stood in the hallway. I could roughly guess what Horikita wanted, but I didn't know exactly what she was going to say.

"That reminds me. I want to make a stop before we return to the dorms. Is that okay?"

"I don't mind, as long as it doesn't take too long."

"Of course. It should only take about 10 minutes."

Ayanokoji and Horikita then go to the special building, where the incident took place.

"Was there something there that helped out?" Matsushita asked.

"Sort of. You'll see," I replied.

It was hot and humid after class. I made my way over the special building, where the incident had taken place. It wasn't like a murder case where the area needed to be taped off to prevent people from contaminating the crime scene. It didn't really look any different than usual. I didn't see any indication that this building's facilities were used frequently, like the special classrooms, the home economics room, the AV room, etc. This would have been an ideal place to call Sudou out.

"True, the special building isn't commonly used except by a few clubs and occasionally by some classes," Kanzaki said.

"I'm sure it's been used as a secret meeting spot by many people," Hashimoto agreed.

The special building could be viewed as the best spot for such a meeting. That would be true except for the one downside it had - most students knew about how convenient it was.

"It's so hot..."

This heat was abnormal. This was probably how summer at school should feel, but I had at least imagined that inside the building would be somewhat comfortable, the cool air balancing out the heat. I guess I'd gotten too used to air-conditioned buildings. I felt even hotter because of that gap in expectation. The air conditioning was probably on during class time in the special building, but it certainly wasn't right now.

"Sorry for bringing you here."

Horikita, who was standing next to me, simply looked around the hallway. She didn't appear to be sweating at all.

"You've really changed, haven't you? It's odd that you stuck your neck out in this case. The witness has already been found, and we've confirmed that there's nothing left to be done. What are you even trying to do?" she asked.

"The girl has a point, kouhai," Kiryuin said, "You look like the most unmotivated student but you are also the person doing the most work. If the situation doesn't interest you, why get involved at all?"

"I don't think I was doing the most work at all, Kiryuin-senpai," I replied, "Kushida asked for my help to find a witness and Horikita simply asked me to accompany her. Surely that means they are working much harder than me?"

"Sorry, I must have misspoke. Let me rephrase. They clearly couldn't have saved that boy if you hadn't helped them, yet you don't seem all that motivated to do so."

"I don't think you understand, senpai. If I didn't wish to help Sudo, then I would have refused right from the start,"

"Sudou was the first friend that I made here. I want to help him."

"Do you think that there's a way to prove his innocence?"

"I'm not so sure. I can't really say yet. I decided to take some initiative by myself, since I'm not very good at interacting with Hirata, Kushida, or large groups of people. Being social's definitely not my forte. I thought everyone would make me run around the school or the classroom today, so I decided to bolt instead. I like to avoid trouble, remember?"

"I think I understand. Ayanokoji, if you thought they could help Sudo by themselves, you never would have gotten involved, would you?" Kiryuin asked with a slight grin.

"Hmm, I wonder," I said.

"Wait, wait, slow down, I'm getting confused," Kobashi waved her hands in front of her, "Ayanokoji-kun only helped because he thought Horikita-san and Kushida-san couldn't handle it?"

"That's what I'm saying," Kiryuin nodded.

"But isn't Horikita-san the best in their class for this sort of thing? We are always mindful of her strategies," Amikura asked.

"What if Horikita isn't the one coming up with those strategies?" Hashimoto joined in.

"Huh? Horikita-san always comes up with our class plans," Ike denied the possibility.

"Isn't it possible that neither of them have been truthful?" Kanzaki asked.

"What? They wouldn't lie to their own class, that'd be stupid," Mori argued.

"Settle down. Continue watching," Chabashira ordered.

"That's certainly true. But then, you're as contradictory as ever, since you're helping out a friend."

"Well, human beings are, for better or worse, creatures of convenience."

I'd touched on this subject before with Horikita, but she did seem relatively open to my ideas. She usually acted alone, so as long as something didn't harm her, she tended not to mind. She wasn't the type to empathize with someone else's pain, though.

"His thoughts really cut to the point. It's amazing how much Horikita-san has changed. I can't help but wonder how much influence Kiyotaka had on that change," Hirata thought.

"Was I really that much of an open book? I've always been proud to show myself for who I really am but to be able to read me this easily..." Horikita was frustrated.

"Well, your way of thinking isn't relevant to me, Ayanokouji-kun, so you're free to think whatever you like. Also, I appreciate that you say those two are hard to deal with."

"Well, that's just because you hate them, isn't it?"

"Huh? She hated them as well?" Mori was taken aback.

"Have you not been paying attention?" Ryuen sighed.

"It was more like she disliked people in general," I explained.

"Having a common enemy tends to lead to cooperation."

"No. Just because I'm bad at dealing with them doesn't mean I hate them. Please don't think I'm like you."

"I'm glad to hear that," Yosuke smiled.

"I feel like I should apologise for my previous stance," Horikita said, "Also, I don't think it needs to be said, but I no longer feel any sort of unjustified resentment toward you,"

"I appreciate that, Horikita-san,"

I really did want to get closer to Kushida and Hirata. But Horikita's interpretation of my stance was rather broad, and she seemed to think that we had similar thoughts on the matter. Muttering, I walked to the end of the hallway and scanned the corners, making sure not to miss any nooks or crannies. Horikita seemed to notice something, and began looking around. She started to ponder.

"Looks like there aren't any here. Too bad."

"Huh? What?" I asked

"Cameras, like the ones in the classrooms. If there were cameras here, we'd have solid evidence. I can't find any."

"God, I'm dumb. How the hell did I fall for such a cheap trick!" Ishizaki lamented.

"Wait, what?" Kondo showed clear confusion.

"Ah, yes. The security cameras. You're certainly right about it. If they were here, this matter would be settled."

There were electrical outlets by the ceiling, but no signs they were being used. There was nothing in the hallway to obstruct a camera's view, so if one were installed the whole incident would have been recorded from start to finish.

"This just gets worse and worse. How did you manage to help him?" Amikura asked.

"The situation does appear desperate," Kanzaki said, "If the school accepts the three's complaints as genuine then I don't see any way to escape punishment,"

"Oh! Could that be how they got out of it? The school just didn't believe Class C?" Kobashi suggested.

"If you'd been paying attention you'd know that not possible," Utomiya shook his head, "Taken at face value, it looks like Sudo is the aggressor and unless they find something to counteract that impression, they won't be able to overturn a decision in favour of the victims,"

"Oh, fine," Kobashi looked surprisingly defeated for such a weak suggestion.

"Well, did the school have hallway cameras in the first place?"

It probably wasn't just the special building. The hallways in the main school buildings probably didn't have cameras, either.

"If I had to think of places where they wouldn't be installed, I'd probably say the bathrooms and the locker rooms. Right?"

"Yeah. Most likely."

"If there were security cameras here, the school would have checked them first and we wouldn't have any problems with this case."

I shook my head, embarrassed to have gotten my hopes up for even a moment. For a short while, we loitered around, wasting time and not really achieving anything.

"So, have you come up with a plan to save Sudou-kun?" Horikita asked.

"Of course I haven't. It's your job to come up with plans, Horikita. I won't ask you to save Sudou, but it'd be nice for you to point Class D in the right direction."

"You came up with the solution when you both saved Sudo-kun the first time though," Onodera mentioned.

"That's true but that doesn't mean I'm capable of doing it all the time," I responded.

Horikita shrugged in exasperation. She was probably thinking up a response. However, she was the one who'd found Sakura, so it wasn't like she didn't want to help at all.

"You're asking for my help? To use me? Me? Here and now?"

"Having Sakura as our witness hurts us more than it helps. I think it'd be better if we looked for something else."

Horikita likely understood. However, she was acting aloof, cut off from the world, like she was too cool to care about anything.

"I can't help but be amused by your vivid descriptions of Horikita-san," Sakayanagi giggled.

"Hehe! Do you like acting all cool, Horikita-senpai?" Amasawa asked.

"I'm not going to entertain that question with an answer," Horikita sighed.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with the way she's acting," Sudo shrugged.

"Of course you don't Sudo-senpai!" Amasawa turned her attention, "You think Horikita-senpai is really cool, right?"

"Well, sure, I guess," Sudo shrugged again.

"It's just too sad you can't live up to her standard. It's really such a shame," Amasawa put on a downcast expression.

"Yeah- wait, what did you say?" Sudo growled.

"Oops! Sorry about that, I'm sure you'll get there eventually," Amasawa apologised with a mischievous glint still lingering in her eye.

Appearing not to realise he was still being made fun of, Sudo didn't complain any further.

"Sudou has many qualities I can't stomach. However, I want to lessen the blame they're placing upon him. The best possible outcome is we'll still have some points, even if Class D's image worsens."

She sounded honest. Normally, she wasn't quite so candid. That wasn't an especially bad thing. However, most people aren't suited for loneliness. Therefore, they sometimes behave hypocritically, like saving someone out of feigned altruism in order to make other people adore them. That didn't seem to be Horikita's style, though. Also, unlike Kushida and the others, she'd completely given up on proving Sudou's innocence.

"I think I'd have given up too. It just seems impossible," Hashimoto threw up his hands in defeat.

"Then you found a way of saving Sudo without proving his innocence, then?" Kanzaki surmised, "But I can't see how you could do that,"

While he had figured out the goal, he hadn't realised how to achieve it.

"Like I said, unless a perfect witness appears, proving Sudou-kun's innocence will be impossible. If those Class C students admitted that they lied, I suppose things might turn out fine. Do you think that's likely?"

"No way. They would never admit it."

The lie would stand, especially because the other class also lacked any evidence. That was what I thought, anyway. Our only proof was Sudou's word. We were completely in the dark.

"There's no one here after class."

"Well, that's obvious. They only use the special building for club activities."

One party, either Sudou or the Class C students, had summoned the other to the special building. After that, as if by destiny, the two enemies started brawling. In the end, Sudou had injured the others, and they'd complained about it. That was the whole case.

I definitely wouldn't come to a hot place like this unless someone had brought me. The humidity was suffocating. I felt like if I stayed even a few more minutes, my head would explode.

"Kuku, you really don't seem to be handling that heat very well, Ayanokoji," Ryuen chuckled.

"Well, I definitely prefer a little cooler weather,"

"Aren't you hot, Horikita?"

While the severe heat destroyed me, Horikita looked around with a cool expression.

"I'm fairly resilient when it comes to temperature. Ayanokouji-kun, you...don't seem okay."

"It sounds sad, even to me, when I say this but...could this count as a weakness?" Ryuen sighed while thinking this.

The heat was making me dizzy. I moved towards the window, hoping for some cool air. I opened the window...and then immediately slammed it shut.

"That was dangerous."

Opening the window had only let more hot air into the room. Leaving it ajar would've resulted in tragedy, I was sure of it. When I thought about how it would keep getting hotter all the way through August, I became depressed.

I was laughed at yet again for my thoughts.

"Perhaps I'll look into getting an air-conditioner installed in the special building for those with a weaker constitution," Nagumo smirked.

However, coming here today had given us results. Things weren't impossible...

"Huh? What? I thought you both agreed that nothing there helped you?" Kobashi looked bewildered.

"I have to admit that I'm confused as well, Ayanokoji. If there aren't any cameras and you didn't find anything else that could prove useful, then how did you obtain results?" Katsuragi asked.

"I simply looked at it in a different way," I responded.

"So it was him who came up with the plan? He told me it was Horikita-san. I remember him saying that a lot - 'It was Horikita who came up with it, I'm just following her lead'. I wonder, could all of those times have been lies?" Ichinose thought.

"Well, I guess I'll have to wait and see what you came up with," Katsuragi said.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Horikita asked.

"Oh, nothing really. Just that it's hot. I've reached my limit."

It looked as though we'd done all we could, so we started back.

"Ah."

"Oops!"

Turning the hallway corner, I bumped into another student.

"Sorry, are you okay?" I asked.

The impact of our collision wasn't very hard. At the very least, neither of us fell over.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I was careless," she said.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. Wait...Sakura?"

Mid-apology, I realized just whom I'd run into.

"She came back to the scene of the crime, eh?" Hashimoto said.

"Airi, why were you in the special building in the first place?," Haruka asked, "Not many people bother going there,"

"Oh, um, I think Kiyotaka-kun asked the same question," she replied.

"Ah, um?"

Judging from her troubled response, she didn't know who I was. After staring for a moment, she seemed to recognize me as one of her classmates. It's kind of pointless if you can only recognize somebody after a bout of intense staring, though.

"Um, sorry Kiyotaka-kun," Airi said with a sheepish grin.

"Wow, you both really were loners," Haruka said, "Neither of you had any idea who the other was until then,"

Well, it wasn't like Sudo's trial was the first time I'd heard of Airi, but anything I'd heard about her before had told me nothing as to the type of person she was.

"Ah, oh. Well, you see... My hobby is taking pictures, so..."

She showed me her phone's screen. I hadn't really planned on asking for details. Besides, it wasn't particularly unnatural to use your phone. Sakura had probably thought we were returning to the dorms, and now she was undoubtedly wondering why we were here.

"Oh, I've always wanted to take pictures when I'm out and about but I always forget..." Amikura said.

"I remember you saying that you like taking pictures but what were you taking pictures of in the special building?" Haruka asked, "There's basically nothing there, is there?"

Airi squirmed as this question was asked of her. I had no doubts that her extreme nervousness was due to the anticipation of what was to come. Airi obviously had no problems telling her friends about her photography, but it seems that she hadn't even told Haruka about the side of herself that she hid. In a way, the fact she didn't tell her could be viewed as pointless. Ike, Sudo and some others already knew about her online persona and they weren't the types to keep info like that to themselves. However, seeing as it hadn't spread, I assumed Kushida had long since ordered their silence.

"You said it's your hobby? What kind of pictures?" I asked.

"Things like the hallway...and the view outside the window. Stuff like that, I guess."

"Huh. Is that really entertaining?" Haruka asked.

"I like it," Airi answered.

"Leave the poor girl alone, plenty of photographers use basic settings for their shots," Akito said,

"I guess I'm just not that knowledgeable about photography," Haruka shrugged, "Hey, Airi. Do you mind showing me some of your photos after?"

"Sure, I don't mind,"

Just as Sakura finished her brief explanation, she noticed Horikita and lowered her gaze.

"Ah, um..."

"I have something I'd like to ask you, Sakura-san," Horikita said.

Sakura appeared uncomfortable, but Horikita, never one to pass up on an opportunity, stepped closer to her. Sakura backed away, seemingly frightened. I tried to gently restrain Horikita, gesturing for her to stop chasing Sakura.

"Wow, I didn't realise how scary you were, Suzune," Ryuen grinned

"G-goodbye."

"Sakura." I called as she tried to hasten away. "You don't have to force yourself."

I'd spoken up without thinking. Sakura stopped, but didn't turn around.

"You shouldn't feel obligated to appear as the witness, Sakura. It'd be pointless to force you to testify. But if someone scary is trying to intimidate you or something, please talk to us. I have no idea how much I can help, but I'll try."

"Are you talking about me?" Horikita muttered.

Ignoring the existence of such a scary monster, I decided to let Sakura go.

As I, again, made fun of Horikita, another wave of laughter swept the hall. Instead of reprimanding me, Horikita merely sighed.

"So you protected Airi, Kiyopon?" Haruka turned to me. I noticed her lip was slightly upturned as if she was trying not to smile.

"I wouldn't say that exactly. There wasn't much I could do except prevent Horikita from interrogating her,"

"Well, taking into account Airi's personality, that's probably a good idea," Akito said.

"I agree. Although, back then, if I had been involved, I probably would have pressured her just as Horikita tried to do..." Keisei muttered.

"That's just because you want to do everything you can to help, Yukimuu," Haruka consoled him.

"Except it probably wouldn't have helped, right, Kiyotaka?"

"I doubt it. As you saw, both Horikita and Kushida couldn't get through to her using that method,"

"Airi did turn up to the trial though, right?" Akito asked.

"Yes, I did, Kiyotaka-kun convinced me," Airi confirmed.

"That's surprising seeing as you didn't know her either, Kiyopon," Haruka raised her eyebrow in my direction.

"I just told her what I thought, that's all,"

A girl too scared of people to interact with them properly wouldn't be convinced by brute force. The only consequence that method would cause is pushing her further into her shell.

"I didn't see anything. You've got the wrong person..."

She kept insisting she wasn't the witness. So far, we'd been operating based purely on Horikita's dogmatism and prejudices. It was quite possible that Sakura wasn't the witness, like she said.

"Wait, so you never had any proof that she was the witness?" Hashimoto asked.

"No, but I was confident that she was the only one it could be," Horikita answered.

"But, why?"

"There's no point in explaining it specifically. It was just her behaviour that told me,"

"Then that's fine. However, if someone else tries to hound you about it, please tell me."

Sakura went meekly down the stairs.

"That was probably our one big shot, you know? She probably came here because she was still thinking about the incident."

"Since she's denied it, we can't force her to do anything. Besides, you do understand, Horikita? A Class D witness wouldn't help our case much."

"Is that why you let her go, Ayanokoji-kun?" Shibata asked.

"That's not the full reason, but a part of it,"

"Yeah, I suppose."

She would act according to her logic. However, I didn't know what in the world she was thinking. That was why our investigation was at a standstill.

"I thought you two were good partners," Kobashi said.

"We aren't partners or anything of the kind. We simply work together when it's needed," Horikita denied it.

"Hey, you two. What are you doing?"

"Honami?" Amikura realised who was calling to us.

We turned in response to the unexpected voice. A beautiful girl with strawberry-blonde hair stood behind us. I recognized her, though I hadn't ever spoken to her before. She was a student from Class B, Ichinose. Rumor had it she was a superb student.

"Wow, Ayanokoji-kun knew who you were even back then, Honami!" Amikura poked Ichinose's arm repeatedly.

"It appears so," Ichinose's smile seemed forced.

"What's this? Ichinose-san is acting very strangely...I thought her and Ayanokoji-kun were close. It appears something's causing some friction in their relationship," Sakayanagi looked keenly interested.

"Sorry to interrupt you like that. Do you have a moment? Oh, if you happen to be in the middle of a so-so date, though, I'd like you to break it up right away."

"A date? Ayanokoji and Suzune would never be on a date," Sudo announced.

"Hmm~I don't know about that. Haven't you read a single book, Sudo-senpai? There's so many examples of two people hating each other at the beginning but slowly growing closer as the story progresses until they finally admit to themselves that they loved one another the entire time!" Amasawa explained.

"What? I don't really read many books," Sudo scratched his head, "Wait, that's not the point. Ayanokoji assured me he would never date Suzune!"

"He did? But didn't he also say that Horikita-senpai saved you during your midterms, when it was actually him? Maybe they are secretly dating right now!"

"No, I believe in Ayanokoji," Sudo completely rejected the idea. His level of trust in me had climbed surprisingly high.

"You believe in someone that lied to you? That's pretty dumb," Amasawa replied with a giggle, "Or maybe you have a reason for your trust?"

"I trust Ayanokoji. That's all there is to it,"

For a few seconds, Amasawa's gaze lingered on Sudo. I couldn't sense anything from her look. There was no suspicion nor surprise. There was also no sense that she believed him. It was a blank stare from which no meaning could be derived.

Without another word, Amasawa turned her back.

"It's nothing like that." Horikita denied it immediately. She was only quick to respond to suggestions like that.

"Ha ha, I see. This place is a little too hot to be a date spot."

I had no connection with Ichinose. I couldn't be sure, but she probably didn't even know my name. I was only one of many students to her. Perhaps she was an acquaintance of Horikita's? Or a friend? No. There was no way. If they suddenly said something like, "Oh wow, it's been too long! How are you?" and "I'm good, I'm good!" and embraced each other, I'd probably start foaming at the mouth and then faint.

After another round of laughter, Amikura spoke to me.

"I wasn't expecting your thoughts to be so funny, Ayanokoji-kun,"

Rude or not, I understood what she meant. Although, really, my off-hand comments- well, thoughts, were just what I had felt at the time.

"Do you have some business with us?" Horikita asked.

Horikita was on guard after Ichinose's sudden appearance. She probably didn't think that it was a coincidence Ichinose was trying to talk to us.

"Business, huh? Well, it's more like 'What are you doing here?'"

"Nothing. We're wandering around for no reason."

I would've liked to answer honestly, but the pressure of Horikita's gaze made me fib.

"I don't think there was any reason to hide what you were doing, right?" Asahina asked.

"Probably not. Even for new first-years, it's obvious that you'd want to obtain as much information as you can after being targeted. As a member of the student council, I obviously heard about it when it happened, but you can't keep something like this a secret from anyone," Nagumo explained, "This just comes down to Suzune's inability to trust anyone,"

It's true that there was absolutely no reason to lie when Ichinose confronted us. We could have assumed she already had an idea of what we were doing. If we had been confronted by the scheming-type, instead of Ichinose, lying could have actually backed us into a corner.

"For no reason, huh? You're from Class D, aren't you?"

"Do you know us?

"I've met you twice before. We didn't talk directly, though. I remember seeing you in the library once, too."

It seemed that she somehow remembered me. Perhaps I was kind of cool.

"Wow, that's sad," Hashimoto sighed.

"I have a very good memory, you know."

Did she mean that if her memory weren't good, I wouldn't have much of an impression? I'd been a little happy, but my levity died at the backhanded comment.

A couple of people chuckled at my emotional pain.

"I don't think she meant that. Right, Honami?" Kobashi asked.

"Oh, no, not at all," Ichinose shook her head and gave what looked like a rather forced smile.

"See, she did think you were cool, Ayanokoji-kun," Kobashi said proudly.

"Eh? Wait, that's not what I said..."

Before Ichinose could continue, Amikura put a hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. I could tell subtlety wasn't included in their plans.

"I thought that surely there'd be something here related to the brawl. I wasn't here yesterday when Class B heard about the witness. Later, I heard that Class D was looking for evidence of Sudou's innocence."

"If we did happen to be here because of an investigation, what's your connection?"

"Hmm, a connection? Well, I'm not connected. When I heard about what happened, I had some doubts. So I thought I'd come here myself to take a look. Would you mind filling me in?"

"Why would you want to know, anyway?" Ishizaki asked, sounding a little resentful. Perhaps he was annoyed by his failure back then.

"I wanted to help out, that's all," Ichinose replied.

"You wanted to help out another class?" Utomiya asked, skeptically.

"Of course, there's no need to constantly be at odds with one another. Alliances are much more helpful than enemies, after all,"

There had been more than one occasion after this first meeting where our class had cooperated with Ichinose's. In this school where enemies are plentiful, having strong allies is vital to not just succeed, but to survive.

Was she really just simply interested? After a brief period of silence, Ichinose sheepishly spoke.

"Guess not, huh? Well, if the other classes were interested..."

"No, we're not saying no, but..."

"I can't help but think there's an ulterior motive," Horikita snapped.

I'd tried to handle this situation peacefully, but Horikita had promptly obliterated that plan. Ichinose, clearly sensing the hostility behind Horikita's words, tilted her neck and smiled.

"Such different methodology," Kiryuin grinned, "I wonder how you ever worked together,"

"Differing methods don't matter if the leader is made apparent," Nagumo said.

"So who do you believe to be the leader between Horikita and Ayanokoji?"

"Well, clearly Suzune is the stronger presence and doesn't seem capable of following another's lead. Especially not someone like Ayanokoji,"

"So you think Ayanokoji is below Horikita?"

"Is that a serious question, Kiryuin? If you compare Suzune's achievements with Ayanokoji, there's no debate necessary. Unless there's a reason you think differently?" Nagumo looked extremely interested in her answer.

"Oh, of course not, President," Kiryuin regained her smirk, "If you say Horikita is superior, then I guess that's all there is to it,"

"Kiryuin...a complete wildcard of a student but I can't say she's not capable. On the surface, there should be no question as to who's superior between Suzune and Ayanokoji. But her questioning makes it seem like she believes otherwise. So, not just Horikita Manabu but also Kiryuin. They seem to share the same belief. Ayanokoji is definitely not what he seems," Nagumo determined.

"Ulterior motive? You think we're working in the shadows to undermine both C and Class D?" Ichinose wore a baffled expression. "Do you need to be that on guard? I'm really just curious, that's all."

"I don't want to talk with someone who is 'just curious.' Do what you want."

Horikita tried to put some distance between them. She peered out the window.

"Please tell me something. All my teacher and friends say is that there was some kind of fight."

I hesitated briefly, but since there wasn't much information to be gained anyway, it may not have been worth keeping quiet. So I explained the situation. I told her that three people from Class C had called Sudou over, and there was a fistfight. However, Sudou turned the tables on his would-be attackers, and beat them up. I also told her that after the fight, the Class C kids filed a false report with the school. Ichinose listened to the story intently.

"Is it really okay to just tell her all that?" Haruka asked.

"You remember we had an alliance with Ichinose's class during our first year? This is basically the beginning of that," I replied.

"Ichinose isn't the type of person to go telling everyone anyway. I think it was fine to tell her," Akito said.

"Well, true,"

I remembered that Haruka was somewhat wary of Ichinose because she portrayed the image of a girl who could do no wrong. She failed to realise that nobody like that existed.

"So that's what happened. This story hasn't made its way to Class B yet. Hey, isn't this a pretty big problem, though? It doesn't really matter who lied since it's an issue about violence, right? Shouldn't you be hurrying to uncover the truth?"

"That's why we came here to look. But we haven't really found much."

This wasn't anything like a murder case, so I'd doubted there'd be many clear hints left for us to find. However, contrary to our expectations, we did get some results.

"I'm still very interested in these results you supposedly got," Utomiya said.

"Watch and find out," Horikita said, instantly preventing the chance for another tangent.

"So you believe Sudou-kun because he's your classmate. And your friend, of course, that much is obvious. So Class D is in an uproar because Sudou is being falsely charged, right?"

"Apparently, they weren't concerned all that much," Hashimoto smirked.

It'd be difficult to convince a third party like Ichinose that we weren't doing this out of friendship or class loyalty. I wasn't going to try explaining it.

"What would you do if Sudou-kun was the liar? Suppose evidence came out that proved his guilt. What then?"

"I'd report on it honestly. After all, covering for a lie would only come back to haunt us later."

"I agree. Lying could increase the penalty incurred," Katsuragi noted.

"What if lying saved you from suffering any penalty?" Sakayanagi asked.

"Why run the risk? There's nothing to gain from lying here,"

"Of course, I agree. I was speaking more from a general viewpoint,"

"You can only contend with what's in front of you. If you have to lie to save a situation then I guess there's no other option," Katsuragi admitted.

"Yeah, okay. I think so, too."

Even so, it wasn't like our struggles were really going to have any impact on Ichinose.

"Are you finished? You heard what you wanted." Horikita spoke sharply and with a sigh, trying to drive Ichinose away.

"You are so hostile to everyone, Horikita," Kiriyama said, "Do you not think you should exercise some restraint? It could help in many cases,"

"This was over a year ago, Kiriyama-senpai. I have learned a lot since then,"

"I see,"

"Hmm. Yeah, how about I help you out? To look for the witness, or whatever. You're bound to get further with more people, right?"

Obviously more people would have been better. That was true. However, it wasn't as though we'd gone up and said to her, "Please help us, we're in trouble!"

"Doesn't hurt to get some backup though, right?" Shibata said.

"Why would a student from Class B offer to help?"

"Are Classes D and B completely unrelated to each other? We don't know when these cases will spring up, or whom they'll involve. Since the classes are in constant competition, there's always the chance that this will happen. This was merely the first case. If the party that lied wins, that'd set a bad precedent. Also, I personally can't turn away now that I know what happened."

"Ever the benevolent saviour," Ryuen said.

"She makes a good point, though. Had the plan to entrap Sudo worked, it would have led to many more scenarios such as this one. Although these schemes are always going to present themselves given the nature of our environment, setting such a precedent early on could have impacted our year significantly," Katsuragi explained.

If Ryuen's plan had worked, a lot of people would have seen the benefits of enacting such a scheme for themselves. By thwarting his plan, we were able to show that underhanded methods didn't result in instant victory.

I couldn't tell whether Ichinose was being serious or joking.

"Why would she be joking about wanting to help?" Kobashi asked.

"That's not exactly the line I was thinking on," I replied.

"What? I don't get it,"

"Bearing in mind, this was before I had a good understanding of Ichinose. I could understand her point. Setting the precedent that lying was a good way to win would certainly cause many unwanted situations. However, that wasn't enough of a reason to assert herself into our investigation. If she had said something like 'I'll do you a favour so you owe me one', then I probably would have trusted her word more,"

"But Honami just wanted to help,"

"As I said, this was my first time talking to Ichinose. There was no way I could have known the kind of person she was,"

In truth, there were many reasons why Ichinose might want to help. It could be to gain an ally, to better understand the consequences of breaking the school rules, to use us to bring down an opponent or to raise herself higher. Without knowing the person I was speaking to, there were too many possibilities to consider.

"If Class B works with you, wouldn't that dramatically improve your credibility? Though I suppose the opposite could be true, too. Class D may suffer greater consequences if the truth's uncovered..."

In other words, if Sudou lied, then that'd prove Class C's assertion. In that case, Sudou would unquestionably be suspended, and Class D might suffer fatal damages.

"What do you think? I don't believe it's a bad suggestion."

I glanced over to see what Horikita thought. However, she still had her back to me. She was still looking out the window, unmoving. I wondered what she thought about Ichinose's offer. Of course, we were worried about what effect this would have. If Class D tried to prove Sudou's innocence by themselves, our credibility would be low unless we managed to find evidence that absolutely, 100 percent confirmed Sudou's innocence.

If a student from Class B got involved, there might be tremendous implications.

I decided to weigh the offer's positives and negatives, even though it was rude. Obviously, I couldn't trust Ichinose yet. She was a student from Class B, and she gained nothing by involving herself. If helping others out of sheer goodwill was reflected in class or private points, then I could understand her motivation. It wouldn't be easy to ask, but she might have important information. The only way to be certain was to ask.

"I think it's good to show a little skepticism in this situation. It's understandable to think that someone would only help if it earnt them class points," Kanzaki said.

"But people can just help without any ulterior motives," Kobashi argued.

"Of course. But let's say I came up to you and offered my help. Would you immediately accept that I had good intentions?" Horikita asked.

"Well, I guess I couldn't, considering the school rules. Still, isn't it better to trust someone has good intentions than to always distrust people?"

"That depends," Horikita answered.

Nobody was likely to trust someone they just met with their life, for example. In this case, if Ichinose had had bad intentions, it may have meant a lot of damage would be sustained by our class.

"Let's accept her help, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Oh, you accepted?" Hashimoto looked surprised.

"Yes. I thought that accepting her help would be beneficial, even if there were risks," Horikita explained.

Horikita had made a decision, probably determining that the benefits outweighed the risks. I was grateful that she'd reached a decision so quickly. I didn't really have the power to decide in the first place; that was Horikita's job. Ichinose smiled, showing off her white teeth.

"You weren't joking when you said you leave every hard decision to Horikita-san," Onodera said.

"If it had a direct impact on our class then I thought it was better than Horikita took charge. After all, she was the one with the desire to reach Class A," I replied.

"Then it's decided! Umm..."

"Horikita."

Horikita gave her name candidly, as if doing so approved our cooperative relationship.

"It's nice to meet you, Horikita-san. And you too, Ayanokouji-kun."

"So this is how you met," Amikura said.

"You've helped each other out loads of times, right?" Kobashi asked.

"We've had a cooperative relationship, yes," Horikita said.

We had unexpectedly made Ichinose of Class B's acquaintance and accepted her as an ally. There was still the risk that this could lead to bad things. No matter what, things were going to change.

"We already found a witness. Unfortunately, it's a student from Class D." Ichinose let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, that means there isn't another witness. I mean, I guess someone from another class might have witnessed it, but it isn't likely."

Chances were certainly slim. But there was still a chance.

"Just to confirm, there was no other witness, right?" Katsuragi asked.

"No, Sakura-san was the only one," Horikita confirmed.

"Anyway, about your friend. He's a first year, but he might become a regular on the basketball team, right? That's amazing. Even if he's holding you guys back right now, he might become a great asset later. I mean, the school evaluates club and philanthropic activities, right? So if he enters a tournament and does well, Sudou-kun could earn points. Those'll be tied to your class points, too. Wait... Did you guys not know that? Did your teacher not tell you?"

We'd only heard that it would influence our private points.

"This is the first I'm hearing about it affecting our class points. I'll have to complain to Chabashira-sensei later," mumbled Horikita, a little disgruntled.

"Isn't that kind of vital information? Every class should have been told, right?" Hashimoto asked.

"Certain information is given to every class. This is to make the competition as fair as it can be. Although Chabashira-sensei should have given her class this information, each teacher has their own unique style when it comes to overseeing their class," Mashima said.

I thought that information that could affect the competition itself should be shared fairly amongst all students, regardless of someone's teaching style.

This was yet another oversight, another instance where Chabashira-sensei had failed to disclose something important. I wondered if Class B had heard about this from their teacher...

As usual, our teacher didn't even pretend to give us equal treatment. I felt discriminated against.

"Is this how you treat your students, Sae-chan? Poor Ayanokoji doesn't seem to like your methods very much," Hoshinomiya clicked her tongue.

"How I oversee my class is my own prerogative. I'd ask that you refrain from saying anything that could affect my pupils' perception of that guidance," Chabashira complained.

I couldn't exactly say her students' perception of her was particularly positive to begin with.

"Your homeroom teacher is kind of weird," said Ichinose.

"I knew you'd back me up Honami-chan!" Hoshinomiya grinned.

Ichinose chose to keep silent, likely out of extreme embarrassment.

"She doesn't seem motivated to tell us anything. She's completely apathetic. Some teachers are like that."

I didn't think that it was particularly concerning, but Ichinose recoiled.

"Did you know that the school evaluates homeroom teachers when their class graduates?"

"This is the first I've heard of it. Are you sure?"

I wasn't interested so much as I had no choice but to be interested. That was a crucial distinction.

"Our homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, says it like it's her motto. She says she wants to do her best because the homeroom teacher for Class A gets a special bonus. Looks like it's pretty different for you guys."

"I'm envious of your relationship with your homeroom teacher. And your class environment."

Our teacher appeared to lack ambition, or even an interest in money. It felt like even if we collapsed into failure, she'd just say it was great.

Chabashira received some gloomy looks from some sections of our class.

"Ha, looks like you drew the short end of the stick when it comes to homeroom teachers," Hashimoto chuckled.

None of our classmates spoke up in defence of Chabashira.

"I think it would probably be good for us to meet up and discuss things."

"I never thought I'd receive aid from the enemy."

"This seems like a problem we need to address before we can fight. We're not really on equal footing, are we?"

Other classes pitied us. If anything, this showed how little interest Chabashira-sensei felt for her own students.

"I want to switch homeroom teachers with Class B."

"Oh, Horikita-san, I'm sorry. I'm just too attached to my own class," Hoshinomiya grinned.

"If I had been given her class then I would be in such a better position right now," Hoshinomiya sighed.

"Well, I think that'd be difficult to manage."

I thought back to my first meeting with Hoshinomiya-sensei. She seemed to come with her own inherent difficulties as a teacher.

Although none of them verbally admitted to it, I saw many of Ichinose's class show agreement to my observation.

"What's not to love, Ayanokoji-kun?" Hoshinomiya asked, pouting.

"I'm sure your class is very satisfied with your teaching, sensei," I replied.

"Way to dodge the question," Hoshinomiya looked a little unsatisfied herself.

"Ah, it's so hot in here!" Ichinose took out a cute handkerchief covered in panda illustrations, and used it to gently wipe sweat from her forehead. Our thick uniforms really trapped the heat.

"A school that constantly runs air conditioning in empty buildings and is unkind to the environment is the worst," Horikita said.

"Ha ha ha, that's probably true. You're pretty interesting." Ichinose laughed, even though that wasn't really a joke.

"I don't think there was anything funny in what I just said..."

"Honami's just a happy person," Kobashi said.

"How about we exchange contact information, so things can progress smoothly?"

Horikita shot me a look that seemed to say, I don't want to do it. Give her yours .

"Even though you just accepted an alliance, you don't seem to be all that cooperative, Horikita-san," Sakayanagi said.

"There was no problem in Ayanokoji-kun having her info instead of me. As long as one of us had it, we could contact her anytime,"

"If you're okay with having my info, here you go," I said.

"Sure, got it."

After we'd exchanged information, I suddenly realized I had an unexpected number of girls' contacts. Though it was only the beginning of July, I already had seven names and phone numbers in my address book, three of them girls. Perhaps...I had plunged deeply into the joys of youth without even realizing it. Also, I learned that Ichinose's first name was Honami—an unnecessary bit of information.

"So you weren't quite as unpopular as you like to make out," Hashimoto grinned.

"I wouldn't say I got those numbers because of my popularity," I argued.

"Well, who's numbers did you have aside from Ichinose?"

"Horikita and Kushida's"

"Kushida gave her number to everyone so I guess that's true. I'm surprised Horikita gave you her number though,"

"It was just so I could help her,"

I'm sure she'd had quite the hard time mulling over whether to give me her number or not.

"Hey, you basically had three of the most popular girls in our year's numbers," Okitani noticed.

Horikita was definitely not one of the most popular girls around that time. I'm sure there were quite a few boys looking in her direction now, but the walls she had built up weren't easy to climb.

Well, can anyone guess how they solved their little problem yet?

Let's take a break from the heavy stuff. Ready for some love advice?

"What?"

"Who the hell are we getting love advice from? It better not be Ayanokoji," Ike said.

"I highly doubt Kiyotaka would be giving out love advice," Keisei said.

"Nope, there's no way," Haruka agreed.

"Heh, who knows. Maybe Kiyotaka is a secret lady-killer," Akito grinned.

"L-lady-killer?" Airi looked shocked.

"Tch, love advice? Fine, let's just get this shit out of the way," Ryuen slumped back in his chair, clearly bored by the prospect.

Yet another deviation from the script. It was evident now that the creator didn't just want to expose me. There was some other reason for this little show. What that reason was, however...

Okay, let's get started.

(A/N - This one ended up being a little longer than normal. I'm giving myself a week's break so I decided to make this one longer to make up for the missed update during that time. Other than that, there's really nothing to say. I'm sure you can all guess what the next chapter will be. I think there will only be two more chapters for Volume 2 but if I find something I missed there may be one more."

--

(A/N 2 - So it's been a while since I attended high school but this scenario instantly came to my mind. You've done your homework right on time and are ready to hand it in on the day. The teacher asks if everyone has done the homework and you answer 'Yes, of course I have'. So, the teacher comes round to collect and suddenly you realise 'Oh shit, my homework isn't in my bag'. 'Why haven't you done the homework then?' the teacher inevitably asks and no matter what you say, you aren't getting out of it.

Anyway the reason for that long analogy is that this was supposed to be out before my break. Except I found it sitting unpublished. Just to explain how it's possible I didn't notice this, I turned off my alerts for Wattpad and basically every other platform that I receive lots of notifications from. So all of you asking where the next update was, all I can do is explain. Instead of this being a longer update because of my break, consider it an apology for taking so long to publish it.

To put into context exactly how unproductive I was over the past week, I started and finished the entirety of Black Clover, as well as watching about three other smaller anime. Let's just hope my brain still works.

Sudo's Trial - Love Advice For Ichinose

"Well, judging by the videos we've watched, Ayanokoji seems knowledgeable on quite a few subjects. Maybe he's also some kind of secret love guru?" Hashimoto suggested, his smile indicating he had no confidence in his own proposal.

"Absolutely not," Kei had to restrain from saying this out loud.

"No, definitely not. There's no chance of that," Haruka rejected Hashimoto's suggestion quite forcefully.

"Well, he does seem quite dense when it comes to social situations," Kobashi agreed, "It was hell convincing him to come to a party,"

Apparently, my reluctance to attend that particular gathering had not been lost on Kobashi.

"Huh? A party?" Sato looked interested.

"Oh, I invited him to a small party we had on the cruise ship. He helped Chihiro-chan on the island so I thought it was only right,"

Although that was technically true, she had clearly had ulterior motives when inviting me on that occasion.

"I'm surprised you would attend a party like that, Kiyotaka," Keisei said, "You don't strike me as the type to enjoy such events,"

"I felt sort of obligated," I replied.

Being pushed and prodded into attending gatherings like that happened to everyone. Peer pressure wasn't an easy thing to overcome. That was especially true when you were close with those doing the pressuring. Coincidentally, Himeno had become a regular victim of this within Ichinose's own class.

"I'm now going to start the video," Mashima announced.

There were four dorm buildings on campus. Three were for students, who stayed in the various dorms to which they were assigned from first through third year. In other words, our dorm building this year was the same one where last year's third-year students had lived. The fourth building housed the instructors and school employees.

What I'm saying is that since all of the first-year students live in the same building, inevitably we would meet students from the other classes. Someone entered my field of vision. Our eyes naturally met.

"Ichinose again?" Kanzaki was the first to recognise who I'd encountered.

"Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure." The girl spoke these grateful words to the dormitory manager, then called out to me.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun! Good morning. You're early."

She had beautiful long, wavy hair and big eyes. The second button of her blazer strained over her large chest. Her upright posture matched her dignified personality. I found myself more attracted to her cool temperament than how cute she was. Ichinose Honami, that first-year Class B student, had found me again.

"Hmm? What was that about being attracted to her?" Amikura immediately commenced a vicious attack.

Rather than allow her to launch a full-on interrogation I decided to counter her, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"What? Of course not, I didn't mean anything like that,"

Even though it was obvious she had not meant anything malicious with her question, I responded in a way that suggested she had. To a person with genuinely good intentions, asking such a question would make them falter and make sure the other person didn't take offence. Once she had done this, Amikura would find it difficult to continue probing.

As intended, she didn't follow up.

"I woke up a little earlier today. What were you talking about with the manager?" I asked.

"Some people from my class wanted to make requests about their dorms. I gathered everyone's thoughts on the matter and told the dorm manager. Stuff like water usage, noise, and so on."

"You did all that, Ichinose?"

Usually, individuals handled their own room issues. I wondered why Ichinose had gone to the trouble of gathering everyone's complaints.

"That's just the kind of person she is," Shiranami said.

"That sounds like way too much effort to me," Haruka said, "I can barely keep my own room in order,"

"Yeah, your room must be a mess," Akito agreed.

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

"Well, whenever you aren't with us, you basically don't leave your room, right?"

"That's...Well, even if that's right, my room might be completely spotless for all you know," Haruka grumbled

"Nope, I know you too well to think that," Akito said with a grin that probably irritated Haruka a lot.

On second thought, it looked like this was just playful banter. Haruka turned her head away in an exaggerated manner and crossed her arms. It was like I was watching a terrible skit.

"Good morning, Class Rep Ichinose!"

Two girls who were getting off the elevator called out to Ichinose. She said hello back.

"Class Rep? Why Class Rep?" I asked.

I hadn't heard of any "class rep" position before. Perhaps they called her that because she seemed to study too much.

"I'm my class's representative. It seems like that, anyway."

"Your class's representative? Do all classes except for D have someone like that, too?"

"Well, all our classes have leaders basically, right?" Hashimoto said.

"Yes, but that's usually only for taking special exams. I don't see Ryuen or Sakayanagi helping out with their classes' living complaints," Katsuragi said.

Neither Sakayanagi nor Ryuen spoke up to refute his point.

That was the first I'd heard about this. Normally I would've been surprised, but considering who our homeroom teacher was, she'd probably decided to leave that part out.

"I wouldn't put it past her if that had been the case," Horikita sighed.

"No, that's just something Class B set up on its own. I think it's good to have some assigned roles, right?"

I understood her point, but we certainly weren't going to assign our own class representative.

"But aren't Hirata-kun and Horikita-san the same as Ichinose-san for our class?" Inogashira asked.

"While I wouldn't mind helping out more, it looks like Ichinose-san was doing a lot more for her classmates than I do," Yosuke admitted.

"I think you do enough on your own, Hirata-kun," Horikita spoke before any of the other girls could get a word in, "There's no need to compare yourself to Ichinose-san,"

"Thank you, Horikita-san,"

While it seemed like Ichinose went above and beyond for her class, Yosuke helped out Class C in his own ways.

"Are there other positions besides class representative?"

"Yeah. Whether or not they serve a function is a different question, but we do have other roles for formality's sake. Stuff like vice class representative, and secretary. They could be more useful when we have a cultural fair, or sports festival, or something. We could try deciding things on the spot, but that might lead to trouble."

I recalled seeing Ichinose in the library before, studying with a small group of boys and girls. Even back then, she'd probably already been fulfilling her class representative duties. Most people wouldn't want to be class representative. They'd be forced to do annoying stuff, and it'd be necessary to participate in face-to-face discussions about school matters. However, with Ichinose taking the initiative for Class B, she probably didn't foist things on others. I'd bet she handled her duties smoothly.

"That's certainly true..." Kanzaki muttered.

"Why don't we have someone like that?" Ike complained.

"You already get more than enough help, Kanji," Shinohara replied.

"Hmm, maybe this ain't such a bad idea," Ryuen smirked, "Hey, Ibuki, fancy being our class rep?"

"Fuck off,"

"Seems like you've taken the lead. Of Class B, I mean."

Without meaning to, it appeared I'd expressed my honest feelings.

"Wow, Class B got a leader really quickly," Mori said, "Although I guess that's to be expected from Ichinose-san,"

"Oh, it just seemed convenient, that's all," Ichinose said, "I'm sure many of my classmates could have played the same role,"

I very much doubted that. Perhaps Kanzaki could have led, but it would have meant Class B would have followed a very different path.

"I really don't think I could do what you do, Honami," Amikura said, sharing my thoughts.

"Nope, I couldn't deal with all the school stuff. I have a hard enough time just worrying about myself," Kobashi agreed.

"It's really not a bother," Ichinose said, smiling at the two of them.

"Do you think it's weird? It's all purely informal. Besides, there are quite a few troublemakers. We have to deal with a lot of stuff."

"You better not be talking about me," Shibata grinned.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Ichinose laughed.

As she said, "We have to deal with a lot of stuff," Ichinose laughed. The two of us began walking to school together.

"Aren't you usually a little late? This reminds me that I've never seen you around this time."

Ichinose's question sounded harmless as if she were following some kind of template. After hearing those words, I felt a little relieved and accomplished. It seemed I could have normal, relationship-building conversations after all.

"But you spoke to Horikita-san easily enough," Sonoda pointed out.

"Horikita...well, she was a special case," I replied.

Instantly I had numerous looks shot toward me.

"Before any of you say anything, that's clearly not what he means," Horikita shut them all down.

"Woah, you were right, Ayanokoji. She really is quick at rejecting that possibility," Hashimoto chuckled.

"It's really odd to have no communication skills," Asahina said, "I don't remember you having a problem speaking to me, either,"

"I improved, Senpai,"

"I don't have to leave so early. I usually hang around my room for about 20 minutes."

"So I guess you make it just in the nick of time, then."

As Ichinose and I got closer to the school, the number of students around us multiplied. Strangely enough, some of the girls turned one after the other and looked at us with envy. Was this the so-called popularity phase I was told would occur three times in my life? I hadn't experienced it yet; it was about time that I entered my first phase.

Mocking laughs sounded out. It had been a dumb thought, so I guess this laughter was justified.

"You know it was just because Ichinose-san was with you, right?" Mori said, "I doubt anyone would look if you were just by yourself,"

Despite her rather blunt way of putting it, she was right.

"Good morning, Ichinose!"

"Good morning, Ichinose-san!"

Ichinose, who was walking next to me, monopolized all of the girls' attention.

"You sure are popular," I said.

"That's an understatement," Haruka muttered.

"I just stand out because I'm the class rep. That's all."

"Is she completely oblivious?"

"You know full well that's not the reason, Honami," Asahina said, shaking her head.

It didn't seem like she was trying to act modest. Apparently, that's what she truly thought. She had this charismatic force about her that pulled everyone's focus.

"Wait, you really thought that?" Asahina looked somewhat shocked.

"Well, I'm going to stand out a bit because of the position I'm in," Ichinose explained.

"That-"

Rather than continue, Asahina sighed and seemed to give up on her. I was sure that Ichinose knew the real reasons behind her popularity but she wasn't the type to openly acknowledge them.

"Ah, that reminds me. Did you hear about summer break, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Summer break? No. I mean, isn't it just summer break?"

"I've heard rumors that we might be taking a vacation to a tropical island."

"Oh god, don't even mention islands, please," Komiya groaned and rubbed his leg, perhaps remembering the injury he sustained.

"Are you remembering the physical or emotional pain?" Ishizaki grinned.

"Shut up!" Komiya wasn't close enough to Ishizaki to throw a punch but I'm sure he would have if he had been.

That sparked a memory. I'd forgotten about it, but Chabashira-sensei had mentioned a vacation.

"I can't believe it, though. Could we really go on a vacation?"

"I'm sure many others held the same doubts," Katsuragi said.

"Well not everyone's gonna think anything weird about a vacation," Kobashi said, "I mean, this school has loads of stuff other schools don't. I'm sure some people just thought it wasn't unusual to have a vacation too,"

"If you just thought about it though, the facilities we have are due to the fact we have no access to the outside world,"

"Well, obviously that's clear now! I'm talking about when we first enrolled,"

Before the first island exam, there were minimal reasons for the average student to doubt the idea of a vacation. It wasn't such a reach to imagine that a highly prestigious and well-funded institution such as this one could afford to take its students on a cruise. Of course, it wasn't standard practice to take students on such a luxurious trip so there should have been at least a few people with suspicions.

It probably wasn't a normal school field trip. I mean, just look around. It was no exaggeration to say that this school was fancy. Going to a tropical island in the summer and visiting a hot spring in the winter...

It was all incredibly suspicious. I really didn't think our school was going to be so good to be true. They had to be keeping something from us. I wondered what Ichinose thought. But I saw from her bitter smile that she also had doubts.

"I guess that's true," Kobashi admitted, "Maybe I should have thought more about it..."

"Don't worry about it Yume-chan," Ichinose told her, "Not many people had any idea what would happen,"

It obviously took a while for people to figure out how exactly this school worked.

"It's suspicious, after all. I think it's going to be a turning point."

"In other words, you think our class points could fluctuate wildly over summer break?"

"Yeah, yeah. I think there might be a hidden task, one that has a bigger impact on us than the midterms or final exams. Otherwise, the difference between Class A and us wouldn't close much. We could diminish the gap little by little."

That was certainly true. A big, earthshaking event might very well occur soon...

"Wait you both figured out the special exam was coming?" Onodera looked amazed.

"We definitely didn't know exactly what was coming," Ichinose shook her head, "There was no way we could have guessed something like that Island Exam would happen. I just thought it was odd that it seemed like that was no way to catch Class A if all we got was a few points from tests,"

The class points that were obtained through normal academic tests were minimal, to say the least. If a class had a lack of capable academics, it would be impossible for them to gain on the upper classes if tests were the sole way of getting class points.

"See, this is why you are our class leader, Honami," Amikura said, "Nobody else in our class figured that out at all, right?"

The rest of Class B noted that, no, they hadn't thought that much into it.

"You say that but Ayanokoji-kun also had his suspicions about it,"

I noticed that this was the first time Ichinose had directly referenced me since the videos started.

(A/N - I know she spoke directly to him in the very early chapters, just pretend that she didn't because I've switched time periods since those chapters.)

"Well, I guess I had thought about it quite a bit," I said.

"That's still impressive Ayanokoji-kun, I had no idea," Amikura praised me.

"The school's peculiarities should have been immediately apparent, there's nothing impressive about realising that. You get the first clue before you even enter the school that something is different about it. How can a school be held in such high regard, but have almost no information publicly available? He would have realised that as well, why can't the rest of these people not discern something so apparent," Yagami sighed.

"What's the difference between you and A?" I asked.

"We have about 600 points, so our classes are around 350 points apart."

It was only natural that their points would drop since the start of the year, but it was amazing how many points they'd retained.

"I have to agree with Ryuen. I think it's more amazing how many you lost," Nagumo said.

"So far, the midterm is all that's given us a chance to raise our class points, so losing at least a few points was unavoidable for us. I mean, even Class A has lost points."

However, as a result of the midterm, we'd managed to gain back points.

"You don't seem to be panicking."

"I'm concerned, but I think that there's a chance for us to make a comeback. I intend to focus all of my emotional energy on making those preparations."

I thought the first part of what she'd said was definitely correct. However, their cohesion as a class made such things possible. Class D had only managed to get 87 points this month. We weren't anywhere close to being able to compete with the others.

"You just lacked faith, Ayanokoji," Sudo said, "Look at us now, we are basically level on points. We are just as strong as the other classes!"

The fight had certainly gotten closer. Through determination and skill, Class C had managed to raise their ranking quite significantly.

"It's naive to think like that," Tsubaki spoke.

"Huh? What'chu say?"

"I said it's naive to think like that. In this school, a classes strength isn't decided solely by the number of class points they have,"

She was absolutely right. Obtaining class points was merely an objective. Using them to judge classes true worth wasn't a viable option. For example, a class may forfeit class points to gain an advantage in other areas. That didn't mean that the class lacked ability.

"But that's the whole point, right?" Sudo was confused.

"She's correct," Manabu decided to step in, "While, in the long run, climbing to Class A is the main objective, it doesn't matter whether you are Class A the entire time or whether you clinch it on the final day. As long as you are in Class A when graduation comes, it doesn't matter how you got there,"

When you think about it this way, there was no guarantee that the class currently sitting at the top was the strongest.

"I wonder how much this event will change things?"

It would probably be worth more than 10 or 20 points. However, it was difficult to imagine that it would change things by 500 or even 1,000 points.

"We're in a tight spot ourselves. If the gap widens any further, we won't be able to catch up."

"I guess we both have to do our best, then."

Actually, the ones who had to work especially hard were Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida

"I'm confused. Did you really not plan on helping out?" Kobashi asked.

"I didn't say that. Of course, I was glad to do my bit. I just meant that the ones who would be key in helping us climb up were those three,"

"Those three were instrumental in our successes," Keisei admitted.

"Horikita-san wasn't even our leader until after the island exam, though," Matsushita remembered, "Did you know she was going to assume leadership?"

"No, of course, I had no way of knowing that. She had told me her aspirations of reaching Class A so I thought that her determination would help us a lot,"

Everyone would soon learn the true reason Horikita had taken control but that explanation was best left for another time.

"At any rate, it doesn't seem like this will get worse." I didn't want to complain, but I felt that something annoying was on the horizon.

"You can say that again. Livin' on an island is a complete pain in the ass," Ishizaki groaned.

I assumed he was talking about the second island exam because during the first, he had endured no hardships.

"Hey, you left the island during the first exam, don't give me that shit," Sudo also remembered their classes strategy.

"But if we actually did vacation on a tropical island, that would be awesome!"

"If only," Haruka sighed.

"I'd say that being allowed to sail on such a high-end cruise ship was enjoyable," Yosuke said.

"Yeah, I think it totally made up for having to spend a week on an island," Ichinose agreed.

"I wonder about that..." I said.

"Huh? That idea doesn't make you happy?"

Only people who have meaningful friendships can enjoy a vacation to its fullest. There's nothing quite as uncomfortable as traveling without close friends, especially when you're traveling with a group. Just imagining it made me feel like throwing up

"I can't really imagine that. I've only ever gone on vacation with my friends or family," Amikura said.

"It's really not that uncomfortable. If you are going somewhere with the purpose of socialising then I can understand but that's not all there is to enjoy on a vacation," Horikita clearly disagreed with me.

"But wouldn't you rather have someone to enjoy it with, Horikita-san?" Sato asked.

"Only if that other person shared my interests,"

"What do you mean?" Sato frowned.

"There's no point if everyone isn't having a good time, is there?" Horikita reasoned.

"She means that not everyone in a friend group may be into the same things. For example, Sato, if I asked you to come with me to a museum specialising in Chinese antiquities, you probably wouldn't have a good time. However, if I asked Mii-chan, she'd be much more likely to enjoy the experience," I explained on her behalf.

"I think I get it. But I also think anything could be fun with the right people,"

People who liked to socialise in a group could probably have fun doing anything as long as they enjoyed the company. For people like Horikita, however, if the activity didn't interest them, it would be unlikely they would enjoy themselves simply because of who they were with.

"Do you hate travelling?" Ichinose asked.

"I don't hate it. I don't think I do, anyway..."

While we chatted, I tried to imagine what it would be like. I'd never travelled with a friend before. I had gone to New York with my parents a long, long time ago. Not a single millisecond of it had been fun. Just remembering that bitter time wore me out.

"You haven't travelled with a friend? Ever?" Mori asked in a shocked tone.

"Not before coming to this school, no,"

"You've been to America? That sounds so fun, I've always wanted to go there. But you didn't have a good time?" Asahina asked.

"I didn't go there for a vacation, it was more of a business trip," I explained.

"Oh, is your dad a businessman?" Amikura asked.

"You could call him that,"

"He must have lots of money then," Kobashi surmised.

That was true. I doubted much of it came from legitimate business dealings, however.

"He left the White Room before? What was this trip about if it meant Ayanokoji Kiyotaka needed to be brought along?" Yagami wondered.

"What's the matter?"

"Just recalled something a little bit traumatic."

"A business trip couldn't have been that bad, right? You still got to travel around," Shinohara said.

"I don't think we should ask him questions like that," Yosuke said, preventing any further inquiries.

My dry laugher echoed through the hot hallway. No, this wasn't good. If I let my negative aura spread, Ichinose would grow troubled. However, it seemed like my anxieties were unfounded. Ichinose continued talking, seemingly untroubled by my words.

"Hey, I still have some things on my mind. May I ask you some questions?"

Ichinose had a radiant presence, though it was different from Kushida's. I could say that she acted without an ulterior motive. Even when talking with a person like me, she put her best foot forward.

"We've been separated into four classes from the start, right? Do you really think they separated us by ability?"

"I understand that it wasn't entirely tied to our exam results. There are people in our class that, based on grades, should have gotten into the top ranks."

Horikita, Kouenji, and Yukimura were undoubtedly three people who deserved to be at the top based on their academics alone.

"You should be on that list," Kanzaki said.

"Perhaps," I admitted.

"So, do you think it's something like overall ability?"

I gave a noncommittal answer. I'd thought about it many times but couldn't find a thorough explanation.

"I think it's obvious to everybody now that it isn't based on something as basic as that," Kanzaki said.

"True. If it was as simple as that, some peoples placements wouldn't make any sense at all," Shibata agreed.

"I've been thinking about it since we started here. Someone might be good at studying, but bad at physical activity. Another might be good at physical activities, but bad at studying. But if students are ranked by overall ability, doesn't that mean that the lower classes are at an overwhelming disadvantage?"

"Isn't that how societal competition works, though? I don't think there's anything particularly strange about that," I said.

Ichinose crossed her arms and hummed to herself as if she weren't convinced.

"If we were competing as individuals, sure. But this is a competition between classes, right? If you simply put all of the superior students into Class A, then doesn't that mean the rest of us have virtually no chance of succeeding?"

That pretty much explained the current, miserable state of our class points. However, Ichinose seemed to think differently.

"There's definitely a big difference between classes A through D right now. However, I think they're trying to hide something, but going about it in a weird way. Don't you agree?"

"Hiding something? Do you think there's something strange about the way we were sorted into classes?" Hashimoto asked.

"Well, I guess. It's been over a year since we arrived here and I still don't have a clue how the classes were decided. If I'm being honest, I've been considering the possibility we were sorted at random," Ichinose replied.

"That seems highly unlikely," Katsuragi disagreed, "The school has always placed emphasis on keeping the class' competitions integrity. If students were sorted at random, that would undermine that immediately,"

"I know, I know. I couldn't figure it out so I just gave up," Ichinose admitted.

"There are some clues, aren't there?" Sakayanagi joined in.

"Clues? What clues?" Kanzaki asked.

"Oh, I apologise. I don't think it would be appropriate to discuss something like that with students outside of Class A," Sakayanagi smirked.

"Okay, I have to ask. What's your reasoning?"

"Ha, no reason, really. It's just something that popped into my head. If it weren't true, then it'd be fair to say the whole situation is cruel. I think that good students and good athletes were placed into Class D for a reason, as a countermeasure."

Wasn't that different from the usual system, though? If the classes were solely divided according to academic ability, there'd be no way to win against the others. In a system like this, it was important to be an expert in many different fields.

"That's certainly true. I wish I'd realised that sooner," Keisei sighed.

"Hey, at least you have academics, Yukimuu," Haruka said, "There's a lot of us that can't help at all,"

"I don't think that's true," I said.

"What do you mean, Kiyopon?"

"There is more to someone than just academics, or just athletics, right? There's a lot of areas where students who lack those skills can contribute. In fact, there's already many in our class that fit that category,"

Although Yosuke was talented both academically and physically, his main contribution to the class was being our glue. Then there were students with specialities. Onodera was gifted at swimming, Sotomura with computers. Kei didn't excel in class but was irreplaceable for tasks that required quick wit or grifting.

"So what can I do then?" Haruka still didn't seem convinced.

"Well, aren't you already increasing our classmate's morale? I'm sure Airi would say you helped her a lot, isn't that right?"

"Of course," Airi smiled.

"See? Tactics are one thing but there's also got to be students who can help emotionally. I don't see Horikita doing that,"

"Well, that's true," Haruka grinned, "But is it really okay to say that being someone's friend is contributing to the class?"

"I think it's fine," I replied, "Being able to build connections with people is a skill in itself,"

While our precision in executing strategies may raise our class up, it would all be for nought if there wasn't any cohesion between us. I believed Ryuen had already experienced this issue first-hand. There were ways to overcome the problem but it was always better to not have the problem in the first place.

"You really do seem different, Kiyotaka," Akito said.

"Do I?"

"Well, yeah. Not only are you more talkative but you also seem...more assertive, I think,"

I remembered Kei had said something similar sometime after the cruise ship.

"Wouldn't it be wiser not to talk to someone from another class about this?" I asked Ichinose, feeling slightly worried.

"Hmm? About what?"

"About what you said just now. Horikita already mentioned this, but you're helping the enemy."

After all, it was possible she could've given me a valuable hint, and I'd do something with it.

"I don't think so. There's a lot to be gained from an exchange of ideas. Also, since we're cooperating now, there shouldn't be any problems."

She wasn't complacent about being in Class B. That was just Ichinose's natural personality. I could understand her disposition and way of thinking. At any rate, she was a good person with no hidden side to her.

"I'm not smart enough to engage in an exchange of ideas. All I can say is, 'I'm sorry.'"

"Do you not feel even a little sorry about lying so blatantly?" Himeno asked bluntly.

"Oh, don't say that Yuki-chan!" Ichinose instantly responded, "If he didn't want to share his thoughts then that's fine. It was me that started the conversation after all,"

Himeno didn't speak in protest but she stared directly at me. When I met her gaze, she didn't look away but kept firm eye contact. I couldn't tell whether she was just evaluating me or whether she still expected an answer.

"I don't mind if I'm the one who does the talking and thinking. If you think it's helpful information, then it's okay for you to use it."

Ichinose stopped, almost as if she'd just remembered something. I tried reading her face, noting that she wore a serious expression.

"Hey... There's something I want to ask you, Ayanokouji-kun. Is that okay?"

It was like that bright, cheery Ichinose of a moment ago had disappeared. My body stiffened slightly.

"Woah, even I'm surprised to see Honami-chan like that," Kobashi's eyes widened, "Was something wrong?"

"Oh, uh, no, it was nothing like that," Ichinose already looked embarrassed.

"If it's something I can answer, I will."

Besides, what question couldn't I answer with my massively impressive brain, filled with the knowledge of a hundred million books? (A huge lie, of course.)

"Did you just lie...to yourself?" Hashimoto asked.

"Well, I don't believe it's possible for anybody to read that many books," I replied.

"Wha- that's not the point,"

"Has a girl ever confessed her feelings to you?"

"Oh?"

Hearing Ichinose ask this question caused many people to focus more on what was going on. I noticed a lot of girls seemed much more interested.

That...wasn't in any of the hundred million books I'd read.

"I'm very saddened to hear that, Ayanokoji-kun," Sakayanagi said, "You've never experienced someone confessing their feelings for you?"

Well, I hadn't back then. We were stepping into territory I wasn't sure I wanted to be in.

"I wouldn't say it's all that surprising," I replied.

"You wouldn't? Perhaps there are some who have feelings but are too afraid to approach you?"

"I highly doubt that,"

In my peripheral vision, I noticed Haruka furrow her brows slightly.

"Really? Do I look like a guy who's ever had a girl confess her feelings to him?"

"Hmm, it doesn't seem that unlikely," Matsushita said, staring directly at me.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Well, I personally know of at least two people that like you," She didn't break eye contact when she said this.

I saw Kei's body become stiff as the focus came to this. Sato also looked a little surprised by Matsushita's words.

"Woah, really, Matsushita-san?" Mori looked surprised.

Matsushita didn't respond, she just kept looking at me. Her probes were becoming more and more direct as I kept evading them. I didn't much care to protect the identities of those people she believed had feelings for me but this wasn't the time for that.

"Is that so? Well, I guess some things have changed," I said.

"You don't seem all that surprised," Matsushita raised one of her eyebrows.

"If there did happen to be people who had feelings for me, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak about it like this, would it?"

"I guess not," She relented.

"Wait, wait! Are both of those people you're talking about in Class C?" Kobashi asked Matsushita.

"As Ayanokoji-kun said, it wouldn't be appropriate to speak about it like this," Matsushita knew better than to openly expose our own classmates.

Was she going to call me disgusting, or a virgin, or a shitty moron? Would I cry? I was still only a first-year high school student, you know? It was way too early for this. Right? Hey. You think so too, right? Besides, I was certain that, proportionally, the number of people who had confessed their feelings was low compared to those who hadn't. It was a baseless theory, though. Who knew the real number of people who had died in solitude, hidden in the shadows of humanity's prosperity?

The room went silent after my self-deprecating monologue.

"I would never have said anything like that, Ayanokoji-kun," Ichinose assured me.

She certainly wasn't the type of person to insult someone over something so trivial. Actually, I couldn't imagine many circumstances where she'd insult anyone.

"Is this something you think about often, Ayanokoji?" Katsuragi asked, "About solitude?"

"Well-"

Thinking back, there had been many times where I'd had thoughts about the differences between those who had connections to people and those who didn't. Although, on most occasions, there had been practical reasons for me to have those thoughts.

"Maybe more than I should," I responded.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. It's nothing."

It didn't look like it was nothing. However, it did look like she didn't plan to make fun of me. Rather, she was actually worried about something.

"Did someone confess to you?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Kind of."

"Huh? Who?" Amikura looked very interested, "Why didn't I know this?"

Ichinose looked like she had no idea what to say in this situation.

It seemed like many students were striving every day to couple up like Hirata and Karuizawa.

"Well, if you're okay with it, can you spare a little time after class? I have some questions about confessions. I know all too well how busy you are with the incident right now, but..."

"I'm not sure I like where this is heading," Ryuen, who had been paying little attention, suddenly showed interest.

"What do you mean?" Ishizaki asked.

"Nothing,"

I'm sure Ryuen had realised that the possibility of it being me who had given the 'love advice' was now very high.

"Sure, that's okay. I don't really have much to do."

"Don't have much to do?"

"I don't think there's much point in looking for evidence or another witness. Doing that would be a waste of time and a headache."

"But you went to the scene of the crime the other day to investigate, right?"

"That was for something else. Anyway, it's fine."

"Thank you."

I wondered what all this confession stuff had to do with me. Had she made up a lie like "Ayanokouji is my boyfriend" to mislead people? I considered it for a moment, but then thought it'd be smarter for her to use a more reliable, pretty boy.

"Am I really that easy to read?" Ichinose thought, a small smile creeping onto her lips.

"Why did you talk to Ayanokoji about this, Ichinose?" Kanzaki asked.

"Huh? Well, it was because he was unconnected," She answered.

"I see,"

"I'll be waiting at the school entrance after class."

"O-okay. I understand."

Even though I knew absolutely nothing was going to happen, I was pretty excited. That was what being a man was all about.

"Did you think Ichinose was gonna confess to you or something, Ayanokoji?" Ike said in a mocking tone.

"No, of course not,"

We're now going to skip a little to when Ayanokoji meets Ichinose after class.

Students overflowed through the school doors as they made their way home. I was a little worried about finding Ichinose, but my anxieties quickly disappeared. She stood out even in this sea of students. Although her cuteness could have been one reason why she also had the type of presence that dominated wherever she was.

"What do you mean by that, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

Guessing she wasn't talking about her cuteness, I responded, "Haven't you noticed? She has a way of always being the most influential presence without enforcing it,"

"I guess. I just don't find myself around her very often,"

To be honest, I didn't really know how to describe it. I could only describe it as an intoxicating, gentle power. A power that was amplified by how many of the first-year students recognized her. It was similar to Kushida, but even more so. Ichinose was popular with boys and girls alike. They greeted her one after another. Because of that, I wasted about five minutes just trying to find the right time to call to her myself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ayanokoji-kun, I should have realised you were there," Ichinose apologised.

"No need. It was my own lack of confidence that caused the issue,"

"Ah. Ayanokouji-kun. Over here, over here!"

Ichinose eventually noticed me and called me over. Pretending like I'd only just arrived, I casually raised my hand.

"So, what should I do next?" I asked.

"I plan to finish this as soon as possible. Follow me." I put on my shoes and followed Ichinose to the other side of the building. We arrived at a spot right behind the gymnasium. This did seem like the kind of place where someone would confess their feelings.

"Oh!" Shiranami jumped. She must have only just realised what was going on.

"What's up Chihiro-chan?" Amikura asked.

"U-um, nothing!" She said, shaking her hands in front of her.

"Now then..."

Ichinose took a deep breath and faced me. No way... Did Ichinose plan to confess to me ?!

"Wait, what!" Ike yelled.

"There's no way," Okitani firmly denied it.

"That's...not what happened, right?" Haruka was a little jittery.

"I think..."

No way, there was no way this could—

"Woah, Honami, did you really?" Kobashi looked taken aback.

"Don't tell me..." Kanzaki frowned.

"I think someone will confess their feelings to me here," she said.

"Huh?"

As the truth came out, I realised there had been heavy tension building, especially within Classes C and B.

"Oh thank god," Kanzaki let out a relieved sigh.

"I really thought she was gonna do it then," Amikura also sighed, but sounded much less relieved.

"Ha, I knew it!" Ike grinned.

"That's not something to be proud of, you idiot," Shinohara growled.

"Wait, but why ask Ayanokoji to meet you there then?" Hashimoto asked.

"Oh, that..."

Ichinose struggled to respond.

"You'll see," I answered.

With that, Ichinose took out a letter and showed it to me. It was a cute love letter adorned with a heart sticker. Although she wanted me to read it, it felt rude to look. The handwriting was pretty, much like the letter's exterior. The handwriting was cute, definitely not like a boy's.

"Not a boy's?" Shibata raised a brow, "Did a girl confess to you, Ichinose?"

Like before, Ichinose couldn't seem to form the words to respond. If she had any say, she would have never put Shiranami through this embarrassment. She would definitely not give any information herself.

I noticed something that concerned me. The meeting time and location were written in the letter. It was set for Friday evening at 4:00 PM, behind the gymnasium. That was about 10 minutes from now.

"Wouldn't it be better if I weren't here?" I asked.

"Wait, we're gonna see Ichinose get confessed to? Who was it?" Miyamoto asked.

"I'm sure many people have confessed to Ichinose-san," Mori shrugged.

"Really?" It sounded like Miyamoto couldn't imagine himself doing such a thing.

"Love is kind of alien to me. I don't know how to respond without hurting her feelings. I also don't know if we can stay good friends afterwards. I want you to help me."

"How can Ayanokoji help you?" Hashimoto wondered, "Unless he was right about what he thought earlier?"

"Um, you'll see!" Ichinose said.

"I don't really think I'm the person to ask for this. I don't have any experience with romantic confessions. There are probably other people in Class B who could help."

"Of course! I'm always ready to help out with anything romance," Amikura grinned.

"The person confessing her feelings to me...is from Class B."

"Oh?" Kobashi cocked her head, her eyes glued on the screen.

Ah, that's what it was. I now understood why she'd asked me to come.

"I'd like for you to keep this secret. If not, things will probably get unpleasant. Knowing you, Ayanokouji-kun, I doubt you'll go around telling people."

"He definitely doesn't seem the type to be interested in gossiping," Utomiya agreed.

"And he has plenty of experience in keeping shit to himself," Ryuen thought.

"But Ichinose, aren't you used to people confessing their feelings to you?"

"Huh, I've never really thought about it but he's right. Doesn't this happen to you all the time?" Shibata asked.

"Huh?! N-no way. Not at all! I've never experienced this before."

If she hadn't told me herself, I absolutely would not have believed it.

If the decrease in noise level was anything to go by, this applied to everybody else in the room as well.

"What? You had never been confessed to?" Himeno's mouth was wide open.

"No, never! Is it really that difficult to believe?" Ichinose couldn't understand everybody's surprise.

"Absolutely! You're literally one of the most well-known, popular students in this school, of course people would think you'd been confessed to!" Asahina was also struggling to understand this development.

"Surely that's not true, Kiyopon?" Haruka asked.

"Well, as far as I could tell, she was telling the truth,"

"I can't believe it,"

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it," Akito said, "I think most boys would be too nervous to approach Ichinose,"

"I think that as well," Airi nodded.

"Well, that's true, I guess," Haruka admitted.

First impressions may suggest that Ichinose would be constantly receiving love confessions based on her looks, personality and popularity. However, these strengths made it difficult for potential partners to find the confidence to confront her. When it came to romance, it was surprising how little confidence people had in themselves.

"I was the first one to confess to Honami-chan? I tried to do it before anyone else could but I didn't really think I did..." Shiranami thought.

"I really don't understand why this is happening."

I didn't think this confession was surprising, because Ichinose was so cute. Furthermore, judging how she'd interacted with the other students, she had a great personality.

"See, listen to Ayanokoji-kun, Honami-chan!" Hoshinomiya said, "Everybody knows how adorably cute you are!"

"You sure do comment on her looks a lot, Kiyopon," Haruka said, seemingly irritated.

"Well, I didn't know her that well. We had just met, remember," I shrugged.

"Hmm? Does that mean you thought about my looks when we first met?" She asked, looking at me with squinted eyes.

"I don't remember,"

"Oh, that's convenient..." Haruka grinned, "I guess we'll be seeing, won't we,"

"So...will you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"

Whoa! Had this situation seriously devolved into such a cliché?

"It looks like your guess was right on the money," Keisei said.

"Lucky bastard," Okitani groaned.

"You'll lie to protect others feelings, Ichinose-san," Sakayanagi said, "Is that really the correct way to go about things?"

"No, I don't think it is," Ichinose answered almost in a whisper.

"Ah, so you've changed your mind? Interesting,"

"That doesn't seem like a tactic that Kiyotaka would use. He'd confront the issue directly and without involving others...I think? Urgh, it's no use, I can't think about this situation logically," Kei sighed, her eyes glued on the screen.

"I did a bit of research, and discovered that the rejected person hurts less if the object of their affection is already in a relationship..."

"I understand that you don't want to hurt anyone, but won't it be worse if they find out you lied?"

"I agree," Hiyori said, "Concealing something doesn't make it any less true. If you really didn't have feelings for them, Ichinose-san, telling them plainly would hurt a lot less than lying about it,"

The offended party may then believe the object of their affection is toying with them. Giving them hope where none exists. Giving someone just a little hope to cling to is much crueler than stripping it away entirely.

"I know, I see that now," Ichinose kept her head down.

"Who would have thought that Ichinose had no clue when it came to romance?" Hashimoto chuckled.

"Huh? Maybe she needs a little more pushing then..." Amikura appeared to be in thought.

"I could say that you and I broke up, or that you left me or something."

I didn't think that was the solution here...

"Honestly, I think it would be much better for you to talk with this person one-on-one. Truthfully."

"It really does look like it will be Ayanokoji giving this love advice we were told about," Shibata said.

"Huh, I was just thinking the same thing," Asahina agreed, "Honami seems completely oblivious so it seems like the only other possibility is Ayanokoji-kun,"

"Did you really try and give out advice about love, Ayanokoji?" Ike asked, skeptically.

"I just said what I was thinking," I shrugged.

"Wait, so it was really Kiyopon?" Haruka stared at me as if looking at a stranger, "No, I won't believe it,"

"But— Ah!"

Ichinose seemed to have noticed something, and awkwardly raised her hand. Apparently the person in question had arrived earlier than expected. What in the world kind of visual kei guy was this person? The new arrival had a boyish, androgynous face. He was even wearing a skirt.

"Chihiro-chan!" an unknown girl from Class B yelled.

"Woah, woah! Does this mean you were the one who confessed to Honami, Chihiro?" Kobashi asked.

I felt bad for her. She didn't seem like the type of girl who could handle this much attention. Every time I'd interacted with Shiranami, she'd seemed wary and withdrawn. I guessed that she wasn't someone who coped well outside of her comfort zone.

Shiranami cowered in response to the relentless questioning.

No, no. First impressions aside, she was a girl. I'd suspected as much after seeing her handwriting. Unlike when a boy revealed romantic feelings for another boy, this confession would probably be smooth. I might've thought that because I was a guy myself, though.

"Well, girls are definitely more gracious than boys," Shinohara said.

From my own experience, this did seem to be true. However, this doesn't mean that everybody should be judged from this point of view.

"Um, Ichinose-san... Who is this person?"

The new girl seemed a bit unnerved by the unexpected appearance of a male student.

"This is Ayanokouji-kun, from Class D. I'm sorry for bringing someone that you don't know, Chihiro-chan."

"Is he by any chance...your boyfriend, Ichinose-san?"

"Ah... Well..."

Ichinose probably meant to say that yes, yes I was. But guilt over lying seemed to stopper her answer. The words got stuck in her throat.

"Tch, can't even follow through with her own plan," Ryuen shook his head.

"Not everybody can lie without remorse as well as you can," Horikita said.

Ryuen grinned in response.

"So why is this Ayanokouji-kun person here?"

Confused by this unexpected situation, Chihiro began to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Is he her boyfriend? Why would he be here if he wasn't? Chihiro was probably struggling to understand what was going on. Ichinose, seeing Chihiro's tears, grew flustered. Uncertain of what to do, she started panicking. I'd expected Ichinose to be a stalwart, reliable person, but apparently she had an unexpected weak point.

"I see. So romance is Ichinose-san's weak point. I now understand what was bothering me," Sakayanagi smiled.

"Huh? Something was bothering you?" Kamuro asked.

"Oh, it was nothing serious. Just a simple question I had regarding the relationship between two people,"

Although I had nothing concrete to base this off, I believe Sakayanagi had noticed the change in Ichinose's behaviour toward me. It wasn't obvious to everybody, but those who paid the most attention to the two of us could have guessed that something happened.

"Um, do you mind going somewhere else, please? I have something important that I need to talk with Ichinose-san about," Chihiro said.

"P-please wait a minute, Chihiro-san. That's, um... Well, to tell you the truth, Ayanokouji-kun is..."

Ichinose was trying to make the first move and turn her down. She probably thought it would be harder if Chihiro directly said, I like you.

"You didn't want to have to reject her, so you tried to make sure she never confessed in the first place?" Yagami asked.

"I- yes, that's exactly right," Ichinose admitted.

"I see. I'm sure you can see the holes in that plan, yes?"

"Of course. I knew from the start that it wouldn't work how I wanted it to. I was just running away from something that was always going to happen,"

"What is it?" Chihiro asked.

"So, Ayanokouji-kun, he's... Well, he's my—"

There was nothing I could do in this situation. Well, nothing except...

"I'm just a friend."

"I think that was a smart decision, Ayanokoji-kun," Sakayanagi said.

"But couldn't he have just gone along with it? If he had then wouldn't Shiranami-san have felt better about it or something?" Mori asked.

"No, that's not right," Ichinose interrupted, "I was wrong to ask that of him. Although, I'm glad it was Ayanokoji-kun I asked because he was mature enough to turn down my silly request,"

I cut Ichinose off before she could finish.

"Ichinose. I didn't think this was something I should say, considering no one's ever confessed to me before. But I think it was a mistake for you to call me here."

I spoke honestly, for both their sakes.

"It's true that confessing your feelings isn't easy to do. You spend every day in complete anguish, as you create the experience in your head over and over. And yet, you still can't confess your feelings. Even when you think the time has come to actually do it, you can't say the words 'I like you'. They get stuck in your throat. That's what I think. Don't you think you should answer someone when they desperately long to express their feelings? If you make the situation unclear, both of you may regret it later."

Complete silence. For some reason, my unwanted lecture had shocked everyone to the point of not speaking.

"He lived up to those words. He could have easily avoided me after what happened on the island. It happened so suddenly after all, I wouldn't have blamed him for avoiding me. But he met me and told me the truth. Even if Nagumo-kun hadn't come along and said what he did, I believe that Ayanokoji-kun planned to tell me himself," Ichinose decided.

"What is this? He really understands what people in love are feeling? Then...what about Airi? Does he truly understand how she feels? I'd always imagined him to be clueless when it came to what others were feeling but...that doesn't seem to be the case," Haruka struggled to come to terms with the flaws in her perception.

"Huh. For some reason this doesn't surprise me. But why? I've seen him do so many incredible things but when it came to matters of the heart, he always seemed so clueless. So why doesn't this surprise me? Maybe it's the way he seems to look through people. He understands people. But still...how much does he really get it? Is this what he felt when he confessed to me?" Kei wondered.

"Wow, I really don't know what to say to that," Hashimoto said, "I guess you really were a secret love guru, Ayanokoji,"

"That's not it. It's not like I'm a master of romance or anything. I'm sure most people in this room have experienced the problem I described at one point in their life,"

Even if they couldn't fully understand their own feelings, they would at least be familiar with the situation I spoke about. After all, often it's easier to figure out others' feelings than our own.

"I must admit, Kiyotaka, I'm a little jealous," Keisei said something utterly unexpected.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you know, but I've never been able to relate to others very well. Always, always, I put my feelings before everyone else's. I think that's why I became so detached and focused on what I felt was necessary. If I'm being honest, I still feel that way. I've never been able to put someone before myself," Keisei said quietly.

"So you think that I can do that?"

"That's not what's important. You understand others' feelings. I'm only capable of acting on my own,"

It was a difficult thing to admit to your own shortcomings. Keisei acknowledged that he unapologetically focused on his own problems without considering others'. Humans are fundamentally selfish creatures. Everybody acts according to their own feelings and beliefs. However, most people also empathise with others. It creates a middle-ground where society can function.

"If you want to understand others' feelings, you just need to spend more time with them," I said, "I'm sure that you understand Airi. And Haruka and Akito. But there's no shame in prioritising yourself despite that,"

"Really? Is it not completely selfish to do something like that?"

"Of course. If you don't want to be that way, then all you need to do is work on it. You've always been good at studying, Keisei. Study how to put others before yourself,"

"Hmm...I'll have to think about that..."

Although I was a bit surprised by Keisei's sudden admission, it was proof that he had matured enormously since we enrolled. To confide in someone else. To admit his doubts about himself. That wasn't something the Keisei I'd first met could have done.

"Uh..."

Ichinose had probably never experienced seriously falling in love with someone before. Therefore, she didn't really know what to do, or if she were doing something wrong. Trying to prevent someone's pain was useless. If you turned someone down, their feelings would inevitably be hurt.

Well, if you managed to come up with a suitable excuse, you probably could make things a little easier. An excuse like "I want to concentrate on my studies" or "There's someone else that I like." Or, like what Ichinose had attempted here: "I'm already dating someone." But no matter what answer you gave, the other person would definitely be hurt.

Even more hurt if the excuse were built on a lie.

"I didn't know Ayanokoji-kun was so mature..." Inogashira muttered.

"No wonder she's like this. Ayanokoji-kun must be the first person she's ever fallen in love with..." Amikura thought.

I left without waiting for Ichinose's reply. I headed back, but didn't return to the dormitory right away. Instead I stopped by the tree-lined pathway, leaned against the handrail, and sighed as I looked up at green leaves.

About five minutes later, a girl ran past me. There were tears in her eyes. Despite that shocking image, I loitered there a while longer to kill time. Around sundown, Ichinose trudged back from the gym and walked over to me.

"Ah..."

Upon seeing me, she looked a little awkward and hung her head. But then she immediately glanced back up at me.

"I was wrong. I didn't respect Chihiro-chan's feelings. I just wanted to avoid hurting her, and to run away. That was my mistake. Love is really tough, huh?" Ichinose muttered as she leaned against the handrail next to me. "I asked her if we could carry on like usual, but... I don't know if we can go back to how things were."

"You both acted very maturely about it. I don't think anyone realised anything had happened between you two," Amikura said.

"I think we managed to stay good friends, right, Chihiro-chan?" Ichinose asked, nervously.

"Of course!" Shiranami smiled. Apparently she really had gotten over the rejection. Well, it had been over a year since.

"That depends on you both."

"Yeah... Thanks for today. For coming along with me for such an odd request."

"It's okay. Days like this happen, anyway."

"I guess our positions got reversed, huh? I planned on helping you, but then you ended up helping me."

"Most of the videos seem to include Ayanokoji-kun helping someone," Mii-chan noticed.

"That's true," Yosuke nodded, "I think Kiyotaka-kun has helped a lot of people,"

"He has helped loads of people, hasn't he? I wonder just how many people he's helped like he did me..." Kei wondered.

"I'm sorry for acting so full of myself back there," I said.

Ichinose blinked a couple of times, as if I'd said something odd.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. None at all."

She stretched her arms towards the sky, and hopped off the railing.

"Now it's my turn to help you. If there's anything I can do, I will."

I wondered how Class B's Ichinose Honami planned to resolve this difficult situation. I had to admit, I was looking forward to seeing it.

"Oh, I have a guess! Ichinose-san did something to help Sudo?" Sonoda suggested.

"Well, I helped out but I wouldn't say I was the deciding factor," Ichinose looked glad that the confession was finally out of the way.

"So, it was definitely something Horikita-san and Ayanokoji-kun did then?" Mori asked, "Urgh, I can't figure it out, can't you just tell us?"

"You are about to see how we handled it for yourself. It will be much easier to understand that way," Horikita declined.

Did you all sympathise with Ayanokoji's captivating love advice? Who knew he had it in him?

Judging by the numerous heads shaking, I assumed the number was very low.

Anyway, let's get back to Sudo's trail. Let's see how Class D convinced Sakura to testify on Sudo's behalf.

"Class D? Wasn't it just Horikita-san and Ayanokoji-kun?" Hashimoto laughed.

"Actually, I had no input in Sakura-san's acceptance," Horikita said.

"Oh? So Ayanokoji was the one, then?" Ryuen looked at me.

"You said Kiyopon convinced you, Airi?" Haruka said, "Are we gonna see how he did that, then?"

"I assume so," I responded.

Well, let's get to it.

(A/N - I'm back and completely illness free. I rushed to finish this last night but fell asleep doing it. Just to stop any misconceptions, although the vaccine did hit me like a truck, it wasn't the sole contributing factor to my illness. I was already ill before having the vaccine. So, if you are able to, I definitely recommend going to get it.

Anyway, I'm not sure when the next part will be out because I have A LOT of work to catch up on. I'm gonna start streaming as well so there's also that. I think I'm gonna make the next part just a little shorter so I can get it out in a reasonable time.

Side note - I'm so glad I don't have to write Chihiro's family name a lot anymore because almost every single time I accidentally started typing Fujisaki instead of Shiranami. Because of the Danganronpa character.)

Sudo's Trial - Convincing Sakura/Trial

I'm going to give you all a little context for this video.

This is the day before the first meeting of deliberation to judge Sudo's guilt.

Sakura has been identified as the witness and Chabashira has given permission for her to sit in and deliver her testimony.

"Hmm, I thought we were supposed to be watching how they convinced her to testify?" Katsuragi frowned.

"Yes, I believe that is still the case. From what we've seen so far, does she not seem like the type to back out of her responsibilities?" Sakayanagi's perception was harsh but ultimately fair.

"I see what you are saying. You think she attempted to get out of testifying after the matter was already settled?"

"They seem to be going through a lot of hassle to get her to testify when they've already said it probably wouldn't be enough," Hashimoto said.

"Obviously. Haven't you been watching the position they're in? They need all the help they can get," Ryuen explained.

"I believe you are the person who provided them this predicament, aren't you, Ryuen-kun?" Sakayanagi said, "Isn't it quite big-headed to say something like that?"

"Kuku, where do you get off saying shit like that?" Ryuen's lips showed a faint grin, "I don't think my name's been brought up at all - just a fight between men, right?"

"Yes, very manly," Sakayanagi matched his slight smile, "I wonder, are Ishizaki-kun and those other two capable of making their own decisions?"

The three in question sent death glares to the lofty leader of Class A but apparently didn't dare to speak a word in protest.

"That's my classmates you're making fun of there, Sakayanagi. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Oh nothing at all, I'm just remembering what happened that one time you ran away from your leadership position,"

Ryuen didn't respond but his smile changed into a cruel, thin smirk. It was true that without Ryuen in charge, his class had experienced a significant drop in results. Conversely, when he finally did return, they leapfrogged Horikita's Class C and almost caught Ichinose's Class B. Quite the stark comparison.

"I'm now starting the video," Mashima announced.

After returning to my dorm, I lay in my bed and absentmindedly watched TV. My mind was kind of a blank, as I let myself relax. Then, I got an email from Sakura.

"If I was absent from school tomorrow, what do you think would happen?"

"It appears you were spot on, princess," Hashimoto grinned.

"What do you mean?"

Even though my reply had been short, I waited a while for her response.

"What are you doing right now?"

That was her answer. I replied that I was in my room by myself.

"If it's okay with you, could we meet right now? I'm in room 1106."

"Why did you want to see Ayanokoji?" Ike asked.

"U-um, because I wanted some advice," Airi explained.

"Sounds like you're just brimming with wisdom, Ayanokoji," Ryuen snarked, "First your oh-so heartwarming advice for Ichinose and now Sakura wants a piece of you,"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out his classmates rely on him a great deal. When I needed help, he came up with a plan and followed it through without fail. Although it appears he is also incredible academically, even if that wasn't the case, his reliability makes him someone his classmates can turn to when they are in need of support," Katsuragi determined.

"If you could keep this a secret from everyone... That would really help me out."

"A secret meeting away from prying eyes...now I'm a little interested," Asahina rubbed her chin.

"Do you plan on making a comment every time he interacts with a girl?" Nagumo sighed.

"What? I have an inquisitive spirit," Asahina complained.

I received two messages from her in quick succession. It was more like texting than email. What exactly was she getting at, I wondered? I thought about asking her why, but then stopped typing. If I bungled this, she might keep messaging me, but it would probably get more difficult to pay her a visit. I had the gut feeling that it would be better for us to meet directly, so I started rewriting my response.

"I'll head over there in about five minutes."

After sending my reply, I reached for my coat but stopped. Since we were in the same dorm, going out with just a jersey on was probably fine. I headed towards Sakura's room. The upper level...in other words, where the girls lived. This was my first time setting foot there. The school didn't necessarily prohibit boys from entering. Even if someone saw me going there, it wouldn't be a problem. In fact, the popular guys often headed up there to hang out and have fun.

Although we were allowed a relative degree of freedom, entry was prohibited after 8:00 PM. Naturally, going to the girls' floor in the middle of the night was prohibited.

I pushed the elevator's call button. When the doors slid open, Horikita was standing there. What horrible timing.

"Why does it matter that Horikita-san was there?" Mori asked.

"Because I thought she was extremely likely to ask questions about why I was headed for the girl's floors," I explained.

"Oh right, Sakura-san asked you to keep it a secret!"

"..."

For some reason, I was completely unable to move. I just stood there. Was this good luck or bad? In the case of bumping into an acquaintance, I had to wonder.

"What? You're not getting on?" she asked.

"You do look quite odd just standing there, staring," Utomiya commented.

"It kinda makes you look guilty of something, Ayanokoji," Hashimoto chuckled.

Well, I was about to be guilty of lying.

While she stared at me, she tried to close the doors.

"Ah, yeah. I'm getting on..."

While I felt like this was probably a bad idea, I hopped in and pushed the button for the eleventh floor. I saw that the button for the thirteenth floor was also lit. That must've been Horikita's floor. For some reason, I got the strange feeling that she was watching me from behind.

"You're...heading home late tonight, huh?" I asked, without looking at her. The silence was unbearable.

"I was out shopping. Did you not see?"

"God, this is too awkward for me," Nagumo slouched in his chair.

I heard the rustle of vinyl bags.

"That reminds me. You cook for yourself, don't you?"

"You cook, Suzune?" Sudo asked, instantly intrigued.

"I do,"

"Huh. I didn't know that," Sudo struggled with what to say in response to her blunt answer.

"I don't think it's surprising though. Horikita-san is very capable," Sato complimented her. Although to mirror Horikita's own words, cooking in modern times was as simple as reading a set of instructions. Horikita did add her own flair, though, something only one experienced in cooking should try.

It felt like the elevator was going more slowly than usual. We were still only on the sixth floor. Being stealthily invited over by a girl was a stressful situation. My unease meant I had to say something.

"Hehe, sorry about that Kiyotaka," Airi giggled adorably.

"It's fine. I don't think I'd be a good friend if I let something like this get in the way,"

"This isn't the tenth floor. Is that okay?"

Why in the world was she asking me about the tenth floor? What was her intention?

"For someone who dislikes trouble, you've been extremely proactive in involving yourself with this case. Or perhaps you have ulterior motives?" Horikita was clearly probing.

"What does that mean Horikita-san?" Inogashira asked.

"Forget about it, it doesn't mean anything now," Horikita replied. If I had to guess, at the time, she probably considered that I'd used Sudo's case as a pretext to get closer to Airi. Of course, there was no point in her voicing these thoughts.

"If you have something to say, why not come out and say it?"

"You're going to meet with Sakura-san, aren't you?" she asked.

"Busted," Shibata snickered.

"No, I'm not." I immediately denied it but wondered if Horikita could see the truth.

"Could you, Horikita-san?" Mori asked.

"I saw no other reason for him to be going up to the girl's floors," Horikita explained. In other words, she knew nobody else would have invited me.

"Well. I suppose where you go is none of my business."

In that case, don't ask me about it! Well, that was what I wanted to say, but I spoke the words only in my head.

"You seem very irritated by my innocuous questions," Horikita mocked me.

"I wouldn't say they were as innocent as you're making out," I shot back.

"Oh well, it's not my problem if you were somehow offended by them,"

"I guess not,"

Her motives were apparent, no matter how hard she tried to act nonchalant.

After a long time, we finally arrived at the eleventh floor in complete silence. I stepped off the elevator, trying to remain calm. I didn't look back.

"Pardon me for intruding..." I said at Sakura's door.

"Come on in." She greeted me wearing casual clothes.

"So. What did you need from me?"

"Umm... Ayanokouji-kun, do you remember what you said before? You said I wasn't obligated to step forward, even though I was the witness. You also said it was meaningless to force me to testify."

That was back when I'd met Sakura by accident. I gave a slight nod.

"I...just don't have any self-confidence after all."

"As if that wasn't immediately apparent," Nagumo shook his head, looking incredible bored.

"Is this about speaking in front of other people?"

"I've been terrible at it for so long... I'm not good at speaking in front of others. If I'm asked to testify in front of the teachers tomorrow, I don't think I'll have the confidence to answer properly. So..."

"I feel terrible for her. She got wrapped up in this because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Amikura said.

"It is awful luck on her part," Asahina agreed.

"So you're considering taking the day off from school?"

Sakura gave a slight nod before collapsing and laying her forehead on the table.

"Ahhhhh. Jeez, why am I so completely useless?!" She shrank into herself, clearly ashamed. It was the first time I'd seen her like that.

I saw other members of my class look a little stunned as well. If you asked one of them at random what they knew about Airi, they'd say she was quiet or shy or another descriptor lacking any real value. Most of them probably couldn't even tell you where she sat in class. However, the Airi they knew showed very little of her personality. Even the Ayanokoji group would probably find out something new about her here.

"Sakura, you're surprisingly high-strung, huh?"

I felt the gap between the person I saw now and her usual behavior and was a little taken aback. Or rather, I was shocked.

Some people likely realised how nervous she was or how quick she was to become distressed. I recalled a time that Kei had brutally mocked her in front of the entire class while on the deserted island in our first year. Although I doubt many people remembered that event, what with everything else that was going on.

"Huh?!"

Sakura, realizing she'd let me see this side of her, blushed and shook her head. "N-no! I'm not like that at all."

So she could be animated. I'd had no idea, considering her usually depressed look.

"I've never, ever seen her like this," Sonoda exclaimed.

"It's so surprising, she never normally makes a peep," Mori agreed.

"That's just because you don't know her," Haruka argued, "Well, you don't even try to know her,"

"What? That's not on us. She never talks, how are we supposed to know what she's like?" Mori retorted angrily.

Both of them made fair points. Getting to know someone required a bit of effort. You couldn't just observe them from afar and make judgements. That information would be superficial at best. However, the effort that was needed wasn't a one-sided ordeal. When we first enrolled, like me, Airi had been unable to take the initiative and approach the other students in our class. On the other hand, Kushida had been the only girl to make a real attempt at connecting with her. I could see fault on both sides in this case.

"Let's calm down a bit, okay?" Yosuke interrupted, "Hasebe-san, you understand that making friends is a two-way thing, don't you? I don't think it's fair to blame the other girls for everything,"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Haruka sighed.

I was sure Haruka knew very well that she was being unreasonable. However, friends came first for most people. Especially for those who found it difficult to make them, like Haruka.

"Hey, can I ask you just one thing? Why did you call me?" Kushida or somebody else would've been friendlier, easier to talk to.

"I think you are easy to talk to as well, Ayanokoji-kun," Mii-chan said.

"I don't remember ever seeing you talk to him, Mii-chan?" Inogashira frowned.

"Oh, I've only spoken to him a few times because Hirata-kun said he was reliable,"

"He did? But what did you need to talk to someone like Ayanokoji-kun about instead of us?" Mori asked.

"Huh? Oh, well..."

"She felt a bit home-sick and wanted to talk to someone about her country. I was always quite interested in China so it was more mutual interest than anything else," I explained.

"Oh, that was when I bumped into you in the cafe, wasn't it, Ayanokoji-kun," Hiyori remembered.

"Yes, I think it was,"

"That's so nice of you Ayanokoji-kun!" Sato smiled, "Mii-chan, if you ever want to talk about your home country, I'd be happy to listen,"

"Oh, um, thank you," Mii-chan smiled back. I wasn't sure whether she particularly wanted to talk about China that much but I was sure it was more convenient for her than the alternative.

"That's because I'm not afraid of your eyes, Ayanokouji-kun..."

"What?"

"What does she mean?"

Huh? What did that mean? I certainly didn't have scary eyes or anything, but...

"Oh, just you wait...huh? Wait, are they gonna show that..." Kei's thought was suddenly interrupted by a sudden spike of anxiety.

"If you're looking for someone to talk to, Kushida is a much warmer, more outgoing person. She has a lot of friends, too."

"Oh, no. I don't mean the eyes that you've seen me with. I mean the pupils, way back in the eyes... If you look someone deep in their eyes, you'll understand. I'm sorry, I can't really explain it well."

"Yeah...I don't get it," Sudo shrugged his shoulders signalling defeat.

"Can I ask what you mean by that, Sakura-san?" Ichinose asked.

"I can just...tell, I don't know," Airi responded meekly. If she had been talking one-on-one with Ichinose, she may have been more capable of having a proper conversation, but with so many eyes on them, Airi would just speak as little as she had to.

"I gotta say, that's a pretty interesting skill," Rather than being offended by Airi's short response, she complimented her instead.

"If it really works then it would be incredibly useful," Kanzaki agreed.

Being able to judge someone's character with just a quick look into their eyes? Yeah, that would be invaluable in many circumstances.

So, was it like insight into a person's true self? When someone looked at me, would they see that I was insubstantial and lacked ambition? This was kind of complicated.

"I don't see that at all, Kiyotaka-kun," Airi assured me.

"I see. That's good then,"

"Well, it's just... When I see a man...even if he seems kind...I suddenly get afraid."

"Any guy?" Sonoda frowned.

"You get frightened whenever you see a man? I can't imagine what that's like..." Inogashira muttered.

"Huh? Why would you get scared whenever you see a guy?" Ike asked.

Suddenly the target of many questions, Airi retreated further into her seat.

"I think you'll find it's not that uncommon," Ichinose answered, "There are many reasons a girl may feel intimidated by a man,"

"I think the same. Obviously, most girls don't feel the same as Sakura-san about every guy but in some situations...you know?" Kei surprisingly spoke up to back up Ichinose's words.

Perhaps that came from a woman's point of view. It might have been natural for her to be uncomfortable around men, but Sakura had an abnormally terrified expression. Speaking of which, I recalled the day we'd gone to get her digital camera repaired...

"Hmm, what happened?" Haruka asked.

"We just had trouble with the clerk," I replied, "Nothing to worry about now,"

It was certainly true that men and women generally differed in physical strength and stamina. However, some girls were overly mindful of that fact and lived in abnormal degrees of fear. I wondered if something had happened in Sakura's past to cause her intense fear of men.

"Did-" Ike started but quickly found that Shinohara's hand covered his mouth.

"There's no need to ask that," she barked at him.

Why the heck was I arbitrarily analyzing her? I felt a little disgusted with myself, as usual.

"It almost sounds like a habit," Katsuragi considered.

"But doesn't everyone think stuff like that about people? Even if it's just subconsciously usually," Ichinose asked.

Everyone had impressions of others engraved in their minds based on what they've seen or heard. However, that's usually where the analysis ends - it was just like a meaningless glance. No average person looked beyond that into the 'why' and 'when'.

"What Ayanokoji is doing is far more than that," Nagumo contested, "Tell me, Honami, do you look at your precious classmates and try and look into their minds?"

"Well, not without a reason, I guess,"

"Exactly, but it appears that Ayanokoji does it without thinking. That's not normal,"

As they were discussing my invasive tendencies, I started getting wary glances, primarily from my classmates. It was like their eyes were asking 'what did he think about me?'.

"I'm a little nervous about what he thought about me. Or maybe I'm scared? Actually, it could be pretty exciting to see..." Sato wondered.

"I know it would be good to simply say what it is I saw. But no matter what I do, I can't seem to imagine it... How can I speak that assertively?"

She was so worried that she'd asked a student like me for help. She'd probably been agonizing over it for the past few days. Even with a helping hand from me, she appeared to be suffering.

"If you want to quit, would you like me to talk?"

"I thought you were convincing her not letting her quit?" Miyamoto shook his head.

"He already said that having her as the witness wasn't as important as it could have been, just keep watching," Keisei sighed.

"You're not going to get mad?"

"I told you before, didn't I? If we forced you to testify, it would be meaningless."

Sakura was an invaluable witness, but her evidence wasn't automatically reliable. She might not have any influence on the outcome. However, if she were absent, Sudou might get angry. I should probably try to coax her into participating, but I had no idea how to do it.

"Damn it. I was so focused on my own problems that I could only get pissed when other people didn't want to help me. Maybe I should try and apologise to Sakura too," Sudo groaned.

"Umm... What do you think would be best to do, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I think you should do what you want, Sakura."

She probably wanted more concrete guidance, but unfortunately this was the best I could do. I wasn't an outstanding person, and certainly not qualified to guide anyone. I wasn't suited for that job.

When I said this, I noticed a select few people glance in my direction. One of those people was Kei, another was Horikita. Sakayanagi also looked directly at me with one eyebrow raised.

"I see. Well, I suppose it's probably bothersome to ask you for help like that... I'm just no good. It's probably why I can't even make a single friend myself."

Sakura shrugged and smiled bitterly. She seemed disgusted with herself.

Some of the girls who had argued with Haruka earlier glanced at Airi but didn't say a word.

"Sakura, I think you'll be able to make friends with someone in no time."

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to best say what I feel... You seem to get along really well with a lot of people, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm a bit envious."

"No, I don't."

Apparently, Sakura believed that I had many friends and lots of fun.

"It seems that compared to her, you interact with many more people," Utomiya said.

True. It was all a matter of perspective.

"It might be presumptuous for me to say this, but I think that we're like friends. We are," I said.

Sakura and I stared at each other.

"We're friends? Really?" she whispered.

"If you don't think so, Sakura, then that's different."

"No... It does make me happy...to hear you say that," replied Sakura, while still looking somewhat perplexed.

"Oh! I've got it! You convinced her by becoming friends with her?" Ike suggested.

"No, that's not it," I shook my head, "Our friendship had nothing to do with the case, it was a completely separate thing,"

"Oh," He looked completely deflated.

"So, you were each other's first friends at this school, then?" Haruka looked with squinted eyes at the two of us.

"N-no, remember Haruka-chan, he hung out with Ike-kun and Sudo-kun before me," Airi denied it.

"Hmm, I guess, but were they really friends?"

"Eh? What does that mean?" Airi frowned.

"Well, the way I see it, Kiyopon just hung around with them because he couldn't talk to anyone else," Haruka shrugged.

There was some truth in that but I think it was unfair to say that those two weren't my friends. I wasn't all that close with Ike but I'd had many interactions with Sudo over the past year.

"It's true that I couldn't talk to anyone else, but they were still my friends," I said.

"Fine, fine! She was your first female friend here, then," Haruka compromised.

"Yeah, I guess,"

I wasn't sure why she was pushing this so much but I couldn't deny the truth.

I began to realize that if people didn't talk face to face, they wouldn't get a feel for what the other person was really like. I was surprised by the discovery of Sakura's unexpected side. If she let this part of her out more, she'd probably make friends right away. Honestly, even a minor adjustment would do wonders. But for her, I supposed making even a minor adjustment would be difficult. What might seem trivial to one person could be quite difficult for another, depending on their issues.

"Hmm, I don't really get why it's so difficult for you, but I wouldn't mind hanging out with you, Sakura-san," Sato offered.

"I wouldn't mind either..." Mii-chan tagged along.

"U-um, really?" Airi just about managed to look at the two of them.

"Yeah! I don't know how much we have in common but it's fun to go out with new people," Sato continued, "Plus, Ayanokoji-kun likes you so you can't be a bad person or anything,"

I wondered what effect Sato's innocent advance would have on Airi. As she is now, she might be able to accept Sato's offer, but there was also the chance that Sato would prove to be much too lively for Airi to have fun.

"I'll think about it," Airi answered.

"Okay~!" Sato didn't look dissatisfied in the slightest.

"Thank you for coming to see me today," Sakura said.

"It's no big deal. You can call me anytime."

If I could ease Sakura's burdens even slightly, then it was worth it. I'd leave it up to Sakura herself to decide whether or not she'd come to school tomorrow. Thinking that our conversation was over, I stood and started to leave, but Sakura looked like she still wasn't feeling well.

"Do you have any plans for tonight? For right now?" I asked.

"Right now? No, I don't have anything planned. Or rather, I didn't make any plans."

Hmm. Even I felt a little sad when I heard someone say that.

"Well, why not go out with me for a while? If it's not a bother, of course."

"You took her somewhere?" Katsuragi asked, "You mentioned that Sudo's trial and your friendship with her were separate things. Which did this fall under?"

"I guess, in this case, you could say it fell under both," I replied,

I decided to be daring and invite Sakura. She stiffened, almost like she had forgotten the time and realized she had to be somewhere important. She looked like she couldn't understand what I'd meant. Then, without any hesitation, she shot up out of her seat.

"Huh?!" As she leapt up, she banged her knees against the table and doubled over in agony. Her glasses flew off her face.

There were many sharp intakes of breath as they watched Airi's pain.

"Talk about jumpy," Kondo commented.

"That looked like it really hurt just now. Are you okay?" I asked.

"I...I'm perfectly fine!"

"Definitely not selling the lie, there," Ishizaki said.

"Airi, you should take more care," Haruka sighed while shaking her head.

"I know, I was just a bit startled," Airi spoke softly.

She wasn't very convincing; the pain was so intense that she was on the verge of tears. I picked up her glasses. Just as I'd thought, there were no lenses. I handed her glasses back. Her hands trembled when she took them, and she thanked me. Sakura wrestled with her pain for about a minute before she finally calmed down and quieted.

"No lenses? You mean her glasses are fake?" Ichihashi asked.

"Sakura-san, you wear fake glasses?" Sato asked.

"Y-yes,"

"Why is that?"

"Umm...well..."

There were a couple of reasons Airi wore her fake glasses. One reason was that it allowed her to blend in. Although it was essentially a social stereotype, people assumed that those who wore glasses were the shy, nerdy types. Using this image allowed her to stay out of the crosshairs of popularity. As I'd said before, if she made a few minimal changes, her popularity would soar.

The second reason was her online persona. Airi used a site to post pictures of herself in various clothing. In those photos, she looked incredibly different to how she presented herself around the school. Of course, in these pictures, she had no glasses on. In short, the glasses were to help prevent anyone from identifying her as an online idol.

Kushida, Horikita, Ichinose, Ike and Sudo were the only present students who knew about this. The girls among them weren't the types to divulge information like that without reason. The boys...well, they knew better than to get on the bad side of Kushida or Horikita.

"You could see it as a disguise of sorts," I replied for her.

"A disguise?"

"Not in the literal sense. I mean, that people who wear glasses are normally seen as nerdy, right? Even if they aren't, your first impression is that they are. For Airi, who didn't want to be around too many people, wearing glasses allowed her to blend in," I explained. It was better to do this now than later. It was likely that everyone would learn of Airi's secret but it was better to allow her to prepare herself.

"Oh, I get it," Sato nodded.

"Wh-where do you want to go?" she asked.

She was on her guard, but I didn't understand why. Maybe she believed I was some kind of pick-up artist trying to smooth talk her. If that were the case, it was bad.

"You got invited to her room and you didn't think about asking her out at all?" Miyamoto asked.

While it was true that being invited to a girls room could have romantic implications, it was just as likely to be asked over by a friend.

"That way of thinking is exactly why you don't get invited to girl's rooms," Kei held no punches.

"I haven't really decided. Just kind of felt like wandering around, you know? Ah, but I hate being in hot places..."

"You complain an awful lot about the heat," Horikita sighed, "It can't affect you that badly,"

"Just because it doesn't seem to have any effect on you, doesn't mean that it's not normal to find the heat uncomfortable," I replied.

"Oh, so I'm the abnormal one, is that it?"

I felt like agreeing with her would cause extra bother, so I decided to stay quiet

Sakura responded cautiously, as if worried about what to say. "If you don't mind...there is someplace I'd like to go. Is that all right?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure, I don't mind. Please lead the way."

I didn't really care about the location; I just wanted to get a change of scenery and talk. If Sakura had a place she preferred, then everything would be going according to plan.

"So you do have a plan?" Hashimoto asked.

"I did say that I thought it would be best if I could convince her," I replied.

"You also said that you didn't know how to convince her, but now you are saying you had a plan?"

"The plan I'm talking about isn't entirely connected to the trial,"

I hadn't told Airi to show up at Sudo's trail, nor did I have any intention of forcing it upon her. All I did was show her that she needed to care for herself before she could help others. If by helping her learn that, I succeeded in convincing her to help, then that was just a byproduct of my real intent. My priority had been to make sure she knew what she should be prioritizing.

"What are you on about?" Hashimoto didn't look like he understood in the slightest. Understandable, seeing as I had no intention of explaining myself to him.

"Just watch,"

Sakura took me to the place she wanted to visit. I must admit, I hadn't expected the location. We went to a part of the building used specifically for club activities, located away from the school. She guided me around a building that had a pronounced Japanese flair, one that hosted things like the archery club and the tea ceremony club. From a short distance away, we could hear the sound of arrows being fired.

"Huh, I was probably there at that time..." Akito said.

"Why did you want to go there, Airi?" Haruka asked.

"I think Kiyotaka-kun asked me the same question," Airi answered.

"You're not doing any club activities, right?"

"I'm not, but I've wanted to come here at least once. I'd stand out if I came by myself, so..."

If you hung around here on your own, people would think you were interested in joining their club. However, if a couple came together, then people would just assume they were on a date.

"Huh, so you could call this a sort of date..." Haruka side-eyed me. I didn't bother to answer.

"Why did you ask me to come out, anyway?" she asked.

"Hmm? Why? It's kind of hard to answer when you ask me like that." I was worried about how everything would go tomorrow. But even if I said something, I'd still feel uneasy. "I asked you because I thought it would be good to get a change of scenery, I suppose. I mean, I'm kind of a loner, so I usually just stay in my room. I have a tendency to hang back all the time."

Sakura looked somewhat unconvinced by my roundabout answer. "Ayanokouji-kun, don't you have lots of friends?"

"I do? Like who?"

"Horikita-san, Kushida-san, Ike-kun, Sudou-kun, Yamauchi-kun..." She listed their names while counting them on her fingers.

"Hmm, it seems like, from an outside view, you had a lot more friends than you really did," Kanzaki said.

"Hey, at least me and Ken were his friends!" Ike complained.

"Yes..."

"Well, they're just for show. No, you're right, a friend is a friend. I guess what I mean is, I feel like that's all we are. I feel like I'm still kind of standing outside the group and looking in. Do you think we get all along, Sakura?"

"It feels like you don't belong, right, Ayanokoji-senpai?" Amasawa cut quickly to my real issue.

"Huh, but why, Ayanokoji? We're your friends, right?" Ike asked, frowning.

"Ayanokoji-senpai is nothing like you, though," Amasawa said with a look of spite.

"What does that mean? He's no different to us at all! What would you know about him?"

"What would I know?" Amasawa suddenly started giggling uncontrollably, "Hehe, I'm sorry Ike-senpai, I don't think I want to answer your question,"

"Why does she always act so familiar with him? To my understanding, they only met during the Partner exam, but it seems like they met much sooner, before coming to this school..." Horikita thought.

"What's up with that girl!? There's obviously a connection between her and Ayanokoji but what the hell is it?" Ibuki found herself frustrated by both of them.

"I wonder why Ayanokoji-kun thinks he doesn't belong in his friend group? It usually looks like he gets on really well with Horikita-san, but after watching these videos, maybe that's not true. Could all of his friendships be like the one he has with Horikita-san?" Ichinose felt slightly worried for Ayanokoji.

"I think I understand what Kiyotaka is saying. Sometimes I feel the same way. He is very different to Ike-kun and Sudo-kun and I think that difference is what is keeping him distant. I can't say we share all too much in common either, but I hope he sees me as a true friend," Hirata thought.

Sakura nodded without hesitation. If she said so, perhaps it was true. I guess I just didn't understand myself.

"I don't know how to make friends at all. I'm envious. You were the first person to call me a friend."

"What about Kushida? Wasn't she the first person who invited you out?"

Sheepishly, Sakura gave a self-deprecating smile. "Yeah. I should apologize to Kushida-san sometime. She was the first one to call and invite me out, because I didn't have the courage... I actually wanted to hang out with her. I just couldn't answer her, no matter what I did. I'm so pathetic."

I imagine that the normal Kushida would have spoken up at this point to say that there was no need for her to apologise. However, Kushida hadn't uttered a single word since she'd returned and it didn't look like that was about to change anytime soon.

If you were good at making conversation with other people, you'd have an easier time of it. I was once again impressed by Horikita's ability to make fun of Ike and Yamauchi while also dealing naturally with complete strangers. That was a splendid talent.

"That's not a talent!" Ike complained.

"You're right. A talent implies that other people can't do it just as well," Horikita said.

"Eh?" Ike frowned, having no clue Horikita was making fun of him right now.

"Can I give you one bit of advice for tomorrow?"

I didn't intend to give her empty encouragement like "Do your best." Sakura should face tomorrow entirely as herself.

"For Sudou. For Kushida. For your classmates. Throw all of those thoughts away."

"What?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sudo asked.

Most students seemed confused.

"Huh? Throw them...all away?"

"When you testify tomorrow, speak for yourself. As someone who tells the truth of what she saw, as a witness."

It was good for a self-reliant person to try doing something for other people. However, Sakura still couldn't properly take care of herself. She had a tendency to wrap herself up and endure pain, sorrow, and suffering alone. If you weren't happy yourself, then you couldn't make others happy, either.

"Oh, I see..." Ichinose seemed to have realised something.

"Damn, I really feel like an asshole right now," Sudo sighed.

"Tell the truth for your own sake. Do that, and Sudou will be saved. That's enough."

I didn't know how effective my advice would be. It probably was meaningless blather, actually. But perhaps it was right to encourage Sakura to speak for herself. Maybe I did it because I understood how it felt to be wanted. Because I needed someone to know I understood the pain and anguish of battling loneliness.

"The sole survivor of the fourth generation. Even if they didn't die, being alone in the White Room must have been no easy task. It's perfectly understandable he'd become lonely and detached. But that goes for all of us. Every one of us was alone, even if we had company in that loneliness," Yagami thought.

"You both have us now! You don't need to feel lonely anymore," Haruka smiled at the two of us.

"Yes, thank you, Haruka-chan," Airi returned her smile.

"I wish I'd realised how lonely he was. It looks like he has a good group now, so maybe I shouldn't worry so much. And he has Karuizawa-san..." Ichinose thought.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Hopefully, my words had found purchase somewhere in Sakura's heart.

"I finally understand what you mean," Katsuragi said, "You never intended to force Sakura but let her make her own decision for the right reasons,"

"Exactly. There was never a point in forcing her. If she was going to appear in the trial, it had to be for the right reasons, otherwise there would be no point at all," I explained.

"You seem to really understand people, Ayanokoji-kun. Couldn't you be much better at making friends if you used that?" Asahina asked.

"I don't think that's true, Asahina-senpai. I'm sure you'll understand soon," I said.

So, you've all seen how Sakura was convinced to participate. Let's look at the trial, shall we?

"Oh, well this should be interesting," Ryuen glanced at the three Class C students who had been present. Each of them instantly looked away to avoid his gaze.

"Oh no..." Horikita suddenly remembered the events of the trial.

"Sorry we're late," our sensei said.

"It's before the scheduled start time. There's no need for apologies."

"Have you already met?"

Sudou, Horikita, and I did not know the teacher.

"This is Sakagami-sensei, the homeroom teacher for Class C. Now then."

One lone male student seated in the back of the room attracted everyone's attention.

"This is the student council president."

"The student council president was overseeing the trial? Shouldn't a teacher do that?" I heard a first-year ask.

"At a normal school that would be the case," Horikita Manabu answered, "However, as you very well know, this school pushes its students in more ways than just academics and sports. Allowing me to oversee the proceedings of this trial was both to push me further and display the focus on improving other areas of the students who attend the school,"

I had already noticed several differences between the third years and the two years below them. The positions of responsibility they held became that much more similar to real life.

Horikita's older brother, without so much as even a glance at his sister, pored over the documents on his desk. Horikita directed her gaze at her brother for a short time, but when she realized that she wasn't his focus, she lowered her eyes and sat down in front of the Class C students.

"Well then, I would now like to discuss the violent incident that occurred last Tuesday with the members of the student council, the involved parties, and their homeroom teachers. You may begin the proceedings, student council secretary Tachibana."

Secretary Tachibana, a woman with short hair, gave a slight bow.

"Of course, considering the magnitude of this dispute, there are times when the student council president will take over. There are several unusual things about this incident. Other than that, the bulk of the proceedings will be handled solely by Tachibana, as usual."

"Because I am quite busy, there are certain agenda topics upon which I will defer. As a general rule, though, I would prefer to attend to these issues, as I'm entrusted to lead this student council."

"So, this is all by chance?" Chabashira-sensei smiled as she said that, but Horikita's older brother never wavered. On the contrary though, Horikita—Horikita the younger sister, I mean—couldn't hide her trembling. Considering they were brother and sister, the odds were not in our favour. In fact, I couldn't help but think that this situation was extremely disadvantageous, as Horikita couldn't demonstrate her usual prowess here. Our expectations had been thoroughly shattered.

"It's understandable given the treatment she received last time they met," Nagumo kept his eyes on Manabu, "Don't you feel any remorse at seeing your little sister like this?"

Manabu didn't respond. I felt the general perception of him was becoming clouded between respect and resentment.

If the student council president acted, there'd be nothing we could do, even if we didn't like it. He'd enrolled in Class A and immediately taken office as secretary for the student council. In December of his first year, he became the student council president after receiving an overwhelming amount of support in the election. Although some senior students had naturally voiced their displeasure, our current, hopeless situation spoke to his incredible abilities.

"Sounds like you did some research," Asahina noted.

"I was interested after my first meeting with him," I explained.

Secretary Tachibana summarized the situation from both sides in an easy-to-understand manner. There wasn't any need for further explanation.

"Based on the aforementioned facts, we would like for you to identify which version of events is true." After completing her explanation and the preface to the proceedings, Secretary Tachibana turned her eyes toward us in Class D. "Komiya-kun and two other members of the basketball club went to the special building after Sudou-kun called them there. There, they claim to have been beaten up in a one-sided brawl. Is this true?"

"What those guys said was a lie. I was the one that got called over to the special building," Sudou said. "That day, after practice, Komiya and Kondou asked me to go to the special building. Honestly, I thought it was kind of annoying, but I also thought it might've been because they were always hostile towards me. So, I went to meet them."

"There's no way you could have won by talking it out like this," Tsubaki yawned as she spoke. Apparently, she wasn't amused by what was happening on screen.

"I have to agree. Even if the witness comes forward, she's still one of the defendant's classmates. If anything, this trial should have just been a formality to punish Sudo," Utomiya backed Tsubaki's words.

Sudou wasn't one to mince words. Normally, Horikita would have been disgusted by his casual way of speaking, but judging from her trembling she didn't hear him at all. Sakagami-sensei, Class C's homeroom teacher, stared in wide-eyed amazement.

"It seems Horikita-san isn't going to be capable of helping out. That's unfortunate," Sakayanagi commented.

"No, Suzune did help," Sudo defended Horikita no matter the opposition.

"Oh? Something must have happened to rouse her spirits, then,"

"That's a lie. Sudou-kun called us over to the special building."

"Don't screw with me, Komiya! You were the one who called me, you jerk!"

"You don't seem to remember your position here."

Sudou, irritated, impulsively struck his desk. Immediate silence followed.

"Hmm, this is what happens when you let the apes fight," Kiryuin smirked.

Surprisingly, none of the four boys spoke out against it.

"Please calm down, Sudou-kun. Right now, we're merely listening to what both parties have to say. Komiya-kun, we ask that you too please show some restraint, and not interrupt."

"Puh, fine..."

"Both parties insist that the other called them over, so the accounts conflict. However, the stories share some commonalities. There was a dispute between Sudou-kun, Komiya-kun, and Kondou-kun, correct?"

"I wouldn't call it a dispute. Sudou-kun's always picking fights with us."

"'Picking fights'?"

"Sudou's better at basketball than we are, so he's always bragging about it. We practice with everything we've got, but it doesn't exactly feel good when he makes fools out of us. So we often butt heads."

I didn't really know the details of Sudou's club activities, but when I saw the veins popping on his forehead, it was rather obvious that they were lying. Next, Secretary Tachibana spoke to Sudou.

"Of course, you'd think they were lying, you're in the same class," Morishige said.

(A/N - Just in case nobody remembers who this is, he's a Class A student who was assigned to Ayanokouji's group during the Zodiac Exam.)

"Yes, it's the same logic that applies to Sakura's testimony," Katsuragi agreed.

"I don't wish to interrupt too much, but that line of thinking isn't correct," Manabu spoke up to refute their claims, "Ayanokoji isn't using his belief that the Class C students are lying to benefit himself. It's merely an observation. He knows that simply believing in his Sudo isn't going to save him,"

"But if Ayanokoji could tell they were lying then why couldn't the teachers or the student council?" Ike asked.

"It's not a matter of who we believed, but of who had the evidence to support their claims. At another school, the teachers would probably give both parties a slap on the wrist. They may suspend Sudo for a period of time because of the damage the other party sustained. That's because the consequences wouldn't be as severe as they are here," Manabu explained.

This school tried to emulate real life. Minors are often given light treatment compared to adults when they break the rules. High school life reflects that. Most fights between students in high school are ignored. If they are reported to a teacher, then perhaps one or both parties will receive minor punishment. Although it's a little off-topic, it's this loose mentality that allows bullying to occur as much as it does. However, this school was different in the fact that the consequences for your actions directly affected those around you. This meant that students had to mature at a faster rate or risk becoming a burden to their friends.

"Not one bit of what Komiya said was true. Those guys are just jealous of my talent. When I practice, they constantly get in my way. That's the truth."

Naturally, both sides claimed that the other party was at fault.

"Both sides have given their grievances, but now we have to come to a judgment with the collected evidence."

"Sudou-kun beat us senseless. It was a one-sided fight."

Class C seemed intent on focusing the discussion on their injuries. The three students did seem to have black-and-blue faces. That was undeniable.

"Realistically, that's all they need to do. If they can keep the focus on the injuries they sustained, then they can control the situation entirely," Nagumo observed.

"That's a lie. They attacked first. It was self-defence."

"Hey, Horikita," I whispered to Horikita, who remained mute and kept her head down. Clearly, this situation was really bad. If we wanted to stop Sudou from getting carried away, we had to take action sooner rather than later. However, she showed no reaction. It was as if her mind was gone. Did her brother's mere presence truly have this much of an effect?

"It's so weird seeing Horikita-san like this..." Onodera said.

"Yeah. She never acts like this," Mori agreed.

"She's normally much scarier," Ike muttered. Unfortunately, he was heard by the girl in question.

"Is that what you think, Ike-kun?"

That's all Horikita said but the chilling stare she gave him was sufficient in getting her feelings across.

I flashed back to those two talking behind the dormitory. I didn't really understand the depth of the situation, but I suspected that Horikita had chased after her extremely talented brother, enrolling in the same school to make him recognize her abilities. But regardless of her hopes and talents, the younger sister in Class D was still very far away from her brother, the Class A student council president. To prove herself, she'd have to rise up to the same arena as him.

"So it stems down to a younger sister idolising her brother but being shunned because of her lack of ability?" Sakayanagi summarised.

"Still, Horikita-san is extremely talented and a formidable opponent. It's hard to believe that she's looked down on by anyone," Ichinose said.

I looked over to Horikita. She kept an unconcerned look on her face. Apparently, the initial shock of everyone seeing her vulnerabilities had worn off and she wasn't bothered by the investigation into her psyche. I'd considered correcting Sakayanagi's assessment of the situation, but after seeing Horikita's unaffected expression, I thought it wouldn't be necessary. Manabu didn't look like clearing anything up either.

"I think you're overestimating her a bit, Ichinose. What exactly has she done to warrant any praise? Especially from someone like the esteemed former student council president," Ryuen smirked as he sent a searching look to Manabu.

"Well, I think she did a pretty good job of beating you a couple of times now. Do you not remember how you were knocked down to Class D by her and her class?" Ichinose shot back.

Ryuen didn't entertain her with a response. Under his calm exterior, I could sense a layer of excitement. He was probably waiting for me to be entirely exposed and he certainly wasn't going to throw away that excitement by ripping off the plaster, so to speak.

"If Class D has no further proof to offer, would you mind if we continued the proceedings?"

If the student council and the teachers continued to sit in complete silence, their judgment would almost certainly be merciless. To prevent that, we needed Horikita to rouse herself into action. However, our team's most crucial member withered and shrank before her older brother.

"Was it really Horikita-san who saved Ken?" Ike asked the question that must have been on many students' minds as they watched this.

"Of course it was! She just needed a bit of time, that's all," Sudo argued.

"It would seem there's no objection, given the arguments we've heard thus far." The student council president finally spoke. Horikita's older brother seemed as though he wanted to draw a conclusion as soon as possible.

"Regardless of which party called the other over, the fact remains that it was a one-sided fight between Sudou and the other students. We can clearly see that from the injuries they sustained. We have no choice but to come up with a conclusion based on that."

"W-wait! I can't accept that! It's just because those guys were a bunch of wimps!"

"Oops," Nagumo grinned, knowing the image that statement gave.

The moment that Sudou uttered those words, I saw Sakagami-sensei smile.

"Then can it really be considered self-defense when fighting against opponents of such unequal strength?"

"Oh, no..." Matsushita also now understood the problem in Sudo's words.

"B-but, hey. I was fighting against three people! Three people!"

"Exactly! It doesn't matter how strong someone is when there are so many people," Okitani said.

"But only the Class C students were hurt."

"But..." Okitani couldn't seem to find an argument for this point.

"The teachers have no way of knowing the individual's ability when it comes to fighting," Katsuragi explained, "They can only base their assessment off of the outcome,"

This was getting worse. I resigned myself to the fact that I might be killed later for doing this, but I got up slowly from my folding chair and stood behind Horikita. I stretched my arms out and grasped her sides as hard as I could.

"Woah, hey! What are you doing, Ayanokoji?" Miyamoto asked incredulously.

Everybody in attendance was surprised by my sudden action.

"Hyah?!" Horikita cried out in an abnormally girlish voice. However, this was not the time or place for me to focus on that. Since she hadn't yet regained her sanity, I grabbed her more forcefully and tickled her.

Eventually, the atmosphere turned from one of shock to one of amusement. Many people laughed as they watched Horikita suffer.

"I can't believe you did that, Kiyopon!" Haruka was also giggling, "And in such a serious situation too!"

Well, it was because the situation was so serious that I'd had to take such measures.

"Horikita let him do this?" Ike watched in bewilderment.

"You would have gotten punched for sure," Mori laughed.

"It definitely is amusing," Keisei admitted, a grin on his face, "But was that really the time to do something like that, Kiyotaka? Or perhaps you did it for a reason?"

"The latter. I'm sure you'll understand in a moment,"

"W-wait. S-stop, stop!"

No matter how upset or dazed a person was, if you stimulated the body enough, they'd come back to her senses. Even if they didn't like it.

"I see. That's certainly an unconventional method," Katsuragi said, appearing taken-aback by what he was watching.

"You saying you wouldn't have thought of doing it, Katsuragi?" Ryuen asked.

"I doubt it. It's aggressive and a complete invasion of space," It seems that Katsuragi didn't approve of my methods.

The teachers seemed somewhat taken aback by my actions, but right then I didn't care. When I believed I'd roused her enough, I let go. Horikita, looking like she was about to cry, glared at me with startling intensity. I'd had to force her, but I knew it was essential to return Horikita to her usual self.

"Typical Ayanokoji. He does something others would see as inconsequential but somehow manages to force the situation into the direction he wants," Chabashira thought.

"I remember he interested me at the time, but after Horikita started to take control of Class D, I forgot his name completely. That was until their end-of-year exam...he's certainly a mystery. I wonder how much Ryuen knows about him," Sakagami thought.

"I still can't believe you'd do something like that, Ayanokoji," Okitani said, "I wouldn't have the nerve to do something like that,"

"How would you think of doing something like that? Wasn't it embarrassing to do it in front of all those people?" Onodera asked.

"It was the only way I could think of to snap Horikita out of it," I answered.

"Couldn't you have just spoken to her?" Kobashi asked.

"I tried that, as you saw. She was basically unresponsive,"

"Yeah, but, I dunno, you could have said her name louder," she suggested.

"I don't think that would have worked," I shook my head.

Physical stimulus normally has a greater effect than auditory. It's harder to ignore.

"Get a grip on yourself, Horikita. We're going to lose at this rate. You have to fight!"

"Tch..."

Horikita, looked at Class C, then the teacher, and then her brother as if finally understanding our situation. It seemed to dawn on her just how desperate our situation was.

"So, she's finally gonna help out then," Hashimoto noted.

"Excuse me. May I ask a question?" she said.

"Do you mind, president?"

"I'll allow it. However, please answer more quickly next time."

Horikita slowly rose out of her chair.

"Earlier, you said that Sudou-kun called you over to the special building. But who exactly did Sudou call, and why?"

"Why does that matter?"

"She's testing them. They'd all need to have their story straight to be able to answer detailed questions," Hashimoto answered.

"Wow, you train your pawns well, Sakayanagi," Ryuen clapped slowly.

"Shut it, Ryuen," Hashimoto didn't wait for Sakayanagi to speak. It didn't look like she was going to anyway, she just sat there calmly.

Komiya and the other Class C students looked at one another, as if saying, Why is she asking that question now?

"Please answer." Horikita added those last two words to reinforce her aggressive style of questioning. Secretary Tachibana allowed it.

"Kondou and I don't know why he called us over. When we'd just finished up for the day and were changing, he said he wanted to talk to us for a minute. Wasn't the reason just that he didn't like us?"

"So then, why exactly were you in the special building, Ishizaki-kun? You're not on the basketball team, so you have no connection to this case. I'd think your presence there would be rather odd."

"That's... I came as a precaution. There were rumors that Sudou was violent. He's also in better shape than we are, physically. I had to go, didn't I?"

"So in other words, you felt the situation might turn violent?"

"Yeah." They answered in unison, almost as if they'd expected these questions. It appeared that the Class C students had thoroughly rehearsed for this conference.

"Apparently you aren't so bad yourself, Ryuen-kun," Sakayanagi smirked.

"Heh, no idea what you're on about,"

"I see. So you brought along Ishizaki-kun as your bodyguard, since he was reputed to be rather good at fighting. Just in case there was an emergency."

"It was to protect ourselves. That was it. Besides, we didn't know that Ishizaki-kun was known for being good in a fight. We just considered him a reliable friend."

Horikita quietly listened to their responses, as if running various simulations in her head. Then she immediately made her next move.

"I do have some knowledge of martial arts, if only to a certain extent. I understand that when you're fighting against multiple enemies, victory becomes exponentially more difficult. So I don't understand how you were defeated so handily, how the fight could be so one-sided, when you had a skilled fighter like Ishizaki-kun with you."

"Ken still could have totally beaten all three of them," Ike said.

"Don't say stupid things in such a proud manner," Horikita chided him, "Sudo-kun's temper is the thing that got him into this mess, his skill in a fight is irrelevant. My point was that it should have been impossible for him not to sustain any injuries when fighting three people, especially when one of those people was an experienced fighter himself,"

"Because we didn't intend to fight."

"The primary factor in triggering a fight is the collision of the 'energy' between opponents. In the event that you don't have any intention of fighting, or that you're nonviolent, the probability that you'll be hurt should be very low. Especially when there are three of you."

"Eh? Why is that?" Amikura asked.

"I don't think it's that difficult to understand. However, if you have never witnessed a fight, perhaps you wouldn't," Horikita sighed, "Under ordinary conditions, the goal in a fight is to force your opponent to submit. If the three of them never had any intention of fighting, then that objective has already been met, without the need for them to take any further damage. The fact that they had such wounds suggests that the fight hadn't been fought by unwilling participants,"

Only someone who wanted to inflict considerable damage would continue fighting once their opponent was already down.

Horikita's opinion was very objective, grounded in evidence, rules, and her own logic. On the other end, Komiya fought back with his own weapon, real evidence.

"That way of thinking doesn't apply to Sudou-kun. He's exceptionally violent. Even if we were nonviolent, he'd still be mercilessly violent. That's what happened."

He peeled off the gauze that covered his cheek, exposing the scrapes underneath. No matter how many reasonable arguments Horikita made, his injury gave powerful evidence.

"Are you finished with your claims now, Class D?" said Horikita's older brother coolly. After staying silent while Horikita gave her argument, his words were few and icy. His look seemed to suggest that if that was all we had to say, it would've been better not to say anything at all.

"But what she said makes sense, doesn't it?" Inogashira asked.

"Relying on your own logic isn't enough to contend against reliable evidence. As realistic as her analysis was, it wasn't enough to throw out the evidence that their wounds provided," Manabu explained.

"We had no evidence, though? How the hell did we win if evidence is that important?" Miyamoto asked an understandable question.

"Even I don't know exactly how they did it. I'm just as interested as you so let's keep watching," Manabu said,

A lot of people were confused when he said that he was also unaware of our strategy. They probably assumed we'd won by convincing the teachers and the student council that Sudo was innocent. Only a certain few would realise that we would switch tactics once it became clear we couldn't win using honest means.

"It's true that Sudou injured the other students. However, Class C started the fight. There is one student witness who saw the entire incident and can attest to this."

"Well then, Class D—if Class D's witness would please enter?"

Sakura, looking worried and restless, walked into the student council room. She looked down at her feet, as if scared of danger.

I saw Haruka whispering to Airi but I couldn't catch what she said. If I had to guess, she was probably congratulating her on her courage.

"1-D, Sakura Airi-san."

"I thought I'd heard something or other about a witness, but you're a Class D student?" Sakagami, the Class C's homeroom instructor, snickered while wiping his glasses.

"Why does their teacher sound so rude?" Haruka frowned, looking at Sakagami with irritation in her eyes.

"He was just aware of the situation, that's all. Sakagami-sensei is protective of his students," I said.

Haruka didn't look convinced and her gaze still rested firmly on the teacher.

"Is there a problem, Sakagami-sensei?

"No, no, please. Go ahead."

Sakagami-sensei and Chabashira-sensei exchanged looks.

"You may begin your testimony, if you wouldn't mind, Sakura-san."

"Y-yes, okay... Well... I..."

She stopped speaking. A period of silence followed. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Sakura steadily looked further downward, and her face became increasingly pale.

"Perhaps it was a mistake to have convinced her at all," Nagumo said. Other students agreed with his view.

"Sakura-san..." Horikita, unable to take any more, addressed Sakura. Unlike before, the words didn't seem to reach her.

"Apparently she didn't witness anything. More of this would just be a waste of our time."

"Why are you in such a hurry, Sakagami-sensei?"

"I want to speed this along. If we waste time, my students will suffer. These students are the joyful heart of their class, so I've no doubt that their many friends are worried about them. Also, they're striving to improve their basketball skills, and we're depriving them of valuable practice time. As a teacher, I can't overlook this."

"I see. You're probably right about that."

You'd think that Chabashira-sensei would ally herself with Class D, but that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, she nodded in apparent agreement with Sakagami-sensei.

"Why didn't you help us, sensei?" Ike cried.

Ike's question was mirrored by many of our class's students. After seeing how Sakagami acted toward the trial, they may have expected Chabashira to have the same disposition for us.

"It's no use asking Chabashira-sensei that question now. It will help nobody," Horikita said.

Chabashira didn't look like she was going to reply to Ike's question anyway, but Horikita stood in to disarm the dispute.

"You're certainly right that this is a waste of time, so I suppose we have no choice. You can come down now, Sakura."

Chabashira-sensei ordered Sakura to leave, almost as if she'd lost interest. The student council members didn't ask for a delay or anything. The writing was clearly on the student council room wall, and it spelled Class D's defeat. Sakura closed her eyes tightly, as if she couldn't bear it anymore, as if she regretted her own weakness. Even Sudou, Horikita, and I felt like this was impossible for Sakura, and mentally resigned herself.

Despite knowing the eventual outcome, many members of our class looked toward the floor as they watched us get pushed into submission.

Then, it happened. An unexpected voice reverberated throughout the room.

"I definitely saw what happened!"

"Woah,"

Airi's sudden outburst took the entire room by surprise.

It was certainly Sakura's voice, though it took me several seconds to recognize it. What most struck me was the volume of her voice.

"The students in Class C threw the first punch. There's no mistake about that!"

"Incredible. She managed to say something," Nagumo had a slight smile on his face as he made that sarcastic comment.

"Well done, Sakura-san!" Sato, on the other hand, was quite impressed by Airi's spirit.

Airi nodded in acknowledgement, probably feeling overwhelmed by Sato's praise.

Sakura's words had a force that belied the image she'd presented at first. She spoke so desperately that you wanted to believe she was telling the truth. She certainly made me believe it. However, much like a magical spell, the effect lasted for only a few minutes. If the audience remained calm, it wouldn't be difficult for them to see through it.

"That's a good assessment, Ayanokoji," Manabu complimented me, "Getting caught up in the emotion of a problem, whether it be your own or somebody else's, can prohibit your ability to think,"

Luckily for the Class C students, Airi's desperation wasn't enough to overrule their overwhelming advantage.

"Excuse me, but may I say something?" asked Sakagami-sensei, raising his hand. "Normally, teachers are asked to speak as little as possible, but this situation is just too pitiful. Student council president, do you mind?"

"I'll allow it."

"In regards to what you've said, Sakura-kun, I do not necessarily doubt you. However, I have one thing to ask. You've stepped forward to testify as a witness, but you were rather late in doing so. May I ask why? I would think if you really did see something, you would have come forward much earlier."

Sakagami-sensei harped on the same point that Chabashira-sensei had.

"That's... Well, that's... I didn't want to get involved..."

"Why didn't you want to get involved?"

"Because I'm not very good at talking with other people..."

"I see. I understand that. However, I'd like to say something else. You're not good at talking with others, and yet when the week was nearly out you stepped forward as a witness. Doesn't that seem rather odd? To my mind, it seems Class D secretly put a story together and are having you act as a false witness to give phony testimony."

After conferring together, the Class C students answered that they'd thought so, too.

"This was the obvious outcome, as we've been saying for a while," Katsuragi said.

Nobody was shocked to see Airi's testimony shoved aside instantly. They'd been expecting it from the start.

"That's... I'm just...telling the truth..."

"No matter how poor your communication skills might be, I can see you haven't testified with much confidence. Is that because you're tormented with guilt, because you know what you're saying is actually a lie?"

"N-no, that's not it..."

"I'm not blaming you. You were probably forced to lie for your class's sake, to save Sudou-kun. Weren't you? If you come forward and confess honestly to us now, you won't be punished."

The teacher's relentless psychological attacks just kept coming. Of course Horikita raised her hand.

"Hey, is it really okay for a teacher to be this harsh to a student?" Haruka had clearly had enough of Sakagami's actions.

"I agree with Hasebe-san. It's not fair that Sakura-san was put in this position in the first place! Why does she have to be interrogated by a teacher?" Sato joined Haruka in defense of Airi.

"Calm yourselves down," Mashima stopped them, "Sakagami-sensei just came to the same conclusion that many of you did already. While teachers aren't allowed to directly impact student affairs, we still have to ensure that discipline and fairness are instilled in every conflict. Perhaps Sakagami was too harsh but that's the reality of the situation,"

If this had been an exam or test provided by the school, then Sakagami's actions would have been a major breach of the school rules. However, because this was a disciplinary issue, Sakagami had more influence over the situation in his position as tutor. In ordinary schools, teachers were expected to resolve problems in the fairest way possible. However, the unique nature of this school meant that teachers had a motive to meddle in student affairs. That's why, to create an environment where the best possible conclusion can be reached, students are often told to solve their own problems.

"That is not the case. It is certainly true that Sakura-san is not good at speaking before others. However, it is precisely because she witnessed the incident that she is standing here today. Otherwise, she most likely would not, even if we'd asked her. Don't you think that if we needed someone who could speak boldly, we would have found a replacement?"

"Yeah, we would have used someone like Hirata-kun!" Mori said.

"I don't think so. There are excellent students in Class D, students such as yourself, Horikita-san. By setting up a person like Sakura-san as your witness, it would establish a sense of realism that you yourself could not."

Sakagami-sensei probably didn't actually believe this. However, no matter what response we volleyed back, I was convinced that he'd do anything to block us. Just as I'd felt from the start, a Class D witness did not carry enough weight. No matter how many times we stressed the truth, they would say that we were lying. If the testimony came from someone on your side, they wouldn't accept it. Had we run out of options?

Sakagami-sensei gave a hostile grin as he began to sit back down.

Our classmates, Haruka and Sato especially, showed growing anger toward Sakagami. It was perfectly understandable, of course. They had a teacher who showed them minimal support, whereas Sakagami was willing to confront other students to protect his own, regardless of the truth of the matter.

"If you want proof... I'll give it to you!"

This statement caused the entire hall to break out in conversation.

"Wait, one sec, there was evidence this entire time?" Hashimoto asked, exasperated.

"If it really is usable evidence, then this changes things completely," Katsuragi said.

"Hang on a moment" Horikita spoke to clear up the misconceptions, "While Sakura-san did have evidence, it was by no means conclusive. Please watch more before forming any thoughts,"

Having heard this, the hall quietened down. People eagerly awaited to learn what this 'proof' would be.

Sakagami-sensei froze in response to Sakura's words.

Although they resisted voicing their delight, both Haruka and Sato grinned seeing the worried expression on Sakagami's face.

"Please, let's not force this situation to continue. If there really was evidence, you would have presented it at an earlier stage—"

Sakura loudly slammed her hand on the desk, and threw down what looked to be a few small, rectangular pieces of paper.

"What are those?"

Because she'd produced something other than words, Sakagamisensei's expression stiffened for the first time.

"This is proof that I was in the special building that day!"

Secretary Tachibana walked over to Sakura. Though she hesitated at first, she then reached for the paper. No, those weren't pieces of paper like I'd thought. They were photos.

Everyone was starting to realise what this meant.

"That's definitive proof that she was present, right?" Amikura wanted to make sure after many times that we'd dismissed useless evidence previously.

"Only if there is a picture proving she was there," Nagumo said.

"But, if I remember correctly, she has a digital camera, no? Don't they have the time and data on them when they are printed?"

"Those can easily be altered. That wouldn't be enough to hurt the Class C students. Only if the photos clearly show that she was there, will there be any worth to them,"

"President."

After looking at the photographs, Secretary Tachibana handed them over to the student council president. Horikita's older brother, after looking at the pictures for some time, laid them out on the desk so that we could see. We saw Sakura in those pictures, but this Sakura wore a lovely expression that looked both similar and dissimilar to the Sakura with us now. It was the idol, Shizuku.

Suddenly the hall went deathly silent. Without meaning to, it seems like I'd alerted the entire school to Airi's online persona.

"Wait, what?"

"She's a damn idol?!"

"Shizuku? I don't think I've ever heard of her before?"

Answering my previous curiosity, even the Ayanokoji group were looking at Airi with disbelief. Apparently, she hadn't even told Haruka.

"A-airi?"

Haruka could barely get out her words. I don't think I could ever understand the level of discomfort Airi must be feeling. It looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey everyone! There's no need to ogle her!"

Coming in to save the day, Ichinose addressed everyone.

"You've all seen her personality. Don't you think you're all being insensitive by making such a big deal out of this?"

Although I understood her intention, it was quite amusing to hear her say this after the reaction she had to finding out.

"Even if she's an idol, that doesn't mean it's okay to put all this pressure on her!"

Hearing the scathing words of Ichinose Honami, most people began to realise that they'd been caught up in the moment. There were those who kept trying to steal glances but after they noticed everyone around them had stopped, they soon gave up.

"Y-you're really an idol, Airi?" Haruka asked, still not quite believing it.

"It's not like I'm famous or anything..." Airi's voice was so quiet you could barely hear her, "I just took a few pictures of myself and put them online. It just started from there,"

"I...that's really something," Akito, usually calm and assured, had a hard time processing as well, "Kiyotaka, you knew about this?"

I nodded, "While we were investigating, we happened to come across Airi's identity. Horikita, Kushida, Ike and Sudo all know. We kept the latter two quiet about it. Oh, and Ichinose also found out,"

"Ichinose knows?" Keisei frowned.

"Yes, it was completely by accident,"

"I'm so lost," Haruka was staring at Airi like she was looking at a completely different person, "C-can I ask you some questions when we get out of here, Airi?"

"Yes, I don't mind,"

Although she hadn't told them about it before, it seemed that Airi had no problems disclosing details on her idol status.

"I'm...I was looking for places where no one was around so I could take pictures of myself. The pictures also show the date and time, which proves that I was there when I said."

The date on the pictures definitely showed that they'd been taken in the evening one week ago. That would've been around the time that Sudou and the others finished their club activities for the day. Horikita and I unintentionally gasped in response to this new evidence. We began to see changes in the three Class C students, who up until now had been playing the part of victims. They were visibly shaking.

"Ha! Take that!" Sonoda yelled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. This wasn't enough to win," Horikita reined her in.

"What did you use to take these photos?" asked Sakagami-sensei.

"A digital...camera."

"You can alter the date rather easily with a digital camera, though. If you manipulated these photos on a computer, you could effectively set them at the time and date of the incident. These are inadequate evidence."

"But Sakagami-sensei, don't you think this photo is different?" Horikita's older brother slid out one of the photos we hadn't yet seen, and handed it to the teacher.

"Th-this?!"

The photo showed the fight itself; clearly there was no need to nitpick the time. The setting sun bathed the hallway in dusky light. The picture seemed to show what had happened immediately after Sudou hit Ishizaki.

"That proves it, right?" Mori asked desperately.

"It certainly proves she was there when she says she was," Katsuragi said.

"However, from the looks of it, it appears the fight has already started in that photograph," Sakayanagi noticed.

"And?"

"Please think a little more. If the question is who started the fight, then they are still relying on Sakura-san testimony. This throws doubt into the mix, but isn't conclusive proof,"

"I think that you'll believe I was there after seeing...this."

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

This picture had absolutely saved Horikita as well. To rescue such an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation...

"Way to go, Airi!" Haruka praised her friend.

"I-I didn't really do much..."

"I see. Well, you do seem to be telling the truth about witnessing the incident. That much I simply must accept. However, I can't ascertain how the situation started from this picture. This doesn't prove that you saw the entire incident."

It was certainly true that this picture made it look like the fight had already ended. We couldn't call this definitive evidence.

"So, what do you think, Chabashira-sensei? Why not look for a compromise here?" Sakagami-sensei asked.

"Fufu, are you really going to run away after your previous words, Sakagami-sensei?" Sakayanagi sneered.

"Show some respect, Sakayanagi," Mashima ordered.

"Oh dear me, were my words so offensive? I apologise Sakagami-sensei, I didn't realise how fragile you were," Instead of an apology, Sakayangi pushed further.

"Sakayangi!" Mashima raised his voice.

This time, Sakayangi fell silent but showed no sign of remorse.

"Compromise?"

"I'm convinced that Sudou-kun lied in his testimony."

"You jerk!" Sudou stood up, looking ready to fly out of his chair, but finally grabbed hold of his own arms and pinned himself down.

"No matter how long we go back and forth, we'll never reach an agreement. We won't change our testimony, and your side won't give up or admit that you conspired with the witness. In other words, you won't stop. It'll be an endless cycle of saying that the other side is lying. In addition, the picture is too inconclusive to be considered definitive proof. Therefore, I suggest we compromise. I do think that the students from Class C are responsible for some of the blame here. There were three students up against Sudou, and one of them has a history of fighting, which is a problem. So how about two weeks of suspension for Sudou-kun, and one week of suspension for my students? What do you think of that? The weight of the punishment is different, of course, but I think that matches the difference in sustained injuries."

Horikita's older brother stayed silent as he listened to Sakagami-sensei. It seemed that Class C was willing to compromise only halfway. If we hadn't had Sakura's testimony or evidence, Sudou-kun probably would have been suspended for over a month. Asking for less than half of that made this a considerable concession.

"I agree that it's much better than a month, but Sudo-kun didn't get suspended at all. You rejected this offer?" Matsushita surmised.

"We did," Horikita nodded.

"Wouldn't it have made more sense to accept?"

"Maybe, but in the end, we decided against it. I explain why,"

"Don't screw around! This isn't a joke!" Sudou raged.

"Chabashira-sensei. What do you think?" Sakagami-sensei didn't even glance at Sudou.

"We seem to have already reached a logical conclusion. There's no reason to refuse Sakagami-sensei's proposal," Chabashira-sensei said.

His proposal was certainly a reasonable compromise. Horikita looked up at the ceiling, as if quietly mulling over everything that had gone on so far. No matter how much we resisted, Sudou wouldn't be acquitted entirely without conclusive evidence. Horikita had known this from the very beginning.

She had concluded that we needed to reach a compromise. For a Class D student, Horikita was quite impressive.

"For a Class D student? What does that mean? It sounds like you think you're better than her?" Machida looked at me.

"I never said that,"

"But that's what it sounds like,"

"If that's the way you perceive my thoughts, then that's your prerogative. I simply meant that Horikita was extremely capable,"

However, if she was aiming to make it to Class A, she couldn't give up here. I hadn't intended to speak out until the very end, but I decided to lend a helping hand, perhaps out of respect for Sakura's earlier courage.

"What does Class A have to do with this?" Okitani asked.

"It seems like he's saying that Suzune needs to show more if she has any hopes of reaching the top classes. So, you think you have an idea of what it takes, Ayanokoji?" Nagumo asked.

"I just knew Horikita's goal was to reach Class A and wanted her to do the best she could to get there," I said.

"Horikita, are we really out of options?" I asked.

"..." Horikita did not respond. Well, did she even have any words left?

"I'm not very smart, so I can't really come up with a solution. I do, however, think that we probably should accept the compromise that you have offered us, Sakagami-sensei," I said.

"So you agree with them, Kiyotaka?" Keisei asked.

"Not quite," I responded before pointing to the screen to signal him to keep watching.

"Right," Sakagami-sensei replied with a smile, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"We have no definitive proof of Sudou's innocence. I suppose I should say such evidence just doesn't exist. If this event had occurred in a classroom or the convenience store, a greater number of students would have been around to see it, and there probably would have been sound evidence. There's no record of anyone watching this scene unfold. Since this event took place in the special building, where there weren't any people around, there's nothing we can do."

I sighed deeply and shook my head. I looked straight into Horikita's eyes, and she gazed back at me. I spoke as if we were accepting defeat.

"The hell? Why are you giving up, Ayanokoji?" Miyamoto asked.

"Are you slow? He clearly said 'as if', meaning that he wasn't really accepting that they'd lost," Matsushita said.

"Eh? Oh yeah...then what are you doing, Ayanokoji?"

"Just watch," Horikita's voice held venom, but it didn't seem to be toward Miyamoto. Instead, she had her eyes fixed on the screen, watching me speak.

"I understand why we're having this discussion. No matter how much we appeal to the contrary, Class C won't admit that they lied. Sudou won't admit that he lied, either. We really would just keep going back and forth. Honestly, it's getting to the point where I would've been happier never having had this discussion in the first place. Don't you agree?"

Horikita cast her eyes down. I wondered what she was thinking. If she took my words only at surface value, then things would end here.

As I said this, I noticed many people suddenly perked up. I knew exactly why - they were searching for my hidden meaning.

"What are you on about? Face value? You mean that there was a hidden meaning to what you said back then?" Tachibana was one of those people who wanted to find it.

"Ah, seeing it again like this...everything makes sense now," Manabu deciphered my thoughts very quickly. He understood why I had chosen that time to speak out.

"The hell are you on about? You're just agreeing with us, aren't you? Why are you talking about some other meaning?" Kondo couldn't even begin to understand.

"Hey, Horikita-san. It sounds like Ayanokoji-kun was trying to give you some kind of hint, doesn't it?" Matsushita noticed. Horikita couldn't hide her surprise at hearing her say this.

"Actually, yes...I think that's exactly what he was doing..." She sounded hesitant but voiced her true thoughts nonetheless.

"A hint? So, he was the one who came up with the plan to set up Ishizaki and the two others...but why on earth would he give Horikita-san the credit? He makes it sound like he wouldn't have said it himself, even if she couldn't understand his double meaning..." Sakagami tried to understand the nature of his defeat.

"Wait, wait, so you figured out how to save Sudo, Ayanokoji?" Hashimoto asked.

"No, the plan was all Horikita's doing," I denied it. Even if I had slipped her the idea, she had still understood my intentions and followed it through perfectly.

"So, that's it, yes? Well, Class D representative Horikita-san. Please give your opinion on the matter." Sakagami-sensei had taken what I'd said literally. In other words, as a declaration of defeat. For Class C, victory meant not allowing Sudou to be acquitted. The teacher's expression indicated that he had won this match.

"Sounds like you didn't get it, Sakagami-sensei," Hoshinomiya teased him.

"Well, it certainly sounds like he just agreed with me...but, it makes sense after I remember how they dealt with it," Sakagami admitted.

"I understand..." Horikita answered, slowly looking back up.

"Oh, she got it, did she?" Ryuen grinned. I was sure he understood what I'd been saying, as he knew how this all turned out. He also knew how I liked to handle things.

"Horikita!" Sudou cried. It was the roar of a man who, more than anyone else, did not want to admit defeat. He couldn't. However, Horikita did not stop there. She continued with her closing remarks.

"I think that Sudou, who caused the incident, has a problem. He doesn't ever stop to consider his actions, which inconveniences everyone around him. He has a history of getting in fights. He's the type to raise his voice and fists right away whenever something displeases him. In the event of an uproar such as this, well, it should be obvious who caused it."

"H-hey!"

"You need to understand, Sudou. Your attitude caused all of this." Horikita glared intensely over at Sudou, almost as if to outdo Sudou's own ferocity. "This is why I wasn't motivated at all to help Sudou-kun in the beginning. I knew that even if I forced myself to lend a hand, he would just repeat the same mistakes again and again."

I'd expected Sudo to hang his head in shame, but that wasn't the case. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to the screen, a grimace on his face. Apparently, instead of focusing on the regret he felt, he decided to focus on the fact he didn't want to regress to how he was back then.

"A very honest answer. The matter seems settled now, wouldn't you say?"

"Thank you very much. Please take your seat now," Secretary Tachibana said to Horikita.

A period of silence followed. After that came Sudou's clearly irritated bellow. And then, even after five, then ten seconds of waiting, Horikita did not sit back down.

"Will you take your seat now?" Secretary Tachibana asked Horikita to sit once again, as if she suspected that Horikita couldn't hear her. Yet Horikita still did not sit. She fixated on the teachers, continuing to stare right at them.

Everyone watched on with both confusion and anticipation.

"Is this some kind of intimidation tactic?" Nagumo couldn't help but laugh, causing some of the third-years around him to do the same.

"He should reflect on his actions. However, not in this particular case. When I say he should reflect, I mean that he should look back on his past actions. In regards to this particular incident, however, I don't think Sudou-kun did anything wrong. This was not an unfortunate event that occurred merely by chance. I'm convinced that this was a deliberate move made by Class C. I have absolutely no intention of meekly accepting defeat."

With these words, our class spirits were raised. Even if they didn't particularly like Sudo, seeing us all punished because he was being targeted was something they all had an interest in.

"How willful..." Sakayanagi smiled.

Horikita broke the long silence with these haughty words.

"So then...what do you mean?" Horikita's older brother looked at his younger sister for the first time. Horikita did not shrink under his gaze. She probably felt that this wasn't the time to be frightened, that she had to be brave in front of Sakura. Or perhaps she could see the path to a final resolution?

"Is that true, Horikita-san? Did you come up with the solution?" Amikura asked.

"...Yes, I did,"

After saying this she sent me a look seen by nobody else. I suspected she'd wanted to add '...but I wasn't the first to think of it,'.

"If you did not understand, I will say it once again. We claim that Sudou-kun is completely innocent. Therefore, we cannot accept his suspension from school, even for just one day."

"Ha ha... What can I even say? We did this intentionally? What a bizarre claim. Apparently, the student council president's younger sister can't help but spew nonsense."

"Sudou-kun is the victim, just as the witness testified. Please do not make any errors in your judgment."

The Class C students began to shout insistently.

"Don't screw around! I'm the victim here!"

Sudou, compelled by the shouting, raised his own voice again. The objections came fast and furious. Everyone understood that we would not find a solution this way.

"That's enough. Continuing this discussion would just be a waste of time." Horikita Manabu looked at us as if we were just swapping lies in a giant mudslinging match.

"What I've learned today is that each side has an exact opposite claim. In that case, one side is propagating an extremely malicious falsehood."

D or C? Which class was lying to the school? If this fact became known, the consequences would be greater than suspension.

"I'll ask you, Class C. Have you lied to us today?"

"Of...of course not!"

"Well, what about you, Class D?"

"I haven't lied. Everything we've said has been the truth."

"Then we will regroup here for a retrial tomorrow at 4:00 PM. If by then it hasn't been clearly established which party has lied, or in the event no one admits that they were at fault, we will pass judgment based on the evidence we've collected thus far. Of course, in that case we may have to consider the possibility of expulsion from this school. That is all."

"The student council president can decide whether a student gets expelled?" Kobashi wore a confused frown.

"Not without a reason. I can't just go up to a teacher and say 'I want this student expelled'. The student council president is a position of trust within this school and they should know the rules better than anyone. If I deem a student's behaviour to be unsatisfactory, then I can report that to the school's staff. I don't get the final say, but my word carries weight," Nagumo explained.

No teachers reprimanded him for this explanation so one can assume that it held no falsities. To the average student, this would have been a simple explanation of the rules, but for those looking a little deeper, they'd realise that Nagumo's ability to control the school's rules had increased exponentially. It may be true that the student council's key chair was a position of trust, but as Nagumo had previously said, trust is nothing more than a form of currency to be traded in for a greater reward.

After offering that statement, Horikita's older brother ended the proceedings. If the trial was set to reopen at 4:00 tomorrow, that was a very small window of time in which to uncover new evidence.

"Would it be possible to have a little more time before we reconvene?" Horikita asked, raising her hand. She hadn't protested, but she had made an offer.

"If this matter required some extra time before retrial, then the student council president would have offered a sufficient grace period. In other words, the amount of time granted should be enough for this case. Extensions are only offered under special circumstances," answered Chabashira-sensei, folding her arms. It appeared she'd taken the student council's intentions into consideration.

"So, because the side that needed to gather evidence had admitted that it would be impossible, there was no chance for them to get a longer time period," Katsuragi correctly summarised.

"In that case, why didn't they just decide on the punishments then and there?" Amikura asked. It was a reasonable question.

"Because it's unusual to have two testimonies that directly refute each other. What's more, is that both sides had evidence to back up their claims. Class D's evidence was weaker because the testimony came from their own student, but the photos gave them a reason to believe her. Class C had the better evidence, but because their position had become weaker throughout the trial, it wouldn't be fair to hand them the win without first considering all options," Sakayanagi explained, "This is why a re-trial was issued. It could be said that blame belonged to both sides, so if they couldn't reach a consensus in the next meeting, both the Class C and D students may have been punished."

After hearing Sakayangi's explanation, everybody seemed to understand. Both sides also needed to discuss their approach based on the new circumstances. It wasn't exactly like a proper trial but it served its purpose well.

We were told to leave. Everyone looked dissatisfied as they exited the student council office. Sakagami-sensei approached Sakura, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. He said something very cold to her.

"I want you to reflect on the fact that many students will be involved in this due to your lies. Also, if you think that we'll go easy on you if you start crying, then I am afraid you are being foolish. You should be ashamed of yourself."

It wasn't just a few eyes glaring at Sakagami now. A lot of people had been put-off by his harsh treatment. Despite that, Sakagami showed no intention of explaining himself, nor did he show any signs of regret. All that mattered to him was his duty as the teacher of his class.

"I hope you didn't listen to him, Airi," Haruka gave up on Sakagami and turned to Airi, "He clearly didn't know what he was talking about,"

Sakagami-sensei and his students left, leaving those words hanging in the air. The Class C students repeatedly complained that the witness's lies were far too much on their way out, almost as if they wanted Sakura to hear them. Silence enveloped the student council room immediately afterward. Sakura, trying to stifle her voice as best she could, burst into tears.

"I tried my absolute hardest to speak up during the discussion, but do we even have a chance? Horikita?"

"I won't give up. I will keep fighting to support your testimony until the end," Horikita said.

"You understand that we won't solve this problem just by being stubborn. Won't that just hurt more people in the process?"

"I have no intention of losing. Well then, I must excuse myself."

"You appear to be confident in the plan you thought of, Horikita-san," Sakayanagi said.

"It was the only feasible plan available to us. I just had to hope it would work," Horikita responded.

"Is that so? I look forward to seeing it in action,"

With that, Horikita turned and left. Sudou followed. I left the student council room alongside Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Ayanokouji-kun... If I'd only stepped forward in the very beginning, everything would have been fine, but... Everything turned out this way because I didn't have the courage."

"It would've ended the same even if you had stepped forward at the beginning. They would've fought to discredit your testimony simply because the witness came from Class D. The result would be the same."

"In that case, what was the point in asking her why she didn't come forward earlier?" Kobashi asked, "If they were just gonna do the same thing anyway, isn't that just a pointless question?"

"You are right in the sense that the question itself was pointless. Even if Sakura-san had come forward sooner, they still would have accused us of planting the idea in her head. The real reason for the question was to put pressure on her. With all respect to Sakura-san, it would be clear to anyone that the method would work on her. Despite their intentions, she was able to testify to the best of her ability," Horikita explained while praising Airi.

"But!"

If they suspected Sakura to be a liar, she probably wouldn't be able to save Sudou by herself. Overcome with emotion, Sakura started crying, large tears rolling down her cheeks. If Hirata were here, he probably would've kindly offered her a handkerchief. Strangely enough, this scene seemed to mimic the time Horikita had collapsed briefly when reunited with her brother. It was a moment of deep déjà vu.

Why was this world divided into winners and losers? I'd already witnessed many victories and defeats, and had seen how closely joy and sorrow seemed to be linked to those outcomes. I couldn't just abandon Sakura, so I decided to wait until she could move.

"What does that mean? You've seen many victories and defeats?" Katsuragi frowned.

"It means just what I said. Isn't it normal to see the people around you succeed or fail? Even if it's just a test at school, there are still emotions linked with those two outcomes," I shrugged.

It wasn't peculiar that Katsuragi would ask this question. People didn't usually focus on categorising these events. If they won, then they'd move on with their life, rarely thinking back on it. However, if they lost then they may struggle to move past it. It's a common occurrence that people will focus more on what they've lost than what they've won. It wasn't until they achieved something they were proud of that they'd realise the effort that went into it. They weren't conscious of the everyday victories.

"Now you say it, I guess that's true..." Amikura seemed to be in deep thought about my comment, "Even waking up every day can be seen as a sort of victory!"

Apparently, someone had taken my meaning to heart.

"Seriously, Mako-chan? Everyone can wake up every day," Kobashi sighed.

"Huh? Just because everyone's doing it doesn't mean it's not a victory!" Amikura argued.

"Well...sure, but..."

"God just shut up, would you?" Hosen interrupted them, clearly aggravated by their conversation.

"You're still here?"

Horikita's older brother and Secretary Tachibana came out of the student council room. Secretary Tachibana began locking the door with a key.

"What are you planning to do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I thought that when you came here with Suzune, you'd unveil some kind of master plan."

"You really think a great deal of him, Horikita-senpai," Nagumo said.

"Why though? His scores on his entrance exams were odd and he dodged your attacks a couple of times...is that really enough to have this high of an opinion of him?" Hashimoto asked.

"It's true that he'd done nothing to earn any recognition," Manabu said with a slight smile.

"Then why did you think he had some kind of plan?" Kanzaki also appeared interested.

Manabu thought carefully before answering, "Intuition, that's all,"

Clearly, this answer didn't satisfy anybody who was paying attention to the conversation. It was obvious that Manabu would say nothing more.

"My brother saw what he was capable of so early...but how? I was with him the most out of everybody in our first few months, but all I saw was a disinterested student who possessed slightly above-average ability. One interaction was all it took for my brother to understand him? Or perhaps he had some other reason?" Horikita struggled to understand.

"I'm not exactly Zhuge Liang or Kuroda Kanbei. I don't have any plans."

"So does that mean when Suzune claimed Sudou was completely innocent, she was merely getting carried away?"

"Hyperbole, you mean? I don't think so."

"I see."

Strangely enough, though my exchanges with Horikita's brother up to now had been short, our conversation continued. Though he'd left a bad impression on me during our first meeting, I found him easy to talk to now. Perhaps this was to be expected of someone who had climbed the ranks to become student council president. He had a superior understanding of human nature.

"Are you friends with the former student council president, Ayanokoji-kun?" Hiyori asked.

"I wouldn't say that's the right word for it," I replied.

"But you also raced at the sports festival, did you not? It looked like you had a conversation before that happened, as well,"

A lot of people had seen that interaction. It wasn't exactly possible to hide something like that in the middle of hundreds of people.

"Well, that...I'm sure you'll see what we said to each other eventually,"

Whether I liked it or not, everything I had done since arriving here was going to be exposed.

"Then there's what you said, Sakura." Horikita's brother turned to Sakura, who'd stifled her crying. "Eyewitness testimony and pictorial evidence certainly carry weight during deliberation. However, please keep in mind that how much we value the evidence is determined by how much we trust in its believability. No matter what you do, the evidence's legitimacy is reduced because you are a student from Class D. No matter how detailed your account, we cannot accept it as one hundred percent true."

Basically, he was calling Sakura a liar.

"Him too..." Haruka said in a low voice.

"It's to be expected. Lots of people have explained the reason now," Keisei said.

"But it's like they don't even care about Airi,"

"Come on, Haruka. You know that in this situation, they can't just believe her because they want to. They need to be fair," Akito said.

"I know, I know..."

"I-I...I just...told the truth..."

"If you can't prove it, then it's little more than nonsense."

Sakura hung her head low in frustration, crying once again.

"I believe her. I believe Sakura's testimony," I said.

I saw Haruka smile at me but quickly look away when I turned my head to meet her gaze.

"Since she's a Class D student, it's only natural that you would want to believe her."

"I didn't say that I want to believe her. I said I believe her. Those mean different things."

"So can you prove it? Can you prove she's not lying?"

"That's not up to me. Your sister will prove it. If Sakura isn't lying, then she will find a way to convince everyone."

"You don't even seem to feel any pressure while talking to the student council president, Ayanokoji," Kiryuin said.

Horikita's brother chuckled softly, then smiled, as if to suggest such a thing couldn't be done.

"Why does he underestimate Horikita-san so much?" Miyamoto asked.

"Well, he was the student council president. Maybe his standards are just higher?" Sato considered.

"But Horikita-san is really talented. I mean, we've left almost all of our class plans up to her, right?" Mori said.

"Her brother was in Class A though," Onodera reminded them.

"I think they are both very talented," Yousuke said, "We shouldn't involve ourselves in a problem between siblings. I'm sure that Horikita-san feels the same way,"

Horikita had settled the dispute with her brother months ago, but Yousuke's assistance was welcome. Neither of the Horikita siblings would care about the opinions of those who did not know the situation.

After Horikita's brother and Tachibana left, I approached Sakura, who still was not able to move.

"Come on. Chin up, Sakura. There's no use in crying forever."

"But...it's all my fault... Hic."

"You didn't do anything wrong. You just told the truth. Right?"

"But... I..."

"I'll say it one more time. You didn't do anything wrong."

"That's right, Sakura-san. You did everything you were supposed to," Sato assured her.

Airi nodded her head. She had a smile on her face despite her hesitation.

I crouched slightly so I could meet Sakura's eyes. She lowered her head once more, like she didn't want anyone to see her tears.

"I believe in you. I'm grateful that you came here today. Thanks to you, we now have a chance to save Sudou and our classmates."

"But... I... Wasn't I completely useless?"

Just how little confidence did this girl have in herself?

"I believe you because you're my friend."

I put my hand on her shoulder. Turning her around somewhat forcibly, I tried to make her look me in the eye.

I repeated it with conviction. I told her, "Do it for yourself."

With those final words, the video ended.

"Thanks for looking out for Airi, Kiyopon," Haruka said.

"I couldn't just leave her there,"

"Well, I guess, but you also didn't have to help her out as much as you did. Yet you did it anyway,"

"Well...that's true,"

I had only gotten involved with Airi because of this incident. It wasn't like I had voluntarily sought her out to help her.

"You're a good guy, Kiyotaka," Akito agreed with Haruka, "I'd have had no idea what to say to her,"

"Well, it seems like Kiypon's words got through to her," Haruka said, looking at Airi, "You can talk to us because Kiyopon helped you, right?"

"I think so," Airi muttered,

Have any of you figured out how they did it yet?

If you haven't then the next video will be for you.

"Does that mean we're finally gonna find out how they did it?" Amikura asked.

"Sure sounds like it," Kobashi nodded.

Everybody's attention was focused on the screen. It felt like we were watching a movie with everyone waiting with great anticipation for what happens next. Except, I was the unwilling main character of this particular movie and I didn't even have a say in the production.

New Fic Announcement/Updates Update

So, I just uploaded a new fanfic that's set after the events of Year 2 Volume 5. I know a lot of you are here solely for the reaction fic but if you want a fic that is similar to how the light novel is written then you may enjoy my other fanfic.

My last few updates have been quite spread out as I've been focusing on other things. I still won't be able to keep a consistent schedule for these updates but from now on there shouldn't be more than two weeks between them. I know that's still a considerable amount of time but it's the best I can do at the moment.

Anyway, chapters 1.1 and 1.2 are up on my new fanfic, Front Line. If you have some free time, then I'd appreciate if you checked it out.

Sudou's Trial - Confrontation/Saving Sakura

I noticed a change as soon as I set foot inside the classroom. Sakura, who usually made it to school just in the nick of time, was already sitting at her desk. Had she come here early for any specific reason?

Horikita also looked shocked to see Sakura. Moreover, Sakura's body language itself... Well, she looked the same as usual, but I felt like she was sitting up straight, as if ready for something. It was such a subtle difference that you couldn't really call it a change. It was so minuscule that if you told me I was imagining it, I would say you were right and drop it.

"I've always sensed something...off about him. Maybe this is what it was? He really does subconsciously analyse people, just like that second-year said. Horikita-kun was also so interested in him as well, but would he really hold him in such high regard based on that possibility? No, he wouldn't do that, so there must have been a reason" Tachibana thought, engrossed in finding out more about Ayanokoji.

Just as we were about to pass Sakura's seat, she looked up. Instead of a proper greeting, she meekly raised her hand. For someone like Sakura, that seemed an appropriate response.

That's what I thought, until—

"Um... Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun. Horikita-san."

"G-good morning..."

That was the first time Sakura had given a morning greeting. I was so shocked that my response stuck in my throat. Our eyes didn't meet, but she still desperately tried to squeeze out the words.

"Looks like you really had an effect on her, Kiyotaka," Akito said with a grin.

"I'm not the one who deserves the praise," I said. Really, I hadn't done much at all. I had also been surprised by Airi's determination.

"What's with her?" Horikita muttered.

"Maybe because of what happened yesterday, she took a step forward on the path to adulthood?"

Sakura, who rarely spoke in front of others, had boldly given testimony in a tense environment. She'd likely taken the opportunity for some self-reflection.

"That trial was really tough," Airi admitted with a sigh.

"You were incredible, though, Airi!" Haruka praised her, "Without you, Horikita-san couldn't have done anything,"

"No, you heard what they said," Airi shook her head, "M-my testimony wasn't really that helpful..."

"Maybe it didn't help win the trial, but it was enough to cause doubt. If you hadn't come forward, we may have lost without being able to put up a fight. Right, Kiyotaka?" Keisei turned to me.

"Airi's testimony gave us a platform. Without it, it would have been much harder to save Sudo," I agreed. Of course, there were other ways around the issue, but the doubt caused by Airi coming forward piled the pressure on the Class C students.

"So, whatever you and Horikita-san did, Airi helped by coming forward, then?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, that's right,"

"See, Airi. You helped a lot!"

"R-really...?" She didn't look convinced.

"Just watch, you'll see," I said.

"People don't change so easily. Trying to change yourself is virtually impossible."

Horikita's brief but realistic statement shattered the lovely image I'd created. As I was no idealist myself, I thought Horikita was mostly correct. There was no truly major difference between today's Sakura and yesterday's.

"Well, maybe not, but most people take small steps to change themselves, right?" Asahina said.

"I agree. There's no need to push yourself too hard, otherwise, you'll just end up wearing yourself out," Ichinose said.

However, it certainly wouldn't be true to say she was exactly the same. In order to change, first, she had to think about changing herself. She had to want to change. There was no mistaking that.

"I-I do..." Airi muttered softly. Her confession was barely audible to even me who was sitting nearby her.

"As long as she doesn't overdo it, I think it'll be fine," Horikita said.

"Overdo it?"

"If she tries to do what isn't possible for someone like her yet, she'll just set herself up to fail."

There was a mysterious yet convincing power to Horikita's words, almost as if she were speaking from experience.

"Well, as a loner who loves her solitude, you're very persuasive on this topic."

"Do you want to die for good?"

Perhaps she didn't come from solitude, but rather from hell...

Laughs resounded around the hall, as was becoming customary when these verbal exchanges between Horikita and I were shown.

"Despite what you two say about disliking each other, it seems to me like you actually got on pretty well," Matsushita said.

"Yeah, at first I thought they were really insulting each other but I think it was more like they were joking around," Sato agreed.

"That's not entirely true," Horikita shook her head, "It's more like neither of us had a problem with pointing out the other's failings. We weren't 'joking around', rather we both just had enough confidence in ourselves that we weren't insulted by the other's point of view,"

"Right, I see...I think," Sato frowned as if she really had no clue what Horikita was talking about.

"It's interesting you say that Horikita-san, because from what we've seen so far, Ayanokoji doesn't have much confidence in himself at all," Katsuragi pointed out.

"That...well, perhaps I was slightly mistaken in my opinion of him," Horikita glanced at me. Her face showed clear confusion which was entirely understandable. She knew me to be confident in myself and, based on what we'd seen here, that perception was wrong.

I observed Sakura from a distance. She wasn't yet in a state where she could easily greet other students. Just as I'd expected, she didn't spontaneously become sociable. Would it be better if she didn't force herself? Certainly. She didn't usually talk to anyone, but she gave us a greeting. What another would consider a trivial action was a tremendous mental and physical strain on Sakura.

It was hard to think that this wouldn't have an effect on her. Then again, she might split at the seams if she tried to force herself to change too much. We should take care with how we executed our strategy.

"You understand her so well, Kiyopon. Although, seeing this makes me feel bad...I feel like I don't pay enough attention," Haruka muttered.

"H-huh? No, you don't need to feel bad about anything, Haruka-chan," Airi pleaded.

"But...Kiyopon did his best to understand you..." Haruka sighed.

"Actually, she's right," I cut in before Airi could respond, "There's nothing for you to feel bad about. You say I did my best to understand her but that's not quite true. Being friends with her is enough if you truly want to learn more about her,"

Effort had nothing to do with my understanding of Airi's situation. I hadn't 'tried my best' to get to know her and my friendship with her couldn't honestly be called close. The gap between my and Haruka's ability to read other people was the fundamental difference in why I knew Airi better than she did. While simply understanding someone's position was enough to create a bond between two people, if it ended there, it meant little to nothing.

Besides, this wasn't the time for the two of them to have this conversation. They'd both come to realise the differences between themselves and me.

"If you want to know her better then I suggest having a private conversation after school," I finished.

"Okay, I guess you're right," Haruka still looked sad, but she resisted the urge to continue the conversation.

It took approximately 30 minutes for the discussion to start. I stood and began to leave the classroom, heading to meet someone at a certain rendezvous spot. Before I left, I decided to have a word with Sakura.

"Sakura. Are you heading back now?" I asked as she prepared to leave.

"Ayanokouji-kun... We're having the trial today."

"I'm not participating," I told her that I had to do some trivial work behind the scenes.

"Trivial, eh?" Ryuuen chuckled.

"Heh, that 'trivial work' was the reason we managed to stop Class C," Ichinose smiled, "But, come to think of it, hasn't Ayanokoji-kun always done stuff like this? He and Horikita-san have always worked together but he never got any of the praise for it...which seems odd. And there was also the midterms and Sudo-kun's expulsion that he didn't take any responsibility for. As well as all that, he's...helped me a lot. Perhaps I don't understand him very well at all,"

"I see..." she murmured.

Sakura cast her eyes down as if she had something on her mind. She looked a little odd like she was nervous. It was as if she couldn't settle down.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"Sakura, you don't really need to testify today. There's no need for you to be so worked up, right?"

Sakura looked like she was sweating.

"She looks anxious about something. If she isn't testifying, I wonder what it could be?" Amikura said.

"It's because everyone's doing their best. I thought I'd do my best, too." It felt like she was saying that to herself, rather than to me.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"Well, if there's something I need to move forward... I'll do it."

Even though I'd asked what she was thinking, Sakura wouldn't give a clear answer. I wanted to ask why she looked uneasy, but the cell phone in my pocket vibrated. My alarm told me the time. I couldn't stay any longer.

"That's weird. She was so open with Ayanokoji-kun before this..." Kobashi noticed.

"Sakura-san, what did you mean?" Sato asked.

"U-um, well..."

There was very little chance Airi would be able to answer that question.

"Oh, could it be that..." Ichinose thought.

"Well, we'll probably find out later, right?" Ichinose interrupted, "Think of it as a movie, we just have to wait for the reveal!"

"R-right, a movie..." Sato looked somewhat confused but didn't push Airi to respond.

"See you later, Ayanokouji-kun."

Sakura's words and bright smile seemed so unlike her. They left me with an unpleasant feeling.

"Why is that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mii-chan asked, "Didn't you just say that she might want to change herself? Isn't she just doing that?"

"Well, that could have been the case," I said, "However, it was more like she was forcing a smile so I wouldn't worry rather than to help herself,"

"I see, but...you can tell the difference?"

"Not exactly...maybe it was just intuition,"

It wasn't her smile itself that caused my feeling of unease but the sudden change in character. Trying too hard to persuade another party often causes the opposite effect.

"Hey, Sakura. Do you have any time later? I wanted to talk to you about something."

The words felt like they were being squeezed out of me. Sakura gently shook her head.

"I have plans today. Maybe tomorrow?"

If she assured me that she was fine, I couldn't exactly keep contradicting her. I really had to be going. I turned my back on Sakura and headed off.

"That whole thing makes me feel nervous for some reason..." Haruka muttered, "Um, were you really okay, Airi?"

She seemed hesitant as to whether or not she should ask the question. Perhaps that was because Ichinose had suggested letting everything play out. Or maybe the guilt she felt at not truly understanding her best friend was the reason.

"Everything's fine now," Airi smiled and responded in a more confident tone. She probably felt this was necessary to convince Haruka.

It was past 3:40. With classes over for the day, I went to the special building. This place had become increasingly hot and humid as the summer wore on. If things proceeded as planned, then the person I was expecting should arrive soon. Shortly thereafter, three guys showed up, all grumbling about how unbearably hot it was. They appeared happy, though, wearing optimistic expressions.

"Woah, what's going on?" Asahina frowned, "Those are the Class C guys from the trial, right? You're meeting with them? Also, why do they look so happy...?"

Asahina's flood of questions likely summed up the thoughts of everybody in the room.

"If I remember correctly, shortly after this, Class C retracted their complaint. So, he really did do something, just like Horikita-kun thought," Tachibana realised.

"Currently, the situation doesn't look to be going in the direction that Class D wants. While that girl's testimony and the pictures she provided make it unlikely that they will be punished too severely, Horikita has already made it apparent that she wishes to prevent even a minor punishment. In that case, I think it's obvious that this meeting is to negotiate with Class C, correct?" Katsuragi summarised the situation concisely, "But shouldn't Horikita be present for something so important?"

"As Class D's representative, I had no choice but to attend the trial that was taking place soon after this time," Horikita explained, "However, Ayanokouji-kun didn't meet with them alone. You'll see what I mean,"

Horikita had long accepted that she had no way of hiding our actions. She probably thought it best to be transparent so as to get this over with quickly.

That was because the three of them had received emails from the class sweetheart, Kushida. Had the message contained an invitation to go on a date? Or perhaps, even more insane, a romantic confession? They were probably dreaming of such things. When they saw me, their fantasies were crushed.

"What's going on? Why are you here?"

"I'm a little confused..." Satou frowned and looked at me, hoping for an explanation.

"You'll understand shortly,"

Apparently, they remembered me from the student council room. Ishizaki, the group's leader, stepped forward as if to intimidate me. He was rather forceful when no one was around to see.

"Jeez, I'm so glad I wasn't made to regret that..." Ishizaki murmured before sighing.

"Horikita said you had someone with you, right?" Akito seemed worried, "It would be dangerous to meet with them alone, especially after what happened with Sudou,"

"It's fine, as Horikita said, I had someone with me," I explained, "Plus, it wouldn't be a good idea to use the same strategy twice and I doubt they are stupid enough to resort to violence for no reason,"

"Kushida won't be here. I asked her to send an email to compel you all to come."

"Oh, I get it now!" Satou exclaimed.

"You three were trapped by something stupid like that?" Ibuki snickered, seemingly not caring that this caused Ryuuen's strategy to fail.

"Oh, shut it! It's not like you're any better, right?" Ishizaki shot back.

"What does that mean?" Ibuki stopped laughing and glared at him.

"Be quiet," Ryuuen didn't even raise his voice but his words stopped the two of them from arguing. It didn't, however, stop them from throwing looks of contempt at each other.

Ishizaki looked incredibly ill-tempered as he closed the distance between us. "This isn't funny. What did you do this for, huh?"

"I'm wondering the same thing. It's unlikely they'd agree to back off easily and you should have very little to offer them," Katsuragi said.

"If I hadn't used an underhanded method, you would've just ignored me, right? I wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to us? Why would we want to do that? Has the heat scrambled your brain or something?"

Ishizaki, who clearly was affected by the heat, grabbed his shirt and flapped it.

"No matter what you do, you can't hide the truth. Sudou called us over here and beat us up. That's our answer. Now he needs to quietly accept his punishment."

"I have no intention of arguing. That would be a waste of time. I fully understand that neither Class C nor Class D will retract what they claimed yesterday."

"Isn't it pointless to talk to them then?" Shinohara said, "Isn't the only way to persuade the teachers?"

"As said previously, they'd need evidence that doesn't exist if they wanted to do that," Keisei sighed.

"Oh yeah! Can't they just, like, fake evidence or something?" Satou suggested, guessing incredibly close to our real strategy.

"That might be one way of doing it, if they can pull it off," Ichinose grinned.

"But wouldn't that be incredibly risky? If they were found out then it wouldn't just be Sudou receiving punishment," Keisei said.

"Hehe! Just wait and see," Ichinose was enjoying herself.

"So why do this? Are you going to abduct us so we miss the trial? Or are you going to have a bunch of people surround us and threaten us with violence? It'll be just like that time with Sudou."

Oh. That was a rather interesting idea, but it would only work as a stopgap measure. Such threats wouldn't work against these people. Quite the contrary; they looked like they'd welcome it. If they were the victims of another attack, they'd probably find a way to make their situation even more favourable.

"Y-you were actually considering that?" Ishizaki was startled.

"Not seriously," I shrugged, "It wasn't the best option,"

"You're saying you would have done it if it had been?" Kobashi asked, frowning.

"Probably not,"

"O-okay..."

"He wouldn't do something like that...right? I mean, he's always pretty passive so I doubt he'd ever genuinely consider violence as an option," Ichinose thought.

"If they started it, then why shouldn't he consider it an option?" Hashimoto asked.

"Then Class D would just be as bad as the Class C guys!" Amikura retorted.

"Well, put it this way then - would you rather get expelled or use a dirty way of surviving?" Hashimoto questioned her.

"Huh? W-well, I don't know, I've never had to make that choice,"

"Hey, Ichinose, you've proven that you will protect your classmates against expulsion, right? What if you had to use violence to save one of your classmates?" Hashimoto turned his attention to the Class B leader.

"I can't imagine any scenario where violence would be the only option," Ichinose shook her head, "Also, that option isn't available to many at this school, right?"

While this school seemed to have a higher percentage of capable fighters than you'd find at an average school, Ichinose was correct in saying that many wouldn't be able to consider it an option. However, everyone in this school was attempting to play to their own strengths and using violence was a viable, although dangerous, strategy.

"Just give up. See ya later." Understanding that Kushida would not be coming, the three turned and tried to leave, but one other person stood in their way.

"I think you guys might want to consider that idea, actually."

"Honami?" Kobashi asked, surprised, "Why were you there?"

"I mentioned I helped them out a bit, didn't I?" Ichinose had a smile like a kid on Christmas Day. She really seemed to be enjoying this.

"Having you on their side is sure to increase their chances, but..." Shibata looked confused, "If this was supposed to be a negotiation between classes C and D, why were you there?"

"Oh, it wasn't a negotiation," Ichinose giggled.

Ichinose, who'd been waiting for all of the players in this drama to appear, quietly stepped forward.

"I-Ichinose?! What are you doing here?!"

"If nothing else her presence adds a psychological burden to the Class C members," Utomiya commented, "But that doesn't seem like the point here,"

"They certainly wouldn't expect it..." Yagami agreed, "Hmm, perhaps that's the point,"

"Huh, what do you mean?" Amikura asked.

"There's little point explaining it now, senpai. We are about to see what it was all about after all," Yagami answered with a pleasant smile.

The Class C boys were shocked. Given the unexpected appearance of someone from Class B, their shock was reasonable.

"What do you mean? What if I said that I'm here because I'm involved in this case?"

"Ichinose, you're a celebrity."

"Haha. Well, I guess I'm well known among the members of Class C."

"Why was Ichinose-senpai known specifically by Class C?" Utomiya asked.

"Oh, before this incident, our class had some run-ins with Class C as well. That's actually part of why I agreed to help Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose recalled.

"It seems Ryuuen's class was rather active straight away," Nagumo observed, "You must have organised your class extremely quickly, Ryuuen,"

Ryuuen didn't reply but gave a slight smirk. It wasn't likely that he had managed to assert full control over Class C that early but he had certainly identified which of his classmates could be used for his schemes. We only know of the attacks against Class B and D, but I guessed that he had similarly tested Class A. To do this, he wouldn't need his whole class, only a select few.

Since the Class C students hadn't expected her to be involved, it looked like tension was rising between them. They were clearly starting to lose their composure.

"This incident had nothing to do with Class B, right? So butt out..."

But unlike when they'd spoken to me, their threats sounded weak. They sounded desperate to get away.

"Scared of lil' old Honami?" Asahina teased them while stifling a chuckle. None of the three boys in question answered, instead opting to act like Asahina had said nothing.

"You're certainly right that Class B has nothing to do with this. But how do you feel about involving so many people in your lies?"

"We didn't lie. We're the victims. We are. Sudou called us out here and beat us up. That's the truth."

"So evildoers remain obstinate until the very end. It's about time for you to pay the piper!" Ichinose declared, making a wide-sweeping gesture with her right arm as she did so. "You lied. We can all see through you. You got violent in the end. If you don't want that fact to become public knowledge, withdraw your claim right away."

"You certainly look like you're enjoying yourself, Ichinose-san," Shibata laughed, to which Ichinose responded with a smile of mild embarrassment.

Even though I hadn't explained every detail, I felt that things would be fine in Ichinose's capable hands.

"Honami is the dependable type, but do you really think it was smart to leave your fate in the hands of another class's leader?" Nagumo asked.

"Ichinose-san had proven herself to be trustworthy from an early stage. Also her participation wasn't the deciding factor in our plan, so there was really no reason to worry about it," Horikita dismissed Nagumo's concerns.

"Also, creating a partnership between our two classes was beneficial for both sides," Yousuke added, "There's no reason to fight each other if it's mutually beneficial to cooperate,"

"True enough," Nagumo conceded.

While it may look like Ichinose had a leading role in our strategy, she acted more like a figurehead than a true leader. Horikita wouldn't have allowed her to help us if her position had been any more than that. Despite Ichinose being trustworthy, she was still in another class. However, Nagumo understood the intricacies of inter-class deals better than anybody else at this school. I'm sure it wasn't lost on him the benefits that this deal held for both parties.

"Huh? Withdraw? Don't make me laugh. What, were you half asleep when you came up with that argument? You can't just claim something and make it true. Sudou started the fight. Right?"

"Hmm, putting aside Ichinose's participation, your goal appears to be to get Class C to withdraw their complaint," Katsuragi noted, "Seeing as the incident was indeed resolved, you must have succeeded in this?"

"Yes, that's right," Horikita nodded, "With no way to win the trial, this was the best method left,"

"That may be true, but how did you manage to get them to withdraw?" Hashimoto frowned, "They had the upper hand, why would they concede?"

"Actually, the correct answer to that has already been voiced," Sakayanagi chuckled, "Let me ask you - how could you fake evidence without any threat of negative consequences?"

"Wha-?"

"Oh, I see," Tsubaki finally understood.

Some others shared her realisation while the vast majority didn't understand Sakayanagi's question.

Ishizaki looked to his two accomplices, who immediately answered, "That's right! That's right!"

"Did you know that this school is one of the leading government sanctioned institutions in Japan?"

"Of course we do. That's why we tried to enroll here."

"In that case, you should try using your heads a bit more. Your aims were obvious right from the start, wouldn't you say?" Ichinose grinned and talked with greater animation, as if relishing this. She walked slowly towards the three as she spoke, like she was a famous detective revealing the true culprit in an investigation.

Ichinose bowed her head slightly to avoid the eyes on her. Some giggling came from various spots in the room but most were focused on the screen.

"Didn't you think that the school's response to this incident was rather strange?"

"It was?"

"Isn't it normal to try and figure out who the victims were?"

"Huh?"

"When you raised the issue with the school, why wasn't Sudou punished immediately? Why give an opportunity to escape by granting a grace period of several days? What do you think was the reason?"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen. I'd made the comparison before, but it really was reminiscent of watching a movie at the theatre. In this case, we were currently sitting through an engaging thriller.

"Because he lied to the school and cried for mercy. If they hadn't given him the time as a formality, we, the victims, would have won."

"Is that really true? I wonder if you had a different aim, a different purpose."

The windows in the hallway were all closed. The sun, still high in the sky, glared down upon us, increasing the heat and humidity.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about. Ah, damn it. It's so hot!"

One's ability to think, that is to say, to concentrate, decreases as heat increases. One cannot exhibit sufficient logical, creative thinking outside of a comfortable environment. The more content you cram into your head, the more your brain will overload.

"Hang on a minute, you mentioned the heat in the special building before, right?" Hashimoto remembered, "So you called them to this spot on purpose?"

"The heat was useful but it wasn't the main reason," Horikita explained, "I believe you are about to learn why we called them there,"

"Faking evidence, inability to concentrate..." Katsuragi was deep in thought, "I think I see where you're going with this, but I still can't figure out the specific method,"

"Whatever, I'm out of here. I'm going to boil alive if I stay."

"Is that really okay, though? If you leave this place, you might regret it for the rest of your life."

"What do you want, Ichinose?"

They didn't seem to understand what she was getting at.

"Don't you understand? The school knows that you're lying, Class C. They've known from the beginning."

This statement caused a sudden raise in volume.

"What? Really? Then why hold the trial?"

"What's the point of this whole thing then?"

"Everyone calm down," Mashima spoke up, "I can tell you that the school had no knowledge of which party was at fault. If we are to punish a student, it must be with sufficient evidence to support their guilt. As you have seen in the past videos, there was no such thing in this case. I don't know if this statement was a bluff or whether she was simply mistaken, but I can assure you that it is false,"

Mashima's explanation settled things down. Based on past events, it wasn't inconceivable that the school would have more knowledge than they let on. That's what allowed the lie to work. Thinking logically, Ichinose's statement had many holes. Why would the school allow violence to go unpunished if they knew the whole situation? Why waste both students' and teachers' time on a pointless trail? The school system had been proven to be harsh to those who stepped outside of it, so why was it different in this case? By creating a situation in which Ishizaki and the other boys couldn't process these issues, even if we couldn't fully convince them, doubt would push them in the direction we wanted.

"So it was a bluff?" Satou asked.

"That's right! Well, of course, we didn't know for sure that the school didn't know everything but it was logical to assume they didn't," Ichinose said.

"So you tried to convince them to withdraw their complaint based on that?" Shibata asked.

"Kinda. I think it's best to watch and see,"

This statement probably came as a surprise to them. None of them had imagined such an outcome. Ishizaki and the others looked at each other for a few seconds, then snorted with laughter.

"Don't make me laugh. We lied? And the school knows it?"

"Ha ha ha ha. You guys are so funny," Ichinose said. "You've been dancing to my tune all this time."

"That's a nice try, Ichinose. But we're calling your bluff!"

"I have actual evidence," Ichinose continued, unfazed by Ishizaki's threats.

"Oh?" Utomiya frowned, looking quite intrigued.

"Wha- but how can there be evidence if you were lying?" Shinohara exclaimed.

"They said they faked evidence, right?" Matsushita cut in, "It's probably to do with that. Am I right, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Yeah, that's right," I nodded.

"Oh? Well, let's see it. Show me what evidence you—"

They thought there was no way we had any evidence, of course. Even after what Ichinose had said, they weren't shaking. However, when she began to speak, their defeat was decided.

"Woah, pretty confident there, Ayanokouji," Nagumo smirked.

"Everything went to plan, senpai," I shrugged.

"Did you know that there are security cameras installed everywhere around the school? It's a measure they've taken in order to monitor what we do every day."

"The security cameras again? Haven't we already gone over the fact that there aren't any in that area of the special building?" Morishige looked sceptical.

"Surely most should have worked it out by now? He's leading them to the answer and none of them are following. No, perhaps some have worked it out. This farce of a recording is useful for one thing at least. Perhaps everyone's level will show itself here," Yagami thought.

"Yeah. So what?"

They seemed to have already known about the security cameras. Ishizaki and the others appeared unconcerned.

"Well, then. Did you not see that?"

Ichinose looked to a spot near the ceiling a little further down the hall. Ishizaki and the others tracked her gaze.

"Huh?"

They voiced complete disbelief. A security camera hung in the hallway and occasionally swung from left to right, capturing everything.

A confused silence fell over the hall.

"But that really wasn't there before, right?" Ike, just as confused as everyone else, sought to make sure he wasn't seeing things. His question must have been on the minds of many people because those involved in the incident had many eyes on them. Unfortunately, I was included.

"Um, Kiyopon...you did say there weren't cameras there, didn't you?" Haruka asked.

At this point, our strategy needed explaining.

"That's right, there were never any cameras operating in that section of the building," I responded.

"Then how do you explain those!" Ike yelled and pointed at the screen, which clearly showed that there were indeed cameras.

"We put them there,"

"Hmm?"

"I said, we put them there," I repeated myself, clearly pronouncing every syllable.

Rather than a loud outburst of surprise, my statement merely caused more confusion. Ichinose decided to explain on my behalf.

"Most of you probably already know but there are many electronic devices you can buy on campus. Well, you can buy cameras, as well. Outside of situations like these, cameras can be used as educational tools, right? All we had to do was make it look like they were always installed there,"

"So you did fake evidence...but rather than risk being found out by the school, you used it to force Class C to withdraw their complaint themselves," Kanzaki summarised.

"Exactly!" Ichinose gave a thumbs up, "It was Horikita-san's idea. She realised that they could win against Class C's accusations when they had nothing to defend themselves with. However, if Class C believed that their defeat was certain, of course, they'd pull out of the trial. It was quite the ingenious plan,"

"Surely the Class C students checked the areas thoroughly before they called Sudou out, though? Could they really be beaten by such a bluff?" Katsuragi had doubts.

"Ordinarily, no," Horikita took over, "It wouldn't take long to explain but I believe it would be easier to see how it played out,"

"That's true. Shall we continue then?"

Despite the general idea being explained, some were still interested in the finer points.

"That's too bad, isn't it? If you want to set a trap for someone, you'd need to do it in a place without any cameras."

"Buh, wh-what camera?! You're lying! But, there weren't any cameras in the other hallways, were there?! It's weird that there's only one installed here! Right?!"

Ishizaki looked back at his two accomplices, seeking their opinion. They nodded, confirming that yes, Ishizaki was right. They wiped sweat off their faces as they answered.

"You can't trick us like that. You guys installed that camera yourselves!"

"You're right that, by and large, cameras aren't installed in most of this building's hallways. However, there are exceptions, and several places in which security cameras have been installed, like in front of the faculty room and the science lab. Obviously, there are many valuables stored in the faculty room, you know? Additionally, the science lab has many chemical products. Since the science lab is on this level, it's only natural that a camera would be installed here."

"Huh? All of that makes sense actually, so why aren't there cameras installed there?" Shibata asked.

"Both the faculty office and the science lab have cameras located inside of the rooms. Also, the chemical products in the science lab are prohibited from use unless directly supervised by a teacher. No student is getting in there easily," Mashima explained.

For the first time, Ishizaki and the other seemed to be at a loss for words. Ichinose did not fail to notice how they faltered.

"Have you looked back there, behind you? There's one there too, right?"

Ishizaki and the others looked down the hall as instructed, and saw a camera. Of course, that camera was monitoring the hall's opposite end.

"So if we'd installed a camera as you said, would we have prepared one on that side, too? Besides, how exactly would we have prepared surveillance cameras when we can't even leave campus in the first place?"

We were cutting off their escape routes one by one.

"Th-that's impossible... That... I mean, we...checked back then... We should have..."

"This is the third floor, but did you really check? Maybe you only looked at the second or the fourth? Perhaps the cameras were truly set up here as a trap?"

The three were holding their heads and sweating far more than normal.

"Also, you realize that you just destroyed yourselves, right? Normal people wouldn't think to check whether there were security cameras, right? That's basically admitting your guilt." Ichinose delivered the finishing blow.

"That was kinda brutal," Nagumo snickered, enjoying the spectacle, "I had no idea you were up for those sort of psychological attacks, Honami,"

"Eh he, all we did was make them uncomfortable. It wasn't that bad, right?" Ichinose grinned awkwardly.

"Regardless, I think it's obvious how their strategy worked now," Manabu said.

"Indeed it is. I have to admit, it was definitely a good way to go about it, and it was all your sister's plan, by the looks of it," Nagumo brought the focus onto the younger Horikita.

"Hmm, so it appears,"

Despite saying that, Manabu looked to have no intention of complimenting his sister. Of course, this wasn't due to any friction between the two, rather he probably suspected my involvement in the matter.

"So that's what happened?" Sudou finally knew the details of how we'd saved him.

"You really didn't have any idea, Ken?" Ike asked.

"No, I just knew that Suzune did something to help me, that's all,"

"Still, I can't believe you confronted those guys from Ryuuen's class, Ayanokouji-kun," Satou looked at me with an expression of admiration.

"Well, it was mostly Ichinose. I don't think I can really take much credit,"

"In any case, it's obvious in this situation why nobody said anything about what happened," Keisei said.

"Yeah, that would have defeated the point entirely," Akito agreed.

"You must think you're pretty cool, eh, Kiyopon," Haruka grinned, "Taking on all these secret missions for Horikita-san and all,"

"I don't think it's all that impressive really,"

"Of course it is! You think so too, right, Airi?"

"Yes, it is. I would never have been able to do anything like that," Airi shuddered at the prospect.

While we discussed what had transpired, words replaced the video on the screen.

After this, Class C agree to withdraw their complaint. Ichinose and Ayanokouji's bluff worked due to the pressure on the opposition.

However, that was not all that happened that day. Ichinose and Ayanokouji had one more person to save.

"Somebody else?" Satou tilted her head.

"What happened after that?" Amikura asked.

"W-well..." Ichinose appeared to be unsure what to say.

"It looks like we'll be watching what happened," I interrupted, "It's best you just watch,"

"Okay...something bad didn't happen, right?" Amikura looked anxious because of my and Ichinose's hesitance to answer.

"No, as it says on the screen, we managed to help before anything happened,"

As for the girl who would soon be the focus, she was currently doing her best to maintain her composure. While it would be tough for her to relive those events, we'd managed to step in before things escalated, so hopefully, her mental burden would be minimal.

Let's begin.

"Whew! I feel so much better! Thanks so much! Thanks for giving me such a huge role! I was so happy!" Ichinose cried.

"Well, it was more like you just did as you pleased, Ichinose."

"Now that you mention it, why were you so motivated to help out a rival class?" Utomiya asked, "I realise that you said it was purely due to your personal feelings on the matter, but you can't lead a class if you only consider your own thoughts,"

"Ah ah, you are right about that. Actually, I really did want to help because I didn't approve of what was happening to them, but Class B had also come into contact with Ryuuen-kun's class by that time," Ichinose explained.

"So, you were united against a common enemy, then?"

"Yeah, I guess it was like that,"

"Ha ha ha, yeah. I guess so. But the case is closed, eh?"

Yeah, it really was.

"I was wondering what you were up to when you asked me to lend you some points yesterday."

We returned to the hot and humid special building and set up a stepladder.

"I couldn't believe you wanted to install security cameras."

Yes, that's right. The school hadn't actually installed those security cameras. Ichinose and Kanzaki bought them, and together with the Professor, installed them during our lunch break. Ishizaki and the other two students were terrified of leaked footage from the cameras, but those cameras were fakes.

"Wait, you were involved in this, Professor?" Ike looked shocked.

"Ah, well, I didn't have a clue what they wanted them for," the Professor shrugged. He'd had no reason to refuse when we'd asked him to help. Also, it may have had something to do with Horikita and Ichinose's presence.

I was surprised at first that the school sold such equipment. Then again, while you wouldn't think of using them for crime prevention, they could be useful in measurement and recording. In other words, study tools. Perhaps calling them network rather than security cameras would make it easier to comprehend.

"I knew you could buy cameras, but I would never have thought to use them like that," Satou admitted.

"Well, it's not like these things happen every day, right?" Kei pointed out, "I mean, most people would never be in that position to begin with,"

"True, it's normally up to people like Horikita-san to think about stuff like that," Shinohara said.

If you were never put in situations where creative thinking was necessary, you'd never consider any possibility beyond the expected scope.

The heat had compromised the Class C students' ability to think. They'd been in crisis mode, without a chance to relax. In addition, they'd felt psychologically threatened during that standoff. There was no way that they would have figured out we were bluffing. Even if they'd doubted it, they had no time to investigate.

"To turn around a hopeless situation like that with such a foolproof plan...I guess it's no wonder that your class is in a much better position now," Katsuragi said.

Horikita nodded but didn't look entirely pleased with his compliment.

"When the day comes, you guys will probably become formidable rivals for Class C, Ayanokouji-kun."

"If such a day ever comes, I guess."

"Heh, that's right! Look who's Class C now!" Sudou cheered, goading the students of the current Class D.

"Yes, yes, congratulation," Ryuuen clapped his hands, looking thoroughly bored.

"What's with that face, Ryuuen? Are you upset that you're the defectives now?"

"Do I really look dissatisfied with where I am?" Ryuuen presented his hands, displaying himself for Sudou's observation.

"Hide it all you like, you're still at the bottom," Sudou laughed. He must have been quite fed up with the constant abuse he'd been receiving earlier.

"It's miraculous you've survived this long..." Ryuuen sighed.

However, Ichinose might well be in Class A by then.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ayanokouji-kun..." Ichinose gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Hey, we'll get there eventually!" Kobashi pumped her fist in the air.

"If Horikita-san were in Class B, we might have gotten to Class A right away."

"Probably."

I removed the camera and handed it down to Ichinose, who steadied the stepladder.

"I'll definitely return the points I borrowed. Just tell me when you want them."

"Sure. As long as you pay me back by graduation, it's fine. So what are you going to do now? Wait in front of the student council room?"

"Probably..."

I suddenly remembered seeing Sakura. She'd said that she had plans today, but what in the world was she doing? Earlier, when she'd been waiting for me after class, what had she wanted to tell me? She seemed like she'd resolved to do something, judging by her expression. Right? She'd said she had courage. But what for?

The feeling plagued me as if the back of my head were going numb while my thoughts swirled.

"This video was about saving someone, wasn't it? Nothing happened to you, right, Airi?" Haruka looked worried. Airi didn't respond.

"She was acting pretty weird," Mori added.

"But how would Sakura even get into any trouble? It's not like she'd many any enemies, had she?" Hashimoto frowned.

Everyone's focus had suddenly turned to Airi.

"There's no need to worry about it now, let's just continue," Ichinose said, looking worried herself.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me. There was one thing I wanted to tell you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Before Ichinose could say anything, though, I was already running away. Whatever she wanted to tell me, it was going to have to wait.

"Huh?! W-wait a minute!"

Even though she couldn't understand what was happening, for some reason Ichinose followed me.

"Huh? What's going on?" Ike looked perplexed.

"That was very sudden. Why on earth did you just run off like that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Matsushita asked me.

"I realised something and, in this case, I didn't have much time to explain things to Ichinose," I replied.

"So something bad really was going on with Sakura-san?" Matsushita asked hesitantly.

"Yes, but you needn't worry about her now,"

"Woah, hey, what happened?" Haruka was frantically looking between Airi and me, desperate for an answer.

"D-don't worry about it, Haruka-chan!" Airi assured her but then dropped her voice to almost a whisper, "Why are they showing this though..."

I had the same thought. From one point of view, I could view this as the person behind this targeting those close to me. Unlike Kushida, Airi had little impact on the class as a whole, meaning this was the first time that someone was having their privacy invaded just for being my friend. However, there wasn't enough evidence yet to confirm malicious intent.

My phone's tracking data displayed the entrance of the electronics store. Not to be put off, Ichinose came running after me and stuck close. As we approached our destination, I was incredibly winded. I had to stop and catch my breath. Just as a precaution, I signalled Ichinose to be quiet.

"Tracking data? I almost forgot that existed," Ryuuen said. Almost everyone had turned that feature off as soon as they knew about it. It doesn't take much explaining to understand why.

"You went all the way to Keyaki Mall? That's where Sakura-san was?" Amikura asked.

I nodded.

"Please don't contact me anymore!"

"Why would you say something like that? You're my treasure... Ever since I first saw you in a magazine, I've loved you. Meeting you again here, I felt like it was destiny. I love you... I can't stop feeling this way about you!"

"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" Shinohara looked repulsed.

The atmosphere grew tense in an instance.

"Airi? What's going on?" Haruka's voice was panicked.

"Stop... Please, stop it!" Sakura shouted. She took something out of her bag. Letters. It looked like dozens...no, hundreds of letters. I wondered how many this man had sent.

"I see, she was dealing with a stalker, then," Sakayanagi didn't appear to share the discomfort of the students around her.

"Oh my god," Haruka was the most stressed out of everyone.

While I understood her feelings, it was probably best for her to remain calm for Airi's sake. I tapped Akito on the shoulder and nodded my head toward Haruka, signalling him to keep her calm. He was probably worried himself but was able to stay level-headed.

"All those letters were sent by that guy? Who is he?" Kobashi asked.

"He was a store clerk who used to work in the electronic store we were outside of in the video," I answered, "Of course, he doesn't work here anymore,"

"How do you know my room number? Why do you keep sending these?"

"Why? Of course I would know your room number and send you letters. It's because our hearts are connected."

"Jeez, that guy's a mega creep..." Kei's scrunched her face up in revulsion.

"I can't believe there was someone like that going after Sakura-san," Satou said weakly.

"T-this is because she was an idol, isn't it?" Matsushita surmised.

"Yeah,"

Even if she wasn't particularly well known, her photos were still out there for anybody to find. It was pure bad luck that this person was a member of staff at the school she'd decided to enrol in.

Sakura had probably been suffering ever since she started school here. Her fan knew her identity, and she had to deal with his attention every day. However, Sakura had had enough and, thanks to her newfound courage, was going to break away. She'd decided to free herself from him here and now. Her resolve made sense now.

"She went through this for over a month? Why didn't you say anything, Sakura-san?" Satou asked.

"I-I don't know..." Airi struggled to answer.

"I believe it should be quite obvious, senpai," Yagami apparently had his own thoughts on the matter, "From what we've watched so far, Sakura-senpai doesn't seem too skilled in dealing with people, right? In fact, she's afraid of it. I think we can assume that part of the fear is due to people exactly like the person she's confronting right here. To use a popular saying, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place,"

"Another issue is with her self-confidence. Her online personality was likely constructed to be someone she could be proud of - a personality completely different to her real one. Most people who post such photos online are looking for some sort of attention or self-assurance, especially if they lack it in real life. Usually, this confidence is provided by flattering comments or fan mail. Unfortunately, for Sakura, she drew the wrong kind of attention. Whether her fear of people originated from incidents such as these or whether they existed before doesn't matter all too much." Yagami decided not to voice these thoughts.

"Please stop it. It's bothering me!"

She tossed the bundle of letters to the floor, rejecting the man's unrequited love.

"Why... Why would you do something like that? Even after I wrote out my feelings to you!"

"D-don't come any closer!"

The man closed the distance between him and Sakura. He walked with an intensity that made it look as though he were about to attack. Latching onto Sakura's arm, he shoved her up against the store's shuttered door.

"Oh, no!"

"You two did something, right?"

A sense of panic swept the room as Airi's situation worsened.

"I'll show you just how much I love you now... If I do that, then you'll understand, Sakura."

"No, let me go!"

"Hurry up!"

"C'mon you gotta help her now!"

Students cried out as they watched.

Ichinose tugged on my sleeve. Apparently, we couldn't leave things alone any longer. I'd wanted to wait until we could catch him in the act with something definitive, but it looks like I had no choice. Taking Ichinose's arm, we strutted out like a delinquent couple. While walking by, we took pictures with our phones, our cameras clicking repeatedly.

"Ah, looks like we caught them! That old guy's doing something naughty!"

"What?"

Suddenly there was a shift from panic to confusion.

"Huh?!"

Sakura was completely dumbfounded after hearing me speak in the unfamiliar tone of a delinquent. It was incredibly embarrassing, but I dealt with it.

"Jeez, it's so difficult not to laugh...you can do it, hold it in..." Kei, while initially worried about Sakura, realised she was in little danger while Kiyotaka was there. Thus, she was more focussed on her boyfriend's uncharacteristically brash tone.

"This is the way you chose to deal with it?" Ryuuen shook his head, "All these videos are doing is reminding me of how difficult this bastard was to find..."

"It's quite elegant in a way, don't you think?" Sakayanagi giggled.

"In what way can this be- are we seeing completely different things?" Kamuro frowned in disbelief at Sakayanagi's suggestion.

Sakayanagi failed to respond choosing to keep watching the spectacle.

Disregarding others' thoughts on the matter, I'd decided on this course of action purely through necessity. On one hand, if I'd taken a picture of the scene but portrayed myself as someone with a weak will, the store clerk probably would have kept up his aggressive attitude. After all, we were merely school children and he was an adult. However, I couldn't stop him forcefully unless it looked like I was acting. With both Airi and Ichinose present, I couldn't afford to look too confident. Acting like a delinquent solved both of my problems.

"I don't care what he sounds like as long as it helps Airi," Haruka seemed to feel a mild degree of anger that most people were focussing on my behaviour than Airi's predicament.

"Ooh, 'Adult harasses high school girl.' I can just see the headlines tomorrow; it'll be a huge scandal!"

"N-no! That's wrong. You're wrong!"

"Hmm, it certainly doesn't sound wrong. Does it? It kind of looks that way, don't you think?"

Ichinose tried to match my performance, but her tone was cruel. The man, now flustered, hurriedly pulled away from Sakura. But we were prepared with our cameras.

"Thank goodness," Mii-chan sighed deeply.

It wasn't just her. The collective stress of the room seemed to ease when Airi was freed from the clerk's grasp. It would have been worse going in blind, but even after being told that everything turned out fine, it wasn't a pleasant viewing experience.

"Wrong? I don't think so. Whoa, look at all those letters! Gross. Are you a stalker?"

She pinched her nose as she picked up the letters as if grabbing someone else's socks. She picked them up by their corners, using only her index finger and thumb.

"Goodness, how many of them are there?" Hiyori wore a rare disgusted expression.

"This can't have been a recent thing," Matsushita said, "This started before you came to this school, didn't it, Sakura-san?"

"Yeah..." Airi nodded.

"What terrible luck," Hashimoto shook his head, "What are the chances of picking to attend a school a guy like this worked at?"

"You're wrong. It's just...yeah, that. She said she wanted someone to teach her how to use a digital camera, so I said I'd teach her one-on-one. That's all."

"Tch, he really thought an excuse like that would work?" Ibuki sneered.

"Pathetic," Ryuuen spat, "Can't even accept defeat without crying,"

"Hmmm."

I drew closer to the man, pressing him up against the shutter.

"Me and my girlfriend saw everything. So we took pictures. If you show your face to that girl again, or send her any more disgusting letters, we'll expose you. Got it?"

"Ha ha, you're acting pretty scary there, Ayanokouji," Ike laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha! What are you talking about? I really don't...know what you're talking about."

"You don't know what I'm talking about? You're not weaselling out of this, old man. If you so much as raise a hand at or even just ogle this idol, that'll be the end for you. I'll beat the shit out of you. Got it?"

"Oh wow, you really are scary..." Ike's laughter suddenly stopped.

"That was amazing, Kiyopon!" Haruka's spirits had finally lifted, "Although I think you should have got a hit or two in,"

"If I'd have done that it may have put Airi in more danger,"

"I guess so," She appeared frustrated, "But still..."

"Hey, the main point is that he saved Airi, right?" Akito said, "I understand what you're talking about, trust me, but responding with violence isn't the way to go,"

It felt like he was talking about his past experience again.

"Alright, alright, you two win," Haruka put up her hands in surrender.

"Hehe,"

"What's the matter, Airi? Why are you laughing?" Haruka asked.

"I'm just happy you're worried about me, Haruka-chan," Airi smiled brightly, "But I think you are too quick to resort to violence,"

"N-not you too! I get it already,"

"Hahaha,"

Akito and Keisei joined in Airi's laughter. The girl everyone had been worried about moments before looked surprisingly happy. It looked like reliving this moment hadn't affected her as much as I thought it might. Perhaps she'd reached a point where she felt safe with the people around her?

"That was quite aggressive, Ayanokouji-senpai," Tsubaki observed.

"Well, I couldn't allow myself to look weak in that situation, right?" I reasoned.

"Very true. I just found it worth commenting on seeing as all we've seen of your behaviour so far is very passive, wouldn't you say?"

She wasn't off in the slightest. All I'd done during my early days was follow others' lead. I wasn't proactive in my social life or my schoolwork. The only thing I did that I can say was my own initiative was retrieving the test result from our upperclassmen. An outlier in a life of monotony. However, even that I'd done to maintain the status quo. If a large number of my classmates had been expelled in our first test...well, I couldn't live my ordinary school life in those conditions.

"Eek!"

After he completely lost his will to fight, I deliberately gave him some time to escape.

"G-goodbye! I won't do that ever again!"

The store clerk raced back inside the store to get away from us. With the source of her terror gone, Sakura suddenly looked exhausted. She looked like she was going to topple over and collapse, so I hurriedly grabbed her arms and held her up.

"You did really well."

"I think so too, Sakura-san!" Satou agreed happily, then suddenly shuddered, "I don't know what I would have done in your situation. Definitely not confront them, that's for sure!"

"That was definitely impressive, but...I can't say it was the smartest thing to do," Matsushita offered a slightly different opinion.

"How was a man like that allowed into the school in the first place?" Nanase asked.

"The school conducts extensive background checks. However, it can't be helped that some faults slip through the cracks. If he'd begun to exhibit this behaviour after he began working here, it would be much more difficult to uncover," Mashima explained.

This school probably conducted much more detailed background checks than you'd experience if you applied to work at an ordinary school. We, the students, were constantly placed in unique situations, completely unlike those you'd find in the real world. While the purpose was to test our abilities and educate us, it was also true that we may find ourselves in vulnerable positions. The clearest example of this is our tests on the uninhabited islands. If we weren't closely supervised by trustworthy staff, we'd be in an unnecessary amount of danger.

"You said he's not here anymore, right?" Amikura looked a bit worried.

"He resigned shortly after this," I confirmed.

I'd preached at her a lot, but that was probably unnecessary now. She'd been trying to vanquish the suffering she'd faced on her own. I had to consider her feelings.

"I think that's commendable Sakura-san," Yousuke smiled at her, "But I hope that you know that you can come to people in our class for help. I know you're close to Kiyotaka but many others would be willing to help you too, myself included,"

He never let an opportunity to reach out to someone pass him. The likelihood of Airi ever taking him up on his offer was low, a fact that Yousuke himself probably understood, but feeling like she had people behind her would help her regardless of whether or not she actively reached out for assistance. Plus, Airi wasn't the same person she was at the time of these videos. There was a chance she'd surprise us and approach Yousuke, as unlikely as it may be.

For now, though, Airi simply gave a small smile and stayed quiet.

"Ayanokouji... kun. Why are you here?"

"I'm really glad that I exchanged contact information with you." I took out my phone, which showed Sakura's location.

"I guess I'm no good after all... I couldn't do anything by myself in the end."

"That's not true. It was really cool when you threw those letters to the ground." I pointed to the mess of multicoloured paper scattered everywhere.

"Hey, hey. Who's this mystery person you mentioned? Some idol?" Ichinose tossed one of the disgusting letters to the ground, tilting her head in confusion.

"That's..."

Although I didn't want to hide anything from Ichinose, I hesitated to speak without Sakura's permission. However, Sakura met my eyes and gave me a slight nod.

"Sakura over here was an idol when she was in junior high. Her name was Shizuku."

"Huh?! Idol?! That's amazing! She's an entertainer! Ooh, shake my hand, shake my hand!" Ichinose was filled with childlike excitement.

"Don't you think that's a bit of an overreaction, Ichinose?" Kanzaki eyed the Class B leader with scepticism.

"Hey, don't give me that, it was my first time meeting any kind of idol!" Ichinose complained, puffing out her cheeks. The spectacle made most of the room laugh, throwing off any lingering feeling of nervousness that the video had given us.

"But I never appeared on TV or anything..."

"Even so, that's so amazing! I've never thought about becoming an idol or anything."

I didn't know about that. I thought that Ichinose had the face and figure for it... No, rather, I thought she had the necessary qualities.

"It's true, it's true, Honami-chan!" Amikura poked Ichinose excitably, "Even Ayanokouji-kun thinks so!"

It sounded like this topic had come up among the Class B girls before.

"The face...the figure...hmm, looks like Ayanokouji-kun has you all figured out, Honami," Kobashi grinned at me, clearly up to no good.

"Stop that, Yume!" Ichinose clearly couldn't deal with Kobashi's implications and put a hand over her mouth to shut her up.

I sighed. I was glad that the Class B girls had lifted the mood but why did they have to do it like this?

"When did you realize, Ayanokouji-kun?" Sakura asked.

"A little while ago. Sorry. Several other people in class realized, too." Since she was going to find out eventually, I decided to just tell her.

"I think I'm actually glad about this, though... It's been hard to lie."

If this situation had given Sakura the ability to finally remove her mask, then it was a good thing.

"At any rate, you were way too brave. I was going to have to step in if something happened."

"Ha ha... Yeah, you're probably right. I was so scared."

The girl who had openly cried in front of me yesterday was now laughing in a rather peculiar way. She laughed while seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Ayanokouji-kun... Don't look at me with such strange eyes."

"Strange eyes?"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Shinohara asked, just as confused as I was.

"Never mind, it's nothing." Sakura didn't clarify, but she wore a slightly happy smile on her face.

"But now I'm interested though! What did you mean, Airi?" Haruka asked.

"U-um, nothing at all...I didn't mean anything by it," Airi shook her head somewhat violently.

"You don't just say that to someone and not mean anything by it, do you?" Haruka grinned.

"Well, it just doesn't matter..." Airi said, suddenly downcast.

"Hmm...I'll get it out of you later then,"

"Do you think everyone would notice if I came to class without my glasses, and changed my hairstyle?"

"I think there's a possibility that people at school might panic when they notice...but I think it'll be fine."

I suddenly pictured a beautiful girl, with tons of spectators rushing forward to catch a glimpse of her. She had a gentle disposition and qualities that would make boys naturally crowd around her.

"Obviously!" Shinohara sounded annoyed for some reason.

"Based on what we saw in those photos, I'd say he's 100% correct. Could Sakura-san have rivalled Kushida-san in terms of popularity if she just had a bit more confidence?" Matsushita wondered.

"Sounds like you have a crush on her, eh, Ayanokouji?" Okitani laughed.

"Just because he complimented her appearance? Ha, don't make me laugh, not every boy is as shallow as you," Kei mocked him. She was backed up by the other girls.

Apparently, I'd gained a good reputation among the girls thanks to these videos. Although, Kei's infrequent comments may have something to do with that.

"Whoa... You're so amazingly cute! You make a completely different impression without your glasses!"

It seemed as though Ichinose had looked up Shizuku on her phone. She seemed excited by what she found. Even though the incident with Sudou might have endangered our class and highlighted our lack of unity, at least it had given Sakura a chance to grow. Maybe it was all worth it, in the end.

Wait. I really wasn't the type of person to think like that. Or, perhaps, I should say that I didn't know what kind of person I was in the first place. Was this the real me? I felt a bit confused.

"Hmm, what do you mean by that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Ichinose asked.

I felt eyes on me from every direction. It wasn't surprising after what I'd just said- well, thought. It's true that people's teenage years are a very formative stage in their lives. If you asked a large number of teens what kind of person they were, they'd probably be able to give you a satisfactory answer. However, if you asked the same people years, or even months later, their answers may have changed completely. In my case, though, despite being a teenager, I didn't have enough life experience to even formulate a view of myself. Rather than changing and evolving my mindset, I was building one from scratch.

Of course, that's not to say I didn't understand myself. My personality had been shaped for me before I joined this school. This new mindset I was creating for myself was one that didn't rely on the education I'd received ever since I was born.

"Ayanokouji-kun?"

After I stayed quiet, Satou frowned and gave me an inquisitive look.

"Ah, it's nothing," I said, "You'll probably find out more later,"

Despite saying that, my words were nothing more than a means of stalling this conversation. Perhaps my best option was simply to stay silent. If all of my thoughts and all of my memories were being broadcast for everyone to see, was there any point in trying to mitigate the damage? Right now, I could only see two outcomes. Either I'd be forced to drop out of my own accord, or I'd be forced out by the people around me.

Even though I could see the outcomes, there was a part of me still interested in seeing how others viewed the truest version of me.

"That's a pretty weird thing to say Kiyopon," Haruka looked worried, "I get being confused about who you are, I guess..."

"Yeah, I get that too," Satou said.

"I think it's normal to be a bit confused about who you are," Yousuke smiled, "Isn't that what our teenage years are all about? But by the looks of it, Kiyotaka, it looks like you are someone who likes to see people improve and mature,"

"Maybe,"

"Urgh, can we move on, please?" Kei sighed, appearing bored by the conversation.

"I wonder what that means? Wait, he's always dodging questions when I try and ask him about himself, right? Huh? Does that mean he wasn't avoiding them because he didn't want to answer but because he couldn't?" Kei agonised over this possibility in her mind.

"I'm curious about what Ayanokouji-kun means...but why is Karuizawa-san acting like this? When we spoke alone, it felt like she really liked him, but with everyone else around she acts like she doesn't care at all? I know they are keeping it a secret but how can she act like this?" Satou had mixed feelings about her friend and her crush.

"I see. I was always a little curious about what state of mind he was in when he left the White Room. However, this is predictable, I suppose. Without life experience, a person's personality is still a blank slate. Anything he believed was because he was taught to believe it. Experiences everyday life for the first time at fifteen years of age...I doubt anybody could endure it without a little confusion," Sakayanagi thought.

"Any normal high schooler will feel confusion about themselves at least once in their life. I suppose I should expect the same from Ayanokouji. Still, something doesn't seem right. His actions and thoughts don't match up with what I know of him. Perhaps something changed between then and when I came into regular contact with him? Or maybe he truly is unreadable?" Manabu struggled to form a conclusion.

After it became obvious that I had no intention of answering any questions, everyone turned back to the video.

"Sorry. For being quiet for so long."

"It's nothing you have to apologize for. We don't have to talk about it. However, I think that now we have the type of relationship where we can talk about things. If you're suffering or if you feel lost, you can talk to me. You should consult Horikita and Kushida, too."

Behind me, Ichinose purposefully flopped over in an exaggerated manner.

"So, you're telling her 'You can talk to me.' I wonder what you mean?"

I had no answer for that.

"I was just trying to give her someone she could be comfortable talking with," I sighed and cleared up any pointless theories before they surfaced.

"That's nice of you, Ayanokouji-kun," Yousuke gave me a thankful smile.

"Okay. I understand," Sakura murmured.

"Ah, I'll help out too." Though Ichinose didn't know her too well, she still smiled at Sakura.

"I'm Ichinose, from Class B. It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

Sakura looked a little hesitant but shook Ichinose's outstretched hand.

"By the way, didn't you want to tell me something in the special building a little while ago?" I asked, thinking back to my conversation with Ichinose.

"Ah yeah, that's right. There was something important I wanted to talk to you about."

Ichinose took a moment to catch her breath, and then adopted a serious look.

"I probably shouldn't be saying this right now, but...there was someone pulling the strings behind this whole Sudou incident."

"That person was Ryuuen, right?" Hashimoto asked.

"Yeah,"

"Pulling the strings?"

Because Ichinose looked so deadly serious, I didn't think this was just a hunch of hers.

"To tell the truth, there was a dispute between Class B and Class C students before. That time, though, the school didn't get involved. Someone named Ryuuen-kun masterminded that one."

"Damn, he really didn't take long to start pulling dirty tricks," Akito muttered to himself.

Overhearing him, Haruka sighed, "Yeah, there was a time when I didn't know what he was gonna do to us next..."

"It isn't like that time has passed," Keisei frowned.

"You mean he could strike again at any time?"

"Exactly. It's even more likely now we have established ourselves in the battle,"

"Urgh, maybe we should have just laid down arms and lived peacefully," Haruka mimed waving a flag.

"Even if that was an option, it's Ryuuen," Keisei said, "There's no telling if he would have stopped harassing us simply because we posed no threat to him,"

That thought depressed Haruka, Airi and even Akito, who was capable of defending himself.

"Ryuuen? I don't recognize the name."

"Oh, that sounds like paradise..." Kobashi sighed and voiced her thoughts a little too loudly.

Ryuuen chuckled loud enough to reach Class B's ears. Kobashi instantly shrunk into her seat.

"That's because he hasn't seen any reason to reveal himself just yet. There's no reason that you'd know him."

Ichinose, who always looked so bright, now appeared somber and grim.

"I'm the most vigilant of all the first-years here. I think he set up Sudou-kun to look like a liar, and instigated the dispute with Class B. This was all his handiwork. He doesn't hesitate to hurt other people for the sake of his own interests. He's a formidable opponent."

"When Class B had trouble, did you manage a peaceful resolution?"

"Somehow, yeah. However, if you looked at it as a game, I can't say whether I won or lost... Anyway, I think because what he devised was easier to see through this time, I've started to understand how this school is structured. You should be careful."

I didn't know who this Ryuuen was, but he was undoubtedly a very dangerous opponent. Someone who developed merciless strategies that could lead to our expulsion if we missed a single step.

"So if anything ever happens, you can come to me for help. Talk to me whenever you need it."

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind."

"That's where this video ends," Mashima announced.

"Whew, that was a wild ride!" Hashimoto laughed.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Sudou's voice wasn't raised but still had force behind it, "A girl in our class was attacked and you're laughing?"

"She's okay now, though," Hashimoto shrugged, "Besides, I'm more interested in the strategy that Horikita's class came up with."

"Very true," Nagumo said, "Suzune managed to come up with a plan that prevented her classmate from being punished while creating a cooperative relationship with another class. It was very well done,"

His words didn't seem insincere. Apparently, he truly thought Horikita's plan had been commendable.

"If all your strategies were that efficient then it's no wonder your class made the unlikely climb up the ranks," Nagumo applauded, "However, it seems your brother didn't see you as a worthy individual. So, I wonder, was this a fluke or are the current second-years just inferior to us third-years?"

"If I may, student council president, I don't believe that our improvement was due to one person," Horikita wasn't affected by Nagumo's taunts, "It was a collective effort that required everyone's best. To attribute all of our success to me is a disservice to the rest of my class,"

"Is the little Horikita trying to sound like her big brother?" Nagumo smirked.

"If I was, I don't think that would be the worst plan,"

Manabu was a force to be reckoned with when he attended this school. Nobody matched up. Horikita Suzune could find worse people to idolize that her older brother.

It was also true that Horikita Manabu never sacrificed his classmates. If his younger sister wanted to follow in his footsteps in this way, she had a long road ahead of her.

So the mystery is finally solved. Or is it?

"Huh? What now? There's more?!" Ike was understandably bewildered.

"Horikita, do you know what this means?" Keisei asked.

"I'm not sure," Horikita pondered the words onscreen, "Perhaps, because..."

Horikita side-eyed me. I didn't know what she was thinking exactly, but I could make a pretty good guess.

"Quit wasting time," Ryuuen snapped, "What's the point in jabbering on if we're just gonna be shown it anyway?"

"In that case, I will now begin the next video," Mashima said.

"Hey, before you do that, I just realised something!" Amasawa started waving her hand above her head to draw attention her way.

"What?"

"Ichinose-senpai finally got her wish granted to act like Ayanokouji-senpai's boyfriend!"

"That's-" Ichinose was left speechless by Amasawa's take on what had happened.

Laughs came from the girls in Class B, while the boys in my own class, and others for that matter, looked thoroughly displeased with me.

"If that's all then please let us continue," Mashima shook his head at the nonsensical scene before him.

Sudou's Trial - Horrible Human Being

(A/N - Hi, I don't usually put any notes at the start of my writing but this is an exception. Everyone reading this is probably aware of how terribly inconsistent my uploads are by now. The main two reasons for this are my job and my work on my original series. So, I decided to start streaming.

How does this correspond to either of these problems? Well, obviously I'm not streaming solely so I can upload more to Wattpad, but I think it could potentially solve a few of my problems to the point where I think it's relevant enough to state here. Also, yes, I'm looking for viewers wherever I can.

If you're interested, click the external link if you are on a PC. If that doesn't work my username on Twitch is JokurraOfficial. I'll be mostly playing games on there. I'll be streaming Genshin Impact either today or tomorrow so I'd appreciate it if you'd come swing by a say hello. Me and a couple of my friends have a few anime-related ideas we'd like to implement eventually, including a podcast, but that will be a little later down the line.

Anyway, I'll stop my advertising and let you get to reading. Long story short, I'd really appreciate it if you followed me on Twitch and stopped by a few of my streams. Cheers!)

This time we're doing things a little differently.

You won't be watching Ayanokouji's perspective, but Horikita's.

"We get to see Suzune's thoughts?" Sudou couldn't keep his glee to himself.

"Well, this is irritating..." Horikita didn't look pleased in the slightest. Personally, I was all for it.

"Maybe this is how it's going to work?" Keisei was deep in thought, "It could be that we will be watching the point of view of the person who was most involved at the time?"

"I see what you mean, Yukimura-kun, but I don't think that adds up," Ichinose disagreed.

"Why is that?"

"Well, think back to the video where Ayanokouji-kun first visited his dorm room. Everyone already knows what the dorm rooms look like, right? I just think that means that...well, Ayanokouji-kun is the focus here," Ichinose lowered her voice as she finished her explanation.

Truly a troublesome realisation. While it had been clear to me for a while that this was the case, everybody else likely assumed that my inclusion in the videos was merely a coincidence. It probably made sense to them that the perspective was switching to Horikita's.

"I don't get it though. Why Ayanokouji?" Shinohara asked.

"If we disregard who the focus is for a second, the main point of this seems to be showing us events that weren't previously public knowledge," Katsuragi said, "I believe it could be as simple as Ayanokouji being the student who has the most knowledge of these unknown events,"

It was a good deduction based on the available information. However, I doubted that was the extent of it. As of now, I had no way of knowing whether the White Room would be revealed, but knowing that had little effect on my situation. If the White Room was revealed or hidden away from the public eye, it didn't change the fact that whoever was behind the videos knew of its existence. If the information only pertained to the school then that was fine with me, but even if it didn't, I probably didn't need to worry about it too much.

"I guess I understand that...but does Ayanokouji-kun really know that much?" Mori asked in a sceptical tone.

"Think about it for a second. Horikita and Hirata seem to lead your class together, no? Everybody knows about the connection between Ayanokouji and Horikita, but I've also noticed that he and Hirata are on a first-name basis," Katsuragi had been paying close attention, "If he's close to your class's two main figures, then it tracks that he would have more information than the regular student,"

Class C seemed to understand Katsuragi's explanation. Still, that didn't mean they didn't have questions for me.

"So you know what they are going to show, Ayanokouji-kun?" Onodera asked.

"I think I can guess some things, but it's impossible to know for sure," I responded.

"It looks like we're gonna be seeing a lot of Ayanokouji then," Okitani sighed.

"But isn't that weird?" Kei frowned, "I get that Ayanokouji-kun is close to our class leaders or whatever, but what about the other classes?"

Her point was that there was no way I could know the details of other classes situations.

"Also, if we really are gonna be seeing what went on, like, behind-the-scenes, then shouldn't the focus be on the class leaders and not somebody following them?"

"I understand what you're saying," Katsuragi nodded, "However, there's no guarantee that any of the class leaders have more knowledge than Ayanokouji,"

Katsuragi's words stunned the second-year students.

"T-that's impossible, right?" Nishino couldn't believe his words so easily.

"I have to agree with her," Kobashi joined her, "I don't know about the other class leaders but I can't believe that Ayanokouji-kun knows more than Honami. Right, guys?"

She turned to the members of Class 2-B who all readily agreed with her. Well, all except for one.

"We can't tell for sure," Kanzaki shook his head.

"You really think so, Kanzaki-kun?" Amikura asked.

"I don't know," He glanced in my direction and once again shook his head, "I think our best option is to just continue watching. There's only so much we can derive from what we've watched so far,"

"That seems to be our only option," Horikita sighed, "It's not like figuring this out will free us from this,"

This takes place at the same time as Ayanokouji and Ichinose are saving Sakura.

Sudou-kun and I arrived at the student council room 10 minutes before deliberation began. Tachibana-san was the only other person there. I saw no sign of other students or my older brother.

"Oh jeez, I'm so nervous. How about you, Horikita?" Sudou asked.

"I feel the same as ever."

"You were that confident in your little trick?" Ryuuen asked with a smirk.

"I had every right to be confident in light of the results," Horikita brushed him off.

This case would be settled today. I knew that it was not going to be easy, especially for me. I'd declared that Sudou was completely innocent, after all. If my strategy failed, it would be for nothing. I thought that there was some value in sticking it out, so I'd come up with this plan during this extension period.

If this strategy failed, though, it would likely devolve into a verbal battle where we hurled abuse at each other. In the end, the result would certainly be worse than the compromise that had been proposed at the previous hearing. Sudou-kun would hate me then. Well, he'd be barking up the wrong tree. Still, I would have to acknowledge his complaints, because the appeal to the council was my responsibility.

"You really thought I'd hate you?" Sudou looked taken aback.

"Obviously. What other conclusion could I come to when you acted the way you did?" Horikita demanded.

"Y-yeah, I get it," He replied in a voice that revealed his regret.

The event that had consolidated Sudou's feelings for Horikita could have very well gone in the opposite direction had she failed him. Having said that, I didn't think Horikita's theory was correct. Logically, Sudou hating her might have made sense, but his contradicting emotion probably wouldn't have definitively pushed him either way.

Alternatively, I supposed that if Sudou-kun himself wished it, there was the possibility of meeting them halfway. They'd probably want to shorten his suspension as much as possible. If we made that the focal point of our discussion, we might be able to arrange for Sudou-kun's sentence to be lightened as well.

Reconciliation was another name for defeat. Still, if the person in question wished for it, we would have no choice.

"Hell no did I want to give up!" Sudou cried.

"I wonder if you would have kept that same bravado if we hadn't come up with the solution," Horikita shot him the question with a dubious tone.

"O-of course I would have!" Sudou responded, "Probably..."

Horikita sighed and turned her head away.

A short time later, the student council room doors opened. My heart started pounding at double the speed. My older brother... My words stuck in my chest and would not come out.

Even though I should have understood it, I felt attacked. I was wracked with various symptoms such as trembling, nervousness, and dizziness. But I couldn't repeat yesterday's mistakes.

"Poor Horikita-san," Satou looked sad, "How could their relationship have gotten so bad?"

"Tch, well her brother judges her based on her intelligence, right? So what if he's smarter than she is? Doesn't that mean he should help her?" Mori didn't agree with Manabu's behaviour toward his sister.

I'd expected Horikita to speak up and defend her brother straight away. Having said that, she was unusually quiet during our 'fight' earlier as well. Perhaps I wasn't giving her enough credit. The Horikita siblings had found themselves in their previous relationship because the younger sister idolized her older brother to such an extent that it had stunted her own growth. By deliberately allowing others to criticize Manabu she was keeping a healthy distance between them. She also respected him enough to know that ignorant insults wouldn't worry him.

Regardless, the general opinion of their relationship seemed to lean toward sympathy for the younger Horikita's troubles.

"They know nothing of their relationship but still feel the need to comment? I really hate how much they are disrespecting Horikita-kun...but, I can't say anything," Tachibana held back her anger.

I turned my eyes from my brother. There were other opponents I should have been facing.

"Oh, my. I see that the boy from yesterday isn't here."

Next came the Class C teacher, Sakagami-sensei. Chabashira-sensei was with him. "What happened to Ayanokouji, Horikita?" she asked.

"He's not participating."

"Not participating?" Chabashira-sensei turned to the vacant seat with a puzzled look. She seemed concerned by his absence, as if the proceedings would be meaningless without him. No, not exactly meaningless, but... It was vague, but I had the gut feeling that what Chabashira-sensei was seeing was evidence of Ayanokouji-kun's involvement.

"Well, why wouldn't he be involved? He was helping Horikita-san after all," Onodera was confused.

"It's like that first-year said. So far he's been passive and rarely got involved in a way people could see. However, Chabashira-sensei knew he'd gotten the midterm answers and she was also aware of his entrance exam scores. She was more conscious of his presence than anyone, including Horikita-san. Well, it's no wonder she found him interesting. He has all that ability and doesn't use it. To be honest, the only thing that has surprised me so far is the way he lectured Horikita-san previously. Although his ability level is still unknown...to be able to confidently assert his own point of view like that is something I hadn't thought him capable of," Matsushita thought.

"Well, even if he's not here, the results will be the same." I didn't want to admit it, but I did it almost as if to shake off the shadow.

"Well, whatever. It's up to you guys to decide."

Both teachers took their seats. We would begin deliberation as soon as the Class C students arrived. When that time came, how would the battle go? Well, that was simple. We would object to what the other side had to say. We would reiterate that the other side was lying, and then pierce through those lies before claiming that we were the ones telling the truth. That was it.

It would be the same for both sides. Through lies, we would arrive at the truth. This was a battle between truth and lies. We could bandy about ideas, but there could only be one solution.

Finally, the students from Class C arrived. They were all sweating as if they'd been hurrying.

"They'd just come after meeting with Honami-chan and Ayanokouji-kun, right?" Amikura asked.

"Yes, that should be the case," Kanzaki nodded, "Those two definitely got them panicking,"

"You made it just in the nick of time," said Sakagami-sensei to his students with a slight sigh of relief.

"Well then, we would like to resume deliberations on this case, from where we left off yesterday. Please take your seat."

Tachibana-san urged the students from Class C to sit down. However, they didn't budge. Instead, they remained standing in front of Sakagami-sensei.

"Can you please sit down?" Tachibana-san repeated her request, but the three did not move.

"Umm... Sakagami-sensei."

"What is it?"

It wasn't just me. Everyone else noticed that this situation was strange.

"Would it be possible not to hold this trial?"

"What are you...? What in the world do you mean?" Sakagami-sensei stood up in response to this unexpected request.

"Did you want to come to an agreement? Or did you already do something to the effect?" My older brother gazed sharply at the Class C students. However, the three boys shook their heads in unison, signalling that no, they didn't want to compromise.

"We realized that we weren't really saying anything worthwhile about which side was at fault. Our complaint was a mistake. Therefore, we'd like to withdraw it."

"Looks like everything happened the way you hoped it would," Kiryuuin sighed and laid her chin in her palm. She looked thoroughly bored now that the suspense had dispersed.

"You're withdrawing your complaint?" Chabashira-sensei chuckled as she spoke. She wore a thin smile as if she found something amusing.

"What's so funny, Chabashira-sensei?" Sakagami-sensei did not seem to like her attitude, glaring at Chabashira-sensei in irritation.

"Oh, excuse me. I was just surprised because I hadn't foreseen this. I figured we would argue all day until one side collapsed, or until we could propose an acceptable compromise. However, unbelievably, they've said that they want to withdraw the complaint."

"Teachers, members of this student council, we are sorry to have taken your time. However, after careful consideration, this is the conclusion we've all come to."

The three's ardent appeal signalled that their will was strong. It seemed that Ayanokouji-kun and Ichinose-san had handled things quite well. I tried to act calm and collected, without letting my relief show.

"Not so confident after all," Ryuuen smirked, "Don't tell me your signature self-assurance is all an act?"

Ryuuen had a knack for getting under people's skin, as he'd done to Horikita numerous times. However, Horikita showed no signs of irritation this time.

"It's a leader's role to show confidence. It inspires the same in those that follow them," Horikita said, "I choose to elevate my classmates rather than push them down,"

Horikita poked at one of Ryuuen's weak points. One of the downsides of Ryuuen's dictatorship is that it prevented other members of his class from improving. Ryuuen used his classmates effectively. He had detailed insight into each member's ability and could design strategies around them. However, that was where it ended. Without being given the freedom to take the initiative and grow as an individual, you'd stagnate or even regress. I couldn't say that anybody in Ryuuen's class had shown any improvement in the time we'd been here. If they had it was minimal or well-hidden.

Perhaps this was shown best in people like Ibuki, Ishizaki and Albert. These three were closest to Ryuuen but all of them were extremely similar to the people they had been at enrollment.

"That's a nice way of putting it, Suzune," Ryuuen clapped his hands, "But I can't see the point in polishing trash,"

"Your class will only tolerate your behaviour while you win," Horikita argued, "I wonder how long you'll last now your sat at the bottom,"

"That's where you're wrong, Suzune,"

"How so?"

"There's nobody in my class capable of taking me out," Ryuuen declared.

Horikita was silenced by his display of complete confidence. While there were surely doubters within his class, Ryuuen truly believed that he would beat any of them if they tried to take his crown.

"Surely you can't accept this. You did nothing wrong. Sudou-kun caused all of this through one-sided intimidation and violence. Do you plan to just quietly sit there and take this?"

"Did you honestly believe that or were you simply covering for your students, Sakagami-sensei?" Yagami asked.

"That isn't any of your business," Sakagami refused to answer.

"I see," Yagami wore a slight smile.

As if realising something, Sakagami-sensei turned anger-filled eyes towards Sudou-kun and me.

"What did you do? Threaten my students with violence so they'd withdraw their appeal?"

"Huh? Don't screw around. I didn't do anything," Sudou said.

"There's no way my students would withdraw their complaint unless you had. Tell us the truth. If you do that, then we can do something about it."

"I'm quite impressed you can say that as if you were trying to help them out, Sakagami-sensei," Sakayanagi chuckled, "Oh, or perhaps you really had no idea that your students were lying?"

This time Sakagami kept his mouth shut. Yagami had phrased his question in an innocent way, but Sakayanagi's bordered on an insinuation. Both Yagami and Sakayanagi were probably aware that the teacher couldn't answer their questions. If he answered that he had believed his students he would be outed as incompetent. Sakagami seemed like a man with too much pride to do that. However, he couldn't just admit to covering for Ishizaki and the others. Teachers involving themselves in the affairs of the students was frowned upon, especially in the case of a set-up like this. He had no choice but to keep his silence. I wasn't surprised that Sakayanagi would ask such a ruthless question, but the way Yagami had feigned innocence was interesting.

"Sakagami-sensei...we're going to withdraw the complaint no matter what you say. Our decision won't change."

Sakagami-sensei, as if unable to comprehend what his students were saying, hung his head low and sat back down.

"If you say that you'd like to withdraw your complaint, we will accept it. It is certainly rare to cancel deliberations during a case, but we can do it." My older brother, the student council president, tried to remain calm and composed.

"Wait. I don't get it. Why are you guys just withdrawing your complaint like that?"

I grabbed Sudou-kun's arm to prevent him from uttering another word.

"Horikita?"

"Shut up."

"Ah, it would have been amusing to see your reaction if Sudou had managed to mess it up at the end," Hashimoto chuckled.

"That wouldn't have been funny at all!" Shinohara growled.

They could speculate all they liked but it would have taken an enormous blunder on Sudou's part for his words to have any effect at this stage.

I had no time to explain, unfortunately, so I pulled strongly on Sudou-kun's arm and sat him down.

"If you wish to withdraw your complaint, we have no intention of fighting it. We accept."

Although I could understand Sudou-kun's dissatisfaction at being brought to trial based on a lie, if the complaint was withdrawn there would be no winners or losers. This was what we'd been working toward.

"However, according to regulations, we will require a certain payment of points in order to cover miscellaneous expenses incurred over the course of deliberations. Are there objections to this?"

This was the first time we'd heard of such a thing. The students from Class C looked upset but came to a conclusion right away.

"We understand... We will pay."

"All-in-all, I'd say this was a conclusive victory," Nagumo said, "Not only did you defend their attack but also made them pay for it,"

Even Nagumo had to admit that it was an extremely effective strategy.

"For argument's sake, what would you have done if they had decided to call your bluff? Just one call to Ryuuen and you'd have been out of luck, right?" Nagumo asked.

It was true that Ryuuen wasn't somebody who could be fooled by a bluff that weak. His meticulous planning and forward-thinking would have told him that there were never any cameras there. He would have checked the place himself before following through.

"It's pointless thinking about it," Horikita sighed, "But at that point, our only option would have been to take the compromise if it was still available,"

That was the obvious option. However, it hadn't come to that, so there wasn't any reason to think about alternatives.

"Very well, the proceedings have come to an end. We will now call this discussion closed."

While we waited for the curtains to fall on this rather abrupt end, I wondered who could have predicted such an outcome. Meanwhile, I saw Chabashira-sensei direct a rather bold smile at me.

"Sudou-kun," I said. "You will no longer face suspension. The school will not consider you a problem child. You will be able to participate in club activities from today onward. Right?"

I looked to Chabashira-sensei for confirmation.

"Of course. The same goes for the students in Class C, naturally. Youthful zeal is a good quality. However, the next time you think about causing problems, you should remember this incident as an example. Do not forget. Okay?"

She emphasized this point strongly to both sides. Sudou-kun looked rather dissatisfied but nodded. I supposed that his joy at being able to play basketball outweighed his dissatisfaction. Kushida-san and Hirata-kun's actions would be rewarded as well.

Sakagami-sensei slowly left with his students. The moment the door closed, it sounded like he started hounding his students for answers. But that didn't matter. We wouldn't have to deal with any more idiotic appeals after this, most likely.

"I'm glad, Sudou," Chabashira-sensei said, sounding grateful.

"He he. Well, of course!"

"Personally, I think you should have been punished," she added, rather harshly. Her words condemned Sudou-kun, who was still joyful over his victory.

"Huh, why?" Ike frowned, "We just saw that he didn't do anything!"

"That's not what sensei's talking about," Horikita shook her head.

"The reason this incident occurred at all is because of your behaviour. Who told the truth and who lied is trivial. It's important that you don't let this kind of thing happen again. You do understand that, yes?"

"Do you understand?" Horikita looked at Ike, but her question was probably aimed at the entire class.

"Yeah, I guess..." Ike said, "Ken's always looking for a fight,"

"Hey, I'm totally reformed!" Sudou argued, "I don't do shit like that anymore,"

"Well, I can't say that's entirely true but at least you've calmed down a bit," Horikita sighed, "In any case, this doesn't just go for Sudou-kun. After watching this, some of you may be worried about getting targetted in a similar way, but if you act in a mature manner then you'll be safe,"

It wasn't possible for everyone in the class to constantly be on the lookout for a set-up. Acting a certain way didn't necessarily protect you from attacks, but it went a long way in setting up a defence if the worst was to happen. Students who followed the rules and those who were constantly out to break them were treated differently in these kinds of situations.

"Yeah..."

"However, admitting your own faults isn't 'cool.' So even if you acknowledge that your personality was partly to blame, you act tough. You get stronger. That's fine. However, if you act like that, you won't be able to make real friends. Eventually, Horikita will abandon you. She'll leave."

"That's pretty harsh, sensei," Yousuke said with a grimace.

"At the time, she was completely correct," Horikita asserted.

"Be that as it may..."

"Don't worry, I might have been stupid enough then, but I don't plan on abandoning anybody,"

"I know that," Yousuke smiled.

Saying it was one thing, but following through might become a big strain on Horikita.

"That's..." I wouldn't exactly call us friends.

"You really didn't like making friends, did you, Horikita-san?" Mori laughed.

"No, not particularly..." Horikita muttered.

"There's strength in admitting your mistakes, Sudou."

Chabashira-sensei had tried to reach out to one of her students for the first time, as a homeroom teacher. I think that Sudou-kun understood what she was saying, even if unconsciously. He hung his head low and sank into his chair.

"You know, this is the first time Chabashira-sensei has actually acted like a teacher!" Ike shouted in realisation.

"Idiot!" Shinohara slapped the back of his head.
"Owww, what was that for?"

"You need to show more respect to the teachers!"

"Huh!? Like you do anything of the sort!"

The two of them dove into a heated argument. Everyone did their best to ignore them.

"I don't really like to agree with someone like him, but he has a point," Hashimoto said, "Horikita and Ayanokouji have both mentioned that their homeroom teacher didn't particularly act like one. This is out of character for her,"

"Chabashira-sensei is a capable instructor," Mashima insisted, "I don't agree with everything she does, however, she is a teacher at this school and deserving of respect,"

Nobody argued against him. Personally, at the time this video took place, I couldn't call Chabashira a competent instructor. Fundamentally, she was adequate and as long as she stayed motivated, she was adept at looking after her students. However, her personal problems posed a threat to herself and those around her. Also, her personality left a lot to be desired.

"I understand... If I hadn't acted that way in the first place, then I wouldn't have hit those guys. It wouldn't have been such a big deal. I knew that, somewhere."

When this first came up, he'd asserted that Class C had lied, and had continued to say only that.

"I always fought all I wanted for my own satisfaction. But it's not like that anymore... I'm a Class D student, and my personal actions affect the entire class. Now I've experienced that firsthand..."

"Well...it seems like he gets it," Kanzaki clearly doubted whether Sudou's words could be trusted.

Sudou-kun might actually be dealing with a great deal of anxiety and stress in ways I couldn't see.

"Isn't he just a complete airhead and just does what he wants all the time? I don't buy this at all," Azuma frowned. (A/N - For those who don't know, Azuma is a girl in Horikita's class. She was in the newest volume so I started using her as well, but her personality is completely made up by me seeing as she doesn't really have one in canon yet)

"Was he really though?" Mori was sceptical.

"What do you mean, Mori-san?" Satou asked.

"Well, I guess he doesn't cause so much trouble now, but it's not like he's changed, right? He doesn't care at all,"

This was another consequence of Sudou's behaviour. While working with Horikita, the people close to him and the people paying proper attention could see that Sudou wasn't quite the ignorant brute he was made out to be. However, he'd never shown that part of himself to our classmates. He was headstrong and rarely considered the opinions of others. Combined with aggression and indelicacy, he created an impression that drove people away, especially those of the opposite sex.

It looked like many of our classmates agreed with Mori.

"Huh? What are you saying? What do you mean, I don't care?" Sudou frowned.

"W-well, you've only ever caused our class problems, right? Even after this happened,"

Sudou opened his mouth to offer a retort but quickly closed it and lowered his head. He was used to be seen as insensitive but the truth was that he actually fought hard for our class where he could.

"I don't think that's quite right, Mori-san," Yousuke spoke up, "Our class has benefited thanks to Sudou-kun numerous times and because I've worked with him, I know that he cares about the class,"

"R-really?"

"Absolutely. I ask that you show him some consideration. I think that he'll prove himself to you eventually,"

"Hirata-kun is correct, of course. Sudou-kun's actions have not only helped the class but me as well," Horikita added.

Having Yousuke and Horikita shower him with praise instantly improved Sudou's mood. His grin made it look like he'd gone giddy with excitement. Although they didn't look entirely convinced, the rest of our classmates had to take the class leaders' words into account.

"I won't cause problems again, sensei. Horikita."

Those were the first penitent words I'd heard out of Sudou-kun's mouth. I wondered if Chabashira-sensei was surprised. If so shouldn't be. Sudou-kun might have understood this much, but he was still Sudou-kun. A person couldn't change in just one day.

"You shouldn't make promises so casually. You'll cause trouble soon again."

"Well, he did hit Hirata-kun at the sports festival," Sonoda remembered.

"And didn't he run off after that?" Ichihashi added.

Despite Yousuke and Horikita's pleas, Sudou's actions still went against him.

"Tch!"

Our teacher, who was rather perceptive about Sudou-kun's shortcomings, rejected his promise.

"What do you think, Horikita? Do you think that Sudou will become a model student?"

"No, I don't." I agreed with the teacher without hesitation. However, that wasn't all I had to say. "However...Sudou-kun certainly made some progress today. He admitted he was at fault. So I'm sure that he'll grow more tomorrow."

"Y-yeah..." he said.

"I'm glad to hear that, Sudou. It looks like Horikita hasn't abandoned you yet."

"No, I've already abandoned him. I just won't allow him to run loose anymore."

"You're really sending mixed signals here, Horikita-san," Ichinose gave a rueful smile.

"Perhaps saying that I'd abandoned him wasn't the correct wording," Horikita said, "But it wasn't far off. At that stage I couldn't see the benefits of keeping him around, so the only reason I lent him a hand was to prevent the class from suffering negative consequences,"

"If Ayanokouji-kun hadn't convinced me back then, the class may have been in an irrevocably bad position. The class points we'd lose due to an expulsion weren't the issue, seeing as we had little to lose at the time. But we'd been in countless tests where losing even one member of our class could have made the difference. The sports festival, the Paper Shuffle exam and even the uninhabited island. Each of these tests would have been increasingly difficult had we allowed a student to leave," Horikita thought.

"Wh-what does that mean?!" Sudou-kun scratched his head and smiled as if he had just shaken off something heavy. "Well, I'm gonna get going. I have club activities. See you later, Horikita."

With those words, Sudou-kun hurriedly stepped out of the room and into the hallway. He was not remorseful. He was definitely going to cause trouble for us again soon. He was a nuisance.

"So your opinion has changed completely then, Horikita-san?" Matsushita asked.

"He still has weaknesses that can definitely cause problems," Horikita admitted, "But the same is true of everyone in our class, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose that's true. There is at least some truth to us being the defective class, I guess,"

"Although I'd like to know what they considered defective about me. If I'd had just been placed in Class A to begin with then I wouldn't have to worry about us not reaching that goal," Matsushita sighed.

"May I leave now, Chabashira-sensei?"

"Wait just a moment. There's something I want to talk to you about, Horikita. You two leave first, though."

Chabashira-sensei urged my older brother and Tachibana-san to leave.

Once they were gone, she looked deeply interested, crossing her arms before her on the table.

"So. What methods did you use, Horikita?"

"If you told a teacher, wouldn't that be bad?" Satou asked.

"Eh? Why would that matter?" Ike frowned.

"W-well, isn't what they did against the rules?"

"Really? Is it?"

All we'd really done is lie to other students. We hadn't withheld information about the case, nor had we forcefully influenced our opponents. Lying could certainly be seen as immoral but in most circumstances, it is neither illegal nor against school rules.

"Informing Chabashira-sensei of what we had done probably wouldn't have changed the outcome. Unless she spread that information, of course. However, the fewer people who knew, the better. As you will see, I didn't answer her question," Horikita explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't try to dodge the question. They wouldn't withdraw their complaint without a reason, would they?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination."

We'd fabricated a lie because we were backed into a corner.

"A wise course of action," Sakayanagi applauded, "What they don't know can't hurt them, as the popular saying goes. If teachers remain ignorant then they don't need to worry about the correct course of action. Besides, I doubt you trusted your homeroom teacher's judgement, isn't that right, Horikita-san?"

"As I said before, I just didn't want more people to know the truth," Horikita dodged her question.

"So it's a secret, hmm? Well, allow me to change the question. Who came up with the strategy that defeated Class C?

"Why do you care about that?"

"Ayanokouji isn't here, so I'm a little curious."

"Chabashira-sensei thought Ayanokouji-kun came up with the plan?" Amikura looked surprised.

"It makes sense from her point of view," Kanzaki said, "Both Horikita and Ayanokouji proved they were two of the most capable members of the class to her. But unlike others, she knew about Ayanokouji's entrance exam scores. It's not surprising that she would be interested in what else he was capable of,"

She was also aware of my connection to the school's director. While Sakayanagi's father wouldn't have been overly loquacious when speaking of my past, there were some things that he needed Chabashira to understand. Unfortunately, she used that information in a way Sakayanagi wasn't expecting.

"I'm still a bit confused about that," Sonoda appeared to be in thought, "Ayanokouji-kun's scores were weird and we already know he was holding back on his maths tests...but why does that mean he's so great?"

Everyone knew that academics didn't create a superior individual when it came to this school. If it did, Keisei and Mii-chan would have been on par with the best. Just because I might be able to score well on tests didn't warrant that I receive this much attention.

"Yeah, but Ayanokouji-kun had the idea to get the mid-term results as well, right?" Satou defended me, "And the idea to save Sudou-kun was his,"

"That's true...I get that he's intelligent, but he can't be better than Horikita-san, can he?" Sonoda asked.

Knowing that someone holding back can be troublesome. The level you originally perceived them to be at was nothing but a fallacy. So, the next questions you ask yourself are obvious. How much were they holding back? What were they truly capable of?

"Well, there's an easy way to answer that question," Matsushita tried to suppress a smile, "Ayanokouji-kun, where do stand, ability-wise, against Horikita-san and the other class leaders?"

Normally, Matsushita wouldn't ask me such a direct question, but the flow of the conversation allowed her to be bold. However, she should know that it won't be that easy to get an answer.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question," I stroked my chin as I pretended to ponder her enquiry, "All of the class leaders have their own strengths, right? Even regular students are better in some ways than others. For example, I'm good at maths but does that really mean I can be on the same level as Horikita and the others?"

"I see what you're saying, but surely you have a personal view of your own abilities?"

"Of course, but personal opinion and reality are separate matters. However, if you want my opinion then I guess I can give it to you. I don't believe I'm better than Horikita," I concluded.

That wasn't a lie. In terms of physical and academic ability, it was true that Horikita was no match for me. She was also akin to a newborn fawn when it came to creating strategies and it sometimes took her too long to think things through. Of course, all of these things could be improved, but whether she would ever catch up to me was a different matter entirely. If you asked me whether I thought this made me better than her though, even if it was based on ability, then I could honestly say no. Having ability wasn't an end goal, but a tool used to achieve success. Even if that goal was to be the best at something, the concept still applied. Despite having inferior ability, there were numerous circumstances where Horikita would come out on top against me. That's why I could reply with my honest thoughts, even if it didn't give Matsushita the answer she was looking for. I was sure that many others believed my answer to be a complete lie.

"Well, that's fine, isn't it?" Satou smiled, "Horikita-san is really smart, after all. There's no shame being worse than her,"

Perhaps she thought I was putting myself down.

"It's kind of obvious that Ayanokouji isn't as good as Horikita-san," Ichihashi shrugged, "I mean, there are loads of smart people that don't really do much,"

It was a rather rude way of putting it, but she was probably referring to those who scored high on tests but didn't contribute in other ways. Apparently, I was getting put in the same boat.

Chabashira-sensei had been rather preoccupied with Ayanokouji-kun ever since we started school. I could somewhat understand why now.

"I don't want to admit this, but Ayanokouji-kun...might have something exceptional to him."

"What did you mean by that, Horikita-san?" Shinohara asked.

"...Ayanokouji-kun showed me that he wasn't just a regular student. Honestly, I don't want to say much more. It already irritates me that we need to sit through these videos in the first place, so if you want answers then keep watching,"

Horikita became somewhat snappish. She'd been radiating annoyance since we started but having her own thoughts invaded had worn her down even further.

I surprised myself by saying this, which could be taken as an admission of defeat. However, our victory would not have been as decisive without him.

"Oh, did you mean it like that? I guess Horikita-san did choose Ayanokouji-kun to help her so she must have trusted his ability," Kobashi surmised.

"It doesn't really matter how smart he is if he's helping the class, does it?" Amikura suggested.

"I agree," Yousuke said, "I admit that I'm also curious but that's all that matters in the end,"

"I see. So you recognize that, hmm?"

"Is that surprising? You were the one who first put me together with Ayanokouji-kun, Chabashira-sensei. You did it because you couldn't overlook Ayanokouji-kun's potential, right?"

"His potential, hmm?"

"Though he does try to hide his ability by pretending to be an idiot, for some mysterious reason."

"That was because he didn't want to stand out, right?" Mii-chan remembered what I'd said when I was asked this earlier.

"Yes, that's his reasoning," Horikita confirmed.

Yes, he was truly incomprehensible. I could not find meaning in such behaviour. It was likely that he was simply being absurd.

"Have you never worried about standing out, Horikita-san?" Matsushita asked.

"No," Horikita responded with certainty, "I won't hide that I have certain ambitions and to achieve those ambitions it was clear I'd stand out to an extent,"

"That's honestly impressive," Matsushita gave what seemed like genuine praise.

"There are various things to consider. But if you want to reach Class A, I'll give you one bit of advice."

"Advice?"

"The students in Class D all have some kind of defect, more or less. To borrow an expression used by others in this school, Class D is an assemblage of people that could be called 'defective products.' You already understand this quite well though, don't you?"

"I don't intend to admit that I have a defect. But I do understand."

"Well, what do you think is Ayanokouji's defect?"

"His...defect?"

"Isn't it just that he doesn't want to stand out?" Shinohara asked.

"Yeah, that sounds right...I mean, he held back because of that, right?" Sonoda agreed.

"They'll never find the answer. I assumed that it was because he hid his ability and the school couldn't see it, but that's now so laughably wrong," Ryuuen sneered, "The school should have seen his scores and placed him in a higher class. Scores like that make his ability obvious. But, they didn't...so what, in the eyes of the school, can be seen as broken about him? They can't seriously have put him in the trash because he messed around on his entrance exams. Whatever the answer is, only those who understand the school can find the answer and none of these good-for-nothings understand anything,"

"It might be amusing to hear their opinions on this..." Sakayanagi smiled as she listened intently to the other students' theories.

"That does seem to be the case...but it seems like Chabashira-sensei has other ideas," Keisei said.

"What do you mean, Yukimuu?" Haruka asked.

"She already knew that Kiyotaka was holding back his test scores and Horikita-san knew that as well. So why ask the question if she believed it was just that?"

"That makes sense...then Kiyopon has some other defect?"

"I-I don't think Kiyotaka-kun has a d-defect..." Airi muttered.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," Haruka jumped and looked at me, "Sorry Kiyopon, I wasn't suggesting that there was something wrong with you,"

"It's fine,"

"Let's just see what Chabashira-sensei thought it was," Akito suggested.

Ayanokouji-kun's defect...One thing immediately came to mind.

"We've already established it. He already knows what his own defect is."

"Oh? And what is it?"

"He 'dislikes trouble,'" I answered, with confidence. However, I felt a strange sense of discomfort that I couldn't explain.

"Is that really a problem though?" Satou asked, confused.

"In itself, disliking trouble isn't a bad thing," Horikita said, "However, if you ignore situations because of that, then it causes issues,"

Seeing that people didn't fully understand Matsushita spoke as well, "Do you remember the conversation Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun had after they got off the bus on the first day? Ayanokouji-kun didn't give his seat to the old woman because he didn't want to get involved in 'trouble'. Although that's a bit of a tame example, that's what Horikita-san means,"

"So, because he doesn't want to get involved he couldn't help the class as much?" Satou asked.

"Exactly. That's why I considered it a problem in his case," Horikita explained.

"But it also sounds like you weren't entirely convinced," Katsuragi noticed.

"Yes...saying it out loud made me realise something,"

"What?" Ike asked.

"You'll see,"

"He dislikes trouble, hmm? Is that what you perceive when you look at Ayanokouji?"

"No... It's because he said it himself."

"I see...that's troublesome," Tsubaki joined the conversation.

"So, he was lying, right?" Hashimoto chuckled.

"Huh? Why was he lying?" Haruka glared at Hashimoto.

"You haven't caught on yet? Well, I'm sure Horikita will make it clear,"

Chabashira-sensei snorted and chuckled. She spoke again, her tone firm.

"Well, Horikita. Let's try to learn as much as we possibly can about the boy called Ayanokouji, without delay, shall we? Otherwise, it'll be too late. You already seem to have fallen into Ayanokouji's trap."

A clear sense of confusion hung in the air.

"Trap?" Yousuke seemed interested in her meaning.

"I don't understand at all? Ayanokouji-kun set some kind of trap for Horikita-san?" Mori asked, bewildered.

"It was true I didn't realise it at the time. When did it occur to me? After the island? At the time, I was confused by Chabashira-sensei's statement. She told me I'd fallen into a trap, but I couldn't even see the pit once I was in it. It was the same pit he'd put all the other students in. The trap that led them to believe he was unobtrusive and unremarkable. Even if you realised he was intelligent or physically capable, he could make you believe that was his limit. That was the trap he set and everyone had fallen into it," Horikita thought.

"I'm also confused," Katsuragi admitted, "What trap are you referring to, Chabashira-sensei?"

"I don't believe it's my place to answer that," She refused to answer.

"Despite my numerous encounters with him, I still don't understand much about him. I have my own ideas but I wonder what this 'trap' is? Could it simply be his ability to mislead people? If I had to guess what she was thinking, I believe this is what Chabashira-sensei means. My sister probably came to the same conclusion. However, if he really did 'set a trap' as they describe it, I'd have to say it was something different," Manabu mused.

"What do you mean?" Fallen into his trap? That was nonsense.

I was interested to learn what she meant as well. It was shortly after this that Horikita had begun to doubt both my actions and words, so it wasn't had to imagine. In all likelihood, she was about to convince Horikita that my reason for hiding my ability was a complete lie. Whether Chabashira believed that herself was unimportant. Her goal wasn't to give Horikita answers but to engage her curiosity and scepticism so that she'd wish to find out for herself. Perhaps she'd hoped that Horikita, who was so focussed on advancing in the rankings, would be able to draw out my cooperation. When that hadn't worked, she'd approached me herself and used a more forceful tactic.

"Why do you think Ayanokouji purposefully got scores of 50 points across the board on his entrance examination? Why do you think Ayanokouji is helping you? Why do you think that Ayanokouji doesn't put himself forward as a superior student, despite having superior ability? Is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka really someone who 'dislikes trouble'?"

I felt glances repeatedly being thrown at me. Everybody was working through Chabashira's questions in their mind. Of course, not even she knew the answers to her own questions. The chances of anyone else coming to a conclusion were almost non-existent. However, it was a certainty that they'd all come to the conclusion that I had lied.

"Fufufu, I'd like to see what she would say if I asked those questions back to her. Even I can't be certain as to the answers, so the thought of her being able to give satisfactory answers is laughable," Sakayanagi smirked.

"Wait, even I can't answer those questions! Every time I ask him, he just gives me some cop-out answer! Although, he did say something about something forcing his hand and that's why he helped the class out. But we haven't seen anything like that? Maybe something happened later?" Kei shared in the confusion.

"I'm so confused! He was lying or something? Wait, that's right! He lied about his running speed as well. Ha-ah! That means his defect is that he's a liar, right? That's a bad thing, isn't it? Even if he's great at running and maths, he's still a liar!" Ike had his own thoughts as well.

"I remember that this used to freak me out a little. During this time, Kiyotaka-kun used to act just like anyone else in the class. He was withdrawn but he and Horikita-san seemed to be close so I didn't worry too much about it. I was honestly glad our class had someone so mature. But then I started speaking to him more and it was like he had changed so much in so little time. It's impossible for a human being to change that quickly. He went from worrying about his place in class or how many friends he had to being uninterested. He also insisted he was just like everyone else in the class, even though it was obvious that wasn't true. I said to him that it was like he had two separate personalities...I don't think that's true but it's still weird to see such a contrast in his personality in these videos to the personality he shows now," Hirata thought.

"That's..."

If he truly wanted to prioritise peace and tranquillity, then why score 50 points in all subjects and allow himself to draw this much attention? Had he deliberately poked his nose into this incident as well? I wondered if he ought to have been carefully monitored, like many other students. As Chabashira-sensei said, his behaviour didn't fit the pattern of someone who "disliked trouble." That unconscious realisation must have been the cause of my earlier discomfort.

"Huh? I don't really understand. Ayanokouji-kun really lied?" Sonoda asked Horikita.

"I-I don't know," Horikita muttered in response. She seemed genuinely unsure.

"But what he said makes sense, right?" Satou offered her opinion, "Ayanokouji-kun is clearly clever...what other reason could he have for wanting to hold back?"

"It makes sense to hold back in front of the other classes," Keisei looked conflicted, "However, that can't be the case. Kiyotaka was holding back from the very start before anybody knew the true nature of the school. His excuse was that he didn't want to stand out, but then why score 50s on his entrance exam? He could have scored just a little higher and nothing would have looked off..."

Having voiced the thoughts swirling around his mind, Keisei looked at me, various expressions flashing across his face. Anger, confusion, sorrow and perhaps a hint of regret. From his perspective, it must have felt like I'd told him lie after lie and he'd believed every single one. That was worse than just making him look bad by hiding my ability. Keisei understood now that everything I'd said was in an attempt to salvage my position, rather than make good on our friendship. If he ever trusted me again, I'd be extremely surprised.

"B-but Horikita-san said she didn't know if he was lying!" Haruka yelled, "If even she doesn't know then maybe he was telling the truth?"

"Will you stop?" Keisei's tone silences Haruka, "Look, if Horikita, the person who has been around Ayanokouji for the longest, doesn't know if he was lying or telling the truth, that says something. Especially seeing as it's someone like her. The only possibility here is that Ayanokouji lied both times. First, he lied about wanting to avoid trouble, then after his exam results were revealed, he lied about his reason for not wanting to stand out,"

Keisei had tried to trust me. He had even gone as far as to ask me for advice. Nothing I said now would be believed.

"So why do you hold back? We already know you lied, so there's no point in hiding it anymore!"

I sat back in my chair and tried to relax. What was the correct course of action here? Keisei was right in the respect that there was no point in lying any longer. The fact that I really did want to avoid standing out didn't mean much now. My bizarre entrance exam scores ruined any kind of credibility I had in that regard.

What was I thinking? I already knew the correct course of action from the moment these videos began. The obvious option was to drop out of school. There was no point in this. I already knew what the response would be.

I know already. So why am I still here?

"You'll get your answer," I said.

"What?"

"Just what I said. I have no intention of saying whether I was lying or not. These are just Horikita's personal thoughts on my honesty. Even if she had her doubts, she hadn't decided either way. Isn't that right, Horikita?"

"Yes, I had no way of knowing. I was making assumptions based on his behaviour," Horikita nodded.

"There you have it. If you are so interested, then wait and see,"

There was no point in saying it. He and so many others were clearly interested. In my mind, a sense of camaraderie was forming. Perhaps it was that feeling, then...

"...Why can't you just answer now?" Keisei seemed taken aback after I swatted off his interrogation.

"You're smart, right? You think I'm lying about everything I've said so why should I give you an answer? Wouldn't you just think I'm still lying?"

Of course, he had no retort to that, because that's probably exactly what he would have thought.

"Y-yes, I believe that to be the best course of action too..." Yousuke's voice held unfamiliar hesitation, "After all, there's no chance of him lying in his thoughts. I don't like the idea of trampling on Kiyotaka-kun's privacy, especially not in such a...strange way, but it's our best option,"

"This is hard...I don't really feel the same way as Yukimuu. If Kiyopon lied to Horikita-san, I don't see any problems with it. Maybe he's more capable than he lets on but if that doesn't affect our group, I don't care about it. It's different for Yukimuu who has a lot of pride in his intelligence," Haruka was split between her friendships with Yukimura and Ayanokouji.

"From what I've seen of Yukimura-kun, he is pretty smart when it comes to academics and seems close to Ayanokouji-kun. Maybe he feels disrespected in some way? I've always guessed that there was probably more to Ayanokouji-kun than he let on, so perhaps that's why I don't feel the same way. Plus, I genuinely believe there is more to this than just him lying. I'm sure I'd feel the same way regardless of my other feelings about him," Ichinose thought.

"In my personal opinion, Ayanokouji is the most defective student in Class D."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Haruka's expression instantly soured.

The same was true for the rest of the Ayanokouji group, Keisei excluded. Others reacted with surprise or confusion.

"Haven't we just been learning about how Ayanokouji-kun is more intelligent than he lets on?" Matsushita asked the question on everybody's mind, "So what do you mean when you say he's the most defective? I mean, even if he wasn't that intelligent, surely there are...other options,"

She targeted her question at Chabashira while glancing briefly at the less valued members of our class.

"I'll save you all the trouble now," Chabashira's tone was cold, "I'm not answering any questions on my opinion of Ayanokouji,"

With such a direct rejection, Matsushita fell silent, clearly at a loss as to how to follow up.

"Oh? It sounds a little like you're defending him, Chabashira-sensei," Nagumo grinned as he sent his provocation.

"Of course, I am. I'm his homeroom teacher and it's my job to protect his interests to the best of my ability," Chabashira explained, "I do not believe that Ayanokouji would want me to carelessly spout my own opinions to the entire school. I told my opinion to Horikita and only her because I had good reason,"

Which meant she believed discussing it with Horikita was in my own best interest. Of course, there wasn't a hint of truth in that, and if there was, it was only because it suited her own pursuits. In regard to the other students, though, they would have no reason to doubt her reasoning.

"I suppose that makes sense," Okitani nodded, "But do you really think Ayanokouji is that bad?"

His question wasn't asked to Chabashira, but rather to our classmates.

"Huh? Well, I don't know. I mean, it seems like he's helped us out a lot, right?" Mori shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't really get what this all means," Ike groaned, "I thought us being seen as the defectives was because we were the dumbest or something, but we have people like Horikita-san in our class,"

"I think there's probably more to it than just intelligence," Mii-chan said, "Although it's not a nice way of putting it, I think the term 'defect' is referring to something that's holding us back from succeeding at school,"

The reasoning behind our label wasn't discussed thoroughly after our first few months at school. This was probably because our successes in the special exams brought us closer to the rest of the pack, so the other class didn't have time to be worried about insulting us and had to defend themselves. As such, most students didn't fully understand what the terms really meant and viewed it as merely an insult.

"Wait, really? So it's not just because we aren't smart or athletic?" Ike frowned.

"Of course, it isn't. You could have worked that out quite easily considering who is in our class," Matsushita sighed, "I think Mii-chan is probably right. If Chabashira-sensei believes Ayanokouji-kun to be the most defective then there's probably something about him that means he can't contribute as much as others,"

"In which case, not wanting to get involved would be extremely detrimental and would make sense if it was true. However, neither Horikita nor Chabashira-sensei believes that to be the case...so what is so wrong with him then?" Matsushita thought.

"Sensei really views Kiyotaka like that? Surely she should know more about his situation than the rest of us, so how could she see him that way? I know for sure that he has been the main reason we've been so successful and also why we haven't lost more classmates than we have. Shouldn't she respect him, even if he is her student?" Hirata struggled to comprehend Chabashira's opinion.

Questions as to what my supposed 'defect' could be circulated around all of the classes. Despite her words being full of misdirection, Chabashira had unwittingly told Horikita something extremely close to the truth. Or, perhaps that was the wrong way of thinking. Chabashira wasn't unintelligent by any means and it was obvious that something was different about me when she'd discussed it with the director before my enrollment. His eyes being on me and the nature of my acceptance would have told someone as experienced as Chabashira that I wasn't like the regular students. Of course, she was still guessing but it would be wrong to say she didn't have a good reason behind her words.

"He's the most defective?"

"Higher functioning products are more difficult to handle. If you misunderstand how to handle him, the class might be completely destroyed in short order."

"D-destroyed? What the hell does that mean?" Sonoda asked in apparent shock.

"Oh, there's so much going on that I don't understand..." Ike's enthusiasm had been thoroughly drained.

"Higher functioning? What did you mean by that, sensei?" Keisei dared to ask the silent Chabashira for answers.

"Perhaps I should elaborate on this a little," Chabashira sighed but realised she couldn't leave this be, "My goal was to unite Horikita and Ayanokouji. I thought if they worked together that there might be some hope for Class D. So don't take what I'm saying here too seriously,"

I never expected her to just give up and explicitly state her true reasons. Though I thought that was probably in her best interest. Despite needing to protect me, she also had to think of the class as a whole. If they were all worried about me potentially sabotaging them, keeping me around for my abilities would become close to pointless.

"Chabashira-sensei, do you really understand what about him can be considered defective?"

"Get to know the person called Ayanokouji. What is he thinking? What focal point does he base his actions around? What is his fatal flaw? There's definitely an answer there."

"I'm not convinced...does he really have something like that? I still don't really get how the school assesses our abilities and stuff. I know Kiyotaka was trying to figure it out but he never told me if he found the answer. Maybe it has something to do with his mindset? He thinks of people as things he can just use and throw away, right? Oh no, I need to stop thinking about that...I can't help but think he still views me in that way too," Kei tried to clear her thoughts.

"A flaw, eh? Well, of course, he does. Nobody is perfect, not even a monster like him. You just need to find the right weapon to hit him with," Ryuuen thought.

"Her insistence on monitoring Ayanokouji-kun is definitely evidence that he's important to our class. He's definitely much more capable than what he told me when I confronted him before. In that case, is he better than Hirata and Horikita? My gut is telling me that he is, but I want to be sure," Matsushita decided.

"Why is she so interested in Ayanokouji-kun? I also think he's an amazing person, but why is she going so far? If he doesn't want to get involved then I don't think that's a bad thing. As long as he didn't do anything to hurt his class, I think he should have been left alone. But all those times he helped me...he didn't seem reluctant then..." Ichinose thought.

"Why is it so important anyway?" Shinohara asked, "Why is sensei so fixated on him?"

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," Sudou agreed, "She didn't really care at all back then,"

Why was Chabashira-sensei telling me such things? As our homeroom teacher, she usually appeared unaware of and unconcerned with her class. But, if someone so disinterested thought this way, then...

Chabashira-sensei said nothing more.

"Urgh, I don't get it at all..." Ike groaned.

"I appreciate that Ayanokouji-kun did all those things for us," Inogashira smiled, "I don't really get this conversation though,"

"I think perhaps we don't need to understand everything yet," Yousuke considered, "Based on how things have gone, it seems like we are being shown events that were previously secret, but it also seems like they are designed to make us ask questions,"

"That does appear to be the case and those questions seem to all be centred around Ayanokouji," Katsuragi agreed.

"So, what, the goal of this is to get to know Ayanokouji-kun or something?" Kei scoffed.

"Well, it does seem quite unfitting of the scenario we are currently in, true," Katsuragi accepted Kei's scepticism, "However, as Ichinose suggested earlier, these videos are focussed on Ayanokouji so I don't believe my hypothesis is incorrect,"

"Right, so we just need to learn about Ayanokouji-kun?" Amikura asked jovially, "For once, this doesn't seem like a difficult task!"

"That's certainly one way of seeing it," Ichinose laughed.

"Aren't you concerned about the reason why?" Kanzaki frowned.

"Well, it's weird, obviously," Amikura shrugged, "But compared to surviving on a deserted island, this actually seems pretty fun!"

"I think we need to be considerate of Ayanokouji-kun, though," Ichinose warned, "We are intruding on his privacy, after all,"

"Yeah...sorry about that, Ayanokouji-kun,"

"I don't mind. This is much easier than the island, after all," I said, silently hoping that there'd be a surprise third island exam a few minutes from now.

"Aren't you weirded out by everyone learning what you're thinking though?" Kobashi asked.

"A little, yeah. However, even if I asked to stop this, I doubt I'd get my wish," I sighed.

After all, if this footage was being shown, my father would have been involved somewhere down the line. He knew how to handle most of the problems that came his way and privacy laws were certainly just a pesky annoyance to him.

We will now be switching back to Ayanokouji's perspective.

Well, that detour didn't last long. Horikita's perspective had caused more headaches though so perhaps this was for the better.

I waited outside the student council room until the meeting had concluded. The students from Class C and Sakagami-sensei left first, with Sudou following a little while later. He wore a bright, cheerful expression.

"Looks like it went well," I said.

"Man, I don't understand what happened, but Horikita did something for me. Right?"

I nodded.

"You really didn't take credit for anything, did you?" Matsushita grinned.

"I'm not really concerned with being recognised for things like this anyway, despite any of my other thoughts on it," I shrugged.

"I think you are just really humble, Ayanokouji-kun," Satou smiled at me.

"Thanks, but I don't think that's true,"

"What do you mean? You always put yourself down while helping us out, right?" she looked confused.

"Maybe, but I view my own abilities objectively rather than taking pride in them," I thought that was a sufficient explanation.

"Eh? I don't really get it," Satou looked disheartened.

"That's fine. You'll probably understand eventually,"

"I knew it. I knew she'd come through for my sake. Heh heh heh." He looked incredibly happy. "Well, I gotta head to my club. We should have a party tonight."

"Yeah."

The next people to exit were the student council president and Secretary Tachibana.

"Excellent work." I thought we'd just exchange a light greeting, but the president stopped in his tracks to address me. "I have approved Class C's request to withdraw their complaint."

"Is that so?" I said. "Well, I guess miracles do happen."

"I hadn't really noticed this until now, but...aren't you pretty sarcastic, Ayanokouji-kun?" Matsushita's lips formed a faint smile.

"Now that you mention it, I definitely see it," Haruka agreed, turning narrowed eyes on me.

I guess I couldn't deny it, "Maybe sometimes,"

"You haven't noticed because you didn't even know he was being sarcastic," Horikita sighed.

From a broader perspective, a lot of what I say could be construed as sarcastic, but I couldn't help that.

Horikita's brother remained still and looked me in the eyes. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "So this was all to prove that Sakura wasn't a liar, as you said? I suppose if Class C withdrew their complaint, then talk would spread quite naturally. If Sudou or Sakura weren't the liars, then Class C was."

"Well, she wasn't lying in the first place!" Haruka was still annoyed by Manabu's persistence in seeking evidence.

"Your little sister handled things well. I didn't do anything."

"I'm sure Horikita-senpai didn't believe you for a second," Nagumo chuckled.

"No, probably not," I sighed.

"I was quite certain of his involvement but that was only my personal judgement. I had no obvious evidence," Manabu said.

"Isn't that just because you didn't believe in your sister, senpai?" Amasawa had an innocent-looking smile plastered on her face.

"I can't deny that I had my doubts that Suzune came up with a plan as sophisticated as this on her own. However, I had other reasons to consider Ayanokouji's involvement,"

"That means that you thought Ayanokouji was better than your sister, senpai?" Kanzaki asked.

Manabu paused for a moment before answering, "I don't think it's my place to decide that. I'd suggest you make your own judgements,"

His answer was non-commital but announced that he had no intention of revealing anything.

"If that's your answer, then I'm impressed. Even though it's a simple story." The unflappable Secretary Tachibana clapped her hands.

"Tachibana. Do you still have one seat open for secretary?"

"Yes. A first-year Class A student applied the other day, but was rejected after the first interview."

"Ayanokouji. If you wanted it, I would appoint you to the position."

There was a moment of silence before the hall erupted.

"W-what?"

"Didn't Katsuragi get rejected, but he invited Ayanokouji?"

"Hey, he isn't even on the student council now, is he?"

Their confusion was inevitable. There were probably very few people that Manabu ever voluntarily invited to join the student council. And as for how many refused that invite...

"You were invited onto the student council, Ayanokouji...wait, you've been on the student council this entire time!" Sudou was shocked.

I wasn't sure if it was just because he was surprised, but Sudou wasn't thinking clearly.

"Are you stupid?" Horikita looked at him with a disapproving glare, "Of course, he hasn't been on the student council. He must have..."

She glanced at me and then let out an exasperated sigh.

"Did you refuse the student council president, Ayanokouji-kun?" Kobashi asked.

"Uh...yeah," I couldn't exactly deny it.

I was surprised, but Secretary Tachibana appeared even more shocked than me. "S-student council president... Do you really mean that?"

"Do you disapprove?"

"N-no. If you say so, I have no objections. But..."

"Nah, I hate troublesome stuff. Besides, being in the student council is no joke. I want to lead an ordinary student life at this school," I replied.

"Yeah, there was no way he was ever going to accept that," Amikura laughed, "Right, Honami-chan?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, that's just like Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose agreed but her own thoughts appeared to be somewhere else.

"What's up, Honami?" Kobashi frowned.

"It's just both Katsuragi-kun and I were rejected by Horikita-senpai, so I thought it was really hard to impress him," Ichinose explained, "I was just thinking how amazing it is that Ayanokouji-kun got invited without asking for a place,"

"Isn't that humiliating, Katsuragi-kun?" Sakayanagi turned the focus to her former classmate, "That Ayanokouji-kun was invited to join while you were rejected at the first interview,"

"I don't know what the reasoning was, but if that was Horikita-senpai's judgement then I can't say anything against it,"

So he said, but he looked incredibly interested in the differences between us.

"So you invited him to join the student council so early on, Horikita-senpai," Nagumo's normal carefree attitude was gone and he looked genuinely interested in this development.

"I did. I thought he possessed the right characteristics," Manabu gave a vague response.

"I see, I see," A wry smile formed on Nagumo's face, "May I ask what role he would have served?"

"Did you not hear what I said?"

"I know you asked him to join in the position of secretary but surely that wasn't all you were asking of him?"

Nagumo likely suspected that Manabu had asked me to join so he could use me as a weapon against him. He was probably correct.

"There is little point in answering that question. I'm sure you've already figured out that he refused me," Manabu dodged the question.

Secretary Tachibana was even more shocked by my response.

"Huh? Are you refusing an invitation from the student council president?!"

"Well, I'd just never do anything that I'm not interested in..."

I didn't do what I didn't want to do. Besides, there was no reason to invite me onto the student council in the first place.

"Well, wasn't it because he thought highly of you?" Satou asked.

"He had no reason to have that impression of me, though," I responded.

"Let's go, Tachibana."

"Y-yes."

Their interest in me had apparently run out with my refusal, so they left.

"I can't believe you never said anything!" Mori looked dumbfounded, "Most people would never stop bragging about having the student council president invite them to join,"

"As I said, the student council didn't appeal to me,"

"Ayanokouji-kun isn't the type to go around bragging like that anyway, right?"

"Well, yeah, he keeps his mouth shut about everything," Okitani didn't look pleased.

A short time later, Horikita and Chabashira-sensei appeared. Chabashira-sensei just gave me a slight glance, leaving without saying anything in particular.

"Yo."

I raised my hand as I greeted Horikita, but was met with an intense glare the likes of which I'd never seen from her before. She quickly returned to her neutral expression, though.

"This was just after Horikita-san and Chabashira-sensei's conversation, wasn't it?" Kei asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Yousuke nodded.

"What were the results?" I asked.

"You'd already know, right?" she replied.

"I'm glad to hear that. Looks like your strategy worked well."

"Wow, he really is sarcastic..." Haruka didn't seem to approve of this fact.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Am I just your puppet?

"Woah, what?" Sudou frowned.

This could prove to be a dangerous conversation.

"What the hell does that mean?" Shinohara was astounded.

"My puppet? What are you talking about?"

"Ayanokouji-kun, you brought up the idea of surveillance cameras in the classrooms. Next, you took me to the special building and made me realize that there were no cameras. Then, you guided me to the idea of inventing false evidence, so that we could parse the truth from lies... When I look back on it now, that's all I can think of."

Everyone was working their minds through this information.

"We did see all that happen..." Keisei realised.

"Huh? We did?" Haruka hadn't picked up on it.

"When they were discussing the problems with proving Sudou's innocence, Kiyotaka made reference to the cameras present in the classroom. A short while after, both Kiyotaka and Horikita went to the special building to check out the scene. Of course, they both realised that there weren't any cameras there and by Horikita's own words, she only checked because Kiyotaka had brought them up previously. Some also joked about his lack of resilience when it came to the heat, but Kiyotaka also brought up that topic. Finally, although Horikita couldn't have known this back then, Kiyotaka's thoughts told us that their visit wasn't pointless. In other words, he'd figured out a strategy to win. All in all, while Horikita came up with the strategy, it looks like Kiyotaka gave her all the pieces she needed."

He gave a concise rundown of previous events with this new perspective in mind.

"Could he really do something like that though?" Mori scoffed, "That seems impossible,"

To subtly push things in a certain direction using only word of mouth? This was something everyone was capable of doing to an extent. They did it in their everyday life even if they weren't aware of it.

"It isn't impossible," Katsuragi cut in, "Indeed, it would be extremely difficult. I can't say I would be capable of it,"

I saw him glance at Sakayanagi as he spoke.

"In hindsight, I agree with Yukimura," Katsuragi continued, "It does appear as if Ayanokouji pushed Horikita in the right direction,"

"I don't get it though," Kei frowned, "If Ayanokouji-kun already figured everything out, why didn't he just tell Horikita-san his plan? Wouldn't that have been so much easier?"

"Yes, but I'm sure he had his reasons for not doing so,"

"There's this topic again," Kanzaki sighed, "We can never figure out why he does anything,"

"Wait, but did you really do all that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Satou asked.

I hesitated for a second before I spoke, "Yeah, I did. Although I didn't say as much here,"

"Why didn't you just tell her about your plan then?"

"I thought allowing her to figure it out was a better option. Horikita is extremely capable so I knew she'd get there eventually,"

"You're overthinking it. It's just a coincidence."

"Isn't that the same thing you said to your entrance exam scores?" Ryuuen chuckled.

"Who are you?"

"What do you mean, who am I? I'm just a guy who dislikes trouble, right?"

I realized that I had gotten involved a little too much this time. I'd need to reflect on that. The always-sharp Horikita probably guessed my thoughts, to some extent.

I had to dial it back a little. I just wanted my life here to be peaceful.

"I can't understand you," Keisei said, "It really seems like your top priority is a peaceful life without getting involved in trouble...but your actions completely go against that,"

While I was thinking about how to respond, Manabu spoke up, "If you wouldn't mind, could you hold off on answering that, Ayanokouji,"

I couldn't hide my confusion, "Sure, but can I ask why?"

"I have been thinking about a certain possibility throughout these videos and I'm almost positive now that I am correct. Since you are highly involved in this situation, I'd like to ask you for permission to voice my thoughts after this video has concluded,"

He's come to some kind of conclusion, eh? Well, whatever he had to say, it couldn't do any more damage.

"I don't mind, you can speak freely,"

"Thank you. Yukimura, was it? I think my theory could hold an answer to your confusion, so if you could hold back your questions until the video has finished, I'd appreciate it,"

It wasn't only Keisei who was interested in Manabu's theory. Everybody who had been gossiping was quiet.

"Y-yes, I think we'd all be interested in learning your opinion, Horikita-senpai," Keisei agreed.

"Someone who dislikes trouble. If that's—"

As Horikita started to speak, a male student walked toward us. This was not a conversation that we wanted to be overheard, so both Horikita and I fell silent. We waited for him to pass, but the guy stopped in front of us.

"Ryuuen-san?" Ishizaki was the first to recognise him.

It wasn't an accident. He had black hair, styled so it was worn long. He appeared to be around the same height as me, maybe a little taller. I glanced at his profile and noted that he wore a wide grin. His smile looked ominous.

"Setting up a camera? You really did something funny, huh?" The boy didn't even turn to face us entirely as he spoke.

"He didn't even doubt it was a fake," Ike said with a mix of awe and fear.

"Of course, he didn't," Horikita said, "He would have made sure initially that there were no cameras present in that area. Do you not remember how important it was that we prevented Ishizaki-kun from making that phone call?"

As I'd said before, if Ryuuen had caught wind of our intervention, our entire strategy would have crumbled.

"And you are?" Horikita asked the mystery student, seemingly perturbed.

"Next time, I'll be your opponent. I look forward to it."

"A declaration of war? How intriguing," Sakayanagi was thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Urgh, we had so much trouble with Ryuuen's class after this," Ike moaned.

His spies on the island, the brilliance of his strategy on the cruise ship and his constant monitoring of my classmates. It's true that our first year brought many conflicts with him.

The boy walked on without answering Horikita's question. We never got a clear look at him. We were only able to watch in silence as he walked away.

"Well. I'll be heading back now." I had the feeling it would be better for us not to be seen together and turned my back on Horikita.

"Wait. We're not done talking, Ayanokouji-kun."

" I'm done talking." I kept going without looking back.

"Woah, that was a little rude, Kiyopon," Haruka shot me a disapproving look.

"Horikita was asking too many questions, right, Kiyotaka?" Akito guessed correctly.

"I guess that's true. It doesn't seem like Kiyopon likes talking about himself,"

"You promised, right? You promised you'd help me reach Class A."

"You sort of forced me to. You helped Sudou in this case, too. Right?"

"Forced?"

"What does that mean?" Ichinose asked.

"Um, it wasn't that serious," I quickly intervened, "She tricked me into eating an expensive lunch set on her tab and asked for my cooperation in return,"

My answer was met with more silence.

"A-ah I see," Ichinose also looked taken aback, "That's sure a big promise to make for some food, haha,"

"That's not what I meant. I want to know what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking 'This is annoying,' and 'I don't have any motivation to do this.' Stuff like that. That's what I'm thinking. Even if you took back what you said just now, Horikita, I do intend to live my life quietly. Whether we aim for Class A or whatever, that's it."

"If that's the case, then his mentality isn't much of a problem," Kanzaki realised, "If he intends on helping his class while living a slow life, I can't see a problem with that,"

"You mean that can't be his defect?" Ichinose asked.

"Exactly. I think that could be why Chabashira-sensei said that wasn't his defect because he was helping out despite feeling that way,"

I'd hoped that answer would satisfy her, but Horikita didn't listen.

"If you really hated drawing attention, you wouldn't make all this effort to get involved. You say you're someone who 'dislikes trouble,' after all. Yet you act all evasive and non-committal even while you help me. Why?"

"Can I ask why you're so worried about it, Horikita-san?" Ichinose asked.

"Mostly because I was always curious about his way of thinking," Horikita explained, "The conversation I had with Chabashira-sensei pushed me into confronting him with my thoughts,"

"But he clearly doesn't want to speak about it,"

"That's his decision, but it doesn't stop me from asking anyway,"

"T-that's true,"

I assumed that this change in Horikita's behaviour was Chabashira-sensei's doing. She was probably pulling the strings here. I wouldn't be surprised if she knew about my past.

"The way you said that makes it seem like something significant happened to you," Kanzaki blatantly ignored the awkward feeling in the room when I mentioned my past.

"It was nothing like that," I made sure to let everyone know that I had zero interest in commenting.

"He instantly realised that I had spoken with Horikita and he connected the dots to figure out that I had some clue into his past. Perhaps he imagined that I knew more. It would explain why he went along with my threats so readily," Chabashira thought.

"I thought that I should help the first friends I've ever made. Probably."

"Did you say the first friends you'd ever made?" Satou looked at me in disbelief.

"W-what about junior high or even before that?" Kei exclaimed, "You didn't have any friends until high school?"

"I knew you were a loner but seriously man?" Ike's face told me he was genuinely sad for me.

Most people had similar reactions. They were either in shock at the fact I had been alone until now or felt bad for me because of it.

"T-thanks for helping me out, Ayanokouji," Sudou fell into the latter category.

If I kept talking, I might say something unnecessary. I walked faster. By now, I had reached one absolute conclusion. If Horikita were truly aiming for Class A, it would be impossible under our present circumstances. We'd received a declaration of war from some guy apparently known as Ryuuen. This could be just the start of a cunning, audacious, and brutal attack. He would probably stand in our way as a vigilant enemy in the future. Then there were Ichinose and Kanzaki from Class B. They were two capable people who took only small, indirect steps. Ichinose probably had more plans lined up in her ambition to reach the top than I could imagine. It was impossible to fully understand how we'd landed in this situation, or her methods and process.

Everyone listened to my analysis intently.

"Eh? You really figured a lot of stuff out from such a brief meeting, Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose looked somewhat worried.

"Indeed. It may be basic information, but it's all accurate," Kanzaki agreed.

"And he says he's not interested," Ryuuen scoffed.

I didn't understand what she wanted, but her goals would most likely prove a huge obstacle for us. In other words, it was fair to say that trying to reach Class A in three years was hopeless. Even if we tried to tackle this situation head-on, then...

"Ugh!"

I unintentionally let out a small noise.

I really was an idiot.

"Huh? What was that for?"

What was I getting worked up for? I had arbitrarily started analyzing Class D and considering the options. I didn't want to. I mean, she was the one who chose this school, right? Horikita and Ichinose were aiming for the top, not me. All I wanted was an ordinary, regular life where nothing ever happened. Otherwise? I couldn't do this.

"I don't think he was lying..." Satou muttered.

I knew more about myself than anyone else. I knew just how defective, just how foolish I was. I was a horrible human being.

The awkward mood threatened to suffocate us.

"W-what are you talking about, Ayanokouji-kun?" Satou's voice was weak as if she wasn't sure she should be speaking out.

I stayed silent.

"Kiyopon, you really think of yourself like that?" Haruka looked concerned about me.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that, Kiyotaka," Akito tried to encourage me, "I can tell you're a good guy,"

"What is he even on about? A horrible human being? There's nothing that could be further from the truth! You helped me so much, how can you think of yourself like that? I need to tell him. He can't think of himself like this," Ichinose tried to speak up but found that she couldn't.

"What does that mean? He's always thought highly of himself in regard to his ability, but apparently, that doesn't extend to his personality. I can't say I like his personality all too much but I would never call him a horrible person. He thinks logically and sometimes that can mean he makes decisions that others would view as harsh - myself included. However, if that makes him a bad person then wouldn't I be in the same boat?" Horikita frowned.

"Horrible person, eh? Well, he's right about that. Once these idiots realise what he's really capable of they'll change their tune. Kuku, maybe they'll even despise him more than they do me," Ryuuen held back his laughter.

"So he does think of himself in that way...I suspected as much. I only have the information my father allowed me to hear, but I've heard of what that place can do to the children there. If a child doesn't have a loving environment or any lasting attachments, they can't learn to cherish their own feelings, let alone others. However, Ayanokouji-kun is intelligent and self-aware enough to realise that. I can't imagine how that must feel. I only wish I'd been able to give him some advice earlier," Sakayanagi was saddened to hear Ayanokouji's thoughts on himself.

"I didn't focus on his mentality at all. It didn't concern me. All I noticed were his abilities. But this is how he thinks of himself? I can't deny or agree to his claims, as I don't know enough about him. I'm concerned about how he feels about his thoughts being publicly scrutinized, but I can't help but be immensely interested in future videos," Manabu thought.

Nobody spoke to me anymore. More people tried asking me about my thoughts but I ignored them. After a while, they stopped and the room fell into a chorus of hushed discussion.

"That's the end of that video," Mashima gave an abrupt announcement, conscious of everybody's concerns, "Also, we are done for the day, you can all go one class at a time,"

"Wait a moment," Manabu called out, "I haven't had a chance to give my thoughts. Could everybody allow me to speak before you leave?"

Nobody moved. Everybody's attention was on Manabu as he made his way to the front of the room. Although their minds were still fixated on my opinion of myself, they were interested to learn what Manabu had to say. The same was true for me.

Just what did Horikita Manabu want to say?

(A/N - I think this might be the first time I've written more than I've copied from the book, but I'm not entirely sure. I was planning on writing Manabu's speech in this part but I got to the end and just wanted to upload it. The next part will be a fairly long interlude to set up the events of Y1 V3. I know interludes are kind of boring compared to reaction parts but I think it's necessary to supplement the reactions of the characters and give them more chance to, well...react.)

Interlude - End of Day Two

"I'll make this quick so I don't take up too much of your time,"

Horikita Manabu had made his way to the front and began addressing the students before him. It almost felt like he had regained his position as student council president.

"What I have to say is only a theory, but, as I said before, I don't believe I'm wrong. It has to do with the nature of this...'mind reading' we're seeing," he continued.

Oh, so that's what this was about. It was true that most people had looked past this quite shocking revelation that mind reading was possible.

"To be honest, I still can't quite believe that we are actually witnessing this," Manabu confessed, "However, although I have no idea how it's actually possible, how it works is more important. People who have come into contact with Ayanokouji over the last year and a half should have some idea of what I'm talking about here. The Ayanokouji in these videos and the Ayanokouji I thought I knew are very different,"

"So, Horikita-senpai thought the same as me? I had no idea that they were close. Regardless, what he's saying is true. Kiyotaka-kun's thoughts in these videos don't match up to what I know of him. I trust him and believe that he can help many people...but he possesses a ruthless attitude that he doesn't show publicly. That side of him should be present in his thoughts even if he doesn't show it through his words and actions. I even considered the possibility that he had lied when he said these are his true thoughts, but maybe there is another explanation," Hirata thought.

"Different? I suppose there are some discrepancies but I can't say for sure. I'm sure my brother understands Ayanokouji-kun to a greater extent than me, though, so perhaps my thoughts aren't important here. He has always hidden his true intentions, so I've never been able to gauge what he's truly thinking. If I had to say one thing I found strange, it would be his lack of confidence. In these videos, his thoughts are self-depreciative but I know that he is sure of himself and his abilities. There's no way that's a front. Everything about the way he acts tells me he is confident," Horikita thought.

"He has a point. I was starting to think I was wrong about that guy. His thought process was weird, to say the least, but it was fundamentally similar to the others. But that's stupid. There's no way that guy has this mindset. I came to my own conclusion but I wonder what Mr Ex Student Council President has to say," Ryuuen listened with interest.

"I did think it was a little weird. Ayanokouji-kun is very humble. He helps everyone out while always putting himself down. I thought that, inside himself, he knew how amazing he really was, but just played himself down. However, watching this, it sounds like he really does view himself in such a terrible way," Ichinose had a sad expression.

"Some of you who haven't had much contact with Ayanokouji may find this confusing," Manabu continued, "However, there's no need to worry about that for the time being. If we are going to watch these videos then I believe it's important to understand the premise, at least to some extent,"

Even though we had watched many numerous videos now, the entire situation was still too baffling for people to wrap their heads around.

"So, this is my theory. For those who understand a little about the human brain, you might have asked yourselves this once these 'mind reading' videos started. There's simply too much going on in our minds for them to be 'read' like a book. Our thoughts jump from one thing to the next and maintaining a singular point of focus for any extended period of time is impossible,"

I began to understand what Manabu's point was going to be.

"That being the case, I still believe these are Ayanokouji's real thoughts. But they have been cut down to only include his conscious thoughts,"

Most people our age could understand that it was impossible for a person's mind to be 'read' just like that. After all, we were students. We made notes to properly structure the thoughts in our heads. Of course, this was seen in other areas as well. Writing down our thoughts was an effective way of sorting through them.

The thoughts we write down are the ones at the forefront of our consciousness. The words record what we were thinking at that very moment. Sometimes our subconscious can get in the way of this, but most of the time it's true that we relay our prevalent thoughts. The main point was that this process of writing down our thoughts was strikingly similar to how they were presented in these videos.

"This is probably clear to most of you. After all, even to a child, the thought of being able to reliably understand a person's thought process is inconceivable. So, my point is that, however this mind reading has been made possible, we are hearing Ayanokouji's conscious thoughts. In other words, the thoughts at the forefront of his mind,"

While everybody else was letting his words sink in, Ryuuen spoke up, "So? That's painfully obvious, smartass. Haven't you got something else to say?"

It sounded like Ryuuen knew that wasn't Manabu's main point. The latter gave a satisfied nod.

"I do. As someone who has interacted with Ayanokouji, these thoughts don't match up to the person I think he is. On the other hand, I also don't think he's lying when he says these are his true thoughts,"

His contradicting words confused everyone in the room.

"What the hell are you saying? Didn't you say you wouldn't waste our time?" Kiryuuin tried to spur him to explain himself.

"I understand you all may find that confusing," Manabu conceded, "I did too, but after thinking about what the conclusion would be if both of my beliefs were true, I could only come to one. That Ayanokouji was forcing himself to think and act a certain way,"

In other words, not only was I not acting like myself, I wasn't even thinking like myself. I watched in silence as people tried to understand this theory.

"Umm, excuse me, I don't understand," Satou looked nervous as she spoke to Manabu, "W-what does that mean exactly?"

"Essentially, I'm saying that while Ayanokouji was indeed thinking this way at the time, his thoughts might not match up with his own character,"

Seeing that most people couldn't understand what he was saying, Manabu thought for a moment to find a way to explain.

"It's not quite the same thing but have you ever heard of the term 'method acting'?" Manabu asked, "It's a way for actors to prepare for a role by fully ingraining the character into their psyche. They play the role even when they aren't on stage and constantly live the life of their character. Supposedly, this provides them with the ability to give a sincere performance,"

I'd also heard of the practice. Through imagination and empathy, the actor lives the life of the character. Theoretically, it was an effective method for an actor to give a good performance, but it could fall short in practice.

"So you're saying that Ayanokouji-kun was playing a character? What we just saw wasn't really what he's like?" Mori asked.

"Yes, that's correct. But don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that his entire personality is fake, rather that it seems as if he's suppressing it,"

"I think I get it," Ichinose wore a troubled frown as she spoke, "Basically, you're saying he's consciously thinking a certain way that doesn't match his true thoughts...but that only pertains to the thoughts of the character he's trying to play?"

"I think that sums it up as well as it can be. It wouldn't be right to categorise his thoughts into truths and lies. They are his conscious thoughts, that's all,"

"I understand, but I don't think that's right. While I'm confused about some things, I don't think his thoughts contradict the person I believe him to be," Ichinose was oddly resolute.

"That's fine. I'm not trying to convince anyone but merely relay my own thoughts on the matter. Was that okay, Ayanokouji?"

"No problem here," I assured him.

His analysis was certainly interesting. In some ways, he had hit the bullseye, but...unfortunately, there are some things that are indecipherable to the average eye. Though Manabu was undoubtedly a special person - I was sure he'd understand eventually.

"So, was any of that true, Ayanokouji?" Kiryuuin asked.

"Hmm, I can't deny that I was forcing myself a little. I hadn't adjusted to the environment so I thought it best I tried to fit in," I replied.

"Well, I'm convinced at least," Nagumo shrugged, "It's not uncommon for people to think the way they want to act. Having said that...it's a little weird that you did it to this extent, Ayanokouji,"

I couldn't help but agree.

Having finished his address, Manabu offered his thanks for our undivided attention and made his way from the hall. Everyone else followed suit. I did my best to blend in with the outgoing crowd.

A lot had happened today. Perhaps it was more fitting to say we'd seen a lot today. Going in, there had been a maelstrom of questions in my mind and, although there were still some buzzing around, I was happy with today's results. I felt I could finally see the paths this could take. The most important question remaining was which one I wanted to walk.

However, deep down, I already had my answer.

I took out my phone and sent a message to two people. To be quite honest, I wasn't expecting either to respond. It turned out I'd only been half-correct, as I received one response instantly. Satisfied, I went to meet the person in question.

The meeting place was the school roof. Given that all the students had been gathered in another building and few would voluntarily come to school out of hours, the roof made a suitable location for a secret meeting.

"...Hi, Ayanokouji-kun,"

The identity of the girl who greeted me on my arrival was Ichinose Honami.

"Thanks for meeting me on such short notice," I said.

There was no time for me to try and find the meaning behind these videos. Even if I did, there would only be one outcome available to me, so, instead, I should focus on the things I can control.

"Although, I have to say that I'm surprised you agreed to see me," I said, voicing my honest thoughts.

Ichinose gave a wry smile before responding, "I guess I am too, haha,"

The little laugh she gave fully exposed her nervousness. She was unsure of herself and perhaps regretting her decision to come here.

"I've been thinking a lot," Ichinose continued in a low voice before I could say anything, "Honestly, I was planning on ignoring you...sorry,"

Although she apologised, there was no need. It was a perfectly understandable reaction that allowed her to calm her emotions before she decided on a way forward.

"But this whole situation couldn't have come at a worse time," she groaned, "As much as I tried to ignore you, it wouldn't help if I was seeing you every day,"

She sighed. As the days progressed and more events were shown, many people would be inconvenienced. However, they had to wait their turn. For Ichinose, the fact that all of this concerned me was an inconvenience in itself.

"So I made another decision. That I would pretend nothing happened and try and see you the way I always did. Maybe that naive, but it's the only way I could see of making it through this," Ichinose finished.

I genuinely thought it was admirable. Ichinose's strength was her heart. But it was also her weakness. When something happened to mess with her emotions, her defences were shot. This was why Sakayanagi's attack during our first year had been so close to working and why she was struggling so much now.

The ability to protect and care for others is an incredible thing, but that ability only works if the ones who possess it can look after themselves just the same.

"It appears I'm the source of your problems again," I bowed my head, "Sorry about that,"

"Oh no, you don't need to apologise at all!" Ichinose waved her hands to stop me, "This is to do with me so you don't need to worry about it. I promise that I'll find my way through this,"

Huh. Perhaps this situation wasn't as bad for Ichinose as it first appeared. She was resolute.

"In that case, could I be selfish and ask for a favour?" I moved on.

"A favour from me?" Ichinose seemed taken aback but then flashed me a smile, "Of course, if there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate,"

"Thanks. It's not anything big but it's to do with our current situation,"

I can't prevent the videos from being shown, but I can have some influence over how they are perceived.

"To be honest, the next few days might get pretty rough for me," I continued, "But it's not just me that these videos should worry. We've already seen with Kushida, but as you know, I've been involved in many of our classes strategies and made contact with a lot of people,"

Ichinose herself will probably worry about how to deal with parts that involve her, so she could see how that could be true for others as well.

"With so much being laid bare, it's obvious there going to be tension, especially with the entire school present. All I need you to do is alleviate that tension as best you can,"

"I understand, but...can I really do that?"

"Of course, you can. Right now you might not have much to show for it, but you've united your class for over a year. Despite dropping class positions and having trouble in the special exams, your classmates are still behind you,"

"You're making me out to be a charlatan," Ichinose's shoulders dropped, "But maybe that's true,"

"That's not it. Your way of fighting isn't wrong, you just haven't found the best way to use it yet. Regardless, that sustainability is exactly what we need right now. While emotions are high, there need to be people in key positions to mitigate the dangers that might cause. So, no matter what comes out, you need to calm everyone down and get them to think clearly,"

I emphasised my last point. If Ichinose was playing peacemaker, a lot of my troubles would disappear.

"...Okay. I'll do my best. I'm really not sure how much I can do on my own though,"

"That won't be a problem. There are plenty of other people who understand the dangers of these circumstances, so you'll have backup. However, I needed someone I could depend on, so I contacted you,"

Ichinose looked startled, "You think you can depend on me? Even after I let my class drop so much?"

"Individual ability isn't based on whether you're in Class A or Class D. You possess unique talents that can't be replicated by anyone else,"

"O-okay, so all I need to do is keep a level head and get everybody else to do the same?" she asked for confirmation.

"Yes, if you can do that, I'll be more than happy,"

Having finished my business with Ichinose, I felt that it wouldn't be right to impose on her any longer. Once I'd left the rooftop, I checked my phone to see that the other person I contacted hadn't responded. Although that was the outcome I'd expected, I would have preferred to meet face to face. I sent them a follow-up text and then headed back to my dorm.

Ayanokouji Group (minus Ayanokouji)

While Ayanokouji was meeting with Ichinose, all the other students were making their way back to the dorms while discussing what they'd seen.

"Will this ever get any easier to understand?" Haruka lamented.

Haruka alongside Airi, Akito and Keisei was complaining as they walked back together.

"It feels like this gets more convoluted as it goes," Akito agreed.

Like everyone else, they were trying to wrap their heads around everything. Currently, their conversation hinged on Manabu's speech before they left.

"I think I get what he wanted to say but it feels wrong," Haruka said, "Yeah, Kiyopon has been lying about some things but to say that he's faking a personality? Does that guy even know Kiyopon very well?"

"I admit it's hard to guess what Kiyotaka is thinking but I can't say his thoughts surprised me," Akito spoke as he gathered his thoughts, "He's always been that way, right? Helpful but doesn't stand out much. Even if he's smarter than he lets on, that doesn't mean his personality is any different,"

"But he's been lying about a lot of things," Keisei offered his viewpoint, "Even Horikita admitted that she doesn't know a lot about him and she's spent even more time with him than us,"

"Isn't it fine if he just wants to keep himself to himself?" Haruka asked, "I understand your position, Yukimuu, but he probably has a reason why he doesn't let us know everything,"

"I know," Keisei sighed, "I think I made a mistake today when I got angry about his lies, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to trust that he has a good reason for them. Kiyotaka is free to keep his life as private as he wants, but if he..."

Keisei hesitated to continue but his frustration was evident on his face.

"You don't want him to look down on you, right?" Airi smiled at him.

"...That's right,"

"Kiyotaka isn't the kind of person who'd do that," Airi continued, "I've always thought he was a lot smarter than he said, but he never looked down on me even while he gave me advice,"

"Even I know how stupid I'm being," Keisei admitted, "I'm being nothing more than a hypocrite. I used to look down on people who couldn't study well and achieved underwhelming grades, but here I am complaining about someone doing the same to me. Maybe it's different because we became friends..."

As the connection between two people got closer, the emotions in each word and action grew. If someone close to you were to think poorly of you, it would hurt more than if it was someone insignificant.

"Well, I think maybe we should just keep watching. That's what Kiyopon said, isn't it? He said we would understand eventually," Haruka remembered.

"Hmph. I just can't figure out why he can't just give us a straight answer," Keisei frowned.

"Maybe he thinks we won't understand that way?" Airi considered.

"Could be. It's not like we can force him to answer. If this is the way he wants to do things then I think that's fine," Akito said before moving on to another topic, "By the way, what do you think he meant when he said he was a horrible person?"

The mood of the group dropped as soon as the question left his lips.

"Urgh, these videos have really made me realise that I don't know Kiyopon at all," Haruka hung her head, "How can he think that about himself when he's been nothing but helpful?"

"I agree," Airi instantly backed her up, "Y-you all know how scared I was of other people, but Kiyotaka never made me feel that way..."

"I'm not really good at understanding other people's emotional states," Keisei admitted, "Despite my other feelings toward him, Kiyotaka has never made me think he's a bad person,"

"W-well, maybe we'll find out the answer to that too," Akito realised he'd soured the mood and tried to buck everyone up, "It's not like he's gonna have some hidden side to him like Kushida, right?"

For a moment, everyone paused.

"Don't even make jokes like that, Miyatchi!" Haruka poked his arm relentlessly.

"Hey, hey, I wasn't expecting you to take me so seriously!"

The entire group bantered with each other to try and relieve them of their nerves.

Manabu and Tachibana

Once Manabu had left the hall, Tachibana had followed soon after and the two now walked side-by-side to the temporary residence the school had set up for special guests.

"..."

Both were walking silently, in thought. Manabu had voiced his personal views just moments before, but he still had more on his mind. Tachibana, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about the connection between Ayanokouji and the man that walked beside her.

"Tachibana, you look like you want to say something," Manabu glanced at her.

"Hmm," Tachibana nodded, "Well, I've just been thinking about Ayanokouji,"

"As have a lot of people, I'd imagine,"

"I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't find out why you were so interested in him before we left the school," Tachibana admitted, "But I think I'm beginning to see why,"

"Oh?" Manabu raised his eyebrows, "I think everyone is forming their own opinions on Ayanokouji right now. What might yours be?"

"He's extremely rude and has no respect,"

Even Manabu hesitated before replying, "So your thoughts haven't changed?"

"No, they have," Tachibana sighed, "He's obviously a capable person and it seems he's had a big impact on his class. I respect your sister, but Ayanokouji was actually the reason they got this far, right?"

"That's right. Suzune is talented but is far from being someone who can compete with the likes of Ryuuen and Sakayanagi,"

"How much did you look into their year?" Tachibana asked.

"Are you dissatisfied that I didn't confide you in about it?"

"No, I can see how complicated things were between you and your sister. I'm not complaining, I was just curious,"

"Well, as you know, I keep tabs on all classes, irrespective of year. The figureheads at the beginning were Sakayanagi and Katsuragi for Class A, Ichinose for Class B, Ryuuen for Class C and Suzune for Class D," Manabu recounted, "To begin with, I looked into the reason why they had ascended to these positions. Each of them had merits and demerits, but the two that stood out were Sakayanagi and Ryuuen."

"Why is that?"

"If I were to compare them to Suzune, I'd say they were more complete. In Sakayanagi's case, she probably had a head start. Her nature intellect is extraordinary and it wasn't favouritism that got her placed in Class A," Manabu already knew that Sakayangi was the director's daughter due to forming connections with staff members, "Ryuuen is a different matter. His approach is unrefined and dangerous. I knew that Suzune would struggle to understand him and deal with him appropriately,"

"Can I ask a sensitive question?"

"Go ahead,"

"Is the reason you left your sister to fend for herself because you knew Ayanokouji was behind her?"

Manabu thought a moment before answering, "Unfortunately, no. Even if Ayanokouji hadn't been there, I wouldn't have approached my sister. There wouldn't have been any point,"

"Because she idolized you too much?"

"Precisely. If I tried to dissuade her, she would only chase after me even more relentlessly. I wasn't in any position to help her, so I tried to detach her from me forcibly,"

"I see. That's quite sad," Tachibana frowned.

"In any case, Ayanokouji's presence really did change her..."

"Did he really have that big of an influence on her?"

"It seems that way. Despite what you may think, I don't understand Ayanokouji well. In my opinion, I don't think he ever intended to help Suzune. Rather, I think that the fact she improved due to him was nothing more than coincidence,"

"A coincidence? How can that be?"

"Maybe that was poor wording. From his actions, he intended to propel Suzune forward and have her lead Class D, that much is obvious. However, he did that for personal reasons, not because he wanted to help her. If I continue along that line of thought, it's also possible to predict that if his personal circumstances changed, his support for Suzune would collapse,"

"Ah, so that's why you called it coincidence,"

"Yes. Ayanokouji isn't the kind of person to help someone out of the goodness of his own heart. There is logical reasoning behind his every action,"

"Even if he's as impressive as you say, I don't think I could ever like someone like that," Tachibana decided.

"It's not good to judge someone you know so little about. Ayanokouji is no saint, but let's learn more before coming to any conclusions,"

"Y-yes, sorry..."

"There's no need to apologise. If I'm right about the kind of person that Ayanokouji is, then I'm sure that the students of this school are in for a surprise," Manabu couldn't help but feel a degree of excitement about what was to come.

(A/N - Next part will be coming soon, already halfway through it. Was gonna post this alongside it but I felt like putting it up now seeing as it's longer than my other interludes. Of course, next is volume 3 but there's gonna be a part before we get onto the events of that book. I'd planned to do something like this before and I had comments that suggested the same thing so I decided to go ahead with it)

Oh, and regarding Manabu's theory, very little of it is realistic, but I think it's logical in their situation. Of course, reaction fics are actually using book text and comparing chunks of text to realistic human thought is completely ludicrous to begin with. However, authors usually write in a way that keeps whatever is most important to the story their telling in focus. The storytelling is in the foreground and the lore/additional details are in the background. Comparing this with the mind, conscious thoughts would be in the forefront and subconscious in the back. Basically, this is as close as I can get to rationalising portraying written text as human thought. Really, there isn't much point in thinking about it too deeply, because it will never make sense. Anyway, I'll get back to writing the next part now and definitely not watch Lycoris Recoil...)