I am no genius

by vamer

ok

Classroom Of The Elite: I Am No Genius. (Year 1)
Zelvron1604

Published: 2023
Source: https/

Introduction

Name- Hirano Aki

Age- 16

Birthday- 16 April

Blood Type: O

Personality- Cheerful, a little perverted, Creative, Sometimes serious, Playful, Stubborn, a little shy, Child-like, Sometimes a liar, Emotional, doesn't get angry easily, likes to avoid trouble and calculating.

Likes- Family and friends, Being alone, Reading, Games, Anime, Coffee, Horror books and games.

Dislikes- Perverts, Fake friends, Bullies, Getting ordered, Drama , Studying and being bored.

Looks like-

Vol 1 Prologue: Hirano's Monologue

I am not a special person. Though I was born with a superior mind but I always hated studying.

I would spend most of my time indoors than playing outside. That is... if I had any friends to play with. I have friends, but only at school and we live pretty far apart. So the only time we can play outside of school, is when one of us had a birthday party and sometimes we scheduled meets, like going to the park mall etc. I was pretty much a loner who didn't participate in any activities except chess and badminton. I wasn't in any club and I mostly liked to spend my time alone except with my friends. You could say, I was a little spoiled and lazy at home.

Although it's best to say that I had friends. But not anymore... Although I did make some friends near my home but they still even they left at one point.

I love to read and write. I also have a very creative and cunning mind. But my grades are just a little above average if not at that level.

I sometimes even got bullied at school. Though most of the time it was always verbal insults. As for the rest of the time... well let's not talk about that. I didn't like to pick a fight, so I just remained quite. But sometimes when I got mad and I mean really mad! I beat them up to the best of my abilities. My mother did make me take Twekondo lessons but I am only on a beginner's level. But I also have a fighting style which I made myself. Though it's not good enough to beat expert fighters. But it does help me to deal with delinquents and other bullies, when they decide to bully me by beating me up.

My fighting style follows a policy of "Push, Pull, Bit and Scratch." The PPBS for short.

I remember biting a guy's arm and scratching one of my senpai in the face.
Sometimes I wonder if I am 10% Wolf.

I didn't really care about my grades...until I saw the disappointed look on my parent's faces. I had just barely passed my half yearly in middle school while my parents were expecting great things. It made me... sad.

So I worked hard to get the results they wanted. I passed the finals with a 90% overall. I wasn't one of the toppers but I still did good enough for them to be happy.

They wanted me to enroll in this elite school called "Advance Nurturing High School". I gave the exam with not much hope of passing. But surprisingly I did very well. Well enough to get accepted anyway.

To be honest, I didn't really want to come here. They will have me separated from my family, without any outside contact. Thus I won't be able to talk to them for the next 3 years. I hate it. I love my mother and father, and just the thought of staying away from them brings tears to my eyes. I guess I am a bit emotional as well.

Anyway, my new life is about to begin. I hope I don't make a fool of myself like how I did in middle school.

Vol 1 Ch 1: First day

Hirano pov:-

I am seriously standing infront of the most elite school in the country.

I really hope I don't make a fool of myself. Though how did I get in? I didn't score anything that great.

I head inside and got to the entrance ceremony. It was boring as hell. I couldn't help but yawn.

I walked to my new class.

Class C

I opened the door and saw many students inside. I quickly made my way towards my seat. Next to me on the right was a girl with silver blue hair. She seemed to be reading a book.

I averted my eyes before someone calls me a creep.

Our teacher came in.

"Good morning everyone. I am Sakagami Kazuma. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. As per you were told, outside contact is forbidden. But don't worry, we have alot of things like movie theater, restaurants, shopping center and others. You all can purchase anything on campus with private points,
As you can see, you all already have 100,000 points this month. Each point is equal one yen. You all will be getting points monthly."

Everyone started shouting out of joy and shock. 100,000? I mean What?!

We get 100,000 points each month? That's awesome!

Wait. Where do they get that kind of cash? I mean if it is 100,000 point per month for one student. Then it would be 4 million per class. 16 million per grade and 48 million points per month for all students. That's insane! Is there a catch?

"Surprised? You all receive these points because you have shown value. We judge everyone based on merits. Now let's go over other rules."

Timeskip:-

School ended and the teacher left. As everyone was about to leave, a boy with magenta hair stood up.

"Hey wait up you bastards! We are going to introduce ourselves. I will go first. I am Ryueen Kakeru. Your new leader."

At this the class started shouting.

"Why the hell would we listen to you!"

"Who do you thing you are!"

I, on the other hand, just remained silent.

"Kukuku. So how about we get a little violent?"

"Bring it on!"

A boy charged at him. He tried punching him but Ryueen avoided it. He punched the boy in the face and kicked him in the stomach. With a wicked smile on his face, he threw the boy on the ground and stepped on his face hard, crushing him. He then kicked the boy many times in the stomach.

"This guy is on another level..." I muttered. The difference in power was clear or maybe it was Ryuuen's technique?

Either way, the class was shooked with fear of meeting the same fate. They saw the boy mercilessly get beaten up. He did that without any hesitation. He is a person I can't beat. After all, how can I beat someone who shook me with fear.

"Kuku What's your name boy?"

" Pant. Ichi-zaki..."

"Kukuku That's all that is needed for now. Anyone else?"

No one said anything.

"Okay now you there introduce yourself?"

He pointed at me. Great. I would like to avoid trouble so I better do as he says.

I stood up and began.

"I-I am Hirano Aki. Nice to meet y-you."

"Kuku Next you!" He said pointing at another guy. While I sat back down.

Timeskip:-

I went to the mall and the convenience store. After buying food supplies and other things like clothes etc. I came back.

Now I have about 90,278 points. I can still buy so many things! This is awesome. And with 100,000 point refill every month. I will never run out.

But I still have a bad feeling about all of this.

I mean, there has to be a catch. There is no way that it doesn't have a catch. But what?

It's best to go back to my room for now.

Timeskip:-

Today there are supposed to be club announcements. I ain't going no where.

I would like to avoid extra effort to the best of my abilities.

Will walking around the Keyaki mall, I bumped into a girl with short hair. But her face was that of am angel. Just looking at her adorably cute face made me blush.

"H-Hey sorry for bumping into you..."

"No. It's okay! I am Kushida Kikyo! Nice to meet you!"

"H-Hello. I am Hirano Aki. Nice to meet you too."

We shook hands. They are really soft.

"So Hirano-kun. Do you want to exchange contacts?"

That's pretty straight forward. But I don't mind having a number of a pretty girl.

"Yeah. Sure. But why?"

"I want to be friends with everyone at school! And that includes you."

That smile. That smile is dangerous for my heart! Why does my face feel so warm!

"S-Sure..."

We exchanged numbers and after chatting for a minute or two, we went our separate ways.

Timeskip:-

A week has gone by in a flash. I have bought alot of things. Including games. Not to mention my once every two days restaurant dinner. I am a terrible cook.

Now I have about 72,732 points left.

I was sitting silently in my class. Something is off. For the whole week, I have noticed that Sakagami sensei never scolds or punishes us. As a result most students sleep, talk or text during class.

As soon as school ended and sensei left.
Ryueen stood infront of the class.

"Okay! Listen here you little shits! Stop sleeping, texting and talking in class. Also make sure to not cause trouble outside. Got it?"

Students wanted to retort. But were to afraid to do so.

Normally I would stay out of trouble. But this got me curious.

"Ryueen. Why do we need to do that? I mean being a good student is good. But this seems a little out of character for you. Since when did you become a person who cares about others?"

At this Ryueen smirked wickedly, sending a chill down my spine. I realized that I fucked up. He comes closer to me as everyone watches and gives me eyes of pity.

He stood infront of me. I could feel myself shaking but did my best not to show it. Every muscle in my body was ready to react to any punch he might throw at me. While my mind had started to go blank.

"Kukuku. Don't worry. I never cared about you lowlives. Listen this school judges it's students based on merit. That means they are watching what we are doing right now, through the cameras. All our bad attitude is being recorded and we will receive our points accordingly to that."

The class was shocked. And I was too.

So that's what's going on! Damn. And I was falling right into it.

"Kuku Hiramo. Looking at your face, you seemed to have used up all your points. But if it's not that, then that means you suspected the school's system too. But never figured it out. Right?"

How the hell did he know?! What is this terrifying observation!

"W-Well...I..."

"Kukuku! Don't worry. You seem to be a little more observant than the rest. But still too weak to do anything."

He says while patting my head. This would be a lovely act if his smile didn't scare me halfway to death. I was expecting to be beaten down any second.

But to my surprise, he smirked at me and walked away. Before leaving he said-

"Remember this you bastards! If I see you causing trouble then you are going to wish, you never came to this school!"

Timeskip:-

I was walking and exploring the campus. I need to save my points to the best of my abilities. But what to do?

I don't have any friends, I can't cook. The only way I can eat is by buying myself food.

What to do? I know!

I ran back to my room, opened my laptop and typed.

"Please internet-sensei. Teach me how to cook."

And I spent my entire day learning how to cooking.

Spoiler. It ended in a burnt disaster.

Vol 1 Ch 2: Plan against class D

Hirano pov:-

It's been officially a month. The amount of private points we received are 49,000. Not even half of what we had.

"It seems Ryueen was right." I muttered. But what's the purpose of doing this?

I have a total of 107,320 points now.

I entered class and everyone was talking about our allotment.

Sakagami sensei came in.

"I know you all are wondering about your points. Well like I said, this school judges it's students based on merit. Thus we judged you all based on that along with the quiz you all took."

I had a feeling that the surprise quiz, that sensei took a few days ago, was important, when he said that they don't have anything to do with our report cards.

"We have deemed you all worthy to receive 49,000 points. Now here are the total points each class received."

Class A- 960cp
Class B- 640cp
Class C- 490cp
Class D- 0cp

"Class points determine your value as a class. If you have more Cp then class B then you would be promoted to B and they would be demoted to C and if class D surpasses you then the same thing will happen. Only those who graduate through class A can get it's 100% college and employment rates."

The class fell into chaos. But when Ryueen shouted at us ,The entire class became silent.

Why? Why not tell us this before? I came here to make my parents proud! Now how the hell am I supposed to do that? The difference between class A and class C is 470 Cp!

"Don't worry. You all will get a chance to earn points. You can also earn private points through excelling in clubs and other things. Now let me tell you more about the S-System."

Timeskip:-

I am laying down on my bed. This sucks!
We were all played for a goddamm fool!

Not only that, I can get expelled!

Flashback:-

"Also if you get a failing grade on the midterm or finals in any of the subjects. Then you will be expelled."

"WHAT!"

If we didn't fear Ryueen, who had already beaten down 19 students since the beginning of the month. Then the class would be in chaos and everyone would be shouting.

Sakagami sensei displayed our marks.

"If this was a real exam then 10 students would have been expelled."

So our class doesn't have that many people with academic abilities. But now that I look around we do have many people with physical abilities. But even they were beaten down by Ryueen. Heck! He even beat that guy! What's his name? Albert? He has Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo at his leash.

Those whose names were under the line started sweating. I checked my name. I got frightened when I saw it.

"I-I barely p-passed with just 3 p-points..." I muttered so no one could hear me.

In each subject the difference between the passing marks and my marks was less than 15. And the passing marks was already 30. So low. I guess it is half of our average.

But it means that I might get screwed in the midterms. Shit!

My lowest marks was in Physics with 33 points and highest were in math with 43 points. I am terrible.

Flashbacks ends.

I am screwed. Well better start studying, I guess.

Timeskip:-

The month is almost over and the midterms will happen tomorrow. I have been studying like crazy. Ryueen has all of us attend a study session, everyday. But I ain't complaining.

I was walking to school when I came across Kushida. We have been chatting or hanging out once a week. Since I don't go out much. Not to mention, whenever I am with her, I get some glares of jealousy. Though, I totally get it. I can't say but I think I have become 30% simp for her.

We started chatting until I noticed something odd.

"Kushida what is in that bag that you are carrying?"

"Huh? Oh! These are the midterm papers of two years ago, I got from a senpai."

"But won't they just be past questions?"

"No. It seems that most of the test have been similar. So I think this one must be too."

Well if she checked then it's okay. But...

"Won't that be cheating?"

"No silly! This school allows us to do this. We can buy anything we want with points. This is one of them."

She has a point. I didn't know that Kushida was this smart. But if anything can be bought with points. Could this year, midterm exam papers be bought too, even before they give us the exam?
The school really gives us many loopholes. Ryueen and Kushida have seen through them. They are very clever. No wonder this is an elite school.

"Hey Kushida. Can I have one of those?"

"Ah-No. Sorry. I only made enough for all my classmates."

She really cares so much about her classmates. She is so kind and beautiful and- I will stop there or I might become a simp.

"No worries. But if you somehow have a spare left then please give it to me. Or you can click a photo and send it to me later."

"Okay~"

We reached the building and I headed to my class.

Timeskip:-

The day ended and I went to class 1D. I saw that everyone had left and Kushida was just leaving with a group of girls.

"Hi Kushida."

"Oh! Hello Hirano."

The girls glared at me. I could hear one of them murmering "Another Pervert."

What the hell is wrong with them? I didn't even do anything. Must be one of the reasons why they are called Defects.

"Kushida. Do you have any left?"

"Huh- Oh! Yes. Koenji didn't want any."

She handed me the papers. Thank God.
I looked at it. It had the answers as well.

I went home and clicked a picture of it and send it to the class C group created by Ichizaki on Ryuuen's orders. I told them everything about what I found. This could help me to finally get some friends. I like being alone. But not talking to people for two months has made me feel a little lonely.

Wait...I just gave everyone papers so they can get good marks...then the average would go up...thus the passing marks would go up to... then the chances of expulsion for me have increased! Fuck! What did I do?! Dammit! Shit!

The day came and after giving our midterms, we waited for the results.

Sakagami sensei came in and displayed our marks.

"Congrats. Everyone passed!"

Many cheered and so did I. Many of my classmates came to thank me and I became the center of attention.

The classpoints now were 525.

I got pretty good marks too. All of them were between 85 and 90.

I was soon invited to lunch by many girls. This feels great. I guess, I have become popular in my class.

I spent the rest of the time with about eight girls. I can't say that I wasn't blushing the entire time. All girls noticed it and called me cute and teased me further. Making me blush even harder. I don't know how long will I be able to take this. If this continues, I might become a full Pervert.

Somehow I survived that day. The next week went pretty normally and I got invited by girls again. But then Ryueen stopped me.

"Come with me."

I said bye to the girls and walked with Ryueen. Please don't beat me up. Please don't beat me up.

We went to some fancy club or something. Wait are we even allowed to drink? I am sure this must some juice or cold drink.

I saw Albert, Ishizaki, Komiya and Kondo. All who have strong physical abilities. "Please don't beat me" up is the only line repeating in my head.

Ryueen motioned me to sit down, which reluctantly I did.

"Okay. Listen here. I want you, Komiya, Ishizaki and Kondo to get beaten up by Sudo."

Wait...what?

"I want to test out the school's rules and see what they will do if someone gets expelled or suspended. And that monkey in Class D as a big temper. This would be a great opportunity to do so. We frame him and see the results."

"Wait... didn't you try something like this about a week ago with class A?"

"Kuku. I did but this is a different experiment. So now let me explain how we are going to do it."

Not bad. He even told us the location where barely anyone goes, so that there are no witnesses.

The plan was good. Except for the fact that he is literally asking us to get beaten up!

Who in their right mind would except this?

"Kukuku! If you don't do as a say then Albert will beat you all up right here and now."

He magically read my mind and now I have my answer. Fuck!

Death by Albert or Death by class D hothead.

I guess the latter would be a better choice.

"But why me?"

"Simple. You have attracted alot of attention in Class recently. So if you get beat up then it will cause a ruckus. Plus you are not athletic. So with you getting beaten up, we will have a better excuse."

"That's true."

"Also I am making you incharge of carrying out the plan. You three listen to him."

They all nodded.

"That's fine. And I can make a great lawyer when we complain to the student council."

"Oh? Why are you saying all of this now. Moments ago your face said that you didn't want to be a part of it."

I still don't, but I have my reasons. I guess I am bored. Plus I get to be a leader of something so that's good. Also I don't want to get beaten up by Ryueen and Albert here.

"I still don't, but if I get in trouble then I can talk my way out of it. I am great at that and I always lie when necessary. But I ain't doing all of this for free."

"Kuku. Very well. If you do as I say and give me results. Then I will make you the vice-leader of the class."

"Vice-leader? Though having authority in Class is a good thing. But that ain't enough. I want points."

Ryuuen's face came closer to mine. He had this wicked grin on it making me tremble with fear. I shouldn't have gone that far with the joke.

"Relax! I am ju-"

"Kuku! Fine. If you can make a good lawyer and leader and carry out my plan perfectly. Then I will give you 50,000 points. Deal?"

D-Did he just accept?

"Make it 75,000 and we have a deal."

"Fine. But I will be asking these three about how you did. If anything goes wrong then make sure to be ready for a world of hurt."

"O-Okay."

I nodded and agreed to the condition. To be honest, I wasn't expecting Ryueen to agree. I was going to say that it's a joke. But who cares. I just need to execute this plan. What could go wrong?

We all left.

What a day. The plan will be carried out tomorrow. But I will have to do a few things on my own in order to make it extra safe. Time to modify this plan a bit. But atleast I am getting paid. But only if I make a good leader in this plan.
Better start thinking.

Timeskip :-

Today is the day we execute the plan.
I have already made the necessary arrangements. I had to spent a few points but I have made this plan perfect.
Atleast, I hope.

The three idiots were tasked to bring Sudo here in the special annex where there are no cameras. Damn it's hot here. It will not allow Sudo to keep a clear head.

And as we planned Sudo came here.
When he looked at us, he was only irritated.

"What the hell do you guys want?"

Ishizaki was going to say something but I spoke first.

"What are you talking about? You called my friends here. I want to know why?"

The three behind me were confused. What I was saying was not what they were told to say. The original plan was to just attack him. But I had another thing in mind.

"Huh? Hell do you mea-"

"You have a very bad reputation Sudo. So I want to make sure my friends are safe from you and your anger issues."

"THE HELL DID YOU SAY!"

He grabbed my collar. Ishizaki was about to run upto me. But I signaled him to stop.

"Did I say anything wrong? I am sorry If I did. But I have to be concerned about the safety of my classmates first. And what you are doing is just proving what I was saying about you be an irrational hothead."

"YOU THINK YOU ARE SOME BIG SHOT? I CAN BEAT YOU UP IN SECONDS!"

To be honest, I was getting scared. But I had mentally prepared myself.

"I know you can. I don't doubt that. But everyone says that you act irrationally and stupidly. You go around picking fights. So I had to make sure that my classmates don't get hurt because of your violent tendencies. I hope your small brain can understand that much."

"YOU BASTARD!"

He punched me in the face. That idiot.

I signaled the three to move forward and they did as I told them. They fought him at first, but then they stopped fighting back and got beaten up. All according to plan.

"You will pay for this Sudo!"

"Yeah. Yeah whatever."

The other three were done. But I wasn't. I was barely injured since I just received one punch in the face.

I got up and ran towards him. He turned back around, but before he could react, I punched him in the face with all my strength.

"You bastard!"

He was angry. No he was mad. He kept punching me for a little while until I was finally injured enough. Then I fell to the ground and saw Sudo leave.

The other three helped me up.

"Why did you do that dude?!"

"We weren't supposed to actually harm him!"

"Don't worry. I changed the plan a little bit. But it's still good. Just go, I will follow you in a second."

When they left, I grabbed the item I had placed near a wall. Now I have everything I need.

Timeskip:-

We all carried each other to Sakagami sensei.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU FOUR?!"

Me, being the least hurt, explained everything to him.

He smirked. "Don't worry, we will make that Defect pay for what he did, now go to the infirmary!"

He doesn't care about our injuries. He cares about taking down class D. Eitherway, it helps me.

We went to the infirmary while Ishizaki said that he will report to Ryueen first.

But he came back even more hurt and looked like a real victim. Poor guy.

Timeskip:-

I entered the classroom and everyone was shocked. Boys and Girls quickly surrounded me.

"What happened?!"

"Hirano are you okay?"

"Who did this to you dude?!"

That's when Ryueen came.

"WHO THE FUCK DID THIS TO YOU?! TELL ME THEIR DAMN NAME!"

Great acting.

"S-Sudo from class D." I said with a few tears in my eyes.

The tears weren't entirely fake. The injury hurt like hell. And I am very emotional.

Timeskip:-

It's been two days since then and today is the hearing in the student council.

We all entered and sat down with our sensei. It seems the student council president himself is hear to watch the show.

Soon class D students came in. There was a brown haired boy, a black haired girl and then there was Sudo, who glared at us the moment he came in. Their sensei, a beautiful black haired lady, also sat down.

The girl, Tachibana spoke up.

"Today we are hear to discuss the fight which happened between class D's Sudo ken and Class C's Hirano Aki, Ishizaki Daichi, Kondo Reo and Komiya Kyōgo. The class C students claim that Sudo called them to the special annex and assaulted them. Sudo denies this and says that he was one, who was called to special annex. By looking at their injuries, we can only be sure of one thing. That Sudo is infact the perpretrator."

Thump. Sudo slammed his hand on the desk and got up.

"I accept that I hurt them. BUT THEY WERE THE ONES WHO STARTED THE FIGHT!"

"DON'T LIE! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"SHUT UP!"

The president spoke and cut off both Sudo and Ishizaki.

"Does any side have any evidence of their claim?"

Everyone was silent. Until, That brown haired boy started tickling the girl beside him. WHAT THE HELL?!

"HEY! Stop it! W-What are you doing?!"

Everyone was confused.

"Horikita, If you don't say anything then we will lose."

The girl, Horikita looked down and then straighten herself. But before she could say anything I laughed.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Everyone looked at me.

"I apologize. It was just really funny. Cough cough. Please continue."

"Okay. Can I ask the victims some questions?"

"I will allow it."

"Okay. Komiya, can you tell me under what conditions were you called?"

"Um-Well. After the basketball practice ended Sudo called us and said that he wanted to talk."

"I see. Then why was Ishizaki and Hirano with you. They aren't on the basketball club If I recall."

"F-For extra protection."

"Protection?"

"Y-Yeah! Everyone knows how violent Sudo can be!"

"I understand. I have a good knowledge of martial arts myself. For Sudo to beat you four so badly. It doesn't make any sense."

"It-It's because we didn't want to get into a fight!"

"If that's the case then why did you go there in the first place and why did you bring Ishizaki and Hirano with you?"

"Tch."

"Common sense tells me that Horikita has a point."

"You can't use common sense with Sudo!"

"Well someone had witness the entire incident."

We all were shocked. S-Someone saw us? That means...

"Will the witness please step forward."

The doors opened and a girl with red hair came in and sat down.

"H-Hello I am Sakura Airi."

"So you witnessed the incident?"

"W-Well-I-"

"Please speak up."

"I saw the class C students hit Sudo first."

That's a lie. We never hit him first. I made sure of that.

"As you can see the girl can't even speak properly. These guys must have manipulated her into being a fake witness."

Sakagami Sensei spoke. He really wants us to win.

"Why would a shy girl come all the way here if she didn't witness-"

"I HAVE PROOF. Here on this card. I had taken photos."

Fuck.

The president played it on projector.

A picture came of the girl...in a bikini?

"I am actually an idol so I take many photos with my digital camera if you slide and go to the last photo then you will see it."

Indeed the last photo of her was taken in the special annex.

Sakagami sensei spoke up.

"The date in a digital camera can be edited."

"True. But look at this." The president replied.

In the corner of the image there was me, laying on the ground along with the other three fighting Sudo.

"I told you I wasn't lying."

They turned of the projector.

Sakagami Sensei spoke.

"It seems you really were there. But this doesn't prove who started the fight. But it seems the class C students are responsible for this as well. So I say we suspend Sudo for two weeks and my students for 1 week."

That's a bad deal for me. If this happens. Not only will I be suspended. But I will also have to face Ryuuen's wrath.

"I guess." Chabashira sensei spoke up.

"Then we are in an agreement. What do you think Horikita?"

Horikita stood up.

"I think Sudo has a problem. He gets angry and doesn't think about his actions. Incidents like this will not stop."

"W-Wha-?"

"Shut up Sudo. This is happening because of your behavior."

He just looked down.

"But I don't think he did this. This was a set-up made by class C and that's a fact. I will not back down. I believe he is innocent."

"Set-up? How crazy. I think we have already decided-"

"As the witness claimed Sudo is innocent! I hope you make the right decision."

They both turned to the president. But before anyone could say anything. I stood up and spoke.

"President. I have been quite for a while. If I may, can I give the whole story as a victim and the representative for my friends."

Everyone turned to me.

"I will allow it."

"Now where do I begin. Komiya and Kondo always badmouthing Sudo and insult him in anyway they can behind his back."

"W-What the hell are you saying-?"

"Shut up! Now let me continuo. I believe Sudo must have heard them and had gotten angry. Thus he called them there to beat them up. I, not being part of any club, was visiting various clubs, so I can join one."

I looked at all of them before continuing.

"I went to the basketball club. Where I found my classmates Komiya and Kondo. They told me that Sudo had called them to the special annex. Sudo was pretty famous for his bad behavior.
So I know that there was a chance that things might get violent with him. But as I don't have any knowledge of martial arts nor am fit enough to fight him. I called Ishizaki to help me. We together went there. When I saw Sudo I told him that we just wanted to talk. But he punched me in the face. On seeing me hurt, the other three came to my defense but Sudo beat them up too."

"That's impossible! One person can't beat that many people-"

I cut Horikita off.

"Sorry to interrupt you Horikita. But it is. I had told them to hold back and not fight. I didn't want our class points to be deducted. That's why they only fought back to defend me but they were still holding back. But on seeing my friends get beat up. I, myself lost control due to anger and punched Sudo in the face. As you can see his blackened eye."

I pointed at Sudo's left eye. Which I had punched.

"In his anger, he beat me up and thus I have received these injuries. As one of his victims, I propose that Sudo should get expelled."

Everyone was shocked at my story and the declaration of expulsion.

"W-Wait-"

"He assaulted not one but four people! That is straight up and expulsion level offense! I won't back down! I thought that this would an elite school yet they enrolled someone as violent as him! You are lucky that this didn't happen in public or else I would have pressed charges against him with the police!"

"YOU! SHUT YOUR DAMN LYING MOUTH! THAT BASTARD IS LYING!"

"Am I? I think you are the one lying. You probably lied to Horikita and Mrs Chabashira sensei so that you could take off the heat from yourself. Probably Sakura saw this incident from a far and thought that we attacked him, since she wants to believe in her classmates or maybe she is lying as well!"

I glared at her while she just shrieked back and was on the verge of tears.

I looked at the president.

"What do you say president?"

After a minute of silence he spoke up.

"Verywell. Class C. Can you say that everything you said was true?"

"Affirmative."

"What about class D?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I will give judgement tomorrow and I might put expulsion on the table. That is all."

With that the trail is over for now. The judgement will come tomorrow. And if he sides with class D. Then I will use my secret weapon.

Note:-

My next update in any of the fanfics( Including this one) will be in July .

Hope to see you all then.

Vol 1 Ch 3: Counter attack

Hirano pov:-

It's been a day since the hearing. The final discussion should be held today. Meaning class D will undoubtably do something.

I walked over to the three idiots. Who seemed to be in a hurry for some reason.

"Hey Komiya! You look awfully happy. Where are you three going?"

"Oh! Hey dude! Kushida just messaged us to meet her at the special annex!"

Meet Kushida? At the special annex? I was dumbfounded.

"AND YOU THREE FUCKERS ARE GOING?!"

They were caught off guard.

"Dude chill. If you want to come too then-"

"YOU IDIOTS! KUSHIDA! A STUDENT OF CLASS FUCKING D IS CALLING YOU, ALONE TO THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE BEATEN UP BY SUDO! RIGHT AFTER THE HEARING! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN INFORM ME! ANYONE WITH A BRAIN CAN TELL THAT THIS IS A FUCKING TRAP!"

I lost my temper for a minute because of their stupidity.

After I calmed myself and these idiots realized how stupid they were. I came up with a plan.

Timeskip:-

I ordered those three to go up there while I tagged along. Once we reached the top, I was surprised to see a beautiful girl with pink hair, having a face of an angel. Damn. How many girls will I fall for?

Along with her, I saw Ayanokouji up on the stairs. Both of them were surprised to see me. Though, Ayanokouji's expression didn't change. But I think he is surprised to see me? Maybe?

"Hirano. What are you doing here?"
The girl asked. She seems to know my name.

"Well I couldn't miss out on a chance to talk to Kushida. Plus I was suspicious on why she called my friends here. So I tagged along. And now I know why. And who might you be?"

"I am Ichinose Honami of class 1-B."

Ichinose Honami? I have heard alot about her. She is even more hotter than they say.

"And what might you want from us?"

"We wanted to talk to you."

"Sorry Ichinose but we don't have time for this!"

Ishizaki said as he started walking away.
Ayanokouji spoke-

"Don't be so impatient. Take a look around."

What does he mea-? IS THAT A FUCKING SECURITY CAMERA?!

We all were shocked.

"It seems you all didn't check your surroundings well. There is a science lab. So Ofcourse there will be cameras. "

B-But I checked-

"So wait... does that mean the student council already know-"

"Yes. They were just testing us to see if we can make some kind of truce."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU TELLING US THIS?!" Ishizaki yelled.

"Because it's undeniable that Sudo hurt you."

"I see. So you will also be affected by the recordings."

I am just letting Ishizaki do the talking. While I think of what to say.

"For what Sudo did, he would surely be punished. But you four will be expelled."

The other three were shocked and afraid.

"You told a lie and got the school involved."

Ayanokouji, who was quiet at the meeting, was on a roll today.

Komiya fell to his feet.

They all were just silent.

"Don't worry there is a way to save both of our classes."

"Like hell there is a way-!"

"Why not withdraw your complaint? It would be like nothing ever happened."

They all stared at Ichinose.

Ishizaki took out his phone.

"Wait let me discuss this-"

Ichinose grabbed it from his hand.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"What will you do? Hit me?"

The cameras are recording everything.

Ishizaki looked down.

"Fine we will take back the complaint-"

"No we won't."

Everyone turned to me.

"Whaa-"

Ichinose totally didn't expect this.

"Sorry. But if those cameras really recorded what happened. Then they will know that Sudo threw the first punch."

After all, I made sure of it.

"I have heard alot of good things about you Ichinose. But I am afraid that you are helping the wrong side. But in all honesty, Sudo was the one who started the fight. So whether the cameras recorded the audio or video, Sudo is the only one who will be guilty. We have nothing to fear from the recordings."

They were all speechless.
I turned to Ayanokouji.

"Also I can tell that the reason that you didn't want to invite me here is because after seeing me at the meeting, you thought that I would mess up your plan.
Too bad that luck is not in your favor."

I turned to Ichinose.

"I have heard alot of good things about you Ichinose. I have heard that you like to help people. But I am afraid that you are helping the wrong side."

I motioned others to follow me as we left.

Such cheap tricks won't work on me. There is a reason I won those chess matchs. Because I can make one hell of a plan!

Timeskip:-

We were all back in the meeting room. The look on Horikita's face was not a good one. Ayanokouji isn't here.

The president spoke:-

"So does either sides have any evidence?"

I raised my hand and everyone looked over at me. I didn't want to use this. But you have left me no choice.

"President. Please check this recording."

I handed it to him. The curtains closed and the projector displayed the fight that took place along with the audio.

The best part. It had me saying " What are you talking about? You called my friends here. I want to know why?"

I had made sure to cut him off so he wasn't able to deny my statement in the recording. Then it showed me being concerned for my friends safety along with Sudo throwing the first punch.

After the video was over, everything was decide.

Horikita looked over at Sudo with anger on her face. While his face was pale. Even my friends were shocked. After all, I never told them anything about this.

Sakagami sensei was smiling, while Chabashira sensei gritted her teeth.

"As you can see. This is what really happened. "

"But...But..."

Horikita was at a loss for words.

The president looked over at her. They have the same family name. I wonder if they are related.

I don't have time to think about that.

I stood up and walked infront of everyone.

"As you all can see. We are innocent. The way Sudo acted, for it he should be punished."

"YOU! SHUT UP YOU BASTARD-!"

"SHUT UP SUDO!"

Horikita yelled and glared at him. He just sat back down feeling helpless.

"With the president's permission. I want to give class D a chance."

Everyone looked at me.

"Continue." The president said.

"I will give class D three options. And they have to choose Sudo's punishment. With the permission of the Student council president Ofcourse."

I looked at everyone and continued.

"First. Sudo will be expelled and the class points in Class D would decrease accordingly."

Sudo stiffened at what I said.

"Second. Sudo will face suspension for 2 months. And thus will not be allowed to go on the vacation trip planned by the school. Again, the classpoints will decrease accordingly to the school's rules. Along with that he will leave the basketball club."

Everyone was silent and just looked at me.

"Third. Sudo can participate in his class and can go on the vacation. But when school starts after summer vacation, he will be suspend from both school and club activities for 3 months. And the classpoints will be decreased according to the school's rules, right here infront of us. Along with that they will have to pay us, 200,000pp. Please make your choice."

Sudo was completely pale when I talked about his club activities.

"I approve. What is your choice class D?"

Horikita was silent for a moment.

"We chose option three."

"Verywell. Sudo will face suspension from both school and club activities. When the summer vacation ends. Along with that your classpoints shall decrease by 60. Thus your class are now left with only 27 class points. And by tomorrow, class D will transfer 200,000pp to Hirano. Everyone is dismissed."

With that it was over. Clas D had a look of defeat over their face.

"And Hirano. I wish to speak with you. I would like you to accompany me."

Now that caught me off guard.

"Y-Yes president."

We walked together outside the room and he took me to an isolated place.

"I did some research on you. You seem to have very average grades and you are very unathletic."

Ouch. That's what you called me for? To destroy my self-esteem?

"But you seem to be gifted in manipulating people. I almost believed you."

Huh?

"What do you mean?"

"I know that it was your plan to get class D in trouble."

I froze. How did he...?

"Y-You do?"

He smirked and I realized that I was caught in his trap. I just admitted this to his face. Fuck!

"Don't worry. There is nothing I will do about it. Though, I am impressed. The story was fake. Yet you managed to show evidence and make it look real. Good work."

"Um...Thanks?"

I don't even know what to say.

"Tell me. Do you want to be in the student council?"

What?

Tachibana senpai was shocked as much as I was.

"B-But why me?"

"I see potential in you. Even you may not realize it, but I wish to improve what I see in you. So how about it?"

Who in their right mind would let this opportunity go?!

"I accept."

I was so excited, I almost yelled.

"But Ofcourse. If you slack off or disappoint me. Then I will kick you out without hesitation."

I just realized what I agreed too. Oh dear God...

"Y-Yes senpai."

"Good. Come over to the student council room tomorrow and we will make it official."

With that he left. While I start to wonder what has my life turned into.

First I take orders from a tyrant. Then I get beat up and now I am at a mercy of a very strict student council president. They better pay me good to deal with all of this shit.

Ayanokouji pov: -

Sudo informed me of what happened.

I greatly underestimated Hirano. I did take precautions by not inviting him to the special annex. But I guess luck was not on our side.

But by looking at him. I can tell that he was mixing lies with truth. In the meeting, I could see his expression change everytime he spoke. That guy doesn't like nor is used to lying.

So he didn't come up with the plan. While I was saving Sakura, Ichinose told me about this guy. Ryueen? Maybe he came up with the plan and forced Hirano to execute it. Eitherway, it's my loss for underestimating him.

As i heard, they had video evidence of Sudo hitting them first. We couldn't win the fight from the start.

As I was walking, I met the student council president along with Tachibana senpai.

He stopped walking and looked at me.

"So I believe you already heard about what happened."

"Yes. I have."

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. You have disappointed me. It will be in your best interest not to do it again.

Saying that he walked pass me.

I continued walking only to meet a very angry demon lady.

"Hello Horikita."

"Ayanokouji. Am I just your puppet?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's true that the plan didn't work. But I am having my doubts about it being "my" plan."

Did she catch on?

"Ayanokouji. Let's have a talk."

Ryueen pov:-

Kukuku. Ishizaki told me everything that happened.

It went better than I expected. Hirano doesn't seem to be an ordinary guy. Eitherway, it's my victory.

I got a message from Hirano telling me to keep my end of the deal. Normally, I would beat him up. But it's better to have him as my right hand man.

I transferred the points and starting tomorrow. He will be the vice-leader of class C.

Kukuku, He told me about the plan Class D came up with. Normally, I would have lost. But it's a good thing that I put the bastard incharge. But it also seems that there is a smart-ass in Class D.

The names Hirano told me are Horikita Suzune and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. How interesting.

I will have to pay both of them a visit.

Timeskip:-

Hirano pov:-

With everything done. I received the points from Ryueen yesterday. And today, Horikita Suzune came and delivered me the 200,000pp.

Now I have 301,045 pp. Sensei said that I could transfer to class A with 20 Million points. I have a long way to go for that.

Vol 1 Ch 4: Student Council

Hirano pov:-

Another day, I am back at school~

I feel like shit, It's not so cool~

Because to Ryueen, I am nothing but a disposable tool~

Oh! I am such a fool~

I sighed loudly. I want to go home. But today Ryueen will make me the vice-leader along with that I will tell my classmates about me joining the student council.

I walked into class and nothing happened until Ryueen came and stood at the podium. The class was silent.

"Kukuku. Hirano. Come over here."

The bastard is ordering me like a pet dog. Tch.

But I don't want to get beat up today.

I walked over stood beside him.

"Kukuku. Now listen fuckers! From now on Hirano is the vice-leader of the class. Do anything he says or else I will have Albert fuck your entire family!"

Okay. Now that was a little to far...
But atleast no one spoke against it. I turned my attention to the class.

"I am looking forward to working with you all."

I smiled. Assuring everyone that I wasn't like Ryueen.

"Also I would like to inform everyone that I have been invited to join the student council by the president himself."

Everyone was shocked. Even Ryueen. I guess I forgot to tell him.

"Woah! Dude that is amazing!"

"So cool!"

"Congratulations!"

My classmates praised me and I genuinely smiled. It feels good to be praised.

"Thank you everyone."

With that I sat back down. I have gained alot of attention. It's the exact opposite of middle school. How did a guy as normal as me get all of this.

I checked my phone and it has many girls, inviting me to lunch today. And it's only been five minutes since I told my class everything.

Sensei came in and class started like normal.

Timeskip: -

The school has ended and I am currently heading towards the Student council room.

I knocked on the door. Opening it, I went inside.

I was greeted by Horikita senpai and Tachibana senpai along with them, I saw another person standing beside Horikita senpai.

"Good afternoon Senpai. I am here to join the council."

"Yes. We have been waiting for you. Your application has already been submitted and accepted. Tachibana will help you get settled and tell you what your job is."

I looked at Tachibana senpai who only nodded at what Horikita senpai said.

"So this is the So called student that caught your interest Horikita senpai?"

I looked over at the blonde boy walking infront of me.

"Hello. And who might you be senpai?"

"I am Nagumo Miyabe. The vice-student council president."

Thank God I asked before saying anything. His smug attitude was annoying me. Good thing I asked who he was before picking a fight and insultinghim in his face. I put up my fake smile and said:-

"It's a pleasure to meet you Nagumo senpai." I shook his hand.

"Now come on. I will tell you what you have to do." Tachibana senpai called.

The rest of the day, she just explained me my job. While I partly adored how cute she was. What can I say? I am 20% Pervert.

Though I did notice that Nagumo senpai was looking at me the entire time. Did he swing that way? No! No! Fuck No! That guy is becoming creepier by the second!

Timeskip:-

After my work was done, I got out of the student council room, thankful for escaping Creepy senpai's gaze.

I started walking back to the dorms when I saw Ryueen waiting for me.

Fuck. What does this guy want?

"H-Hi Ryueen."

"Kukuku. So how was the student council?"

"It was great! Just great!" I spoke half truth and half lie.

"Kukuku. So did you ask them about the summer vacation cruise we are going on?"

That confused me a little.

"No. Why?"

"Well I want you to ask them that tomorrow. This school won't just give us a vacation. There has to be some catch. Now that you are in the council. You will act as my messenger and ask them any questions I want and report back to me. Got it? Kukuku!"

Just hearing his laugh is annoying the fuck out of me. So now I am his puppet? Just doing what he says? I fucking hate this. But I need to keep a calm face. I need to graduate through class A and keeping Ryueen around is one of the best ways to do it. Plus I don't want to be beaten down by Ryueen today.

"Okay. I will do it."

"Kukuku Good!"

Saying that he walked away. Good. I didn't want to see his disgusting face anymore.

Timeskip:-

I can't believe it. We are on a fucking ship! This is like a dream come true!

But I can't let my guard down. After all, when I asked the president about the summer vacation trip for first years, he only smirked at me and didn't tell me anything. Is he secretly a sadist?

Anyway, I was just looking around and enjoying myself. I would be lying if I said that I didn't spend a whole twenty minutes admiring girls in their swimming customes. What can I say? I am still a boy! It's tough to resist!

Anyway. I pretty much just stayed away from everyone for obvious reasons.

I hate Ryueen and his shit-eating grin. Me and Ibuki don't get along. Ishizaki is one weird person and Albert doesn't talk. At this point, I don't think he even understands me.

I also got glared at by the idiot trio. Not the one in Class C but the one in Class D. I guess they still hold a grudge.

Also for somereason me being in the council is now known by everyone. Everyone who passed by me basically stared at me. This went on for a week until things finally went back to normal. No one confronted me about it though. For which I am thankful for.

We were given the information that saving 20 Million private points can allow anyone to save themselves from expulsion or change classes and go to class A. How unrealistic is that.

I mean 20 Million points to save one person can be done if everyone in Class saves alot of money and probably if we are class A or B. But 20 Million points saved by just one person is impossible to say the least. I mean I only have 2,975,680 private points left!

Though it makes me wonder. If by giving us 100,000 private points was an exam we had to clear. Does that mean this free ship ride is also some type of exam? Are we supposed to be one our best behavior or something like the beginning of the month?

So many questions, yet no answers.

After sometime, I heard an announcement telling us to see the island.

When I arrived and saw it, I was amazed by it's beauty. This wasn't just my first cruise but also my first time seeing an actual Island!

After that, The teachers ordered us to take our belongings and get in line to go onto the island. They even confiscated our ID and Phones and told us to bring extra clothes.

I just grabbed a bag filled with my clothes, a swimsuit, goggles, sunglasses and A few Horror novels. What can I say? I love horror and mystery novels!

But still, I can't help but feel that something is going to go wrong.

After we were on the island, the homeroom teacher of class A took a speaker and spoke.

"Welcome to your first special examination!"

Oh fuck.

Vol 1 Ch 5: Have you lost your mind?!

Hirano Aki pov:-

My thoughts about this school is that it is fun. It is very challenging too. And I enjoy it.

Though what I am most afraid of, is expulsion and disappointing My parents. But not anymore!

Because I have something I am more afraid for - my life!

I mean, I now that the school likes to through challenges at us! BUT WHAT KIND OF SCHOOL THROWS THEIR STUDENTS ON A FUCKING ISLAND!

Apparently. This is a "special exam". And I already hate it. I mean, how the hell will I survive on an island for a week!

After Sakagami sensei told us all the rules, I can't say that I wasn't intrigued. Specially after hearing the additional rules.

We have to guess other classes leaders? How the hell would we do that? I can't think of any way at all!

After everything was done, Ryueen sent the three idiots to look for a spot near the beach.

Also we had no say in who is going to be the leader. It's ofcourse Ryueen. Who would want to get punched right?

After he occupied a majestic looking spot. He went into the woods for somereason while everyone else prepared the tents.

"Hirano! Come here!" Ishizaki called.

"Yeah. Yeah. Coming."

Timeskip:-

When Ryueen returned, he did something which, well let's just say it made me thing that he went insane.

He spent all of our points. And I mean all of it! What the hell?! HE EVEN BOUGHT A JETSKI!

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?! HAS HE LOST HIS MIND?!

We all looked over at Ryueen with questioning looks but he didn't respond and simply gave us his signature shit-eating grin.

By evening. The entire exam looked like a beach party. All students were laughing, swimming and running around.

I was just in my swimsuit. I have had my fun swimming and now I was just relaxing while reading a novel. Beside me was another girl. I think her name was Shiina Hiyori. She seems to be interested in novels too.

"Hey Shiina right?"

She turned to me with a puzzled expression.

"Ummm...Yes?"

"Cool. I can see you were reading a novel. Which one is it?"

Her eyes suddenly sparkled. And before I knew it, she went on and on about her book. I actually enjoyed it. I even told her about mine and we both discussed different types of books. I think I made a new friend.

"Hirano! Get your ass here!" Ryueen called.

I looked over at Shiina who had a saddened expression.

"Hey it's okay. I will be back soon! Okay?"

She gave me a smile that only an angel could make and it almost made me to not listen to Ryueen and just worship this girl here. Almost.

I went over to Ryueen who smirked at my arrival. I just gave him a disinterested look.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Kukuku! We are you getting so worked up? Why not enjoy the vacation?"

"Because it's obvious as hell that you want something from me. So what is it?"

He smirked at me and took me into the forest. There he explained to me is entire fucking plan.

And I was shocked to say the least. Not only that this plan was upsured. But it might be ridiculous enough to work.

If everything goes well then this might work and we will get a shit load of points! But there was still one thing bothering me.

"Ryueen? What would you do if anyone from class B or Class D saw you on the island and found out about you being the leader?"

He looked at me with a look that spoke everything.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! DID YOU NOT THINK OF A COUNTER MEASURE?! WERE YOU THINKING THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT SOMEONE MIGHT FIGURE OUT THAT YOU ARE ON THE ISLAN?! MORE THAN THAT! DID YOU EVEN THINK WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF CLASS A BETRAYED US AND TOLD ALL THE OTHER CLASSES THAT YOU ARE LEADER BEHIND OUR BACK?! OR BETTER YET WHAT IF SOMEONE SAW THE SPOT YOU OCCUPIED AND READ THE WORDS "OCCUPIED BY CLASS C"?! DID YOU EVEN CONSIDER THIS?!"
I shouted with anger at his stupidly.

I mean it was a good plan! But who the fuck would do something so risky without making sure the risk decrease to the minimum percentage!

He thought for a while until a wicked smile came on his face. He looked at me and said.

"I think I know what to do. You will stay with me on the Island!"

I immediately realized that I dug up my own grave. No point crying about it now.

"F-Fine. But I have a way to improve your plan. I will pay visits to the other classes camps. And chat them up and pretend that I was worried about my classmates since they had been "kicked" out. After most of the class retires. You and I will stay on the island along with the spies sen to the other classes. I will be the one going on the secret meeting with Katsuragi or to recover the name of the leader from our classmates. While you focus on hiding and collecting points from spots. So even if someone finds out about a class C student being on the island. They will think it's me. Or if they have seen you along with me. Then they won't risk writing your name without being sure that the leader isn't me." I explained my plan. Ofcourse, in the last case if someone took that risk then we are doomed. But the chances are minimum.

He looked at me with a grin.

"Kukuku! I knew making you vice-leader was a good idea! Very well! Let's follow your plan!" He seemed pleased.

"But I need compensation for this. Out of the 20,000pp from each student in Class A per month. I want to have 4,000pp from each person per month! Thus in total you will give me 160,000pp per month. I will make a contract tomorrow and you must sign it!"

He agreed and with that we both returned back to the camp. Ryueen had some of our classmates take the goods to class A as per the agreement.

Sigh. Tomorrow is another day.

I will have to pay a visit to both class B and D. Then that very night. All most all of my classmates will retire while I suffer here with Ryueen keeping me company with his shit eating grin.

Sigh.

I just walked back to Shiina.

Vol 1 Ch 6: Hirano's plan

Hirano pov:-

The day went by pretty quickly. Ibuki and Kaneda were sent to class D and B respectively. Meanwhile, I enjoyed every second I had with the angel known as Shinna Hiyori. I can't say that seeing her in a swimsuit didn't make me blush.

Out of the seven days. Tomorrow is the last day of enjoyment. I woke up early in the morning and after playing around with my classmates and blushing everytime when a girl in a swimsuit called me out to play, I finally went ahead and revised everything about the plan.

This would have been a little easier if I was the leader. Too bad we can't change it. But can we?

I went over to Ryueen.

"Hi Ryueen. Can you give me the book with all the rules in it?"

"Kukuku. It's on that table over there."

I picked it up and went through the additional rules.

How interesting. So we can change leaders with a justifiable reason. Would injury or sickness be good enough?

I think I have an idea! Though, I will keep it from Ryueen for now. I like the idea of moving around in the shadows. Mostly because it's fun.

I told Ryuuen that I was going to "check" on our classmates. I managed to track down the other classes base thanks to the trackers on Ibuki and Kaneda.

First let's pay class B a visit. I walked through the forest hoping not to get lost.
I finally reached class B. There I saw a whole class working as a single unit. Even from such a distance I can tell that their teamwork is extraordinary.

I walked upto their leader, Ichinose Honami, who looked as beautiful as ever.

"Ummm...Hello?"

"Oh! Sorry didn't see you there. Welcome to class B's camp! Welcome Hirano!"

"Oh! It's a good thing that you remember me! Well I just came to check up on my classmate who was kicked out by Ryueen. I am very worried about him."

"Oh! It's good to see that you are worried! I would be too! He is over there!"

She pointed at him.

"Thanks Ichinose. And a sorry for what happened during the trial. I hope that didn't leave any bad blood between us."

She looked at me and smiled.

"Ofcourse not! I know that you were just protecting your classmates! But I have to ask. Was your claim really true?" Her smiled dropped.

"I am sorry Ichinose. But it was. That's why the student council president himself went through the cameras and saw that Sudo started the fight with us. With all that evidence, we were able to get justice for us."

She frowned a bit.

"Oh! Then I am sorry for not backing you up."

"I don't mean anything against you. You didn't know that you were supporting the wrong party! I mean we are found guilty alot because of Ryueen's reputation! Besides the student council president made sure to double check that the evidence was beneficial and then made his decision of punishing class D. He was about to expel Sudo. But I didn't want the guy to lose his future. So I just asked the president to give them a light punishment. So everything was resolved."

I mixed up lies upon more lies. I hope she fells for it.

"Hmm... Okay. But then why did you all act so shocked when we mentioned the cameras?"

Damn it! Think!

"W-Well...We were quite surprised to see them. Plus we thought that you all manipulated the footage at first. But when you said that you would get in trouble too then it was clear that wasn't the case. So we relaxed since we knew that the cameras would have captured Sudo's assault. So we would win the trial eitherway."

She seems to think over it. And then smiles.

"Okay! I believe you!"

Thank God! I just hope what she says is true and she really does believe me.

I walked over to Kaneda.

"Hey bro! You okay?"

"Hmmm...Oh Hirano! Yes I am doing just fine! Everyone is so nice!" He seems to be acting pretty well.

"That's good. *whisper in his ear* any idea on who the leader is?"

"*whispers back* Yes. But I haven't been given a chance to take a picture yet."

"*Whispers again* Well have it done by the next three days! We don't have that much time!"

He nods and goes back to help the class B students.

I walked back to Ichinose.

"Thanks Ichinose. Please take good care of him." I bowed to her.

"Hehe Don't worry. I will!"

With that I started walking towards the class D base.

Timeskip:-

There it is. Class D's base camp. God this will be awkward. I will understand them hating me. Since I completely crushed them in the trial.

I walked over to them and Kushida seemed to notice me.

"Hi Hirano!"

"Hey Kushida!"

Everyone looked at us. And in a blink of an eye Sudo came rushing at me. I thought that he would hit me but he stopped infront of me. I guess he learnt something since our last encounter.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Wow! Dude chill! I just came to check over my classmate. She was kicked out by Ryueen and I am very worried about her."

"LIKE HELL!"

"SUDO STOP!" Suddenly Horikita and Ayanokouji came to us.

Horikita glared at me with a cold gaze while Ayanokouji still had his Expressionless face. Is he day dreaming or something?

"Hello Horikita! Long time no see! I hope you don't hold a grudge against me because of our last encounter."

"LIKE HELL-!"

"Obviously we don't. There is no need to hold a grudge about a matter that has already been settled." Horikita interrupted Sudo.

Although you say that. But your eyes say a completely different story.

"Great! I was just hear to see Ibuki! If you don't mind."

"No please. Go ahead. It's none of my business." I started walking towards while Sudo glared at me from behind.

Horikita and Ayanokouji followed me. If it isn't your business then why are you following me?

"Hi Ibuki." She just looked at me and did her signature "tch".

"What the hell do you want?"

"I just wanted to check up on you. I heard what Ryueen did to you. I am really sorry."

"Tch. Whatever just go away. You have no business with me." Saying that she walked away.

To others it may sound rude. But to me, that sentence had another meaning. It means that she hadn't found the leader so I had no business with her.

"Oh Ok."

I turned around and looked at Horikita.

"Haha! I guess she is doing fine. Thank you for taking care of her. If possible, please visit our camp. It's near the beach. Here this note has the exact coordinates. See you all around!"

After giving them the note. I left.

Timeskip:-

I need to make one last stop. I need to find a class A student. Luckily for me, two of them came out of the bushes from behind me.

"Hey there fellas! What business do you have with me?"

"Which class are you from?"

"Class C."

"Hmmm... How about we make a deal. We, Class A, will give you 100,000 private points in exchange of the name of your leader."

Hmmm... That's quite a good offer. And I would love to screw off Ryueen.

"Are you part of the Sakayanagi faction or Katsuragi faction?"

They both looked at eachother and laughed.

"Hahaha! Katsuragi doesn't stand a chance! Sakayanagi is the only true leader of Class A!"

Interesting.

"Well since you are a part of the Sakayanagi faction. I will do business with you. As a matter of fact, I have the card right here. I will show it to you in exchange of the points. But we have to sign a contract first. Also make the points atleast 300,000. Or else no deal."

They both agreed and we signed the contract. I showed them the card I stole from Ryueen. That bastard must be looking for it like crazy as we speak. But I am sure he has figured out I took it.

And then the transaction was done. Poor Class A. I will screw them up Nicely!

Vol 1 Ch 7: How it all went down.

Hirano pov:-

I can't believe this. I am now camping on the island. Alone with Ryueen. Eating who knows what this is?

The rest of the class retired from the exam. And we have been camping for about 3 days now. So it's currently the 5th day of the exam. I officially hate camping.

But it seems my turn to play has finally come. Kaneda had found out class B's leader and taken the photo of her card.
Now we just need to give this photo to Katsuragi.

A meeting between me and him will be held in about 10 minutes.

I walked to the location and waited till Katsuragi arrived.

"Hello Katsuragi!"

"Hmm? Hirano correct? Why are you here? And where is Ryueen?"

"Ryueen got held up with something. So I am here in his place. But not to worry. I know who class B's leader is and have photographic proof right here."

I showed him the photo. He looked over it and then put it in his pocket.

"It's genuine. Good work. I expect the photo of class D's card to be also given to me by the end of the week."

"Naturally." I said while smirking at him.

"You and Ryueen are so much alike. Both of you are creepy as hell. Also you smell. Get a bath or set yourself on fire, whatever works." He said walking away.

Oh! I am mad now! I mean, I do smell like a dead animal. But still!

Oh class A! I can't wait to see the look on your face!

Timeskip:-

I came back to where Ryueen and I had camped. Only to see him talking to someone. What the hell?

I hid behind a tree and listened.

"Kukuku! So Hashimoto. Why are you telling me this?"

"The Katsuragi faction will fall. I am ordered by Sakayanagi to make sure of that. After all , Katsuragi is no match for our princess."

"Kukuku! I knew that there was a rift between the class. But I never thought it would be so bad that Sakayanagi faction would be ready to betray the class. Never the less! It makes taking down Katsuragi more easier."

"I am the type of guy who seeks opportunity. I won't hesitate to betray people if our princess orders me to do so. See ya Ryueen. I have a few spots that I need to misuse and litter." Saying that Hashimoto walks away.

How interesting. This information would be useful as hell! And the best part. I have recorded everything!

I had bought this recorder to record the conversations between me and Katsuragi. But I never thought that it would be so useful!

"Kuku! I believe you heard that right Hirano?"

THE FUCK? HOW DID HE FIND ME?

I got out of my hiding place.

"How long did you knew I was here?"

"Kukuku. A minutes ago." So ever since I came back.

"Anyway Ryueen. I was hoping you would tell me about your connections with the Sakayanagi faction."

"Oh? And do you tell me everything? Hashimoto just told me that you gave out my name as class leader. Even showed them my card. What do you have to say?"

He grabbed my collar and glared at me. Fuck he is terrifying.

"R-Relax. I have a plan to take down class A along with class D. So no need to worry. I promise I will tell you everything at the last day of the exam. Okay?"

"You better. I don't take traitors kindly. Eitherway, class A's leader is Yahiko. Remember that."

Yup. I better sleep with one eye open tonight. Bit atleast I found out class A's leader.

Timeskip:-

Finally. The last day of the exam. Tomorrow morning, the exam will be over. The clouds have covered the sky and the wind is cold. The Weather is pretty nice to my liking.

As I made my way to the area along with Katsuragi, it started Raining. Well I needed a shower anyway.

We hid near the bushes and waited for the signal. Soon we saw a light flickering.

We walked towards it and there we saw Ibuki, who looked like a mess along with Horikita, who was laying unconscious on the ground. I guess she must have tried to stop her.

Ryueen had told me that her camera had been broken so she had to steal the card itself.

"Here you go. I have got the card for you." She said while smiling with a smug for her accomplishments.

"Thanks Ibuki! Here you go Katsuragi!"

He looked at the card.

"Good work. Your end of the contract is complete. But I still have one question. Where is Ryueen?"

I looked around me. I can't sense anyone hiding. But better be careful eitherway.

"Oh! Ryueen won't be coming. As the leader of our class. We thought it would be best for him to stay back in the camp so no one would see him. If they did. Then we would lose all our bonus points along with the points we will receive by guessing class B and D's leaders. Plus it gives him time to occupy spots. So everything is good."

He just nodded and stared at me. Ibuki came to punch me. Thankfully, I had taken taekwondo classes. I wasn't that good. But it was still something.

I avoided her attack, Thanks to my quick reflexes.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU TELL HIM THAT?!"

"Relax. It's not like Katsuragi would betray Ryueen and write his name. So chill."

I looked over at Katsuragi in confirmation.

"Being so carefree will cost you Hirano. I should remind you. It was never stated in the contract that we couldn't write eachothers classleaders."

"Well shit." I made a face of frustration. Ofcourse it's fake. But it should be pretty convincing.

I saw him walk away while I maintained that face, resisting the urge to laugh.

Ibuki just looked at me with rage. After Katsuragi had left I spoke to her.

"Relax Ibuki. He won't write it."

"Tch. Shut up! You ruined all of my hardwork." She said as she walked towards the shore. Probably to retire.

I can't tell her the truth. Not with the possibility of someone hearing me.

After removing the fingerprints, I placed the card back into Horikita's hand. Which was very hot for somereason.

Wait. I checked her forehead. She is sick?!

Damn. She is sick and bruised up too! She will retire for sure. Retire? Fuck!

I ran back to Ryueen.

"Kuku! So you are back? How did it go?"

"Everything went well. But it seems we have a few problems. We can't write Horikita Suzune's name as class D leader."

"Kuku! Why? Wasn't her name on the card? Then why are you refusing?"

"That's the thing! Here let me explain. When I touched Horikita. I saw that she was sick. Not only that but Ibuki bruised her up aswell. At this rate, she will retire and clas D will choose another leader. If we write Horikita's name. Then we will lose 50 points."

Ryueen expression became serious.

"I see. That is a problem. I take it that you didn't tell class A?"

I smile appeared on my face.

"Nope. I promised I would tell you my plan. So here, listen well. I sold our leader's name to class A's Sakayanagi faction. They will write your name down. But you will retire before that and give the leadership to me. Thus they would lose 50 points. At the same time, we will guess their leader making them lose 50 more points. With class B leader's name, we will take away 50 points from class B. Unfortunately we will have to leave class D alone. I have kept a track of our bonus points. They are 43 as we speak. By the end of the exam, we have to get atleast 10 more. You can leave that to me. Thus we should have a total of 153 points by the end of the exam. Giving us first place! Also since Sakayanagi faction interfered by writing your name. Some blame would fall on them. Then I will release the recording I took of your conversation with Hashimoto. Giving a heavy blow to the Sakayanagi faction and widening the rift in their class and at the same time, giving a little support to the Katsuragi faction. Doesn't that sound great?"

He looked at me with a huge grin.

"KUKUKUKUKUKU! Good job Hirano! Now then. I guess my retirement involves me getting injured. So I guess I will have to let you beat me up?"

It's like he read my mind. I gave a sadistic smile and punched him. Oh! How I have waited for this day!

We come first place. We take down class A. And I get to beat up Ryueen! It's a win-win!

After beating up Ryueen, I can't say I wasn't surprised. The entire time he was smiling. With no fear whatsoever. I was very creeped out by that. No I was kinda afraid by his smile. Damn. The guy can struck fear almost into anyone's heart. Though I am sure that there will be a many in the world that might be able to overpower him.

After everything was done and I had beat up Ryueen till my hearts content, we reported back to Sakagami sensei. With Ryueen retired. There was nothing stopping us from getting what we wanted. Now, I just have to spend the night on this island alone. With no one to talk to and absolutely nothing to do. Fuck!

I guess I will go look for some spots to occupy.

Timeskip:-

The exam had finally ended. I wasn't able to get another 10 bonus points. I got only 8. No matter.

After submitting the names of class A and Class B's leader to Sakagami sensei. I walked towards the beach.

When I reached there. I saw almost everyone looking at me with surprised expressions.

"Didn't all class C students retire?"

"What's he doing here?"

"What's going on?"

I just smirked at what they were whispering about. I looked over at class D. Just as I thought, Horikita isn't present anywhere.

Katsuragi came upto me.

"Hirano. Where is Ryueen?"

"Oh! He retired due to injury. Don't worry about him though. He will be fine. Plus his retirement doesn't affect our contract."

"Hmm... That is correct. Your's and Ryueen's efforts have given class A more than 500 S-points. Allow me to shake your hand as a sign of congratulations."

I took his hand and shaked it.

"Thanks Katsuragi. It was pleasure doing business with you. I hope we can cooperate again in the future." Katsuragi nodded and went back to his class.

At this point all students were staring at us. But before anyone could say anything, Mashima sensei spoke.

"Everyone. Now I will reveal the results of the special examination! Coming in last, class A with 80 points."

The look on his face was priceless. Katsuragi and the entire class A was shocked. He looked over at me and I only replied with a smirk. And ignored the glare he gave me.

Though it is odd. Their score is lower than I expected. Did someone else guess their leader?

"Third, class B with 140 points."

Hehe! Just as expected! No surprise there!

"Second, class C with 151 points."

At this my smile disappeared.

"WHAT?!" I shouted. I was shocked beyond believe.

"And coming in first place, Class D with 175 points!"

That's not. THAT'S NOT FUCKING POSSIBLE! Their score should have been less than 100! Unless... They found out class A's or Class B's leader! Since class A had less points than expected. My guess is that they guess class A's leader.

As class D was shouting and laughing their hearts out. I was glaring at them. All my hard work gone to waste.

Sigh. Doesn't matter. It wasn't entirely a waste. I managed to complete my secondary objectives.

My main objective was to get first place and take down both class A and class D.
Since I couldn't accomplish that. I had made a secondary objective just in case.

It was to get second place and extort loads of points from class A and get even more points from the deal with Ryueen. Atleast, I got that.

Thinking about it made me happy again. It wasn't a total loss.

Timeskip:-

I roamed around the ship and was exhausted as fuck!

I met up with Ryueen in our room. Since He, me and Albert were sharing the same room. Upon seeing me, he grinned. Hey! He shaved his beard. How nice.

"Kuku! So tell me what happened?"

"Nothing much. Everything went as we discussed. But it seems class D found out the leader of Class A. That's why we didn't come first."

"Kukuku! I see. So it really is what I think. There is a Mastermind in Class D!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"While you were on the island. I thought about everything and the exam results only confirmed my suspicions. The strategy used by class D was very similar to ours. We both laid traps and we both managed to avoid eachothers. But the way that the things were done was very intriguing. Suzune couldn't have done that. I think there is a Mastermind in Class D. And they think like me."

I was surprised at this. I processed all this information.

"Aww man. It means I lost to them. They must be really good. But who is it? I heard Koenji from their class is pretty good in academics and physical abilities too. But it can be Hirata too! Or what if it really was Horikita?"

"Kukuku! Don't worry! We will find out who this 'X' is. But I am sure it's not Horikita."

I will need to take my time and think about all of this.

"Okay. I trust you. Anyway, I think we should inform the class about our plan on the island. It would prove to them that we can lead the class and would decrease any resistance-"

"-And give you popularity and control over the class?"

Damn.

" I can't hide things from you can I?" I replied with a smirk.

"Kukuku! Do as you wish."

I typed the plan into our class's group chat and even told them about class D guessing class A's leader and thus our second place placement.

I didn't have anything else to say. So I starting walking away thinking about what he said.

"Hey?! Where are you going? I thought that you would rest up after your hardwork?"

I turned around and with a smile that spoke pure evil, I replied.

"I am going to destroy the unity of class A and give a heavy blow to the Sakayanagi faction. I might even get Katsuragi on good terms with us in the process!"

He just looked at me with an evil grin on his face as I walked out.

Ayanokouji pov:-

It's already night time. I waited for Horikita to arrive.

"Explain what happened."

That's the first thing she says to me?

Sigh.

"Promise to not tell anyone? No one but you will hear this."

She nodded and I began explaining my plan.

(He explained everything as per the light novel. But didn't tell her about Hirano's involvement yet.)

"I-I can't believe it... Wait. According to your plan. Class C should have come in last with 0 points. Isn't that right?"

"I was getting to that. What I told you was what the original plan was. But it was ruined due to someone else's involvement."

She gave it some thought and then her eyes went wide.

"Hirano..."

"Correct. Due to his presence. I couldn't tell if he was the leader or if it was Ryueen. So I didn't write class C's leader's name. Not only that but I believe he also tricked class A using the same method I used by making Ryueen retire due to injury. He mentioned Ryueen being class C's leader to Katsuragi on purpose to lure him or any other third party into his trap. Ofcourse there was a possibility of Hirano just slipping up and making a mistake so I couldn't write his name without confirmation."

"Wha-"

"It also seems he saw through my trap. And didn't write your name. Thus class C were still able to occupy second place."

Horikita just looked down. Frustration clear on her face.

"Hirano is that good?"

"In my opinion, he is very unpredictable. This island exam was like a battle just between me and him instead of the classes. A competition of who can make as many people fall into their trap and avoid the other person's traps at the same time. Fortunately I won, but just barely. Only because we didn't use a zero point strategy. Overall, I guess it's a tie. We both defeated class A and also avoided eachother's traps. But he also did beat class B. Hirano might just be our number one enemy."

"So we will have to watch out for him."

"True. He is like an unpredictable animal. A random glitch in the system. But as I have seen. He seems to be the kind of guy that would do anything as long as it benefits him. His plans are defensive as well as offensive. He makes sure to minimize the risk before attacking. If he can't get first place then he will get second. That's the type of guy he is."

"I see. We need to be very cautious of him. Ayanokouji, will you still help the class after this?"

"Let's make a deal. You don't try to pry into my life and be a cover for me and I will help you reach Class A."

She agreed and we both shook hands. The battle to rise to class A has only just begun.

Hirano pov:-

Finally, I found them! Class A!

They all seem to be arguing and throwing insults back an forth. Mostly at Katsuragi. This is my chance.

"Hello Katsuragi?"

Everyone looked at me.

"What do you want Hirano?"

"First, I came here to get some points from two members of the Sakayanagi faction."

The two boys in question quickly spoke up.

"Why the hell will we give our points to you?!"

"Simple. You signed the contract and I fulfilled my end of the deal. Now pay up or else get a hearing from the school."

Katsuragi just looked at us as both the boys gave me 300,000pp. By using their own points or borrowing from others.

This makes my point total to be 5,975,680pp. Great.

"Hirano. What's the meaning of this?"

"Follow me Katsuragi. I have an interesting thing to show you. Let's discuss more privately."

He followed me outside where the other students couldn't hear us.

"I have a deal to make with you Katsuragi. I have proof of the Sakayanagi faction betraying class A."

This caught his attention as he listened carefully.

"This will increase your influence in Class. And you can shift the blame of this exam's defeat to Sakayanagi. Because I am sure they made you write Ryueen as class C's leader."

"First tell me what is this proof?"

I showed him the recording of Hashimoto. But he didn't seem surprised.

"I had a feeling it was him. But what you say is true. With this I can put an end to Sakayanagi's tricks atleast for now . But what do you want in return?"

"Nothing."

He looked pretty surprised by my answer.

"What's the catch. There has to be one."

"No catch. I just want our cooperative relationship to last and not be broken because of this exam. I support those who I think are right. I will support you to take Sakayanagi down. But in return, all I ask is for a cooperative relationship between class C and Class A. Along with that you personally owe me a small favor. Nothing too serious or expensive. Just something that I will use when me or my class is in danger. What do you say?" I said as I pressed the spare recorder in my backpokect.

He thought about it for a while and spoke.

"Verywell. Class A will be in a Cooperative relationship with class C. And I will help you in the time of need as long as it doesn't betray my class or damage it in anyway."

I smiled. Things went exactly as I expected.

"Nice doing business with you Katsuragi. I am happy to gain a friend in need." He nodded and went back with the recording.

I peeped from behind the wall and listened to everything that they were saying.

"I know the reason why our class lost."
Katsuragi declared.

"Yeah! Because of your incompetence!"

"Yeah! Sakayanagi is way better."

Katsuragi clapped his hands.

"Incorrect. That's because there is a traitor in our class."

The class was silent. Completely silent. Until one person walked upto him.

"My, my Katsuragi. Can't accept your failure and now you are blaming it on someone else?" Hashimoto said.

Before anyone could reply. Katsuragi played the recording. After it ended, everyone looked at Hashimoto, whose face had went completely pale.

"Hashimoto you have betray class A. Not only you. Two other students from the Sakayanagi faction made contact with Hirano and made a deal. They even pressured us to write Ryueen's name as class C's leader and made us lose 50 points."

The memory of me taking points from them and "fulfilling my end of the deal" is fresh in everyones mind.

"Wha- Wait!-" Before they could defend themselves, Katsuragi continued.

"This entire thing was a plot made by Sakayanagi. And on her orders, the Sakayanagi faction had betrayed class A and joined forces with the enemy. Thus making us lose this exam."

Insults were sent towards the Sakayanagi faction. Those in Katsuragi faction were furious. Even those who were in the neutral faction were angry as hell. The Sakayanagi faction couldn't even defend themselves. The members in the Sakayanagi faction just glared at Hashimoto along with the other two boys. Some were even disgusted with Sakayanagi's betrayal. And had joined the Katsuragi faction, increasing his's influence. While decreasing Sakayanagi's.

I don't really know who this Sakayanagi is. I have never met her. But I am sure that I have made a dangerous enemy.

But in return, I have increased my reputation in Class and have someone strong outside the class as an ally.

I checked my phone and saw all the messages of praises sent to me for the plan. Many of my classmates invited me to a party and to celebrate with them. Even if it's only second place.

With this the class points are as follows.

Class A-1084cp
Class B- 803cp
Class C- 716cp
Class D- 202cp

We are catching upto class B. And we are catching up fast.

Vol 1 Ch 8: Vice-Leader meets the Princess

Sakayanagi pov:-

I sip my tea and move the queen. Then I proceed to cut the queen with a rock.

As I was playing chess by myself. I couldn't help but laugh at what Katsuragi would do. Our class got last place and most of the blame would go to him.

Although, I didn't expect class D to come first place. I heard that it was Horikita Suzune's strategy that lead to their victory. But I highly doubt that. She couldn't do something like that. But then who?

There is also Class C which is advancing steadily at a quick pace. It seems even they have a hidden gem.

As I was thinking, my phone rang.

Ah! Hashimoto must be reporting Katsuragi's situation to me.

"Hello Hashimoto. I take it that everything went as planned?"

"Umm... Quite the opposite actually."

Huh? What does he mean?

"Princess. Most of the class has turned against us."

WHAT?!

"What do you mean?" I asked in a serious tone.

"Class C betrayed us. They recorded me giving information to them and they gave the recording to Katsuragi, who showed it to the class. Not only that, but they also gave false information about their leader to two of our classmates in your faction as shown by a contract they made. With all of this evidence Katsuragi convinced the class that you betrayed them. Now many members of the neutral faction have sided with Katsuragi. Not only that, but some of our own members have left our side."

WHAT?! MY PLAN WAS PERFECT! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? DAMN THAT RYUEEN! WORDS AREN'T ENOUGH TO DESCRIBE HOW FURIOUS I AM!

" I WILL MAKE RYUEEN PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!"

"Umm... Princess? Actually, it wasn't Ryueen who did this."

Huh? Then who?

"Then who sabotaged my plan?"

"It was Hirano Aki from Class C."

Hirano? Isn't he the so called Vice-Leader of class C? The one that got into the student council? That guy...

"Fufufu! He will regret making an enemy out of me. But I am quite impressed with what he did. Hashimoto. I want you to do something for me..."

Hirano pov:-

Finally! Some rest and relaxation...

Ring! Ring!

Huh? Who is it now?

I picked up the phone and answered-

"Umm...Hello?"

"Come meet me near the pool at 10:30PM." Then they ended the call.

The fuck? Who was that? They sounded like a girl.

I checked the time. Only 10 minutes left? Damn. And I just got back too.

I got up from my bed and promised myself a whole day of relaxation tomorrow in exchange of my effort this week.

I walked out of the room and soon came to the pool. It was closed since no one was allowed to enter.

On the bench near me, I saw two girls. One girl was sitting on the bench while the other standing right next to her.

"Hello? Are you the one who called me."

"Fufufu! Yes I am. I have to say. You pulled quite a stunt Hirano."

Who the heck is she- Wait a minute. She has a cane? Damn! I only know of one person in this entire school using one.

"Sakayanagi Arisu from class A?"

"Fufu! So you recognize me? Then further introduction is not required. The girl standing next to me is Kamuro Masumi."

The girl just gave a dissatisfied face to Sakayanagi.

"Anyway. I have to say, you played my class well Hirano. You costed me alot of my influence in Class."

Her eyes scream her anger. And the aura she is giving off is nothingless then intimidating.

Damn. I made a powerful enemy. I am good but I am sure that I can't beat Sakayanagi. Not without knowing what this girl is truly capable of. I need to play my cards right.

"Well I saw the opportunity and I took it. I hope this doesn't leave any bad blood between us Sakayanagi. I only did that for the same reason you sabatoged your own class. To win."

"Ofcourse I understand. Winning is everything. Though, I am quite displeased at how you will be helping Katsuragi from now on."

"W-Well it's only a small deal we made. I only work with people if they can offer something to me in return. Katsuragi just happened to be one of those people."

"Fufufu! I see! So how about making a deal with me?"

"Huh?"

"Help me take down Katsuragi. And I will help your class rise to class B? I will even owe you a personal and private favor. What do you say?"

Huh? It's a good deal as I see it. But still...

"I would love to agree but I can't make the decision for the rest of my class."

"But aren't you the Vice-Leader? I am sure you are enough to convince Ryueen."

"B-But still... I have another idea." This grand plan just came into my mind right now!

"Hmm?"

"Just like how I will help you get rid of Katsuragi. How about you help me get rid of Ryueen?"

"Fufu! I see! So you want to be leader of your class? Very well. Let's make a deal then. You and I will be in a cooperative relationship. Along with that, I will owe you one personl favour."

"Seems nice enough. As long as you stop the recorder you have to record our conversation."

Sakayanagi looked at me with wide eyes. And then she laughed.

"Fufufu! So you noticed? You are more interesting than I thought."

She showed me her phone and deleted the recording. To double check, she did the same with Kamuro's phone. Who lent it to her grudgingly.

"You have good observation skills if you noticed me recording this."

"Thanks."

Little does she know that what I said was a bluff. A mere guess, since I heard how smart she is. Plus I would do the same If I was in her position. I actually had no idea that she was recording this. I just got lucky. But she doesn't have to know that.

"Well then can you stop your recording aswell."

I don't know if she guessed like me or if she somehow actually noticed. But eitherway, I turned off the recording and deleted it infront of her.

"Well then now that mutaul trust between us has been built. Then shall we get going?"

"Wait! Before that. Can you get someone to teach me more about fighting?"

"Fighting?"

"Umm... Yeah. I know Taekwondo but I am not really that good at it. So can you get someone to teach me more about fighting?"

"Fufufu! Sure. I guess I can. Here take this number. It's Kito Hayata's. I will tell him about you and he can train you well."

"Great!"

"So Hirano. Tell me. Do you really think that Horikita was the one who came up with the idea for class D's victory."

She suddenly changed the topic. I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond and then spoke.

"Well according to Ryueen, it is someone else and I agree. I thought about it and seeing her state on the island, then there is no way that she could have done anything."

"Fufufu. I agree. There is no way that this was Horikita's strategy. But then that leaves the question of who?"

"Let's see when we cross that bridge."

Saying that I walked off. Everything went well.

I need to get stronger to stand my ground against Ryueen when I need to. So Kito's training will do nicely. Along with that, I had convinced Albert and Ishizaki to train me aswell. I am gonna get stronger in no time!

Now about Sakayanagi. I know that what I am doing is risky but I plan to use her and then backstab her later on.

I can already tell that she might be more trouble than Katsuragi. The more reason to make sure that Katsuragi keeps his influence in Class.

The thing about me getting rid of Ryueen was just a lie to make it look like I had turned into her pawn. In truth, I have no intention of getting rid of Ryueen. I may hate the guy with all my heart and soul, but even I can tell that he is necessary for this class to advance.

I just hope my luck doesn't run out.

Sakayanagi pov:-

"So why did you make a deal with him?"

"Fufufu! Quite simple I saw him as a decent plaything. I am going to help him get stronger and then crush him completely!"

I then looked over at Masumi.

"Also I want you to keep an eye on him. He is troublesome. He is hard to predict but now I have a good read on him. It's obvious that he is the type of guy who would take the chance at any opportunity he gets. He takes risks after minimizing them first. So he might betray us in the future. We have to watch out for him."

I saw Hirano's retreating back and then turned back to Masumi.

"Don't worry. I will make Hirano pay dearly for what he has done. He will be a good test subject. I always wanted to know, how many classpoints points would decrease if someone was expelled?"

Timeskip:-

Hirano pov:-

I was eating my food. Normally I would sit alone. But today, I was invited by a lot of my classmates. Sadly, Ryueen was one of them so I had no choice but to go with him. Along with him, Ibuki was here aswell.

"Kukuku. You played class A well!"

"Shush! I don't want to attract more attention than I already have!"

"Kuku! Anyway, let's discuss why I called you here. I want your thoughts about 'X'."

"Well what can I say? I don't know them. But I am guessing that you plan to find out?"

"Kuku! Yup. Look over there. Suzune is sitting right over there. Let's go say hi!"

"No thanks. I just plan to eat and relax."

Ryueen and Ibuki went without me. I couldn't care less. I am too exhausted to carry on.

I finished eating and went back to the room. I laid down and just rested my head.

Finally, sleep...Beep!

The fuck?

I looked at my phone.

"A new special exam is going to begin soon. You are requested to attend your given destination at your given time." It was followed by a room number along with time for me to attend.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!

I just laid down to rest. It's not even been a minute that I have started relaxing! And now I have to report in about what? 30 minutes? There goes my promise of rest and relaxation. Just my luck.

I went ahead to the designated room. Upon entering, I saw that I was the only student here. Besides me, there was also a teacher, I believe she is class B's homeroom teacher.

She greeted me with a smile.

"Hello~ I am Hoshinomiya Chie! It good see that you are a punctual student~."

"Umm... Thanks Sensei."

Damn. If she was my age. I would have been head over heels for her.

I took my seat and waited for others to arrive. How odd, this room isn't big enough to fit a class. Besides, where is Sakagami sensei?

Hoshinomiya sensei stared at me and then she opened her mouth to say something when the door opened and the rest of my classmates arrived.

They were Shiina Hiyori, Morofuji Rika and Nishino Takeko.

"Hi Shiina! Hi Nishino! Hi Rika!"

"Oh! Hello Hirano!"

"Hey Hirano! How's it going?"

"Umm...Hello..."

After our little gretting we all sat down.
And allowed Hoshinomiya sensei to speak.

"Oh! Hirano seems to be a playboy~ having three girls at once~."

My face went red by her comment.

"N-No it's not like that." Shiina quickly refused. My feelings are hurt. Nishino didn't care about what sensei said. She was enjoying our reaction. While Rika was just looking away. She has always been a shy girl. Though she told everyone in Class to call her by her given name.

"Anyway. I will tell you about the new special exam. In it you all will be separated into 12 groups based on Zodiac names. You will be the group Sheep."

"Wait... Sensei... We are not participating as a class?"

"Nope. Just individual groups! Ofcourse you can converse with your other classmates when you want! Anyway, this is how things will happen. In a group, you all will have one target student. The entire exam will be based on if you can find the target."

Huh? So it is like murder mystery...
Or Vampire hunter or Even Among us.

"'So how do I find the target you ask? Will the method is up to you. Everyone will get a message telling them if they are a target or not. But you aren't allowed to check other people's phones unless they allow you to. Stealing their phone, threatening or assaulting them is prohibited."

"So we just have to find the target by any other methods?" Nishino asked.

"Yup~ Now read this paper. It has the rules and outcomes in it."

I held the paper while Shiina and Nishino peered over it from beside me.

Explanation of the Special Examination of Different Groups:-

In this test, the cornerstone will be a "target" student that is chosen from each group. By using your critical
thinking skills, you will achieve one of the four possible outcomes by the end of the exam.

8am on the day the exam starts, you will need to mail the other groups of the fact that you have chosen a "target" student from amongst you.

The exam itself will mostly take place between 4pm and 9pm tomorrow (students will be free to act as they wish during the day).

For one hour each day, twice, you will need to gather together with your assigned groups and talk.

Content of the talk will be left up to the discretion of each group.

At the end of the exam, you will need to identify the "target" students of other groups. This will be done between 9:30 and 10:00PM. Only one answer can be
submitted from each group.

The answers must be sent to faculty members through a certain address that will be provided to your mobile phones.

The "target" student cannot be the one to send the answers.

You must only answer the identity of the "target" student of the group you are assigned. Any other answer will be marked as invalid.

Details of the results of the exam will be mailed to students by 11:00PM of the same day.

Outcomes:-

Result 1: If the answers of the "target" student as well as the other group members are all correct, they will all receive private points (including members other than the "target" student themselves).

Result 2: If there are incorrect answers or unanswered questions by people other than the"target" student, only the "target" student will receive 500,000 private points.

Result 3: In the case that someone other than the "target" answers the question before waiting for the allocated time and answers correctly, the class the answerer belongs to will receive 50 points each and the answerer themselves will receive 500,000 points for themselves. On the other hand, classes whose "target" have been identified will receive a penalty of -50 points for their whole class. Once this has been achieved, the test will be over for the group. However, if a member that belongs to the class of the "target" answers correctly, the previous result will be made invalid and the examination for that group will continue.

Result 4: In the case that someone other than the "target" answers the question before waiting for the
allocated time and answers incorrectly, the class the answerer belongs to will receive a penalty of -50 points each but the "target" will still receive 50,000
private points. If the answer is given incorrectly, the group's exam will end. However, if a member belonging to the class of the "target" is the one who
answered incorrectly, the answer will be considered invalid and will not be accepted.

"Remember. You all to be in the meeting room. No exceptions~. Also if you reach outcome one. Then the target will receive 1 million points!"

What an interesting exam. The four options available to the group now are :

Share the identity of the "target" and clear the exam together as one.

Answer incorrectly and the group loses but the "target" still receives points.

A traitor uncovers the identity of the "target".

The traitor disregards the judgment of the "target".

Damn. They are troublesome. But at the same time, these special exams are so much fun! Competing with others and working together with friends! I love it!

Even if I don't graduate through class A. I don't regret coming to this school!

Vol 1 Ch 9: The Sheep Group

Hirano pov:-

I was just laying around on my bed when a notification popped up. Oh right, the exam.

In this exam, I was a part of the Sheep group. Fun fact, Aries just happens to be my Zodiac sign.

It's 8 Am so it must be my message. I was very excited and barely got any sleep. Not to mentioning, I woke up early and already had my breakfast along with my morning workouts.

My training with Albert, Ishizaki and Kito will begin once we get back to school grounds. So I had just done my own morning workouts.

I checked the message.

After a period of thorough consideration, you have been chosen as the "target". Please act together as one and challenge the exam in that manner. The exam itself shall begin from 1:00 PM today onwards. The exam will be held for three days from this point onwards. If you belong to the (Sheep) group please come up to the room marked as such on the second floor immediately.

I got chosen as the target? Awesome!

But wait... This comes with risk aswell. My group members will be looking for me! Damn it!

But if I survive their investigation then I will receive 500,000 private points!

I can already tell that outcome one is impossible. There is no way that anyone will agree to it.

Then what should I do? I wish there was a way that I could get outcome one and the 1 million points along with it.

I guess I can't do anything about it.

I got up from my bed and left the room. I went over to the meeting room. Having arrived first, I just sat there and waited for others to arrive.

After a long time, the room was finally full. I could see four class B students, three class A students and three class D students. Along with me, Shiina and Nishino were sitting by my side. The seat beside Nishino was taken by Rika.

Shiina was reading a book while Nishino was on her phone. None of them noticing the other classes staring at us or rather me.

Well it is to be expected. The news about me being the reason for our class getting second place has given me quite the popularity.

I just continued reading a book I borrowed from Shiina and ignored the glances.

From the other classes, I can recognize Kamuro from class A and Sudo and Satou from class D.

Sudo was continuesly glaring at me. I just decided to ignore him.

Then a student of class B stood up.

"Hello Everyone. I am Gima Aika of class B. I guess we will all be in the same group together." Said a beautiful girl with long pink hair.

Gima Aika? I have heard that name before. Wait... It's her!

I immediately stood up and everyone looked at me.

"Umm... Sorry for disturbing. But Gima-san. Have we met before?"

She tilted her head and answered "Umm...I don't believe so... What's your name?"

"Hirano Aki of class C."

"Hirano Aki...Aki... Wait... Aki is that you?!"

"So you do remember!"

She came running to me and we both hugged eachother. I could see the confusion on everyone's faces.

Aika turned to her classmates.

"Sorry guys. Aki and I are childhood friends. We haven't seen eachother for two years. So..."

"Nah we get it." One of her friends replied.

"We should catch up sometime Aika. I never expected to find you here."

"Same. Here is my number. We can do it after the session today."

After that she went back to her seat and so did I.

"Ahem...Sorry for interrupting you all. Now then. Shall we discuss the exam?"

"Sorry. But we of class A will not be cooperating with any of you."

"Huh?" We all turned towards the three class A students.

"Katsuragi has informed us to not cooperating with any of you. Class A will not be participating in this exam."

I feel blessed. This is exactly what I wanted.

"But why? Don't you want class points?"
Nishino asked.

No shut up please!

"According to Katsuragi. This exam has many risk. Thus we will not be participating. Even if you all manage to gain points. The difference between class A and the rest is too big to cover. We will make up for it in the next exam."

So class A has taken a defensive strategy. It seems Katsuragi has learned his lesson after the island exam. I wonder how Sakayanagi plans to sabotage this?

I have only met her once and only talked to her for a few minutes. So the impression, I have of her is mostly because of the rumors and information I received from others. So her intelligence is something I am not sure of. But if it's true that she scored full marks in every one of the subjects during the midterms. Then she must be smart as hell. Cause I didn't even understand what the questions meant.

"So class A won't be participating? You do know that makes you three the prime suspect for being the target right?" Aika spoke.

She has always been a manipulate girl. However, in terms of academics, she isn't too bright. Just like her sisters.

"We don't care. Even if one of us is the target. There is no way for you to know. Anyone in this room can be the target. So it doesn't matter to us. Now we won't be conversing with any of you any further."

With that those three pulled their chairs to the corner and pulled out their phones.

"Sigh. I guess class A is out. So anyone else have any ideas about the exam?"
Aika asked but no one responded.

God this is going to be an awkward hour.

Timeskip:-

Our first session ended with a complete failure. No clues were found and no leads to who the targets was. Well failure for them, success for me.

I caught up with Aika.

"Hey. Let's catch up shall we?"

"Yup! It's been so long! It's been two years since you and your parents moved away."

"Yeah... But to think we would meet in a place like this. What were the odds?"

"Yeah. Umm...Also I heard about you. You were the one who bought victory to your class and got them second place right? Good job!"

"Hehe...Well it was more of a team effort..."

"Hmm? Really? So how did you do it?"

"Well I first... HEY WAIT A MINUTE! STOP TRYING TO GET INFO OUT OF ME!"

"HAHA! You are still as gullible as ever!"

I forgot how much she enjoyed playing around with me...sigh. I just have to put up my gaurd after she praises me . Because she never praises me without a reason.

"Whatever. So how has your family been?"

"Great! Though my little brother is a pain!"

"Haha! Come on! Is he the same as the last time I saw him?"

"He has grown up. But he is still a little childish like you."

"Oww... That hurt my feeling!"

She just rolled her eyes at my statement.

"You know Miku and Itsuki are here aswell."

"WHAT?! They have been here this entire time and I didn't even know?!"

She just giggled at what I said.

"Yup. Well what did you expect? I am here so obviously my sisters are here aswell. They are both in class B with me. Lucky right? "

Damn. I never paid attention to my surroundings. Most of my focus was in Class A and D so I completely forgot to check up on class B.

They are basically a family of four. Three triplets sisters and one little brother. The worst part is that the triplets are so alike in terms of looks that it's hard to tell which one is which. Fortunately they all dyed their hair a different colour. Aika here, has dyed her hair pink and keeps her hair longer than her sisters.

"Wait so do they know about me?"

"Yup. Itsuki was pretty mad that you didn't recognize her."

"Yeah...Well..."

I didn't know that they were entering this school aswell. I need to make a mental note to meet them. Wait a minute...

"Aika. If you knew that she knew...then why did you pretend that you just realized who I was during our session."

"Hee~ I just wanted to test if you remembered me or not." She said while giving me a smug face.

This is so not fair. But what did I expect from the oldest triplet. She would use every opportunity she got to mess with me.

If I have to say, then Aika would be the smartest of the triplets. And that's saying alot since the three of them are just below average! Though she has her beauty going for her and plans to become a model. Not to mention, her cooking is great! She loves to tease me and is kinda of a typical tsundere. She doesn't give a damn how her words affect me and doesn't think twice about insulting me half way to death...

Miku is the middle sister. She isn't that academically great. But is amazing when it comes to history. Even a genius! She is the perfect person to be a librarian. Since she likes books like no one else. She is normally very quite and mature, but I think her and Hiyori will get along. I should introduce them to eachother.

Itsuki, the youngest triplet, can only be described as stubborn, awkward and stupid. But she has a good heart and is the best at understanding her siblings emotions. She is always there when you need someone to talk too! You can say, that she is the one who acts like the mom in their family. She is the most athletic of the bunch. She is also the jokester among the three sisters.

I am not that surprised that they got sorted into the same class. Coincidences like this have happened since the day I met them. Basically, each sister has something they are better at then the other. But their overall abilities are the same.

For example, Aika is good at cooking, English and Biology. Miku is good at games, Maths and History. As for Itsuki, she is good at sports, Chemistry and Physics. It's like they complete eachother and make up for the other's weakness.

Separately they are just at or below average. But if there was a way to combine them. Then you would get a perfect beauty who is almost good at everything.

Me and Aika pretty much just talked to eachother the entire time and even got some food together.

During the second session of the day. The same thing happened. With class A not cooperating, they weren't able to narrow down the target's identity to me.

Timeskip

It's the second day of the exam. And I have no idea what I am supposed to do.

I didn't have a chance to meet up with the triplets. We were busy on the days when the other one was free. Though thanks to Aika acting as the middle woman, we decided to meet after the ship exam. I have their number so we have been texting back and forth.

Ryueen has already instructed us to find the names of the other targets. Something which I don't have to do. Since I am the target. I also told him that I was the target for my group. He didn't say much but by the looks of it, he is planning something.

I received a text from Sakayanagi and was told to meet her near the pool. Where I am standing right now.

"Fufu. So you are here. Shall we begin?" I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Sakayanagi and Kamuro standing there.

"Hi. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Fufu. Here take this." She handed me a piece of paper.

"It has the names of all the targets in Class A along with the their group name. Use it well~" Saying that she and Kamuro walked off.

It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she plans to use this to decrease Katsuragi's influence.

Well it's advantageous to me so...

I clicked a photo of it and send it to Ryueen. Now then that's done. I can go and get some rest. Finally!

I have been caught up with catching up with Aika about the past that I didn't have much alone time.

Vol 1 Ch 10: The Results

Hirano pov:-

Finally, it's the last day. Something crazy happened yesterday. Apparently the guy named Koenji from class D, finished the exam for his group. Like what the hell?

If my memory serves me right. Which surprises me that it does, he is the narcissist of class D. Calls himself the "perfect being". Or whatever shit that means.

Anyway, Till now class A hasn't cooperated at all. So there was not much progress.

Besides I had also made it clear that I just want to relax and skip this exam so there was no point in involving me.

Aika had attempted to make me change my mind but I didn't listen. Though it was tough to ignore her when she looked at me like that with those damn scary eyes. It felt like she stabbed me in the heart whenever she looked at me like that. My ego is seriously injured.

Eitherway, It's the final meeting. After this, my win is guaranteed!

Aika rose up from her seat.
"Okay. Our class have come up with a plan to learn who the target is. I would like all of you put your phones forward and show the messages."

Her sudden declaration threw everyone into chaos.

"W-Wait why?" A boy from class A asked.

"Simple. This way we can narrow down the identity of the target." She answered with a smile.

Damn. If everyone but me shows their phones. Then I am done for.

Luckily that wasn't the case. Those of class A refused to show their phones and I did the same.

I looked over at Aika staring at me.
She has known me for a while. She knows how I like to avoid such troublesome situations. The me that she knows is the one who would show his phone. Since I didn't, she might be about 90% sure that I am the target. However, she won't take a risk since class A didn't show their phones either.

"Come on Hirano. Just show your phone and let's get it over with." Nishino called out to me.

"I will. But after class A has shown their messages first. Me showing my message won't do you any good if class A doesn't cooperate."

I looked over at the class A students.

"I will do it." Said one of them. We all turned our attention to the girl, Kamuro.

"W-wait Kamuro!" As her classmate was about to speak, he was hushed.

"Shut up. Following Katsuragi's orders are pointless. His strategy is going to fail anyway. We might aswell get this over with and be on our way." She said she showed us her message.

Damn. Now it's just between the three of us who are left. And I will obviously being suspected the most by Aika.

It's almost like Kamuro is purposely trying to convince these fools to not follow Katsuragi and show their messages. If they get convinced by her...

No! I can still win! I just have to maintain my composure!

Timeskip:-

No matter how anticlimactic that was. The hour finally passed and we were finally released.

Thank god no one found ou-

"It's you isn't it Aki?" A voice came from behind.

I made a stern expression and looked behind to find Aika glaring at me.

"Umm...No?" I tried to play innocent but it's obviously not working.

"Hmm...I don't think so. The normal you would have shown your phone unless you have something to hide." She said with confidence.

"Um...But that was because class A wouldn't cooperate..."

"Is that so? Then will you show me your phone now that we are alone?"

"Well Ummm...Sure! But don't grab my phone. It's against the rules and can penalize you." I said with a little frustration.

I took out my phone and showed it to her.

She looked over it carefully. The next thing I knew was that a call was being sent to me. It was Aika. She used it to check if it's really my phone.

"Hmm...So you really aren't the target? I guess I really was wrong about you. It seems it's one of the two remaining class A students." She said with a little frustration in her voice.

"I told you! But I have to say, a plan to check everyone's phones. Not to mention calling mine to check if it's mine. That's pretty brilliant." I complimented her and changed the subject.

"Well Yeah! But I wasn't the one who came up with it. It was Ichinose's idea. I just went along with it." She replied.

"Well that's still amazing. Ichinose must be really smart to come up with something like that. Anyway, I gotta go back to my room. See ya around!"

"Yeah... see ya!"

We both went our separate ways.

Thank God she didn't notice. For the past hour when I had to sit in the meeting room, I had come up with a counter plan after Aika declared her plan.

It took time and required me to survive the meeting session on my own. But it worked out.

While they were focused on the class A students, I texted Ryueen and told him to send me a screenshot of his message and edited it. After the discussion was over, I showed Aika the screenshot to clear my name.

I also had to make sure that she didn't touch the phone and only saw it through a few centimeter distance or else she would have realized the truth.
It wouldn't have worked if I had shown it to multiple people at once. But it works if I show it to only one person!

But Damn! I was so nervous that it wouldn't work! Thank God Ryueen replied in time or I would have been screwed!

Later that Day:-

I looked intently. It's almost 11PM. The exam should be ending now.

Ding.

Yup there it is. I looked over at the results. (Rat) -- Due to the traitor's correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Cow) -- Due to the traitor's wrong assessment. Outcome 4.

(Tiger) -- Due to the target's identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Rabbit) -- Due to the traitor's wrong assessment. Outcome 4.

(Dragon) -- Due to the entire group's correct assessment after the exam's end. Outcome 1.

(Snake) -- Due to the target's identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Horse) -- Due to the traitor's correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Sheep) -- Due to the target's identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Monkey) -- Due to the traitor's correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Bird) -- Due to the traitor's correct assessment. Outcome 3.

(Dog) -- Due to the target's identity being protected. Outcome 2.

(Boar) -- Due to the traitor's correct assessment. Outcome 3.

And based on those results. Increases and decreases in the class and private points in this exam would be as follows.

In this case, cl and pr would represent class point and private points respectively.

Class A - Minus 200 cl Plus 2 million pr

Class B - No change in cl Plus 2.5 million pr

Class C - Plus 150 cl Plus 5.5 million pr

Class D - Plus 50 cl Plus 3 million pr
_

Damn. This went better than I thought!
We got first place!

The total class points should be:-

Class A: 884 cp

Class B: 803 cp

Class C: 866 cp

Class D: 252 cp

We have caught up to class B. After summer vacation, we will be promoted to class B now! Awesome! And the difference between class A and us isn't that big either!

Just what did Ryueen do? Even if I gave him the names of the Class A targets, even then such a score couldn't possibly be achieved! I don't know what he did but I don't care! We are class B now!

I will receive 500,000 private points for my efforts as the target. Plus 5.5 million divided among 40 people and I got another 137,500 private points.

So in the end, I got a good 637,500pp out of this. That along with my own points. I have a total of 6,597,020pp!

I heard that a guy had to cheat others for a year or two to get 12 Million. I already made half of it in a couple of months!

The difference in class points between Class A and Class C is now only 58 points! If we win the next exam! Then we will be the new Class A!

Vol 1 Epilogue: A Mysterious Caller.

Hirano pov:-

I gotta say. I am loving the looks of shock everyone has at the results! It's priceless!

Eitherway. I made my way to the dinner hall. Since they were open late tonight.

I approached a round table where three beautiful girl were sitting.

"Hey Aika, Hello Miku, Hi Itsuki!" I called out and sat near them.

The one sitting on my right was the pink long haired girl, Gima Aika. The one on my left was a brown short haired girl, Gima Miku. And the one sitting across from me was a red long haired girl, Gima Itsuki.

"Hey Aki! It's been a while since we could talk face to face! How have you been?" Itsuki being the chatty one started the conversation.

"Pretty great. Specially with the results of the exam."

"Urgh...No need to rub it in. I can't believe we are being demoted to class C." Aika was not happy.

"Well there is nothing I can do about that. Haha..."

"I have heard that you have made many accomplishments in this school. You joined the student council and helped your class win the island exam!" Miku complemented me.

"Haha! Well that and the I also hid very well."

"Hide very well? Wait! You really were the target weren't you!" Aika looked angry as hell!

"Guilty as charged. Sorry but I showed you an edited screenshot of someone else's message. Hehe." I said with an innocent smile.

"Hmph..." I could see her pout at me.

"Come one Aika. Let bygones be bygones."

"I am not talking too you!" She said facing the other way.

"Sigh. Okay. What do you want?"

"I want three scoops of ice cream! For all three of us!" She said with a smile that wasn't sweet at all! Damn devil!

"Sigh. Fine."

"Yay! Go Aika." Itsuki, who loved food more than her life, was obviously happy. Even Miku gave a small smile.

Sigh. These girls. Somethings never change.

Timeskip:-

THESE GIRLS ORDERED THE MOST EXPENSIVE ICECREAM THEY COULD! WITH THREE SCOOPS INFACT! THEY SPENT MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEN ON ICECREAM! LIKE WHAT THE HELL?

Sigh.

I was walking back to my room where I just happened to encounter the one person I wanted to meet the least.

"Hey Ryueen. Something wrong?"

"Kukuku. Nothing. I am just amused that you managed to not get caught. By your message, I guess you were in a big trouble."

That damn shit eating grin! I would pound it to the ground if I could!

"Well it doesn't matter. You did good and we got first place in this exam. Class A seems to be blaming Katsuragi this time, I guess there was no way for him to escape anymore. That's what he gets for making such a crappy strategy."

"Ryueen. How did you do it?"

"Kuku. Ofcourse by using the names you sen-"

"That's not what I mean." I stood my ground and confronted him.

He looked at me for a second with a serious expression before his smile came back.

"So what do YOU mean?"

"Outcome 1. I thought it was impossible till now. But you just shatter all my knowledge about this exam. Not only that, but there was no class A target in the Dragon group. So not only did you manage to find the target from B or D. But also managed to get outcome one? How?"

"Kukuku! If your so smart? Then just figure it out!"

But I am not smart!

The Bastard just walked away without telling me anything!

Now what should I do?

Timeskip:-

I was walking back to my room. Today was the last day that we get to stay on the ship. Tomorrow morning we will arrive back on campus.

I spent it pretty nicely, all things considered. I hung out with The Triplets and went swimming, Had a reading session with Hiyori and had GREAT Dinner! Now I just need some good nights rest-

RING! RING!

What now?!

"Hello?"

"It's been a while. Old friend." The voice I heard sounded awfully familiar but I can't remember where I heard it.

"Who is this?"

"My name is not important. You should worry about yourself more than me."

"Worry about myself?"

"Don't worry. Just make sure to watch your back. If not... then you might just end up getting thrown out of this fun school. See ya."

"W-Wait-"

The guy on the phone ended the call.

"W-What in hell?"

Who was that? And how did they get my number. From the voice, I can tell that it's a boy. But who?

I checked my surroundings to see that perhaps someone might be hiding and playing a trick on me. But I couldn't find anyone.

How odd. Get thrown out of school? Does he mean expelled?

It has to be a first year right? Except the teachers and workers, They are the only ones on this ship. So who would have the guts to send me a threat? And what's their reason?

Was this threat genuine or is this some type of cyber bullying? If it is, then it worked. I feel pretty shaken up.

But who would want me expelled?

I could report this to the school. But seeing their actions during Sudo's case, I doubt that they would help me.

Should I go to Ryueen? Nope. No way in hell! I ain't begging for help from that guy of all people!

I guess I will just keep this to myself for now. If they contact me again. I can use it uncover their identity faster.

They called me an "Old friend". So does that mean they know me? I only know the triplets before coming to this school. The voice sounded like a boy so I know it's not them. So who is it? And why contact me now?

This could also be a way to misdirect me and make me suspect my old friends. I guess I will figure this out with time.

I saved the number as "MCB". Which is a short form for "Mysterious Calling Bastard".

I hope everything turns out okay.

Eitherway, we will be back on school grounds tomorrow. And my training with Albert, Ishizaki and Kito begins a day after.

I need to work really hard if I have to become something more than some average guy. After all, I Am No Genius.

Vol 1 SS: Beauty at the pool.

Hirano pov:-

I made my way towards the pool. I love swimming. I always did since childhood.

"Hi Hirano. So you came to swim too huh?"

I turned around and found Ichinose Honami. The leader of Class B.

My face immediately went red. I mean, I know that she already looked beautiful. But with that swimsuit...it makes it seriously hard to not lust over her.

"I-I...Yeah. I thought to swim a little. I love swimming infact."

"I see! Then want to go Swimming with me? Let's have some fun together!"

"Really?! I- mean- Yup. Sure I would love to hangout with you Ichinose."

With that we made our way to the Swimming Pool.

Ichinose had no idea how many lustful gazes she was getting. Or maybe she did but chose to ignore it.

"Hey Hirano what's that?" She pointed her finger.

"Hmm...I don't see any-"

SPLASH!

I found myself pushed into the water.
I swam back up to find a grinning Ichinose.

"Hehehe Sorry about tha-waah!"

I grabbed her leg and pushed her towards me. We both slammed inside the water with her body directly on me.

"Waah!"

We both came back up to breath and then looked at eachother.

"Pfttt-hahahahaha!" We both couldn't contain our laughter.

I looked over at Ichinose. I didn't expect her to have such a childish side to her. It's pretty cute.

I was still troubled by the mysterious phone call but with her my mind seems to be more clear and relaxed now.

Splash!

She splashed water at me and stuck her tongue out.

"I won't let you get away with that!"

I splashed water at her aswell and we both played around avoiding and splashing water at eachother. Ignorant at the jealous gazes I received.

I got close to her and then pounced at her. Driving both of us in the water with her body in my arms.

Huh? What's this soft feeling on my face?

I realized that my face is in her blossom and my left hand on her butt. The right hand is on her back.

SHIT!

I let go of her.

We both came up for air.

"Ichinose I-"

Splash!

She splashed water at me again.

"Meanie! Don't pounce at me like that! Hehe!"

So she didn't notice? THANK GOD!

I thought this was going to be the end of me! I guess she was too caught up in the moment to notice. Or else I would have been expelled for sexual harassment!

I gotta admit. Her breast were so big and warm. And her body was so soft... SNAP OUT OF IT HIRANO!

"Hirano are you okay? You seem to be a little lost in thought."

"Oh! Umm...I was wondering if you are alright hanging out with me. Since you know..." The question had been on my mind for a while.

"About the class ranking? I understand if you feel concerned. But don't worry. Outside of class competitions we can all be friends! I don't see a reason to hate Hirano."

"Really? That's a relief!"

"Yes. I mean me and Ayanokouji hung out yesterday at the pool too! And he didn't mind it either."

"Ayanokouji? As in the student from class D?"

"Yeah! Him! I am sure we all can get along outside of class competitions!"

"If it's you. Then I think we can."

"Hehe! When did Hirano become such a sweet talker?"

"What can I say? I guess you bring out a different side of me."

"I am glad. That means we are starting to trust eachother and can become close friends." She said with a smile.

"We can. And now that we are friends. I can play pranks on you right?"

She was taken back with my questions.

"Umm...pranks?"

"Yeah! You splashed alot of water on my face! That's can't go unpunished!" I said with a grin.

"Um...what do you plan to do?"

"THIS!" I grabbed her from behind and tickled her.

"Hey! Hirano! Stop! Haha!" She started laughing like crazy.

"Who knew you were so ticklish?"

"Stop! Stop! I can't breath! Haha!" But my tickling saw no end.

"Oh! Owe! Hirano! Stop! You touching my-"

Huh? I feel some soft sensation as I tickled her.

I squeezed it a little.

"Wah!" a strange sound came out of her mouth.

Wait...AM I SQUEEZING HER BREAST!

I immediately retracted my hand.

"ICHINOSE I AM SO SORRY! I-"

She glared at me with a pink blush on her face and drops of tears in her eyes.

"It-It's alright. I understand that it was by accident... just please don't do that again..." She turned her head away in embarrassment.

"I-I am so sorry."

It felt really soft though. Now that I think about it. I kept her body touching mine. And tickled her while touching her body. Not only that I also grabbed and then squeezed her boobs...

It felt like heaven...so warm and soft... I still feel the sensation on my hands...
Damn...WHY THE FUCK DID I DO SOMETHING SO PERVERTED!

"It's alright! Really! Don't worry about it Hirano. I know you didn't mean to do that." She said going back to her usual smile.

I doubt that for some reason. You may forget it with time. But how am I supposed to forget something like this!

This is the first time I touched a girl's breast! And it was Ichinose to make that more of a memorable event! The feeling was just too good to be true! The warmth was just unreal! My heart is seriously pounding!

Now don't get me wrong! I hate being a pervert! And I hate perverts aswell! But with what just happened...a guy can't help think about these kinds of things!

"I am sorry once again..." I bowed and asked for an apology sincerely.

"I told you...It's alright." She said while waving her hands and giving me a "It's okay" smile.

"Let's just continue to have fun and forget that this ever happened. Okay~!"

"Alright..."

This has been the most unforgettable day of my life. The best and luckiest day in my life infact!

Vol 2 Prologue: Miku's Monologue

It's been more than a year since I have seen him! I can't believe we go to the same school.

Although it sucks that we didn't get put in the same class. Knowing that I will be competing against Aki is a bit unsettling. But I won't back down.

I have wanted to see him for such a long time! Eversince he moved away, I had been so sad!

But now he is here!

His mother was a close friend of our mother before she...died. So we have been playing with eachother since childhood. When our mother passed away, he was always there for us and conforted us. He was different from our father...who mostly used money to help us.

We were rich and lived a comfortable life. But it felt empty. Only Aki was there to ease the emptiness and was there for all of us when we needed him. Even though he is a big idiot.

But...still...the thought him and me becoming enemies is still a little uncomfortable. His class has already gotten ahead of ours and I am sure Ichinose, Kanzaki and Aika will be getting ready to fight against them...

Eitherway, I won't give up! I will fight Hirano head on if I have to continue to support my class!

And then maybe someday, I can tell him...how I feel...

But how am I supposed to do that!

Sigh.

I walked around the shopping mall thinking about how to confess.

He is a weird person when it comes to love. Sometimes he is a dense idiot and other times he is a shy boy with the lowest self-esteem.

It's not that he is just some dense and ignorant guy. He understands other people's feelings towards him really well. But the problem is, he refuses the thought of someone having feelings towards him as a member of the opposite sex.

I don't know what to do...

I suddenly felt a presence behind me. However when I turned around, I only saw many other students walking around and visiting various shops.

"Hmm... how odd... I am sure I felt that someone was watching me..."

Anxiety started filling my heart.

I have to be wrong right? I mean, there is no way someone is stalking me. Right?

I quickened my steps. However, the feeling of being watched started swirling inside of me again. But I couldn't find anyone watching me.

"There are too many people and too many places to hide..."

I hope that this is just me being paranoid and no actual stalker is watching me.

I walked further away and ran into someone I didn't expect.

"Ichinose?"

"Miku? Why are you in such a hurry?" She looked concerned.

"I-I...Umm...Don't worry about it." I said that after glancing behind me. I can't feel anyone following me anymore.

I am not that social like my sisters. So when someone is looking at me specifically, I can sometimes tell that they are looking at me. It gives me this uncomfortable feeling.

"Don't worry Ichinose. Are you out shopping today?"

"Yup. Also I wanted to ask you. Have you been to the fortune teller?"

"T-The fortune teller?"

"Yup. I have heard of there being one here today! They are two floors above us. You should check it out! I wasn't able to go since I plan to meet Chihiro and the others soon. But you should head there and check it out!" She seemed pretty excited.

"O-Okay. I will go check." I can't say that I am not curious.

I went up from the elevator and towards the fortune teller.

"There seems to be a line here."

How odd? Why are there only a male and female pairs visiting.

I looked at the nearby sign. It read "Couples only".

"Oh I guess I can't enter."

As soon as I was about to leave, I bumped into someone I didn't expect.

Hirano pov:-

I was walking round the Keyaki Mall. My physical training is going well but also very tiring. Albert and Ishizaki had me woken up by 6PM and then had me excersize like crazy.

Albert took care of my fitness and Ishizaki took care of my combat practice. The guy can really throw a mean punch. No wonder he was a big delinquent back in his middle school.

As for Kito. Sakayanagi got me acquainted with him and he offered to teach me martial arts during the evening. Fortunately, he knew taekwondo. So I am not learning anything new, but I am improving what I already know. And the guy is extremely good at it too! I am learning alot!

As for my academics, Hiyori offered to tutor me. We study together everyday. It's not because I want to get close to her and make my moves on her. Even though she is cute as hell. I genuinely want to get better scores. Even if it means doing something I hate. Studying.

Afterall, I witnessed this school's "special exams". I need to not only improve my status in class. But also in academics and physical ability if I have to survive here.

Afterall, I don't want to be thrown out of such a fun school!

Speaking of being "thrown out". I still have no idea about who called me during my time on the ship. I just hope it isn't anything serious. I can ignore it for now.

Since today is my day off from training and studying, I decide to go to the mall. As I was walking around. I bumped into a familiar face.

"Miku?"

"Umm...Hirano? W-What are you doing here?"

Her face seems awfully red. Has she been in the sun for too long?

"I just came here for a stroll. Are you okay? What were you looking at?"

I looked behind her.

"Fortune T-Telling?" I asked.

"Well umm...Yes. I wanted to go, But it's for couples only." She replied.

"Well let's go together!" I said.

Miku stepped back a little. "W-Wah?"

"I mean. I am also interested in fortune telling and you also want to see it. So we can pretend and go together!"

"I-I...umm...Okay."( Doesn't he realize what he is saying?! Oh...wait. Ofcourse he doesn't. He probably views at as just friends...)

"Great! Let's go!" I grabbed her hand walked towards the line.

Vol 2 Ch 1: An Advice.

Hirano pov:-

After a while of waiting, we finally got our turn. We entered the tent and saw an old lady sitting infront of us.

"Welcome. Here is a book containing the different fortunes of yours I can read about and about their price." She said with a smile.

"Different fortunes?"

"Like individual fortunes, love fortunes, luck fortunes, giving advices and much more." She replied.

Miku suddenly became very attentive.

"We will take the lov-"
"We will take the individu-"

We both looked at eachother and her face seemed quite red. She has always been slightly shy. So nothing new to me.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"Um...Individual...Yes. We will take the individual fortunes."

That's odd. I could have sworn she had said something else before.

"Very well. Please pay the required points."

We paid the points and waited for what came next.

"So who shall I first start with?"

"Umm..Me. First." Miku said.

The fortune teller did her thing. Palm reading, Crystal glass, horoscope, etc.

"Hmmm...I can see you don't have a very good father. And your mother's death adds to your grief." She started.

The Hell? HOW DID SHE KNOW ABOUT HER?

I looked over at Miku who was as shocked as I was.

"I see...I see...You will have many happy days ahead of you. However, you will one day start facing many hardships to get what your hearts desire. Sometimes you may want to cry or go in rage. But if you clear those obstacles and do so with your head high. You may get what your heart desires the most." She told her.

"W-What my heart desires the most..." She looked at me for a second and then looked down.

Is it something too embarrassing to say out loud. Or does it have to do with the class competitions? Eitherway, I won't pry.

"What about me?" I asked.

She repeated the process with me and looked lost in thought for a second.

"I see... You are in a bit of trouble aren't you?"

My face became a little stiff. What is she talking about?

"Um...What do you mean?"

"No Worries. It is natural to make enemies in this world. Even at your age."

Is she talking about the guy who called me on the ship?

"S-So what about it?"

"Hmm...You will receive quite the trouble from them. However, the faster you find them the faster you will avoid them. Make sure to watch your surroundings. They could be behind your tail and you wouldn't even know."

I feel like this is a plot for a horror movie or some shit.

"If you want to avoid trouble. You must first embrace trouble. That's all."

Now that completely went over my head.

"Um...Thanks. We will take our leave now. There are others after us waiting."

"Okay. But here is a free advice. Don't take a detour. If you do, then don't panic and think with a clear mind and make sure to be patient. Now off you go." She waved us goodbye.

We walked out of the place and went towards the elevator.

"That was a bit weird. What did she mean that you are in trouble?" Miku asked.

"I-I...umm... she probably meant the class competitions. Don't worry about it." I spoke. I don't want to tell her the truth. Not yet anyway.

"Hmmm. Okay..." She eyed me with suspicion.

"Anyway...HEY THE LIFT!"

Apparently the left we were waiting for went down before we could make it.

"Darn. I guess we will take the other lift..."

I looked over at Miku with wide eyes and she did the same.

"We were about to take a detour. Weren't we?" I asked.

"Yup." She replied.

"Should we listen to the old lady?" I asked again.

"Although, I am tempted to see if her prediction comes true. But better safe than sorry right?" She replied.

With that thought, we just decided to wait patiently for the lift to come back.

Timeskip:-

So something happened that I wasn't expecting. There is no water...

Apparently they are repairing some shit and that's why we all won't have any water.

When I heard of this, I went straight to the nearest water supply. Gotta get as much water as possible before it runs out.

But...Apparently fate likes to screw around with me.

It seems most of the campus has been raided for water. Almost everyone took as much as they could.

The only option is the cafeteria.

I went there to check and found the water machine.

Nice. There are still many bottles here.

I used all my money and bought as much as I could. It costed me 125 yen per bottle for a total of 12. That makes the final cost be 1500 yen. Good enough.

I was returning with the bottles when I bumped into someone unexpected.

"Oh hey! If I remember correctly...your name was...was..."

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka." He said with a blank face.

"Yup that's the one! Were you about to go buy water? I guess you must be pretty thirsty too."

"Yes. But not for myself..."

"Hmm...? Not for yourself? Then what are you going to use it for? Do you plan to give it to someone else?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well...umm..." Ayanokouji looked very uncomfortable with my questions.

"Nevermind. Anyway, the water in the cafeteria is all out. I bought the last of it. If you want, I can give you two of these bottles inexchange for points."

"Really? How many points?"

GOD WHY DOES THIS BASTARD LOOK SO GLOOMY? It's kinda makes me feel sad...

"Nothing more than 250 points each."

"Okay. Here."

He just agreed? Just like that? Does he not realize that I raised the price by twice of what it was? Oh well. More points for me.

"So we have a deal." He gave me the points and I gave him two bottles of water. Then we went our separate ways.

Man that guy looked gloomy. If he smiled more then he might aswell become as good look as Hirata. Oh well... his life has got nothing to do with me.

Although he looked like a guy who preferred to be alone...or atleast a loner. Maybe we could be good friends... maybe.

Vol 2 Ch 2: Too Many Girls!

Hirano pov:-

I walked along the road towards the Swimming Pool.

Today is the last day it will be open and I wanted to enjoy it. Apparently the triplets thought the same and invited me to come along.

When I reached the meeting area, I expected to find only one of those three waiting for me. NOT THE WHOLE DAMN CLASS!

God this is awkward. They are all in Class B...No sorry...Class C. And I am class B. I feel like the odd one out.

Despite that I decided to approach them.

"Um...Hey Miku, Aika, Itsuki. I see you girls brought your classmates with you."

Before any of them could reply to me, another girl jumped into our conversation.

"Yeah...Sorry if we made you feel awkward Hirano. We just wanted to meet their childhood friend. I never thought it was you. But now that we are together. We can all go Swimming together!" Ichinose spoke.

"Umm...Yeah. I am looking forward to spending time with you...I mean, ALL of you." I spoke in a stutter.

Damn she is gorgeous!

"Okay let's all go in!" Itsuki, completely unaware of my inner struggles asked all of us to continue.

"Well...um...yeah."

"Huh? Wait is that class D?" Aika called out.

I looked behind me. It's them alright...

Timeskip:-

I changed into my Swimming trunk and got out. I didn't really chat neither with the class B nor Class D boys. I prefer to be alone.

I walked out and saw two girls waiting for me.

"Hey Aki. You ready?" Aika called our.

"Yup. Let's go. Wait...Where is Miku?" I asked.

"Well she said that she would be out in a minute." Itsuki replied.

"Hmm...Now that I think about it...You look a little muscular than when we were at the ship." Aika said as she touched my chest and arm.

"Well...I...s-some of my friends have helped me train and I do excersize almost daily now."

"Oh I see so that's why you look a bit muscular than before!"

She doesn't even notice! She just touched my entire chest, arms and stomach! Perhaps it's just me making a big deal of it...

We decide to go to the pool. It was huge! It's not just a pool it's a whole water park!

"Oh! Oh! I wanna go on that slide and that one and that one!" Itsuki looked very cheerful.

"Then come on let's go!" Aika just went along with her sister.

Now that I look carefully. Both of them look so damn hot! Aika wore a pink bikini while Itsuki wore a white bathing suit.

Aika really looks like a model in some magazine. I bet many would pay her a good load just to get a picture.

But Itsuki isn't anything less. She was beautiful in her own right.

"Ummm...Aki?" I turned around and saw Miku blushing like crazy.

I guess a shy girl like her would feel a bit embarrassed wearing a swim lsuit like that. She wore a blue bikini. I gotta say, her soft body really can give any man a run for his money.

"Umm...how do I look?" She turned her head away as she asked.

HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THAT?! CALM DONM HIRANO! CALM DOWN!

"I...umm...you...Look great. Pretty hot even..."

SHIT WHAT DID I JUST TELL HER!

She looked at me with a surprise expression and then giggled.

"Thanks Hirano. That meant alot." She said as she followed after her sisters.

"Hey Hirano have you seen Aika, Miku or Itsuki?" This time Ichinose called out to me.

My face is so red, It's starting to burn.
Her swimsuit is so damn revealing! And her breasts are so big! Damn if I continue looking at her...then...well let's not talk about that. I am just a teenage boy after all!

I tried looking away but it was like my eyes couldn't move away from her.

"Umm..Hirano are you okay?" She called out again.

SHIT! I GOTTA ANSWER HER OR ELSE SHE MIGHT THINK OF ME AS A PERVERTED CREEP!

"I..um...The Triplets? YUP! I SAW THEM! T-They were heading towards the s-slides."

"That's good to hear. I was worried where they went."

My eyes are still glued to her. Observing her body in every way. Many mental images are being created in my head right about now. And I don't like this feeling one bit! I hate perverts! But now! I feel ashamed of myself!

Damn...I need to stop...

"I-Is that a new swimsuit I-Ichinose?"

"Yup! Like it?" She stretched her body to show me.

Like it? I FUCKING LOVE IT! I seriously can't handle it! I am not normally perverted. But it's giving me all kinds of thoughts!

"I-I...Umm...You look good Ichinose. Very hot actually..."

THE FUCK DID I JUST BLURT OUT!

"Oh! Thanks Hirano. Your making me blush." She said with pink cheeks.

Oh thank God. She only took that as a compliment and nothing else...

"Hey...I know that the last time we hung out was at the pool on the cruise. I hope you forgot about what happened..."

Oh...Right...I touched her breast...

"I...um...yes. I am still very sorry about that. I completely understand if you don't want me close to you..."

"NO- NO! I...mean... It's alright. What happened was an accident. So you don't need to worry... Beside...I don't really mind if it's you..."

Wait...What?

Her face turned red.
"I didn't mean it like that! I meant that you don't seem the perverted type. So it's alright..."

Things just got alot awkward.

"Well I should be going back to my class now. Bye" She said as she turned around with the blush still on her face. I couldn't help but look at her beauty as she walked away.

Damn I feel like a pervert! Why?!

I smacked myself in the face and started to self-reflect on my thoughts.

I guess I should just walk away.

As I started to move I bumped into another person. I caught them before they could fall with my left hand touching her back and her lips being very close to mine.

"I...umm...Sorry for not looking where I was going!" I apologized.

"It's okay Hirano. I should have watched where I was going too." Kushida replied back.

"But...umm...can you let go of me? This is really embarrassing."

Damn I am still touching her! Her body is really soft...and warm...

I let go of her and let her stand properly.
She wore a red coloured bikini and looked attractive as hell! I just wanna...nevermind! STOP thinking those kind of things!

"So how has your day been Hirano?"

"Oh! Well! It's been...great."

"Well I am glad! I just got this new swimsuit so I wanted to see how it fits. Does it look good?" She asked as she stretched her body and showed me from different angles with her angelic smile.

Is this heaven? It's one hot girl after another here!

"Y-You look good K-Kushida."

"Really?! That's good to hear! I was kinda worried you know. But since it's you who said it. I know that it looks good."

"I...Thanks. I never knew that you thought so highly of me."

"Anyway I just gotta excersize a bit before going in the water." She preceeded to stretch infront of me and then did a few bunny hops. Her breast also bounced around while she did her hops.

Please...stop...I c-can't take much more of this...

Ignoring everything, I submerged myself into the water and stayed underwater till all of those dirty thoughts got washed away.

However my moment of peace didn't last long. After I emerged from the water, the first thing I saw was Horikita Suzune's smooth skinned body and her white revealing swimsuit.

"Damn..I can feel my face heating up again..." I muttered to myself, too low for anyone else to hear.

I hate myself for having such perverted thoughts...

Vol 2 Ch 3: Sports Festival?

Hirano pov:-

Our vacation had finally ended and we all returned to our normal school life.

We were now officially promoted to class B. And with my monthly allowance, I got a total of 6,685,620 points in my pockets. Still about 13.5 Million points away from my goal.

I was chatting with Shiina about a new novel that was released recently when Sakagami sensei finally showed up.

"Good morning student. From today the classes will resume again. However, in the 2nd semester, from September to the start of October for a period of
one month, in anticipation for the sports festival, there will be increased physical education classes. Keep that in mind for the distribution of the new timetables. And also, along with the
timetables, material regarding the sports festival will also be distributed. The students from the front will distribute the printouts to the back".

So another special exam begins just as our school begins? They aren't pulling any punches are they?

I grabbed the booklet passed to me and started reading through it.

"There are probably already those who have seen through it and noticed but this sports festival has adopted the method of dividing all school years into two separate groups and have them compete against each other. You lot in Class B have been assigned to the
White Team. And Class C too, will be competing in the same White
Team. For the duration of this sports festival, it means Class C will be your allies".

Class A and Class D were a part of the Red Team and the sports festival will be the Red Team vs the White Team.

"Woah, seriously? It'll actually be something like that!?".

"This sports festival is gonna rock!"

"Woah!"

My classmates looked specifically excited for the sports festival.

"First of all, look over the outcomes that can come of the sports festival. I don't feel like explaining many times over so make sure to listen up well this once". (Rules and Groupings of the Sports Festival)

The sports festival's competitive system is built upon dividing all school years between the Red Team and the White Team. The classification will be Class A and Class D in the Red Team. The White Team will consist of Class B and Class C.

Allocation of points for all participants in the competitions

(Individual Contests).

Depending on the results 1st place 15 points, 2nd place 12 points, 3rd place 10 points, 4th place 8 points will be allocated. 1 point each will be deducted for placing lower than 5th place. In the case of team competitions the winning team will be allocated 500 points.

Allocation of points for participants of recommended competitions.

Depending on the results 1st place 50 points, 2nd place 30 points, 3rd place 15 points, 4th place 10 points will be allocated. 2 points each will be deducted for placing lower than 5th place (The relay which will be the final contest will be awarding 3 times the points)

The impact of the outcome of Red Team vs. White Team.

From the totality of all the school years the losing team will have 100 points equally subtracted from their class points across all school years.

The impact of separate ordering of school years.

From the total count the class that takes 1st place will be awarded 50 class points.

From the total count the class that takes 2nd place will not have any change to their class points.

From the total count the class that takes 3rd place will have 50 class points subtracted.

From the total count the class that takes 4th place will have 100 class points subtracted.
_

Damn. This exam will have a seriously big impact on the class ranking!

The worst case scenario for a class would be getting last place in it's own year and having their own team lose. That would result in the deduction of 200 class points.

The best case scenario for a class would be getting first place in it's own year and having their team win. Which will give them 50 points.

"Umm, sensei. How many points does the winning team get? There seems to be no mention of that".

In response to that simple questioning from Ishizaki, Sakagami-sensei utters a single, cruel word.

"Nothing. Only that there will be no minus to their points".

"Ugh, are you serious? That doesn't sound good at all."

"I know. But avoiding the penalty is what this exam is all about. If you do good you might even earn 50 points and get closer to or might surpass class A." Sakagami sensei encouraged.

He really wants his class to advance doesn't he? He has always been the greedy type. Does that mean that the teacher of class A gets a special bonus or something?
_

Individual Competition Rewards (May be used in the next midterm exam)

For students placing 1st in the individual competitions. 5000 private points or the equivalent of 3 marks in a written exam will be awarded (in the case that the marks are chosen endowing another individual with them will not be permitted).

For students placing 2nd in the individual competitions. 3000 private points or the equivalent of 2 marks in a written exam will be awarded (in the case that the marks are chosen endowing another individual with them will not be permitted).

For students placing 3rd in the individual competitions 1000 private points or the equivalent of 1 mark in a written exam will be awarded (in the case that the marks are chosen endowing another individual with them will not be permitted).

For students ranking the lowest in the individual competitions 1000 private points will be subtracted. (In the
case that the points in the student's possession are lower than 1000. they will incur a loss of 1 mark in a written exam instead).

Regarding Foul Play

Remember to comply with the rules of each competition on top of perusing the rules.

The violators will be treated in the same manner as disqualification.

Those acting with malicious intent may be withdrawn. The expropriation of points acquired by those individuals up until then will be considered as well.

Best Performing Student Reward.

For the student who receives the highest score across all competitions. 100,000 private points will be awarded.

Best Performing Student Reward For Individual Classes. For the 3 students of each school year who have received the highest scores across all competitions will receive 10,000 private points individually.

After completion of all competitions, within a school year a total count of all points will be conducted and the bottom 10 individuals will be penalized
_

"S-Sensei! These privileges you get when you come in at 1st place and 2nd place! What do you mean you can receive marks for written exams with them!?".

"It's exactly what you think it is, Hirano. From the prizes you win at the sports festival, you can acquire marks you can use to supplement your written exams. In particular, you're bad at Chemistry and Computers, right? It means the marks you've acquired can be used in any way you like. For each mark you acquire it just means it'll be incredibly useful for your next test"

It couldn't be helped if they became restless from that but for those students whose sole speciality happens to be sports, screams of delight also rose up.

If we spring into action in the sports festival and acquire marks, we can use them to supplement our scores in the case that they get failing grades later. In other words, it means the possibility of us evading expulsion had risen.

Looking at it from the perspective of students who are skirting the failing grade, it could truly be described as a situation they have been waiting for.

For me, I am confident enough that I can get decent marks but there is a chance I might fail in one of the subjects. I guess this will be a good opportunity for me aswell. However, getting a place in the first three spots is impossible for me. So I guess it's best to give up on that idea...

However, Such troublesome contents were also written at the bottom of it.

"Sensei, what kind of penalty is this going to be?". Komiya asked.

"For you 1st years the penalty imposed will be a score deduction on your next written exam. The bottom 10 students score-wise will be receiving a deduction of 10 marks so beware of that. As for how the deduction of scores will be applied, that will be explained as the next written exam draws near so I won't be taking any questions on that here. Again, the announcement of the bottom 10 will be conducted similarly and will be announced on the occasion of the explanation regarding the written exam".

"Geeeeh!?!? Seriously!?".

DAMN! IF I GET ONE OF THOSE BOTTOM PLACES! THEN I WILL FAIL FOR SURE! JUST HOW CRUEL CAN THIS SCHOOL BE?!

Okay. I need to calm down and review this a little more.

In dividing up the events that will be held during the sports festival into categories they can be split up between 'Universal Participation' and 'Recommended Only Participation'.

Universal Participation is, literally, an event where all the students of a class participate.

The individual 100 meter sprint is also like that, and group competitions such as tug of war also fall under this category.

On the other hand, Recommended Only Participation means a competition where only the students selected from their respective classes participate.

They say 'recommendation' but as long as the class can come to an agreement even a self-recommendation will suffice. It won't matter even if a single individual participates in multiple
Recommended Only Participation contests.

The point is, it's an event that's decided through discussion. The contents of this are the scavenger hunt, the mixed gender three-legged race and the 1200 meter relay.

It can be expected that the most eminent and talented individuals will be participating. In this sports festival, since the rise and fall of the points will be determined purely by the results.

The rules are also overwhelmingly simple.

However, the composite nature of the points for the team competitions and the individual competitions is unusually troublesome.

Being cautious of the enemies here, Class A and Class D, is obvious but in addition, it is also necessary to keep an
eye on the ally, Class C, too.

In theory we'll be helping each other out but in order to come out on top in the total count of each school year's points, it is necessary to ensure one's own class can occupy the top spots in each competition as much as possible. Universal Participation Events

100 meter dash

Hurdle race

Capture-the-flag (Boys Only)

Ball-toss game (Girls Only)

Tug of war divided by gender

Obstacle course race

Three-legged race

Cavalry battle

200 meter dash

Recommended Only Participation Events

Scavenger hunt

Omnidirectional tug of war

Mixed gender three-legged race

3 school years mixed 1200 meter relay.
_

A grand lineup of 13 competitions. The numbering indicates in which order the competitions will be held.

However, I feel dissatisfaction due to the large number of Universal Participation events being held.

"Normally it should only be 3 or 4 events, that a single person does! More importantly, is it even possible to do them in a single day?". I subconsciously voiced my complaint.

"I'm grateful for your concern but the school side has also naturally taken it into consideration. There will be no
cheerleading or dancing or coordinated group gymnastics amongst the events. At the very most, in the sports festival you will only be competing in terms of stamina and athleticism".

GREAT! JUST FUCKING GREAT! WE COME BACK FROM A LITTLE VACATION TO THIS OVER WORKING HELL?!

"And also of utmost importance is the fact that there is something called a participation table here. On the participation table the details of all events are described. You lot will be using this participation table to decide amongst yourselves in which order you will be participating and record it down and an outsider, that is me, will submit it for you. Since I believe no middle school has adopted a system like this, I'd like you to be careful so as to not make a mistake".

"To decide what order on our own, how far can we decide...?".

"Everything. All the competitions that will be held on the day of the sports festival, up to who runs in which group, all of it will be decided by you lot through discussion. After the deadline for decisions, no matter what the reason, any further changes will not
be permitted. That is the vital rule of the sports festival. The submission window will be between 1 week prior to the sports festival and 5 pm of the day before the festival. If you end up
exceeding the submission time limit then in that case, you will be randomly allocated so be cautious".

We should be good. Most of us in class B are very athletic. So this competitions should be in our advantage. But we will also have to make sure that we order ourselves correctly and be in tip top condition.

"Also regarding the Universal Participation contests, in the case that you fall short of the bare minimum amount of people necessary and vacancies appear, you will be marked as unfit to continue and you will be disqualified.

In the cavalry battle, it would mean you would be unable to form 1 horse. As a result, you will have to have your showdown under the condition of having one horseman missing. The three-legged race is the same too. It would be wise of you to choose a healthy and strong student as
your partner".

Shared destiny. It's vital to choose a student who excels in athletics, and in the same vein, it's also precious to ensure you team up with a comrade who's healthy and uninjured.

"However, there are exemptions in place as relief measures. In regards to the main star of the sports festival, the Recommended Only Participation events, it is permitted to utilize a substitute. However, if you go around choosing substitutes freely then the

participation table itself will become meaningless and in the most extreme cases, you'll end up using lies to prepare your own substitutes. As a result, we have established special conditions.

In exchange for setting up a substitute, it has been decided that you will be paying points as compensation".

So they mean to have us pay a price to prevent acts of cheating. But now it comes down to the price we have to pay.

"I'd like to ask but even if your health breaks down or you sustain a heavy injury, if the person in question
themselves wishes for it they could be allowed to continue without being substituted? Or would it mean having to see the doctor?". I raised my hand and asked.

I normally don't do this and just quietly wait in the corner of the room. Since I like to avoid attention. But the moment the 10 Mark penalty sprung up. I knew that I need to listen to everything and review it over and over so I can avoid my expulsion.

"Basically we leave that up to the students to autonomously decide on their own. Because self-management will become indispensable once you enter society.

On the day of a vital conference, just because you have a fever doesn't mean you can simply take a break. It may become necessary to struggle and keep up the appearance of being fine".

Basically the point seems to be that even if we end up sick, in the name of self-responsibility we cannot simply stop participating.

"But even so, if your condition gets to the point you cannot even be a spectator then you would have no choice but to stop though".

"I understand. Then, for that substitute, how many points would be necessary?".

"100,000 private points per competition. You're free to see it as expensive or cheap as you wish".

"...I see. Thank you". I sat back down.

THAT'S NOT CHEAP AT ALL!

However, depending on the circumstances, we must take into
consideration that a substitute may become necessary.

"If there are no more questions forthcoming then I'll be ending this talk".

He looks around the classroom. A number of students looked as though they were feeling doubtful and glancing at each other as well as talking in hushed tones but they did not move to ask Sakagami-sensei.

As for Ryueen, he just held his confident smirk and asked nothing.

"The next period will be moved to the first gymnasium and you will be meeting students from different classes and different school years. That is all".

This is going to be a long ass day...

Vol 2 Ch 4: Meeting the other classes.

Hirano pov:-

The time flew by and now we were all inside the gymnasium.

Ryueen just told us to "shut the fuck up" and follow his lead. So there was no discussion yet. Seems like he has a plan.

Over 400 people, including instructors and students, gathered in the gymnasium. The entire student body from the 1st years up to the 3rd years divided up between the Red Team and the White Team.

I was walking around away from whatever drama Ryueen was going to cause. I approached three particular people.

"Hey girls. How have you been?"

"Oh Hey! I guess we will be in the same team." Itsuki called out.

Since class B and Class C will be in the same team then obviously we will be comrades aswell.

"It's such a relief. I thought we would have to fight against Aki." Miku spoke up.

"Relief? Please- Beating him up in sports will be as easy as anything else." Aika didn't even look at me as I was insulted.

"Haha...Don't be so sure! I have been training the entire summer vacation and even now. I am sure to have gotten atleast a little better!"

"True. But Itsuki can easy kick your ass." Aika countered.

"W-Well...sigh...I guess I can't deny that..."

I could already beat Miku in athletics. With the training perhaps maybe I will be able to beat Aika aswell. But Itsuki is a whole different level. Not only is she more athletic then me but also has kicked my ass multiple times during taekwondo classes.

Miku giggled at our conversation while Itsuki had a big smug around her face.

"So are you saying you have no intention of cooperating?".

From slightly afar, a girl's voice reverberated through the gymnasium. Everyone's eyes turned towards her to see what was happening. That voice belonged to 1st year Class C's Ichinose
Honami.

Beyond her gaze, a class worth of students were making a move
to leave the gymnasium. Among them, a single student who was walking with his hands in his pockets, turned around. It's our class's leader, Ryuuen Kakeru.

"You do know I'm leaving out of goodwill, right? Even if I offered to cooperate it's not like you guys would believe me anyways. Ultimately it'll end up as a thorough investigation right?
If that's the case, it's just a waste of time".

"I see. So you were thinking of saving us time. I see".

"That's precisely right. You'd better be grateful".

Laughing, Ryuuen began walking out with all the students of Class B in tow. Except me ofcourse.

It was a scene that confirmed that there are no disruptions to the dictatorship of Class B.

Since I am class B's vice leader and have a habit of doing my own thing, I guess he didn't feel like informing me about this. Or perhaps he felt like my existence wasn't that important? Eitherway it's a good thing that I moved away. I had a feeling that he might cause some commotion.

"Hey, Ryuuen-kun. Are you confident you can win this time without cooperating?".

To the bitter end, it seems Ichinose is intent on cooperating with Ryuuen, as she tries pulling him back. But Ryuuen did not stop walking.

"Kuku. I wonder".

Slightly laughing, he left with all class B students except me.

"Sigh...I guess we won't be cooperating after all."

"Really...? But I was looking forward to working with Aki..." Miku whispered Slightly.

"Anyway. I should go talk to Ichinose. As Vice-leader of class B. I guess I should atleast make my presence known."
With that I waved them good bye and approached the stunning beauty known as Ichinose.

"Sorry about that Ichinose."

"It's nothing. It's not Hirano's fault after all." She said as she smiled at me.

"But still allow me to apologize on behalf of my class. I will try to talk to Ryueen about cooperating with eachother."

"Thank you. We really appreciate it. Come to think of it, I don't have your number. Can we exchange numbers to stay in contact with one another?" She asked.

Woah. Having her number without even asking? Lady Luck is blessing me.

"SURE! I mean...sure. I would love to. We can text eachother back and forth and I will tell you if I am able make Ryueen cooperate."

"Great. Here."

We both exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes.

Before leaving I glanced towards Class A and Class D. To be more specific, towards the gorgeous cute girl sitting on the chair.

Our eyes met and she waved at me as a way of greeting. I obviously waved back.

Sakayanagi Arisu... what does she plan to do this exam?

Timeskip:-

I looked down on my phone. Is it just me or is my phone filled with numbers of multiple girls?

Let's see... Shiina, Miku, Aika, Itsuki, Ichinose, Sakayanagi, Kamuro, Ibuki, Horikita, Nishino, Rika, Manabe and Tachibana Senpai.

That makes 13 girls. Damn! Though I don't talk to like half of them. So it's not a big deal.

I put my phone in my pocket and ran towards Ryueen. I found him sitting on a bench.

"Um...Ryueen?"

"Kukuku? What do you want Hirano?"

"Well..um...I wanted to ask... why didn't you cooperating with Ichinose?"

"Kukuku! You tell me."

I frowned at his reply.
"You know. Being the vice-leader of Class B isn't really helping if you constantly hide information from me!"

"Kukuku? Vice-leader? That was just a bullshit title I made up to make poor little you feel special."

... THIS SON OF A BITCH!

"Sigh...Should have known. I am just like your any other lacky aren't I?"

"Now when did I ever say that?" He replied with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Sigh... Just fucking tell me the reason why you didn't cooperate with Ichinose?"

"Very well. I plan to target Class D this exam. In specific, Horikita Suzune."

Now that's some valuable information! Finally!

But why her?

"So you don't want to cooperate with Ichinose because she could become an obstacles for you if you want to take down Horikita?"

"Kukuku! I want to crush her spirit and have her kneel before me in defeat! I don't need Ichinose's help to accomplish that!"

I can see Ichinose rejecting Ryueen's idea if she found out about him targeting Horikita.

"So how do you plan to do it?"

"Kukuku! Just wait. I will make you see something very interesting!" He said with an evil smirk.

I sighed and walked away.

Ring! Ring!

"Hello?" I answered my phone.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" A voice of a demon lady came through it.

"Umm...Sorry Tachibana Senpai. I will be there in a few minutes..."

"YOU BETTER! YOUR WORK IS PILING UP LIKE CRAZY!"

You can guess what happened next. I got lectured by her for ten minutes after I arrived at the student council room.

(Thank God. The president is busy today. If he saw Tachibana scold me like this and heard that I was late. I would be in alot more trouble...)

Vol 2 Ch 5: Business Deals

Hirano pov:-

It's been two days and Ryueen still hasn't discussed a single thing... I honestly don't know what he wants at this point. The entire class is confused but quiet about his ignorance towards the exam. I still remember the terrifying presence he gave off when someone did ask him about the exam.

We were all currently doing our physical training. It was a bother since we didn't have a plan. So as "Vice leader" even if it's a title just for show, I took charge.

I didn't have much to go on and told everyone to train at what they are good at or at what event they wish to compete in for the "Recommendation Events" and practice for the "Universal Participation Events."

Ryueen didn't say anything to my suggestions so I guess it's a yes?

I can see many of my classmates training hard. I walked over to Shiina.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked.

She looked up at me. Her clothes covered in sweat from all the workouts.

"I am just tired. I am not really good at sports..." She said in a tired voice.

"Yeah. I get what you mean." I was currently covered in sweat aswell.

I had exercised alot. Probably alot more than I ever did in my entire life. It's worse than Albert and Ishizaki's morning training...

But what can I say? Life ain't easy...

I gave Hiyori a bottle of water, which she accepted happily.

"So Hirano. Do you plan to participate in any of the "Recommended Participation Events"?"

"Well, I will obviously place last or second last in running. So to make up for it. I will probably participate in the scavenger hunt and Omnidirectional tug of war."

"You don't have any confidence in your running?"

"I used to be pretty fast when I was young but not anymore." I said with an embarrassed smile.

"Hey Hirano!" A voice called.

I turned around to see Ryueen calling me.

Did he finally decide to tell me what he is planning?

Timeskip:-

I am still processing what Ryueen told me. He has one hell of a plan. But how did he manage to get his hands on "that"?

Doesn't matter. With it we have a chance at winning. I just wonder that when will Ryueen stop targeting class D?

Though I can't complain. Attacking the weakest class is probably for the best. Not to mention tht Sudo is suspended for the Sports Festival. Without him, they can't do much. Atleast, that's what I thought...

I heard about this from Kushida. Sudo is allowed to continue school normally. The reason? Apparently Horikita, Hirata and Kushida paid points to bail out Sudo.

There goes my efforts down the drain...

Speaking of points. I am about to do something legendary!

I walked over to a 2nd year student. I had used my position as a member of the student council to take a list of names of students from classes 2B, 2C and 2D and marked the candidates. This guy was one of them.

"Hello senpai. I am Hirano Aki from Class 1B. May I have your time?"

He just looked at me with an annoyed and weary expression.

"What do you want?" He asked not beating around the bush.

"To make good relations with my senpais. I heard about the conditions in your class. Do you need points senpai?"
I asked.

Being in the student council gave me access to alot of information and useful gossip. I learnt about the conditions of the second years under Nagumo's rules.

Apparently the difference in points was huge! And all classes except class A were struggling with points.

Now he looked creeped out and more suspicious.

"What are you trying to do?"

"To help and make good relations with my senpai. Your from class 2C correct? So we will be allies in the upcoming exam. However, I noticed the lack of points given to you all in the second year. So I am here to help."

"Help?"

"I will lend you 100,000 points which you can use as you please. Obviously you will have to return them in 6 months, that is in February and you have to sign a contract so you don't take advantage of my generosity."

He looked annoyed. "I'll pass."

"You sure senpai? That meal doesn't really look satisfying. Is it even edible?" I pointed out his need of points.

He looked at his meal with a frustrated face and finally gave in.

"Fine. I will sign the contract. But let me look at it first."

"Here senpai." I placed the contract infront of us and began explaining.

"Here is the amount I will give you. Here is the same amount you will give me back. Here is the condition of there being no "simple interest". And here is the condition that if you can't pay in 6 months from now, then you must leave school and pay me the points that you have at that time. Sound good?" I pointed at the places in question.

He looked satisfyed and signed. With that I gave him my number and points and then left.

Idiot. I wrote "no simple interest". But there was a line saying that he will have to pay me back in 20% compound interest which I covered up with my hand when I was reading the contract to him.

I didn't allow him to speak and overwhelmed him by telling him the benefits! A good strategy if I say so myself!

I am not aiming for being a businessman. But I am pretty good at it.

By the next day, I had repeated this entire process 30 more times with complete success since I mostly targeted classes 2C and 2D. But also sometimes class 2B.

However, my total tries were more than 50. Since many of them were smart enough to reject or read the contract before signing it. They insulted me and told me to scram or else they would report me to the school... It kinda hurt...

But I still managed to make 31 contracts. Awesome!

With that I will make 298,598 points from a single person! And 31 times that would be 9,256,538 points! I will get that much in February!

I looked over at my points. Only about 3,585,620 points left. I used up almost half of them for my deals. It's a high risk, high return game now.

Even if we don't receive a single point till February and I somehow don't spend a single point, which is impossible, I will have 12,842,158 points in my possession.

Which happens to be more than the highest number of points a student was able to collect in two years after using underhanded tactics. But I will make them easily while playing fair and square! Kinda atleast...

But this was still a bold move. So I can't help but be anxious. I may even make Nagumo senpai my enemy. He already doesn't like me that much. My contracts were signed by 11 class 2D students, 13 class 2C students and 7 class 2B students. Since Nagumo provides assistance to all classes to keep them in check. If they can't pay then Nagumo will undoubtedly have to pay on their behave.

Because if he doesn't then he may start losing control over some of the second year students. I just hope everything goes well.

But I need to be prepared for a situation where Nagumo refuses to pay for them or if the second year students strike back at me and blackmail me to cancel the deal.

Vol 2 Ch 6: The Beginning Event.

Hirano pov:-

I still couldn't believe that I ripped people off. It's so unlike me. Though it did give me alot of money. Man I feel like a loan shark.

Also according to the contract Ryueen had to give me 160,000 per month because of the Island exam.

Although I had forgotten to ask him about it till now. I had confronted him about it yesterday and received the points I deserved. I only remembered the contract yesterday, when I was recounting the money I would get by the contracts I made.

I received 480,000 points from him which was quite alot. He looked pretty pissed off at me when he gave me those points. Anyway, I have about 4,085,300 points now. Good progress.

We were all waiting for class to end. Apparently Ryueen finally plans to reveal what he is about to do in the sports festival.

When class ended, Sakagami sensei left and Ryueen replaced him at the podium immediately.

"Listen up, you lot. To set a trap for Class D's Horikita Suzune. What we need to do to crush her. I'm going to offer you that strategy. I'll show you something interesting".

"I don't plan on going against your strategy but give me a chance to fight against Horikita--".

In the middle of that, as though interrupting him, Ibuki voiced her request.

"Kukuku. Sure. You can go up against her in 100 meter dash. Does that sound good?"

Ibuki just turned her head away seemingly satisfied with facing Horikita. I believe she and her had become rivals after what happened between them during the Island exam.

"Now I need a little help from Kinoshita." Ryueen called her out.

"M-Me?" She asked with a fearful tone.

"In the obstacle course race, you run against Suzune and make contact with her. Do whatever it takes to make her fall. Afterwards, I'll take responsibility for your injury and plunder some money for you".

She looked pretty scared at first but changed her mind after hearing about getting points. That or maybe she was too afraid to say "no" to Ryueen. Eitherway, he managed to make her agree to his plan.

"Now then. As I have told Hirano. I have managed to get my sweet hands on class D's participation table. We will be using it to defeat them."

That shocked everyone. They all wondered how he got it? But I had already come to a conclusion.

There was a traitor in Class D. Atleast that's what I think. But why turn traitor for your own class?

Besides, Why help class B? They could easily help class A inexchange of being one of them in the future. Why us? Perhaps money? Who cares? I will figure it out when I cross that bridge.

"Hey Hirano!"

"Umm... Yes Ryueen?"

"Take this participation table. Take everyone's recommendations aswell and my own choices of who will participate and in what order and make a participation table for class B." He ordered me.

I stood there for a second and then responded with a shout.
"W-Wait! Why do I have to do it?!"

"Why not? You are class B's "vice leader" right?" He said with a smirk.

"F-Fine. I will do it." I gritted my teeth and accepted my situation while resisting the urge to punch his teeth in.
Not that I could even if I tried.

After the meeting, I did what I was told. Everyone gave me their names and I sorted it out according to how Ryueen liked.

Time skip to the sports festival:-

I can't believe that today is the day. The beginning of the Sports Festival!

I worked so hard for this day! By both excersizing aswell as preparing that damn Participation Table!

I also made sure to participate in only one "Recommended Only" event. That is the "Scavenger hunt". I honestly don't want get on my plate more than I can handle. I should be good enough to escape the bottom 10. Atleast I hope...

Wearing jerseys, the entire student body marched in as one just as rehearsed.
But even if it's called a march, most of the students were just walking normally. They only showed enough seriousness to not disrupt discipline.

"Good Luck Hirano! Let's do our best!" Ishizaki called out.

He and I have gotten very close due to our morning workouts.

I nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

In the opening ceremony, 3rd year Class A's Fujimaki was the one who gave the opening declaration. I was kinda expecting it to be Horikita senpai but oh well...

By the way, on the outskirts of the school grounds, there weren't many but I could see the figures of spectators scattered here and there. They are probably adults who work on-campus. In regards to them, it doesn't seem like the school has set any restrictions. Occasionally, I could see smiles and hands waving. On the other hand, the teachers were watching over the students with nary a smile on their faces while adults who appear to be medical staff could also be seen.

By the way, the competing Red Team and White Team were provided with tents installed on opposite sides of the track as though sandwiching it between them. As such, it has been made so that there could be no possible contact other than during the contests.

"But even so they're very thoroughly prepared. Ultimately, even cameras meant to help with judgement calls have been set up. With such a security, I feel a bit nervous about Ryueen's strategy."

For the 100 meter dash that'll be coming up first, a camera was pointed towards a point that appears to be the goal.

"So that means misjudgements and ambiguous results will definitely be avoided".

It appears even if it's by an hairbreadth, they intend on deciding victory and defeat like it's a horserace. That is precisely why contests that are difficult to score like cheerleading and the such
are not included in this sports festival.

"The 100 meter dash, which group were you in again?". Shiina asked me.

"The First group". I said with a look of horror.

I am fucking first! Are you kidding me?!
Did Ryueen make changes to the participation table without asking me?!

I looked over at him while he gave me a sadistic grin. He set me up to screw with me...

"I surely hope I don't come last..." I muttered accepting me reality.

"Come on! Believe in yourself Hirano. You can do it!" She cheered for me.

Damn she is so cute and innocent! It kinda makes me wanna believe in myself a little more.

we 1st year boys headed out to the grounds for the contest. Contests such as the 100 meter dash are all held in order starting from the 1st years. Starting from the 1st year boys and ending with the 3rd year girls is the entirety of the event.

Then with the break sandwiched in between, it'll switch over and start again with the 1st year girls and end with the 3rd year boys. The contest was about to begin using the printouts each class had submitted beforehand as a basis to decide the pairings.

Since the actual day of the event began, it became clear who would be running in which order from the other classes.

From each class, the selected two making up a total of eight people lined up as one. My turn was in the first group. In total, the 1st year boys formed up into 10 groups.

I recognized Sudo from class D and had no idea who the others were. There was this fat kid beside Sudo aswell. I don't really know him but I had seen him when I went to class D's base camp during the Island exam.

Great...Just great... I have to run against Sudo? Why did you do this to me Ryueen?!

Any confidence Shiina gave me was crushed in a matter of seconds.

As the signal ran out, I ran as fast as I could but was ultimately no match for Sudo.

I ended up taking 4th place which came to me as a surprise. But it seems that besides Sudo no real runner was participating in the first group.

Let's hope I have this luck throughout the Sports Festival.

Vol 2 Ch 7: Capture The Flag.

Hirano pov:-

It was quite weird when I saw an empty position during the race while the school didn't seem to care.

I guess the rumors about Koenji not cooperating with his class are really solid true.

Also Ibuki had her match with Horikita. Sadly, she lost. Even though I was rooting for her.

But the student council president was fast as heck! It really showed me the big difference between me and him. I don't ever wanna get on his bad side. I would rather do my student council work diligently. Which I still have some left to do. I will be pretty busy after this sports festival.

As for the triplets. Miku came last as expected. Aika did fairly well. But Itsuki was just on a whole different level. Damn she got first place in both normal race and Hurdle race. I would have congratulated her but I had to stay with my class for now.

I also almost made a fool of myself during the Hurdle race. I was very close to touching a Hurdle but lucky avoided it. However, I did fell face first because of that. It still hurts. I had to go ask the medical staff for a bandage for my nose.

The next contest up is 'capture-the-flag'. It's a simple yet rough and slightly dangerous team competition.

Our class was led by Ryueen while class C was led by Kanzaki.

After a quick discussion, it was decided that class B would always be on attack while class C will always defend. That's to be expected since our class has many strong and athletic people.

The signal that marks the match's start rang and we rushed in.

After a bit of struggle against class A, the Red Team's flag that Class A had been protecting was now slightly slanted.

Since Class B is full of violent people or better yet, students who are almost
like fighters, it was an easy task for us to penetrate through their defenses.

If we have a scuffle against each other, it's clear who has the advantage and who's at a disadvantage.

Ultimately the White Team easily ended up completing one capture.

Both classes B and C were celebrating their victory. While Ryueen came and spoke something into my ear.

Man...I really didn't want to do this...

Everyone got into position for round two and with the signal, class B again rushed in to Red Team's territory. Ryuuen was also laughing boldly from the rear.

"So it's class D this time huh?" I spoke softly.

Screams rose up from the Class D students all over the place.

The defending students making up the outer wall are slowly diminishing in numbers.

"Stand up! Grab their legs and pull them down!".

Sudou's unreasonable words of encouragement were drowned
out by the angry bellows of my classmates.

Class B repeatedly used elbow strikes that almost wandered into foul play territory and in no time, they broke through to the inner wall. We didn't really have a choice since it was Ryueen's orders to hurt them.

Katsuragi and the others from Class A have also advanced to the point that they could almost touch our flag but I
wonder if they'll make it in time.

"Guah!?".

I could hear a voice of agony from Sudou, who was supporting
the flag just a few meters infront of me.

Apparently Yamada had made his
way up close to Sudou. His physique far surpasses Sudou's.

I ran upto them and in the middle of the chaos delivered a punch to Sudou's stomach.

Sorry Sudou. But it was Ryueen's orders. I have to follow them even if I don't like to. Besides, we have to win.

"Who the hell punched me in my stomach!?".

During the chaos, Me and a few more of my classmates had attacked Sudou
directly.

Furthermore, it wasn't just once or twice as voices of pain and anger become mixed. But for Sudou, who has to hold the flag with both his hands, he was left unable to do anything about it. All he could do was to turtle up and bear with it.

"It hurts, I said it hurts you bastard!".

Just by fighting with his voice alone, we showed no signs of ceasing our actions. Sudou kneels down in pain. But even so, I'd like to praise that fighting spirit of his that still tried to protect the
flag.

Someone then stepped barefoot onto Sudou's back. Then, as though asserting his dominance, he crushed Sudou's back
underfoot with all his strength.

"Gah!?".

Even in the midst of all this jostling during the match, it was a fiendish blow that capitalized on his blind spot. It goes without saying that the one responsible for it was Ryuuen.

"You. Bastard! Guh!".

He was once again stepped on without any hesitation to the point I had thought his spine had been broken. I immediately delivered the finishing blow to his stomach.

As Sudou collapsed from mine and Ryueen's attacks, now having lost its support, the flag collapsed after kicking up a cloud of sand. In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.

While collapsed on the ground, Sudou glared up at the man who had stepped on him, Ryuuen. While I had ran a safe distance away from his sights.

"Hah, hah. You bastard...that was foul play!".

"Hmm? So you were there? I didn't notice".

Saying that without a trace of fear, he pulled the flag up. Sudou tried to chase after him but it seems his back is still hurting quite a bit as he wasn't able to stand back up. The DA coalition suffered a great defeat.

Ryueen didn't pay mind to class C and left. I chased after him.

"Did we really have to go that far?"

"Kuku! Ofcourse! I told you that I will show you something interesting right?" Saying that he walked off.

(I am not sure if I want to see it.)

The referee called out to us and began explaining tug-of-war to us. The rules for tug-of-war are extremely simple and about the same as capture-the-flag.

It's purely strength vs. strength. Wits vs. wits. Now then, which side will prove superior? As the four classes gathered in the middle of the ground split up into two, they were divided between the left and the right camps.

Ryueen sorted us in the order he wanted and gave us a pretty bizarre command. But at this point. I should just learn to accept it.

And with this, the tug of war began.

Vol 2 Ch 8: Tug of War.

Hirano pov:-

We all lined up in order according to Ryueen's instructions. Since the BC coalition are not cooperating, we ended up dividing our forces up cleanly on basis of our class. Class C is taking charge of the rope up front but compared to the DA coalition that's lined up in order of height in descending order from the front, we have adopted the complete opposite
strategy.

But since our Class B is lining up randomly, starting from their
center, it fell apart. At the end of the line, for what it's worth, well- built students were holding the rope but...I can't shake the feeling that it's backasswards.

However, a problem emerged for the DA coalition before any of that. Contrary to Class D, who were attempting to line up as such, almost half of the boys in Class A made no move at all.

"Hey, Katsuragi-kun. I'd rather you not arrogantly take charge forever--".

Such a voice could be heard and without even having to look.

"...what do you mean, Hashimoto".

The student named Hashimoto took a step forward. Now that I got a better look at him, He's a tall, aloof man with his long hair swept behind the back of his head. He had a meek expression on his face but his eyes were those of
someone mocking his opponent.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. Isn't it your fault that Class A is currently stalling? Can you say with certainty that this strategy will allow us to win?".

A student has appeared to directly oppose the leader, Katsuragi.

From Katsuragi's heightened state of alert, I doubt this student named Hashimoto is acting alone. But--the timing is strange.

While everyone was focused on Katsuragi and Hashimoto, I looked back towards our camp and searched for Sakayanagi.

Sakayanagi, who had been there observing us from the start as a visitor, had a small smile of enjoyment on her face. Even from a distance, she should be able to see that the boys were quarrelling.

But the fact that she's still smiling despite that could only mean
one thing.

It's that the one who created this situation is not Hashimoto, it's Sakayanagi. I had wondered what kind of trap she would be setting up for Katsuragi.

I wonder if it means that instead of winning the class competitions she's only intending on crushing Katsuragi, her opposition.

But this is far too inefficient. This is eerie in a different sense from Ryuuen.

"So what's it going to be, Katsuragi-kun? Can we really win with this strategy?".

Despite the betrayal of his comrades, without being thrown into disarray from it, Katsuragi answered that.

"We're agitating even the students from Class D. We should proceed with the contest calmly".

"That's not an answer--".

Katsuragi tried to calm them down but about half of the students following Hashimoto's lead did not obey.

"Katsuragi-san's telling you lot to do it, so hurry it up! Don't give us this shameful act! May I remind you that you guys are the reason that we lost the island exam! Now grab the rope and do as Katsuragi says!"

In the midst of that, Yahiko from the Katsuragi faction raised his voice towards the Sakayanagi faction and forcibly handed the rope to one of the boys.

"I have no intention of refuting the doubts you feel towards my leadership. But if we lose here due to our meaningless squabbling, before things like cooperation and skill come up, the blame will fall on Sakayanagi, you don't mind that then?".

"You don't see anything, do you, Katsuragi-kun?".

Hashimoto sniggers. As the teacher acting the role of the referee approached them, as though to warn them for their lateness, Hashimoto gripped the rope as though he had arrived at the designated position.

"Then, shall we? It'd peeve me if we make them think we're lacking in unity as you said".

For now, Class A's civil war seems to have simmered down and so class D also got into position.

"They're a savage bunch, those Class A guys".

"To think the situation in their class is that bad"

Things like that could be heard from BC Coalition.

With the signal that heralds the
match's start, we each pulled on the rope.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!".

Then, with a shout that seemed like routine, the DA coalition that has achieved basic cooperation with one another pulled on the rope with vigor.

At first it seemed as though we had reached an equilibrium but after a few seconds, the flow changed to favor
them in one go.

"Oraoraoraora! Easy, easy!".

Before long, along with the signal, the DA coalition's victory was conveyed.

"Alright! Did you see that!? Serves them right!".

Sudou repeatedly roars. As a result of the outcome, Class C confronts Class B with blatant discontent.

"Hey--it'll be real bad if we don't cooperate you know? Those guys are really strong".

Representing his class, Shibata calls out to Ryuuen, but Ryuuen didn't even bother with him.

"Alright you lot, it's time to rearrange. Line up starting with the smallest one in front".

Ryuuen gave orders to the chaotic Class B and had us line up with the shortest student at the front and gradually adjusted it so that the heights increased.

Precisely in the shape of a bow. It
appears he has no intention of taking Class C's opinion into account, only doing as he pleases.

After Shibata shook his head in exasperation, he encouraged his
comrades in Class C and grasped the rope.

And so, the second round began.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!".

The DA coalition tugs on the rope just as they did in the first round. However, facing a resistance that was clearly different from before, they start to lose their bearings bit by bit. Even as they pulled and pulled, their position didn't change and feelings of anxiety began to close in.

"Hey, you lot better persevere. If we simply lose then I'll have you lynched".

Along with that carefree warning from Ryuuen, an intense force was applied to the rope and their side was dragged in. It can't possibly be that our strength surged from just that one command
alone, even if most of us are scared because of what he might do to us.

It means that there's something about the bow-like shape that Ryuuen arranged us in that affects the transfer of force.

Just as expected, the power is completely different from before. It was pretty much an evenly matched bout of tug-of-war.

I wonder if it was a difference in cognition that brought about the
conclusion of the match. The DA coalition, pulled in bit by bit, ended up being defeated.

Just because they dominated the first round, there were harsh words coming from students who believed that the cause of their defeat in the second round came from within.

"Why the hell is it different from before!? Is someone holding
back?".

They tried to look for the offender among each other. Seeing the situation, Katsuragi immediately followed up.

"Calm down. The cause of our defeat is likely just because the other side took up the right formation. Of course, it's also a fact that there are students among us who took the second round for
granted as well. They should get it now. That even if the opponent's teamwork is in tatters, they are still capable of putting up a fight. Focus, recover and along with that, please check your positions once again. Then also, when pulling on the rope, remember to do it at an angle".

Katsuragi realigns everyone in the DA coalition again after handing out accurate advice as well as reprimands. He's doing the best he can in what
little time he has.

When both sides were ready, the
third and final match commenced. The shouting resumed for the third time.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Pull!".

Just like the second round, the result wasn't decided right away. The white flag swayed at the center line without moving.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!".

No matter how strong the other side is, victory or defeat isn't decided purely by strength alone when it comes to tug-of-war. The white flag began to lean slightly towards the DA coalition's side.

"Don't let up! One more pull! Puuuullll!".

It should have been a close fight but the resistance they faced up until now loosened up to an unbelievable
extent and everyone's bodies fell backwards. The match ended
with them being unable to stop their own momentum and falling one
after another.

Not quite understanding what had happened, starting with Sudou, most of the students began to show their anger while still collapsed.

Judging from the results, it's clear that the situation was caused by us letting go of the rope. All according to Ryueen's instructions.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you fucking around?".

Perhaps this situation was also unexpected for Class C, as a few
of their students had also fallen. Eventually, attention was directed at the class where no one had fallen...attention was directed towards our class.

"I decided to give it a rest since I thought we couldn't win".

They understood that near the end, Ryuuen and the rest of us in Class B all let go of the rope at once.

"Good for you, picking up such a trashy win. It was quite fun seeing you all groveling".

Even as he lost the match, Ryuuen laughed while looking like he enjoyed the match more than anyone else.

"You bastard!".

If you look at this situation alone, you wouldn't be able to tell which one's the winner here.

Vol 2 Ch 9: Calvery Battle

Hirano pov:-

Things have gone as planned. Kinoshita ran into Horikita and both got injured.

I honestly feel bad for the both of them. Since they have to endure the pain just because of Ryueen's plan.

I took Kinoshita to the infirmary.

"You did good out there." I spoke.

"Yeah...Now I just have to wait here. Right?"

"Yes. Sorry about Ryueen. Because of him you had to go get yourself injured."

"No. It's alright. Ryueen is paying me points anyway."

I nodded and left.

When I came back. I was quite surprised that Horikita was still participating in the contest despite her injury.

I feel bad for her. Since I knew what was about to happen during the calvary battle...

Timeskip:-

Just as expected, Class B did not attack their other enemy, Class A, at all and did not pay any attention to Class D's general nor the other horsemen either. They only surrounded Horikita's horse. Their objective was all too clear. Four horsemen attack Horikita.

Karuizawa tried to help her but was blocked by Ichinose's group. She tried her best but unfortunately, Ichinose's group had Itsuki as the jockey. So winning was near impossible.

As for Horikita, She was attacked simultaneously by four horsemen and no longer able to avoid their persistent attacks, she was finally crushed.

She fell off her horse quite flashily and is now collapsed on the ground, trying to raise her upper body back up in frustration.

However, in a situation like this, not even someone like Ryueen himself would have stood a chance of winning.

The cause of her defeat lies in Class A, who did not rush to aid her right away. In any case, it's no use crying over spilt milk.

Horikita's defeat marked the onset of a melee. Having lost a horseman and having Class C pursue them on top of it, Class D's unity wavered in an instant. Some fell off their horses and others
had their headbands stolen away, and aside from Karuizawa, the other two horsemen resisted in vain before they were defeated.

Karuizawa, who had been fighting against Ichinose, momentarily ended up in an 8 vs. 1 scenario before, at the very end, she managed to steal away the headband from a different Class C horseman through a suicidal resolve and succeeded in ending that fight with a mutual kill.

Having lost a horseman, Class C and Class B attacked the remaining Class A and wiped them out. As for the opposing team, they ended up losing only two horsemen as casualties.

Now it was time for the boy's calvary battle to begin. And I fell prey to Ryueen's tactics once again. He practically forced me to become the man on the right of his horse.

Damn. He is heavy!

"Just aim for that shitty Ryuuen's head! Raah! Send him flying!".

In an instant, as the match begins across the entire field, Hirata's horse, Sudou, dashes forward with all his strength. But a horseman from Class C stands in the way of his rampage in the
middle.

However...

"Don't get in my way!".

Sudou, without stopping, slammed into the horseman's body with all his might and threw him off balance.

"Uwa!?".

The Class C's horseman, whose physique is inferior to Sudou's, could do nothing but collapse, jockey and all.

"How about that, huh!?"

He looks down at them like a wild beast and moves onto his next prey. Normally hitting the body itself would be considered foul play but the school has already confirmed that there's no
problem with it rulewise.

"Damn. If Sudo comes this way..."

"Kukuku! What happened Hirano? Did that monkey scare you?"

"Grrrrrrr." I just bit my lips in frustration.

However soon the situation turned for the worse. One by one our allies fell and only we remained.

As for the enemy team, Hirata, Katsuragi and another Class D horse survived. So now the battle is 3 on 1.

Exchanging looks, the two horsemen, Katsuragi and Hirata, surround Ryuuen. The other horseman too, while keeping a slight distance, targets Ryuuen.

However Ryuuen did not panic. He wasn't perturbed. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying this desperate situation. The complete opposite of what I was feeling.

There's no negligence and neither did he seem defeated. That sort of feeling. Hirata and Katsuragi, if the two of them attack simultaneously, even if in the worst case scenario that one of them
goes down, the other can still steal away Ryuuen's headband. Then their victory will be assured.

It's precisely because the situation is like this that Ryuuen is able to pierce through the chink in his enemies' hearts.

"I've remembered your name, Sudou. I stepped on you earlier. It seemed painful".

"Keep saying that. I'm going to be beating you down now".

"You sound quite high-and-mighty for a mere horse leg. It feels pretty good looking down on a horse".

"Hah. Just because you're riding on a horse doesn't mean you're all that".

"Heh...then this is all meaningless unless we go at it one-on-one".

"Ahh?".

"No, I mean, if you're saying you can't beat me unless it's 2 vs. 1 then it can't be helped. But 'winning' basically only holds meaning if you win one-on-one. Or are you going to put on airs after
beating me with a pincer attack?".

"What the hell...!".

"Don't, Sudou-kun. It's a bad idea to rise to his provocations. Let's cooperate with Katsuragi-kun".

"...you don't get it".

"You're the one who's not getting it, Sudou. I understand you've taken care of these guys before but back then, you must have mostly been using cowardly tactics right? The comrades I trust
would never be beaten by a frontal attack".

Some of us who were supporting Ryuuen's body were the ones who got into trouble with Sudou.

"Don't fuck around. Those guys are trash who can't even fight well".

"You're acting rather bullish even though you have no proof of that. If you're saying that's not true then face me one-on-one. And if you can beat me then, I'll do anything, even if it's prostrating before you".

"...got it. Don't go forgetting those words, Ryuuen! You heard him, Katsuragi. Don't stick your nose in this!".

"What are you talking about? It's sheer folly to let this chance go. We should use a pincer attack to make sure he goes down".

"If you stick your nose in this, I'll destroy your horse".

Apparently he took Ryuuen's cheap bait. He already has nothing in his mind except a one-on-one. He understands well the fact that Sudou always had a bullish personality and is quick to
fight.

"So you're determined to do it one-on-one no matter what then,
Sudou-kun?...if we're doing it then let's win".

"Naturally. Hirata, make absolutely sure your headband doesn't get stolen!".

Along with Sudou's forceful signal, the horse proceeds forward. Katsuragi, with a bitter expression, decides to watch the battle unfold. It's because if he interfered, Sudou would attack him even if he happened to be an ally.

Sudou charges forward and performs a body slam. However, the our horseman stood firm without being perturbed by it. Our power was equal. At the center of the our horse protecting Ryuuen is the my friend who was been training me with Ishizaki everyday, Albert. His strength is amazing. He's robustly strong.

Sudou clicks his tongue. I wonder if that's his frustration at being unable to overcome us.

"Interesting. Hey, bring it on. Or are you going to lose to our Albert in strength?".

Provoking Hirata, Ryuuen beckoned them without even setting any traps beforehand. Up until now, as far as the matches go, Ryuuen's had good fortune with his opponents and in all the
individual contests he'd participated in, he's taken 1st place. He's quite athletic.
He observes them after brilliantly dodging Hirata's extended hand.

"Not yet, Hirata?".

Sudou said that in a pained voice while receiving most of the attacks coming from the our horseman alone.

"Just a little bit more--!".

He extends his arm, mixing a feint into it as well. His arm then bends and finally, managed to grasp Ryuuen's headband.

However, what he grasped was only a few centimeters of the tip. He tried his best to pull it further into his hands.

"!?".

Hirata had indeed grabbed ahold of the headband but he didn't make it as far as stealing it away since the headband slipped out of his hands.

"What are you doing, Hirata!? Take it! I'm using up quite a bit of strength here!".

"Sorry...my hand's a bit slippery!".

While breathing heavily, Sudou once again aims to attack. And Ryuuen fearlessly awaits it. Compared to Ryuuen, who has yet to launch an offensive resembling an attack, Hirata's only been on the offense so far and he's beginning to breath heavily.

"What's the matter? Is that it?"

"Kuu...! Sorry, Sudou-kun, fall back for now!".

In accordance with Hirata's shout, they put some distance between us. There's a difference in the consumption of stamina between Ryuuen, whose side hardly moved from that spot and our
side that's been performing intense movements.

Ryuuen's probably focusing on the upcoming battle against Katsuragi after defeating them. So we should conserve our stamina.

Sudou, whose knees were trembling, took up his stance again while breathing feebly.

"Make the next one...the last, Hirata. Make sure you absolutely
steal it!".

"...I understand. I'll try doing it".

Hirata also calms his breathing and concentrates only on stealing Ryuuen's headband away.

"Give 'em hell!!!".

Mustering up the last of his strength, he performed a body slam on us but the horse did not collapse. Thankfully. But it sure as hell hurt!

Once again, a fight between the jockeys broke out. However, Hirata assumed they would not initiate an attack and defenselessly extended his arm.

The results that came of it would be well worth the risk taken.

"Got it!".

Straightforwardly and boldly, he reached out. Hirata once again
succeeded in grabbing ahold of the headband. However, once again, the headband slipped out of his hands.

"kWha--!?".

Ryuuen did not overlook that upset, and his hands reached out to grasp Hirata's headband while he's still in a defenseless position. That hand of his, in the form of a counter, deeply gripped
the headband. And forcefully. When he pulled back, the headband fell from Hirata's head all too easily.

The moment he sensed that we had lost, Sudou collapsed onto his knees and Hirata fell off the horse. Hirata's headband was noisily hoisted up. Immediately after, as though it came from within the field, a warning was issued from the referee.

"Shit!".

Sudou, who was going wild, glared at Ryuuen as he stood back up. However, if he keeps standing still like that, I don't know what kind of warning he'll receive.

"How regrettable".

Ryuuen, as though sneering at him, left behind those words. It's still too early to expect victory.

The general horseman, Katsuragi, a survivor from Class A, boldly challenged Ryuuen. Katsuragi, who had assumed the role of the horse's head, issued orders to the jockey, Yahiko, and builds up a thorough defense. Now that Sudou's withdrawn, they were
able to link up with the remaining horseman from Class D and a 2
vs. 1 situation is realized.

They were able to grab ahold of
the headband like Hirata did, a similar scenario unfolded where they were unable to pull it off and ultimately Yahiko's headband, long with Class D's headband, were both stolen away. Despite only utilizing minimal movements, Ryuuen demonstrated
marvelous strength and survived to the very end.

As the signal marking the match's conclusion rang out, he took off his headband and swung it around in a display of triumph.

Doing that and thoroughly repeating his acts of provocation are also probably a part of his strategy.

"Thank goodness it worked out. I thought we would be disqualified for sure because of what Ryueen did..." I muttered to myself.

I was sweating like crazy from everything that happened until now. All the running, lifting and jumping is starting to worn me out.

"Oi, that's foul play you bastard! You slathered your headband with something!".

I turned my attention to the source of the noise and saw an angry Sudou.

In response to the howling Sudou, Ryuuen fearlessly and boldly replied.

"Ahh? I don't know anything about that. Even if that's so, it's probably just the hair wax. Don't be a sore loser".

He could say it came from his hair when he put on the headband. Perhaps it's because he had been swinging it around after his victory or perhaps it's simply because he'd wiped it on the ground but rather than being drenched, the headband in Ryuuen's hand was only dirtied. It seems the evidence has been erased.

"Atleast he isn't dumb enough to leave evidence behind..." I spoke softly.

I do believe he's used hair wax.

Doesn't matter. We won. That's all that counts.

"Sigh...I need Hiyori to calm my nerves down..."

Vol 2 Ch 10: False Accusation.

Hirano pov:-

"So is it time for next stage of your plan?" I asked.

"Yes. As a matter of fact. The reason I called you hear is to enjoy the show."

(What is he trying to accomplish by having me tag along?)

I didn't understand his intentions at all.

As we turned around the corner, we met two familiar faces.

(Horikita? Kushida? So it's really time...)

I could see Ryueen enjoying the situation.

"Looks like it's become quite a big problem".

"Ryuuen-kun...".

"I came here after Kinoshita asked for me. To think someone would have deliberately caused that injury of hers".

Saying that, he passed by them and entered the infirmary with me behind him. They too, panickedly followed him.

Entering the infirmary, Ryuuen brushed off the teacher's attempts at stopping him and opened the curtain veiling the bed in which Kinoshita-san is receiving treatment.

"Hey, Kinoshita. You ok? Looks like you've been through some tough times".

Seeing Ryuuen-kun, Kinoshita-san openly trembled in fear.

"I hear you've injured your leg? Show me".

He said that before he pulled Kinoshita-san's leg out from beneath the sheets.

"This is bad. Not half bad all things considered...".

Under Ryuuen-kun's hand was Kinoshita-san's painful-looking leg wrapped up in bandages.

(How odd. She seems to be in a worse condition than when I left her. I thought Ryueen was joking when he said that he would injure her further to make it look more believable.)

"Sorry...I tried to hang in there and participate in the next contest too but...my leg just wouldn't listen...that's why...ahh!".

(They two should be given a medal for acting.)

"Don't blame yourself, Kinoshita. I know you tried to participate in the three-legged race".

"...it was an accidental collision. Kinoshita-san, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by saying I made you fall?".

"!".

Horikita seemed to be questioning Kinoshita with a slight glare.

Kinoshita-san averted her eyes. Ryuuen-kun then stood in front of her.

"According to what Kinoshita's been saying, you fully intended on making her fall. You deliberately did it, didn't you?".

"Cut the jokes. Are you saying I'd do something like that?".

"You can never tell what someone will do. Besides, look at the facts. Kinoshita, who happens to be better than you at sports, sustained serious injuries and had to withdraw. On top of that, she
was planning on participating in all the Recommended Only Participation events later. In contrast, you continued participating in the contests in spite of your injury. You're asking the impossible if you want me to not be suspicious of that".

I look of confusion fell on Horikita's face and she started thinking deeply. She is probably trying to figure out Ryueen's plan and what he might gain from it.

(Sadly, you can't understand the actions of a psychopath.)

"What are you thinking about so quietly?".

Ryuuen-kun bends forward as though peering at her while keeping his hands inside his pocket.

"Well, even if we have our little back-and-forth it won't do us any good. Right, Kinoshita?".

In the middle of it, Ryuuen-kun forcefully urges Kinoshita-san to speak.

"Horikita-san...you told me after I fell...that I definitely won't win...".

"I said no such thing. Are you even aware that you're spouting lies?".

"Horikita, you were only looking back during the incident with Kinoshita. Why exactly is that?".

Chabashira-sensei again asks Horikita the same question.

"I admit I was looking back. However, it's only because she called out my name many times over from behind me. At first, I ignored her. But clearly things seemed strange and so I looked back".

"Is that so, Kinoshita?".

This time, Chabashira-sensei asks Kinoshita-san rather than Horikita.

"I never called you, not even once".

When Chabashira-sensei tried to confirm it, rather than admit it, Kinoshita-san denied it.

"The person in question herself is denying it, sensei. Besides, even if Kinoshita happened to call Suzune's name, what's wrong with that? Just calling a name doesn't amount to foul play. On top of that, it was probably a desperate cry that stemmed from a desire to win. Kinoshita is second to none when it comes to having a competitive spirit after all. If you keep reacting to things like that each and every time, there'll be no end to this".

(This has turned into a real drama show. I was never good with drama on T.V. How am I supposed to stand all this tension in real life! I just wanna get out of this uncomfortable atmosphere.)
I though to myself.

"Umm...Kinoshita-san, Hirano-kun, Ryuuen-kun. I think it's unfortunate that things turned out like this but I don't think Horikita-san is the type of person to deliberately injure her opponent like this".

Having listened to both sides, Kushida-san spoke up as though
shielding her classmate.

"But Horikita-san told me...that she absolutely won't let me win...!".

"That's probably just your desire to not lose getting to your head, is it not? I think Horikita-san was also surprised by the fall, I think she was desperate too".

"But--I can't forgive her...now I have to take a break from even track and field practice...".

"...don't you feel any shame? Painting lies and ensnaring someone, is that fun for you? Or could it be that Ryuuen-kun set everything up? I doubt that it's mere coincidence you conveniently
showed up here".

Ryueen stepped in and spoke up.

"So you're blind to your own shortcomings and now it's the injured Kinoshita's fault as well as mine, huh? You're quite a terrible woman".

"Don't make me laugh. You provoked Sudou-kun a while back, I won't let you say you forgot. You're trying to use that same trick this time around as well, aren't you?".

"That incident had nothing to do with me. It's absurd to tie this matter into that".

"It's clear to everyone. That you collided with Kinoshita in a self-destructive act. That clinches it. There is no room for further discussion. Let's go over this with the superiors already, shall
we?".

"That's--would you let me talk this over for a little bit more with Horikita-san...can I?".

Kushida-san begged Ryuuen-kun as though making an appeal. I'd like to tell her that it's hopeless. Everything is going according to Ryueen's plan.

Ryuuen-kun seemed to be slightly in thought, then he made this proposal.

"I don't have time to leisurely talk this out. Once the lunch break ends, I've got a Recommended Participation Only event starting. I'll be participating as well so I'd like to round things up
here. Letting the bigwigs make the judgement would be best though".

After looking at me, Kushida-san and Kinoshita-san once, Ryuuen-kun spoke again.

"I don't mind if we can strike a quick and easy deal".

"Strike a deal?".

"I'm talking about you shouldering any losses incurred by Kinoshita and Class B".

"That's not funny, I don't even have to listen to this".

"Then we're done. You won't strike a deal but you're telling us to not report this to the bigwigs. That's too selfish of you, Suzune. This won't fly".

"Wait. What exactly should we do...?".

Interrupting her, Kushida-san listens to Ryuuen-kun's proposal.

"You seem to understand things well. That's right...if you'll fork over 1 million points then I'll have Kinoshita withdraw her complaint. That way we'll be able to prepare a substitute for the
Recommended Only Participation events and Kinoshita will be able to acquire a 'special income' thanks to me as well. Simple enough right?".

"Don't be ridiculous. I haven't done anything. I don't need to hand a single point over".

"Then go ahead and prove it, Suzune. Let's make a clear distinction between black and white. Ok?".

"You all seem to be very confident in yourselves. You think your lies won't be exposed?".

"We're going to prove that we aren't lying. Let's have the Student Council President-sama deliver his judgement".

(If I remember correctly from the talks with Ryueen. He said that Horikita-kun and his sister didn't have the best relationship.)

"Umm...would it be no good with just my points alone...Ryuuen-kun?".

"Ahh?".

"I don't think Horikita-san's the kind of person to deliberately do something like this. That's why I don't want to make a big deal out of this. But...I don't think Kinoshita-san's the type of person
to lie too...an unfortunate coincidence, couldn't it be just that...that's why...". Kushida spoke up.

"A beautiful friendship. But that's no good. As a member of Class B, I think Suzune did this out of malevolence. If I think about Kinoshita, I feel it'll be meaningless unless I get money out of Suzune. Of course, I won't stop you if you're willing to pay up too though".

"I've decided. Kinoshita, we're going to complain about this to the teachers and then to the student council too".

As though to wake her up, Ryuuen-kun issues orders to Kinoshita-san. While distorting her face in pain, Kinoshita-san raised her upper body.

"If they look at this situation, the school should understand too that this is a serious matter. They won't stand for this vicious stance that would do anything if it's for the sake of an inferior
person's victory".

Ryueen and Kinoshita began to leave. I, who had played the role of observer has started walking away too.

"Wait...".

That word clearly reached Ryuuen-kun. We stopped walking.

"What is it, Suzune? You have no intention of responding to discussion, right?".

"If I pay, then you'll make it so that this never happened right...?".

"So you're admitting that you committed foul play in order to win?".

"I won't admit that...because I'm not lying".

"Then this is strange. What exactly will you be paying for then?".

"This time, I lost to your strategy. That's why I'll be paying for that, is what I mean".

"Did you hear that, Kinoshita? She doesn't think she's done anything wrong at all. Can you forgive her?".

"...I won't forgive her...".

"Hear that? Unless you acknowledge your fault sincerely, we have no intention of responding".

"...".

"Is what I would like to say but you have your pride too I guess. I understand you don't want to call yourself the bad guy in front of your teacher and your friend. That's why I'll give my response since I have a generous heart. However, it's a different story whether or not Kinoshita will accept that".

He gave a devilish smile while manipulating the situation back
and forth alone as though to play with her heart.

(I want to be released from this situation as soon as possible.) I couldn't stand all this drama.

"If I pay a million points, you'll make it so that nothing happened, that's what you said. There are no other conditions, right?".

"Certainly. But that was only the case a while ago. You declined once right? The same conditions won't apply now. If this is to be the second round of negotiations, then naturally the conditions will change".

(How far does Ryuuen-kun intend to attack while provoking her?)

"That's right. Try kneeling and begging right here. Maybe Kinoshita's feelings and my own might change".

"Wait, Ryuuen. This is too much".

In response to Ryuuen-kun who requested Horikita to kowtow, Chabashira-sensei, who had been a spectator, opened her mouth.

Frankly even I was at a loss with what Ryueen suggested. But didn't speak anything.

"Teachers shouldn't butt into this. This is a problem between us students".

Ryuuen-kun, who showed no fear even against teachers, said so as a follow up.

"Well, I won't force you to make a decision right away. A teacher's eye is also on us. That's why I'll hear your answer once the sports festival ends. Will you end this with a million points
and a kowtow or will you revive this matter and have the school deliberate on it? Which one will you choose?".

Then he added this as well.

"Don't think this problem will be over just because the sports festival ends, ok? I'll dig this matter back up thoroughly no matter what and fight against you. After school, you bring Suzune to me".

Saying that to Kushida-san, Ryuuen-kun and Kinoshita-san both left the infirmary.

I glanced at the defeated face of Horikitaand walked away aswell.

(I feel so bad for her...)

Vol 2 Epilogue: The End.

Hirano pov:-

The bell rang and the latter half of the sports festival began. It's now time for the Recommended Only Participation events. It's expected that for the remaining four contests, elites chosen from within the ranks of the class will be the ones participating.

"Speaking of which, Hirano-kun will be participating in the scavenger hunt right?".

"Yes. That's correct."

"There are items marked as being difficult to obtain in this scavenger hunt. It is possible to draw again but there will be a 30 second window before you'll be able to do so. You will need to
inform the referee present when you draw lots of your desired course of action. In addition, the contest will end as soon as 3 contestants clear it. That will be all".

After that supplementary explanation was given, I prepared to join in on the third round of the scavenger hunt I'm scheduled to participate in.

As time passed, my turn finally came.

I then also headed towards the area where the lots are drawn, following slightly behind the faster ones who dashed forward.

"Now then, what exactly's going to be written down...".

I inserted my hand into the box that's placed in front of me.

Inside, there seems to be quite a bit of paper. Taking care to not drawn multiple pieces of paper, I snatched one out. I unfolded the paper that had been folded into fourths.

"Kiss the person you love."

(...)

I read it over once again.

(...Is the school screwing with me?)

"C-Change."

I had to wait for 30 seconds before picking up another one. When I did, it read.

"Bring something from your dorm room."

...

(I have to go all the way back home? Why did the school even ask for something like that!)

I ran back home immediately and brought back a frying pan. Cause that's the only thing I could think of at that time.

Apparently I came second place. I don't know how I didn't come last. But somehow I didn't.

Timeskip:-

I could not believe me eyes. What took place infront of us was legendary!

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka of class D almost out ran the Student council President!

He would have beaten him if it weren't for a runner falling in Ayanokouji's way.

"Damn...Those two were Lightning fast..."

I knew that I would never be able to run as fast as them. Ever.

(But why did he run so fast now? Was he hiding his speed this entire time?)

I looked over at Ryuuen and he seemed surprised aswell. Until his face turned up in an absolute grin.

"Interesting..." Was all that came out of Ryuuen's mouth.

I looked back at class D celebrating.

(I still can't believe my eyes...)

"Looks like they're going to be announcing the results soon.
Let's go".

It appears the results will be announced at the same time as the closing ceremony. All the students turned towards the giant electronic notice board.

"Now then, we will be announcing the results for this year's sports festival--".

On the electronic notice board, we were divided up between the Red Team and the White Team and the tallying of the numbers began. The numbers began to rise. The total acquired points from all 13 events. The winning team is...

"The Red Team wins".

The points were displayed alongside those letters. It truly was a hard-won battle but the Red Team, composed of the DA coalition, appears to have won.

(So our team lost? But what about individual rankings?)

"Next up, we will announce the overall points for each class".

Dividing up the 12 classes into three categories on the display, the overall points for each class were displayed all at once.

For us, the breakdown for the 2nd and 3rd years mean nothing. What's important is what position Class B is in.

1st Place: 1st year Class C

2nd Place: 1st year Class B

3rd Place: 1st year Class A

4th Place: 1st year Class D

"Second place huh? Not Bad..."

My classmates seemed satisfied with the result, though none of us were happy since the results meant that we will get 100 class points subtracted.

The new Class points for each class were:-

Class A- 834cp

Class B- 766cp

Class C- 753cp

Class D- 152cp

(Damn...that is close. We almost got demoted back to class C.)

Indeed the point difference between class B and Class C now was 13 class points. With Class B in the lead.

Although the point difference is still little. We can always increase it in the next exam. And I know that there are still many of them left.

"Kukuku! No matter. I will still get what I want. Follow me Hirano."

"Ummm...No."

I answered. He looked back at me with a grin on his face.

"Kuku...Why? Don't you want to see something very interesting."

"Sorry but I don't have a weird fetish of have a girl kowtow before me."

Frankly if I saw Horikita do that then I would have to suffer through the guilt my entire life.

"Is that so? But I thought I could finally introduce my source of information about class D to you."

I looked back at him quite surprised. Will he actually? I can't tell if he is lying or not.

"You can tell me about it later. But I still have to get some work done in the student council. See ya."

I can't trust any word coming out of his mouth. And I would rather be kept in the dark then suffer guilt because of Ryueen's plans.

I walked away back towards the school.

Timeskip:-

I went to get my shoes but it seemed fate had other plans for me. I found a note kept on my shoes. It read-

"It's been a while old friend. I know that you might be wondering who I am. Don't worry. You won't know me no matter how much you try to remember. But I know you. I saw you almost everyday years ago. This is your final warning. Stay away from the triplets. Or else your school life will become shorter than you thought..."

Although I was super creepyed out by who wrote me this note. But now I know one thing. This has to do something with the triplets. But what...

"I don't remember them...but they know me...? They saw me almost everyday...?"

Just who are they?!

The only people I can think of are the triplets themselves. I used to visit them on a daily basis back when we were little. Is it one of them?

It doesn't seem like it though... it seems more like a third party... eitherway, I need to keep my gaurd up.

"I don't know who you are...but I will not let you get away by threatening me like this."

I spoke with determination. I won't be bullied by anyone. Not again... I won't let what happened back in middle school repeat itself!

Vol 2 SS: President's Plan.

Hirano pov:-

A gotta say! The Sports Festival was amazing! A lot happened these past few months. Today, I plan to visit the library with Shiina!

I entered the library and after looking around a bit, I spotted Shiina reading.

"Hey Shiina!" I called her.

She looked up at me.

"Hello Hirano! I am glad you could join me!"

"Thanks for having me! I will grab a book and be right back."

I went to a nearby shelf. Searching through the books I found what I was looking for. It's the new novel in the library, I don't know anything about it but others said that it was good.

As I reached my hand to pick it up another hand clashed with mine.

I saw a cute girl looking at me.

"Huh? Miku?"

"Aki? What are you doing here?"

"Well I just came here to read with a friend. That's all."

"Oh! Same here but I was reading alone."

This gives me an idea. Both Miku and Shiina are loners and book lovers. They both might get along and even become best friends!

"Hey Miku. Would you like to join us?"

"Really?!" Her eyes began sparkling for some reason.

"Yup. I want to introduce you to my friend. She is from my class."

"S-She?" She asked with a serious face.

"Umm...yes. So let's go!"

Miku and I walked towards the table where Shiina was sitting.

"Hey Shiina! This is Gima Miku from class 1C. She and I are childhood friends and I was wondering if she could join us?"

She looked from to Miku and then smiled.

"Sure. It's great to meet you Gima."

Miku smiled and replied.
"Please. No need to call me Gima. I have two more sisters in my class. So please just call us by our given names like how Aki does."

"Aki?" Shiina looked over at me.

"Yeah. We call eachother by our given names."

"I see. Then Miku, please call me by my given name aswell."

"Oh! Okay Hiyori."

They both smiled at eachother. I guess they are starting to get along.

"You too Hirano."

"Huh?" I was a little confused.

"You can call me Hiyori aswell!"

"Oh! That's great! Now then shall we start reading?" I asked.

They both nodded and we all sat down. I was in the middle with Hiyori on my right and Miku on my left.

That's not what I had in mind. I thought that both of them would become good friends but they seem to be sitting with me in between.

Sigh...I guess I will have to wait it out and see if they talk to eachother.

I just focused on reading my book. One hour passed or maybe two. I lost track of time as I was reading.

Okay this isn't working... they are just focusing on their own books and aren't talking to eachother at all!

Suddenly I heard my phone ring. I saw that it was from Tachibana Senpai. I picked up the call.

"Senpai?"

"Hirano! Where are you?! Your work is still pending you know?!"

"Work? But I finished it after the Sports Festival ended."

"THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST PART OF THE DOCUMENTS! THE SECOND PART OF YOUR WORK HASN'T BEEN DONE! NOR HAVE YOU ARRANGED THE FILES! NOW GET BACK HERE! WE NEED THOSE DOCUMENTS DONE BY THE END OF THE DAY!"

"Okay! Okay! I will be right there!"

Tachibana senpai is cute but very irritating.

"Sorry Hiyori! Sorry Miku! I gotta go for student council duties."

"It's alright."

"Come back soon."

They both responded emotionlessly.
(I think they are too much into their books to respond properly.)

Timeskip:-

That took forever... seriously... but I somehow managed to complete all my work...

I returned to the library. I went back to the table and saw a pretty confusing scene.

"Look at this one!"

"Oh! I have read that before!"

(Umm...Since when did they become this close.)

I saw Miko and Hiyori chatting away.

"Perhaps I should let those two have their fun..." I spoke to myself.

With a smile on my face,I turned around and left the library. Ofcourse, I sent them a message saying that I won't be able to return today.

Third person pov:-

Back in the student council, two people were discussing about a certain student.

"So what are your thoughts about him so far?"

"Well...I can't really say. Although he gets on my nerves sometimes, he is a good worker. He might be a little lazy but makes sure to finish his work on time. As a matter of fact, he has also helped other members with their work. He is very obedient and isn't a bad guy...I suppose."

Those two people talking were Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane. They were both discussing their views about Hirano.

"Yes. I have the same opinion of him."

"But still...I don't understand... do you expect him to really go up against Nagumo? I can't believe I am saying this but I think that boy, Ayanokouji would have had a better chance than him."

"Naturally, I never expected him to defeat Nagumo."

"Then why did you invite him to the council. He will be one of Nagumo's targets once Nagumo becomes president."

"That's the point."

Tachibana's mind froze when he said that. She couldn't understand his actions.

"If Nagumo keeps his eyes on Hirano. Then he would be too distracted to focus on other people."

"Horikita-kun. Are you saying that you are sacrificing Hirano to take Nagumo down?"

Tachibana was shocked. The Horikita she knew would never sacrifice an underclassmen.

"Don't be so quick to judge. I thought of this knowing full well about Hirano's abilities."

"Hirano's abilities?"

"He may seem average. But he is exceptionally Cunning. Even if he can't defeat Nagumo. I believe he can escape Nagumo's strategies on his own."

Horikita's plan was to have Hirano take up Nagumo's attention. As to keep Nagumo's eyes away to Ayanokouji. And if Nagumo becomes too obsessed then Kiriyama and the other's would be able to find openings and perhaps defeat him.

Although Horikita, himself knew that getting an opening on Nagumo won't be easy.

"I understand. But what if Hirano falls for Nagumo's schemes?"

"I firmly believe that it won't be that easy. After all, Hirano already has a way to give all second years a big hit."

"Huh? I don't understand."

Horikita gave a copy of a document to Tachibana. She read over it's contents and was shocked.

"Surprising isn't it? It seems he has scammed over 30 2nd year students with that contract. And guess who has to pay if the students are unable to pay for themselves."

"Nagumo..." Her eyes widened as she said that.

"Yes. To show that the promises he made to all 2nd year students in return of their cooperation, he needs to pay in their stead. Or else he might lose face and his promises would be questioned."

"Did Hirano plan all this?"

"Who knows? He is the type of a guy to look for opportunities. The original goal must be the points. Putting a blow on Nagumo must have been an unexpected bonus."

Horikita got up from his chair and walked towards the exit of the room.

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Hirano Aki." He spoke softly while thinking.

He had met some very interesting students. One with incredible skills that wishes to be a normal student and another who is a normal student with exceptionally Cunning mind and tremendous luck backing him up.

But how long will the first one remain hidden?

And how long will the second boy's luck last?

Horikita Manabu was very intrigued by those questions.

Vol 3 Prologue: Secret Enemies.

Third person pov:-

Two people were holding a meeting.

One was sitting comfortable in the karaoke room. She was a beautiful and elegant girl.

The other was boy with hate in his eyes.

"So? You wish for my Cooperation to get rid of him?"

"That is correct."

"Fufu. And why is that?"

"The reasons are none of your concern Sakayanagi."

Sakayanagi smiled sweetly at the boy but her eyes seemed to be filled with excitement of finding something amusing.

"Fufufu. So you ask for my cooperation yet won't tell me your reasons?"

"As agreed, I will owe you one favour. You can ask for anything even for me to betray my class."

"Fufu. That would be nice."

She pretended to think about it and then crossed her arms.

"But I will need more than just a favour."

The boy gritted his teeth.
(She plans to make full use of the situation.)

"Very well. Just add what you need to our contract."

"Fine. I will help you get rid of him. And in return you will owe me one favour and 500,000pp. However, It will be for your best interest to not betray me."

"As long as you help me, I will not betray you. In the name of the family that I serve, I shall fulfill my promise as long as you expel him."

Saying that the boy got up from the sofa and stopped infront of the exit.

"And remember. This meeting never happened."

With those last words, the boy left.

"Fufufu. Things have gotten alot more interesting."

She stared at the picture infront of her. It was a picture of a first year student. The one she was asked to expel.

"Hmmm...perhaps it's time for me to set traps for him."

Sakayanagi opened her phone and dailed a number. After a few seconds of it ringing. The person on the other end picked up.

"It's time to expel him. So listen closely on what to do."

Sometime later:-

The boy who was earlier in the room with Sakayanagi went to meet someone else.

He looked around and saw a girl waiting for him.

"So how did it go?"

"It went well. Sakayanagi agreed to our request."

""Our"? I believe I told you not to tell her about me."

"I haven't. Put some more faith in your brother."

"Hmm...Very well."

"Was the letter sent?"

"Yes. I believe he has received our warning. But I doubt that he will listen."

"True. So for the next exam. Sakayanagi will set traps for him separately from us. Once cornered from both sides, he won't be able to escape."

"Don't underestimate him. You only saw him from a distance and never had any interaction but I saw him from a much closer perspective than you and have even exchanged words before. "

"Don't worry. He won't escape."

The girl just looked at the boy and sighed.

"Very well. But if this doesn't work. We will have to go with plan B."

The boy stiffened at her words.

"Sis. Are you sure? It's basically a suicide bomb strategy. Both you and him will be expelled."

"I am well aware. But it doesn't matter. We have to follow our orders and expel him. Even if it means getting expelled myself."

"But Still! I hate the idea of you carrying out this strategy because of him!"

"Then make sure that we expel him the next exam."

The girl glared at her brother. She didn't wish to carry out plan B herself. But if it came to it. She will do it without hesitation. Even if it meant that her life in this school would be over.

"I understand. I won't let you carry out plan B. We will complete our mission in the next exam."

"So how do you plan to get rid of our target?"

"Believe it or not. But I had an outside source hack into the school systems and look into the next special exam. After their research, they informed me about all the details."

The girl was surprised at that.

"Waah...How did you get in contact with the outside world?!"

"Club tournaments." Boy replied.

"Oh...right. You're in the soccer club."

"Yup. Thanks to that I now know that the next exam will be The Paper Shuffle."

The boy gave his sister a copy of a document. After reading through it she was quite surprised.

"It's always good to be ahead of others."

"I plan to go with the old fashioned framing."

"Framing someone for cheating would be extremely hard."

"Yes and that's why I need your help. I am sure Ryueen will choose class D. So since you are a class D student. I want you to do something for me."

The boy had a mischievous smile on his face. Seeing that, his sister was sure that her brother had a simple yet effective plan.

She only hopes that her brother succeeded. Or else she will have to take matters into her own hands.

(I hope Sakayanagi keeps her word and expels him before I have to.) The boy thought.

To him, this entire mission was nothing more than bothersome.

Hirano pov:-

The look on Ryueen's face is something I can't define. He looks both angry and excited.

"Umm...Ryueen? You okay?"

"Kukuku! I am perfectly fine. Infact better than ever!"

I am almost scared to ask but here goes nothing.

"So what happened?"

"Kuku! It seems the guy pulling the strings in Class D is better than I thought!"

"The guy pulling the strings?"

"He saved Suzune by sending me a recording of when we were discussing the Sports festival."

My eyes widened.

"B-But that would mean..."

"Yes. It seems we have a traitor in our class and this guy 'X' knows how to use them well."

(Although I am glad that Horikita was saved from Ryuuen. But having a traitor in our class is unsettling.)

"So what are we going to do?" I asked.

"Kukuku! Don't worry. We will squeeze the air out of that traitor and sniff out that guy hiding in the shadow's aswell."

Ryueen declared that to me with a big smile.

Something tells me that a lot is about to happen in the future.

Vol 3 Ch 1: The New President

Hirano pov:-

The sports festival ended in mid-October, around the time of year when it started getting chilly.

The school held a general election to decide who would be in charge of the
next student council. Immediately after the election concluded, the school
ushered in the handover ceremony of the student council. It was a large-scale
event that gathered students from the entire school to the gymnasium.

However, for most of the first year students, it was a very uneventful
experience. They were drowsy, but they were attempting to keep quiet and slow their breathing so the teachers and upperclassmen wouldn't notice them.

"Now, here are some final remarks from president Horikita of the student council."

Following the moderator's speech, Horikita Manabu slowly approached the microphone on the stage.

As a member of the student council, naturally, I was on stage. But what's more surprising is that Ichinose was here aswell. It seems she managed to join the student council.

"I am proud and grateful to have been able to lead the student council for
almost two years. Thank you very much."

After his brief statement, Horikita senpai quietly retreated and returned to his original position.

There were no moving words in his speech. It could be said that it was a
solemn and dutiful statement. However, it does not look like the retirement ceremony will end with just this.

The student council officers on the stage with him including me stood firm, not breaking our solid posture.

"Student president Horikita has worked so hard for you all. Now, please welcome the new student council president, second-year student of Class A, Miyabi Nagumo."

Miyabi Nagumo, the new student president, walked forward and stood in
front of the microphone.

"I am Miyabi Nagumo of the second year's Class A. President Horikita, I
really appreciate your strict and kind guidance so far. I am honored and
would like to pay tribute to you. I am thankful for being able to accompany
the legendary president who has played one of the greatest leadership roles in
the history of this school."

With that, he bowed deeply in the direction of Horikita's brother, and then re-faced the students.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Miyabi Nagumo. I will be the
next student president of Advanced Nurturing High School. Please take care of me."

Nagumo smiled thin and small so as to change the calm atmosphere.

"I'll get straight to the point. First of all, I promise to change the terms and appointment method of the student council as well as the practice of the
general election. This will mean changing the date of the general election of the student council from December to October. This shift will be an attempt to move to a new generation for the student council and I judge that that then will be when the new student council will move towards a new era. I will change the tenure of the president and officers from terms to indefinite so
they can serve until graduation. At the same time, I will abolish the current
restrictions on the number of student council officers. In other words, as long
as it is an excellent and necessary person, they can become a member of the student council at any time regardless of the number of slots that are open. In the event that someone is judged unfit for office, I will establish a system of majority vote at the meetings for expelling them from their positions.

As a starting point, let me make a declaration to the students, teachers, and leaders of the former student council who are assembled here. The school system of the future... I will destroy all that has been preserved by the previous student councils for the sake of the appearance of the school."

He spoke so forcefully that it seemed to negate all the merits of the former
student president who stood behind him.

"I originally wanted to implement this new system immediately, but unfortunately, I cannot do that. This is because the new student president will
be bound by various kinds of constraints upon first taking office."

Nagumo glanced at Horikita, the former student council president, and then turned back to the students.

"I promise that there will be a great revolution in the near future. Students
with strength will climb up to the top and those without strength will fall to the bottom. I will turn this school into a real meritocracy, so please show me
what you all can do."

The gymnasium was immediately silenced by his declaration, but almost all the sophomores soon started screaming with joy and became rowdy.

Maybe there was a battle between the second years and the third years that we didn't know about. It was an event that made me feel that way.

(I have to admit. I am not looking forward to the policy that this man will create...)

Is a system of meritocracy was established, then obviously I would be near the bottom.

As we started to leave the stage I walked closer to our new student council member.

"Welcome to the student council, Ichinose!" I called out to her with a smile.

"Thank you Hirano."

"It's great to have you here. I hope you can work together with me."

"I do to. I will do my best to live upto President Nagumo's expectations." Saying that she walked away.

President Nagumo's expectations? Wait so it was Nagumo senpai who accepted her into the council? Not Horikita senpai?

I will have to keep an eye on Ichinose. Nagumo has a way with woman and it seems he wants to get his hands on Ichinose aswell. Another pretty girl under his control.

I may have not been in the student council as long as the others. But ultimately, I have already seen the type of man Nagumo senpai is. The type I would like to avoid if I could.

The future will be a mess... And I might get caught up in it aswell.

Timeskip:-

Monthly Allowance? Check!

I point total has gone up again! And I got points from working in the student council aswell! Now I have 4,330,495pp.

I am pretty content with myself.

As for the traitor, I have already gone over the plan with Ryueen. He plans to find the traitor's after school today. Me and Ishizaki have already instructed all students to remain behind after school.

Sakagami sensei came in.

"My, My, The class seems to be very serious today. Is it because the results of the midterms are in my hands?"

No one spoke anything.

"Anyway, here are the results."

I looked over at them. I was still stuck in the middle but was well above the passing grade. And that's not all. Everyone seems to have passed.

We hadn't received any penalties from the Sports Festival. So we didn't have to worry that much.

Many of my classmates sighed a breath of relief.

"You all did well. But be careful or else you all were demoted back to class C. But cheer up. If you work hard. You might be promoted to class A."

Hiyori was on the top of the class no questions asked. She managed to came first place this time.

"Amazing Hiyori! Your as good as always!"

"Thanks Hirano-kun! You did great too!"

"Really? Even after the help you gave me. I still seem to be stuck with an average score..."

"Don't worry! You can always make up next time! Besides you also have many other good qualities like...like..." Hiyori thought for a moment.

"Umm...Is this supposed to make me feel better?" I feel even more disappointed with myself.

"I like how funny you can be. Also you are my book buddy!" She said to me with a smile.

"I guess I feel a little better..."

Sakagami sensei continued.

"As I'm sure you all know, there will be an eight-subject quiz next week as
part of the second semester's final exam. I think some of you have already
started studying for the exam, but I'll remind everyone again."

Didn't expect that! Another quiz already?!

"Eh!? I'm just now feeling relieved that the midterm exam is over! Another
test!?" A student shouted voicing all our thoughts.

The cold season has begun, and students who aren't adept at studying like me will only continue to suffer from here.

There will be a swift barrage of tests in the near future that students will not be able to escape. In particular, the interval between the second-semester exams is a short one.

"There's a week left until the quiz!? I haven't heard anything about this!"

"Saying that you haven't heard of it isn't going to work, I'd love to tell you
otherwise, but I can't. Regardless, don't worry too much about it."
Sakagami sensei stopped for a moment and looked over the class and then he continued.

"First of all, the quiz will have 100 questions for a total of 100 points, but the subject matter of the quizzes will be at the same level as what is expected of a third-year middle school student. That is to say, this quiz will serve as a means for us to confirm whether you remember your foundations or not.
Moreover, like the mock exam from the first semester, these quizzes will not have any influence on your grades. Even if you score a 0 or a 100, it doesn't
matter. It will be used solely to determine your current ability."

"Oh! Ooooh! Are you serious!? Yesss!"
Komiya shouted.

"However- Of course I'm going to tell you that this quiz is certainly not meaningless. Why? Because the results of this quiz will have a large influence over the upcoming final exam."

Should I say it was obvious or something?

The sports festival has already ended, so the next special test is going to begin soon.

"What do you mean by influence? Tell us in a way that we can understand."
Komiya asked anxiously.

"The school has stipulated that the results of this quiz will be used as a basis to pair you up with someone else in the class."

"Pair?" I didn't quite understand.

"That's right. The pairing created from the quiz will share the same fate and
challenge the final exams together. The exam will be worth 100 points for each of the 8 subjects, and each subject will have 50 questions, for an overall total of 400 questions. This time around, there will also be two ways to fail the exam. The first way is similar to what all of you have already experienced. All subjects will have a minimum standard of 60 points. If the final grade your pair gets on any one subject is under 60 points, then both members of the pair will drop out of school. This 60 point standard is the combined total of each of the two partners. As an example, if Komiya and Kaneda are a pair, even if Komiya gets a score of zero on one subject, as long as Kaneda gets a 60, neither of the two will be required to drop out."

A voice of shock leaked out of one of the students. It appears that as long as you get a reliable partner, this will be a fairly easy test.

However, what's the second way to fail the final exam?

Sakagami-sensei ignored the students' reactions and explained the other
means of failing the final exam.

"The new criteria that you'll have to overcome to avoid expulsion is a
cumulative score requirement. Even if you get above 60 points in all eight
subjects, if your cumulative score is below this second standard, both partners will be expelled."

"For this requirement, is it based on the collective total between both
members of the pair?"

"That's right. The cumulative score will be determined by the total score of
both members of the pair. The school hasn't figured out the exact number for
the minimum standard that the cumulative score will need, but in previous years the score was around 700 points."

Both members of a pair will share their points and drop out together as well.
Is this what he meant by sharing the same fate?

For 700 points, since there are 16 total subjects between two people, it will be
necessary to achieve a minimum average of 43.75 points on each subject.

Even students with recognized academic excellence, such as Hiyori or
Kaneda, are at risk depending on who they're matched with.

"You said the school hasn't decided on the exact borderline that the cumulative score is required to be above yet, but why is that?"

This is very important. This exam has a high chance of me failing.

"Don't be so hasty Hirano. I'll explain the borderline later. The final exam
will be divided into two days, where you take four subjects each day. I'll let you know the order of the subjects later as well. In the event of an absence due to poor physical condition, the school will inquire about the legitimacy of the absence. If it is confirmed that the student had no other alternative, they
will be given points based on rough estimates of their past exams.

However, if the reason for the absence isn't satisfactory, the absentee tester will be given a score of zero for all tests they miss."

In other words, this is an absolutely inescapable test. The school even intends to regulate something like our physical conditions.

"I'm going to give you all a single
piece of advice. It's best not to think that you've mastered everything about
this school just because you've gotten past the first semester of the first year.
In the future, all of you will have to overcome countless exams that are far
harder than this one will be."

"P-please don't say such horrible things, sensei."

One of the girls said, frightened by his advice.

"Since it's a fact, it can't be helped. However, this special test... commonly known as 'Paper Shuffle', usually results in one or two groups of dropouts on an average year. Most of them tend to be students from Class D, a very few from class C, and very little from class B. So most of you should be good to go."

Until this point, the class had still been somewhat optimistic, but now the
atmosphere grew tense.

(Sakagami sensei isn't helping the situation at all.)

The arrival of a new special test. But what does he mean by 'Paper Shuffle'?

"Pairs that fall below the borderline will be expelled without exception. If
you think my speech is just a mere threat, you're free to ask the senior
students. You should have already begun making loose connections with
them by now."

However, even though the rules of the exam seem horrific, isn't it a bit strange that on average only one or two groups of students have dropped out in the previous years? Depending on the pairings, the exam could turn out to
be devastating.

"Finally, I'll specify the penalties for the formal examination. Although it
shouldn't need to be said, cheating is prohibited during the examination.
Cheaters will be immediately disqualified and expelled from school together with their partner. This is not limited to this examination, it also applies to all midterm and final examinations."

Cheating is equivalent to dropping out of school. At first glance, this may seem like a severe punishment. If this was an ordinary high school, the punishment would be a zero on the final exams along with some admonition, or at most, suspension. However, since failing the exam will immediately get you expelled anyways, it's inevitable that cheating would be dealt with the same way. The significance of this special warning is to prevent students from getting ahead of themselves and making mistakes.

"After I receive the results of the quiz, I will inform you about the decision
method for the pairings."

Sakagami sensei looked over at the class once again and spoke:

"There's one more thing. The school will ask you to consider this final exam
from yet another perspective."

"There's one more thing we need to do?"
Unexpectedly, the voice came from Ibuki. Who was always quite in class.

"Yes. First of all, you will be asked to brainstorm and write your own final
exam questions. The questions you write will be the questions on the final of one of the other three classes. This is to say, you will have to launch an
'attack' against one of the other classes, and the class that intercepts this attack will have to 'defend'. The school will compare the overall grades on the finals between the two classes, and the class who wins will receive a total of 50 Class Points from the losing class."

In other words, in order for a pair to avoid failing, they have to score above a 60 in all subjects, as well as collectively exceed a total score of around 700
points. Furthermore, as a class, we have to achieve an overall score higher
than the classes that we're competing against.

"Depending on the combination, is it possible for there to be a gap in the
private points? Let's say Class C attacks Class D and Class B attacks Class
C. Assuming that Class C successfully manages to attack and defend, they
will get a total of 100 Class Points. But if Class C attacks Class B and Class
B attacks Class C, it would only be a trade-off of 50 Class Points, right?"

"There are clear rules on this. In the case of a direct confrontation, the number of Class Points being wagered will change to 100, so don't worry.
It's rare, but if the overall grades of each class end up being the same, it ends as a draw. In which case, there won't be any change in the overall number of points."

"We have to come up with problems and write out questions for the students of other classes... I've never heard of such a thing. How will this be executed? If someone was to make their questions impossible to answer, I think the test will end up being very difficult but..."

"Oh, yeah! Such as stuff we haven't been taught, or nonsense trap questions!That's impossible!"

Many of my classmates were holding up their hands in defeat.

"Of course, it will certainly end up that way if it was all left up to the students. For this reason, the questions you create will be strictly and fairly checked by our teachers. If there are problems that fall beyond the scope of the material, or can not be answered with what is provided in the question, we will require that you amend it. Through a system of constant revision of unacceptable questions, we will ensure that everyone creates fair questions. It won't be anything like the situation you're concerned about. Hirano, does this make sense to you?"

"Um, somewhat..."

It's easy to say, but it isn't that simple.

"Making 400 questions... that seems like it's going to be a pretty tight schedule."

There is about a month left until the exam begins. One person would have to make ten to fifteen questions a day.

Although it should be said that they will need to be prepared even faster than that so we'll have time to make corrections when the school doesn't accept some of the questions.

"In the event that the questions and answers are not completed in time, relief measures will be implemented for you. Our own pre-made questions will be used after the deadline. However, please note that that difficulty of the
questions prepared by the school will be lower."

The so-called relief measures sound nice, but in reality, it would be like
admitting defeat.

At all costs, we will need to create the questions and answers. In addition to
their own studies, the leaders of each class have to think about the questions
they'll give to the other classes. It's likely that this will be a very hard exam.

"When it comes to creating your questions, you are free to consult students in other classes and school years, utilize the internet, consult your teacher, or decide amongst yourselves. There are no particular limitations. As long as it is a question the school allows, difficult or easy, we do not care about the content."

"The final exam that we have to challenge, of course, will be one that another class will create for us, right?"

"That's true. You're probably curious about how the class you're attacking is
chosen, but the method for determining that is easy to understand. A student
simply needs to nominate your desired class and I will report it to the school.
If and when there's more than one nomination for the same class, the school will call upon a representative and you'll draw lots. In turn, if there is no overlap, your nomination is accepted and that's the class you'll be writing
questions for. I'll hear your nomination the day before the quiz next week.
You should think carefully about your decision until then."

The final exam is usually about facing the school, but this time it's essentially
a one-on-one fight with another class?
In this way, complex mechanisms are involved in this exam, in addition to
what exactly the point boundary for each pair is.

"That's it for the preliminary explanation of the quiz and final exam. The rest is up to you to think about."

Sakagami-sensei summed it up this way, and with that, today's class came
to an end.

Vol 3 Ch 2: Find The Traitor.

Hirano pov:-

On the same day after school, the atmosphere in one of the classrooms was abnormally frozen.

The reason was clear. It was the feeling of intimidation that came from the
man sitting at the podium, overlooking Class B. A feeling we all were familiar with.

"Looking back on the exams so far, there are several unnatural things."

The name of the man who spoke to the class was Ryūen Kakeru. The dictator of class B. Standing beside him was me, Albert Yamada, Ishizaki, as well as other students proficient in martial arts. One could feel the silent threat being made…

In the event that there was a student who wanted to rebel against Ryūen, they would not hesitate to resort to violence.

"For it to come to this, it couldn't have been by chance."

It was like he was talking to himself, but there was a vague feeling as though it was being spoken to someone.

"Based on what happened on the uninhabited island, and at the sports
festival, there appears to be a person in Class D who thinks like me."

"Someone like Ryūen-kun? I don't think Class D has someone like that…"

Ishizaki couldn't help but speak, doubting that there could be someone else out there like Ryūen. This is because Ryūen is both respectable and
detestable, an amazing and incomprehensible existence. Ryūen smiles and looks at Ishizaki.

"I used to think that too, but I feel like I need to face reality."

"Is this also related to the results of the uninhabited island exam and the
sports festival?"

"That's it. But rest assured, I have a general idea of how the other side is
doing things. Listen you. Moving forward, we'll be looking to launch an all-out attack on Class D. I must take out the person running Class D from the
shadows. Class A and Class C will have to be put aside for now."

Few students, specifically me, had objections to Ryūen's plans. Even if someone was against it, it would be impossible to speak up because the class has signed a contract with the devil himself. And I understood that all too well.

"Ryūen-san…… Does Class D really have someone working in the
background? Someone other than Horikita or Hirata?" I voiced my question. My voice audible to the entire class.

"Yes. And, the people in this class have the key to exposing their identity."

His eyes moved away from Ishizaki and once again went to Class B.

"What are you trying to say, Ryūen?"

In this heavy atmosphere, Ibuki stood in the classroom with her arms crossed
at her chest and threw these words at Ryūen.

(She is one brave soul.) I looked over at Ibuki with respect for not being afraid of Ryueen.

"Kuku. Ibuki, can you not even listen quietly?"

"I don't have that much free time, and you don't get to keep intimidating
your classmates."

"You're a big talker for someone who hasn't asked for permission. Haven't
you already made a fool of yourself?"

"That's…"

In the face of his remark, Ibuki had no choice but to eat her words. In particular, her failure at the sports festival was embarrassing. Ryūen had
changed the students lined up to race against Horikita after Ibuki had requested to compete with her directly. The result was a very narrow defeat.
It was a pity, she had almost caught up with Horikita.

However, Ibuki also had the option of rebuttal. She lowered her arms and
glared at Ryūen.

"Are you one to talk? At the end of the day, you failed to defeat Horikita at
the sports festival. Did you manage to get the private points for the collection? Aren't you the same as me?"

"The same as you? Don't make jokes like that. The strategy I set up at the sports festival was perfect."

"What's up with that outcome? You don't even explain anything to us and
now you say there's another guy that thinks like you in that class? You want
us to just accept that?"

All of the students in the class were trembling due to the rebuttals being made by Ibuki. They all wanted to avoid offending Ryūen. But Ryūen paid them no mind, and showed a constantly slight smile.

"Don't you think that no matter how perfect a strategy, it will fail if somebody leaks it?"

"……Leak?"

"The mysterious success of Class D is due to the mysterious existence of 'X',
who dares to draw and manipulate the Class B students at my command. In
short, we have spies among us."

There was a little confusion in the classroom because of his remark.

Ibuki's eyes blew open in surprise.

"Are you serious…?"

"This is a fact. My cohesiveness… no, it seems that authority was not enough. It truly is a pity."

(I personally have no idea who would be foolish or brave enough to betray Ryueen. The guy looks like he could kill you if you make him mad!)

Ryūen smiled happily at the fact that he will become intertwined with the
spy.

A disaster had sprung for everyone in the class, not just those looking to get
out of the room and attend club activities.

Everyone present began praying that this would be over soon.

"However, this noisy espionage will end here."

Ryūen slammed the podium with his palm and silenced the chaos of the
room. I had flinched from the sound. The scene sank into silence.

"First of all, I will try to asking honestly. The student who betrayed me, raise
your hand."

He did not hesitate to issue a direct declaration. Of course, none of the
students raised their hands. Some of the students glanced around at each other, which was responded to with feigned ignorance. There are also those who stayed still and held their breath to avoid attracting attention.

"Oh yeah… if you come forward easily, you won't have betrayed me at all."

The presence of a spy may shake Class B, but there was nothing but joy in Ryūen's heart.

"I knew that the spy would choose to hide. Then, you don't have to raise your hand. No, rather, don't raise your hand. Even if you're now considering it,
stay completely hidden."

Ryūen made an unexpected statement to the spy who would have been found
sooner or later.

"What are you saying? Are you really tolerating traitors?"

"You're annoying, Ibuki. Don't disturb my pleasure. I'll kill you if you do
that again."

Ryūen's smiling face tightened into an expression of anger for a moment and
he glared at Ibuki.

His sentence seemed to be a joke, but his message was serious. Ryūen wouldn't treat anyone differently due to their gender. As long as he judges them to be the enemy and in the way of his plans, then no matter what, he would settle the matter with his fist.

"I've been trying not to make a big deal out of it. Others may think I'm lying,
but it's true. To put it simply, I've been slacking off."

'Bam!' 'Bam!' He struck the podium twice. It was the sound of the upcoming purge.

"However… Maybe that's a bad thing. After all, there is a traitor."

'Bam!' The classroom further resounded with the sound. Every time this happened, timid students began to shake.

"All this means is that I'll have to play some games. It's nothing. Not a big
deal. It's just a silly game where we find a spy who's trying to remain hidden.
For most of the students present, this should be meaningless, so there's nothing to be afraid of. It shouldn't take long, it'll take less than 30 minutes."

Ryūen said this since, other than for the spy, this situation was not relevant to
everyone, so there's no reason for them be afraid.

The room was full of an atmosphere of fear, so it wasn't so simple. The only
one who had remained calm in the face of Ryūen was Ibuki, but even she was
beginning to be swallowed by the authority of Ryūen.

"First things first, everyone unlock your phone and place it on your desk. I'll
check it myself. Are there any idiots who don't have their phone with them? If you don't, speak up immediately. That person is the culprit."

Complying with Ryūen's instructions, the students placed their phones on
their desks immediately to avoid suspicion.

"A very sensible decision, it's very helpful."

Ishizaki went around the classroom and gathered the phones one by one. As
he didn't know whose phone was whose, he attached a note paper with their name written on it ahead of time.
Ibuki also took out her mobile phone from her pocket. Although she wasn't
convinced, she handed it over to Ishizaki.

"Ryūen-san, everyone's phone has been collected. Our phones have also been
included."

"Thank you for your hard work. Then, it's time we conduct a thorough
investigation."

"But where should we look… Call history?"

"As if someone who is trying to stay hidden is going to use the call function!
Look at the email history, and of course look at the text messages. Even if it's
a conversation with someone, look at all of it. We can't rule out the possibility they're interacting with each other under an alternative name."

"Wait, wait a minute, there are a lot of very personal messages on my phone!"

"Like Hell will I let you do that!"

Two voices came from the classroom. A boy and a girl. They couldn't help but scream.

The fear of their personal information being seen had surpassed their fear of
being suspected.

"Hirano. Nishino. You don't want me to look at your phone?"

"Of course! Even if it's you Ryūen-kun, It's unacceptable!"

"I agree with her. I couldn't care less if you are our leader. No one is searching through my phone!"

"Are you joking, Hirano? You gave your phone to Ryūen-kun on the cruise
ship, didn't you? Why are you so concerned now?"

"This, this is different from that time! All he did then was do a confirmation
check of my email from the school!"

(The recording of my conversation with Sakayanagi may have been cut in half. But if he plays it then I will have to deal with a bigger problem in the future! Not to mention that I talked a lot of shit about Ryueen while messaging some of my classmates, Nishino and Komiya to be specific! There is also the fact that I have been storing up points!)

I glared at Ryuuen. Making my stance. I can't let him see my phone. No matter what!

"I see. And what about you Nishino?"

" I just don't want anyone to look through my privacy! Even if it's you! There are something people want to keep to themselves!"

Ryūen was not surprised at all, and listened to mine and Nishino's appeal indifferently.

During the special exam on the cruise ship, Ryūen collected all of the phones
in Class B and confirmed their contents. However, as she had complained, nothing personal was inspected at that time. It was simply a confirmation of
the messages received from the school. This was the same type of event, but
altogether the situations are different. If it's private messages, information such as who someone liked or disliked would inevitably be read. Those type of things people would absolutely prefer to remain hidden from others.

"Of course you know that you will be suspected, Hirano."

I looked over at my classmates. And they all were looking back at me. Only Hiyori was the one who looked worried. I believe in her to know that I didn't betray them. I looked back at Ryuuen.

"I couldn't care any less. As vice-leader of this class. You should know that I won't cooperate with class D."

My position as a Vice-Leader may mean nothing than a worthless title to Ryueen. But it had meaning to the other students.

"I had helped in the Island Exam. I won the cruise ship exam in my group. And I helped organize everyone and made the participation table for the class. You all should know that I wouldn't betray this class after putting all that effort!"

I shouted all that to not just Ryueen. But also to the rest of the class.

"Kuku. I see. But there is still a possibility of you betraying us. Correct? After all, you are hoarding points that could be used for the class. So obviously you might betray us for points. After all, you plan to join class A with those points in the future. Am I wrong?"

Everyone looked over at me with a surprised expression.

"H-Hirano. You have...been...what-" Ishizaki was at a loss for words.

I gritted my teeth.
(He revealed to the class about me hoarding points! Even my future plans to change classes! This bastard seems to be having fun with my situation!)

"What I do with my points is none of your concern. I wouldn't be able to change classes with my points even if I wanted to. No one in this school has ever made it to having 20 Million private points on their own. Yet you suddenly expect me to have them?" I spoke in my defense.

I looked over at the class.
"I haven't betrayed this class and I don't plan to in the future. If you wish to suspect me then feel free. But I won't ever betray my classmates trust. That's all." With that I stopped speaking.

There was nothing else I could have done. I was going to be suspected eitherway. All I could do was try to sound genuine and gain the trust of my classmates again.

"I see. Ishizaki."

"Y-Yes. Ryueen?"

"Give Hirano his phone back."

Me and many of my classmates were surprised at that.

"Don't think of it as anything. I just know that you wouldn't betray me. So I decided to spare you."

With that my phone was returned to me.
(THANK FUCKING GOD!)

"Now as for you Nishino. Why do you not want me to look through your phone?"

"I, I will obey you, Ryūen-kun, but there are some things that cannot be
accepted!"

Nishino wasn't the type who would usually take a strong stance, but she
didn't seem to be willing to back down.
It was as she if was broadcasting that she had something hidden that she
didn't want to be seen.

"Nishino, was it you?"

Students in the class had begun to suspect Nishino.

One of them, Takumi Oda, had voiced their doubt.

"No! I am not the spy!"

"But you're hiding something and acting so suspicious…"

"I just want to protect my privacy!"

Ryūen didn't show any interest in the conversation happening in the
classroom. He reaches out and grabs one of the phones on the table.

"Your cell phone is this one, isn't it, Nishino?"

"Hey!"

Nishino expects for him to start to look over the contents and begins to panic.
However…

Ryūen hands Nishino's phone over to Ishizaki and says:

"Give this back to Nishino."

"Sh-should I? You didn't confirm the content."

"I told you to return it to her."

Ishizaki promptly apologized to Ryūen and returned the phone to Nishino.
In the face of this series of events, Nishino, as well as the other students are shaken.

"It's not such an incredible thing. I judged you to be innocent, that's why I
returned it to you. That's it. It's to be expected right? It wasn't the traitor's
cell phone. It would be a waste of time and energy to look at it."

Ryūen disregarded the dumbfounded Nishino and other students, and without
any change to his attitude he continued:

"If you find this unacceptable like Nishino has, feel free to raise your hand. However, be prepared to be suspected much more than she was."

Nishino and Me didn't have our phones inspected, and were considered 'innocent', the third and fourth people wouldn't be so lucky. His statement conveys this message: choose between raising Ryūen's suspicions, or privacy.

In the face of these two options, four girls and two boys raised their hands
despite their fears.

"There are actually six people who are defying Ryūen-san… The spy is
definitely one of them! And the last one to raise his hand, Nomura, you aren't
thinking of saving yourself by jumping on the bandwagon, are you?"

Ryūen showed a gloomy smile in response to Ishizaki's words.

"No, no! I wasn't going to do that!"
Nomura denies out of fear of being suspected.

"Gather their phones."
"Yes."

Ishizaki collected their six phone and handed them over to Ryūen.

"So, even if you all are suspected, you don't want us to take a look at anything?"

They all gave different responses, but they all agreed to this statement.

"Nomura, you took quite some time before raising your hand, don't tell me
you were waiting for the right opportunity?"

"Eh! No, that…"

"Your eyes are darting around the room in an exaggerated way, and you're sweating."

"What!?"

Nomura's personality was originally weak, and it seemed that he was so
distressed that he was on the verge of fainting.

Looking at him in such a state, Ryūen gave out a happy laugh before turning
to Ishizaki to give out instructions.

"Ishizaki, these people are all 'innocent', give them their phones back."

He was ordered. This was another shock. Ryūen did not look at the contents and had Ishizaki return all of the phones. None of the students outside of Ryūen could understand the reason behind these actions.

(As he finally went insane or...?)

"Will you explain what's going on?"

"I'll explain it later."

Ryūen did not give Ibuki the answer she was hoping for. He ran his hand
through his hair and picked up her cell phone.

"As for the rest of the cell phones let's thoroughly investigate. We'll start
with Ibuki."

"……Whatever you say."

Later:-

Ryūen finished going through the final phone, having confirmed the content
of them all on his own.

The whole situation took about 20 minutes, and he spent less than a minute on each phone. It was impossible to feel as though he had thoroughly gone through all of them. Most of the students had their doubts, but none of them would dare speak up about it.

When I peeked, I just saw him scrolling through it all. Rather he wasn't reading them at all. Or maybe he has super reading or something.

But for the spy, the tens of seconds that their mobile phone was being examined should have been very long and stressful.

"I see. It turns out that there is no information contained within these
phones."

"Then Hirano or one of the others who were 'innocent' turned out to be the
traitor after all…"

"That's not it."

Ibuki's irritation and doubt did not disappear even with Ryūen's assertion.

"But, in fact, you didn't find any spies, did you? Explain to me exactly what's going on here. Is there really a spy here in the first place?"

Ibuki's heart was in doubt. Ryūen said there was a spy, but was it just a lie
created in order to hide his failure? That's probably what she believed.

Ryūen had believed in an invisible presence working behind Horikita ever
since he had received the results of the uninhabited island test, but there had
been no conclusive evidence since then that such a puppet master 'X' actually exists.

In fact, other classes had started to pay attention to the girl named Suzune
Horikita.

"Proof is stronger than theory. In that case, let me personally tell you
something. I assume this is something everyone here already knows very
well."

Ryūen played the audio file sent to him by 'X'. The voice on the recording
was one that every student in Class B had heard before. The voice of Kakeru
Ryūen explaining his strategy for the sports festival to his classmates.

(I was only told about it but this is the first time I am hearing it. There is without a doubt a traitor in this class.)
I looked around the room noting everyone's reactions.

"This was sent to me when I was one step away from victory over a desperate Suzune. Thanks to this, I wasn't even able to see her kowtow to me, much
less see any points. Do you understand now?"

"Wait a minute. Even if we assume that you didn't record that yourself, but
instead it was recorded by a spy, there are still strange questions left unanswered. We didn't discuss a detailed time for having Horikita kowtow to you. They managed to know the whole plan as well as the details we didn't speak of? There's no way."

Such a conclusion made sense when considering the details Ryūen gave. Not
only was their strategy leaked, but the timing for his discussion with Horikita
after the sports festival was as well.

"It was a coincidence, purely a matter of probability. The best time for him to
make a move was after school after the sports festival was over. Besides, I don't believe the other party was interested in stopping Horikita's apology. There is nothing written in the message that came with the audio file."

"What's going on…?"

Ryūen analyzed the blank message he received that contained the audio file.

"X, the master of Class D, is very clearly telling me that he's aware of the strategy I came up with by sending me this audio file. Since he knew about my plans, he could have avoided the attacks I had targeted against Suzune at the sports festival. He should have been able to prevent Suzune from being defeated and being forced to apologize altogether. However, this X deliberately ignored these openings. Despite knowing my strategy, I was allowed to rout Suzune, and of course, she suffered due to this. She didn't expect that she would be hurt, and the results of the competition for Class D weren't going to improve. On top of all this, there's the guilt of having hurt someone else. Her mental state should be in a pretty bad place."

"By letting Ryūen-shi carry out his strategy, did he not make the audio file
into credible evidence?"

It's understandable why the mushroom-headed student with glasses, Kaneda, would think this. Although the plan carried risk, if the plan failed entirely and didn't bring any results, the sound file would not be considered valid evidence. It would just be considered as 'a failed plan to defeat Horikita'.

"How very smart of you, Kaneda. As long as we execute the strategy, the
audio file has meaning. Then it could make sense as evidence."

"The plans made by this 'X' are truly brutal. He knows harm will come to his
partner, but he takes no steps to avoid it. How terrifying. A lot similar to someone else we all know." I spoke up my opinion about X. While sarcastically comparing him with Ryueen.

"Yes. This type of guy isn't interested in Suzune's apology. That's the reason
why nothing was written in the message. This is to say, from his perspective, he doesn't hold any regard for Suzune's pride or the loss of pride that she will go through."
Ryueen ignored my words and continued to speak.

"I can't understand. Wouldn't it be better to prevent Horikita from getting
hurt……?"

Other students were probably agreeing with Ibuki's feelings on the topic. It
was clear that Ryūen had intended to target Horikita, so X should have been
able to resolve the situation before the sports festival even began. There were
options available such as changing the participation table according to Class
B's strategy, or sending the audio file to Ryūen to stop him in advance. If he
had done that, Horikita wouldn't have been hurt.

"What if X intended to submit the audio file to the school?"

If you know the plans of the enemy beforehand, the typical strategy would be to use this knowledge to save your classmates. But if there were any merits to not doing anything and deliberately ignoring the plans, it would be that you
could strike a major blow at Class B. If the audio file was given to the school
after the operation had already played out, Class B would undoubtedly take
the most damage. If it was revealed that he had deliberately used foul play
against Horikita, and then tried to squeeze points out of her as compensation, the worst outcome would be Ryūen being forced to drop out.

But now that it's already halfway through October, the possibility of this
happening has almost vanished entirely. If they were to bring up such an old topic now, the investigation itself would not only be very troublesome, but
Class B would be able to destroy all their evidence and plan their retreat. So why would X do such a thing?

"This naive way of fighting has saved us entirely by chance. Could it be said that he has not fully utilized his assets? He went out of his way to obtain this information, but then proceeded to act passively. If Horikita-shi had paid the
private points to Ryūen-shi, we would have won, and it would have been X's
defeat."

Kaneda analyzed the situation and came to this conclusion.

Since X had learned of their strategy before the sports festival, it follows that he should have had a complete victory during the festival.

"That's not right. X had found a useful way to use the information by deliberately not using it. Even if Suzune had paid out the private points earlier to make amends, he could have easily used the sound file as evidence in order to retrieve them. He could have included a message such as 'If you do not return the private points, this matter will be made public.'"

"You mean he knows how to use threats, but he deliberately doesn't use
them?"

"Yeah, and he even allowed me to force Suzune to kowtow. Kowtowing, unlike the private points, is not something that has a numeric value. It's only there in the physical form. You can't undo or reverse it later, right?"

In other words, this is what it all boils down to.

The only thing that X had been aiming for:

"That is to say, X welcomes the idea of playing with Suzune."

He had used valuable information obtained from the spy for that purpose
alone.

"This kind of situation… I don't understand. Class B was saved by X, who we don't even know."

Ryūen was different from Ibuki. He knew why X had done such a thing.

"Kuku…… that is to say, he does not intend to reveal himself."

As long as Ryūen tracks down the source of the audio file, Class D's X will
eventually be forced to show his face.

"Well, we've gotten a bit derailed, so let's get back to the point. I'm not sure
what method he used, but the fact remains that 'X is someone who thinks like me', and he has made someone in this class spy for him. Because otherwise, he couldn't have gotten his hands on the audio file. However, the premise is that X's true identity will remain hidden even if we find the spy. If the spy knew his identity, this game would be over the moment I find them. Because of this, in order to be able to conduct espionage, mail or other exchanges of communication would be necessary. Although it's not impossible for them to be using old-fashioned letters to communicate, that method would be very limited and inefficient."

"But there was no evidence on anyone's cell phone. Are you sure you didn't
skip over any details?"

"Of course. I looked at the phones as a matter of principle. It was only for
done for the sake of appearances."

"Huh? You said you'd know who the spy is if you just looked at the phones.
Right?"

"Think about it carefully. If you were the spy, would you risk leaving a
suspicious mail on your phone?"

"I… would not. Because of that, I had thought that checking the phones like
this was a waste of time."

"Right. If you think about it, checking the classes cellphones is an obvious
result of this. It's not incredibly difficult to destroy the evidence. Even if the
spy didn't think to destroy it, X would have certainly instructed them to do
so. In other words, the spy attempted to look innocent by willingly letting me
look at their phone. It follows that those who refused to show me their
cellphones are clearly innocent, and the spy wouldn't have taken that
chance."

Because of this, those who had refused to let Ryūen look at the contents of
their cellphones such as Nishino and the others, were inevitably excluded
from his search.

(This also proved that I was innocent. Well played Ryueen. So when he suspected merely, he was just fucking me with! Well played.)
Although he played around with me. I didn't feel angry or upset. I was actually kinda impressed.

"I'm going to ask the spy again."

Ryūen looked at each person's eyes and movements one by one.

"Are you afraid of the unknown X? Or of me? Ask yourself which one is truly terrible to make into an enemy. Are you making a mistake? Remember when the admissions ceremony was over? What happens to the people who resist me? Right, Ishizaki? Hirano?"

"Y-Yes……"

"..."

I flinched. For some reason, my voice wouldn't come out of my mouth.

Ishizaki slightly shivered after being mentioned. Albert who always calmly stood at Ryūen's side also gave a slight reaction. In the beginning, nobody consented to Ryūen's orders.

Both Ishizaki and Albert had initially protested against him, but in the end, they both gave in to the 'violence' that Ryūen exerted. Ishizaki had far more fighting experience, while Albert clearly had superior physical strength.

However, it was these two men who had fallen to the ground in the end.

As for me, I hate to admit it. But during the first month of school. I had received a slap to the face from him. I was lucky to be not beaten to a pulp. But it still had an effect on me.

"The strongest force in the world is 'violence' when it's fully committed. I
will not succumb to authority. Even if the school tries to expel me, I'd be certain to kill the traitor before it happens. Do you understand what I mean? If I end up expelled because of this betrayal, I will make sure to stomp the life out of this spy like the insect they are."

This was different from the former student council president Horikita or the current president Nagumo who had dominated the gymnasium with authority.

Instead, Ryūen marched forward in a frenzy of violence.

"I will welcome the confession of the traitor now, but this will be your last
chance. If you are to confess now, I promise to not get caught up on this
betrayal, and vow to prevent your classmates from accusing you in the future. As I had said in the beginning, if you believe in and obey me, I will lead this class to Class A. As long as you follow me, I will protect you."

Ryūen stepped down from the podium and stood in front of the classroom,
watching the eyes of his classmates.

His words gave off the feeling that they were addressed to the entire class,
and not just the spy in question.

"Do you understand? What it means to offend me?"

He stared into the eyes of his classmates one by one. For Ryūen, this was the
easiest way to find the traitor.

Then, Ryūen finally walked over to a female student and stood before her.
Someone, who I hadn't expected to be the traitor.

"What's wrong? Can you not look into my eyes?"

"Ah…… A-A…… I……"

Her breathing was disorderly, and she had a face that was about to burst into
tears.

"Kuku. It's you, Manabe, Class B's traitor."

Most students hadn't imagined it to be her, and were unable to understand
this unexpected revelation.

"Don't be so afraid, Manabe. You didn't take the initiative to report it to me,
but I knew you were the spy from the beginning. Your complexion has been
bad from the start. There was no way for you to hide it."

Ryūen smoothed out her hair next to her ear and touched her face. Manabe
began trembling as if she were exposed to the extreme cold.

"Please. Sorry, I'm sorry, I—"

"Don't worry, I'll forgive you. I'll handle this with magnanimity. So let's ahear it. Tell me the true nature of X who had you betray me."

Ryūen turned from Shiho Manabe and shot a sharp glance to her friends
Nanami Yabu and Saki Yamashita.

I watched over the seen with a curious expression.

Vol 3 Ch 3: Framed?

Hirano pov:-

After holding everyone in Class B hostage, Ryūen finally allowed most of the class to leave.

Those who remained in the classroom started with Me, Ryūen, Ishizaki, Kaneda, Ibuki, as well as the three traitors.

"Question: Do you know the identity of the guy who gave you instructions?"

Manabe and the others denied the question by shaking their heads from side to side.

"Well, next question: What are your reasons for betraying Class B? Explain it to me."

"That is-"

"There's no use to concealing it now. If you choose to hide it anyways, then
tomorrow is when your time as my classmates' end and you'll be treated like nothing more than maggots."

In a situation where there is no longer any escape, Manabe would decide to
come clean with the truth.

"D... Karuizawa of Class D, do you know...?"

(Karuizawa? That girl? What does she have to do with this?)

"Just the name and her face, she's Hirata's woman right?"

"That girl, she is acting strong right now... but I believe she was a victim of
bullying in the past."

I never expected that. I honestly believed that she did the bullying.

"Oh? Then?"

"Rika was treated terribly by Karuizawa, so we attempted to retaliate..."

Even though Manabe was scared, she spoke about the events that happened
during the summer on the cruise ship.

From how they were members of the same group during the special exam, to how they had found out about her past with bullying, and even the violent act of revenge that they took part in. She spoke of everything.

She also brought up that the reason for their spying was due to threats being
made from the other side with evidence.

If the facts were to come to light, they would be subjected to expulsion or
even worse. And, of course, they would receive a scolding from Ryūen as well. She said it was something that had to be done in order to avoid punishment from both the school as well as Ryūen.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was so much going on behind the curtains and we didn't even know!

"Indeed. You've been having a lot of fun."

"Are you an idiot? They're being threatened by a guy who they don't even know the identity of. Don't you know that things might get even worse from here?"

"Don't blame them, Ibuki. When humans are cornered, they turn into
vulnerable creatures."

Ryūen had decided to forgive Manabe and didn't continue to accuse them.

"Here's the bottom line: Did anyone else witness the scene where you had bullied Karuizawa?"

Manabe nodded to the question and uttered the names.

"At that time, we were seen by two students from Class D. Yukimura-kun
and Ayanokōji-kun."

The names of two students emerged.

I recognize Ayanokouji. But I have no idea who this Yukimura is.

"A picture was sent to us afterward. A photograph of when we were involved
with Karuizawa."

"So that's how it is. I had expected there to be evidence since you were being
threatened, but for the photograph to have been taken back then... What
happened to this photo?" I inquired.

"I deleted it. If somebody saw it... We would..."

"So the situation has reached its conclusion."

"So it's a definitely either Yukimura-shi and Ayanokōji-shi?"

Said Kaneda, who hadn't spoken on the situation until now.

He was one of the few people in Class C who Ryūen considered to be of any
use. And I fully agreed.

"Wait a moment, Ryūen. I don't know much about Yukimura, but I don't
believe Ayanokōji is the one pulling the strings for Class D. I've had the
chance to interact with him a few times, and he didn't strike me as that kind
of guy."

"Yukimura does seem a little suspicious in that sense. He seems to be quite
capable at academics."

Ishizaki added.

"Isn't it impossible to come to a conclusion like that? Ayanokōji-shi is
always together with Horikita-shi. Besides, Ayanokōji-shi had been hiding
his running ability at the sports festival. I think the more suspicious of the
two would have to be him."

"I think the two of them are irrelevant. Ayanokōji just has a quick foot and
Yukimura just has his grades, right? I think that there would be more to the
mastermind."

"Who else could it be?"

"There are some really capable guys in Class D. Someone like Hirata."

"That guy? I speak to him pretty often and I don't think he's that kind of
person."

Ryūen smiled slightly at our classmates who had been speaking freely.

But in the next moment, his hand smashed down on the desk.

"Shut up a little."

Ryūen let out a small laugh as the room was instantly enveloped in silence
and terror.

"Did I ask for even a single word of your opinions? I will find the guy who is
manipulating Class D from the shadows. You all are just my pawns for that
goal. Small fry should act like small fry. Looking at the facts, only Ayanokōji or Yukimura could have taken the picture. However, coming to the conclusion that one of them have to be the mastermind is unreasonable. They may also be under the influence of someone."

This was the main issue. There was a decent chance that one, or both, of them
had taken the picture of a situation that they thought could turn into a weakness of Class B, and then sought advice from the person running things behind the scenes.

"But, Ryūen-shi. Especially regarding Ayanokōji-shi, shouldn't we be suspicious?"

Fully prepared to incur Ryūen's anger, Kaneda dared to give some input because he believed it was necessary.

"That's right."

Regarding Ayanokōji, I felt that he was suspicious because of his relations with Horikita Suzune.

However, this was a cause for suspicion in and of itself.

It was unpleasant to come to easy deductions like that.

The idea that the man who was near Horikita Suzune was also the man who
was manipulating everything as the mastermind of Class D.

If he had intended to use Horikita from the beginning, he would have never
chosen this tactic. Atleast that's what I wouldn't do if I was the mastermind. But for someone else...

"Hirano. You have been silent this entire time. Care to speak up?" Ryueen looked at me as if provoking me.

"To be honest, I believe that Ayanokōji is more suspicious than Yukimura. If there really is mastermind in Class D then they would try to hide under the pretext of being normal. Thus they shouldn't get high grades in class like Yukimura does correct? Also his running ability was not only unknown to us. But by the looks of it, also to his own class. We can tell that he is indeed capable of hiding things from his own classmates."

I stopped and looked at Ryuuen. Then I spoke again.

"I believe Ayanokōji to be a tough opponent but I am still not sure about him being 'X'. But it would make sense since he has connections to Horikita. So manipulating things from behind the scenes should be simple. But this is still just an assumption."

"He's hidden in plain sight huh? No, I can't really imagine that."

The feeling of desperation was an unpleasant one. I felt it thinking about who the mastermind is.

"I'm gonna use him."

If the situation has already progressed to such an extent, the rest is certainly
just one push away.

In order to make the next move, Ryūen sent a message to the person
registered on his cell phone.

Sometime later:-

I was going home when I met up with the triplets.

"Hey Girls!"

They looked over at me.

"Sup. Hirano! We haven't talked since the Sports Festival!" Itsuki called out.

"Yeah...I had alot of work to take care of."

I briefly remembered the amount of paperwork that was thrown at me...

"Well it's good that you are here. We were just talking about you."

"Hmmmm...about me?"

Aika butted into the conversation.

"So listen. We plan to do a little study group session between the three of us and thought that you should join too."

A study session?

"What about your class? Aren't they holding a study session too?"

"They are during the day. But we thought that we all should meet during the night from 9pm to 11pm. What do you think?"

"Hmmm...Is it okay to invite me? Boys and Girls shouldn't be in the same dorm room during night."

"Oh! Don't worry! We plan to hold the study session in your room"

That doesn't really solve the problem...

" Sigh. Fine. But can I invite a friend of mine?"

"Hmmm...Sure. Why not?"

"Then it's decided! We study together every night at Hirano's place!" Itsuki cheered.

While she and Aika began talking. I walked over to Miku.

"Is everything alright? You seem a bit more quite than usual."

She looked at me and then looked down with an anxious face.

She looked over at her sisters and made sure that they were at a far enough distance as to not be heard by them.

"It's just that...I feel like someone has been following me."

That came to me as a surprise.

"W-What do you mean following you?"

"I don't know. Whenever I turn around I see no one. But I still feel like someone is watching me."

"Since when did you feel like this?"

"...Since the Summer Vacation..."

"That long?!"

I almost shouted.

I took in a deep breath and continued.

"You shouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure to never to go to any place alone. And if you feel like you're in trouble. Call me or your sisters immediately. Okay?"

"O-Okay..." She nooded

She turned away from me and went towards her sisters.

I took a moment and thought about all of it.

By what she is saying, it gives me three options.

1) She is just being paranoid.

2) Some perverted creep is following her.

3) Perhaps the person following her is also connected to the threat note I received.

Things have started to escalate quickly around me. With so many questions. But no answers.

Timeskip:-

I came back to the dorm when I met Hayato Kito. He was standing write outside my door.

He was still in his school uniform and had a backpack with him for some reason.

He was the one who helped me practice taekwondo. Thanks to him and the training I got from Ishizaki and Albert. I am a little better than what I used to be.

I went upto him and smacked him strongly at the back. It wouldn't hurt him since he had a backpack on.

"Hello Kito-kun. Were you looking for me?"

He just looked at me and nodded. I forgot that he is a man of few words.

"Come Inside."

I opened the door and motioned him to go in. My room wasn't that different from when I first got it.

Since I was saving points. I never thought to decorate my room and only bought the necessities. But I did spend some points on a new gaming laptop, headphone, Mic, Speaker and a few other things.

I am a hardcore gamer.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

I asked him after he sat down on the bed.

"Can you please give me some water first."

"Alright."

I walked into the kitchen and fetched a glass. I filled it up with cold water and returned to see Kito with his bag open and in his hand, he had what looked like a DVD..

"Here."

He accepted the glass of water and drank. After that he set the glass on my side table and looked at me.

"Listen. I won't be able to train with you from now on."

The room went silent.

I didn't expect him to say that.

"I-I understand. But care to tell me why?"

"Well the state of my class has become rather chaotic. And since Sakayanagi plans to take charge during this exam then I have to be by her side."

"Hmmm...I understand. After being in Ryueen's class. I won't be surprised with people from other classes might also resort to violence. And with Sakayanagi's condition... Yeah I see."

I nodded my head after thinking about it.

"Alright. But you helped me out so far. So thanks for that."

"No problem. Sakayanagi asked me to after all. Also take this."

He gave me the DVD.

"It's a taekwondo training DVD."

I was confused at first but then it became all the more clear.

"Thanks man! I will make sure to use it and become really strong!"

"Good Luck." Saying that he got off the bed while putting on his backpack and walked towards the front door.

I gave him a pat on his bag.

"Thanks man."

He nodded and left.

"Our conversation have always been so short."

I sighed to myself and closed the door.

(Weird...)

When I had smacked his bag when he first came to my room, he seemed to have a bottle in it.

But when I patted him on the bag before he left. The bottle was missing. Did he leave it here by accident?

I searched around the room and found nothing.

"So was it just my imagination?"

Maybe it was but something didn't feel right. I bent down and checked under the bed.

"!!!"

There I saw a bottle. Picking it up, I couldn't believe my eyes.

"I-Is this a Whiskey bottle and it's completely full?"

But Kito didn't look like the type to drink alcoholic drinks... also how did he get his hands on this? And why did he leave it under my bed?

DING! DONG!

I heard the bell ring.

Through the intercom, I saw two men who looked like they were a part of the school's staff. One of them had blonde hair and the other had green.

I pressed the button and allowed my voice to go through the intercom.

"Can I help you?"

"We are a part of ANHS security staff. We would like to inspect your room."

Guy with the green hair spoke.

"Inspect my room."

Why would they-?

That's when I looked at the thing in my hands. That's when I felt true fear.

No! I have to keep a calm head!

"Umm...You see. I just took a b-bath. So give me five minutes to put on some clothes and I will be right there with you. Okay?"

The two men looked at eachother and then at the intercom.

"Okay. Five minutes."

"T-Thank you."

I pressed the button to shut off the intercom.

(The Fuck am I supposed to do?!)

That's when I had an idea which just might work. But I have to act fast.

I ran to the kitchen. I drained the Alcohol out of the bottle and washed it with water. As an extra precaution, washed the sink with water and soap as well.

Then I grabbed a knife and cut off the cover of the bottle on the outside which had the company name as well as item descriptions on it. Now it looked just like any ordinary glass bottle.

After that, I filled it with cold water from another glass bottle and put it in the fridge.

I refilled the empty glass bottle with water again and put it in the fridge aswell.

"I hope this fools them..."

I ran back to the door and opened it.

"Umm...Sorry for the wait... is something the matter?"

"We would like to inspect your room."

"Umm...But why?"

"There has been a report that you stole a bottle of Whiskey. We would like to search your room. We hope you cooperate with us." The blonde man stated.

"Umm...Ofcourse. T-There is nothing for me to hide. I don't shoplift and nor do I drink Whiskey. P-Please feel free to check."

I tried to act calm but I was freaking out as hell.

They both entered and started searching my room.

The green officer looked at me.

"Didn't you say that you took a bath? But you seem to be in the same school uniform." He asked me with suspicion in his eyes.

"I-I...well...yes. I took a bath. But since you both came at the same time. I didn't get a chance to bring out proper clothes. So I went for the nearest clothes I could find."

"Hmmm...I see. And did it take you five minutes to wear that?"

"Well...ummm...I had to wear everything from my underwear and what not. So yeah..."

"Hmmmm...very well." He still looked at me skeptically.

With every passing second, I got more and more nervous. Is this the agony Manabe felt when Ryueen had his fun with her?

The blonde officer opened the fridge and my heart almost stopped.

"Hmmm..."

He looked at it from top to bottom.

"Nothing here." He said as he closed the fridge.

(THANK FUCKING GOD!)

The search lasted for about three hour and my room was mess.

"Our Apologies. It seems that the information we received was false. We will send a staff from the cleaning department to help you clean your room."

"Umm...No need. I can do it myself. Thanks and Bye!" I said as I shut the door up as fast as I could.

After heard their footsteps walking away. I slid down to the floor with my back to the door.

Damn. That almost gave me a heart attack.

I looked over at my room.

It's a mess.

"What the fuck just happened..."

I sat and thought deeply. It didn't take long for me to come to a conclusion.

Kito came to my room to place that bottle under my bed. The training DVD was just to have an excuse to distract me.

But why would he do that? The answer was obviously.

"Sakayanagi..."

The timing of the staff showing up was too perfect! This entire mess was instigated by her!

"Did she betray me?"

I knew that she held a grudge after the whole island exam. But I never thought that she would go this far!

"Where the fuck did she even get the Whiskey from?"

Did she have someone steal it for her?

I shook my head. I wouldn't get any answers without confronting her about it.

I stood up and began cleaning my room.

"She won't get away with this..." I spoke with pure rage.

This type of harrassment... is one of the many things I have already experienced.

Third person pov:-

A girl was sitting in her room. Her phone rang and she answered it elegantly.

"Fufufu. So how is the situation?"

"It seems the gaurds haven't taken him away from the dorms." The person on the phone spoke back.

The girl's smile disappeared for a moment. Right now, she had a glare colder than ice.

"I see. He managed to get away."

This girl, Sakayanagi, was the one who set up the events to expel Hirano.

"There is no need for surveillance anymore. Come back."

"...Alright." Kamuro ended the call.

Sakayanagi thought to herself for a moment.

"Hmm...I never thought someone like him would be able to get away from a situation like that. Although there are multiple ways to do so. Thinking of even one of them in the short time he was given was impressive."

She re-evaluated Hirano in her mind. She thought of his actions so far. During the Island Exam, Cruise exam and even the Sports festival. Aswell as the reports about his progress in martial arts from Kito.

According to Kito, Hirano was learning and improving at a rapid pace.

Little by little she saw a similarity between her and him.

"He is a bit similar to me. Someone born with good genes. But refuses to put in any effort. I see. Since he tries to avoid effort and never truly practiced anything. Even his natural talent had been degraded bit by bit."
(But he still had enough talent left to think of a way to escape me.)

Although she herself had made sure to leave a few escape routes for Hirano. She was surprised that he managed to find one of them.

"Hirano might just be a better plaything than I thought. I will have him entertain me more. I can think of expelling him as a practice. A simple warmup for when I face that False Genius."

Vol 3 Ch 4: Vice-President?

Hirano pov:-

"So you mind explaining what happened?"

I glared at the girl sitting infront of me.

The day after my room was checked by the staff, I had went directly to her room. I gotta admit. For a girl like her, the room was quite girly.

"Fufufu. Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I am talking about."

She hung her head back. Pretending to think and then looked me in the eye.

"Oh? You mean the incident with the Whiskey?"

I slammed my hands on the table between us.
"No Shit! Sherlock!"

"Fufufu. No need to be upset. You're still here. Are you not?"

"The Hell?! I could have gotten expelled?! Didn't we have an alliance!? What the hell happened!?"

She sipped her tea.

"What can I say? A girl's mind changes quickly."
She smiled as she replied to me.

The anger I was feeling right now was immeasurable. It took everything I had to keep myself calm. I don't want to repeat what happened in middleschool.

"Fine. Just tell me your damn reasoning."

I looked at her, urging her to speak.

"Fufu. I can't say... but perhaps someone else might have played a part in this?"
She looked at me. Amused with the situation.

"S-Someone else? WHO?!"

"I said "perhaps" didn't I? Who knows if it's true or false?"

She isn't giving me any answers.

I got up from the chair and began walking towards the door.

"Hmm...? Leaving so soon?"

"I won't get anything by staying here any longer. With this our partnership has come to an end."

"I see. Wait a moment."

As I grabbed the door knob I heard her calling me again.

"What?"

"Soccer Club." The only words that came out of her mouth.

"W-What? I don't understand."

"Oh~ Nothing~"

She looked like she wouldn't talk anymore.
I just sighed and walked out the door.

"Soccer Club." I repeated her words.

What did she mean by that?

I won't understand her mind. Ever.

I looked up at my phone.

Huh?

"A message to come to the student council room by noon?"

It's anonymous. So there is no way of knowing who it's from. Eitherway, I decided to check it out.

As I was walking, I bumped into someone.

"Oh. Sorr-"

"A-Aki?"

I looked at the girl I bumped into. Her long bright red hair looked exceptionally beautiful today.

"I-Itsuki?"

"Hmph." She turned away from me.

Did I do something to inquire her wrath?

"Umm...Hey Itsuki?"

"Hmph." She didn't even look at me.

"Come on. Did I do something wrong?"

No response.

"I will treat you to a delicious meal...?"

As expected, She turned around and looked at me when I said that.

"Hmph. Don't think you can buy me off with food!"

You say that. But the face your making is a completely different story.

" Sigh. Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't-..." I couldn't hear the rest since she said it in a small voice.

"I didn't quite catch that. Speak louder."

"YOU DIDN'T HANG OUT WITH ME ONCE AFTER THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!"
Finally unable to contain her anger she shouted at me.

"Umm..." The atmosphere became really awkward for me.

(Come to think of it. I had been busy with the student council due to change of president. The last time I hung out with a friend was during the book session with Hiyori and Miku. There was also that time when they invited me to form a study group but I left them after a few minutes later. In a way, I haven't hung out with Itsuki alone since the Summer Vacation.)

"I...I am sorry... If I treat you to a small meal. Will you forgive me?"

"Hmph. I want three burger with a large fries, a large cold drink and a triple scoop icecream!"

The Fuck! I said "a small meal"! She is planning to have a full on dinner isn't she?!

"Isn't that too much-"

I got a glare and a pouting face.

(No fair!)

"F-Fine. I have enough points to give you what you want..."

"Yeah!" She raised her hands in victory.

This girl...

I couldn't help but smile. This reminds me of our childhood days.

I should probably take all three of them and hang out together sometime.

Sometime Later:-

I walked into the student council room.

"Finally your here. You shouldn't have made me wait for so long."

I saw the face of the one man I didn't wanna meet!

"Nagumo senpai?"

The man known as Nagumo Miyabe was standing before me. There were two other people present in the room.

One was Tonokawa senpai. Nagumo's secretary.

The other was a student council 2nd year member. Kiriyama senpai.

"Is something the matter?" I asked politely.

"I wanted to discuss something with you Hirano."

"Um...Yes?"

"First take a seat. Tonokawa will make us some tea."

I took a seat on the sofa. Opposite to Nagumo. Tonokawa placed the tea before us.

(I am not really in the mood for tea after the stares I am receiving from all three of them...)

"Tell me. Horikita senpai or me? Who do you think will make a better president?"

I froze for a second.

I wasn't expecting that! What should I say?! Should I please him? Or tell him that I prefer Horikita senpai?

Wait! Maybe saying his name is what he is expecting? What should I do?! I don't want to inquire this man's wrath just yet!

"What happened? Cat got your tongue?"
He had his usual smirk.

I don't have much of a choice. I must stay neutral.

"Well I can't say. Horikita senpai was a great president and exceptional in every way. But Nagumo senpai is smart and athletic too. Also I haven't seen what Nagumo senpai's leadership is like...so I can't give a verdict based on that."

"HAHAHA! Good answer! You are a clever guy!"

"Umm...Thank you senpai..."

Good. Looks like I gave him the answer he wanted.

"So now. Next question. What do you think of the policies that I want to implement?"

Another bombing question came at me.

WHY THE FUCK IS HE ASKING ME ALL OF THIS?!

"Ummm...Why ask me senpai?"

"Just answer." He looked directly at me with a gentle smile. But for some reason that "gentle smile" didn't look very gentle to me.

"Well...if I have to be honest. I can't say... since senpai still hasn't implented these polices. So there is no way of knowing if they are good or bad."

"But still. You must have your own thoughts. Correct?"

"I plan to remain neutral. After all... It's the new president who decides the policies. Not me."

I don't know if my answer was correct or not but his expression told me that he was pleased.

"You seem quite obedient. You have also made a great contribution to the council."

"Well...I wouldn't say that..."

"Really? You have been everyone's perfect little "errand boy". And have not only done your own work but also helped out others with theirs. Though, it does seem to make you look like a pushover."

The reason why I had been doing that was to stay on Horikita Senpai's good side! I didn't want to be kicked off the council and be made into a laughing stock!

I calmed myself and responded with a nervous smile.

"Well... I have been trying to get along with everyone. You know?"

"Yes. I can see. So I have a proposal for you."

"P-Proposal?"

What does he mean? Is he going to kick me out of the council? Make me his lackey? Or something worse?

He looked me directly in the eye and said the most absurd thing I could think of.

"Be the student council vice-president."

The whole room was in silence.

"Umm...Apologies. I must have misheard you. Can you please repeat that?"

"I don't like to repeat myself but I will just this once. Be the student council vice-president."

Nope. There is no mistake. I heard him say that!

"Senpai?! Are you sure? I mean...Me? As the Vice-president?"

He looked amused at me as I lost my composure.

"Ofcourse. You have made great contributions to the council. So it is natural for me to appoint you as the vice president."

Their has to be a damn catch. What is he trying to pull. To keep an eye on me? Make me his lackey? To dump all his troublesome work on me? Or is it something else entirely?

I heard Nagumo chuckle as he saw my panicked expression.

"No need to think so much. I just found you useful and decided to appoint you. That's all."

"I-Is that so?" His words just made me even more confused.

"Yes. So will you accept?"

"I-Yes!"

"Great. Kiriyama?"
He called out to Kiriyama senpai.

"I have no objections." He replied indifferently.

Wait a minute...this is my chance!
I just thought of a great idea!

"Umm..Senpai?"

Nagumo senpai looked over at me.
"Yes. Is something the matter?"

"Umm...I was wondering if I could get to ask you to open a new position in the council."

My words seemed to have peeked his interest. As he smiled at me creepyly.

"And what position will that be?"

"A "Vice-Secretary". Someone who helps the Vice-President only."

"Hmmm...But don't you already have the other secretaries? You can always ask them for help." He looked over at Tonokawa senpai.

"Yes. But I am not too familiar with them. So I would like to work with someone I am familiar with."

He thought for a moment and then spoke up.

"Fine. It's not a bad idea. So who should I appoint for you?"

Now I strike!

"Ichinose Honami."

At my words, Nagumo's face stiffened a little.

"Ichinose? Why her? I would rather recommend someone more experienced. "
He asked, almost glaring at me.

"Well she is new to the council correct? I believe I could help her get used to the atmosphere here. And since she is my friend, me and her can work well with eachother. I will also have a trust worthy Vice-Secretary. We both can help eachother and work to the best of our abilities for the student council." I said with a smile.

"Although you make a good point. But Still...You should-"

"Senpai shouldn't have any reason to refuse right? You already agreed to make a Vice-Secretary position correct? So I recommend her perfect for the job."

Nagumo senpai glared at me again. And then gave a sigh. After a moment of thinking, he gave a big evil smile.

"I see. So that's your game? Fine. I will appoint Ichinose as your own personal Vice-Secretary."

I almost jumped out of joy! Now atleast Ichinose would be safe from this guy for the time being.

I know I am being too much of a simp at this point and I really should stop. Since I hate simping. But she is my friend.

And as her friend, even the idea of her talking to a guy like Nagumo senpai sickens me.

This feeling of protecting your friend...is this how everyone feels in Class C? It's not a bad feeling... it feels great actually...

"Thank you senpai."

"Now than Kiriyama-kun. Prepare the paper work."

Later that day.

I walked out of the Student Council room and texted the news of my promotion to Ryueen, Ishizaki, Hiyori and the Triplets.

(I can't believe I have made so many friends in this school! Although I don't think Ryueen counts as a friends...)

With me getting so much attention in a good way. It's the opposite of my time in middle school.

I walked out of the building and looked over at the sky.

"Now. How do I get vengeance on Sakayanagi?"

I thought about it and one idea came to my mind.

"It's dangerous. I might even get expelled. But very effective..."

Now the question was... do I have the guts to pull it off?

I picked up my phone and dailed a number.

"Hey Katsuragi. I wanted to ask you about the favour you owe me. Can we talk?"

The Next Day.

I was walking to school when I ran into Ichinose. It seems she was waiting for me.

"Ummm...Hey Ichinose."

"Hi Hirano. I heard about you being the new Vice-President! Congrats!"

"Umm...Thanks!"

"I hope we can get along and work well together."

I looked over at her.

"So you heard about "that"?"

She nooded.
"As your Vice-Secretary. I wish to help you in every way! Thank you for having me" She bowed.

"N-No need to bow Ichinose! We are friends after all!" I was a bit flustered by her formal way of speaking.

"But still. I hope we can get along well!" She smiled at me.

I didn't realize at first but as we talked, we had started to walk to school together. Which attracted jealousy from the boys around us.

"So? Who is your class picking for the exam?" I asked.

"Hmmm...I think we will be fighting against class A this time."

"Class A?" I subconsciously raised my voice.

She was shocked by my reaction.

"Umm...Sorry. I honestly thought that you might pick us or class D."

"Well we thought about it and came to a conclusion. We wanted to challenge ourselves and fight against class A."

"I see. That's a good reason. So I guess the pairings are almost decided."

"Hmmm?" She looked confused at my statement.

"Well Ryueen plans to go after class D and I believe that they will choose our class to fight against. And since your choosing class A. The only think we don't know is Class A's target. They can target any if the three remaining classes after all."

"Yes that makes sense. But should you really be telling me this?"

"Why not? You told me your class's choice and I told you about my class. Besides we are friends."

"Yes. But what about Ryueen-kun?"

I see. So that's what she was worried about.

"You don't have to worry. I trust you Ichinose. I know you won't go around spreading anything that I tell you." I winked at her with a friendly and childish smile.

"Thanks. I trust Hirano too!" She replied with a beautiful smile of her own.

"Although I have been curious. Why has Ryueen been targeting class D? You don't have to answer if you don't want to!"

"No it's alright. To be honest, I myself don't understand. I just want him to be done with class D so we can start paying attention to other classes."

"I see... It must be hard under his leadership."

"Yeah. Sigh." Hirano let out a sigh.

"But I believe Hirano can make it! Everyone in Class seems to trust you!"

"Trust me? It's more like they want to leave dealing with the annoying and difficult task to me." I said with a bitter smile.

It's true. The position of Vice-leader is more like a representative of the class to talk to Ryueen...If anyone has any suggestions or requests... they come to me and ask me to talk to Ryueen about it...

"It's not that. I have talked to your classmates before. They hold a good impression of you. They say that you are a nice person and dependable aswell!" She spoke as she remembered the conversation between her and a few class B girls.

"Really? I feel like I get used by everyone."

"Yup! I think it's because Hirano-kun helps everyone out that's why he is so popular among his peers!"

"I see..."
( I never looked at it that way. When I asked for the position of Vice-leader, It was to become Ryueen's top lackey so I wouldn't get beat up by him nor become a sacrificial pawn. But after sometime, I just started helping everyone out. At first I felt a bit used but I guess everything has a bad aswell as a good side.)

Me and Ichinose kept chatting but soon had to go our separate ways. When I reached my class everyone horded around me.

"Congratulations!"

"I heard you became Vice-President!"

"Awesome man!"

The news travels fast. It had been just a day when all of this was decided.

I looked over at my classmates faces. They smiled at me and were genuinely happy for me. Something that wasn't the case during middle school.

I smiled to myself and thought.
(Maybe my school life really is different from back then.)

"Shut up all of you!"

The class was silent. Everyone looked at the man standing at the podium.

"Umm...Hey Ryueen."

"Good Morning "Vice-President"." He mocked me with his usual grin.

"So is there something you want to discuss?"

"Yes but first..." He ordered everyone to get back to their seats, me included.

"Now listen carefully. I won't repeat myself!"

We all sat silently listening to him. His authority was absolute.

"We have decided to attack class D! As for the one who make the test sheets, Kanada! I leave it to you! If you can't do it alone then take the help of anyone you want!"

"Understood Ryueen-shi." Kaneda looked happy since he could put his skills to good use.

" Now listen you all. I will announce how the pairing will work. The rules of pairing students, when looking at the class as a whole, the person who scores the highest and the person who scores the lowest on the quizzes will be matched with each other. Then the second best and worst students, the third best and worst students and so on."

He looked over at our classmates.

"This is the meaning of the quiz and the pairing principle. Simple, isn't it?"

"WHAT?! How can you prove that?!"Ibuki shouted.

I just sighed. This is like a daily occurrence at this point.

"Kukuku. Then listen, "no brains". This exam has taken multiple times before. Yet only two or four students get dropped out. Why is that?"

"W-Well..." Ibuki aswell as the rest of the class finally understood what he was trying to say.

For example: The student who gets 100 points will be matched with the
student who gets 0 points. The student who gets 99 points will be matched
with the student who gets 1 point.

By this logic. Both of them can be saved from expulsion.

"Now then, listen up. Kaneda will arrange you all according to your academic ability and you all have to score in that manner. Got that?"

Obviously no one argues.

I looked over at Ryuuen and he had a big grin on his face. (Does he have a plan to win against class D?)

Vol 3 Ch 5: Pairings?

Hirano pov:-

I was sitting in my classroom. Taking this stupid quiz. This would decide our ranking.

I looked over at the questions. Some I could do. Some I could not.

I took in a deep breath.
(I don't plan to fail and get expelled... so It's best for me to get a low score. But not too low. Or else Ryueen would notice me doing it on purpose. Besides, I couldn't even get a higher score even if I wanted to.)

As the quiz went by, our results were made clear. And our ranking was told.

I looked over at the board and saw a name I wasn't familiar with. Well to be honest, I am terrible at remembering other people's names. So...

Takeda Hachiro. That's the guy I am partnered with. If I remember correctly, which I somehow do, he was the guy who wore glasses and was the third best in academics in our class. Right after Kaneda and Hiyori.

Wait...If he got the third best in class... Then I am the third last!!

I looked that my name, which was at third to the bottom.

(I meant to get a low score but not that low!)

"Um...It's Okay Hirano! You atleast tried hard!"

(Please Hiyori...Your just putting me in further depression...)

After class ended, I got up to leave.

"Hey! Wait Up!" Someone called me from behind.

I turned around to see a boy with purple hair and blue glasses.

"Hello. Your my partner correct?"

"Yes. I am Takeda Hachiro. Your Hirano Aki?"

"Yes that's right."

"Well I am glad to meet you and I hope we can work together." He stretched out his hand which I accepted.

"Yo! Wait for me!" Suddenly an another voice came from behind Takeda.

"Oh? It's you, Soga." Takeda called.

I looked over at a brown haired boy. Although I had a hard time remembering people who I weren't friends with or didn't leave a big impression on me, but I knew him instantly.

Soga Atsushi, he was our class's "pretty boy". The most popular in class in terms of a good impression.

He helps out the class alot and is always there to lend a hand. He is very popular among the girls, ranking as the 2nd most handsome and popular male first year student just below Hirata from class D.

Although he is popular and has alot of friends, he never picks fight with people. Although, he does have a track record of being mischievous... But he is a genuinely nice guy.

How do I know so much about him? Well I am one of the many people he helped. He helped me organize the class during the Sports Festival and had done an excellent job during the events like getting first place in the relay, obstacle race and more. He has good grades and excellent physical ability. It is suffice to say that he left a big impression on me.

"Oh! Hey Hirano! What are you doing here?"

"Well I had stopped Hirano for a chat."
Takeda explained.

(That's right. Takeda and Soga have been friends from before coming to this school. But they seem to have the opposite personalities. One is an introvert while the other is an extrovert...)

"Oh Yeah! If I remember correctly, You and Hirano were paired together."

"Yup." I nodded my head.

"As I was saying. Hirano would you like to have a group study session with us?"

"Hmm...I would love to but-"

"You can't?" He asked.

"Well I have already joined another study group."

"I see." He looked like he was thinking something.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"It's alright. If your study group helps you then it's okay. We just need to make sure to get a enough marks to pass." He spoke with a smile.

(He is a nice person aswell.)

Although he could be expelled because of me. He still doesn't get angry or try to persuade others for his gain.

"H-Hey! How about you join my study group! We have Hiyori and three of my friends from class B!"

"Class C? I see. It would be helpful if we could all study together. Alright." He agreed after that.

"Hey! What about me?! Can't I come?"
Soga winned.

"Hehe. Sure. The more the merrier!"

With that I added both of them to my contacts and told them the timings for the study session in my room. I also texted the girls that I would bring two more of my classmates to the study session.

As I was walking home, I thought to myself.
"Did I make two new friends?"

Although I was the so-called "Vice-Leader" of our class. I had only three friends, Hiyori, Ishizaki and Albert. But I guess I might have made two more!

There are also the three triplets. Oh! And Kushida and Ichinose too!

I looked up at the sky.

"My life is completely different from when it was in middle school."

Later:-

I lifted a small tray which held seven glasses of cold drink on it. I walked over to my room and placed it on the table for everyone.

"Oh! I love Coke!" Soga exclaimed and took a glass and as did the others.

We were having our study session. The people present were me, Hiyori, Aika, Itsuki, Miku, Soga and Takeda.

Hiyori and Miku were studying together. While Aika and Itsuki were studying by themselves but were also asking Miku and Takeda for help from time to time.

As for me, I was studying together with Takeda and Soga. It was very helpful.

"Hey Takeda. How do you do this one?"

"Let me see. Oh! This..."

Like this hours passed and it was finally time to pack everything up.

"So we meet again tomorrow the same time?" Asked Soga.

"Yup." Itsuki replied.

"Honestly I can't believe our little study group has become so big."

"Well Aika. I can't believe that we are still doing the study group in MY ROOM!"

"But if we didn't, then you would have made excuses to not come."

"Come on Miku! Whose side are you on!"

"Hirano... She has got a point..."

"Hiyori! Not you too!"

"HAHAHA!"

I turned around to see Takeda laughing.

"Sorry. This really is a lively group. It's way better than just hanging out alone with Soga. The guy does nothing but talk about different types of cars or music. It's annoying."

"Hey!"

"Ptfff!" A tried to hold my laugh.

"Well atleast I am not a minimist like someone we know."

"Hey. I have just been saving points!" I defended myself.

"Yeah. But you barely have anything except the essentials. The only thing you have is a T.V., gaming laptop and a bunch of books. Nothing else." Aika spoke the truth like a dagger stabbing me in the heart.

"I give up..."

"HAHAHA!" This time it's Soga that's laughing at me.

It's weird. We have only hung out for a day. But it already feels like we have become great friends.

Timeskip:-

Hashimoto pov:-

I walked towards the building. I was tasked to give the questions made by our princess to Mashima-sensei.

I looked down at the envelope in my hand.

"I should better hurry. Don't want the princess to be mad." I stuffed the envelope in my pocket of my uniform.

I walked into the building and turned around.

"Hmmmm..."

I felt like I was being followed.

I cautiously hid around the corner to see who was following me but no one came.

"Was it just me?" I spoke with uncertainty.

I waited for a bit longer and then decided to resume with what I was doing.

Suddenly, I heard light footsteps behind me.

Before I could turn around, someone grabbed me from behind and put a cloth on my face!

I struggled but there was something on the cloth which made me feel drowsy.

"W-Who..." I spoke as I lost my consciousness. And then everything went dark.

Some time later:-

Hirano pov:-

I was sitting outside the infirmary.

"Come in. He has woken up." The nurse called.

I walked in and saw Hashimoto sitting on the bed. He looked half awake.

"W-what happened!?" He asked. No I take it back. He is pretty alive for someone who was unconscious a moment ago.

"That's what I would like to know! I just found you laying on the floor!" I yelled as I tried to calm him down.

"Found me?" He asked with a surprised expression.

"Yes. I was going to the teacher's lounge when I saw you dozing off on the floor. You gave me quite a fright!"

"I-I see...Wait! WHERE'S THE ENVELOPE?!"

"W...Where is what?" I asked. A bit surprised by his reaction.

He frantically searched around his pockets for something.
"T...The Envelope...I FOUND IT! THANK GOD!"

He held up a white coloured envelope. Looking at it, Any first year student could understand what it was.

"Were you there to submit your class's questions too?" I asked.

"Yeah! But some bastard put a cloth over me! I bet it had something on it because I lost consciousness afterwards!"

"I see." I nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. And thanks for bringing me here. But did you see anyone else there?"

I shook my head as to say "no".
Then he looked at me in the eyes.

"I see. Can I ask you one more thing? So why did you help me?"

I was left stunned at that question.

"Umm...Why shouldn't I?"

"I mean. You and our princess aren't at the best of terms, I hear." He said in a tone which sounded like "Obviously you wouldn't help me for free!"

"I am angry at Sakayanagi, not you. Besides even if we were fighting, I still wouldn't leave a guy to die on the floor. That's just wrong."

He thought for a moments and then nodded his head.

" I guess you gotta point. But then who knocked me out?"

"Well since nothing was stolen then I guess you might have not been the target. The perpetrator must have confused you for someone else." I deduced.

"I guess but-"

"Anyway, didn't you have to go and give that envelope to your teacher?"

"Oh Right! I really need to give this envelope to Mashima-sensei so..."

"No it's alright. You are already free to leave."

"What about you?"

"I brought you all the way here. So Ryueen went to submit the questions without me. No need to worry."

"Well I gotta go. Thanks for helping me!"
He waved as he walked out.

" Sigh. What an annoyingly troublesome day." I spoke as I was already tired by what happened.

I decided to head back home. I picked up my bag and took a few papers out from it. I read them while thinking and walking back to the dorms.

"Question papers..."

These papers were Question papers that Ryuuen distributed today. They were the questions Class D had prepared for us.

With this I am more sure than ever. There is a traitor in Class D. But who?

I sighed as I thought about the offer Ryuuen had given me at the end of the Sports Festival.

"Perhaps I should have went to see who the traitor was..."

It doesn't matter right now anyway. With these papers. We can easily beat class D and come closer to becoming class A.

??? Pov:-

I called her on the phone.

"Hey Sis? You there?"

"H-Hey." Her voice sounded a bit nervous.

"What happened?"

"Well. I am sorry. I couldn't get a copy or any photo of our class's question sheets. Sorry."

That came as a surprise. Normally she never fails to do what she wants.

"I can't explain it. But Horikita seemed to be extra careful this time. I tried to get in as one of her trusted allies. But she didn't let her gaurd down at all. She is a little different from when school started."

"I understand. But no need to worry. I already have class D's Question sheets."

"What?!" A sound of shock came from the phone.

"Apparently Ryueen somehow obtained them and distributed to the class."

"How did-? Don't tell me there is a traitor in my class!"

"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter. All I need to do, is to attach this sheet under Hirano's desk."

"Will you able to do that?"

"I probably won't be able to do it on the day of the exam. So I will come to school early a day before and plant the cheat sheet there."

"But what if he notices? Shouldn't you do it after everyone has left the class?"

"They haven't postponed or canceled my club activities. So I will have to attend those that day. Although I can ask them to give me a day off. But a few of my classmates have a habit of staying late in class. So I won't get a chance to do it then anyway. The only option is to do it early in the morning."

"What about the cameras?"

"I have a laser pointer. I can use it to disable the cameras repeatedly until I get enough time to put the cheat sheet."

" Sigh. Just don't fail okay?!"

"Don't worry. I will make sure he doesn't notice the cheat sheet. And everything will go just as planned!"

"I hope your right about this..."

Hirano pov:-

I had woken up to find something absolutely bizarre. I had decided to get an evening nap and this is what I found.

There was a crowd of people in
the lobby. And they all seemed restless.

"It's really noisy. Did something happen?"

"It seems that everyone in the first year has received the same letter in their mailboxes."

Soga explained. I had ran into him the moment I came down to the lobby.

"The same letter?"

I walked through the crowd and turned the dial key on my mailbox. The mailboxes aren't typically used, but they have occasional use for online shopping, school notifications, and student to student transactions.

The other students seemed interested as well, peering from behind me at my
open mailbox. I unlocked the door after dialing the right combination.

I then took out the four-way folded paper that was inside and returned to
Soga.

"Is this it?"

"It is."

Soga showed his had carrying the same paper.

I opened the folded paper.

The words printed inside read:

[First-year student Ichinose Honami of Class C might be collecting points
illegally. - Ryūen Kakeru.]

"What The Actual Fuck?!" I was surprised at what it read.

I mean, I had been told about her having alot of points. But I already knew the reason from my chats with Aika.

But seriously? Who would believe this? The rumor that I have collected points illegally would be way more believable! Not that I have!

"Just what is Ryueen planning?" I mumbled.

Soga opened his letter and it read the same thing.

"Hey guys!" We turned around and found Takeda approaching us. In his hand, he had the same letter as us.

"You guys read this?"

"Yeah. What does he mean by neatly writing down his own name? If this is unfounded, there's a chance that he'll face responsibility." I spoke up with anger at what he had done. Is this some kind of game to him?

"Does that mean he's doing it because it's more or less true?" Takeda asked.

"If that's not the case, then it's a foolish plan. But it's a method I wouldn't
put past him. Regardless of whether it's true or not, he should be taking the
offensive if there's material that people might think is illegal. Properly speaking, it could be illegal defamation, but that guy wouldn't even care about that at all." Soga spoke his honest thoughts.

If it's a lie, which it is, then Ryūen's image is at risk of being badly tarnished, but since Ryūen's reputation is already poor, and from his point of view it wouldn't matter at all.

"Oi, Ryūen's back!"

One of the students discovers Ryūen returning back from school. Ryūen entered the lobby. I wonder if he knows what had caused the commotion.

"Oi, Ryūen. What are you trying to do!?"

As soon as he entered the lobby, the boys in Class C questioned him while
going up and grabbing him.

"Ah, what the hell are you talking about?"

"It's about this letter! You're distributing this crap!"

He said so and thrust the letter in front of him. When Ryūen saw the letter, he
simply shrugged and smiled.

"Oh, that? Isn't it interesting?"

"What's funny about it!? There are some things you can do, and there are something that cross the line!"

"Then prove it. That Ichinose hasn't been illegally collecting points."

"That's-"

"How about it, Ichinose?"

Facing Ichinose, who had come after hearing the commotion, Ryūen asked,
holding the letter.

"No matter what I say here now, Ryūen-kun probably won't believe it,
right?"

"Indeed. That's because it's up to the school to decide whether there was
fraud or not."

(Bullshit! Out of all times, now is the time he gives any respect to this school's authority?!) I screamed in my mind.

"Right. I'm sorry everyone. I seem to be under a strange suspicion. But rest assured, tomorrow I will report it to the teacher and prove that this is Ryūen-kun's misunderstanding."

Ichinose stands up for herself with a dignified appearance.

"How do you intend to prove it to me, Ichinose?"

"I'll explain the details to the school. I'll state how many points I have and how I got them. You'll be satisfied with that, won't you?"

"Report it to the school? Before that, can't you explain it here?"

"So now you're willing to believe me just by saying it here, Ryūen-kun?"

"I won't believe it. It'd be as easy as breathing for you to lie about it."

"Therefore, if the school mediates this, there's no room for injustice."

"Kuku, I see. You have a point as well."

'Are you convinced!?' The nearby Class C students yelled.

"However, humans are dirty, lying creatures. Isn't it possible that you're now thinking of some countermeasures and covering up the evidence?"

Even until the end, Ryūen aggressively lashes out against Ichinose.

"What's this man thinking? Even if Ichinose has a lot of points, she's far
from the kind of person who would get them illegally. He has no chance of
winning by obstinately accusing her here."
I noticed the voice coming from Katsuragi, who was standing nearby next to Ayanokouji and another student who I didn't know.

Katsuragi seemed to find it hard to understand, and his expression became more serious.

"Then what do I have to do to make you believe me?"

"Let's start by disclosing how many points you hold here first, and then
explain how you got them. Then I'll report the same thing to the school
tomorrow. With this, the students who are increasingly distrustful of you here
will be convinced."

It's indeed true that it would drastically reduce her chances of later making
excuses or lying.

However, I don't think Ichinose will agree easily.

"That's an impossible proposition, Ryūen-kun."

"That is to say, you admit to breaking the rules?"

"It's not like that. Just because I didn't get my points illegally, doesn't mean
that I can reveal my hand. How many personal points someone has will
greatly influence their strategies in the future."

That is, even if she's temporarily suspected, she has to hide her hand.

"As long as I explain it to the school tomorrow, it should be investigated.
Plus if I broke a rule, regardless of whether I try to hide it or not, everything will be made public, right?"

"There's no proof that you'll be reporting to the school tomorrow."

"Then, you can tell them yourself, Ryūen-kun. As it says in this letter."

"Really? Kuku, you seem quite confident."

(If Ichinose illegally collected points, she should be feeling quite uneasy about
it. However, she didn't waver at all. She remained dignified as always. But that is to be expected. She had a high number of points because she was working as a bank for her class.)

"Then I look forward to tomorrow."

Ichinose watched Ryūen, who got into the elevator and left with a fearless
smile.

"I just can't understand that man's actions anymore..." I spoke out.

"Coming from our vice-leader. That's saying something." The comment came from none other than Soga.

"Once suspected, the doubt will remain until it's completely dispelled. A like
Ichinose is no exception. The greater the doubt, the greater the trust that is
instantly lost."

Takeda analyzed the situation and gave a correct conjecture. That also applies to the politicians who represent our country. No matter how much
support they currently have, one damaging 'lie' can make them lose that
support.

Of course, if they know it's just nonsense, their support may be raised higher than before, but for the most part, it's impossible to completely eliminate suspicion.

The next day, what Ichinose said became reality. The school issued a notice that said she hadn't broken any rules. She took the school as a guarantor and safely dispelled all doubts.

Vol 3 Ch 6: His revenge.

Mashima pov:-

"Sensei. Did you find out anything?"

"I am sorry Hashimoto. But it seems that the perpetrator had covered their tracks well. I will inform you if I find out anything."

"Oh..."

"Now hurry back. Class is about to start." With that Hashimoto ran back to class.

A few days ago, Hashimoto was assaulted by someone. The identity of the student is unknown.

They had worn a male school uniform but had their face covered by a black cloth. While their hands had gloves so as to not leave fingerprints.

After knocking out Hashimoto, they had covered the camera with spray paint as to cover up whatever they were doing.

Hashimoto had reported this incident to me right after the submission of the questions. However, this incident seemed to have been planned very carefully. As no evidence was left behind. Their motive is also not clear as nothing was stolen.

The surrounding cameras were checked to see if anyone else was there at the seen but no one suspicious was found.

The only person that were found were Hirano Aki and Ryueen Kakeru from Class B, but we have no evidence to accuse them of anything.

According to the footage, he and Ryueen had arrived to submit their questions but found Hashimoto laying on the floor. Hirano then escorted Hashimoto to the infirmary while Ryueen went to the teacher's lounge.

No sign of them committing any kind of offense. Although they were still suspects and were questioned. Hirano with his position as the Vice-president had testified that he and Ryueen weren't involved.

I looked over at my class.

"Kids these days have become too daring."

Hirano pov:-

The school had ended. As we all were about to leave, Ryuuen stood up and went to the podium. The entire class immediately went silent.

"Okay listen up! You all remember the test sheets I gave you?! Good! Now forget them!"

The entire class was confused at what he said.

"The questions coming in tomorrow's exam would be different. So study on your own!"

Wait...Does he mean to say that these fucking questions don't matter anymore?! What the Hell?!

"Wait! Didn't you say that those questions were the ones class D planned for us?!" Ibuki shouted.

"Yes and now I am telling you that it's not. Any problem?" Ryueen spoke with his usual tone.

"Why You-"

"Listen. Don't cross the line, Ibuki. I won't hesitate to break every bone in your body." He glared at her and then turned his attention back to the class.

"Study hard for tomorrow's test! If anyone of you fails then you will have a "nice little chat" with me! GOT THAT?!"

No one spoke. Only an idiot would speak up and anger Ryueen in this kind of situation.

But what did he mean? Why did those question papers suddenly become useless?

Timeskip:-

Today was the day of the test. Me and the others had come to class early to prepare.

When the bell rang. We all were seated in our places while Sakagami sensei distributed the papers to us.

One look at the papers and it was clear. It was a completely different test than what Ryueen gave us.

Thank god he warned us in time or else we all would have been done for.

I started to do the paper. It was quite tough but I think I can pass this. Atleast, I hope I can.

As I was erasing a problem, my eraser slipped out of my hand and dropped onto the floor.

I bent down to pick it up when I noticed something attached with a cellotape to the bottom of my desk.
(It looks like some kind of paper?)

I decided to ignore it for now. I can't do anything in the middle of my exam.

Timeskip:-

The exam was over and everyone relaxed. The school had ended and my classmates were leaving one by one.

I remembered the paper under my desk and took it out. When I looked over at it, I was shocked.

"These are..." (The test sheet that Ryuuen had distributed. But what's it doing under my desk?)

The more I thought about it. The more it became clear.
"Someone was going to frame me..."

It was the only logical explanation. The only reason why they didn't was because the test paper submitted by class D was different. But if it had been the same...

I shook my head and tried to calm my mind.

"Who would-"

"Hey Hirano! How did your test go?!" Soga had come over to my desk.

"Umm...It went well..."

"Hmmm...You okay? You look a little pale." He asked out of concern.

"I- I am fine...I just gotta head back and do something! Bye!"

I picked up my stuff and ran out of the class.

Soga was confused by Hirano's actions.
(What happened to him? Did his test not go so well or...?)
_

I was walking back to the dorms with the paper still in my hand.

"It was someone from my class, no doubt about that. And the only one who would want me expelled would be that mysterious caller."

My anger rose while thinking about it.
(That guy went THIS far?!)

I knew that I had to find out who it was. But how.

While I was thinking, My phone vibrated. It was a message from the Itsuki.

Itsuki: [How did you know what was coming?!)

Me: [Don't worry about it.]

Itsuki: [Come on! It's like you predicted the future or something! The paper was exactly as you said it was!]

Me: [Great! So did you share it with the rest of the class?!]

Itsuki: [Yup! I did as you said! I told the class to do those papers and we all got high scores!]

Me: [Good Job!]

Itsuki: [Now tell me how you got them!]

I looked ahead of me and noticed a certain person waiting for me.

Me: [Sorry. I gotta go bye.]

Itsuki: [Hey Wait! Answer me!]

I put down my phone and walked over to the person.

"Kukuku! It seems your plan worked out well! I never thought that you had the guts to do it. But you really surprised me!"

"Thank you. Ryueen." I spoke in monotone voice.

A few days ago, I had made Ryueen a request. I told him about my plan and told him to hold the submission of the test sheets.

The plan was a dangerous one. Me and Ryueen would hide and wait in the blind spot areas around the school building.

Our objective was to wait for Hashimoto. When he arrived, I, wearing a black cloth on my face, would put him to sleep using a cloth drenched in chloroform. While Ryueen would keep an eye out and inform me if anyone was coming.

As for when, I had asked Katsuragi to keep taps on him, Kitou and Kamuro.
Anyone of them could have been the ones send by Sakayanagi to deliver the sheets.

I didn't tell him why I wanted him to do it but since he owed me, he willingly complied with my request. He called me and told me about the day Hashimoto would come to the teacher's lounge and the rest was upto me.

After spraying the cameras, I then took the photos of the test sheet submitted by class A and placed the test sheets back in the envelope and back into his pocket.

After hiding back into the blind spot areas. Me and Ryueen would go towards Hashimoto and pretend to act as we had just found him there, laying on the floor. The rest should be obvious.

A day before the exam, I sent the photos to Itsuki with a message to tell the entire class to do those papers and memorize them as they had "a high chance" of appearing in their test the next day.

"The plan was risky. But it worked. Itsuki is already asking about how I got them."

"Kukuku! It's quite interesting. Sakayanagi must have really pissed you off for you to take such drastic measures! The normal you would have never done that!"

He was right. Normally I would have never done something like that. But when I think of what Sakayanagi did...And how it reminded me of the bullying in middleschool...I just felt this unbearable rage inside me!

"What can I say? I guess it was the heat of the moment?"

"Anyway. This is sure to make things alot fun. But we still have one more thing to do."

"Huh?"

"Hey Hirano. In about an hour or so, Come to the rooftop. You will be quite surprised by what you find." Saying that he walked passed me and left.

(What does he mean?)

Well I will see eitherway.

For now, my revenge against Sakayanagi is complete.

Timeskip:-

The door to the rooftop opened and Ryueen finally arrived. I had been waiting at the rooftop as Ryueen instructed.

"What's up? Why did you call me here?"

He looked at me with his usual grin.
"To meet class D's traitor ofcourse!"

My face stiffened and my eyes widened at what he said.

"C-Class D's traitor..." (I will finally get to meet them!)

I heard a sound from behind Ryueen. He turned around and spoke to the newcomer.

"You're late, Kikyō. Were you having trouble slipping away from your
classmates?"

"K-Kikyō?" I couldn't believe my eyes. The person there was definitely Kushida. But her expression was something I had never seen before.

"What do you mean by that, Ryūen-kun?"

She drew closer to Ryūen without trying to conceal her true nature. It was as if she hadn't even noticed me.

"Ah?"

"The questions and answers you gave me turned out to be completely
different from the ones on the exam."

(What the hell are they talking about?!)

"Oh, yeah. I switched out the questions right before the deadline. What about
it?"

He laughed a bit scornfully before taking a drink of mineral water from his plastic bottle.

Kushida finally looked at me.
"Is it okay for him to be here?" She glared at me and then at Ryuuen.

"Ofcourse. Our little "Vice-President" is also involved in all of this." He put his hand on my shoulders.

(INVOLVED WITH WHAT?!) I screamed in my mind.

Kushida immediately ignored my existence and looked at Ryuuen in the eye with an icy cold glare.

"Like I told you. I will force Horikita to drop out no matter what I have to do.
Solely for this reason, I betrayed my classmates and secretly submitted Class
D's exam questions. The condition was that I'd get the questions and answers
for Class B's math questions in return. If you had kept your promise, Horikita
would've voluntarily withdrawn herself from school by now. And yet, you
betrayed me."

I froze at what she said.( Kushida... I am completely disillusioned by what's happening here...)

No mater how much I stared at her. I couldn't picture the angel like Kushida I once knew.

"Y-You! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!" .The way Hirano looked at her now reminded her of how her middleschool classmates used to look at her.

"What? Are you mad about something like that?" Ryueen continued to mock her.

"Something like that? You come out ahead against Class D, and you're just
going to end it with that?"

"You're fundamentally misunderstanding the situation, Kikyō. The questions you made weren't used on the exam."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I turned in the exam questions as soon as possible just as you instructed. I also confirmed everything with Chabashira-
sensei. There were no mistakes."

"You haven't noticed yet? Suzune took the steps ahead of time to prevent
your exam questions from being formally adopted. Thanks to that, we not only failed to come out ahead, but also narrowly avoided expulsion. The
whole class was depending on this strategy."

"Wait a second... Ahead of time? Such... No way..."

"Just wait for the results of the exam if you don't believe me. Ten to one,
Class B lost to Class D. In other words, our agreement is invalid. I can't afford to show you the correct answers to the exam questions if I don't receive anything in return. That's the natural turn of events."

"Tsk...!"

I finally understood about how Ryueen got the test papers and why he later said that they were useless. But there was something I didn't understand.

"Why does Kushida want to expel Horikita? And how does having the math question paper of Class B do it?"

"You seemed to have recovered from your little shock too fast? Or are you trying to distract yourself with other information? No matter. You see, Kikyou and Suzune made a bet. That if Kikyou gets more scores than her on the math exam then Suzune would withdraw from school. Got that?"

I nodded, unable to speak.
(Just how much stuff was going on behind the curtains?!)

"Though I'll tell you this, Kikyō. You have no right to bear any grudges
against me so how about thanking me instead?"

"Thanking you!? I lost to Suzune, you know!? What do you want me to thank
you for!?"

Kushida thought back to the humiliation of being forced to declare defeat before Horikita. It was enough to make her blood boil over in anger.

"For you to get caught in this trap without even knowing it, you sure take
things easy."

Ryūen drew close to Kushida and grabbed her uniform.

"The hell are you doing?!" I cried out.

He then forcibly unfastened the button of her blazer and began to reach
inside.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

Ryūen smiled as Kushida pushed away from him in a panic.

"Jeez, I'm not going to do anything. Search inside your pocket."

"...Inside my pocket?"

While still on guard, Kushida slowly reached into the inner pocket of her
blazer.

There was a paper feeling that she wasn't expecting to come across. After
taking it out, she found a folded piece of paper.

"What is this..."

Ryūen shouldn't have had the time to put something inside just now. In other
words, it had already been placed there beforehand. When she opened the
paper, she found a list of questions and answers for the recent math exam.

"Why is something like this in my blazer..."

"There'll probably be more than that. There should be several cheating
materials scattered throughout your personal belongings. You'll find them if
you try looking for them later."

"I don't understand what this means."

"Yeah. Neither do I. Ryueen?" I asked.

"Someone in Class D was prepared to take you out. What would happen if
you were accused of cheating during or shortly after the exam? What if I decided to use those questions after all? What do you think would happen if
they found that paper on you after you had done well on the exam?"

"I'd be expelled? Even if I didn't cheat? That's stupid!"

I was horrified by the turn of events. So much stuff happened and I still couldn't understand it at all!

"There should be some way to prove it if you're truly innocent, but it's also
true that you got the answers beforehand by joining forces with me. So even if you're determined to be guilty, it can't be helped."

Of course, it's possible for her to claim that the situation was designed by
somebody else. Although she's more innocent than guilty, she'd still be
tainted with suspicion. This is because of the undeniable fact that Ryūen had
supplied her with the questions and answers for Class B. Even though it's not against the rules to give these to another class, the suspicion still wouldn't
disappear. Even if she managed to avoid expulsion, suspicions of guilt would
still remain and the results of the exam would become invalid. Even though
these suspicions would never be anything more than speculation, Kushida would've also jeopardized Class D's position, and the trouble would
downpour onto Class B as well.

"When did this cheat sheet manage to..."

"You don't have any idea? Have there been any strange things going on
around you recently?"

"It's possibly... no, but... I went to the final strategy meeting with Horikita and the others at Karaoke last week. I suppose something a little strange did happen then. It's not clear why, but a girl began to throw accusations around and then poured her juice on me out of anger. After that, she insisted on taking it to the dry cleaners to make up for it. It's understandable given the situation... and I don't think there's any connection... but it's somehow still on my mind."

"I'll take a guess at who that girl is. Karuizawa Kei, right?"

My head turned towards Ryueen when he mentioned that name.
(Karuizawa Kei...that name seems to be appearing way too often.)

"...How do you know that? Don't tell me you saw it?"

"How could I have possibly seen it? The reason is simple."

Ryūen tapped his finger against the side of his head to emphasize his deductive capability.

"Explain it in detail, starting from the beginning."

Though Kushida still felt dissatisfied, she fully explained the details of the
incident at the Karaoke box. That Horikita and Hirata summoned everyone together, that she had been seated at the table with Ayanokōji, Sudō, and Karuizawa, and that in the middle of the discussion, Karuizawa had picked on her and ultimately poured juice onto her blazer.

Having listened to her in silence, Ryūen connected the reasoning a step
further.

"No doubt, that was a set-up."

"Not possible. I gave my blazer to the laundromat, but I definitely checked
the pockets when I handed it over. Besides, the store would have told me if there was anything I missed when I came back to get it. So even if Karuizawa had tried to set a trap back then, wouldn't it have been meaningless?"

"Indeed, that feat would be next to impossible to pull off at that point in time. However, that wasn't her goal. Didn't someone want to know whether or not you had a spare uniform?"

"Spare? Even if that were the case, it's still impossible."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Are you saying that everyone there had set a trap for me and I wasn't able to
see through it? I'm not an idiot. I'm always observing the behavior and
conduct of the people around me. I definitely would've felt something out of place if they were all lying to me."

"Well, that's probably right. However, the number of people who were lying
to you was one or two at most."

"Haa? How did something like that-"

"There's nothing to worry about. If there was someone who read the situation
perfectly, deceiving you is just par for the course. Someone able to trace
everyone's thought patterns, characteristics, habits, and reactions to what's going on around them. What kind of remarks you would make. Someone who managed to completely predict everything. Someone who planned out the script to your story as you wrote it."

The way Ryueen phrased it like that made a chill run down my spine.
(Can a person like that even exist?)

As Kushida thought back to that time, she began to think all of this might be
possible. In particular, Hirata's had a way of thinking that was consistently
pacifist. He would be concerned if the blazer got stained, and he would also
want to deal with Karuizawa's unreasonable anger. Since it was just before the test, he would definitely want to ask whether or not she had a spare
uniform as well. She began to think that might just be the case.

"Once they learned that you only had one blazer, the only thing left to do is
plant the cheat sheet in it during gym class or something. It isn't strange that
you didn't check the inside pocket of your blazer during the one or two days
after you got it back from the cleaners. I suppose that there were a lot of other
times where they could have tampered with it too. Nevertheless, the important question here is who thought of it. Not Suzune or Karuizawa, atleast. They're not the type who could do something like that."

"So you're saying that I was ensnared by them?"

"Not long before the exam, there was a letter that charged Ichinose with illegally getting her points, right?"

"It's the one where you set her up. Why was that? There didn't turn out to be
anything illegal after all."

"It's a strategy that adequately shows what type of person the mastermind is."

"What?"

"Hell?"

Kushida and I both spoke at the same time.

"I'm not the one who sent out that letter. The guy in Class D who set you up
did."

"I don't get what you mean."

"Do you think I would bother putting a letter preaching of Ichinose's suspicions in every first-year student's mailbox and print my name on each one? No, I wouldn't, but since my name was written on the letters, it's only
natural that everyone will think I'm the principal offender."

"You should've denied it if it wasn't you."
I spoke up.

"Do you think I would?" He asked while looking at me with his grin even more creepier than usual.

I thought hard about it and came to a conclusion.

"...No."

Kushida understood right away. Ryūen has always had a tendency to pursue
the exciting. He would've definitely found the situation amusing if someone sent out letters in his name.

Furthermore, since he'd never heard of the suspicions against Ichinose, he'd also want to know the truth. Then, why did they specifically write Ryūen's name as the sender of the letter? Because if the sender is unknown, the credibility of the message would be greatly reduced. This doubt might cause the situation to be handled even more irresponsibly.

"But what was the point? They leaked out strange information, and also put
you on guard."

"I don't know... I've thought about it, but it's unclear. Did he simply want
to know for a fact about Ichinose's large quantity of points? Or... No, that's not possible. It can't be for such a stupid reason."

Ryūen was about to say it, but then he stopped himself. It was simply too out
of touch with reality.

"Hey, Kikyō. I don't know about your past, and I'm not really interested in
that sort of thing. However, if you continue persistently trying to have
Horikita drop-out of school, you're going to be wiped out."

This strategy was prepared with great care and executed without mercy. This
was definitely the character that Ryūen is looking for, X.

As for me, things have escalated so quickly that I am having a hard time speaking in this conversation. Will I be able to sleep tonight?

"Things aren't looking good for you either. Isn't it bad for Class B to lose
this special exam?"

"That's right. With this we lost 100 class points."

"How do you feel about getting defeated by that defective Class D and get demoted?"

(She is right. We will most probably be class C from next semester.)

Ryūen didn't feel anything in particular, even in response to Kushida's relentless question.

This was because he never had any interest in such trivial matters from the very beginning. I understand that now.

"It feels fantastic. Whether it's with class A, D, or whatever, the showdowns so far have only scratched the surface of what there is to reveal."

"...What does that mean?"

"Do the best you can and aim for the upper class."

Ryūen said this and then turned around, intending to leave.

"This cheat sheet...!? Wait! Isn't there something a little strange!?"

"Kuku..."

Kushida had noticed something inexplicable after looking at the cheat sheet.

"Tell me what's going on, Ryūen. Something doesn't add up here." I called out.

"You both noticed?"

Some contradiction. Something that shouldn't be there. A new problem had
swelled up.

"Why does someone in Class D have the test questions that only you and I should have? I can't think of any reason."

"That's right. The reason why X was able to use these questions is because I gave them to him."

"WHAT?!" I shouted out. I might just go crazy in this school!

"So you betrayed me."

"That's not true. It was a necessary deal to make with him."

Ryūen took a look at his cell phone. There were pictures of the questions and answers before he changed them out. Ryūen sent these pictures to someone's unidentified email address.

"However... He understands me well."

Before Ryūen sent the pictures, he had received several messages from X.
The first one had a title that read 'Transaction'. The content of the message was this:

[Provide Class B's finalized questions and answers for the end of term exam.]

[Otherwise, make significant changes to the questions and answers you
provide Kushida Kikyō.]

This was the message that Ryūen had received.

Usually, Ryūen wouldn't respond to something like this. However, X had given him useful information that benefited Class B with no strings attached. The information was that Horikita Suzune had seen through Ryūen and Kushida's tactics, and had made a preemptive strike. This had come out of the blue for Ryūen, who had been anticipating complete success with Kushida's replacement of the exam questions.

(If not for this information, some of our classmates who were behind in their
studies might have had to drop-out. Me included.)

Knowing this, Ryūen had three options
available to him as to how to proceed.

The first was to disobey X and let Kushida win. However, this was something that Ryūen, who didn't want Horikita to drop out of school, wanted to avoid as much as possible.

The second was to not change out the exam questions and let X expose Kushida for cheating and make her drop out of school.

However for Ryueen, it wouldn't be fun to abide by X's ideal progression of the situation, so he didn't consider this option.

Ryūen's final option was to change out the exam questions and let Horikita
win the exam.

"So he managed to protect Suzune, while sealing off Kikyō's options at the
same time?"

Horikita was fighting on the surface, and someone else was controlling things behind the scenes.

Ryūen couldn't help but laugh as he thought about how his strategy of using
Kushida was in turn, used against him.

"But I'm about to push him over the edge. If he doesn't show his true
colors-"

He opened up the image file that he sent to X once again.

"At that time, I'll just have to destroy him."

Ryūen was convinced that the person in that photograph is an important piece
to the puzzle of uncovering that person's identity.

I looked at the photo and blurted out one name.

"...Karuizawa Kei."

Vol 3 Ch 7: I AM A DECOY?!

Hirano pov:-

The announcement of the results was over and things went as we had expected.

During Paper Shuffle, we fought directly against Class D and lost. As a result, we managed to decrease our class points brilliantly and pathetically. 100 points from Class B moved to Class D and we lost a total of 100 points. Which sucked!

But thanks to me, Class C crushed class A. And I am sure Sakayanagi must be fuming right about now! And the rift in their class will only widen more!

The points now were:-

Class A: 734cp

Class B: 666cp

Class C: 853cp

Class D: 252cp

Class C must be celebrating right about now. After all, starting the third semester, they will become class A.

And I can celebrate too. Because many class A students must have turned against Sakayanagi! That's what she gets for trying to expel me!

Private points given to me as monthly allowance and from the contract between class B and A have increased my private points to 4,503,095pp.

"Class D have won this exam. But they are still very far behind."
The difference in points between class B and D is 414cp.

(ATLEAST THAT'S WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!)

Ryueen had decided to break the school rules again to test the consequences of spray painting the cameras.

Apparently, "I" gave him that damn idea! We lost a 100 class points because of that!

(Couldn't he have worn a cloth to cover his face like I did! Also, The place he experimented with didn't have any blind spots to hide in! Just what was Ryueen thinking?!)

With that our class points had become 566cp. And the differences between class B and D was now 314cp.

Leaving that aside, what was more troubling were Ryueen's orders. He wanted students of our class to start tailing students from Class D. To put pressure on them or annoy them. Honestly, the reputation of Class B is already down the gutter at this point.

I came up with the excuse of being busy due to student council work. I have no intention of becoming a stalker.

Anyway, I had planned to meet Hiyori at the Library today. Currently I was reading a book while waiting for her.

"Hirano! Look who I brought today!"

I looked back and saw her.

"Well if it isn't Hiyori and... Ayanokōji?"

The brown haired boy standing next to her was Ayanokōji Kiyotaka of class D.

"We met up a few minutes ago and he and I have many similar interest in books. I thought we all could read together!"

"Great..." I felt uneasy for somereason.

"Nice to meet you Hirano Aki." He presented his right hand.

"Nice to meet you too. Ayanokōji Kiyotaka." I shook his hand.

After that we all sat down and started reading. I had my gaurd up at first but I became very excited when I saw that Ayanokōji and I had similar interests in books aswell.

We all kept discussing and reading our books and by the time we realized, three hours had passed by!

"Bye Hirano-kun! By Ayanokōji-kun!" She waved at us as we walked away.

I looked over at Ayanokōji and said.
"I had fun today! If you want more books then I can recommend some to you at anytime!"

"Thanks."

After talking to him for so long I understood his personality. Despite looking gloomy. Ayanokōji was a nice guy. He just couldn't express himself.

"Hey Ayanokōji? Wanna exchange numbers? I would love to be friends!"

"Friends?" He tilted his head.

"Ummm..yes. Friends..." I was confused.
(Did Ayanokōji not have any friends before? So was he kinda like me but a little too gloomy?)

"Yes. I would like to be friends too."

I smiled at his response. Another friend for me!

We exchanged contacts and we said goodbye.

Ayanokōji pov:-

I looked back to where me and Hirano were talking a few moments ago.

He really meant it when he said that he wanted to be friends. I couldn't detect any lies from him.

Hirano Aki, I recently heard that he became the Vice-President. Does Nagumo have plans for him?

I learned alot about him. Although he is cunning and an opportunist. He is also carefree and a bit simple minded.

He isn't good at communicating with a stranger and is typically what people would call an "introvert", but he can talk alot when his favorite topics are involved.

In conclusion, he is a nice enough guy.

I looked down at my phone.
"Friends?"

It seems the number of friends in my life are steadily increasing.

Hirano pov:-

I had reached home and was about to lie down, when I heard the doorbell ring. I checked the intercom and saw a very familiar face.

"Horikita senpai!" I cried out of surprise. I immediately opened the door.

"Senpai come in!" I let him in and asked if he wanted tea.

"No need for tea. I have come to discuss something with you."

"W-With me?!" It's hard to keep my composure around him!

"It's about Nagumo Miyabe." When he said that, I knew it was a serious topic.
"The current Student Council President? What about him?"

He took a seat on my chair while I sat on the bed. "First. I heard about you becoming The Vice-President. Congratulations."

"Oh! Thank you!"

"However, I have to warn you. Nagumo isn't someone you should trust..." Horikita senpai looked into my eyes.
"...So don't let your gaurd down."

"R-Right." (Was that all he was here to say?)

"This year, among the 1st years, three applied for a position at the student
council. Soga, Katsuragi and Ichinose. All three of them are promising, talented students but I ended up not letting them join. It's precisely because their talents are so pure that I feared Nagumo would end up influencing them. But Nagumo gathered information behind the scenes and made contact with Ichinose and as a result, he forcibly invited Ichinose into the student council. Now he plans to do the same thing once more."

Now that was a big bombshell! It was surprising that Soga also applied for the student council but what was more surprising was the reason why they were rejected!

(But what did he mean "Now he plans to do the same thing once more"?)

"Wait... then if you feared them being used by Nagumo. Then why did you want me to join the student council."

"For two reasons. One, because you didn't have any skill as good as the three I mentioned before and were quite lacking." The fuck!? With that one line he trashed my entire existence in the student council. "And two, Because you had one particular talent of slipping through trouble and extraordinary luck with it." I didn't quite understand that last one...

"Eversince you joined the student council, Nagumo has started to pay attention to you. He even made you the Vice-President to keep you under his leash. However, It is obvious that he would get rid of you the moment you become useless, a threat or a burden to him." He took in a breath and continued. "No normal person can escape him since he has the entire second years under his control. However, you are an exception. I don't think you can fight Nagumo. But escaping from his schemes is something you and that opportunist and cunning nature of yours can do. That's why I picked you. To distract Nagumo and make trouble for him."

"SO I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A DISPOSABLE DECOY?!" I raised my voice without thinking.

"No. More like a bait."

"WHAT'S THE DAMN DIFFERENCE?!" I slapped my mouth shut after realizing that I shouted at the man known as Horikita Manabu.

"I-I am sorry for raising my voice. I-"

"No worries. It's only natural for you to get upset. However, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know that you had potential."

"You said that you invited me into the council to distract Nagumo. To distract him from what?"

Horikita senpai stood silently for a bit before speaking. "There is someone else who I will request with the task of defeating Nagumo. All you need to do is distract Nagumo from everything else and cause trouble for him. No need to think about anything else."

"Okay? But how?" He took a contract which I was too familiar with. "You made this contract with many second year students. 31 students to be precise."

"How did you get that!?"

The contract had the condition, that no one can disclose information about it to anyone till the day of payment.

"I heard it from one of the students who didn't sign your contract. After that, I did some investigation on my own. But I can assure you that Nagumo hasn't gotten a word about this from anyone."

" Sigh."(This entire situation is messed up.)

"Do you plan to go into business in the future?"

"Umm...No?"

"Hmmm...Too bad. You certainly have the qualities for it. I came to know of this contract. Unfortunately, you making those contracts, failing or succeeding, will give you quite the bad reputation among the second year students, during the time of payment. Because that's when everything will come to light. It may be accurate to say that the entire second year will be your enemy even without Nagumo's orders."

God dammit! Just how many enemies will I make!?

"Eitherway, with this you can bring a heavy blow to Nagumo."

"A heavy blow?"

"Yes. Nagumo has promised the students of the other classes to protect them as long as they obey him. It wouldn't have mattered if it were only 3 or 4 but with such a large scale contract, you can force Nagumo's hand. This contract is an attack to all second year classes except class 2A. So in order to fulfill his promise and show legitimacy in his words, if by chance they are unable to pay then he will have to pay the points for them. And with the amount to be paid being over 9 million. That would not only hault his actions but also distract him from actions of others even more."

"I see. I thought that Nagumo would have to pay for them. But I never knew that it could have such big consequences."

"Hmph. So lady luck shines on you again? It doesn't matter. What just matters is that which side your on." I knew what he meant. He was asking if I was an enemy or an ally. "I have no wish to serve Nagumo unless I absolutely have to. If I can help Horikita senpai out and take Nagumo down. Then that is fine by me. He is very annoying to begin with."

Horikita senpai looked satisfied with my answer and prepared to leave. "Senpai! I want to know. Who is this help your asking for?" Horikita senpai stopped right before opening the door and spoke to me. "You don't have to worry about that. Just live your life as you please and stay safe from Nagumo. That's all." With that, he left.

I sat on my bed and took in a deep breath. "What a tiring day."

??? Pov:-

She had invited me to her room. Although it's past curfew. I can still sneak into her room. Besides, we are siblings. There is nothing to worry about if someone sees me going into her room.

I knocked on her door five times. After a moment of silence, she opened the door and let me in. I made myself comfortable by sitting on the chair opposite to her.

Her room is everything I expected. With a little too many stuffed animals. Their lifeless eyes just gives me the chills. How does she sleep in here?

"Ahem. Why do I feel like your criticizing my room?"

Is she a psychic and I never knew about it?

"Anyway. Mind explaining what happened?" I just looked down. I am going to get a real scolding for messing up. "Well Sakayanagi and I both failed to expel him..."

"Failed? FAILED?! No shit sherlock?! But not only that! You also didn't take the test sheet back from under Hirano's desk!"

"Like I told you. Some of my classmates have a habit of staying late unless Ryuuen orders them to leave. Besides, I had club activities so I would have been late."

"What about during the morning on the day of the exam? You could have come early and taken back the cheat sheet?!"

"I planned to do that. But Hirano and his friends decided to come early that day. So..."

The girl infront of me was fuming with anger.

"You have already told me about the test sheets given by Ryueen and the one in the exam were different. So obviously your plan failed. What I was more surprised about was that Sakayanagi failed to expel him aswell. Or did she plan to betray us from the start?"

"I don't think so. If that was the case, she would have told Hirano about me. But Hirano has yet to cofront me about anything."

"Hmmm...You do have a point."

"So what do you plan to do? Will you really go along with plan B?"

She looked at me and sighed. There was no need for me to hear her answer. I already knew it. "Very well. If that's how you are doing this. Then I will assist in anyway possible."

"Just lay low for now. Hirano will be suspicious of his surroundings from now on. Don't do anything reckless and let me take care of him. I just need some time. Perhaps some time after the third semester begins. I should be able to expel him by then."

"I got it. I will stay low from now on." I knew I couldn't do anything for her. She was going to carry out the plan anyway. All I can do is hope that it works well. For our entire family's sake...

Hirano pov:-

Late at night on Saturday, news that falling snow has been observed in this
region for the first time circulated. It appears the snow that had only fallen
slightly melted away in the morning but remnants of it remained behind as a
puddle of water on the concrete. Furthermore, despite the fact that it had snowed on the previous day, the highest temperature for the day was only 24
degrees Celsius, roughly the temperature of a summer day. This sort of weather would allow you to go out with short sleeves without it being a
problem.

I was walking towards the student council room. I was called in today to welcome some new member. Although, I am suspicious since I was told this the day after my meeting with Horikita senpai.

"Is this all a lie just to get me to the council room and interrogate me?" My mind kept thinking about the countless ways the conversation between me and Nagumo could go.

As I was walking while daydreaming about my fate, I happened to bump into someone. I immediately caught them by their back to stop them from falling.

"?"

When I looked at their face. I saw a gorgeous long blonde haired girl. She had beautiful blue eyes and smooth features.

"I-I am sorry for bumping into you." To make myself not look like an idiot or a creep for staring at her, I started the conversation with an apology.

"No. It's alright. I should have seen where I was going too. Thank you for saving me from falling." She smiled and bowed.

"No need!" I waved my hands frantically.

"Ahem. Let me introduce myself. I am
Tajika Sumiko of class 1D."

"Oh! I am Hirano Aki of class 1B."

"Hehe~ Yes I am already aware."

"Really?"

"Well the Student Council Vice-president will not be exactly unknown. You know?" She said with a tone of sarcasm.

"Oh yeah..."

"Well it was nice meeting you in person. I hope we meet again when the opportunity comes!" She bowed and left in a hurry.

"What a cheerful girl." I watched her leave and started walking towards the student council again.

I opened the door and found out a surprising turn of events.
(So this is what Horikita senpai meant by "Now he plans to do the same thing once more".)

"Welcome Hirano. I want you to greet our new student council member. Soga Atsushi of Class 1B."

"Yo Hirano!"

I blinked a couple of times and then with a nervous smile, I took a seat on the sofa next to Soga and opposite to Nagumo.

"Hi Soga. What are you doing here?"

"Well I had tried to get into the council before but was rejected by Horikita senpai. But Nagumo senpai gave me a chance to prove myself by having me enter the council! Isn't that awesome!?"

"Y-Yeah." I looked over Nagumo with a nervous smile.( What's he planning?)

Nagumo who saw me looking at him, smiled creepyly.

"Soga has proved to have good qualities. So I asked him to join the student council. This works greatly for you too. Correct?"

"F-For me?"

"Yes. Soga is your friend and is someone you are familiar with. He is also new so he may need some help. So instead of Ichinose, I will have Soga be your Vice-Secretary. Isn't that great~." I could hear the mocking tone he used.

(So that's his plan. He intends to make Ichinose his, no matter what... Just what does he plan to do with her?)

"Umm...Senpai. The truth is that I have only become friends with Soga for a little over two weeks. Compared to him, I have known Ichinose for a longer time. Not to mention, she looked happy to have the position as Vice-Secretary. So I think we should have things stay as they are."

"Oh? But two weeks is plenty of time isn't it? Besides, compared to Ichinose, Soga is new and more inexperienced regarding the student council. As the Vice-president, it's your job to familiarize him with the work, is it not? So I think, him being your vice-Secretary is for the best."

I grited my teeth. I can't win this argument can I?

"Ummm...excuse me Nagumo senpai. I don't want the position of Vice-Secretary." An unexpected objection came from Soga.

Both me and Nagumo were surprised by what he said.

"As senpai just said. I am still inexperienced. So giving me such a role won't be right. Compared to me, Ichinose has done more work in the council and for a longer time. So I would like to let her have her position." He looked at me and winked. Then he turned back towards Nagumo. "But it is true that I am inexperienced. So I will like to work directly under Hirano as a regular member for now. Slowly make my way up. Is that alright?"

Nagumo had a look of anger on his face for a moment. Butsoon his face returned to normal.

"Fine. I will allow it. Hirano. Show Soga how things work. I have other business to attend to."

He got up and walked out the door. But not before glancing at both me and Soga with a mischievous smile.

I turned to Soga and asked "Why didn't you want to be the vice-Secretary?"

"I have good connections with my seniors. So I am already well aware of Nagumo senpai's personality. I knew that he had some ulterior motive of inviting me in the council. Looks like I figured it out. It's about Ichinose isn't it?"

I nodded my head. "I have no idea what he wants from her but he seems to be getting desperate. Which is obviously not a good sign. Is that why you refused him?"

"Yup. I knew by the face you were making that if I accepted then Ichinose would be in some sort of trouble. So I declined. Though, it has gotten me on Nagumo senpai's bad side. But who cares? I never liked the guy to begin with." He said as he stretched his back on the sofa with his carefree smile.

"Hehe. Thanks I owe you one."

"Well you better remember that Vice-President. Besides, the other reason why I declined him was because I didn't want to be a secretary for you or anyoneelse."

"Ha! You really are mean!"

"Am I? You would have dumped all your work on me if I accepted wouldn't you?"

I just looked away, pretending not to listen to anything he said. Since it may or may not be the truth.

"HAHAHA! I knew it!" He said as he smacked me on the back.

I smiled in response. (THAT HURT! JUST HOW STRONG IS HE!?). I started thinking about joining him for his workouts just like I do with Albert and Ishizaki.

Third person pov:-

It was almost night time. In the Karaoke room, four students had gathered. One of them was looking coldly towards the other, who could do nothing but stay still in fear of punishment.

"So what happened? How did our class's test sheet get leaked out!?" Sakayanagi asked.

Due to class C knowing the contents of the test, Class A was crushed thoroughly.
And was now going to be demoted to class B in the coming semester.

"I-I don't know..." Was all Hashimoto could say.

"Did something happen while you went to submit them."

"Well..." Hashimoto explained about him being knocked out and waking up in the infirmary.

On hearing this, Sakayanagi's anger rose.
"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THIS WHY?"

Hashimoto gulped. "W-Well I told Mashima-sensei about it and he said that he would look into it. I just didn't want to trouble you over something like that. Besides since nothing was stolen then perhaps I was just mistaken for the target. Right?"

Sakayanagi was beyond furious.
"YOU IDIOT!"

Both Kitou and Kamuro looked at Hashimoto with pity.

Sakayanagi calmed herself and spoke in an angry tone.
"Tell me. Now. Was there anyone else with you?"

"No...I didn't see the guy who knocked me out."

Sakayanagi thought for a moment.
"Who brought you to the infirmary?"

"Hirano Aki from Class B." At that name Sakayanagi froze. She spoke again after a moment.

"Tell me the exact details of your conversation with him."

After hearing it, The pieces started to fit into place. With how Hirano just "happened" to be in that place at the right time. How Ryueen was nearby with him. And the fact that Hirano is acquainted with the three triplets from class B and is friends with Ichinose.

"That guy...I never thought that he had the guts to do something like this..." She spoke softly in an angry tone. But from the inside, she did not feel angry anymore. She felt excitement.

"Hirano Aki... You WILL pay dearly for this..."

Vol 3 Ch 8: The Hunt for 'X' part 1

Third person pov:-

A certain day prior to the onset of our winter vacation. A massive typhoon
fell upon Class D. And it was caused by none other than us.

When the class ended, The doors to their classroom opened and Class B students, including me and Ryuuen, showed up at Class D. The class was in uproar over this unexpected visit. Chabashira-sensei glanced at us briefly but then immediately left the classroom. It would be a different story if a brawl were about to break out but there's nothing wrong with students from a different class paying a visit.

Horikita, who was about to leave, stopped and glanced at the Class B students. The ones who showed up were Ryuuen, me, Ishizaki, Soga and Albert. Also Komiya and Kondou. It's is understandable that the class would be tense with all these fighters gathering. To be honest, I was the only one out of place. But as a so-called "leading figure" in Class B. I was dragged along.

But I have grown stronger when it comes to fighting, thanks to the excersize I do everyday and also that taekwondo DVD. Even though it was used to trick me, it was still legit and helped out in my training. What can I say? I am a fast learner.

As for Soga, he didn't want to get involved with Ryueen but came along anyway for two reasons. One, because Ryuen's actions could spill trouble for our class and two, Because I begged him too.

I needed his easy going, extroverted attitude to lessen the tension between the two classes incase Ryueen does something really over the line. After all, even if he is from class B. Soga has a very good reputation in other classes as "one of the good ones" in our class.

"What the hell? This is Class D". The first one to react to Ryuuen was Sudou.
His tendency to pick fights may have been a factor but it may also be a purely self-defensive reaction to avoid being played like before.

Sudou immediately stood up and approached Ryuuen. Seeing that, Hirata panicked and got between them as though fearing conflict. "Do you have some business with our class, Ryuuen-kun?" As Hirata, unable to
understand the situation, asked him that, Ryuuen replied extravagantly.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't drop by a colleague's class? It's something
that happens in every school, right? Going to a class that's not your own to
visit a friend. Why are you all so afraid?" The first words he spoke sounded so much like a provocation but Hirata calmly replied to that high-pressure attitude. "Normally speaking, yes. But don't you think the circumstances in this school are somewhat different? At the very least, you've never visited Class D before." Hirata tried to smooth things over by treating this as an emergency at most. "We've just been estranged until now. I thought now's as good a time as any to act more aggressively." He placed a hand on the desk of a nearby girl and grinned, showing off his white teeth.
"You guys sure did well during the Paper Shuffle exam. Thanks to that, Class B lost. Quite impressive."

"Heh. That just means you're an incompetent ape of a boss, right? Very soon trash like you will fall down to class D". Hirata panickedly restrains Sudou when he took a potshot from the side. "We put in effort to make steady progress."

"Effort, huh? Sudou, who seems completely unfamiliar with the concept, still seems to be around so that's puzzling. I thought he'd be the first to drop out."

"So you've finally remembered my name?" They met eyes and glared at one another. Several of our classmates who were about to head back also froze up
at this situation. "Could you tell us what you're really after?" From Hirata's
perspective, he wants to figure this out as quickly as possible so he'd want to
avoid being continuously caught up in Ryuuen's pace. However, it's better to
assume he's deliberately acting that way.

"I'm giving you Class D guys a thorough warning right now."

"Warning? What do you mean?"

"I have no intention of explaining it to someone who doesn't get it. Or are
you merely pretending to not understand?" At first glance, that seems like a taunt meant for Hirata but that's not really what it is. Ryuuen was barely
looking at Hirata, he had been looking around at the whole class. If those
words weren't meant for Hirata then perhaps they're meant for someone else. They are meant for 'X'. Ultimately, it was an unexpected person who caught Ryuuen's attention.

That person did not even realize he was being stared at, or more like, he did
not care in the least and made preparations to leave. And then he moved to leave the classroom. Even when no one else could move in the presence of Ryuuen, he acted like it was just another average day. Laughing faintly, Ryuuen looked back at us slightly behind him and gave us the signal as we left the classroom immediately.

The student, Koenji Rokusuke, was our target. He is also a potential mastermind of Class D. Although, I doubt it. He left his class on the island exam. So unless he left some kind of note with instructions for Horikita or Hirata. The chances of him being 'X' are low.

However, Ryuuen knew that too. I bet all of this act is to put more pressure on class D and 'X'.

"Hey Hirano. Look." Soga motioned behind us.

"So a few students of Class D are following us?"

"Seems like it."

I looked over at Soga and nodded my head. It was signal for him to be on stand-by for the moment and not interfere with anything.

As Ryuuen closed the distance, he gave orders to Ishizaki and had him block Kouenji's way forward.

"Hey, hold it right there, Kouenji. Humor us a bit."

"What is it with you lot? I don't recall doing anything to make you hinder me
like this."

"You don't get to decide that."

"Hmph. You're certainly not the one to do so." Kouenji looked around at us. There isn't a single trace of anxiety or panic reflected in his eyes.

"You remember me, don't you?" With both his hands in his pocket, Ryuuen moved to stand in front of Kouenji. "Of course I remember you. You're Class B's Delinquent-kun, aren't you?"

"I've turned a blind eye to you back then but today you're coming with me,
you freak."

"Apologies but I was quite busy that day." He apologized while brushing his
hair back. Didn't look like much of an apology. "But I can't pretend I didn't
hear that. By 'freak', are you perhaps referring to me?"

"Who else is that supposed to refer to?"

"That certainly is an incomprehensible statement to make but that's all water
under the bridge. Because I happen to be a tolerant person, you see. But I
have a date after this so let's wrap this up quickly, shall we?"

"That's a shame. But you're going to have to reschedule that."

"So you won't withdraw?"

"What'll you do if we don't?" Kouenji crossed his arms for a bit as though
thinking it over but then immediately split them back up. "Then we'll have to
finish our business over there." Kouenji pointed towards a rest area a slight
distance away, perhaps having determined that there's no escape from this or perhaps not wanting to block the way for others. "I couldn't care less where it is."

"Then you may follow me." And with Kouenji leading them, they went over
to the rest area by the side of the road. It'd be a different story if they were in
the middle of a highway but if they've gone to an isolated area like that it'll
be difficult to keep an eye on them.

The class D students had caught up with us. Horikita immediately started speaking to Ryuuen. "What are you planning on doing here, Ryuuen-kun? It'll turn into a huge problem if this gets out of hand."

"Kuku. So you got baited into coming here, huh?" He then laughed as though
he knew someone would follow us from the very beginning. Then he slowly looked at each and every one of them. It's true that he was targeting Kouenji but in all likelihood, this is also a trap meant to narrow down the number of people to find the one he's looking for. If that isn't so then there's no reason for him to march into Class D with us in tow.

His aim is akin to smoking his target out. "Ayanokouji and Miyake, plus
Yukimura, huh? Well, for safety I suppose."

"I'm also here, Ryuuen." Ryuuen ignored Sudou, who's smashing his knuckles together. "What happened to Hirata?"

"No idea. You aren't interested in him, right?"

"Oh please, that guy's overflowing with justice like our Soga here. So it wouldn't even be strange for him to be here." He spoke while using Soga's good natured attitude as an example.

"Tch." Was all I could here from him. Soga really didn't like Ryueen. I can understand why. Soga had received a big thrashing from Ryuuen in the begin of school when Ryueen was still in the middle of taking control of the entire class.

"What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't assume everything will go the way you predict."

"Well, that's fine. For now, that is." With Ryuuen's signal, Ishizaki and the others surround Kouenji. Seeing that play out, one of the class D muttered without even attempting to hide his disgust. "It's almost like he's playing emperor. To
order around his classmates with a signal like that."

"Sorry, Miyake. But I grew up like this."

Sticking his hands into his pockets, Ryuuen approached Kouenji. "Wait."

"Wait? Wait for what? As you can see, we aren't doing anything."

For now, they have yet to lay a finger on Kouenji. "I don't mind you messing
around but in that case, my presence is not required, am I wrong?" Kouenji
pointed that out to Ryuuen who not only got in his way but is now talking to someone else. Ryuuen ignored Horikita's warning and turned to face
Kouenji.

"Speaking of which, you get the leading role today, Kouenji. You owe me
one after all."

"Owe you one? I recall no such thing."

"I missed out on some points no thanks to your actions in clearing the zodiac
exam."

"Ahh, you mean that liar game. I do apologize if I've gotten in your way."

Despite apologizing, Kouenji doesn't appear to feel the least bit apologetic. He boldly took out a handheld mirror.

When we looked at him suspiciously, Kouenji politely told us.

"It's a bit windy out here today. I'm merely making sure my nice, cool style is not disrupted." He turned his face left and right several times over to check his own appearance.

(Okay I trying really hard to just spectate and interfere when necessary. But his attitude is really started to make me lose it.) I could see that even Soga was annoyed by what Koenji said.

"Hmm…it's slightly out of order and rather lacking in grace. Apologies but
would you mind holding the mirror for a while?" Saying that, Kouenji presented the man standing in front of him, Ryuuen, with the handheld mirror. Ryuuen accepted the mirror with a smile on his face. "You may point that mirror towards me."

Kouenji said so and retrieved a compact-sized hard wax kit from his bag before rubbing some of it on his fingers and using both his hands to style his hair. Taken back at this absurd sight, Class B nor class D couldn't even interject.

However, an intense sound reverberated the very next instant. It was Ryuuen who threw the handheld mirror he received from Kouenji to the ground. And with the usual smile on his face, he grabbed hold of Kouenji's arm.

"That freak act, I wonder how long you can keep it up." While still styling his hair with both his hands, Kouenji let out a sigh.

"You sure act like quite the delinquent. That handheld mirror is rather expensive, you know?"

"My bad, hands slipped."

"Fufu. Then it can't be helped. In that case, let go of my arm. I can't style my
hair properly like this. Of course, I'm a man who'd be just fine even with his
hair out of order though." In that tense situation, Ryuuen slowly let go of
Kouenji's arm. This is a place where acting conspicuously carries far too
much risk. But this is Ryuuen's usual modus operandi of hunting his enemies to his utmost limits. "Stop it already, Ryuuen-kun."

"Shut it, Suzune. Kouenji's my playmate right now."

"Aren't you just onesidedly attacking him? He wants no part of this." While
picking up the shards of the handheld mirror, Horikita glared at Ryuuen. "I'll
do it. Your hands might get hurt."

"I don't really mind. It would be more problematic if you get hurt since you
have your club activities." Saying that, Horikita turned down Sudou's offer.

"Don't be stupid. I can't just let a girl get hurt."

Forcibly pushing Horikita aside, Sudou began to pick up the shards.

"I won't treat you even if you get hurt."

Despite Horikita pointing that out,
Sudou continued to pick up the shards without paying it any heed. "I was
wondering what this ruckus is all about but this really is quite an interesting
lineup."

And this incident didn't end with just Class D and Class B. As though drawn to the conflict, Class A's Sakayanagi and her entourage showed up. I spotted Kamuro Masumi, Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kitou Hayato with Sakayanagi.

Sakayanagi looked at me with a glare and a ice cold smile. And then looked back at Ryuuen.

"Sakayanagi, eh?…it's almost as if she timed it just right." She stopped, and lightly tapped her cane on the ground. We've certainly become quite the crowd.

Including Kouenji, there are seven of us from Class B and six from Class D.
And four from Class A. A total of seventeen people in the crowd. "My presence here is purely coincidental." She said while glancing at me specifically.

(She holds a grudge doesn't she?)

"Don't make me laugh." It's obvious, even to Ryuuen, that this is anything
but a coincidence. "Still, to think Class B's leading members and students of
Class D would be here. Are you perhaps holding a discussion regarding your
Christmas party?"

"Back off, I don't have any business with you yet."

"You don't have to go that far, do you? If it's a party you're planning then the more the merrier, wouldn't you say? So perhaps you'll let me join?"

But Ryuuen showed no sign of playing along with Sakayanagi's provocation.

"If you're staying then don't get in my way."

"Of course, I won't do anything to embarrass the party's organizer."

Sakayanagi then took her distance and sat down on a bench placed at the rest
area. And the three students from Class A surrounded her on all sides as though protecting her. Well, I suppose violence is unlikely to erupt in this situation but…there are no surveillance cameras in this area.

Still, if you look around you'll see students on their way back. There's no
telling when how many people will pass by this place. It's hard to imagine a
fistfight will break out here. The person at the center of all this who had been
smiling fearlessly so far, Kouenji Rokusuke, opened his mouth. "I don't mind the crowd but shall we wrap this up already? If you don't plan on doing so then I'll be taking my leave."

"Wait a minute, Kouenji. Ryuuen just said he won't let you go this time." Soga stopped Kouenji from leaving. Even he wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. But he knew if the matter didn't settle now then he would be dragged along once more.

"My bad, things got in our way and our little talk stalled. Let's get down to
business."

Kouenji smiled faintly. "I conclude from this situation that—you are obsessed with defeating either a person who is causing trouble for Class B or a person who has formed an alliance with another class. Am I wrong?"

"Let's see, any eyesore I don't like is an enemy to defeat."

"And a person from within Class D has appeared to hinder you. So you're
attempting to unravel this person's identity." Kouenji seems to understand the gist of it without even requiring an explanation from Ryuuen. Rather
unexpected from the man who possesses zero awareness of anything he's not personally interested in.

"That's exactly right."

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint but I have absolutely no interest in either the
future of Class D or the future of any other class. I haven't done anything
noteworthy in the exams leading up to this point and I have no intention of
doing so in the future either. Is it really fun to waste time on a person like
that?"

"That's funny, care to explain the zodiac exam then? Rumors have been spreading, you know?"

"Well, well, you're quite the knowledgeable one."

He didn't attempt to deny anything and looked at Ryueen with a fearless smile.

"That's just my own way of killing
time. I couldn't bring myself to attend all those boring meetings so I decided
that ending it all would be the shortcut to freedom. That is all." Kouenji took
out his phone and switched it to camera mode so he could have a look at
himself. Apparently he's intending on using it as a makeshift handheld
mirror.

"Then that means we can't rule out the possibility that you've played a role in the other exams too. In other words, there's no guarantee that you aren't the mastermind of Class D. Right?"

"That is correct but if that's the conclusion you've drawn that it would simply mean you're just a moron whose brains only amount to this much."

Ishizaki tried to initiate violence but Ryuuen laughed and stopped him. However, that brilliant comeback is admirable. If you keep insisting that an unrelated person is the mastermind then that makes you nothing but a moron.

"Kuku, sure enough. If you are telling the truth then that'd mean you're a completely harmless existence."

"Yes. I like how you catch onto things quickly, Dragon Boy."

Sakayanagi broke into laughter at the mention of Dragon Boy.

"Pffft!" Frankly, I couldn't manage to hold back my laughter either. A few scoffs went out of my mouth as I attempted to stop myself from laughing by putting a hand on my mouth. But Ryuuen ignored it and changed the topic entirely.

"Then what'll you do if I told these guys to lynch you right here? As payback
for the zodiac exam, for no reason at all. What'll you do if I try to subdue you
through meaningless violence?"

Both Soga and Horikita tried to react to this disturbing situation but before they could do so, Kouenji laughed. "Now that's a nonsensical question. You won't choose that option here. Not much to be gained from using violence in a public place like this, right?"

"Unfortunately, I don't particularly mind going on a rampage even in an
inconvenient place like this. Benefits of such an act aside."

"I see. Then allow me to give my answer. If you happen to choose that option, I will knock out all those who come at me in order to protect my own pride."

"You're saying you can do that on your own?"

"It's harder for me to imagine why I can't."

(He doesn't seem to be lieing? I mean, who makes such a claim if they weren't confident enough to pull it off? But still, I think it's a little too overconfident. I mean, we have Ryueen, Albert and Soga who are the top 3 strongest in Class! Plus Ishizaki and the others!)

Having overheard that interesting back-and-forth, Sakayanagi smiled from afar. "Looks like we missed our mark. Doesn't seem like Kouenji's X. He's insane in his own way. Seem like that's all there is to him."

"The most important thing is that we've cleared up this misunderstanding."

"Let me ask you something though, Kouenji. Class D's points are steadily
going up. There's definitely someone sharp behind all this. If that's not you then who the hell is it? Is it someone from this rabble who followed us here
like a bunch of morons?" For the first time, Kouenji turned to look at his classmates just once. But he sneered, shrugged his shoulders and immediately lost interest.

"I don't mind answering that question but—"

"A word, if I may?" Sakayanagi spoke while still seated on the bench as
though to cut Kouenji off. "That's an interesting topic you're talking about.
Something about a Class D student getting in Class B's way? I've heard
rumors that Dragon Boy-san is looking for that person but it would appear the
rumors are true then?"

"I told you to shut up, Sakayanagi. And also, if you call me that again I'll kill
you, get it?"

"Fufu. Do you not like it? I think it's a wonderful name though. My apologies though, it simply appeared as though something I cannot quite comprehend was happening." A faint laughter followed. And Sakayanagi
continued speaking without paying any heed to that. "Isn't it just that your
plan was torn apart by someone from Class D? This is one of the cornerstones of the conflict between classes at this school. Getting in the way of other classes isn't strange either, is it? As a matter of fact, both you and I have fought exactly like that several times already. I don't know who this person is but don't you think hiding one's identity while putting one's strategies into motion is a brilliant way of fighting? Should you really be going out of your way to interrogate an unrelated student like this? To be honest, from my point of view this is just pathetic."

"I'll admit my plan was torn apart by X but that's not the problem here. I'm
just doing this to draw out that person sneaking around behind the scenes. That's the sort of game this is."

"I see. So is committing acts of extortion like this also part of your plan?"

"That's right, I won't shy away from violence if need be either. I enjoy my
own way of doing things."

I just silently looked between them as he they "chat" with eachother. Something tells me that if I talk now, I will be eaten alive by both of them.

"In that case, you'll not only be acting pathetic but also revealing the extent
of your incompetence though? I've heard quite a bit from Masumi-san and
Hashimoto-kun. About your strategy on the uninhabited island how it was
demolished. If you had properly done your research, you clearly should've
known he's an unrelated party. First things first, the one behind the events of the uninhabited island is Horikita Suzune-san I hear. I wonder whether or not this mystery person you're searching for really even exists?" Sakayanagi's sharp eyes and words attacked Ryuuen.

"…you sure this isn't just an excuse
for why your plan failed…?" As though trying to follow up on Sakayanagi's
words, one of the students from Class A muttered that in a low voice.

"That's going too far, Kitou. Surely even Ryuuen isn't that stupid." The one
who followed up for Ryuuen like that's Hashimoto.

But Ryuuen showed no sign of being agitated at Sakayanagi and her entourage's provocations. Because that's something Ryuuen understands best.

"Joke's on you, Sakayanagi. I manipulated Katsuragi into signing a
contract." Rather than refute that statement, he instead changed the topic. It's almost as if he wants to say that it's his turn to attack now. "Contract, you
say? Yes, if I recall, it said 'in exchange for Class C's aid on the island,
private points shall be paid as compensation'. To be more specific, there was the clause '20,000 points from each student every month until graduation', I believe."

Sakayanagi also responded without any hesitation to that. "Huh? What's that
mean? What have you guys been doing behind the scenes? Are you fine with
that!?" Sudou barked out his complaints.

20,000 points per student, meaning a total of 800,000 points per month, is a large sum of money indeed. Specifically for people of Class D who suffer from low points. It's because they are class A that they have managed to still hold on and not collapse because of our contract. And according to my contract with Ryueen. I take 4,000 from each class A student every month while Ryueen gets the other 16,000 from everyone in Class A.

"There's no problem rulewise. It's
something both our classes agreed on. We would receive the class points that
would've been Class B's and in exchange we compensate them…in other words, we're just paying Class B back with private points."

"I'm not the one who'll get in trouble after revealing this, it's you guys. Other classes will know that we've been taking 800,000 points from you every month without exception."

"It'll spread soon enough if you ever felt like doing so. No point in worrying
about it. In the first place, the one who conceived of the idea for a contract
was Katsuragi-kun."

Since she wasn't there on the island and therefore an unrelated party, Sakayanagi need not worry about it leaking. No, there's the possibility that she instructed the class beforehand not to do anything unnecessary but considering how the two of them are locked in a struggle, perhaps she deliberately left them hanging. As a matter of fact, despite their loss in the recent exam, Sakayanagi is still able to keep her influence in the class and Katsuragi hasn't been able to beat her yet.

"Fuck, then that means Class B's got guaranteed monthly allowances."

"Don't fall for it, Sudou-kun. It's all class points Class B should have received but chose to forego. It's not like they gained anything from it."

"Is that really so, Suzune? We may as well have gained 200 class points from
that island exam, you know? On top of that, Class A's footing the bill for it
plus it'll go on forever unless Class A happens to lose its standing."

"You're wrong. It's similar but what you're getting from them are private
points. They're fundamentally different from class points." If his goal is Class A then he has indeed yet to gain anything. In that regard, you could say Horikita's remark is correct. But the fact that 800,000 points, money in other words, is flowing from Class A to Class B is a significant one. Even if we continue to lose class points and end up with none, we would still be guaranteed minimum allowance at the very least.

Atleast, that's what it looks like. But Ryuuen keeps all the points from the contract for himself and doesn't give any to anyone else except me. But that is only due to our contract.

"Are you quite done talking? You lot seem to like butting heads a lot. I have
no intention of denying you that but I'll have you stop bothering me anymore than this. It would be very unpleasant to have any more time be wasted listening to your pointless opinions."

"Hold it right there, Kouenji. You haven't given me your answer yet."

As though he just remembered it, Kouenji looked up towards the sky for a while.

"Something about a sharp person in Class D, was it? To be honest, I haven't
given it any thought at all…either way, it would be best if I don't answer. You're hunting after that answer even at risk to yourself. It wouldn't be right to rob you of that pleasure. I'm simply enjoying my youth here at this school. That's all. If this school can get me all worked up then that would be a different story but I don't think I can expect that to happen. In that case, I'll fall in love with beautiful girls and we'll aim for greater heights. And I will continue to build upon my own beauty. That is all there is to it."

"So you're saying you won't participate in the class conflict?"

"I never have and never will. That's what I've been telling you from the start. From my point of view, both Class B and Class A might as well be the same. The people here right now all bore me."

"What the hell did you just say?!Ryuuen-san, this guy's been mocking us for a while now! Let's discipline him!"

Having been slighted, Ishizaki raises his fist against Kouenji. But the one who acted to correct Kouenji's words before
even Ryuuen could was Sakayanagi, who had done nothing but smile and
tease so far. Looks like there's something about Kouenji's words she could not ignore.

"I cannot pretend I didn't hear that. Dragon Boy-san is one thing but—"

Right after she said those words, Ryuuen swiftly closed the distance between them and launched a kick without holding back.

"Woah—!?" Hashimoto panicked and got in between Sakayanagi and Ryuuen and blocked the kick with his left arm. But because of the powerful impact, Hashimoto got blown away to the side and fell onto the concrete. If Hashimoto had not come in between them, it's very likely that Sakayanagi would actually get her face kicked. Both Hashimoto and Kitou put on white gloves and assumed a fighting stance against Ryuuen.

Soga and I quickly acted and came in between both the parties.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Despite her situation, she doesn't seem to be afraid at all.

I looked over at both Ryuuen and Sakayanagi and spoke to myself softly.

"This is going to be such a pain..."

Vol 3 Ch 9: The Hunt for 'X' part 2

Hirano pov:-

"Get out of my way you two!" Ryueen glared at us.

"Now calm down, Ryuuen-kun. Nothing good will come by hitting her-" Soga attempted to speak to Ryuuen but then in an instant, he received a punch to the stomach. "Ugh!" He bend down and fell on his knees. Clutching his stomach with a painful expression. The students from Class D were shocked at Ryuuen's behavior.

"Soga!" I shouted.

"Get out of my way or else I will beat the bloody crap out of you!" Ryuuen was about to kick Soga in the face but was interrupting by Sakayanagi, who decides to provoke Ryuuen even more.

"Oh~ I really touched a nerve didn't I? To think Dragon-boy would start attacking his own servants because of me."

(I don't know if I should be angry at her for provoking Ryuuen more or calling me and Soga his "servants"!)

Ryuuen took his focus off of Soga and glared at Sakayanagi. While I helped Soga back to his feet.

"I told you I'd kill you if you called me that again."

"Cut it out already. Your behavior just now is a huge problem." Having witnessed the assault play out, Horikita gave him a warning but Sakayanagi was the one who stopped her.

"Was there a problem just now, Hashimoto-kun?"

"No. I just fell over on my own." While patting the dirt off his clothes, Hashimoto slowly stood back up. "So he says, Horikita-san."

"...you're insane, both you and Ryuuen-kun." Class A, under Sakayanagi's leadership, did not voice a single complaint against this act of violence.

On the contrary, they were more than willing to throw down. "I must
apologize, Ryuuen-kun. I've teased you a bit too much." After apologizing,
she looked towards Kouenji. "Going back to our initial topic, whatever do
you mean by all the people here, including me, boring you?" For Sakayanagi, that remark made by Kouenji is more worrisome than Ryuuen who's in front of her. Ryuuen too, having grown apathetic, took his distance from Sakayanagi.

"I swear, this lot..." Horikita's agitation and exasperation are understandable. And I for one, completely understood her and what she was feeling while looking at Sakayanagi and Ryuuen. These people here all have a few crazy quirks of their own.

"Did you really not like what I had to say, Little Girl?" Heading over to the bench where Sakayanagi sat, Kouenji
opened his palm and pointed at her.

"Pfffft! HAHAHA!" This time I couldn't hold back my laughter. For this, I received a glare from Sakayanagi but I was too busy laughing to notice it.

"Kuku. Little Girl, huh? I think it's a
wonderful name." As though it were payback for Dragon Boy, Ryuuen sneered. "Kouenji-san, was it? You're mistaken in your use of English. I am not a little girl."

"Fu. Fu. Fu. I am the one who gets to decide that. Not you. I have not made a
mistake according to the rules of use. The usage of the word 'girl' is appropriate for your age and physique, which means I'll be calling you just
that."

"That is precisely where you're wrong. According to the rules of use, 'little
girl' is what you would use to refer to elementary schoolgirls and no one else.
This world doesn't exist just for the sake of allowing you to do whatever you
want in it."

"It's my policy to not go with common sense." He brushed his hair back.

"...cut it out already, Kouenji." Kitou took a step forward. He moved to take
off his white gloves. At first I thought it was something he wore to protect against the cold but that doesn't seem to be the case.

"I have no business with Class A. Back off."

"Please at least allow me to fix his tone."

"Fufufu, it's not exactly bad that you're all fighting over me but unfortunately when it comes to men and women, I'm only interested in those older than I am."

Kouenji's toying with the class representatives Sakayanagi
and Ryuuen.

The very fact that common sense does not apply to him makes him the
strongest one, in a certain sense of the word. 'Insanity' may also count as a strength alongside violence and lies. "I'm glad I dealt with you today. Get
lost already." Even for Ryuuen, having to deal with Kouenji must be exhausting. Knowing that he won't get any more information out of him, he
urged Kouenji to leave.

"Alright then. See You." Perhaps the typhoon turned out to be Kouenji rather than Ryuuen. The incident came to an end and silence fell upon us.

"Apparently sightseeing time is over. Shall we head back?"

"You'd better look forward to the third semester, Sakayanagi."

"If you're sure you've taken care of Class D then I'll be your opponent
anytime."

Leaving those words behind, the Class A students left. "Shall we leave too,
Horikita?"

"Yes...I can't be bothered to deal with this anymore either." Sudou picked up
most of the shards and for now, we can say things have gone back to normal.

"But he seemed less interested in Kouenji than I expected..."

Horikita seems to have felt doubt regarding Ryuuen's actions. On the other hand, that doubt also infected among my classmates. "...was it alright to just let him go?"

"If he were the one I'm looking for, I wouldn't just let him leave."

"He seemed plenty suspicious to me though. I can't pin down his thoughts
and there's the possibility that his words are lies too, right?"

"Our mindsets don't match. X thinks the same way I do. I can't imagine Kouenji pulling the strings behind the scenes. In the first place, does he look like the type to team up with Horikita?"

"That is certainly hard to imagine. Then why did you target Kouenji?"

"Yo. What do you lot think about Kouenji?" After taking his eyes off of
Kouenji, Ryuuen turned to look at the rest of the class D students with an eerie smile. "You guys have been muttering for a while now. I don't follow." Sudou, unable to understand Ryuuen's actions, glared at him while threatening him with a fist. "Idiots back off."

"The hell did you just say!?"

Horikita stopped Sudou with a glance. Is it just me or is he more obedient than he was before? Like alot! I wonder what caused him to change so much?

"Ryuuen-kun, you're acting out of
line. It is a fact that this is rather hard to digest."

"Then that means I'm doing something right." Even though he's being reprimanded, Ryuuen paid it no attention. On the contrary, he seems to be enjoying the situation more and more. "I was able to narrow down the
candidates quite a bit today, Suzune. Regarding that existence creeping
behind you."

"I have no intention of listening to whatever you have to say. It's a waste of time just humoring you. More importantly, I'd like you to avoid approaching our classmates in the future."

"I'm free to choose whether to approach or to stay away. I'm not breaking any rule here." The person whose first to break the said rules is using the rules as his shield. Am I the only one who finds this a bit ironic?

"But this game will end soon. I'm looking forward to the finale."

Wrapping things up with that, Ryuuen looked at Sakayanagi and her entourage and then left.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked Soga.

"I will live." He replied but from his expression, I could see that he was still in a little bit of pain.

After making sure that he was okay, I walked over to Horikita and the rest.

"I deeply apologize for the trouble Ryuuen has caused." I said as I bowed.

"Hmph. I doubt trash like you is actually sorry." Sudo, who held a big grudge against me, obviously didn't believe my apology. Even Horikita looked like she took my apology with a grain of salt.

"It's alright. Atleast no one from our class was injured. What about Soga-kun?"

"I am fine. Thanks for asking."

"We will be leaving. Sorry for the trouble."

With nothing more to say, Soga and me walked away.
_

"This concludes our homeroom session. A reminder to act appropriately as a
student of this school over the winter vacation and to not go overboard. That
will be all." Sakagami's words are much appreciated no matter how meaningless they may be. I mean, have you ever done anything to stop Ryuuen, sensei?

Today's the closing ceremony for our second semester. All classes will end in the morning and we'll be free from that point onwards. There will be no club activities either and the school itself is encouraging students to head back early. In other words, there will barely be any students left inside the school building.

In the span of a few minutes, more than half the class have left. The clock in
the classroom feels like it's going slower than usual. Students after leaving
one after another. I said goodbye to Soga and Takeda and told them to go on without me.

"It's time, Ryuuen-san." Ishizaki said so restlessly. "Make sure you enjoy this." He handed Ishizaki a bag. Ibuki and
Albert also stood up.

I looked over them and thought about what they were doing.

I decided to pay them no mind walked towards the Library. I felt someone tugging at me from behind. I turned around and saw Hiyori with an anxious face.

"Is something the matter Hiyori?"

"Hirano-kun. Do you know about Ryuuen-kun's plan?"

"...No." She looked worried. Just what was Ryueen doing?

"Ryuuen plans to confront 'X' today." I froze at what he said. I told her about the topic of 'X' to get her thoughts but I didn't expect her to bring it up.

"Y-You mean like go to class D to check for 'X' identity?" She shook her head.

"No. He looked like he was sure that he would find him today. He also ordered Ishizaki, Albert and Ibuki to follow him. I saw them heading towards the rooftop."

"W-What?! Oh God what is he planning now?!" (And more over, why didn't he tell me?)

"Hiyori. Just go to the Library for today. I will go and check it out."

"Okay. But be careful Hirano-kun." I saw her leave and then made my way towards the rooftop.

When I reached there, I saw Albert keeping watch. To my surprise, a girl from class D appeared.

"Karuizawa Kei?" I whispered while hiding.

I saw her go up the stairs while Albert didn't do a thing. Is this entire thing just to interrogate Karuizawa and find out about 'X'?

There was no way I was getting pass Albert. So I decided to hide away and wait. Maybe... just maybe... Everything will go peacefully... I can atleast hope that much... right?

After a few moments, Ishizaki came back down from the rooftop and then returned back up. This happened a few times. Each time, he had a bucket of cold water with him.

(Just what the fuck is going on up there?)

I decided to know what's happening. I walked towards the roof but was stopped by Albert.

"Albert. Move."

He didn't respond.

" Sigh. [Albert. Please move out of my way.]" I spoke in English to make him realize how serious I was.

Fun fact, I happen to know more than one language. I had alot of free time during middle school, being alone and all. I know Japanese, English, Hindi and French. It is one of the only skills that I am proud of.

"[No.]" But Albert wouldn't budge.

"[Don't worry. If anything happens on the roof due to my presence then I will take the blame for it.]"

Albert still didn't seem to move.

"[Albert. Listen. I am the Vice-President of the student council. If you don't move out of my way. I will report both you and Ryueen. Are we clear?]"

He didn't show any signs of moving.

"[ Sigh. Albert. Please. This is for the class. I just want to talk to Ryueen.]"

Albert didn't say anything and just looked at me. After a couple of seconds of staring at me, he showed signs of movement.

Finally, Albert got out of my way. I ran up the stairs and opened the door just a little to take a peek, and found the worst thing I could imagine.

"No matter how many times you ask me...I will 'NEVER', 'EVER'...tell
you."

"..."

What I saw was Karuizawa Kei, drenched in cold water. And infront of her was a man, who I knew was the organizer of this madness. Ryuuen Kakeru.

"Even if, starting tomorrow, I lose my place here at this school...even if I
continue to suffer...I will never, ever give you the name..."

"You sure about that, Karuizawa?"

The conversation was going on between Karuizawa and her torturer, Ryueen.

"Even though you know X was just using you, why do you still cover for
them?"

"I don't know...Even I want to act cool until the very end...!"

"I see. That's a shame, Karuizawa. After today, you won't have a place in this school anymore. I personally don't want to do anything extreme either but I've got no choice. But, you are worthy of respect. Despite the trauma of your past, despite being betrayed by the only one you could rely on, you still didn't sell them out. I'll give you that."

Ryuuen motioned Ishizaki to pick up the bucket of water and pour it on her.

I stared at Karuizawa as she was being tormented by my classmates. Something broke inside of me.

Memories. Memories of middle school came flooding into my mind. Tears leaked out of eyes. And then, only my inexhaustible rage remained...

The next moment, I slammed the door open and ran towards Ishizaki.

"Huh?"

I punched him straight in the face. Before he could know what was going on, I bit his arm.

"AHAHAHAH!" His screamed filled the rooftop.

I kicked him right in the stomach and he rolled over to some distance before stopping.

His arm, where I bite him, was bleeding and some of the blood stained a small part of his uniform.

Those who saw this were left unable to speak. Even Ibuki couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"Is that Kiyotak- No- Hirano-kun?" If anyone was going to save her. Then she had expected it to be Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. But the man infront of her was far from him.

"KUKUKU! Nice of you to join us Hirano! I never thought that you had it in you to do something like that! Were you just hiding your fangs till now?" After a moment, Ryuuen spoke with an amused expression.

I didn't say anything and just glared towards Ryueen. My body telling me to rip him to shreds.

"What are doing Ryuuen!?"

"What does it look like? Interrogation obviously."

"Interrogation my ass! Does tormenting an innocent person really make you feel good!?"

"Kuku! Ofcourse!" He spoke proudly. "Everything is ruled by violence! It is the same violence which creates fear and control! It's the way of the world after all!"

"This...This is shameful... Do you have no common sense!? This is beyond just "violence"!?"

"Kuku! So? Does it look like I care?" He spoke with a smile with no regards to what I said.

I froze for a moment. Ryueen... he reminded me of "them"... I hate it... I hate it... hate... hate... hate... I HATE IT!

"People who toy with others... thinking of their suffering as nothing but a source of enjoyment... People who laugh at others pain because they aren't feeling the same thing... Are The People I Hate The Most!"

Without a second thought, I ran towards Ryueen and tried to scratch open his face. But he grabbed both of my arms.

"Oh~? What happened? You don't seem to be acting like yourself, I thought you weren't a fan of fighting?" He mocked me with a smile.

Without any hesitation, I moved my face forward and bit him on the his left shoulder.

"Agh!"

Third person pov:-

Hirano bit Ryuuen on his left shoulder with everything he had. Some blood spurted out.

Ryuuen immediately delivered Hirano, a punch to the face which caused Hirano to fall down to the ground.

When Ryueen looked at his own blood. He smiled. He felt excitement at what was going to happen.

"I never knew you had it in you Hirano!" He spoke with a smile.

Hirano immediately got back up attempting to grab Ryuuen. But Ryuuen punched him in the face. However, even then Hirano didn't stop and immediately, punched Ryuuen back.

Without a second of delay, Hirano pushed Ryuuen back and used his right hand to scratch Ryuuen's face. Hirano dug his nails into his face without mercy.

Ryuuen punched Hirano again in an attempt to make Hirano let go of his face. But for some reason, his actions were in vain. It was as if that Hirano wasn't getting hurt at all. But in reality, Hirano in his current state of mind, didn't even notice the pain he was feeling.

"You bastard!" Hirano shouted at Ryuuen as he scratched Ryuuen's face further to the point that marks were left on his face.

Ryuuen pushed Hirano away and took a few steps back. His face burning with pain.

"Hehe. Not ba-" Even before Ryuuen could speak, Hirano rushed in to attack again.

"Gah!" Ryueen who had attempted to block Hirano with his right hand got bite by him in as a result. While Hirano's right hand torned his blazer.

Ryuuen delivered a kick to Hirano's stomach, making him take a few steps back.

" Pant. Pant." Hirano looked at Ryuuen with eyes that didn't resemble a sane person.

When Ryuuen was sure that Hirano wasn't going to attack, he checked his own condition. Then he spoke again with an amused smile.

"Well. Well. I didn't think you could actually be like that. You are acting more like an animal than a human. What are you? Some kind of beast?"

Hirano just glared at Ryuuen with pure rage.

It was true. Hirano was now acting on pure instinct. The only thing he knew was to attack the first person he sees and tear them apart limp from limp. His actions weren't that of a human. But an animal. Pure rage commanding his every move.

Ishizaki, who had gotten off the ground backed away seeing Hirano's murderous gaze.

Ibuki, who would normally make a fuss over such thing, found herself unable to speak. The boy who she thought of as harmless and weak, was acting like a wild animal today.

Even Karuizawa, who was glad to be saved, couldn't help but look at her savior in fear.

The only person who wasn't scared was Ryueen. When he looked at Hirano. All he felt was excitement. He only wished to tame the beast infront of him.

Hirano ran towards Ryueen again, but this time Ryuuen punched him in the face making him fall on his back.

Ryuuen got on top of him and began to rain punches left and right.

"Kuku! They say that if you hit an dog enough then they would eventually listen. Let's see how much I will have to hit you!"

Ryuuen kept punching Hirano's face.

" Cough." Hirano spat out blood in between of every punch.

After a minute or so of punching Hirano continuously, Ryuuen noticed something. The glint in Hirano's eyes never faded. And that's what shocked him. Even with him getting beaten up. Hirano didn't stop fighting back. Not even for a second.

People when beaten almost to death have fear written all over them. But no such fear was seen in Hirano. It was as if the boy was filled with rage which had no depth. The instincts that would not stop until he had beaten his opponent to a bloody mess. That was what was inside Hirano.

Ryuuen's smile grew even more. Now all he wanted to do was break the fighting spirit of the one below of him. He could tell that with every punch, Hirano was starting to lose his strength.

"!"

Hirano, who saw a chance, bit into Ryuuen right hand.

"Gah!" Although such a sound came from Ryuuen's mouth, his face was still smiling.

He grabbed Hirano's hair and pulled it in an attempt to make Hirano let go of his right hand. But the more he pulled, the stronger Hirano sunk his teeth into Ryuuen's skin. Blood started pouring out of Ryuuen's hand.

Hirano delivered a surprise punch to Ryuuen's face and rolled over, successfully taking Ryuuen off of him.

Without even waiting for a second, Hirano leaped over Ryuuen and held him down. Hirano, who was now on top of Ryuuen, grabbed Ryuuen's face with his left hand and sunk his nails into his face.

Ryuuen pushed Hirano off of him. He got up immediately and delivered a kick to Hirano's face, who then rolled away on the ground.

The next moment, Ryuuen kicked Hirano repeatedly right in the ribs.

"Agh!" The sound came out of Hirano's mouth.

"Kuku! What happened to all that energy?!"

Hirano attempted to get up. But he didn't have any energy left to do so. Soon he closed his eyes and laid there motionless.

"Hmmm...Seems like he finally fainted. Crazy bastard." Ryuuen spoke as he distanced himself from Hirano.

The fight was so brutal that no one spoke. They didn't know who to be more afraid of. Hirano, who was ready to kill the first person he saw or Ryuuen, who managed to defeat him.

They heard the door open behind them and two figures stepped out. It was Ayanokōji and Albert.

Ayanokōji was a bit surprised with the scene infront of him. He hadn't expected to see a blood faced Hirano nor a brutally busted up Ryuuen.

Even Albert had a surprised expression under his glasses.

"Ayano...kouji...?" Ibuki was the first one to say something.

Hirano pov:-

Darkness. It was all I could see. I couldn't hear anything around me.

(What happened?)

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the cloudy sky. I felt pain all over my body. I could taste blood, the blood that I coughed up. My chest felt like it was on fire and it was hard to breath. It was as if someone had kicked my ribs repeatedly. That's when I remembered.

"I lost control of my anger... the stress of the recent events got to me... and I lost it... just like back then." I whispered softly with a defeated voice.

But in the end, I was defeated. Ryuuen truly is strong. I could never win against him. Never.

I smiled in defeat. "Atleast I was able to release all my stress." Despite losing the fight, I felt great! Because all the emotions I had kept contained were finally released. And my mind felt at peace.

Thud!

As if to signal the end of my peace, I heard a big thud. I rotated my body to lay down in a manner that allowed me to see what was going on.

Even though I wasn't fully conscious, I was shocked by what I saw.

A student of Class D, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, was standing beside two figure laying on the ground.

"He defeated Albert and Ishizaki... on his own?" For a moment I thought that I was hallucinating due to blood loss. But that wasn't the case. I tried to concentrate on what's happening infront of me.

"Apparently he's more than we expected him to be. The reason he acted so arrogantly was because he had confidence in his skills, huh? This sure is unexpected."

"So you're saying that the stage we prepared ended up favoring Ayanokouji? What does that mean...?"

"Are you serious, Ibuki?"

"Ehh...?"

"You've known for a long time now that Ryuuen is the type of person who'd
use violence to dominate his enemies. On top of that, don't you think setting
up a situation where no amount of violence would cause a problem is just too convenient for Class N?"

"Huh?" As Ibuki tilted her head, a doubt seems to have arisen within Ryuuen
as well.

"Wait a minute, Ayanokouji. Even I don't understand this. This is a
situation I set up."

"Even though I'm acting this diplomatically here, you still don't see the real situation?"

"Our confrontation here has
been predetermined for a long time now. And also the fact that in a situation where neither of us would be able to tattle on the other, Ryuuen Kakeru
would resort to violence to settle things."

"If I never intended on having my identity revealed, then I wouldn't have
used Manabe in the first place. It's clear as day that a search for the culprit
would begin as soon as I made her a spy and had her send me the recorded
footage. And just like a true dictator, you'd narrow it down to Manabe's
group. And that's where you heard it from, right? That they were blackmailed after attacking Karuizawa and that they had no other choice." So far, Ryuuen
cannot deny a single thing. Naturally, of course. "You confirmed that Karuizawa's connected to me. All that's left is how you choose to execute it.
For that reason, you thought strangling us would be most effective. You had
Ishizaki, Komiya and the others tail Class D and openly approached Kouenji so you could put the pressure on X. Well, I suppose you were genuinely
enjoying yourself but you may have ended up giving me time to think."

"Kukuku. Now you're saying some interesting things. So you're saying you
only made it look as though you were dancing in the palm of my hand?"

"To be more precise, I made it look like I was dancing in the palm of your hand when in fact, you had been dancing in mine."

The realization hit me. I understood what was going on.
"An existence that can anticipate your every move. Such a person really exist...?" I spoke softly, not audible to anyone else.

"Then allow me to apologize, Ayanokouji. You really are a sharp one. The advantage I held until a while ago has vanished entirely and now I'm the one in a big pinch. What shall we do, Ibuki?" After hearing the full story from Ayanokouji, Ryuuen still laughed happily even after seeing what he is capable of.

"What's the matter with you...both you and Ayanokouji...!" As though hitting him with her frustrations, Ibuki sent a flying kick towards Ayanokouji.

"Tch." When he evaded all her kicks at the last possible moment, Ibuki stopped attacking for a moment and clicked her tongue in irritation. "What are you really...?"

(I would like to know too...) Ibuki was by no means an amateur. But he avoided her kicks like an expert.

"Can you really not believe it even after seeing all this?"

"You piss me off. I don't know why but you piss me off!" Ibuki leaped
towards him again and he immediately closed the distance between them. "!?"

He didn't give Ibuki the chance to dodge or block before grabbing her neck and
slamming her to the ground. Ibuki's eyes widened before she lost consciousness right afterward and stopped moving.

"Violence isn't something Ryuuen and his group have monopolized."

I was scared. To be that strong. That's not the impression he normally gave me. But what I was more scared of. Was how apathetic his expression was while fighting. It was as if he didn't care about the fight itself...

"I suppose it's commendable that you're still able to maintain your rationality even after seeing this situation."

"So you're not just sharp but also first class when it comes to violence. I
underestimated you." Clapping as though to express genuine respect, Ryuuen walked up to him. "Do you know what else I want to say, Ayanokouji?"

"Not a clue."

Not feeling the gravity of the situation one bit, Ryuuen proceeds to calmly make an analysis. His nonchalant behavior surely isn't merely a bluff. A characteristic Ryuuen and Ryuuen alone excels at. That's the very reason why he's able to continue acting this boldly.

"Physical strength alone doesn't decide victory or defeat when it comes to violence. It's about how strong your heart is." Ryuuen then lowers his stance while extending his left fist.

I wished I could have seen more. But it was then that I lost consciousness again. I was too exhausted to remain awake any longer.

"Atleast... I got to see... who X is..." And everything turned dark.

Vol 3 Ch 10: Aftermath

Hirano pov:-

I felt a light slap on my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes to see a man staring down at me.

"...Ayanokōji?"

"I hadn't expected you to be here. But it seems you managed to put up a fight against Ryuuen."

I looked over my shoulder. Karuizawa was gone. And everyone in Class B had collapsed.

"So this is the mastermind of Class D? Your amazing Ayanokouji-kun." I spoke in a defeated and exhausted voice. There was no point in picking a fight with him. I can't imagine myself beating him.

"Hmm? So you knew about me being the mastermind?"

I smiled towards him. "I made a guess. A gut feeling infact. But it was always useless without any evidence."

"You seemed to have given up. I can tell by those eyes."

"Hehe. It's not that I gave up. It's that I managed to release a lot of anger that I held back. Now I just feel relaxed." I looked into his eyes. "What about you? Do you feel better after kicking Ryueen's ass?"

"I feel nothing in particular." He responded.

"I see. A man that can fight without feeling any emotions? Truly terrifying."

Ayanokouji walked away from me without saying anything else and woke up the others.

I took this as a chance to finally get up from the hard ground and onto my own two feet.

"Finally awake, are we?"

"Do you think...this settles things, Ayanokouji?"

"It's over. Surely you're not going to say you want to keep going, are you?"

No matter who looks at it, it's clear this fight's been settled.

"I'll use any means I have to if it's for the sake of victory." Saying that, Ryuuen slowly raised his upper body. "If necessary, even war."

"Are you going to report that I pummeled you?"

"...kuku. Now that'd be lame. But, that's an option if it's for the sake of winning. While I'm at it, I could even forcibly set it up to make it look like you set the trap."

"For the record, this is just my advice but I wouldn't recommend doing that.
Beneath us, the former student council president is waiting. Even if he doesn't know the details, the fact that a problem did occur would be immediately revealed. And the fact that Ryuuen is the one who set the trap has been made clear from the moment the surveillance camera got destroyed. On the other hand, I was in Keyaki Mall around that period. If necessary, I can come up with as many alibis as needed."

I was surprised to know that Horikita senpai was present aswell. But why did he wait? If he knew about the fight then shouldn't he have come here. Unless Ayanokouji-kun told Horikita senpai to wait for him. For Horikita senpai to listen to someone and not interrupting such a big event... Don't tell me...

"...even though you could've had a third party act as witness from the start, you didn't?"

"Because you wouldn't stop attacking me unless I pummel you once."

"You think I'll accept this defeat?"

"At the very least, I think you will. There's only one reason behind your
defeat, Ryuuen. You messed up the order of conquest. That's all. If you'd
first faced off against Ichinose's class then had the experience of fighting
against Sakayanagi, perhaps you might've been closer to my level when you fought me. You got too curious and overextended."

He laughed bitterly when Ayanokouji spat those words out. "You're being rather frank..."

"I'd like to say I'll accept a rematch anytime but...I have no intention of
standing out from this point onwards. If possible, please go after someone else."

"Unless I'm reading too much into
the fact that you had the witness keep their distance, it means if I persist in
going after you, you'll drive us into a corner even if it means sacrificing your
identity and Karuizawa's past, is what it means."

"I'd like to avoid that to the best of my ability but yes, I'd have no other
choice but to do that."

"And not only me but you'll also drag the others here Hirano, Ishizaki, Ibuki and Albert down with you."

"Not Hirano. Karuizawa testified that he had tried to save her. As for the others, they will surely receive harsh punishment. Yet another one of your failings was assuming that my identity and Karuizawa's past would be absolute. If you wanted to shut me down in advance, you should've either done it on a larger scale or posted more watchdogs."

"In other words, as long as I continue to exist, Class B will be handicapped."

"Not really. As long as you don't take any reckless action against us, I have
no intention of using this matter as a tool either."

"I'm not naive enough to believe in a verbal promise like that. If Class B ever
drives you into a corner, you'll report today's incident to the school. Am I
wrong?"

"Perhaps. But what'll you do? What's done is done, Ryuuen."

"Shut up. I'm done fighting against you. And, my own battle's also over."

Ryuuen looked around at me and the other three before taking out his phone
and typing something into it. And then he slid the phone across the floor of the rooftop where it came to a stop near my feet.

"What..."

"I take responsibility for everything. Before that, I'm transferring all my points over to you."

"Huh...? Ryuuen, you, what are you saying...? Are you stupid?"

"T-That's right, Ryuuen-san! It's not like anyone's going to talk about what
happened here so there's no need for you to take responsibility!" Both sides
cannot afford to speak up about this incident. On the surface, we're locked
into a stalemate.

But the truth of it is that Class D is in an overwhelmingly advantageous position and Ryuuen's realized that. There's only one way to cancel it out.

"Ayanokouji, I'm the sole perpetrator of all this. One expulsion's enough,
isn't it?"

"You're being rather serious. To take responsibility for your actions." How
stupid. He spat those words out along with the blood that had accumulated
inside his mouth. "A tyrant is only tolerated so as long as his power holds
meaning. Now that I've lost this badly, no one will follow me anymore."

"You've got to be kidding me. Why are you entrusting it to me...?" I asked.

"Originally, I didn't plan to invite you here. Since I knew that you wouldn't keep your mouth shut about it. But that's all gone out the window. But hey? I got to see a side of you that you hide so well so it was entertaining atleast. Once I get expelled, Katsuragi and Sakayanagi will declare the contract null and void but there's nothing that can be done about it." That's right...If the contractor himself drops out of school, there's a very high possibility that would be the case... The same will happen to the contract between me and Ryueen.

"Are you seriously saying this, Ryuuen-san!?" Ishizaki also stood up and shouted that out in a sad sounding voice.

"Shut up. I can hear you just fine without the screaming." Ryuuen laughed thinly. "You guys handle the rest yourselves."

It would seem he's serious about dropping out. He stood up without even looking at his phone. "Later." Leaving behind those words, he tried to exit
the rooftop. Neither Ibuki's words nor Ishizaki's words reached that back of
his. And me and Albert didn't even speak.

"Are you sure? About dropping out of school. I think you'll regret it
though." For some reasons, Ayanokouji stopped Ryuuen.

"What do you care?"

"If you leave here without even knowing the reason behind your loss, your growth will stop right there and then."

"Huh?"

"Are you fine not knowing the reason you lost against me?"

(Is Ayanokouji planning to be a teacher when he grows up?) I thought, confused by the situation.

"...spare me. There's no reason for you to save me in the first place. You stand to gain nothing from sparing me, not after I've learned about you and
Karuizawa. There's no telling when I'll spill the beans."

"That's right...if I have to state a reason then it would be that things will get
easier for Class D even without me if you would take out Sakayanagi and
Ichinose on my behalf. Besides, if your contract with Katsuragi remains intact, Class A will slowly accumulate damage. And most importantly, if you suddenly drop out, Sakayanagi and Ichinose would end up thinking Ryuuen got beaten by X. It would be troublesome if that were to happen."

He is right. Sakayanagi and Ichinose aren't idiots. They would surely connect the dots.

"Even if word of this unexpectedly spreads, I've sustained no visible injuries, fortunately enough. No matter who looks at it, it would only seem as though you guys had a falling out, no?"

"...then this'd be the scenario. I tried to punish Hirano not listening to my orders. but he got fed up and retaliated and as a result, I was overthrown. Let's leave it at that."

"The Hell!?" I spoke up.

"What? It's true. You were a real beast fighting me. I was actually impressed. And since you did retaliate. It's not a lie. is it?" He is planning on twisting the truth to make it look like I defeated him.

"You...are you really fine with that?"

"Everyone here got demolished by Ayanokouji alone. To hell with it all at
this point. Besides, me disappearing off on my own minimizes the damage
dealt."

"Just let me add this. You're free to drop out on your own and you're free to
doubt me too. But I have no intention of telling anyone about what happened
here. I also ensured that the former student council president waiting below will keep his silence on the matter. In other words, nothing happened here
that would require expulsion. If you still wish to drop out, then I won't stop
you..."

"Then don't stop me. I don't trust easily." Leaving those words behind, Ryuuen left the rooftop. Ishizaki and even Ibuki seemed dissatisfied with Ryuuen's actions.

Soon they left one after another. Until only me and Ayanokouji remained. He walked towards the stairs and stopped at the entrance. Looking back at me, he asked. "Are you not coming?"

I looked at him with a mixed expression. "I will be there in a minute. Just go without me."

Without a second thought, Ayanokouji left. I looked down at the object near my feet.

I picked up Ryuuen's phone. I didn't know how to feel about the situation. I always wanted to get away from him. But for somereason, I don't feel happy at all...

The next day:-

I was waiting for a certain someone to come. Originally, Ibuki wanted to accompany me. But I told her that I wanted to talk to Ryuuen alone.

As I waited I saw a figure walking towards me. He completely ignored my presence. And started walking away.

"Hold it, Ryuuen" I called out to him by grabbing his arm.

"Huh? What the hell are you doing?
Don't go around casually touching me."

"I don't want to touch you either. You gave me your phone, didn't you? I just
came here to give it back."

I thrust the phone into his hand. "As you asked, I took almost all the points from it. It now only has about 20,000pp left. Just incase you change your mind."

If he changes his mind and doesn't drop out, if he wishes then I would gladly return all his points.

"I tolerated your domineering attitude and actions so far because I believed
we shared the same goal. The other day, even when you didn't give us an
explanation regarding the penalty for Class B, no one complained. Because
they all believed that in the end, we'd rise to Class A. But you're just going
to drop out here?"

"Kuku. Look at you! Being all confident! It seems yesterday something really did unleash inside of you. Didn't it?"

"I...I have a few anger issues..." I spoke as I averted my eyes.

"Oh? It seemed more than a few to me. You sure your not mental?"

"Stop changing the subject. Answer me."

"Fine. I did tell you small fry this, that if you follow me I'd take you up to Class A. But that's just me offering you the carrot after the stick. You know about my contract with Class A, don't you? I had no intention of giving it to you guys."

"So you're saying the plan was for you to go to Class A alone?"

"That's the idea, yeah. There's no way I'd seriously look after my classmates,
is there?"

He gave me back his phone and started leaving. "That's enough, no? Later."

"800 million points." I spoke.

"...huh?'.

"After you handed me your phone yesterday, I seriously contemplated whether or not I should take your points for myself or not. I after making my decision, I finally took a look at your points". I was honestly shocked. While I had struggled to get only 20 Million points. Ryuuen was planning on getting 40 times that!

"If it's only for one person's sake, 20 million points would've been enough.
But what's with this strategy? 800 million is the number of points necessary for all of Class B to rise to Class A, isn't it? Well, I don't think it's possible to save up that much though."

"Stop dreaming. I was just fooling around with that memo." He forcibly took his phone from me. "You and Soga will take the lead from now on. It's still possible as long as Ayanokouji doesn't make a move."

"That's not my point here."

"I don't care eitherway. Also take this 20,000pp, you left for me. I don't plan to change my mind."

"I don't need it. I already have enough."
I rejected it. For the first time since coming to this school, I don't feel like collecting points.

" Sigh. If your not going to change your mind then there is no point in talking further. Goodbye, Ryuuen." Saying that I walked back to the dorms and left Ryuuen to do what he wanted.

However, I was surprised to hear that he really did change his mind.

Apparently Ishizaki and Albert said that they would join in with l Ryuuen's expulsion causing Ryuuen to change his plans of withdrawal.

Third person pov:-

In no time, strange rumors began circulating among the 1st years.

That Ryuuen Kakeru has stepped down as leader of Class B and the new leader of Class B is Hirano Aki.

That he's stopped associating with Ishizaki and the others. That he no longer speaks to anyone.

The story about Hirano teaming up with Ishizaki and Albert to defeat Ryuuen also spread wide.

And as time went by, more development in Hirano's life started to begin.

Hirano pov:-

I planned to meet two people at a Keyaki Mall. I walked into a restaurant where we were supposed to meet up.

I spotted them immediately and headed towards the table.

"Hey guys."

"Sup." "Welcome." They both responded. Those two were known other than Soga and Takeda.

I took my seat. "So what did you two want to talk about."

"I want to take about the change in leadership."

"Dang Takeda. You went straight to the point."

"There is no point in beating around the bush, Soga."

I closed my eyes. I knew that's what this was all about.

When it was announced that I would be the new leader, the class was shocked and overjoyed because it meant that Ryuuen could do nothing to them anymore.

However I knew that there would a few with questions and obviously Takeda is one of them.

"Let's eat first. My treat."

"I invited you here. So let me." Takeda rejected my offer and offered to pay himself.

It wasn't really a problem for me to pay. Due to Ryuuen giving me his points. I now have a total of 10,702,550pp. Which is a little over half of what I need to change classes. Ryuuen really was saving up alot of points.

I just ordered a Masala Dosa, an Indian dish. While Soga ordered udon. As for Takeda, he just ordered curry rice.

The real conversation began as we were eating when Takeda decided to drop a bomb.

"You didn't defeat Ryuuen. Did you?"

I froze. "...Why do you say that?"

"With Albert and Ishizaki, it's understandable that you could beat Ryuuen. But I doubt that they would betray Ryueen-kun..." Soga spoke up.

"...Which means you had to fight alone. However, I doubt you could defeat Ryuuen. I don't see you winning against Soga. So you have no chance at beating Ryuuen." Takeda continued Soga's words.

They really are smart.

"Sigh. I don't know what to tell you guys... I doubt you would believe me anyway."

"I just wanna know. Who beat you guys up. Was it X from class D?" Takeda miraculously guessed who it was.

In such a situation, all I could do was remain silent.

"Hehe. So it was that X. I guess he really does exist." Soga took my silence as a confirmation.

"If that is the case, what do you plan to do now Hirano?"

I looked over at Soga and then at Takeda. I took a deep breath and then spoke up. "Since we will be demoted the coming semester, I plan to make class B lay low for a little while. There is no point in continuing for now. I will make everyone in class corporate and pass the exams that are to come. After one or two exams, I will start attacking the other classes for real."

"Like how Ryueen did?"

"No. We will compete against the other classes fairly and try to win anyway we can."

"That is easier said than done. We can't go forward without an actual plan."

"I...I know."

"What about X?" Soga interrupting Takeda and asked a valid question. After knowing that X is real, anyone would be curious about him.

"He won't be making anymore moves for now."

"He?" Takeda caught on.

"Nevermind that. Anyway, what's your point for this discussion?"

"So we can help!" Soga spoke up with a smile.

"H...Help?" I looked over at Takeda,who was smiling at what Soga said.

"I will help you manage the class. While Takeda can give you advise on how to tackle the exams. We also have Hiyori and Kaneda helping us. With all our efforts combined, we can challenge the exams even without Ryuuen!"

Soga's words of encouragement really sparked hope in my heart (Yes. We can do this.)

"Now then. Let's finish this meal and let's have fun! It's the winter vacation after all!" Soga spoke.

"Yeah. Let's. I just happen to want to check out this electronics store nearby." Takeda responded with a smile.

(Takeda really does love computers. Doesn't he?)

I looked over at them and realized that I had made some unique friends. Maybe with them we still have a chance to reach class A.

Timeskip:-

"So...Where are we going?"

"To have some fun Ofcourse!"

"And by fun... you mean wasting my money?"

I was standing infront of three girls. Each one of them holding a triple scoop icecream. Which were obviously payed by me! Why does this always happen?

"Don't be so stingy! You were the one who was avoiding us like a plague!"

"T-That's not..."

"Regardless you have barely hung out with us! Like seriously!"

"I... Okay fine." (I can't win against these girls.)

I just accepted my fate and went to the movies with Itsuki, Aika and Miku.

Upon entering I happened to meet a few people I didn't expect.

"Oh~ Well look who it is! Class B's new leader."

"Sakayanagi..."

Sakayanagi was present along with Kamuro.

"Where are the rest of your servants?"

"Fufu. They won't be coming. What about your new lackeys? Are those girls a part of them?"

"Hey!" Itsuki didn't take Sakayanagi's provocation kindly.

"May I remind you Sakayanagi. I don't treat my friends as lackeys. Unlike a certain someone who treats them like mindless dolls." I said while looking over from Sakayanagi to Kamuro.

"For someone who used to be everyone's errand boy. You sure can act tough after a little promotion."

"For someone whose class was crushed, you sure can talk alot."

"I believe, it isn't just my class who suffered a defeat in the previous exam. Aren't you and your class supposed to be demoted to class C?"

"Okay stop both of you!" Aika butted into our conversation.

"We are all here to have fun and watch a movie. So let's not start a fight okay?"

"Fine. We don't want to disturb anyone else."

"What she said."

And with that, we both went our separate ways.

Timeskip:-

The movie was great. But a little too... I don't know... Stupid?

I mean... You are literally being attacked by a helicopter throwing missiles at you. Is it really the time to have a kissing scene? I don't get these movies sometimes...

I spotted someone waiting for me.

"What does she want now?" Itsuki said with a bit of hostility.

"I will see. You guys go on ahead. I had fun today."

"Please be careful Aki." Miku seemed worried about me.

I nodded and parted ways with the triplets.

"So what do you want from me?"

"Fufufufufu." Sakayanagi looked at me and laughed.

"Let's discuss this a bit more... privately~"

Vol 3 Epilogue: There Are Two.

Hirano pov:-

"Well this isn't suspicious at all..."

Sakayanagi had dragged me to a nearby alleyway between two stores. For somereason, she was all alone.

"What happened to your henchmen?"

"Don't worry about them. I thought that we could have a one on one chat."

(Definitely Suspicious.)

"So mind explaining why you sabotaged Class A?"

"You mean the new class B?"

Her smile grew colder and so did her voice.

"Please answer."

"Is there anything to answer? You were the one who first tried to expel me. Remember?"

"Fufu. Yes. But I also gave you a valuable clue. Or did you not pick up on it?"

I raised my eyebrow. (What does she mean?)

"Fufufu. So you didn't? Do you remember what I said as you were leaving my room that day?"

"I... It was "Soccer club". Correct?"

"So you do remember. Was that not a good enough exchange?"

"What do you mean?" I started to grow impatient.

"Oh~ Why don't you think carefully about it? Think back to everything that happened this exam."

I recalled everything as my eyes opened with shock.

"Someone in my class who is in the soccer club is..."

"Fufufu."

"You knew?!" I shouted.

"Ofcourse. They were the ones who asked me for my help afterall."

"You... You won't tell me even if I ask, will you?"

She just stood there smiling at me. I took in a deep breath.

"I apologize for taking such actions but next time. Can you try not to expel me?"

"Who knows? I can't promise anything~"

"Okay then, What do you want to get off my back?"

"Hmmm... Well you could take me to bed."

"Wha-!" I was shocked by her boldness.

"Fufufu! Your face looks so red!" She was laughing quietly as she teased me.

"Don't play with a guy's heart like that!"

"Okay. Okay. I will stop for now. Besides, you really aren't at my level anyway. A woman never dates someone she thinks of as a worm afterall~."

(Ouch. Rejected.)

"Well I will just be leaving now..." I was completely embarrassed by the situation. I just wanted to get out of that place.

"Oh! Before you go! I have one last thing to ask you."

"What is that?"

"What happened between you guys and that so called X?"

My face stiffened at what she said.

"Nothing. It seems like that guy didn't exist."

"Oh~ Is that so? So you just became the class leader after Ryuuen stepped down? And you defeated him alone?"

(Does she know about Ayanokouji?)
"I... I wasn't alone. I had Ishizaki and Albert by my side."

"Oh~ I never thought that they would ever betray Ryueen. But I guess you can't tell a person's true nature after all." She said with a soft smile.

"Oh. One last thing."

"What is it?"

"There are two."

I looked over at her with a confused look.

"What's that supposed to-"

"Bye. Bye." She waved at me. Motioning me to leave.

I decided to walk away even though I had questions. But I just wanted to get out of that situation as soon as possible.

"There are two? Did she mean-"

Timeskip:-

As I was leaving the place, I ran into two more people. As soon as they saw me, one of them motioned the other to leave.

(It looks like he wants to talk to me...)

Yahiko looked over at me and then walked away.

"Is something the matter Katsuragi?"

"I would like to talk about your request during the Paper Shuffle exam."

"Hmmmmm? Wait let me think... Ah! Yes! I wanted to talk to Sakayanagi's followers. What about it?"

"Would you mind telling me how our question sheet was leaked?" He asked me sternly. It seems he has no intention of playing around.

"I just held a little grudge. That's all."

"This was against our agreement. I thought I made it clear that I would listen to your request as long as it didn't have to betray my class."

Yes. I remember his words clearly. However...

"Why are you so worried about it?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, As far as the rest of class A is concerned, Sakayanagi lost the exam. So not only did she betray the class during the Island Exam but even lost you guys the Paper Shuffle putting her in a bad position. You can easily use this to gain more power over the class. You should be thanking me if anything."

"What you say is true. However, I still don't like the fact that I had to betray my own class."

"Sakayanagi would use every trick in the book she has to win. While you were just fulfilling a promise you made to me while not knowing my reasons. There is a difference Katsuragi. So don't worry about it."

He thought for a moment.

"Fine. I will accept it as a help from a friend for now."

"Great!" I smiled beaming with happiness that it didn't turn out into a serious problem. I mean, it did with Sakayanagi. But atleast I still have Katsuragi on my side to ask for help! So it's all good!

"Well, I have to get going. See ya."

I walked away and went back to the dorms. After reaching my room and locking the door, I laid down on my bed and seriously thought about what Sakayanagi said.

"Soccer Club... There are two..."

After thinking about it, I decided to take a course of action.

I immediately called Soga.

"Hey Hirano! What's goin-"

"Soga. Do you know anyone in our class who is in a soccer club? And preferably has a sibling or something like that?"

"That's an odd request... I will get back to you on that."

"Good. I will wait for your call."

I hung up the phone. I laid there looking at my ceiling. Thinking about everything that happened since the Sports Festival.

"I hope the next session isn't as exhausting as this one."

Eitherway, I can't do anything about it now. All I can do is wait patiently and see how things turn out. But first...

I gotta start enjoying my winter vacation!

Vol 3 SS: It Was Him?

Ichinose pov:-

"We beat class A!"

Our class was currently celebrating the results of our exam. Today was the day, we had gotten our results. With this, we had officially became class A. But my mind still couldn't comprehend one thing.

I looked over at Itsuki screaming at her phone for somereason.

"How dare he not answer me!"

"We can ask him face to face."

"And if he still doesn't answer. Then face to fist!"

"Is something the matter?" I butted into the conversation between the three triplets.

"Honami! No nothing really..."

"Hmmm... I see." I guess I can ask her about "it" now.

"By the way Itsuki, how did you get those question? They were exactly the same as the test sheet prepared by class A?" At my question the class went silent. Apparently they had been listening to this conversation even before I butted in. But no one had questioned them about it till now.

The three girls all looked at eachother and then back at me.

"Well... You see...ummm-"

"It was from Aki."

"Hirano-kun?"

"Let me explain."

Itsuki was having trouble explaining thus Aika explained everything in her place. About how Hirano-kun sent them the sheets with questions "which had a high chance of coming".

"It's obvious that he somehow got his hands on class A's test sheet." Kanzaki spoke up from behind me.

"Yes. But how?"

"Don't worry. I plan to ask him when we meet-"

"No Don't." I interrupted Aika as I began to speak.

"He will obviously lie or will deny if you ask him so there is no point in doing so. Instead try to ignore this issue entirely."

I could look at everyone being confused at what I said.

"He helped us win this exam. So he obviously wants to maintain a good relationship with our class. We shouldn't ruin it by interrogating him. There is a chance he may help us again in the future after all!"

"You... have a point. Fine! We won't ask him about it." Aika spoke as her sisters nodded

"C-Can I say something?"

"Yes what is it?" I was quite interested as Miku has never participated in such discussions before.

"Well now that we are being promoted to class A. Should we join forces with class B? or the future Class C to be precise. Like how we had formed a cooperative relationship with class D before."

"Yes, we can do that. However, I am afraid that won't be possible with Ryueen around."

"O-Oh..."

Miku looked very sad at what Kanzaki said. It's true. As long as Ryueen is their class leader. There is no way we can join forces. Ryueen-kun wouldn't allow it. Or worse he may use us for his own gain.

Looking at Miku, I could tell why she was sad. Miku must be sad because she wanted to work together with Hirano. In my opinion, she is more closer to Hirano than her sisters.

I would have also loved to work together with Hirano. But that won't be possible for now... But atleast we can help eachother out from time to time! Besides, I see him everyday in the student council and we have gotten closer than ever since I am his vice secretary!

I clapped my hands together and with a smile, I addressed the class. "Well we can think more about all this later. For now let's celebrate! We are finally class A!"

Cheers began raining in as Hoshinomiya-sensei gave us a smile with a very joyful expression on her face.

While my classmates were planning the celebration, I sat at my desk and went into a deep thought.

Why? Why did Hirano help us? Was it for some grudge against class A? Some kind of deal? For the triplet sisters? Or... for me?

I shook my head violently at the last one. (No... No way that's the reas-)

"Honami. Why is your face red?" Itsuki pointed out.

"Umm...Nothing! It's just really hot today that all!"

"Huh? Isn't winter coming soon?"

"Don't worry about! Anyway, Itsuki make sure to not question Hirano about it okay?"

Knowing her, she might spill.

"But I am really curious!"

"Don't worry. I will talk to him during the winter break and ask him about it. Then I will tell you okay?"

"You better! Hmph!"

(She is so cute.) I thought. Now that I think about it then each one of the triplets are very cute!

I somehow managed to change the topic. What was I even thinking? Hirano is just the type to value his friends! There is no way he has any feeling like that!

But what if he does...? He did already touched my breast once... But that was an accident! But what if it wasn't...?

As I thought more about Hirano, the more red my face became and my heart beat increased.

(What do I do?! I have never been in a relationship with someone!)

I had been confessed to many times before but I had always rejected them. Seeing their crying face made me sad too. I don't want to break Hirano-kun's heart and don't want to ruin our friendship.

I shook my head and told myself to calm down. These are all just speculations. Hirano might not even like me that way. To him, I might just be a close friend. And the feelings are pretty mutual.

Right. There is no point in thinking about these things.

I looked out the window.

"Let's just focus on the coming tomorrow."

Note:-

This concludes the end of volume 3. Thank you all for reading. However, I will be going on a small one or two month break. So volume 4 may take a while to come out. But when it does. I hope you all enjoy it!

For volume 4, I plan to cover volumes 7.5 and 8. It will be focused more on character interactions than any secret plans or strategies. However, it may have one or two fight scenes.

It will also feature Hirano's past. So look forward to it.

Vol 4 Prologue: Why Aren't You Laughing?

Hirano pov:-

Everywhere I looked I could only see the shocked faces of the crowd that had formed.

Blood dripping from my head aswell as coming out of my nose and mouth.

Looking down, I see the figures of atleast 10 people laying on the floor. Groaning in pain.

They had blood vomiting out of their mouth. Bleeding from their hands from bite marks and had scratched up faces.

Some even had their head banged to the wall a couple of times till they bled out.

Pieces of broken glass from the fish tank laid on the floor and most of the fish were already dead except a few that were still somehow moving.

"S-Someone call an ambulance!"

"What did that kid do!?"

"H-He is a monster."

"I am calling the police!"

I looked at the scared faces of everyone around me.

Like hell. You all just watched when it happened to me and stood by. Now you want to do something when I fight back?

Most of you laughed whenever they came for me, watched my pain with joy. Why aren't you laughing now? Don't you love other people's pain? Come on... Laugh... Don't you see the 10 bleeding bodies on the floor!?

I glared at them and some shrieked back in fear. When I saw them afraid of me, I felt two emotions. Anger... and joy.

They are afraid. They fear being beaten up by me... To see that expression on "their" face... It makes me happy...

VERY HAPPY...

But despite that I couldn't bring myself to smile. How could I? When my anger still wasn't quelled even after what I did.

But can anyone blame me for defending myself? As they saying, An eye for an eye. A life for a life. Sounds like a fair trade right?

I looked back down at the group of people laying at my feet. Some were knocked out unconscious while those that were still awake couldn't get up from the pain they had experienced.

They who used to talk to big and smiled so joyfully at me were now reduced to dust at my feet. I am sure some of their bones are broken too.

Come to think of it. I am in pain aswell. I am sure one of my ribs aswell as a bone in my left hand is broken. Oh! And my head seems to be bleeding too! Why didn't I notice this before? Was I to distracted from the fight? It doesn't matter.

Soon an ambulance along with multiple police officers arrived on the scene. It was quite the incident. I was sure it would make the headlines.

We were escorted to the hospital. Where we all had to stay for atleast a week till we were aloud to go back. Fortunately, no one died. Though, the trauma from the fight is a different story.

Me and my family were even sued by multiple people. The families of those weaklings that could do nothing but go back and cry to their parents.

However, no matter how many of them came. No matter how many people critized me. In the end, it was me and my family who won in court.

I was lucky to have such a supportive family aswell as relatives.

However, my life was never the same. On coming back to school, everyone stayed away from me. Even some of the teachers. But that didn't matter to me. I was always alone in school anyway, what's another five months going to do?

That's right. I, who was in my last year of middleschool, would graduate soon and aim for a better life. And my target... is Advance Nurturing High School.

I can make new friends and start fresh. Be in a place where fun activities and good people would be present.

I don't have any friends since I came to this school and after the incident, my chances of making any friends in the next five months are zero.

I have a few friends outside of school or atleast I did. Most of them left me after the incident. But he didn't.

He believed in me till the very end. He knew about what used to happen to me at school. And knew everything about what those people did to me. He was a kind person who was always there to listen to me.

While the parents of my other friends told them to stay away from me, His father was very supportive of me and believed that I was innocent.

Me and him had been friends for over one and a half years, eversince I moved to this town and had to leave the triplets behind. We both lived nearby and happened to run into eachother one day. The rest is a long story.

I wonder if he wants to go to ANHS too? If so... That would be great! I would have my best friend with me!

I picked up my phone and dailed his number.

"Hello?" A voice came from the phone.

"Hey!"

"Aki? What's up?"

"Nothing much. Want to hit the arcade today?"

"Hell yes! I am totally beating you today!"

"Ptfff dream on! Oh! By the way, can I ask you something?" I asked

"Hm? Sure what is it?"

"So Eiichirō, Do you plan to go to Advance Nurturing High School?"

Vol 4 Ch 1: Her Crush?

Aika pov:-

"Sorry, for calling you out suddenly".

"It's no big deal. Don't worry about it".

"It's a great help to me if you say that".

We were waiting for Karuizawa, who had just arrived.

Together with Satou-san, who seemed happy, as planned we entered the shop. Although it was full, conveniently a table just happened to be empty as it's occupants got up to leave. So we were able to properly enter.

"It's really crowded~".

I said that out loud without thinking.

"In the winter vacation, I wonder if all the school years don't have anything
like exams".

Towards the Satou-san who said that, I too, had the same question.

During the summer vacation, we 1st year students immediately set out on a
voyage on board a luxury cruiser. But, this time, from seeing students across
all school years, it seems as though no special exams were being conducted.

I wonder if this school, too, is giving us this service at least for the winter
vacation. Or could it be that at the end of this year and the start of the next,
some kind of exam would begin? If so, I'd hate it.

"If you haven't eaten breakfast yet, order lots and lots ok? I'll pay for
everything".

Satou-san tells us not to hold back with a smile. And just as she said, I just ordered a cheese burger while Karuizawa ordered an American scone and a cafe au lait, and the three of us, near the center of the shop, sat in a small table for three.

"So what's the consultation you wanted from me?". Karuizawa-san asked as she leaned her head towards Satou-san. I did the same, leaning in my ears to hear her out.

"Hmm, yeah. The thing is, you see? The truth is...soon I'll be going on a date".

Satou said then cut in with that.

"...date?".

Karuizawa-San wasn't the only one who was surprised by this.

"That's right".

While blushing, Satou-san nodded two or three times towards us. (She is seriously love struck. I wonder who it is.)

"Umm, with who?". Karuizawa-san asked with an oddly tensed tone.

"It's Ayanokouji-kun, you see. It's a surprise...right?".

Satou-san murmured that, seemingly shy yet happy.

"Heh...so Satou-san's aiming for Ayanokouji-kun. That's a surprise~". There was something really odd with Karuizawa-san's tone. Did she already knew about Satou-san being in love?

"Well I am happy for you." I was sincerely happy for her. However...

"But this guy, Ayanokouji, who is he?"
They both turned their heads to me as I said that.

"Oh! Right! You aren't from our class. Ayanokōji-kun is a boy from our class with brown hair and a boring look in his eyes."

"Brown hair...boring eyes?" I thought about his description given by Karuizawa-san.

"Wait... That guy who works under Horikita?"

"Y-Yup. That's the one." Karuizawa confirmed my thoughts. But why did she stutter?

"But he seemed so... I don't know. Plain and boring. Yet you fell in love with him?"

"Right? I'm also a bit surprised by myself too. But, during the sports festival, there was the relay, right? Looking at his running figure, my heart was pounding, you see".

Satou-san was speaking with such excitement to the point I felt embarrassed while listening to it.

That figure of hers was indeed that of a 'Maiden in Love'. Even so...

"But, doesn't he lack a presence? If it's Satou-san, there should be other,
better boys more suited for you. Like, Tsukasaki-kun from the other class,
how about him?". Karuizawa-san spoke out my thoughts.

Even across our school year, he was hailed for a period of time as a
considerably handsome guy. Not a bad choice.

"That's no good. It seems only a while ago, he's begun dating a senior student
who attends the same club as him".

I see. So he's already been taken, that's why I haven't heard any rumors about
him. Even a popular idol on the television, male and female alike, as soon as they find themselves a lover, their popularity plummets.

"So that's how it is. Then, how about Satonaka-kun? He should be free even
now, right?".

"Yeah, I do think he's cool and all but ...something's just not clicking with me there".

Even though, Karuizawa-san suggested several other popular guys, Satou-san showed no signs of being moved at all. It seems Satou-san isn't judging Ayanokouji-kun solely by his outer appearance.

"Hearing this may seem a bit like that but, are you seriously aiming for him
that much?". Karuizawa-san asked her one last time.

I narrowed my eyes at her. (Why is she so intent on making her give up on Ayanokouji-kun?)

"...yeah".

In response to that question, Satou-san without any hesitation, answered with
a nod. It seems she's hardened her resolve, and Satou-san was not
approaching Ayanokouji-kun as some joke. Such a thing, I had already long realized it though.

"Isn't it a good thing that you've found someone you like? And besides, right
now Ayanokouji-kun should be free too". I decided to encourage her. If it's true love. Why not let it blossom?

"That's right, that's why I thought this might be my chance. If some other girl
also falls in love with Ayanokouji-kun then...I was thinking like that and I
got into a hurry".

"...could it be the consultation, has something to do with that date?".

Hearing that, Satou-san's eyes lit up and she nodded. Ever since a while ago,
she's been too dazzling.

"Yeah. You know, like the secret behind making a date a success? I was
wondering how I should do it. How did you end up dating Hirata-kun, I want
you to tell me various things regarding that".

In Class D, the only ones who have clearly announced their relationship were Karuizawa-san and Yousuke-kun. Even if she sought help from her friends in the other classes, Ayanokouji, who's that? Something like that is the most that could happen. Take me for example. In other words, Satou-san relying on Karuizawa-san is also something that couldn't be helped.

"Why am I here then?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well... I thought Aika would also have great experience with these things. So I thought you could help me and give me advice."

I just sighed. I haven't even dated anyone yet. How the hell am I supposed to help her? "I will try my best to help if I can." I just said that much to not let her lose hope.

"Karuizawa-san, you started dating Hirata-kun soon after you enrolled
right?".

"Yeah. I guess so. It's nothing special though".

"It is something special. It's really amazing, I really respect you for that!".

Saying that, Satou-san, almost as if engulfing both Karuizawa-san's hands, grasped them.

"What Satou-san says is true. It was an impressive feat to get that guy into a relationship with you so fast."

Hirata is a handsome guy. But he isn't my type. But even then I know about the competition between the girls to claim his heart.

"I-Is that so?"

"That is why that skill, please instruct me in it!".

"It's not something that can be called a skill though...".

"After hearing you out what I thought is, instead of going on a trial date,
Satou-san wants to go on a real date with Ayanokouji-kun with the intention of going out with him, right?".

"Yeah".

In other words, a date meant to seduce Ayanokouji-kun.

"What should I do to make it go well?".

"Let's see!...".

I can't be of any help since I don't know him. So it was left to Karuizawa-san to figure things out for Satou-san. All I could do was help her with the plan.

"I wonder if I was being too vague? Umm, you see, since I'm an amateur at
this, I'd like to think of a date plan. Please help me with the decision"

And while lowering her head, she shows us the date plan written on the phone's memo screen.

Meet at 12 o'clock - Lunch - Movie Theater - Shopping - Confession
underneath the Legendary Tree - Present

It seems overwhelmingly simple, but it was written like that. Firstly, I interjected with the thing I was most concerned about over everything else.

"Wait a minute. Are you planning on confessing to him on the first date?". Before I could even speak. It was Karuizawa-san who asked her. It seems she and I thought of the same thing.

"I was thinking of going with the whole intention of hitting and breaking...only if the courage comes out on that day though".

As I was thinking she should deepen her relationship with him more bit by
bit, she went in with a short-term decisive battle that was far beyond my
expectations.

"Isn't it going too fast? I think it's not too late if you do it after 2, 3 dates. You
might be able to realize some disagreeable aspects about your partner too".( Atleast that's what I think.) I thought to myself as I tried to advice Satou-san.

Of course, girls with romantic experiences sometimes seem to make
decisions on the spot too. But Satou-san, in regards to romance, seems to be
closer to a beginner, I think it's better for her to take it slowly.

But, there's not much credibility in that coming from a fellow beginner like
me...But she seems rushed about the result, or more like I felt as though
she were prioritizing her charm.

Could it be, Satou-san might possibly want to make her girlfriend debut in
the 3rd semester?

"And also, what does this underneath the legendary tree mean? By any
chance, is it one of those if you swear your love you'll be bound forevermore
things?".

(I remember that. There was all sort of gossip going about it.) "It doesn't seem like it's that famous though, I found it while looking through the school's bulletin board. That, if you confess in front of that tree, it will definitely succeed. And what's more, there are quite a lot of reports like that. But it always sounded fishy to me. It's romantic but, Do you believe in such things Satou-san?".

"Speaking of which, there were several excellent trees like that weren't
there...".

"But even so, isn't it quite difficult? The timing of this confession".

(The time of confession has to be in the evening before the sun sets. From 4 o'clock in the evening to 5 o'clock in the evening. Around that time, the condition is that no one else must be around. If that condition is fulfilled, the confession has a 99% chance
of succeeding, it seems.)

"That's right, I guess. It says if someone else unrelated is there at the moment
of confession, things won't go well".

"Hey umm, what's your reason for falling in love with Ayanokouji-kun?".

"Ehh? Why are you asking, Aika-san?".

"No, sorry. It's because I don't know anything about Ayanokouji-kun, you
see. I wanted to get an image of him. About what part of him you fell in love
with, like that. You know, if hear it, maybe it might be useful for my advice
about your date plan, right?".

As I asked her that, Satou-san whispers back while hiding her cheeks inside
her hands, looking shy.

"Umm--...first of all, isn't he cool? Normally he's quiet and mature. And
also, he runs very fast...and in the tests too, he was above me so it's not like he's an idiot...you know, I naturally think Hirata-kun is better than that but
the other boys are all mostly childish".

(Childish? I can think of someone.) I suddenly had flashbacks of all the times Hirano came to play with me and my sisters.

"T-The things I'm saying right now, keep it a secret from the other girls, ok?
It'll be bad if they also realize how fine Ayanokouji-kun is. Besides, it'll also
sound lame if rumors about me not being used to men were to be spread
around".

"Is it fine to consult us though?".

"Karuizawa-san's the girlfriend of Hirata-kun so that gives me peace of
mind and Aika-san also has a boyfriend right?".

"W-wait what?! Where did you get that from!?" I shouted. It disturbed a few customers, so I apologized and sat back down.

"Well... I saw Aika surrounded by a lots of girls. But Hirano-kun from class B is the only one boy she hangs out with."

"He and I are not dating!" I almost shouted again. My face was a bit red from that.

"Hirano... huh..." Karuizawa-san muttered his name.

"Is something wrong?"

"Um... No nothing. I just remembered something."

She was acting very oddly when Hirano's name came up. But then again, for somereason she has been behaving very weirdly since coming here today.

"Hah...".

Karuizawa-san ended up sighing all of a sudden. Having heard that, Satou-san's face became gloomy as I looked at her.

"A-As I thought, I'm not bothering you, am I?".

"No, sorry. That sigh just now really didn't mean anything like that. Really".

"Then, let's revise the date plan a little, shall we? If you're going to be eating
lunch together, it might be better if you do it after watching the movie. If
things get awkward, you can always talk about the movie that way". I changed the topic and started giving her advice I picked up from a random magazine.

"Umm, let me put down the plan Aika-san's thought up".

Saying that honestly, Satou-san took out her phone.

The movie is probably already booked but for the sake of the flow it's better
if she does it. Watching a movie right away after eating may cause you trouble if an unforeseen situation were to arise. And it'll also make you sleepy so
that's a NG.

I accessed the movie theater's HP.

"And? When's the all-important date going to happen?".

First of all, I need to check whether or not the time can be changed, if I don't
start by confirming that nothing will start.

"It's the day after tomorrow".

"I see that's fine...wait, the day after tomorrow's the 25th though!". Karuizawa-san panicked when she heard that. She almost stood up without thinking. She panickedly lowered her raised hips back onto the chair.

"Hehehe".

(Satou-san really is going all in.) I thought to myself. I really admire her resolve.

"The 25th huh...well I guess it's still better than the Eve tomorrow".

The movie theater, too, seems as though it would be overwhelmingly packed
more so on the Eve. They're probably going to spend the whole day together
after watching the movie.

Even though a lot of couples make use of it, looking at it in terms of the
whole school, only 10% to 20% would be couples. As long as one doesn't
care about the time and the positioning of their seats, it's possible for them to
go as many rounds as they want.

"About the movie, you watch it from 11:50 and it'll end around 13:30. So before 2 o'clock you have your meals and around 3 o'clock you leave the
shop. After that, you adjust the time yourself and after 4 o'clock you confess. Something like that?". I confirmed.

The result of roughly adjusting the time, this is probably for the best.

Satou-san, too, doesn't seem to have any objections and she nodded satisfactorily.

"After that, I think it's also better if you reserve your lunch. You probably want to take the seats near the windows, right?".

Discounting lunch time, without a problem it can be done.

"And also, if you reserve your orders ahead of time, they also make you
things that are not on the menu". Karuizawa-san gave her opinion aswell.

"So that's how it is, I didn't know about that...as expected of Aika-san and Karuizawa-san".

Timeskip:-

The three of us, while chatting away, headed towards the dormitory.

"This morning it piled up quite a bit but it seems from tomorrow onwards, it
will be snowing even more".

Receiving such words from Satou-san, I looked around at the scenery surrounding me. Even though it had started to melt slightly, there were still
snow remnants scattered about. If this continues, it might even be snowing all
year round.

"I wonder what was so enjoyable about doing something like that".

"Ehh?".

"Sorry, sorry. I was just talking to myself. Sorry about that".

"You want to say something then you can tell us."

"The thing is, I wasn't able to say it earlier but there's one more thing I want to ask you".

"You've already started? So, don't hesitate to consult us".

"Thank you, Karuizawa-san, Aika-san. Umm, well, I'm happy I got to go on a date but...".

Perhaps she's harboring some anxieties towards her important date, but
Satou-san continued.

"Truth is, this is the first date I've ever gone on in my life...so, I don't know
what I should do"

"You've never gone out with another boy before?".

Satou-san who looked embarrassed. Well, from the flow of our conversation, I did have a feeling that was the case but...

I thought a modern, trendy girl like Satou-san would have done it earlier so
that was surprising.

"I'm only telling this because it's you two, Karuizawa-san, Aika-san, ok? Soon I'll be a 2nd year high schooler and if I still haven't gone on a date, if I told anyone else I'd definitely be made fun of. That I'm too slow. As expected, both of you thinks so too?".

"I-I guess so. You're a bit too slow. But doesn't it only mean that you haven't
found someone you really liked? It can also mean that you're treasuring
yourself". Karuizawa-san spoke up her thoughts.

"Truth to be told. I haven't gone on date yet either. So your not the only one." I encouraged her.

"What?!" They both spoke at the same time.

"W...what?"

"N...Nothing. I had just never expected that out of someone like Aika-san."

"I agree."

They both looked at me with dumbstruck faces.

"Just leave it alone okay?!" I shouted and averted my eyes.

"And you see? I think I'd be too nervous and won't be able to properly hold
things. That's why including Karuizawa-san and Hirata-kun...I was thinking if we could have a double date. To make sure things go well with me and Ayanokouji-kun, I want you to assist me!".

She requested Karuizawa-san like that. Not able to comprehend the contents of the proposal, for a moment, she was thrown into confusion.

"D-Double date? A-Assist?"

"I should have really said this sooner, right? It's after I had various reservations about it".

Satou-san who apologizes with a sorry expression. Reservations like that end
after a few minutes anyways so it's not a big problem. The important thing is,
to me, in other words, an existence without romantic experience, she's
requesting the role of Cupid in love. I wonder if something as absurd as this could even be.

"Is it...impossible?".

"That's--".

Karuizawa-san frowned at what Satou-san requested.

"As I thought, I think I'd like to spend Christmas alone together with Hirata-
kun".

"Ehh?".

Now Karuizawa-san was just panicking... she suddenly looked at me and said.

"Only if we make it a Triple Date!"

"Wait... What!?" I shouted.

"Just bring Hirano." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh! Yes!" Satou-san was full on with the idea.

"You... you girls!"

Hirano pov:-

"And that's basically what happened."

Me and Aika were talking on the phone. She was explaining everything to me about the so-called "triple date" that they were planning.

To be honest, I have hung out with girls. But I have never gone on a date. Not even a pretend date.

"Fine. It's not like I have anything to do that day. And if Ayanokouji would be present there. Then I guess I will come too." To be honest, I wanted to see what the great mastermind of Class D would do on a date. Not to mention, I still have to find a way to talk to Karuizawa about the rooftop incident...

"Wow. I was expecting you to decline."

"It doesn't really matter. It's better than being bored in my room. By the way, Since when are you friends with those class D girls?"

"Well unlike you, I have lots of friends. So it's natural that my popularity has spread to other classes."

I couldn't see her face but I could tell that she had a smug look on her face.

"Okay. I will text you the plans."

"Alright." We ended the call.

What a freaky request. Well it's not a request that is freaky. It's the fact that Aika is the one who is making it. I wonder how they bribed her...

I just hope she doesn't go overboard and make me pay for everything... she probably will.

" Sigh. It's going to be one hell of a date."

Vol 4 Ch 2: Triple Date.

Hirano pov:-

"Are we really supposed to just rush in and interrupt them?"

"Shhhhhh! Just follow my lead!"

We pretend to be walking by and overheard them.

"Hey Yousuke-kun, I'm curious about these two as well so wouldn't a double
date be good?".

"Double date?".

Hirata and Ayanokouji shared a glance at the unexpected proposal.

"That's right, me and Hirata-kun. And Satou-san and Ayanokouji-kun will be
having a date together. Doesn't it sound interesting? I thought it's not too bad
for the four of us to have a date once in a while like this".

That's our cue!

"Why not make it a Triple date?" I spoke out as we walked closer to them.

"Huh? Hirano-kun and Aika-san? I never thought I would see you two on a date."

"Well what can I say? Just some circumstances." Aika spoke up while giving a slide glare to Karuizawa.

(Just what did they do to get Aika to agree to this?)

"Hey Ayanokōji. Never thought that you would be out on a date."

"I-It's not a date! I just invited Ayanokōji to play with me today."

"Yup. That's a date." Aika took her chance to tease Satou. But her eyes spoke a different story.

(She really is angry about this being forced to go on a date with me. Did I do something wrong?)

"Sup Hirata. It's good to see you here."

"Good Morning Hirano-kun."

"Please drop the honorific."

"Oh ok."

"Well what did Hirano just say? A triple date?"

I blushed out if embarrassement and responded "Well since we all are here and know each other. We might aswell all hang out together, no?"

"That sounds like a great idea!"

"Agreed." Both Karuizawa and Aika voiced out their approvals.

"But won't that be difficult? I think the three of you might have different plans
too".

Hirata gently told her of that fact but it didn't seem to have any effect on
Karuizawa.

"Satou-san also told me it seemed interesting, right?".

"Yep, it seems interesting".

"For the record, it is Christmas".

Hirata who was looking at me as though he would be a problem, had a troubled look on his face. Looking at him, Karuizawa straight out asks him
whether it would be a 'Yes' or a 'No'.

"Hirata-kun's against it?".

"I'm fine with it myself. Isn't it just up to Hirano-kun, Aika-san, Satou-san and Ayanokouji-kun?".

Not knowing what our opinions on it were, Hirata had no choice but to
answer such. Towards Karuizawa who obtained Hirata's permission, Satou
directed her gaze towards her as if asking if that was too much trouble.

"It might be a sudden thing but I'd like to try it...like that".

Really, it was a sudden development. But Satou accepted this situation and
voiced her consent.

(They really planned all this out?)

"How about it, Ayanokouji-kun?".

From Hirata to Karuizawa, from Karuizawa to Satou and now from Satou to Ayanokouji-kun. The baton had been passed.

"That's right...".

"What about Hirano-kun and Aika-san?" Hirata asked.

"It sounds fun."

"I like the idea." We spoke respectively.

"If the five of you are fine with that, I have no particular objections".

Not wanting to keep them waiting, as everyone answered with a 'Yes', Karuizawa immediately took action.

"Then it's decided. Where are the two of you headed from now?".

Easily having confirmed the date, Karuizawa begins forcefully pulling us
along as she begins to proceed forward.

"Well me and Aki were just planning on hanging out, watch movies and such. So we will leave the plans to you all."

"Umm you see, Ayanokouji-kun and I were planning on watching a movie too".

Satou told them the contents of their date while using her phone and having a preparatory meeting with Karuizawa and Aika.

"The movie that starts screening today? If so, we're really lucky. We were also planning on going to see it. Uwa, on top of that even the screening time is the same. Amazing, amazing!".

"Great! Count us in!"

Towards this coincidence, the three of them looked excited.

However Satou's expression seems slightly rigid or rather awkward.

"What a coincidence right, Ayanokouji-kun?".

"Seems to be".

"Even if we're going to be seeing it together, since it's a movie, what do we
do about the seats? We can't change them can we?".

I asked the two of them where their seats were going to be.

"How is it, Karuizawa-san?".

Satou peeks at Karuizawa's phone and checked their seating positions.

"Our seats are separate, huh. Well, I guess that can't be helped--".
Karuizawa shows Hirata the seats.

"We hadn't really booked a movie, So we will have to see if we can still get the tickets. But even if we don't then It's alright. I guess me and Aika will watch a different movie."

"Hmm? You haven't even booked a movie?! You know the theater will be filled with students today!"

"Yeah but you never know!" Aika replied. (It's your fault that me and Hirano didn't have enough time to prepare!)

"Then, let's go already, Ayanokouji-kun!".

Me and Aika, hand-in-hand, posing as a couple started walking behind them.

"Well I guess things will start out as planned. Right?" I whispered to her.

"Yup. Now we just need to get our tickets and we will be done for now."

For somereason she wasn't making eye contact with me.

"Is something the matter?"

"N-Nothing..." Her face looked red.

I realized that it was because of how she had to act infront of everyone. She was clinging to my left arm, and I could partly feel her chest. This must be super embarrassing for a girl that has never gone on a date yet.

"Hey you don't have to keep acting just be yourself okay?"

"I-I... Shut up! Dummy!" She said as she averted her eyes.

(What did I do!?)

Timeskip:-

"What type of girl does Ayanokouji-kun like?".

Before Satou's words came out, Karuizawa beside her asked Ayanokouji that question.

"I-I'd like to hear about that too".

"Oh~ Juicy Intel."

(How did we even come to this? We were talking about music, clubs and other things. I found out about Karuizawa being secretly angry at Ayanokouji. But things suddenly escalated with that question. I salute you Ayanokouji.)

"...it's somewhat difficult to answer".

"The genki type...someone like that?".

Now that was surprising. I never thought him of all people even had a type!

"Surprising. I didn't think Ayanokouji-kun would be into that kind of girl".

"Could it be that Ayanokouji-kun thinks there are only two types of girls, the
genki type and the quiet type?". Aika threw in the question of the year.

"Is that true?".

"No, that's not true. I'm a relatively quiet type so on the contrary, I thought I'd
appreciate a girl who would tug me along better. If I've made a mistake in
expressing it through words then I'll correct it".

(That's bullshit at it's finest! I still remember those emotionless eyes he had even after beating Ryuuen half way to death!)

"Then, what's between you and Horikita-san?".
Again all of a sudden, such a question came forth from Karuizawa.

"I don't have anything going on at all with Horikita. As a matter of fact, even
on Christmas we're going about our own business".

"But, just because that's true doesn't mean there's really nothing between you two, right?".

That should have been enough, yet Karuizawa continued hounding him. She must really be angry.

"Couldn't it be the pattern where Ayanokouji-kun is interested in Horikita- san, yet she wouldn't give you the time of day and you want to ask her out yet you don't have the courage to do so?".

"...indeed".

If one considers it seriously, that would also be a possibility.

"S-So? Was it annoying that I asked you out?".

Anxiously, as though peering out, Satou looked at him.

"I told you earlier but if I really thought it was an annoyance, I would have
declined beforehand".

"I see. That's a relief...!".

"But there's also that, isn't there? Since the girl you like won't give you the
time of day, there are boys who like to keep insurance. A girl they keep in
reserve in case they can't go out with the one they really like, something like
that".

I looked over at Hirata and he just smiled back at me bitterly. We both understood eachother's intentions of staying out of this conversation. Sorry Ayanokouji-kun.

"Do I really look like someone who's capable of doing such a deft thing?".

"Yes you do?".

"...oi".

"Your true love is Horikita-san but you're keeping Satou-san as insurance and playing around with her, that possibility is also there right?".

She's no longer trying to uplift Satou, it seems Karuizawa's more so trying to
drop Ayanokouji instead.

Aika seems to be staying quite while observing Karuizawa. She seems to be thinking about something so I decided not to disturb her.

"I don't think Ayanokouji-kun is the type of person who would do something
like that".

Towards that harsh statement from Karuizawa, Satou objects.

"Right, Ayanokouji-kun?".

"I'm not that adept after all".

"But you know, Ayanokouji-kun gets along well with Kushida-san too
right?".

"Ehh, really?".

I already want to cover my ears. I have been avoiding that two faced woman for so long now. I don't even wanna think about her!

"In Kushida's case, I'd say she gets along with just about everybody though...".

"Don't you think the majority of boys want to date Kushida-san?".

"Do you really think so? Aki?". Suddenly Aika asked me and made all eyes turn to me.

"Although I admit at first I thought she was hot. But I don't see myself happy with having a relationship with her. I think just being friends is enough. Nothing more." I answered to the best of my abilities. While also hiding my true feelings of anxiety towards her.

"Oh? So Hirano-kun doesn't view Kushida as someone he is interested in dating. Is she not your type?" Satou asked.

"Well I don't really have a type. As long as she is a good person. I will consider them as dating material. But that's it."

"Are you saying Kushida is not a good person?" Karuizawa narrowed her eyes at me.

I looked toward Hirata from the corner of my eye.

"What about you, Hirata?" I directed the attention away from me to Hirata.

"Indeed I do think Kushida-san is very popular but I don't think everyone
feels that way. And besides, I don't think both Ayanokouji-kun and Hirano-kun have a special someone he feels that way about yet, wouldn't you say?".

It seems he understood my intentions and took the attention away from me.

"If Yousuke-kun says so, I'm sure that must be the case then".

Even though she still seemed dissatisfied, Karuizawa stops. Hirata's words carry a mysterious weight to them and they are not something that's simply overruled.

"Hey, the six of you there. Do you have some time?".

As the six of us came close to the movie theater, a voice called out to us from behind. As we each turned back to look.

(Not this guy!)

A sharp glint in his eye, and with a freshness about him, I'm familiar with this man.

There's not a single student in this school who doesn't know him. 2nd year
Class A Nagumo Miyabi. And beside Nagumo were several male and female
students who are probably friends of his. And among those members were
students from the student council as well. Secretaries Mizowaki and
Tonokawa. And Kiriyama as well. And female members of the student council too.

And then, the only one from amongst the three 1st years whose name made it to the student council. The figure of that girl was also there. 1st year Class C and my Vice-Secretary, Ichinose Honami. She did not recklessly come forth from amongst the lineup, and when our
gazes briefly met, she only smiled in response.

(I guess Soga wasn't invited. Figured that Naguma held a grudge against him and me.)

The other student council members other than Ichinose stopped their conversation when they looked at me and started to pay attention to me.
But, the eminent appearance of several senior students. The atmosphere of
this place became heavy.

"Good Morning, Nagumo-senpai."

"Hey Hirano. Looks like you got yourself a cute date." He said while he looked over at Aika and then looked back at me.

"I hope you are enjoying your time."

"I truly am." I responded with a fake smile. (I was before you showed up!)

He turned towards the boy next to me.

"You're Ayanokouji, aren't you?".

"...yes I am".

"You're 1st year right? Miyabi's friend?".

"I've never talked with him before. You don't remember? He was the student
who fought against Horikita-senpai in the relay at the sports festival".

"Ahh--. I thought I remembered you from somewhere...so it was from that
time".

"Shall we have a chat then? You have time don't you?".

To my surprise, Ayanokouji ended up being called out by Nagumo like that. Right now, it's obvious to anyone that the six of us were out playing. However, not only a senior student but also the new student council president, being invited out by someone like him, one cannot just rudely decline. Towards this unexpected incident, Satou withered and Karuizawa also seemed slightly upset. While Aika looked a bit irritated.

Seeing those three like that, Hirata immediately steps forward.

(But even so, we're playing so we don't have time please leave it for next time,
he can't simply say something like that either. I wonder how he's intending on
resolving this.)

"Good morning, Nagumo-senpai".

"Yo, Hirata. How's soccer going?".

Nagumo, before assuming the title of student council president, had been
affiliated with the soccer club. It seems he's decided to take advantage of that
fact to initiate the conversation.

"Everyone's doing their best. Next time, please join in our practice. Umm, senpai, did Ayanokouji-kun do something?".

Looking slightly anxious, Hirata cut in like that.

"Hmm? Ahh no, that's not the case. There's no way I'd bully my kouhai,
right? This is just out of curiosity".

Nagumo said that while laughing, but that laughter did not reach his eyes at
all. As long as I don't cut in, the flow here won't change at all.

"Do you have business with me?".
Ayanokouji answered him in a slightly rigid tone.

"Don't be so cautious. But that's an impossible task right? Please go on
ahead".

Perhaps he thought that a large crowd would intimidate us, but Nagumo told
his friends that.

"Hurry up and come ok~?".

"Got it".

It doesn't seem like he has any intention of letting us go, but Nagumo had his
entourage go off ahead somewhere. Looking at their backs, I could infer
something.

"We're going to the karaoke. After this, do you want to join us?".

"No thank you...".

"I was joking. If someone like you who's not even my friend joins us, the atmosphere there would get spoiled".

This time he derisively laughs at me.

"What about you Hirano? You mind coming along."

"I am afraid that I will have to decline senpai."

"So it seems."

He knew that I would decline since I can't just leave Aika here.

He then turned back to face Ayanokouji.

"So you're the student Horikita-senpai's paying attention to...I'm just playing along with those rumors".

(Yup that confirms it for me. What Horikita senpa said. I understand now.)

"Senpai, are you talking about that time during the relay?".

Hirata barged into the conversation to back me up.

"Yeah, you were watching too right?".

"Yes, because I already knew Ayanokouji-kun's really fast".

"But other than that, Ayanokouji-kun shouldn't have anything that attracts the attention of senpai and the others".

"Indeed he only looks like an ordinary student. Except for that speed you
spoke of...huh".

Nagumo, with a sharp expression on his face, strongly gripped Ayanokouji's arm.

Towards that abnormal sight, naturally the other four would be surprised. It
was a dangerous situation, it must have looked as though a fight were about
to break out. Even Hirata, who was close to Nagumo, for a moment froze up. Even I for a moment put up my gaurd just incase he switches targets.

"President Nagumo, your face is quite scary--".

So that the situation does not progress any further, Karuizawa laughed and
approached Nagumo.

"Did I scare you? Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to".

Nagumo looked at Karuizawa with a serene expression. But he did not let go of Ayanokouji's arm.

"Unfortunately, I know all about Horikita-senpai. If that man has seen
something in you, then that something definitely exists".

"You sure know a lot about the student council president".

"The 'former' student council president, you mean. I'm looking forward to this, Ayanokouji. Once that man graduates, a boring one year awaits me. To fulfill my desires, become my opponent, ok?".

He then looked over at me.

"The same goes for you Hirano. Although, I have already figured out what Horikita senpai saw in you. But still, you will also make a decent enough playmate for me."

"I see... Those are some kind words senpai." Although I responded with a smile. My tone was anything but friendly. I guess even I was starting to lose my patience around this guy.

"Then allow me to ask just one thing".

To my surprise, Ayanokouji decided to add Nagumo senpai something.

"Back then, when you assumed the role of student council president, you said
you would make this school more interesting, by having everything be
decided by ability. Specifically, what are you intending on doing?".

(The new system he plans to develop... "Over All Ability" if I remember correctly.)

"I don't know what kind of exams you 1st years have done, but they should
all have been boring, pompous ones. I'm fed up with such exams, you see. That's right, a special exam based on a popular virtual online game, don't you think that sounds interesting?".

"Virtual online game...?".

Nagumo laughed and said this.

"Don't be so serious".

Letting go of his hand which he had been gripping the entire time, Nagumo
laughs once again. But the laughter did not reach his eyes.

"I apologize for interrupting your date. See you around".

Saying that, Nagumo followed his friends and walked off towards the
karaoke. Before long, a silence fell upon us.

"Fuu--. That was quite a happening, wasn't it?".

Hirata, who pats his chest at the fact that nothing happened.

On the contrary, Satou, who had withered and had fallen silent until now, burst out.

"A-Amazing, Ayanokouji-kun! T-To think the student council president thinks so highly of you!".

"No, it's not really that impressive".

"I'm not really convinced by this somehow. I mean, the only thing
Ayanokouji-kun is good at is running right? Yousuke-kun's 100 times more
amazing. He's really fast. He's good at studying too. If someone should be
paid attention to, it's strange if that person isn't Yousuke-kun--?".

Right? As if asking that, Karuizawa speaks to Hirata with a smile.

"I do think Hirata-kun is amazing but...but, but I don't think Ayanokouji-kun will lose to him!".

"She's saying he won't lose but, compared to Hirata-kun, isn't he completely useless at studying?".

"T-That is...he's still smarter than me!".

"Isn't it great, Ayanokouji-kun? That Satou-san thinks so highly of you? Even though it feels like you gained all that just by running fast?".

"Maybe".

While they were all talking, me and Aika were having our own separate conversation.

"I am glad that he is gone."

"You aren't fond of the student council president?"

"I heard a lot of rumors about him from other girls and seeing his attitude, I can't bring myself to like that guy."

"Hm? Why? I thought you were into those kinds of bad boys. Weren'tthey your "ideal" type?"

"That was before okay!? Hmph!" She turned around and walked away from me.

"Hey! Wait Up!"

The movie theater at Keyaki Mall had been crowded with people ever since a
few days ago. The impact that the newly released movie had and equipment
troubles may have had something to do with that.

"T-That's right, Karuizawa-san. I'd like you to accompany me to the toilet".

"That's right. The screening's going to start soon".

Saying that, Satou dragged Karuizawa slightly forcefully and headed off towards the toilet.

"Wait for me!" Aika walked behind them.

Only me, Ayanokouji and Hirata were left.

"I will go and get my and Aika's tickets. See ya."

I walked away from them. It looks like they were waiting for me to leave since they started talking right after. Probably personal or class related stuff.

It didn't take that long to take the tickets despite not having booked them beforehand. It seems fortune was on our side. Although, our seats were in the front and not in the back like I wanted. I guess no one wanted the seats in one of the front rows, so that's why we got them. But I guess it can't be helped.

I walked back to them. They both looked at me to confirm if I got the tickets.

"I got them. So when are they coming back?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokouji-kun!".

Satou, Aika and Karuizawa had returned. Since the screening of the movie is about to begin, the six of us headed inside the theater.

Vol 4 Ch 3: Same Path But Different Choices

Hirano pov:-

We all had come out of the movie theater. It was an interesting movie. I have always loved to watch movies in 3D.

Anyway, "coincidentally" we had reservations for lunch at the same place. In order to have our pre-reserved lunch, the six of us start moving.

Me and Aika walked slowly behind Ayanokouji and Satou. Since we didn't want to interrupt their date.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun...do you mind if I ask you something slightly thoughtless?".

"If there's something you'd like to ask, please ask away".

"Ahh, I want to ask to~o".
Even though she herself said that we all should have separate conversations,
once again Karuizawa barged in.

"This looks like a good opportunity, why don't we ask each other questions
we've been thinking about asking?".

I felt this was not such a bad proposal. And Aika was waiting for all sorts of gossip.

"Agreed~ Then I'll go first".

Upon expressing her agreement, Karuizawa immediately turned her gaze towards Ayanokouji.

"Did Ayanokouji-kun ever go out with someone before?".

"I don't have one right now."

(Right now? Shouldn't have worded it like that dude.)

"Alright. Your age equals the number of years without a girlfriend, I got it"

I know that she is saying that to Ayanokouji. But somehow I feel offended too.

"You know, Ayanokouji-kun. That's an excuse unpopular men use, I think
it'll serve you well to remember that? 'Right now', including that makes it
suspicious".

"Really? Even if I had a girlfriend in the past, if I don't have one right now, I
think I'd include the 'right now' though".

"Then you had one in the past?".

"No...I didn't".

"See? As I thought!".

Karuizawa happily frolics about. More or less, Satou also seems happy.

"Don't worry Ayanokouji. You aren't alone. This guy never had a girlfriend either. That's why despite being popular he is still a loner."

"Hey! That's uncalled for!"

"Am I wrong?" She smirked at me mischievously.

"I don't think not having a girlfriend is something you should mind, though. Like, if you're blatantly unpopular like Yamauchi-kun or Onizuka- kun then in that case, that's a minus for you but searching for someone you want to go out with, or more like you're just not in a rush. That's it right, Ayanokouji-kun?".

"Satou-san understands Ayanokouji-kun pretty well".

"It'd be great...if I could understand him. But, I still don't know anything
about him. Let me ask you too, ok? So, Ayanokouji-kun. Between a girl with
long hair and a girl with short hair, which do you prefer?".

Just stay quite Hirano. As long as you don't speak. They won't involve you in their little "Interrogation".

"I've never really minded it...as long as it fits that person, whether it be
long hair or short hair, it doesn't matter right?".

"Somehow that sounds like a model response--".

"I feel the same way. Whether it be boy or girl, as long as it suits that person, things like hairstyle aren't a problem".

Hirata's assist came at a superb timing. Perhaps seeing the unfavorable
situation, Karuizawa gave a full smile towards Hirata.

"As I thought? Truthfully, I feel the same too. There are girls who change the
length of their hair based on the preference of their partners but it's
meaningless unless you prioritize whether or not it suits you, right?".

From the start, Karuizawa had endorsed Hirata and in front of people, sticks
to Hirata-ism but as always, brilliant. Her headstrong personality and
forcefulness are brilliantly showing up in her attitude.

"Not having any restraints on hairstyle and the such, I think that's a great
thing!".

This conversation may last a while...

Timeskip:-

We were sitting at a table not far from the others. Aika suddenly asked me something.

"Hey do you think there is something going on between Karuizawa-san and Ayanokouji-kun?"

I stopped eating at that.

"Umm... Wasn't this date set for Satou-san?"

"Yes. But Karuizawa-san seems to be butting in alot. I feel like she might me secretly jealous of Satou-san being on a date Ayanokouji-kun."

"But doesn't she already have Hirata-kun?"

"Yeah. Perhaps it's something else entirely. But there is definitely something there. My intuition is never wrong!"

"Let's leave it at that for now. Anyway, enjoying your date?"

"Hm... Could have been better if I had a decent partner."

""Decent"? What's wrong with me?"

"Do you want me to take out a list?"

" Sigh. You were the one who dragged me here in the first place."

"Shut up! If it weren't for Karuizawa-san. I would have never agreed to this!"

Come to think of it. "How did she convince you to help Satou-san?"

She averted her eyes. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Suspicious." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Shut it!"

Timeskip:-

The date had went successfully, atleast I hope. All three of us dates had went our separate ways.

"So Aika. Do you think you all succeed in your plan?"

"Hm. I guess we will find out Satou-san tomorrow."

"Yeah. But I had alot of fun."

"Hehe. Me too." She responded with a smile.

"Well i hate to say this. But can you walk back to the dorms alone?"

"Huh?" She looked confused.

"Well I have something to talk to Hirata and Karuizawa. So I hope you don't mind me going."

"It's... It's... Okay." She averted her eyes.

(She looks disappointed.)
"Hey Aika?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for today." I said as brought up her right hand and gave her fingers a little kiss.

"W-What are you doing!?" Her face bright red.

"Hehe. It's good seeing you embarrassed from time to time."

"You! I am leaving." She hurried back towards the dorms.

(She acts tough but she is really shy.) I thought to myself.

I ran back towards where I saw Hirata and Karuizawa go. However, I only found Hirata walking alone.

"Hirata? Where is Karuizawa?"

"Hm?" He turned around and spotted me.

"Hirano-kun? Do you have some business with Karuizawa."

"Yes. Actually."

"Well I saw her go that way. She said it was urgent." He pointed in another direction.

"I see. Thanks." I ran over in the direction, he pointed. I honestly just wanted to get this over with today.

After a while, I heard someone talking so I hid in the bushes and had a look.

"Ayanokouji and Karuizawa?" Since I already knew about them knowing eachother, it didn't come as a surprise. But I thought this was the place where Satou planned to confess. Right?

"Even though something like that happened just a while ago, you sure got
back up on your feet, Karuizawa".

"...I haven't been flashily bullied like that in many years".

Are they talking about what happened at the rooftop?

"Should I say the experience was different? Indeed, ever since I reached
elementary school, was it?"

The conversation was going on between them.

"Ahh...I see. It's like that right? Sorry, Kiyotaka, I may have lied a bit".

"Lie?".

(Lie?) I was confused jut like Ayanokouji.

"That thing I told Yousuke-kun about having been bullied for 9 years. That was a lie. You know, rather than just say I was only bullied during middle school, telling him I was bullied ever since elementary school makes it easier for me to get him to save me, I thought that. Even though the environment changed, the bullying continued, if he were to learn about that, perhaps he might think the same thing might happen at high school too, right?".

(I see. So that's what she did. Does that mean she and Hirata aren't in a real relationship?)

"More like...for having incited Manabe and the others. Are you not going to apologize again?".

"Now that you put it that way, that's right. Thanks to the date, I had
thoroughly forgotten all about that".

"Also, that. Even though you told me you won't be contacting me anymore,
you contacted me and relied on me. That too, I feel like you haven't followed up enough on that?".

"I withdraw the thing I said about not contacting you anymore. The obstacles
have been removed, after all. If it's ok with you, please let me apologize next
time".

"It doesn't feel like your heart is in it at all, though. I won't be expecting
anything beforehand so apologize now"

"Now? How?".

"I've told you quite a lot of things, so let me hear something in return too
Kiyotaka".

"About what?".

"Today in the afternoon, President Nagumo called out to you and Hirano, didn't he? What's up with that?"

I think I know. Maybe Nagumo has caught on about me being just a distraction.

"You have it tough too. I don't know for what reason you ran seriously in the
relay at the sports festival but I feel like more and more people are catching
onto the truth".

"I'll put an end to that too. Fortunately, compared to how we started out, the
unity of the class has grown stronger. Even if I don't do something, there
should be no problems now".

"That's true but, that sort of thinking isn't like you. If we're talking about
unity, Class C is far superior to us. I don't think we can beat them in that
regard though?".

"Leaving aside the strengthening of unity, it's just you want to get away from all this right?".

"As expected, you've answered correctly".

"But during the sports festival, just because you stood out a bit, you attracted that much attention? Isn't it unnatural?".

Yes. It does seem a little strange. Why did he do that?

"What about the fact that Horikita from our class and the former student
council president are siblings?".

"Some~how I think I've grasped it. Isn't it like that? I'm just on that sort of
level though. Speaking of which during the relay, the student council president...no, it's hard to understand unless I add former...and you started
at the same time right? Kiyotaka's an acquaintance, right?".

"Yeah. Through my connection with his sister. And I've been drawing
various sorts of attention from the brother's side".

"So that means he knows your real face under that mask you're hiding
behind?".

"Behind the mask, huh? What he knows is only the surface. In this school,
there is no other person who knows me as deeply as you do".

"...hmmm. It doesn't really make me feel happy or anything though".

(It seems they have a good relationship as partners in crime.)

"The title of former student council president can be useful in various ways, after all. I'm slightly indebted to him too in the rooftop matter".

If I remember correctly, Horikita senpai was present during the rooftop incident.

"Speaking of which...yeah, I met him back then".

"In a similar way, I'm being pushed by the other party too to return the
favor".

"So does that have something to do with the fact that you're drawing attention
from President Nagumo?".

"The older Horikita and Nagumo have a confrontational relationship with
each other. If I have to put it mildly, a rivalry. The fact that the older Horikita
had been talking to me is probably something Nagumo didn't like. It seemed like he was raring for a fight during the relay too".

"Some~how this is complicated. So it means you barged in between those
two's fight?".

"Because of that too, I was asked by the older Horikita to lend him a hand. It
seems like he wants to drag Nagumo down from the throne of student council president".

"...could it be, he entrusted that role to Kiyotaka?".

"Isn't it troublesome?".

(So he really is the one Horikita senpai contacted to take down Nagumo senpai.)

"But, you're about the only one who could do something against that amazing student council president".

"So you think I can do something?".

"If you can't do it, then no one else is capable of stopping him too right?".

"By the way, since it's already part of the conversation's flow I'll say it but
I'm going to be meeting a 2nd year now".

(A 2nd year?)

"A 2nd year? Who?".

"I wonder. The identity is still a mystery. The other side too, was unable to confirm that it's me. It's just, the only thing that's confirmed is that they're a
student from amongst the 2nd years who doesn't think too highly of
Nagumo".

"Heh...am I getting in your way?".

"If you want to be present, I don't particularly mind if you're there too. However,it seems someone wants to talk to you."

"Huh?"

Ayanokouji suddenly turned away from Karuizawa and spoke "You heard what you wanted to right? So you can come out now."

I came out of the bushes. "Since when did you notice?"

"Since you arrived."

"W...Wait what!?" Karuizawa was surprised by my appearance.

"Hirano seems to wants to talk to you. So I will be leaving for now."

"W...wait Ayanokouji!"

However, Ayanokouji walked away as if he couldn't hear her.

"Don't worry. I don't plan to hurt you and I am sure Ayanokouji knows that aswell."

"Okay..." She eyed me suspiciously.

I walked up to her and then bowed. "I am truly sorry for what my classmates did to you!"

She was taken back by my suddenly apologize none the less she spoke "It's alright. It wasn't Hirano-kun's fault."

"Even so but please let me apologize."

"It's fine! Really! Besides you tried to save me. So I should be thanking you."

"There is no need to thank me." I said as I stood back straight again.

"Don't be humble. You even got hurt because of trying to save me. Thank you."

"No seriously. Don't thank me." I said with a slightly strict voice.

"Huh?" She was startled by my change in tone.

"I only did what I thought was best. I just came to apologize today because I thought it was right thing to do so. That doesn't mean-" I got my face closer to her's. "-that I like you. Infact I partially hate you."

"Huh? H-Hate me? Why?" Karuizawa was confused.

"Hmmmm? How should I put it? It's not that I hate "you". I just hate the fact how we are so similar and yet so different. But that's why I admire you too!"

"I don't understand." Her expression told me she really had no idea what I was talking about.

"In middleschool, I was bullied too. Really badly."

"!" Karuizawa was surprised as I started telling her about my past.

"They would hide my shoes, dump water on me, pull my chair, call me names, trip me, push me in mud and sometimes even take me to the back of the school to beat me up." I spoke thinking about my past. At this point, I wasn't even looking at Karuizawa. Only the sky.

"I didn't have a single friend to help me and the teachers did nothing. Although I did have a few friends at school, even they left me as time went by because they didn't want to be bullied because of me. Those who didn't bully me just laughed at my pain and left. I had to bear it all alone. I guess it wasn't that bad, since I had friends outside of school."

I could feel Karuizawa's gaze on me. It told me that she was listening to everything carefully.

"But one day, everything changed. I was in my last year of middleschool. When my bullies tried to drown my head in the school's fish tank. "Why don't you sleep with the fishes?" They said. It was the day, I almost died".

If there was a reason for me being alloted to class C at the beginning of school. It was probably what happened next.

"Near death experiences can change a person. And it changed me. The rage I felt that day. It was far greater than when I fought Ryueen. I could never explain it. I pushed the guy behind me so I could take my head out of the fish tank and breath."

I turned to Karuizawa and with a smile I said. "The next thing I did was beat up each and every one of them to the point till everyone was covered with blood."

Her face stiffened at what I said. I think my words sent a chill up her spine. But she continued to listen to me regardless.

"I wasn't an exception. Blood, bite marks, scratches, broken bones, I probably had as many as all of them did, probably even more. But I didn't feel pain. Or I guess I was to angry to notice it. I found it funny. How the people who used to give me pain where laying on the ground hurt, while those who laughed at my pain only looked at me in fear. In the end, we were all taken to the hospital."

I looked away from her again and back towards the sky.

"In the end, there was a court case. Where all of their families fought against mine. However, luck was on our side. The Judge was my uncle who believed me and with the security camera footage of them bullying me and almost killing me. I was off the hook. However, I was still told to go to therapy for the rest of my middleschool life."

I looked at her from the corner of my eye.

"After that everyone in school avoided me, even most of my friends outside of school left me. I was all alone. That's the true reason why I came to this school. To make my parents proud and start a new life here. Where I can make new friends and enjoy myself."

After speaking all that, I remained silent. Suddenly a handkerchief was present to me. Unknown to me, tears had started coming out of my eyes.

I accepted her handkerchief and wiped of my tears.

"I didn't know you had the same past as me." She spoke as she remembered her own life.

"Yes. I did. Ofcourse that's not where the story ended. The students who I beat up or their friends came to take revenge on me many times."

I still remember how they blamed me for their or their friend's injuries. Making me look like the bad guy.

"I tried to not give in. I really did. I even took therapy to keep myself calm. But once they hit me. All logic was thrown out the window."

"What happened then?"

I looked at her with a bored expression.
"Just like what happened every other time. It ended with them on the ground with fractured bones and blood spat on the ground or the lookers."

"Really?!"

"Yes. I guess you can say I am a bit bipolar... I am usually very patient and control my anger but there are somethings that just trigger me to the point that I want to tear them apart. Perhaps it's because of the trauma from excessive bullying? Who knows?Thankfully, I was sane enough to let them hit me a couple of times first before fighting back. So it counted as self defense everytime I was caught. Thus minimizing my punishment."

"Caught?!"

"Well I couldn't get away with beating up people left and right! As such, I learnt to hide evidence of my involvement. So despite knowing it was me, they couldn't punish me."

It was one of the reasons why I was able to fool Hashimoto while avoiding the cameras and not get caught.

I recalled all the things I did.
"Whenever they came for a fight, I first ran and lured them to a place without cameras. I wore gloves to not leave any finger prints. Carried a handkerchief to scrub away my blood. Learnt to hide my injuries under my clothes and learnt to act as if I wasn't hurt at all despite the pain I felt. In some cases, even the police had gotten involved. I was caught most of the time when they did. But I managed to slip past them a few times. Though, I was always a prime suspect."

Karuizawa looked shocked and afraid when she heard that I managed to trick police officers.

"Thankfully, I always kept a recording of them picking a fight with me first, so there wasn't much they could do even if they caught me. This continued for two months in which I had gotten into more than 20 fights. After that, everyone was too afraid to even try. Some even transferred after the beating they received from me. Because I never stopped even when they were bleeding. They tried to kill me or laughed at me asI was dying. So I made sure to leave them near death's door every single time as to return the favor."

I looked at her again. But this time with a different expression. An expression of respect and admiration.

"That's why I admire you. Despite what Ryueen did to you, you didn't give in." I was telling the truth. I really admire her for that.

"However, I still don't or rather can't like you."

"Why is that?" She asked but her tone wasn't anything like the Karuizawa Kei I knew during the triple date.

"Because even if we had the same past. We both made different choices. I fought back and then came to this school to start a new life. But you. You never let go. You came to this school and inflicted the same pain you felt on to others. You bullied them so you wouldn't be bullied and even lied to Hirata so he would date you. But I never did such things. I only fought back when I was hurt first. I never picked on anyone until they did something to me first. I made a new life by doing the best I could. I don't hate you but I don't like the fact that you chose such a life instead of making a better one."

I looked her in the eyes again.

"We walked the same path but we made two completely different choices. I, who tried to be more friendly with others and help my classmates and then there is you, who found joy in picking on others just to raise your social status." I said as I recalled her attitude all the times I saw before the island exam. She had a terrible personality every since I saw her. I know it's not her fault entirely but still...

She looked down when I said that. She is probably thinking about everything she did. However-

"But I don't blame you either. After going through such a traumatic experience. The only thing we can do is try our best to survive. To live anyway possible. And you did just that, for that I have to praise you."

I looked at her face once again.

"I can't blame you for anything nor can I hate you for trying to survive the best way you knew how. Logically, we are the same. It's just my own personal emotions that make me want to hate you. I hope you don't misunderstand."

I placed the handkerchief in her hands.

"Thank you for the handkerchief. I hope perhaps one day we can be friends... But that day won't be today..."

With a sad smile on my face, I started walking away.

"Hirano wait!"

"Hm?" I turned around. It looked like she wanted to say something to me.

"I... I..." But no words came out.

"Nothing... nevermind..."

In the end, she didn't say anything.

"You know. Perhaps I didn't chase after you today to apologize for what Ryueen did. I just wanted to tell you my story."

Someone who could listen, someone who could understand and relate to my pain... I needed that someone to talk to...

Giving her one final look, with a smile I spoke "I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone in this world. And thank you for letting me know that too."

Looking away from her, I blurted one last thing.

"Oh! As for what Manabe and the others did to you. They have received their punishment rest assured. I was personally there to witness them crying infront of Ryuuen begging for forgiveness. So please don't think about them."

Then I walked away.

Karuizawa pov:-

I saw Hirano's retreating back. And I couldn't say anything to him until the very end.

"So that's his story."

I heard a voice and saw a boy stepping out from behind the tree.

"Ayanokouji-kun?"

"I wanted to see what would happen. So I hid."

"I see."

Ayanokouji looked at me again.

"Do you want to say something to him?"

"I... I don't know what to say. He is so similar to me. But what he said about me was also true... I don't know what to say to him."

"Don't worry. You will have plenty of time to think it over. And the next time you meet him, you can tell him what you want to say."

His words were warm and assured me to think it through.

"Yes. Your right."

"I am already late so now I have to go and meet up with the 2nd year. What about you?"

"...I'll come".

After hesitating for a bit, I answered as such.

I looked back at the direction where Hirano went. What he said about me was true. The paths we chose were different.

I tried to hide myself behind others and even used Hirata while he took on everything on his own. It made me realize that deep down, Hirano was a strong person. Much stronger than me. Thinking that filled me with determination.

That's right! The next time we talk. I will converse with him, not as a pretender. But as Karuizawa Kei. The pathetic girl who could do nothing but hide.

"You aren't alone in this world. And thank you for letting me know that too." These words he spoke.

Till now, I thought I was the only one who suffered like that. And it seems he believed that too. But now that we have met eachother...

Yes. Those words he spoke with that gentle smile, I won't ever forget them!

Hirano pov:-

It was a day after the triple date. I took my seat infront of her.

"So shall we begin the discussion?" I asked her.

"It has been a long time since we talked outside of the student council."

"Yes. Perhaps it has."

The girl infront of me, Ichinose Honami of Class C, had called me today to talk about something. Though I have a pretty good idea about what it is.

"First please order what you want. My treat."

"No! No! I couldn't possibly make you pay for me."

"I was the one that called you here. So it's alright." She spoke with a smile.

"But still... Let's just spilt the check okay?"

"Hmmm... Fine."

After our meals arrived, we began the discussion.

"So Hirano. How did you get class A's question sheet?"

"Hmmm... I believe I can't tell you how. But I did get them."

"Next question. Why did you help us?"

"I wanted to satisfy a personal grudge between me and someone in Class A. That's all."

"Yes. I understand." She nodded as she understood everything.

I didn't go into detail or tell her about my ties with Sakayanagi. Yet she seems to have figured things out to a certain extent.

"I don't mean to interrogate you. But I was just fulfilling my curiosity. I hope you didn't mind."

"It's not a problem if it's Ichinose. We are friends and friends can ask eachother anything, no?"

She smiled at me cheerful and replied
"Yes. They can. That's why I wish to make a proposal."

(A proposal?)

"Continue."

"I propose that Class B and Class C be in an alliance the coming semester."

"An alliance?" That peaked my interest.

"The coming semester, our class will be promoted to class A. As such we would like to have a cooperative relationship with class B which will be class C during that time.."

"Yes. That makes sense. It would be beneficial to the both of us. You can maintain your position in Class A and we may rise upto class B again."

"Yes exactly."

"However, why ask us now? Is it really just because of your promotion?"

She looked down for a moment and then back at me. With an awkward smile, she replied.

"I didn't consider this option before, not because of our class positions. But because Ryueen-kun would never allow it."

"Hmmm? True. But now that I am class leader, you have reconsidered the idea. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

We both were silent for a second.

"Very well. I see many benefits in this for the both of us. We of Class B will welcome this partnership with open arms!"

"We of Class C, will also welcome the friendship of the class B students with a smile."

With that, me and Ichinose shook on it.

"Now then that is settled. I wish to ask. Is everything going alright in the student council?"

"Yes. Everything is fine. And I love to working under such a capable person."

"Hehe. You are giving me too much credit Ichinose."

"Really? I thought. I wasn't giving you enough!"

""Hahaha""

"Hey Ichinose?"

"Hm?"

"I wonder, to the other students. Does it look like we are out on a date?"

"W..wha...!"

I intended to tease her a bit but it seems I really got her good.

"Sorry. I was kidding."

"Don't joke like I that! Hmph!"

"Hehe"

She averted her eyes. It looks like I made her mad. Her face was a little red

"Sorry Ichinose."

"Hmph. I will forgive you. Just don't make that kind of joke again!"

"Sigh. Okay. Sorry. But Ichinose, How about I buy you more food?"

"Are you trying to bribe me with food?"

"It works with Itsuki. So..."

"Hehe. I will take you up on that offer with an icecream or two."

We both smiled at eachother. Enjoying eachother's company.

To any onlookers, this must seem like a cute moment between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. But too bad. We are just good friends.

Timeskip:-

After the meeting with Ichinose was concluded, I ended up bumping into another person.

Thankfully I caught her before she fell.

"Hey you are-"

"Hirano-kun?"

The blonde haired girl with orange eyes, before me was Tajika Sumiko of class 1D.

"Tajika-san. Correct?"

"Yup! I am glad you remember." She looked happy and cheerful as the last time I saw her.

"I never thought we would meet again like this. Though we should really stop bumping into eachother. Hehe~"

"Hehe. Yeah your righ-"

"Sumiko-san!?"

I turned towards the voice and saw another girl approach us. She had brown hair and orange-brown eyes. Her hair was shorter than Tajika and just enough to reach a little below her shoulders.

"Yuki-san?" Tajika called her.

(Yuri? As in Hori Yuki? Isn't that the popular girl from class A?)

"Where did you go? I had been looking for you?! And also... Who is this?" The girl spoke as she looked at me.

"Oh! Let me do the introductions! Hirano-kun, This is Hori Yuki from class A. Tomoko-san, this is Hirano Aki from Class B and the Vice-President in the student council."

The girl, Hori Yuki looked at me with a surprised expression.

"The Vice-President? Hirano Aki? Yes. I have heard alot about you. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." She bowed.

"No! No! The pleasure is all mine." I gave her a bow aswell.

Tajika clapped her hands together and said. "Now that fate has brought us all here. Why don't you come play with us Hirano-kun?"

"P...Play with you two? M-Me!?" I got a bit flustered. I had been invited by girls before, but this time I was being invited by two beautiful girls from a different class, who I knew nothing about.

"Yes. You don't mind, right Yuki-san?"

"No. I don't mind." She said with a smile.

"So what do you say, Hirano-kun?"

"Well I don't have anything else to do..."

"Great! Then let's go to the arcade!" She said as she clinged to my right arm. I could feel her warmth.

"Then let's go. Shall we Vice-President-kun?" Hori said as she lead the way.

"Umm...Yup. Let's go..."

Vol 4 Ch 4: Mixed Training Camp

Hirano pov:-

On a Thursday morning not too long after the 3rd semester began, several
buses travelled on a highway. The 1st years weren't the only ones on the
buses. The 2nd years and the 3rd years are also on board. In other words, it's
a wholesale migration for the entire student body of the school. The bus that we, the 1st years' Class C, were riding on entered a tunnel and soon afterwards, our ears were assaulted by the sensation of being clogged up.

Where we're going and what we'll be doing there are things we haven't received the slightest bit of explanation on. However, I was already aware since it was a special exam made by Nagumo.

As the Vice-president, I was able to look over the documents and see what he had planned.

Also I had told the class about the cooperative relationship with the new class A.

We were all instructed to wear our jerseys and that it is strongly recommended we prepare several spare jerseys and underwear.

The travel time is about 3 hours, a rather long travel time, and so within
the limits of what's allowed the students brought with them their favourite
things. Things like cell phones, books and cards or snacks and juice. There were also students amongst them who brought along gaming devices.

"Sorry about cutting your fun short but pipe down."

Sakagami sensei said that to the students while holding a handheld microphone in his hands.

"I thought you lot might like to know where this bus is going and what we'll
do then."

"Of course we're curious about that. You're not going to tell me it's the
uninhabited island again, are you?"

Your wrong Komiya but very close too.

"An exam of that scale isn't something that can be held frequently. It means we're not cruel enough to force you into that now that summer's over for you lot. However, as you may have already inferred, a new special exam will be held. I'll explain the details of the special exams to you lot."

Although, I knew about the kind of exam. But the details were still unknown to me.

The fact that the explanation will take place in the bus means that from this point onwards, it's possible to prepare
countermeasures to a certain extent or I'll at least have the chance to do so.

Since we were still in motion, it's forbidden to carelessly get up from your seat but inside the bus, one's voice will easily reach everyone. If you use a phone then it's possible to talk only with a specific person.

"From this point onwards, you will be taken to an outdoors school deep in a
certain mountain. In all likelihood, we'll arrive at our destination before
another hour passes. The shorter the explanation takes the more of a 'grace
period' you will have available."

So this means there's approximately
one hour to go until the special exam
starts.

Even if it takes 20 minutes to conduct the explanation that still leaves 40
minutes. That much time would be left for me to formulate a strategy in
regards to the special exam. That's probably what he meant by 'grace
period'.

"Isn't outdoors school something you attend in the summer?"

The mountains we can see from the highway are still covered in white snow.

A question came forth from Soga, who's an expert when it comes to mountains from his time as a Cadet. That's a story for another time. Honestly, I was shocked, but it explained his high physical ability which in our class was only second to Albert.

"Quite down and listen." Sakagami sensei spoke and told my classmates not to interrupt him.

"Taking place mainly in summer, it commonly takes place on a day with
pleasant weather in places like mountains or other locations where greenery is abundant. Collective action is undertaken with the aim of promoting students' health. Also could refer to facilities used for that purpose."

He stopped for a moment and then continued.

"Opportunities to meet senior students normally…especially for students not
participating in any club activity are limited. But at the outdoors school, we'll be taking collective action that goes beyond school years for 7 nights and 8
days. It's like something beyond even what the sports festival offered. The
name of the special exam that will be taking place is 'Mixed Training Camp'.
Since you'll still be anxious if it's just a verbal explanation I'll be distributing
the materials now."

Sakagami sensei began walking and handed over a bundle of the materials to the student sitting in the front row seat. We each took one and passed the rest behind. The material itself was rather thick and amounted to multiple pages. Since we weren't instructed in particular not to go ahead and look, I flipped over and looked through it.

There were pictures of what appears to be the training camp properly
included.

Rooms where students can sleep, large baths, cafeterias and the such are
included. Seeing all this makes it look fun, or rather, like reading a travel
guidebook though…… But it's inevitable that every important word regarding the special exam we see would make our moods somber. Even if it's a special exam, there's the relatively thick paper we were handed on top of the verbal explanation.

Even if you think of it as being the same as the explanation for the Paper
Shuffle we received not too long ago, this special exam seems like it's
shaping up to be something bothersome.

Not too long after, it appears everyone got their hands on the paper. After
confirming that, Sakagami sensei continues speaking.

"Feel free to read ahead but I'm going to go ahead with the explanation for the Mixed Training Camp. Since I'll be collecting the materials before you
get off the bus, make sure you understand the rules well. I'll be accepting questions at the very end so make sure to shut up and listen. Do you understand that?"

No one spoke. It was a confirmation for Sakagami sensei to continue.

"This time around, the special exam will be a training camp focusing mainly
on mental development. In order to accomplish that, we'll start with the
ABCs of integrating into society and we'll confirm whether or not you can
live in harmony with those you don't interact with commonly. And each and
every one of you will learn it."

So would that be the reason why we'll have to take collective action alongside the senior students? Sakagami sensei said so as well but students engaged in club activities will have established relationships between senior students and junior students but even so, most of that will be limited to club activities only. Students outside of that category will have had absolutely no contact with the senior students and those students aren't a minority by any measure.

Essentially it'd have been great if such exchanges were to be carried out
voluntarily without the need to use club activities as an intermediary but it's
also a fact that reality isn't that simple. However, how exactly are they going
to involve the senior students in this? Unless contact between us isn't an
absolute necessity, then just like during the sports festival, students will
probably keep their distance.

Well, we're probably heading over into the mountains for the 'training camp'
to ensure that doesn't happen though…… Either way, as long as the rules for the special exam aren't properly set, it's easy to figure out loopholes.

There's a massive gap between the 1st years and the 2nd years in terms of
physical and mental development. For teenagers, the period of a year is very
significant. It won't be by that much but we probably won't be able to fight
against them on equal terms.

"First off, once you lot arrive at the destination, I'll have you split up based
on gender. Then you'll hold a discussion across all school years and then
you'll divide yourselves up into six groups."

"Six groups, based on gender……" I muttered. It sounded fair. We couldn't have the boys and girls group up together for this exam.

"The lower and upper limits for the number of people in a group have been
decided. Look at the fifth page of the material in your hands and have a good look at the patterns for the number of people written down there."

All at once, the students turned their eyes to look at the fifth page of the
material. It appears the rules pertaining to the groups in the training camp are
written there.

When establishing a group, there's both a lower and an upper limit to the
number of people that can be in it. That number has been calculated from the
separation of boys and girls as well as the school years. For instance: -

If there are 60 boys in the same school year then 8-13. - If there are 70 boys in
the same school year then 9-14. - If there are 80 boys in the same school year
then 10-15. will be the lower and upper limits for a group.

However, if the number is below 60 then please refer to the special section. That was written there. If there is no difference in the ratio of boy to girl across school years then in theory one class should have 40 and if the ratio of boys to girls is 5:5, then the total number of boy for the 1st year would be 80. 10-15 would form one group and in total, six groups would be formed. The fact that they referred to the total number of students means that depending on the number of expulsions for the entire school year, the amount of people required would change as well.

"I think you're already aware of it but the fact that the division into six is
based on gender means that you'll have students from other classes mixed in when the groups form. Also, for the duration of the outdoors school, you'll
have to overcome the special exam with that group. It means your fates are
tied to one another."

"It's unreasonable to ask us to form a group with guys from other classes.
Aren't they the enemy?" I asked.

"Then we don't really have to care about that, right? We can simply divide ourselves, Class C, into two groups and that'll be the end of that. That's what it means, right? Hirano."

"That sounds good but things won't be that simple. The rules don't permit a
group to be formed from just one class alone. As long as the number of
people in your group meet the quota it doesn't matter which class you team
up with but at the very least, there needs to be two classes or more mixed
together."

That statement of Sakagami's also happened to be properly written under
the heading of dividing up people.

"Each group must have students from at least two or more classes as a
prerequisite."

"Well there goes that idea out the window." Soga spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"That would be what it means. Of course, it's not impossible to try and form a group composed of students from your class as much as possible. As long as there's even a single student from another class then you'll have formed it after all."

In short, make two groups and go with the lower limit of 10 people. And of
those, 9 would be from Class C. If we do so, we can form a group that's 'mostly Class C'.

However, I doubt a group like that will be acknowledged by all school years
when the discussion takes place. There aren't many students who'd join a
group that's made up mostly of people from another class. Also, would
having more people be better? Or having less people be better? And if it will change or not? If this is an exam where advantages and disadvantages can occur based on the difference between the number of people in each group then having a group with few people would be risky.

But since the conditions of the exam aren't clear yet it's impossible to judge
the merits and demerits of the number of people. Whether it be luck or
misfortune will depend on the essence of this exam.

"Is it better for a group to have many people? Or few people? That will have
a significant impact on the 'outcome' I am going to explain now."

"I would like to hear the explanation of the rules first sensei." Takeda spoke up for the rest of the class.

"Okay then. The groups will be something akin to temporary classes formed for the outdoors school only. However, even if it's only temporary, the contents of it will be intense. Members of a group will take lessons together, will cook and wash together and will even bathe and go to bed together. You will experience daily life of all different kinds together."

"So we will have to live with students from other classes. Doesn't sound so bad." Ishizaki voiced his opinion.

"How the outcome of the special exam will be decided, that will depend on a
comprehensive exam that will take place on the last day of outdoor school. A rough idea of the exam's contents are written on the page 7. Go through it."

We were told to do such, and inevitably everyone checked it simultaneously.

"Morals" "Mental Discipline" "Order" "Individuality"

Subjects we would never have to learn in an ordinary school were lined up
there. In other words, I should view this as an exam separate from things like
English and mathematics, which fall under academic ability.

The troublesome thing is, there is no 'clear answer' in an exam like this. There is information on each subject in the materials we were given but they are all abstract.

There's nothing about how exactly, in detail, the exam will be conducted.
Furthermore, I looked at a sample schedule. After we wake up, we'd work on our morning assignments. Then we'd gather at the dojo for Zazen and then we'd go to work (such as cleaning). Then we eat breakfast. Afterwards, we'll
study various things in a classroom. After that, we eat lunch. We then receiveassignments for the afternoon and once again we practice Zazen.

Then we'd have dinner and a bath and go back to bed. It's an entirely different lifestyle from the one we've lived up until now.

By the way, unlike our usual holidays, lessons will be held throughout the morning on Saturdays. It appears we'll only be able to rest on a Sunday.

"More details on your schedule will be announced upon arrival at the
outdoors school. What kind of special exam will take place and in what order
on the last day is also something I cannot tell you at this stage."

It means that we'll have to play it by ear for the duration of the special exam.
It could be that the subject they listed as 'Zazen' will also be a part of the exam. It would be best if I assumed little things like posture and attitude will also influence the exam.

"Deciding your groups is of utmost importance. All six groups must be as
one and must be capable of overcoming a week of the camp. No matter what
the reason may be, you are not allowed to withdraw from your group halfway
through or change members. If a student is forced to retire from either
sickness or injury, then the group must deal with that gap on their own by
assuming 'that student exists'".

In other words, if there's discord between us or if we antagonize one another, then we won't be able to proceed. More and more it's starting to look like on top of forming our groups, we'll also have to eliminate the other classes. Full-scale lessons will start on Friday morning, that's tomorrow, and until Wednesday next week there will be lessons held at the outdoor school.

And also, on the 8th day which will be a Thursday, all school years will take
an exam simultaneously and we will be graded.

"After the 1st years have established their groups, they will rendezvous with
the 2nd and 3rd years who will have established their groups at the same time. In short, it means six groups will have formed numbering around 30 to
45 people composed of 1st years up to 3rd years."

"If I have to put it simply, the groups you'll be forming with your school year
are the small groups and the groups that will be formed from all school years
will be the large groups."

Each and every group we form from our school year will be 'small groups'.

The small groups will rendezvous with small groups from the 2nd years and
the 3rd years and ultimately we'll end up as six 'large groups'.

"Now moving onto the important topic: the outcome. That will depend on the
'point averaged' from the exam results of every member in the six, large
groups. It means the talents of the other school years will also play an
important role."

Basically, an average point will be calculated from all 40 people making up a large group.

"You've gotten the gist of it to a certain extent, haven't you? Then now for
last, I'll be explaining the most important thing here. That is, to say, the result of this special exam's outcome."

So basically what we'll stand to gain and what we stand to lose, huh? Once
again, the reason why we're divided based on groups and not classes should
be hidden here.

"For large groups whose average points put them in 1st place through 3rd
place, all their students will receive private points as well as class points. For
large groups that come in at 4th place all the way down to last place, let's just
say you'll receive a demerit."

The details regarding the outcome was, of course, also written on the materials we were given.

"Basic Rewards."

1st Place: 10,000 private points. 3 class points.

2nd Place: 5000 private points. 1 class point.

3rd Place: 3000 private points.

The aforementioned rewards will be distributed to each and every student.

4th Place: 5000 private points.

5th Place: 10,000 private points. 3 class points.

6th Place: 20,000 private points. 5 class points.

The aforementioned points will be deducted from each and every student.

Private points and class points won't fall below zero but it'll remain behind
as cumulative deficit and it'll be calculated out whenever we receive rewards in future exams. It can be said that this is an element that hadn't been present up until now. The reason why one would feel the rewards for 1st place
through to 3rd place are somewhat lacking is because there's a huge trick
behind it.

On the subject of rewards, this sentence was written down. Sakagami sensei went ahead and read it out.

"It's set up such that depending on how many of a particular class is present
in a small group, the reward may be doubled. On top of that, the more people
there are making up a small group, it will be amplified even further. These
are rules that apply for 1st place through to 3rd place and this won't apply for the deduction for 4th place and below so relax."

"Also, the large group that comes in at last place will incur a massive
penalty."

"Penalty……it can't be."

"That's right. It's 'expulsion'".

That penalty, which in itself is no longer a surprise, was revealed.

"Still, it's not like we're going to expel everyone in the large group that
places last. Because if we did that then we'd have approximately 40 expelled
students on our hands. The criteria by which the expulsion will occur is
limited to only the small groups whose average point falls below the borderline average point set forth by the school."

This is a rather troublesome setup. The overall ranking will be calculated
from the average points of the large groups yet when it comes to expulsion,
it's the average point of the small group that matters.

"If a small group should happen to fall below that border, then their 'leader'
will be expelled."

"How exactly will that leader be chosen?"

"You will discuss it within your small group in advance and elect one. That's
it."

"What the hell? Who the hell would want to be the leader when expulsion's
on the table?" Soga voiced the question in everyone's mind.

Going forward, I wonder just how many students would volunteer.

"There are upsides to it too. Students who are classmates of the leader will
receive double the reward."

"…double, you say?" Takeda muttered in surprise.

"That's right. The greatest reward for this special exam would be consolidated by the 12 students from Class C within the group. And the remaining 3 will be drawn from A, B and D each. On top of that, if the leader happens to be someone from Class C and you manage to take 1st place then……"1.08 million private points. 336 class points. Is what you stand to gain."

"T-Three hundred and thirty six!"

If we acquire that then in one stroke, our class will change significantly. It
depends on the score the other groups receive but it's not impossible to rise
up to Class A in this exam. The more risks you take, the greater the rewards.
Moreover, the chances of receiving that greatest reward aren't low by any
measure.

"After the small group has been established, you'll need to discuss amongst yourselves and decide on a leader before daybreak of the next day. If, by any chance, you are unable to decide on a leader for your group then your group will be immediately disqualified. In other words, all of you will be forcibly expelled. Of course, there haven't been a single group in the past so foolish as to be unable to decide on a leader and be expelled."

So the school won't be the ones deciding. It's something that's up to the
students to decide for themselves.
Naturally, we'd end up quarrelling while attempting to decide on a leader.

However, if by the end there still aren't any candidates, then we'd have no
other choice but to decide it with a lottery or a game of rock-paper-scissors.

It's inevitable considering everyone would know that they could be expelled.

"Also, if the leader is to be expelled, they can choose another person from
their group to bear joint responsibility and be expelled alongside them. You
could say it's sort of like dragging them down with you."

"H-Huh? What's with that? That's fucked up! By appointing some random
guy as leader, does it mean we'd be able to crush the leaders of the other
classes that way?"

I doubt something like that can be accomplished this easily. If we're going to be electing a leader then we naturally we should select and screen him to a
certain extent.

A student who's clearly a throwaway pawn won't simply be made the leader.
If such a thoughtless act were to be allowed then that's on the group. There
aren't any students who'd be willing to self-destruct for the sake of their
comrades and drag a student from another class down with them in the first place. It'd be a different story if that student happened to be chained down in Class D and already harbored thoughts of dropping out anyways but
information about students like that will probably spread around anyways.

"Relax, it's not like just about anyone can be made to bear joint responsibility. Only students who are a contributing factor to the group falling below the border, as judged by the school, will be liable for that. Like deliberately failing or boycotting the exam, unless you do such things there'll be no problem."

Certainly if that's the case then you could say that both the leader and their
group members are well protected.

"One more important thing, the expellee's class will be receiving a
proportionate penalty as well. The details of the penalty change depending on the exam but for this special exam, in the case of expulsion, 100 points per
person will be deducted. In the case of class points being insufficient, it will
be calculated out over time. Until then, it will naturally remain zero."

The magnitude of the consequences remain the same as before but the minus is a substantial deduction. Yet another essence of this exam.

"But sensei, can we cancel out the expulsion with points?" I asked.

"That's right. As a last resort, you can buy a 'cancellation of expulsion' with
private points but of course, the price will be high you know? Cancellation of
expulsion…in other words, as a general rule a 'lifeline' will be equally in demand by all school years. To extend a lifeline to a single person, 20 million
private points and a further 300 class points must be paid. This is, at most,
just a lifeline and the penalty that will be incurred upon expulsion won't be
waived. Of course, if either of the points required happen to be insufficient
then you cannot use a lifeline."

"Although we can use it so save a classmate, it will bring in a big penalty for us in both private and Class points." Hiyori stated her thoughts on it.

""Yes you are right."" Coincidentally Takeda and Kaneda agreed with her at the same time.

Sakagami sensei concludes the document.

"There isn't much time left until we reach our destination. How you choose
to utilize this time is up to you. Once we arrive, I will be collecting the materials I've handed out. Also, the use of cell phones will be forbidden for a week. I'll be confiscating them soon. Other than that, you're free to bring along daily necessities and gaming equipment but you won't be allowed to bring along foodstuff. Things that cannot be stored long term, such as meat, will have to be either eaten before arrival or thrown away in the garbage bag upon alighting. That is all."

I guess it's time to get to work. I looked back at a particular student who had been quite the entire time. He was currently looking out the window of the bus.

(Was Ryueen even listening to the explanation?)

I turned my head back.

"I guess it's just me and the others in this exam."

I picked up my phone and called a certain someone.

Vol 4 Ch 5: Form The Groups

Hirano pov:-

Upon arrival, the special exam will begin. Judging from how they
confiscated our cell phones, it appears this is a troublesome exam where
you'd have to either gather information yourself or utilize your personal
connections. For me, I went with the latter.

"We will be arriving at our destination soon. Immediately afterwards, we will
have you form groups indoors. And then afterwards, depending on whether or not you've finished partitioning your rooms, you'll have lunch. Throughout
the afternoon you'll all be free to do whatever you want."

After Sakagami sensei finished the roll call, we had a chance to look around.

Perhaps it's because we're in the mountains? It's colder than it was when we had left the school. However, a spectacle unfolded before our eyes that almost made us forget the cold for a moment.

"Wow…what's this place? This isn't on the scale of a mere outdoors school……"

Before us lay a wide, open space that resembled the school grounds. And
behind that were two old-fashioned school buildings. In order to accomodate all three school years, their size was also considerable. It appears we'll be spending a week here.

Fortunately, Soga, who was a Cadet, will be be incredibly useful in helping us out.

Boys and girls were then split up and we each headed over to the school
building. The boys to the larger one, which is what they call the main
building. Once we stepped inside the building, the somehow familiar scent of timber tickled our noses.

"It's an old-fashioned wooden building. It seems to be several years old but it
looks pretty well maintained. It's really beautiful." Soga said so but it appears everyone else agrees with him as well.

Probably starting from tomorrow, we'll have lessons in classrooms like that
one. We then passed by what appears to be a gymnasium. The boys from
Class A and Class B arrive and they looked in our direction. Afterwards,
Class D entered and next up would probably be the 2nd and 3rd years.

We were instructed to form a line, stand still and wait for further instructions.
Class A, and Class B too, appeared calm and did not chat amongst themselves.

I should assume Class B has already come up with some sort of strategy on the bus.

As for Class A, I had used my phone to contact Ichinose and set upa plan with her.

The plan me and Ichinose agreed upon was that most of the students from both of our classes will form groups together.

I had already instructed everyone in my class to corporate on this while we were on the bus.

The boys will be handled by Soga, Kanzaki and Me. While Ichinose and Hiyori would be incharge of the girls.

The boys from across all school years assembled in the gymnasium. Feeling
uncomfortable, the 1st years immediately assembled and awaited further instructions without making a fuss.

Not too long afterwards, someone who looked like the teacher of a different school year stood up on a stage with a microphone in hand and spoke to the students.

"I'll assume you've all received prior explanation in the bus regarding the
contents of this exam and that you've digested it. As such, there will be no
further explanation of it here. Now then, we'll be forming our small groups here so I'll have you set aside time for this. Each school year will hold a
discussion in order to create six small groups. Furthermore, as for the
formation of the large groups, it'll take place at 8 pm today. That's all. This is
supplementary information but when it comes to partitioning the groups,
irrespective of size, the school will not interfere. And we will not act as
arbitrators either."

I thought we'd be sounding each other out for a while longer but Class B
blatantly started forming a massive group. A most conspicuous action
considering the stalemate we're locked in. Inevitably, they drew attention
from their surroundings. Eventually, Class B formed a single group consisting of 14 people. And then they made this declaration to Class A and
the rest, that is to say, us.

"As you can see, we Class B intend on forming a group with these members.
And as you can see, right now we number 14. If one more person were to join us, we'd meet the prerequisite number. Now then, we're looking for people willing to join us."

The one who said that was a student from Class B named Matoba. Katsuragi
was also among the 14 that had gathered but the one leading them was the boy named Matoba. So does this mean Katsuragi isn't the group's leader?

Does it mean that the 14 students in that group are from the Sakayanagi faction or the neutral faction?

But I thought that Katsuragi would have gained alot of power since the Sakayanagi faction lost the previous exam. I wonder what happened?

Either way, from the start, Class B played the hand of forming a group made up of their own as much as possible.

"Oi, oi. Why the hell are you guys getting ahead of yourselves? It's unfair if you're the only ones in it."

Sudou, from class D, angrily glares at Matoba.

"Is it really that selfish of us? If we go with our proposal, each group will be
composed of, at most, students from two classes. Even if we're 1st place, the
bonus we'll get won't be that significant either. I don't feel like this is a greedy proposal that favors only Class B."

"N-No but I mean, it's unfair that there's 14 of you."

"That's not true. On the contrary, it's fair. The remaining three classes can
create three groups consisting of 15. In other words, wouldn't it be fine if you
form groups just like ours?"

"Is that so?"

Sudou, who didn't quite understand what Matoba is saying, turned around
and looked at his classmate, Hirata.

"That would be the case, yes."

"If you understand then this makes things go quicker. By the way, the
remaining 6 from Class B are willing to join your groups in whatever form
you see fit."

How does that sound? Matoba smiled as he looked at us aswell as everyone else.

"Sorry but I can't give an immediate reply." The first to speak was Kanzaki.

"Of course—. I don't believe the remaining six from Class B will go as far as to pull the legs of the other groups on purpose though. But I guess we'd be
cautious after all."

Class B tried to decide on the groups right away. However, Kanzaki did not
make an immediate decision but rather, tried to put their proposal on hold.
However, in response to that, Matoba fiercely cut in.

"In that case I'll give you 5 minutes. Please make your decision by then."

"A time limit, huh? The group partitioning's only just begun. This is only Class B's personal opinion, it's no good if you onesidedly decide on this.
Don't you think it's outrageous that you'd only postpone it by 5 minutes?"
This time, it was my turn to speak up. I was quite curious about what he would say.

"I suppose so. It may not be good for us to decide that on our own. However,
please don't misunderstand, we're not saying we won't negotiate after 5
minutes have passed. At most, we're only saying that these 5 minutes will
offer special treatment."

"Special treatment?"

Matoba's just taking the lead and continuing the conversation. It's precisely because the other classes have yet to form their opinions and make their move that he's able to propose whatever he wants.

Truly what you'd call a preemptive strike.

"We Class A will form a group with the 14 of us and welcome just one person from another class. Leaving aside whether or not this is the optimal
strategy, it is true that we're selfishly forcing this on you. As such, the one
person we'll be welcoming, in other words, if it's now that person will
receive special treatment from us."

Matoba smoothly conveys the strategy they must have come up with in
advance on the bus.

"If you'll join our group, we will ensure there's no risk to that student. Katsuragi-kun will be this group's leader but even if, by any chance, we're last place then Katsuragi-kun will be the only one to bear the responsibility for it. I promise that we won't drag you down through joint responsibility. Ahh, of course, that's only if you won't intentionally lower our scores or
deliberately hurt our allies though. If your exam scores are legitimately bad
then we'll pardon it all."

So that's the special treatment he referred to.

"Are you serious……?"

Some students saw some value in that proposal of special treatment. Taking
the class into account and forming a group geared towards obtaining the most bonus points in case of victory and assembling group members in order to do so. Such acts are also necessary but the ones who'd think that are the
individuals who make up the core of the class. For your average student, afraid of expulsion, the 'special treatment' proposal that'd allow them to clear
this exam with a 100% guarantee of safety isn't such a bad proposal. Even
though Katsuragi ended up as the leader, the one in charge here is the boy named Matoba.

"Just what in the hell happened in that class? I thought the Katsuragi faction would be on the roll and yet they managed to force Katsuragi back into a corner..." I couldn't help voice out my thoughts.

"I was wondering that too." A voice came from behind me. It seems Takeda was listening to what I was saying.

"Let's focus on the matter at hand. We can discuss the matter of class B later." He advised.

Heeding his advice, I decided to pay attention to other class again.

"Since the 14 of us intend on being first place, there's a good chance that
person will also be rewarded with private points. In each class, in regards to this exam, shouldn't there be those without much confidence in themselves?"

Saying that, he looked around at all the students. Now Matoba's words
resounded especially in the students who didn't feel like passing up on his
offer of special treatment.

"However, if you cannot decide within 5 minutes, we will withdraw our offer
of special treatment. If, by any chance, our class receives a penalty, then we
won't hesitate to drag you down with us."

"I think this is certainly an interesting proposition but in that case, the
benefits of joining your group after 5 minutes would plummet. There isn't a
single student who'd want to join when the possibility of being dragged down
is high."

There's no need to even say it, Kanzaki added.

"That's right. Nobody's going to join a group knowing they're going to do
something like that. Wouldn't it be better for you to take off that time limit?" I agreed with Kanzaki and tried to persuade Matoba

"I don't care how you think of us but we definitely won't break."

Saying that, Matoba dragged his group off and retreated.

It's a way of saying they have no intention of participating in the discussion.

"It's fine if they ignore us. If 5 minutes pass, there'd be no one willing to join
that group. Given time, they'll be the ones to return for discussion."

"Suppose so."

Kanzaki and Shibata said so and decided to keep their distance and calm.

I could see Hirata going back towards his class. Perhaps they will discuss their next move?

I looked over at Soga and Takeda, who decided to follow me as I went over to class A.

"Kanzaki. Has Ichinose told you the details?"

"Yes. She has. We are willing to cooperate in this exam."

"Great. Then let's start with the groups. Shall we? Takeda?"

He took out a pen and paper from his bag. "I will note down the names. Let's arrange them all together. We have about 40 people in total. So we can create two groups of 15 each. While 10 students left will form a group with the lower limit."

"That way we can create three groups consisting of class A and class C." Kanzaki muttered as he thought about it.

"Yes. And naturally, the one of the two 15 person group will be made of 8 students from class A and 7 student from class C. While the other will have 7 from class A and 8 from class C. The leader for the two groups would be decided by the majority in that group." I explained the rest.

"What about the 10 person group?" Shibata asked us.

"It will have 5 students from each class. But the leader would be chosen from our class." Soga answered him calmly.

"Hm? But would that tip the scales of this "equal" deal?" Kanzaki asked.

"Not to worry. To make things even, we have decided that if the 10 person group were to fail then we can guarantee that we won't drag down the class A students in that group as long as they haven't deliberately sabotaged it. However, this doesn't apply to the other two 15 person groups. The same goes for us. If we sabotage your group then feel free to drag us down."

Kanzaki thought about it for a moment and then spoke. "This is a well devised plan. We accept the conditions. However, can we trust you not to sabotage us?"

"Do you want it in writing?" I asked.

"No. That's assurance enough for now." Shibata answered before Kanzaki could reply.

"Great! Then it's settled. Let's arrange the groups. Shall we?"

Takeda started writing down the names of class A and class C students and then me and Kanzaki arranged them in the order we wanted.

As for the leaders, Shibata and Soga became the leaders of the two 15 person groups. While I left Kaneda as the leader for the 10 person group. He is a smart guy and I believe he will manage it well.

And that's how three groups were created on the spot.

The group I was in was Soga's.

From class C: "Soga", "Takeda", "Ryuuen", "Albert", "Ishizaki", "Komiya", "Kondo" and "Me".

From class A: "Kanzaki", "Sumida", "Moriyama", "Tokitou", "Nakanishi", "Yonezu" and "Watanabe".

Although there were a few complaints from the class A students because they had to team up with Ryuuen, we still managed to settle the matter down.

With Soga as the leader, we formed a group of 15 people consisting of only class A and class C students.

The other two class A and class C groups were also formed. As well as the groups of other classes were also complete.

"I thought you'd take a bit more time but this is surprisingly fast."

Nagumo senpai spoke as he came over to us. It appears the 2nd and 3rd years too, have finished forming their small groups.

"I have a proposal to make to you 1st years. Why don't we form the large
groups right away?"

"Nagumo-senpai, isn't that supposed to take place tonight?" I asked.

"That's because the school didn't think you'd be able to form your small
groups right away. Coincidentally, all the school years have just finished
forming their small groups. It's best if we get a move on, right?"

Apparently the teachers hadn't expected things to turn out this way either.
Sensing that steps are being taken to form the large groups, the teachers
started to move in a hurry. Since the student council president himself made that proposal, there's no way the other students would refuse to do so either.

"Horikita-senpai, you don't mind, do you?"

"Sure. That'd be convenient for us too."

After that brief back-and-forth, discussions were held with Nagumo at their center.

"What to do? Don't you think it'd be interesting to decide things based on
something like a draft? Six representatives from amongst the 1st years play rock-paper-scissors and decide the order. Based on that order, they'll pick the 2nd and 3rd year small groups and just like that, the large groups will form. It'd be quick and impartial."

"The 1st years don't know much. Doesn't sound that impartial."

"It's impossible to decide impartially. In the end, there is a difference between the amount of information we each possess."

A brief, yet important back-and-forth between Nagumo and Horikita senpai. There's no way any 1st year would interrupt.

"What about you, 1st years? If you have any complaints about this method
then please speak up."

Nagumo said so, knowing we can't talk back to him.

"We have no complaints." I as the Vice-president was the only one who could have spoken in that situation and decided to agree with Nagumo senpai.

With our lack of information, there was no way of knowing which small groups should be paired together to create a large group.

"I see. Then let's get started right away."

Nagumo gave a smile and joined up with the small group he probably formed himself. And then, the 2nd years and 3rd years split themselves up into six groups to make it easier to understand. Leaders from each of the six 1st year groups then stepped forward to discuss.

Watching them, Nagumo's expression turned gentle almost as though he were looking at a child.

In an fortunate turn of events, Soga ended up taking first place.

"You can discuss amongst yourselves which group you want to pick." Nagumo senpai told him.

"Great job Soga!" Ishizaki called out to him as he put his arms around Soga's shoulder.

"Hehe. Just tried to do my best."

"Now then let's decide on who we want to pick." Takeda spoke up.

"I think we shouldn't take Nagumo senpai." Kanzaki spoke up.

"Hmm...Your right. He has surrounded himself with mostly Class 2C and 2D students."

"I honestly don't want to pair up with Nagumo senpai." I stated my honest thoughts.

Just the thought of being paired up with that guy gives me the creeps.

Eitherway, I had left Soga and Takeda to decide on which group we should choose.

"Well then... Soga... I want you to pick..."
Takeda whispered into his ears.

Nodding to what Takeda said, Soga choose Horikita senpai's group.

I had a feeling Takeda and Soga would choose him. I mean, who wouldn't?

Afterwards, the discussion continued and the second round of selections started.

Soga once again stood infront and announced the group we will be choosing.

"We pick Fugino-senpai's group."

To others it didn't mean anything. But to me, it meant everything.

(What is he doing here!?)

"Hehe. It seems the first years have some brains." A dark brown haired boy with black eyes stood out from the rest.

He was Fugino Hisao from class 2C. A man, who I was really familiar with.

"Nice to meet you first years." He came out to greet us with an arrogant attitude.

I can understand why Soga and Takeda decided to choose his group. They had many great students in it. But it's just... I wish they hadn't.

To be paired up with him is worse than being paired up with Nagumo.

At that moment, I seriously contemplated if letting Takeda and Soga choose the groups alone was a good idea or not.

"Hmmmm? So these are the Kohai's that I will be working with." He said as he glanced at eachother of us

Don't notice me. Don't notice me.

His eyes suddenly stopped when he looked at me. At that moment an evil smirk was seen on his face.

"Hirano? How have you been?" He asked.

"H-Hello Fugino senpai. It's "nice" to see you again."

The others looked at us as If asking how we knew eachother. And it seems even Nagumo was interested by it.

"Fugino-kun. You know my dear Kohai?"

"Fufu. Ofcourse. We are very good "friends". Although, I didn't know that he was the Vice-President, you mentioned."

"Yeah... Right." I glared at the boy infront of me.

(Good friends my ass!)

Fugino Hisao. The first guy to pick on me after I entered that damn middle school! He started the chain of events leading to me becoming everyone's target. He even threatened any friend I made to stay away from me.

The boy, who was the reason why I had been bullied constantly for over a year. Was the very boy standing infront of me!

"It's very "good" to see you again. Senpai." I said trying to hold back my hatred. I can't lose my composure. Not infront of all these people anyway!

"Yes. I hope you enjoy your time here in this school. Vice-President~". He said with an evil grin.

"Thank you... senpai..." I distanced myself to avoid any further conversation.

As for Nagumo senpai, he seemed to have lost interest in our interaction and turned towards Horikita senpai, "Horikita-senpai, we coincidentally happen to be in different large groups. Shall we have a little competition?"

Horikita senpai gave a sharp look at Nagumo senpai, who proposed that. On the other hand, I could hear exasperated sighs coming from the surrounding 3rd years. Prior to the special exam, A student from the 3rd years stepped forward as though to complain. I didn't recognize him till Takeda reminded me that he was Fujimaki senpai from the same class as Horikita-senpai.

"Nagumo. How many times has it been? Cut it out already."

"What do you mean by how many times, Fujimaki-senpai?"

"You've been challenging Horikita just like this but until now you've never
really done anything. But this time around, it's a large scale special exam that involves the 1st years too. We cannot afford to let you act as though this is your personal playground."

"Why is that? There's no such thing as a 1st year or a 3rd year in this school,
it's not really strange no matter who challenges who. It's not considered
taboo in the special exam's rule book either."

Rather than cower before Fujimaki, who possesses a large physique, Nagumo continued to provoke them.

"We're talking about basic manners here. Even if it's not expressly written,
there are things you should and shouldn't do. That much is obvious."

"I don't really think that's the case though. On the contrary, you seniors who seem to only desire infighting within the same school year are the ones hindering the growth of the students enrolled here, isn't that right?"

"You may have become the student council president but that doesn't mean you've gained permission to do anything you want. You should be aware that you're the one abusing his authority."

"If that's what you think then I'll keep that in mind. In that case, why don't
you be my opponent as well, Fujimaki-senpai? For the record, you are number two in the 3rd years' Class A."

Blatantly assuming a casual attitude, Nagumo arrogantly put his hands in his pocket. It was a cheap provocation but some 3rd years seem to feel humiliated by it. A few students tried stepping forward. However, Horikita kept them in check.

"I've rejected your demands up until now. Do you know why?"

"Let's see. Isn't it because your friends are scared that you might lose to me?
But of course, that can't possibly be it. Out of all the people I've seen so far,
Horikita-senpai, you're the best. You're not afraid of losing and you never even once thought you'd lose in the first place."

The 2nd years listening to Nagumo's words almost seemed as though they
were worshipping him. Friend, benefactor, it's not limited to just those. He's a rival and a hated enemy yet at the same time, also respected. Anyway, a
variety of emotions seem to be directed at Nagumo.

In the 2 years he's been here at this school, this man has accomplished things no ordinary person would have been capable of accomplishing and that's probably why. To what extent those are, not even the 3rd years know. The 1st years have even less insight into that.

"I'm just like you, Fujimaki-senpai. I don't desire meaningless conflict either."

"The conflict you desire drags others into it way too much."

"That's this school's modus operandi and I think that's the real thrill of it…
well, that's just the difference between our opinions though. I mean, I thought
I could have had surefire competition with you, senpai, during the sports
festival's relay but regrettably I wasn't able to realize that. I'm still frustrated
about that, you know?"

"I don't think this is an exam where a competition between a 2nd year and a
3rd year will bear any fruit."

"That's probably right. Senpai's just that kind of person. But as for me, I just
want a personal battle between the former student council president and the current student council president. You're about to graduate and leave soon. Before that, I want to see whether or not I've surpassed you."

Nagumo's demand is unstoppable, his craving unsatiable.

"What are you intending to compete with?"

For a moment, the 3rd years seem surprised. It's because Horikita senpai seemed as though he'd accept Nagumo's challenge.

"Which one of us can expel the most students. How does that sound?"

Both the 1st years and the 3rd years stirred in response to that one word from Nagumo.

"Stop joking."

"I really think it'll be interesting but I'll refrain this time. If you want me to
make a serious proposal then it'd be which group gets the higher average
score. Simple and easy to understand."

"I see. If that's the case then I don't mind accepting."

"Thank you. I knew you'd accept, senpai."

"However, this is a personal fight between you and me. Don't involve
others."

"Don't involve others, huh? But judging from the manner of the special exam, I'd say inciting someone to sabotage your enemy's group is one strategy."

"That's far from the essence of this exam. At most you should only question your own group's unity. You shouldn't take advantage of your enemy group's opening to stir them up, even by mistake."

"If you won't humor the conditions I've set, then I have no intention of
accepting."

What Horikita senpai rejected are actions taken to ensnare one's enemy.
In all likelihood, his goal here is to block Nagumo off from his forte.

"So what this means is that in order to win, I can't attack Horikita-senpai's
pawns. I'm fine with that."

I had expected him to be troubled by it but Nagumo surprisingly complied.

However, Horikita senpai continued.

"That's not limited to this group only. I won't acknowledge any method that
causes harm to the other students too. The moment I confirm you've meddled
somehow I will call off our competition."

"As expected of you, senpai. You don't miss anything. I did consider requesting cooperation from groups other than Horikita-senpai's and having them attack yours……"

He said so while boldly laughing.

"I understand. I seem to be the only one craving for this competition so I'm
willing to humor a certain amount of conditions. Fair-and-square, let's see
which one of us can score higher through group unity. Let's have that be our competition. I'll say this in advance but there's no need to set any penalties in case of victory or defeat, right? At most, let this be a fight with just our prides on the line."

Regarding that, Horikita senpai gave neither affirmation or refutation. In
all likelihood, it probably means he's not even intending to bet his pride on
this.

Watching all of this, I couldn't help but think. (Things really have taken a wrong turn.)

Vol 4 Ch 6: A Day at Camp.

Hirano pov:-

"This…feels a lot older than I thought it'd be."

The small groups were each brought to their rooms. Inside each room, there
are wooden bunk beds that would either increase or decrease in number
depending on how many people we have.

"Well first let's decide the beds. Shall we?" Kanzaki proposed.

"I call the top bunk!" Saying that Soga got up on the top bunk of the middle bed.

" Sigh. I will take the bunk below him." Takeda spoke.

A few of the students called dibs on their beds. As for me, I managed to get the top bunk on the bed left to Soga and Takeda.

As for today, we're free from now on. As such, we didn't act collectively as a
group but rather we chose to do our own thing.

Obviously that did not include the class A students. Since they were busy chatting away with eachother.

"Yo. Hirano."

"Hm?"

"Want to play some cards?" Soga asked.
It looks like Takeda had already agreed to the idea.

"What game?"

"UNO."

"Now your talking!" I said as I excited accepted his invitation.

Timeskip:-

The first day's mealtime, in other words, the first opportunity to make contact
with the girls since getting off that bus in the morning has come. The spacious cafeteria looks like it can fit quite a lot of people in it and if you go up the stairs, you get a nice view of the first floor. From a cursory inspection, it looks like it'd fit about 500 people and there's also a considerable number of students occupying it.

"It's not easy to meet up with someone now that we don't have our phones."

I had to talk with Ichinose and I was sure that the triplets might be looking for me aswell.

However, the meal comes first. The mere one hour we had been allocated is precious time after all. Holding a tray in my hands, I sat alone. If this had been a normal school day then the different school years would have been separated into different areas to a certain extent but this time around, since we're being divided up into groups instead, students from across all school years intermingle and eat their meals together.

They mostly gather in groups but there are also quite a few students moving
around for the sake of gathering information. There are also a lot of those who are doing so because this is the only place you can make contact with the girls too. There are also couples who are spending time together because said time together happens to be limited to this period as well.

I had left Soga and Takeda incharge of the boys and Hiyori aswell as Manabe to help her with the girls. They all must be busy right.

I didn't feel like eating much today, so I finished my meal pretty quickly and got up. However, I spotted the person who I was looking for. She was currently leaning on the table. She also seemed to be talking to someone.

"Ichinose? Ayanokouji?" I called out.

Once they heard my voice they both looked at me.

"Good Morning Hirano-kun!"

"Good Morning Hirano."

"Good Morning to you both aswell." I replied.

"Ichinose. Did everything go smoothly on the girl's side?"

The knowledge of class A and C helping eachother is already known by everyone. As such there was no need to hide it from Ayanokouji.

"Yes. Everything went exactly as we hoped! And I heard the same thing happened in the boy's side. I am glad you proposed this idea." She said with a happy expression on her face.

"I am glad aswell. I hope we can continue to cooperate like this. However, are you okay?"

Ichinose may had a smile on her face. But she also looked a little pale.

"Hm? Oh! I am fine. Just a little tired. That's all."

"Well please make sure to get some rest. You won't be able to help your class if you get tired from exhaustion." I advice.

"Don't worry! I plan to take a good rest!"

"But still. Please think about your own well being." I was genuinely concerned by how pale she looked.

Atleast I have people helping me. But she is basically managing the entire class alone with just a little help from Kanzaki and the others.

"It's fine, it's fine. Being energetic is about the only thing I have going for
me. See you later, Hirano-kun, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ichinose waved at me and saw me off. One hour per day. That's the rule this
time around concerning opportunities to make contact with the girls. Boys
and girls can't meddle with each other directly but I imagine this hour's clearly meant to let us share information with one another. In all likelihood, we're meant to gather information here, give out instructions and fight our fight. This is probably where students who are trusted and who possess high communication abilities shine.

For this, I was completely useless. I am not the best when conversing with strangers or anyone I am not close to.

Even with my classmates, I tend to keep the conversation short. That's why Soga is such a help in these situations. I guess I will leave this special exam to Soga and Takeda for now.

"How have you been Ayanokouji?"

"Nothing really."

"Good. Good. So... wanna tell me about yourself?"

"Like what?"

"How can you do what you can do?"

"What do you mean?" He pretended not to understand.

"Well anyway. Want to go back to talking about novels?"

"Did you read a good one again?"

"Yup!"

We started discussing novels like we used to before the whole rooftop incident. Time flew by and we had to return back.

Timeskip:-

It's past six in the morning. A light BGM echoed through the room. It's coming from the speakers installed in the room so one doesn't even have to think about it to know that it's the signal for us to get out of bed. The room is still dark and I couldn't see sunlight pouring in from beyond the thin curtain "What the hell…keep it down."

It was Ishizaki's first absentminded words of the morning.

There are students who didn't wake even after hearing that tone but here and there, they start putting on their glasses, sitting upright and slowly waking up.

"We're probably going to start with whatever's scheduled for this period
today, aren't we?"

I heardSumida whisper that from below my bed while sighing.

"For now, we should all get up. If even one of us is late, we might all get a
demerit."

Kanzaki said so while putting on his jersey.

As long as we're living in the same room, joint responsibility is something
we cannot avoid.

"So is everyone ready to move out?" Takeda, who was already ready asked everyone else.

"I am ready."

"Yup."

"Let's go."

Such voices came from the other students and we left the room. And so students from across school years, having been separated into groups, gathered in one, single classroom.

Approximately 40 people. You could say it's almost like we make up a class.
The 1st years all casually extend the morning's greetings to the 2nd and 3rd
years. While I tried to stand clear of Fugino.

Not too long afterwards, a teacher came into the classroom.

"I'm in charge of Class C from the 3rd year. The name's Obara Miyako. I'll be
performing a rollcall now and then you'll be heading outside and cleaning
your designated areas. After that, you'll be cleaning the school building. This
will be routine every morning. If it rains, you will be exempt from outside
cleaning but since that means you'll be spending more time cleaning the
school building, it's not like the time for this will decrease. And also, regarding lessons from today onwards, it won't be the school's teachers doing the teaching but rather individuals who teach various topics. Don't forget to welcome them properly and act politely."

After that short explanation, our group headed off to do some cleaning.

Timeskip:-

The smell of grass coming from the tatami spread out before us tickled our
noses. A room that, for some reason, felt nostalgic to me was spread out
before my eyes. The place the teacher escorted us to was a spacious area that
looked like a dojo. It looks like we'll be completing this task alongside some
students from the other groups.

"Starting from today, this will be where you practice Zazen in the morning
and in the evening."

This will be fairly easy.

Depending on which school we're talking about, you may need to use a
specific hand to do the clutching but those schools and the such probably
don't apply here. Then we received one more explanation regarding Zazen.

That Zazen is nothing more than a form of meditation. Practicing Zazen isn't
about emptying your head but rather forming an image. That there's
something known as the Ten Bulls that act as a method through which the
image is visualized.

It's a series of ten illustrations that depict the road to Zen enlightenment.

"After you sit cross-legged, place your legs on top of your thighs. Since the
exam's outcome also depends on how well you can."

"Oww…is he for real? I can't get one leg up though……"

"If you are unable to pull it off from the beginning, then you may opt for the
half lotus position that you perform with one leg."

The man in charge demonstrated it himself to give us a sample of that too.

I was able to cross my legs without a speck of difficulty. I have done this many times even before coming to this school. I uses to do Zazen along with other forms of mediation and yoga every morning with my mother.

Although other students were having problems. Takeda, Soga and Kanzaki had done it easily.

As the students understood what it is in general, Zazen time began. Since
quite a bit of time was spent on the explanation, the first session was limited to about five minutes.

Cleaning and Zazen are done for the morning and since it's now around 7
o'clock, it's time for breakfast. But rather than the large cafeteria we used last night, we were instead taken outside. There, a large, spacious area for meals had been prepared and there are even multiple kitchens. Several groups are already there.

"The school will be offering meals for today but starting from tomorrow, provided the weather is clear, you will have to cook your own meals with your group. As for the amount and how to share it, you'll have to discuss it amongst yourselves."

"Seriously? I've never cooked a meal before though."

Ishizaki muttered but there's no dodging this one since that's the rule.

Preparations for breakfast continued on while we received instructions on how to cook starting from tomorrow onwards. The breakfast menu's already
been confirmed and apparently manuals on how to cook them will be
distributed. Looks like we won't have to worry about not knowing what to cook.

"Geh, is this all…?"

The menu is a simple one, a Japanese breakfast based on rice, soup and main
dishes. But students with big appetites would understandably see it as being
insufficient. For the record, it looks like we can substitute this meal with something else but in that case we'll have to prepare the substitute ourselves.

"Thank god for the uninhabited island experience. Compared to that, I'd take
this one any day."

Saying this, I ate my breakfast.

"If we're going to do it fairly, then how about each school year has a go at
it?"

In the middle of breakfast, a 3rd year boy, Fugino made his proposal to Horikita senpai.

"It would be better than all of us doing it together. Won't it?" He said.

"It would be more convenient." Horikita senpai replied after thinking about it.

"That's right!"

He wasn't even looking towards us or asking for our opinion. He was just discussing this thing with Horikita senpai.

"Hmm...If the first years agree to it."

Fugino turned towards us and with an uninterested gaze he asked "Any complaints?"

"None. Please go with that."

Our leader, Soga, accepted that.

"Since we'll be cooking breakfast, what time do we have to get up tomorrow?"

"…just in case we should wake up two hours in advance."

Ishizaki vigorously shoots down Takeda's proposal. To wake up two hours in advance means waking up after 4 o'clock and making preparations to head out.

"Still, we've got no choice but to do it. It'll be disastrous if we fail to prepare
breakfast."

"Then you guys do it. I'll be sleeping."

"Ishizaki. We will all cooperate for this. Understood?"

He went quite for a moment when he looked at me. For a second he shifted his gaze to the left.

Following his gaze, I saw that he had looked over at Ryuuen, who was eating by himself.

"Yes. He will be helping too. After all, anyone who doesn't cooperate is on the list of people we might drag down to expulsion."

"Fine..."

With that the matter was solved for the time being. And it was decided that the first years will cook food for the first two day, second years will cook the next two days and third years will cook the last two days.

Timeskip:-

The morning's plain, no, healthy breakfast is over and lessons began in
earnest. The large groups all gathered in a classroom that's slightly more spacious than the ones back at the Advanced Nurturing High School. I
wonder if it's made to resemble a university classroom? In particular, there isn't any order to our seating and we're free to sit wherever we want, beside whoever we want. Inevitably enough, everyone ended up sitting with their small groups from the same school year. You could sit alone in the corner of the classroom if you wanted to but doing so would attract attention to you from the other school years and depending on the circumstances, you might even receive a warning.

Since the 2nd year and 3rd year small groups have yet to arrive, we 1st years
have free reign to choose our seats.

"In this case……would it be better for us to sit up front?"

Naturally this didn't apply to Ryuuen, who casually took a seat at the back.

"Yo. First years!" The third years including Horikita senpai appeared.

He looked at me and nodded slightly as form of a greeting which I obviously returned.

As for Soga, he was already on good terms with the third years. So greeting them was no problem for him. After all, Greeting each and every one of the 2nd and 3rd years is also one of the things
that a leader ought to do. It's a good thing we picked him.

Timeskip:-

"Hah, haha." I stopped for a minute to take a breath.

PE classes are held in the afternoon, or rather, I should say that basic physical
conditioning takes place in the afternoon. According to the briefing, the main focus will be on marathon training and it also looks like a long-distance relay race is scheduled for the last day. It'll probably be one of the things tested. It seems we'll be practicing outdoors for a few days and then on the race track.

It's not much of a problem for us since most of the students in this group are athletic.

However, the fact that Ryuuen will cooperate to the end is also something to worry about.

I told Ishizaki that he will cooperate If he doesn't want to get expelled, however since he did try to leave school himself before. Chances of him cooperating now are a little lower than expected.

Timeskip:-

Perhaps it's because this is the first day of our lessons, since despite our
exhausting marathon training the rest of our lessons consisted only of
explanations regarding this school and what will be taking place during the
rest of the week. The majority of the lessons consisted of something along
those lines. However, it's made abundantly clear that what we will be
learning is 'sociality'. But even if it's put that way to them, the 1st year
students probably won't get it. The senior students are acting calm.
Apparently the experience gap between the 1st years and the 2nd years is an
insurmountable one.

"Uuu………"

Our final lesson for the afternoon, Zazen, just ended and I already felt like collapsing. And it's not just me, Ishizaki and a few other students felt the same.

"Are you alright?" Kanzaki, one of the few people who were still able to keep their calm after such an intense day, asked us.

The first day. Brought to a close with Zazen.

Among the other students, it appears Ishizaki too, had a hard time with
Zazen as he leaned forward in pain.

"Shit, eat and bath. Yeah, bath. Give me a hand here, Albert."

Albert silently came over and lifted Ishizaki up by his arm.

"Geh! Do it more gently! Let go."

Slam. Ishizaki collapsed.

"Gaaaah!"

Seeing that little interaction play out, I ended up thinking it seemed fun.
However, the Class A students in our group could only see Ishizaki and others as parasites.

"I gotta meet up with Kida." Soga spoke as he remembered something.

"Huh? Kida? As in Kida Teruo, correct?"

Soga and Takeda had told me about him and we had talked on occasions like during the sports festival.

Apparently, he was also friends with both of them before coming to this school. However, Unlike Soga and Takeda, they didn't go to the same school.

Kida lived near Soga and that's how they became friends. Kinda reminds me of myself and Eiichirō.

I don't know the guy personally, but I do know him as a classmate. Perhaps I should hang out with him sometime seeing as we both are friends with the same person.

Takeda and Soga mostly hangs out with him during Lunch. Unfortunately, I havea habit of eating lunch alone so I seat alone most of the time and rarely join them for lunch. I gotta change that. This isn't middle school.

"So you want to see how Kida is holding up?"

"Yeah. I wanted to place him in the same group as us. But since you wanted Ryuuen, Albert and Ishizaki here, I had no choice but to place him in the other group."

"Oh. I am sorry about that."

" Sigh. Let's just go. I want to have dinner as soon as possible." Saying that Soga left the dogo.

Timeskip:-

"So how is the exam going?"

"nom ,nom, nom"

I was sitting together and chatting with the triplets when Aika asked me about the exam.

"It's going great. The partnership between class A and class C has really helped all of us out. The groups are going steady and we might end up with alot of points if we keep this up."

"nom ,nom, nom"

"I am so glad that our and Hirano's class can work together now." Miku said with a small blush on her face.

"nom ,nom, nom"

"I am glad we could work together aswell. Although I would love to discuss more about the exam... only if someone wasn't eating like a hog! Stop making that noise!"

"What!?" Itsuki cried out.

"You really need to lighten up. The food isn't going anywhere." Aika called out to her sister.

"I am just enjoying a good meal is all!"

"Yeah! And it's seriously annoying!"

"Shut up!"

" Sigh. So Miku, what is it like with the girl's side?"

"Hm? Well everything is going well. It's just..."

"Something strange happened." Itsuki butted in.

I raised my eyebrow.
"What happened?"

"Apparently, the girls from class B said that they won't group up with Ichinose specifically."

Now that caught my attention.
"Ichinose you say?"

"Yeah. It was not much of a problem since we weren't planning to group up with them anyway. But it was still weird how they targeted Ichinose specifically. I mean they agreed to group up with us. But not Ichinose."

"Hmmm... Could this be Sakayanagi's doing?"
I had a feeling that she had some control left over the class. But not this much. Just what is she planning?

"Hmph. She is probably just salty about being demoted to class B. Serves her right." Aika dismissed the matter with her statement.

Although that might be part of it. But somehow, I feel like there is something much more going on.

"Hm. Let's forget about this for now. But if anything more pops up. Please inform me."

"Okay~" Itsuki spoke as she dug her focus back into her food.

Timeskip:-

One hour left to go until lights out at 10 o'clock. In our shared room, without much to say to one another, we passed the time in silence. The trigger for everyone to get along with each other is a hard one.

Even if you suddenly started speaking to someone from another class, they'll just wonder what you're even putting in the effort for and so it's difficult to strike up a 0conversation. It would be great if someone took the initiative to give us a
topic to converse about, but it seems unlikely. But that's not case with Soga, who seems to be chatting his heart out.

At that moment, someone lightly knocked on the door. Looks like we have a visitor.

"Who is it? At a time like this."

Doesn't seem like anyone knows and so everyone curiously looked at the door.

"Might be a teacher."

Ishizaki indifferently said so. Certainly that's a possibility. Soga got up and
started walking while asking who's knocking. The person on the other side
truly is someone unexpected.

"Are you guys still up?"

"Fugino-senpai, can we help you with something?"

"I came to check on you guys since we're in the same group. Can I come in?"

There isn't a single 1st year brave enough to say 'no' after having heard that.

Soga immediately gave his consent and welcomed Fugino into the room. But apparently he didn't come alone. He's accompanied by other 2nd year students. Upon entering the room, Fugino surveyed his surroundings.

"Hm? The design really is the same..." He muttered.

After looking around, he looked at all of us.

"I just came to see how the first years were holding up. Hope this camp isn't much for you all."

"No. We are doing just fine senpai." Soga replied with a smile.

He didn't even look at Soga anymore. His eyes darted to me.

"It's been a while my dear Kohai. How have you been?"

"I have been great senpai. Thank you for asking." I answered him with a strained smile.

He walked up to me with a wicked smile and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Great to know. I haven't seen you for more than a year. Did our "friends" treat you nicely?"

Once he said that I couldn't help but smile. "It seems senpai isn't aware. Though it makes sense since he has been here the entire time."

"Hm?" He raised his eyebrow at my sudden change of tone.

"Our "friends" have gotten a bit scared after an "accident". I am afraid some of them even left school~"

"Oh~ and what was this accident?"

I look him straight in the eyes, making sure no one else could see my face and with a evil smile I replied in a low voice so only he could hear.

"Why don't you ask your little brother after you graduate? Although, I doubt he will see you. After all, he would be embarrassed if you saw his "no longer handsome" face."

He gripped my shoulder hard and glared down at me.

"Did you do something to him?"

"Oh~ I did more than a little "something". I promise you that much."

My face was no longer smiling. I glared at him as he glared back at me.

"Tch. You managed to get some balls. Let's see how long you can keep them. We will talk more about this soon and you better tell me what you did or else." After whispering that to me, he walked back out the door as the rest of 2nd year students followed him.

"A friend of yours Hirano?" Ryueen called out with a cheeky smile after seeing the glare I gave Fugino.

"Yes. A very close "friend" of mine."

Timeskip:-

On a Saturday, which would have been a holiday in our school life, there are
still lessons being held for the duration of the outdoors school. But even
though I call them lessons, the timetable itself differs somewhat from the
weekdays. What could be referred to as lessons ended with the morning and
after that is our own free time. The special exam that began on Thursday too, is already on its third day.

Discord began to occur within the group. It started around 5 o'clock in the early morning.

"Aaaah, I'm fucking sleepy!"

At the outdoor cookhouse near the school building, Ishizaki screamed.

"Everyone's in the same boat. Ahh, please measure it so you don't mess up
the amount of miso."

Shibata warns him while flipping through the paper on which the breakfast menu was written that the teachers had given us.

"Shut it. Why do I have to participate in cooking the meals in the first place?"

Even as he moved his hands to stir the miso, Ishizaki did not stop cursing.

"It can't be helped, right? There's the possibility we'll incur a penalty if
everyone isn't assembled here."

"Hell if I care, shit……ahh."

"What's with that 'ahh' just now?" Takeda asked.

"……nothing."

"No way that was nothing. Where's the salt you had in your hands!?"

"I added it all."

Apparently, quite a bit of salt got added to the miso soup that Ishizaki was in
charge of.

Takeda panickedly put out the fire and checked the taste. And then he
coughed.

"You put too much in it, ugh! It's not drinkable……"

If you gave that miso soup to the senior students, you'd get bashed severely
for it. In the first place, it's bad for your body. Not that I mind giving it to Fugino. But I would rather be safe then sorry before Horikita-senpai taste it.

"Nothing for it but to make it again."

"Don't fuck around. If we're making it again, then you start over from scratch. I mean, what about Ryueen-kun?" Ishizaki asked Soga, who was also busy cooking.

"Hell if I know."

"You're the damn group leader!"

While glancing at all of them quarreling over miso soup, Kanzaki skillfully handled a frying pan on top of the stove while cooking up an omelette.

"You're quite good……" I said.

As someone who could only cook the simplest of dishes, I was quite impressedby Kanzaki's cooking skills.

"I know a thing or two." He said.

In his hands he carried a bowl with
scrambled eggs in it.

"Thank you. If you don't mind, can I ask you to cut the vegetables too?"

Despite his large frame, Albert began skillfully swinging a kitchen knife on
the chopping board.

Since there are a lot of mouths to feed, Kanzaki cooks the eggs one after
another. It appears, as far as cooking is concerned, these two are set to be our
aces. On the other hand, I managed to acquire the extremely undemanding
task of preparing the raw vegetables and tableware. However, since I have to prepare everyone's worth of vegetables, it's still a lot.

I can't help with the china but I feel like I should help out with cutting the
vegetables too.

As I stood beside Albert, he looked at me silently. I am already used to this silent attitude of his.

"Can you handle it? Cutting vegetables, I mean."

"Probably."

He handed over the kitchen knife to me. I'm glad I've utilized one before, even if only a little, since I had started living in the dorm. I cut the vegetables, keeping up with Albert's proficiency.

I looked over at Ryuuen, who just returned from the washroom. I guess he wasn't planning to slack off and sabotage the class.

Vol 4 Ch 7: A Secret Night Talk.

Hirano pov:-

Personally, I was quite weirded out by what was happening.

I mean comparing eachother's sizes? Really? Where do they get these ideas from anyway?

Although I was shocked by Kouenji and Ayanokouji. They were monsters in this "field".

As for me, mine was surprisingly just a little bigger than Albert's and a lot more than Sudo and Katsuragi. But I would rather not talk about it.

Speaking of Katsuragi, I went over to talk to him about his class's condition.

" Sigh. It will still take time before her influence is finished. A mere defeat in one exam would do nothing."

"Really? I expected you to take control of the class by now. Did something happen?"

"The contract made between our classes is starting to take it's toll. Naturally, she used that and my previous defeat as a means to hold her position in class. Not only that but she was also the only one in class to score a 100 in each subject."

"Hm... so she managed to show off her smarts and put the blame on others for the defeat in the paper shuffle. Quite interesting. But that doesn't mean there was no damage at all. Right?"

"Yes. At this moment, we are competing aswell to see who gets more points from the boy's side and who gets more points from the girl's side." That's what he said.

I nodded my head and went back to taking a proper bath. It's amazing how a single bath completely changes the course of my entire day! All my exhaustion just slips away.

Timeskip:-

Although tiring, the days went by in a flash and before I knew it, it was already the 5th day.

I was just eating my lunch when someone unexpected sat beside me.

"What a surprise. It's been a while!"

"Oh! Greeting Hori-san." It was the brown haired girl from class A.

I had met her during the winter break through Tajika-san. The three of us had fun playing together and ended up exchanging numbers.

"So Hirano, how have you been so far?"

"The exam has taken it's toll on me. But I will be fine. Although, I am quite interesting about the girl's side. I heard there was some conflict between your class and class A."

"Hm. Yes. Sakayanagi told us not to get involved with Ichinose Honami from class A. But we still don't know the reason why."

"Hm... So should I presume that your part of the Sakayanagi faction?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No! No! Hehe~" with an awkward laugh, she denied as she waved her hands.

"I am part of the neutral faction."

I raised my eyebrow.
"The neutral faction? I didn't consider that it even existed with the constant conflict between the other two factions."

"I can understand that. But many students in our class are still unable to pick a side. Both Katsuragi-kun and Sakayanagi-san have proven themselves capable but have also showed their mistakes costing us to be demoted to class B. If something doesn't happen then perhaps we will have to take some action against them."

"Hm? We?"

She nodded her head with a serious look. "Apparently some of our classmates from the neutral faction have grown tired of their conflict and being demoted to class B have made them impatient. They are considering putting an end to both Sakayanagi and Katsuragi and creating a new faction with a new leader."

My eyes went wide with shock. This is the first time I have heard of this! It means that if Sakayanagi or Katsuragi aren't able to take full control of the class soon. Then they both would be taken out of the equation.

"Hey... Hori... Are you really suppose to tell me all this?"

Silence. That's all what was heard.

"HOLY HELL I WASN'T SUPPOSE TO TELL ANYONE THAT!" She shouted as she drew attention to us.

After apologizing to the other students, she slumped on the table. Groaning in her stupidity.

(And here I thought that she was a smart student. I guess she is only academicly smart but not when it comes to other matters.)

"Well you don't have to worry. I won't babble it to anyone else."

"So that's where you two are!" A voice came from behind us.

"Sumiko-san?" Hori called.

"I was looking everywhere for you. It's thanks to your sudden scream that I was able to find you."

"Umm..." She blushed for a bit remembering how she embarrassed herself.

"I didn't think you would be together with Hirano."

"Hello Tajika."

"Hey! You don't mind if I sit with the both of you right?"

"Nah. Go for it."

She took her place beside Hori and we all started chatting till lunch time was over.

Timekskip:-

It's finally Tuesday, the 7th day of our training camp. And as such, I began to
hear some rather strange complaints coming from the boys in our class. That they're starting to miss the girls.

Complaints like that. Somehow, I feel like the number of boys looking forward to dinner has increased. Being surrounded by boys like yourself certainly is calming but it's not exactly
glamorous.

"Ahh, shit. I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind surrounded by guys."

"I'd already be dead if this were a boys' school."

That opinion was expressed equally by most boys in the group.

"Anyways, it's starting to stink with only the guys around."

It's inevitable that in time, he'd get the image of us being a sweaty bunch.
But the truth is, there aren't many students who are even sweating here. I'm just grateful it's not summer. But personally, I feel rather at ease being with the guys.

My middle school was actually a boys only school. So there was nothing for me to worry about. Honestly, during the start of school the reason why I get so flustered around girl's is not because I am not good at talking to girls but because in middle school, there were no girls to talk to. So I had very little experience in this matter.

Thankfully, I am not that awkward anymore.

Besides me, Kanzaki had also kept his composure. As for Soga and Takeda, they also went to a boys only school. The only difference was that at the start of the month Soga still could talk to girls easily. Unlike me. Takeda was bad at talking to both boys and girls, so he was in a similar position as me at the start of school.

Thankfully, it's already the 7th day, that means this hell of an exam will find soon. Just one more day.

"I'd like to go over the long-distance relay we'll be doing tomorrow. Please
hear me out."

Everyone, while still on their respective beds, turns to look at Kanzaki.

"There's only 15 of us so each person needs to shoulder a huge burden. But there is still one problem."

"What do you mean? Isn't it better to have more people? Because then the
distance we have to run decreases."

"Certainly we have 15 to evenly split the burden between then each person so we won't have to shoulder all that burden but there's also the high probability
that you'll have slow students mixed in as well. You can count the number of
students who excel at long distance in our school year on one hand."

"…that is true."

"In other words, this is a chance for 10 people groups to decrease the gap between us."

"But that's assuming that our whole group isn't an athletic bunch, right?"
Ishizaki looked around.

When it comes to running, I think Ishizaki, Kanzaki, Shibata, Soga and Takeda should be able to handle it.

I don't know about the others and whether Ryueen cooperates is also a different matter.

"The long-distance relay will be about 18 kilometers. That would mean each
person must run for at least a minimum of 1.2 kilometers so that means in a
group of 15, everyone would have to run about the same length of 1.2 kilometers each. That's the only option we got."

"But we can't just declare injury and have someone else run that length for
you, right?"

"Any injuries or sickness on that day will be penalized so that would not only render our numbers disadvantageous but cost us more time as well. That's not ideal. And also, it's important to note that unless we're talking 1.2 kilometers, we may not be able to get any points for switching out."

The school is doing everything it can to shut down any loopholes. Students have to do what is required of them.

"Ryueen. I hope you run too." I said as I turned my head towards Ryueen.

"Kukuku. Sure. I will do my best." Ryuuen replied without even sparing me a glance.

Timeskip:-

Midnight. I woke upon hearing a slight creaking coming from the bed. A lone
student is moving in the dark. Of course, even if there's absolutely zero
visibility I'd still know who it is. It's Ryueen, who was supposed to be sound asleep.

(Where is he going?)

I concealed my presence and headed out into the corridor.

There's only the emergency light and the moonlight streaming in from outside but walking without a flashlight is possible. I saw Ryueen heading off towards the toilet. I followed him.

And when I did, Ryuuen turned left
rather than continue on down the corridor. It doesn't look like he's simply
heading to the toilet. After going down to the first floor, went outside while still in his indoor shoes.

As I approached him, I concealed
myself using the wall on my side. That's when I heard someone behind me.

"Ayanokou-" He put a hand on my mouth and motioned me to look.

I saw Ryueen met up with a shadowy figure.

In a situation like this where not even the sounds of insects are present, you
could hear a person's voice a lot more clearly than you'd expect.

"Yo, Ryuuen." It was Hashimoto from class B, who had called out Ryueen.

"What the hell do you want with me?"

"I just want to have a chat with you. You stand out way too much in the cafeteria. The only time we can meet would be in the middle of the night, right?"

"On the very last day?"

"Precisely because it's the very last day. Everyone else should be sound
asleep right now."

"…I see. I guess that's true."

There are no students who'd stay up this late at night when there's an exam
the next day. That's why Hashimoto chose a time like this to have his secret
meeting with Ryuuen. But Ryuuen and Hashimoto are a rather unexpected
combination…or not I suppose. Back during our time on the uninhabited
island, Ryuuen cultivated a relationship with the Sakayanagi faction in Class B.

Hashimoto had played the role of the mediator back then too.

"Doing things in a roundabout way isn't how I roll. Give it to me straight. Did you really step down as class leader?"

"Kuku. You don't seem like you're buying it?"

"At the very least I can't bring myself to believe you got beaten down by Hirano and the others."

Hashimoto tells him how that point stood out to him. Does being beaten by me really sound that unbelievable?

"Putting him aside, Albert's a troublesome one. If I go head-to-head with that guy, it'll be tough."

"I see. Well, Albert certainly is a threat I suppose. But the Ryuuen Kakeru
that I know would never cower before an enemy like that. On the contrary, he'd always have a countermeasure planned, right?"

Rather than assuaging his doubts, that only seemed to make him even more
suspicious.

"I just got tired of leading a bunch of people who'd rebel against me. As long
as I keep exploiting you Class B guys, I'll always be in the safe zone. I'm not obligated to save those guys."

"I see. So that's the truth then."

"Have I convinced you?"

"I wonder. To be honest, it's still fifty-fifty. Besides, I'd personally like you to fight back from the situation you're in right now."

"So you can get more pocket money, is that it?"

"That's exactly right. Just like you, I desire the 'promise of Class A'". If you
can save up 20 million points, you gain the right to move up to Class A. Any
student who possesses the means to do so can rest assured. A situation that
would be the envy of everyone else.

But making that happen will be very difficult. I know from first hand experience. Apparently, Hashimoto's also one of the students aiming for that.

"I assume you're prepared to betray Sakayanagi if the promise of victory is
what you want."

"If necessary, yes."

To my surprise, Hashimoto answered like that but immediately added this.

"Selling out Sakayanagi doesn't come cheap, Ryuuen. Because soon, Sakayanagi will stands at the very top of our class. I'm on the winning team, you
get it right?"

"Oh? After the paper shuffle I honestly thought that she was done."

"Tch. Don't underestimate us. Your dirty tricks could only go so far."

"Hm? "My" tricks. I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

"So it wasn't you but Hirano who came up with the idea?" Hashimoto guessed that it was my plan which lead to their defeat.

"With how things are in your class presently, I'd like to see how long this sort of diplomacy will work."

"I'm rather good at carving out my own place. I'll have you know I'm more
capable than I seem. But I'm glad I got to talk directly with you like this. Your eyes aren't dead yet."

After yawning, Hashimoto finally added this.

"When your class got demoted back to class C, I wondered what the hell you were doing but you may be tougher than you look."

"Huh?"

"If you look at each member calmly, everything becomes clear. And you start wanting to crush them early on."

"To think you'd evaluate them. Is there a man you're interested in or something?"

"At the very least, Kouenji's a threat. If he acts for the sake of the class, there's no telling what'll happen even to Class B led by Sakayanagi. Besides, there are students like Hirata and Yukimura who excel academically. There's also Sudou, who's one of the physically fittest in our school year. And we can't forget Hirano, that cunning bastard."

"I don't know about the others but I don't think that man will act."

Hashimoto laughed, then agreed with him.

"Regardless, there's no telling what'll happen when. But I'll keep that in mind, just in case. Even if Hirata and his class manage to get themselves promoted to Class A, there's no problem as long as there's room for me to squeeze myself in. Hell, if I had the money, I would have considered joining Ichinose's class."

So he is going with the same strategy as me. Collect 20 million somehow and then wait till end of graduation. Then change your class to Class A and graduate successfully.

"I doubt you have that much power to begin with but do your best to make
sure you don't get burned, ok?"

Ryuuen mocks Hashimoto and tries to cut the conversation short.

"Even if it's shitty, dragging this out is just troublesome."

"Yeah."

"Hey 1st years, having a secret meeting at a time like this?"

"Huh?"

The ones who stood before Ryuuen and Hashimoto who both headed back
into the school building are Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu. Ryuuen
stopped walking for an instant but then immediately lost interest and started
walking again. Towards Nagumo. But Nagumo did not move from that spot.

"Get out of my way."

In response to Ryuuen's glare, Nagumo laughed as though that fascinated
him. Hashimoto too, having returned to the corridor to see what's going on and met Nagumo's gaze.

"I've heard you're quite the delinquent. You're Ryuuen, right? I'm going to
have a little chat with Horikita-senpai now but you should tag along too."

You too, as though saying that he spoke to Hashimoto too.

"Not interested."

Ryuuen shoulder checked Nagumo.

"Bullish, aren't you? Aren't you afraid of me, Ryuuen?"

"Student council president or whatever else you might be, I'll crush anyone
who gets in my way."

"Heh."

Nagumo seems to now harbor a certain degree of interest in Ryuuen, who didn't budge an inch.

"I don't really dislike your type. But you're not cut out to be part of my
student council."

When Ryuuen tried to walk away, Nagumo again called out to him.

"As a third party, why don't you make a bet? In today's special exam, between my group and Horikita-senpai's group, which one do you think will rank higher? 10,000 points per bet. How about that? No matter which side you bet on, as long as you hit the mark I'll pay up that amount. If it's a miss I'll have you pay up though."

"That's stupid. I'm not interested in that sort of money."

"10,000 is 'that sort of money' for you, huh? You're Class C so you're aren't
always short on money, aren't you? But you could earn a bit more, you know?"

"Then go with 1 million. I'll bite if you're willing to pay up that much."

Ryuuen said that and turned around.

"Hahaha. You're a funny one, Ryuuen. A bold joke. You can go now."

Apparently he thinks Ryuuen's proposal was a joke.

"If you don't have the balls to pay up at least that much, don't bother asking
me to place a bet."

"Hey you, that 1st year over there. You think Ryuuen can pay up?"

Nagumo asks Hashimoto. Hashimoto, who's aware of the secret arrangement
he made with Class B, should know that he's definitely capable of doing so
but— "I'm not sure…we're in different classes so I can't tell."

"If we had our phones and could check then I wouldn't mind playing along.
Too bad."

In the end, the bet was called off. And with that timing, Hashimoto tried to
leave. Perhaps because they were already out of his sight, Nagumo turned away from them and glanced at the Horikita senpai.

"Horikita-senpai, please excuse yourself from the exam tomorrow."

All of a sudden, he cut in with those words. Ryuuen disinterestedly walked
off but Hashimoto unexpectedly stopped walking.

I turned back to Ayanokouji. "I would love to see more. But I need to get back before Ryuuen does. Tell me what happens okay? See ya" I whispered to him as I proceeded to sneak away back to our room.

Timeskip:-

The last day of the training camp. In other words, the day has come for our
groups to be ranked in this special exam. One week has gone by and in that time, both boys and girls from across all school years making up roughly 36
small groups have gone about their own business. There are groups where
members have successfully managed to deepen the relationships between one
another and there are also groups that are on the brink of collapse. There are
also groups where members indifferently did what needed doing without bothering to deepen relations between each other. At first, a few in our group thought we'd see eye to eye. However, in the end we did manage to
grow closer to one another, significantly bridging the distance that existed
between us. Not perfectly, of course.

Tomorrow, we'll be enemies again. We were only temporarily allied. However, there's still a certain sense of loneliness
when you remember that our activities together as a group is at an end.

"We've done what needed doing for now. No matter what the outcome is,
this group has no regrets."

"I think so too. Thank you for being our leader for a week, Soga."

We all talked and gave eachother a final good bye. Since this group would be dissolved after today.

"No matter what the outcome is, let's do our best."

"I'll be counting on you."

The others are also complimenting each other and exchanging handshakes.
Afterwards, we headed to the classroom our group was assigned to. There's
nothing to criticize as far as our unity goes too.

The entire day was quite tedious and soon everything was over. Even the relay. I believe we did quite good as we took second place in the relay.

Vol 4 Ch 8: Nagumo's Malice

Hirano pov:-

Just like that, our long exam day ended. The group, no, the entire student
body is exhausted. Our group will definitely rank pretty high.

As long as the average score favors us, our group will definitely stand more
than a good chance. The rest depends on how well Fugino's group and the
Horikita-senpai's group performed.

Just like our first day here,
all the boys assembled inside the gymnasium. Afterwards, the girls also
began assembling. The results of the special exam for both the boys and the
girls will probably be announced now.
It's almost 5 o'clock in the evening. It'll probably be late night by the time
we get back to the school.

"You all did well in the last eight days of this training camp. The contents of
the exam are different of course, but this is a special exam that occurs every
few years. Overall, you all did better than the students who took this special
exam last time. I suppose you could attribute that to all of you having better teamwork".

The elderly man I haven't seen before announced all that with a constant
smile on his face. Looks like he's the one in charge of this training camp.

"First of all, I'll be announcing the results. For the boys, all groups are above the average set by the school and so there will be no expellees".

The moment that was announced, I could hear the boys breathe a sigh of
relief.

"I see, so no expellees……".

Patting himself on the chest, Takeda sighed. Ishizaki lightly taps him on the
back.

"Never once thought we'd be expelled. Because we were aiming for 1st place
after all".

"Yeah".

No matter what your feelings are, the fact that we've avoided expulsion is a
significant one. However, something about the way that elderly man phrased it seemed off. If there are no expellees among the entire student body then
there'd be no reason to say 'boys' in particular. In other words—

"As for the boys' group that placed first, I'll only be announcing the name of
its 3rd year leader. For the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of that group, your rewards
will be handed out to you at a later date".

After explaining that, the elderly man slowly read the name.

"3rd year, Class C. Ninomiya Kuranosuke-kun's group placed first".

That announcement caused a portion of the 3rd years to celebrate. I didn't
know which group it was for a moment, but I immediately realized that it's
the group Horikita senpai is in.

It appears Horikita senpai has dominated the battle against Nagumo.

"You did it, Horikita. As expected of you".

Afterwards, groups starting from 2nd place to last place were announced but
for the seniors that's merely a bonus. Fujimaki senpai, paying it no attention, praised Horikita senpai.

"Oi, Soga. We're 1st. We did it!".

"Yeah!".

We ended up placing first place.

"1st place secured. Congratulations, Horikita-senpai. As expected of you".

Nagumo raised his voice and congratulated Horikita senpai. The older Horikita neither replied nor celebrated, remaining silent for the remainder of the announcement.

No, perhaps he's starting to feel something off about this.

"You lost, Nagumo".

The 3rd year Fujimaki, who knows nothing, said that to Nagumo. Perhaps he feels like he's just humbled an upstart junior.

"Let's see, the result announcement has just begun".

"Oh please, the fight's already over".

"Sure, it's over for the 'boys'".

"Boys? Girls have nothing to do with this. Nagumo, that was the rule, right?".

"Yes, they have nothing to do with this. Nothing to do with my fight against
Horikita-senpai, that is".

Fujimaki's expression turned grim upon hearing those cryptic words from Nagumo. He quietly observed Ishikura from the 3rd years' Class B from
beside him.

"Now then…next up I will be announcing the results of the girls' groups. The group in 1st place is the group led by 3rd year Class C's Ayase Natsu-san. Umm…this is truly unfortunate but there is one small group that has fallen below the average".

Both the boys and the girls froze up at that announcement. The students who
were celebrating also went silent.

Everyone did their best in the special exam and worked hard to ensure they'd be above the average. However, the results can sometimes be cruel. This
would mean someone's definitely going to be expelled.

The question is whether it's going to be a 1st year or a senior student, or
perhaps both. There's no telling yet. Horikita senpai looked at Nagumo as though he just realized something.
As though he's trying to figure out the reason behind that constant warped
smile on his face. But before we knew it, it was already too late.

"Firstly, I'll announce the lowest group…it's the group led by 3rd year Class B's Ikari Momoko-san".

The boys all couldn't tell who was in that group at first. But they could hear
screams coming from some of the girls and they start to realize who belongs
to that group. The bottom large group has been decided. Now it all rests on
which small group fell below the average.

In the worst case scenario, there could be expellees from all three years at
once.

"Now, as for the group that fell below the average…".

Silence fell upon the gymnasium almost as though we were in the midst of Zazen. Everyone, wanting to know the results as quickly as possible, focused
on that man's mouth.

"Same as before, 3rd year—".

He read it out. And the gymnasium was divided into those who are starting to
break out into a smile and those who are starting to get nervous.

"The group's leader is—Ikari Momoko-san. That is all".

The moment that was declared, Nagumo started laughing happily as though
he had been restraining himself all this time.

Time that passed like we were in slow motion resumed again.

But a lot of the students have yet to comprehend the situation. Nagumo isn't laughing because some student whose face he doesn't even know just got
expelled. All this means is that a student from the 3rd years' Class B got expelled, that's all…but he's laughing because that isn't all there is to it.

(He went that far!?) I thought as I looked at Nagumo senpai and then over at a certain someone with pity.

"What did you do, Nagumo!?".

The 3rd year Fujimaki from Class A approached him as though he just
realized what's going on. The older Horikita didn't follow suit but his
expression turned grim.

"The announcement is still ongoing, senpai. Please calm down. Currently this has nothing to do with you, Fujimaki senpai. A Class B got expelled, that's all. In fact, isn't it great that a rival of yours has fallen?".

He answered with a scornful laugh.

"Umm, please remain silent. This is truly unfortunate but in taking responsibility, Ikari-san will have to be expelled. Furthermore, since the group can opt to go with joint responsibility, please consult me at a later. Moving on, I'll announce which girls' group took 1st place".

Despite saying how unfortunate it was, the announcements continued on
solemnly. However, Horikita senpai no longer cared about having taken 1st
place. He got caught up in it just the way he was meant to be. It's precisely
because he's an outstanding and exemplary person that he got beaten by Nagumo Miyabi. An unexpected attack.

"You realize what Nagumo senpai did, didn't you?" Kanzaki spoke next to me.

"Yeah. As a fellow member of the student council and Vice-president, I am more than aware of what he just did. Because I know what kind of man Nagumo is."

We were ordered to disband and while they prepare the bus for the return trip, we are allowed free time to change our clothes. Nagumo stood boldly and
called over a single girl.

"Ikari-senpai, please tell us. Everyone's curious to know who you're going to
be dragging down with you".

Ikari, from the 3rd years' Class B and slated for expulsion, appears calm. On
the contrary, the ones worried are the girls who share a group with her.

"Isn't that obvious? You disturbed our group's peace, Class A's Tachibana
Akane-san".

As though to let everyone hear, Ikari spat that out aggressively.

"Nagumo…the promise made with Horikita was that we wouldn't involve a third party in this right!?

Fujimaki closes in, looking like he's going to punch someone.

"Hold on please. I have nothing to do with this".

"Shameless!".

It's obvious he'd get angry. No matter who looks at it, he's involved, is the
mood of transparency he's creating himself.

"Then, I'll be issuing the mutual fall notice".

Saying that indifferently, Ikari headed over to the teachers.

At the same time, Ikari's classmate Ishikura also followed as though they
were sticking together.

Nobody could bring themselves to recognize that.

"Tachibana-senpai slowed down Ikari-senpai's group. As a result, the
average score fell below the border, and she'll be dragged down too. Isn't it
as simple as that?".

Unlike Fujimaki, Horikita senpai called out to Tachibana, who was standing stock still, before approaching Nagumo.

A portion of the 3rd years left with helpless expressions. Even I could do nothing but look at her with pity.

"Horikita-kun, I'm sorry……!".

"Tachibana, why didn't you consult me earlier? You should have been able to
notice the abnormality".

"That's…because I knew it would only burden Horikita-kun……".

Tachibana apologizes while in tears.

"Beautiful friendship, or perhaps love would be a better fit. Congratulations,
Horikita-senpai. Once again, please let me give my compliments. It's my loss".

Nagumo gave his compliments in a tone that hardly sounds like a loser's speech. There probably isn't a single person who would accept them gratefully.

"A fantastic idea, no, shall I say it was a strategy that was beyond the norm?
There isn't a single person capable of reading me. Horikita-senpai, that
includes you too".

Laughing heartily, Nagumo did not let up the attack on his injured opponent.

"Please do tell me, Tachibana-senpai. Carrying out your duties as part of the
student council, and so close to your graduation as Class A of the 3rd years,
how exactly does it feel to be expelled? Also Horikita-senpai, what are your
current feelings? Surely you're consumed by a feeling of irritation you
haven't felt before?".

Having those words directed at him, the Horikita silently silently breathes out.

"Why didn't you target me?".

"Even if I were to use a strategy like this against you, senpai, I've never considered expelling you. You could have stopped me with a strategy
unforeseen and I was scared of that. But more than that, it's not like I ever
thought I wanted to expel you, Horikita-senpai. On the contrary, if you were to be expelled, we wouldn't be able to meet anymore would we? And that's why when I picked one out of many, it ended up being Tachibana senpai. I wanted to see what kind of face you'd make when I got rid of her".

He then laughed as though saying it was just curiosity, pure interest.

"My policies differed from yours but I did trust you. Regarding our competition, I thought you to be the kind of man capable of facing me head-
on. Looks like I was wrong".

Nagumo did not flinch in response to those words from Horikita senpai.

"Trust is similar to experience points. You accumulate them and it gradually
grows bigger and bigger. Its ultimate form, I believe, is family. If you're out
at night and you encounter a stranger, you'd be cautious. Yet if they turned
out to be family then you'd let your guard down entirely. I'd say it's
something similar to that. During these two years, even though I'm certain
Horikita-senpai did not like me, I did gain a certain degree of your trust. Our
values were different but it's all because I made good on my promises. In regards to our relationship, I obeyed your instructions and kept the rules. But
even so, we're talking about a senpai as sharp as you, it's not like you trusted
in me 100% right?".

He should know at least that Horikita senpai had given instructions for
defense against Nagumo's schemes.

"But…even if you doubted me, it's not like you can afford to take the initiative in betraying me, senpai".

It's one of the harsh points of nonaggressive defense.

"Because of that one curiosity you held, you've lost big time, Nagumo".

"Things like trust, I've thrown them aside myself. In order to be understood
by the senpai who cares for his kouhais".

Keeping promises and having kept promises.

Nagumo easily painted over such foundations.

Trust and respect. To desire a fight that demolishes such fences. This is a
challenge from Nagumo, who thinks that way.

"I've managed to understand your modus operandi well".

"That's a relief. Because this is, at the very most, a mere skirmish still".
Saying that, Nagumo asks.

"If necessary, I just have to expel as many people as needed. That is the
original modus operandi of this school".

I looked over at Nagumo. His malice really has no bounds. He would expel the entire school if he could just to win against Horikita-senpai.

"You seem to be continuing this conversation on the assumption that
Tachibana will be expelled".

While his surroundings were panicking, Horikita senpai alone calmly proceeded with the conversation.

"W-Wait, Horikita-kun!".

Tachibana screams. But Horikita's eyes already showed a firm resolve.

"Heh. I figured it'd be a tie but are you really going to spit that out? With this
timing, that large amount of money and class points, I mean".

Cancellation of expulsion.

As long as the criteria are met, it's the ultimate method available for use by
anyone.

"Please stop, I beg you. My uselessness is my own responsibility……that's
why—-".

Tachibana desperately tried to stop him.

However, it seems Fujimaki also shares the same opinion as Horikita, as he spoke to the students of Class A.

"Up until now, the reason why Class A was able to function as Class A is
something the people in the class understand better than anyone else. Isn't that right?".

"That's exactly right, Horikita. No need to hold back, use it, use it".

His Class A classmates said that at the same time.

"Is that really ok, Horikita-senpai? For the 3rd years to 'save' an expellee
with this timing means Class A would have to give up their seat you know?".

"Even if we have to give it up once, we just have to take it back again. Using
the modus operandi of this school you mentioned".

"Is that so? Well, I suppose that's fine too".

I decided to walk away. The matter was settled. But Nagumo will pay dearly for messing with people's lives as he pleases.

"Just a month or two and your the one who will be in need of points. After all, Malice should be countered with Malice." I glanced at Nagumo one last time before leaving.

With the exam over, the position of all groups were given as follows:-

For the boys:-

1st- Class A and C 15 people group.

2nd- Class A and C 15 people group.

3rd- Class B and D 10 people group.

4th- Class B and D 15 people group.

5th- Class A and C 10 people group.

6th- Class B and D 15 people group.

For the girls:-

1st- Class B and D 15 people group.

2nd- Class B and D 15 people group.

3rd- Class A and C 15 people group.

4th- Class A and C 15 people group.

5th- Class B and D 15 people group.

6th- Class A and C 10 people group.

Class points gained from exam:-

Class:- From Boys:- From Girls:-

Class A 120 -20

Class B -55 105

Class C 120 -20

Class D -55 105

Total Class points gained:-

Class A- 100cp

Class B- 50cp

Class C- 100cp

Class D- 50cp

As such the new class points for each class are:-

Class A- 953cp

Class B- 784cp

Class C- 666cp

Class D- 302cp

We manage to score big in the boys category. But it seems Sakayanagi took her team to first place in the girl's group.

With Katsuragi's lose, he will have a really hard time taking control of his class.

Timeskip:-

It's been a week since the exam was over and we had finally returned to our school. Honestly there was nothing better than sleeping on my comfy bed then sleeping on those bunkers back at camp.

But despite that, I couldn't do anything about the fact that I had to go to school.

However, once I entered my class something odd happened.

"Takeda? What is everyone discussing about?"

Most of the students had formed small groups and were talking to eachother with a strange face.

Takeda looked at me anxiously and then replied.

"Well there are some strange rumors going around recently."

"Rumors?"

"To be specific, they are about Ichinose."

Rumors? About Ichinose? What's going on?

Takeda took out his notebook and wrote the rumors at the back of it.

'A history of violence'.
'Engaged in compensated dating'.
'Engaged in theft and robbery'.
'A noted history of drug usage'.

"What the fuck?!"

These are things that even those delinquents over there haven't
done, not all of them atleast.

"They sure spread quite the malicious rumors around."

"She doesn't seem like that sort of student to me though…"

"If it's just spreading rumors, it won't exactly count as a crime after
all."

"That's not true. Regardless of the veracity, it's defamation…it's categorized that way when targeted towards a large number of people. It's possible to sue."

"If we're talking about being out there in society then there's nodoubt about that."

But high school is still high school. This is an isolated space filled with underaged students. It's not like it's being written on the internet too for the whole world to see.

"So you're saying it doesn't count as a crime."

Even if society cannot hand down punishment, it's still possible for
the school to hand down punishment at its discretion.

But it would be difficult to pinpoint the source of the rumors. Thereason a variety of rumors were spread is so that if asked, they can simply say they heard it from someone else during day-to-day conversation and that'll be the end of that.

The school won't be able to investigate beyond that and in the end, it'll peter out.

All it can do is to warn the perpetrators to not thoughtlessly spread rumors any more than that. After all, I'm certain that the plan to crush Ichinose has been gradually implemented over time.

There's no doubt it's Sakayanagi pulling the strings behind the scenes. After how I heard about Class B avoiding Ichinose specifically during the Mixed Training Exam. I am sure it's her.

"What did Ichinose do in response?"

"I don't know that much. It's not like we're close or anything. Besides, if I carelessly approach, suspicion may fall on us."

"Well, it's true that playing the role of the observer is the wisest thing to do."

"But…I wonder if a tasteless strategy like this will work on Ichinose-san."

"What do you mean?"

"No matter how malicious the slander may be, the amount of damage it can inflict is limited. Ichinose-san's reputation throughout the school is something everyone is aware of. This sort of harassment is too miserable to be done out of envy like you said earlier."

"Then you're saying it's a strategic mistake then?"

"That's right, but as they say, you can't have smoke without a fire."

"So you're saying Ichinose used to be a violent criminal or that she used to do drugs?"

"Even if not all of it's true, perhaps at least one of it is?"

He is right. There is a possibility for atleast one of these rumors to be true.
Of course, the possibility of it being true is extremely low. Being hit by lightning three times in a row seems higher to me.

However, I have already learnt how to not judge a book by it's cover. Throughout middleschool and then again here with Kushida.

As Takeda said, there's no evidence that all of it's just a lie or that they're all just rumors.

"Well… It's not like we can come up with an answer just by thinking about it." He said as he looked at our classmates.

Just what is Sakayanagi planning? I truly hope that Ichinose is okay.

Vol 4 Ch 9: Spreading Rumors

Hirano pov:-

The rumors about Ichinose had been spreading more each day, and it had gotten to the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that all of the students in the school had heard about them by now.

However, Ichinose herself didn't appear to have reported anything about them to the school.

She gave off an appearance that told everyone that she didn't care very much about the rumors, and she spent each day as she always had.

Despite being harassed with unpleasant rumors, Ichinose stood firm. And as she expected, eventually, students began to speak in support of her. Students were saying things like: "The rumors really
were just rumors." "She was totally being framed." and "They were
all lies."

All gossip has an expiration date.
The plan to defame Ichinose had failed miserably.

She had successfully managed to get through it by simply staying silent. Eventually, everyone began to shift their attention to studying earnestly for the upcoming final exams.

Though, during this time, another incident occurred. One that once again stoked the flame of the rumors throughout the school.

It was Friday, after school. On my way back home from the school building, I bore witness to a large crowd of people as I entered the dorm lobby.

A scene like this taking place as I returned to the dormitory was one I felt like I had experienced before.

"Deja vu, is it?" Coincidentally, Soga was standing in the same spot as he had
been back then. The only difference was that this time Takeda was also standing beside him.

"What's with all the commotion?"

"Ah. It seems like a letter has been put into everyone's mailboxes. It's similar to that case that happened earlier this year." Takeda mumbled, crossing his arms in dissatisfaction.

"Didn't you get one in yours as well? Hirano?" Soga pressed me to go look, so I lightly nodded in response.

"I'll go check to make sure."

I went over to my mailbox, turned the dial to the right combination, and took a look inside. There, someone had neatly inserted a paper, folded in the same
4-fold style the last one had been.

If it was the exact same type of message as last time, it would be a print. That is to say, it would be a printed copy.

Naturally, it's impossible to tell the difference between a handwritten letter and a printed copy when it's folded like this. I slowly opened the paper.

『Ichinose Honami is a criminal.』

That was written inside.

However, this time the name of the sender wasn't included like it was in the letter last time around.

It was just this one line.

The font it was written in was also a standard one, making the entire letter come across as unusually simple. Since it doesn't seem like the type of thing that would be printed at the convenience store, it was probably printed with a personal printer.

The one sentence reminded me of the rumors that had quieted down. Additionally, the letter went one step further by calling her a 'criminal'.

Though, there was no mention of what she had done to deserve that title…

"I'm sure Ichinose will be surprised by this."

"But if it's presented in such a straight forward way, won't it cause the sender all sorts of problems? Isn't there an issue with doing something so malicious in such a public way?"

Soga was asking Takeda if the letter was a poor move for the sender.

"Indeed, this situation is quite different than what happened last time. Back then, it was just an allegation that Ichinose could've been illegally amassing private points. It turned out that she hadn't done anything wrong. The school even made an unprecedented announcement by recognizing the authenticity of her large numbers of points. However, this time the letter is obviously meant to defame
Ichinose. If she was to report it to the school and ask for help with it, it's possible that they'll be able to track down the person who sent out the letters."

"The sender is an idiot then."

"No, I'm not so sure." I voiced my thoughts.

"Really?"

"This person… It's impossible for them not to understand something so simple."

"Huh… Is it possible that the person spreading the rumors… That you know who it is?"

"Who do you think?" I threw the question back at Soga.

"It's Sakayanagi. Isn't it?" Takeda replied even before Soga had a chance to.

"Sakayanagi?"

"Yup. Didn't you hear about the commotion about Ichinose with the class B girls during Mixed Training Exam? It's obvious who played a part in that." Takeda explained to Soga.

"Hm... You right. It has to be her. But why? Is she mad about being demoted to class B?"

"Who knows? I have no idea what's going inside that girl's head." I shrugged my shoulders as I spoke to them.

"Whether or not the school takes action here. It will depend on Ichinose as the person at the very center of this incident."

The person responsible for sending out these letters is convinced that Ichinose won't report anything to the school, just like with the rumors. That is, they've determined that no matter what they do, Ichinose will choose to remain silent.

When Ichinose doesn't take action against the letters or the rumors, the school also isn't able to take action.

In the middle of all of this, Ichinose herself entered the lobby. She had probably been contacted by one of her classmates in Class A and hurriedly returned to the dorm.

A friend immediately gave her one of the letters and she looked through it.

Soga, Takeda, me, and about 10 other students stood in place and watched Ichinose.

"…"

Ichinose didn't say a word. She just looked down and stared at the
letter.

The sentence on the letter takes no more than one second for somebody to read in their mind.

From the looks of it, Ichinose spent dozens of second reading that single line of text over and over.

"…This is in the mailboxes?"

"Yeah… It's terrible, isn't it? It's probably in every first-year mailbox…"

One of the girls from Class A, Mako Amikura, spoke as she approached and hugged Ichinose.

"Hey, you don't need to put up with this anymore. Why don't we talk to the teachers? Something like this shouldn't be forgiven."

"That's right! If we bring it to the teachers, they'll definitely find
the culprit!"

So far there had just been invisible rumors, but this time was different. There was now something that could serve as physical evidence. There was clear proof that someone has been maliciously attacking Ichinose.

"I'm okay. Something like this isn't enough to get to me."

"Y-You have to! If you don't, the horrible rumors about Honami-chan are going to spread everywhere!"

It's no surprise that her classmates were desperately trying to convince her to reconsider.

Ichinose is able to decide to stay silent without any hesitation, but the people around her are different. They're all looking for some way to help her. After all, proving her innocence would also lead to being able to enact punishment on the culprit responsible for all of this. However, doing that would only push Ichinose into a corner.

"I'm sorry everyone, for continuing to trouble all of you. But please, don't worry about me."

With those words, she smiled at the girls of Class B.

"Honestly, she should report it."

"Yeah. But it's not our decision to make."
Takeda spoke to Soga as he walked away.

"You guys go on ahead. I am going back to my room." Saying that I also walked away. But before walking back to my room. I threw away the letter in the trash. A place where it truly belonged.

Timeskip:-

"Happy Valentine's Day!" The girl said as she proceeded to give me a chocolate.

"Umm...Thanks."

"Hehe~" After seeing my reaction, she walked back to her seat.

This was the 9th girl in my class that gave me a chocolate. But it is nothing to get excited about.

Soga, who got chocolates from most of the girls in class and even some from outside of our class, ended up with more than 20 chocolates.

Forget quantity, if we compare just quality or design of the chocolates given to me and Soga, then there was still a huge difference!

Mine were just friendship chocolates. While most of Soga's chocolates were heart shaped.

"Happy Valentine's Day Hirano!"

"T-Thanks Hiyori!" Although it was just a friendship chocolate, I still appreciated it greatly.

"Okay class sit down!" Sakagami sensei came in as everyone took their seats.

"Tomorrow on the 15th, all of you will be expected to complete a
comprehensive provisional test. However, just like with the test earlier this year, it won't have any effect on your grades. The goal is to thoroughly test your current strengths. Furthermore, it will help you prepare of the final exams coming at the end of the year. While the tests won't contain identical questions, the provisional exam will have similar questions to those found on the final exams."

Timeskip:-

"Hello Hirano-kun!" As I was walking back from school, I saw a girl approach me with a chocolate. But If I was being honest, I didn't want it.

"Hey... Kushida..." I replied with an awkward smile.

"Here! Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Thank you!" I immediately took the chocolate so as to get this over with quickly.

"Hm... Hirano-kun? I haven't seen you since the paper shuffle. Why do I feel like you have been avoiding me recently?" She moved her face closer to mine.

(That's because I have!)

"...Avoiding you? Why would I do that? I was just busy since taking over the class."

"Hm...I see! I knew Hirano-kun wouldn't avoid me!" She said with her angel like smile.

"Well then see you around!" Saying that she left. But not before giving me another glance. But this time with her real face. It gave me chills!

As I reached home, I saw three more chocolate at my doorstep.

"Hm? Those three? I was only expecting Miku to be the one to give me any chocolates but not all three of them."

I thought that Aika wouldn't bother with the Valentine's Day thing and Itsuki would eat the chocolate herself.

Each one of them had a note on them.

[Miku: Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you like the chocolate! Aika helped me make them!]

[Aika: This doesn't mean anything but still Happy Valentine's Day. Don't worry, if you don't like Miku's chocolate, I still have made my own chocolates for you to eat.]

[Itsuki: Happy Valentine's Day! I was visiting a shop and happened to buy way too many. So you can have one. But just this once!]

I smiled as I read their letters. Picking up the chocolates, I went inside my room.

Timeskip:-

I knocked on the door.

"Ichinose! You there?" I called out.

After the rumors about her, she had locked herself in her room. It's understandable. I wouldn't be able to bear it either.

"H-Hirano-kun?" A weak voice came from inside.

"I wanted to check up on you. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine." She replied.

"Ichinose... can I come in?"

"No! I am sick so you will catch a cold!"

Her voice was weak and she coughed a couple of times as we talked. Honestly, she might really be sick or she is one hell of an actor. Eitherway, I wasn't going to stop trying just yet.

"You know you can talk to me right? I am your friend after all."

"I know..."

"So please tell me if you are having a problem. We can get the school to sort it out!"

"No! I am sorry Hirano-kun. I have troubled you aswell..."

"The only thing that is troubling me is how these rumors are targeting you! It's not your fault! Come on! If we talk to the school. I am sure they will help!"

"No it's alright Hirano. I don't want to trouble the school over such a trivial matter."

(Trivial matter my ass!)

"Ichinose... Come on... just ignoring the rumors won't make them go away. You know that!"

No response.

I waited for a minute before a voice came from behind the door.

"Hirano-kun. I am feeling unwell. Can we talk later?"

"..."

I took a deep breath as I stared at the door. Many of her classmates had come to see her and yet none of them got pass this door.

It was obvious that I would fail too.

"It's okay. I understand. But if you need help or anyone to talk to, you have my number." Saying that, I had no choice but to walk away.

"I hope she will be alright soon."

Timeskip:-

The day of the provisional exam had arrived.

That morning, each class would be focusing in on the exam.

Though, nobody in the classroom was diligently studying, as everyone was immersed in conversation instead. None of this conversation had anything to do with preparations for the upcoming
exam. Rather, the topic of discussion was something completely unrelated to that.

"It's pretty noisy."

"Of course it is. It's because of those outrageous rumors that showed up this morning."

"Outrageous rumors? Have there been new ones about Ichinose?"

"No. They're new ones that have been causing internal chaos within Class C."

"New rumors, huh…"

With just one look at the restless classroom, it was obvious that this was no trivial matter.

"Incidentally, this has something to do with you too, Hirano."

With that, Takeda showed me the screen of his cell phone.

He had written down a total of four rumors on the phone's memo pad.

"This…"

The four rumors were about me, Ishizaki, Ibuki and Kaneda.

But instead of the number of rumors or who they were about wasn't of any concern to me. What truly took my attention was a single rumor alone.

• Hirano mercilessly beat up more than 15 students and send them to the hospital in his last year of middle school.

"What the actual fuck!?" My voice attracted attention from the entire class.

How? How did this... has everyone read this...?

I was shocked by what I saw. My mind suddenly went blank... and I found myself not even being able to move but just stare blankly at the message infront of me.

"Hirano? Hirano? Hirano!" A voice snapped me out of my trance.

"Huh?" I saw the entire class staring at me.

"This reaction... don't tell me... Hirano. Did you actually-"

"No! No! I was...umm... Just shocked by what I read! So who posted this rumor anyway!?"

"It's definitely that damn class B guys!" Ishizaki shouted. He was quite frustrated by the rumor about him.

His sudden outburst took away the attention from me and gave me time to gather my thoughts.

"Those bastards will pay dearly for this!" If anyone was more angry than Ishizaki then it had to be Ibuki. She was furious about being targeted by a rumor.

"Everybody calm down! Let's not get worked up over some silly rumors." Kaneda who was still able to keep a level head, tried to calm the situation.

"But are the rumors really true!?" A boy from the back shouted this question to the class.

The entire class went silent. All students were looking at the four people who were targeted by these rumors.

If I don't step up now... then I can kiss my high-school life goodbye!

"Whether the rumors are true or not doesn't matter in the slightest! What we should be worried about is that this is a direct attack to class C from class B!"

"Yeah! We should confront those bastards about this!"

"I second that!"

Ishizaki and Ibuki were in for a head on confrontation.

"Soga-kun. Can you set up a meeting?" Surprising Hiyori spoke with a serious expression.

"I have contacts. I will ask to meet up with Hashimoto." Soga replied to her.

" Sigh. We do need an explanation for this. Very well, allow me to come along."
Takeda decided to follow us.

Thus the confrontation between class C and class B was decided.

Timeskip:-

It was Friday, February 18th. Three days after the end of the provisional exam.

A fair distance away from the school campus, students from Class B, Class C, and Class D had gathered together.

Given the importance of the upcoming exam, Soga had attempted to stem the flow of the new rumors, but despite his best efforts, they still managed to spread around the school.

Class B, the only class that hadn't had rumors posted about them on the school forums, was also already grasping that information.

"Yo Soga, something you wanted to say to me?"

The same attitude as ever, Class B's Hashimoto spoke up, posing a question to Soga.

"Something I wanted to say? You tell me, Hashimoto! What are you doing bringing Kitō and that other guy along with you? Didn't Soga tell you to come alone?" Ishizaki called out

Soga had asked Hashimoto to come alone. But he had brought along Kitō and an another student I didn't know.

"Well, you brought Albertalong with you yourself. I'm just being careful."

There was a stinging, tense atmosphere between the two of us.

"We've just invited you out here today to have a talk. Isn't that right, Hirano-kun?"

Me, Soga, Ishizaki and Albert weren't the only Class C students that had come to participate in the conversation. Takeda, Hiyori and Ibuki had also come along with us.

"Well, as long as they're able to control themselves, I guess everything should be fine."

"But…"

Even though she stopped herself, Hiyori's worry was by no means
unreasonable.

Given the personalities of the people present, it was hard to imagine that nothing would end up happening.

"But, what about those guys? I didn't know you invited people from Class D as well."

Looking over at them, Hashimoto let out an exasperated sigh.

"Dunno. Aren't you the ones that invited them?"

It seemed as though both students from Class C and Class B felt a bit uncomfortable about presence of class D. Who weren't invited here.

"It's just like you said, Ayanokōji."

Miyake spoke up from beside Ayanokouji.

"I had been thinking about that time a while ago when Kanzaki and Hashimoto were going at each other. Then I just so happened to see all of you guys heading off campus, so I brought it up to Akito…"

It seems it was Ayanokōji who brought along the class D students. All the better, some of them Including Ayanokōji were also targeted by the rumors.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter who called them over. Let's hear what you have to say, Shiina-chan."

"It has to do with the rumors. You guys from Class B are the ones that posted them, right?"

Judging that they might run into problems should Ishizaki lead the
conversation, Hiyori took over.

"Hey hey hey. Why are you asking us something like that?"

"Isn't it obv-!"

"Please. Leave this to me, Ishizaki-kun."

Hiyori gently stopped Ishizaki from angrily lashing out at Hashimoto.

"I heard it through the grapevine. I was informed about what you had told Kanzaki-kun when he confronted you about the source of Ichinose-san's rumors."

"What a chatterbox. Did you happen to hear that from those two over there?"

He gestured over to Miyake and Ayanokouji. It seems they had witnessed the entire exchange in question.

"Please answer the question,
Hashimoto-kun."

Hiyori continued to press
Hashimoto for answers.

"…Well, Ayanokōji and Miyake over there already know about it, so I'll just speak honestly. Back then, I just happened to hear some rumors about Ichinose, so I decided to help spread them around because it seemed like an amusing thing to do. I wasn't the source."

Of course, Hashimoto doesn't acknowledge the truth.

"What a convenient excuse. Do you think that we're just going to accept that?"

"Excuse? It's the truth. Well, I guess it is somewhat sinful of me to spread it around just because it seemed amusing, but it's still strange, isn't it? That the students from Class C would come along and butt-in to something that they should be entirely unrelated to?"

With a cheerful, yet piercing look in his eyes, Hashimoto continued:

"Isn't it possible… that you guys in Class C are ones actually spreading the rumors?"

"You're full of shit! We already know that Sakayanagi is the one behind the rumors!!!" Ishizaki lashed out.

"Oh, so you're jumping to conclusions now? It may be true that the leader of our class is belligerent. There are indeed also times where she heedlessly provokes Ichinose. It's not like I can't understand where you're coming from, but you're reading too much into it and arbitrarily deciding that she's the source of the rumors. Honestly, it's really none of your business anyway. You don't actually have any proof it was Sakayanagi now, do you?"

Ishizaki was frustrated with Hashimoto's response, but there was
nothing incorrect about what he said.

The letters that had been placed in all the mailboxes. The rumors that had been posted online. There was no conclusive evidence tying Sakayanagi to any of it. Though, I was eighty to ninety percent certain that she really was
behind it all.

"Which is why I came here today. To question you guys about whether or not you're the ones that spread the rumors. However, I never expected that you guys would go and try to support Ichinose as well. Is it because Ichinose is your dear vice secretary?" Hashimoto said as he looked at me.

I just glared at him. The more I hear him speak the more angry I get. If he doesn't stop with his shitty attitude. I might actually show him what I did to those guys back in middleschool!

Understanding the situation he was in,
Hashimoto let out a sigh.

"It's no use playing stupid, Hashimoto. Not only did you guys go and spread rumors about Ichinose, but then you even had the nerve to go and stir up shit about us as well."

"I see. So that's the reason after all. You guys don't really care about the stuff with Ichinose, do you? You're just upset that Class C got swept up in the rumors. Oh yeah… I heard you were sent to juvie because of some stunt you pulled back in elementary school, isn't that right, Ishizaki?"

The moment Hashimoto instigated him further, Ishizaki clearly snapped.

Soga and Hiyori hurriedly grabbed him by the wrist and held him back,
preventing him from jumping at Hashimoto.

The rumor that Hashimoto brought up was one of the many rumors that had been written on the school forums.

Given the nature of that rumor, Ishizaki's anger was certainly justified.

This sort of outcome was inevitable.
Without showing any interest in
stopping, Hashimoto continued:

"Anyways, I'm shocked that you guys are even able to come up with all those rumors. Ichinose's situation aside, please, do tell me how you guys managed to find out so much about the people from other classes."

"Stop fucking around Hashimoto!"

"Hold it Ishizaki!" Soga said as he tried to calm Ishizaki down.

"Don't butt in, Soga! I can't just stand by and let Class B bad mouth us like this!! I'll send him flying!"

"Stop it Ishizaki. You're just gonna hurt yourself. I know you're confident in your fighting skills, but this isn't the right place for that, okay?"

Kitō took a single step forward and readied his fists toward Ishizaki
and Albert.

It looked like, depending on what happened next, he was willing to
accept their challenge.

"Stop it. All of you. You know the school is very strict when it comes to fighting."

From a fair distance away from them, Miyake spoke up, attempting to calm things down.

"Well, that was true… until now."

"Until now?"

"It seems like the current student council president is willing to turn a blind eye to petty disputes, just like this one."

Hashimoto closed the distance and threw a kick at Ishizaki, but Miyake immediately intercepted the blow with his left arm.

"Did the Nagumo senpai really-"

"Yeah. He did." I spoke even before Soga finished asking.

"…Seriously? That student council president… Does he think he can
just do anything he wants?" Miyake spoke after overhearing us.

Hashimoto's words were hardly enough to guarantee that the ban on fighting had really been lifted.

So, he went to prove it by personally making the first move himself.

"Not bad, Miyake. It makes sense now why you were so confident that you could stop us from fighting."

Hashimoto fell back and took his distance once again.

Vol 4 Ch 10: Her Confession.

Hirano pov:-

The atmosphere became even more tense and rigid than it was before.

Hiyori spoke up.
"Fighting still isn't allowed."

"I know. I didn't come here to fight with you. That was just my way of proving to all of you that we're more than capable of defending ourselves."

"…Can I trust you?"

Looking Hiyori in the eyes, Hashimoto nodded, but none of us truly believed him.

"Give it up, Hiyori. This guy lies as easily as he breathes. No matter how you look at it, the rumors were spread by Class B. It's obvious because Class B was the only Class that wasn't included in the
rumors."

"That's… Then isn't there a chance that they aren't at fault?"

"It's just as Shiina-chan says. If we were the ones that posted the rumors, wouldn't we have also posted some lies about Class B on the forums in order to avoid suspicion?"

"It's hard to say. I don't think that everyone in Class B would know
that Sakayanagi is the main perpetrator for the rumors about Ichinose. If the class wasn't informed ahead of time, when the rumors are spread, there would definitely be confusion."

As Takeda pointed this out, Hashimoto let out another sigh.

"Well, your deduction isn't unreasonable, but in the end, it's still
probatio diabolica."

His excuse was extremely suspicious, but ultimately, we had no evidence to disprove it. At the same time, it was also hard for him to prove his innocence.

"If we want to get information out of these guys, it looks like we have no choice but to talk with our fists."

"Woah Woah, cool it Ibuki-chan. Picking a fight with us like that won't accomplish anything, you know?"

"Telling me to stop after picking the fight yourself, well aren't you full of it?"

"Class B doesn't have anything to do with it. Believe me."

With that, Hashimoto let out a laugh, but Ibuki was not smiling. On the contrary, she seemed to be trying her hardest to hold back her rage.

Ibuki had fallen victim to the rumors posted on the school's forums, just as Ishizaki and I had.

"You… Do you really think that you can look down on us just because Ryūen is no longer our leader!?"

Ishizaki finally reached the limit of his patience and pushed Soga aside.

Ibuki stepped forward to confront Hashimoto and Kitō right alongside him.

"Wait wait wait. Take it easy."

"The rumors about Ichinose and the rumors about us. Get Sakayanagi to apologize for both of them."

"You're still misunderstanding something. We didn't spread the rumors."

"What a joke!"

Ishizaki forcefully kicked the nearby handrail.

Hashimoto began to understand that the situation was getting a bit out of control.

"…Then, what are you gonna do about it?"

"Isn't it obvious? We'll shut you up by force."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. If that sounds unpleasant, then you better go and get her to take back the rumors right now."

"I've already told you countless times. We didn't spread the rumors."

Even though he continued to deny it, Hashimoto also understood that it wasn't an excuse that the others would easily accept.

After all, the current state of affairs was essentially the same thing as Sakayanagi having declared war on Ichinose. It would be difficult for him to prove his innocence.

Hashimoto's expression softened for a moment.

"Oh? What's so funny?"

"Sorry, sorry. This is all just too absurd. I don't understand what you want from me."

Because Hashimoto wouldn't acknowledge that Sakayanagi was
the source of the rumors, he didn't have any other option but to turn Ishizaki down.

"Then, I guess we'll just have to go ask Sakayanagi herself."

"You? Fat chance."

Hashimoto dismissively waved his hand, as if to say 'There's no way
that she'd bother with the likes of you.'

"Kitō. Ando. We might not have any other choice." Hashimoto spoke to the two boys beside him.

Reading the atmosphere, Hashimoto concluded that they wouldn't get anywhere with peaceful conversation.

Kitō seemed to have already prepared himself for this outcome, as he smoothly transitioned into a fighting stance.

Immediately, Ishizaki yelled out a war cry and charged in, attempting to tackle Kitō.

At the same time, Ibuki attacked Hashimoto with a high-flying kick,
but he ended up getting out of the way at the very last moment.

"Close!"

Due to her sudden, jumpy movements, Ibuki's cellphone and student ID card fell out of her pocket.

Hashimoto realized that Ibuki was faster and stronger than he expected. His expression showed concern for the danger he was in, but was followed up by a look of genuine admiration.

"I seem to have forgotten… Ibuki-chan is more experienced at fighting than I remembered."

"Stop it! All of you!"

Miyake shouted out while picking her phone up off the ground.

"Don't get in my way, Miyake!"

Ishizaki attempted to push him aside with brute force, but Miyake seized him by the hand and forced him down to the ground.

"You bastard! Let go of me!"

"I'm sorry Ishizaki. It's nothing personal."

"Stop interfering!"

Ibuki kicked out once again, aiming for Miyake's head.

Miyake quickly got off of Ishizaki,
narrowly dodging Ibuki's kick at the
same time, but the whole affair caused him to lose his balance.

Making use of the opening, Albert grabbed ahold of Miyake from
behind him.

"Hold him down Albert."

"Dammit…"

Miyake couldn't resist Albert's otherworldly strength, pinning him
down from above.

The two from Class C had concluded that they would win if the two-on-two played out without any obstructions.

"Ibuki!"

Ishizaki called out to her as Kitō lunged forward, aiming for her neck.

"Don't look down on me!"

She reacted quickly, kicking Kitō's hand away.

"These guys are seriously fighting, aren't they… What do we do?" Soga spoke out.

Soga, Takeda and Hiyori were watching from the sidelines and weren't in any position to stop them.

Normally Soga would be able to stop such fights. But this time even he wasn't making a move.

However, no one noticed that I was missing from the stand-by group.

While the fight was going on, I had taken the opportunity to slip behind the two Class B students.

(Class B has officially given me too much trouble. I have had it with them!) I thought as I remember how I was almost framed by Sakayanagi and now she had even posted a rumor about my past. I had reached my limit and peace was no longer an option.

(If it's a war they want... it's a war they get!)

After I made sure that Kitō was too distracted by Ibuki to help Hashimoto, I aimed a kick at Hashimoto's head from behind him.

"?!" Hashimoto looked behind at me with a frightened expression but was too late to dodge my kick. However my kick was blocked by someone I didn't expect.

The white haired student pushed me back and I almost fell. Luckily, I maintained my balance.

"Thanks for the save Ando." Hashimoto called out to the white-haired boy with a smile. It seems we had completely forgotten about his existence.

I took a step forward and attempted to kick the boy's face which he blocked with his left arm.

However, I immediately spinned around and attempted a kick through my left leg.

(Damn it!) He blocked my second kick aswell.

He then attempted to strike my stomach with his right fist which I managed to avoid.

I delivered a sharp kick to his torso.

"!" Making an expression of pain, he took a step back.

Without a second to spare I delivered a punch to his face which he was able to block.

However, it seems he took that punch on purpose to leave me open and delivered a kick to my side.

"Argh!"

It hurt but his attack wasn't over yet as he stabbed my stomach with his right hand.

The pain I felt almost made me roll over. However, I immediately delivered a headbutt to his face. And hit his nose.

"Argh!" His voice came out as he took a step back.

Although I was partially paralyzed by the pain from his previous attack, I pushed me legs off the ground and pushed my body against his. Making him fall over.

I didn't have much time to think. As he was about to get up, I delivered a kick to his face making his roll over.

However it didn't take him even more than a two or three seconds before he got back up again.

"Hm. The name is Ando Yuji. Your Hirano Aki correct? You fight well. Is that taekwondo? But mixed in with your own style of fighting? Huh... perhaps the rumor about you sending 15 students to the hospital really was true!" He provoked me with a smirk on his face.

"You bastard!" I charged straight at him but he punched me in the face. However, as I bent my back I also delivered a kick to his jaw. Ofcourse the force of my attack wasn't enough to inflict any real damage. But it was still going to hurt like hell.

It seems that all that training and excersizes are finally paying off.

"Ah! Why you!" Saying that he pushed me to the ground and attempted a kick to my head.

Fortunately, I rolled out of the way just in time.

Getting back up, I took some distance before I prepared myself to charge again. However-

"Stop that Hirano!" Saying that Soga and Takeda both held me from the side.

"You... You guys!"

"Please don't keep going on like this Ishizaki-kun. I won't allow you
to continue any further."

Hiyori firmly declared her stance to us.

Unable to completely disregard what she said, Ishizaki looked over to her with a troubled look on his face.

"B-but!"

"Let's suppose that you manage to beat Hashimoto-kun, Ando-kun and Kitō-kun in a fight here and force them to confess to everything. That still wouldn't be real evidence. I'm also fairly certain that the person that matters, Sakayanagi-san, won't admit to anything at all. Isn't the fact that we weren't able to get him to admit to it more than enough?"

"So you expect us to just swallow our anger?" Ishizaki complained.

"I know it seems unfair, but it is what it is. Please just bear with it for now."

"Aren't you the one that wanted us to come along with you in the first place? But then you ask us to stand down? That doesn't make any sense."

"I promise that I will make it up to all of you later."

Amused by what he was hearing as he listened in on their conversation, Hashimoto let out a whistle.

"Hoooh? So you're saying that Soga, Hirano and Ishizaki aren't the one who set up this meeting? It was all done by Shiina-chan instead?"

"Albert-kun. Please let Miyake-kun go as well."

Following her directions, Albert slowly released Miyake.

"We've gone and made all of you from Class D worry as well."

As she spoke, Hiyori turned to them and deeply bowed her head.

"How selfish, wrapping up our conversation like this. Do we just have to accept the beating along with your baseless suspicions?"

"Could you please forgive us?"

Hiyori took Hashimoto's complaints head-on. Hashimoto should understand that there was no benefit in dragging this confrontation out any longer.

"Well, it's not like we were injured. Let's call it a day this time, Kitō. Ando, you step down too. But, please stop pointlessly doubting us. If you want to doubt us again, before you come to talk with us, please make sure you have
undeniable proof first."

Hiyori had managed to successfully get the situation under control before things got too out of hand, but now, Class B had gotten to the point where they wouldn't be able to repair their relationship with the other classes.

After that, a few days passed in the blink of an eye.

During that period, the ever-controversial Ichinose continued her string of absences, failing to show up to school even a single time.

However, that changed on February 24th, one day before the end-of-year exam. Ichinose had finally come to school again.

I knew immediately since she worked under me in the student council.

That being said, her presence was only truly important for Class A.

For Class C, the upcoming end-of-year exam on the 25th was far more important.

"It seems our preparation are going well." Takeda said as he was revising the material for tomorrow.

"Yeah..."

"Hm? What's up Hirano?"

"It's just that... many students have been talking about me behind my back for the pass few days."

"Because of the rumors?" Soga asked.

"Yeah..."

"Speaking of which, I have been meaning to ask. Are the rumors really tru-"

Suddenly, a loud noise resounded throughout the classroom as the door was violently flung open from the other side.

"Oh my god! Everyone!"

Just as we were about to enjoy the rest of our lunch…

"Ugh. This is the worst…"

Soga had dropped his sandwich onto the floor, startled by the sudden noise. He spoke up.

"Hey! What's wrong with you!?"

Without attempting to hide his displeasure, Soga glared at Kondo.

"Something's going down! A bunch of students from Class B marched into Class A just now!"

Kondo spoke, full of momentum.

"With Ichinose-san returning to class, Sakayanagi-san is making her move…"

Mumbling that, Soga stood up in a hurry. He motioned us to follow him.

Tomorrow was the end-of-year exam.
If Sakayanagi wanted to make a move, she would have no choice but to make that move today.

To make a direct attack in order to bring down Ichinose after she's come back to school.

"What are you going to do, Hirano…?" Takeda asked.

"What does it look like? Follow Soga to class A!" Saying that, I rushed out of the classroom with Takeda behind me.

The commotion had already spread into the hallway, as people were gathering together.

"What are you doing here, Sakayanagi!?"

As we entered Class A's classroom, we witnessed Shibata approach Sakayanagi.

"What am I doing here, you ask? Why, I've come to rescue everybody in Class A, you know?"

Sakayanagi was accompanied by Kamuro and Hashimoto. There was no sign of Kitō, Ando or anyone else from Class B. It wouldn't have been surprising to run into problems if they had come with a larger group, so they probably decided to make their move with a smaller one.

"I wonder what you mean by that, Sakayanagi-san."

Ichinose spoke up from deeper within the classroom, surrounded by several of her classmates.

"Wait, Ichinose. You don't need to get involved with this."

"Yeah! Don't do this Honami-chan!"

They surrounded her tightly, trying their best to prevent Ichinose from getting in contact with Sakayanagi.

"To start things out, congratulations on your recovery. In fact, I wanted to reach out to you earlier, but I've been quite busy studying for the exam. Nevertheless, I'm quite happy for you. You're just in time for the end-of-year exam tomorrow."

"Yes. Thank you."

The two of them spoke to each other from a distance.

It was perfectly clear that every single student from Class A was looking at Sakayanagi with hostility.

After all, even though it was lunch break, every student from Class A was present.

It was highly likely that the entire class had banded together with the goal of protecting Ichinose.

However, Sakayanagi didn't seem shaken by their unity at all.

Rather, she seemed to be enjoying the feeling of being in enemy territory.

She had anticipated Ichinose's movements. Given that Ichinose
was currently in the middle of a maelstrom of rumors, she had
foreseen that Ichinose wouldn't make use of the cafeteria or other facilities on campus during the lunch break.

"You said you were here to 'rescue' us, Sakayanagi?"

"Correct."

Responding to Kanzaki's question, Sakayanagi nodded and let show
a bright smile.

"Does that mean… you admit to spreading the rumors?"

'If you came here to apologize, I guess I kind of get what you mean by 'rescue'.' Kanzaki mumbled.

"I'm not the one who spread the rumors."

"…If that's the case, then what are you getting at?"

"In the past, there were rumors saying that Ichinose-san was maintaining a large sum of points, remember? At the time, the school announced that there was no foul play going on, so those
rumors subsided almost immediately."

"What about it?"

In order to prevent Ichinose from saying anything, Kanzaki responded without missing a beat.

"This may be nothing but my own imagination, but… there are very
few methods available for someone to get their hands on such a large sum of points without breaking any rules. For example, one could periodically collect private points from all of their classmates, gathering them together under a single person. In short, they would be playing the role of a bank, and I've determined that Ichinose-san
is carrying this very responsibility for Class A."

"That's not something I can say."

Kanzaki's response was only natural. After all, it was directly related to Class A's internal affairs.

"Indeed. I didn't come here looking for a response to that in the first place. It's just that… If, for instance, Ichinose-san truly does play the role of a bank like I've surmised… I think that may be a very dangerous situation for all of you."

As she spoke, Sakayanagi directed her gaze toward Ichinose, who was intently staring back at her.

"…………"

Ichinose did not respond. Instead, she simply continued to return Sakayanagi's gaze.

"Am I mistaken? Ichinose Honami-san?"

Sakayanagi's question was truly cruel. It had certainly managed to force Ichinose into desperation.

Unable to do anything but respond with silence, Ichinose had finally been cornered, driven to the very brink of a sheer cliff.

With a single push, she'd be sent plummeting to the bottom. That was the sort of situation that Sakayanagi had created for her.

"Could you give me a little space? Chihiro-chan. Mako-chan."

Unexpectedly, Ichinose told her protectors to move aside.

"B-but!"

"It's okay. You don't need to be worried about me. I'll be alright."

With a gentle smile, Ichinose calmly moved forward and closed the
distance with Sakayanagi.

Ultimately, Ichinose faced not toward Sakayanagi, but to all of her classmates throughout the classroom.

"…Everyone, I'm sorry!"

Standing before the teacher's podium, Ichinose bowed her head in apology to the students of Class A.

"W-what are you apologizing for Ichinose? There's no reason for you to be apologizing, right?"

Shaken from her words, Shibata attempted to interrupt Ichinose's
apology.

"Please don't try to stop her, Shibata-kun. She was just about to
confess."

Sakayanagi smiled happily.

"This past year… The secret I've been hiding all along…"

"Hold on Ichinose. You don't have to say anything else right now."

Feeling unsettled, Kanzaki attempted to stop Ichinose from continuing any further once again, but she didn't back down.

"There have been many strange rumors going around about me these past few weeks, and one of them isn't just a baseless rumor. Just as it was written in that letter… I am a criminal."

As Ichinose spoke these words, Sakayanagi showed a satisfied
smile.

"Is that true?"

The noisy classroom fell into silence as her words sunk in.

"It seems like these foolishly good-natured classmates of yours
have been caught completely unaware, so please, do give them all the details, Ichinose-san. What kind of crime did you commit?"

"I-"

Ichinose stopped and gulped nervously.

"I've kept this from all of you… but I'll confess it all right now."

Declaring such, Ichinose finally began to speak about the past that she had kept buried within.

"I… was a shoplifter…"

The shoplifting honor student, Ichinose Honami.

In light of her unexpected revelation, the surprise was great enough that it managed to impact spectators outside of Class A, me included.

I was beyond shocked. Takeda and Soga had a similar expression as me.

After all, Ichinose really didn't come across as the type of student who would do such a thing.

"Honami-chan… a shoplifter? R-really?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Mako-chan."

While apologizing, Ichinose began to recount her experience with shoplifting.

"I came from a fatherless family, living with my mother and my sister two years younger than me. While we weren't very well-off, we were never unhappy. My mother had it hard, working full-time as she raised two children all by herself. That's why, ever since
elementary school, I planned to get a job after finishing middle school. After all, it would cost a lot of money to go to high school, so I wanted to find a job to help my mother support my younger sister
instead. But, my mother was against it. I think that, just as I, an older sister, sincerely wished for my younger sister's happiness, my mother wished for the happiness of both of her daughters."

Ichinose opened up about her past.
"I understood that, even without money, if I studied as hard as possible, I'd be able to make use of the student scholarship system. So, I studied hard. I developed my skills as I managed to reach the top of the school. But… just like that, during the summer of my third year of middle school… my mother pushed herself too hard and collapsed."

It seemed that, in order to support her family's livelihood, Ichinose's mother had overworked herself.

She had given up her own body, all for the sake of raising her children.

"It was almost my younger sister's birthday. For as long as I could remember, she had never asked for anything from either of us. She
was still in her first year of middle school, so it would've been acceptable for her to act a little spoiled sometimes, yet she always managed to hold herself back. Instead of getting the clothes she
wanted, or accompanying her friends as they played or went shopping together, she just put up with all of it and held herself back from asking for anything. And then, that selfless little sister of mine… expressed that she wanted something for the very first time. A
fashionable hair clip that her favorite celebrity wore back then. My mother undoubtedly overloaded her schedule in order to buy my sister that hair clip."

However- Due to her sudden hospitalization, she was no longer
able to get her daughter that birthday present.

"I can still remember everything. My mother, sobbing as she apologized from her bed in the hospital. The face of my sister as she showered our mother with all the ridicule and blame she could
produce. The face of my sister as she cried and screamed about the hair clip she was looking forward to getting. Even then, I still wasn't able to blame her. The only gift she had ever asked for…"

Sakayanagi listened to Ichinose's confession with an unwavering
smile on her face.

"As the elder sister… I thought that I had to find a way to return my sister's smile. So, after school on the day of her birthday, I went to the department store."

By now, you could tell that she was just as anxious as she was back
then.

"My feelings back then were surely shrouded in darkness. I told myself that it was okay… That it wasn't a big deal to do something sinful, just once, for the sake of my younger sister. After all, there were so many people in the world constantly doing bad things. The
feelings I was holding inside… That there was no reason for my family, who had always held back, to be blamed for my actions. I told myself that it would be acceptable, that it would be forgiven… Back then, that was my selfish, egotistical interpretation of reality. The hair clip that would normally cost over 10,000 yen… The hair clip that my sister wanted so desperately… I stole it for her."

Ichinose spoke as though she was revealing something heavy.

"Even though it was a decision that I knew would make everyone unhappy, I still wanted to do something for my sister."

That desire of hers was the cause for all of this.

"…But, that's still no excuse, is it?"

Ichinose mumbled quietly.
"In the end, a crime is a crime. No matter what you do to repent, your sin will never go away."

She expressed her thoughts in a disconnected manner.

"Are you saying you got caught?"
In response to Hashimoto's question, Ichinose simply shook her head.

"I just left the department store with the hair clip. It was the first time I ever shoplifted, the first time I ever committed a crime. Nobody found out. Immediately afterward, I went home and presented the hair clip to my sulking little sister. But, because it had
just been stolen, it hadn't been wrapped yet, so it was a really sloppy present. Still, she was so happy. When I saw her smiling face, for an instant, the guilt of what I had just done faded a bit. But, that didn't last very long. The pounding guilt in my heart just continued to
grow."

Ichinose's smile was full of self-ridicule.

"After all, doesn't it seem impossible for a mother to fail to notice when her daughter's done something sinful? Even though I had told my sister to keep the present a secret, she wore it the next time we went to visit our mother in the hospital. And why wouldn't she?
There was no way my sister would've thought that I had stolen it for her. That time… That time was the first time in my life where I had ever seen my mother seriously angry. She slapped me and took the hair clip from my sister. I don't even think my sobbing little sister
understood why. Despite the fact that she had to stay hospitalized, my mother forcibly dragged me back to the store. I prostrated myself, begging for forgiveness. That was the first time I truly understood just what I had done. How heavy of a crime I had committed. No matter how many excuses I make, nothing would ever be able to make up for it."

This was Ichinose's past. The past that she had been hiding.

"In the end, the store didn't hand me over to the police. But, in the blink of an eye, the commotion still spread, so I closed myself off. For almost half of my third year of middle school, I just shut myself up in my room and stayed there… Eventually, I started to think about moving forward once again. It was all because my homeroom
teacher told me about this school. The cost of admission and tuition are waived for you, and if you graduate, you can find a job anywhere you want. I wanted to start over. To start over with a blank slate."

Finished, Ichinose once again bowed her head to her classmates.

"I'm sorry everyone. I'm such a pathetic, useless leader…"

Listening to her story, almost brought afew drops of tears to my eyes. Thankfully, I wiped them off before anyone could see.

Although what she did was wrong. That doesn't make her a bad person. And it seems I wasn't the only one who thought that.

"That's not true Ichinose."

Listening from nearby, Shibata spoke up.

"After listening to everything you've had to say, I'm sure of it. You're still a good person."

"Yeah! Sure, Honami-chan may have done something bad, but-"

The loud, distinct sound of a cane striking the floor echoed throughout the room.

"I will have to interject. Could you all stop being so ridiculous?"

Ichinose's support was casually brushed aside.

"Really, what a trivial, boorish farce. Are you trying to gain sympathy by bringing up all these needless details about your past? No matter the circumstances, shoplifting is still shoplifting. There's
no place for sympathy. Your theft came from a place of self-interest."

As Sakayanagi spoke, Kamuro, standing right beside her, momentarily showed a stiff expression.

"Yes, I agree with that. The circumstances of my past have nothing to do with it."

"The fact remains: you've committed a crime. So, when it comes to the large amount of private points you've been entrusted with, isn't it possible that you'll steal those as well when graduation comes along?"

"……I'd never do something like that, Sakayanagi-san. If we get demoted In the future, disregarding my classmate's intentions in order to get into Class A would be an act of betrayal. I don't think the school would ever allow it."

"I agree. You're a clever one, after all. You'd never use an obvious tactic like that. On the other hand, what if you do this little sympathy-seeking performance again in order to get everyone's permission to go to Class A if your class ever dropped down?"

Sakayanagi was relentless.
"You're right… Maybe… Maybe all my hard work will seem hypocritical, no matter how hard I try. The sin I committed will never disappear."

Her criminal past would always follow her. And I know that feeling personally.

After all, the suspicion that she may betray the class someday would always be there.

"Does everyone understand now? This, is the real Ichinose Honami-san. As long as you have this sort of person leading you, Class A doesn't stand a chance. You won't remain at the top forever."

Sakayanagi thoroughly exposed the reality of the situation.

"Take this opportunity to return the private points to your classmates and step down as the leader of Class A. You should at least do that much. If you don't, the slander about you will not
disappear, will it?"

Ichinose calmly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What are you going to do, Ichinose?"

Kanzaki spoke as the representative for the rest of Class A, posing the question to her.

The question of whether or not she would continue to lead the class.

A decision that Ichinose would have to make herself.

"I'll wrap up my confession with this…"

As she spoke, she turned to face Sakayanagi with a smile.

"I am certainly a shoplifter, and as Sakayanagi-san said, I don't think there's any room for sympathy. After all, a crime is a crime, and I have no intention of running away. However, I've never been persecuted for it. In other words, there's effectively no reason for me to atone for my sin now."

"You have a lot of nerve to say that despite being so shameless just a moment ago. This defiant attitude of yours is quite a big change from what one would expect from a corrupt thief who honestly regrets their mistakes."

"Maybe so, but I refuse to keep looking back. I won't let my past control me anymore."

Turning her smiling face toward her classmates, Ichinose continued.

"Despite being so shameless… everyone, will you follow me until the very end?"

She asked this, and it was followed by a moment of silence. By no means had her request come from a place of optimism.

She was ashamed of her past and on the verge of bursting into tears. She simply wanted to run away from all of it.
But despite that, she continued to push forward.

She had gone through thick and thin with her classmates for the past year. It was impossible for them to not understand what she was going through.

"You already have our support, right!?"

Shibata shouted with a smile. At the same time, every single one of his classmates cheered, showcasing the unity of Class A.

This was the extent of the admiration they had for her. I could feel the weight behind it.

Takeda and Soga also seemed to be taken in by this display of unity,
as both of them had delighted expressions.

With the exception of one class in particular, the students from the
other classes were also voicing their support.

"Sakayanagi… What now?"

Sakayanagi's attack had been negated.
Kamuro appeared to understand this as well, which was why she had spoken up. Her question could be interpreted as a request to withdraw.

"Fufufu."

Sakayanagi laughed.

"Fufufufufufu."

Then she laughed again, a little bit longer this time.

"I see. It seems you've managed to successfully trick your classmates. However, as you said earlier, a criminal's past doesn't just disappear. I'm sure that the rumors about you will continue to spread far into the future."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to run away."

"Is that so? Then, let's thoroughly-"

"That's enough. Leave Sakayanagi. You already said enough for one day."

Unexpectedly a voice came from among the crowd. Everyone turned their attention to one particular student, me.

"Fufufu! So the leader of Class C has anything to say?"

"As the student council vice-president I am taking charge of this situation. You have said what you wanted to say, now leave. Your presence is no longer necessary anymore." Saying all that, I stood infront of her.

"Hm? So class C has decided to take Ichinose's side? Is it because your classes are in an alliance? Or is it because she is your vice-secretary? Or are your personal feelings involved?"

"None of the above. I may be her friend but that's not why I am defending her today. My personal feelings have nothing to do with this matter."

"Oh~ is that so? Then please answer me this. What do you think of now when you look at Ichinose?"

I looked over at Ichinose and then replied.

"That Ichinose Honami had committed a crime."

Vol 4 Epilogue: It was Him!

Hirano pov:-

The entire classroom was silent after what I said. No one spoke anything. However, I could tell that the class A students were glaring at me. But that didn't matter.

"See you agree-"

"To an extent, yes." I cut Sakayanagi off.

I looked over at Ichinose and spoke.
"Although she did commit a crime, she paid for at as well. When a person commits a crime, a mere apology is never enough. As long as they pay for it and repent on what they did. They can be forgiven."

Looking back at Sakayanagi, I spoke again. "Yes. She did commit a crime. However, she has paid far more than she should have. There is no point in punishing someone who has already learnt their lesson."

After that I threw a question at Ichinose.
"Ichinose Honami. Do you truly regret what you did and promise to not do it again?"

"I... Yes!" She said with a firm tone.

"Then that's that. I believe she should be given another chance. Although our suspicion won't go away quickly. I believe we should give her a chance earn her trust back. As such, we should drop this topic. Continuing any further would be nothing short of harassment."

"Oh~ Big words, Vice-President. Do you honestly believe that she can be trusted after lying to everyone. What If she pretends to be a good girl right now and then backstabs her classmates when the time comes and no one can stop her. For example, just before graduation?"

"What happens in the future are upto her and her classmates. Not you, me or anyone else."

"Hmmm? How odd. I thought the whole point of the S-system was so classes would compete with eachother. Doesn't that align our fate with theirs?"

"Perhaps. However, I find it ironic how someone like you is harassing Ichinose and calling her a criminal."

"Fufufu. And what does that mean?"

"Have you forgotten? You had one of your classmates, shoplift a bottle of Whiskey and told Kitō-kun to hide it in my room. All to frame and get me expelled."

With those words, I dropped a bomb. Everyone was shocked at what I said.

"Hm? Apologies but what are you talking about." She pretend to play innocent.

"It was fortunate that I noticed and disposed of that bottle before any security guards showed up at my door. Or else I wouldn't be here today."

"I am afraid you lack evidence to prove my involvement. Without evidence, this is nothing more than a false accusation."

"I may not have any evidence. In that case, what I am doing is the same as what you have been doing Ichinose. Is it not?"

"Oh? Unlike me, Ichinose actually committed a crime. Did she not?"

"No She did. But how did you find out then? We aren't allowed outside contact. And you didn't know Ichinose before she came to this school. Not to mention that she just shoplifted, while even false rumors like "Ichinose did drugs" were being heard by everyone. So as far as I am concerned, weren't you the one accusing her without any evidence?"

"So that's what you mean? If we are talking rumors. Then I heard a good one. It's about you sending more than 15 people to the hospital."

I expression stiffened for a moment and then went back at glaring at her.

"People shouldn't believe everything they hear. Specifically when they come from a mouth of someone like you."

Seeing my dilemma, a smile showed on her face.

"Then how about we-"

"Alright, that's enough everyone."

As Sakayanagi was in the middle of giving a response, two teachers
and an upperclassman entered the classroom.

It was the student council president Nagumo, Class A's homeroom teacher Hoshinomiya, and Class D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira.

"It seems that a few very important people have shown up, but this
is a problem that only concerns the first-year students."

"You're correct. This dispute does only involve the first-years. However, as of today, it is against the rules to spread irresponsible rumors."

"…What does that mean? I'm not satisfied with this gag order on the rumors about Ichinose-san. Regardless of where they came from, if Ichinose-san was troubled by them, shouldn't she have reported it to the school herself?"

"You have the wrong idea, Sakayanagi. This problem doesn't just involve Ichinose anymore."

Nagumo responded to Sakayanagi's question.

"…What are you saying?"

Just as Nagumo was about to explain, Chabashira sensei intervened instead.

"I won't go into the details, but we've already confirmed that there has been an ongoing exchange of slander amongst the first-year students. There are close to twenty different rumors going around at this point. If this is allowed to continue, it will corrupt the public morals of our school. Rumors are rumors. Regardless of whether or not there's conclusive evidence backing them up, the school doesn't want to see rumors that target specific individuals continue to spread. Therefore, I'll inform all of you right now. Moving forward, anyone found spreading meaningless rumors may be subjected to punishment."

So far, the school had been tolerating the endless spread of rumors, but now they had taken action.

"…I see, so that's how it is."

After hearing Chabashira sensei's explanation, Sakayanagi seemed to understand everything.

"In other words, the school's finally taking action. About time." I spoke up.

"Well this case wasn't as serious as before. As such there wasn't any need to take any action." Nagumo responded.

"And that isn't the case now, Nagumo-senpai?"

"Correct."

"Let's withdraw here. Now that the school has made their move, our presence is no longer necessary."

Understanding the situation, Sakayanagi gave the order to withdraw.

At once, the already noisy classroom became even more excited. Class B had been successfully driven back.

"Ichinose. I hope my words didn't offend you."

"No. They were actually very helpful. Thank you. And I promise to do as you say and earn back the trust I lost." She said to me with a smile.

"Come on! We all trust you Honami!"

"Yeah cheer up!"

Aika and Shibata as well as the rest of Class A comforted her.

As the crowd dispersed, I also walked back to my class. However, something was on my mind.

"That was a good speech Hirano!" Soga came with Takeda and pat me on the back.

"Yeah... thanks..."

"Hm?" Soga looked over as Takeda saw my face.

"Hey Hirano. Are you thinking about something?" Takeda asked.

"Hm... Yeah... the next class is going starting let's talk later."

I hurried over to my seat. However, my mind wasn't concentrating at class at all.

I was thinking about the rumor about me. I found it odd. How did Sakayanagi know that? Just like I said earlier, she didn't know me in the past nor me when I first enrolled her...

No one knows my past. Not even the triplets... When Nagumo shouldn't be able to excess that information. Atleast,I think.

However, The idea that spreading those rumors back fired on Sakayanagi didn't seem right.

"Did someone else set up those rumors to make Sakayanagi back off and force the school to take action?" I muttered under my breath.

If so... then.. who can... wait a minute...

There is only one person who knows about my past! Karuizawa Kei from class D!

However, she wouldn't do something like that. It can only mean one thing!

Karuizawa told someone about my past and they spread that rumor. As for that "someone", it's obvious that it was Ayanokōji.

"It was him! I am sure of it!" I spoke again with a quite yet angry whisper.

Vol 4 SS: Don't Ever Do That Again!

Hirano pov:-

"Thanks for coming, Ayanokouji." I said as I looked at the brown haired boy.

It was late at night and I had called him to the back of the building.

"Why did you call me Hirano?"

" Sigh." I took in a deep breath and spoke. "I will get straight to the point. Did Karuizawa tell you?"

"Hm? Tell me what?" He asked, pretending not to know anything.

I gritted my teeth and spoke as calmly as I could. "About my past."

"Your past? Oh? So was that rumor true!"

"Don't bullshit me!" I shouted in anger.

"Only Karuizawa knows about my past and it's obvious that she told you! I know you are the one who posted all those damn rumors!"

Ayanokouji just looked at me with is usual bored expression.

After a moment of silence, he sighed and confessed.

"Yes. It was me. However Karuizawa didn't tell me anything. "

"Then who the fuck did!?"

"I was hiding nearby when you told her everything. So I overheard it.

I immediately grabbed him by his collar. He didn't make any moves to try and avoid me.

"I don't care what behind the scenes moves you make! Just don't ever drag my past into it! Do you understand!"

"Oh? You seem awfully angry."

"Wouldn't you feel angry if every knows about your past!"

He didn't speak up. He looked at me as If He was thinking about something.

"I don't know. Though it would be troublesome. Also can you let go of my collar?"

I let go of his collar and took some distance.

"I know what you are capable of Ayanokouji. But I don't care! If you ever us my past like that again. I will not stand by! Even though, I will lose that doesn't mean that I can't drag you down along with me!"

He didn't respond for a moment.

"Very well. I will keep that in mind." That was all I got from him.

"Tch. I hope you will. I don't ever what to hear someone else bring up my past."

I started walking away but Ayanokouji called out to me from behind.

"What about Ryueen?"

"Hm?" I looked back at him.

"What does class C plan to do without him?"

"I have taken the position as leader of the class. My friends are helping me aswell. That's all."

"And your relationship with class A?"

"That was Ichinose's idea. I plan to honor our agreement for as long as I can. Nothing more."

"I see."

"Well then. Bye." I left Ayanokouji behind.

Whatever he plans to do. I don't care. I just don't want my past to be involved. I still have to take care of Fugino senpai.

Timeskip:-

"Hey Hirano! How have you been?"

I looked at the blonde haired girl sitting infront of me.

"I have been fine. How about you, Tajika?"

"I have been great! Although I was wondering if the rumors about you were true or not."

"Ofcourse not! Sakayanagi made all that up. Do I look like a guy who can beat up so many people?" I asked her.

"Hm... no you don't! Don't worry I already know that you wouldn't do such a thing." She spoke with a smile.

"Hehe thanks. Anyway, I didn't ask before. But why did you call me to have dinner with you today?"

"Oh~ Can't a friend invite their friend to hang out?~" She replied with a mischievous tone.

"No! Ofcourse you can." I said with a smile.

After eating our food, we left the restaurant.

"So how has your class been lightly?"

"Oh? It's been great. Although shouldn't you be asking this to someone else in my class?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" She looked at me confused about what I said.

"No. Nothing." I said as I walked beside her into the arcade.

"Hey Hirano! Look!"

I looked over at the claw machine. It had a really big teddy bear in it. It seems she wants it.

I entered points into it and began playing.

Truth to be told, I hate these. Since it's always so damn hard to use!

Finally on my fifth try. I managed to get that teddy bear.

"Thanks Hirano!" She said as she huffed that pink coloured teddy bear. She seemed pretty happy.

"It's no problem. It only took my about five tries. Normally it takes about ten or twelve before I get something."

"Hehe! You must be really bad at this huh?"

"Hey! Don't make fun of the guy that won you that!"

"Hehehe!"

After playing more games at the arcade, both Tajika-san and I decided to call it a day.

We reached our dorms and got in the elevator. I got out as we reached my floor but-

"Hey Hirano-kun."

"Yes?"

"Thanks for today!" She suddenly gave me a kiss on the cheek with her sift lips.

With a small blush, she got back in the elevator and left.

I stood there for a moment and touched my cheek. Then I whispered something with anger in my voice.

"Fake bitch."

I walked back to my room to prepare for what is to come.

What my OCs look like

Soga Atsushi

Takeda Hachiro

Hori Yuki

Tajika Sumiko

Gima Itsuki

Gima Miku

Gima Aika

Note:-

My exams end soon. So I will start uploading by the end of this month. I hope you all look forward to it!

Also since the Triplets weren't really mine. But we're taken from Quintessential quinteplets, so I didn't ignore them.

If you want, you can go check their images and link them to my triplets.

Vol 5 Prologue: Tajika's Monologue

Tajaki pov:-

I still remember that day as any other. I was sitting infront of this scary looking man. Beside me was my brother.

"Is this person our target?" My brother asked.

I looked at the picture. It was the boy I met when I was young. Back then I was attending a part to celebrate the birthday of this scary man's daughters.

"W-will you really grant our request." I asked

"Both of your families work under mine. Although your parents are divorced, I can still combine both of your families again. Then you both will no longer have to be separated from eachother."

It was like a life long dream.

We both were twins despite us not looking alike. And after our parents divorced, we were separated aswell. Becoming the young heirs of two different families.

But now, If we combine the two families again... then he and I can be brother and sister once more. We will no longer be separated or forced away from eachother by our families.

Things can go back to the way they used to be. With me and my brother playing around with eachother, enjoying our lives.

I looked over at him, my brother had a serious look.

"If it can make the person next to me, my sister once again. Then I am ready to do whatever you want me to do."

Hearing these words the man smiled.

"Very good. In the next two months, you both will take part in the entrance exam for Advance Nurturing High School. If your intended Target steps out of line. Then eliminate him as soon as possible. Preferably by the end of the first year."

""We will do our best"" We both responded.

Yes if it can bring our family back together. Then I am willing to sacrifice everything. My pride, my dignity, my reputation, heart, soul and... even my body...

I am sorry for what's going to happen. My dear target, Hirano Aki.

Vol 5 Ch 1: Voting Exam?

Hirano pov:-

It was finally the first of March, a few days after the end-of-term exams.

Monday, the day where everyone was anxiously waiting for the results to be
announced. After all, in the case of a failing grade, the only option left was expulsion.

"Sensei, are you gonna announce the results now!?"

"Calm down. Here." Sakagami sensei spread a large sheet of paper on the blackboard.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. After all, no one had failed.

The new class points were:-

Class A: 1021cp

Class B: 866cp

Class C: 739cp

Class D: 375cp

(We are still just class C. And naturally, all classes have lower points due to absents and tardiness.)

"Most of you were probably already aware of this, but just because you've
finished this end-of-term exam doesn't mean that testing has finished for the
year. There will be a particularly important special exam soon, and as in
previous years, it's scheduled to begin on March 8th."

Sakagami explained what we should expect to move forward.

We had just finished with the end-of-term exam, so a final special exam taking place so soon afterward wasn't unreasonable by any means.

After all, it was the last thing left on the school's schedule for the year.

Furthermore, third-year students would apparently have to take yet another
exam in tandem with the one next week.

"Everyone. This next special exam will be the last one this year. Let's all
work together and try our best. If we do, our class should be able to aim for
class A without anyone being expelled."

Soga encouraged everyone.

However things weren't as easy as they seemed.

Timeskip:-

"…There's something I have to tell you all."

Sakagami spoke heavily.

His expression was as stern as ever, but the sound of his voice made him seem like he was stressed.

"As I told you yesterday, the final special exam for the first-years will begin
on March 8th. After this special exam, you will advance to the second year,
as per the general convention of our school."

Sakagami turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and reached for the
blackboard.

"This year, however, the situation is slightly different from previous years."

"Different… How?"

Takeda asked in return, having felt a sense of danger.

"Not a single student in your grade dropped out this year, even after the end-of-year exam. Getting this far without a single dropout has never happened before in the history of this school."

"We're pretty awesome when you put it like that, aren't we?"

I thought about how we shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves, but Kondo cut in to do just that.

"That's right, and the school thinks so too. Normally, this would be something to celebrate. Even we, as faculty of the school, hope to see as many students graduate as possible. However, it needs to be said that several problems arise when things don't turn out the way we expect them to."

"It's as if you're saying you're bothered by the fact nobody's dropped out
yet." I asked raising an eyebrow at his strange attitude.

"It's not like that at all. But, sometimes things happen that go beyond my
expectations."

"Are you implying that there's something wrong with us?"

The content of what Sakagami had to tell us wouldn't change, no matter
what questions we might ask. He wasn't the person making the choices here. He was just the employee who had been given the duty of relaying instructions. And yet, I can't help but be curious about what the teachers think.

"On the basis that there haven't been any expulsions among the first-years,
the school…"

Sakagami paused for a moment.
Then, he squeezed out the words that had been stuck in his throat.

"…has decided that, given the extenuating circumstances, you will be
undergoing a supplementary improvised special exam starting today."

He wrote down today's date, Tuesday March 2nd, along with the words
"Supplementary Special Exam" on the blackboard.

"Eeeh!? What the heck!? Another special exam!? That's so unfair! The school's acting like a stubborn little brat just because none of us dropped out!?"

Sakagami simply glossed over Ishizaki's complaints. Students didn't have the
right to refuse.

No, maybe he was the one who didn't have that right. Sakagami was looking less composed than usual today. He didn't seem to be trying to frighten us, so it was highly likely that this really was something that the school decided on in a hurry.

"It seems a little different from what we've done so far…"

Hiyori muttered softly, having realized that there was no point fighting
against it at the moment.

"Only the students who manage to pass this supplementary special exam will
be eligible to take the special exam on March 8th."

Having given a small explanation, Sakagami paused for a moment.

"I never agreed to this! I can't believe we have to be the ones to take another
exam!"

"Your dissatisfaction is completely justified. After all, the school has gone
and implemented a special exam without any prior notice. Although it's only one more exam than in past years, it will still inevitably be a burden on the students. It's a truth that I, as well as the other teachers, have been taking
seriously."

A truth other teachers have been taking seriously? In other words, even though the teachers had been taking it seriously, the school itself had not. The
way he had phrased it made it possible to arrive at this sort of conclusion.
Piling up extra special exams would certainly be tough on the students at this point.

"The content of the special exam is extremely simple, and the dropout rate is fairly low at less than three percent per class."

A dropout rate of less than three percent.

From what I could infer, it certainly seemed low.

But perhaps, this supplementary special exam was different from the exams
we've had up till now. There was no reason for him to expressly bring up the dropout rate. He had never brought up that piece of information in the exams we had taken before.

The students who noticed this harbored even further suspicions.

"The name of the special exam is The Class Poll."

"The Class… Poll…?"

Sakagami wrote out the name of the special exam on the blackboard.

"I'll now explain the rules for this special exam. For the next four days,
you'll be evaluated by your fellow classmates. Then on Saturday, you'll
select the names of three students you find worthy of praise, and the names of
three students you find worthy of criticism and cast your votes for them.
That's it."

Does that mean that we would all be evaluating one another? Thinking about it objectively, students like Soga would accumulate a lot of praise, putting them at the top of the charts. In contrast, it seems like students who are thought of as troublemakers or are holding the class back would accumulate a lot of criticism and plummet to the bottom. And there is only one candidate for it.

I thought as I glimpsed at Ryuuen, who seemed to not care at all.

We were shown a glimpse of the urgency the school was facing based on the fact that they were using a Saturday to hold a portion of the exam.

However, based on everything Sakagami had said so far, the students in the upper and lower ranks…

"T-that's it? That's all the exam is?"

"Correct. That's it. Didn't I tell you it was simple?"

"With that being the case, how does the school determine the outcome of the
exam?"

"I'll explain that now. The essence of this special exam is the number of praise and censure votes you accumulate on Saturday. The top student… that is, the student who
accumulates the most praise votes, will be given a special reward. This special reward will not be private points.
Instead, you will receive one point
from a new system altogether, Protection Points."

It was a type of point we hadn't heard anything about until now.

Of course, it captured everyone's attention.

"Protection points grant you the right to override an expulsion. Even if you
were to fail a test, as long as you have a protection point, you can use it to
cancel out the questions you had gotten wrong. However, these points cannot
be transferred between students."

It was no exaggeration to say that the moment he said this, a wave of
newfound surprise spread throughout the classroom.

"You should all be able to understand how amazing these points are. They're
effectively equivalent in value to twenty-million private points. Of course, in the eyes of an excellent student with no reason to fear expulsion, they may
not hold as much value."

That would probably never be the case. There was no such thing as a student
who wouldn't welcome the right to invalidate an expulsion.

The reward was far too extravagant. No, it was beyond extravagant.

These protection points had the potential to be an outrageously dangerous weapon depending on how they were used.

As I listened I had only one thought in my mind.

(I NEED IT!)

"The special exam this time is different from the ones you've had so far, with
one point in particular being very different. Namely, that this special exam is being conducted to rectify the problem of there not being any dropouts."

Indeed. The detail the students should really be worried about was the reason
why the supplementary special exam was being carried out in the first place.
If this exam was being held because there had yet to be any dropouts…

"This special exam is exactly as easy as I told you it was. Even if you lack
academic ability or physical strength, you won't be at a disadvantage. But
even so, why would the school go out of its way to provide the special reward
of protection points? That would be because it's probably impossible for all
of you to advance to the second year without leaving one of your classmates
behind."

Sakagami turned around and looked at each of us, one by one.

"So, the student at the lowest rank… will be expelled from the school."

If there was a vote, there would be results. And if there were results, there would have to be a first and last place student. And then, the person in last place would be expelled.

This outcome would be inevitable.

It would be the same, no matter how superior or inferior the class was.
The only difference would be who would face the penalty.

That was the kind of exam we were dealing with.

"I-I don't understand what you mean, sensei. T-the person in last place… are
you seriously saying that they'll be expelled?"

"That's right. They'll have to face the guillotine. But rest assured, the class
itself won't be penalized if someone drops out this time. That's just the type
of exam this is."

This was clearly different from previous special exams.

Although the possibility of being expelled on an individual basis was higher, there was also a possibility of everyone being able to elude expulsion
altogether. But this time, there was a system in place where a sacrifice was
inevitable.

This was the special case that the school had prepared for us.

It was precisely because of their urge to force expulsions that they needed to
offer something like protection points in return. Even so, the students would still be burdened with a disproportionate amount of risk.

"It seems unreasonable, doesn't it? Well, that's what I think as a teacher. But,
nothing can be done about it now that the school has made its decision. You
have no choice but to abide by the rules and take the special exam."

"Is that really alright…?"

By this weekend, one student from this class was going to disappear.

"As there's only a short amount of time left until the day of the vote, I will
continue the explanation of the rules. The total number of praise and censure
votes for each student will be made publically available at the end of the
exam. In other words, the results for the whole class will be announced.
However, information regarding who voted for whom will remain
undisclosed, as the vote will be taken anonymously."

With an exam like this, they would definitely have to do it anonymously.
Votes of praise aside, there would be problems over the censure votes for
quite some time if the finer details of the vote were revealed.

"Moving on, one praise vote and one censure vote will invalidate each other.
Let's say, for example, that you received censure votes from ten people, and
praise votes from thirty. This would be equivalent to a total of twenty praise
votes. Additionally, neither vote may be cast for yourself, and it's also forbidden to vote for the same person multiple times."

"What about abstention…? Would we be allowed to abstain from using our
censure votes if we wanted to?"

"Of course not. You'll have to cast all of your votes, regardless of which type
of vote it is. Even if you're home sick on the day of the exam, you'll still
have to cast your vote."

In other words, it was impossible for any of us to leave our ballot blank or
abstain from the vote altogether.

"Sensei said earlier that it was only probably impossible for everyone to avoid expulsion. That means there should be a loophole somewhere."

When he explained the rules to us during past exams, the hidden meanings behind his explanations always managed to lead us to a way out.

But what about this time?

This 'probably impossible' meant that there were methods available we
hadn't considered yet.

"Although it's not easy, a way to prevent any of us from dropping out of school definitely exists."

"W-what do you mean, Shiina?"

"If the entire class unites and selects three people for the praise votes and
three people for the censure votes, all six of them would end up with a total
of zero votes. That way, nobody would end up in last place. Isn't that right?"

"T-that's it! As expected of Hiyori!" Soga called out.

It was certainly possible if all of our classmates followed directions.

However, if even a single person turned traitor, the students who had been
betrayed would be pushed down the path of expulsion.

After all, protection points would incentivize students to reach for first place.

"What Shiina brought up just now about controlling the votes is meaningless."

"Why sensei?"

"If nobody is selected for both the first and last place positions, the special
exam will be considered a failure. Regardless of your intentions, should the results of the vote be a net total of zero for every student in the class, another vote will be held. Put simply, the exam will repeat endlessly until you decide on someone to expel."

With this, the escape path the class was frantically searching for was closed
off.

"Isn't that rule strange? If we voted honestly and just so happened to end up
with a total of zero votes on each side, the results would still be the same,
even if we held another vote. If we forcibly distorted the results after that, it wouldn't feel like the students were chosen by a legitimate evaluation."

"Takeda, your reasoning is correct. Should it just so happen to end up with a net total of zero votes for everyone, a revote does indeed seem contradictory.
But, think about it realistically. Coincidentally ending up with a net total of zero votes for everyone in an exam where you explicitly choose people for both first and last place is almost impossible, right?"

Sakagami's response was also very reasonable.

A net total of zero votes for everyone wouldn't happen unless the vote had
been intentionally set up that way.

"…Then, what happens when there's a tie for first or last place?"

In comparison, there was a fair chance of a tie actually happening.

"In either case, there will be a deciding vote. However, even then, the vote
might be tied a second time. If this happens, the situation will be evaluated by a special method prepared by the school. I'm unable to elaborate on this
method any further at the present time."

Does that mean he will only tell us if it actually happens? Though, the chances of getting to that point were quite low.

"There's no need to worry about it. The probability of there being a deciding
vote is effectively zero."

Sakagami added, appearing to share my thoughts on the matter.

"Why? It should be more than possible enough."

"That would be because you'll also be receiving praise votes from the
students in the other classes."

"From the other classes?"

"You will all be expected to choose one student you find worthy of praise in
another class and cast a separate dedicated praise vote for them. Naturally, this will count as a single, normal praise vote. In other words, in the event that a student is heavily disliked within their own class, but substantially popular with students from the other classes, it would be theoretically possible for that student to end with a total of around eighty praise votes, even after the censure votes are accounted for."

It was unusual for more than 100 praise votes to be floating around.

Given this new information, it was certainly true that the possibility of a
deciding vote taking place was now considerably lower.

With this, it seemed that we had found every piece of the puzzle.

Supplementary Exam・The Class Poll
Exam Contents:

The exam consists of a class vote, where each student in each class is allotted
three praise votes and three censure votes.

Rule 1: Praise and censure votes invalidate each other. Praise Votes – Censure Votes = Results.

Rule 2: You can't cast praise or censure votes for yourself.

Rule 3: Voting multiple times for the same person, leaving part of the ballot blank, abstaining from the vote altogether, and other acts of this nature are prohibited.

Rule 4: The exam will be repeated until the first and last place students have been determined. The last place student will be expelled.

Rule 5: You are required to cast a separate dedicated praise vote on a student in another class. These were the details of the supplementary exam.
There was no doubt that this test was extremely straightforward and simple.
But at the same time, it was clear that this exam was the cruelest we've had to
face so far. This weekend, someone in each class was going to disappear.

"Sensei. Why did you say it was probably impossible? No matter how I look at it, I can't find any loopholes."

"That's right. There aren't any loopholes. However, it's also true that there's room for uncertainty. You've all probably been thinking this already, but
everything changes when you use private points."

"You're saying we can use our private points to avoid expulsion?"

"20 million. If you're able to prepare that many points, the school would have
no other choice but to revoke your expulsion."

This was the reason why he had said it was 'probably impossible'.

The fact that there were no restrictions on the transfer of private points meant
that negotiations that made use of them would be tolerated. If you can obtain
praise votes with money, then obtain them. That's what the school was telling
us.

They've judged this to be a form of strength as well.

With the help of the sheer power of your capabilities that you've shown
everyone over the past year.

Or with the financial power of the private points you've managed to save up throughout the previous exams.

Or maybe even the power of teamwork you've accumulated through
friendship.

We were free to tackle this exam however we wanted to.

"P-please wait. Twenty million points is a little…"

"This is the only way you'll be able to work around the rules set by the
school. I'll say this ahead of time, other attempts to find a way around the
rules of this exam are absolutely impossible. The rest is up for you to judge and decide upon."

Sakagami finished his explanation as homeroom came to an end.

As expected, the entire class turned towards the person they knew was going to be expelled.

The said person got up and left the classroom with his usual smirk on his face.

I texted Soga, Hiyori, Kaneda and Takeda to meet me after class. Then I walked to the podium. As class leader the discussion must begin with me.

Timeskip:-

As the student left one by one, all of us gathered outside the school to discuss.

"What do we do! At this rate Ryuuen would be expelled!" I complained.

The discussion earlier was a bust. The chances of Ryueen being expelled were 100%.

"Do we really have to do anything. I mean his expulsion is already guaranteed. Good riddance." Soga said without any care in the world. He always hated Ryuuen.

"Although normally I would agree with you. But not today." Takeda said to him.

"Huh?"

"Let me explain Soga-kun. Ryuuen is an exceptional person who we may need in the future. Although he is violent, he is very resourceful." Hiyori explained.

"I-I see." Soga looked like he was reconsidering their opinion.

"But what should we do? Ryuuen-shi's expulsion isn't something we can easily avoid since the entire class wants to expel him."

No one spoke anything since no one had the answer.

"Hey Hirano!" I suddenly heard someone calling me.

"Hm? Ishizaki? And Ibuki too?"

I never thought that I would see them hanging out with eachother.

Ishizaki ran upto me and whispered something in my ear.

"Meet us at the lobby of the dorms at 8PM today. I want to request Ayanokouji for help."

My eyes went wide.

(A-Ayanokouji's help... Yes... That just might work. But even for him... I shouldn't get my hopes up.)

Although it seemed impossible for me, I still decided to talk this over with class D's mastermind.

He tried to stop Ryuuen from leaving school once. He might help us again. But the chances are pretty slim.

"Hey Soga! You got some time to spare?!"

We heard a voice call out from a distance. A boy was waving towards us or Soga in particular. I immediately recognized him.

He had black hair with a pretty good looking hairstyle. He also had black eyes. Normally he would wear spectacles over them but that is only when he is in the classroom and studying.

"Oh! Kida wait up! I am coming!" Soga shouted back.

"Hey guys. I gotta go. We will discuss more tomorrow. For now everyone should gather their thoughts and think about their own individual ideas. We can then present them all in tomorrow's discussion."

"Very well."

"I agree."

"Okay Hirano-shi."

"See you all tomorrow then!"

They all quickly agreed with the idea and we all walked back to the dorms.

Timeskip:-

" Sigh. I can't believe we are doing this."

"Shut up Ibuki! We need his help to save Ryuuen."

"Both of you shut up! I am ringing the doorbell."

I rang the doorbell and soon the door opened.

"What are you three doing here?" He asked us.

"Hey Ayanokōji. We need your help."

Vol 5 Ch 2: Her Request?

Hirano pov:-

"Welcome. You should hurry and come in too. It's cold out there."

"Why do I have to..."

Ibuki, voiced her dissatisfaction at Ayanokouji's invitation inside.

"Who cares. Just get in here Ibuki."

"Ugh."

Giving in to Ishizaki's prodding, she walked through the entryway.

"So, what do you need from me, so late at night like this?"

At his question, Ishizaki immediately put his hands together and lowered his
head.

"Please, Ayanokōji! Tell us how to prevent Ryūen-san from getting
expelled!"

"...What?"

We come barging in uninvited so late at night just to ask for such a ridiculous favor. He is probably confused.

"Did I mishear you? Could you say that one more time?"

"I asked you to tell us how to prevent Ryūen-san from getting expelled!"

"Just forget it, Ishizaki. There's no way Ayanokōji will cooperate with you."

Apparently, Ibuki and Ishizaki weren't on the same page. It didn't seem like
she had come along to ask for Ayanokouji's help. How did Ishizaki even convince her to come?

"That... that's probably true, it's just... I can't think of anyone else other than Ayanokōji who could do something."

"It's not like I care. Oh, by the way, I'm only here because Ishizaki forced me
to come along with him. He just wouldn't stop calling me..."

With a sigh, she exasperatedly showed Ayanokouji the screen of her phone. I took a look aswell.

There were more than fifty missed call notifications from Ishizaki.

(How pathetic can you get?)

"How could I go and ask him all alone!? He's our enemy!"

"It's the same even if me and Hirano are here with you. What an idiot."

"Shut yer mouth..."

Ishizaki and Ibuki proceeded to bicker with each other.

"Well, it doesn't seem like you were sent here by Ryūen."

"There's no way we'd be here for that. Ryūen-san... wouldn't ask us to do
something like this. You should understand at least that much."

"I suppose."

Ryūen had already washed his hands of school matters by making it seem
like he had been defeated by me.

In fact, it seemed like he was already fully resolved to leave the school.

"Are you sure you don't want Ryūen gone? He's done all sorts of things to
you."

Ibuki spoke up again, questioning Ishizaki.

"...Well... a lot of stuff did happen... But, it's different now."

"What is?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I'm asking you what you mean by 'it's different now'."

"I've come to understand that Ryūen-san is important for the future of Class C."

"I don't get it. Don't you know how much we've had to go through because
of him?"

"First of all, if you're gonna argue, do it later."

At my words, they stopped glaring at one another.

"Ugh. I wanna go back to my room."

Shaking my head, I turned towards Ayanokouji.

"Please ignore them. Anyway, is there a way to save Ryueen?"

"It would be unreasonably difficult to stop Ryūen from being expelled."
He spoke bluntly, without beating around the bush.

"I guess that's true."

Having understood what he was getting at, Ibuki nodded in agreement.

However, Ishizaki didn't seem to be willing to accept it so easily.

"Can't you do something, anything!?"

At the very least, his motivations were genuine. There was no doubting his
drive to save Ryūen.

"You really want to stop Ryūen from leaving, don't you?"

"...Yeah."

"There are two primary reasons why I think saving him is unreasonable. This
provisional exam will be decided by the number of censure votes being used
in your own class. Supposing that you, Ibuki, and two or three others don't
vote against Ryūen and cast him a praise vote instead, it's still pretty likely
that he'll end up with more than thirty censure votes. Secondly, nobody else
actually wants to be expelled."

"B-but, I mean, there aren't very many people that think we can win and
move forward without his strength, you know?"

It's true that there were probably at least a few students in Class C who
recognize Ryūen's capabilities.
However, by itself, that reason wouldn't cut it.

That just wouldn't be enough of a reason to raise the possibility of getting
expelled yourself.

"Nobody wants to expel someone. By targeting Ryūen, the most unpopular
person in the class, it would cause the least amount of guilt."

It was just as Ibuki said.

"Even if you couldn't get out of Class C, you'd still wanna graduate safely,
wouldn't you? It's not like anyone wants to be labeled a high school dropout."

This was the very thing we had discussed during today's discussion.

"I think that other than Hirano, Ishizaki, Ibuki, Albert, and Shiina, everybody's in favor of expelling Ryūen-san."

"Well Takeda, Soga and Kaneda too. But three more won't matter. Will they? So it's checkmate no matter how you look at it, yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's checkmate."

"That's why I came here in the first place. You're the one who beat Ryūen-
san, so..." Ishizaki tried to speak up but Ayanokōji cut him off.

"You want to know if there's a way to stop the expulsion. Before we get to
that, there's something I want to ask you."

"What...?"

"Saving Ryūen means that someone else from your class will have to be
expelled instead. Do you understand that?"

"That's... That's true, but..."

"If you really understand, do you have someone else in mind to take Ryūen's
place?"

"N-no, not at all. I don't think I want to get rid of anyone."

"Then it sounds like there's a problem. This exam is designed to ensure that
someone gets expelled."

This wasn't an exam where you could thoughtlessly talk about wanting to
save someone.

"What about you Hirano? You are their class leader after all." Ayanokouji asked me.

"To tell you the truth, there is one person I would like to get rid of in my class. But I haven't decided if I want to expel them or not." (I need to confront them about some amusing topics first.)

"Oh?"

"Nevermind that. We are getting off topic."

"Yeah! We have to save Ryueen!" Thanks to Ishizaki we successfully avoided the topic concerning me.

"It's just as Ayanokōji said, isn't it? If you really want to save Ryūen, why don't you take the initiative and nominate yourself? If you ask everyone to vote for you instead, you might be able to save him."

Her cold-hearted idea was pretty much the same as abandoning Ishizaki, but,
realistically speaking, it was probably the best option we had available.
Ryūen had accumulated a lot of hatred from his classmates. Even though he
was talented enough to think of courageous, clever schemes that an ordinary person couldn't possibly come up with, once you consider that the class had fallen down back to Class C under his leadership, the fact that he was getting cast aside was simply inevitable.

"There's... really no way to prevent anyone from being expelled?"

"That was everybody else's initial question too. In the end, they all gave up on trying to think of a solution."

"...He's right."

Ibuki let out a short, dejected sigh.
Rather than bothering to reach out to me for help, Ibuki had understood that it was unreasonable from the very beginning.

"As I said before, this is a complete waste of time. We can't change Ryūen's
fate."

"Dammit...!"

Consumed with frustration, Ishizaki punched the wall beside him.

"I think Ryūen had planned on spending the next three years without doing
anything. But, he probably changed his mind as soon as he heard about the
supplemental exam. He probably thought that he had no other choice but to get expelled. That's why he decided to quietly leave the classroom and wait for the exam to finish without saying anything, isn't it?"

"You have to consider Ryūen's feelings. It's your duty as someone who
follows him."

"I, I..."

Ishizaki clenched his fists, filled with regret.

(He really wants to save Ryūen, huh?)

Both Ibuki and Ayanokouji could only tell Ishizaki the reality infront of him and see his frustration rise.

"If I had one piece of advice for you..."

"What is it!? It doesn't matter what it is, just tell me!"

Ishizaki lurched forward, desperately reaching out for any glimmer of hope
he could.

"As things are now, Ryūen's private points will disappear along with him. If
he's been receiving points from Class A this whole time, then he's ought to
have saved up a least a couple million points by now. Right?"

"Yeah. As long as he hasn't used them, he should have around that much."

"There's no guarantee that his private points will be transferred or distributed
amongst his classmates if he's still holding onto them when he gets expelled. That being the case, you should transfer all of his points elsewhere before his expulsion is set in stone. They'll be useful for Class C later on."

(Well that does it.) I had already realized that Ayanokōji won't be able to help us.

"T-this isn't what I wanted to hear from you! I want to know how to save
Ryūen-san!"

"Give it up Ishizaki. There's no point in saying any more than this."

Ibuki reprimanded Ishizaki with a light kick.

"Listen carefully. The only thing you two can do now is retrieve Ryūen's private points. This exam isn't so simple that you can save someone just because you want to."

"Don't you fuck with me! You want me to take the points from Ryūen-san
and peace out? There's no way I could do that!"

Ishizaki raised his fist, but Ibuki immediately reached out and restrained him.

"I said to stop this shit, Ishizaki. This guy may look like an ordinary person,
but he's really nothing more than a nasty monster."

"Even if I'm no match for him, I'll at least get one hit in!"

"Get over it."

Ibuki then smacked Ishizaki on the head.

"We came here and asked Ayanokōji for something completely unreasonable.
He didn't even say anything wrong, and yet here you are, lashing out at him
for it. Could you stop being such a humiliation?"

"Urgh..."

Ishizaki had let the blood rush to his head.

It seems difficult for him to stay composed when it comes to Ryūen for some reason.

"Well, I had really wanted to see the strength of your resolve a bit more,
but..."

"...Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"It has nothing to do with you two anymore. After all, you guys aren't even willing to recover the private points from Ryūen."

" Sigh. You don't need to worry Ayanokouji. I already have taken the points." I confessed.

"Oh? You have? Then perhaps there is still hope for you."

"Hm?" Ayanokouji's words made us all curious.

"There maybe a way to save Ryueen if you use those points."

"There is!?" Ishizaki screamed.

"Yes. But it requires. Preparations. I still need to contact Ichinose about it."

"Ichinose?" I asked.

"Allow me to specify, you can-" And as such, Ayanokouji explained his whole plan to us.

Listening to it, I could only bang my head at a wall for not thinking of something so simple!

Timeskip:-

"So why did you call me here?" I asked as I sit opposite to her on the couch.

For some reason, she had incited me to come to Karaoke late at night. I had to come here straight after talking to Ayanokouji.

"Fufu. Don't worry. I am just here ask for your cooperation is all."

"Cooperation? And why would I cooperate with you Sakayanagi?"

She smiled an innocent smile and spoke.
"Because it's beneficial for the both of us. I can get what I want and you can save Ryueen from getting expelled. How about it?"

Although I had already a surefire way of saving Ryueen, I interested in what she had to say. So I motioned her to continue.

"Well you see. Me and Katsuragi aren't at the best of terms if you remember and despite my efforts there is no making him back down. As such, I plan to use this exam to crush the Katsuragi faction and get my hands on the protection point."

"And how do you plan to do it?"

"By expelling Yahiko, Katsuragi's right hand man, from this school. He should set a good example for those who wish to follow Katsuragi. There should be no problems with it. However, the problem arises with getting that protection point."

"Hm. Yes. Katsuragi faction would definitely use their censure votes on you. As such, you won't be able to get enough praise votes for the protection point. Correct?"

She nodded her head.

"That's why I want to make a proposal. I will get more than half my class to give their praise vote to Ryueen. In return, you have to convince your entire class to give me their praise votes."

"Seems a bit unfair. Shouldn't we be giving out equal number of votes?"

"True. As such, I will compensate you with anything you want."

"Like?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Hm... Like points, favors or maybe something else entirely."

I thought for a moment and then responded.

"Although, I appreciate the offer. I already have a way to save Ryueen."

Sakayanagi looked surprised for a second.

"And how?"

I explained to her about Ayanokōji's plan. However, I didn't tell her that Ayanokōji came up with it.

"Yes. That's a plan which will guarantee success. Ichinose will also agree to it. But that's more perfect!"

"Huh?"

"I had been planning to expel a student from Class D. Let's add that to the proposal."

"What!?"

She then explained to me about what she was planning and who she planned to expel. I was surprised to know that Ayanokōji was also involved in her plan.

"So let me get this straight. You want to expel that guy, Yamauchi... because he bumped into you?"

"Yup!" She said with a sweet smile.

How can she say all that with such an innocent cute face?

"How about this? You can get half of your class to give me their praise votes while use the other half for Ayanokōji. I will also use all praise votes that I can get from my class for Ayanokōji-kun, which might be enough to not only stop his expulsion but give him a protection point aswell."

I understand what she is trying to say but this leaves me with one question.

"What do I get out of this?"

She thought for a moment and then with an innocent blush, she replied.

"Well... If you want to take me to your bed then..."

"What!? Woah! Woah!" I shouted as soon as I heard her with my hands infront of me.

"Fufufu~ You are easier to tease than you think. Look at you! You are all red!"

Oh... So she wasn't serious. Thank God.

I put a hand on my chest and found that my heart beat was twice the normal.
(The fuck!? Was I actually considering her offer to take her to my- Can anyone blame me for having such thoughts when a girl says that to you!?)

I decided to stop watching any movies with Ishizaki from now on. Even though I was forced into it by him every Saturday.

"So how about private points? I say one million." She gave me an offer seriously this time.

"Hm... No. It won't even the scale. How about three times the private points you offered?"

I put forth my demand knowing that she won't accept it. After she rejects it, I can generously lower the price to two Million and one favor.

"Fine. Three Million it is!"

(Huh? What the-) My brain immediately understood what happened.

"Wait really? Then I should have asked for five times! Is four still on the table!?" I asked in a hurry.

"Nope~"

" Sigh. Figured. Very well. We have a deal."

Timeskip:-

"How many points do you have?"

"Almost 11 Million."

"That's plenty. If there weren't enough, I'd have to do some last-minute
preparations to make up for the rest."

I was currently in Ayanokouji's room. It had only been a day since he told me his plan. And today was the day to carry it out.

"Before I get into that, I have something to ask you. Hirano. Are you prepared to take responsibility for this?"

"W-what're you getting at all of a sudden? Prepared to take responsibility for what...?"

"Saving Ryūen means that you have to abandon someone else. I told you this
before, didn't I?"

"...Yeah."

I remember what he told me.

"I've resolved myself. I have already talked it over with Ishizaki and Ibuki."

"Is that so? It's nice to see you've made up your mind. So who will it be?"

"Manabe. A girl from my class. But you already know her since you used her as a traitor."

"Oh! Her. Yes I remember her."

Although I had someone else in mind while thinking about who to expel, I decided to go with Ibuki's suggestion and expel Manabe instead.

Besides, I need to confront that guy first before I plan to expel him and ask him for answers. Oh! And his partner too!

"Ishizaki plans to make the class agree on the basis of scaring Manabe by getting her second place for censure votes. I will go over this plan with Soga and Takeda tonight at around 12AM or so."

"That's not a bad idea." It seemed he approved of Ishizaki's plan.

"It might be a good idea to consult with Hiyori about it."

"With Hiyori?"

"She might be able to help you with this. I think it'd be fine for you to contact her and tell her you want to concentrate the censure votes on Manabe in order to save Ryūen."

"Ishizaki and Ibuki have already contacted her about this. Don't worry, we haven't told her or anyone about you. So rest assured."

"Pardon the intrusion~" The door opened and a beautiful pink haired girl came in.

"Good evening~"

"Good evening, Ichinose. Have you been informed about the deal?"

"Yup. I'll appeal to everyone in Class A and ask them to cast every single
one of our forty praise votes for Ryūen-kun. In return, you will cover the private points we're missing. Right?"

"Ofcourse, we sure do have matching interest. Don't we?"

"Hehe~ so it seems."

"If you two joined forces, no one will be expelled from Class A and Ryūen
won't have to leave Class C."

No matter what, Ryūen would only end up with a maximum of thirty-nine
censure votes. With the protection of Class B, that outcome would be eliminated completely thanks to the praise votes he would get.

"With twenty million points, I'll save one of my classmates... Right?"

Leaving Ayanokouji with that question, she then turned her gaze back to me.

"What will you do, Ichinose? It's up to you to decide whether you accept it or
not." He spoke up, responding to her uncertainty. She had the right to choose the outcome for herself.

"I've made up my mind. As long as Hirano is alright with it, I'm willing to do what I can."

"Are you really fine with that?"

"Yes. I've been able to make sure that your sincerity is real."

"Hm... You truly are one of a kind, Ichinose. " I spoke in a serious tone instead of my usual playful one.

"Eh!? Hirano!?"

"Even though all sorts of cruel rumors were going around about you, you still
chose to save up all those points. I can't believe you're gonna throw 'em all
away for something like this."

"Well, I can just save up the points all over again. It's clearly not impossible
to accumulate close to twenty million points in just a year. Besides, I don't
think you're in any position to say that, Hirano. You could just pocket those four million points for yourself right now, but you've decided to use them all for Ryūen-kun's sake instead."

I just looked away from her and replied.

"Well in my case, I benefit from having Ryueen in my class."

"Then by saving my classmates, it benefits me too."

"I guess you are right." I just responded with a smile.

And just like that, I transferred the predetermined amount of private
points to Ichinose.

"Confirm everything on your end."

"Will do."

Ichinose immediately took a look at her points, checking to make sure she had received the points.

"Thank you. It arrived beautifully."

She showed the number on her phone, proving to us that she had exactly twenty million points in her account.

"I'll be acting as a witness to this negotiation. I'll have you all know now that I've also been recording the contents of this conversation."

Out of the interest of fairness, Ayanokouji took out his cell phone.

"Hirano is offering a little over four million points. In return, Ichinose and the rest of her classmates will cast their praise vote for Ryūen, for a total of forty votes. If there is a breach of this agreement..."

"I wouldn't have fulfilled my end of the deal, so I'd take the initiative and
drop out school myself."

Of course, none of us actually thought that something like that would happen.
In practice, the school would also take record of any transactions that
consisted of a large number of points, so if Ichinose went against her word, it
wouldn't be surprising if the transaction was determined to be fraudulent with
that alone.

But the one I am making a deal with is Ichinose Honami. There is nothing for me to fear by placing my trust in her.

I only have about 6,956,805 points left. I couldn't help but feel a little sad. 4 Million points... gone... specially on someone who won't even going to thank me for it!

"Thanks for your help Ayanokouji. We owe you one."

"Thank you Ayanokouji-kun!"

"No problem."

Me and Ichinose left Ayanokouji's room and I saw her to the elevator.

"Hey Ichinose?"

"Hm?"

"If Ayanokouji hadn't suggested such a method or if I didn't have the points, then how would you deal with such a situation?"

She looked down on for a moment and then replied.

"We probably would have done a lucky draw or something like that..."

"Really? That sounds kinda risky. Imagine expelling one of your top students."

"Yes but it makes things fair doesn't it? Although, it was only a last resort..."

"A last resort? Does that mean you had another way to get 4 million points?"

"Umm...Yes. Nagumo senpai was willing to lend them to me..."

I stopped walking. Ichinose immediately turned around with a surprised look on her face as she saw my serious expression.

"Ichinose... Nagumo doesn't give things out for free... what did you have to do?"

"I... I... I didn't have to do anything!" She averted her eyes, refusing to look at me.

"Ichinose... I know my own secretary long enough to know when she is lying to me."

"..."

"Ichinose. Answer me."

"..."

"As your Vice-President, I demand an answer!"

"He... He just wanted me to be his girlfriend... nothing more."

I stood there in shock. Wondering just how far that bastard would go to get what he wanted.

(He isn't any different from those bastards back in middleschool...)

"But... You don't have to worry! Now I don't need to accept his help! So it's all good!" She spoke to me with a smile.

Immediately stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"Hi... Hirano-kun?" Ichinose was surprised by sudden hug. Her cheeks went red as her heart began to beat faster.

"Just be more careful from now on! Got that! Don't sacrifice yourself for your own classmates."

"But-"

"No buts! Do you think they would want you to date someone you don't like for them? No! They would hate it! So stop carrying all the burden yourself. You are worth more than a mere 4 Million points!"

"I... Hirano..." Ichinose didn't speak any further as she hugged me back.

"I... Understand... But Hirano, can you... stop? If someone sees us then..."

I realized that I had been hugging her tightly all this time and immediately let go.

"Sorry about that."

"No... It's okay... I-I gotta go now. Goodnight!" With a little blush on her face, she entered the elevator and left.

I started walking back to my room.

"Nagumo senpai... You seem to have many points to spare. I am going to make you go bankrupt once this stupid exam is over. After all, the end of those contracts will soon be upon us."

Although I do feel bad. Since I might have to use Ichinose as a bargaining chip. But I will make sure that Nagumo won't be able to harm her.

Vol 5 Ch 3: Contracts Due.

Hirano pov:-

"Everyone. Can I have your attention?"
I addressed the class as I walked towards the podium.

Everyone was looking at me while still being seated. It seems they were aware that there may be a final discussion before tomorrow's exam.

However, Ryueen didn't even spare me a single glance and walked out the class.

" Sigh. I guess he really does plan to drop out."

I turned my attention back to the class.

"I know that you all plan to give Ryueen your censure votes. So there is nothing to talk about it. However, I would like to discuss the matter regarding the praise votes."

"I agree. We can't just leave that undecided. Now can we?" Soga spoke up from his seat.

"Correct. That's why I would like to propose that you all give me your praise votes."

When I said that the class began to chatter and talk amongst themselves.

"Excuse me! But why should we give you our praise votes?" An angry voice came from among the students.

A single boy having white hair and light blue eyes stood up.

"What makes you think that you deserve it? You aren't any special than us! I know that you helped out the class before the exam! But that doesn't mean that you can get what you want just like that! If you expect us to follow you regardless of what you say than you are no better than Ryueen!"

With that declaration everyone went silent. They were waiting to see how I would react. Depending on what I say, my image in class can be reduced to that of Ryueen.

"Yes and no. I am not planning on abusing my authority as class leader. What I wish to do is think of the future of our class."

"Future?"

"Be quiet, Akagi." Suddenly another voice came which shut Akagi down.

Takeda stood up and turned towards me and asked.

"Hirano. Can you give us a valid reason for giving you our praise votes?"

" Sigh. Sakagami sensei mentioned that this exam is occurring due to no students being expelled from school in the first years and it has something to do with the next special exam. It's quite obvious that this is not only the chance for us to get rid if someone unwanted. But also prepare for the finals."

"I see. Would you care to explain further?"

"Ofcourse. I believe the existence of the protection point has something to do with our next exam. As class leader, I believed I should get it, so I can operate this class accordingly."

"I understand. Yes that is indeed a big concern and the protection point will be useful for the final exam. Very well, I have been convinced. You get my praise vote."

Takeda spoke loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. Truthfully, this entire conversation was an act. And it was Takeda himself who thought of using the protection in the next exam. We were just playing this act to convince the class. However-

"What the hell!? We can't just give him the protection point just because of that!"

The boy, Akagi decided to protest further.

"Then what do you think?"

"I believe giving Soga the protection point would be better. He is a capable person who would be able to manage it successfully."

I could hear a few of my classmates giving their voice of approval. I may be the class leader, but Soga is the one with the best reputation out of all of us.

It seems he doesn't want me to have the protection point and wants to give it to Soga. Just as I expected.

"Then let's hear it from the man himself." I said as I motioned Soga to speak.

He stood up from his chair and spoke to the rest of the class. "Although the idea of having a protection point is indeed tempting. I will have to decline. I believethat what Hirano said is correct and the protection point will play a big role in the next exam. As such, I will caste my praise vote for Hirano."

"But..." Since Soga himself as said that he would give me his praise vote, Akagi could do nothing but sit back down.

"Any other objections? No? Good. Now let's get on with the next topic. Our praise votes concerning the other classes."

"Other classes?"

"Yes. We each get one vote to give it to someone in an another class. That's why I would like to divide you all in groups of two. Twenty each or atleast twenty and nineteen, depending on Ryuuen's cooperation. We have two targets who we need to give our praise votes to."

"Who are they?" Kaneda questioned me.

"Sakayanagi Arisu from class B and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class D."

"Sakayanagi!?" The class shouted. Obviously she had become quite infamous due to the rumors incident.

"I have made a contract with Sakayanagi that I would lend her 20 praise votes in return for 3 million points. And the rest of them would go to Ayanokouji from class D which was also the part of our contract. As such, both Soga and Takeda have writen your names on a sheet of paper. Those names written by Soga will give their praise votes to Sakayanagi and those written by Takeda will give them to Ayanokouji. That's all."

Both Soga and Takeda stood up from their seats and began to read out the names on their respective sheets.

Meanwhile Ishizaki is running behind the scenes to prepare a trap for Manabe.

Timeskip:-

The moment of truth has arrived and it would decide who stays and who leaves.

Sakagami sensei watched all of us before speaking.

"To start out, I'll announce the three of you who ended up with the most
praise votes. In third place is… Kaneda Satoru."

Kaneda sighed with relief.

"Next, in second place…"
Sakagami began reading a little slower.

Even I couldn't fully predict whose name he would say. But I had an idea of who it was going to be.

"It's you, Soga Atsushi."

Soga smiled when he heard it. It is expected knowing how popular he is.

"…As for first place…"

Sakagami let show a slight smile before he read the name.

I shut my eyes.

"Hirano Aki."

The protection point is mine at last!

"Congratulations Hirano, you took first place with a splendid total of forty three votes!"

Forty three? It seems like people from outside the class voted for me aswell. Perhaps from Katsuragi's faction or maybe from class D?

"And finally, the three students who ended up with the most censure votes, in third place is you, Ishizaki Daichi."

"What!?" He was quite surprised.

But it is to be expected. He never had a good reputation in the class.

"Second place, Ibuki Mio." She just shrugged her shoulders as she expected this outcome.

Now the moment of truth. Will our plan work?

"Now as for the one with most censure votes. Sorry. But it's you, Manabe Shiho."

That caught the class by storm. Everyone was surprised and couldn't understand what happened. Even Ryuuen's eyes went wide for a moment.

But the one who was affected the most was... the victim herself.

"Wha- Why!? It was supposed to be Ryueen! What the hell!?"

"Hehe. I guess the class doesn't like you very much. Manabe." Ibuki smirked as she rubbed salt in Manabe's wounds.

"Why, why? Why? Why!?" Tears started leaking from her eyes as she looked down with despair.

Her friends could do nothing but watch her in pity.

"I don-don't get it! It should have been Ryueen! Why me!?" Manabe ended up miserably bawling her eyes out.

In the end, Everything turned out as we wanted.

Timeskip:-

On the first floor, I approached the bulletin board. There was a statement posted that listed the results of the exam for each of the classes.

Class Vote Results:

Expulsions:

Class A: None

Class B: Totsuka Yahiko

Class C: Manabe Shiho

Class D: Yamauchi Haruki

These are the only expulsions.

There will be no changes to the number of Class Points because of these results.

"Yahiko, huh…? I guess she really did what she wanted to do. Katsuragi faction is in a dire situation than ever before. It may even be finished off now."

Along with who had been expelled, the names of those who had gotten the
most praise votes were listed. In Class B it was Sakayanagi, in Class A it was
Ichinose, and in Class D it was Ayanokōji.

So everything went as we planned...

Ding!

A notification came from my phone. I looked at it and smiled.

"So she fulfilled her part of the deal..."

My private points increased to from almost 7 million to 9,995,470pp.

"And now to turn this amount to 20 Million..."

I started walking away from the bulletin board and straight to the first year dorms.

Once I reached my room, I immediately locked my door and began fiddling with my phone.

"First create a new group... then send the message...and done!"

I had created a new group called "Contract Dealer" and typed a message for all members to see.

[Hello everyone! I hope you remember the loan shark that is me! I, Hirano Aki of Class 1C, had formed contracts with all of you that have now come due. Please submit the money in two days from now along with the interest. Thank you for your cooperation~]

I also sent a photo of the contract along with full detail, specificly the interest.

"Tomorrow a storm will take hold of the second year students. I will make sure you go bankrupt after I am done with you Nagumo."

Timeskip:-

Just as I expected, a storm really did brew among the second years.

Just as I arrived at my classroom, I spotted more than a dozen students right outside the door.

"Hey Hirano! What's the meaning of this!"

One of them came running at me and grabbed my collar.

"What do you mean senpai?" I decided to play dumb.

I could see that students from other classes were also watching the show.

"What's up with that damn contract!? You said that there will be no interest!?"

The other senpais nodded behind him and glared at me with anger.

"Hm? If I recall, I said that there will be no simple interest. I never said anything about compound interest. You should have read the contract carefully. It's not my fault."

"Why you!"

"Don't act innocent brat!" A voice called out to me.

Upon hearing it, the senpai that had grabbed onto me let go and got out of the way.

I saw the person who was making his way to me.

"Good morning, Fugino senpai?"

"Shut it! Tell me what the hell are you doing?"

"I don't recall making a contract with you. So there is no need for me to tell you anything senpai."

"You got a big mouth don't you brat! You had so many students from my class sign that damn contract and now you think you can get away with putting interest on it?"

"Like I said. This matter doesn't concern you senpai."

"You damn brat!" He lift his fist as he was about to punch me, however-

"Stop it Fugino!" Another voice interrupted him.

"Tch. What do you want Kiriyama?" Fugino stopped when he saw Kiriyama walking towards us.

"The President Nagumo wants to talk to him." He responded with a calm voice.

"Be right there!" I said with a cheerful voice. I was expecting Nagumo to contact me.

"Tch." Unable to do anything, Fugino had to let me go.

Kiriyama senpai accompanied me to the student council room. There I saw Nagumo sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.

When he looked at me, he motioned me to sit infront of him.

"Good Morning, Nagumo senpai."

"Good Morning, Hirano. I heard that you did something interesting."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Does this ring a bell?" He placed a contract infront of me.

"Oh! Yes! I did do that."

"Great! Now I want you to cancel it?" Nagumo spoke to me with a smile.

"And why should I?"

"The students can't afford to pay such a sum. So it's best to cancel it."

"But Nagumo senpai can. Correct?"

Nagumo glared at me.
"Whether I can or I cannot isn't the issue. Would you like to explain to me what brave thought gave you to scam your fellow schoolmates?"

"I don't see the issue senpai. I did everything within the rules of the school."

"And yet you managed to get so many of them."

"With the miserable state you left the other three classes in, they were quite easy to exploit. I could already see the hunger in their eyes for private points. They were too busy looking at the money to notice the contents of the contract. Pathetic."

Kiriyama's expression stiffened when I said that. A few of his classmates also signed the contract.

"Well it's not like it worked on everyone. A few of them saw through my contracts. But perhaps they only thought of me as an idiot first year and didn't report me. Well I guess it worked in my favor since you didn't hear about it. Though despite it, Horikita senpai still managed to find out a few months ago."

His expression became angry. I indirectly told him that Horikita-senpai found out what he couldn't despite being in a different year. That's gotta get on Nagumo's nerves.

"You are one clever brat. But that's all. If you don't take back the contract then-"

"Then what senpai? I have a protection point. Didn't you know?" I interrupted him.

"There are two days before the money needs to be paid. You can't expel me twice within that limited period of time. I mean the trial for my first expulsion itself may take take two days! You can't do anything to stop me senpai~"

Nagumo's and Kiriyama's expression turned grim after what I said. But then Nagumo gave an evil smile.

"Then I won't do anything. Let those idiots dropout for their foolishness."

Kiriyama's eyes widened.

"But Nagumo-!"

"Then you will lose face senpai. The promise of giving them points would be seen as false and you may lose control of the other classes."

"Hahahaha!" Nagumo just laughed at what I said.

"Tell me. Does it look like I care? Even if they start fighting back now, the difference in points is clear. They will never catch up."

My smile disappeared and my face turned serious. So it's time to use my ace in the hole.

"I know something that may interest you. But Kiriyama senpai, can you leave the room first?"

"Huh?" Kiriyama was confused at what I said.

"Interesting. Let's see what you propose. Kiriyama, leave the room. It's a talk between the President and Vice-president only."

" Sigh. Fine." Kiriyama exited the room.

"Senpai show me your phone. I don't want any recording of this."

"Fine." He put his phone on the table with an amused expression.

However, I got up from the table, walked towards the desk and picked up something, then I did the same from under the table aswell as from a few other places.

Th items in my hands were recorders hidden in the room. Since I have spent a lot of time in the council checking for things like these, I already knew where they were placed.

"Hm. It seems I have to find new hiding spots for them." He still didn't react and kept his smile on his face.

"Now how about we make a deal Nagumo senpai. You will pay the whole contract for the second year students along with 10 million extra. In return, I will give you something."

"Hm? And what can you possibly give me worth that much-"

"Ichinose Honami."

The name that came out of my mouth immediately took his interest.

"Oh? Are you trading your friend for money~"

"I know that you want to make moves on Ichinose. And you know that I have been trying to keep her away from you. So how about this, I will recommend her to be your secretary and Soga can take her place as my vice-secretary. I will no longer get in your way. How about it?"

The words I spoke made even myself feel uncomfortable. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Oh~ Do you think I need your permission to take Ichinose?"

"Not really. But it will take senpai alot of time to get rid of me. Specially with me having a protection point and all. And you will have to wait before I am gone to get to Ichinose. So instead of wasting your time with me. I am letting you have Ichinose as your secretary right now."

"Hmmm... I see. That really is a nice offer. But aren't you asking for a little too much? The amount is over 19 Million points."

"That shouldn't be a problem for Nagumo senpai. Infact, I should have asked for more knowing the amount of points that you must have horded in your pockets."

"Hehe. You are really interesting. Is that why Senpai asked you to join the council? No matter. It seems that we have a deal."

With that he moved his hand forward and I shook it as we made the agreement.

(I am sorry Ichinose.)

Vol 5 Ch 4: Last Special Exam

Hirano pov:-

I looked at my points. 29,152,008pp to be exact.

"20 Million... I actually surpassed it..."

I felt many emotions looking at them. Excitement, pride, joy and... confusion.

"So now what?"

I had one goal. To gather 20 Million private points and ascend to class A whenever I want. But what am I supposed to do now?

My future is pretty much already secured with my protection point aswell as 29 Million pp that I have.

So now that I am rich... what am I supposed to do? Flaunt my money? Go speed shopping for gaming consoles? Have a five star dinner every night for the next few months?

"I guess I could deal with that other "problem" now." I spoke out as I thought about how to approach that issue.

As for what I did to the second year students, news got around fast and now I could feel people staring at me and gossiping their heart out. Infact, the topic of Manabe's expulsion was completely forgotten. (I kinda pity her now.)

"Sigh. Thank god I already informed, Soga, Kaneda, Takeda and Hiyori about this or I was done for."

I will also have to reply to the numerous phone calls the triplets gave me yesterday...

Sakagami-sensei appeared after the bell that signaled the beginning of class.

There is not any extra chat in the class.

"—Then, the final special exam for the first class will be announced."

Sakagami-sensei began his explanation of the last special exam.

"For today's final special exam, you will be asked to show us the comprehensive results that you have learned so far, including academics, physical abilities, teamwork, and maybe luck. In short, you need to play with your various potentials. This special exam, is based on the comprehensive ability of each class to compete in the 'event selection' special exam. It will be carried out according to the rules to determine the type of confrontation between classes, similar to the Paper Shuffle."

Special event selection exam, the final special exam theme for the year 1s.
What is it about?

"First of all, to make it easier for you to understand when I explain it, I will use 10 white cards and 38 yellow cards that match the number of class students who will follow."

With that said, Sakagami-sensei arranged a blank card and stuck it on the blackboard.

Each card is approximately the same size as a playing card.

Although there is nothing written on the 10 white cards, on the other hand, the yellow card seems to have the name of the student on each card. There are a total of 48 cards installed on the board. Compared to the number of students in the class, the yellow card should be
one less. Are there any reasons?

"First, let me explain the use of these 10 white cards. You must discuss with
each other first, then set 10 'events' according to your preferences, and write the events on the cards."

"Well, that ... Event? What does it mean?" Komiya asked.

"Written exams, chess, playing cards, baseball, and choosing anything you
think will win according to your expertise. Then it's up to you to consider and make rules of each event."

"Hmm, can we decide freely?"

Although they were free to decide, he and several other students did not seem to understand.

"Although you can decide freely, there are some rules in determining events.
At the extreme point, if competition and games are not known by many people, they will not be approved as events, so unless everyone knows, it can only be proposed. As a result, the rules of the event must be fair and easy to understand. For this purpose, after the event is proposed, the school will assess whether the event is appropriate and decide whether it is allowed. "

Of course, if someone chooses a special sport or game such as a personal hobby with certain rules, which are not known by most people. Then it would be unfair for the competitors. However ... Even though it's like that, the rules are for us to decide.

"In addition, to avoid a draw, it is necessary to adjust the event. For example, in the Go rule, the same amount of land occupied by both parties is a draw. But to avoid this situation. In the placement of land half of the additional points, determined by white. Another example, in a Chess game, although it is difficult to get a draw, but if there is a situation where Remis occurs, it will result in a draw. Though this is very rare, the winner must be decided in this situation, and then we can decide the winner
according to the number of chess pieces held. Please specify in advance detailed rules like this. In selecting this event, if you do not decide the rules of winning and losing, then the event cannot be used."

That's quite alot. So we basically have to come up with a suitable event?

"So, let me set an example and practice what I just said. Hirano, what are you good at? Anything is fine, don't hesitate."

Suddenly Sakagami sensei asked me this question out of the blue.

"Umm... I am pretty good at chess. I remember winning a few online and offline competition in middle school."

"Very well."

Sakagami-sensei took the answer seriously and wrote 'Chess' on the white card.

"In that case, let's assume that Chess is the chosen event. How do you want the rules?"

"Umm... Best out of three matches wins?"

Sakagami-sensei followed my instruction and added the rules to the white card.

"Most people already know about this event, and the rules are simple and
clear. As a result, the school would not mind using this event."

"That really can be adopted."

Although this event originated from spontaneous response, there were no
problems with the school.

"Next, do this 9 more times, and 10 events have been selected."

Sakagami-sensei took the chalk and wrote it on the blackboard.

"The exam schedule is also very important. This special exam is roughly
divided into three stages:"

Special Exams

March 8, the day of the announcement of the special exam. On the same day,
determine the class' opponent.

March 15, determine 10 events. Announce 10 events and their respective rules.

March 22, the 'election day' special exam day.

"B-but sensei. If there are more than 20 events, wouldn't it be very time
consuming?"

"Each class must re-select 5 out of 10 events on the day of the 'event
selection' special exam and submit it after the 'wish'. In short, the battle
program will be reduced to 10, not 20."

Hearing this, Hiyori asked.

"That is, out of 10 shows, 5 of them are a hoax ... Does that mean that false
information is being transmitted to the opponent?"

"It can also a role like that. 10 events that have been determined will
automatically select 7 events randomly by the school mechanism that has
been prepared. The process is like this."

Sakagami-sensei explained what was on her mind.

Compared to the previous special exams, the time for this particular exam takes seems to much longer.

"Even if a class wins before the completion of all 7 events, the game will continue until the final event. However, this is related to changes in class points. That is, even if the result is determined, they still have to compete with each other. The deadline for the submission of the 10 events is on the 14th of Sunday. However, it is mandatory for the school to check whether the program can be adopted. It is safer to make the schools review the events one by one as soon as possible."

"What if, until the 14th, we are unable to choose 10 events?"

"In this case, the school will set a pre-prepared event for you. But don't
expect it to be suitable for your class. This will only be a disadvantage for
you."

It seems that it would be better to assign 10 events directly.

"There is another point. The same class cannot register two identical events.
If you have registered a football event with a winning rule with a difference
of 2 goals, and you choose a football event by determining the winning result using the penalty kick as another event. The school will consider it invalid. I
hope you keep this in mind. "

"Can I cancel a program that was decided?"

"This is not permitted."

"Then ... I want to ask about students who will be participating in the day of
the exam. No matter who, or how many times someone participates, is that
okay?"

"Regarding the rules about this program, if explained verbally, it might be difficult to understand in some places. For this reason, the school has
prepared a sheet of paper containing detailed notes about the rules. Furthermore, whether you will copy or do something with it, you are free to do as you wish. Shiina, the answer you are looking for is also well written in it. "

(So we can't cancel an event to trick other classes.)

"The 10 events decided by each class will also be announced on the 15th. I
have written them on the board. After all, if you did not know what event
your opponent has chosen and what rules there are, it would be very difficult."

This means we can study and practice for one week and take action.
There seems to be a battle to predict what the other party will choose on the
day of the exam.

"Then, after the exam ends on the 22nd, there will be a day off on the 23rd.
After that, the graduation ceremony on the 24th and closing ceremony on the
25th, then you will be able to enter spring break without worrying."

Enthusiasm can be very different depending on whether we end up winning or losing.

In short, I generally understood the explanation of the special exams chosen for this event.

However, from Sakagami-sensei's expression, it was vaguely seen that he still had something important to explain.

"In addition to event decision making, there are other things that are also very important. That is, to lead the class, one person must be a 'Commander' in this special exam. Students who become Commanders cannot directly participate in the event. I hope you all remember this."

"Commander ..."

So, is that why there are 38 yellow cards?

"This is an important position that needs to be addressed in a responsive way.
You must understand that the Commander is allowed to interfere in all events and help, such as changing players, working on problems that the participant cannot solve, and not just sports, even if it is Go and Chess, the Commander is given room to interfere. "

Is not that just to test the basic skills of students. But the Commander's
involvement?

"The way for Commanders to intervene is also decided in the rules. I think, if
you use Chess as an example ... You can set it as 'when the Commander can participate, and can only do it once' or 'the Commander can replace players' You can set the method of participation."

The same interventions in general will be allowed for the events. In the case of baseball or soccer, if we make a commitment to a change of players, the Commander will play the role of a coach.

Even though there are 7 events, the 'intervention' factor will be a very
important part.

"The Commander will receive personal points individually when he wins, but
will also be responsible for defeat. Then, when the class is defeated, they will
assume responsibility and be expelled from school."

Is this a mechanism to force the losers out of school?

"In this special exam, the Commander is very important. If you don't have a
Commander, the test will not begin. If you cannot come to a decision about
the Commander, come and talk to me, I will appoint it for you."

The form of this test is to ask for an individual.

As a result, the 'protection points' I obtained in the voting exam the previous day would be a large factor.

It is very clear that there are many eyes and emotional feelings directed at me
now. Because I am the only person who holds 'protection point' which can cancel an expulsion.

If I hold this 'protection point', I can avoid being kicked out of school even if I am defeated as a Commander.
But...

I DON'T WANNA LOSE MY PROTECTION POINT!

"How do we decide which class to face?"

"Students who are Commanders in each class will gather in the multipurpose
room after school today. That is to determine someone by a lottery and let
them choose their desired opponent. You have to discuss which class will be
chosen before the draw."

The class that wins in the lottery has the right to determine which class to
fight, and then the remaining two classes will automatically face each other.

"It's best to choose Class D, because we have a high chance of winning."

"Of course, if you choose a class D opponent who has poor overall abilities, the winning percentage will increase. However, it is not always the best to
fight the lower classes."

Yeah. The other classes might aim for them aswell. Or maybe for us too. Since we aren't as dangerous as we use to be after Ryueen's fall.

"The most important thing in this exam is not working together, but to take
advantage of the strengths of each class."

Whether we fight with class A or class B, we don't need to worry.

In other words, as long as we choose a good event for our class, we have a
higher chance to win.

However, the higher the difficulty, on the contrary the more advantages the
class has.

When we heard Sakagami-sensei's comments, no one smiled.

At present, Takeda is constantly imagining in his mind - now Class C has the opportunity to challenge Class A and B with a chance to defeat them.

"However, this statement won't make you better. That means, if you lose this
test and class D wins... You may fall down."

"But sensei isn't the difference in our classes big?" I asked.

"Each event will raise or decrease class points by 30 points. If it is 7 consecutive wins, the class will get 210 points. If you win 5 times and 2 times losing, you will get 90 points from the opposing class. And the school will give 100 class points as the prize."

That means, we can gain up to 310 class points and lose upto 210 class points.

According to the results of this event, we can get points from enemy classes.
This rule is also quite desirable. The number of points in the upper class that cannot be reduced so far can now be reduced as much as possible. Depending on the settings and results of the event, it is possible to move up to Class B and possibly down to Class D.

"If the opposing class points are insufficient, the school will fill in the
insufficient points. That is, the class points will become negative but will be 0 on the surface. However, the class must pay back the points in debt to the
school."

In a form that cannot be seen, it means that the class points will be 0 or negative.

However, this time all classes have more than 210 points, so it seems we
don't need to worry about this problem.

Vol 5 Ch 5: Breaking The Alliance

Hirano pov:-

After Sakagami-sensei left, there was still a little free time in class. The students see the paper in front which contains the rules of the event.

"Special event selection exam and rules for deciding an event."
• About small events, complicated events, and rules restrictions. Overly detailed rules are not permitted.

In matters such as written examinations and other events, the school will
issue questions to ensure fairness.
According to the content of the event, it is forbidden to set game rules that
are too far from the basic rules.

• About the facilities that can be used.
On the special examination day, the Commander will see the process of the
event in the multipurpose room. In addition, the gym, the field, facilities at the school, such as the music room and science room will basically be available, there are also some exceptions.

• About event boundaries and deadlines.

Only one event per class can be selected for events rated as equal. Events that
are too long or have no time limit may not be allowed.

• Regarding the number of people needed to participate. The number of people needed for the event must be different for 10 events, except for substitute players.

The minimum number of participants for one event is 1 and the maximum
number is 20 (excluding substitute players). There must be at least two events with more than 10 people in each class including reserves.

• About the conditions of participation
Each student can only participate in one event and cannot participate in more
than one event. However, if all members in the class have participated, they can participate more than once.

• Regarding the Commander's role.
The Commander has the right to interfere in the seven events. The way of intervention is determined by the class that determines the event. This intervention can only be done with school approval. The rules are roughly divided into these five categories.

The number of participants in each event, between 1 and 20 people. Events
that require 20 participants are quite limited, but that can be entered in several ways. If almost 40 people have already played in the event, then they can play a second time, and even students can play three times depending on the situation. Although we try to reduce the number of participants and use some elites to compete, we must change the number of participants depending on the type of event. That will be increasingly difficult.

"Really, the school is making us prepare for the special exams with hard
work."

"Yes, but this is probably the biggest event of the year."

This is a difficult mechanism to win unless many students participate and
work together.

"The school will collect 10 events and notify each class, and then lock 7
events on exam day. Isn't this more fair?"

Indeed, from the point of view of justice, Hiyori's opinion is correct.

"The lower classes have a lower chance of winning, but if luck is with them,
the lower classes can also defeat the upper classes."

But, in general, the higher the class's skill level, the better in many ways.

"Excuse me. Before we start the discussion, I would like to ask something, Hirano-kun."

"Huh?" I turned around and saw Tokitō, speak to me despite glaring at someone else.

"How did Ryueen not get expelled!?"

Now everyone was staring at either me or Ryueen.

"Kuku." With a small laugh, he got up from his seat and left the classroom.

"Well? Can you explain it to us?" Everyone was looking at me.

" Sigh. It's true that all of us voted for his expulsion. But that's not all there is to this exam."

"Then what is it? How is he still here!?"

"Sakayanagi Arisu. She did this."

"What!?" Almost everyone was surprised by what I said.

"Every person gets a praise vote to use outside the class. I suspect that she didn't want Ryueen to leave and let him be a liability to us. As such she must have used her class's praise votes to interfere with Ryueen's expulsion. As for why she didn't want him to leave... I have no idea." I spoke as I waved my hand infront of him.

"So it was her!?" Tokitō looked very angry as did the most of my classmates.

After the incident with Ichinose neither class B nor Sakayanagi could be trusted. So pushing the blame on them was far to simple.

Clap!

"Okay everyone! Let's start preparing for this exam!" Soga called out and attracted everyone's attention.

"First let's discuss about the position of Commander. I believe you should do it Hirano."

" Sigh. I knew it was going to be brought up. It's because I have a protection point correct?"

"Absolutely. This ensures that no one will be expelled during this exam. And since you are the class leader, it's better for us to make you the commander."

"Fair enough. I humbly accept the position. That is if only no one else wants it."

No one raised their hand or argued. It seems no one wanted to be the Commander, so I was selected for that position.

"Everyone can go back home for now. We will discuss the topics about the events tomorrow."

Timeskip:-

"So why did you call me Ayanokouji?" I asked the brown haired boy infront of me.

He had suddenly called me out of the blue without any explanation.

"I would like a favour from you during this exam."

"A favour?"

"If you are given the option to choose the class you will compete against then I want you to pick class A."

"Pick class A!?"

I was a bit surprised that he made such a request out of the blue. What's he planning?

"Why so suddenly? And besides, didn't you say that you weren't participating in the special exams anymore?"

"The circumstances have given me a change of heart. Although it's only for this exam that I am participating."

"Hmm... right! You got a protection point right? No wonder your classmates made you the commander. You didn't have a choice!"

"Pretty much." He replied with a sigh and his usual bored expression.

I took a minute to process all the outcomes.

If we go against class D then Ayanokouji would destroy us... and if I target class B then Sakayanagi would destroy me!

As far as I can see... Ichinose's class is the best option for us.

"Alright. I will pick class A as my opponent."

Nodding his head, Ayanokouji walked away probably back to his class

Timeskip:-

"Thanks for coming!" I said as I closed the door behind them.

"So... why did you call us Hirano? Is it about the exam? If so... I thought that we would discuss about it in the class infront of everyone."

"Yeah. But I wanted to have private discussion between all of us before we talk to the rest of the class." I replied to Takeda.

The ones I invited to my room were the key figures of my class. Takeda, Soga, Kaneda, and Hiyori.

"So I am guessing you have something to talk to us about Hirano-shi."

As I stood infront of everyone, I took a deep breathe and spoke.

"I think we should select class A as our target."

"Class A?" Soga was the first to react.

"Interesting. Personally, I agree with Hirano. But I would like to hear his reasoning." Takeda spoke up.

"I would like to aswell." Hiyori looked at me waiting for me to speak

"Well... I thought that with the loss of Ryueen's cooperation, we are in no shape to take on class B. As for class D, they still have many tricks up their sleeves not to mention that their class is more unified then before. We may be at a disadvantage when we fight against them."

"Is that so? Not because Class D still has that mysterious X?" Soga spoke out in a sarcastic tone.

"No comment." I immediately responded and looked away from him. Indicated that I won't answer any of his questions regarding this topic.

"Fine. So what should we do? According to Hirano, class A is the only option left." Takeda asked for the opinion of everyone else.

"Although they are the most unified in terms of teamwork, it doesn't mean that they are undefeatable. Eitherway, I agree with Hirano-shi on this one."

"Although I would love to take revenge on those class B bastards for spreading those rumors, I think we should go with class A." Soga also voiced his approval.

"Then let's choose Class A as our opponents." Even Hiyori was on board with the plan.

"But wait! What about our alliance with them?"

"It only exists till it's efficient for both parties. I know Ichinose would understand." Takeda replied to Soga.

With the discussion over, everyone was on board with targeting class A.

Timeskip:-

Function room in a special building. It seems to be the core of this special
exam.

"Looks like three people besides you have arrived." Sakagami sensei spoke.

Apparently I was the last to arrive.

The door to the room opened. What caught my attention was the teacher who was in charge of each class and several students.

Class A is Ichinose, Class B is Sakayanagi, Class D is Ayanokouji. As expected, they were all students with protection points.

In the room, there was 2 computers and a large screen placed directly
opposite of one another.

"We will decide which class to face when the Commander of each class has
gathered. Everyone will draw a lot from here. Students who get the red circle
on paper will get a choice."

Lottery box.

Mashima-sensei brought it to us and urged Class A to take the first draw, After Ichinose, it was Sakayanagi's turn but Sakayanagi refused.

"There are blessings in the leftovers, so I have no problem being the last. Please continue with Hirano-kun."

"Oh. I won't hesitate --"

After I was done, Ayanokouji went next and Sakayanagi received the last one. The marked paper is not folded, and the results can be known immediately after being pulled.

Class C, me, got a paper with a red mark.

In other words, we has the right to choose an opponent.

"Mashima-sensei, it looks like the last two papers don't need to be confirmed."
Mashima-sensei raised the last two remaining paper. Of course, there is no red circle there.

"Oh, it looks like there's no luck with leftovers."

"Is that so? I'm always unlucky in the draw."

"Of course, for Class B, no matter who the opponent is, you don't need to
worry, right?"

"There is no such thing, I want to avoid your class if conditions permit,
Ichinose-san."

I myself do not know whether what Sakayanagi said was a lie or her sincere words.

"Can you tell which class you would like to choose?"

At Mashima-sensei's request, I nodded slowly.

"Then I'll say it. We, Class C hope to play against Class A."

What I said, was an unexpected declaration of war.

"What about Class A?"

"Ok."

After receiving their second confirmation, Mashima-sensei decided for another class.

Because Class C has chosen Class A opponents, it is automatically a match
between Class B and Class D is decided.

"I thought you would choose class D, but why choose class A?"

Sakayanagi asked me for some reason.
"If we want to turn things around now, at least we have to take points from
the upper class. But, even though I like that, I still want to avoid fighting with your class. Thus Ichinose's class was the only option."

"Oh? But I thought you and Ichinose were in an alliance."

"True. But that only applied when it was necessary. I know Ichinose doesn't mind us breaking the alliance either. Do you Ichinose?"

"No. It's fine by us. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of the same thing." She said with a smile as she looked at me.

"Is that so? For me who wants to avoid the strong Class A, it is also very
helpful. I wish good luck for Class C." Sakayanagi decided to drop the topic after seeing me and Ichinose agree with eachother.

Thus, the opponents of each class are decided.

"Now I will explain the system for a special examination day. In this
multipurpose room, you will use two similar computers. In this competition,
all Commanders will be assigned to select participants from each event using that computer in real time."

The computer screen on the left is projected on a large monitor.

When Chabashira-sensei operated the computer, Mashima-sensei continued
to explain.

"For example, this is a list of Alass A students. Move the mouse, drag a photo of the selected student's face and place it on the frame of the event. If you make a mistake or want to change it in the middle, use your mouse to put the face photo back outside the frame. You can repeat it. It's also possible to tap the screen with your fingertips. "

"I feel like this is a TV game show."

"Really ~"

The atmosphere of dialogue between Ichinose and Hoshinomiya-sensei
seemed pleasant.

"There is a time limit for selecting students in each event. The amount of time that counts down now is the time of your choice. The more people you need, the longer the election time you have. You can immediately understand that you have 30 seconds to choose each person . "

In other words, an event that requires 10 people has 300 seconds.

"If you do not finish within the specified time limit, the computer will randomly select students based on the number of students who have not played. Be sure to pay attention to this. Conversely, if the electoral time is passed, students' photos will be removed from the event frame."

In other words, we must not exceed the allotted time.

"After the exam starts, the big screen will display the exam in real time."

The screen displays a chess match that appears on TV. This is a reference
image.

"After the exams begin, the Commanders' intervention conditions will be displayed on a computer screen as text messages."

The big screen has been changed to a computer. The screen shows 'Pause, Commander can repeat this step.' This is an explanation of 'Commander intervention'.

"When you can confirm content, you can intervene by clicking on this condition. Remember that!"

Then the big screen switches back to the game.

"The instructions given by the Commander are not carried out in the form of calls, but the computer will automatically read the text in the form of chat. If you enter text and press Enter, it will be sent directly to the participant's headset."

After that, the computer will automatically read the messages and deliver the instructions. The reason for not receiving this form of call might be to prevent inappropriate behavior. The example just mentioned is the intervention 'Commander who can take this step again.' If the information is
combined skillfully, it can also convey instructions 2 to 3 steps.

"If the Commander takes action against the intervention, it will be considered
a violation of the regulations in place."

Moreover, it's better to have published information that will be carefully
reviewed by third parties.

"At each event, only one person is allowed to use the headset. Even if it is a team battle, there is only one person who can receive instructions from the
Commander. Who is the person who uses the headset is also appointed by the Commander."

There is more to be done than I imagined.

Even though general content has been predetermined, the Commander must
always consider unexpected situations.

"The Commander can intervene at any time in accordance to the event's
rules."

We can freely use our own computer to view, replace, or enlarge or reduce
images.

For example, observing students participating in an event or preparing for the next event. So, the Commander must do many things.

"The above is the role of the Commander and how to operate it. Do you have any questions?"

Mashima-Sensei sent a glance to everyone, but there seemed to be no doubt from us.

"So, this is the end of today. If you want to reconfirm the method of operation, you are allowed to go to the multipurpose room with your teacher.
Time is limited to the week before the test. Thus the explanation of the
Commander is finished."

Vol 5 Ch 6: Our "New" leader

Hirano pov:-

"This has gone too far!"
Ibuki tried to be patient, even though the time was already 8 p.m.
Even the word late is not appropriate to describe this, she was annoyed with
what they have put up to until now.

"After all, haven't we already sung 10 songs?"

"Ibuki-san must be patient."

"I can't hold back my patience!"

"So let's try to exceed our patience."

"Horrible joke!"

"How can you be angry all the time... Don't you get tired?"

"Just looking at your face makes me a million times more tired!"

Ibuki shook Ishizaki's arm who tried to stop her from leaving.

When Ibuki's hand had just reached the door knob, the door opened.

"Did you really think that I will come here just to keep you waiting?"

The man smiled as he walked - it was Ryuuen. Unknowingly Ishizaki and
Ibuki's froze.

Because they all thought he wouldn't come.

"Nice of you to finally join us Ryueen." I called out to him.

"The pleasure is all mine." He responded with a sarcastic voice while wearing his usual grin.

"You're late, Ryuuen-kun"

"Looks like you guys are having fun. Ain't that right Takeda?"

"Yes. This is my first time coming to karaoke, it is very fun."

"Then I'll be back. Have fun guys."

Ryuuen smiled and spoke,
"Does that bother you?"

While he closed the door, he was stopped by Ibuki.

"If you let me fall into karaoke hell, I will kill you."

"Nails. Awful."

Ryuuen who was urged by Ibuki, then ordered soft drinks through Ishizaki.
After sitting and bowing, he played with his cellphone without saying a word.

"... then?"
Ibuki urged him to speak.

"Then? What do you mean?"

"We waited for you until now, aren't you going to say anything?"

"I just came to see if you guys were still waiting for me but it seems like you
still haven't left."

He immediately drank the soda Ishizaki gave him.

"There is nothing else besides that."

"I have been waiting for you for a few hours with Hiyori. It's very annoying."

"That's none of my business."

"Oh really! "

Ibuki hit the table hard and looked at Ryuuen.

"Hey, calm down Ibuki. There's nothing good out of getting mad at Ryuuen." Soga tried to calm her down.

"You too, when were you so attached to him?"

"Me? Attached to Ryuuen? Please! If it weren't for Takeda and Hirano dragging me here I would have left a long time ago!"

Although Soga looked calm on the surface, he seemed to very angry about being kept to wait for Ryuuen.

Apart from the two being noisy, Hiyori chose her first song.

"This fool has listened to your opinion, and chosen Class A to fight." She stated as she pointed at me.

I chose to remain silent and sip my orange juice. After all, it was me who changed our target without giving a proper explanation to Ibuki, Ishizaki or Albert.

"It seems."

"Do you remember when I first entered this school, didn't I arrange things to
attack Class B or rather the current class A?"

"... Is it when you tried to make them guilty?"

Under Ryuuen's direction, there was a dispute with Class A, and tried to
provoke the opponent's guilt.

To confirm the potential of each class, Ryuuen had caused a stir.

This was one of the events in the period where I fought with Sudou and Ryuuen secretly contacted Katsuragi.

"Then how did it go?"

"That had no effect. Class A was very integrated at first."

"Yes. They are much more united and cohesive than any class. Even now there morale has only increased after being promoted to class A." Takeda agreed.

"So, in an exam that relies on a whole of this kind, shouldn't we avoid Class
A as an opponent?" Ishizaki spoke his mind and asked.

"I think so too. Ichinose is a leader who is admired by many people and is
very difficult to deal with."

Ibuki and Ishizaki's comments are also the rest of Class C's opinions.

"Hiyori, how do you analyze class A?"

"Yes ... As they both said, Class A is very strong. Their abilities are above average. Especially their close relationship that makes everyone envious, but ... It can only be said that they are such a class. They are no special threat, only a class with good relationships."

"Her attitude is very gentle and her analysis is also very good."

After listening to their opinions, Ryuuen stated his own evaluation of Class A.

"The biggest weakness of Class A is Ichinose ... No, that is their absence of a
proper leader."

"W-wait a minute.What do you mean? Isn't Ichinose their leader?" Ishizaki spoke up.

"Ichinose and Kanzaki are not suitable to be leaders. They are the type of
people who should be supporting the leader. If we treat him as a strategist in the class, Suzune and Katsuragi are
better at making strategies. For this reason, although Class C is lacking, there is still the chance of winning. "

"But right now, we are worse than Class A. Isn't this situation unchanged?
The average student in Class C right now is very low, meaning that Class A is the least desirable opponent for us."

"No matter how we fight, our chances of victory will always be very small."

"Is the gap between us really that wide?"

There was no change in the evaluations of Takeda, Ryuuen, and Hiyori.

"But-"

Ryuuen took the empty glass and placed it in front of him.

"As long as you make the effort, a chance of victory less than 10% can
approach 50%, and can increase even more depending on the situation."

Ryuuen handed me a piece of paper.

It contained the names of the 10 events written on it and the marked ones
were the official 5 events.

Takeda and Soga peeked from both sides.

"Use this on the special exam day."

"Wait a minute, all of this-"

"Yes. All of these events are based on martial arts events."

The 10 types of programs proposed are based on high physical abilities such
as Karate, Judo, Taekwondo, Kendo, and Wrestling which were very physically demanding.

"Please wait. Indeed, there are some people in our class who are good in
physical abilities. Me, Ishizaki, Albert, Komiya, Kondou, Takeda, Ibuki and maybe even Hirano... But the others not so good?"

Soga said, even if one or two of the events are chosen from the lottery,
they did not know what would happen with the other events.

"Yes. Besides that, in Class A there are also many students with good motor
nerves. If everything is a 1 vs 1 fight, then that is a problem, but shouldn't the number of participants needed not be different?"

Even if we only depend on the lottery to fight, we cannot guarantee that we
will get all the desired events.

"Then what should we do?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't be too specific about the number of participants. That sort of thing
doesn't matter."

Even though Ishizaki didn't understand his intentions, Takeda quickly
understood the point.

"So, you mean ... No matter how many people fight, everything is determined
by the rules. If you use the rules of a knockout system, we can do it."

"That's right. Even in Judo despite using up to 10 participants, Albert alone is
enough."

"But ... Will the school allow a knockout like this?" Soga questioned.

"If it were a Written Examination or Football, it's not possible to use a
knockout system. However, using a knockout system for events such as Karate and Judo is common. It also
cannot be categorized as a complicated rule. They cannot refuse this event.
The reason is because it isn't too dangerous, so there is no problem with the rules of karate etc. Even if 1 or 2
events are rejected because they are too dangerous, that is enough to leave
only 5 events. "

"That's right! With this we can win, Ryuuen-san!"

Ishizaki, who paid attention to this fact, saw a glimmer of hope.

"In this case, it is true that all the programs proposed by Class C can bring victory ... But what if luck is not on our side? What if there are more of Class A's events selected?" I asked.

"Our chances are already 50% to win, are you not satisfied?"

"I would like to increase the probability of victory to the highest limit... besides, If you are helping, you will surely bring us victory. Don't you already have some plan that I am probably not going to like?" I responded as I laid my back on the sofa with my arms crossed.

"Nail. Of course I have a plan. "

Now, it is impossible for Class C to win in the events proposed by Class A.

The point of Ryuuen is that it is necessary to narrow the gap outside of this.

"-What do you mean, is there something we can do?"
Ibuki finally began to understand the situation.

"We will make use of dirty tricks to win."
Ryuuen responded while laughing.

"From now until the day before the exam, you must constantly stalk people in Class A every single day. You only need to spy on them from the start. Soon after that, they themselves will
realize that they are being watched."

"What is this strategy? Is it necessary to put pressure on the opponent?"

"The people in Class A will laugh at this childish behavior. If no damage is
done, they will let it pass. People like Ichinose will not realize my true motives."

" ... True motives? "

"The first week will simply end like this. Then, we have to take action after
10 events have been published. All trivial things will be done. Seize seats, threaten others, and saying harsh things. No matter what happens, don't overdo it."

They will think that the person who is planning these attacks is Me. Sigh, my reputation is about to take a nose dive.

"Then ... it may be possible that the situation could turn against us?"

"Until the end, it is only to strengthen our contact. At this stage, never overdo
it when threatening them. Fighting to defend yourself is a last resort."

The point is that everything must be done intentionally and abstractly,
Ryuuen explained.

If it leaves a negative effect on the opposing party, it is difficult to guarantee that the school will
not intervene.

"One of the main objectives is information. In the countless searches, we must steal information from Class A students. We must find out the 5 selected programs on the exam day as early as possible. In the classroom, where the 5 events will be selected."

"There is a possibility that they will be discussing the 5 official events through text messages. In fact we are doing the same thing, right?"

"Well, umm. We will find time to discuss the 10 events to be proposed and
choose which of them are the best."

"I see. Even though their mouths are closed, the information is on a cellphone. Obviously, they don't want that information to be shown to anyone. Maybe I can find out who will participate in 5 events."

"It's simple ... But will it go smoothly?"

"Don't count on luck, we need to consider it from the very beginning. Starting tomorrow, I will go looking for opportunities. Besides looking for information, we must take other steps. For example, using this ..."

"Isn't that ... a laxative?" Takeda spoke as he looked at what Ryueen brought to the table.

"This is a slow-acting laxative. It goes into effect after 48 hours. If you let
several people drink this, one or two people might have problems that day."

"Hey! That's breaking the rules. What happens if we get caught"!

"So what ?

"..."

"Do you think I'm someone who cares about this kind of thing?"

"Huh - truly, you are a man who will do anything to win."

"If there is a problem, I will take full responsibility. It's easy."

No matter what punishment Ryuuen gets from the school, he doesn't care.
However, if the class is broken, it will be a defeat.

"This strategy can only be used if you are not afraid of dropping out of school..."

"You just said fighting in self-defense is the worst choice, isn't what you are
doing worse?"

"Yeah. Turning trivial into strife is a common practice for those little devils.
Allowing people scheduled at 5 main events to fight against incompetents. This development is also good. So
the day of the exam can also be taken advantage of right?"

Since the decision was already made, Ryuuen would never let it go.

"Next I will come to replace the Commander on the exam day. This is very important to break Ichinose's calm."

"You really are a devil ..." I said as I smiled.

Him replacing me as the Commander has alot of advantages for me besides winning the exam. One, I don't have to worry about losing my protection point and two, I won't take the blame if our class is defeated.

"We can brag about this. We have to show them the unique strategies of Class C. How about that?"

"Ah ... yes!"

"Do you have a problem?"

Ibuki only left out a sigh quickly followed by Soga.

"But ... Ryuuen-kun, why did you accept this? It's not because of sympathy, right?" Takeda suddenly asked.

"Why, huh?"

Ryuuen leaned back on the sofa while closing his eyes without giving any response.

As for me, I knew that whatever happens I need to keep the triplets from falling into Ryuuen's trap. Maybe I will hang out with all three of them on that day.

(I didn't have much to write about this special exam. So let's skip to the end of it . Alright?)

A Huge Timeskip:-

Crushing defeat. That was the only way to describe class A's situation.

Although I felt bad seeing the class A students condition but Ryuuen's plan had worked successfully.

In the end, we won with an overwhelming victory of 5 wins and 2 loss.

As for the battle between class B and D. Class B won with 4 wins and 3 losses.

Starting from the second year our class points will be:-

Class A: 931cp

Class B: 996cp

Class C: 929cp

Class D: 345cp

This means we are really close to rising to class B and heck! Maybe class A too!

Honestly, I hope Ichinose is okay. Knowing her, she is probably stressing and blaming herself for their loss.

"Sigh. In the end it's the dirtier side that wins huh?"

Vol 5 Ch 7: Graduation Ceremony

Hirano pov:-

March 24, Graduation Ceremony.

After the students in grade 3 complete all the processes, they finally arrive at
another big event day.

For students enrolled here, it might feel like this is just another simple event.
Personally, this is worth watching.
First ... I'm curious about the results of Horikita senpai fighting Nagumo.

I still don't know ... The outcome of the final battle till the end. Did Horikita senpai graduate as a class A student or Nagumo finally managed to intervene?

Although it should be hard for Nagumo senpai to intervene after the huge amount of points I took from him.

On yesterday's holiday I should have been able to find out the results. But
because there was something that needed to be done, I didn't step out of my room... well, no. It was mostly because I felt lazy.

However ... I might be able to see the results today.

"Good morning..."

Meeting in the elevator ... Takeda greeted me casually.

Because there were a number of other class students watching, we spoke
without anything special. Even now, the two of us walk out of the dorm
lobby calmly.

"We are really close. Sigh, If only we were able to get more points and didn't lose so many before, then we would have been class A or atleast class B by now." Takeda's grunt disappeared as if sucked into the clear sky.

With the results of the last exam, we have stayed in class C while Sakayanagi's class has risen back to Class A. However, there isn't much difference between our class points as it was at the beginning of the second month.

In the next special exam or the one after that, it is likely that we will be able to go to class A or B. Provided we win the exam or do atleast better than Sakayanagi's and Ichinose's class.

However, we have come far from the 490cp we had received during the start of the second month of school.

Me and Takeda didn't talk much and walked to the designated location.

Sport Centre.

Where all students and teachers gather.

For each person involved. It's not every day we can see the adults lined up, now they are watching us attentively.

This is the time when grade 3 students take the first step towards a fresh
start.

He who went on to university, he who sought a job, and he who decided to stop because they can't find a way. The children mentioned are able to stand above the community.

"With this ..., now we will listen to the words of the representative who made it through the battle for 3 years, who graduated as class A."

Adults who facilitate this, talk like that through a microphone. More than
that ... Silence surrounds the gym.

"Class A representative ..."

If the name called is not Horikita Manabu or the name of his classmate.
Then, there is definitely a change in class from the results of the last exam.

For an instant, many students felt a strong urge from that feeling. Because
as long as you are enrolled in this school, graduating as class A is the single biggest goal.

"... Horikita Manabu-kun please come on the stage"

When that name sounded, I felt very relieved from the bottom of my heart. It is unknown how many obstacles were imposed by Nagumo, but it looks like Horikita senpai managed to safely pass as Class A.

As he walked to the podium in an impressive manner, the gaze of all
students and related parties changed.

"Speech. On this day ... You can feel the breath of spring in the scent of plum flowers, we welcome this graduation ceremony."

Horikita senpai's speech begins.

Starting from explaining gratitude for this great graduation ceremony.

After that talk about the day he came to school 3 years ago.

"When I first entered this 'Advanced High School', I felt a different
atmosphere from other schools. Taking on the future together with great
responsibilities, I clearly still remember promising to make these three years
meaningful three years."

The atmosphere when he spoke slowly .., somehow I feel a calming
feeling. After the admission ceremony 1 year ago, the Student Council President who was standing in the same place ... Was somehow like a different person.

As the calm continued, I felt the change occur.

Not only Horikita senpai, but also the students enrolled, have grown day and every month.

"Even though this is my personal problem, as the student council
president last year there were words that I wanted to convey to the students in grade 1."

Horikita senpai spoke as well as connecting his thoughts with me.

"Obviously very different compared to last year I saw this in the same place, I really could feel everyone's growth"

1 year ago ... we grade 1 students gave off an uneasy atmosphere and were
made silent by the attitude of Horikita senpai. At that time many students
could not see it. Now ... None of the students are whispering to each other.
Then ... Horikita senpai looked at the students with a soothing look.

"Also ... For now, all of you who are about to be in grade 3, I hope you can lead the students who will become grade 2 students, while maintaining
the discipline of this school with all the strength and enthusiasm available."

After a few minutes, the speech was nearing its end.

"I promise you that what you have learned in this school will definitely
play a role in your future life and become the most valuable asset."

Once again ..., Horikita senpai looked at all the students.

"Next year and 2 more years ... The person who will stand here, will
definitely understand this feeling..."

Someone who gives an Answer.

In other words ... A leader who will graduate in class A. Grade 2 has
completed it ... Is that Nagumo who will be the main candidate? For grade 1 students still in battle ..., whether it's Horikita, Ichinose, Ryuuen, or
Sayakanagi.

Or maybe some new leader who is not one of them. Like Ayanokouji-kun... or maybe... even me...

School life has gone fast. From now on the class will change, students will continue to decrease. Even so ..., the leader who wins will be allowed to stand there as a representative.

Slowly, Horikita senpai read the parting words clearly.

"... Thank you very much ... For these 3 years."

Finally ... It's close to finishing it. After the parting words for students, continue for the teachers and also to the school.

After the parting words end. The graduation ceremony continues to the
next step ...

Timeskip:-

After the graduation ceremony ended, we students started leaving the gym
first. Then, return to our classroom.

After this ... The graduates and all the teachers, as well as the parents, will
begin participating in the 'Celebration of Gratitude and Thanks' event.

The 'Celebration of Gratitude and Thanks' event was where the graduates
and parents of students who was there were grateful to the teachers.

It seems permissible for students who want to go straight home, but for
students who have club activities or students who have closeness to grade 3
students, decide to wait for graduates to finish this event.

There are those who give flowers, or maybe there are those who want to
give special recognition.

There are many different kinds of students ..., some are nervous like
wanting to run away, some are restless ..., same time there are also students with a relaxed attitude.

"Fine ..., actually I don't mind discussing the closing ceremony the next
day ... But... Let's give a brief explanation of the evaluation during this semester."

Waiting for a while for all students to sit down, Sakagami-sensei said that while
looking at the students.

"First of all ..., the final school exam, I will give my judgment about you
guys who fought against Class A. We teachers are really surprised by your
progress."

"If being praised like that somehow makes me afraid, don't tell me Sensei
has another intention huh?" Soga questioned in a sarcastic voice.

"There is no point whatsoever .., I just think as is. For all my years asa teacher, as long as it's only 2x I was given the responsibility to take care of the class, including all of you. You all have even gone through the development of class C before. But ... Yes... Even so, it also includes the other classes. Whether you all go up to the top class or not, it also depends on your efforts. "

Sakagami looked over at all of us.

"Tomorrow is the closing ceremony, although there are no lessons, don't
forget that there is no change in everyday life at school"

The class was dissolved with the final word from Sakagami-sensei.

I don't know how many students will meet 3rd grade students, but I don't have time to care.

I gotta say goodbye to both Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai.

Vol 5 Ch 8: Goodbye Senpai.

Hirano pov:-

Soon after grade 3 students come out of the celebration party of gratitude
and thanks.

In short, I was in a state of waiting for them.

Be it grade 1 or grade 2 students, it seems like they become tense when
the time is getting closer.

Some of the third grade students today, immediately after the graduation
ceremony there will be those who leave school to start a new journey.

In it there may be students who want to convey a variety of feelings that have not been able to say until now.

How many people are there...? There are at least a hundred people that can
be seen by my eyes.

"I knew you would be here too." I heard a voice call out to me.

"Soga? You here to say goodbye to the third years aswell?"

Soga looked at me with a cheeky smile and replied "Naturally, I have got alot of senpais that I need to say goodbye to. What about you? I don't remember you being close with any third years."

"Horikita senpai and Tachibana senpai. They have helped me alot since I joined the council. Naturally I want to say goodbye to them."

"I see. That makes sense."

As we were talking, The 'Celebration of Gratitude and Thanks' was over, the door finally opened.

Looks like the graduation ceremony is completely over.

Now this is the only chance for graduates and students to interact with one last time in this place.

Grade 3 students appear one after another, after disbanding. Many of them look radiant, but some don't smile at all.

Is that because you feel lonely leaving school? Or because you can't
graduate as a class A student?

If it belongs to the latter, then most students are not surprised to show a
sad expression.

Although I caught a glimpse of the facial expressions of students who are
not class A looks cheerful.

"What do you think...?"
I asked Soga about the situation.

"Even though a shortcut to your dream is not achieved, you can still make
the path yourself. Whether it's going to university or finding a job, if you have the ability, without any privileges, I think you will work to make it happen. But then again, you can't help but be a little sad. After all, there are only a few that would actually like to work hard. Sadly, I am not one of them." Soga answered me with a grin.

Although that may be us someday, we still plan to do everything it takes to reach class A. And I know Soga feels the same.

The journey of life will continue without stopping.

Most students will face reality and from now on they will continue to decide what path in the future to take.

In other words, it's not strange to spend this magnificent event in an impressive way.

Some students return directly to the dormitory without getting involved
with others, but most of them stop their footsteps.

The marks they left in 3 years should be said to be visible here.

The remaining graduates, Horikita Manabu who was once the student
council president was also there.

Around Horikita senpai, 2nd grade students hurried to call him.

"Will I even get a chance to talk to him?"

As the Student Council President, and also the man who continues to be a
Class A Student.

Of course he will definitely be popular. I guess there is little to be able to interact with grade 1 students, but I didn't expect there are also many grade 1 students who greet him too.

A small circle finally forms around the graduates.

Senpai was gentle to the juniors of his, sometimes he also showed a small smile towards them.

A little different face from the last time I saw. I could see him free from the atmosphere of things like heavy pressure.

And... A male student appeared before Horikita senpai.

The current Student Council President. Nagumo Miyabi from class 2 A.

Immediately afterward, Kiriyama senpai, Secretary Mizowaki and Tonokawa, Asahina also appeared.

This does not mean that the atmosphere in the place turned heavy, just that somehow it turned into something unique.

As for me, I was well aware of his arrival since he had asked me to come with him. I politely declined and said that I will be saying goodbye to a few third year students with my friends.

Oddly, enough he dropped the topic almost immediately. I guess he never wanted to invite me in the first place and just asked me out of courtesy.

"Congratulations on graduating Horikita-senpai."

Nagumo approached Horikita senpai with a smile, while giving him words of praise.

Nagumo who was like that, welcomed by Horikita senpai without hesitation.

"Really extraordinary, Horikita-senpai. In the end, I haven't been able to
threaten you."

"Not really. To be honest, until the last moment I did not know what will happen in the end. If you must say why you failed, then the cause of your defeat was because you was not in the same grade as me. No matter how deep you try to interfere, it is beyond your reach."

No matter how much you fight, you cannot skip the school year itself.

Because you cannot take the exam directly, there are definitely limitations to being able to do something.

If he really wants to defeat him seriously..., he should follow the way
Ryuuen uses, fight outside of the rules themselves.

However, I don't think Nagumo would take such an action. It's too risky for him.

"Yeah.., you're right. Why is that I have to be born one year younger?..."

He had no objections about that. Even feel sorry for the fact that he was
not a student of the same grade.

"Even though I'm like this. Will you shake hands with me...?"

"Of course... There is no reason to refuse it."

Horikita's senpai gladly accepted it. They both shook hands together.
Spent a brief and pleasant silence.

Both of them were the Student Council President, they might have understood each other without having to exchange words.

"After this, there is still a long year will await you. Live a fulfilling life in
this school."

Advice from a senior. That does not include a statement to stop Nagumo
from running wild.

Instead, he told him to do what he liked. Which personally isn't a good thing to approve!

"Yes... I will do my best in a time that is not much after senpai is gone. I will really make this school, a school based on abilities. For that I was prepared and ready."

Hearing that statement, Horikita senpai nodded to accept it.

"You said you were upset because you are one year younger than me, maybe I also feel the same as you. Very disappointing because I cannot see the school that you will try to make. If I can see it closer, maybe I can understand it better. "

"I don't know if I am compatible with my senpai at this point."

People who try to protect the traditions and rules of the school, And then
the people who try to destroy it.

Since their respective ideas are completely opposite, Then the conflict
cannot be avoided.

"It's okay, after all. Isn't there any juniors in the younger class that
Horikita-senpai left...?"

While saying that, Nagumo's eyes drifted towards a certain direction. Looking over, I saw the figures of both
Horikita Suzune and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"As long as there is your sister, then that's enough... I can let her pass it on
for me."

After graduation, the siblings will sooner or later meet again. 'When that
happens, you can ask what will happen to him' that was what his words
meant.

"Yes, that's possible."

Affirmed, Horikita senpai and Nagumo released a firm grip when shaking hands and began to move slightly away.

"Thank you very much..."

"You're welcome..."

Former student council president Horikita Manabu, then current student
council president Nagumo Miyabi.

After a moment of silence, I saw Nagumo senpai and the other members of the student council walk away from Horikita senpai.

Taking that chance, I steppes forward to give my final goodbye aswell.

"Horikita senpai. Congratulations on graduating through class A." I called out to him in a gentle and nervous tone.

"Thank you, Hirano. I hope you continue to do well in the future as you have done till now."

"Ofcourse senpai. You know me! Hehe..." I was still a bit nervous talking to him.

I raised my hand for a handshake. However, Horikita senpai only looked at my hand seemingly in deep thought.

Due to the sudden awkwardness I was about lower my hand when Horikita senpai finally decided to grab and shake it.

"Good luck Vice-president. I hope you work hard in the council."

"Hehe~ Thanks senpa-"

Suddenly to me surprise, Horikita senpai gave me a light hug and a pat on the back while whispering a few words in my ear.

After that he gave me a slight smile before turning around and walking away. Seemingly to talk to other students.

I decided to think about his words later and decided to approach someone from amongst the girls of class 3A.

"Congratulations. Tachibana senpai!" I called out to her.

"So? You finally came huh?" It looked like she wasn't pleased with my arrival.

"Did I do something wrong senpai?" I asked in an awkward tone.

"Besides not finishing your duties on time, giving lame excuses and the source of 80% of my frustrations this year. No. Nothing at all." She spoke in an obviously sarcastic tone.

"Hehe~ Well you know me! Your clumsy Kohai!"

"Sigh. Please be more careful from now on. I won't be there to cover up for your mistakes anymore."

"I know. I know."

"Also just... take care of yourself. Okay?" She spoke in a tone that I never heard before.

"Senpai... are you actually worrying about me?"

"Hmph! Well you are my junior! It's natural for me to be worried about a lazy person like you!" She said as she turned her face away from me.

However, she whispered something under her breath that I managed to hear.

"...but you aren't as useless of a person as I thought you to be..."

Hearing that brought a smile to my face. She may be annoying and sometimes even irritating. But she was my favorite female senpai in this school.

"I hope you live a happy life from now on senpai."

Listening to my words, she sighed deeply and spoke to me.

"Well this may be the last time I see you. So you make sure to take care of yourself too okay?"

Nodding at her words, I turned around and walked away.

Suddenly the words Horikita-senpai said came to my mind.

"Use the time you have left in this school to gain a purpose in life. A goal that you want to reach."

A goal that I want to reach? I only came to this school to get a new start and make my parents proud.

But now that I have guaranteed class A for myself. What am I supposed to do now?

"A goal that I want to reach... a purpose in life..."

D-Did... I ever have something like that? No. I never thought that far.

I looked back at the third year students who will soon be moving forward with their lives.

"Perhaps it's time that I start thinking about my future..."

A way to move forward with my life and a way to protect my own happiness...

I should start thinking about these things.

Maybe it's time I take care of the ones who endanger my life at this school.

Both of you idiots who think you can expel me... I will make you my pawns first.

Vol 5 Ch 9: A Group Hangout.

Hirano pov:-

"So...what are we doing here again?" I asked as I looked at the group of people infront of me.

They were Soga, Takeda, Miku, Aika, Itsuki and oddly enough we had three more people that I didn't expect.

One was Hiyori, who instead of reading a book like usual, decided to hang out with us.

Then there was Soga's friend, Kida Teruo.

He didn't seem to be wearing his glasses like he did in class.

And the third person was Hori Yuri. Which was quite a surprise for me.

"Well since we are going to second years soon. I thought we might take this time to enjoy ourselves no?" Atsushi asked.

By the way, we all have decided to call eachother with our given names.

"I understand that. But how is Yuri here?"

"Oh! Atsushi invited me. I hope we all can have alot of fun!" She replied with an enthusiastic voice.

Huh? I didn't know Atsushi and Yuri were friends.

"Anyway, let's stop the chit chat and let's get moving! The maze isn't going to wait for us!"

"The maze?" I asked Aika.

"Yup! They recently made this spooky maze right here, in the Keyaki mall. Like an attraction. I thought we all can give it a try!"

"Well I am up for it!" Itsuki agreed immediately.

"Well then let's go."Hachiro called out to us as he started walking forward.

He may be the smartest amongst us. But that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy having fun. Infact, he is a party person as much as me and Atsushi.

After we reached the gate to the maze, a guard stopped us and asked us to get in line.

But since there weren't that many people, we got our tickets pretty fast and with them we entered the maze.

"Wow..."

The maze wasn't an ordinary one. Instead of walls, it was all glass. Some of it reflecting us while others being completely see through. It was already hard to tell which direction we were supposed to go to.

"So... which way should we go?"

"..."

"Guys?"

"..."

I turned around and saw no one behind me. Apparently we all had already been separated.

"Great... just great..."

Knowing that I was on my own, I started walking around the maze with my hands stretched out so as to not bump into any mirrors. Which seemed impossible due to the countless images forming due to different mirrors being placed at different angles to one another

And the fact that the lighting in the maze was decent at best wasn't helping my situation. Over all, losing your way in this maze was easy.

"Aki!"

I looked a little distance infront of me and saw Itsuki waving at me.

I immediately ran towards her... a very bad decision.

Upon reaching close to her, I slammed into the glass face first and then fell to the ground on my butt.

"Ow!"

"Aki! Are you okay?"

I turned around again to find Itsuki with a worried look.

So she was behind me instead of infront of me? I hate mirrors.

"I am fine... Anyway, where are the others?"

"I don't know... we all got separated!" She looked at me with a face that was about to cry.

"Sigh. Come on. Follow me."

I got up on my feet and started walking while touching the mirrors, so as to not walk into one again. Itsuki followed me from behind.

All of us were given gloves so we don't leave any hand prints while touching the mirrors.

"Damn. Where is the exit?" I was getting more and more irritated as time went by.

"Hey Aki?"

"Hm? What?"

"You knew that Ryueen was going to poison our class right?"

My footsteps came to a halt. I turned around with a surprised expression.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Don't lie! Someone as introverted as you! Wouldn't have asked to hang out with us unless we dragged you out!"

Ouch. That kinda hurt. But what she said was true.

"I just wanted to take you guys out to have some fun is all." I tried to stick to my excuse.

"I can tell when you are lying, Aki."

"Umm..."

She looked at me with a disappointed expression.
"I can't believe you let Ryueen do something like that! A lot of my classmates suffered you know!"

"Well, it's not like I could do anything!"

"Your their class leader!"

"I WAS their class leader! Sigh. Let's not talk about this. Okay?"

I asked her but she just looked at me with an annoyed expression.

"Hmph! Fine! But you better apologize to my class got it!"

"Yeah yeah..."

We spent the next half and hour walking through the maze till we found the exit.

I saw that everyone else had already arrived before us.

"Hey dude! What took you so long?"

"Grrr... I hate these mirror mazes!"

"Come on! I know you had fun!"

Atsushi tried to cheer me up. But he was right. Looking back at it, the frustration of not knowing where I was going was fun. Except the pain I received from bumping into the mirror walls of the maze.

"Now come on! There is a sale on clothes today!" Aika called out.

"We are going shopping?"

"Yup! The second year is coming so we gotta prepare ourselves!"

How does buying clothes prepare oneself for the upcoming struggles?

Without much of a choice I reluctantly went to the clothes shop with them.

The girls and boys wears were on different floors so we were separated.

As for us boys, we split up to do some of our own shopping.

I picked a black T-shirt with the words "World Domination" on it.

"That looks good on you." I heard a voice from behind me.

Turning around I saw a black haired boy.

"Hey.. Teruo..."

Although we all had decided to call eachother by our given names, it was still awkward as Teruo and I weren't close at all.

Infact, this might just be our first conversation if we don't include our previous Hi's and Hello's.

"Thanks. I knew black colour would suit me well."

"Hmmm... no. It's not best for you but it's decent."

"I see. Got any suggestions for me?"

"Sure!" He enthusiastically showed me multiple shirts.

I found it odd how a bored faced guy like him would have such a bright expression.

"You... sure are a lot knowledgeable about this..."

"Oh! Yeah! My parents run a clothes shop and I often help out!"

"That's convenient."

Little by little we grew close as friends should.

Vol 5 Ch 10: To Win And Survive

Hirano pov:-

I sat on a nearby bench. I was done with my shopping so I just decided to wait for the others to be finish.

"Hey. You don't feel like shopping more either?" The boy next to me spoke.

"Why are standing? Take a seat Atsushi-kun."

"Hehe. You sound annoyed. Do you really hate shopping?" He said as he sat next to me.

"I find it a chore. Besides, you are sitting here with me. Aren't you? And unlike me, you didn't even buy anything. "

"Well that's because I already did my shopping a few days ago."

Suddenly Atsushi became silent and looked around to see if anyone was listening to us. Then he turned back around to me.

"Hey. Why did you let Nagumo get Ichinose?"

I froze when he asked me that question.

"I-I what?"

"Don't play dumb. Nagumo has told me that I will be your vice secretary from now on and Ichinose will be his secretary. Not to mention this was after you received a massive amount of points from Nagumo. You do understand where I am going with this right?"

I was silent as he spoke. And then I let out a sigh.

"Yes. You are right. He and I made a deal."

As I said that, I received a slap on my face.

"YOU SACRIFICED A FRIEND FOR MONEY!?" He yelled at me. Thankfully not many people were present around us.

Atsushi lowered his voice and spoke again.
"Why the hell would you even think about doing that!?"

I lightly touched my cheek as I waited for the pain to stop and sighed again as I spoke.

"I wouldn't have been able to stop Nagumo senpai from getting to Ichinose anyway. Knowing him, he would have eliminated me."

"But you have a protectio-"

"Not even my protection point would have been able to save me from getting expelled multiple times. Since Nagumo senpai was going to have his way anyway, I decided to not only remove myself from being an obstacles between him and Ichinose. But I also gained a massive number of points. As far as I can see it, I made a good deal since it was concerning my future at this school."

Atsushi looked over at me with calm eyes. He who is always in contact with our senpais knows how dangerous Nagumo is. To be able to escape from Nagumo's radar is indeed a good deal. However-

"Aren't you worried if he does something to Ichinose?"

When he said that, my mind went blank.
"I-I haven't thought that far..."

I saw his face. Atsushi was looking at me with disappointment in his eyes.

"Listen. From one friend to another, let me tell you this. You didn't use to be this selfish when we first met. I can understand people changing after coming to a school like this and everyone wants to protect themselves. But you are changing a bit too much. Perhaps you should reflect on yourself a bit. Specially if your going to be in a relationship. "

Relationship? What's he talking about?

Without saying anything else, Atsushi got up from the bench and left.

Reflect on myself?
Did I do something wrong?
I was just trying to survive!
I was just trying to win!
I was just... just...
...

When did I start obsessing so much with winning?

The will to win and survive... This mentality... when did I start adopting such ideals?

Was it after the rooftop fight? Was it Ryueen's influence? Was it the fun from participating in these special exams? Was it the competitive atmosphere at this school? Or was it a byproduct of my past trauma?

No. I feel it was... from a time even before that.

"!"

Suddenly I felt a massive amount of pain in my head. Like my brain was stopping me from thinking about such things... stopping me from remembering... from remembering... remembering... what was I thinking about again?

The pain in my head reduced slowly till it went away completely. But my mind felt exhausted.

I decided to wait patiently on the bench till the others returned.

Timeskip:-

"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked the girl who was walking beside me.

The others were walking ahead of us so they couldn't hear our conversation.

"Yeah I am fine."

"You don't look so fine. What are you thinking about?"

"It's just..." Yuri bit her lips and then faced me.

"I am just thinking about Sumiko-san."

"Tajika-san? Why? Did something happen?"

"I don't know but she has been acting a depressed lightly."

"Depressed?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I am pretty sure I heard her crying. But then she acted like everything was fine once she saw me."

Hmmm... how odd.

"Did you ask her about it?"

Yuri's became a little stiff but she replied to me very quickly.
"N-No... I have tried to ask her but she always changes the subject. I had even tried to invite her to come with us today, but she refused."

She closed her eyes as she thought about something and then she opened her eyes which looked like stars as she faced me.

"But maybe Aki-kun can talk to her!"

"M-Me?" I was bit surprised by what she said.

"You are also a friend to her right? So I am sure she will open up if you talk to her!"

"But how am I supposed to make her open up to me, when she won't even talk to you!?"

"W-Well... ummm... maybe it's just something she can't talk to me about... so try calling her tonight okay?" She said with a blush on her face.

(Suspicious.) I eyed Yuri and then sighed.

"Fine. I will call her."

"No! Not just call her! Make sure to talk to her face to face okay?" She suddenly scolded me.

"Okay, okay. I will do that."

"Great!" Yuri exclaimed as a sweet smile appeared on her face.

Timeskip:-

The doorbell rang and I went to answer the door.

"C-Can I come in?"

"Ofcourse. I am the one who called you after all."

Tajika entered my room and comfortable sat on my bed. She was in an outfit that seemed skin tight and displayed her curves aswell revealing some of her skin. I tried my best not to stare at her.

"So why did you call me Hirano-kun?"

I took a seat on the chair infront of her.

"Hori was telling me that you have been acting abit weird lately?"

"Weird?"

"About how you have been crying."

"!" Her eyes went wide.

"So she did hear me..." she said with a sad expression.

"Did something happen?"

She lowered her head when I asked.

"Hirano-kun can I get some tea?"

"Okay..."

I decided to make some tea. Drinking tea can calm the mind. It should help her open up to me.

After I made the tea, we both started drinking it in our identity looking cups.

"So now will you tell me what's going on-"

"Hirano-kun, Can I also get some more sugar?"

"Extra sugar?"

"I like it sweet."

"Okay wait here."

I went into the kitchen, opened the cabinets and retrieved the sugar jar.

I came back and gave it her along with a spoon. I saw her mix the sugar from the jar into her tea.

"Thank you, Hirano-kun."

"It's alright."

I was about to take a sip of my tea again but I noticed something odd...

Tajika pov:-

I got nervous when Hirano stopped and started he looking at "his" tea.

After a bit of a pause, he fiddled with something on his desk, after which he went and sat back on his chair, facing me and started drinking his tea again.

I inwardly smiled as my body waited in anticipation.

He may not be the man I love. But a first time experience is exciting for everyone.

"Tajika-san I-" Suddenly his speech broke halfway as he brought his hands to his face. Which was bright red.

He was panting as he looked at me.

I had exchanged our tea cups before adding a little something to mine when he wasn't looking.

I had even made sure to wear a very seductive outfit.

Time to strike!

I got up from the bed and walked towards him with a blush on my face.

This may have been set up by me. But it's still embarrassing.

I sat on his lap with my face right infront of his.

"Tajika-san. What are you-"

"Sheeeeh. Just Sumiko is fine. Aki-kun." I spoke softly as I planted my lips on his.

Our kiss lasted for a minute and yet it felt like hours. The sensation was addicted.

Before I knew it, the aphrodisiac I put in the tea was working as Aki claimed my lips greedily.

"Aki-kun. Don't hold back. I am yours~"

That's right. In order to expel you. I am willing to throw away my pride... and my virginity.

As I closed my eyes, I accepted my fate.

Note:-

The last three chapters will be released together at the same time during or after the first week of February. So look forward to them!

Vol 5 Ch 10.5: Tajika Sumiko(18)

Note: This is my first time writing something like this so don't judge me. For those of you below 18, I request you to please skip this chapter. I will also be keeping chapter like these short and not very long.

Third person pov:-

Sumiko bent down and took off Aki's pants, revealing the monstrosity inside.

On seeing Aki's dick, Sumiko's mind went into panic.
(S-So big! I have watched a few videos as practice for today, but none of the men were as big as this!)

Sumiko calmed herself quickly and remembered her mission.

"S-Sumiko... what are you- ah~" Aki let out a moan as he felt sumiko lick the tip of his cock.

Lick, lick, lick.

She started slowly before speeding up and taking his entire dick in her mouth.

"Ah~ah~" He wanted to stop her but the pleasure from Sumiko's mouth gave a new experience for him. One that he liked alot.

"Ah~ Sumiko stop-! I am cumming!" Unable to hold it in for long, he asked her to stop before he came in her mouth.

However, contrary to his request. Sumiko started sucking him more intensely as she gulped down his semen.

"Hmmm~ It's not as taste as they show in mangas. But I can get used to this~" She said with seductive grin that can make any man go crazy.

She started licking his dick again to do a little "cleanup". After which she sat back in his lap and gave him another kiss.

Aki at this point had completely given himself to his lust as he kissed her back and picked her up by grabbing her meaty thighs.

Sumiko enjoyed the feeling of being handled by a man as she was laid down on the bed with Aki on top of her.

They kissed eachother multiple times as they took off each other's clothes until they were both naked.

Aki was mesmerized by the naked body of the gorgeous girl beneath him.

"Hehe~ Like what you see? Come here... I am all yours~"

Her seductive tone made Aki lose the last of his sanity as he started licking her right nibble while massaging the other between his fingers.

Her soft breasts gave him a feeling that was addicting.

"Ah~ Ah~ Aki-kun~" She let out moans as she said his name. Accepting the pleasure she received.

Wanting to hear her moan more, Aki took the next step as he made his way to her clit. Without any hesitation, he began licking it and sticking his tongue inside. Getting all her sensitive spots.

"Ah~ Aki-kun~ wait- ah~" Sumiko who wasn't expecting that moaned loudly as she felt pleasure far greater than what she did now.

"Something is... wait-ah~!" Sumiko couldn't hold herself back as Aki drunk her sweet juices.

He got on top of her again and gave her a deep kiss that she reciprocated.

"I am going in." He whispered in her ear.

As she heard his voice, her body began to tremble in anticipation.

Aki's dick slowly made his way inside her as she grabbed Aki tightly due to the pain.

They were both no longer virgins anymore.

"I will start moving."

"!"

Without giving her time to adjust, he started thrusting deep inside her.

(Why does it feel so good!) Sumiko thought as moans escaped her mouth.

Aki increased his pace as he thrust deep inside her.

"Ah~ Aki~ your big thing~ It's feels amazing~"

"Your so tight! Your insides feel so good!" Aki couldn't help but shout as the pleasure from Sumiko body was too much for him.

Sumiko's mind went blank with every thrust Aki did. She slowly forgot her mission as she drowned in pleasure that she had never experienced before.

"Aki~ faster- ah~ more~"

Her voiced filled with pleasure only turned Aki on more as his pace became even faster.

"Sumiko... I am cumming."

"Inside. Fill me up~!"

Aki let his load deep inside her as Sumiko felt something hot filling inside her. There was no turning back now.

They continued in many different positions as they embraced eachother throughout the night. Taking in the pleasure and forgetting about everything else.

Vol 5 Epilogue: That Man

Tajika pov:-

I slowly opened my eyes as I scanned the room. I saw a black haired boy right next to me.

Both of us were in bed together. Naked.

(The plan has worked.) I thought with a smile.

I slowly got off the bed as to not wake Aki up.

However my feet gave in as I fell on the floor.

"Owwww."

After how roughly Aki handled me last night and how we went for about 5 or 6 rounds. My legs barely have the strength to move.

I slowly made my way to my phone and opened it. As I was about to send my brother the text, I found myself getting grabbed from behind.

Before I knew it, I was thrown on the bed once again. The Black haired boy was directly on me. Both of our naked bodies touched eachother.

"Aki?"

"I am a very light sleeper. Do you think you can get away from me after last night?"

Hirano pov:-

I looked at the beautiful naked girl below me. Our faces only a few centimeters apart.

Sumiko tried to get up but my body held her's tightly.

"Oh~ stop resisting. Or do you want me to fuck you again?" I asked in a lustful tone.

"Y-you." She glared at me.

"Now enough of your futile effort. It's time you tell me what you and your brother are planning."

"B-Brother?" She asked probably thinking about how I knew about them being siblings.

"Akagi Yuki from my class. Although you both have different family names and look nothing alike. He is still your brother right?"

Her eyes widened as I said his name.

"Y-you... how do you-"

"I knew that there were two people trying to expel me and that one of them was from my class aswell as from the soccer club. Akagi is the only person that matched and having Ishizaki spy on him led me to you." I said in a cold tone.

"As for how I know he is your brother. Well you shouldn't be calling eachother "brother" and "sis" in public. Besides, the fact he wanted to expel me was made quite obvious when he protested against me getting the protection point."

"Tch. So you know about us. But it's too late." She smirked at me as if she had won.

"Oh? How so?"

"Are you stupid? I will frame you for sexually assaulting me!"

"I see. Is that why you made Yuri text me to call you into my room? Was Atsushi also a part of this?"

"Oh? He told you? No matter. This is how the story goes. I was just a maiden who had fallen in love. To get to know my crush Aki, I went to Atsushi to ask what his best friend likes and dislikes. Then I asked my bestie Yuri to make my crush call me to his room. Once I was in his room, I confessed my feelings to him. But that lustful boy asked me to have sex with him and when I refused, he sexually assaulted me! Even a protection point won't save you from criminal charges!" She spoke a story that made her seem like the victim

"So the one you were messaging? Was it your brother?"

"Yup. I wanted to tell him to call the authorities. But now that won't happen. But oh well! He will call them after 9am incase I didn't text him."

"You would give your virginity just to expel me?"

"You have no idea how much I want you gone." She spoke in a cold tone as she looked at me.

"So it seems. Then if I am going to be expelled. Can you atleast tell me why?"

"It's not your fault really." She said as she shook her head.

"Me and my brother were separated into different families due to the divorce of our parents. But that man told us that we can have our families joined once again if we expel you."

"That man?"

"You know him. Gima-sensei."

"Ah." She didn't have to say anymore. I already knew that he never liked me.

After all, the moment his wife died, he took the chance to separate me from the triplets.

But to think he would go as far as to expel me.

"So that's the reason why you two have been trying to expel me. Ojisan(Uncle) ordered it."

"Sorry. Aki-kun. But I have to do what I must do."

"Then I am sorry too."

"Huh?" She didn't understand what I was apologizing for.

"Look over there." I pointed towards my desk.

Although she was under me, she moved her head to see where I was pointing.

She tried to look for what I wanted her to see but she couldn't find it.

"Look closer. At the books."

She did as I asked and I slowly saw the color drain from her face.

One of the books on the desk wasn't a book. Not entirely atleast. The interior of the book was cut to place a camera inside the book with it's lens pointing outside the cover. It took me a whole day to make it.

Unless you closely paid attention to it, it's extremely hard to spot. I had made it after Sakayanagi had tried to frame me.

"I had turned it on before you came and even double checked before drinking that tea. It has recorded everything. Including YOU putting aphrodisiac drug in my tea and YOU making the first move by kissing me. You can call the authorities but it won't help you. Infact it's you who might end up getting expelled." I spoke with a tone that showed that I was clearly looking down on her.

"Wah-"

"I had noticed that you had switched our cups. Although I only thought that you will put me to sleep and then frame me. I didn't think you would agree to sleep with me but nevertheless it gave me an opportunity to trap you."

Come to think of it, where did she even get aphrodisiac drugs? Well Ryuuen did get that laxative. So it shouldn't surprise me.

"Y-you bastard!"

"Shut up." I said in a cold and strict voice.

"I have your school life and reputation in my hands. So I would behave if I were you."

She went silent after I said that but her eyes still glared at me.

"You said that you told that you are in love with me to Yui and Atsushi. We can't tell them what you really planned. So how shall we cover this up?"

"You... are not going to get me expelled?"

"I would rather not draw too much attention to myself. Besides your brother will straight up attack me if I did. Not to mention you still have your uses."

"Uses?"

"I needed a pawn in the other classes. Even if it's in class D."

"And you expect me to do whatever you want?"

"Do you wish to remain in this school with your brother? If you get expelled before me, I am sure that man won't be pleased."

She didn't say anything. But she knew I was right.

"As for the cover up. This is how the story goes. You confessed your feeling to me and I said that I had no romantic interest. We both decided to move on and remain friends. Got that?"

"I... I understand."

"Great! Now let's move on to the next part!"

"Next part!?"

"Ofcourse! I need to punish you for pulling a stunt like this. And it seems that lust hasn't completely left my body. You can only blame yourself for being so gorgeous."

"W-wait! You basta-"

"You don't have a choice. Didn't you say that your brother will call the authorities at 9am? It's 6:37am right now which means we still have more than 2 hours. Let's have some fun till then~"

I said as I entered her again.

"W-wait-ah~"

Before she could react, I started thrusting deep inside her.

Her body is amazing! I am going to fully enjoy her!

"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~"

Soon the room was filled with her moans as we both drowned in pleasure and lust.

Truthfully, I wasn't doing this because I love her or anything. However, the pleasure from her body was just too hard to give up.

"Your mine now~" I whisper into her ear as I fastened my pace.

"Ah~ No~ Stop~ Ah~"

"Ah~ Sumiko. You feel great! I can't wait to fuck you everyday for the next couple of days~"

Don't blame me. I just want to keep myself safe. No matter what, I will protect myself by any means necessary.

Once I have made sure she can't harm me. Then I will let her go.

After all, having a beautiful girl to sleep with anytime I want is great! But I still want to feel true love if possible.

You can call me trash or scum. But I will survive no matter what.

Besides, you shouldn't blame me when you were the one who drugged me first right?

I thought as I looked at Sumiko's lips that let out one moan after another before giving her an another deep kiss.

In the end, you reap what you sow.

And Gima-sensei, I will get back at you for this.

Vol 5 SS: A World Of White

Hirano pov:-

I was making my way back to the elevator. It was night time and I wanted to get something to drink.

So I quickly came down to the lobby and grabbed a drink from the vending machine.

The lift was about to close so I made a dash for it. Luckily I got there just in time. But to my surprise. Ayanokouji was already inside.

"Hey Ayanokouji-kun."

"Hello Hirano-kun." He spoke in his usual monotonous voice.

We remained silent as we wait for my floor to arrive. I had no intention to talk but it seems Ayanokouji wasn't thinking the same thing.

"Hirano. How have you lived in the outside world?"

"Huh?" I was a bit confused with his question.

"You mean my life before coming to this school? It was... good? If you are asking about the middleschool incident then forget it!" I glared at him.

"No. I have no interest in that. I just wanted to know if you have enjoyed your life."

"Hm... yes. I can say that there have been both sad and happy moments, but I think I have lived a decent life. Why?"

His question was really strange. It almost made me feel like he was asking me if I lived a happy life before he kills me!

No! Don't be paranoid Hirano! That's just in movies!

"Alright." He didn't say anything and my floor had also arrived.

I stepped out of the elevator however, I stopped when I heard something from behind me.

The voice lasted only for a second and was very low that it was hard to hear but I still managed to pick it up.

"So you don't remember."

I turned around but the door of the lift had already closed.

"Did I hear that right? It must have just been my imagination." I dismissed it as me hearing things.

But for somereason, what I heard kept bothering me.

I reached my room and locked the door behind me.

Taking off my shoes, I immediately laid down on my bed as I closed my eyes. My mind drifting into the dream world. My body completely relaxed.

However something strange happened.
It was a dream that was unlike anything I had before.

I was in a world of white. The walls, floor and ceiling all were white. Making the place seem holy.

It's how one would imagine the afterlife to be. And yet-

"Hell"

That was what my mind was telling me. Looking at the white, I felt various emotions.

Despair, fear, hate but most of all... rage.

"Help-!" I heard a voice of someone calling for help. But by the time I turned around, I saw a man on the floor. Dead as a pool of blood was beneath him.

The man looked like in his twenties and was wearing what looked like some kind of suit which was now drenched with blood.

"Hehehe~" Besides that man, stood a black haired boy who looked like 7 or 8 years old.

The boy laughed lightly as he gazed at the bloody pocket knife in his hand.

The boy seemed to be giggling to himself like an madman revealing a creepy smile. A smile that no normal sane human should have.

However, there also seemed to be tears dripping from his eyes like a waterfall.

When I took a closer look at the boy's eyes, I saw that his eyes looked as if he had fallen into the deepest point in the pit of despair.

He was laughing and crying at the same time. His mind completely collapsed from insanity.

There were a few other adults that had surrounded the boy, wearing the same attire as the man the boy killed.

Yet the boy showed no fear and just giggled as his eyes swept through each of the adults.

Seeing the boy, I myself felt a headache.

The scene changed and I saw a man in a black suit detaining the boy. The other men from before were gone and only a single man could be seen. The boy struggled for a bit before closing his eyes and stopped resisting.

"Poor boy. Finally broke." The man said. However his face had a creepy smile. His face showed no sympathy for the boy his hands held down.

Suddenly another man appeared behindhim.

"I see you have knocked him out, Tsukishiro."

"We couldn't have allowed the kid to kill anymore instructors correct? This boy has sure made a mess. Shall I take him away?"

"The boy has no use anymore. Besides, They have decided to take him in if he is able to recover."

"Are you sure? There hasn't been anyone else who has broken down like this one. I feel that his mind is beyond repair. Not to mention that the others who still haven't recovered were in a better condition than this boy."

"We will leave his recovery to those two. Let them do what they want with him. It's not our concern anymore."

"You trust them?"

"They have worked here for more than two years now and are trusted by Naoe-sensei. Giving them one of the failures has no concerns. Besides, they might just be able to make him recover."

"Even if no one else has recovered yet?"

"They say that they have a way though I am not sure if it will work. But family love is indeed different from normal therapy. Regardless, As long as they don't get distracted from their work, I don't care."

I was curious and wanted to hear more. Yet the pain in my head only continued to increase as I watched.

I once again looked at the boy laying on the ground. Even though he had his eyes closed, his mouth was moving slowly as if saying something.

I managed to understand what the boy was saying as I focused on his nearly inaudible voice.

"I... will... survive..." The boy kept repeating these words five or six more times before his mouth stopped moving. Seems like he passed out.

The man who was called "Tsukishiro" picked up the boy and started walking away.

"Now only two more are left."

The next thing I knew, I was looking at a familiar ceiling.

I was awake.

I sat up on my bed as I touched my face.

Tears?

I was crying from my dream and yet I don't know why.

I felt a sense of dread aswell as despair. And soon I felt those feelings turning into anger.

The same type of anger I felt during the middleschool incident and far greater than when I fought Ryueen.

"Just... what is this..."

That place... that boy... those men...

Just what was that dream?

-To Be Continued.

Note:-
This is the end of this book. I hope you all enjoyed it and I am happy to have received compliments about my fanfic. And seeing how many chapters this book has and how far the story had progressed makes me very happy.

For those who aren't aware. The story doesn't end here. Soon I will be releasing a book 2 of this fic called:-

"Classroom Of The Elite: The Path Of An Elite"

It comprises of events from year 2 of Cote. I hope you all look forward to it!